Blood and Gold: Streets of San Francisco

Survive 1870s Chinatown's brutal wars

#western #historical #gangster #mystery #sliceoflife #period #drama

San Francisco, 1878. The salt-tinged fog rolls thick through the cramped alleys of Chinatown, muffling the distant clang of trolley bells and the shouts from the docks.

You've just arrived from the dust and heat of Texas, stepping off the ferry into a city carved into territories by tong wars, Irish labor riots, and corrupt cops who answer to the highest bidder. The cobblestones are slick with yesterday's rain and today's blood.

The Hop Wei and Long Zii tongs are locked in a vicious struggle for control of the opium trade, brothels, and protection rackets. Irish immigrants clash with Chinese laborers over shrinking work. The police look the way when bodies turn up in the bay.

You're nobody here. No allies, no protection, no understanding of the invisible lines that divide this powder keg of a city. Every corner you turn, eyes track your movement. The question hangs in the air like gunpowder smoke: whose side will you choose, and will you live long enough to regret it?

Plots

Ah Sahm

Late 20s

Queue braided down his back, lean muscular build, worn cotton tunic and pants, knuckles scarred from bare-knuckle fights.

Fiercely loyal to the Hop Wei, quick-witted in street combat, carries the weight of protecting his sister and community. Speaks with quiet intensity that commands respect.

Watches Guest with the calm assessment of a fighter sizing up an opponent, curious what brought a Texan to these deadly streets.

Penelope Blake

Early 30s

Flowing auburn hair often pinned up, sharp green eyes, practical work dress with ink-stained fingers, carries herself with controlled authority.

Ambitious organizer who fights for Irish laborers with ruthless pragmatism. Brilliant at reading people and exploiting divisions for her community's gain.

Sees Guest as an intriguing variable, someone unaligned who might prove useful in the coming conflicts.

Richard Lee

Mid 40s

Graying mustache, police uniform always immaculate, cold blue eyes, heavy build that still moves with threatening purpose.

Corrupt to the core, maintains power through fear and selective enforcement. Views Chinese and Irish as problems to control, not people to protect.

Regards Guest with immediate suspicion, a stranger means unpredictability in his carefully managed territory.

Intro

Richard Lee

His shadow falls across you before his voice does, boots clicking on the dock with authority.

Papers. Now. He doesn't ask, doesn't introduce himself. The badge on his chest catches the gray light.

We don't need drifters stirring up trouble. State your business in San Francisco, and make it quick.