Theme Song: IronName: Fenn ("Chained Hound")
Gender: Male
Age: He lost track in the arena, and that was centuries ago.
Race: Demon (Hellhound)
Appearance: Fenn’s species hails from the hotter, fiery areas of the underworld, and bears a striking physical resemblance to the Stalkers native to the Forge Lands, with a large torso, broad shoulders, and long, thick arms with four-fingered hands ending in razor sharp claws. Their lower bodies tend to be smaller, with a thinner waist, comparatively sleek and short back legs, and a reptilian tail. As with Stalkers, most of their bodies are covered in hardened scales that armor the beasts against most kinds of cutting weapons.
This is where the similarities end, however. Unlike with Stalkers, fur covers their forearms, lower legs, and upper head and back, forming a kind of mane. Moreover, their heads have a distinct canine look, with an elongated muzzle, short, triangular ears, and maws full of sharp teeth.
Fenn is a particularly large specimen, near doubling the height of most humans when on all fours and easily tripling it when standing upright. His body is covered in dull, soot-colored scales and black fur. His amber, slitted eyes have a sharp, cunning gleam belied by his bestial appearance. Several scars crisscross his whole body, clearly visible among his fur and scales by their whitish coloration.
The only thing in terms of clothing or adornment worn by Fenn are two sets of thick, heavy chains stemming from manacles on his wrists. The lengths of chain are typically wrapped around his forearms.
Faction: Currently unaffiliated.
Personality: While at first glance Fenn seems like little more than a mindless beast, he is perfectly capable of speech, and possesses an intellect on par with most sapient creatures of the three realms.
Like many demons, Fenn has long resigned himself to the idea that might makes right in all worlds, but has lived long enough to reach the contradicting conclusion that one day any who chooses to wield such power will be crushed under its weight.
This has left Fenn with an ill-tempered, sardonic demeanor that seems to be characterized by three moods: Boredom, varying degrees of anger and irritation, and a form of caustic amusement levelled at anything and everything around him like a burr’s thorns.
Nonetheless, he derives much enjoyment from combat, and sees it as his sole reason for being. It is the one thing he can fully devote himself to.
Fenn tends to be distrustful of most other beings. He shares other demons’ dislike of heaven’s forces, seeing them as uptight, self-righteous, hypocritical bastards, sees many demons as deceitful cowards, and considers humanity to be largely inconsequential, their lifespans too short for them to amount to anything. One of the few ways of earning his respect is to stand up to him in battle.
Bio: Tribes of Hellhounds typically choose their leader through trials in combat meant to find the finest warrior among them. Once such a warrior is chosen, challenges can be issued forth by other warriors in the tribe to contest this position if they believed such a one to be unworthy. Should a leader turn away from such a challenge, tradition dictated they would be killed on the spot as a matter of honor.
In his younger days, this is how Fenn rose to become his tribe’s leader, slaying his predecessor and slaughtering all that tried to contest his rule. Under his leadership, other tribes were eradicated or absorbed into theirs, their borders within the realm were settled for the first time, and his tribe saw a kind of prosperity and growth that had been previously unheard of.
All in all, a land ripe for rebellion.
Once the tribes had been unified, many of the younger warriors sought to expand into other territories of the underworld, fighting the demons there. Such was the warlike nature of their culture. Up until then, this incessant battle had been confined to spats between the tribes, but now the warriors found themselves without an enemy. Fenn refused to send them out, however, completely preoccupied with consolidating his power among the remaining tribes.
It was then that a nascent Demon Lord approached some of the younger warriors with a proposition. Should the Hellhound tribes become a part of his army, they would gain power, see riches as never before, and would never run out of enemies. The young warriors brought this proposition to Fenn, but at the time he was proud and ambitious, and failed to recognize the dissatisfaction spreading amongst his followers. He refused to fight under someone else’s banner.
Angered by this rejection, the finest warriors under his command gathered in secret, and made the choice to depose him. However, many had seen their leader fight, and none of them thought to be his equal, so they sought the help of the Demon Lord. Amused by their desire to join him, the Lord acquiesced to their request, and granted them a debilitating poison, with the instructions that they should mix it into Fenn’s food, and the condition that, once he was defeated, he was brought to him alive.
The warriors agreed, and poisoned their leader. The following day, the strongest among them issued forth a challenge. Weakened by the poison, Fenn was brought low by the chosen warrior, and brought forth to the Demon Lord.
As punishment for denying him, the Demon Lord sentenced Fenn to fighting for his amusement, and was pitted against various other criminals and dissenters in that realm in an arena built at the Demon Lord’s castle.
Meanwhile, the Hellhound tribes came into the Demon Lord’s service to work as the front lines of his forces.
