Ezekiel Stubbs

Concept: Head of the Gallowsbait M.C.

AKA: Zeke. Big Dog. Boss-man.

Desc:  Big. Muscle-y. Covered in various types and styles of ink. Hirsute(long black hair with the occasional hint of silver) Bearded. Keeps himself clean. One piercing in his ear. Hasn’t worn anything other than jeans and a denim jacket in years. Rarely bothers with a shirt. Big rawboned hands. Engineer boots. As like as not, has a bike chain around his waist, which of course doubles as an impromptu weapon.  Normally carries a large hunting knife that’s likely visible.

History:There are some men who are never going to be happy doing much of anything for other men. The desire to set one's own course and call one’s own shots is a powerful motivator to some. Zeke has always been that kind of man.  His dad was an abusive shit and that probably wouldn’t have been a problem if Zeke hadn’t caught a serious growth spurt. Zeke’s dad had it out with him and tried to kick him out of the house one summer afternoon after drinking a case of Milwaukee’s Best.  Zeke crippled him for life. And nearly got sent to prison for it, but his momma realized that when Stubbs senior got out of the hospital, he’d take it out on her. So she began to talk about things she’d never talked about before...and Stubbs Senior was the one who ended going to jail.

See. Stubbs senior was a cop. And once Mama Stubbs started talking to her lawyer, the department was more than happy to let Zeke slide in exchange for a bit of silence.

Which is not to say that Zeke hasn’t had run-ins with the law since. Some guys who don’t even know the old man see fit to make life difficult for some scumbag biker who caused him some trouble. And Zeke’s done some time for some things.  Some he did. Some they just liked him for.

Zeke and his mama relocated and got themselves a double-wide. Zeke went to work with his hands, He did Vo-tech in high school and has some talent with it. But eventually, he drifted into some types of criminal activity. At first, it was just mechanic work in a chop shop, then it involved muling drugs and eventually arms. He bought a scooter. Got himself a patch and rose in trust in the ranks of his former M.C.

He got along with Big Mike for the most part, and probably would have stayed with the Last Knights for the rest of his life.  But he got popped for an ill-advised run carrying drugs (Thankfully, not across the state-line) and got sent to stir for a while.  He was willing to take the weight.

But then Momma got sick. The cancer eating her up faster than a state fair corn dog. Big Mike had eyes and ears inside and heard that Zeke wasn’t handling that all that well. Rather than let the cops make him a deal, Big Mike tried to whack Zeke inside.

Oh sure, the cops are pretty sure that Zeke killed all three of the guys that came after him...But they sure couldn’t prove any of it.  So they put him in solitary. they figured he’d talk after about a week of that.

6 months later, they gave up and since his sentence was nearly up they let him back out into Gen-Pop. They figured he’d talk without his protective custody at the end of his sentence.  And you know, a few dudes rolled up on him looking to take a slice of his short-time for themselves. And they’d be all hard until they got a good look at his eyes. Something had happened to him in there. Lifers may not give a fuck, but even they can tell when a man will kill you just as soon as eat a cheese danish.  Even the jack-offs left Zeke alone.

Zeke got out. Momma had passed away while he was inside. Big Mike expected Zeke would do something stupid and come right at him after he got out. They weren’t prepared for what happened next. Zeke disappeared.

Actually. He got on his Hog and drove away. Got himself a job as a mechanic in a place two towns over owned by some Aryan Brotherhood guy (Zeke had crewed up while inside.) and essentially dug a hole, threw himself in and pulled it in after him.

He ratholed his money away. He ate ramen and washed his hair with bar soap. He bided his time. He acquired necessary tools. He made a few trusted friends.

He was patient.

Finally, on the anniversary of his mother’s death, he returned to town and in the space of 2 days, Big Mike and the Last Knights were mostly dead and their operation was on fire. Big Mike had been a creature of habit and Zeke had had 6 whole months to plan.

Zeke has started his own M.C. and has made something of a name for himself among other bikers and criminals. His M.C. isn’t large but it doesn’t really need to be yet. He’s got a chop shop of his own now and he’s making moves to pick up drugs and arms trade. Certain groups are thinking about making an approach. Certain other groups, other M.C.’s have also made an approach, talking about alliances and patching over his small group. Zeke makes it very clear, and he is at least polite about it at first, that the Gallowsbait M.C. will NEVER be beholden to any other group.

Attitude: “Human beings aren’t made to deal with isolation. Even a lone wolf like me has limits.  So for a while there, I think I may have gone crazy. Every nightmare I ever had came home to roost in that little cell. I screamed myself raw and nobody did a mumbling thing.  I seem to recall the devil turning up and asking me if I was willing to sell my soul for freedom.  I remember thinking about it some, and I said, “No thanks Mr. Scratch. But I’ll sell you every last ounce of my fear for a chance to get back at the men who put me here...And the devil... He smiled and said it was the most intriguing offer he’d heard of in a long time. Next day I wake up and my mind is as clear as bell.  Who knows baby. Who the hell knows...”

