Orion
Orion
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Portrayed by David Beckham
Statistics
Fullname Orion Patrick Donnelly
Alias The Black Hound, The Barghest, The Hound of Ulster
Birthday October 13, 1975
Species Shifter - Black Hound
Alignment Virtuous Neutral
Age 35
Height 6'2"
Weight 180 pounds
Eyes Gold
Hair Auburn
Occupation Museum Researcher & Cataloger
Theme Song "Run With The Wolf " by Rainbow

Claim to Fame:

Orion is a researcher at the Dallas Museum of Art and works deciphering and cataloging ancient artifacts.

The Donnelly Clan has a few legends surrounding it concerning the Black Hounds (Barghests) of the English Isles. The people of Ireland avoid the Donneleys because they fear that bad luck surrounds them.

Biography:

Orion was born in Galway, Ireland to Haekan and Moira Donnelly. He was orphaned at a young age when his parents were killed in a car accident and was sent to live with his uncle Gillecomgain in the countryside. When Orion was old enough to go to school he found that he was treated differently by the teachers. They seemed almost fearful of the boy, and often had him go out into the hall if anything unlucky had occurred within the classroom. Over time the other children adopted the behavior of their teachers and started to ostracize Orion as well. It was not until he was in fifth grade that he even heard mention of the “Curse of the Donnelly Clan”.

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Though he beseeched his teacher to tell him about it she refused to even admit that she had mentioned it. When he confronted his uncle about the subject he simply stated the boy was not old enough.

On the eve of Orion’s thirteenth birthday his uncle finally revealed the curse of their clan. He allowed the boy to watch as he transformed himself into the form of a great black hound. Orion was terrified, but stayed out of curiosity to discover more about this curse. Gillecomgain explained that the direct bloodline of the Donnelly clan had always possessed the ability to transform themselves into large black dogs. The dogs had become well known in the region as Barghests or Black Hounds, and were considered omens of bad luck and ill health.

When questioned about why this was the case, Gillecomgain could not answer. The reason for the transformation was never known to him or his father, although there was a myth passed down through the clan that it had started when a Donnelley in medieval times had crossed a Banshee. Orion’s uncle did not believe this myth, stating that in all of his years he had seen no evidence of the existence of the Shee. Gillecomgain did believe in the bad luck associated with the clan, and warned the boy never to show himself to anyone in the form of a hound. He also revealed that the Donnelly clan was famous for dieing tragic and unfortunate deaths.

Orion began transforming when he reached puberty. At first he could not control the transformations and they would occur when he became angry or frightened. Over time he learned to control his transformation and can now transform at will. He will occasionally still transform involuntarily if he becomes overcome with a strong emotion.

When Orion was 25, his uncle was killed in a freak accident involving a chandelier. Orion, having been ostracized by the community his entire life, decided to leave the country and move to the Americas. He inherited his uncle’s estate and used some of the money to travel to the United States and go to school. He got a degree in Museum Sciences and later went for his masters and specialized in ancient artifacts and mythology. He has recently procured a job at the Dallas Museum of Art as a Researcher and Cataloger of Ancient Artifacts. While he retains his uncle’s and parents’ properties in Ireland, he currently has no plans on returning any time soon.

Character Details:

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Orion has a rather gloomy disposition on life. He believes himself to be a harbringer of illness and misfortune. He sees his transformative ability as a curse rather than a gift. He has spent the past several years of his life studying folklore and mythology to try and find answers to what he is, how to protect others from his perceived bad luck, and if there are others like him out in the world.

While he does try to distance himself from others, he is still courteous to most people he meets. He tries to be a good person in an attempt to karmically balance out the bad luck he believes he causes. In recent years he finds himself interacting with others to a greater degree, the loneliness of his solitude slowly pushing aside his fear of harming others.

The reappearance of vampires and werewolves back into the world has led Orion to feel slightly less like a monster. While he identifies with neither species, he does find himself supporting their political causes. He is interested in the other beings and intends to try and find others like himself.

Family:

Name Race Relation Notes
Gillecomgain Donnelly Shifter Uncle Shifter affected by the Donnelly Curse. Raised Orion as his own son and taught him of the Donnelly Curse. He died ten years ago and left his vast wealth to Orion.
Haekan Donnelly Shifter Father Shifter affected by the Donnelly Curse. Died when Orion was a child.
Moira Donnelly Shifter Mother Shifter affected by the Donnelly curse. Died when Orion was a child.
Glen Murphy Shifter Distant Cousin Orion is unaware of this at the moment, but Murphy is one of his distant cousins. They met once shifted without realizing it. Later Orion saved Murphy from a rogue wolf, but the man got confused and thought Orion was his attacker.

Orion does have distant relatives that he either has never met or has lost contact with. Although Orion longs to meet others like himself, the fear of his family curse has prevented him from tracking any of them down.

Relationships & Acquaintances:

Name Race Relation Notes
Austin Human Acquaintance He met the boy at a coffee shop. It was a chance meeting and Orion did not pick up anything odd about the boy.
Mellie Human Acquaintance Met her at an alcohol store. He thought Josephine was trying to get her drunk and attempted to intervene.

Character Gallery:

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Logs:

Title IC Date OOC Date Quick Description
Zombies vs. Aliens March 4, 2005 March 4, 2010 Orion and Theodore happen to see the same movie at the same time.
Hound + Skunk = Bad Night for a Vampire March 9, 2005 March 9, 2010 Orion decides to shift in the presence of Theodore since the Vampire offered to keep him company in shifted form. Unfortunately for the vamp, Orion comes across a skunk and decides that it is a marvelous new toy to be shared with everyone.
The Vexed Vampire and the Wounded Werewolf March 10, 2005 March 10, 2010 Jamal and Orion happen upon Theodore in the park, but Orion still thinks the Vampire tried to eat him the other day. They discover that Abbey is injured and take her home.
Abbey's Troubles March 15, 2005 March 15, 2010 Orion stops by Bunker’s Garage to visit Abbey, where she explains why she was injured the last time that he saw her.
The Black Wolf at the Lake March 15, 2005 March 15, 2010 Orion goes to investigate the Lake where a woman was attacked by a Black Wolf. Dan shows up and they discuss pack politics and the wolf attacks.
Attack of the Black Wolf March 16, 2005 March 16, 2010 Orion finally meets Murphy in human form. Murphy is attacked by a large black wolf, which causes Orion to shift to save him. Abbey walks in at just the right moment so that it seems as though Orion was the attacker.
Foggy Memories March 17, 2005 March 17, 2010 Orion stops by Bunker’s Garage to try and remember what happened the night before. He finds Abbey, who tells him that he attacked Murphy. Orion remembers very little from the night in question.
Paranoia March 22, 2005 March 22, 2010 Orion asks Abbey to meet him at the Dollar Theater. There he tells her that he suspects he is being followed. Abbey offers to let him stay at her place for a few days.
American Werewolf In America March 25, 2005 March 25, 2010 Mignonette and Oliver get attacked by a Werewolf at the lake. A Red Wolf and a Black Hound show up to fight the Werewolf, but they become terribly injured in the process.
Aftermath March 26, 2005 March 26, 2010 Young stops by Bunker’s Garage to check on Abbey. Tasha shows up to treat Abbey and Orion’s wounds.

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