It happened all in the blink of an eye, before the hybrid could conjure a reaction. This sickening heir of pure terror lurking just behind him. In a rare feat, Tharr defied his inherent warrior disposition of facing the threat head on. Instead, he retained his usual tranquility, only twisting his minor portion so the monster would fall under peripheral vision. The round, black pupils would not peer directly at the Magna Pater, but dangerously close nevertheless.
"What pits of Hell did you emerge from?" The avian feline addressed nonchalantly, feeling his usual diplomacy would fall on deaf ears. His body was still like a statue, all focus pinpointed on his foe. Though his words weren't ridden with fear, another sensation seldom experienced so quickly took place. Tharr's strength rivaled his hubris at times, though he was well aware when not to let such lead to his demise. This was different. His duo of hearts within their respective torsos were pounding from adrenaline at the thought of combating such ferocity. The thrill of combat flooding through him awarded a small stockpile of hidden energy for further use.
[Combat Reserve +4]
As his heart rate returned to normal, a light snort escaped the nares of his bill, feline tail swaying laterally as if ready to strike. With his back against his foe, the tools of Tharraleos remain aplenty. Not only was the extensive, steel-tipped club he was swinging about now, but above it was a fan of razor edged tail feathers ready to flare out into a semicircle. The wings acting as his minor upper arms could assist, as well as deadly bucking kicks with the use of his formidable talons. It seems defense was his first priority, and test the abilities of creature thing while doing so in this fight of life or death.
Combat Reserve = 4 Pride Reserve = 0 Turns to decrease - 3
Sounds fair enough. It gives us this epic standoff the beasts will face, which sounds like a fun time. Gives Griffy a few moments to enjoy his limbs while he has them.
Also, feel free to ask about any questions about the Reserves thing. I think I portrayed it coherently in my spoiler tag. Lemme know if otherwise.
Forgot to tag, as always. But this shall be interesting. Something tells me I might've bit off more than I can chew with this one, but it should be nevertheless entertaining. Best of luck.
Age: Tharraleos has lived for over five thousand years resulting from his aging process being highly decelerated
Species: Aerasginero Griffintaur
Gender: Male
Minor height: 8 feet tall (ears not included)
Minor weight: 700 pounds
Major height: 10 feet
Major length: 24 feet long (tail not included)
Major weight: 1,900 pounds.
IQ and intelligence: 215. Despite this, he has never had much formal education. His IQ has come from his centuries of existence and knowledge he has acquired throughout his extensive life. Since he has lived across the world for many centuries, he has mastered numerous different languages as a result
Sexual orientation: Asexual
Occupation: Fighter. Tharr partakes in a number of fighting tournaments yearly and earns a good amount of prize money.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Dominant paw: Ambidextrous
Primary language: Greek
Diet: Carnivorous
Residence: Tharr has no consistent living situation. He primarily finds above or underground shelter within the mountain range of whatever region he's in. He's found in deep bodies of water less often. During his time making these places his temporary home, he becomes a protective guardian of sorts for the area, shielding it from outside harm.
Hobbies and talents: Training his mind, body and soul for combat occupies a majority of his time. Aside from battle, he is quite the skilled poet, often converting his experiences throughout his life into poems of various types. Tharraleos is an adept yoga practitioner. It keeps his mind and spirit clear and is a crucial component of his training among other meditative practices.
Likes: Tharraleos prides himself in excellent hygiene, and this is most evident in his love of extended bathing. Whatever areas of clean, natural water he finds among his travels are almost always visited. Aged wine is his other luxury of his and enjoys a wide variety of such on an almost day to day basis. Even more evident is his affinity for travelling. Tharr is in constant search of adventure whether to seek worthy combatants, or simply a change of scenery to further his wisdom.
Dislikes: Weak or inexperienced opponents irritate Tharraleos to the point of boredom. He also despises losing a battle only if he didn't try with all his might. Modern technology is also something he despises, although this may pass much like it has with previous advancements in technology. Phones, computers and anything of the like are useless tools for Tharraleos and while he does have the ability to adapt to them quite easily, he prefers to ignore them entirely.
Personality: Despite his affinity for combat, Tharraleos is rather amicable towards many issues, occasionally to the point of apathy. He is habitually unconcerned with the problems of others simply out of sheer disinterest. Tharr is a stubborn beast who believes his way of approaching things to be ideal. It is not easy to change his mind, just as it isn't easy to convince him he is wrong or he should care about a particular issue. He’s largely content to let the troubles of the world pass him by and doesn’t bother with issues other than his own. Tharraleos feels at peace with himself and will assist those who grasp his intrigue to the best of his ability. He however, is still mostly indifferent with the entire perspective compared to his objects of interest. He overall does what’s necessary for survival and holds little care for anything at all.
If Tharr has spent an abundance of time in one place, restlessness will likely ensue and he will yearn for the opportunity to travel. He has a desire to see the world and experience its mystery. Tharraleos seldom has a destination and revels in the journey itself above all else. He often has trouble maintaining focus and interest on a single topic. He commonly multitasks and gets bored quickly unless the subject appeals to him enough. It’s difficult to anger him as he takes very few slights to heart.
Notwithstanding his docile nature, Tharraleos will lash out swiftly, violently, and with intent to end the problem for good if provoked. He has a very clear sense of ownership, property, and commitment with notable emphasis on these traits. Breaking a vow to a him is often an unforgivable offense. Undeniably honorable, he lives his by his words and this designation holds great merit.
