Julius Ruffin (Strongman)
Stage Name: Ruff ‘n’ Tumble
Played By: London Carlisle
Background: Julius is a massive weightlifter who famously wears a purple velvet leotard to perform. Along with his brawn, Julius is highly intelligent with keen interest in dark subject matter, including the occult. He is an ever-curious bookworm who puts reading and learning ahead of other priorities. Hailing from Oklahoma, Julius is on the road looking to amass books for his collection.
Junction, Texas
Episode 2: Julius arrived to Junction by train and encountered a ferocious wild man (Chester) terrorizing the station. He befriended the odd man and set out with him to find the medicine show.
Episode 3: Julius investigated an abandoned house and found empty bottles of medicine show elixir. He was surprised to find a hobo (Earl) living there. Outside the house, Chester spotted Earl following Julius and attempting to steal from his luggage. Julius tossed Earl back into the house, cracking his skull on the floorboards. At camp, Julius offered to perform his strongman act and demonstrated his brawn. A giantess (Gertrude) snuck up on Julius during his show and shoved him from behind. The two brawled with Gertrude embarrassing Julius, leaving him injured. Julius had little time to recover before meeting with Professor Bleeker, who gave him a book of lore and informed Julius that he had killed Earl when throwing him into the house.
Episode 4: Professor Bleeker asked Julius to take a train to College Station to escape the scrutiny of his murder and as a favor to botanist Dr. Jane Hackett. At the train station, Julius was confronted by a mob of angry hobos seeking justice for Earl’s murder. One of them (Floyd) stabbed Julius in the leg with a broken bottle. Julius narrowly escaped onto the train in a hail of whiskey bottles.
College Station, Texas
Episode 5: Julius arrived in College Station at night and sought medical help from two veterinary students before heading off to find Dr. Jane Hackett’s home. He found the eccentric professor gardening at nearly midnight. Her garden contained a variety of soporific, psychedelic, and poisonous plants. Hackett explained her son’s (Ambrose) unjust detainment at the local jail and convinced Julius to free him and obtain research records. She suggested finding cadet Nolan Arnett at the opium den to help navigate steam tunnels beneath campus with access to the jail. Julius visited the opium den where he met master of disguise Silas. The two encountered the strange old man running the den who led them to the young cadet. Nolan was reluctant to help but offered assistance in exchange for a better grade in Dr. Hackett’s course. Julius and Silas navigated the steam tunnels and encountered a group of cadets hazing their freshman. The received inconsistent directions to the jail entrance, but opted to follow a trail of dead rats and threads of blood painted on the tunnel walls. This led to a storage room filled with dead rats and possibly human body parts.
