Description
Born and raised within a Bigfoot tribe deep in the wilderness of the Alaskan Yukon, Bjorn has spent only a year acclimatising to both the temperature climate and the social climate of the urban jungle full of superheroes, villains and monsters known as Millennium City. Unique in his genetic profile of being half-human and half-bigfoot, he is athletic, enthusiastic and driven to success in his endeavor to help others and fight crime. A distinguished expert archer, he has been sponsored by PRIMUS as a registered superhero, and has access to all the marksman equipment he needs to combat crime in his personal style.
Appearance
Bjorn is big; or at least, bigger than most. Standing nearly seven feet tall, Bjorn is broad shouldered and muscular, though still rather lean and athletic looking. He has large hands and feet as would be expected from someone with bigfoot genetics, and possesses a much greater amount of body hair than a normal human. In places, he actually has thick tufts of fur growing, particularly around his chest, forearms, lower legs and feet. His facial features include long, thick hair usually tied back in a neat ponytail, a rough and untamable beard, enormous bushy eyebrows, somewhat long and pointed ears, and two short tusks protruding from his lower jaw.
Typically, Bjorn will be found wearing remarkably casual attire. Jeans, cargo pants and shorts are always to be found in his wardrobe, and most days in the city he will wear athletic t-shirts or tanktops. No matter what his clothing, Bjorn always seems casual and relaxed, expressing constant interest and curiosity about his environment. He usually stands straight, not slumping due to his bodybuilding form, and is often seen smiling. His combat clothes are designed primarily around function rather than fashion, and may be camouflaged in order to blend in with his surroundings and lend him a tactical advantage.
Psychology
Born in a tough environment, survival was one of the first goals Bjorn was given as a child. Learning how to stay alive in the harsh, frozen wilderness has left about him an air of self-sufficiency—that despite his relatively young age, he possesses the skills and abilities needed to live without tools or assistance where few others can. In terms of contentiousness, Bjorn is mostly organized and tends to be careful when entering unknown situations. He is disciplined through training in his youth, and was self-motivated ever since he was a child; his determination is even greater now, as the rigors of bodybuilding and training as a superhero has given him insight into the rewards earned from long-term investments of his time and effort. When it comes to agreeableness, he is rather soft-hearted, and rarely exhibits ruthless behavior, although it is possible he may do so when confronting ARGENT soldiers in heated conflict.
He is generally trusting of superheroes, looking up to them as role-models and mentors, but is clever enough to be suspicious of those who offer too much for too little in return. He is very helpful and always willing to assist others, though his relative inexperience as a superhero leaves him feeling he has very little knowledge to share with others unless it deals with one of his own core disciplines. In terms of Neuroticism, Bjorn is relatively lacking: he is generally calm and rarely exhibits anxious behavior.He is mostly secure and self-satisfied, though there are rare moments when he recollects the traumatic recent events that led to his wanting to be a superhero. When reflecting on this emotional memory however, he is usually inspired rather than depressed, and uses it to fuel his fire in fighting crime. Other psychological traits include being fairly open towards others, favoring a balance between variety and routine, and being both imaginative and practical.
Mind-readers and empaths may find him an easy read as despite his somewhat wild looks, he is very human in his manner of thinking, and possesses no mental or psionic resistances.
Powers, Abilities and Skills
Not possessing “superpowers” as they are generally referred to, Bjorn does possess physical traits stemming from his half-blooded bestial nature. These traits include above-normal levels of strength and endurance, improved agility and heightened senses. Combined, these traits set Bjorn's survival abilities ahead of humans in most areas, though he is equal in his intelligence potential. His strength is about equal to that of three non-meta human strongmen, and he is capable of surviving greater physical injury than most humans. His endurance is equal to that of an olympic athlete, putting him at equal placing with some of the greatest non-meta sprinters or long-distance runners. Though he isn't capable of demonstrating the skills of a professional acrobat, he does have a quicker reaction time than most, and possesses a great deal more dexterity than the average human. His heightened senses give him greater sensitivity in the areas of touch, smell and hearing, and are on par with most animals' survival senses.
