True Lycalo
Member
Full name: Tharraleos Polemistis
Nickname: Tharr for short (mainly used by allies)
Age: Tharraleos has lived for over two thousand years resulting from his aging process being highly decelerated
Species: Griffin
Gender: Male
Height: 6 feet, 6 inches tall
Weight: 355 pounds.
IQ and intelligence: 195. 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 well as sign language as a result.
Sexual orientation: Heterosexual
Occupation: Fighter. Tharr partakes in a number of fighting tournaments yearly and earns a good amount of prize money.
Residence: A small log cabin hidden in a mountainside. The cabin is decent in size, having a small bedroom and a moderate sized living space. The former has only a bed and a bookshelf. While the latter holds a small table, a single chair and another larger shelf that holds assorted wine and various glasses. All this furniture is composed of wood much like the cabin itself
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Dominant hand: Ambidextrous
Hobbies and talents: Training 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. Dancing is another hobby of his after he learned it had similar attributes to combat with the need for coordination and endurance. It is something he thoroughly and has become rather experienced in doing so, learning many different styles. Finally, 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. His mountainous abode contains numerous areas of clean, natural water and his visits to these are quite frequent. Aged wine is his other luxury of his and enjoys a wide variety of such on an almost day to day basis.
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 stay far from them.
Personality: Due to his past transgressions under the rule of Malefor, Tharraleos lives by a personal code, swearing to never take one's life no matter the situation. Although in the midst of battle, he's not against severely injuring his opponent so long as he knows they'll survive. If one were to die by his hands, it would be the ultimate act of humility for him. Dire situations in the past have resulted in a number of lives taken by him and the consequences of such strengthens this mindset of his. There are exceptions to this when it comes to undead foes such as demons and vampires as he believes their lives have already ended. Although since mistakes have happened before, Tharr remains cautious of those he considers non living individuals. Another deviation from this code is hunting prey. He retains a mostly omnivorous diet and so long as his intentions are purely for feeding, his code stays intact. Before consumption of his victim, however, he always shows gratitude for their sacrifice and ensures a proper burial once he is finished.
He possesses immense willpower, is extremely stubborn and does not believe in compromise. Tharraleos will rarely take the role of a leader, though he sometimes serves as second-in-command or as the backbone of an organization or group. When this position is offered to him and he has no option to accept, his natural born leadership is shown. This is when it is shown Tharraleos is fond of making impassioned speeches to boost the morale of his followers and to bestow them with his wisdom.
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.
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. 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. Additionally, he is somewhat judgmental and will likely view an individual as an enemy before he counts them as an ally. He believes in confronting facing problems head on with a direct show of force and intimidation before they can become too serious a threat.
Despite his life revolving around combat and caring little for anything else, Tharraleos is rather amicable when it comes to conflicts. He will initially attempt to peacefully resolve problems with speech and will only fight if he feels threatened or challenged. Moreover, he is a rather polite individual, exhibiting fine etiquette and prim mannerisms to strangers and allies. Respect is even given to some extent to those he deems as enemies or generally unpleasant company, although his disdain is very much present. The key aspect of his personality is his strong, mostly unalterable convictions. He values honor above reason and is rarely forgiving to those that upset him.
Physical description: Tharraleos is a large, majestic and robust warrior, sporting a sleek, very toned physique. Despite exceeding two 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.
His body is covered entirely in well groomed, medium length, tan colored fur. Excluding this is the entirety of his head in which white plumage is covered throughout. His lower legs are also not included and are instead covered in black feathers that starts at his knees and stops right above his feet. Hidden within this leg plumage is a highly durable and golden yellow tarsus. His durable, thick feathered wings attach below the shoulder blades and are generally folded along his back. Massive in scale, they account for sixty pounds of his weight. The bottoms of the wings nearly make contact with the ground while the tops and sides surpass his height and width by a few inches respectively. Once Tharr spreads his wings out fully, his enormous wingspan of twenty feet is seen. Both the ventral and dorsal sides of the wings are solid black in coloration. Due to oil from oil from the uropygial gland at the base of his tail feathers, the feathers of his wings can shimmer slightly under bright light. Tharr has a secondary set of nearly weightless wings that are much thinner and made of brown feathers. These are more attached along his body and connected by his elbow and hip. Their soft nature allows them to extend enough for unhindered arm movements. His plumage, much like his fur, is very well maintained and gives him an overall plush and downy appearance.
His eyes are mostly avian in appearance and function. He possesses black, round and large pupils and deep gold irises with 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 and is mostly used during flight or combat.
His feet are a pair of bright gold, anisodactyl talons with three digits on the front and one in the back. Long, curved and black claws protrude from each toe. Tharr boasts large and powerful paws with soft, brown pads on his palms. These paws have five digits each, including a dewclaw that provides extra grip on prey. True to feline traits, this thumb-like digit is not opposable and makes grasping everyday things cumbersome. Hidden within is another natural weapon for him. Protractible, white claws can be unleashed at any time. Three inches in length, these can prove to be quite lethal with his formidable strength behind each slash. As a result of extensive refinement, the claws of Tharraleos are not only as sharp as a knife, but extremely durable and rarely break off.
One of his most prominent traits is the thick mane of fur that covers the top and back of his head with a widow's peak that ends halfway down his forehead. The mane hangs slightly below chest level and is dark brown in color with streaks of blond and black. He holds great pride in this and it thus receives the most amount of maintenance. This mane also acts as a means of intimidation towards foes and often flares outwards when provoked. A pair of wide, slightly pointed and erect white feathered ears are perked on the sides of his head that give him an additional four inches in height and have a slight outward curve. These reach half a foot in total length and almost resemble a pair of horns. They also have a single path of movement and can be seen bending backwards as a show of intimidation towards threats. Bony and angled ridges are seen protruding just above his eyes that give Tharr a perpetual scowl.
