![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Lukas | Character Basics
Lukas Kowalczyk
The Hunter so as not to be Haunted
stats
history
Lukas came to hunting the supernatural and demonic late in life. He was a normal high school biology teacher until something killed a group of students who were partying out at a well known make out spot in the little Ohio town where Lukas lived. It was a slaughter and the local cops were baffled. One of the kids killed was Lukas's young nephew. He was a freshman, just started high school, and suddenly he was dead.
Lukas became obsessed with the case as it languished. Lukas couldn't let it go even though his sister and her husband did their best to move on and raise their other kids. He made himself a pain in the ass of the local cops and the local newspapers and TV news trying to make sure the case wasn't forgotten, to make sure it wouldn't go cold. Still, no matter how much he pushed and pushed there was nothing for the cops to go on and nothing they could do.
Until one day an "FBI agent" showed up at Lukas' door. The man said he was investigating the death of the students and wanted to ask Lukas a few questions. Since he had been bugging the cops so much Lukas knew the locals had reached out to the FBI but they had said no, they couldn't get involved. After telling the guy all he knew he started to follow him. He wasn't an FBI agent. He was a hunter.
Lukas confronted the man and demanded to be let in on what he was doing. If it would get him answers about what happened to his nephew, Lukas needed to be involved. If the hunter didn't let him he would go to the real FBI about the guy. The only lead the hunter had was an urban legend in town.
The local legend was about an escaped convict from a prison that slaughtered a family and disappeared in the cornfields around town never to be caught or seen again. It was just a legend though, a scary story to tell kids on Halloween and make the cornfields seem scarier than they were. That's what Lukas thought. Turned out it was a little more true than not. The convict was real, the murder was real, but the locals found him in those corn fields and got their own justice. They killed him just as brutally as he killed that family and then buried him.
The hunter thought that convict might be back from the dead to get a little revenge on the town. They went searching for the bones and were attacked by the ghost who tried to murder them. Lukas got a nasty cut across his arm and his face. It took two nights to find the bones and burn them. There would never be any real closure for anyone else, no one would believe a ghost did it but Lukas knew and he couldn't forget.
He quit teaching and hit the road to hunt at 28 years olds. Now 35 he hunts mostly by himself, usually following cold cases and urban legends.
personality
As far as hunters go, Lukas is mostly friendly. What he has seen as a hunter has made him a bit more grim, tired, and angry than when he was a teacher but he's retained some of his outgoing nature and charm. It has proved very useful when he needs to get information from witnesses. His favorite con is to be a reporter or true crime podcaster looking into the story of what happened.
The hunting has turned him into a bit of a loner. He doesn't socialize like he used to expect inside bars and pool halls. Sometimes he goes home to visit his family but they don't really understand why he suddenly left his job and started traveling around the country. He can't tell them why either because they wouldn't believe him and would think he was crazy.
He has a good reputation in the hunting community though. Lukas is reliable and steadfast even though he's relatively new to the life. He's more willing to help other hunters if they ask too. His research is impeccable from his background and he's painfully thorough when it comes to make sure the job is done right.
abilities
Firearms: Lukas has become proficient with various firearms. He has a .9 mil handgun, a shotgun, and a large caliber hunting rifle that he carries around. They are great for most hunts. He has learned how to clean and care for them. While not any sort of Annie Oakley when it comes to making shots he can hit body mass and is a steady shot.
Hand to Hand: More of a brawler than a well trailed hand to hand specialist Lukas has taken the time to learn how to fight and defend himself. There's nothing fancy about his technique. He knows how to throw a good punch and take someone down in a strong hold.
Research/Intellectual: Lukas' strongest skill is his mind. He's a smart guy and knows how to find evidence. He's thorough in researching what supernatural being or demon he's hunting. He's also already familiar with Latin and Greek from his college days so he had a foot up there when he got into hunting. His background as a teacher also allows him access to many academic libraries and papers that most people can't get easily.
visuals