Platairif

==Appearance==
Platairif has grey scales shimmering in a purple color with some bright yellow dots on the back. The grey head is small with a rather long snout and a single small horn on top the nose. The Behemoth's big eyes are purple with red marks around the slit-like pupils and around the eyes are sturdy plates. The jaws possess small, pointy teeth. Platairif can soar because of its broad and flat, elastic tail which is formed like a bowl and has about the same length like its whole body. The underside of the tail has a purple coloration while the upper side is colored the same way as the body. Also white thread-like appendages at the side of tail float in the wind. The clawless, webbed feet on short legs have long, broad toes with yellow lamellae. The chest of the Behemoth has a beautiful bright emarald coloration.
==Habitat and Ecology==
Platairif is endemic to the Orkan Plains and totally adapted to the winds there. The thread-like appendages on its tail are sensitive to wind so the Behemoth knows how strong and in what direction it goes. With aligning the tail differently Platairif can maintain its position in air or decide to let the wind take it further.
The toes can hold the monster even on the steepest, smoothest cliffs and the massive trees in the plains. In this position it sleeps outside of danger as the lamellae with the small hairs almost glue them on the surface while predators are affected by the strong winds. While looking on a Platairif sitting on a cliff it completely blurs in with the stones because of its coloration.
The Behemoth is usually carnivorous and hunts prey like small Neopterons yet at the time the, also endemic, Appind trees have their fruits, the Appinds take a high percentage of its general consumption. With this Platairif is an important symbiont for the Appind Tree as it swallows the seeds with the devoured fruit and excretes it at another place. It itself is prey for bigger predators which it escapes with its soaring ability.
Platairif has different color morphs that are spreaded across the Orkan Plains. The morphs are normally each a single population but can also mix. Known morphs change in coloration of the back and chest, as well as the underside of the tail. Back color morphs besides the grey one are black, brown or blue that live in the nearness of the coal gathered close by a volcano, a big population of trees or a rich occurence of machalite ore respectively, while the chest colors differ between the usual emerald, ruby-red, gold and silver and the tail underside is colored either the normal purple but also lime. The chest and tail morphs seem to be formed by sexual selection and all three morph types can mix. Rare individuals have two different chest color morphs forming a pattern.
Platairifs are very social and mostly found in groups of at least three. Because they are the only consumers of Appinds there is enough food for everyone and fights are rare. The Behemoths are also hunting together scaring Neopterons away into the mouths of the others. They can be seen sleeping together on the cliffs or trees.
In mating season, the stormiest time, the males fly up displaying their colorful chests and tail undersides. If two individuals have similarly bright colors they fight by throwing air projeciles at each other to bring the other one to fall. As they are one of the lightest Behemoths the males have to devour stones because they would otherwise get blown away be the strong winds. The stones are chosen carefully and are normally in round shape so that the inner organs won't get hurt. The males cannot eat anything until the rocks get excreted and some die in this procedure.
==Abilities==
Platairif is able to soar in the air like a leaf in the wind. This ability is achieved with its flat, stretchy tail which can bulge in in both directions. Aligning the tail serves the Behemoth as process to decide to soar in the air or sail on the wind. It has perfect control over this and can attack with air projectiles gathered and densed in the tail or nose-dive at a target. Even when startled in air Platairif can land on its feet by using the wind.
Except the air projectiles its attacks are mainly physically with bites and body checks. Platairif can pick up high speeds and is quite agile in air. On the ground it seems quite awkward but that deludes because it deliberately provocates the opponent to attack and then soars away past it without the enemy keeping track.
==Attacks==
===On the ground/wall===
#Bite: Platairif lifts its head and tail and bites forward. In Rage Mode it may get repeated instantly.
#Body check: The Behemoth rotates the tail 90° and makes a wind-supported body check.
#Horn thrust: Platairif cries out and charges at a target to hit it with its horn in an uppercut motion.
#Air projectile: It lifts its tail and jumps backwards and throws an air projectile forward.
#Tail whip: Platairif rotates its tail 90° to one side and attacks with a wind-supported tail whip attack to the other side. In Rage Mode the monster creates a air projectily while doing this.
===While soaring===
#Air projectiles: Similar to the ground version but it can throw either three small ones in a horizontal line or one big at an opponent.
#Compressed Air projectile: Only used in Rage Mode. Platairif compresses the air in its tail by putting it up against the wind and clenching it with its tail muscles. When hitting the ground the air ball breaks up in a small tornado that lasts three seconds.
#Body slam: Platairif lets itself rise up with the wind and then falls down on a target.
#Nose-dive attack: The Behemoth rises up with the wind and charges at a target while staying close over the ground. This attack can be repeated when in Rage Mode.
#Tail whip: Platairif soars in the direction of an opponent and attacks with its tail underneath its body. In Rage Mode the monster aligns its attacks so it can attack a second target with an air projectile.
#Pin attack: Platairif first lets down the tail, cries out and soars towards a target and tries to land on it. When the feet connect the toes get glued on the opponents skin/armor and it rips them apart with bites and drawing back the feet.
==Notes==
*The weakness is earth, thunder.
*In Rage Mode the yellow dots on the back get more prominent, the red in the eyes gets wider and it huffs visibly.
*When exhausted Platairif will sometimes flip over when it soars in the air what it normally balances out perfectly.
**The Behemoth will climb a tree and feed on the Appinds there.
*The name derives from: "platt", German for "flat" -> Plat, "air" -> ai(r) and a partly japanized version of "leaf" -> (r)if ("i" is spoken like "ea" in leaf)
==Materials==
Platairif Horn (when broken), Platairif Tail (only when broken), Platairif Shell, Platairif Scale, Platairif Lamella, Platairif Thread (when tail broken), Platairif Bone
Category:Monster Creation
Category:Behemoth