His beak is golden yellow in color with a pronounced hook forming at the tip. A pair of ovoid nares are visible at the base that lead to his respiratory system. Dwelling within his beak is a pink, elongated and 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. While his beak can imbue extensive damage by itself with an impressive peck, two rows of protractible teeth can reveal themselves at will. Nearly hidden from view are his carnassials; a pair of self-sharpening molars and premolars that are a highly effective slicer and is his primary source to chew food. Five inches in length are his notable fangs in place of canine teeth. Beside his fangs are an array of 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 beak fully until he retracts them.
Tharraloes bears a duo of tails; one feline that rests on the bottom and one avian on top. They are connected at the base of his body and can move independently from each other. The feline tail is slim and lengthy, just under half his height at three feet. It is tan brown much like the rest of his body and sports a large and thick tuft of black fur on the tip. The fan of tail feathers is wedge shaped, about half his width and half the length of his feline tail. This avian tail can also flare out to the sides to nearly two and a half times the width, usually while airborne. The plumage is mostly white in color with the base colored black much like his wings.
Abilities
Enhanced Condition: This ability has numerous uses. Tharraleos possess peak physical and mental condition. He has incredible physical fortitude across his entire body, allowing him to pull off astounding feats of herculean strength and is able to deliver a maximum of one thousand, three hundred pounds of force in a single punch. By placing a majority of the strength in his legs, he can leap far and high distances. His immense body prowess also grants great durability, enabling him to endure an upwards of seven thousand pounds throughout his entire body. His dense fur and hardened body also protect him from physical attacks.
Furthermore, he can fight for prolonged amounts of time before succumbing to exhaustion. Even so, he can function on low amounts of power, allowing him to operate for an extended amount of time and remain calm 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 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 stand upright 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. He's quite acrobatic as well, 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.
Tharraleos has a regeneration ability which mainly shows its usefulness after combat. He can heal from injuries slightly faster than what is considered normal and he can survive otherwise fatal wounds. This has further allowed the numerous scars inflicted on him throughout his years to eventually fade and vanish. He can also can deny requirements for a long time such as the need of food, sleep and even water and even has immunity to most illnesses.
Enhanced Senses: All five of Tharraloes’ senses are at an elevated state. These can be directed to center on a particular sense while blocking out all others.
While his vision is normal, it can act as a sort of telescope, allowing him to increase his vision by up to eight times at will and see clearly from remarkable distances. Using this will cause his pupils to gradually increase to nearly twice in 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 green hue. Both of these sight enhancers can be switched on and off instantly and require nearly no energy to perform.
His feathered ears give him exceptional hearing and 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. With focus, his hearing can be improved 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.
The 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 lying,as well as sickness and emotions by picking up what smells or hormones are secreted.
His sense of touch and taste are also heightened. The former allows him detect vibrations through solid substances, liquid or air pressure changes while the latter bestows protection from poisons or other potential hazards.
Flight: His primary wings allow him to reach speeds up to ninety miles per hour. However, he actually has difficulty reaching flight without using the momentum from a powerful jump, considering the hindrance his vast wingspan presents. Along with the jump, the feathered limbs on his back must be tucked behind him 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.
Even once this is achieved, he has very poor acceleration and could take extensive amounts of time before reaching full speed. Once he finally achieves the needed momentum to gain successful flight, he can sustain such for hours at a time, able to gracefully and easily sail across the skies with only an occasional flap. For maximized time airborne, Tharraleos typically flies with his arms extended to the sides to make full use of his secondary wings. He can make use of the built up momentum for a lethal dive, potentially reaching speeds exceeding two 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 control his flying well and can fight while airborne just as efficiently as on the ground.
Swimming: Tharr’s dense muscle mass and lack of aquatic traits makes him a creature not designed for underwater maneuverability. Not wanting to be vulnerable while deeply submerged, he has learned to overcome this shortcoming to some extent. His arms must be extended to the sides and his straightened legs pressed together while his body moves in a wave-like undulation. His tail feathers and larger wings are mostly used to push him forward at somewhat average speeds with rhythmic flaps for long periods of time if needed while his smaller wings assist with surfacing and staying afloat. His powerful lungs allow him to survive under the water’s surface for minutes at a time. Once on land, his wings are weighed down greatly from the water and flight is nearly impossible until they gradually dry.
Pride Empowerment: Because of the overexposure to the sin of pride, Tharraleos has become an embodiment of it and has the unique 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. Each occurrence of Pride adds a tenth of his base power and is referred to a “Pride Reserve” by Tharr. 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. There appears to be 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 exhorting pride, any built up energy will gradually reset and the ability will become dormant.
In addition, Tharraleos unleashes this power by projecting a purple colored aura composed entirely of Pride energy. The aura resembles purple fire with an occasional crackle of pale purple electricity and within this aura, a glowing purple outline is seen along his frame. With this, his eyes become solid purple in color and acquire a bright glow as the energy courses throughout his entire being. The final attribute is his voice attaining divine resonance. Once the aura is formed, only then will Tharr will have access to the entirety of his Pride Reserves. The aura will continue to cover him until the power reaches zero. The intensity of the aura is increased in accordance to his built up pride 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. Not only does his power scale with this ability, but his pompous demeanor as well. Exhibiting prideful behavior will cause the aura to pulsate for a brief moment, adding another reserve to his collection of power.
Pride Blasts: Tharr is able to implement his unleashed power in a more than overall power boost. Each of these are composed of pure, purple colored Pride energy.
The short ranged Pride Burst is a brief spherical explosion with an omnidirectional 5 yard radius. A short amount of time gathering strength is initially required and with more energy garnered, the higher intensity and damage the blast inflicts. Using this will instantly revert Tharraleos to base power and leaves him momentarily disoriented. Furthermore, a substantial amount of Pride must be collected for this to gain notable damage, otherwise it is rather ineffective.
