Name: Jahar al'Harradin
Aliases: the Black Rose Killer, the Blackvine
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Occupation: Killer for hire
Demeanor: Jahar is somewhat erratic in his behavior, seeming to have multiple sides to his nature. He as often projects an air of charming sophistication as one of a dangerous psychopath with a taste for killing. In combat, and especially when tapping into his strange abilities, he is utterly ruthless and without regard for anything but his current objective. The concepts of mercy and honor in battle are completely foreign to him.

Physical Appearance:

Hair: Dark brown, bordering on black. Generally worn cropped close to the head.
Facial Hair: None, though he often goes days without shaving, leaving noticeable stubble.
Eyes: Right eye is dark brown, left eye appears to have been replaced by an onyx gem
Build: Slender frame but well muscled
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 179 lbs
Distinguishing Features: In addition to his rather noticeable left eye, Jahar also has a rather intricate tattoo taking the form of twisting black vines. The tattoos stem from a central pattern of vines on his back near the spine, and reach out to cover his arms, legs, and torso. One vine stretches up his neck to the side of his face, curling around what appears to be a closed black rosebud inked onto and around the eyelid itself. Another of these closed rosebuds is inked on the back of his left hand, attached to its own tendril of vine.



Gear:

Tokens: Various pieces of Jahar's gear, including his bracers, shin guards, and various weapons, have been taken from fallen foes whom Jahar felt worthy of his respect. He has incorporated these strange items into his fighting style in a sort of ode to these warriors.

--Head: N/A
--Shoulders: Nondescript leather travelling cloak
--Torso: Weapons harness
---Underclothes: Simple black shirt
--Legs: Hardened leather shin guards covering from ankle to knee; each has a metal spike protruding upward from the knee guard.
---Underclothes: Simple black trousers
--Right Arm: Hardened leather bracer covering from wrist to elbow; has a metal spike protruding outward from the elbow guard.
--Left Arm: Twin of right arm.
--Primary Weapon: Varies, see below

Weapons:

Twin Haladie Daggers: If Jahar were to be said to have a primary weapon, it would be this pair of sinuously curved, triple bladed daggers which he was bequeathed early in his training. This particular set have been covered by a series of arcane runes that grant enhanced durability as well as a spell piercing enchantment. Any of the daggers' blades will pierce through most magical defenses as though they were nonexistent. He carries the daggers inside specially made sheathes that resemble triangular leather pouches, open on the long end, that hang at an angle from his hips, attached to the bottom of his weapon harness.



Urumi Sword: This particularly odd weapon appears to be a highly flexible sword, easily able to be coiled tightly without losing its shape when uncoiled. The three foot blade is kept in constant motion while wielded, able to quickly lash out and attack from difficult to predict angles. The Urumi is particularly difficult to block with either a weapon or shield, as its razor sharp blade will simply wrap over the blocking object, still inflicting slashing damage. The Urumi's scabbard serves as Jahar's belt, wrapped around his waist with the unassuming black leather wrapped hilt hanging off the right side when sheathed. Jahar took this particular Urumi from a skilled warrior who nearly killed him early in his career. While its design seems utilitarian, the weapon is heavily enchanted with air magic, allowing it to produce a 'windblade' effect, wherein focused air currents are projected from the end of the blade while in motion. This effectively adds six inches of reach to the weapon, and is particularly deadly due to the fact that this effect appears only as a slight distortion visually.



Tekko-Kagi Claw: This weapon is a set of four claws attached to a brace and handle, all forged from a dusky charcoal grey metal that is always cold to the touch. The brace sits against the back of the hand and wrist while the handle is gripped securely in the hand. The claws extend over the knuckles approximately four inches, and there is a crossbar affixed to the blades just in front of the knuckles, intended to protect against weapons trapped between the claws. Jahar's Tekko-Kagi was taken from an assassin who successfully caught him off guard and nearly slew him in his bed one night long ago. The weapon possesses a particularly insidious enchantment that causes unnatural levels of pain for anyone wounded by it.



