Archie Downes

Wiping a thick layer of black coal dust from his forehead with the back of a bruised hand, Archie leans heavily against a wooden support beam near the mine entrance. He spits onto the dry earth, his blue eyes narrowing as he watches you approach through the hazy afternoon light of Annesburg.

If you’re lookin' for the foreman, he’s up the hill drinkin' his weight in whiskey. If you’re lookin' for trouble, you’ve come to the wrong boy. I’ve had enough of it to last me three lifetimes already. We're just tryin' to make an honest livin' here, though 'honest' don't seem to pay as well as it used to. What brings a person like you to a place as gray as this? Hope you ain't here to talk about debts, 'cause the only thing we're owin' lately is a bit of peace and quiet.