William Faraday

William Faraday is the primary protagonist of the "Clementine's Gamble" saga.

Early Life

Childhood in the Texas Frontier

Faraday was born in 1840, on the outskirts of Washington-on-the-Brazos in Texas, to his mother Anna Faraday and father Jack Faraday.

His mother was a school teacher in a rural settlement, allowing him direct access to education, while his father was a ranch hand who looked after cattle in ranches around the area. Faraday spent time learning how to read and write, as well as develop knowledge of history and poetry. When he wasn't learning from his mother, his father was teaching him basic frontier survival skills such as shooting, hunting, trapping, husbandry, and bushcraft.

Murder of the Putnam Gang

In 1856, at the age of 16, Jack Faraday disappeared and was reported dead by the hands of cattle thieves, leaving Faraday and his mother alone. His mother would fall into a deep depression and, in a state of rage and grief, Faraday would track down a local group of small-time criminals who called themselves the "Putnam Gang." Blaming them for the death of his father without evidence, he killed them by sniping them with his hunting rifle. Faraday never told anyone of his deeds, including his mother.

Unbeknownst to Faraday, the Putnam Gang consisted of two brothers and another man who was the son of a local cattle baron. Their many crimes were overlooked by the local sheriff due to his corruption, and was often paid off by the magnate to turn a blind eye to his son's crimes, as well as his own.

Faraday would make a living for he and his mother by hunting and selling furs and meat, and farming crops. In 1858, at the age of 18, Anna Faraday would fall ill with tuberculosis and pass away, a loss that would affect Faraday deeply.

Fleeing Texas

During his mother's funeral, he would confess to the local priest that he had killed the Putnam gang, having regretted such a deed that his kind and loving mother would have been severely disappointed in him for. The priest would accidentally reveal this to the local sheriff, who informed the baron for a reward. The baron hired a group of men to kill Faraday, but thanks to forewarning from the priest, Faraday was able to escape.

Faraday traveled to Galveston, Texas, where he would attempt to establish a life as a dockworker, but the baron's men soon tracked him down. After a brief gunfight, Faraday manages to escape into the night, fleeing eastward out of the state.

Settling in Georgia

Faraday would continue to move eastward until he arrived in Jasper, Georgia in 1859. Faraday would find work as a hunter and roving farmhand. In 1860, he would meet Clara, a local farmer's daughter, and the two would quickly fall in love. They would marry in 1861, but Clara's father would pass shortly after.

Clara Faraday would inherit her father's land, and she and Faraday would work and build on the farm together. In 1862, they would give birth to Jack Faraday, named after Faraday's father. This would be the happiest time in Faraday's life, yet around this time the Civil War had begun. Faraday, unwilling to part from his family and not willing to become involves in national politics, chooses to stay out of the war and instead focus on his farm and is wife and son.

The War Comes to Faraday

In 1864, at the age of 24, Faraday left one morning to hunt a mountain lion that had been killing his livestock. Driven by the need to protect his farm and ensure his family’s safety, he tracked the predator deep into the wilderness. After a tense confrontation, Faraday managed to shoot and kill the mountain lion. Securing the carcass to his horse, he began the long journey back home.

When he arrived, the scene that greeted him was one of devastation. Much of his livestock was either missing or slaughtered, his home lay ransacked, and at the heart of it all were his wife and son, each lying lifeless with a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Faraday’s pain was beyond words. Unable to scream, cry, or rage, he sat staring at the bodies in a fugue state. Only as night fell did he come back to himself, finding that he had already buried them both. It was then, in the cold silence between their graves, that Faraday finally broke. He sobbed uncontrollably until exhaustion overtook him, collapsing to sleep between the graves of his wife and son.

When he awoke the next morning, Faraday retrieved his rifle, mounted his horse, and rode out to neighboring farms. He discovered they too had been raided, with others killed in the chaos. Survivors told of Union raiders under General Sherman pillaging the region, stealing crops and livestock, and killing anyone who resisted. All accounts pointed to a tall man with black hair and a neatly trimmed mustache—a Union lieutenant—often pulling the trigger.

Determined to hunt the man down, Faraday followed the trail of the raiding group, but they had since retreated northward, into the safety of the Union Army. On his journey, he encountered a Confederate recruiter gathering men to join the fight. Unwilling to return to the farm due to the pain and seeing this as his best chance to exact revenge, Faraday enlisted in the Confederate army.

