Arius

An original character created by JayHart.
==Appearance==
===Physical===
Arius' body is lean and athletic, speaking of long times spent travelling by foot. His arms are nearly as well-muscled as his legs, but the callouses on his hands are the only noticeable sign of his skill with a blade beyond the way he carries himself. His ears taper to a point and are tipped by smooth scales, but are easily hidden by his hair. There is also a line of soft but tough scales running down his back, as well as a patch on each elbow and knee. His eyes are normally human in appearance, though when unduly aggravated they may revert to their draconic appearance.
===Attire===
*Casual: Arius' normal attire consists of black combat boots, black slacks, a white button-up shirt with open collar, and a cloak of sable cloth. In colder weather, he replaces his normal cloak with a thick fur cloak that looks dark enough to be Grimm fur.
*Combat: Arius' combat attire consists of his normal clothing sans cloak, with armor pieces that appear to be made of leather layered under sparse bits of some sort of scale-mail. Upon being asked about his armour, Arius will state that he does not wish to be slowed down by anything heavier when his Aura will do the job well enough.
*Other: When in icy or snowy areas, Arius sometimes switches his clothing for a white snow-suit and matching cloak. He nearly always wears long sleeves and pants to hide his scales.
==Background History==
Arius "worked" as a Dragon under The Order Alliance, until he met Arctura, whom he showed the true nature of the Order to. After that, he traveled with her in human form for some time before joining up with The Guardian Remnants along with his partner.
==Personality==
Arius, while being surprisingly kind-hearted toward the few he considers his equals, often shows a shocking disregard for the lives of others, believing that if one is foolish enough to be killed, they are deserving of it - with the exception of children, who he refers to as "pups". He has a fondness for maps, riddles, and apex predators - especially the clever ones. Arius' loyalty is hard to earn, though he has shown his fierce devotion to his traveling partner, Arctura, on multiple occasions. Arius has great appreciation for skilled hunters of all types, especially those few who watch the edges of the Dead Zones, since Grimm are the only thing he has ever admitted to fearing.
While not easily caught off guard, if someone manages to do so, he will do everything within his means to make it appear as though he was not. Arius rarely plans beyond his next meal, and places great value on food, which is the quickest was to appease him. If embarrassed about something, he is prone to an angry reaction. He has a habit of cracking his joints when he knows he might be entering combat soon. 
Arius has a preferences for warm and sunny days, wide-open spaces, and high places, though he has a very high tolerance to all climates and temperatures. He loves spicy foods, and tolerates sweet things, but has little appreciation for sour tastes. Good artwork is considered worthy of protecting in his eyes, though he cares little about the subject matter as long as the artist is skilled enough.
In addition to his love of art, Arius has a great interest in all things mechanical. Their nature fascinates him, and he loves trying to figure out how things work (similar to his love of riddles). His most recent hobby is engineering.
==Equipment==
Arius' main weapon is a sword that uses folding-frame technology to shift forms, thus the name. In its primary and sheathed form, it takes the shape of a plain shortsword with a visibly segmented blade and elongated "bastard" hilt. In this form, it weighs an unusually large amount, though Arius seems to have no trouble with it. In its second form, the Shifter Sword's segments slide out for more to appear, lengthening the blade significantly into the form of a blade similar in form to, but with a wider blade than, an Ōdachi, or 2-handed katana.
Other equipment found on Arius' person include his scale-mail armour (which looks suspiciously like dragon-scale mail), his (surprisingly heavy for its size) pack, and his mail-backed gloves. He also owns a helmet, which looks to be made of an allow of iron base, though it's gunmetal-grey color makes it difficult to determine the metal's nature.
==Abilities==
===Blink Portal===
Being a dragon, Arius only has access to his semblance while he is in humanoid form.
Arius' semblance allows him to call into existence a portal that will take him instantly from one location to another in a straight line over a set distance. The portal can be used to transport others, but it only lasts for a few moments unless he forces it to stay open. The ability would be quite Aura-intensive for others, but given his Draconic nature, Arius' Aura is quite capable of sustaining him and his semblance for a large number of uses. Once they are cast their destination cannot be changed until they fade. Each portal takes a circular, 2-dimensional form, and glows white.
==Skills==
Thanks to Arctura's shape-shifting magic, Arius takes human form, but is capable of re-assuming his draconic form at will. He is incapable of assuming humanoid form without external assistance, however. He has a surprising amount of cartography-related knowledge.
Arius is quite skilled at working out riddles and puzzles, but is something of a novice at engineering - a detriment he is trying to change. 
==Fighting Style==
Arius fights as a fast striker, cutting down enemies with his shortsword with a frighteningly quick series of attacks should they draw too close to his partner, Arctura. When needed (or when he is angered), he will shift his sword into its larger form, his attacks becoming much less frequent but significantly stronger, relying on his reflexes to counter opponents' strikes before they can react. He uses his Blink Portal semblance to maneuver around the battlefield with ease, giving him the ability to go from the far side of a fight back to his partner's side at a moment's notice, or to easily flank an enemy.
==Weaknesses==
Like his partner, Arius tends to be weak to long-range combat. He uses his semblance to counter this, but is not always successful due to its limited range. Arius is often forced to block bullets, either with his Aura or his blade.
Rather than becoming frenzied when angered, Arius calms down and gains focus when his rage builds. When he is at his normal temperament in a fight, however, Arius can be prone to taking hits from physical attacks such as punches or kicks from an otherwise armed enemy.
Arius is quite poor at strategizing, relying almost solely on his skill and strength rather than cunning during a fight.
==Relationships/Associations==
*The Order Alliance - While he apparently used to be aligned with them, Arius now holds The Order in disdain. 
*The Guardian Remnants - Though Arius seems not to care whether they succeed or fail, he does clearly show respect for their willingness to fight against what he considers an obviously superior force. Her is somewhat loosely allied with them at this time.
*Nomadic Tribes - Arius keeps the Nomadic Tribes of Atherion in high esteem, seeing them as noble enough to set themselves apart from the War, and strong enough to stay apart from either side and survive, though he does not entirely understand why they do not make homes for themselves in the mountain ranges.
*Arctura - His partner in travel and combat. Her shape-changing magic allows him to take his human form, which allows him access to his semblance. The two are very close, but not romantically so, mainly due to their connection through her Bond semblance.
*Winter and Kami - While on friendly terms with both, Arius remains wary of Winter due mainly to the nature of her and Kami's relationship with Arctura. He wants Kami to train him in engineering, though has not yet been able to convince her to do so.
*Fuller - The two met several years back during Arius' and Arctura's time with the Nomadic Tribes. While they cannot be called friends, they are on good terms.
*Emily Sarling - Arius does not like Emily, and makes no secret of his distrust of her. Though Arctura has tried to sway his opinion, he remains unconvinced, possibly because he knows of her part-Feral nature.
==Triva/Fun Facts==
Category:Characters
Category:Male Characters
Category:Neutral
Category:Thrylean