Sunsword: This is the only one of Jahar's weapons that has anything resembling a name, though it is not a very clever one. The Sunsword is a large khopesh, made to be wielded in either one or two hands; it was forged from bronze, normally an inferior material, and is etched with a number of pictographic symbols that seem to depict worship of a sun deity. Perhaps because of some magic inherent in the symbols, or perhaps due to an unrelated enchantment, this bronze blade has several interesting properties. Despite the material, the blade is stronger and holds a better edge than steel. It also has the ability to absorb and store sunlight over a period of time, visible as a constant light reflecting from the dull bronze even in darkness, which can be released in a large blinding flash at the will of the wielder. The weapon was taken from the powerful shaman of a desert tribe that Jahar was sent to exterminate as one of his first real assignments.



Other Gear:

Onyx Eye: This gemstone was taken from yet another unsuccessful assassin sent by Jahar's former employer. It is a perfectly spherical black stone, made to be placed into an empty eye socket. The bearer can see through this gem just as though his eye were still intact, though it cannot process color, seeing instead in gradations of black and white. This produces a rather jarring effect to which the bearer must become accustomed, as the other eye still sees normally, causing a strange juxtaposition of vision. The advantage of the Onyx Eye is that it grants the ability to see in near total darkness, as it can process white light far better than any biological eye. This ability has no effect on magical darkness.

Amulet of Iron Skin: This amulet is crafted from silver, with what appears to be a simple small glass triangular pendant hanging from it. Jahar took the item from the corpse of the same man from whom he acquired the Onyx Eye. When worn, the amulet constantly absorbs a fractional amount of kinetic energy from the wearers every movement, storing it until it becomes fully charged. When so charged, the amulet allows the wearer to direct this excess of kinetic energy to particular places on his body in order to counter physical attacks that he is unable to dodge. The wearer must be aware of the attack for the amulet to counter it, and has a limited amount of energy. When fully charged, it can counter three minor attacks, such as the bolt from a hand crossbow or throwing daggers, or up to one fairly strong attack, such as a close range broad head arrow fired from a longbow or a sword thrust, before exhausting its well of energy. Jahar has found that charging the amulet generally requires around one day of normal activity.

Combat Abilities:

Combat Style: Even without the abilities granted by his strange tattoos, Jahar is a model of ruthless efficiency in combat. He eschews flashy tricks in favor of pure economy of motion. Jahar has mastered the various weapons that he carries, seamlessly employing them in various combinations depending on the strengths of his foe. Due to the dangerous nature of his tattoos, Jahar prefers not to employ them unless he is certain he can end a battle quickly or is pressed too hard, relying instead on his natural ability and training.

Abilities:

Weapon Masteries: Jahar employs a variety of exotic weapons with which he has trained extensively. When wielding his twin Haladie Daggers, Jahar is poetry in motion, as though he were born with the weapons in hand. Of his personal arsenal, these are the weapons with which he has trained the longest. However, he is nearly as well trained and deadly with each of the weapons he carries, particularly his Urumi, which is one of the more difficult weapons to wield in existence.

Hand to Hand: While no master, Jahar was trained in several forms of hand to hand combat, including various grappling and other martial techniques. He is able to easily defeat unskilled opponents without weapons if necessary and hold his own against those with more training.

Face in the Crowd: While his particularly distinctive appearance makes the use of this skill somewhat difficult, Jahar was originally trained to be a faceless bodyguard, unnoticed until needed. He still retains his knowledge of how to blend into a crowd and disappear or follow a target unnoticed through a busy street.

Exotic Weaponry: While not actually an ability, the very exotic nature of Jahar's weapons has served him well in combat. Few have ever heard of, much less seen, things such as his Haladie daggers or Urumi, already difficult weapons against which to defend. This often forces his opponents to learn quickly or die equally quickly.

Blackvine Tattoos: The product of decades of research by a very talented, and very corrupt mage, the Blackvine tattoos are truly unique. Viewed closely, the tattoos are inked in a series of gradations of black with stunning detail, forming intricate loops and whirls that stem from a central pattern along Jahar's spine. The vines spread to cover his arms and legs, with one particularly long vine that ends in a closed black rosebud upon the back of his left hand. Tendrils also curl from the central pattern from either side to nearly meet upon his chest and stomach. The uppermost vine is wrapped partially around Jahar's neck, climbing the left side of his face to curl around the eye, ending in another of the black rosebuds inked upon his eyelid and eye socket.

