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Anna Ward

"The wicked have no place in the vineyard we have wrought. So sayeth the King of Life."

0 · 641 views · located in Dogs in God's Vineyard

a character in “Dogs in God's Vineyard”, as played by Hyperewok

Description

Anna Ward

Image

(She doesn’t really have wings, I just like the picture.)


Age: 28
Gender: Female
Ethnicity/Race: White
Level of Faith: Moderately strong in faith. Anna does not expect miracles, yet still prays for them. She believes that the Faith works most often through the actions of humanity, perhaps most importantly in the form of the Dogs. She has lived through enough harrowing and dangerous experiences to firmly believe she has been chosen to walk a righteous path. In the end she is pragmatic enough to practice caution, but willing to take a calculated risk with the hope of divine protection.
Years of Service: Eight years of proud service. Anna has seen her share of terrible crimes and miraculous near misses and she still strives onward without pause.
Weapons/Equipment: Aside from the standard equipment of a revolver, Book of Life,and jar of consecrated earth, Anna additionally arms herself with numerous throwing knives and a pair of small single shot derringers, some displayed on her belt and others hidden in her coat and shirt. Also kept on her belt is a long leather bull whip. A bandana keeps her hair patted down relatively neatly under her hat. She keeps a small pack with her when traveling, filled with dried food, water, ammunition, bandages, and rope. The saddlebags on her horse hold additional supplies, as well as a lever action rifle. A finely made pendant with the sigil of the Faith hangs from her neck.

Personality

Stoic and driven, Anna has steadfastly dedicated her life to the spread of the Faith and the establishment of peace and order in the West, although that order is under the laws of God, not men. She just happens to be an agent of a high power, and naturally her judgement is above that of a simple lawman. However, she is quite analytical and acts with a careful caution even when she decides quickly on a course of action. She delivers a firm and final justice, filling more graves than prisons, but usually only those that are at least mostly wicked and violent. In the end she is pragmatic, but only to a point. When most of humanity is indeed a sinner, lesser crimes may be forgiven or at least lightly (depending on your definition of light) punished. But the murderer, the thief, and the heretic must be put down. While she understands that compassion is as much of a use as fire in the spread of Faith, her preference is to let another handle such matters while she pursues the worst of humanity across the desert. Some simple folk find her cold nature unnerving, and they often gives her the politely fearful deference that she prefers from people. The harshness of the life away from society has not greatly affected her, as she already knew from her father how terrible a person could be away from law and order. This knowledge and her experiences with it have only hardened her resolve. The truly wicked must be cut from the vineyard like the withered and decayed people that they are. Faith and discipline will protect the rest, even if they need the occasional bout of encouragement.

History

Born to a retired Dog and his wife, Anna was raised in the light of the Faith, in one of the more settled cities far away from the lawlessness and conflicts that Dogs gravitate towards. Her father, partially crippled from wounds during his duties, was her inspiration from a young age and she intended to continue his legacy after hearing many of his stories while he instructed her in the Faith. Her other source of inspiration was her father's fellow Dog and comrade, Horatio, who helped trained Anna when he visited her father, aiding in tasks that he could not due to his old wounds. Between the man who was like an uncle to her and her own father, Anna enrolled to become a Dog when she was only eighteen. And thanks to her father's personal training and recommendation to his former superiors, Anna enrolled as a Dog in training younger than most and was quickly ordained. She traveled out into the desert, moving from settlement to settlement with an alternating variety of other Dogs. Much of her ventures were in the pursuit of bandits, murderers,and the worst of mankind. For her the use of Dogs is to pursue the wicked and deliver justice, while simple preachers can handle the safe sacraments and other duties. Her swift justice has led to butting heads with secular lawmen on occasion, but she prefers to work with them rather than against them and respect their similar desire for law and order. However, in the end the work of the Faith must be done.

Goals

Anna is primarily concerned with her duty and carrying on the legacy of her father. When much of the West is a wild and lawless place, the hammer of Faith is exactly what is needed and she fully intends to swing it. She has already achieved her goal of becoming a Dog and now works as hard as she can in this duty. She takes more of a day to day approach to this rather than a specific long term goal, although she hopes that her work will help bring order and Faith to the West. That order tends to involve tracking down criminals and delivering bullet shaped justice, though the occasion petty criminal is only lashed or chastised if they’re lucky.

Likes

  • Horseback riding
  • The Faith (obviously)
  • Cooperation
  • Swift justice
  • Whittling

Dislikes

  • Inaction
  • Hesitation
  • Lawyers
  • Pomp
  • Ceremony

So begins...

Anna Ward's Story

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After a few seconds, the door to the Coobs house opened. A harried looking young woman peered out from the open door, taking in the sight of Anna...or more specifically, the Dog insignia stitched on her coat.