The mid ranged Pride Volley is an array of projectiles resembling slightly flattened spheres. Nearly three times the size of his fist, each individual orb removes a reserve of Pride from his collection and can be formed within either palm in seconds. Once created, Tharr can absorb them back into his body if he chooses and doing so replenishes the reserve. These can be launched in rapid succession, soaring through the air with decent speed and explode upon contact with their target. Their moderate damage and range remain consistent regardless of how many reserves are gathered.
Alternatively is the long ranged Pride Wave that suffers from a much higher charge time while all energy is concentrated into his paws. Once such is accumulated, he can release a wide beam through the palms of his conjoined paws. The range, duration and destructiveness of which increases in conjunction with the amount of Pride power. After the wave diminishes, Tharr is reverted back to base power much like Pride Burst and similarly, a large number of reserves is necessary for increased effectiveness. This, however, takes a much larger toll on his body and an abundance of rest is needed to fully recover.
Defensively is the Pride Barrier which is a glowing sphere of energy that fully shrouds him. It also changes shape somewhat, appearing more ovoid when his wings are expanded. The aura no longer covers his body and has instead formed into this maneuver. It provides an all-encompassing shield that protects him completely from an increasing amount of damage varying on his collected reserves. If the barrier does exceed its damage limit, it will shatter and leave Tharr stunned for a moment. While he must remain physically still while this is active, he is able to float freely around, giving the illusion of flight at times. It's maximum duration mimics that of his overall Pride Empowerment, but can be created and dispelled at any time at the cost of one reserve for each instance.
The versatile Pride Blade offers both offensive and defensive capabilities. Tharraleos can condense the entire aura into either of his paws or feet and the tips of his tails. Numerous of these can be formed with six being the most, but the power is dispersed and is thus weakened greatly. Since his energy is much more concentrated at these points, it gains piercing and slashing properties, able to slice through flesh at lower reserves and steel at higher ones. With this, the durability of the limb equipped with this technique has expanded greatly, allowing him to deflect swords and other dangerous hazards with his powered limbs alone, avoiding damage to himself in the process. The overall strength and resilience in these blades correlates with his reserves. Furthermore, they can be created and reabsorbed at no cost since his energy is only being transferred.
Finally are the much capable Pride Clones. These have the appearance of entirely purple, opaque figures with energy constantly flowing throughout them. Their features are identical to Tharr’s, only possessing a blank countenance in place of eyes. Each duplicate expends five reserves and can be formed in moments, withering away after their damage limit has been exceeded or his reserves expire. They are created with his will as their main objective while still being autonomous and able to act without orders. They are nearly silent as well, emitting low, barely audible sounds with no comprehensible words. Moreover, each clone holds half the physical strength and durability of Tharraleos and only incorporates his prowess in Martial Arts.
Telekinesis: Tharraleos' mental capacity and abundance of mental training has granted him the ability to control objects through sheer thought. 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 Pride power he has garnered. In doing so, he essentially trades physical strength for mental strength.
Telepathy: Another feat accomplished through Tharraleos 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. 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 wing, he can create and launch razor sharp, crescent-shaped constructs of wind from the feathery appendage. These cover a wide area and are known to cut through metal, but their range is poor and it takes some time for it to be unleashed. His tail feathers can release identical projectiles, only they are half the size and can be launched at twice the rate, but only deal half the damage. As the amount of Pride 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 Pride power affects 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 great force that creates small fissures and has a maximum radius of 15 yards which often forms craters. Depending on the amount of power he places into this, it'll either decrease one's stability or knock them down. Much like his Aerokinesis, the range and power of this ability is heightened depending on his amount of Pride power. The extent of these tremors can reach to devastating and destructive levels. He can also burrow just under the surface of an earthen surface and move at moderate speeds. This is mainly used for surprise attacks or to vanish from sight. This ability holds little augmentation with the increase of Pride, as Tharraleos is only granted a boost in speed once submerged in the ground.
Combat style: Throughout his many years, Tharraleos has studied and mastered innumerable styles of different Martial Arts, giving him physical, mental and spiritual perfection when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. It has given him the potential to harness his body's natural energy to maximize the power of each individual strike. Although he does have vast knowledge in a wide variation of weapon styles such as swords, spears and staffs. he prefers hand-to-hand. But if a weapon is considered, it can be welded nearly effortlessly.
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 with the abundant variants of combat styles, he can adapt to almost any kind of opponent. 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 sometimes even 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.
Tharraleos is a tactical fighter who either utilizes very precise pressure point strikes to promptly immobilize foes, or target other crucial areas such as the stomach, chest and facial regions. This is further evidenced by the fact that because of he lacks attack speed, he relies on outsmarting his opponents. The power in his strikes is immense and his attacks have pinpoint accuracy.
With knowledge of numerous fighting styles, Tharraleos has also adopted his own and typically combines techniques from other Martial Arts with his own unique style. He has learned to utilize his body's natural tools to maximum efficiency. His 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; each contribute in holding his victim in place while simultaneously tearing through flesh with ease.
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 his most deadly means of attack and are as sharp as a blade, able to break through bone with little effort.
His primary wings can be additionally used defensively by wrapping around his body for protection and offensively by lashing forth with both speed and power. His secondary wings can trap weaker physical strikes almost like a net. His lion tail is used to aid in balance and frequently shifts about to help retain footing. Moreover, it is prehensile as well as quite flexible, able to coil around rather small objects with surprising accuracy. Boasting vast strength, it can withstand weight that slightly exceeds that of Tharr and can be used for quick and damaging melee attacks by lashing forward. His fan of tail feathers is more or less used to assist with steering and maximum control while airborne, but can be used for melee strikes with less range and damage.
Overall, Tharraleos is a highly disciplined and exceptionally adept combatant who's well aware of his body's limitations. He can potentially overcome any opponent even with the odds against him.