He is extremely confident, though in a more stoic and less outspoken manner. Although he has a strong sense of self-worth and may express it in a particularly abrasive form of self-righteousness. He generally views himself above others and often uses the term “mortal” to those he perceives as below him. He's well aware of his hypocrisy as Tharr is no immortal being and has only a much extended lifespan. Even with instances of high amounts of hubris and strength, he never proclaims to harbor any Godly or otherworldly power. In actuality, he detests such a notion with no intention of seeking it.
His prideful disposition extends further than this as Tharr views himself as a beautiful creature, frequently grooming himself to maintain his appearance and almost always admires himself should the opportunity present itself. There can even be moments where he can become frustrated at an individual if they cause any disorder in his appearance, more so if said individual is aware of this fact and their actions are intentional. With his affinity for battle and vanity combined with his mutative abilities, he's formed a passion of altering his body to become more of a weapon than it already was, while also keeping his original appearance mostly untouched.
He has a natural warrior-like mentality, preferring to fight stronger opponents rather than weaker ones and generally shows reluctance to fight those he considers weaker than himself. Taking one’s life is often perceived as an act of humility as he harbors no jurisdiction on an individual's life. Although this is bypassed under certain circumstances or if it's simply the only option. Tharraleos has incredible amounts of courage, both physically and mentally. That being said, he has the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation with no problem. He can easily face physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death. He acts rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement. Tharraleos is not one to usually take the role of leader. When applicable, he more enjoys being the backbone or enforcer of a group. If this position is given to him and he has no other option than to accept, his natural born leadership is shown. This is when his fondness for impassioned speeches is seen to boost the morale of his followers and to bestow them his immense knowledge.
Physical description: Stemming from a mutation, Tharraleos has two conjoined lion bodies making up his frame. The result of this is a bipedal torso (minor) attached to a quadruped body (major) where the head would normally be. He is a large, majestic and robust warrior, sporting a lithe, very toned physique throughout that's built to supplement power, agility and flexibility. Despite exceeding five thousand years of age, he has the appearance of one in their late twenties or early thirties. Additionally, he is rather well mannered not only in speech and gestures, but in posture as well. He is almost always seen with his neck and back perfectly straight be it sitting or standing. Tharr's fur and feathers are very well maintained and gives him an overall plush and downy appearance. When either are dampened, the moisture can be absorbed into his body for further use. Pampering himself to such a degree has a most favorable hidden purpose. Each patch of hair and every individual feather has gone under natural painstaking reinforcement growth over many years for varying purposes while still serving their intended functions. While they are soft to the touch and flow in the lightest of breezes, their density rivals steel and notably heavier, though the added weight is hardly an issue for Tharraleos. This means, in essence, he's constantly equipped with a natural, all-encompassing armor and helmet so long as he upkeeps them.
Both bodies have hardened, stone-like pink skin covered mostly in medium length, tan colored fur. Excluding this is his head and neck in which white plumage is covered throughout; crowned with a prominent, beige recumbent crest and brow-level widow's peak. The lore is featherless and features a light gray loreal stripe. A small band of white feathers form behind his eyes to cover his ear openings. These auriculars were gradually able to extend into a pair of feathered horns that give him an added three feet in height. They protrude half a foot out from the sides of his head before sharply curving upwards at near right angles for their remaining two and a half feet of length. They end off at defined points and aren't connected to his auditory receptors, although such is possible and furthers the scope of his hearing. These lighter colored feathers are contoured and protect him from the elements. An abundance of russet pelage loops around and connects to the bottom of his neck feathers that hangs from his shoulders and forms a dense and overly tufted mane of fur covering the breadth of his chest, ending at a point right above his stomach. Streaks of blond and black are present throughout with the reddish hue of the main color being much more visible in brighter lighting.
Bony and angled ridges are seen protruding just above his eyes that give Tharr a perpetual scowl. His eyes are mostly avian in appearance and function, blinking upwards as a result. He possesses black, round and large pupils with yellow irises and the sclera hidden below his eyelid. A piercing and rigid gaze is the expression these eyes primarily convey. His nictitating membrane can be seen on the inner corners of his eyes. Mostly translucent in appearance, this third eyelid sweeps horizontally across the entirety of his eyes and offers additional protection. This serves to moisturize his eyes or to clear debris while not hindering vision.
A wide assortment of long, arched and goldenrod whiskers protrude from each cheek. Identical but much lesser and shorter whiskers hang just above each of his eyes. His beak has a cream colored cere with bright gold making up the rest and a pronounced hook forming at the tip. A pair of ovoid nares are visible at the base that lead to his respiratory system. These nares can become solidified and sealed air tight at any given moment. They are essentially replaced by a quintet of elongated, narrow and diagonal openings appearing on each side of his bill closer to the front. These act as gills and allow him to breathe underwater while making surface air hazardous. Thin gaps can be seen along the middle of both the top and bottom of the beak as well. This is because Tharr's mandibles are naturally a set of quadrants, which ultimately bestows much more range with his bite. Dwelling within his rostrum is a pink, elongated and forked triangular tongue with longitudinal ridges. These ridges serve to guide food down the throat. There is also an adjustable hole in the tongue that closes in the midst of swallowing. It also acts as a vent that lets in variable amounts of air to increase the entry of air to the lungs during flight. It additionally grants increased airflow for temperature regulation during days of searing heat. Hidden with his bill is a series of protractible twenty eight feline teeth. Four molars and eight premolars are his carnassials. They're a highly effective, self-sharpening slicer and is his primary source to chew food. Seven inches in length are his four notable fangs in place of canine teeth. Between his fangs are twelve much smaller incisors that are arranged in the middle of his beak and are utilized for increased grip on prey. While his teeth are unsheathed, Tharr has the inability to close his bill fully until he retracts them. They're also displayed in a way that the four parted mandibles have identical distribution of seven teeth.
