#ozintro

Oz grew up in a family of hunters. A fear of the supernatural was always prevalent - and a knowledge that they were there, but many didn't know. It was expected to be one of them, even when he was younger.

And he did. Cutthroat, witty, and quick - Oz was agile as a hunter, and the rigorous training was almost easy for him. He wore his marks with pride, enhancing his abilities to find those he needs to take down.

Until he was badly injured by a werewolf. Claws ripped through parts of him, scars that will probably never heal. And they ripped apart many of the special markings he had gotten from his time as a Hunter, ruining his heightened abilities.

Oz wants to bring those markings back- Hunting is all he's ever known. So he tries. He looks into what could do it, and finds witchcraft could be the best way. So he immerses himself into it- first from afar, trying to learn what he can from books and those who want to give him a word or two.

Until he joins the coven, Circle of the Phial. He's taken in with open arms, despite his checkered past. The kindness he's shown is something he's never felt in his entire life... and it's overwhelming. Suddenly, he has a place to belong.

TW // Drugs, Violence, Murder, Injury

Oz came into the world silent as the grave - so quiet that his parents thought something was wrong with him. A middle child of five, Oz was the odd one out - he was just a little different. His siblings were loud and outgoing, and Oz was a quieter instigator.

His parents just thought he was socially awkward and didn’t ‘get it’. But Oz did- he was incredibly intelligent, quick as a whip. Perhaps he didn’t prefer to start the conversation - but he knew how to end it. He seemed to just prefer a little bit of anarchy- but his smarts were never in question. He studied multiple sciences at an Advanced level in high school and majoring in bio-chem in college, going on to get his graduate degree as well. Through it all, he had supportive parents, siblings who cheered him on and went about their lives, and an occasional distant friend or roommate.

And yet, Oz found himself craving something more adventurous. It started with little ways he could get a thrill. Drugs helped, of course. So did setting off fireworks, or shoplifting. He looked so upright, so perfectly unassuming. The quiet little man never seemed like a threat, which was perfect for stealing goods, getting into trouble. While working at a national lab in New York, he found himself pocketing important chemicals and extra medication - skimming materials off the top. Machines break all the time after all, and the labs always had so much money to replace just about anything… not even knowing what he was doing with all these items, he found himself delving into the black market.

He sold a few specialized chemicals and medical equipment to a very interested buyer- and soon enough Oz was in his early 30s and working directly within organized crime. The selling couldn’t go on forever without someone finding out at BROOKLABS, so instead he joined their ranks. His steady hands were perfect for a gun, and after years dissecting animals, staring at bones and tendons and joints and nerves during his extensive schooling, the team pushed him into becoming a hired hitman.

Oz was clean, quick, and silent. The man got in and got out so fast that he was a shadow behind his victims. It was easy and lucrative work for him. He was a respected hitman for years. And as time wore on, he stayed in his prime. Except for one job.

He forgot to check the backyard. He’d done it a million times, and this was the one day he’d forgotten. Oz had the victim dealt with in a second - but the victim’s colleague was unexpectedly there, packing up for their trip to the putting green. No one else was supposed to be there.

Oz was nearly killed - taken by surprise and wrestling with an angry man with a golf club. Oz’s small stature was, for once, used against him, his gun wrestled from him at one point. Shot, beaten, but somehow Oz got his gun back and shot the other man dead. Called a colleague in desperation. He couldn’t feel… anything. For one of the first times in his life, he was scared.

Suffering a lumbar spinal cord injury, Oz was stuck in the hospital for months. He had lost the use of his legs at first, and required intense rehabilitation to even walk with forearm crutches or push himself in a wheelchair. But more importantly to Oz, he didn’t feel that he could continue his old job. His hands unsteady and his body having gone through a traumatic event, he retired from his hitman position. Beginning to spiral from all of this, released from the crime ring he'd thought he was intrinsically connected to, he has to find a new dream.

biography .

TW // Injury, drugs

Oz came into the world silent as the grave - so quiet that his parents thought something was wrong with him. A middle child of five, Oz was the odd one out - he was just a little different. His siblings were loud and outgoing, and Oz was a quieter instigator.

