The Great Beast
Deck of Beasts Royal
Name:"The Great Beast"The true identity of the legendary noble savage has remained as much a mystery as its origin, for the common tongues of mortals are incapable of even truly uttering it. Among those who speak as and with beasts, it is understood as
"He Who is Ferine" and
"The Great Cat", moreover, it is directly implied that the Great Beast is one of the Lords of the Wild, or those who serve before the deific forces of the supposed Wild Gods; spiritual embodiments of nature's most powerful beasts and the hosts of the plane that is the Beastlands.
Age:59The exact life of such Great Beasts is unknown, as their existence is shrouded in myth and superstition. They have, in times long since past, been regarded as more common presences; facets of nature that arose to challenge enemies of the wild world. Just as quickly as they came into being, so too did they seem to be no more when the threat passed, fading away from sight and soon thereafter, thought as well. Scholars however, believe them to be merely enchanted beasts with prolonged lives - some supposedly living as long as elves - so as to better elusively fulfill their roles as guardians of the animal kingdom.
Appearance, Description and Gender:Magical BeastAs tall as a man at the shoulder and made up of feral splendor, the Great Beast lives up to its many supposed titles and tales. No less than nearly eighteen hands tall, its frame is that of a tremendous feline with elaborate, elongated fangs and even more tremendous paws, armed with talons that as easily sunder steel as they do flesh. Its strength unnatural, even for its massive scale, it is a thing of thick fur, hide and muscle, distinctive in its portrayal, and seemingly bears golden eyes emerald that simmer with latent power from another world. The tawny coat of the monstrous feline marked only by natural irregular brown rosettes and stripes, it fades away into wilderness environments despite its size.
A male of its kind, if others of it do exist, it speaks with a rumbling voice that carries and penetrates the body just as it does the mind. It is in this quality that it, just as some of the most powerful spellcasters in the realm abroad, speaks magic into reality from nothingness; appointed with the power of wisdom and charisma beyond other animals. A divine force of nature, it seemingly comprehends the myriad of words the people of the world utter, speaking unto them in a manner that all can understand.
Personality and Alignment:Lawful NeutralPortrayed as both a thing of terrible, beastly, violent power and a noble lord among animals, the Great Beast abides by the laws of its world rather than those of men. Its personal code unswerving, it is rightfully feared and respected, and historically said to be as likely to aid those in need as it is to unleash its wrath upon them, determining its response only upon whatever cosmic force it adheres to. While not unfair, merely impartial to the whims of mortals, it treats them as a curiosity - at worst a thing to be toyed with and at best a precise tool.
Keeping company with few but itself or those alike it, it has with others worked cooperatively when motives align, but so seldom does the animal kingdom and those of men ever agree for such events to transpire. Appropriately, the Great Beast is mostly withdrawn unto itself.
Abilities and Magic:Aura of CourageAs a living weapon of the realm, it has entered a prestigious role and so has been blessed by its wild patrons. Fearless itself, its unearthly courage inspires its allies in the face of terror just as the most noble of mortals who live as paragons of virtue.
Detect EvilImbued with a sense of one's person, the Great Beast is capable of looking into the heart and soul, perceiving whatever evil, if any, might lurk within. While thought and concentration is required, it pierces many disguises mundane and many forms of magical concealment.
Divine GraceWarded against magic and other powers by force of personality, the Great Beast is a particularly difficult target to afflict. Using this shroud of supernatural resilience, it forces its foes to contend with its vicious claws and deadly fangs.
Divine HealthImmune to even the most virulent and vile of illnesses, the Great Beast's very form spurns that which is sickly or ill. Even supernatural afflictions or would-be parasites find no weakness in it.
SpellcastingOrdained as a living embodiment of divine animal power, the Great Beast wields sacred magic as easily and fiercely as it does its natural weapons. It spurns the unholy and the unliving just as any priestly mortal power, able to turn and destroy undead or inflict injury upon them by mere touch. No less, it shrouds itself and its allies - be them savage or otherwise - in mystic blessings, or calls down righteous fire or lightning to smite its foes. As diverse as any cleric, the Great Beast adapts its spellcasting after resting, being able to one day summon lesser creatures to do its bidding and the next, to heal wounds and revive the dead.
Background and History:Sacred animals are no new addition to the world, having existed for millennia beyond mortals and the earliest of beings. While they have always been a presence, their power and numbers have since dwindled as the mortal gods shaped all that existed until they became little more than living myth. Still enemies of corruption and consumption throughout time, they arise in rare circumstance to fight against that which gravely threatens nature, reborn on the Material Plane well in advance of any coming threat. As such, they are omens of ill events and wicked tidings to come, and as such are regarded as harbingers of doom - even wrongly accused as agents of destruction themselves.
While no friends of mortals, whom they often regard as lesser beings as any predator would its prey, they and their purpose might find themselves aligned. Such pacts of peace are tense, and offenses against Great Beasts are seldom forgotten, often being resolved in the wake of victory and violently if need be. As such, there are few who have love of them, seeing them as little more than epic monsters of their kind.
The Great Cat itself is just one of many who have served the Beastlands, and is the most recent in this line, having been only born into the world of mortals in the past fifty years. While no more unique than any other at the time of its birth, it was ordained after as one of the successors to the natural order and inducted into the service of the Wild Gods, of whom hold absolute domain over the animal realm. Growing to tremendous power and scale as a result, it since has spent its days wandering the world abroad as a roving agent without a cause, until now.
As one of the royals among the Deck of Beasts, an individual set of mythic animals produced upon enchanted tarots, it is more story than truth; a diving tool whose greatest cards are oft mingled with other similar royals from other decks. Many attributes of it, ranging from its divine vengeance against mortals to its ancient line, are collections of the entire story, and not the individual's. In truth, the current Great Cat is young compared to that which it replaced; for the past five hundred years, another Great Beast ruled the land as a Lord of the Wild.
While far from naïve, bearing great wisdom and charisma, tempered by surprising intellect, it is unaware that it has some greater destiny before it, summoned only from its aimless wanders by the playing of its card and the turning of the tide.
