Gore Hester
Foreman Gerty Hester (a.k.a. Gore)
Gerty "Gore" Eaghra has been working for the Alfredo Family since Mr. Ludwig de Alfredo of Suncup Ranch set the heirs of Sagebrush Ranch down for a serious talk. As the daughter of a butcher, Gerty still remembered how to jolly along a contrary customer when sharp cleavers were all too handy: she drew on her position as assistant foreman to get herself into that meeting.
Mr. Ludwig spent little effort on gentling his words. He had the numbers straight from the banks all the way over in Gild'mar: Sagebrush Ranch had been declining for decades, despite two excellent water sources that lasted most of the summer and wide stretches of good soil for the grass. He said the problem was the moss rot. He said the Hess family could spend every remaining cent of their inheritance on a contract for a foreign plants expert to come eradicate the moss rot from the whole ranch at once, and then they could start over from scratch with a herd of less than 50 head. He said that in fifteen years of sparse meals and hard work, Suncup Ranch might be back up to the comfortable income of the heirs' youngest days.
Or they could sign the deed to the Alfredos.
Mr. Ludwig said he would assume all of their debts up to the moment of sale. He said he would pay out the contracts for all seasonal ranch hands as if they had worked the full season. He said he would hand the Hess family a certified note for a deposit at the Gild'mar Courthouse, holding cash value for two-thirds the tax assessor's estimate of Suncup Ranch's value -- buildings, cattle, sheep, and land rights.
The catch was that the whole family had to pack up that week, be gone by ten days, emigrate to Gild'mar or wherever else they wanted to go, but never return to ranch life on the Longgrass Plains.
If they had asked Gore Eaghra for her opinion, she would have told them to take that offer right away.
The trouble would have been to keep all of the scorn out of her face and voice. These young Hesses heirs were mostly useless. Hell, their cousins Harp and Rye Hess over at Cottonwood Fog Ranch had more ability to manage any little obstacle in life than all five Suncup Ranch heirs put together. They should be city folk, not ranchers! Their parents raised them too gently, that was the trouble. They were frail.
Fortunately they did not ask any hireling for her opinions at all. The Hess youths squabbled for about three hours before they signed. Their only change to Mr. Ludwig's proposal was that they wanted him to rewrite the certified note: the deposit should be divided exactly evenly between each of the five, so that they did not have to figure a fair divide before each made his own investments.
Some of the Suncup Ranch staff moved on to other opportunities. Not Gore! She stepped outside to knock the dust off her leathers, washed her face, and caught Mr. Ludwig and Mrs. Mia when they approached their wagon to return home.
You need someone who knows all the burrs in this saddle, Mr. de Alfredo. That would be me. I should be your assistant foreman for this area for one month -- that's long enough to get your picked man familiar with how things are around here. It's also long enough for you and me to decide if we like having me working for you.
The "picked man" turned up to be one Vic "Bull" Hester.
Bull and Gore caught on like a summer grass fire.
Bull saved up as much of his pay as he could for a year and a day before he went, hat in hand, to ask Gore if she would be his bride. he found her baking a cake, of all odd things: and it turned out right quickly that Gore was doing this unusually hearthy chore as part of her plans to propose marriage to Bull.
Many ranch hands working for the Alfredo Family delighted in the love match. They expected the two would temper one another, making both into kinder, more forgiving senior foremen.
This was a grievous miscalculation on the other ranch hands' parts!
Bull and Gore Hester formed a united front. They informed young Mr. Mauricio that he would not be appointing one of them to be Foreman and the other to be the senior Assistant Foreman. Both Hesters would share the title and the authority.
And this would prove a financial, strategic benefit to the Alfredo Family and to Whippetal Ranch as a whole.
They make a strong, sturdy pair. They have their differences of opinion, sure enough. But when a decision point looms, they act for their common interest -- quickly, decisively, either brutally or compassionately as would best serve the long-term interests of the ranch.
By the time Whippetal Ranch bought out the impoverished remains of Old Sarsparilla Ranch, even Big Lui and Big Mauri could not rightly say whether they would emerge triumphant if the Hesters ever moved to take Whippetal for themselves. The smart solution was to sound out the Hesters frankly as to what they want out of life, and then to provide it: a place to live the lives of their choosing, an opportunity to do the work they love, and a tidy nest egg growing toward their comfortable retirement in another fifteen years.
Then The Troubles sprang up.
Few can now testify as to how the Hesters journeyed from a hard-working, clear-eyed duo who put the welfare of cattle and people above all abstract notions ... to the moment when they volunteered themselves for the Hell Hand transformation.
Gore Hester by Chip Malinowski
It must have happened abruptly.
Some soul-twisting event must have happened.
Perhaps it took place near Chaffoush Barn?
They do still sing together like angels, as they have always done since the first shift they shared!
… fallen angels.…
Mental characteristics
Personal history
The SNAFU Posse experimented on the Hesters via Rose Wafers and one of those high-quality glass bottles sold by the Bicchieri Caravan on the morning of Grolm 12th, 578. The demons inhabiting these two Hell Hands did not muster enough Fortitude to withstand the pure goodness within the wafers, and were repulsed -- but since there was nowhere for the human bodies to go, that meant the demons themselves exited their hosts! Stormborn Sorcerer Miro Teague then cast a Gust of Wind to force the smoky forms into the high-quality bottle, which was sealed up and pocketed.
That's a mighty annoyed pair of demons in that bottle!
It does mean that the Hesters are once again free of fiendish influences on their decision-making.
Of course ... that also means they lost some durability. And a lot of combat power.
Relationships
Current Location
Species
Age
35ish
Circumstances of Death
turned into a Hell Hand on Grolm 9th 578, exorcised on Grolm 12th 578
Spouses
Bull Hester
(spouse)
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Chaffoush barracks, Whippetal Ranch
Gender
female
Eyes
green
Hair
red
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
pale and lightly freckled, but callused on hands and forearms
Other Affiliations
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