Finished <3
Much thanks ta Moose for the idea! This has been genuinely fun ta work with. <3
Name:
Maboroshi
Japanese Meaning “Phantom or Illusion”
Age:
129
Gender:
Male
Class:
Venom
Which Riders Catch Their Attention?:
He cares very little about their physical capabilities, seeing as he can’t exactly observe them to begin with. Instead, he wishes to obtain only the bravest of souls – those able to stand against the very powers he possesses. Otherwise, they are no use to him.
Appearance:
Finally starting ta bring something good together. Not sure why he's giving me so much trouble
Maboroshi is an impeccably small being for his species, a deadly hunter in a “pint” sized body. He stands at a mere six feet at the shoulder – the average height of some equines. His neck is not much better, being only around seven inches long. This neck is positioned similar to that of a wolf’s, being slanted upwards rather than standing straight. Due to this, his total height comes in around 6.5 feet tall. His length is a little over double his height, maxing out around fourteen feet in total. His body takes up six feet of this total fourteen, while his tail takes the other eight. This form allows for more agile movements, perfect for his preferred densely vegetated environments.
The male’s build is best described as streamline and agile, a fit made to run in dense vegetation with relative ease. Or, in terms of battle, hit once then get out of the way. His muscles have an almost “all-around” coverage, with his chest, neck, and legs being the few areas that get a little extra to them. This does not make his chest necessarily broad, but it is designed to hold some rather large lungs – causing it to be decently sized. These muscular structures heighten each and every aspect of his body to form a sort of lean build. His movements are a glaring mix of feline and canine, depending on what he is doing in that instance. When standing, he will appear a bit more wolf-like. But, when stalking, he seems to take after more of a jaguar and cheetah. Running is a mix of the two groups, though leans to the wolf’s side due to the positioning of his head. Walking is a similar story, but tends to lean towards the more feline side of things. The dragon’s hide is leathery rather than scaly, providing absolutely no defensive capabilities. The lack of spines or spikes he has does not help this. Four legs sprout from him, the mark of a quadruped. These legs are quite long, being made to run long distances without so much as a stumble. His paws are reptilian by nature, but with some obvious draconic and even canine features that are hard to mistake. In general they are most closely related to those of a komodo dragon, minus the slightly shorter and thicker toes. These toes are pretty unique in terms of usage. They are able to adjust to best fit different activities, with running versus walking and stalking being their main focus. While walking (and stalking), these toes will flatten or spread out to form a more padded surface – minimizing any sound his steps could create. But, for running, these toes will come together in order to increase his speed and stability, showing off its more canine aspects. Decently sharp claws extend from these paws, a tad dulled from all the running they have endured. Two claws extend from the ankles of his hind legs, but lack any sort of finger. Dewclaws can be found on his front paws, similar to those of dogs such as great danes. Underneath these dewclaws, there are slight openings which produce a sort of hallucinogenic gas. His tail is long and somewhat skinny, tipped with a rather large barb that can barely be distinguished from the actual tail. This barb is also quite lengthy, starting in between the mid-way point of his tail and the actual tip – leaning towards the “tip” side. This barb is laced with one of his non-lethal venoms. Thanks to its makeup, he can use this tail almost like a whip – leaving light gashes in opponents, almost like large papercuts. This allows for that venom of his to enter the inflicted’s system. No wings are present on this dragon.
The head of this venomous being is rather uncanny in the eyes of many. Its shape is more circular in appearance, having a “thicker” structure that only dragons can possess. It is wider vertically than it does horizontally, with no easily noticeable dip between this forehead and snout being present. His jaws are relatively even, with the top being just a smidge larger. Large nostrils rule the end of his rather short snout, incredibly sensitive and able to pick up even the stalest of scents. Though they are most sensitive to the scent of fear. These nostrils are designed to allow the male to still through even some of the thickest of fog. A handy capability thanks to the places he prefers to call home. As such, no nose horn is present so his sniffer can’t be disrupted. A mouth full of fangs is what those unlucky enough to face him will meet. In general, all the teeth can inflict some sort of venom into his adversaries, but only two can technically inject any. These specialized fangs can be found just behind where those of a snake would be, hidden amongst the other dagger-like extensions. They are an inch or so longer than the rest, and are equipped with the hole required for a standard injection of venom. However, it should be noted that these fangs are much frailer than their normal counterparts and can easily be damaged if they experience too harsh of a blow or tug. Though, one tug is not enough to break them immediately. The same can’t be said for a hit. Frills extend out from either side of his head and run along the back of his cheeks, disconnected from one other. They appear mostly as thick membranes – made to resist the wear and tear of his standard environment. It is rounded in shape, sort of like a slice of pie but with less of a curve. Only one bone can be found in either frill, running from his skull down the center of them akin to those found in frilled lizards. This bone as well as hydrostatic pressure allows him to adjust these frills to his liking. Aside from just looking “pretty,” these frills actually serve a major purpose for the male. They act as whiskers, sensing air currents and nearby objects just like those of a cat would – granting him the ability to easily traverse his surroundings. The reason these frills are so groundbreaking for the male is due to his most defining feature: his complete lack of eyes.
