Eddie Stanley
Eddie Stanley, the last of ten children, hails from Harris, North Carolina, born there in October 1908. Before he started school, he played music, showing uncanny natural talent as a fiddle plucker. Before his tenth birthday, Eddie switched to guitar and later to a home-made banjo made by him and his brother Ted. Eddie fell in love with banjo. He played parties and school functions as part of various pick-up bands to earn money, giving most of it to his mother but saving enough to buy his first real banjo in 1927. Shortly thereafter, Eddie caught the attention of local radio, and he became a regular on the Crazy Walter Barn Dance radio show. He played with notables such as the Jenkins String Band, backing up Snuffy Jenkins on banjo and his brother Verl Jenkins on fiddle.
Unfortunately, the economic realities of the Great Depression hit the Stanley family hard. After Eddie’s father died in a railroad accident, matters only got worse. Eddie found himself increasingly unable to meet both his obligations as a musician and those related to caring for his mother, who was in poor health. Along the way trying to balance these obligations, Eddie drank too much. When his mother died after a painful struggle against illness, Eddie fell hard. He found himself jobless, homeless, and in trouble with law after seriously injuring a man in a bar fight. Rather than face time in jail, Eddie packed up what few belongings he could carry and simply walked away from it all.
He’s spent the past three years riding the rails, moving mostly up and down the Atlantic coast with occasional jaunts through the Deep South. Eddie makes his living as often as he can through honest work, but he’s not above petty theft, especially when his belt gets a little too loose. His drinking is pretty much under control, and Eddie’s affable nature helps keep him out trouble. Still, life as a hobo isn’t easy, and the recent manifestation of a form of psychic hearing doesn’t help, especially since Eddie often cannot help but hear the complaints and cries of the restless dead.
Strength: 11 (+0)
Dexterity: 16 (+2)
Constitution: 11 (+0)
Intelligence: 13 (+1)
Wisdom: 14 (+1)
Charisma: 16 (+2)
Primes: Dexterity, Wisdom, Charisma
Languages: English, Welsh
Class/Level: Hooligan/1
Hit Points: 6
BtH: +0
Fate Points: 10
Backgrounds: Musician
Traits: Easygoing (+1 to Charisma checks to be friendly, diplomatic, or gain information; -1 to Charisma checks to Intimidate and Wisdom checks to detect falsehoods, lies, or ulterior motives).
Abilities: Case Target (WIS), Climb (DEX), Hide (DEX), Lingo, Listen (WIS), Move Silently (DEX), Open Lock (DEX), Pick Pocket (DEX), Tracking (WIS), Traps (INT), Wild Talent (Clairaudience).
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