[hider=Fiadh] Name: Fiadh (FEE-a) Gender: Female Race: Human (Cursed) Age: 25 [hr] Appearance: Fiadh switches between two forms. Her normal form is passably human so she can blend into a crowd, but restricts her powers unlike her cursed form. In her normal form she is an even six feet tall, or 182 centimeters, with a muscular build. She has dark red hair that descends to her shoulders and hazel eyes, past that, her features become inhuman. Covering her body at various spots are emerald scales, her mouth is filled with sharp teeth like that of a carnivore and her hands in feet end in claw like nails. She also has a pair of bony protrusions on her back with another behind her hips, which will eventually grow into wings and a tail. Fiadh tries to hide these features with her clothes. Typically wearing a hoodie or jacket, blue jeans, steel toed boots, and a pair of tactical gloves. She also wears the gold coin which cursed her on a necklace, she never parts with this. Her cursed form has her covered in the emerald scales, her head elongates to resemble a European dragon, a pair of wings emerges from her back, and she sprouts a tail that is as long as roughly half her standing height. In this form, she stands on digitigrade legs at an impressive ten feet or 304 centimeters tall. At least that is how she currently looks, as her curse progresses both forms will become less human and more draconic. [hr] Personality: Fiadh is bold and impulsive, finding that risky ventures often bear great rewards. Her curse has filled her with covetous thoughts, and when something catches her eye, she tends to obsess over it. Ever an opportunist, she can find ways to make bad situations result in her favor. At times, her thoughts become more paranoid and may be reflected in her behavior. Lastly, she is very defensive and she is quick to display aggression against perceived threats or slights [hr] Power: Fiadh was cursed for her greed and bound to the coin she stole. She is driven by a voice in her head to obtain things by any means and hoard them for herself. As she succumbs to this desire, she slowly morphs more and more into a dragon, a symbol of the very covetous desires that led her to this fate. So far, she has amassed a… humble hoard, and thus well on her way to her new form. Draconic Physiology – Fiadh can endure more trauma and has the strength and agility that borders on peak human fitness, possibly a little bit further. She also possesses deadly teeth and claws, and an improved sense of smell and sight. She is also inured to disease, poisons, venom, and other similar things that would impair or harm her. Lastly, she is resistant to high temperatures and can comfortably reside in all but the hottest fires. Toxic Breath – The paranoia and covetous nature of her curse manifests in the very air she exhales. She is capable of generating a toxin carried by the air via her nose and mouth that induces exhaustion and weakness with physical contact in most people. The toxins are also highly flammable but she has no method to exploit this without external factors. BEHOLD! My stuff. – Fiadh’s power is proportional to the size and value of her ‘dragon hoard’. Since golden coins are not a common currency in the modern world, she has had to improvise. She has a sixth sense for things that are magical in nature, incredibly valuable, or otherwise notable. Whenever she obtains the object, she passively imprints her curse on the object and binds it to her. So long as no other individual possesses the object, she is able to draw energy from the object regardless of distance and empowers herself. She is able to sense where objects in her hoard are regardless of distance and if anyone so much as touches any of it. When present with her hoard, Fiadh is capable of quickly regenerating wounds. Cursed Form: Fiadh is capable of using her curse to shift into a form more capable of dealing with any threats. Her strength increases to superhuman levels, able to toss cars around with moderate difficulty, she is capable of manifesting more lethal toxic breath, and her wings allow for limited flight. While in this form, she displays increased paranoia and aggression. [hr] Limitations: Fiadh is not fully accustomed to her draconic form. She does not understand her own strength and has accidentally crushed door handles on multiple occasions, her movements are awkward and while she can jump very high and glide, she cannot fly. Transforming to her cursed form is time consuming and painful as her flesh is torn, altered, and rearranged. Transforming back is easier but she is usually left in a state of fatigue. The toxins she exhales dissipates quickly in the air and is only effective in close range to the target. Flaws/weaknesses: Fiadh is cold blooded, even in her (mostly) human form. While she is very capable of retaining heat in her body, she is vulnerable to hypothermia at higher temperatures than the average human. Fiadh’s curse ties her to her hoard, a treasure she guards lest a thief abscond with a trinket. If someone possess a treasure from her hoard, she is bound to not willingly harm them physically so long as they still possess said treasure. She may attempt to reclaim her treasure or harm the individual through proxy however. [hr] Skills/Talants: Fiadh has the uncanny ability to tell the retail or black-market price of any object by sight. She also can