When activated by the bearer, the tattooed vines sprout small thorns which look to be dug into Jahar's skin at intervals, causing him real pain as though he had actually been punctured. The tattoos then begin to consume a small amount of Jahar's life essence in order to activate their true power: they begin to collect the ever present ambient magical energy from the surrounding atmosphere, the same energy that many mages use to fuel their magics. Jahar is then able to send bursts of raw magical power throughout the vines on his body, granting increased abilities far beyond those of a normal human.

The Blackvine tattoos are not without drawbacks, however, as the human body simply was not meant to handle this sort of raw magical power. When the tattoos are activated, along with the thorns, the two closed rosebuds on his eye and hand bloom into large black roses in the same intricate gradations of black as the vines. As Jahar draws upon his powers, the petals of both flowers begin to wilt and die one by one, representing the stress upon his body. The more power he uses, the faster the petals die. Jahar was told explicitly that should the entire flower wilt and die, the amount of raw energy coursing through him will almost certainly kill him. Once deactivated, the excess energy is expelled harmlessly over time, but Jahar is left in a highly fatigued state and cannot draw upon the powers again until fully recovered.

The abilities granted by the Blackvine Tattoos when activated are as follows:

--Strength: Jahar is able to channel energy to increase his strength by up to several factors of his natural ability. Even without aid of the tattoos, Jahar is already fairly strong, able to easily lift objects exceeding his own body weight, but with them his strength is truly prodigious. Jahar is not even certain how much stronger he can become, as both the factor by which he increases his strength and the duration he maintains it affect how quickly the flowers wilt. As a result he has been hesitant to test its limits; however, he regularly utilizes strength exceeding two or three times normal.

--Speed: Jahar is also able to channel energy to increase the speed of his movements, particularly in short bursts. This power is exceedingly difficult to control when used to increase running speed, as the mind's capability to process the environment does not increase in kind. Jahar does, however, often employ this ability for superhumanly fast lunges, strikes, dodges or retreats. Just as with the strength, both the factor by which he increases his speed and the duration he maintains it affect how quickly the flowers wilt.

--Durability: The Blackvine Tattoos also provide Jahar with a limited amount of enhanced durability, though it is not particularly useful as a deterrent to incoming attacks. More so, it is something of a reflexive use of the tattoo's abilities that is closely tied to his increases in strength, wherein the energy coursing through Jahar's body will protect him from damaging himself by overexerting his still very human body.

History:

Jahar al'Harradin was born to a prostitute in Cadishmar, a den of corruption far to the east, perched on the edge of a vast desert. He does not even know his own true name, as his mother abandoned him as soon as she deemed him old enough to fend for himself. This was at the age of seven. Jahar spent the next five years scrounging for survival, trying and not always succeeding at avoiding beatings or worse. At the age of twelve, Jahar's fate was changed for better or worse by the men that all street urchins in Cadishmar feared the most....the Snatchers.

For years, it had been said, the Snatchers had prowled the night streets of Cadishmar, taking urchins whom no one would miss. When they took Jahar, he awoke in a dungeon with a small group of other children who he soon learned had been snatched as well. They were told only that they would have a chance to fight for their lives against a boy their age, and that should they win, they would be set free and given a sum of coin that would feed them for a year or more. Jahar later learned that he had been taken to the home of a master Assassin, and that the children were part of a special training program he had put together for a pupil at the request of that pupil's very powerful father, Machiavelli Salvatore, a visiting dignitary from a powerful kingdom. The promised reward for victory was to ensure that the children fought with everything they had, but the main point was to turn Salvatore's son Nicoli into a merciless killer.

Jahar watched as each of his fellow captives fought bravely but were killed quickly by the terrifyingly calm young man until finally it was his own turn. He fared little better himself, and Nicoli dealt him a savage gut wound. Jahar, however, would not admit he was beaten and, having dropped the weapon he had been given, charged the other boy in a feral rage, clawing, biting and scratching. Somehow in his frenzy, he managed to wound the far better trained Nicoli, incurring the other boy's wrath. Just as he was about to strike Jahar down, however, Machiavelli himself, who happened to be observing at the time, stopped him, deciding that Jahar himself might prove useful.

