| Christopher Marlowe AKA Anukiya | |
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| Portrayed By | Eddie Spears |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of Birth | April 21, 1849 |
| Age | 34 |
| Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
| Aliases | |
| Place of Birth | South Dakota, USA |
| Occupation | Your Job |
| Known Relatives | Jane Doe (Mother), John Doe (Father) |
| Significant Other | [[chiane|Chiane]] |
History
The product of a union between a white miner in the early days of the western frontier and an Indian woman, tribe undetermined, Marlowe's given name has been lost to the ages. His mother died when he was yet quite young, barely a toddler, and he was raised from that point to the age of 12 by his nomadic and taciturn father, who taught the youngster as much as he could absorb of mining. While in the Black Hills, in a deep tunnel, the shaft collapsed, leaving the child orphaned. By the entrance to the collapsed shaft, the boy stood guard with an antique muzzleloader when members of the Sicanju band of Lakota returning from a raid on the Psa, found him, ready to fight. Impressed by his courage and determination, they took him in, adopted the blue eyed boy with raven hair as one of their own and trained him as a warrior, skills he rapidly picked up, catching up to and even surpassing boys older than he. Once more, tragedy was to strike, when white traders gave blankets infected with smallpox to the Sicanju. Urged by his adoptive father, perhaps more clairvoyent than most, to return to the white world and learn the ways of the whites, the now 16 year old brave acceeded to his father's wishes.
Arriving in Cripple Creek one blustery day, the young man soon found work, swamping out a saloon for little more than a few cents a week, and whatever he could find on the floor. It proved enough, as one of the saloon regulars, an alcholic out of work actor took him in to live in a one room, flimsy shack. During that winter, the actor, Charles O'Bafferty, took pleasure in teaching the 'savage' how to read, and instilled a love of Shakespeare in the impressionable young man, still nameless, save for the appellation given by the Lakota, Anukiya. The old man, weakened by years of dissoluteness, died late the following spring, and Anukiya, armed with a couple of old tattered books, a broken revolver whose cylinder had to be turned by hand and a few dollars painstakingly saved, headed north on a swaybacked old wagon horse.
Cherry Creek…Present day Denver, CO was not a savory town, much less for a half-breed with a smart mouth and a quick temper. He managed to find work on a nearby ranch, and steadily kept his pay aside. This attracted the notice of several of his fellow cowboys, who decided one night while on a drunken spree, to steal the young man's savings, and leave him for dead. It did not go well for the cowboys, three of whom ended up dead, the fourth crippled for life all with that broken pistol. Despite witnesses who knew what had occured, a shout was sent up by members of Chivington's Colorado Militia to kill the 'breed on sight, so with shots flying around him, Anukiya snatched a pistol from one of the dead cowboys, his infamous JH Dance dragoon, and jumping into the saddle of the best horse available, rode whooping from the pursuit. He drifted north, working ranches and mines as possible, until one day, he rode into Lago, WY and settled for a time. Working first for a Mr. Roland, he met and fell in love with Annabelle Chandler, a romance doomed to failure through mis-communication and interference by the leading citizens of the town. Later he worked for Mr. Duniway, then, through a stroke of good fortune, became the owner of his own farm. He married a Cheyenne girl, Silver Feather and settled in to become a citizen, also managing the local theater and acting as well to good reviews. Again, when valuable minerals were found on his land, McCormick, the founder of Lago, foreclosed with a gun. Nearly dead, he was left for the Cheyenne to find, and finding the townspeople against him. His wife disappeared, and he, brokenhearted, set out on a solitary journey to find her, leaving Lago.
Stories had been whispered along the wagon trails of the nameless rider, more savage than his victims, who would descend on war parties of Indians attacking wagon trains, but then would scornfully turn aside from their thanks, once more to ride alone in the mountains and plains. Several years later, worn, ragged and less than sane, Christopher Marlowe, (a name he legally adopted in Lago), drifted into town. Tired of fighting, he came to live and perhaps die in this place, as he had always lived, solitary. Circumstances change, and he met, once more fell in love, this time to the lovely negress, Chiane. Annabelle Chandler too was here, and a bit of hard feelings once more erupted, quickly quashed. He and Chiane were married, and settled into a life of saloon ownership, the Silver Feather a gathering place for non-whites, outlaws and other undesireables. When a ruthless gang of outlaws threatened the town, Marlowe stood against them, and was severely wounded in the battle. Chiane lost their child in an explosion, an event that caused strained relations between them, and, once healed, they set off to the north for a hunting trip. Marlowe has returned.
Following the huge war between William Franklin's Gang and the townspeople against Russell Merrick's gang, Marlowe and Chiane took their son, Pablito, and left for the North to heal and hunt. Jumped by a war party of Psa, Marlowe ordered Chiane to take the boy and go North, to the Lakota, while he led the war party south. He was captured, and tortured, kept alive for his captors amusement. An old friend, Bright Moon, slipped into the camp and helped him escape, losing her life in the process. Nearly cripple, blind, Marlowe somehow managed to return. Sure his wife and son were dead, he accepted a job working as Meriah Broussards house manager and ersatz nanny to her daughter,
Chronology
- Character's time line.
Quotes
- Memorable quotes go here.
Trivia
- Interesting tid-bits about you.
