Gryphon/Main

> *"Some of you have known me under other names, like the name of some callous demon or a name of a foolish knight. Yet today, I have another name. It was given to me by people who could have left me to die. But instead, they taught me the true meaning of courage."*
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> *"So, listen to me, warriors. Don't let some mad tyrants play God with your lives. Fight for the people who saw the good in you. fight for those who will want to remember you. "*
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> *"Come on, warriors! Show them how you fight!"*
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## Gryphon/Main

* Holden Cross
* Gryphon

## Stats

### Sprint Speed

7 m/s

**Gryphons** are a playable hero class in For Honor.

## Overview

Some say you cannot teach an old dog new tricks, but this could not be farther from the truth for the one who was once known as Holden Cross. The well-known veteran went on a transformative journey across Heathmoor after leaving the Lawbringers. Fighting as a mercenary, he encountered warriors from all factions, who set their differences aside and taught him more than he could ever imagine. They even gave him a new name – Gryphon, the warrior with the heart of a lion and the piercing eyes of an eagle.

Today, Gryphon is determined to make amends for his past life as a Blackstone by helping the Chimera Alliance become a beacon of hope in these dark times. Using the Draconite abused by the Horkos against them, Gryphon will guide the rebellion to victory.

## Armor

Since he left the Lawbringers, Gryphon has worn improvised gear. With the help of his mercenary friends, he scavenged battlefields and adjusted pieces he could find to create his own armors. His preferred attires are usually not too sophisticated, emulating the culture he takes the armor from. He favors function over form, but sometimes wears ornate pieces that were gifted to him by former patrons and allies.

## Weapon

**Bardiche** - A polearm with a distinctly long blade edge for its axe-head, Holden Cross picked it up as it was reminiscent of the poleaxe he stopped using. Much like the weapon he had used before, the Bardiche provides a versatile arsenal of offense with its sharp blade, piercing tip and blunt pommel.

