Orion the Hunter
Jack O’Ryan has been a hunter all his life. Ever since he was a boy, tracking and stalking prey through the wild enthralled and consumed him. He quickly progressed from hunting with rifles to bows to sometimes nothing more than a knife or his bare hands. He also made a considerable fortune as a trader in stocks and securities, but work was secondary to the thrill, the excitement of the hunt, and his money was just a means to support his true obsession.
Jack practiced and trained, conditioning his body and developing his hunting skills. He went on safari in exotic places around the world and hunted the most dangerous beasts he could find. He broke more than a few poaching laws, but that was just part of the excitement. Eventually, he’d mastered the hunt; there was no prey left he had not overcome. That’s when his interest turned to the only challenge left to him: people.
“Orion the Hunter” became known as an international hitman, bounty hunter, and assassin for hire. He took jobs based on the challenge. He trained himself further in the skills of tracking, stalking, combat, and assassination. Once again, the money was secondary, just a way of keeping score and enabling him to continue his hunts. In evading the law and stalking his new prey, Orion found thrills, but even they began to pale after a while.
The greatest challenge came from hunting superhumans, the most dangerous prey of all. When Orion was hired to kill Lady Liberty, he took up the challenge and, for the first time, he failed. Here, finally, was a challenge worthy of him. Since then, Orion has focused his hunt on superhuman opponents and has maintained a special “interest” in Lady Liberty. Orion’s vendetta extends to the new Lady Liberty, though he considers this “child” laughably inept. For now he assumes a role of enigmatic rival, hoping to train the neophyte hero until she one days proves herself worthy prey. He has continued to hone his abilities to a fine edge, capable of taking on the challenges associated with targets who are more than merely human.
His reputation as a hired gun brought him to the attention of The Crime League, which has served as another enabler of Orion’s obsessions. He makes an excellent tactician and strongarm for the group, and is also keenly aware that he is, essentially, a mortal man amongst superhumans, nonhumans, and immortals.
Physical Description
Specialized Equipment
Orion is perhaps the most skilled hunter and tracker in the world, having honed his abilities against countless targets. He’s an expert marksman—particularly with a bow or rifle—and a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, particularly with a hunting knife or military-style combat knife. He’s also ingenious in laying traps and ambushes.
Orion’s obsession with the challenges of the hunt means he is unwilling to use any means he considers “unfair,” which includes most devices more advanced than his own weapons or traps and any sort of supernatural power or ability. He has even turned away opportunities to enhance himself in various ways out of fear that it would destroy the challenge of his obsession and render it meaningless for him. The only real exception Orion would make to this is some means to keep him in his peak condition for as long as he wishes, fighting off the effects of age and time.
Mental characteristics
Intellectual Characteristics
Orion is a jaded sociopath out for thrills and excitement. He lives for the challenge of the hunt, for outwitting his targets through superior skill and cunning, for the moment of triumph, the kill. Everything else is secondary.
He maintains a professional reputation and attitude, but only because it’s important for continuing the hunt. He’s confident in his abilities, but setbacks have taught him not to be overconfident or underestimate his opponents. Indeed, Orion prefers to carry out surveillance and to study his prey carefully before taking any action. He’s even been known to hire thugs or mercenaries to stage some initial encounters he can monitor, record, and study to develop his plan of attack.
Although he keeps it to himself, Orion has naturally given thought to how he would deal with each of his Crime League “associates” if there were ever a need. This detachment keeps most of the Crime League from trusting Orion more than absolutely necessary.
Of late, Orion has particularly felt the pangs of his own mortality. He doesn’t fear the risks posed by his hunts, but he does fear the inevitable decline of age. The possibility of losing his edge as a hunter haunts Orion more and more. He has considered seeking out some means of prolonging his life, although he prefers to avoid becoming indebted to anyone, including his Crime League associates. Still, if an opportunity to achieve immorality (or even just reverse aging) came along, Orion would follow it wherever it led.
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