Werewolf

Jack Russell is a boker and a drifter who seems pretty ordinary and scruffy.

To true occultists, Jack 'Werewolf' Russell is a lycanthrope. He's mostly in control of his condition. In other words he mostly won't endanger your life. Actually he works very hard to avoid endangering anyone and seeks a cure. He's mastered his condition except on nights of the full moon which are problematical. He's a hero by choice and a monster by chance.

Background
Jack Russell is an Anglicization of Jacob Russoff. Centuries ago Jack's ancestor, Grigori Russoff opposed Dracula's ascension to power in Transylvania and after ambushing the vampire destroyed him. Unfortunately Lydia, a female werewolf loyal to Dracula, bit Russoff infecting him with lycanthropy. Grigori went into seclusion, locking himself away on nights of the full moon or roaming remote mountain woods and never killed a human being. Remarkably the curse was not passed to his descendants or so he thought.

In the 1920's Grigori's descendant, Gregor Russoff found the scrolls of the Darkhold and binding them as a book translated the foul lore. Reading of lycanthropy triggered the curse which lay dormant in the Russoffs. He also copied a major portion of the Darkhold into Grigori's diary. Grigori tried to summon Cthon to cure his curse and died for his foolishness. His son, also named Gregor inherited his castle and occult works and married an American girl named Laura. Laura had two children, Jacob and Lissa in the next three years. Gregor also locked himself away when he transformed but escaped one night when lightning struck his castle.

Gregor went on a rampage that ended when villagers killed him with silver bullets. The villagers pursued Laura who barely escaped with her children. She returned to America and discovered Gregor's younger cousin, Philip. He had changed his name to Russell and somehow escaped the curse. They married after a year. Jack and Lissa were unaware of Philip's curse or history.

The criminal organization called the Committee learned of the Russoff curse and blackmailed Philip. After he refused to pay anymore they engineered a car crash that fatally injured Laura. She died after telling Jack about the curse. Changing to the Werewolf for the first time Jack killed his mother's assassin. Philip fled his stepson's wrath.

Over the next few years Jack became a traveler, trying to remain in desolate places to avoid hurting anyone else. He learned of the Darkhold from occultists and snuck into Castle Russoff (which was conveniently rebuilt off the coast of California) to steal the tome and find a cure. This led to a constant pattern of Jack seeking a cure from occultists who attempted to use the Werewolf for their own ends and usually paid for their foolishness with their lives. The Committee continued to plague Jack as well, hiring mercenaries to bring in the creature.

Jack discovered the Darkhold/diary and learned of his history, trying to stay clear of the Committee and others who wanted him as a minion or to become werewolves themselves. One wizard named Taboo tried to manipulate him using his daughter, the lovely Topaz. Topaz fell in love with Jack and helped defeat Taboo who perished. The two became a couple for several years.

Eventually Jack traveled to Haiti at the command of elder beings and they gave him control over the Werewolf. For the next several years he teamed up with various heroes and fought occult menaces and criminals. He also was mind controlled into joining the Night Shift but eventually broke his conditioning and fled. He also aided the Midnight Sons.

Eventually Jack sought to remove his curse entirely using the Darkhold but this backfired resulting in a third and more lupine and powerful form. Jack had no control over this newer and more powerful wolfoid and has to again be restrained on nights of the full moon.

Today Jack can transform into the Werewolf at will. He must transform when struck by moonlight. He controlled the creature fully. He becomes the Lupine on nights of a full moon and has no control over this form which is a vicious predator. He seeks a way to again control his affliction and live in peace.

When the Labyrinth appeared and the heroes faced their crisis Jack remained behind. The Werewolf fought a number of the mysterious demons of darkness that plagued the Earth helping his more heroic colleagues.

Personality
Responsible: Jack's curse is the shaping force of his life. He tries very hard to control the Beast and avoid hurting innocent people. He avoids most personal entanglements unless people are in the occult community and know what they are dealing with. He is trying to find a way to completely control his condition again but past attempts led to disaster or being blackmailed by people eager to control the Werewolf. He will not take stupid risks for such cures.

Peaceful: Jack the man is eager to find a sanctuary, a Xanadu, a Shangri-La where he can live in peace and not trouble anyone. He has been called a monster, hunted, captured and experimented on. He wants to find a place he can be left alone and not be persecuted. If he could find such a place his curse wouldn't matter so much.

Heroic: Jack tries to do the right thing in spite of his curse. He will never allow innocents to be slain. Jack has a broader definition of innocents than most people. For example, he will not allow a werewolf to kill a human bystander. He will also not allow a werewolf who has not harmed anyone to be lynched by a human mob.

Hot-Blooded: While he prefers to avoid violence, Jack is no stranger to it. He will match lethal force with lethal force or kill to save an innocent person or himself. He does not do this lightly. He'd try to talk down a vampire about to kill someone before taking his head off for example. Thugs or goons who can't really hurt him may be clawed or beaten but not killed out of hand

Logs

 * TBA...