[i]Name:[/i] Vol Lok Ra [i]Aliases:[/i] the Liar King, Scaleforger, Old Snake [i]Race:[/i] Unknown [i]Gender:[/i] Dependant on form [i]Age:[/i] Ancient. Claims to be millions of years old. [i]Occupation:[/i] Generally fucking with stuff. [hider=Appearance] [i]Physical appearance:[/i] As a shapeshifter, Vol Lok Ra has no constant form. Long ago, it possessed endless forms, but after the loss of its empire, it has been restricted to three variants. - Human form: Vol can take on the shape of a human between 3 and 7 feet in height, weighing anywhere from 35 to 350 pounds. Features, pigments, and athleticism can be chosen from normal ranges. Although it is capable of matching virtually every aspect of the human form, Vol does so instinctively, making it difficult (but not impossible) for it to deliberately match the appearance of an already existing human. - Avian form: Vol can take on the shape of a bird with a wingspan between 2 and 8 feet, weighing anywhere from 3 to 15 kg. This form can vary to incorporate aspects of different birds, but is limited to those that fly (cannot fully mimic ostriches or other flightless birds). - Lizard king form: The shape Vol took when he ruled over an empire in days long past, and his usual shape for combat. This shape is a large, reptilian humanoid with jet-black scales, standing 8'6'' high and weighing 650 lbs. It has sharp teeth, small eyes, a roughly triangular head, and a long, prehensile tail. This form can speak like a human, but its voice is deep and grating. [img]http://i.imgur.com/qXaZZ7d.jpg[/img] [/hider] [hider=Backstory] [i]Backstory:[/i] Vol says it was around since before the beginning of time. Before the world, before the gods, before anything. Can it be believed? Perhaps, but the moniker of the Liar King is not unearned. The past of this strange shapeshifter is shrouded in mystery, mostly due to the falsehoods the being itself has spread. About its origins, nothing is certain, only that it has been around since before mammals had even developed the use of tools. Vol's stories and lies have spread far and wide throughout the ages, and there are many old legends telling of his exploits, if one knows where to look. All share a common theme: the shapeshifter daringly reaching for power and knowledge beyond its grasp, challenging the mightiest and cleverest beings around for the greatest of prizes. Sometimes it won, sometimes it lost, the stories often vary and disagree. One thing is clear, however: Vol never died, nor did it give up. Cunning and tenacious, it remained a thorn in the side of every set of gods that sought to rule its world. Until the day it grew to close to becoming a mortal. A few thousand years back, the shapeshifter happened upon a pitiful race of lizardfolk, struggling to survive during a harsh time of change and turbulence. Seeing a possibly useful tool in them, Vol took their form, becoming a male, and joined them, blending in with the dwindling populace and gradually winning them over with his intelligence and fearlessness. The trickster now had followers, but they were weak and short-lived. The ancient Vol sought to change this, and began a dangerous heist. Seeking out three mighty elemental gods, he tricked them one by one, conning them into granting gifts to his people in exchange for souls they would never receive. His plan succeeded, with a few minor hitches, and the lizardfolk obtained eternal life, titanic strength, and incredibly durable scales. With newfound power and confidence, Vol's people spread and prospered, forming a mighty empire with the shapeshifter at their head. Through them, Vol was able to expand his influence to an unparalleled extent, to the point where godhood itself seemed to be within his grasp. However, even as he used his people to further his own desires, he grew closer to them. Ruling the lizardfolk required living among them, and over the years, Vol began to feel empathy, closeness, even affection for his loyal subjects. While his might grew further and further above that of mere mortals, his heart pulled the other way, seeding doubts in his mind that perhaps his path was wrong, perhaps he ought to be content simply living on as the lizard king. The choice was never to be made, however, for Vol's activities had not gone unnoticed. He had made many enemies over the previous millenia, and none of them liked what they saw in his newfound power and followers. Banding together, all of the shapeshifter's enemies descended upon his empire. A host of gods and demons, spirits and abominations, ascended beings and elemental forces, moving together in a storm of fury and vengeance. Once upon a time, Vol would have simply run away, as he had done so many times before. It was a course of action that had served him