This phantom of a dragon’s color scheme is pretty generic for a venom dragon – consisting of near-blacks, whites, greens, and the odd cyan-like hue. Camouflage was not exactly something this dragon ever had in mind due to the mass amount of fog plaguing his home turf. Midnight green encapsulates all of his body, running from head to tail along his leathery hide. Many “interruptions” can be observed within this near-black green, without any uniform pattern. Patches of persian green, turquoise, and white divide the dark green up, picking completely random areas to take root across his form. Persian green is the most common of these while white is the least. White and turquoise combined do not outnumber the amount of persian green patches as well. The white is mostly found along the underside of his neck. His lower legs, underbelly, and upper neck are all left to their own devices by this patterning and remain midnight green. This dark shade of green can also be found as blotches of various sizes within the patches. These patches are decently sized and not at all small, for the most part. They are also all unconnected from one another. But there is an instance or two of these patches fading from one color into another, although rare. These “breaks” die off before reaching the mid-way point of his tail, leaving the darker green to remain supreme in that area. However, the tip of his barb is turquoise in hue – the color of that particular venom. His head is a bit more uniform in color, the top being midnight green and a like of persian green underneath it. His bottom is white, but swiftly fades into midnight green when nearing the underside of his neck. The persian green from before just slightly fades into this white as well. A small break of white and turquoise is seen on the left side of his upper head, still retaining its usual black spots. His frills consist of a fade, starting as midnight green, then to persian green in the middle, before turning to turquoise at the end. Absolutely no eye-like patterns are present on him.
The beast’s roars are an interesting bunch. Some are pretty standard in terms of sound, while others anything but. His classified calls consist of a broadcast, “siren song” or false-friendly, truly-friendly, threaten, danger, and his growl. His broadcast is a vicious sound, bound to strike fear in the hearts of those that wander his woods. It comes off as a sort of hissing laughter, malicious as it is piercing. It would almost sound human, if not for the obvious animalistic traits. It does not travel very far, like most broadcasts do, but he doesn’t really need it to. His siren song of a call – made to lure those into a false sense of security – is quite the interesting thing to experience. This noise is strangely breathtaking for a dragon who hisses as much as he. It’s an otherworldly song, not akin to anything known by the world today. Its mystic melody easily draws in curious wanderers, curious of its source. They must be wary, however, because it is prone to strike following its conclusion. The male’s actual “friendly” call is nothing like his alluring one. It too is filled with hisses, but is encapsulated by a higher pitched note of an undetermined woodwind instrument. Likely a mix of a few. It also carries an odd joyous undertone, as though he were greeting a long lost friend… The male’s threaten almost seems to carry this theme. It is an underwhelming roar, truthfully, but it may serve to unsettle some. His usual hissing coupled with a “whooping” noise, sorta like those of a hyena. A shrill note ties it all together, making it sound somewhat “ghostly.” At times, he may even toss in the roar of a jaguar. No matter the combination, it always leaves the listener with the impending process of backup… which never comes. His danger call is likely his loudest roar out of the bunch. It is a hissing sound mixed in with the screaming of a phantom – shrill and bone-chilling. Its sheer volume is enough to startle most, even if it is him warning others of impending doom. Finally, his growl which is probably his most down-to-earth call. It is the mixed sounds of a growling wolf and a hissing cheetah.