Skills: While he’s only got about 3 dots of resolve, he has the functional equivalent of 7 dots of Composure. He’s big and strong and has pretty good dexterity. He hasn’t got much education at all and while he’s not much of a manipulator he does have the kind of decent presence that a person who is completely fearless tends to generate. If he lives, He’ll be the kind of guy that becomes a legend among other bikers. People seem to recognize that this man has no fear. Also, people who pay attention will also gather that he is a veteran of hundreds of little conflicts and handles himself pretty damn well.  In addition to this, Zeke Stubbs is a pretty decent mechanic and knows his way around a gun and ammo workbench.   He is also a very competent driver of nearly every land vehicle ever made. More than capable of driving his cycle and firing a shotgun at the same time.

Gear: Not the best shot under the best conditions, Zeke tends to go in for shotguns and mac 10’s so he can lay down a lot of bullets in a short amount of time. Up close he’s a fucking nightmare with that hunting knife and his fists. and if the target is already on the ground, he’ll go to work on them with his bike chain. His cycle carries his guns only if he’s expecting trouble, but he’s got pretty damn good radar about when trouble is coming. 

Home: While he still technically owns the double-wide, he’s almost never there and rarely sleeps there. He’s trying to think about selling the place.  He’s got a cot that he keeps in the top office in the chop shop and this is normally where he sacks out.  If he’s in one of those rare moods where he’s looking to get his swerve on, he’s got a deal going on with a guy he knows at this super cheap hotel out by the interstate.  Turns out the fella working the desk on the overnight likes a bit of meth and it happens that Zeke has a source for that shit. The sort of girls that Zeke is likely to take to such a love nest...Well, they aren’t likely to bitch about the decor or the distinct lack thereof. 

Circle: Zeke knows people. Bikers, criminals, all types and ethnicities. His AB ink makes this problematic at times, but as he often explains, He never lets race get in the way of a good deal. And over time, some have seen that he’s not kidding.( He does not, however, allow people of other races into the Gallowsbait M.C. It’s just not done.) Although there are a few guys in one of the Vietnamese rackets that found out that the operative word in that explanation is “Good”. The deal they wanted to hand him was a bit of an insult. People got their “feelings” hurt. He’ll have contacts in Underworld, Street, and Prison.

Zeke is known to be a “man of his word” He’s always considered that being a man of his word made business easier. It also means, that he never makes idle threats.

Story Uses:

*”Son. I ain’t got no kick with you but you are skating on the edge”

Zeke doesn’t go out of his way to look for trouble, that said, you can’t intimidate him. You might kill him, but if you leave him breathing, he won’t stop. As a result, he might become the kind of antagonist that one just runs into headlong...by accident.

Also: if your character is a law enforcement professional, He WILL see you coming and hate you when you get there.

*”Shit. Why didn’t you say so? We can do that. You have cash?”

Conversely, he might make a great ally for anyone on the wrong side of the tracks.  Even a law-abiding person who comes from white trash stock might be okay knowing this guy and he’s damn useful.  He might decide you’re damn useful too.  He might want you to join the M.C.   He might be insistent.

You should, however, be advised. If you are not White and/or low class, Then you and your approach will scrutinized for any sign of the “High Hat”  if you give offense and talk down to them, there will be problems.

Connections:

* Has sold and is willing to continue to sell weed for Teflon John Galloway. But Johnny wouldn't be no damn use to the M.C. and no end of trouble. Still, the guy is a genius with the chronic.

* Tyronne "Tiberius" Glover is okay. As far as him and his set are concerned, we only got one rule. "Don't start none. Won't be none." We got crunk one night at one of those places on his turf and talked about our relationships with our parents. I'm not saying we're besties or anything...But I feel like he understands.

* Yeah, I know Homer Conway. We've done business. He's alright. 

*That dumb-fuck cousin of his, though. Officer Honus Brightwater We met once at his place and he looked me over and made certain assumptions based on my ink. Then he started talking...

* About twice a week the M.C. heads over to The Caboose and spends money. Carl gets worried sometimes, but for the most part, the M.C. behaves itself and if they've been selling drugs there he hasn't seen it...exactly. Certain of the ladies and maybe a DJ or two tend to perk up when they come, so...it's not outside the realm of the possible. Certain of the girls favor certain of the bikers, and there is an occasional bit of soap opera behind that.

Lawton Krase

Concept: Mercenary Wanna-be

AKA: His real first name is Calvin. He is not a fan of his first name.

Desc:  Barrel-chested. Moves like a martial artist. Close cropped hair and the kind of handlebar mustache that firefighters cultivate. (Fun fact: Firefighters cultivate that sort of facial hair because it’s the only kind they are allowed to. Beards and other configurations of facial hair prevent a good seal on the face mask. It’s the same reason Lawton cultivates his that way. He’s a total pussy when it comes to tear gas.) Nervous energy pervades him. He’d just as soon be up and pacing. Or sitting back and whittling something. Tends to tan well.