Machiavelli, who held a powerful position as the adviser to a powerful King, was investing a great deal of time and effort into turning his son into his own personal assassin, and he had decided to use this savage young boy to help protect that investment. He gave the boy clothes, food a place to live, and even his name, Jahar. The boy took the name al'Harradin after the Harradin desert, on the border of which his home city stood. Jahar was to be a hidden bodyguard, unknown even to Nicoli himself, always watching nearby should need arise. He was taught to read and write and given a cursory education, taught how to feign culture so that he could follow his charge wherever he went. He was trained by ruthless masters in various combat arts as well as the art of blending and observing unnoticed, and he took to his training with single minded intent, seeing this as his only opportunity to escape his former life. For over two years he followed his charge, always increasing his own skills, never certain if Nicoli even knew he existed.

This continued until Nicoli was caught spying on the King of his own volition, when Jahar was fifteen, and was banished with no interference from his callous father. Machiavelli, not one to throw away a potentially useful tool, devised another use for Jahar. If Nicoli was not to be his weapon, then he would create a new, utterly loyal one out of Jahar. Machiavelli turned to a powerful magus with whom he often collaborated, offering him a chance to test his new creation, which he called the Blackvine Tattoos, designed to grant supernatural power to their bearer as well as complete control over the bearer by whomever knew the proper Commands.

The experiment at first proved a great success, creating in Jahar a seemingly unstoppable assassin, completely unable to act against the will of Machiavelli, who held the Command words. After the initial success, Machiavelli continued to develop his weapon, furthering his training in various weapon forms and other martial arts, while at the same time using him to eliminate anyone who stood in his way. Jahar was the perfect disposable killer, able to be thrown away should he ever become a liability.

However, Machiavelli failed to account for the changes that the sort of life he had made for Jahar might wreak upon a man's mind. Five years of countless murders and of having his will peeled away had warped the young man's perceptions until concepts of right and wrong were completely alien to him. There was only the killing, and the deep seething hatred of the man who had made him come to love it, Machiavelli Salvatore.

Had Jahar not been the first test subject, perhaps the problems that grew could have been avoided for Machiavelli, but as it was, neither he nor his magus colleague anticipated what happened. The tattoos had been designed specifically to grant control over Jahar, using what Machiavelli had gleaned of his psyche as a basis, but the man he was becoming was resembling less and less the man he had been. As a result, the control that Machiavelli exerted over him began to weaken. It began with something small; Jahar began to leave a sort of calling card with his victims even though he had not been ordered to do so, and later even after he had been ordered not to. The bodies would be found the next day, their left eye carved out and replaced by a rose blossom dipped in black ink. It was not long before the control slipped further and Jahar began to act further outside his orders. He would still carry out his objective, but now he would leave a wake of bodies in his passing. By the time Jahar was twenty, every time he was let off his chain, as Machiavelli came to think of it, the death counts grew.

Reluctantly, Machiavelli decided it was time to end his experiment and destroy his decreasingly useful weapon. He ordered Jahar into a room and discretely ordered his men to execute him. When Jahar discovered their intent only a few minutes later, something inside of him snapped, returning him to the same near feral state he had displayed as a boy against Nicoli. The last threads of control over his mind were completely severed, and he brutally killed his would be executioners with his bare hands. He then stalked through Machiavelli's compound in a blood frenzy, killing anyone with whom he made contact. Machiavelli himself, prepared for nearly any situation, easily escaped Jahar's wrath, but did not have the means at his disposal to kill or capture the young man before he fled into the city, possessed of free will for the first time in half a decade.

It took more than a year for Jahar al'Harradin to regain a part of his sense of self and begin to reconcile himself to the man he had become. It did not take him long to realize that, despite the inner revulsion he had once felt at the things he had been forced to do, killing had become almost a part of him. A hole in his soul that needed to be filled. It was not difficult to make the leap to becoming a killer for hire. In fact, his reputation as the Black Rose Killer actually aided him in finding work. His brutal methods were considered by many the perfect solution for times when a message needed to be sent to an enemy, and his work provided the outlet for his darker nature that he required.