Maboroshi’s voice has been described to be impeccably smooth in most situations, despite his more hiss-based calls – something that only arises with a good amount of irritation. It has taken many off guard following their initial exposure to it, something he rarely lets sink in before continuing to speak. It can use a large range of pitches, but tends to settle on the medium-to-high side when he’s not experimenting with the sounds he can make. He is better at holding higher pitches than lower ones. Though, his voice does gain a more gravelly edge when using a deeper pitch. His tone has similar capabilities, but usually sticks with sounding both sly and a tad arrogant. He does, however, use this to his advantage in order to sound dumb at times.
Personality: Aggressive || Competitive || Patient || Crafty || Can Be Arrogant || Oddly Flamboyant || Observant (He has his ways) || Flirtatious || Charming, In His Own Right || Survivalist || Realist || Tries His Hand At Manipulation (50/50 Chance At Success) || Naturally Creepy || Stealthy || Strategic || Tends To Play Dumb || More Than Meets The Eye || Plays Fair In Competitions || Plays Dirty Everywhere Else || Humble Towards Losses || High Prey Drive || Strategic || “Slightly” Sadistic || Loyal || Protective Of “Packmates”
“Looks like the cat has caught the mouse~”
“Why don’t we play a game of tag? I’m it.”
Abilities:
Draining Mist
A venomous bite, known for its rather “underwhelming” effects. Draining Mist is Maboroshi’s most infamous capability – difficult to forget and feared by many, despite its minimalistic capabilities. It is often considered the mark of death by those who know his existence, with nearly all those that have run its fade having perished soon after. Though not necessarily lethal, it does have a large part to play in the male’s battles and especially his hunts. To those it is inflicted upon, it is merely an effective way for him to drain the energy and strength of his prey. A vicious game of tag where he chases and chases until the bitten finally falls. Cases of aspiration are common amongst dragons to prevent them from fighting back initially, but this effect does die off prior to exhaustion setting in. However, for the hunter, his venom is much more than a simple energy-sapping ploy. Those infected with his venom are able to be “seen” by him, appearing as general foggy and blurry shapes. These shapes show the victim’s general body structure, allowing him to see their each and every motion. The color of the foggy shape changes depending on the spread of the venom – the standard white/light gray following the build of the initial bite to a soft violet towards the end. This not only allows him to keep track of his prey, but to be aware of his own surroundings by taking note of how they navigate the area. Some dragons may be more resilient to this than others.
Haunting Hallucinations
A “compound” ability of sorts, designed to unnerve and frighten those affected by its odd toxins. As such, it is essentially completely harmless. These hallucinogens come in two forms – a gas or a liquid.
Foggy Figures
The gaseous form of this ability, produced from his mouth and special organs around his paws. This gas acts just as any other fog, spreading out at the same speed as the natural stuff. It does not follow any set direction, however, and simply moves out across a certain area from him. Though he may not be able to see it himself, he has been able to decipher that the fog appears just that which riddles his homeland – information gathered from the reactions of his victims. The only method one can use to determine fact from fiction in this case is through the fog’s smell. This hallucinogenic gas carries an oddly sweet scent, like that of honeysuckle. However, by the time one smells it, it is highly likely that they have already inhaled it. It only takes a few seconds for the symptoms to start. They build up gradually over time, crescendoing into a fear-riddled environment. The first thing one will notice is the slow increase in fog – most of which is a mere illusion, but some of his own fog may also be the cause. Their vision remains normal besides this, not becoming “trippy” or colorful in the slightest. After a few moments, sounds begin to rise up around them. The rustling brush. Paws pounding against the ground as something runs by. His own haunting growls. All can be heard, their direction being completely random. However, no more than one is going at a time. This is likely to disorient the inflicted being, and (hopefully) start their descent into fear. Finally, once enough is inhaled, the victim will begin to see images of the dragon himself. This version of him has been known to act out various things, going from simply staring at them or running through the brush along their sides to stalking up from behind and attempting to pounce. Of course, none of these hallucinations can harm the afflicted and are merely designed to spur them into running. The effects of this gas will wear off with time, so long as he decides not to initiate the hunt that is. This time is different between individuals, depending on their actions and how much they inhaled.
