The Basics
Character Name: Baril “Bear” Norwood
Character Age/Age they appear: 28 / 33
Nationality: American. Of Irish/English decent, but he's a third generation Georgian- very southern.
Race (Werewolf/Vampire/Thrall/Human): Werewolf
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation:Bisexual
Physical Description (Height/Weight/Hair/Clothing): Baril stands at about 6'4 and weights about 204 Ibs- he looks underfed, like he could use a good meal or three, and he's too wiry to be intimidating in build alone. While he's actually twenty eight, stress has taken its toll on him and he looks to be somewhere in his mid thirties.
Unlike most werewolves, Bear's human form has remained largely the same. His eyes are just an average brown, the only change to overcome them since his turning is a faint ring of gold around the edges. He has a scruffy goatee clinging to his chin and stubble down his neck. His nose is long and beaky and he wears a pair of half moon spectacles when he's reading.
His hair is a dark but vivid auburn with a few subtle grey strands tucked behind his ears. It's cut shortish, but still scruffy and usually not slicked back.
Bear's only features that really give him away as a werewolf are his pronounced lower and upper canines, the lower more so the then the upper.
His skin is weathered and tanned, with a smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose.
In his wolf form, Baril is a larger then average wolf, well muscled but not so much as to be considered hulking. His fur is the same vivid red as his hair, though typical to wolf fur it's mottled with subdued blacks and greys. He's got some actual grey from age around his muzzle, and his eyes are yellow.
His werewolf form is basically the same, his fur longer around his neck to form a mane. It trails down to his shoulders, darkening until it turns black at the tips.
Unusually enough, Baril seems to prefer his wolf form over his werewolf one, and often sleeps as a wolf (usually curled up at the foot of Valerie's bed.)
Baril's clothing is usually practical, and he wears a buckle dog collar around his neck. The identification tag has the name 'Adam' on it, leading to it becoming something of a nickname for him. While he usually sticks to a long sleeved white shirt and a pale green vest and simple grey pants and shoes, he keeps several suits for when he's doing a more high class job with Valerie.
His favorite pieces of clothing are his “ivory” cuff links made from human molars belonging to those who moved against him, and his beat up old fedora, which is just a usual hat and doesn't have any morbidity attached to it at all.
Distinguishing marks (Scars/Tattoos/etc.): Bear has no tattoos, but many bite and claw scars from past conflicts. They are pale and have mostly healed well, only visible in the right light.
His eyes are mostly brown in his human form, but when he's about to transform they turn yellow like they are in his wolf shape.
Baril's hands are very heavily calloused from when he worked on the cotton farm as a child.
Family and/or Friends: His father/mother are Alphonse and Lily, respectively, and he has several siblings: Donny and Charlie are his younger brothers and Judy is his sister. He's had several friends, most of who he's lost contact with. His best friend and fellow criminal is Valerie Bianchi.
Sire (if werewolf or vampire): In his words- “Some German b*****d.”
Brief History: Baril was born October 16th, 1896 in a farmhouse outside of Thomaston, Georgia. His parents worked on a cotton farm, along with a couple of farm hands.
From a very young age, Baril was expected to help out, and spent many long hours out in the fields, picking cotton or just helping around the farm. He was a cheeky and slightly bratty child, but he also worked hard and did well in school, preferring to outwit any schoolmates who decided to challenge him- when he could go to school and wasn't needed on the farm, of course.
He had a strong desire to escape his home- cotton farming was exhausting, hot, sweaty, work, and Baril was willing to do anything to get out. He started attending school more regularly, hellbent on getting an education and getting the hell off the farm.
A good majority of Baril's teenage years were spent out in the field, where he admittedly only spent part of the time picking cotton. The rest was spent lounging around reading, or flirting with any passing young ladies. When he wasn't working in the field, he was out being a typical teenager- hanging out with friends and causing mischief of some sort.
As he grew from an unruly young boy to an unruly young man, he finally managed to get himself a teaching certificate at the age of eighteen. He left his family's farm on bad terms after several loud arguments with his father, and in 1914 he took the train until he reached the end of the line- the New River in Broward County, Florida.
It was there he actually began teaching in a tiny one roomed schoolhouse. Despite the heat, mosquitoes, swamps and relatively untamed nature of Florida at the time, he stubbornly stuck with his job, living in a nearby inn on the riverside. It was a refusal to go home that kept him there- that, and a young woman by the name of Vivian King.
They began a relationship, and Baril was planning to ask her to marry him when he was drafted for World War I. He said goodbye to his beloved, given basic combat training, and sent to Paris, France in the December of 1915. By that time, however, the French had managed to push the Germans to Oise.
Baril was stationed in Paris as an infantryman (or Doughboy, as they were called during that time) until 1918 when the Armistice Treaty was signed. During that time, Baril managed to pick up some French, learn how to survive in a city (an impressive feat, considering he arrived in the middle of a devastating flu epidemic) and was doing quite well until he was sent to Somme, a region in northern France, on July 1st, 1916. That was where everything changed.
The Battle of Somme was one of the bloodiest battles of World War I, but for a few days he saw no conflict. Seven days of heavy artillery fire preceded the battle.
Then, finally, it began. Baril, along with several other units, crawled out into no man's land so they could rush the front German trench as soon as the barrage lifted. Despite heavy bombardment, many German defenders had survived, protected in deep dugouts, and they were able to inflict a terrible toll on the infantry.