Transformation: A hereditary ability passed down from his parents but also mutated in both function and appearance from the overabundance of Pride. The current alteration manifested itself about three hundred years ago, giving him much experience between both forms. This happens unwillingly if Tharraleos does not calm his affinity for combat, the only exception being if his Pride Empowerment is activated. Furthermore, any reserves stockpiled are instantly lost and irretrievable. Once his hunger for battle reaches a breaking point, a much more feral beast will take his place after a brief transformation. His bipedal frame become quadrupedal with a noticeable hunch in posture. Significantly larger than before, this Griffin towers at twenty six feet tall and weighs in at three and a half thousand pounds. His muscular frame is increased considerably, granting him strength capable of unhindered mobility despite his immense weight. Both pairs of wings become twice as dense with the primary set gaining a greater wingspan of one hundred and forty feet. His fur and feathers throughout his body become much longer and coarse. His mane now covers his entire head instead of having just the sides exposed and his widow's peak disappears. His ears change shape as well, now protruding from the sides of his head for a quarter of their larger size. From there, a sharp upward angle becomes their remaining path leading to tapered ends. His pupils attain more feline traits and form into thin, vertical slits. Tharr loses his teeth entirely, his beak instead becoming jagged and teeth-like. The other parts of his body grow more in proportion with this newfound size and his overall coloration only darkens slightly. While his physical appearance has altered heavily, his personality remains largely the same and all previous customs carry over to this form. Most of these traits only apply should Tharr be distanced from the fray as combat only strengthens his loss of control. Although somewhat more aggressive, a prominent desire to end his enemies permanently is now present, but his moral code does not falter.
Ability wise, Tharr’s similarities between forms continue and his overall power is increased tenfold. Injuries are healed as a result of this reshaping as well. His acceleration for flight is lessened significantly and is nearly incapable of such. His wings have attained enough strength to lift his much heavier body and can still sustain flight for hours at a time with speeds now up to one hundred and thirty miles per hour. Being submerged underwater in this form can prove fatal as he is now incapable of successful swimming. Absent from his repertoire of abilities is his Pride Empowerment as it becomes dormant. Acts of humility still bring hindrance to him, although he is no longer able to rectify it with his ego. His strikes keep their surprising mobility with increased range, but have a huge decrease in speed. He is notably more predatory and ferocious the longer he engages in a battle and can lose an increasing amount of control over himself from prolonged exposure. From this point he relies more on cunning instinct rather than analytical thought. This can lead to him being consumed by combat rage and frequently overlooks his moral code regardless of the consequences, typically by overpowering brutality.
Tharraleos returns to normal only after losing consciousness in any way, including sleep as this offers a chance for his body to calm itself and restore the Griffin to his bipedal form. With his lack of need for physical rest, this form's duration can last several days, but will eventually tire out. All events experienced between the forms remains fully intact within his memory. The barbaric nature of the four legged beast is not Tharr's preferred way of fighting, but he admires the raw strength of the form and is rarely opposes a chance to unleash it. He never allows the form to to consume him entirely, opting instead to ensure even the slightest ounce of restraint prevails to prevent unrestrained destruction.
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. 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 extremely close ranged tactics. This can put him at a severe disadvantage against more ranged adversaries.
Limited durability: His durability only protects him from blunt force, meaning the likes of blades and gunfire can easily break through his defenses.
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 his most powerful tool, he refrains from using it a majority of the time. He chooses to face a foe with base power at most and only shows the mentioned ability 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, than 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 end his life after repeated humility. Unlike his Pride Empowerment, the effects are instant and will not reset over time, slowly dissipating 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; shapeshifting Griffins that can alter their form from an intelligent human sized, bipedal framed beast to a much larger quadruped monster at will. The latter of which boasted far greater power at a slight loss of self control. Overuse of this, however, would lessen their restraint more and more . Having thought their kind had been extinguished, 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 soon to be born Griffin was brought into the same legion of warriors his parents fought in, where he would begin training to become an adept fighter. Most of these members, much like himself 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. Upon hatching, he was taken care of by various members of the clan until he was strong enough to begin his training. Since he could walk on two feet, Tharraleos was trained day and night to become a formidable warrior. Despite the harsh training, Tharraleos was a rather meek and timid individual who was always reluctant to fight. Aside from this, the leader of this army controlled them by infecting them with the seven deadly sins. After a miraculous first victory graced the young Tharr, an unquenchable thirst for glory and battle consumed him and 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 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. But his prayers would be answered, but not by his own hand much to his displeasure. A clan of Geomancing warriors had pppł 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 Geomancers, 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 a 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.
Trivia
His first name is the Greek word for courageous while his last name is the Greek word for warrior.
Tharraleos' status as a "perfect warrior" and affinity for battle in inspired by the Spartans of ancient Greece.
Some aspects of Tharraleos' personality is a combination of the elements of metal and light.
Tharraleos has a signature battle cry he lets out before a fight. It starts off with a high pitched, eagle screech and ends with a deep and low lion growl.
Despite being humanoid most of the time, Tharr is still very much animalistic and possesses a number of mannerisms from both birds and cats. He frequently lets out a series of different types of growls and even purrs at certain times. He can also be seen perching himself on random surfaces much like a bird and most importantly, grooms himself primarily with his beak and paws.
Similar to other avians, Tharr blinks upwards.
When he speaks, his words lack contractions, meaning instead of saying things like "I'm" and won't", he'll instead always use the full "I am" and "will not".
Much like the Griffins in mythology, Tharraleos' feathers can be used to cure blindness and his talons can detect poison by changing into a sickly green color when nearby.
His primary language for some time was Greek until he learned English.
Tharraleos has 2 fearsome opposing combinations. His immense physical fortitude and fighting prowess coupled with his knowledge and wisdom gathered throughout many centuries has made him a combatant of both brain and brawn. Given the duo of elements he can slightly control as well as his fighting style, Tharraleos is a master of both land and air. This has more inspirations from various Griffin lore.