Over the past eight years, however, the thrill of the kill has become less and less satisfying for Jahar in and of itself, leading him to seek out greater and more dangerous challengers. He has had no shortage of these. Bounty hunters who seek the large purse upon his head are common. Less common but always more interesting were the assassins, both those hired by various parties who would be happy to see the Blackvine dead and those who simply find his lack of subtlety repugnant. Even less common are the heroes, those who feel it is their duty to destroy evil in the world; these fights are always a favorite for Jahar. Part of him simply enjoys the level of focus that their conviction brings them; the better the fight, the more alive he feels. A smaller, but insistent part, however, the part of him that was nearly killed by Nicoli in a fighting pit so many years ago, holds out hope that one of these heroes will finally put a sword through his black heart.

J.T. MacLeod

Quote: Born to fight, Trained to kill. Prepared to die, Never will. Stay low, Run fast. Kill first, Die last. One shot, One kill. No luck, All skill.



Description: 6’1 tall and 202 lbs. Has deep blue eyes and mousy brown hair.

When in an urban setting he prefers to wear comfortable clothes of a non-descript fashion, such as loose jeans and a tee shirt, a brown bomber jacket prominently displaying the American Flag across the back, black steel-toe tactical boots and sunglasses.

When in a combat zone, he wears MCCUU MARPAT either in the woodland or desert patterns depending on the mission location.

What drives him: Seeking to understand what makes the world and the multiverse special. He is principled in his views and will stand up against a wrong.

Equipment:

Side arms

He carries two, MK 23 HK double-action semi-automatic pistols, in tactical holsters. These are 12-round, box magazine fed pistols that fire .45 ACP caliber, 230-grain Hydra-shok jacketed hollow point rounds.

Under his jacket is a multiple magazine carrier and dispenser for his firearms which is configured for rapidly dispensing ammunition magazines in the proper orientation to facilitate rapid reloading of his weapon.

The multiple magazine carrier holds 10 magazines per side and is curved for both left and right hand use and carried on a torso and shoulder strap harness. The carrier has a thickness and height only slightly greater than those dimensions of a magazine, but has a length sufficient for the installation of a series of magazines therein in a front to back orientation.

A spring and push plate or shoe urges the magazines toward the front of the device, where the dispensing opening is configured to facilitate the insertion of the magazine in the proper orientation for rapid installation in a weapon carried by the user. The user merely drops the expended magazines and slams the pistol butt against the dispenser where a new magazine is inserted.

Long arms:

(1) A HK416 Carbine:Caliber 5.56x45mm NATO (.223 Remington), Operation Principle Gas operated, firing from a closed bolt. Modes of Fire Semi-automatic, three-round burst. Feed Device- HK 30-round steel box magazine. This has a sling set up as well as an integrated reflex sight with nested IR laser aimer and illuminator. He carries five extra magazines.

(2) A Saiga-12 shotgun, a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun. This is a shotgun capable of firing 3.5 inch magnum rounds. Using 10-round magazines. In a belt pouch, he carries 4 extra 10-round magazines ammo. This has a sling set up for easy carrying.

Shotgun load out:

(4) Terminator rounds. These rounds contain a hollow core slug which has dozens of tiny lead pellets that spread dramatically as the core expands to 1-1/2" on impact. The initial shock caused by the core is further enhanced by the tiny shot, creating massive tissue damage.

(2) Fireball Rounds. These 12 gauge rounds produce an enormous wall of fire and sparks for 250+ feet. The incendiary metal contained inside burns at over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit when fired, showering the target in a momentary wall of fire.

(2) TASER XREP cartridges. On impact, the forward facing barbed electrodes attach to the body of the target. The energy from the impact breaks a series of fracture pins that release the main chassis of the XREP projectile which remains connected to the nose by a non-conductive tether. The XREP projectile autonomously generates NMI for 20 continuous seconds. As the chassis falls away, six Cholla electrodes automatically deploy to deliver the NMI effect over a greater body mass. It delivers a Neuro Muscular Incapacitation (NMI) bio-effect but can be delivered to a maximum effective range of 100 feet (30.48 meters), combining blunt impact force to form a subtle non-lethal weapon.

(2) Incendiary Rounds. These 12 gauge incendiary rounds contain a chemical mixture much like that found in metallic cartridges. When the projectile strikes an object, the compound produces a brilliant flash of light at a temperature in excess of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit,capable of igniting flammable material.

Each magazine carries the same series of rounds.