Due to his survival training as a child, the rigors and discipline gathered through physical training as a young adult, and the psychological conditioning of a newly inducted superhero, Bjorn has a very balanced set of skills and abilities. His primary focus being archery however, has led Bjorn towards a more ranged-based combat role. Though still capable of using his natural strength in melee combat, his agility and long-range attacks make him a difficult opponent for criminals to face. Being able to physically dodge many slower attacks, and possessing the senses needed to anticipate and avoid potentially lethal strikes against him, Bjorn has the ability to survive prolonged engagements and support his fellow superheroes in almost any environment.
Equipment
- Bows
- Being an expert archer, Bjorn has been provided by PRIMUS a selection of finely-tuned, expertly crafted compound bows. Designed around both his skill as a marksman and his strength as a Bigfoot, these bows range upwards from one-hundred fifty to two-hundred pounds—significantly beyond the useable range to a normal human. In addition to custom made bows, Bjorn utilizes a selection of gadget-based devices in conjunction with his arrows, usually attached to the arrows themselves. Common to most archery-based heroes, they give Bjorn an edge in making tactical decisions to hinder or further devestate his targets.
- Armor
- Type III Anti-Ballistic Materials: A combination of Kevlar and Armor Plates yielding an effective item of apparel commonly known as a Ballistic Vest. In order to avoid over-encumbering himself in the field (thus depriving himself of his agility asset), Bjorn has specially requested from PRIMUS light-weight, reactive-type armor and clothing designed with the specific intention of reducing vital damage caused by bullets or shrapnel. Most of the armor Bjorn wears is no thicker than a light jacket, yet boasts substantial ballistic protection.
Background
History
Bjorn was born in a small Bigfoot tribe in the Alaskan Yukon. His father, Marcus Basse, was a bodybuilding, wildlife preserving Fish and Game officer who during one of his excursions into the Yukon territories, discovered a migrating Bigfoot tribe. Though he was nearly attacked, he managed to convey his peaceful intentions despite his shock and surprise at discovering the existence of such a controversial, mythological creature. Told by these beastmen that ARGENT was the cause of the Bigfoot's relocation, Marcus found he was unfamiliar with who or what ARGENT actually was, but he knew he needed to act. Contacting his office, he eventually got word to higher authorities who were able to inform superheroes of the situation. Within hours, a group of heroes arrived and defeated the ARGENT squadron who had been chasing the Bigfoot down.
Appreciative of Marcus' efforts in calling for aid, the tribe was open for developing a friendly relationship with him, and he often visited the tribe to learned more about the Bigfoot race and culture. So much did his attitude and respect for nature and the wilds impress the tribe that he was adopted into one of their families as a sort of blood-kin; this bond was absolutely secured several years later, when a female Bigfoot named T'et-Lhike, of smaller stature than most, began showing signs of advancing intimacy towards Marcus. Three years later, after sorting out the various ethical implications involved in such a romantic attraction, the two ended up having a child. It was a successful breeding, and Bjorn entered the world with mixed genes that against whatever evolutionary odds, did not at all conflict with one another.
With two parents from very different worlds, Bjorn enjoyed a mixed upbringing, learning about the social and cultural customs of his Bigfoot, as well as the modern and technologically advanced benefits of his human side. His father, being a wildlife officer, was often away on business, leaving Bjorn to spend the winters alone with his mother, T'et-Lhike. During these seasons, Bjorn was trained in traditional Bigfoot skills, such as hunting, gathering and learning to survive the bitter colds of the Yukon. During the summers, Marcus would take Bjorn into the more modern world—or at least as modern as the small city of Fairbanks was. Enjoying most of the amenities of city life however, Bjorn's mother-father rotation was reversed as he began attending school with the human population: spending the winters in the city, and the summers with his Bigfoot family.