Nickname: Tharr for short (mainly used by allies)
Age: Tharraleos has lived for over two thousand years resulting from his aging process being highly decelerated
Species: Griffin
Gender: Male
Height: 6 feet, 6 inches tall
Weight: 355 pounds.
IQ and intelligence: 195. 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 well as sign language as a result.
Sexual orientation: Heterosexual
Occupation: Fighter. Tharr partakes in a number of fighting tournaments yearly and earns a good amount of prize money.
Residence: A small log cabin hidden in a mountainside. The cabin is decent in size, having a small bedroom and a moderate sized living space. The former has only a bed and a bookshelf. While the latter holds a small table, a single chair and another larger shelf that holds assorted wine and various glasses. All this furniture is composed of wood much like the cabin itself
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Dominant hand: Ambidextrous
Hobbies and talents: Training 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. Dancing is another hobby of his after he learned it had similar attributes to combat with the need for coordination and endurance. It is something he thoroughly and has become rather experienced in doing so, learning many different styles. Finally, 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. His mountainous abode contains numerous areas of clean, natural water and his visits to these are quite frequent. Aged wine is his other luxury of his and enjoys a wide variety of such on an almost day to day basis.
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 stay far from them.
Personality: Due to his past transgressions under the rule of Malefor, Tharraleos lives by a personal code, swearing to never take one's life no matter the situation. Although in the midst of battle, he's not against severely injuring his opponent so long as he knows they'll survive. If one were to die by his hands, it would be the ultimate act of humility for him. Dire situations in the past have resulted in a number of lives taken by him and the consequences of such strengthens this mindset of his. There are exceptions to this when it comes to undead foes such as demons and vampires as he believes their lives have already ended. Although since mistakes have happened before, Tharr remains cautious of those he considers non living individuals. Another deviation from this code is hunting prey. He retains a mostly omnivorous diet and so long as his intentions are purely for feeding, his code stays intact. Before consumption of his victim, however, he always shows gratitude for their sacrifice and ensures a proper burial once he is finished.
He possesses immense willpower, is extremely stubborn and does not believe in compromise. Tharraleos will rarely take the role of a leader, though he sometimes serves as second-in-command or as the backbone of an organization or group. When this position is offered to him and he has no option to accept, his natural born leadership is shown. This is when it is shown Tharraleos is fond of making impassioned speeches to boost the morale of his followers and to bestow them with his wisdom.
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.
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. 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. Additionally, he is somewhat judgmental and will likely view an individual as an enemy before he counts them as an ally. He believes in confronting facing problems head on with a direct show of force and intimidation before they can become too serious a threat.
Despite his life revolving around combat and caring little for anything else, Tharraleos is rather amicable when it comes to conflicts. He will initially attempt to peacefully resolve problems with speech and will only fight if he feels threatened or challenged. Moreover, he is a rather polite individual, exhibiting fine etiquette and prim mannerisms to strangers and allies. Respect is even given to some extent to those he deems as enemies or generally unpleasant company, although his disdain is very much present. The key aspect of his personality is his strong, mostly unalterable convictions. He values honor above reason and is rarely forgiving to those that upset him.
Physical description: Tharraleos is a large, majestic and robust warrior, sporting a sleek, very toned physique. Despite exceeding two 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.
His body is covered entirely in well groomed, medium length, tan colored fur. Excluding this is the entirety of his head in which white plumage is covered throughout. His lower legs are also not included and are instead covered in black feathers that starts at his knees and stops right above his feet. Hidden within this leg plumage is a highly durable and golden yellow tarsus. His durable, thick feathered wings attach below the shoulder blades and are generally folded along his back. Massive in scale, they account for sixty pounds of his weight. The bottoms of the wings nearly make contact with the ground while the tops and sides surpass his height and width by a few inches respectively. Once Tharr spreads his wings out fully, his enormous wingspan of twenty feet is seen. Both the ventral and dorsal sides of the wings are solid black in coloration. Due to oil from oil from the uropygial gland at the base of his tail feathers, the feathers of his wings can shimmer slightly under bright light. Tharr has a secondary set of nearly weightless wings that are much thinner and made of brown feathers. These are more attached along his body and connected by his elbow and hip. Their soft nature allows them to extend enough for unhindered arm movements. His plumage, much like his fur, is very well maintained and gives him an overall plush and downy appearance.
His eyes are mostly avian in appearance and function. He possesses black, round and large pupils and deep gold irises with 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 and is mostly used during flight or combat.
His feet are a pair of bright gold, anisodactyl talons with three digits on the front and one in the back. Long, curved and black claws protrude from each toe. Tharr boasts large and powerful paws with soft, brown pads on his palms. These paws have five digits each, including a dewclaw that provides extra grip on prey. True to feline traits, this thumb-like digit is not opposable and makes grasping everyday things cumbersome. Hidden within is another natural weapon for him. Protractible, white claws can be unleashed at any time. Three inches in length, these can prove to be quite lethal with his formidable strength behind each slash. As a result of extensive refinement, the claws of Tharraleos are not only as sharp as a knife, but extremely durable and rarely break off.
One of his most prominent traits is the thick mane of fur that covers the top and back of his head with a widow's peak that ends halfway down his forehead. The mane hangs slightly below chest level and is dark brown in color with streaks of blond and black. He holds great pride in this and it thus receives the most amount of maintenance. This mane also acts as a means of intimidation towards foes and often flares outwards when provoked. A pair of wide, slightly pointed and erect white feathered ears are perked on the sides of his head that give him an additional four inches in height and have a slight outward curve. These reach half a foot in total length and almost resemble a pair of horns. They also have a single path of movement and can be seen bending backwards as a show of intimidation towards threats. Bony and angled ridges are seen protruding just above his eyes that give Tharr a perpetual scowl.