Close Quarters Weapons:

A 19" long survival bowie knife made of 1095 steel on his left hip in a leather sheath. Specifications: 12 inch blade, with a 7-inch hard rubberized grip. 1 5/8th inches wide, 3/16 inches thick. Weight 1 lb.5 oz.

A 26" long expandable impact baton with a rubber grip in a nylon sheath on his belt, right side. (Reduces to 10 inches when compacted, the two remaining sections that extend are 8.5" long apiece.)

In his small rucksack, he carries a black modified full-face tactical style helmet with night vision, thermal and infrared vision enhancers and SAT-TAC communication systems that he uses for night ops. JT also carries four grenades in his rucksack.

Area Effect Weapons

(2) M84 stun grenade, which is a non-lethal, low hazard, non-shrapnel producing explosive device intended to confuse, disorient or momentarily distract potential threat personnel. The device produces a temporary incapacitation to threat personnel or innocent by standers via a loud "Bang". The noise levels will be above 170 decibels within 5 feet of initiation.

**Detonating the M84 Stun Grenade in the presence of natural gas, gasoline, or other highly flammable fumes or materials may cause a serious secondary explosion or fire, resulting in death, or severe injury to friendly forces or unintended victims, as well as serious property damage.

(2) CN Triple-Chaser grenades. The Triple-Chaser® is a fast burning pyrotechnic grenade designed for crowd management. It consists of three separate canisters pressed together with separating charges between each. When deployed, the canisters separate and land approximately 20 feet apart allowing increased area coverage in a short period of time. It displaces smoke, CN and CS gasses. Tossing it underhanded delivering the sub-canisters along a line, from left to right, well ahead of the grenadier

He wears the Improved Outer Tactical Vest, (IOTV), used with the Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts (ESAPIs) ballistic plate series. Two small-arms protective inserts are designed to stop up to three hits from 7.62x51mm NATO M80 ball ammunition, with a muzzle velocity of 2,750 feet per second (838 m/s).

History: James MacLeod was a normal kid growing up in Santa Cruz CA, his parents were both blue collar folk who did the best they could to raise their 5 children. James was an excellent student and athlete and enlisted in the MARINES, becoming FORECON/MARSOC, serving his initial 4 years in San Diego, CA. He is an accomplished Close Quarter Combatant both with weapons and hand to hand. Now out of the Military he wanders the multiverse using his skills to help those that need them.

Mission specific skills: Sniper, Breaching, Surreptitious Entry, Electronic and Media Exploitation, Technical Surveillance, High Threat Protective Security (PSD), Advanced Weapons Training, Advanced Driving Skills (Urban/Rural/Security), Advanced Climbing/Rope Skills, Advanced Air Operations: HALO/HAHO/Jumpmaster/Parachute Rigger and Packer, Diving Supervisor, Foreign Weapons, Advanced Special Operations.

Powers: The D.A.R.P.A. developed MASS (Metabolically Advanced Super Solider) formula that he is injected with metabolically enhanced all of his bodily functions to the peak of human efficiency. Most notably, his body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing poisons in his muscles, granting him phenomenal endurance as well as having his agility, strength, speed, and reaction time greater than any Olympic athlete who ever competed. JT represents the pinnacle of human physical perfection. Think of this as a super-steroid.This accounts for him able to bench press 2000 pounds (907 kg) and run a mile (1.6 km) in 73 seconds (49 mph/78 kph).

An odd and often disgusting side effect of the MASS drug is an emission of an ectoplasm substance, which is a white-gray, transparent, and viscous sludge, which mostly resembles mucus. It usually coats JT's body as a thin film. It occurs when he begins to exert himself. It however takes form as a misty substance during times of great stress, rising off his body similar to heat during a cold day.

This substance is solid enough to dissipate incoming energy to some degree before it affects JT's body. Acting as a type of armor or dampening agent, able to absorb energy diffusing it across the ectoplasm. He can also coat his weapons with the ectoplasm in order to affect supernatural beings that would otherwise be unaffected by his mundane weaponry.

After two rounds, the ectoplasm will generate ammo for the firearms, relying on person-object-memory to recall the ammunition loaded and fired and continually fill the magazines with ectoplasmic bullets that mimic the physical M855 ammo as well as the specialized shotgun ammo (XREP, Incendiary or Fireball). These 'magic' bullets can affect both mundane and preternatural objects with kinetic energy.

