Samson Hale

"Of all the paths in life you can take, make sure some of them are dirt." - John Muir

Samson Hale was born a nobody, in the backwoods, in a time where a formal education was a luxury and a privilege. Part of an extended family of bear-kin, the Changing Gift bred true in him, which launched him out into the world on his own course. He was always a simple man, but simple doesn't mean unintelligent, and his life journeys as one of the Ursara, werebears, has been fulfilling.

He learned from a young age to prize and value self-sufficiency. There were no grocery stores when he was young and a man had to either catch his own food or buy it from someone else who had. Samson became a collector of folklore, songs, people's stories, and a guardian of the wild places he fell in love with. His half-spirit nature has manifested in talents with the mystical as well and Samson is a capable shaman where nature spirits are concerned. The relationship between man and bear is an old and complicated one. One part savage, on part seer, the Ursara inherit a unique niche between the two.

Samson Hale is still out there, roaming from one place to another. He rides on an over-sized Harley chopper or travels on foot, two or four. He moves from place to place, checking on the people and spirits that dwell there, and working to keep some of the wild magic alive in a modern world. His Rage bubbles forth from time to time and he picks his prey, the deserving, to be reminded just how powerful an enraged bear can be. The wilds call to him far more than civilization and Samson has never shied away from that beacon.

Samson is about the old meeting the young, the tales of paleolithic cultures being made manifest in a modern era. He's a mountain unto himself and has stone in his bones. The Mountain Claw continues his journey and your character is invited to be a part of it.

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Table of Contents

• Page 1 - Intro contains an overview of Samson, brief OOC information, and other miscellany. Please look below for details about RP with him, story hooks, etc. Content warnings are also below.
• Page 2 - Mountain Claw contains Samson's demeanor and what leads him to be the individual he is now. If you prefer to learn such things only IC, feel free to ignore it. It's background-lite, as I reference past experiences, but none are specified so as to give room to adjust for individual RP's or freely RP in past scenes/historical settings.
• Page 3 - Tooth and Claw contains OOC information about Samson's brand of lycanthropy and traits he possesses as part of that. He's an amalgam of inspiration from different World of Darkness game lines, and while some mechanical systems are mentioned, dice and character sheets aren't required to RP with him.
• Page 4 - Feral Society contains OOC lore information about the Ursara, shapeshifter society, and social information from the savage side of his world. None of it is required reading or necessary to be understood to RP with him.
• Page 5 - The Cave contains a character sheet for Samson, based on a 2nd Edition interpretation of the Gurahl/Ursara (werebears). It serves as a guide to me for his capabilities and I just enjoy making them.

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Content Warnings
Samson is meant for 18+ RP and I won't RP with minors as him; this is my personal preference and it's non-negotiable. His profile complies with RPR's rules and contains references to animal-on-human violence as well as occasional vulgar language. No explicit, detailed nudity is shown in images on the other pages but some of them might be considered risqué. View at your own risk.

Face Claim: Bill Goldberg

Samson can be hurt, seriously injured, or killed as part of an RP. He enjoys no special Gary Stu position in his world that prevents him from being infringed upon. He's a powerful, robust supernatural being that heals quickly and can take a large amount of damage, but he's not a deity. I can do long or short term RP with him, be it a one-off meeting, a fling, or a long term adventure/romance. Though Samson is a fictional person and creature, I strive to write realistically within the context of his setting.

I consider intimate scenes an important and enjoyable part of an RP and prefer to write them out without fading to black. If you don't wish to write them out, I can adjust, but please let me know ahead of time so I don't make you uncomfortable on accident. I prefer some buildup before sexual encounters, unless it's a one-off specifically for that purpose, in which case I appreciate a modicum of plot to justify the pairing. Samson is a passionate and direct lover. I'm willing to hear out different kinks but may not agree to participate in them. No bathroom kinks of any kind.

Anonymous characters are considered on a case-by-case basis. If the character profile looks like it was put together in five minutes, I'm going to decline. A well-designed profile will almost always be accepted. I prefer my partners to use face claims or semi-realistic looking art. Cartoonish anime avatars, ala Sailor Moon, don't do it for me.

If you want to end an RP, let me know. There's no hard feelings or wounded pride on my part. We may write ourselves into a corner or find the characters aren't compatible. It happens to the best of us. Let's laugh it off, shake internet hands, and end the RP amiably. I won't hound you for posts; if more than a week passes without a reply, I'll archive the RP. I'm ghost-friendly and when you return, if you wish to continue, just send me a message or post to our RP.

Common sense non-consent is fine with Samson. Keep the RP flowing within the bounds of courtesy. Touching his arm is fine, saying you instantly chop his head off with a silver axe is rude. Bad things can happen to Samson during a story but I prefer to be the one who posts it, unless I specifically ask you to do so.

