[@Jbcool]
And here he is. Fair warning to those of you who mentioned elves earlier, his race is based on the nordic version of light elves. What can I say? *shrug* I like to use mythology for inspiration.

[hider=Amaranth Loe'Kyn]
[color=a187be]Amaranth comes from a race of people where skin pigmentation widely varies, not just relegated to the usual variations of brown white and cream, but also such colors as reds, blues, green, and purples. Even silver or metallic pigmentation. Eye colors are much the same as skin. Amaranth himself, however, has an appearance that is closer to human, but his mismatched gold and violet eyes, pointed canines and slightly pointed ears give him away. As well as his incredible height of six feet, eight inches. His long, straight black hair has nine braids on his dominant right side, while the left has six and it accentuates high cheekbones, strong jawline and slightly crooked nose, and has the same violet tint that his tawny skin does, and his lean frame boasts of broad shoulders, slim hips and sleek muscle. His pupils expand and contract like those of a cat, allowing him to see with very little light.

Amaranth's home planet, Ga'iya, is similar to Earth, but is in much much better shape due to it's inhabitants having a great respect for the flora and fauna, and having a deep connection as well. The connection is so deep that it's genetic, allowing many Ga'iyan's the ability to shapechange into animals native there, or to take on the qualities of stone or bark or some other such thing. Their main, humanoid shapes usually have at least two characteristics of their secondary shapes, like slit pupils, pointed ears, long canine teeth, and sometimes even a tail or gills. Only a few have ever been recorded as having wings in their main shape before. Amaranth's secondary shape is what his people call a Shadowpelt-a huge black cat that's eight feet long and six feet tall. it resembles the Earthen Panther, but unlike that cat, it does not have any of the darker spots. Only a tint to it's fur that matches whatever tint is in the main shape's hair. It's roughly 1200 pounds.

Many of his people are a nomadic, often wandering around Ga'iya, but many who do not like to wander as much as their brothers and sisters keep up the cities and imports, and they have strict rules regarding how one uses what the plants and animals provide. The punishment for breaking one of those rules or many is often harsh, and teaches respect for their home, if not an understanding of what it means to take care of the flora and fauna. Even those who are not nomadic live in tribes or groups, and they have a sort of police force called the Whards, who act much like Rangers do, protecting the forests, animals and natural resources, and bringing any rule breakers to the towns for justice.

Not only do they practice forestry, the have public amphitheaters where they teach fine arts, medicine, mathematics, sciences, weaponry, hand to hand combat and foreign languages. There are many different dialects of the main language of Ga'iya, and Amaranth was always quick at picking them up, often translating for visitors. His mother, seeing his natural talent, sent him to the amphitheaters to learn the different languages of the Empire, though they themselves are not part of it. There, he has learned ten different languages as well as weaponry and combat, both of which he excels at.

The technology on Ga'iya is one of the top kinds, but they don't have cities made of it, preferring to use it to carve homes out of trees, mountains and hardened earth. They use them for weapons and educational tools, especially in the medical realms, and none of them use fire or artificial chemicals, instead using many of the deadly toxins that can be found around almost every corner, which is why they advise visitors not to eat something that they have found unless a guide or host says it is okay to eat. Many a visitor has been found in the paved stone streets, dead, foaming at the mouth, unnaturally blue skinned or having their limbs twisted at impossible angles, all results of eating one of the toxic plants.

Ga'iyans have many traditions such as the belief that all good things come in multiples of three, and many Ga'iyans distinguish their main profession by how many small braids they put into their hair on their dominant side. One braid is a student of the amphitheater, two braids indicate one of the fine arts, which is then distinguished by how many smaller braids that the two main ones divide into, three is a medical professional, four is a scientist, five is a teacher, six is a warrior, seven is a weapons master, eight is a Whard, and nine is a linguist. on their non dominant side, they put their second profession.

Seeing that there was not many things he could do linguistically at home, he left to see what he could do. Not wanting to get stuck in the contracts that so often screw the employee, he sent word out to the mercenary circles that he was a willing fighter and translator looking for work. He also let them know that he was a Ga'iyan capable of turning into a huge cat that could bite someone's head off with little to no effort.

He has heightened senses, agility flexibility and strength, his healing is 3x faster than that of a human, but healing still takes time, and his shadowpelt form has lethally sharp claws and teeth. However, extreme smells, sounds and light can make him feel ill, and his shadowpelt is as prone to injury as his human shape.[/color]
[hider=Shadowpelt]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/QC9pjzO.gif[/img]
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