The Osprey

Austrian aristocrat Boris Poelzig fled the 1938 Nazi takeover of his homeland, bitterly vowing it would be the last time any Poelzig would be left powerless. Settling in Emerald City, Boris raised his son inspired by ospreys, which, accord­ing to legend, force their young to fly to the sun, then kill those too weak to reach it. The abuse he heaped on his son in an attempt to toughen him up eventually broke him, and left Boris guardian of his grandson Hjalmar, who embraced the philosophy of strength and flourished.
Hjalmar dedicated himself to eliminating false piety from a world grown too soft. He became a champion of law­lessness and predator of so-called “superheroes”—the Osprey who strikes down such unworthy weaklings.
The Osprey’s initial target was the Adjuster, a new hero gaining in recognition. Over time, he uncovered the Ad­juster’s identity (millionaire Barry Warren), darkest secrets, and greatest fears. With this knowledge, the Osprey swin­dled Warren’s fortune away from him and arranged for everyone close to him to be killed, maimed, disgraced, or falsely imprisoned, one by one. By the time they met face to face, Warren was emotionally broken, and the Osprey smiled as his first victim committed suicide before him. Now residing in Warren’s mansion (renamed Marmarous), Poelzig bides his time, working to find worthy heroes to shatter.

Physical Description

Specialized Equipment

The Osprey is a master manipulator, adept at discov­ering and exploiting his opponents’ personal weak­nesses. Nearly all traces of his existence have been systematically eliminated. Through intense training, he is preternaturally strong and agile, and specializes in a unique fighting technique encompassing killing and maiming strikes from various martial styles. He employs a variety of gadgets, including his signature Osprey Talons: long diamond-coated blades with a super-sharp monomolecular edge.

Mental characteristics

Intellectual Characteristics

The Osprey is calm, polite, confident, intelligent, worldly, cultured, witty, and charming. Only his victims know he is a genuinely evil, merciless sociopath.

Social

Contacts & Relations

The wealthy Poelzig employs a number of highly skilled operatives—drivers, pilots, hackers, private investigators, thugs, cour­tesans, scientists, media figures—who aid him out of misplaced loyalty, greed, or blackmail. Inspired by Bowman, he contemplates taking on a protégé and eventual heir.