If you have any specific triggers, needs, wants, taboos, or other pertinent information you need a partner to know when they RP with you, it's beholden on you to inform me of it. I can't avoid what I'm unaware of as being an issue for you. If it's your issue, it's your responsibility to let others know about it. If you have a phobia of bears, for instance, Samson is not the character for you.

Interested in an RP with Samson but not quite sure where to go? Below are a smattering of themes and ideas to explore with him. None of them are necessary in the context of an RP but they can provide a launching point when needed. Any of them could be a one-off encounter premise or the start of a long-term RP. Many of them have a way to segue into romance, which I'm always a sucker for, and which many people also seem to enjoy writing. Romance isn't required, however. I'll happily RP opposite male characters who find the below interesting as well, but Samson will only respond romantically to females.

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The Safe Haven
Circumstances beyond control force your character to seek refuge with the Samson; perhaps the zombie apocalypse has come, perhaps his home is functioning as a bastion for supernatural refugees, or maybe you just fled from a bad situation and ended up in his path. Sanctuary is granted but external threats continue to await outside, or even within, its borders.

The Arranged Marriage
Samson has decided it's time to take a mate and your character is it. Whether a member of his spirit "cult", completely new blood, or Other, perhaps they knew one another from before or perhaps it's their first time meeting. Your character could be another shapeshifter, a kinfolk, or a human (or secretly Other?). With the demands of others around them, and their own mercurial temperaments to deal with, does the union go well or result in fur flying?

Partners in Crime
Your character and Samson move in a like circle. Either Samson or your character has now accepted a dangerous job, found a treasure map that leads right through myriad hazards, or has otherwise stumbled upon a more hazardous situation than usual. One or the other contacts their counterpart and offers a share in the adventure.

The Security Consultant
Your character is hired as a new security consultant for an area of land the Ursara are safeguarding, after an incident in which the previous head of security failed in their job. The Bear Shifters are demanding and temperamental, paying the bills, but being difficult enough to deal with that it might make one question if it's worth it. Samson arrives to take charge and the two of them must work together to keep their respective elders and employers sated while preserving their own sanity. Romance may ensue.

Bear and Mouse
There's been a murder and Samson has popped up as a person of interest. Your character is a police officer, detective, private investigator, or other interested party who's been hired to look into the matter. Discretion is key, as Samson is wealthy and surrounded by an army of followers. Perhaps they infiltrate his group or initiate a relationship under the guise of learning more, but however they choose to do it, their job is to find proof Samson killed the victim and bring it back to their employer. Your character could be a supernatural being themselves or a normal mortal. Not all things are as they appear to be, however, and the tale gets more complicated the further down the rabbit hole the investigator goes. Perhaps lines blur, feelings cross, and they're left confronting uncomfortable truths about their perceptions of reality or notions of right and wrong.

The Pampered Artist
Samson has commissioned your character to create a work of art on his behalf; perhaps an enormous sculpture, a painting, building some impressive new outbuilding, or any other act of creativity that's time-consuming, large scale, and expensive. He enjoys the artist's company and begins to find ways or reasons to delay the project and keep them around longer. Annoying or sweet, it's all in your character's perceptions, but any serious relationship would have to overcome Samson's own nature. Alternately, Samson becomes your character's patron and has them on retainer or becomes the primary investor in their business.

The Secret Agent
A version of Bear and Mouse (above) but your character is a hunter. Perhaps they're not necessarily violent, preferring to observe and learn about the supernatural rather than destroy it, but they're a human who's aware of the existence of the supernatural and have been sent in to gather information. Maybe that's with the goal of destroying the bear-shifter and his cult, or perhaps your goals are more nebulous. Maybe what you've been told is your goal is only part of someone else's plan. Either way, being discovered carries a very real risk of a quick, painful death beneath the claws of a werebear. How far are they willing to risk it and for what reward? What happens if they're forced to change their perceptions or begin to sympathize with the target of their hunt?

In the Before
In short, a prequel tale from Samson's current 'modern' version and into the past. This could be set during World War 1 or 2, the Wild West, the Civil War, or even further back. Perhaps they're comrades in arms, colleagues, or run into one another when trouble goes down. Either way, it's a time period in Samson's life where he's younger and more impulsive.

Alternate Timelines and Settings
Would you rather RP with Samson in a more Edwardian or Regency era? Dive into a fantasy realm ala D&D? RP in a world other than a reflection of the current one as we know it? Play as Paleolithic members of different tribes? Hit me up, let me know, and let's discuss ideas. The 'default' of Samson that's presented here is only that, a base version to give everything else a springboard. It's why I have an idea of his history but focus more on his character and personality than a strict timeline. There's always room to play, room to adjust, and ways to incorporate different ideas and settings. While I don't necessarily embrace the idea of a sci-fi setting like Star Trek, I'm perfectly willing to do alternate dimensions, realities, or even spelljammer ships moving between worlds and planes. Fantasy sci-fi is acceptable, I'd rather avoid "hard sci-fi" that doesn't involve the existence of supernatural creatures.