Tharr has four arms adorning his bipedal body. The upper pair are expansive, lofty feathered wings with a full span of ninety feet. When not in use, they fold along the sides and back of his full frame with a few feet extending past him. Multiple layers of small, contoured, plumage make up the base with much larger flight feathers outlining the bottom. Twelve primaries attach at the metacarpal and phalangeal bones at the far end of each wing that are responsible for forward thrust. Sixteen secondaries hang from the ulnas that are necessary for lift. A much more elongated band of six tertiaries arise on the brachial region and are not considered true remiges. They aren't supported by attachment to the humerus bone. These true tertials act as a protective cover for all the folded primaries and secondaries. Both the ventral and dorsal sides are solid black in coloration. He has enough dexterity in these aviary appendages to be used as fully functioning extremities; stretching, extending and manipulation of his plumage as coils and digits to interact with items of interest. The ends can twist into a makeshift fist for either combat or as an optional form of ranged, bipedal movement.
The lower pair are more akin to a lion’s; covered in tawny fur and well-muscled. Large and powerful paws with pale tan totipalmate webbing across all digits are the furthermost parts of these limbs. These have five digits each, including a dewclaw that provides extra grip on prey. Though this thumb-like digit is not opposable, resulting in an alternate way to handle everyday objects. Soft, load bearing brown pads are present on each paw, including digital pads on all of his digits, palmar pads on his palms and carpal pads for added traction. Hidden within his paws is a natural weapon for him. Protractible claws can be unleashed from all digits at any time and are five inches in length. As a result of extensive refinement, the claws of Tharraleos are not only as sharp as a knife, but have sturdiness that prevents breakage.
The forelimbs of his major body are nearly indistinguishable from his furred arms barring the scaled up size. His hindlegs are fully covered in black feathers and each have a thick, golden yellow tarsus starting at his knees. The feet of these limbs are a pair of golden yellow anisodactyl talons with pale yellow lobate webbing across the four digits. Gold scutes are present on the anterior surface of the metatarsus. Long, curved and black claws protrude from each deeply clefted toe. The digittrade nature of these talons and paws results in him walking mostly on his toes with the posterior part of the foot raised.
Tharraleos bears a duo of tails separately connected at the rear of his quadruped body. They move independently from each other and can rotate to place one on the other. Their respective purposes coincide, but much more freedom is given to the tail on top and in this way, their positions shift varying on the circumstance. The feline tail gives an added twenty feet in length. Its color is tan brown much like the rest of him and is tipped with a large and thick tuft of black fur that also acts as a club for use as a blunt weapon. It aids in balance, frequently shifts about and typically takes precedence while grounded. The fan of tail feathers is wedge shaped and slightly shorter at fourteen feet. This avian tail can also flare out to the sides in the form of a semicircle, typically while atop the other tail in air or sea. The ends of his rectrices have been crafted to harbor bladed properties. The flight feathers are white in color with a black, covert base. Due to oil from oil from the uropygial gland at the base of his tail feathers, the feathers of his wings shimmer slightly under bright light.
His mannerisms are no different from birds and cats, though his movements when in motion are equine-like with minor and major bodies nearly acting as rider and steed respectively. This is primarily seen with a four-beat walk following a set sequence and alternating between having three or two feet on the ground. The "neck" of his major portion moves in a slight bobbing motion to maintain balance. Other gaits include paces, trots, canters and gallops.
Abilities
Enhanced Condition: Tharraleos possesses prime physical and mental condition, enabling one hundred percent usage of both his muscles and brain.
Each individual limb is abnormally strong, physically unique and has been weaponized in some way to increase combat performance to its fullest. Powerful shockwaves can be produced by clapping his minor paws together with great force. His immense body prowess and hardened skin provides great durability from physical attacks; able to endure an upwards of twenty tons of pressure. His legs can be used to send him leaping incredible distances, covering frighteningly tall heights or vast expanses and landing without harm. Running speeds can gradually reach just over a hundred miles per hour by essentially galloping with brute force.
Furthermore, he can suffer prolonged amounts exhaustion before succumbing to the fatigue. Even so, he can function on low amounts of power, allowing him to operate for an extended amount of time and remain collected through stressful or painful situations. Tharraleos has drastically enhanced reaction speed, allowing him to maneuver around complex attacks, catch falling objects, block detriments and react instantaneously to what others take more time to react to. The extent of this is so great that in Tharraleos' perspective, the world around him appears to temporarily flow at a much slower pace than normal.
He has an extremely well developed sense of balance and can precisely control his movements and muscles, making him unable to be uncoordinated. He can only fall over when physically uprooted or pushed, though most times he can land on his feet. Through much practice, Tharraleos can root himself on even the most unstable of surfaces and can fight at seemingly impossible angles and positions. Also with ample training, he has learned to bend and twist his body far beyond the normal limits of physiology, although still only from the joints. His joints, muscles, tendons and physiology in general is modified to allow him to perform near-boneless looking contortions without stress or damage and stay in any position he chooses as long he needs to without effort or strain. This gives his minor body much freedom and a wide range of motion, being able to lean and twist in various ways with forward motions being less restricted. That being said, with a combination of balance, strength and flexibility, Tharr is able to mostly straighten his entire body out. From here, he can either stand upright on his rearmost legs to allow bipedal locomotion. Walking like this feels unnatural in spite of its ease though this linear stance has its benefits mainly in sea or air. He's quite acrobatic as well despite his size and octopedal frame, being able to dexterously perform a wide variety of flips and somersaults.
