SMOKEWOOD: CHARACTER STORIES

Every frontier tells a story. Every story begins with a choice. These are the souls who will shape yours. Remember there are no limits, and any character can end up anywhere you want to take them. 

COLE MERRICK – THE DRIFTER

"Waste not want not, that's what mama said."

Starting character if you purchase ANY EDITION of SMOKEWOOD during our KICKSTARTER LAUNCH - FEB 1, 2026

Cole arrived in SMOKEWOOD with nothing but a worn saddle and a determination to build something real. A man of the land, he believes in honest work but often finds himself getting into trouble looking for it. In a frontier where survival means making impossible choices, Cole discovers that community comes with a price.

As he settles into the rhythms of frontier life, Cole finds himself caught between the bonds he's forging and the moral lines he refuses to cross again. Every decision ripples outward. Every alliance tested. In SMOKEWOOD, even the most honest man must eventually ask: How far will I go to protect what I've built?

Starting Focus: farming, ranching, fishing

EMMETT GRAVES – THE LONE GUNMAN

"To think they call me Lucky... I'm letting you walk out of here."

Alternative character if you purchase the special ROUGHNECK - EARLY RELEASE EDITION of SMOKEWOOD during our KICKSTARTER LAUNCH - FEB 1, 2026

Emmett Graves earned his nickname the hard way—through quick reflexes, quicker thinking, and a willingness to do what others won't. A gunslinger by trade, he's seen the frontier's darkest corners and lived to tell about it. But survival has a cost, and Emmett carries the scars—both visible and hidden.

Arriving in SMOKEWOOD, Emmett finds himself at a crossroads. The outlaw life offers power and freedom, but it also offers isolation and blood. Multiple paths converge before him: revenge against those who wronged him, redemption through unexpected alliances, or acceptance of the man he want to become. In SMOKEWOOD, even a legend must choose what kind of legend he wants to be. 

Starting Focus: crime, gunfighting, influence, notoriety 

ELIJAH REED – THE SURVIVALIST

"The wilderness doesn't lie. It doesn't judge. It just is."

Alternative character if you purchase the special HOMESTEAD - EARLY RELEASE EDITION of SMOKEWOOD during our KICKSTARTER LAUNCH - FEB 1, 2026

Elijah came to the frontier to escape civilization—its rules, its expectations, its lies. A man of the wild, he thrives in solitude, living off the land through hunting, fishing, foraging, and bushcraft. The forest is his home, and nature is his teacher. But even the deepest wilderness can't hide from human connection forever.

As Elijah ventures deeper into SMOKEWOOD's untamed lands, he encounters something unexpected: wisdom that mirrors his own, but from a source he never anticipated. A meeting in the forest will change everything, leading him down a path where survival means more than just staying alive—it means understanding what it means to truly belong.

Starting Focus: bushcraft, hunting, foraging, mechanics

GRAY WOLF – THE GUIDE

"The land remembers. The land teaches. The land provides—if you listen."

Alternative character if you purchase the special PATHFINDER'S WAY - EARLY RELEASE EDITION of SMOKEWOOD during our KICKSTARTER LAUNCH - FEB 1, 2026

Gray Wolf is Odawa/Ojibwe, a keeper of ancient knowledge in a world rapidly changing around him. He walks the frontier with a deep understanding of the land, its seasons, its gifts, and its warnings. Every action is guided by gratitude, respect, and the principle of using every part of what the earth provides. Tobacco offerings, seasonal knowledge, tracking, birchbark crafting, storytelling, and dream guidance are the tools of his trade.

But Gray Wolf's world is colliding with a new frontier—one that doesn't always respect what came before. His journey in SMOKEWOOD is one of preservation, bridge-building, and difficult choices about what it means to be a keeper of wisdom in a changing world. Will he remain a guardian of the old ways, become a bridge between worlds, or watch as everything transforms?

Starting Focus: wisdom, stewardship, gratitude, seasonal knowledge

THE CONVERGENCE

These four paths begin separately. But in SMOKEWOOD, all roads lead to the same mysterious town. Here, their stories will intersect. Here, their choices will matter. Here, every decision leaves new scars.