◆ THE REAPER
Adair is a Demonic Reaper who was once a normal gryphon living in the mountains of Alubria. Long ago, she was taken along with her mate by the demons of Kurai, and twisted into servitude under the Lord of Death. Joined with the spirit of Rathamoria, she was changed body and mind, and became a monster many feared. She served the Kingdom of Death for centuries, before winning her freedom and escaping into the night.
Still bonded to Rathamoria, Adair is her own master, and returned to Alubria as the Tari'rae of the Anarya Flight. to this day, she remains one of the most feared of the Demonic Reapers, and her deeds - both good and evil - have left their mark on the history of the Realms.
alubrian gryphon
In her original form - now lost to time - Adair was once covered in sleek brown fur and black feathers. Her beak and claws were bone-white, while her underbelly, face, paws and wings were all shaded to a lighter tan Black, tiger-like stripes flowed into other dark markings, and her eyes were a deep crimson.
scarlet-eyed queen
After the change, Adair's brown coat turned white as snow, and red markings crisscrossed beneath the black stripes and bars. Her underbelly, paws, and face are sheathed in scarlet, as flecks, spots, and streaks of the same color gleam from her glistening pelt. Large eyespots grace the backs of her wings, as do smaller along the underside of her primary feathers.
Her ears are long and have large black feathers that fan from them; these can be spread and flattened at will, along with the ear's natural movement. A thick mane of flowing fur grows from the center of her forehead down the length of her neck and to her back, and is very soft to the touch. The tuft of her tail is of a similar nature, as is the long fur that surrounds her ankles - though her ankle-tufts are not the same black.Her white beak has two jagged, fang-like points but is otherwise gracefully curved, and her talons are long and kept very, very sharp. Adair has a muscular leonine body, and her fur grows thick and heavy; feathers sprout from her shoulders and hindquarters, flowing thickly up into large soaring wings. While her body is largely feline, her foreclaws are sheathed in plated scales, and her talons are like that of an eagle's. Sometimes, she may be found wearing a single silver earring on one feathered ear, as well as a slim silver band on her left foreclaw. Her eyes - slitted like a cat's and often glowing with Ratha's power - are a bright scarlet.
reaper of death
When she lets the demoness' soul within take over, her colors reverse: white becomes black and black becomes white, as the markings shift into thinner, jagged patterns. The existing red markings along her body will begin to glow upon this transformation, and 'bleed' scarlet light, dripping like acid where she moves; they leave afterimages in the dark, and may pulse in time with her breathing.
Her wings and feathers get a tattered appearance, and her beak becomes more jagged, along with her talons. Teeth grow inside of her beak, long and tearing, while spikes erupt from her shoulders and the tips of her wings. Lastly, her mane - usually fluffy and soft - becomes longer and wilder, glossy as raven feathers. The talons for both her avian foreclaws and feline hind paws grow longer and more pronounced, glistening the same as her horned beak.
◆ SOUL-STEALER
As a grandmane gryphon, Adair's physical strengths lay in endurance and power; though she is faster than her more average kin, she could not match the speed of a sleekwing without diverting to the Reaper's power. She is able to move large, heavy objects and fend off attacks for long periods of time without tiring, and can travel in the air or overland at a steady pace. However, she cannot swim well and has difficulty flying in hot, humid air. Cold, on the other hand, has little effect due to her thick fur and insulating feathers.
lightfire
Hatched into a clutch of three, Adair was gifted with her mother's affinity for light. She learned early on to make constructs of light, beautiful things that flickered with golden-white flame, and eventually learned how to make them move and dance at will. She was taught how to make barriers and shields from near-solid light, to craft objects and weapons, even make constructs that could travel far out of sight before they disappeared.
Well into her adult years, Adair learned how to turn her abilities into healing, and performed as an Elenea for many years before she rose to Tari'rae. She was proficient in healing a variety of injuries, and excelled at energy transfer.
Though she has retained these abilities in part, they are weakened from what they once were; healing magic drains her, and she no longer makes light-based constructs, though she may still use some offensive and defensive magic in the element.
darkrite
After becoming a Demonic Reaper, Adair's abilities focused more on spiritual power than her previously light-based affinities. Ghosts, spirits, and the aura of those around her she can plainly see, and she can read the emotions of a soul she is near to with some focus. She can tear at the aura, essence, or unguarded soul of another, and attack spiritual defenses by infusing her talons and beak with her reiatsu. Through her reiatsu, she can mimic her constructs she had learned with light magic, and may use these as distractions, messengers, guides, or a variety of other tactics.
To feed on a spirit, she must first anchor either it or some of its essence to the living world before partaking in its energy. With enough focus and power, she is able to pin and drag out a still-living soul from a prey animal's body - though sapient creatures are more difficult to trap. If a soul manages to escape her, she may suffer from a spiritual backlash - her energies may flick back and harm her, though the degree often depends on how powerful the soul she meant to trap and feed on was. Dead souls are slippery, and can slither away like a snake between her paws. Faded souls are impossible for her to capture, and powerful enough to resist her demonic abilities.