He has immense memory and other mental capacities, allowing thinking on several different levels at once and while multitasking. He can remember great volumes of information and can recall a vast majority of the details of his experiences. Because he has existed for countless years, he possesses great wisdom: deep understanding and realization of concepts, people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgments and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of his emotional reactions so that universal principles, reason and knowledge prevail to determine one's actions. His genius level intellect; harbors exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, and originality. He’s become adept with higher mental faculties, better calculation skills, greater reasoning skills, and superior learning capacity.
Tharraleos has an expert level regenerative healing factor. Lesser and moderate wounds heal nigh instantaneous. Critically and fatally damaged cells can regenerate, preventing scars. Damaged nerves can be repaired to some extent and cellular senescence is drastically reduced, granting his halted aging. Near immunity to disease, toxins and drugs is also given. If blood loss is survived, entire limbs can eventually be restored if given the needed time. At worst, Tharr can be reduced to just his minor body and head. So long as his brain and minor heart stay intact, his whole body can be restored; taking a century's time at most for full recovery. This process can be shortened through spiritual healing or either or his affinities
Battle Cry: Tharr is able to roar with such thunderous force that that can cause vibrations with his ferocious vocal cords. It begins with the piercing screech of an eagle and transitions into the booming roar of a lion. The force of the bellow is strong enough to damage hearing, cause fear, paralyze foes or cancel out opposing attacks.
Enhanced Senses: All five of Tharraleos’ senses are at an elevated state. These can be directed to center on a particular sense while blocking out all others.
Tharr's vision is customary to other avians, though it can act as a sort of telescope, allowing him to increase his vision by up to eight times at will and see with great clarity from remarkable distances. Using this will cause his pupils to gradually increase to nearly twice the size. His eyes also allow him to perceive his surroundings in the darkest of areas as if they were under light. Once the night vision is activated, his irises don a greenish yellow color. Both of these sight enhancers can be switched on and off instantly and require nearly no energy to perform.
He can hear with amazing clarity, distance, and even frequencies outside normal range. He can pick up every single sound, decipher layer upon layer of differing sounds or conversations and locate the source of the noise. He can focus his hearing to one specific area, or filter out everything but the wanted noise. By channeling this sense through his horned ears, his hearing can be improved other than increased range to the point he can hear an individual’s heartbeat within close proximity and be able to determine deceptive intents. He listens for things such as a change in heartbeat and strain in voice to do this.
Both types of nares on his beak are naturally quite receptive. Tharr can detect specific persons, objects, substances or even places, locate their origin and track targets with nothing but his sense of smell. If concentration is applied, he becomes able to detect deceit, as well as sickness and emotions by picking up what smells or hormones are secreted.
His sense of touch is heightened with the use of his whiskers and allows him detect vibrations in the air around him. His sense of taste is also enhanced and bestows protection from poisons or other potential hazards.
An innate sixth predatory sense has enabled him to become a master of hunting and tracking. Numerous factors of a situation can be discerned that makes him superb at pursuit and capture. This includes what move a foe will make, their destination (if within proximity or enough knowledge is available) as well as how to effectively cause prey to fall victim to him in combat/pursuit. Tracking down others is fruitless by various means, ranging from scents to footprints. After prolonged experience, he can follow tracks that are days or even weeks old. It is entirely possible for him to reconstruct prior events using his senses alone. By hunkering his body to its lowest point and suppressing his footsteps, Tharr can be somewhat stealthy, though this has mixed success and generally fruitless.
Flight and gliding: His wings are more suited for extended gliding while flying is used to generate the needed altitude. However, he actually has difficulty reaching flight without using the momentum from a powerful jump or a running start considering his sheer weight. Along with the jump, his feathered limbs must be folded to prevent their outstretched girth from weighing him down. Only at the peak of his leap does he flare them out in a flurry of flaps to attain flight. His trajectory is mostly upwards and while airborne, his entire body is horizontally leveled. His webbed digits naturally create air resistance. To avoid this, his arms and legs tuck firmly in the sides and underside of the respective portions. His paws and talons bawl up for maximized results. Even once flight is achieved, he has very poor acceleration and could take extensive amounts of time before reaching notable speed. Not even half of which is possible with his body in its natural form given his unorthodox frame that lacks aerodynamics. Once he finally achieves a satisfactory height, he transitions into a glide. For hours at a time, he's able to gracefully and easily sail across the skies with slow, rhythmic flaps of wings and tail feathers. He can make use of the built up momentum for a lethal dive, potentially reaching speeds exceeding three hundred miles per hour. Tharr has an enhanced lung capacity that grants him the ability to adapt to high altitude environments. He is able to withstand extremely high or low air pressure and isn't disoriented or deprived of normal breathing capacity by it as well as high wind friction, accompanied by an innate immunity to vertigo or fear of heights. He has learned to master control of flight and can perform a range of graceful aerobatic maneuvers with ease.
Climbing: With various limbs of his, Tharraleos is able to climb and otherwise move nimbly on angled or vertical surfaces. This is as long as he can gain a hold of it and keep his balance. This provides most usefulness during ground travel or to scale vast mountains when his wings are not usable.
Swimming: Tharr’s dense muscle mass and sizable physique makes him a creature not designed for underwater maneuverability. With his body inherently equipped for submersion, he has learned to overcome this shortcoming and can move with just as much finesse as land or air. Positioning himself like he would during flight, his body moves in a wave-like undulation with arms and legs applying steady strokes to make full use of his webbed extremities. His wings and tail feathers employ consistent flaps to further propel him forward. All of which push him to speeds half of that of his momentum on land. His powerful gills make undersea travel possible for up to two weeks’ time before he needs to surface. Since they function automatically, Tharraleos has the option to seek submerged slumber. His durability also enables him to survive the pressure of deeper depths and his senses work to full capacity as they would normally. On the surface, only his major body's submerged and keeps himself afloat while his torso seemingly floats atop the water.