Slashing Barb
The more physical usage of this male’s hallucinogens. It is not effective as its foggy counterpart, and is mainly used when the fog fails or is impractical. To inflict the toxics in this case, the black scaled must slash his enemy with the barb at the end of his tail which is tipped in the liquid version of this compound. Just as before, the one he injured will begin to experience the same build up in hallucinations – except at a faster and wilder pace. This is due to the fact that the effects of this liquid form tend to run the course much quicker than the other version. Over a short period of time, it becomes rather easy to decipher hallucinations from the real world – with images of him moving or acting in otherworldly ways, and sounds becoming outright distorted. It takes no more than two minutes for the effects to wear off, meaning he has to rile his victim up as swiftly as he possibly can. However, if one moves too much after the initial injection, the effects are likely to last for longer periods. But it goes on for no longer than five minutes. Naturally, he cannot inject this toxin into those with durable hides or sufficient armor.
Neurotoxin
His main and only truly lethal ability. Maboroshi is capable of utilizing neurotoxins within his bites thanks to a special set of fangs. These specialized fangs, unlike those of other venomous reptiles – such as snakes – are not in the front of his mouth. Rather, these specialized fangs are just behind those usual ones, being just a hair longer than all his others and a good amount frailer. Hence the need for this prey to be weak and exhausted prior to this particular bite. Following the injection of the neurotoxins, the venom will start to attack the nervous system – causing muscle weakness and/or paralysis, respiratory difficulty, and eventually cardiac arrest. This venom, however, is not exactly quick and doing its job, usually taking multiple minutes to take full effect. An excruciating death for any that fall under its hold. There is no known antidote to this bite as no known being has lived past this stage. However, there are rumors that some plants can fight its effects. Not that anyone knows what those are.
Tainted Blood
A defensive ability, made to punish those that try and exploit this weakness of his – even if he is already past tense by that time. His blood is riddled with poison, making damaging him a daunting task for some. Once blood is ingested, the attacker will experience dizziness, headaches, increased heart rate, and muscle stiffness – making it hard to focus on the battle. However, if more than the usual “dose” is consumed, this poison can prove lethal. Seizures and comas are likely to follow, if not just straight up cardiac arrest. Those that manage to survive high doses are usually left with muscle spasms if not complete paralysis in some areas. There is no known antidote available, but some native plants have been shown to be effective in battling the toxins, similar to his neurotoxin. If the blood enters the body via other means, the effects will be lessened but still present. It is not lethal in higher doses this way, and is mainly disorienting. This defense can be easily countered by simply not swallowing his blood or letting it get into open orifices or wounds.
Strengths:
+ Smell
+ Hearing
+ Speed
+ Patience
+ Hallucinations
+ Poisonous Blood
+ Strategy
+ Whisker-like Frills
Weaknesses:
- Blind
- Durability
- Windy Weather
- Noisy Environments
- Brave Souls
- Arrogance
- Physical Strength
- Frail “Injecting” Fangs
Crush:
Open for development, but it is highly improbable
Mate:
No one yet
Kin:
Open
Affiliations:
Very Much Open
Other:
- This dragon does not possess any sort of breath attack – the closest thing to one being the fog-like gas he produces.
- This venomous male used to live in swamps and bogs, or really anywhere that naturally had a lot of fog. This both allowed him to be much harder to detect by those that could actually see, as well as blend his own “fog” into that around him.
- Maboroshi’s hunting strategy is a difficult one to counter, if one does not catch on to his tricks. He will start the hunt but inflict his prey with hallucinations, typically by fog but with his barb if he needs to. As the victim becomes more and more disturbed and frightened, he will utilize the sound they make and the scent of fear they emit to pinpoint their exact location. Once locked onto his target, he will initiate a chase – if one has not already started – by biting the prey and instilling his “tracker” into them. He will attempt to do this even if they have already bottled. From here, he will run the prey down into exhaustion where it will be safe to inject the neurotoxins without damaging his fangs.
- Maboroshi is meant to be a pack hunter, running through the mists of his homeland with allies at his side… No one knows what became of his companions. It is a mystery that is likely to disappear along with this dragon when the time comes.
- Those inflicted by his draining venom will find themselves in one of two groups within the male’s mind: a threat that needs to be erased or his next meal. In either case, being bitten means that you likely don’t have long to live.
Hmmm… I know I have spoken about Avatar: The Last Airbender before, but I don’t believe I ever mentioned the dragon’s or Roku and Sozin had. I really liked both designs of the scaly beasts, and I found Fang to be particularly sweet. Especially with how he tried his hardest ta protect Roku in his final moments.
Winter 
Day 
Fog