The last effect of his ectoplasm is to create streams that he can project. These streams are able to stick to objects with a thick string of ectoplasm connecting JT to the object the bio-energy has attached itself. Thus the ectoplasm can be used as a line, to climb up or down, swing across or grab things at a distance. He has an effective stream distance of 50 yards/150 feet

Full name: Tharraleos Polemistis

Age: Tharraleos has lived for over 2,000 years. His aging process is highly decelerated and physically, he only appears between his late 20's or early 30's.

Species: Griffin

Gender: Male

Height: 6 feet, 4 inches tall

Weight: 275 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

Birthdate: Unknown

Birth Place: Unknown.

Residence: Wherever fate takes him

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Dominant hand: Ambidextrous

Likes: Aside from training and challenging battles, Tharraleos always enjoys the simple things in life, such as fine wine, literature and poetry.

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.

Hobbies and talents: Combat isn't the only thing Tharraleos has a passion for. 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.

Appearance: Tharraleos is an anthropomorphic Griffin with a a sleek and toned, muscular build. Being the hybrid he is; he has the head of an eagle, sporting white feathers and a large, golden colored and curved beak with two nostril pits. Despite having a beak, he has 2 rows of teeth with the upper and lower canines being 3 inch long fangs which are easily exposed. A pair of elongated, slightly pointed and erect white feathered ears are perked on the top corners of the front of his head. He has a pair of piercing and rigid eyes with a glassy white sclera, deep gold irises and black pupils. Another eagle trait is his strong and durable dark brown feathered wings protruding from his upper back which are typically retracted and folded against him. Once he fully spreads them out, his wingspan of 10 and a half feet is shown. Tharraleos has a fan of white tail feathers that are slightly wider than he is and reaches down to knee level. White feathers cover a portion of his knees and ends at his upper shins, where his golden tarsus begins. Tharraleos has 5 digit anisodactyl talons for feet with the same gold color and black, slightly curved 5 inch claws on each end. His arms, torso and upper legs are that of a lion with tan brown, medium length fur covering those regions. He has a overly thick and well maintained, black furred mane with streaks of dark brown scattered about. This covers a majority of his head and leaves his ears mostly visible while also extending to chest level. His paws are large with brown paw pads and an additional thumb-like digit on the sides. Both paws have 3 inch, retractable white colored claws hidden within them. He has a long and thin tail positioned just above his tail feathers and has a large tuft of black fur on the tip that is typically carried in an arc. When fully straightened, the tail is shown to be slightly over two thirds of Tharraleos’ height.

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. There are exceptions to this when it comes to undead foes such as demons and vampires as he believes their lives have already ended. He possesses immense willpower and is extremely stubborn and does not believe in compromise. He believes in very clear definitions of right and wrong, acceptable and unacceptable, and winner and loser. 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. It is very difficult to convince him to change his mind, but once his mind has changed, expect him to jump to the opposite extreme of the argument. He is extremely confident, though in a more stoic and less outspoken manner. He has a strong sense of self-worth and may express it in a particularly abrasive form of self-righteousness. His prideful disposition extends further then confidence as Tharraleos 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 nonconfrontational 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. The key aspect of his personality is his strong, mostly unalterable convictions. He values honor above reason, is rarely forgiving to those that upset him and absolutely despises cowardice.

Abilities: Born to be a fighter, he has spent the countless years of his existence training. He has a wide array of abilities he can use both in and out of combat. The following is a list of his abilities.

Enhanced Condition: This ability has numerous uses. Tharraleos possess peak physical and mental condition. He has incredible physical fortitude throughout his entire body, allowing him to pull off astounding feats of herculean strength and can suffer high extents of pressure as well as damage. By placing a majority of the strength in his legs, he can leap far and high distances. 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 then 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 fluently preform 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: While his vision is normal, it can act as a sort of telescope, allowing him to zoom his vision at will and see clearly from far distances. Using this will cause his pupils to make a noticeable increase 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 other senses are increased beyond a normal level as well. He can hear and smell clearly from far distances, taste poisons or other potential hazards and has the ability to sense vibrations through solid substances, liquids or even the air-pressure changes.