It was at this time Baril came face to face with his first werewolf- and it was just a glimpse of fur and fang before he was tackled and viciously mauled. Before he could be killed, however, the werewolf was gunned down, falling on top of Baril and nearly crushing him. But in that time the werewolf's blood mingled with his own, and he was changed.
Despite the injuries, Baril survived and managed to recover in a relatively short amount of time- much to his surprise. He had no idea what had happened to him.
His first full moon would have been a disaster had a French werewolf and fellow infantryman not seen what had happened. John-Paul Broussard took Baril under his wing as best he was able to as the battle raged on around them. It was difficult to conceal Baril's first transformation, and even harder to keep him in line. John-Paul was experienced, but Baril was a very dominant werewolf. Despite this, John-Paul managed to keep him in line.
But it proved too difficult for Baril to adjust to his improved senses in the midst of all the violence and bloodshed. John-Paul was forced to injure Baril again severely enough to where he was sent back to Paris- it was either that or risk the newly turned werewolf going on a rampage.
The Armistice Treaty was signed on November 11th, 1918, and the war ended. Baril was unable to find the Frenchman who had saved his life, and later learned the man had been killed in the Battle of Somme.
Baril arrived back in America in New York Harbor on January 3rd, 1919, no longer a man, but a werewolf. He was 22 years old. Vivian took the train all the way there to meet him, and when he first stepped off the boat she could barely recognize the weary young man who greeted her.
When she realized what he had become, she could only stare in horror. She left him on the spot, and went back to Florida.
Knowing he would be fired from his job if he followed her (who would want a werewolf teaching their children?) Baril remained in New York, effectively poor and homeless. On top of that, he had trouble controlling his wolf and dealing with his new senses- it got so bad he would drug himself on full moons (thinking that transformations would be like his first one) and often suffered from bad headaches.
When he wasn't out looking for work, Baril lived in Central Park in his wolf form. He wasn't so huge as to stand out, and his unusual coloring helped him pass himself off as a stray. He was sort of 'adopted' by the local park goers as a sweet tempered stray- for one reason or another, he seemed to have more control in his wolf form, and stuck to it often. It got to the point where one old lady who regularly fed the skinny wolf bought him a collar. The name inscribed on it was 'Adam'.
Despite it not being his actual name, Baril still wears it to this day.
He lived in the park as a wolf for roughly a year, until in the summer of 1921, Baril managed to get a job in a rather swanky cafe (The Milk and Honey) as a singer- although untrained, Baril had a very good singing voice.
What he didn't realize was that the place also doubled as a speakeasy- and he'd been given a job as hired muscle, assisting the restaurant's rumrunner in dealing with an competition. As much as he dreaded breaking the law and feared being caught, Baril desperately needed the income for both jobs.
Baril's training as a soldier and life as a werewolf gave him an edge in the business, and when his rumrunning partner was forced to retire from an injury, Baril started doing it himself.
While when he'd first starting working as hired muscle he was woefully inexperienced, months observing his mentor work paid off. He quickly became experienced, and was feared for his polite, cheerful demeanor and ruthless brutality.
This went on until late 1922, when Baril met an Italian werewolf by the name of Valerie Bianchi. She offered him a criminal organization known simply as the Network, and he worked under, then with her.
Valerie taught him a good deal about being a crook (though he was already fairly experienced in the business) and even more about being an actual werewolf, helping him gain control and enabling him to function as a semi-normal "human" being. Baril would never admit to it, but he considers her a close friend.
He kept up his rumrunning until he was in a position where he could send other people to do for him, and achieved a position of considerable power until late August of 1924, when Valerie got wind of a imminent police raid on their bunker.
She and Baril managed to get out, though the rest of their gang was not nearly so lucky, and fearing arrest they soon fled- to Chicago, Illinois, at Valerie's suggestion.
Occupation: Bootlegger/singer, de facto ex crime Boss looking to become an official crime boss.
Residence: A hotel room somewhere in Chicago, Illinois that he shares with Valerie Bianchi.
Ten Random Questions
What does your character think of their body?:
He thinks he's too skinny- and he is. Despite his turn in fortune, Baril is still very underweight.
Are they religious/spiritual?:
Baril is a Christan, and wears a cross around his neck.
What is a main motivation/goal for your character?:
Money. He wants power, influence, and to be very, very rich.
What is their most prized possession?:
His single most prized possession is his 1920 Ace. It is a motorcycle. It is red. It goes 'vroom'. Some might suspect that he values it more then life itself. Anyone who touches it without his expression permission is most certainly dead, and even then you're taking a risk.
How does your character feel about their mother?:
He likes his mother, though he doesn't keep in contact with his family anymore. He certainly got along with her more then he did his dad.
Does your character drink? Do drugs?:
Baril doesn't drink and stopped taking drugs after Valerie found him.
Name a time your character has made someone cry -- have they ever?:
Vivian cried when she realized he was a werewolf. That was the only time he ever really cared about making someone cry. I'm sure he's made other people cry- right before he shot them in the face.
What does your character think of art?:
He can appreciate it, but has no drawing talent himself.
Does your character carry any weapons, and if so why?:
Baril has kept the weapons he got his hands on in the far- he's is quite fond of his M1903 Springfield attached with a M1905 bayonet. He also has a M1911 pistol, which is most often on his person as his rifle usually attaches unwanted attention.
His favorite weapon for any close combat would be his machete, though he'll use anything from a crowbar to an icepick if it's unavailable.
What is something your character would never, ever do?:
Kill without a damn good reason. (Touching his motorcycle counts as a VERY good reason.)
Audric Lithdel Community Member 
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