## Known Gryphons

* Holden Cross
* The Heralds

## Trivia

* A Gryphon, also known as a Griffin or Griffon, is a legendary creature that is part lion, part eagle. Because of its feature being the mix of the "king of beasts" and "king of birds," it was thought to be a very powerful and majestic creature. Often, it is depicted to be the guardian of treasures and divinity.
* In lore, Holden Cross took up the name "Gryphon" when a child nicknamed him such according to a daily order lore from the Tales of Rebellion Part 3 event.
	+ Otherwise, Gryphon had no Hero Class lore, as all lore focused on Holden Cross being the sole holder of the title. This was despite the fact that leaks existed (particular one collected by Lawful Ostrich), with lore showing plans for the Gryphon Hero class to be released as a band of militia.
		- The class lore according to leaks from Lawful Ostrich: *Holden Cross's new name "Gryphon" comes from a term used to describe the most revered and talented nomads known to the factions. The Gryphons are warriors who have traveled to every corner of Heathmoor, searching for wisdom, combat skills, and culture from factions outside their own. They fashion themselves in armor bearing designs and structure from cultures they've immersed themselves in to honor the knowledge they've accumulated on their journeys. While the Gryphons were never an organized, militarized people, they now band together under Holden Cross's influence to aid the Chimera Alliance in destroying the Order of Horkos.*
	+ This is the first time Ubisoft has released a hero's narrative-counterpart's lore *before* any class lore. This hasn't been well-received by some fans due to a perceived restriction of character creativity.
		- During the Kyoshin reveal stream during the Mirage season, the developers reiterated how each hero is intended to be a blank slate for the player to create a backstory for, just as all Heroes were intended to be seen as. This was likely a response to some players' frustration over the lack of class lore for Gryphon.
	+ During the Chimera Banquet, it is described that a group of veteran warriors called "Heralds" helped conquer a stronghold (Daubeny's castle) for the Chimera. It is heavily alluded that these veterans may be the other Gryphon warriors, although it is also possible that these warriors were made up of existing Hero classes.
* The Gryphon Hero is a polyglot, a multilingual individual who can either actively or passively communicate in multiple languages. This is emulated in-game where the Hero will speak specific lines in either Latin, Icelandic, Japanese or Chinese depending on who he is talking with.
	+ The Gryphon Hero is also the first Hero whose dialogue responds to enemy and allied Heroes (and Captains) based on that Hero's faction affiliation (ie. if Gryphon is revived by a Wu Lin Hero, he will thank them in Chinese); furthermore, he has specific lines for Warmonger when performing chain finishers. This is reminiscent of the Responsive Dialogue System that was meant to be added late 2018, allowing Heroes to react differently based on who their opponent was.
* The Gryphon is the first Knight Hero whose default set does not have some kind of headgear or mask that obscures the face in any way.
	+ Although the Black Prior's default set has a helm that is open in the front, the chainmail coif does mask a part of the Hero's face.
* The Gryphon is the first hero to have armor from multiple cultures, as his collection of armor pieces is a show of the time he spent traveling and being with them.
	+ Certain armor sets reveal that Greek, Mongolian and Korean cultures have survived the Cataclysm, having set up a civilization somewhere.
* The Bardiche as the Gryphon's main weapon works surprisingly well as the other faction's cultures have weapons similar to the Bardiche.
	+ The Bardiche is widely believed to have been developed from the earlier Sparth or Dane axes of the Viking age, alongside the late-Medieval Pollaxe.
	+ Japan has the Tsukushi Naginata (筑紫薙刀), a Naginata variation specific to Tsukishi, a region in northern Kyushu. Unlike most Naginata where the blade is connected through the use of a tang just like a sword, the Tsukushi variant is connected by a socket (just like the Bardiche) at the bottom of the blade.
	+ While the Wu Lin do not have a weapon that exactly matches that of the Bardiche, forms of the Guan Dao often feature blades that are more axe-like than sword-like; spears as well often feature crescent axe blades held at two points.
* Just like the Warmongers, the Gryphon is a genderlocked Hero but features Alternate armor variation.
	+ For the most part, Alternate armor variations are an "infantry grade" visual counterpart to their normal variant, featuring no cape and less flare. However, when it comes to the Asian influenced sets of Pathfinder, Disciple and Informer, there is a divide between the Normal and Alternate version between Chinese-influence and Japanese-influence respectively.
		- The chest pieces lack a cape in the Normal variant, replaced with a decorative rope tassels reminiscent of Chinese knotting instead. Additionally, the Normal and Alternate variants have different frontal chest plate designs: the Normal variant has the Chinese-inspired circular plate, while the Alternate variant has the Japanese-inspired square plate.
		- The arm pieces swap the right shoulder protection between the two variants. For the Alternate variant, both shoulders are covered by a Japanese-inspired *sode* shoulder plate. In the Normal variant, the right shoulder protection is much more akin to a Chinese-inspired fur-lined lamellar armor.
		- The helmets for these sets follow the normal rules of Normal/Alternate variants, where the Normal one is a more decorated version of the Alternate variant.
	+ All Alternate armor will appear with the set's name, plus the "Alternate" suffix. For example, the Alternate set for the Mercenary set is "Mercenary Alternate."
	+ When certain armor visuals are accessible reflect Gryphon's journey outside of Heathmoor in chronological order: Common to Rare rarity gear are meant to be armor that Gryphon wore during the early parts of his journey, which were mostly in Eastern European-like territories. Heroic to Epic rarity gear feature armor that represents his journey East where he encountered Asian cultures. Finally, Legendary rarity gear depicts his journey back towards Heathmoor, where he encountered the Greco-Roman cultures on the way.
	+ Like the Harbinger heroes and Warmongers before, the Gryphon's Ornaments are placed on his shoulders.
* The Gryphon shares a number of animations with previous heroes, as the Gryphon had learnt combat from all the factions. Corners may have been cut due to the pandemic and ensuing quarantine that occurred during the Year of Reckoning.
	+ As Holden Cross was once a Lawbringer, even using the Bardiche due to how similar it is to the poleaxe, unsurprisingly, he shares animations and moves with them:
		- Gryphon Shove is similar to the Lawbringer's Shove move.
		- Dauntless Chase is similar to the Lawbringer's the Long Arm, albeit being performed as a sprint attack.
		- Gryphon's Light Attack Combo has similarities to the Lawbringer's Swift Justice Finisher and Light Riposte.
		- Some of Gryphon's Light Attacks take after Lawbringer's, such as Opener Top Light being the same.
		- The Gryphon's Guardbreak and Back Throw animations are similar to that of the Lawbringer's.
	+ Veteran's Kick and Top Heavy Finisher are similar to Highlander's Formorian Kick and Celtic Curse respectively. The follow-up Heavy after Veteran's Kick is also similar to Top Balor's Might or Highlander's Defensive Form Top Heavy Finisher.
	+ Helm Cleaver is similar to Kensei's Helm Splitter, while Mind Cleaver is similar in property to Kensei's Nature Wrath while looking like Kensei's Top Heavy Finisher. He also mimics the Kensei's ability to chain from Guardbreaks and Throws.
	+ Forceful Swirl is similar to Jiang Jun's Fatal Swirl.
	+ Soul Cleaver is similar to both Jiang Jun's Mighty Backlash and Kensei's Swift Strike, although due to the voiceline used, may be taken from Zhanhu's Brisk Maneuver.
	+ The Gryphon also shares animations from these heroes and others, although they have been altered to be unique to Gryphon. Whether or not these are actually borrowed assets or deliberate references to those Heroes is up to question. Some examples include Gryphon's basic attacks looking like Kensei's attacks (Heavy Openers and Chain Heavies, some Side Lights, etc), and Gryphon's Guardbreak Forward and Right Throws taking from Centurion's Forward and Left Throws (but mirrored).
* Just like the Warmongers, although the Gryphon is assigned as being a Knight Hero, he will not use the feats Fiat Lux, Pugno Mortis, and Catapult which are present on most Knight Heroes. Instead, he borrows feats that are exclusive to other factions, such as Arrow Storm from the Samurai and Fury from the Vikings, due to him learning from other factions.
	+ This is also reflected in his unique feats, which are inspired by feats that are unique to each faction: Stern Stare is influenced by the Samurai's Chilling Stare; Draconite Mist is influenced by the Wu Lin's Soothing Mist; Draconite Bolt is influenced by the Knight's Crossbow; Draconite Cleanser is influenced by the Viking's Fire Flask.
	+ This also seems to extend to what cosmetics Gryphon has access to, as he has access to outfits that are faction-restricted, such as the Samurai's "Northern Dragon", the Wu Lin's "Lone Xuebao" and the Viking's "Valhalla's Eikthyrnir" Illustrious sets.
* Gryphon, together with the Lawbringer and Holden Cross, is voiced by Evan Buliung.

