Jupiter Bryant

*The Lion Fool*

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 Mark it, nuncle.
Have more than thou showest,
Speak less than thou knowest,
Lend less than thou owest,
Ride more than thou goest,
Learn more than thou trowest,
Set less than thou throwest;
Leave thy drink and thy whore,
And keep in-a-door,
And thou shalt have more
Than two tens to a score.

— The Fool, *King Lear*

Having grown up in the lap of luxury at the estate of the Windsor Coven, Jupe was spoiled in many of the ways that wealthy children often are, though he was hardly the worst example of the type. No, Jupe was if anything a bit of a family embarrassment. Instead of behaving like the grandson of a duchess, he was a joker, a prankster, a boy who never seemed to take anything seriously. The world seemed a game to him, and he was always ready to score points and deliver punchlines. When, thanks to what befell Brock Bryant, Jupe turned out to be a werelion, it was decided that he would be sent to his cousin since, as a werelion, he belonged rightfully to Brock's pride--and, besides, every great king deserves a proper fool in his court.

## Personality

Jupe is no fool. He does have a strong conscience and feels compassion for those around him, even broadly wants to make the world a better place, and if the situation comes up, he is willing to put himself in danger in the name of his principles. These qualities are a bit unfocused, as he's not especially heroic by nature, but he does generally mean well. While not so plainly obvious as his other qualities, Jupe is also very loyal. He would never betray a friend and has a great sense of responsibility for those he cares about, doing whatever he can to protect them from harm. In addition to a generally benevolent nature, Jupe is also a tremendously fun-loving person. He truly loves life and takes great joy in the world around him. He's always willing to join in whatever diversion is taking place. Whether games, athletic pursuits, or just friendly conversation, Jupe really puts himself into all he does. He loves being the center of attention, though he is also perfectly happy playing "sidekick" to someone else if it seems like fun.

## SKILLS

Jupe has a classical education up to the early college level.

Although Jupe keeps himself in great shape, he's not really much for organized sports.

Jupe is by nature a charming person, and when he wants to he can make strong use of this trait, able to convey emotion effectively in various ways. He doesn't always necessarily make the best use of this, but he is still in general rather charismatic.

Jupe is fairly witty and clever, able to express himself in various ways effectively. He's also reasonably skilled at singing and playing the piano and guitar.

Thanks to influence from his family, Jupe is a reasonably skilled fighter.

Jupe is familiar with the basics of living in the world of the supernatural. Mostly, he's familiar with being a werewolf and, now, werelion.

## POWERS

Jupe is far more agile than even the average werelion, up to the level of a typical werewolf. Jupe is not as strong as many other werelions, however, so this seems to be something of a trade-off.

Jupe is able to transform into various bestial shapes, gaining particular abilities based on his current form. He can do partial-shifts, such as manifesting claws or fangs while otherwise remaining in human form. Jupe can manifest various forms, including the "Lionman" form, essentially human but with fangs, claws, cat ears, and a tail; the "Man-Lion" form, or war form, which is perhaps best described as "full furry terror,"; the "Smilodon" or enormous, primeval cat form; and the ordinary "Lion" form. The special traits that their various forms provide are detailed in other power entries.

Some werelions have an aura of majesty that inspires those around them. Jupe's a bit different. Instead, he just holds... an appeal. Unlike some creatures, the nature of this appeal is not up to him. However he might appeal to others is entirely defined by them. So, for instance, they might be inclined to find him attractive, or lovable, or trustworthy, or innocent, or entertaining, or whatever else, or any combination of these. This ability increases that factor up to the Supreme level. He can't create an appeal where none exists, but whatever appeal may exist, even if he is otherwise disliked, will be dialed up to eleven. Mental defenses, naturally, can mitigate this, but they usually cannot remove the effect entirely. There is, after all, no element of compulsion, only an aura of a certain appeal based on the perceptions and feelings toward Jupe that others already have.

Jupe's mane is a mantle of power in itself. As long as he has his mane, it provides him with a supernatural resistance to abilities and spells that would alter his free will, allowing him to resist mind control, emotional control, puppetry, illusion or suggestion.

In his many forms, Jupe has powerful claws and teeth. These are able to carve through stone and steel, and his bite's pressure is able to shatter bone and tear flesh easily. His claws are retractable, and he is actually able to extend a set of claws in his human form, his normal fingernails transforming, though in this form he is limited to normal human teeth.

Like werewolves, Jupe has senses far superior to a human's, able to see farther and employ night vision, to hear clearly at a distance, to sense things based on subtle chemosignals and hearing heartbeats, such as strong emotion or illness, and perhaps most especially, able to pick up individual scents, even old ones, and track via scent.