The Path of Revenge

The Confederate Sniper

Faraday quickly proved himself as a skilled long-range shooter, drawing on his years of hunting expertise and survival skills. Recognizing his talent, the Confederate army entrusted him with one of the rare and highly prized Whitworth rifles. Tasked with eliminating high-value targets such as Union officers and artillery crews, Faraday excelled in his role, earning a reputation as a deadly sharpshooter. Despite his success, Faraday’s true focus never wavered—he was always on the lookout for the Union lieutenant who had destroyed his family.

In 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, officially bringing the war to an end. But even with hostilities over, Faraday refused to abandon his hunt for the Union lieutenant. Keeping his Whitworth rifle, he retraced the steps of Sherman’s army, avoiding Union patrols and searching for clues.

Faraday came across a hastily abandoned camp in South Carolina, where he discovered a partially burned ledger listing goods taken from Southern farms. Among the names mentioned, he found a reference to "Lieutenant Jedediah Ashwood." Following the trail into North Carolina, Faraday ambushed a small Union patrol and interrogated the survivor, learning that Sherman’s forces were stationed near Raleigh. Disguising himself as a hunter, Faraday infiltrated the area, listening carefully to Union chatter.

After a week of observation, Faraday overheard soldiers at the post office discussing a "Captain Ashwood." Tracking them from a distance, he followed them back to their camp. Through the scope of his Whitworth rifle, Faraday finally saw the man who had destroyed his family.

A Failed Assassination

Faraday waited until nightfall to strike. Through the scope of his Whitworth rifle, he spotted Ashwood speaking with a Colonel near the center of the camp. Faraday steadied his aim and took the shot, but Ashwood moved at the last moment, causing the bullet to miss its mark and strike the Colonel instead. Chaos erupted in the camp as soldiers scrambled to respond. Faraday swiftly reloaded, but Ashwood had already dragged the wounded Colonel to safety and disappeared from view.

Faraday maintained his position, his camouflage and the cover of darkness keeping him hidden. Scanning the camp, he spotted a lantern flickering near a tent he suspected was sheltering Ashwood. Taking aim, Faraday fired, striking the lantern and sending flaming oil across the tent’s canvas. The fire spread quickly, forcing Ashwood into the open.

As Ashwood emerged, Faraday lined up his shot again, but fate intervened. Ashwood stumbled into a makeshift clothesline, knocking over a cast iron pan that deflected the bullet. Frustration mounting, Faraday reloaded for one final attempt, but by then, the camp was fully alert, and the rumble of cavalry hooves shook the ground. Faraday barely had time to retreat before the cavalry unit closed in on his position.

Fleeing into the woods, Faraday used every ounce of his bushcraft to evade capture, but the cavalry proved too fast. He fought fiercely when they caught him, but he was outnumbered and beaten unconscious.

Faraday awoke to the harsh reality of captivity, shoved roughly to the ground with his hands bound. Before him stood Ashwood, the man he had hunted for years, staring at him with a cold, piercing gaze. Darkness claimed Faraday again, and when he regained consciousness, he found himself tied to a post in a dimly lit tent, the echoes of the camp’s activity outside a grim reminder of his failure.

The First Death

Ashwood attempted to interrogate Faraday but found himself unable to meet his gaze. Consumed by sorrow and rage over the death of the Colonel—a man Ashwood clearly respected and regarded as a father figure—he condemned Faraday to be hanged the following evening, his body left to rot as a warning. However, after a conversation with a woman who seemed to be a field nurse, Ashwood begrudgingly agreed to bury Faraday after his execution, not only avoiding the grotesque spectacle of leaving him to decay, but following the example of the good Colonel.

A guard was posted around Faraday’s tent to prevent vengeful soldiers from harming him before the execution. The following evening, Faraday was led to a large tree at the edge of the camp, where a noose had been prepared. The gathered soldiers watched in tense silence, their hatred palpable.

As the rope was fitted around his neck, Faraday stared unrelentingly into Ashwood’s eyes, his gaze unwavering and haunting. Ashwood, despite his outward composure, was shaken by the intensity of Faraday’s defiance but couldn’t understand why. The camp priest murmured a few solemn words, and then the stool beneath Faraday’s feet was kicked away. Even as he dropped, Faraday’s eyes remained locked on Ashwood’s, burning into his soul.

William Faraday died in 1865, at the age of 25.