His parents just thought he was socially awkward and didn’t ‘get it’. But Oz did- he was incredibly intelligent, quick as a whip. Perhaps he didn’t prefer to start the conversation - but he knew how to end it. He seemed to just prefer a little bit of anarchy- but his smarts were never in question. He studied multiple sciences at an Advanced level in high school and majoring in bio-chem in college, going on to get his graduate degree as well. Through it all, he had supportive parents, siblings who cheered him on and went about their lives, and an occasional distant friend or roommate.

And yet, Oz found himself craving something more adventurous. It started with little ways he could get a thrill. He looked so upright, so perfectly unassuming. The quiet little man never seemed like a threat, which was perfect for getting into trouble. While working at a national lab in London, he found himself pocketing important chemicals and extra medication - skimming materials off the top when he could. Machines break all the time after all, and the labs always had so much money to replace just about anything… he could sell them, see how much he could get away with.

Eventually Oz was selling such things to criminals in London. And when he found out he could join their ranks and become an assassin, it seemed like a dream come true. He did it for years, amidst the Jolly Rogers. He was a bit quiet, a little unnerving. But he did his job well - quick, and quiet.

However, Oz was nearly killed. Suffering a lumbar spinal cord injury, Oz was stuck in the hospital for months. He had lost the use of his legs at first, and required intense rehabilitation to even walk with forearm crutches or push himself in a wheelchair. But more importantly to Oz, he already had the fear that his job would be gone. No quick and quiet kills in a wheelchair - he just couldn't see it. His hands unsteady and his body having gone through a traumatic event, he was in the perfect place to be manipulated into defecting to the Jabberwocks.

Background:

TW // Drugs, Violence, Murder, Injury

-Born in Massachusetts to a loving family, but always was a little bit of a weirdo. Had too much fun starting arguments, shoving kids, and getting into hair-brained schemes. His parents assumed he was just 'precocious'.

-Incredibly bright and got his Bachelors and Masters in bio-chemistry. Worked in various labs with colleges and universities before moving on to BROOKLABS outside of Boston- a national lab.

-Met someone at the lab and hit it off. After dating for a few years, Oz realized they'd been cheating on him. While he cut the relationship off, the ex was given a large promotion and Oz was pissed.

-Oz found he could steal chemicals and equipment easily without anyone noticing, and began to siphon them off to folks through the dark web. While he never affiliated himself specifically with anyone, he did it all online anyways and things were relatively anonymous.

-While trying to fill the void of thrill-seeking with party drugs and selling lab equipment (and chemicals), Oz was looking for any other jobs he could do to make a quick buck, some of them becoming more dangerous.

-Oz began a very short stint as a gunman-for-hire. While he was good at it, he was given the wrong information for one of the hits and was badly injured while there to take out a target.

-Now has a lumbar spinal injury and uses a wheelchair and forearm crutches to get around. Oz still has feeling in his legs and feet but requires mobility aids. Can also drive a care- thankfully, because he was in Boston working for a different lab when the virus broke out.

-Oz stayed in Boston for a while. Many in his lab thought they could work on some kind of cure or antidote, foolishly. Oz mostly stayed for the enforced walls and special doors with only card access. He was afforded a higher level of safety, but soon people were picked off, buildings broken into, and Oz drove off to find some safety, finding Novac in the past 6 months.

Headcanons:

-Oz is a sarcastic and rude individual who's certainly not the first many think of as a 'friend'. However, when he becomes someone's friend, he is fiercely loyal.

-Currently Oz uses a wheelchair and mobility aids such as forearm crutches to get around.

-He was a huge partier but in his day-to-day life is NOT built for 'fun'. He also probably shouldn't be working in any 'customer service' type of job, but working on the first floor of the motel grants him something to do and despite him being an ornery little fuck, he's at least very organized.

TW // Drugs, Violence, Murder, Injury

Oz came into the world silent as the grave - so quiet that his parents thought something was wrong with him. A middle child of five, Oz was the odd one out - he was just a little different. His siblings were loud and outgoing, and Oz was a quieter instigator. He liked a fun time, but was always the one to take it a little too far. A play-fight turned into a bloody nose, or a prank turned into a broken leg. He was fascinated by the way humor often relied on pain, and while he didn't always understand the joke, he was always ready to help with the punchline.

