Eli Roebuck

A recent graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Eli has traveled from "back east" to apply for work with the legendary Smith & Robard's, to see the source of the wondrous new mineral "ghost rock", and to see for himself the wonders of the wild, wild west!

Eli hails from up state New York, from a wealthy family of English descent. He attended MIT, studied engineering, and dreamed of nothing but building locomotives. It was there that he met his roommate and soon-to-be-best-friend Aegis Montgomery, who was a Physics major that also dabbled in chemistry. Eli first encountered the strange mineral called "ghost rock" while he and Montgomery assisted their chemistry professor (the renowned science wizard, Allen McRae) in "off-hours" experimentation.

(Incidentally, these experiments would eventually culminate in the construction of McRae's Chronomobile, or Time Conveyance. The machine was supposed to allow one to travel to the future, though when fired up for the first time it vanished utterly and completely. The machine and its rider (a lovable mutt named "Albert") were never seen again, and the Professor has yet to find anyone to fund a second try.)

Seeing the wonders that could be powered with the new substance, Eli initially thought of its applications to locomotives; of how the much improved power-to-weight ratio of the ghost rock powered now-modern steam engine would allow much faster traveling speeds, and be able to go much farther (further?) distances before needing refueling. But then Eli then had a thought: why, with all that power, why limit one-self to the ground?! After re-researching the works of his childhood inspiration, Master DaVinci, Eli and a Montgomery assembled a team of student to construct his first flying machine: an Auto-Gyro!

After learning to fly the machine (and proving quite the capable aeronaut), Eli decided that he needed to prove his invention's worth... in a trip across country! Why, he'd finally be able to see all of the wonders of the west!! The Mighty Mississip! Smith and Robard's! The Grand Canyon! California and all that ghost rock!! Montgomery, who had acquired an acute fear of flying, decided to stay behind and send supply packages ahead for Eli and his flight mechanic; the young mechanical genius Björn Anderson.

The two intrepid explorers started out strong, making their way down the eastern seaboard stopping in major cities along the way. Always drawing an enormous crowd, Eli was signed up many an investor, giving them Montgomery's contact info back in Cambridge. The two made an extended stay in Washington DC, for much needed rest and long over due maintenance on the 'Gyro, and then headed west! Stopping again in St Louis, they headed out for The City of Gloom... but crashed outside Pot Luck Gulch, destroying the flying machine completely. It was here that Eli met up with a motley group of adventurers and got involved in battling the horrors of the Weird Weird West.

Maybe flying machines aren't the only breakthrough invention the world needs right now?