Alden Carruthers is a minor character in Red Dead Redemption 2 and a stranger in Red Dead Online.
History[]
Background[]
At some point prior to 1898, Alden became a clerk at Rhodes Train Station. He is affiliated with his counterpart in Strawberry, Hector Barlow, as well as Josiah Trelawny. Alden is extremely well-informed of events in Rhodes and the surrounding area and is always friendly towards the player.
Events of Red Dead Online[]
Alden becomes an associate of the protagonist shortly after they are broken out of prison. Upon instruction of Horley, they meet with him to receive a tip on a stagecoach robbery that had recently occurred. Before they depart to claim the stolen goods for themselves, he also gifts them with a Wheeler Rawson catalog they can use to purchase items.
Following this, Alden can be found at either the Valentine Station, the Van Horn Depot, or the Annesburg Station, and will offer delivery, recovery, escort, and hunting missions to the player. Accepting his missions increases the player's honor.
Events of Red Dead Redemption 2[]
For the most part, Alden performs the same tasks as a regular clerk; train ticket sales, repaying bounties and sending or receiving mail.
During "Further Questions of Female Suffrage", Arthur gives two letters to Alden; one from Simon Pearson to his aunt, the other from Tacitus Kilgore, a pseudonym made up by Dutch.
In the mission "Friends in Very Low Places", Josiah Trelawny introduces Alden to Arthur. After a brief conversation, Alden gives Trelawny a piece of paper with a stagecoach robbery tip on it, while wishing the pair good luck and telling Arthur to visit him again sometime for more stagecoach robbery tips. With their information, Arthur and Trelawny rob the coach of Chester Damsen.
At any time after this, the player can visit Alden for more stagecoach robbery tips. In exchange for $2, Alden gives the protagonist a slip of paper with the information on it and tells the player where to find the targeted stagecoach. After a number of these robberies have been completed, Alden tells the player that, due to the risk of him being caught becoming too great, he must disband his union of "discouraged men", and the player will no longer be able to get stagecoach tips from him, although Alden continues to work at the train station.
Alden also appears in various side missions. In the stranger mission "The Mercies of Knowledge", Alden aids the player by giving them the location of an incoming wagon of Moonshine. In "The Ties That Bind Us", the player can ask him about Sampson Black and Wendell White. In addition, he also appears in "The Course of True Love V", Arthur greets him as he is getting train tickets for Beau and Penelope. In "The Noblest of Men, and a Woman", the player asks Alden about the whereabouts of the gunslinger Billy Midnight. Alden tells him that he is usually drinking in the bar carriage, and suggests that the player could check the next train to arrive in the station.
Also, due to the fact that bounty posters in Rhodes are located inside the train station, the player can ask Alden for information about the bounty targets Mark Johnson, Robbie Laidlaw and Camille de Millemont.
Character[]
Personality[]
Alden's accent is a stereotypical "gay lisp" sounding similar to that of a Valley girl accent. It's never confirmed if he is homosexual, but due to his inner circle of railroad clerks turned crooked being named "discouraged men", a term used that implied those who were homosexual only liked men because they had low luck/courage with women. Alden is quite bright and talkative, but this doesn't stop him from partaking in stagecoach tips for criminal associates to bushwack. Though, Alden does seem to like his job as a clerk, as years later in 1907 he still holds onto it. Though, this could be just to avoid suspicion of leaving when the railroad company gets suspicious of the frequent stagecoach robberies or if those missions aren't fully completed, to keep in cahoots with his "discouraged men".
Appearance[]
Alden's appearance in 1899 is shortly trimmed black facial hair and a much thinner version of the Scotsman, specifically with the lip hair being more of a handlebar and he lacks chin hair with only a stubble. He wears a typical railroad clerk uniform through to 1907, however his facial hair is changed to be much bushier with his handlebar turning into a walrus while retaining his lack of facial hair on his chin. The wrinkles on his face indicate he may be in his mid 40s in 1899 to early 50s by 1907.
