Horatio McRae

Horatio Archibald McRae (b. 31 July 1858) is a British gunslinger, outlaw and the leader of the War Pigs.

The son of a Scottish wine magnate, Horatio grew up in luxury before moving to America, where he developed a successful business in Saint Denis and amassed a huge fortune. However, after a feud with the Hartigan Brothers led to the deaths of his wife and son, Horatio fled north to Valentine, where he met Dunk Tattenbaum. Together, the pair became known as the War Pigs, and the gang grew over the years until they became one of the most feared outlaw bands in the country.

Background
Horatio McRae was born to Sir Hamish McRae, a wealthy wine merchant from Scotland, and Gertrude McRae, the leader of a secret band of female outlaws in London.

Red Dead Online
Following his escape from Sisika Penitentiary, Horatio was quick to try and reassemble the War Pigs once again. However, at first he could only find Dunk, whose appearance had severely deteriorated since his imprisonment. Reunited, the pair went to a stable on the direction of Clay Davies, and stole a horse each, with Horatio claiming a chestnut Tennessee Walker, which he named Andronicus.

During these early days, Horatio and Dunk continued their adventures together, horribly poor and on the hunt for their fellow Pigs. The two's violent tendencies did not go unnoticed for long, and soon the word was out that the War Pigs had returned. It took them a long time to even rack up enough money to purchase a fishing rod each - indeed, they became so desperate that they turned to crueller acts in order to get money, shooting civilians to rob their corpses, and even shooting another gunslinger in order to steal her freshly-caught muskie and sell it to the butcher.

Soon enough, they reunited with Bartholomew and Cletus, with whom they undertook several missions from Jessica LeClerk, Horley and Samson Finch. Bartholomew was as destitute as they were, but Cletus had managed to gather a staggering amount of wealth since his release. It was then that Horatio began to earn more money, especially following the gang's seizure of Fort Mercer from Teddy Brown - Horatio promptly declared the fort as the Pigs' own, rechristening it Fort Pig.

Appearance
Horatio is a tall man with pronounced cheekbones, a pointed chin, a hooked nose and good teeth. He has a scar across the left side of his face, a souvenir of his run in with the Hartigan Brothers.

Like Dunk Tattenbaum, his appearance has undergone many changes. Initially, he sported a crop of neat red hair and a goatee, and dressed all in red colours with a brown stalker hat and maroon waistcoat. At one point, he went through a blonde phase, and bore a thick beard for a time. However, as time went on, his hair changed to black, taking on a long, windswept, slicked-back look, and he now sports a thick, well-groomed moustache that almost covers his mouth.

He generally switches between a Charleston top hat, a bowler hat and a black stalker hat, depending on the occasion. While riding in the wilderness, he wears a black Durham coat with a patterned bandana, while on more formal occasions he favours a black waistcoat and a bright red velvet smoking jacket. While doing outlaw work, he used to cover his face with a long patterned bandana until the gang acquired their pig masks - Horatio's is painted white with clown makeup on it. He also possesses a white masquerade mask with a purple design across the brow.

Personality
Horatio is a posh Briton with an upper-class RP accent. He is extremely concerned with appearances, and is almost always the most lavishly-dressed of the War Pigs, especially during poker games.

Horatio is one of the more unpredictable members of the gang, capable of both mercy and vicious, murderous rages. These mood swings are often sudden and fleeting, and Horatio is just as likely to attempt to befriend a passer-by as blow his head off with a shotgun. Despite this (albeit limited) capacity for compassion, however, Horatio shares the sadistic impulses of his fellow Pigs, revelling in their more violent actions, such as kidnapping the French citizens of Saint Denis and hurling them into the swamps of Bayou Nwa.

While he is generally a capable outlaw, he is not without his mistakes. Several time he has been outmatched and murdered by rival posses while the War Pigs are battling. He also once mistook Bartholomew's horse Goose for a real goose and sniped him, resulting in some tension between himself and Bartholomew.

Like the other Pigs, Horatio is also prone to pranks and mischief against his fellows. These pranks mainly involve killing them in various ways, ranging from sniping them at distance or chucking fire bottles at their horse.

Deep down, Horatio is a man battered by time. He is painfully aware of his advancing age, which is possibly the reason why he finds such joy in ribbing the older Bartholomew Bartholomew. The loss of his family damaged him terribly, pushing him down the path of madness that he and the other Pigs now relish.

Sidearms

 * Cattleman Revolver
 * Schofield Revolver
 * LeMat Revolver

Rifles and Repeaters

 * Carbine Repeater
 * Springfield Rifle
 * Varmint Rifle

Melee Weapons

 * Cleaver
 * Hatchet
 * Hunter Hatchet
 * Knife
 * Jawbone Knife

Crimes

 * Intoxication and disorderly conduct
 * Vandalism
 * Animal cruelty
 * Petty theft
 * Rustling
 * Horse theft
 * Vehicle theft
 * Trespassing
 * Arson
 * Assault
 * Manslaughter
 * Murder

Andronicus
Main article: Andronicus

Andronicus is Horatio's loyal steed, and has been since Horatio stole him after escaping from Sisika Penitentiary. Andronicus' clumsiness is the most common cause of Horatio's rage - however, Horatio loves him dearly and is deeply pained whenever he dies. If Andronicus is killed by another person, even a member of the War Pigs, Horatio is tireless in exacting vengeance upon the perpetrator of Andronicus' death.