Bjorn was a unique student, not only for his looks that were steadily changing as he entered maturity, but also for his manner of thinking. Unlike most children he schooled with, Bjorn was physically hard-working, a habit earned from his tribal upbringing and survival training. As soon as he entered middle-school, Bjorn began participating in sports, and by the time he was in high-school he was recognized in the school district as a prodigious athlete, particularly skilled in football, wrestling and archery. By now, the mostly human-like looks he had possessed as a child were fused with the bestial traits found in a maturing Bigfoot: tufts of thick fur on his limbs and chest, rapidly growing and wild-looking head and facial hair, and of course the quintessential trait of the Bigfoot: large hands and feet. It wasn't just aesthetic details that set him apart however, as he also possessed an athletic and muscular build greater than that of most adults in the school, and he stood nearly a foot above the tallest students in his classes.
Once high-school was completed, Bjorn took the summer to reunite with his Bigfoot family. At seventeen years old, it was time for him to enter a rite of passage, following the rituals of his tribe. Along side him was a distant cousin: a pure-blooded male Bigfoot named Tungulria. Finding himself compared to the standards of his own kind for the first time since entering maturity, Bjorn was initially uncertain about their relationship, in much the same as Tungulria was. As they began their trial however—a spiritual journey, as well as one to test their fitness as members of the tribe—the two began to learn more of one another. Tungulria was large even among Bigfoot standards: though the same age as Bjorn, he was squat and muscular, with shaggy fur that gave him a wild look. Bjorn learned that Tungulria's family had been killed by “devils, wielding bright magic, wearing pearls and emeralds as armor,” and that he had since been adopted by Bjorn's tribe. Though initially sympathetic, the two began to strike a fierce competition with one another as the two learned that the one who was more fit would likely hold a position of higher status within the tribe.
The two were remarkably paired however: when danger struck them in the form of a wild pack of wolves, their foes were too many to count. However, Bjorn's superior archery skills managed to save Tungulria from being overwhelmed. In a situation reversal, a polar bear would have mauled Bjorn had Tungulria not been there to out-wrestle it, and chase it off. Though their combined skills had served them well cooperatively, their competition ended in a match between them. Unable to risk the lethal nature of his bow, Bjorn decided they were to settle the rite of strength through wrestling. Though Bjorn was agile and thankfully well-trained, Tungulria's dominant strength and ferocity forced Bjorn to submit. Though initially disappointed, and even resentful of his half-blooded nature, Bjorn returned to his tribe with Tungulria, both alive and well. It turned out however, that the trial's reward was somewhat embellished, and that a higher rank simply meant greater influence over the raising of children within the tribe. As summer drew to a close, Tungulria and Bjorn parted as friends.
Bjorn took the next step on his educational journey and entered college. Here he found himself enjoying the freedoms of young-adult life, and began learning more about who he was, and how his mixed-genes played into his interactions and relationships between his fellow college students. Working towards obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Biology, Bjorn continued to practice in sports and continue his physical training. With the near limitless reserves of energy his Bigfoot blood granted him, he constantly sought ways of challenging himself. However, college-level sports had certain rules to abide by, and there was a necessity for fair competition that kept Bjorn from playing on official teams. Though in no-way discriminated against due to his mixed-genes, it was pointed out that he had a significant advantage over his human opponents. Understanding this, Bjorn merely attended practice sessions to help his home team in training, an began to focus on sports in which he was his own competition: strongman training and bodybuilding became regular activities for him. Archery, however, was a sport that he was permitted to compete in, as it was a sport of skill more than it was a test of physical strength.
Eventually his day of graduation came, and at twenty-one, Bjorn found himself a full-fledged adult. Having spent the majority of his past four years in the city, he decided it was time to return to his tribe for a year, to reacquaint himself with his family and kin. His mother, brothers and sisters, elders and kin were very much as they always had been, and welcomed Bjorn with open arms, including Tungulria. In the four years that Bjorn had honed his mind and body, Tungulria had capitalized entirely on his physical strength, and was by now a behemoth of wild fur and muscle. Recollecting their trial together, the two resumed their friendship, and after several months of adventuring together they found themselves rather attracted to one another. Though such relationships weren't by all means common amongst the Bigfoot, close companionship was not unheard of between those of the same gender, and Bjorn found himself enjoying Tungulria's company.
