Hortus

Hortus is a character in *BERZERK!* He is part of The Team, a government sponsored group of young heroes that is maintained by Origin.

## Early-Life

   Eric Cameron grew up in the middle of Arizona, in a small town 50 miles from the nearest gas station. He spent most of his days outside in the sun, fascinated by what little flora there was to examine in Arizona. His father was never in the picture, and his mother was somewhat disinterested in him. Even at school, Eric was usually left alone, but he didn't mind. Eric had grown used to isolation, and often preferred it.
With not many friends to talk to and absent parents, spent his time studying. He would read books and watch videos all focusing on plants. Growing plants, maintaining plants, harvesting plants, the art of plants, anything plant related. He wished for something greener and healthier to look at other than the sand and caliche of the Arizona desert.

## Discovering Powers

Eric discovered his powers while resting in the sun one day. He had closed his eyes and dreamt of what grass might feel like, and when he opened his eyes, it was right underneath him. At first only being able to grow grass.

On a school trip to Phoenix, Arizona, he slipped away to go to a florist and buy an assortment of different plant seeds. With these seeds, he later learned how to control roots, trees, vines, etc. He would also pot some of these plants, so he would be able to study and research them. During the beginning, he kept his powers a secret from his mother. He was afraid of how she might react when she found out. This was rather easy for him, as his mother didn't pay much attention to him anyway.

## Joining The Team

Chance had it that one day, when Eric wasn't expecting it, his mother decided to take interest in the activities of her son. One unsuspecting afternoon, Eric's mom secretly followed Eric into the desert where he would practice controlling his powers. Seeing what her son could do, she ran back home, and contacted the local military.

Within an hour of contacting the military, Origin arrived at her doorstep. She agreed to send Eric away with Origin, where he was trained to harness his abilities. This might be the first time she was ever proud of her son. She thought that she would be putting Eric into something that would be both good for him, and the greater community. When Eric returned home, he was forced to go with Origin to begin his training. Origin's tough love approach did not sit well with Eric, and he faced much abuse and hardship during his early training years that molded his impenetrable emotional exterior.

## Powers and Abilities

Hortus has plant based abilities. As his powers grew, he also gained a stronger connectivity to plants and their biology.

* **Chlorokinesis:** Hortus has the ability to control plants at will. These plants can be used to attack, defend, or be harvested for whatever he sees fit. Hortus is able to grow plants in environments that the plant can not usually survive in. However, if he were to abandon or leave that plant, it will not be able to survive.
* **Soil Healing:** Hortus is able to heal himself with soil. The more nutrient rich the soil, the faster he will heal. His skin must be making direct contact with the soil in order to heal.

## Weaknesses

Since Hortus's powers are plant based, his powers can be altered based on the conditions in which a plant can grow.

* **Fire**: Hortus's plants can not grow in fire, due to burning. Due to his connection with the earth as well, Hortus grows weak around fire as-well.
* **Weedkiller/Poison**: Any toxin that can harm plants can also harm Hortus.
* **Lack of Light**: Hortus needs a daily quota of light a day in order to properly function.
	+ A reverse of this is, the more light at Hortus's disposal, the more powerful he is.

## Paraphernalia

* **Soil and Water Vials**: Used to patch wounds and heal.
* **Seed Packs:** Seeds that can be tossed and grow instantly into different types of plants, for combat and protection purposes.

## Trivia

* Hortus's favorite band is Joy Division.
* Hortus always sleeps in socks and hates being barefoot unless he's touching grass or dirt.
* As decided by Amy, the Taylor Swift songs that best reflect Hortus are, "Dancing With Our Hands Tied" and "Holy Ground," and his album is *Folklore.*
	+ One of Hortus's lines in the play begins with, "Green was the color of the grass," which is a lyric from Taylor Swift's song, "invisible string."
* When originally created Hortus, Will drew inspiration from the character Jed in Lanford Wilson's *Fifth of July* and Josh himself.
	+ When Josh was cast as Hortus for the initial Equinox reading in early November, Josh was worried that he wouldn't read for the character. Will later told Josh that they had him in mind when writing the script.