Burrowing: With contributions of his strength and the many sharp and blunt tools at his grasp, Tharraleos is able to tunnel through the earth with ease. He's able to survive and adapt to low-light terrene with senses, endurance and breathing equipped for such. Although he has no resistance to blazing temperatures and areas closer to the planet's core is deathly after prolonged exposure. Subterranean speeds can reach twenty miles per hour and can remain in the conditions for up to a week. During this time, he can create caverns by shaping existing environment to form what he wants.
Combat Empowerment. A natural ability of the Aerasginero that manifests itself in various ways depending on the warrior. For Tharraleos, each rush of adrenaline in the midst of battle bestows a Combat Reserve which equates to a fifth of his base power. There's no limit to this once he begins gathering it up, meaning he can potentially reach a state of absolute infinite power if it goes on for long enough. Once enough time passes without the thrill of combat, any built up energy will gradually reset and the ability will become dormant. This energy dwelling within acts as a life source, sustaining Tharraleos’ Enhanced Condition indefinitely.
The augmentation of this ability is applied once an aura of the energy is projected and lasts for five minutes. This is colorless and opaque with a jagged, fluctuating outline. Once the aura is formed, only then will Tharr will have access to the entirety of his Combat Reserves. The aura will continue to cover him entirely until the power reaches its end. The intensity of the which is increased in accordance to his built up reserves and can become destructive at higher levels. The increase of overall power depends on the amount of energy is stored in his body while the duration remains the same regardless. Further rushes of adrenaline after the ability is unveiled causes the aura to pulse for a brief moment, adding another reserve while not affecting the longevity.
A side effect of delving into the reserves is that Tharr taps into an instinctual feral state of mind. This can lead to primal, unstoppable rage that allows him to perform in vastly increased capacity, taking and inflicting damage he wouldn't in his normal state. Tharraleos can lose himself to the animalistic fury entirely at higher reserves. While this barbaric nature isn't preferred, it's more beneficial than harmful and only temporary as normalcy is gained once the reserves expire.
Pride Empowerment: Because of the overexposure to the sin of pride, Tharraleos has become an embodiment of it and has the added ability of Pride Empowerment as a result. The more confidence he has in himself, be it through thoughts, actions or words, the more his overall power is increased. This works identically to his Combat Empowerment, only each reserve adds a tenth of his base power. With each reserve, his irises become purple in color for only a couple seconds. This is the only sign of the increase in power now being stored within him. Moreover, this power is subconscious and he must act prideful naturally while if he is intentionally prideful, this ability will cease to function.
In addition, Tharraleos unleashes this power by projecting a purple aura composed entirely of Pride energy similar to before. This aura is transparent with a flame-like contour and an occasional spark of pale purple electricity. Furthermore, the purple flash of his irises is momentarily permanent for the time of the augmentation. Not only does his power scale with this ability, but his pompous demeanor as well to the point of blind pride at extreme reserve counts. Prideful behavior with this aura activated adds a reserve while not adding any time.
For the span of this technique, only his vanity is expressed and little else. This causes him to naturally enter a state of self-induced tranquility. He remains calm in virtually any situation, focusing solely on his hubris and allowing him to think with perfect clarity even when under extreme emotional or physical distress. High amounts of mental stress can be endured and is essentially immune to emotional manipulation.
Pride Combat Empowerment: Both of his empowering abilities function separately from each other. If one is activated, the reserves for the other are lost. This is unless he releases them simultaneously, resulting in a double aura effect that places the Combat aura outside the Pride aura with arcs of pale purple electricity throughout both. Tharr's eyes become solid purple in color and acquire a bright glow as the energy courses throughout his entire being. Finally, his voice now gains divine resonance. The use and duration of this is no different than before, only having the reserves combining for greater power.
The union of the two unshackling abilities gives the aptitude to channel the power of his primal rage while maintaining absolute control. This permits him to attack in full ferocity while retaining control and to strike with his relentless feral strength while not affecting speed and precision. This is only if there's sufficient stability, otherwise whichever has more reserves will have commanding influence.
Telekinetic Force Manipulation: Tharraleos' mental capacity and abundance of mental training has granted him the ability to control objects through sheer thought with the purest form of telekinesis. Said objects must be within his line of sight, or at the least, he must have pinpoint awareness of their location and he must have the utmost concentration on this ability. The extent of this is identical to his physical limits, meaning with his mind, he can exhort the same amount of force mentally as he can physically and it corresponds to the amount of reserves he has garnered. In doing so, he essentially trades physical strength for mental strength. His possible applications aren’t greatly numerous and is limited to basic actions. But even a fraction of his strength is performed with overwhelming power.
Telepathy: Another feat accomplished through Tharraleos’ mental strength. There are a number of prerequisites that are required to be in order for this to be fully effective. Firstly, Tharraleos must have ample concentration and almost enter a meditative state. Secondly, he must have physical contact with the target, preferably with one of his paws. The target must also be mentally willing to permit him this task, and once he makes the initial contact, he can speak with the target through thought and talk them through the process. Once this is done, Tharraleos can enter the mind of the individual, where he can see all the thoughts, memories and subconscious thoughts of that person. After this is established, a mental link can be created for further communication. This process must be repeated if the link is broken and attempted again. Alternatively, Tharraleos can speak telepathically by causing the target to hear the mental conversation as speech. This ability also allows him to remain completely aware at all times of the true reality around him, potentially seeing through any optical and/or mental illusions that others attempt to deceive him with.