His beak is golden yellow in color with a pronounced hook forming at the tip. A pair of ovoid nares are visible at the base that lead to his respiratory system. Dwelling within his beak is a pink, elongated and 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. While his beak can imbue extensive damage by itself with an impressive peck, two rows of protractible teeth can reveal themselves at will. Nearly hidden from view are his carnassials; a pair of self-sharpening molars and premolars that are a highly effective slicer and is his primary source to chew food. Five inches in length are his notable fangs in place of canine teeth. Beside his fangs are an array of 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 beak fully until he retracts them.
Tharraloes bears a duo of tails; one feline that rests on the bottom and one avian on top. They are connected at the base of his body and can move independently from each other. The feline tail is slim and lengthy, just under half his height at three feet. It is tan brown much like the rest of his body and sports a large and thick tuft of black fur on the tip. The fan of tail feathers is wedge shaped, about half his width and half the length of his feline tail. This avian tail can also flare out to the sides to nearly two and a half times the width, usually while airborne. The plumage is mostly white in color with the base colored black much like his wings.
Abilities
Enhanced Condition: This ability has numerous uses. Tharraleos possess peak physical and mental condition. He has incredible physical fortitude across his entire body, allowing him to pull off astounding feats of herculean strength and is able to deliver a maximum of one thousand, three hundred pounds of force in a single punch. By placing a majority of the strength in his legs, he can leap far and high distances. His immense body prowess also grants great durability, enabling him to endure an upwards of seven thousand pounds throughout his entire body. His dense fur and hardened body also protect him from physical attacks.
Furthermore, he can fight for prolonged amounts of time before succumbing to exhaustion. Even so, he can function on low amounts of power, allowing him to operate for an extended amount of time and remain calm 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 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 stand upright 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. He's quite acrobatic as well, 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.
Tharraleos has a regeneration ability which mainly shows its usefulness after combat. He can heal from injuries slightly faster than what is considered normal and he can survive otherwise fatal wounds. This has further allowed the numerous scars inflicted on him throughout his years to eventually fade and vanish. He can also can deny requirements for a long time such as the need of food, sleep and even water and even has immunity to most illnesses.
Enhanced Senses: All five of Tharraloes’ senses are at an elevated state. These can be directed to center on a particular sense while blocking out all others.
While his vision is normal, it can act as a sort of telescope, allowing him to increase his vision by up to eight times at will and see clearly from remarkable distances. Using this will cause his pupils to gradually increase to nearly twice in 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 green hue. Both of these sight enhancers can be switched on and off instantly and require nearly no energy to perform.
His feathered ears give him exceptional hearing and 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. With focus, his hearing can be improved 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.
The 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 lying,as well as sickness and emotions by picking up what smells or hormones are secreted.
His sense of touch and taste are also heightened. The former allows him detect vibrations through solid substances, liquid or air pressure changes while the latter bestows protection from poisons or other potential hazards.
Flight: His primary wings allow him to reach speeds up to ninety miles per hour. However, he actually has difficulty reaching flight without using the momentum from a powerful jump, considering the hindrance his vast wingspan presents. Along with the jump, the feathered limbs on his back must be tucked behind him 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.
Even once this is achieved, he has very poor acceleration and could take extensive amounts of time before reaching full speed. Once he finally achieves the needed momentum to gain successful flight, he can sustain such for hours at a time, able to gracefully and easily sail across the skies with only an occasional flap. For maximized time airborne, Tharraleos typically flies with his arms extended to the sides to make full use of his secondary wings. He can make use of the built up momentum for a lethal dive, potentially reaching speeds exceeding two 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 control his flying well and can fight while airborne just as efficiently as on the ground.
Swimming: Tharr’s dense muscle mass and lack of aquatic traits makes him a creature not designed for underwater maneuverability. Not wanting to be vulnerable while deeply submerged, he has learned to overcome this shortcoming to some extent. His arms must be extended to the sides and his straightened legs pressed together while his body moves in a wave-like undulation. His tail feathers and larger wings are mostly used to push him forward at somewhat average speeds with rhythmic flaps for long periods of time if needed while his smaller wings assist with surfacing and staying afloat. His powerful lungs allow him to survive under the water’s surface for minutes at a time. Once on land, his wings are weighed down greatly from the water and flight is nearly impossible until they gradually dry.
Pride Empowerment: Because of the overexposure to the sin of pride, Tharraleos has become an embodiment of it and has the unique 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. Each occurrence of Pride adds a tenth of his base power and is referred to a “Pride Reserve” by Tharr. 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. There appears to be 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 exhorting pride, any built up energy will gradually reset and the ability will become dormant.
In addition, Tharraleos unleashes this power by projecting a purple colored aura composed entirely of Pride energy. The aura resembles purple fire with an occasional crackle of pale purple electricity and within this aura, a glowing purple outline is seen along his frame. With this, his eyes become solid purple in color and acquire a bright glow as the energy courses throughout his entire being. The final attribute is his voice attaining divine resonance. Once the aura is formed, only then will Tharr will have access to the entirety of his Pride Reserves. The aura will continue to cover him until the power reaches zero. The intensity of the aura is increased in accordance to his built up pride 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. Not only does his power scale with this ability, but his pompous demeanor as well. Exhibiting prideful behavior will cause the aura to pulsate for a brief moment, adding another reserve to his collection of power.
Pride Blasts: Tharr is able to implement his unleashed power in a more than overall power boost. Each of these are composed of pure, purple colored Pride energy.
The short ranged Pride Burst is a brief spherical explosion with an omnidirectional 5 yard radius. A short amount of time gathering strength is initially required and with more energy garnered, the higher intensity and damage the blast inflicts. Using this will instantly revert Tharraleos to base power and leaves him momentarily disoriented. Furthermore, a substantial amount of Pride must be collected for this to gain notable damage, otherwise it is rather ineffective.
