About Mallory Lewis. Background:
Background
When Mallory was just a kid, her parents dragged her across the desert in search of silver. What they found in The Big Drop was the same as most people found - absolutely nothing. Her father, Quinns, took off, leaving her uncle (Gabriel) and mother (Sarah-Jean) alone to raise her. Gabriel had lost a leg during the journey due to infection, or else it's likely that Quinns would have tried to take him with him. Gabriel took his wound as a sign that it was time to retire from their old life and make an honest living. No more holdups, no more thievin' folks. Growing up, Mallory was infatuated with the stories of his old life, and while he dramatised the gunslinger life for her amusement, he was always sure to explain the importance of having honour, something her father never had. He would tell her how important it was to look after your crew, because they were all you had. When Mallory was in her early teens, Gabriel became ill and passed away. Since her mother wanted something different for her, she pulled strings to get Mallory hired at a local bar, serving drinks and entertaining travelers. Eventually Mallory was able to leave home, serving with a bandit crew for a few years. After a bad job left them destroyed, and her lost in the desert, she ended up becoming a bounty hunter. Vignette
Mallory opened her mouth to say something, and then stopped. A few minutes passed in silence, and then she tried again. “You know what a barmaid is?” she asked, and the kid shook his head. "Towns bigger 'en the one you're from... they get a lot of travelers passin' through. Lotta respectable types. Growin' up without a daddy, I had to start working, early and often, and that was all I could do." "The days were long, and it often felt like bein' a slave. I was tied to any man who came through, singin' for 'em, playin' viola, and tryin' to get 'em to drink more, to talk. Some just wanted comp'ny. Others, well, there were girls more skilled than I for that kinda work." "Once, I was maybe a lil older than you are, we had a man come by, refused to pay, but thought that because he was a man, he was still entitled to whatever girls he wanted. Town was big, but we still didn't have a law man, and most folk didn't care what happened, especially not to girls like us, without privilege or status. An' so he just meant to take us, one by one. They’s screaming and crying but didn't matter none to him. Like nothing we did mattered, cause we didn't matter. He was halfway through the secon' one when I took my uncle's sword and ran him through.” Mallory paused for a second, pulling a few apples from her satchel, and passing one to the body. He bit right into it like he hadn't ever eaten before. Taking the knife from her thigh, she began slicing her apple up, eating the chunks slowly. "Those damn fool people,” she continued, “ain't care none about a whore gettin' raped, figured she had it comin'... but murderin' a rich man passin' through, killin' the hope of him investin' some money in the town, of him bringin' more people? That just don't sit right wit ‘em. So I did what you did, I ran. Learned enough to make my way. I knew how to talk, an' how to listen. I knew how to survive." The kid swallowed a bite of his apple, and looked at the girl sitting next to him for the first time, as she stared out at the sand dunes on the horizon. Her long red curls fell down past her shoulders, framing her lightly tanned face. Green eyes shone out like emeralds. At a guess he’d put her in her early thirties. She was still attractive, but not like she’d once been. The hard life was chipping away at her bit by bit. She looked back at him, her eyes studying his face. “You seem like a smart kid, and you've got some of that magic in you. Where’d you learn that?” He stammered, “I-I dunno, ma’am. I just kind of know it. I know how to make air into water, and, and I can make people hear stuff ain't real.” Mallory chewed on a slice of apple and thought for a while, her brow furred. The kid knew that she was trying to make a decision, but he wasn't sure what was going through her head, or what he could say in his own favour. When he finally opened his mouth to try, she cut him off. “You've cost me plenty already, makin' me chase you all over this damn desert, and if I want to take you back it’ll be a lost day, too. Ain't gonna get the law after me on account of your scrawny ass.” The kid looked down, and Mallory thought he might cry. Wouldn't that just be the perfect ending to this day, making a little kid cry. She followed his gaze to his feet, cracked and bloody. Swollen, with at least one broken toe. He had been so desperate to survive that he’d run too hard, too far, knowing anything would be better than what waited for him there. Mallory remembered how she'd felt, and sighed. “Listen, you wanna stay with me, make it worth my while. Teach me what you can about magic, how to fight it, 'nuff to survive, and ride with me a while. You managed to fool me earlier. Risky as hell, but smart. Could use someone clever watchin' my back. Gonna be a lot of work, I get into a fair amount of trouble. Ain't always gonna be good livin', but it’ll be livin'.” His eyes lit up, and he promise her that she wouldn't regret it, that he’d stay with her for as long as she'd have him. She smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile, and somehow he knew it. She dressed his wounds, and brought him to the local tavern where they could stay the night. He lay down on his side, facing away from her, and she watched him curl up like a child. 'Another lost little dog'. she thought. She drifted off to sleep with the satisfaction of knowing that he would never leave her side. Loyalty like that was the most important thing out here. She could teach him to survive, they could watch each other's backs, and maybe she'd be able to get through a few more years, and she'd leave something of value behind when she finally went. That thought turned to ash less than 2 months later, when she emerged from a crossfire with a few more scars, and the kid was dead. .
Attributes
BAB: +2 Pistol
Rapier
Notes
HP: 25 (3d10 + 1 Con per Dice)
CMB: 1 (2 BAB - 1 Str)
Fort +5 (+3 Base +2 Con)
Per Level: 8 (4 Base + 2 Int + 1 Human + 1 Favored Class)
Slippery: +1 Stealth and it becomes a Class Skill Savant: +2 to one Perform check and it becomes a Class Skill.
Point Blank Shot: +1 Attack and Damage with ranged weapons within 30 feet. (Human Bonus Feat) Precise Shot: No -4 penalty for firing into Melee (Level 1) Gunsmithing You can repair and craft Firearms, and craft ammunition. (Gunslinger Level 1) Rapid Reload You can reload your pistol as a move action instead of a standard action. (Level 3)
Proficiencies - All simple and martial weapons, pistols, and light armour. Gunsmith - The gunslinger starts with a battered pistol that only she knows how to use. All other creatures treat her gun as if it had the broken condition. This can be sold for scrap, though it is only worth 4d10 when sold. The gunslinger gains Gunsmithing as a bonus feat. Grit (3 Per Day) - At the start of each day the Desperado gains a number of grit points equal to her Charisma modifier (min 1). It goes up or down throughout the day but usually cannot exceed her Charisma modifier. There are feats and items that may change that. Grit is spent to accomplish deeds, and is regained by scoring critical hits, or getting killing blows. Liquid Courage (Max 1 Per Day) - At 2nd level, the Dresperado gains the ability to fortify their grit with a strong alcoholic drink. The act of drinking is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity. Each drink provides 1 grog point. The Desperado can have a maximum number of grog points equal to 1, plus 1 additional for every two levels thereafter (4th, 6th, etc). These grog points can be used in place of grit points to fuel deeds or grit feats (including those which require a minimum of 1 grit point to use). These grog points last for 1 hour, or until used, whichever comes first. Deeds
Desperado's Tune (11 Rounds / Day)
Leather Armour (15 lbs)
Rapier (2 lbs)
Pistol (4 lbs)
Other Equipment (14 lbs)
Rules:
#1 - Don't get involved. #2 - #3 - Best way to know someone is to fight them. #4 - Never underestimate your enemy. #5 - Never send a slinger to kill a slinger.
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