Sleeves of tats. But not much anywhere else. Muscle-y as all get out.

History: There are people who are interested in living a life filled with action and excitement. The sort of people who are willing to make an effort to learn tactics and combat skills and be willing to be shot at in picaresque shit-holes all over the world. Some seek the rough virtue of the life of a masterless samurai and the lucrative life of a killer for hire.

Lawton is, to put it mildly, one of those sorts of persons.

It’s so sad that he’s not particularly good at it.

Lawton is, perhaps too excitable for the work of a mercenary. His military training was truncated by the fact that he washed out for psychological reasons. His martial arts training came from a belt factory. He’s actually a decent shot, but his nervous system is a hot mess from Speed and Amphetamine abuse.

   Ordinarily, this would be enough to make certain that he wouldn’t be able to make it in such a rarified career. But sadly Lawton talks a real good game. (And is dumb lucky about surviving in the field.)

    In fact, Lawton is, technically speaking, a pathological liar. It’s not that he’s necessarily a bad guy, but he talks so much that eventually, he’ll tell you all the factual information about himself. in order to keep talking, he occasionally has to make things up.

Lawton does have the ability to project an air of complete confidence. And this usually makes it possible for him to get “Work” but it never seems to last for long. He can keep civilians completely buffaloed, but real professionals eventually see through his act.

   He’s done some things. Shot some people. He’s also screwed up a number of operations, usually through poor judgment or his own excitability. He hasn’t gotten a reputation for it yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

Attitude:  “So I was doing this thing in Angola. A little search and rescue op. And one of my guys gets his rappelling gear knotted as he’s making his descent. He’s hanging there all upside down in front of the window, and we can’t blow the charges because of it...So..I give the order and cut his line. Jacked up his back for about a month. But we got the hostages out at least. Can’t remember that dude's name, though. Kind of a screw-up. Know what I mean?”

Skills: He’s strong and has a lot of stamina, but not particularly dextrous. He’s got some presence and manipulation, but can sometimes flip out in the face of a tight situation. Mentally, well. He’s not nearly as smart as he thinks he is. He’s the Dunning-Kruger poster boy.

He’s not exactly unskilled. He’s got some combat ability and he’s not a bad shot, but I wouldn’t give him more than 2 dots in anything. He just doesn’t have the discipline for it.

Gear: Like most people who aren’t really all that skilled, he’s got a relatively serious collection of weapons. I can’t remember right off the top of my head what book it’s in, but there is a merit called “Arsenal”  I’d say he’s got about 3-4 dots of sidearms and a dot of long arms. (One really well cared for Dragunov sniper rifle that seen some actual use.) He’s got some mil-spec armor, Ultraviolet laser sights and low light gear for those sorts of operations.

He also has access to smoke, stun, and gas grenades. Most of his firearms are silenced. Properly kitted out he looks every inch the bad-ass he thinks he is.

Home: Lawton lives with a certain amount of “operational paranoia”.  He owns a mobile home in a circular trailer park. Only one access in and out. Enough trees to occlude a snipers sight lines. Money in the freezer and 2 separate safety deposit boxes. fake documents (Shitty ones, not Clavo’s work) and a getaway bag next to the hatch that opens into the crawl space. The pick-up truck is souped up and ready to run, should things get hairy enough for a disappearing act.

Circle: As you can imagine, not much of a social bee. He can turn on the charm like a sociopath when he’s looking to get merc work. But he keeps to himself mostly. On those occasions when he’s got extra money he tends to spend it on guns, expensive whiskey and cheap whores.

Story Uses:

“You can relax little lady. This ain’t my first rodeo.”

It’s going to be a sad night for anyone who hires Lawton for any kind of special ops work. Or answers his classified ad.  His poor judgment is likely to ruin any bit of action he gets involved in and he’s liable to lie like crazy after the fact. And god help you ALL if he ever ends up in a position of command.

“Don’t worry sir. I’ll handle it.”

On the other hand, if someone were to take Lawton “In hand” and give him some better training and discipline, he might turn out to be damn useful.  And you know what, he might even make a great retainer for someone if they can put up with his constantly running mouth.

Connections:

Immanuel Washington has had some dealings with Lawton. If Washington thinks anything about Krase at all. it is that he is dangerously undertrained, emotionally unstable, and worse, not very professional. Washington won't kill him out of hand or anything, but if they end up on opposite sides of something, He'll put him down without a second thought.

Although they've never met, He's done some cut-out work for Don Pentangelli. Mixed results naturally.

He's had "dealings" with a number of the girls from Bryson Import/Export back in the days when that other guy ran them. Now they're a little out of his price range.

Has bought a fair share of under the table weaponry off of Homer Conway.

Occasionally, The Vermillion House has uses for men like Lawton. In fact, he's usually along for one of those collection runs of theirs.  He CAN at least keep his mouth shut about that stuff. He's seen what happens to people who don't.