Quick Facts:

Name: Josiah Ward
Nicknames: Jed
Title: Ranger and Game Warden. “Most folk just call me Jed but can call me just about anything, Ranger Ward, Josiah, Cowpoke. Heck, I’ve even answered ‘Hey, you!’ a few times; I only ask you don’t call me two things. Don’t call me Mister Ward - that’s my father - and don’t call me late for supper.”
Region: Fosbir
Career: Previously Stockman and Cowboy for Ward’s Ranch. Now a Game Warden, Ranger, and Guide within Fosbir.
Tokota: He used several tokotas when directing the herds in his youth, but he doesn’t own one himself. He prefers a horse to tokotas as a Ranger and a Guide when traveling the region. He is often seen with his buckskin mustang, Midas.
Quote: “Don’t worry folks, I’ve been through worse. I can’t remember much of what happened after that, but I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Details:

Appearance: Jed looks to be in his early to mid-twenties, though he’s about a decade older. He has shoulder-length, sandy brown hair that he keeps parted to the left, though you’ll only ever see it when he’s indoors; otherwise he wears a well worn, wide-brimmed, tall crown cowboy hat, which may be nearly as old as he. He has a moustache which covers his top lip almost entirely, and curls upwards slightly at the tips. His cheeks and chin are usually covered in a few days of stubble, though he prefers them shaved clear, something that is easier said than done in the outback far from a decent razor or a mirror. His blue-grey eyes reflect brightly under the shade of his hat, and the freckles on his cheeks and the bridge of his nose are all the more noticeable against his sun-tanned skin. He is just around average height and he has a lean build, but you’d be surprised by his strength. You’ll probably hear him coming before you see him, as the spurs he wears jingle, and the heels of his boots hit the ground with a satisfying impact with every step.
Personality: Jed is quick to smile or make a joke - especially jokes that get more groans than laughs, which are his personal favorite. He has an easy-going charm to him with a seemingly carefree attitude and a folksy sense of humor. It might be hard at first to believe that he'll be the person leading you through the rough terrain of Fosbir, but he may be one of the most knowledgeable and experienced hands in the bush, and his confidence is well earned. When things are at their worst he keeps his cool; but if you do ever see him nervous, you know you’re in for a rough time. Honest to a fault, polite and hardworking, his time as a ranch hand has tempered him for long days in the saddle under a blazing Fosbir sun.
Background: His family owns the largest cattle ranch in Fosbir, and grazes their herds on what little prairie still exists in the arid region. His father is not originally from Fosbir, but moved there as a young man and met his wife there. Jed is the couple's fifth child, and the youngest boy; he has three brothers and two sisters. He worked as a ranch hand for most of his life, before realizing the ecological damage such large herds of cattle can do to an environment that was never meant to feed them. This realization began to drive a wedge between him and his family, his father especially, and he decided that to preserve the relationship he’d have to make a change, and do what he thought was right, even if it meant doing something different than his family. Though he was born in Fosbir, and his mother is native to the region, he has never felt especially connected to that side of his heritage, especially as he shares more of his looks with his father. Looking after the wildlife and helping to maintain the trails that go across the more untamed and remote parts of the region is his way of connecting with his heritage and ancestors, and the way of life they had before the modern world caught up to the region and things changed so dramatically both for better and worse.

Rumors & Gossip:

• In order, his siblings are Jonah, Michael, Mary, Eli, himself, and Hannah. He loves his family dearly, even his father, though they are still patching up their relationship since Jed’s departure from the ranch. He sees them as often as he can, their work schedules permitting. Asking about any of them will lead to hours of family stories, the kind you’d hear at a family gathering even though everyone’s heard it a thousand times, and yet everyone still laughs.
• Rumor is, he’s the best harmonica player in all of Fosbir.
• He always has a toothpick or a piece of long grass in his mouth. He can tell you how many days it's been since he last smoked. The reason he quit was that the last box of matches he carried burst into flames in his saddle bags on the hottest day of the year, his first month on the job. If it hadn’t happened to him he wouldn’t have believed it, but he took it as a sign and gave up the habit. “What a way to start a job huh? I don’t think Ol’ Midas would take too kindly to me still carryin’ smokes after that. And since most of the time it’s just the two of us out here, and he's the one carryin' me, that made it pretty easy to quit”
• Rumor has it, before becoming a game warden, he travelled with the rodeo as a trick shooter and lassoer. He carries a rifle, and a six-shooter, but most have never seen him use either; those that have, believe the rumor. “Me? The rodeo? Yeah we had all sorts of fun then. But I tell you what, I’ve had my fill of gettin’ chased by angry bulls after they throw some idiot off their back.”
• He speaks several languages, having picked them up over the years helping so many people from so many different regions. Some joke he even speaks to the animals. “That’s true, I guess you could say I’ve got a knack for 'em. But the only animal I ever talk to is Midas, and best I can tell, he still ain’t ever said anythin’ back that didn’t involve me givin’ him more treats.”
• Jed may have started the rumor of his harmonica playing skills himself, mainly because he wants people to ask him to play when they sit around a campfire. He is actually surprisingly good, “People just don’t respect the harmonica! It’s not just a toy for kids. It’s a legitimate instrument!”

Original NPC inspiration by The-Nerd01
NPC art by USERNAME