Aerokinesis: Tharraleos has limited control over the element of wind. With a hefty flap of either of his wings, he can create and launch colossal razor sharp, crescent-shaped constructs of wind from the air around the feathery appendage. These cover a wide area and are known to cut through metal, but their range is poor and it takes much time for it to be unleashed. His tail feathers can release identical projectiles, only they are a quarter the size, can be launched at four times the rate, and only deal a fourth the damage. As the number of Reserves at his disposal increases, the speed in which he unleashes these and their speed once launched as well as their damage and range can reach great levels. Using his enhanced lung capacity mentioned above, he can release a cone shaped torrent of wind from his beak. The reach of this is rather far and the most it would accomplish is knocking an opponent off balance for a short time. His Reserves affect this as well and can increase the range and the amount of power is behind it.
Geokinesis: Much like the element of wind, Tharraleos has very little control over the element of earth. By using his formidable strength, he can send a fist or foot to the ground with enough force to create cataclysmic fissures with a maximum radius of thirty yards. Narrow tremors can be made for more precise attacks. This same process can be used while climbing to sculpt a landmass or to slice large chunks of rock clean off a surface to create avalanches or rockfalls. Much like his Aerokinesis, the range and power of this ability is heightened depending on his equating Reserves. The extent of these quakes can reach unprecedented levels at higher reserves. He also holds the power to sense and perceive vibrations in the earth. Tharr's heavy footsteps rumble the earth with each step and these vibrations are able to be registered through his crest or whiskers. This acts as Seismic Sense which enables him to perceive his surroundings as precisely as normal sight. This shifts more into an Echolocation while underground. By tapping his surroundings with either of his limbs, the subsequent sound waves are received through his whiskers that determine nearby obstacles.
Hydrokinesis: Much more limited than the other two elements, his control over water has a defined limit and is not amplified with Reserves. Tharraleos is able to store a set amount of water within his body. This can be formed into a highly pressurized torrent of water ejected from his beak. With a maximum range of thirty feet and one hundred and fifty pounds per square inch, this causes no severe lingering damage, but can be used to quickly incapacitate his target. While submerged, Tharr creates ripples in the water around him once he reaches decent speeds. Much like the vibrations in his footsteps, these distortions can be distinguished by similar means. This grants him an omnidirectional Sonar Sense that acts similarly to its grounded counterpart.
Combat style: Tharraleos’ octopedal frame yields a unique method of fighting he has mastery over and has learned to utilize his added beastly traits to maximum efficiency. Aside from powerful punches and deadly bucking kicks, the horns atop his head are inherently well for piercing and penetrating foes. His beak can send forth a barrage of quick and deadly pecks in addition to a lethal bite using his formidable fangs. These fangs, while not as keen as his molars, are perhaps one of his most deadly means of attack and are as sharp as a blade, able to break through bone with little effort. The claws sheathed within his paws can be rather deadly with his great proficiency and strength behind each slash. His taloned feet are remarkably powerful and prehensile, able to grasp things with alarming strength, speed and accuracy. The claws of his feet are dense and lethal; the hind toe targeting vital areas of prey while they're held immobile by the front toes. His wings can be used defensively by wrapping around his body for protection and offensively by lashing the feathered fists forth with speed, power and notable range. These wings can support his weight on the ground with their resilience that gives them evasive purposes as well. His bladed tail feathers are best suited for swift, straight-angled slashes. His lion tail is prehensile as well as quite flexible, able to coil around rather small objects with surprising accuracy. Boasting great strength, it can support Tharr entirely for a brief time and can be used for quick and damaging melee attacks by whipping the clubbed end at targets.
He is an analytical and strategic genius, allowing him to swiftly and thoroughly examine his opponent's combat style through even the faintest of movements and reacts accordingly. He can almost instantly understand an opponent's method of thinking and combat style. Once he understands his opponent's strategy, he's able to find their flaws and weaknesses and gain the upper hand with little effort. Tharraleos can create strategies and plans several steps ahead of his foe, making it seem as if he has a sense of precognition. He is able to elaborate complex plans and strategies and apply them to combat. He has a refined balance of offence and defense which he can fluently lean towards one or the other depending on his opponent. He commonly begins a battle defensively, primarily focusing on blocking, evading and enduring a number of attacks. This is his way of studying an opponent's tactics and to discover a potential weakness. Once the weakness is found, he begins to attack relentlessly with unyielding force, typically by chaining together a series of attacks in rapid succession using his wide array of appendages that give foes little time to recover.
Overall, Tharraleos is a highly disciplined and exceptionally adept combatant who's well aware of his body's limitations. He’s able to fight at seemingly overwhelming odds with ease and is a very capable warrior on the battlefield, decimating foes with near supernatural finesse.
Weaknesses
Speed and size: His attack speed is slightly below average; although he is more quick and nimble then he appears. However, he can be put at a disadvantage against fast fighters. While his attack prediction is rather keen, his body simply cannot move with enough haste at times. He is also rather large, which makes him an easy target in combat, especially in more crowded areas.
Lack of range: Tharraleos has poor range with his attacks, especially considering he lacks any sort of reliable projectiles and relies heavily on close to mid ranged tactics. This can put him at a severe disadvantage against more ranged adversaries.
Limited durability: Tharr's natural armor can fade after extended damage or be bypassed entirely with enough force. His whiskers, though more sturdy than normal feline hairs, are the most fragile thing on his body. If enough are severed, his sense of touch and to lesser extents, his balance, are increasingly more impaired with repeated damage.
Mild Phasmophobia: Ghosts and spirits are another problem for him. His unfamiliarity with them both in knowledge and combat has resulted in a mild fear of them.
