Clayton Sharpe

 is a gun-for-hire residing in Deadwood. He is played by Matthew Mercer.

Appearance
Clayton wears a black & blue two piece suit over a white shirt with a blue tie. He has medium length dark brown hair sitting beneath his signature ten gallon hat, which he is prone to tipping often in social exchanges. His face is grizzled, complete with shortly kept muttonchops and sharp eyebrows which are furrowed most of the time.

Personality
Clayton is described to be a reserved and stoic individual. He tends to keep a level-headed but cautious outlook in most situations. He can often be found keeping one hand on the holster of his Colt in any precarious situation. Clayton likes to keep to himself and doesn't trust in others easily, if at all.

More than anything Clayton does not appreciate being the center of attention. He prefers anonymity and speaking only when necessary. This is perhaps due to a hinted past where he had some former notoriety he is trying to get away from. Upon learning that Al Swearengen was keeping tabs on him, Clayton attempted to pay one of his men for information on anyone else also trying to watch or learn about himself. He was unwilling to share the details of his employment with men at the Bella Union as well when it came to acquiring firearms.

In conversation Clayton has been shown to be relatively cool most of the time, but is no stranger to using practical logic, sarcasm and veiled threats to meet his ends. He will often not reveal any information to those he speaks to unless it's completely essential.

Clayton has displayed a very pragmatic methodology. He will often take a simple, no-nonsense approach to problems, solving them in the most direct way possible. He had no hesitation in descending into a mining pit to retrieve the body of an unknown creature, or in cutting off the head of a dead miner for examination.

He seems to be knowledgeable about firearms to a degree, as he was able to give well rounded advice and recommendations to Arabella Whitlock, Miriam Landisman and Reverend Mason when it came to selecting firepower for their mission.

Background
Not much is known about Clayton prior to meeting the rest of the group. He has worked primarily as a bodyguard for hire "whenever the work comes up", and spent most of his time drinking at the Gem Saloon otherwise. In his dream post meeting The Dealer, it is hinted that he is trying to escape the eyes of people who are all aware of something that he has done, and that an unnamed person may be fated to confront him.

Clayton was present at Reverend Mason's appeal to the city to garner funds for the rebuilding of the church. He was approached by a young man named Johnny, being told to go to the Gem Saloon and meet with Al Swearengen. Clayton deliberately appeared last, watching other people Johnny approached arrive before him.

He listened to Mr. Swearengen ask him and the 4 other strangers to investigate who was behind a mining operation taking place in a forbidden area for the payment of 500 gold. He briefly introduced himself to the Reverend, Arabella Whitlock, Miriam Landisman and Aloysius Fogg, purposely being vague and revealing the bare minimum about himself. He expressed mild surprise to Mr. Swearengen at being requested for this job after he mentioned he was looking for an inconspicuous group, but noted the pay was good all the same.

After receiving his advance of the pay, he was the first to leave the office. He inquired with the bartender Dan as to whether he was the one spying on him for Mr. Swearengen. He then attempted to bribe Dan into letting him know if anyone else were to ask around for himself in the future. He gave the Reverend, Arabella and Miriam informed advice on selecting firearms, then led the group to the Bella Union Saloon to purchase them.

Upon arriving at the Bella Union, with help from Miriam he convinced the bartender to let him speak with the owner Mr. Tolliver. Keeping a cool head and tight lips, Clayton was able to persuade Mr. Tolliver to sell him weapons without revealing any information about his employment or reason for needing them.

On route to the mining area with the rest of the group, Clayton and the Reverend were thrown off their mounts due to a wild stampede of horses, killing said mounts in the process.

At the mining area, Clayton was able to find various snake-like bites on the inside of a dead miner's mouth. With the Reverend holding a rope for him, Clayton descended into the mining pit itself to retrieve a corpse of one of the creatures for examination. When the creatures began attacking, he was barely able to get back up the rope. He was able to put a bullet through one of their mouths, but he then fell unconscious along with the rest of the group.

In a shared dream between the 5 of them, Clayton encountered The Dealer. The stranger tells the group that the land is poisoned by greed, but that they may be granted power if they give their souls. The Dealer showed Clayton a card in his own likeness; the King of Spades. They all go on to experience individual dreams. Clayton dreams of arriving in an unfamiliar city, walking through a street whilst everyone stares at him. Unrelenting, unblinking, pointing. As Clayton attempts to flee, there he stands.

Clayton awakens with the rest of the party in the dead of night to find the pit smoke dissipated and the creatures gone. After discussing the supernatural events that just occurred, Clayton cuts off the head of a miner to bring back to town for examination. He and the party then set off back to Deadwood.

Coming over the final hill near Deadwood, the party notices that many of the street lanterns are fully lit. Before they can come closer, Clayton and everyones vision starts to fade again, hearing the familiar voice of The Dealer once more. He asks how the party wishes to dispel their hate, telling them they have power. The party reawakens feeling arcane power coursing within them.

Quotations

 * "God don't play cards"

Trivia

 * Clayton is the player character that Matt has played the second-longest on the Critical Role channel, with 4 episodes. He is succeeded by Dariax Zaveon, who appears in all eight episodes of Exandria Unlimited.