Several months passed, and as they returned from one of their wilderness adventures, the two discovered a situation of horrible and dire consequence: ARGENT, the very pearl and emerald demons that Tungulria had spoke of, had sent out a patrol. The soldiers had discovered their Tribe, and had captured many of them. Bjorn and Tungulria up against a superior force, and yet they were the only ones able to help the tribe. The two decided to do their best to save their kin. Their plan was for Bjorn to sneak into his hut, and use his father's satellite phone to call for assistance, and hope that help arrived before anything terrible happened. Though the first stage was a success, ARGENT was monitoring communication in the area, and discovered the call for help. Unable to jam it, but knowing it was being made, the soldiers began spreading out as they searched for the two rebellious Bigfoot. With their advanced technology, it didn't take ARGENT long to find them, but the two cousins weren't willing to surrender easily. Bjorn and Tungulria fought against them, but it was a brief fight, and the consequence was grim as the two found themselves shot down by burning plasma. Tungulria, driven by bestial rage, attempted to continue the fight, and was killed.
Half unconscious, and suffering from burns and other wounds, Bjorn was blissfully—though temporarily—unaware of the terrible fate his closest friend had suffered. Also unaware to him was the success of their plan however, as from the skies there came a jet carrying super heroes, arrived from Canada, who dropped down upon the ARGENT forces and freed the Bigfoot tribe. As Bjorn was revived and given medical aid, he was emotionally shattered upon discovering Tungulria's fate. The heroes who had arrived remained with the tribe for over a week, helping the tribe reassemble and recover, as well as providing answers as to who was responsible for the attack and why it may have occurred. To Bjorn, little of this mattered so heavy was his grief, until his human rationality began to surface once more. With sudden clarity, Bjorn realized he had an opportunity: not simply to avenge his close companion's death, but to ensure the safety of other Bigfoot tribes. He had heard much of the Heroes who stood with his tribe at that moment, and knew of their influence and capabilities. He realized that he had the freedom, and the will, to join them in their fight.
Current Life
Granted permission to join the Heroes on their way back to Canada's Force Station Steelhead, the resident Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost deep within the Canadian wilderness, Bjorn said farewell to his tribal upbringing. From Canada, he traveled to Millennium City: the heart of super-powered affairs and incidences, in order to learn more about what it meant to be a Hero, and to become one himself. Signifying his intent by registering under the American Superhuman and Paranormal Registration Act (ASPRA), Bjorn has since performed various street-level heroics, determined to earn the skills necessary to combat ARGENT on a more personal level.
In his civilian life, Bjorn seeks to become more accustomed to his futuristic new habitat, and often visits locations such as Carl's Gym, Club Caprice, Sherrera's Bar, and even the Millennium City Police Department's Ordinance Allocation and Munitions Armory for training, social integration, and recreation. Outside of his personal life and street-level crime fighting careers, Bjorn has expanded his professional career to include being a Michigan-based Wildlife Enforcement Officer and Park Services Specialist, seeing to many natural and protected parks and landscapes in the Michigan area. He holds dual citizenship status as both a citizen of the United States and Canada, and is often called upon to travel into the Canadian Wilderness to assist in superhero related ventures, as an emissary to newly discovered Bigfoot tribes, or to complete special missions provided by PRIMUS.
Born and raised within a Bigfoot tribe deep in the wilderness of the Alaskan Yukon, Bjorn has spent only a year acclimatising to both the temperature climate and the social climate of the urban jungle full of superheroes, villains and monsters known as Millennium City. Unique in his genetic profile of being half-human and half-bigfoot, he is athletic, enthusiastic and driven to success in his endeavor to help others and fight crime. A distinguished expert archer, he has been sponsored by PRIMUS as a registered superhero, and has access to all the marksman equipment he needs to combat crime in his personal style.
