Alright, let me give you all a small run down of this roleplay; anything below besides things about the important characters, and the setting of the roleplay (the Dakota Territory) are definitely important. I am not making reading mandatory, it's completely the opposite. The character sheet is thourough, but simple; take out what seems too much work, or add to it.
Now onto the good stuff; this RP will consist of many historical references, but it will have added to it: a slight Borderlands style (Meaning badass guns, and enemies), mythological creatures relative to the area in and around Minnesota, and finally a bit more racial freedom.
BE ADVISED: There will be strong racism, or racial superiority as it is America just after Abraham Lincoln was elected! You can roleplay as any character you want, but if you want to be hispanic, african american, asian, or any other minority PLAY THE PART (despite racial freedom). Same goes for women, rites are still limited.

I know, I know. It's normally one of the last few things you see at a roleplay forum when you've only just started reading. They're important, and in a very serious RP like this it's even more so. To not just waste time, I'll get right down to it:
Rule #1: I will not copy and paste the Roleplayer's Guidelines as true roleplayers should have enough common sense to use most of what it has by instinct. That being said, any blatant disregard of those guidelines, and rules such as: God-modding, Meta-gaming, Overpowered characters, and other sour actions committed through roleplay are punishable by immediate removal from the roleplay. Nuff said about that.
Rule #2: Everyone asks this of everyone; please be cool out of character. In character, especially in this roleplay, there are going to be words said mind you, very bad words. If those words are said outside of character in seriousness, I myself, will get serious.
Rule #3: Following the Roleplay; indeed there is a lot of history involved with this rp, tons and tons, but it's very easy to follow, and isn't generally a very famous time period. Other than the time period, I'd like there to be time period specific characters, actions, and other things. So, no characters using modern slang, no actions inspired by future events or acts, and other things.
I'd have more rules, but I think it's all very general. Use your common sense when roleplaying here.

As a brief history lesson:
The American frontier comprises the geography, history, folklore, and cultural expression of life in the forward wave of American westward expansion that began with English colonial settlements in the early 17th century and ended with the admission of the last mainland territories as states in the early 20th century. Enormous popular attention in the media focuses on the Western United States in the second half of the nineteenth century, a period sometimes called the Old West, or the Wild West, frequently exaggerating the romance and violence of the period.
As defined by Hine and Faragher, "frontier history tells the story of the creation and defense of communities, the use of the land, the development of markets, and the formation of states." They explain, "It is a tale of conquest, but also one of survival, persistence, and the merging of peoples and cultures that gave birth and continuing life to America."Through treaties with foreign nations and native tribes; political compromise; military conquest; establishment of law and order; the building of farms, ranches, and towns; the marking of trails and digging of mines; and the pulling in of great migrations of foreigners, the United States expanded from coast to coast, fulfilling the dreams of Manifest Destiny. Historian Frederick Jackson Turner in his "Frontier thesis" (1893) theorized that the frontier was a process that transformed Europeans into a new people, the Americans, whose values focused on equality, democracy, and optimism, as well as individualism, self-reliance, and even violence.
As the American frontier passed into history, the myths of the West in fiction and film took firm hold in the imagination of Americans and foreigners alike. America is exceptional in choosing its iconic self-image. David Murdoch has said: "No other nation has taken a time and place from its past and produced a construct of the imagination equal to America's creation of the West."
The frontier line was the outer line of settlement. It moved steadily westward from the 1630s to the 1880s (with occasional movements north into Maine and Vermont, south into Florida, and east from California into Nevada). Turner himself favored the Census Bureau definition of the "frontier line" as a settlement density of two people per square mile. The "West" was the recently settled area near that boundary. Thus, parts of the Midwest and American South, though no longer considered "western", have a frontier heritage along with the modern western states. In the 21st century, however, the term "American West" is most often used for the area west of the Mississippi River.






The Dakota Territory consists of the northernmost part of the land acquired in the Louisiana Purchase of the United States. The name refers to the Dakota branch of the Sioux tribes which occupies the area. Most of Dakota Territory was formerly part of the Minnesota and Nebraska territories. When Minnesota became a state in 1858, the leftover area between the Missouri River and Minnesota's western boundary fell unorganized. When the Yankton Treaty was signed later that year, ceding much of what had been Sioux Indian land to the U.S. Government, early settlers formed an unofficial provisional government and unsuccessfully lobbied for United States territory status. Three years later President-elect Abraham Lincoln's cousin-in-law, J.B.S. Todd, personally lobbied for territory status and the US Congress formally created Dakota Territory. It became an organized territory on March 2, 1861. Upon creation, Dakota Territory included much of present-day Montana and Wyoming.