War Pigs
Main article: War Pigs

While Horatio is the de facto leader of the War Pigs, he considers himself a friend and equal to his men. Under Horatio's leadership, the posse has prospered into one of the most feared gangs in the five states. Horatio leads his fellows into battle against rival posses, gang hideouts and bounty targets, and financially supports the poorer members, providing them a home in the form of Pig Manor, Braithwaite Manor and the Pig Pen. He also devised the game of Hunt the Pig, which he first played with Cletus Jones and Joe Blizzard. Aside from their more violent hobbies, Horatio also greatly enjoys playing poker and engaging in parkour with the Pigs.

Dunk Tattenbaum
Main article: Dunk Tattenbaum

Horatio and Dunk were the founding members of the War Pigs, and as such their relationship is very strong. The two were initially united by their shared hatred of the Hartigan Brothers, but since then they have spent years roaming America, and their adventures have brought them closer. Horatio views Dunk as a son figure, albeit one that is extremely hard work to keep a leash on.

The pair also have a competitive relationship. While playing poker, Horatio is exasperated by Dunk's style of play, taking particular umbrage with his gratuitous and transparent bluffing and ridiculously high bets. Dunk also likes to point out that Kentucky Brew is slighter larger and faster than Andronicus, something that Horatio is quick to vehemently deny.

Bartholomew Bartholomew
Main article: Bartholomew Bartholomew

Bartholomew and Horatio have a close relationship. The pair often go on personal adventures together, both bounty hunting and collecting. Bartholomew is Horatio's go-to for fishing trips, where the two often remark on the peace and quiet of their surroundings. Horatio often refers to Bartholomew as "Bart", and is often willing to help Bartholomew and his family financially when they are struggling.

However, their relationship is not without its violence, as is typical for the War Pigs. The pair are equally inclined towards taking vengeance when they feel wronged, resulting in frequent episodes of intra-posse gunfighting that is usually only settled once the number of deaths are equal on both sides. Similarly, if Horatio ever kills Goose, deliberately or accidentally, Bartholomew is quick to retaliate by shooting Andronicus; the same goes for the other way around.

Cletus Jones
Main article: Cletus Jones

Cletus Jones and Horatio share a penchant for explosive violence and a passion for collecting, revelling in each other's dynamite-based pranks. Both are concerned with appearances and use their wealth to purchase fancy clothes for themselves, with both steering towards steampunk-style attire. Horatio is consistently amused by Cletus' antics, and the pair often collaborate on destructive activities, such as tricking Bartholomew into entering the Millesani Claim dynamite vault and being hideously blown up.

Joe Blizzard
Main article: Joe Blizzard

Joe Blizzard is the newest member of the War Pigs. He and Horatio have a good relationship, often joking about doing "unspeakable things" to their fellow posse members. Horatio often chooses Joe as a test target for newly-purchased weapons, to which Joe responds by lassoing him, hogtying him and shooting him point blank; however, this violence is all in good fun.

The pair make a successful hunter duo in Hunt the Pig, successfully tracking Cletus Jones from Saint Denis to Van Horn Trading Post via train.

Victims

 * Clem Oswald (stabbed)
 * Malachi Hartigan (shot in the head)
 * Countless innocents, including several French civilians
 * Several horses
 * Every member of the War Pigs (shot or run over; multiple times)
 * Kentucky Brew (shot; multiple times)
 * Goose (shot; multiple times)
 * Blackie and Whitey (shot/crashed; multiple times; sometimes accidental)
 * Scrawny Nag (shot; multiple times; never accidental)
 * Norman (shot/stabbed/throat slit; multiple times)
 * Tesco Bag's posse (multiple times)



Trivia

 * Before Bartholomew Bartholomew joined, Horatio was the oldest member of the War Pigs.
 * Horatio is a Leo.
 * As of 04/06/20, Horatio has killed 412 people with his Rare Shotgun.
 * Horatio is a smoker and favours Premium Cigarettes as a relaxation mechanism. On the other hand, he is seized by uncontrollable bloodlust after smoking a cigar.
 * Horatio enjoys parkour in Saint Denis. He utilises it while playing Hunt the Pig to great success.
 * When travelling by carriage, Horatio refuses to drive.
 * Another obsessive habit involving carriage travel is burning the carriage to a crisp after it crashes.
 * Horatio often comments positively on Andronicus' testicles
 * His best friend outside of the War Pigs is Reginald the gardener.
 * Horatio is deathly afraid of alligators.
 * Horatio's favourite drink is whiskey, and has died repeatedly due to overconsumption.
 * Like his fellow War Pigs, Horatio has a strong hatred of the French.