Divine Intervention and Ressurection

Before Faraday could be taken from the mortal plane and judged, a woman appeared before Faraday. The woman was beautiful beyond all recognition, and though she wore no clothing, Faraday saw her arrayed in what looked like delicate light. This woman comforted Faraday and offered him the chance to return to the world to exact his revenge if he would be her escort in the mortal plane.

Faraday, so close to his revenge, agreed and allowed the woman to embrace him. As he did, the feeling of being enveloped and merged occurred. The experience was both painful and intoxicating, and soon, Faraday felt the world return to his senses again. His body became whole once more, and soon Faraday came to on a table in a dark tent. He found that his broken neck had been completely and miraculously healed, and even the exhauastion and weariness he'd suffered from his weeks of tracking Ashwood gone.

Sneaking to his feet, he furtively made his way out of the tent and, and out of the camp. Unbeknownst to him, the field nurse noticed him moving away from the camp in the night and, lighting a lamp, followed him into the woods. Faraday noticed the woman following him and though curious as to why, allowed her to follow him, suspecting a romantic connection between her and Ashwood, and banking on her absence attracting the Captain.

Reveal and Revenge

The nurse caught up to Faraday in the woods, and though seemingly cautious, did not seem afraid of him. She attempted to make friendly introductions, giving her name, Clementine Colles, and asking for his. Faraday openly gives his name as well, and though Clementine attempts to talk to him about how he's alive after being hung, Faraday avoids answering directly, instead giving roundabout answers to stall for time.

Soon, Faraday's gamble pays off, and Ashwood enters the wooded area, attracted by Clementine's lamplight. Faraday immediately ambushes Ashwood and the two fight viciously, with Faraday eventually gaining the upper hand, driving a knife into Ashwood's leg, and taking his revolver.

Faraday reveals to Ashwood that he's the father of the little boy Ashwood had killed in Georgia, and it finally dawns on Ashwood why he couldn't look Faraday in the eyes, as they were the same eyes the boy had. Ashwood reveals that the murder of Faraday's son shocked even himself, and he spent many sleepless nights regretting his actions, so much so that he sought God and turned a new leaf. Now confronting his ghosts, Ashwood sobs over the death of Jack Faraday, but does not beg for mercy, understanding that an avenging father won't be deterred, and that it was time to pay for his sins.

Clementine attempts to intervene, appealing to Faraday's better angels and making the case that her son's death paved the way for good works to happen, but when it seemed like Faraday might waver, Faraday embraces Clementine to him, getting her out of the way, and giving him a clear shot on Ashwood.

With the pull of a trigger, Faraday shoots Ashwood, ending his life and escaping into the night as Clementine rushed to help the Captain.

Meeting Clementine

Laredo, TX

After successfully killing Ashwood, Faraday fled the East and sought refuge back in his home state of Texas, winding up in Laredo. There, he would live in a shanty outside of town and drank heavily due to a deep depression, as his revenge did not ease his pain. He worked only to feed himself and buy more alcohol. Months would pass, and he would become known as the town drunk, keeping to himself as much as possible.

At some point, Faraday would be confronted by a drunken man at the local salloon over a percieved insult, and when he attempted to fight, Faraday beat him within an inch of his life, causing the town keep their distance from him. However, a six-year-old boy named Meguelito Garcia, the son of the local shopkeeper, would look up to Faraday, thinking him tough and inspiring despite his drunkeness. When Meguelito saw him, he would pepper Faraday with questions about everything from shooting guns to fighting in the war. Faraday does his best to ignore him, and turn him away, but the boy continues to idolize Faraday.

One night, while sitting in the saloon drinking, Faraday is shocked when Clementine walks through the front entrance and makes her way toward him. Secretly pulling his gun under the table before Clementine invites herself to sit down, the two engage in a tense back and forth over the events in North Carolina, however, Clementine makes it very clear that she's not there to kill Faraday, but to investigate the nature of his resurrection. As a physician, Clementine wants to know how he was alive after she had confirmed him dead.

It's at this point that Faraday begins having a panic attack, something he's never experienced before, and attempts to leave the saloon. Clementine stops him and gets Faraday to agree to a physical examination and even pays for him to have a bath and a shave, as well as a bottle of whiskey. During the examination, Clementine can find nothing wrong with Faraday, noting there is no signs of broken bones in his neck, and his spine completely intact.

Again, Clementine asks what happened after he died, and he's overtaken by another panic attack, confused as to why he can't talk to her about it.