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A ragtag group of street-smart moonshiners hailing from Lagras, Bayou Nwa. Whilst 1884 saw the rise of riverboat gambling, a new age of law enforcement in the form of a primitive Saint Denis Police Department, and extremely early prototypes of more organized criminal enterprises; one empire that neither waned in popularity nor demand was damn good moonshine. Early iterations of the enterprise weren't just compromised of a dumb set of backwoods bootleggers ⎯ they were businessmen, survivalists, and enforcers wrapped up in the guise and facade of a cohesive family. Rufus Dalton stood at the center of the operation. A 52-year-old veteran of mixology who had spent decades perfecting the art of distillation. He worked the saloons of Rhodes, Lemoyne, for years upon years, never alluding to the backroom operation of brewing in the swamps, selling to outlaws, and bribing law enforcement officers particularly susceptible to liquid luck. His meaty paws were deft at measuring ingredients and the like — but naturally, they were also good for squeezing the life out of debtors who thought they could cheat him. He'd be accompanied by one Gillum Gibbs, yet another old-timer, knee-deep in the moonshining business — who had acted as the more intimidating right-hand man to the first iteration of the moonshining operation, that is, before the merger with Finkle. Billy Ray Finkle, by contrast, was a blunt instrument, to say the least. A slimy tower of muscle by way of a lanky build, accompanied by a thick drawl and quick temper, Finkle was as intimidating as he was dangerous. He'd made a name for himself in the swamps of Bayou Nwa running shine of his own — until a bitter rivalry with Dalton nearly got them both killed. The two had been at each other's throats, competing for the same clientele for years; stealing shipments, sabotaging stills, and leaving bodies to rot in the gator-infested waters as collateral damage. A standoff on the outskirts of Lagras left them with a mutual and simple ultimatum: work together, or die alone. The Dalton-Finkle feud didn’t end with a handshake — it ended with a wedding. Missy Dalton, fiery and headstrong, chose Billy Ray Finkle, the same man her father once tried to drown in the Bayou. Their marriage forced a reluctant alliance, binding two bitter rivals into family. For Rufus, it was a hard pill to swallow. For Gillum Gibbs, who’d long harbored quiet feelings for Missy, it was a slow, gutting loss. But business was business, and blood was blood. Like it or not, the Dalton and Finkle empires were now one — henceforth known, to themselves and themselves only, as the DALTON-FINKLE GANG... or the FINKLE-DALTON GANG, depending on who you asked. OOC Information Dalton's Boys are aiming to portray a loose "family" of moonshiners on the run from out-of-State law enforcement. The group are survivalists, with no 'roots' in Tahoma (and no desire to plant any); while simultaneously needing to establish a client base and portfolio of contacts in the State to simply get by. We're not highwaymen, and we're not interested in violence in anything other than a retaliatory or "if absolutely needed" effort. The group are unapologetically criminal, and consist of characters with internal drama, tension and other dynamics we're hoping to develop and maintain as time goes on. We're not specifically looking for more people, but anyone interested should come with a predetermined expectation of high quality roleplay, an attitude of "character first", and a complete ability to detach the IC from the OOC, as it pertains to both our members, and the wider community.

Shady Belle, a once-magnificent Southern plantation located in the thicket of the Bayou Nwa, has a storied past. Constructed by Joseph Charlesworth during the antebellum period, it flourished as a representation of Southern opulence, largely due to the exploitation of slave labor. However, like many estates of its era, the Civil War and its subsequent consequences left Shady Belle in a state of decay. Its formerly grand halls fell into neglect, while the surrounding swamps, inhabited by alligators, transformed into a natural fortress that attracted a different kind of resident. Over the years, bandits, squatters, and various outlaw groups took refuge in its crumbling walls. By the turn of the century, it had become the stronghold of the Dead Horses Gang. Under their ruthless reign, Shady Belle was a fortress of terror, where many lawmen met their untimely end trying to dismantle the gang. However, after the deaths of their two leading figures, Deirdre Browner and Mallory Gimble, the gang scattered to the wind, leaving Shady Belle behind. A surviving member of the gang, Jimmy Slims, resurfaced and drew new recruits to reclaim Shady Belle. The band of outlaws struck an alliance with the neighboring Trotters clan, a family known for their production and trade in moonshine. The two groups, albeit loosely organized, now run their illicit operation out of Shady Belle and formed what is now known as the 'Mossy Creek Gang'.