"Yes? Can I help you, ma'am?" she inquired, looking over somewhat frightfully to the female Dog.

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"Missus Coobs." Anna tipped her hat politely, her voice calm but authoritative. "I have a few questions for you, if you do not mind." Of course, she was already in the process of taking a half step through the door. What poor woman minded was mildly irrelvant. Anna pressed her hand against the door, pressing firmly enough to ensure that it would remain open and Abigail would better be inclined to open it farther and let her in. "I need to know of your late husband. Everything. How he did his duties as sheriff, what he was like at home, what he knew of the attacks. I understand the two of you had issues, but I must know everything about him. The lives of your neighbors are at stake."

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"Y-Yes, of course. Please, come in." Abigail Coobs stepped aside and let the female Dog in. She led Anna to the main living room of the house, and took a seat across from the Dog. She glanced up demurely at her guest, but wasn't quite able to look her in the eyes.

"I don't know if there's much I can tell you. My husband was a good Sheriff, and a good spouse. I don't know anything about the all these horrid attacks; he hardly ever told me much about his job, to be honest. And...issues? We had no...issues. He was a perfect gentleman." Abigail proclaimed, though her last declaration came off as flat, no trace of real emotion or integrity behind the statement. And still, she refused to meet Anna's gaze.

"Would you like some tea, ma'am?" she suddenly asked, glancing up at the Dog. "I'd be happy to make you some tea. It's the least I can do for a guest."

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Anna tipped her hat politely in response, walking inside andsitting down in the living room. She carefully looking over the interior of the house. There had to be something of value here, something that proved the sheriff's guilt. She looked back to Abigail, leaning back in her chair as the woman spoke.

"I wonder if you might have heard," Anna began slowly, "It is said that the Lord blesses his Watchdogs with the ability to detect truth from lies. Truth is everything, after all. Nothing is hidden from the eyes of God. Must as your late husband has discovered, I am sure. No earthly station or title is significant to the Lord. Only deeds."

She paused for a moment, considering what approach to take. Abigail was afraid, that was obvious. But not the same fear as the mayor. He feared judgement. She feared exposure. Anna continued, her voice lower and at least somewhat softer then her regular flat, blunt tone. "But you must understand, my aim is to help you. And to help this town. The sinners I hunt are the monsters attacking the ranches. They are the ones who will face the Lord's wrath. But I need your help, Abigail. What is said here will not leave this house, but I must know what you do. And tea would be lovely, thank you."

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Abigail nodded at the Dog and walked off into her kitchen. A few minutes later she returned, and handed Anna a cup of tea. She sat back down in the chair across from the Dog, and stayed silent for a few moments, as Anna drank.

"Elias was....he, he loved me." Abigail weakly protested, as tears started to roll down from her eyes. She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, though it did little to stop the flow of tears. "He...he was a good man. And a good husband. He...he loved me. Always. No matter what he did it...it was always out of...l-love..."

It was a weak argument however, and even Abigail could see that. However, years of marriage to Elias Coobs had made her latch on to that story, and even after his death, she was doing her best to stick with it. To say otherwise would crumble the web of lies she had constructed over the years, to protect her mental well being. And saying anything bad about her husband, even if it didn't deal with her own abuse, would help contribute to the shatter of her illusion of being well and happy.

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Anna took the cup and sipped slowly, mostly out of politeness and the need to hide the annoyed grimace she struggled to contain. She let out a slow breath, calmly venting the frustration. It was because of women like Abigail Coobs that the archaic institutions in the East could keep claiming women as weak and simple minded and it frustrated Anna to no end. But there was no time to scold the wretched woman for her weakness and the Lord only saved those who took the step towards saving themselves. There was still a pack of murderers to find and Anna was barely closer to finding them then when the pack had first rode into town.

Calmly setting the cup town on the nearby table, Anna slowly walked up to Abigail, staring down at her with the coldest look she could muster. "Do not lie to me, Abigail Coobs. I know your husband had moral failings. Now I must know how far these failings extended. I must know everything your husband has done since the attacks began, up until the moment of his death."

After a pause to let her words sink in, Anna took a step back and feigned a sad sigh as she slowly shook her head. "And, you should know, if no other suspect is found, Nate Blake will surely hang for the murder of the sheriff. All I need is evidence that Elias dealt with whatever wretched souls are behind the attacks, anything that would explain why he could never find the culprits. Journals, records, anything that showed what he was doing. Surely you would have noticed any sudden change in your dear, loving husband. Unless your intention is to hide his sins, which would mean you are complicit in his foul deeds." She brought her hand down, brushing back her coat and resting her hand on the grip of the whip she kept tied to her belt. Anna fixed her piercing stare on Abigail once again, and waited.