well over countless centuries, and would likely have worked here, if he were cunning enough. But somewhere along the line, Vol had changed. Where it had once been callous and selfish, caring only for itself, it was now a he, and he would not sacrifice his own people just for the sake of survival. Instead of turning and fleeing, the lizard king stood and fought, challenging the almighty horde head-on in order to buy the lizardfolk time to scatter across the world, hiding away so that they might survive. Mighty as he was, it was a hopeless fight. The forces arrayed against him were so great that they would have inevitalby torn him apart, and done the same to his soul after that. Indeed, the mass of gods and monsters came expecting and easy victory- but Vol did not stand alone. Disobeying his commands, the shapeshifter's adopted people came to his rescue, throwing themselves into battle with the same bravery that Vol had won them over with so long ago. Greeting them with a sad smile, their king led them to their glorious end. It is said that the world itself trembled that day, as two armies of strength beyond measure clashed against one another with unmatched fury. The details of this terrifying conflict are forever lost, for what observer could possibly have survived to record it? The outcome, however, was clear. At the end of the day, the surviving gods and demons limped away, forever scarred- and of Vol and his lizardfolk, nothing remained. Some say the story ends there. Could it have? It certainly seems fitting, the ancient immortal trickster sacrificing itself in vain out of loyalty to its children. The canny scholar, however, knows otherwise. There are clues, small hints that may be tracked across the histories of different worlds, signs of a cunning and steadfast hand at work, one that may be recognized by those old enough to remember. How? Why? None can tell. But one thing is clear: the stories and lies of Vol Lok Ra have not yet met their end... [/hider] [hider=Magic and fighting-relevant stuff] [i]Powers and abilities:[/i] [i]Telepafuckery:[/i] Vol keeps its consciousness masked behind layers of decoy thoughts and signals. This allows it to feed false information to anyone attempting to read its mind or track its psychic footprint, as well as intercept and eliminate any attempts to seize control of its consciousness, alter its thoughts, or communicate with it telepathically. Though it cannot form a psychic or telepathic connection on its own, Vol can use those established by others to mount its own mental attacks. [i]Trickster's Skin:[/i] Though it has far fewer forms than it did in the past, Vol can still transform extremely quickly between its current variations. Each has their own uses. - Human form: may be very athletic, but otherwise has no abilities beyond those of ordinary humans. - Avian form: very light, capable of flight, often posesses a sharp beak and talons. Also has exceptional eyesight. - Lizard king form: large and heavy, armored with thick layers of tough black scales all over its body. Extremely strong, with sharp teeth and claws, and a powerful bite. Also has a long, prehensile tail (which is a bit weaker than the main body) and a good sense of smell. Very resistant to high temperatures. [i]Trickster's Palm:[/i] Can 'palm' small to medium-sized inanimate objects upon contact, pulling them into a pocket dimension roughly the same size as his body (in lizard king form). While palmed, objects are placed in stasis, and do not age, lose energy, or change in any way. Vol can release palmed objects at will, at which point they will appear to emerge from its skin. By default, he keeps a gallon of water and three cubic feet of solid steel palmed, as well as a change of clothes. [i]Thur's Strength:[/i] Vol can siphon mass from nearby rocks, sediments and minerals, and temporarily transfer this to itself or objects it is touching. [i]Dal's Swiftness:[/i] Vol can siphon velocity from nearby air currents, and temporaily transfer this to itself or objects it is touching. [i]Shim's Cunning:[/i] Vol can siphon light from nearby water (including seawater and dirty water), allowing it to see what is reflected therein. [i]Lok's Forge:[/i] Vol is capable of slightly altering properties of solid metals upon contact, increasing or decreasing their hardness, flexibility, and temperature. It can also completely control the shape of molten metals while in contact with them. The same control also applies to metals it can access through a metal channel (for instance, if Vol is holding a steel pole and dips it in a pool of molten iron, it can control the molten iron). The greater the amount of metal being forged and the higher the speed of alteration, the more exertion and focus is required. [/hider]