Gus

A tough, resourceful, highly skilled leader and former driver with an indomitable fighting spirit. A frontiersman and consummate adventurer.

Appearance
Height: 6'3

Weight: 245,

Appearance athletic, close cut hair, facial hair burnt umber skin, various scars, round face great black jacket or coat with a belt, thick woolen pants, and long boots

History
The grandson of Yoruban Africans from the Oyo Empire (one a cavalryman), Gus is raised on a Virginia plantation by his family. At age eight, he is forcibly sold to an Irish explorer and mercenary who does follow up explorations for the Lewis and Clark expeditions and other dangerous undertakings. During one harrowing mission, they end up in the Hollow Realm

During this time he is given a basic education, knowledge of woodcraft, and is exposed to the flora and fauna of America, and its various peoples. Many opportunities arise for him to prove his mettle. When he is 12, the Irishman is killed by Road Agents and he is sold to an Upper Creek Indian, and later to a wealthy Northerner new to the South for whom he serves as a guide and troubleshooter.

When a rebellion plot is discovered on the the Northerner's plantation he is implicated and sentenced to die. Major Slought and Janar fake his death and enlist him as the new leader of the Dispensables.

As leader he begins steering the team towards emancipation. During a mission to the Carolinas to capture a skunk ape the team meets the Newmidyan maroon agent Tenny and Gus falls in love with her. They make a deal with the Newmidyans and travel back to Springville, destroy the Black Fort, and kill Slought. After the battle Gus is captured, Matthew is killed, and the rest escape. Krypteia and the DSRC take over the special patrol and as punishment Gus is sent to a New Orleans plantation run by vampires.

In volume two, the team, now outlyers, commit to rescue Gus and in the process he is vampirized. Realizing he can't survive on the surface he descends into Newmidya where his vampiric weaknesses are strengths.

Abilities
vast knowledge of tribes, peoples, magic, flora, fauna, weapons, and warfare.

Skilled hunter and tracker and superb marksman with most firearms, chiefly the long rifle.

Expert swordsman and completely ambidextrous prefers to fight with a single sword and an open off-hand, which he uses for punching and grappling, or wielding a secondary weapon/torch. Skilled horseman, able to shoot from horseback as well as fight with a sword and lance

An excellent hand to hand combatant with a practical, brawling style based in frontier wrestling and boxing.

Speaks multiple languages, excellent strategist, and small unit tactician,

Weapons
Ida sword given to him by his grandparents, Hawken rifle, eight shot pepper box percussion handgun, barbed javelins