The mid ranged Pride Volley is an array of projectiles resembling slightly flattened spheres. Nearly three times the size of his fist, each individual orb removes a reserve of Pride from his collection and can be formed within either palm in seconds. Once created, Tharr can absorb them back into his body if he chooses and doing so replenishes the reserve. These can be launched in rapid succession, soaring through the air with decent speed and explode upon contact with their target. Their moderate damage and range remain consistent regardless of how many reserves are gathered.
Alternatively is the long ranged Pride Wave that suffers from a much higher charge time while all energy is concentrated into his paws. Once such is accumulated, he can release a wide beam through the palms of his conjoined paws. The range, duration and destructiveness of which increases in conjunction with the amount of Pride power. After the wave diminishes, Tharr is reverted back to base power much like Pride Burst and similarly, a large number of reserves is necessary for increased effectiveness. This, however, takes a much larger toll on his body and an abundance of rest is needed to fully recover.
Defensively is the Pride Barrier which is a glowing sphere of energy that fully shrouds him. It also changes shape somewhat, appearing more ovoid when his wings are expanded. The aura no longer covers his body and has instead formed into this maneuver. It provides an all-encompassing shield that protects him completely from an increasing amount of damage varying on his collected reserves. If the barrier does exceed its damage limit, it will shatter and leave Tharr stunned for a moment. While he must remain physically still while this is active, he is able to float freely around, giving the illusion of flight at times. It's maximum duration mimics that of his overall Pride Empowerment, but can be created and dispelled at any time at the cost of one reserve for each instance.
The versatile Pride Blade offers both offensive and defensive capabilities. Tharraleos can condense the entire aura into either of his paws or feet and the tips of his tails. Numerous of these can be formed with six being the most, but the power is dispersed and is thus weakened greatly. Since his energy is much more concentrated at these points, it gains piercing and slashing properties, able to slice through flesh at lower reserves and steel at higher ones. With this, the durability of the limb equipped with this technique has expanded greatly, allowing him to deflect swords and other dangerous hazards with his powered limbs alone, avoiding damage to himself in the process. The overall strength and resilience in these blades correlates with his reserves. Furthermore, they can be created and reabsorbed at no cost since his energy is only being transferred.
Finally are the much capable Pride Clones. These have the appearance of entirely purple, opaque figures with energy constantly flowing throughout them. Their features are identical to Tharr’s, only possessing a blank countenance in place of eyes. Each duplicate expends five reserves and can be formed in moments, withering away after their damage limit has been exceeded or his reserves expire. They are created with his will as their main objective while still being autonomous and able to act without orders. They are nearly silent as well, emitting low, barely audible sounds with no comprehensible words. Moreover, each clone holds half the physical strength and durability of Tharraleos and only incorporates his prowess in Martial Arts.
Telekinesis: Tharraleos' mental capacity and abundance of mental training has granted him the ability to control objects through sheer thought. 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 Pride power he has garnered. In doing so, he essentially trades physical strength for mental strength.
Telepathy: Another feat accomplished through Tharraleos 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. 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 wing, he can create and launch razor sharp, crescent-shaped constructs of wind from the feathery appendage. These cover a wide area and are known to cut through metal, but their range is poor and it takes some time for it to be unleashed. His tail feathers can release identical projectiles, only they are half the size and can be launched at twice the rate, but only deal half the damage. As the amount of Pride 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 Pride power affects 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 great force that creates small fissures and has a maximum radius of 15 yards which often forms craters. Depending on the amount of power he places into this, it'll either decrease one's stability or knock them down. Much like his Aerokinesis, the range and power of this ability is heightened depending on his amount of Pride power. The extent of these tremors can reach to devastating and destructive levels. He can also burrow just under the surface of an earthen surface and move at moderate speeds. This is mainly used for surprise attacks or to vanish from sight. This ability holds little augmentation with the increase of Pride, as Tharraleos is only granted a boost in speed once submerged in the ground.
Combat style: Throughout his many years, Tharraleos has studied and mastered innumerable styles of different Martial Arts, giving him physical, mental and spiritual perfection when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. It has given him the potential to harness his body's natural energy to maximize the power of each individual strike. Although he does have vast knowledge in a wide variation of weapon styles such as swords, spears and staffs. he prefers hand-to-hand. But if a weapon is considered, it can be welded nearly effortlessly.
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 with the abundant variants of combat styles, he can adapt to almost any kind of opponent. 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 sometimes even 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.
Tharraleos is a tactical fighter who either utilizes very precise pressure point strikes to promptly immobilize foes, or target other crucial areas such as the stomach, chest and facial regions. This is further evidenced by the fact that because of he lacks attack speed, he relies on outsmarting his opponents. The power in his strikes is immense and his attacks have pinpoint accuracy.
With knowledge of numerous fighting styles, Tharraleos has also adopted his own and typically combines techniques from other Martial Arts with his own unique style. He has learned to utilize his body's natural tools to maximum efficiency. His 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; each contribute in holding his victim in place while simultaneously tearing through flesh with ease.
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 his most deadly means of attack and are as sharp as a blade, able to break through bone with little effort.
His primary wings can be additionally used defensively by wrapping around his body for protection and offensively by lashing forth with both speed and power. His secondary wings can trap weaker physical strikes almost like a net. His lion tail is used to aid in balance and frequently shifts about to help retain footing. Moreover, it is prehensile as well as quite flexible, able to coil around rather small objects with surprising accuracy. Boasting vast strength, it can withstand weight that slightly exceeds that of Tharr and can be used for quick and damaging melee attacks by lashing forward. His fan of tail feathers is more or less used to assist with steering and maximum control while airborne, but can be used for melee strikes with less range and damage.
Overall, Tharraleos is a highly disciplined and exceptionally adept combatant who's well aware of his body's limitations. He can potentially overcome any opponent even with the odds against him.