The Dakota War of 1862,

Throughout the late 1850s, treaty violations by the United States and late or unfair annuity payments by Indian agents caused increasing hunger and hardship among the Dakota. Traders with the Dakota previously had demanded that the government give the annuity payments directly to them (introducing the possibility of unfair dealing between the agents and the traders to the exclusion of the Dakota). In mid-1862, the Dakota demanded the annuities directly from their agent, Thomas J. Galbraith. The traders refused to provide any more supplies on credit under those conditions, and negotiations reached an impasse.
On August 17, 1862, one young Dakota with a hunting party of three others killed five settlers while on a hunting expedition. That night a council of Dakota decided to attack settlements throughout the Minnesota River valley to try to drive whites out of the area.








John Pope (March 16, 1822) is a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. He had a brief but successful career in the Western Theater, but he is best known for his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas) in the East.
Pope graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1842. He served in the Mexican-American War and had numerous assignments as a topographical engineer and surveyor in Florida, New Mexico, and Minnesota. He spent much of the last decade before the Civil War surveying possible southern routes for the proposed First Transcontinental Railroad. He was an early appointee as a Union brigadier general of volunteers and served initially under Maj. Gen. John C. Frémont. He achieved initial success against Brig. Gen. Sterling Price in Missouri, then led a successful campaign that captured Island No. 10 on the Mississippi River. This inspired the Lincoln administration to bring him to the Eastern Theater to lead the newly formed Army of Virginia.
He initially alienated many of his officers and men by publicly denigrating their record in comparison to his Western command. He launched an offensive against the Confederate army of General Robert E. Lee, in which he fell prey to a strategic turning movement into his rear areas by Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson. At Second Bull Run, he concentrated his attention on attacking Jackson while the other Confederate corps attacked his flank and routed his army. Following Manassas, Pope has been banished far from the Eastern Theater to the Department of the Northwest in Minnesota, where he now commands U.S. Forces in the Dakota Territories.




Little Crow (DakoThaóyate Dúta; ca. 1810was a chief of the Mdewakanton Dakota people. His given name translates as "His Red Nation," (Thaóyate Dúta) but he was known as Little Crow because of his grandfather's name, Čhetáŋ Wakhúwa Máni, (literally, "Hawk that chases/hunts walking") which was mistranslated.
Little Crow is notable for his role in the negotiation of the Treaties of Traverse des Sioux and Mendota of 1851, in which he agreed to the movement of his band of the Dakota to a reservation near the Minnesota River in exchange for goods and certain other rights. However, the government has reneged on its promises to provide food and annuities to the tribe.


**Take note that a LOT of the following are 'if applicable' use common sense to choose which would be necessary for your character: for example, if your character is clean shaven just cut out 'Facial Hairstyle'**
***Another note; there is a FAR more detailed character sheet that can be used. This is not required in the slightest; it's just all about preference and how committed a character you want yours to be. (Link below)***

BASIC INFORMATION

Full name:

Pronunciation:

Nickname(s) or Alias:

Gender:

Race:

Age:

Birthday:

Sexuality:

Nationality:

Religion:

City or town of birth:

Native language:

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Height:

Weight:

Figure/build:

Hair colour:

Hairstyle:

Facial Hairstyle:

Eye colour:

Skin colour:

Tattoos:

Scars/distinguishing marks:

Preferred style of clothing:


HEALTH

Smoker?

Drinker?

Recreational Drug User? Which?

Addictions:

Allergies:

Any physical ailments/illnesses/disabilities:

Any medication regularly taken:

PERSONALITY

Personality:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Fears/phobias:

Favourite colour:

Hobbies:

Taste in music:

SKILLS

Talents/skills:





CAREER

Level of education:

Qualifications:

Current job title and description:

Name of employer:

COMBAT

Peaceful or aggressive attitude?

Fighting skills/techniques:

Special skills/magical powers/etc:

Weapon of choice (if any):

Weaknesses in combat:

Strengths in combat:


BACKSTORY

Describe their childhood (newborn - age 10):

Describe their teenage years (11 - 19):

Describe their adult years (20+):