Name: Hale Kincaid Age: 39 Time living in Tonopah: Native (Recently returned after 20 years) Occupation: Artisan For Hire Gang Affiliation: Sons of Silence (Nomadic) Neighborhood:ย Downtown Face Claim: Joseph Morgan
Biography (TW: Death, blood, murder, drugs, minor mention of abuse):
The Ghost of Tonopah Valley. Or at least โ thatโs what the legend calls him. There was a time where Hale Kincaid was very much known for the trail of blood he left in the wake of a vengeful tirade. But he wasnโt always known for being a monster. He was born to one โ James Decker โ whoโd completely dismissed his mother when she revealed her pregnancy. While they were college lovers, James had no intention of building a life with the smalltown girl who dreamed of a big family. Heโd left her with enough money to keep her comfortable (or quiet) and never thought twice about the girl heโd left behind nor the child he refused to acknowledge. ย Haleโs entrance into the world was an arduous one. While his mother considered him a blessing, he would eventually learn to believe he was cursed. After 32 hours of strenuous labor, Hale had finally arrived kicking and screaming. All was well. Then it wasnโt.
Barely a month old and his mother left him due to birthing complications. Hard she fought to stay with the son sheโd always hoped for, and quiet she went never getting the chance to raise him. Hale was alone in the world, passed around from one foster house to the next, never quite belonging anywhere or to anyone. His knack for self-preservation wasnโt one taught, but learned after years of never knowing if the hand thatโd fed him would also be the one to strike him. Though a rough upbringing, it allowed him to develop the thick skin and defensive measures to endure the Sons of Silence one day.
His affiliation with the gang is one that started off as a life line. After landing in a remotely nice foster home with a foster mom who seemed to care for him, Hale landed himself somewhere else โ juvie. Wrong place at the wrong time and the cops were happy to blame some inconsequential crime on a kid. If it wasnโt for his blood aunt learning of his existence โ Nellie, still a kid in her own right โ and showing up to plead for a lighter punishment, he feared he wouldโve stayed in juvie for most of his adolescence. His two months in the detention center had him connect with a fellow loner, someone misunderstood and miserable, just like him. The boyโs name was Cole Monroe and he was the one who first introduced him to the Sons. A prospect of a life with a place to belong, it was all he ever wanted. Though heโd have to wait until he was 18 to join, the boy promised to introduce him to the MC once they got out. The chance to start over was one Hale couldnโt pass up. But the nagging reminder of his real family wasnโt one he could shake. By the time he was released, his aunt had left Tonopah, but she wasnโt the only Decker in town.ย
It took weeks of building up courage to ask his foster mom to initiate an introduction. While his uncle and aunt (by marriage) left a foul taste in his mouth, his cousins Shepherd and Sawyer were a different story. For the first time in his life, Hale had people to confide in. A family to connect with, and one that loved him in return. For a while, life was steady. Hale had finally found a place to just rest in a home that didnโt feel temporary.ย
And then his foster mother was murdered.
Deemed a random act of violence, authorities didnโt care to investigate what would prompt someone to ransack the apartment of a 60-year-old woman. But it didnโt take long for the whispers to begin. Hale had always lived on the wrong side of the tracks and interacted with those more skeevy than upstanding. Once rumors began that he was some long-lost Decker with access to old money, of course some punks tried to cash in. Someone loyal to him keyed him into who: Los Santos.ย
Hale was never wrathfulโฆuntil this moment. Reserved, calculating, maybe a little hot-headed, but never volatile. But he found taking justice in his own hands a right of passage. His warpath was doused with blood โ more blood than heโd ever seen โย and he didnโt care to wash himself clean. Once again left alone in the world, once again because of his own existence. Going back to being the sad little orphan was no longer an option and leaving behind his cousins was a by-product of that. Hale told himself it was for their own good, but mostly he was terrified that they wouldnโt recognize what heโd become. An empty shell, a ghost of the boy he used to be with a rage he couldnโt seem to shake.
From that point on he stayed on his own until he turned 18, managing to stay under the radar with the help of some trusted allies. He earned his patch from the Sons (mostly because his warpath led to the elimination of Los Santos recruits therefore briefly stunting their expansion efforts) and Hale was immediately moved to a different charter. Most thought this decision was to get him out of town and out of sight due to his recent indiscretions, but it was also at his own request. Hale wantedโ no, needed to move on from the legacy he didnโt mean to build for himself. After leaving an apology letter for his cousins and a contact to reach out for emergencies, the Ghost of Tonopah Valley left. And for 20 years he stayed gone.
Until Sawyer called.
Itโs an emergency, was all she said and all it took to get him on a plane back to the place heโd never quite considered home. Whatever it is that made Sawyer beckon him to return, Hale knows this for a fact โ heโd happily become a villain who haunts the streets of Tonopah Valley once again to keep the only family he has left safe.ย
Headcanons:ย
As a nomad he considered himself a โpharmaceutical distributorโ where he sold drugs, mostly marijuana, on the side to earn income. This endeavor allowed him to save up enough to live quite comfortably and, while he doesnโt deal anymore, he does keep growing his own personal stash for his own enjoyment. Especially considering he would rather light himself on fire than give money to the townโs main supplier.
Heโs an artist, as it was a simple skill he was able to develop without tons of money or resources as a kid. While his interest has grown into adulthood and he now dabbles in different mediumsโ acrylic paints, clay sculpting, hand-blown glass just to name a fewโ his precision to his craft is a trait he carries over to every aspect of his life. From his work with the Sons to his personal encounters, Hale does everything with a flare, a signature that makes him unique. And heโs very thorough, even down to the minute details.ย
Hale wears a pendant of St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes. It dangles beneath the collar of his shirtsโalways out of view but right above his heart. As one of the only items that belonged to his mother, itโs one of if not his most prized possession.ย
Hale suffers a lot of trauma due to his parents. From the abandonment he felt from his father, to the survivorโs guilt he felt for outliving his mother. Theyโre feelings heโs never divulged before and have only festered into something hateful and poisonous over the years.ย
Separating himself from his cousins was one of the hardest decisions Hale had to make. But he couldnโt see a world where he was worthy of their love and loyalty after the damage heโd done. That doesnโt mean he hasnโt seen or heard of them over the years. Through his connections with other Sons members, he made it a priority to keep tabs on them both to make sure they were alright.
