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"Way I see it: the only reason to live is to be happy, an' the only way to be happy is to be free. Ergo, the only reason to live is to be free. And that is why I wander the wasteland: to help people be free..."
—Theodore "Texas" Calhoun, 2280
Theodore "Texas" Calhoun is a gunslinger and survivalist wandering the wasteland after 2281.
Background
This grizzled, mustachioed gunman has lived a longer and more colorful life than anyone in the post-apocalyptic wasteland should and he has the stories to prove it. Among his tales are early life in a Utah trapping settlement; accounts of his time guarding various caravans outfits; memoirs of his time as a sheriff of a frontier town in the Mojave Wasteland and later his wanderings throughout the waste. If you sit down and share a drink with him, he will regale you with these past exploits.
Early life
Theodore Warren Calhoun's story begins in the small settlement of Trapper Flats, Utah in October, 2214. As tradition held in the settlement, Calhoun was taught how to hunt and trap by his father and other local trappers. Trapper Flats' lifeblood was trapping coyotes, geckos and even yao guai to survive and everybody had to learn to trap to earn their keep. Theodore had a knack and was among the best marksmen and trappers in the settlements' history, and became somewhat of a local celebrity, even if he wasn't looking to become one.
In May of 2236, he married Charlotte Le Bret, a local woman he had known for many years. In June, Trapper Flats was assaulted by raiders during the night. Theodore aided in deterring the attack for a time, but was injured and rendered unconscious. He awoke to the hands of a scavenger named Jedidiah Samson pulling at his shirt through some wooden planks. Samson informed Calhoun that the town was ransacked and his scav team hadn't seen any survivors. Calhoun confirmed the news when he discovered his mother and father's charred remains on their house plot. He failed to find the remains of his wife, so it held to reason she had been kidnapped by the raiders in the confusion. He buried his mother and father next to each other on the same plot of land they had been found. Like any reasonable person, he wept at the loss of his family, but stopped when he came to grips that crying wouldn't bring them back.
Caravan guard and wanderer
Because of the circumstances, Jedediah offered Calhoun a ride on his caravan outside of town. Feeling there was nothing left for him here, Theodore slung his rifle over his back and accepted the ride. Calhoun traveled the wastes in all directions as an informal employee of Samson Caravans for seven years. The job took him everywhere in the Four States and Texas Commonwealth. In 2243, the caravan was confronted by a group of Sun Bird tribal-raiders in Texas. Calhoun fought off the force alongside the other guards, but ultimately, the wagon had been set ablaze and the other guards were killed.
After Samson Caravans went up in smoke, he wandered the Texan wasteland. It was at this time Theodore took the name "Texas", trying to start anew. He spent more than a decade trying to find a settlement of some sort, but luckily his father had not raised a brat, so Texas knew how to survive in the wastes. From there he lived in the desert for 11 years, just wandering it on his own. He caught what he could in expert snares and got water from the occasional spring or cactus, and played his guitar and harmonica to keep himself entertained, not to mention sane.
In 2254, he saw lights on the horizon and stumbled into the town of Lobo. After enjoying the luxuries of an actual town for a week, he got a job with the Texas Commonwealth branch of the Alamosa Trading Company, another caravan. As part of his contract, Texas was given his two signature revolvers. The Alamosa caravan he guarded was always being called back to Alamosa, Colorado to restock supplies, but Texas stayed on the caravans' route for over two decades, protecting it from any overzealous raiders or nasty critters that wanted lunch. He treated the caravan well and in turn, was treated well himself. He made fast friends with the driver, Bill Ackerman, the guards, Cole Masters and Kate Parker, and even the greenhorn, Derrick Payne.
Coyote Bluff
In 2275, the Alamosa caravan was on its Nevada run when Texas saw smoke billowing from the town of Coyote Bluff. Alamosa routinely did business with Coyote Bluff, but the town was in much more trouble than running low on supplies; half the population had been killed and even more of the town had been burned down. The caravan unanimously agreed that Coyote Bluff needed the supplies far more than New Reno, so they remained in town and distributed the food and supplies. Texas tended to the wounded as Cole and Derrick looked for other survivors and Bill and Kate distributed the food. Little by little, Coyote Bluff built itself from the ground up with the help of the caravan. After the mayor was killed in the attack, Ackerman took on the role and appointed Texas as town sheriff.
Wandering once more...
Texas stayed in Coyote Bluff for many years providing law in a land with no laws and protecting the town against wasteland threats. Alas, he realized that being in the same place for so long isn't a way to live out the last years of your life. In 2281, a man calling himself "The Courier" strolled into town and proved himself to be a very capable wastelander. Texas arranged for him to visit Coyote Bluff regularly, so Texas could heed his call of wanderlust. He still comes to the Mojave every so often, but he's been allegedly spotted all over the American Wasteland bringing incidental protection to towns he drifts into; from the Midwest to the Windy Wastes, Kansbraskahoma to the Deep South, and, of course, Texas.
Other stories
Texas has a bundle of even more stories to entertain passers-by of all manners. Some might even find a personal journal in one of his caches in the wasteland. Have a listen or a read if you have the fortune of stumbling across him in his travels.
Appearance and abilities
Texas is six feet tall (1.8 meters) and weighs 185 pounds (84 kilograms). He has a light tan complexion and a slightly muscled frame, but it is hidden behind loose skin and a paunch. His hairline is thinning, but he retains a head of brushed back, fine, silver hair. He also has an obvious and well groomed muttonstache matching the color of his hair.
This old timer grew up around guns and hunting and that's what he does best. If conditions are favorable, it's not uncommon for him to hit a target from 150 meters away with his rifle. His sharp eyes and swift, callused hands are ideal for quickly drawing pistols and putting down targets before they can respond in suit. Calhoun isn't your average gunman however; he has an expansive knowledge of medical science and can use his survival skills to supplement modern medicine with natural remedies if the situation calls for it. He's also knowledgeable about mechanics and is capable of keeping his weapons and armor in top condition; he's a bit rusty on other mechanisms, but he can pick it up quickly.
Calhoun isn't as strong as when he was younger, but can still hold his own in a fight... he just prefers not to. He also isn't the sneakiest fellow and prefers to take care of issues head on, and avoids attempting to negotiate with people on account that his callous, brazen and plain-spoken ways tends to upset people if they have a thin skin.
Equipment
Weapons
Texas carries a small armory on his person so he can be prepared for most anything. His pride and joy are his two long barrel .44 caliber Magnum revolvers which he affectionately named Peggy & Sue, which he uses when firepower is all that matters. His 12 gauge lever-action shotgun, Roberta, has saved his skin in situations were maneuverability counts more than penetration and is perfect for combat in cramped locales.
The bulkiest of his arsenal is Charlotte, a .44 caliber lever-action rifle named after Calhoun's wife that he uses for hunting big game... or creatures and people that he doesn't want to get too close to. When all else fails, he has Kent, a small flint tomahawk, to fall back on, but it's mostly used to skin and portion what he bags when hunting.
Apparel
A well worn brown leather duster that Texas has sewed steel plates into for enhanced protection covers his coarsely knit black-grey shirt and dirty tan wool pants. Texas usually keeps the sleeves rolled up but lets them down when a sandstorm is brewing. He wears a black paisley bandana that he picked off a legionary recruit around his neck.
His black Stetson is similar to his overcoat in that it was already reinforced when he scavenged it. Dark glasses keep the sun out of his eyes, and sometimes more importantly, conceal where he's looking. Both his brown leather boots and gloves are supple and worn.
Miscellaneous
The most important thing he carries on his person is his doctor's bag, allowing him to keep his tools organized as well as store herbal remedies. For sentimental reasons, he carries his fathers's burnt Magnum, and his mothers harmonica rests in his pocket which he uses for entertainment on quiet and boring stops. He usually possesses a pack of stale and crumpled cigarettes and scavenges more when he can.
Personality
Texas can be described as a realist. Over the past 60+ years, he is largely pessimistic about life mostly because he sees things as they are. However, that is not to say he does not try to improve the wasteland when he can. He holds the simplistic mantra "it is what it is" and does not dwell on the past, but rather what can be done about it now. He also is not one to bottle up his emotions; if one wrongs him or otherwise makes him angry, especially by speaking ill of his wife or friends, he will display his short and passionate temper. Furthermore, Texas strongly believes that wasteland justice should be dispensed through the barrel of a gun, so it's best to stay on his good side.
He primary lives with a Libertarian worldview in that if you "don't fuck with [him], [he] won't fuck with you." He has a limited moral compass, but it is there; he does not care in the slightest what you are doing as long as it does not affect him or anyone he knows and likes. He thoroughly enjoys the company of others, so long as they are respectful, entertaining and don't try to rope him into their own selfish dealings.
Theme songs
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
I've Been Everywhere, Johnny Cash