## Quotes

* Combat
* Responsive Dialogue
* Feats

* Veteran's Kick
	+ **Icelandic**: "Fjallabrjótur!" - **English**: "Mountain breaker!"
* Top Heavy Finisher and Veteran's Slash
	+ **Icelandic**: "Til Orrustu!" - **English**: "To battle!"
* Helm Cleaver (Forward Dodge Light)
	+ **Japanese:** "死ね" (Shine) - **English:** "Die!"
* Mind Cleaver (Forward Dodge Heavy)
	+ **Japanese:** "尋常に勝負" (Jinjou ni shoubu) - **English:** "Let's have an honourable showdown!"
* Soul Cleaver (Side Dodge Heavy)
	+ **Chinese**: "你死定了" (Nǐ sǐ dìng le) - **English**: "You're dead!"
* Gryphon Shove
	+ **Latin:** "Para te!" - **English:** "Prepare yourself!"
* Dauntless Chase (Sprint Attack)
	+ **Latin:** "Nōlo superstes!" - **English:** "I take no survivors!"

* On Respawn
	+ **Latin:** "Factus pugnare debeo!" - **English:** "I ought to keep fighting!"
	+ **Latin:** "Conficiamus eos!" - **English:** "Let's finish them!"
	+ **Latin:** "Sectus opus noster nobis!" - **English:** "Our work is cut out for us!"

Guardbreak Throw
* When the target Enemy is a Knight:
	+ **Latin:** "Move!" - **English:** "Move!"
* When the target Enemy is a Viking:
	+ **Icelandic**: "Farðu!" - **English**: "Get away!"
* When the target Enemy is a Samurai:
	+ **Japanese:** "どうだ" (Dou da) - **English:** "How's this?"
* When the target Enemy is a Wu Lin:
	+ **Chinese**: "滚开" (Gǔn kāi) - **English**: "Piss off!"