Pride: Although a versatile tool for Tharraleos, pride can serve as a weakness at times. He will always allow a foe a stronger augmentation if they have one and will make no intents to stop them. He also allows enemies to retrieve a weapon and will refuse to strike from behind or while an opponent is down. His demeanor becomes brash and confident if he gains the upper hand in combat, often insulting his opponent's flaws and becoming relatively careless as a result.
While in a battle, he typically does not fight with his full power, preferring to put himself at a weaker level than his opponent to present a challenge. This can potentially lead to a number of problems for him. Sometimes he even allows his opponent to strike him without any resistance in a way to test their strength. Other times he gives advice to a foe in the midst of a battle on how to gain the upper hand.
Despite his Pride Empowerment being arguably one of his most powerful tools, he refrains from using either strengthening ability a majority of the time. He chooses to face a foe with base power at most and only releases the reserves if he deems his opponent worthy enough. The most prominent weakness of his pride is the desire to never back away from battle, even if he's aware it could be his undoing. Tharraleos prefers to die in pride, then flee and live a coward. Although since these actions fuel his Pride Empowerment, the level of these weaknesses is debatable.
Humility: Perhaps his most lethal weakness that has opposing effects of pride. If Tharraleos commits any act he views as humility, his power will make a dramatic decrease, five times more than pride would increase his strength each time. Humility is a natural part of him much to his ire as subconscious moments of this emotion are still very much present in spite of his preventative efforts. There are also certain instances where humility must be unavoidably chosen over pride. Unlike his empowering ability, the ramifications of this weakness are instantly applied, leaving him momentarily paralyzed with each instance. This is visible by a dull, black colored aura that briefly surrounds him for each act of humility. The extension of this can be so severe to the point it could escalate aging and eventually ending his life after repeated humility. Unlike his Pride Empowerment, the effects will not reset over time and instead slowly dissipate with prideful actions.
Magic: Tharraleos has a crippling weakness against magic based attacks, succumbing to four times the normal damage when struck. This is a result of Malfeor's sorcery, which would allow him to dispatch any rebellion with ease. The spell can be triggered on and off, however, Malefor made sure it was active before his disappearance.
Backstory: Tharraleos' parents were part of an army of mythical creatures controlled by a powerful being whose name was known to only a few; Malefor. Tharr's father, Yvris, had an innate prideful disposition that formed him to be the perfect contender to fight for the wicked mage. He was a savage and adept fighter who instilled fear in all those who stood against him and his master. Things took an unexpected turn for the avian feline warrior as he met a female by the name of Andrea. Both were of the exact same race; Aerasginero Griffins, which were a shape shifting warrior subspecies of the mythical hybrids with added amphibious attributes that made them masters of air, land and sea. Their natural humanoid form could take on the guise of a much larger quadruped beast with weaponized limbs of their choosing. A somewhat rare mutation can blend these attributes, nullifying their ability to transform and disfiguring them in some ways. With their kind few in numbers and scattered across the globe, a deal was proposed much to the chagrin of the pair. With one fueled by Pride and the other Wrath, procreation was a much reluctant task for them and they began to despise each other. Even once successful, they additionally had the displeasure of raising their child together. They wished to train it to overthrow Malefor and put an end to his tyranny. This notion did not go unnoticed, and days before Tharraleos was to be born, Yvris and Andrea met a swift demise by the mage despite their valiant efforts.
The egg of their soon born child was brought into the same legion of warriors, where he would begin training to become a remarkable fighter. Most of these members were able to fight for many eras given their mystical attributes. This appeared to be Malefor's goal; to amass an eternal army of the ultimate combatants. Aside from this, he controlled them by infecting them with one the seven deadly sins. He was taken care of by various members of the clan until he was strong enough to begin his preparations. Since he could walk, Tharraleos was taught day and night to become a hardened warrior. Despite the harsh training, he was a rather meek and timid individual who was always reluctant to fight. After a miraculous first victory graced the young Tharr, an unquenchable thirst for glory and battle consumed him, which made him the perfect host for Pride. This quickly formed the Griffin into a warrior of hubris and combat rage that never questioned his unknown leader's intentions and wanted only to show his strength. He was even eventually counted among the very few to be one of the most trusted individuals and even led his own brigade at times to send forth destruction in the name of Malefor. Although with talk from his allies, Tharraleos learned of his parent's fate as well as additional information about them. He grew newfound pride in his bloodline and chose to honor his late parent's will. It was at this moment he began to resent the sorcerer and swore to himself he would follow through with their intentions.
Malefor never actually revealed his presence and instead commanded his army of mythical warriors by telepathy while remaining hidden in an unknown location. Despite this, any notion of disobedience or abandonment was promptly dealt with. Centuries of this passed and Tharraleos had fought in many wars; achieving many victories, but also facing numerous defeats. His initial plan never left his mind, but he unfortunately never found an opportunity to follow through with it. In time his prayers would be answered, but not by his own hand much to his displeasure. A clan of Geomancing warriors had occupied a mass of land Malefor desired. Thinking very little of the earth wielders, the mage sent a large majority of his forces to both eliminate them as swiftly as possible, and to establish his new base of operations. This proved to be a fatal flaw in judgement as despite effortlessly overwhelming the wielders of stone, their leader appeared just as they lost all hope. This individual had been bestowed with a divine weapon; a staff composed of rock found only within the heavens. This individual's unprecedented leadership and abundance of tenacity and strength boosted the morale of the earthen combatants exponentially. Malefor had soon found his legion was outclassed, and soon outnumbered. Knowing defeat was inevitable and cursing his own foolishness, he severed all control from his remaining army and went into hiding. Tharraleos took part in this battle and was one of the few to survive and only from the mercy of their foe once victory was obtained.