In time, the Demon Lord fell, defeated by other demons and their own armies, and Fenn managed his escape. He found that, in the time of his imprisonment, the Hellhound tribes had suffered horrible loses and became fractured. With no Demon Lord to battle under, they had turned against each other again, the tribes brought even lower than the depths from which he had lifted them.
Fenn was disgusted by this, and chose to wash his hands off the whole mess. Vengeance meant little at that point. He had learned that the ones who had betrayed him had long since died in battle, and the Demon Lord had his head stuck in a pike clearly visible from the castle’s entrance. Instead, he became the demonic equivalent of a mercenary, uncaring of his employers’ aims as long as he was allowed to fight.
In time, he came into the service of several other Demons and monsters seeking to assert dominion in whatever areas of hell were not under the direct control of Mundus or Sheba. So far, he has managed to outlive all of his masters.
[Combat]
Powers and Abilities:
-Physical strength: Fenn is strong even among others of his kind, capable of lifting beings and objects that far surpass him in size.
-Keen senses: Fenn’s sense of smell and hearing are like those of a predator, able to pick up and distinguish the quietest of noises and of tracking subtle scents when focused.
-Armored skin: The scales that cover a Hellhound’s body are hard as armor, and can easily deflect all but the sharpest of blades. This defense can be circumvented by attacking exposed areas such as articulations or his throat. Crushing weapons tend to have better results in general.
-Fire Manipulation: All Hellhounds are born with the ability to create fire and manipulate it to some extent. When agitated, or when making direct use of this power, Fenn’s fur turns into wreathing, orange flames. As one may surmise, Hellhounds themselves are completely impervious to all but the strongest infernos.
-Devil Trigger: Fire completely envelops Fenn’s body, making it difficult for enemies to approach him. As an expression of a Hellhound’s spirit and power, this cloak also serves to revitalize him, healing wounds and increasing his speed and strength. It also serves as a shield against magical (or otherwise not entirely physical) threats, dampening their effects or blocking them out entirely should they be weak enough.
Style:
Roaring Furnace [Lvl-1]: There are few things more terrifying than a giant, angry werewolf-dragon-monster bearing down on you while it’s
on fire. Fenn’s preferred fighting style can be most easily described as relying on overwhelming force. A battle-lust descends upon him and he will use his long, thick arms to pummel opponents, fang and tooth to rend at their flesh, and hellish flames to char what remains. This is particularly effective against weaker opponents, against whom his body’s naturally tough skin is all the defense needed, or against unprepared ones, who may not be able to mount a defense in time to withstand his assault.
[Lvl-2]: In a manner similar to ectothermic reptiles of the Third Kingdom, Hellhounds have been observed to move and behave sluggishly in colder climates, while displaying enhanced reactions, strength, and even improved healing in hotter climates. The reason for the creatures’ predilection for the volcanic areas of Hell is made obvious due to this fact. However, this choice is made largely due to convenience. Unlike common reptiles, Hellhounds have the ability to generate heat within their bodies at will, and an excited hound will often raise its temperature by hundreds of degrees in the face of a hunt. If there is a difference between the hound who hunts in the cold and the one who hunts in the heat is that the former shall be all the more ravenous due to excess energy consumed. The upper temperature bound tends to vary from individual to individual but there exist those hounds that may bring the heat of their bodies, and thus their natural vigor, beyond that of the hellish landscape they populate.
At higher levels, this style further increases Fenn’s strength, speed and the intensity of his flames. Relying solely on animalistic aggression, Fenn is only able to use his fire breath and cloaking abilities when fighting this way.
Flash Fire [Lvl-1]: A fighting style reserved for enemies able to penetrate his body’s defenses. He will become cautious and fight tactically, using all the techniques at his disposal. He will often fight upright in this case, leaving his arms free to bludgeon opponents, wield his chains as heavy whips, and better manipulate his flames.
When using this style, all fire related techniques are available. At higher levels, new ways for manipulating flames can be unlocked and performed more efficiently.
Equipment:
-Fangs and Claws [Lvl-1]: The fangs and claws of a Hellhound. Harder than steel and able to be heated up to ludicrous temperatures.
-Chains[Lvl-1]: The same chains used to imprison him by the Demon Lord. These are attached to manacles on his wrists, and are typically wrapped around his forearms. Made to be resistant to heat and nigh unbreakable, and enchanted to be impossible to remove. The chains were not particularly effective at restraining Fenn (the chains were made for him, but the walls of the dungeon they were attached to were not nearly as sturdy), but they were the clearest symbol of the Demon Lord’s power over him.
