Description 

Opal McKinney, an imponderable women in her early-thirties, is of Dutch - Irish descent. With her long auburn hair that's often worn in a braid, her bright green eyes and the bridge of her nose spotted with freckles, she is of strong and healthy figure. She astute and diligent, but cordial and does not particularly stand out. She's soft-spoken, often one in the background, guarded and carefully observing her surroundings taking a wait-and-see approach.

Opal is mostly conflict avoidant and will only draw her weapon unless insuperable. It poses for great personal challenges in her current line of work, inevitably having an effect on her self image. Distrusting and a little prudent towards strangers, she tends to not allow herself to form deep attachments to people easily and has been notoriously cautious on how to take on life's challenges that are put before her. Knowing her backstory, one would not be surprised she grew into such a character.

Strict and restrained though she tried to be, she came to find that cautious imprecision has a subjective side. As she found a quiet reverie along her travels, her curiosity and venturesome flame was lit again and her more incisive and gentle manners emerged. She shows a calm but indifferent demeanor when you meet her. As she appears to be surprisingly softhearted and compassionate, one would be hard-pressed to find another women like Opal. Once allowed to her inner circle, she'd go through hellfire and back in allegiance to her friends and loved ones.

Early Life 

Born in The Netherlands
Opal's life started easy enough having been born in the Northern part of The Netherlands known as West Frisia, where her family ran a mixed livestock farm. Her mother a Dutch farmers daughter, her father an Irish metalworker. The leading language in the household was Dutch. When she was about eight years old the family immigrated. Economical effects of wide spread hunger caused by potato famine and climate effects on food crops, drove the young parents to hope and start a new, healthy life in the Americas to the America's eventually claiming a homestead plot. It was a long and treacherous journey to reach the south-eastern Kansas tallgrass prairies near Bronson, Bourbon County.

Not too long after settling the family was able to procure a few extra acres of land and extend the homestead to a small stock-raising ranch. Together with her older brothers Jakob and Cian, Opal worked tending livestock and keeping up the fences, and small repair work on the house. She grew quite adroit to crafting wood and iron. As a young woman Opal was creative and agreeable. She never strayed beyond boundaries, work-minded and never asked for more than her father had given her. Home-schooled and church going she would often say about herself: "She was raised properly".

Spoiler: Keeping the wolves from the door

Sorrow befalls her family
It was just short of a decade cultivating wealth and prosperity when her mother fell ill to consumption and passed. The grief over the loss caused irreparable damage to her fathers mental health who became irritable, abusive and incapable to set forth upon necessary improvements to the ranch. He fell a slaved to alcohol and was hard to motivate to choose life. As if the devil played with their outlook on the future the cattle industry irrevocably changed and the young McKinney’s needed to work harder than ever before to keep afloat their livelihood.

A big chunk of their livestock was driven to market. Opal's brothers were just about strong and healthy enough for their first ever drive to the nearest cowtown, however once reaching the market a conflict arose. For unknown reasons it escalated quickly and violently, resulting in the death of both her brothers, one of the attackers and a cattle officer. Days after the shootout at the station the rustlers journeyed to the homestead wanting to stake claim to the ranch, it’s surrounding lands and the remaining livestock. Her father wasn't in any way amenable to intimidation and refused collaboration. A quarrel ensued where John — her father — sustained serious injuries. When the rustlers caused an unstoppable fire to the homestead, Opal was barely able to drag her father out and sustained serious burns to her left arm and left upper body. Her father died shortly after.

Finding a new home
Opal, now just over twenty two years old, is left marooned and without a family or a home. Warily looking behind her back whilst romaing further south, she occupies all kinds of seasonal work and odd jobs and doesn't stay in one place for long. Living off the land hunting and gathering she finds no difficulties to the simple and cut off way of living. In time she learns the rustlers that burned her childhood home down has it out for the McKinney's, and will live in fear of those people eventually catching up to her as well. They can't follow her forever, can they? Her life becomes a chaotic response to the winds and forces around her. She uses a different name while moving, hoping to let her trail run cold. "Rose", "Willow", "Holly".. they all worked well for her. The scars of scorched tissue remind her of the trauma she endured. She spends almost a decade living in a mist, looking back at the past while barely living in the present.

When she eventually reaches the state of New Alexandria luck starts to turn her way as she finds a home with a gentle and kind widowed man named Foster Cunnings. He's a town constable and a carpenter by trade and much older than her, but she is comfortable at the thought of his experience and particular patience towards her. He shows her the way to discipline, fortitude and confidence. He doesn't lie to her or cheat her into doing more work than the reward demands. He teaches her the intricacies to carpentry. A few years with him in a small town pass by but the spark never grows into a flame, as he is consumed by grief still and her love for him unfortunately stays unrequited. Then one day he passes in grievance. Opal is left with his horse Leoric and the house and resumes her life looking for that one spark once again.

Present Life 

At first she did not take permanent residence at either Foster's house nor anywhere else, as she has only recently mastered control over her fear of being trapped inside it. For the longest time she feels an encampment with clear starry skies to sleep in is the safest place to be. However, she manages to renovate the run down ranch house back in Tumbleweed, which she now leases out to a small farmers family and after taking up a job at the penitentiary she moves into a St. Denis apartment on Rue de la Diligent.

“One should never presume to know what may lie before them, as life is far often more fickle than that”, she often reminds herself of. Aside her daily occupation at the Department of Prisons she occasionally ventures out to hunt bear and will occupy her spare time taking on small carpentry assignments and her shared jewellery business.

Affiliations 

Watchman for the Department of Prisons, she does her job to the best of her abilities.
She has a tendency to underestimate her own capabilities and is unsure of her own potential, so her promotion to Senior came as a surprise.

Quotes 

“A proper dinner is one of potatoes.”
"I would murder for anything with cherries."
"Holy Miter!"

Trivia 

Spoiler: Trivia

Habits & Quirks
Currently resides in an apartment in St. Denis.
She will get nauseous from butter and other fatty products.
Suffers from debilitating migraines.
She's a bird lover, so mentions every bird she sees (and hears) all the time.
She isn't too chatty and does not often take lead in conversations.
Can however be quite the giddy if given time and trust.
Can be very fidgety during social engagement.

Skills
Woodworking, carpentry
Metalworking

Horses
"Demelza", a Palomino Dapple American Standardbred mare, 5 yo.
A magnificent riding horse with a collected temperament, bought off one of the ranches in New Alexandria. A lover of rye and herbs, and will graze along the trails.
"Leoric", a Black Norfolk Roadster stallion, 14-ish yo.
Inheritance of Foster. He is a tough eater and is hard to keep at a healthy weight, he likes apples the most. He's an overall goofball: After a treat he tends to smile, produces a wide range of content noises, rolls his tongue a lot and flaps his lips to gain attention.
"Ulna", a Reverse Dapple Roan Nokota mare, 5-ish yo.
Acquired at Raven McCoy's ranch. Young and impressionable, and loves to work.

Notable items
A plain single-action Cattleman revolver, which was her father's.
Document of land deed to the family homestead.
A ring made from a US coin.
A wooden hand carved bear on a necklace, made and gifted by Foster.

Hopes & fears
Is open to build durable relationships but initially held back due to trust issues.
Is lawful good and values commitment, fairness and respect for authority above all else.
Intolerant and averse to opioids.
Is anxious around fire and urges people to practice caution around them.

Loves & Hates
Hunts for bears as game of choice.
Likes a good glass of Irish Whiskey.
Her favorite meals are shepherd's pie and anything with berries or cherries.
Her favorite colour is green.