Jupe's roar is an usual thing. Where some lions can roar loudly enough to knock things over or injure people, Jupe's roar carries the power of projective empathy. It does not override the feelings that one subjected to it already has, but it allows them to experience another emotion or sensation of Jupe's choosing. This will not deceive them. They will not believe that they are feeling their own feelings. Instead, they will simply be aware of a sensation of that feeling. If they choose to embrace that feeling, then it will bolster them, but it cannot force them to accept the feeling. For instance, Jupe can roar and make someone who wants to feel confident and exhilarated feel that. However, he cannot make someone who wants to feel confident feel insecure. He may be able, if he's clever, to convince someone that they should feel a certain way, then give them the feeling and thus goad them into going with it, but in the end, the choice belongs to the target, not to him.

Jupe is much stronger than a human, able even to twist and bend solid metal, smash through most structures short of armored or strongly-reinforced materials, and break through solid walls of cement or brick with moderate effort.

Jupe is considerably tougher than a human, and he can resist substantial amounts of damage, especially blunt force trauma, and emerge either unscathed or with only minor injuries.

## ADVANTAGES

Coming from a wealthy, blue-blooded family is an advantage in and of itself, but Jupe is also related to a reasonably powerful coven of witches and a growing pride of werelions.

Jupiter has a high end car, cell phone, apartment, and all the other trappings of a successful modern life. These are fairly often replaced and updated, so he always has the latest versions of the devices.

Jupe has a large trust fund and robust financial portfolio, all managed by experts kept on retainer by the family. As a result, he can generally never has to worry about money and can afford to live a very luxurious lifestyle. He also has all of the legal resources to live in the United States, mainly handled by his family, despite having grown up outside the country.

## WEAKNESSES

Just as silver can be the bane to werewolves, Jupe can be harmed by gold. Wounds from gold and gold weapons cause much greater pain, and give him a difficult time in healing them with his regeneration. Likewise, binding him in bonds or chains made of gold will sap his supernatural strength and prevent him from changing until removed.

While Jupe is part of a lion pride and does in fact even feel great loyalty to his king, he tends to mask that loyalty behind irreverence and playfulness. He seems to feel it's his duty to act the role of the fool, by turns making the king laugh or keeping him humble.

While his hair and mane is a source of strength for him, it is also a source of weakness. As long as his hair/mane remains intact, Jupe has access to his powers. Yet if it is cut off or burned or removed through other means, he loses all of his active powers and is limited to his Human phase until it grows back. Damage to his mane heals fast, but not as fast as most wounds. It could take him a few days to grow back a destroyed mane.

Jupe is an atypical werelion in many ways, whether because he has an offbeat personality, the fact that he is physically weaker than most other werelions, or even just the fact that, unlike many others of his kin, he's a strict vegetarian.

The wood of the rowan tree, also known as mountain ash, creates a supernatural barrier against most (if not all) supernatural creatures, Jupe included.

Werewolves are influenced by the moon. As a lion, Jupe is influenced by the sun. It gives him strength and keeps him healthy. He is stronger when in sunlight and must receive at least two hours of direct sunlight a day (one solar cycle) in order to maintain his abilities. If he is denied this, he becomes unable to shift and call upon his enhanced physical abilities or other powers, and he even gets sick, exhibiting flu-like symptoms. It will not kill him if he is denied light for extended periods, but he will remain weak and ill until he is able to reach light. Light from UV lamps and the like can be used as a substitute to direct sunlight.

Jupiter Byron Bryant was born into the life of an aristocrat, though soon after his birth it was also the life of an orphan. He never really knew his parents, who left him in the care of relatives for most of his childhood. They preferred to travel and be unfettered by the trouble of bringing up a child, so for the part he spent his young days in the company of hired help. A spirited and mischievous child, he was always a bit of an embarrassment to the family's desire for propriety, but it never reacher the point of scandal or anything of the kind. He was just a slight misfit, but he was pitied in his way, given the situation with his parents. His life continued otherwise pleasantly enough, and he finished his education privately. When he learned that his parents had died in the wake of a violent upheaval following the death of Brock Bryant's father, Jupe was sad, but he was not devastated. After all, he'd hardly known them. What was more striking is that he found himself transformed into a werelion! He spent a time being educated in a cursory way about these things, but before long he was bundled off to the States, where he was to join Brock's newly formed pride.

Logs featuring Jupiter Bryant:

*Coming soon!*