Transformation: A hereditary ability passed down from his parents but also mutated in both function and appearance from the overabundance of Pride. The current alteration manifested itself about three hundred years ago, giving him much experience between both forms. This happens unwillingly if Tharraleos does not calm his affinity for combat, the only exception being if his Pride Empowerment is activated. Furthermore, any reserves stockpiled are instantly lost and irretrievable. Once his hunger for battle reaches a breaking point, a much more feral beast will take his place after a brief transformation. His bipedal frame become quadrupedal with a noticeable hunch in posture. Significantly larger than before, this Griffin towers at twenty six feet tall and weighs in at three and a half thousand pounds. His muscular frame is increased considerably, granting him strength capable of unhindered mobility despite his immense weight. Both pairs of wings become twice as dense with the primary set gaining a greater wingspan of one hundred and forty feet. His fur and feathers throughout his body become much longer and coarse. His mane now covers his entire head instead of having just the sides exposed and his widow's peak disappears. His ears change shape as well, now protruding from the sides of his head for a quarter of their larger size. From there, a sharp upward angle becomes their remaining path leading to tapered ends. His pupils attain more feline traits and form into thin, vertical slits. Tharr loses his teeth entirely, his beak instead becoming jagged and teeth-like. The other parts of his body grow more in proportion with this newfound size and his overall coloration only darkens slightly. While his physical appearance has altered heavily, his personality remains largely the same and all previous customs carry over to this form. Most of these traits only apply should Tharr be distanced from the fray as combat only strengthens his loss of control. Although somewhat more aggressive, a prominent desire to end his enemies permanently is now present, but his moral code does not falter.
Ability wise, Tharr’s similarities between forms continue and his overall power is increased tenfold. Injuries are healed as a result of this reshaping as well. His acceleration for flight is lessened significantly and is nearly incapable of such. His wings have attained enough strength to lift his much heavier body and can still sustain flight for hours at a time with speeds now up to one hundred and thirty miles per hour. Being submerged underwater in this form can prove fatal as he is now incapable of successful swimming. Absent from his repertoire of abilities is his Pride Empowerment as it becomes dormant. Acts of humility still bring hindrance to him, although he is no longer able to rectify it with his ego. His strikes keep their surprising mobility with increased range, but have a huge decrease in speed. He is notably more predatory and ferocious the longer he engages in a battle and can lose an increasing amount of control over himself from prolonged exposure. From this point he relies more on cunning instinct rather than analytical thought. This can lead to him being consumed by combat rage and frequently overlooks his moral code regardless of the consequences, typically by overpowering brutality.
Tharraleos returns to normal only after losing consciousness in any way, including sleep as this offers a chance for his body to calm itself and restore the Griffin to his bipedal form. With his lack of need for physical rest, this form's duration can last several days, but will eventually tire out. All events experienced between the forms remains fully intact within his memory. The barbaric nature of the four legged beast is not Tharr's preferred way of fighting, but he admires the raw strength of the form and is rarely opposes a chance to unleash it. He never allows the form to to consume him entirely, opting instead to ensure even the slightest ounce of restraint prevails to prevent unrestrained destruction.
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. 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 extremely close ranged tactics. This can put him at a severe disadvantage against more ranged adversaries.
Limited durability: His durability only protects him from blunt force, meaning the likes of blades and gunfire can easily break through his defenses.
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 his most powerful tool, he refrains from using it a majority of the time. He chooses to face a foe with base power at most and only shows the mentioned ability 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, than 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 end his life after repeated humility. Unlike his Pride Empowerment, the effects are instant and will not reset over time, slowly dissipating 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; shapeshifting Griffins that can alter their form from an intelligent human sized, bipedal framed beast to a much larger quadruped monster at will. The latter of which boasted far greater power at a slight loss of self control. Overuse of this, however, would lessen their restraint more and more . Having thought their kind had been extinguished, 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 soon to be born Griffin was brought into the same legion of warriors his parents fought in, where he would begin training to become an adept fighter. Most of these members, much like himself 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. Upon hatching, he was taken care of by various members of the clan until he was strong enough to begin his training. Since he could walk on two feet, Tharraleos was trained day and night to become a formidable warrior. Despite the harsh training, Tharraleos was a rather meek and timid individual who was always reluctant to fight. Aside from this, the leader of this army controlled them by infecting them with the seven deadly sins. After a miraculous first victory graced the young Tharr, an unquenchable thirst for glory and battle consumed him and 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 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. But his prayers would be answered, but not by his own hand much to his displeasure. A clan of Geomancing warriors had pppł 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 Geomancers, 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 a 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.
Trivia
His first name is the Greek word for courageous while his last name is the Greek word for warrior.
Tharraleos' status as a "perfect warrior" and affinity for battle in inspired by the Spartans of ancient Greece.
Some aspects of Tharraleos' personality is a combination of the elements of metal and light.
Tharraleos has a signature battle cry he lets out before a fight. It starts off with a high pitched, eagle screech and ends with a deep and low lion growl.
Despite being humanoid most of the time, Tharr is still very much animalistic and possesses a number of mannerisms from both birds and cats. He frequently lets out a series of different types of growls and even purrs at certain times. He can also be seen perching himself on random surfaces much like a bird and most importantly, grooms himself primarily with his beak and paws.
Similar to other avians, Tharr blinks upwards.
When he speaks, his words lack contractions, meaning instead of saying things like "I'm" and won't", he'll instead always use the full "I am" and "will not".
Much like the Griffins in mythology, Tharraleos' feathers can be used to cure blindness and his talons can detect poison by changing into a sickly green color when nearby.
His primary language for some time was Greek until he learned English.
Tharraleos has 2 fearsome opposing combinations. His immense physical fortitude and fighting prowess coupled with his knowledge and wisdom gathered throughout many centuries has made him a combatant of both brain and brawn. Given the duo of elements he can slightly control as well as his fighting style, Tharraleos is a master of both land and air. This has more inspirations from various Griffin lore.