Her power is directly tied to how much spiritual essence she consumes and how soon she has fed. Devouring a complete spirit will sustain her fully for several weeks, while siphoning related energies may leave her tired and irritable for long hours of each day. While she may hunt and eat true meat, this only aids her body, and does not stave off Rathamoria's hunger or fuel her Reaper's abilities. Thus, she often siphons or devours the spirit of her prey before dining on the meat, both to keep herself at full strength and keep her demonic partner at bay.
If she goes too long without spirits or reiatsu to feed on, her own soul will weaken to the point of releasing Rathamoria. If she burns through her reserves and does not feed while in this state, Adair will lose consciousness and may die within a matter of hours.
hellfury
Should Adair either lose control of her emotions or become soul-starved enough for her seal to be broken, Rathamoria may emerge. With the demoness' manifestation comes the physical transformation that changes Adair's colors and features, but also a great deal of power. These transformations do not last long - never more than a handful of minutes to a few hours - but are terrifying ordeals for both Adair and any victims in Rathamoria's line of fire.
Rathamoria has a devastating aura of fear that hangs about her like smoke; lesser creatures will either freeze or flee in her presence, while those stronger will find difficulty facing her head on. Shadows seem to flit in and around her, and her glowing red markings leave afterimages as she moves.
She has the sarka-like ability to 'phase' through others to damage their souls directly; unlike Adair, Rathamoria may also feed on a spirit immediately, without capturing or killing the living creature she targets. She enjoys maliciously shredding the souls of her still-living opponents, over and over, until they cannot go on. Then, she either feeds on them while they still live - or leaves them to die, their spirits too damaged to pass on.
Physically, Rathamoria is not nearly as strong as Adair - the focus of her power comes with a more ethereal manifestation, and she often bypasses opportunistic physical attacks to assault an enemy with her reiatsu. She also does not read body language well, and may misjudge distances, moves an enemy may make, or how much strength she needs for any particular physical attack before throwing herself into the fray.
◆ GENTLE QUEEN
motherly kindness
Adair was a compassionate chick, doting on her nestmates, even though she wasn't related to any of them. Hatched in one of Anarya's communal nurseries, she grew up to care a great deal about those around her, and befriended most she met. This carried into her adulthood, forging her into a kind, motherly leader.
Years later, when she became Tari'rae alongside the reigning Aran'raa, they had three clutches; she cherished all of her children beyond all things. She did not see what they became as adults, and it is unknown if any survived to produce offspring, but the experience gave her a protectiveness that is still strong within her today.
by steel claws
In the service of the Death Kingdom, Adair was not allowed to be compassionate or show mercy. She was a maddened, raging weapon that was a danger not only to those she was pointed at, but those around her as well. Once she broke free, she slaughtered her handlers and killed any Death demon she was confronted with for many years before she was able to control her fear of going back into the Lord's service.
It took a very long time for that fear to fade, and for the confidence in herself to return. Rathamoria was a constant reminder, and it took many centuries for her to learn how to coexist with her bonded demoness - even longer to learn how to control and seal the dark spirit away, and eliminate her random rampages. Once she learned to live with the demoness within her, Adair was able to take back control of her life.
The Reaper developed into a strong leader, and retook the leadership of the Anarya with relative ease. Showing herself to be a confident, incredibly protective Tari'rae, she won the respect of those that followed her and the fear of those who threatened those beneath her wings.
rage beyond measure
In life, Rathamoria was a stern, wicked warrior in the Death Kingdom. She would give no quarter, and was both a deadly fighter and silent assassin - she took pleasure in her kills, and fought anyone (and anything) for the right to bring her Lord and land glory. She lived and breathed for her country, and her loyalty was absolute. Nothing her Lord could ask her to do was too much.
Until he asked her to die.
Rathamoria gave her life gladly in a battle against the enemy - War demons who brought her Lord's ire. However, the years of limbo that followed, her spirit suspended by the Lord's magic, were enough to drive her mad. When she was joined with Adair centuries later, she was so filled with rage that not even the soul of her former pairbond could reach her. Not for many years, at least.
Over the years, Rathamoria has calmed somewhat. Rational thought returned slowly, and she was able to forge a sort of partnership with Adair; something one may even call a grudging line of mutual respect. She remembered grief at the news of her lover's passing, and pity for those Adair had failed to protect. Now, she is happy to exact her vengeance upon those that deserve it, and lay in wait quietly until her power is needed.
However, should the soul-hunger grow to great, Rathamoria's control wavers. If she does not stay fed, her sanity breaks, and she will begin to fight Adair for control of the single body that they share. Starved enough, there can only be one winner: and Rathamoria is the stronger of the two.