quickly find the best deals and discounts for said objects. Knowledge is a treasure of the mind, Fiadh seeks to learn about topics both scientific and occult when nothing more physical proves tantalizing. [hr] Background/Bio: There was little to note about Fiadh’s life before her affliction. Just another person with slightly unrealistic ambitions. Like most people with dreams, this Irish lass needed money, and a lot of it. Fiadh ventured into a forest one day, but fate or perhaps mere chance determined that she would have an extraordinary encounter. Deep in the woods, she happened upon a “pot o’ gold and a wee lad”, though the lad dressed the part he did not look quite like the mascot on a box of Lucky Charms. The leipreachán, perhaps sensing her desire for treasure, welcomed Fiadh with a sinister smile and offered her a game of wits in exchange for a few golden coins if she wins or but a few mere strands of hair if she loses. Being confident of her cleverness, she agreed and quickly won a few coins from the fey. He, however was not dismayed as he sensed she was not satisfied and was hungry for more, so he offered another match for greater stakes, wanting a thumb and pinky finger if she loses or offering a handful of coins if she wins. Fiadh knew that fey were mischievous but she was more confident of her own abilities and agreed, winning again. Game after game was won and Fiadh became greedier and greedier till the fey offered the final game. If she won, she would gain a treasure that would lead her to other treasures, if she loses, they fey gets her soul. Fiadh’s greed and confidence made her accept as the fey planned. With a sinister laugh he revealed the rules to this new game, carefully curated to be unwinnable. Fiadh however, proved to be wittier than they fey imagined. She realizes that if she plays the leipreachán’s game that there would be no way to win and that it is too late to not play… but it was not too late to play the game but with her own rules. As long as he thought, the fey could not dismantle her logic or reasoning to the changes, and was forced to lose. But they Fey do not like losing, true to his word, he offered her a ‘treasure that would lead her to other treasures’ but therein lies his cruelty. As soon as Fiadh touched the coin offered to her, she was cursed. The fey taunted her “Try as you may, try as you might. There is no way out of this blight. I curse you for never satisfying your greed. To assume a form more in line with your desire is guaranteed. Because you cheated me it brings me great pleasure, when you learn what I mean when this guides you to treasure.” As the consequences of her greed and the reason why it is not a good idea to trick the fey dawned on her, she found herself alone. But not quite like normal. Some thoughts she had were not her own. It was in her own voice, and said in a way like she would, but it suggested her to do things she would not have thought of before. It showed her the value of things she never knew they had. At first, it was a boon. She could get good deals on things, and resale them for a profit. She would find things lost in the grass or sidewalk. Quickly, however, did the blessing turn. She began to think, how easy it would be to pickpocket that silver watch with a distraction and deft hands. How easy it would be to deceive others on the value of things she resold. Then it became less about the money. She found herself selling things less often, and keeping them more and more. Hoarding them, piling them together. She also found herself becoming... something else. She wondered why she kept cutting her tongue and mouth while eating before discovering her teeth became sharp as knives. She found her skin becoming scaly in some places. She began to distrust people; they just act friendly to get to her stuff. She found her words becoming toxic, sometimes literally. At times she lamented as to the person she used to be. At others, she finds herself more comfortable like this. Sometimes, she found herself only remotely human. The frequency increasing in proportion to the size and value of her hoard. She realizes the nature of her curse, but…maybe it is a blessing. As her condition progresses, she finds herself more capable of amassing treasure which furthers her condition which allows her to swell her hoard and so on and so on. At times, she wonders when will it be enough. How much material gain does she need to be satisfied? At others, she ponders if the satisfaction is in the act of doing and not necessarily the end. Or maybe, she is finding happiness in the wrong thing. There is a place, Grailham City, which offers a fresh start on life. Perhaps, she could try a hand at this ‘hero-ing’ thing. She has been serving herself for years and finding herself unsatisfied, perhaps satisfaction may be found in selfless acts and admiration of others. Perhaps she can turn this curse into a boon. [hr] Dragon’s Hoard – Fiadh’s hoard value is currently at $256,782.32 USD. This value is divided between $35,000 worth of gold coins, $42,000 worth of gems, jewels, and jewelry, $100,000 worth of rare books both mundane and occult, $83,000 worth of art, and the remaining value divided amongst various other categories. It currently occupies the majority of living space in her one-bedroom apartment and despite its appearance, Fiadh finds it very comfortable to sleep on. [/hider]