Mission appearances[]
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- "Further Questions of Female Suffrage"
- "Friends in Very Low Places"
- "The Mercies of Knowledge II"
- "The Course of True Love V"
- "The Noblest of Men, and a Woman"
- "The Ties That Bind Us"
- Stagecoach Robbery #1
Talk to Alden and he will give some information. Check your inventory for the tip and read the document. After that, the location will be marked on the map and you will have to make your way to North Scarlett Meadows. Wait for the coach wagon to arrive. Either kill the guards instantly or tell them that you suspect their wheel needs inspection and once you get close, kill all of them. After killing them, drive the stagecoach to Emerald Ranch Fence. Drive carefully or not, as the antiques you are carrying are fragile.
Go to Seamus’s barn and park the coach to get the payment. He'll comment about your driving, but the reward will be the same. The game shows a $40 reward but you actually get $50, no matter what condition the antiques are in.
For perfectionists: Seamus checks whether the 2 statues are in their original position in the coach. This is quite difficult to achieve, depending on speed and steering you can get lucky bumping the statues back into their original places. One other reliable method is to toss both statues out by making a strong turn left or right until they do, this will result in the perfect "Well, ain't this a lovely little thing? Deal!" comment by Seamus.
- Stagecoach Robbery #2
Go to Alden in Rhodes to receive a new tip. Read the document and the location will be marked on the map and you will have to go to South Scarlett Meadows. Upon arriving at the location and when the coach arrives threaten or kill the driver. After that, chase the passenger will try to run away. Beat him at least once, so that he tells you about the hidden lootbox.
Go back to the coach and inspect under the coach to get the lootbox for $27.50. After that drive the coach to Seamus’s barn to get an additional $25.
- Stagecoach Robbery #3
Go to Alden for his last tip-off and then read the document. The location will be marked on the map and you will have to make your way to the north of Rhodes. Arrive at the location to see two coaches which are heavily guarded. Take them out either from long range or close range. After killing them, go to the back of the coaches to loot the lootboxes on both coaches for $110 each.
After that, drive one of the coaches to Seamus’s barn for an additional $25.
Red Dead Online
Intro
- Annesburg
- Van Horn
- Rhodes
- Caravan Escort
- Delivery
- Stolen Wboth coachesagon
- Supply
- Valentine
Trivia[]
- Alden also appears to be affiliated with Seamus, the Fence at Emerald Ranch. In the second stagecoach robbery tip, Alden asks the player to commandeer the targeted stagecoach and deliver to his "contact", Seamus, suggesting that the two know each other.
- Alden is implied to be homosexual. He seemingly flirts with the player by marking the coach robbery tips he gives with kisses in the form of the letter "x". Starting with a single "x" on the first tip, the more tips you buy from Alden in Story Mode, the number increases with each proceeding. He also talks in a stereotypically effeminate manner, which could entirely just be because of his accent and does not confirm his sexuality, yet it is noteworthy. The question of Aiden's sexuality is discussed by the bartender at the Rhodes Parlour House, as he can be heard remarking, "That dandy who works at the train station sure enjoys the company of other gentlemen."
- During "Friends in Very Low Places," Alden tells Trelawny "my Mrs. is a bad woman. A terrible woman." suggesting he is in a heterosexual marriage. He also outright mentions that he is a married man if you question him about the Mark Johnson bounty poster. However, this does not completely invalidate that Alden could be homosexual. Due to homosexuality being illegal at the time, many homosexuals entered into 'lavender marriages.' The term is used to desribe a hetrosexual marrige where one, or both, parties involved partook for the purpose of creating a cover story to avoid suspicion of their true orientation.
- In Red Dead Online, if your character is a woman and you speak to Alden, he will get visibly uncomfortable and say he doesn't know how to talk to women. This could either be because of his homosexuality, the fact his wife is abusive or both.
- His actor, Christopher Geary, voices a character in a radio commercial in Grand Theft Auto V, another Rockstar Games title.[1]
Gallery[]
References[]
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