Orlando Briante

**Orlando Briante** or **The Harvester** was a character in *Villainy & Virtue*, created and portrayed by NathanielCoran.

One of a secular group of assassins known as Hero Killers, Orlando made a living of eliminating superhumans, regardless of his victims' morality.

## Biography

*"Countless others as well, they all lay behind me while I walk ahead. So tell me, if I was not on your side, then do you really think you'd still be standing?"*

In a world where super-beings have emerged as clearly physically superior to the common citizen, there are countless skeptics who live in fear or suspicion of those who have vowed to protect them. These people hire specially skilled assassins, known as 'Hero Killers', to deal with those they consider a threat to them. Among the more successful of these is Orlando Briante, known in underground circles as The Harvester.

A man with determination and resolve, Orlando travels the world seeking hits on superhumans in power. However, after years of smaller targets, Orlando grew tired of eliminating petty criminals and small-time vigilantes, and mad his way to Heartania in search of greater, more thrilling prey.

Orlando grew up as an urchin in the poverty-stricken understreets of Scarlet City, living by picking pockets until he was eventually taken pity upon and adopted by Scarlet City senator Davinter Briante. Davinter raised the boy into his mid-teens, until undocumented events led to to murder of Senator Briante and the destruction of their home. Believing superhumans were responsible for his adopted father's death, Orlando fell into a brooding rage, which eventually led him to train in as many facets of combat as he could gain access to in order to 'return the favour'.

At some point prior to the events of Villainy & Virtue, Orlando was in Australia to carry out an assassination on a major superhero group based there: the Southern Cyclone. In the process he murdered young heroine Cassandra Skade, hitting a shatterpoint that dispersed the team.

Upon arriving he scoped out the Citadel, hearing rumours that the High Chancellor was in league with superhumans. Although he encountered no display of ability (he made contact with both Lilly Jones and Jade Blythe, though neither made a display of their powers), he did learn that a previous victim's teammate, Johnny Anderson, was also active in the city. Figuring that he had no real business at the Citadel and fearing that Sonar would expose his purpose, Orlando left to find a new employer.

Within a few days, Orlando found his way to the Chancellor's new rival, Acchilleus Libertas. Seeing an opportunity to work with someone whose ideals more closely suited his own, Orlando offered his blade to Acchilleus in return for a place to stay in the insurgent's Safe Zone, spending most of his time in the RP as Acchilleus' agent and bodyguard.

At the Battle of the Citadel, Orlando fought on Acchilleus' side, filling the role of infiltration and assassination. After combating a few priority targets, Orlando found himself face-to-face with Aderyn Stone, a duel which eventually led to their mutual deaths. djLpM6zoqus

## Appearance

Orlando is a slender man, with an almost feminine build. He stands ever so slightly shorter than his peers, something he was once self-conscious of but now thinks little over. His hair is an almost platinum blonde colour, contrasting heavily to his otherwise dark appearance.

Orlando dresses with a mix of practicality and aesthetic in mind. His outfit is designed to be simple and workable, but also memorable to those whom he meets (and a little intimidating to those he hunts). His torso is protected by jet black kevlar armour, covered by a black high-collared coat, concealing whatever weaponry and equipment he is carrying. The lower half of his face is covered by a thick black scarf, which he pulls down only to speak.

## Personality

Orlando was blunt speaker, unafraid to put those he communicates with on edge in order to get his point across. This led many to think of him as quiet, though in truth Orlando just finds little point in saying more than is necessary. Nevertheless, his humour would sometimes lead him to embellishing his words just a little, though these moments were few and far apart (and more often than not in poor taste, usually with a victim on the edge of his blade).

Orlando distanced himself from others, believing that putting his trust in them (or allowing them to trust him) would be a liability, especially given his profession and the chance he would have to turn his blade on them down the line. The people he would call acquaintances were fellow assassins, though he was hardly on friendly terms with them either; he and Venator showed mutual respect for one another, yet the archer did not hesitate to attack him when they found themselves on opposite sides.

It is as yet unknown if Orlando ever got close to anyone after Senator Briante's death, and as such what his personality would be like when truly comfortable is difficult to gauge.

## Abilities

### Combat Mastery

Orlando traveled the world seeking to hone his craft, and as such gathered skills from almost any school of combat imaginable. He was fully capable of holding his own, especially considering he made a living from murdering people with talents far exceeding his human body's limits. His most unique specialisation in this regard is his ability to prepare for a single target, adapting his equipment and fighting style in order to give him the best odds of defeating someone significantly more powerful than himself.

### Stealth Mastery

Orlando, as any good assassin should be, was a master of moving undetected, both silently and invisibly. Given enough shadow or preparation time, Orlando was able to become just about ethereal while moving through an area, a skill he used to surprise unsuspecting targets dozens of times throughout his career.

## Paraphernalia

### Harvest Moon

Orlando's signature weapon, a medium-sized steel sickle. Harvest Moon has few unique properties, Orlando choosing to use a simple yet effective weapon in contrast to most contract killers he knows who choose to make their instruments as unique and complicated as possible.

## Relationships

### Acchilleus

Orlando found employment under Acchilleus after visiting the Citadel and discovering that the rumours about the government putting superhumans in positions of high power were true. Joining the Insurgents, Orlando sought the opportunity to fight for his ideology - something Acchilleus was happy to provide.

Orlando likely saw much of his adopted father in Acchilleus - a man willing to put everything on the line in order to carry out what he thought was the right thing to do, and with a similar distant yet approachable demeanour to boot.

## Trivia

* Orlando refers to himself as a 'monster hunter', rather than 'hero killer'. This implies he thinks of superhumans as some sort of monster rather than human beings.
* Unofficially, his kevlar armour is labelled with the brand name 'PILOT', though wear has scratched off the 'I'. This is a jab at the natural plot armour that major characters are often protected by.
* Orlando's creator, NathanielCoran, is in the process of writing much of the character's backstory in the form of a short story series, 'Harvest'. The first chapter is available in the V&V Extra board.
* Orlando's fate was predicted by the short story *The Sparrow and the Hawk*, a fairy tale that personifies the danger in seeking revenge. Depending on the reader's perspective, Orlando can be seen as either the Hawk or the Sparrow.
	+ Orlando is the Sparrow who hunts for revenge following the death of his adopted father. The 'Hawk' represents nobody in particular, but rather the potential for destruction that Orlando sees in superhumans. He dies as an eventual consequence of his quest to rid the world of these beings.
	+ If the story is taken more literally, Orlando becomes the Hawk and Skylark the Sparrow. Skylark chases Orlando across the world seeking to avenge her best friend's death; however, upon meeting with her 'Hawk', she must sacrifice herself in order to get the revenge she looks for.

## Quotes

* "Orlando Briante, world-class assassin and monster hunter, at your service."
* "...Countless others as well, they all lay behind me while I walk ahead. So tell me, if I was not on your side, then do you really think you'd still be standing?"
* "Now now, I'm a monster, remember? What's a little war to a murderer?"
* "Fighting for a cause is what gets people dismembered and killed, and neither of those prospects appeal to me right now."
* "There is no good left in me, little songbird, so stop looking. Instead, you should think about running before you lose any more friends... or blood."
* "Fine. Justice it is. But you come with me."