Parries
* When the target Enemy is a Knight:
	+ **Latin:** "Non hodie!" - **English:** "Not today!"
* When the target Enemy is a Viking:
	+ **Icelandic**: "Núna!" - **English**: "Now!"
* When the target Enemy is a Samurai:
	+ **Japanese:** "甘い" (Amai) - **English:** "Naive!"
* When the target Enemy is a Wu Lin:
	+ **Chinese**: "做梦" (Zuòmèng) - **English**: "In your dreams."

Chain Finishers (*Note: Triggers on Light Finishers, Heavy Finishers and Veteran's Slash*)
* When the target Enemy is a Knight:
	+ **Latin:** "Veni ad me!" - **English:** "Come at me!"
	+ **Latin:** "Pugnemus." - **English:** "Let's fight."
	+ **Latin:** "Tibi fieri!" - **English:** "Done unto you!"
	+ **Latin:** "Pugna mecum!" - **English:** "Fight with me!"
	+ **Latin:** "Modo finitur!" - **English:** "It's finished!"
* When the target Enemy is a Warmonger:
	+ **Latin:** "Mori in igni!" - **English:** "Die in a fire!"
	+ **Latin:** "Futue te ipsum!" - **English:** "Go fuck yourself!"
* When the target Enemy is a Viking:
	+ **Icelandic**: "Þú munt deyja!" - **English**: "You will die!"
	+ **Icelandic**: "Ég drep þig!" - **English**: "I'll kill you!"
	+ **Icelandic**: "Komdu!" - **English**: "Come on!"
	+ **Icelandic**: "Þú ert búinn!" - **English**: "You're done!"
	+ **Icelandic**: "Berjumst!" - **English**: "Let's fight!"
	+ **Icelandic**: "Þorirðu?" - **English**: "Do you dare?"
* When the target Enemy is a Samurai:
	+ **Japanese:** "さぁ、来い" (Saa, koi) - **English:** "Come on now!"
	+ **Japanese:** "来い" (Koi) - **English:** "Come on!"
	+ **Japanese:** "かかってこい" (Kakattekoi) - **English:** "Bring it on!"
	+ **Japanese:** "食らえ" (Kurae) - **English:** "Take this!" or "Eat this!"
	+ **Japanese: "**戦え" (Tatakae) - **English:** "Fight (me)!"
	+ **Japanese:** "負けん" (Maken) - **English:** "(I) won't lose!"
* When the target Enemy is a Wu Lin:
	+ **Chinese**: "来决斗" (Lái juédòu) - **English**: "Come duel."
	+ **Chinese**: "来吧" (Lái ba) - **English**: "Come on."
	+ **Chinese**: "出招吧" (Chū zhāo ba) - **English**: "Make your move!"

Revive
* When the Ally reviving Gryphon is a Knight:
	+ **Latin:** "Ignosce." - **English:** "Forgive (me)."
* When the Ally reviving Gryphon is a Viking:
	+ **Icelandic**: "Fyrirgefðu." - **English**: "Forgive me."
* When the Ally reviving Gryphon is a Samurai:
	+ **Japanese:** "すまぬ" (Sumanu) - **English:** "Sorry."
* When the Ally reviving Gryphon is a Wu Lin:
	+ **Chinese**: "多谢" (Duōxiè) - **English**: "Many thanks."

- Stern Stare
	* **Japanese:** "雑魚が" (Zako ga) - **English:** "You small fry!"

- Draconite Mist
	* **Chinese**: "振作" (Zhengzhuo) - **English**: "Cheer up."

- Draconite Bolt
	* **Latin:** "Mors tua, vita nostra." - **English:** "Your death, our life."

- Fury
	* **Icelandic**: "Nú er ég reiður!" - **English**: "Now I'm angry!"

- Draconite Cleanser
	* **Icelandic**: "Hreinsum!" - **English**: "Cleanse!"

- Champion's Aura
	* **Icelandic**: "Fáum okkur hressingu!" – **English**: "Let's have some refreshment!"

- Arrow Storm
	* **Japanese**: "火を" (Hi o) - **English:** "(Rain) fire!"
		+ Possibly mistranslated from the English phrase "Fire (a bow)," instead translated as a synonym to "flame."