RPGaDay 2026 Day 3: Poise

Now it's time for an NPC for the last Enclave, Cow Town. And keeping with the gender pattern established, this character is male.

Someone with poise feels very strange in Cow Town. It feels like a community driven to extremes. Everyone is sick. Everyone is hungry. Everyone is despairing.

So what we'd be looking for is someone trying to keep the extremes in check. Maybe a spiritual leader of some kind. Which does bring up the subject of religion.

Most Americans, I think, assume that "religion" and "Christianity" are the same thing, unless it is specifically called out. So I could easily call him "Father" or "Reverend" and be done with it. Assume the major religious doctrines are in the general "be a good person" mode.

Post-apocalyptic settings give us an opportunity to explore other possibilities. Cultural relics could be given religious significance. The apocalypse itself could be a source of revelation.

But for Cow Town, I think there's a lot of inertia. They've been a farming community for quite some time, even before the apocalypse. The only thing that really changed for them was the customer. They no longer had to provide Costco with ice cream and other dairy products. Local production for local needs became the priority.

Likewise, the local churches became separated from their larger ecumenical organizations and became focused on local needs.

I think the radiation infusion occurred within the last generation or so. Long enough ago that people have largely accepted that this is the way things are now, but no so long ago that the conditions have managed to kill everyone or drive them away.

So our priest could possibly be old enough to remember the time before that and use that as an anchor for his faith.

There are two Lutheran churches in modern-day Ferndale, so I feel comfortable drawing on my own Lutheran upbringing, along with the common trappings of Christianity that we all know from movies and TV even if we don't participate in them, to get a picture of this church.

I'll also draw on my own history for a name. This is Pastor Dave. And remembering Pastor Dave helps me fill in a few pieces. But this is an imperfect mirror of the Pastor Dave of my childhood, with a few layers of tragedy on top.

Name: Pastor Dave

Appearance: A balding man in his late 40s. The hair that remains on the sides of his head, as well as his thick mustache, is light brown turning to grey. His once-rounded face gives way to sunken eyes and cheeks.

Quote: "I'm scared, too."

Roleplaying: Pastor Dave is warm and empathetic. His voice is warm and deep (Nick Offerman is probably the closest, but imagine a situation where Ron Swanson was the evil twin. Pastor Dave would be the good twin,) He listens and he understands.

Background: Pastor Dave grew up in Cow Town and took over caring for the congregation from his father, Paster George. He had hoped one day to pass the position to his own son, Seth, but the radiation came and took Seth. Pastor Dave has since dedicated himself to making sure that no other parent should suffer as he has. This dedication has become so strong that

Key Info:

He is dedicated to peaceful resolution whenever possible
He has connections to local settlers and even raiders

Stat Block: