Cowboys & Vampires Quincy Morris was the only direct connection Dracula had with Americans and

the Old West. It was also the turn of the century and the whole world was either looking forward to the giddy promise of industrialization or backward to the lost innocence of the untamed wilds of America. Nothing represented that more than the iconic cowboy, who was plain spoken; honest but carried a big gun. He was exemplified by the 26th president of the U.S., Teddy Roosevelt. World imagination was not only immersed in the vampires of Dracula but also in the traveling cowboy circus of Buffalo Bills Wild West Show. It was in the midst of their 8th European tour of 1906 that our main character became their biggest fan. He had gone to see it every time it had come to Paris before and that year he followed it to each venue, from Italy to the Balkans, Ukraine and Poland. He marveled at its life and spectacle, never knowing it was to be their last tour. In the daytime and at the vampires weakest he would stay indoors and read Dracula over and over and soon this obsession spilled over into the penny dreadfuls, featuring awful watered down versions of the one-dimensional Count. Bloodsuckers and nosferatu like Varney the Vampyre, the Mysterious Stranger and even Tolstoys Family of Vourdalak. He both hated and reveled in the new melodramatic he was forced to live up to. It had been centuries that he lived among regular humans and every 20 years or so he would have to begin his existence somewhere new as to not arouse suspicion. Any friends or loved ones he developed were given up as soon as questions of his ageless face arose while they turned into older versions of themselves. It was this time of transformation that Stephan found himself in while he saw the world woken to much of his kind and began to see undead everywhere. They were in the time of Victoria, transitioning into Edwards reign many later called Gothic. Is that what steampunk is based on? Are you trying to have steampunk elements in the game? I considered it yes. It would be very interesting to create such a meld of genres, who knows what it could spark. Yeah, you can do almost anything with that. Just replace most forms of energy with steam or very early mechanical electricity. All mixtures of gears, cogs, vacuum tubes and knob-tube electricals. I like where this is going. I volunteered. Hmm, so Stephane huh? Kind of boring a name, dont you think? One day here and youre already insulting me? I didnt mean anything by it. Tom was aghast that I took offense. I laughed at his shock and assured him no offense was taken. What would you call him? Something that could go across centuries and be contemporary at the same time. Your name is a pretty good fit. Simon, or Simeon, its almost beneath notice. Stephane seems like its trying too hard not to be noticed or stay under the radar. Fine Simeon, its only a working name at this point anyway. Ill research it some more let you know. Tom said off handedly. Did he know who I really was?