Tharraleos became a wanderer with his newfound freedom. He roamed the lands seeking worthy challengers to hone his fighting prowess. Combat was the only thing he was accustomed to and he became obsessed with becoming as powerful as possible. As such, he would continue seek battle until he meets his bitter end. The thought of Malefor returning is a frequent thought of his, however, and he intends to utilize his skill and power acquired over the decades to prevent another uprising of his.
Left talon, left paw, right talon, right paw; this was the equine-like gait that carried the visitor forth. A titanic creature, his very footsteps shook the ground with each step. Even though the conditions were tolerable, this wasn't the kind of place the Griffintaur frequented. He much preferred clear bodies of water or the vastness of mountainsides. Not even an hour prior he was settled in an underground cave. But something severed him from his temporary home, a subconscious curiosity like something was pulling him in. It eventually lead him here, and he would soon see the horrors that attracted him.
The threat was too far away for his more traditional senses to register. The natural ambiance of the area and the native critters made such difficult. But that didn't mean he was completely unaware. The hybrid was all too familiar with the hunt, and his innate predatory sense alerted him of the impending danger. Stopping directly in his tracks, the beast hunkered down somewhat into a much more readied stance. The Magna Pater would hear a low growl emanating from the distance, almost like a warning to back away in hopes of preventing unneeded bloodshed. Though something told him to be prepared for the unimaginable. The presence of this foe was quite unlike many things Tharraleos has encountered. All he could do was stand his ground and wait.
Derp. Forgot to tag again. I figured you'd be preoccupied, I guess I just like to say something to get on my own forgetful ass. Though I do understand IRL prioritization, so patience is no issue for me either.
Within that frantic second, many things were processed through the robust mind of Tharraleos. His hold on the dear was lost instantly and it fell to the ground, painting the lightly grassed terrain in an explosion of gore and bone. As the hybrid watched the bullet careen towards him, it became clear he was not able to move in time and this projectile would find its way to his midsection. His immense body was a curse, but also a gift, as the bird cat was also aware of. Sure enough, the bolt burrowed into the midsection part just above where the bodies divided. Given his reinforced fur and hardened skin, it hardly broke the flesh, drawing only a minor amount of blood and forcing and irritated, growl from Tharr's agape beak, fangs and teeth bearing in response.
"At times I contemplate if I give humans too many opportunities for mercy." He started with retained tranquility, using a duo of his claws from his left minor paw like a pair of tweezers, the bullet was easily lodged from its place with nothing but a flesh wound remaining. His body abruptly reared upwards with feathered hindlimbs supporting his entire weight, golden talons clawing into the dirt for grip. From here, two things would happen simultaneously; his wings would flare outwards, their girth and low aspect ratio inherently unleashing a hefty gust of wind. Then his signature battle cry rattled the forest around them. The screech of a bird of prey pierced the air before it transitioned into a thunderous roar of a lion. If the torrent of air wasn't enough, the beast slammed his paws against the ground with such force it generated shockwaves with enough of a radius to ensure the hidden man faced some instability.
"Embrace your fear, and directly face the might of Tharraleos." He called out, body in a much more prepared stance for future deterrents.
I've successfully read through the Magna Pater. Definitely quite the matchup that should be interesting. I don't see anything to nerf, so I'm down to get the battle set up. This particular character makes me wanna fight him in a misty, nighttime swamp. Give it that horror vibe, I think. Since my bird cat would likely start this bout being preyed upon, who'd get beginning post. I'm not the best at them, but I could make something worthwhile if I get off my lazy ass.
It's kinda difficult to give specifics on damage. The most I can do is say light, moderate, etc. Other people's characters have differing resistances and inconsistencies are inevitable. Besides, all he does is punch people for the most part. Not like it's that complicated. It seems he's just too resourceful. Besides, it's not like all that he has doesn't make sense. I mean, the psionics might be a bit much, but they're there too emphasize his mental strength.
Doc is right though regarding OPness. 5 minutes is a bit extensive, but I've never exceeded 10 Reserves in an RP. The ludicrous amounts he can reach are more for my personal stories or if an opponent allows such.
To add to the debate, it's all about responsibility and respect for characters. Sure Tharr can be perceived as too powerful and would be bland in a story environment. But with proper characterization, I can compellingly give him struggle and conflict despite his great power and apparent perfection.
Also, Doc, what'd be the status of that character of yours? This discussion has me a bit more pumped to fuck shit up.
Edit
Final afterthought conceived. It's about entertainment. I believe he's reasonably overpowered and grossly resourceful. Almost harboring power of a big bad, but preferring neutrality and discontent with anything but his own. Having something like that can provide some fun times if given chance to grow. Having extra muscle to throw around is never a bad thing, either.
"I see." Tharraleos began with a series of nods, lower minor arms crossing. The actual sight of Steer had yet to be seen, but the bird cat was fairly confident he knew where the hidden human was. "Your bullet striking me was a mere accident, it seems. I have no intentions of accepting your offer, but still hold respect for such." He went on. Twisting his smaller bipedal torso somewhat, the deer carcass fell into view. Extending one of his arms towards the animal, it began floating unsupported through the air and towards the hybrid.
"Now. Take your kill and proceed with your day." He stated, carrying the prey more towards where he was convinced the chi manipulator was situated. It seemed he was aware of how humans tended to be. This one was an obvious threat what with his noisy tool of death. Besides, why settle for a common dear when 2,700 pounds of meat just came your way. Not to mention the sight curing properties of his feathers and poison detecting talons. Even though he was more than a capable warrior and revelled in battle, it typically acts as a last resort to put foolish mortals in their place. If he can just carry on without unneeded bloodshed, that'd be more preferred, but mot possible, as previous events have told him.
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