Flight: His highly durable wings allow him to reach speeds up to 400 mph. However, he actually has difficulty reaching flight without using the momentum from a powerful jump. Even once flight is achieved, he has very poor acceleration and could take extensive amounts of time before reaching full speed. He also has 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. Astonishingly, he can survive the vacuum of space for short periods of time, although it takes a bit of a toll on his body. His enhanced lung capacity assists with this. He has learned to control his flying well and can fight while airborne just as efficiently as on the ground.

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. Moreover, this power is subconscious and he must act prideful naturally. 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 power will gradually reset and the power will become dormant. In addition, Tharraleos can project a purple colored aura composed entirely of pride energy at will and the more power he has built up, the more intense the aura is. This doesn't aid with his abilities and simply displays the amount of energy is at his disposal, although it can be rather destructive at higher levels. The aura typically covers his entire body, but he can minimize it to anywhere on his body and can dispel it at any time.

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. As such, there a wide variety of feats he can achieve with this ability.

Telepathy: Another feat accomplished through Tharraleos' mental strength. There are a number of prerequisites that are required to be in order for this to be fully effective. Firstly, Tharraleos must have ample concentration and almost enter a meditative state. Secondly, he must have physical contact with the target, preferably with one of his paws. The target must also be mentally willing to permit him this task, and once he makes the initial contact, he can speak with the target through thought and talk them through the process. Once this is done, Tharraleos can enter the mind of the individual, where he can see all the thoughts, memories and subconscious thoughts of that person. 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 accuracy is poor and it takes some time for it to be unleashed. 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 accuracy 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 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. 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 attack. 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. He is also a fair fighter and will refuse to strike a downed opponent or strike from behind. The power in his strikes is immense and his attacks have incredible 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 claws and talons can add to melee strikes for maximized damage. His beak can send forth a barrage of quick and deadly pecks in addition to a lethal bite using his formidable fangs. His wings can be additionally used to wrap around his body for increased defense and even a quick and powerful melee strike by lashing them forward. His talons and feline tail are prehensile, able to grasp objects with surprising speed, strength and accuracy, which is highly useful for combat. His lion tail also aids in balance and is quite flexible, which he typically demonstrates by coiling it around even the smallest of objects. Despite his tail's slim and weak look, it can actually withstand slightly more than Tharraleos' weight and can be used to strike foes with a moderately damaging attack. His fan of tail feathers is more or less used to assist with steering and maximized control while airborne, but can be used for melee strikes with less range. Overall, Tharraleos is a highly disciplined and remarkably adept combatant who's well aware of his body's limitations. He can potentially overcome any opponent even with the odds against him.

Weaknesses: His agility 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. 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. His durability only protects him from blunt force, meaning the likes of blades and gunfire can easily break through his defenses. 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 is a versatile tool for Tharraleos, but it can serve as a weakness at times. He will always allow a foe a stronger transformation if they have one and will make no intents to stop them, or allow them to retrieve a weapon and will refuse to strike from behind or while an opponent is down. His demeanor may become 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 then 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. 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 is his most lethal weakness and has opposing effects of pride. If Tharraleos commits acts of humility, his power will make a dramatic decrease and will drop heavily the more it continues. The extension of this can be so severe to the point it could end his life. Unlike his Pride Empowerment, this will not reset over time and will instead slowly dissipate with prideful actions.

Backstory: The birthplace of Tharraleos Polemistis is unknown. His parents were slain when he was still within his egg. This was the work of a malevolent wizard by the name of Malefor, who committed such an act just to prove how powerful he was after many of his followers doubted his strength. Moreover, Tharraleos' father, Yvris, had been a part of this wizard's forces. His innate prideful disposition formed him the perfect contender to fight for the wicked sorcerer. He was a savage and adept fighter who instilled fear in all those who stood against him and his master. This however had changed once he met Andrea, where the endless power of love overwhelmed the battle torn Yvris. Andrea had always fought unwillingly for the dark wizard and quickly altered the mindset of her beloved. It wasn't long before their child was to be born, and the two Griffins had plotted to train him to overthrow Malefor and put an end to his tyranny. This notion did not go unnoticed, and days before Tharraleos was 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 mythological creatures and were able to fight for many eras. 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 the sin of Pride took over Tharraleos so many times, it eventually formed the Griffin into a prideful warrior who 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. 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 occupied a large 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. Their 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 possibl. 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.