[Lvl-2]: Fenn’s control over the chains is such that he can move them solely through will. The chains can be used in their normal state, or woven into simple shapes.
[Lvl-3]: If the chains can move as though of their own volition, any objects fashioned from the metal links may do so as well. Limbs may be fashioned and moved as though they were flesh and blood appendages. Other constructs may be fashioned as well depending on the user’s creativity and ability to deal with the added complexity.
With time, these chains seem to have become just another aspect of the demon, seeming to change lengths at will, able to channel flames as easily as any other part of Fenn’s body, and able to be moved with a precision almost impossible to achieve by a wielder’s hands alone.
These chains have become synonymous with the demon, earning Fenn the moniker “Chained Hound.”
Techniques:
Fangs and Claws:
-Claw [Lvl-1]: He will swipe his claws at the enemy. They can be super-heated for extra damage.
-Hell’s Maw [Lvl-1]: He will bite at his opponent with white-hot teeth.
-Pummel [Lvl-1]: Being hit by one of Fenn’s arms is like being struck with a tree trunk.
-Grapple [Lvl-1]: Fenn is large and strong enough to grab and lift most opponents single handedly. Should he succeed, he will then proceed to throw them, crush them, or use them as impromptu weapons to club other enemies with.
-Tempest Blows [Lvl-1]: A monster among his kind, Fenn’s blows can cause noticeable disturbances in the air around them as the wind rushes to fill the void left behind by his tree-trunk arms. An unwary opponent confident in their ability to evade the beast’s arms may find their organs crushed by a near-miss, and enemies standing at a distance may still find themselves being knocked off their footing by the wind rushing from the hound’s motions.
Chains:
-Sweep [Lvl-1]: Fenn swings his chains in a low, wide arc in front of him, aiming to knock enemies off their feet. This move is best used at a certain range.
-Pull [Lvl-1]: Fenn is able to use his chains as a kind of lasso, wrapping them around opponents and swinging them to bash enemies against walls or, if particularly heavy, simply knock them off balance.
-Scourge [Lvl-1]: He will bring his chain down in wide, overhead swings like a whip. The chains are heavy enough to break bones if struck by them.
-Choke [Lvl-1]: Against beings his size, the chains can be used in close-combat to restrain enemies, choke them by wrapping the chain around their throats, or as leverage to throw them.
-Shield [Lvl-1]: Fenn’s chains can be woven into a circular shield over an arm, which can be used to block attacks or bash opponents over the head.
-Club [Lvl-1]: Fenn’s chains can be woven into a large, cylindrical club that widens slowly widens until it reaches its end. The simple weapon is intended for equally simpleminded brutality.
-Flail [Lvl-1]: The ends of his chains can be wrapped up into large spheres and used as flails. The chains’ links make the surface of the spheres anything but even, capable of delivering crumpling blows that wreak havoc on bone and armor.
-Asura [Lvl-1]: The chains wrap around Fenn’s torso, forming a harness and a pair of arms that protrude over his shoulders, mimicking his real limbs. These arms aid the hound in pummeling and holding down prey.
-Bandersnatch [Lvl-1]: Being able to form moving constructs from the chains affixed to him means Fenn can perform relatively delicate tasks without needing to be near a given target with the use of his chains. That said, the hound is anything but delicate, and may well use this ability launch a facsimile of a hand to grasp and pull targets closer.
Hellfire:
-Fire Breath [Lvl-1]: Fenn is able to breathe out a stream of flames. One can tell when he is preparing to do so as his scars and the space between the scales in his chest will begin to emit an orange glow.
-Fire Ball [Lvl-1]: Flaming spheres that can be formed and lobbed at enemies. Basic fire magic.
[Lvl - 2]: These flaming spheres can be detonated at the whim of the caster, and the blast of the explosion funneled in a specific direction.
-Fire Pillar [Lvl-1]: Placing an arm on the ground, Fenn can direct energy under his opponent until it explodes in a pillar of fire. The ground glowing under one is a simple way of telling this is about to happen.
[Lvl - 2]: Practice and affinity with the element allows the caster to create and maintain multiple pillars of fire at a time. A more potent application of this magic requires Fenn to slam his fist to the earth to cause multiple spouts to erupt at once. Given the forcefulness of the spell, the one visible warning before the firestorm erupts is the winding back of the hound's arm.
-Heat Haze [Lvl-1]: A hellhound’s ability to raise their bodily temperature. Fenn takes advantage of this during encounters to generate an aura of overbearing heat around him. This is visible even from a distance by the haze of the air shimmering around the dog’s black scales. Touching the hound at these temperatures may set the offending limb aflame, and weapons without special protection may quickly become blunted and fragile as the heat of his hide begins to soften the metal.
kapuchu