His parents just thought he was socially awkward and didn't 'get it'. But Oz did- he was incredibly intelligent, quick as a whip. Perhaps he didn't prefer to start the conversation - but he knew how to end it. He seemed to just prefer a little bit of anarchy- but his smarts were never in question. He studied multiple sciences at an Advanced level in high school and majoring in bio-chem in college, going on to get his graduate degree as well. Through it all, he had supportive parents, siblings who cheered him on and went about their lives, and an occasional distant friend or roommate.

And yet, Oz found himself craving something more adventurous. It started with little ways he could get a thrill. Drugs helped, of course. So did setting off fireworks, or shoplifting. He looked so upright, so perfectly unassuming. The quiet little man never seemed like a threat, which was perfect for stealing goods, getting into trouble. While working at a national lab in New York, he found himself pocketing important chemicals and extra medication - skimming materials off the top when he could. Machines break all the time after all, and the labs always had so much money to replace just about anything... not even knowing what he was doing with all these items, he found himself delving into the black market.

Eventually he wound up finding the Syndicate through his research on the dark web. He sold a few specialized chemicals and medical equipment to a very interested buyer- and soon enough Oz was in his early 30s and working directly within organized crime. The selling couldn't go on forever without someone finding out at BROOKLABS, so instead he joined their ranks. His steady hands were perfect for a gun, and after years dissecting animals, staring at bones and tendons and joints and nerves during his extensive schooling, Oz was unfazed about the idea of seeing a dead body. In fact, he was intrigued- and eager to prove his worth.

Oz was clean, quick, and silent. The man got in and got out so fast that he was a shadow behind his victims. It was easy and lucrative work for him - and the rush was incredible. He was a respected hitman for the Syndicate for more than 5 years. And as time wore on, he stayed in his prime. Except for one job.

He forgot to check the backyard. He'd done it a million times, and this was the one day he'd forgotten. Oz had the victim dealt with in a second - but the victim's colleague was unexpectedly there, packing up for their trip to the putting green. No one else was supposed to be there.

Oz was nearly killed - taken by surprise and wrestling with an angry man with a golf club. Oz's small stature was, for once, used against him, his gun wrestled from him at one point. Shot, beaten, but somehow Oz got his gun back and shot the other man dead. Called a colleague in desperation. He couldn't feel... anything. For one of the first times in his life, he was scared.

Suffering a lumbar spinal cord injury, Oz was stuck in the hospital for months. He had lost the use of his legs at first, and required intense rehabilitation to even walk with forearm crutches or push himself in a wheelchair. But more importantly to Oz, he didn't feel that he could continue his old job. His hands unsteady and his body having gone through a traumatic event, he retired from his hitman position. Beginning to spiral from all of this, he was luckily pulled into managing the Athenaeum by Audra, who needed someone to keep the bookstore safe and secure. Oz immersed himself in this new role, finding a home in the bookkeeping and inventory lists. Now he works there as Audra's friend and work partner, managing and occasionally taking on smaller jobs for the Syndicate that can be done through the Athenaeum's front.

— WANTED CONNECTIONS / PLOTS

Athenaeum Goers: Those who visit often. Checking out books, interested in the weird and less popular titles they often carry. Oz is there often as he organizes and works. He might not talk to you often, but he notices you're there.

Syndicate Colleagues: Maybe they've worked together on hits. Maybe they started around the same time. Maybe they visited him in the hospital - or maybe they stopped talking to him after his botched job. Oz was a force to be reckoned with, until he wasn't. Maybe they pity him, or maybe they want him back doing something better.

Syndicate Savior: This is the Syndicate member who he called to get him from the house after he was left for dead. Someone he trusts who could clean up a pretty big mess and get him safely out. This person saved his life. Oz could be incredibly close to them because of this, or feel weird and guilty about it and never talk about it. Plenty of dynamics to explore!

Drinking Acquaintances: Oz probably shouldn't drink as much as he does, but he's definitely got a usual bar he ends up in. Someone he's gotten drunk enough to talk to might loosen him up some.