<div align="center"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 20pt;">Ehroj</span></span><br/>Ehr'gurthran'j</div><br/><div class="floatright">(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v481/phantasmalpandas/Fantasy/spiked_dragon.jpg)</div><strong>Species:</strong>Brown (Earth) Dragon<br/><strong>Gender:</strong>Male<br/><strong>Age:</strong>4,173 (not that he knows)<br/><strong>Abilities:</strong><br/><span class="bbc_u">Fire Breath</span>Ehroj fires liquid rather than gas to create fire. This results in a much reduced range, but an effect similar to a flamethrower in that it is exceptionally difficult to get the fire to go out, as it burns like an oil fire. It tends to coat the inside of his mouth, leaving his craggy teeth burning shortly after use. This is normally not painful, but if used too many times in succession it can hurt him.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Fire Ball</span>To use this ability, Ehroj essentially holds the liquid in his mouth before spitting it in a gob at the enemy. Short range, but the projectile will melt through just about anything, including materials ordinary fire could not penetrate such as stone and metal, and will splash in a good twenty-five foot radius.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Acid Blood</span><br/>Ehroj’s blood is highly caustic when it first leaves his body. If his hide is somehow punctured, any blood that might hit the offending enemy sticks like tar. His wounds bleed slowly, with a consistency not so unlike molasses. While it is damaging at first, his blood nourishes when it hits the ground, causing new life to begin to grow on the spot within half a day.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Wing Gust</span><br/><span class="bbc_u">Ease Pain</span>Ehroj is possessed of a limited ability to heal others. He can do little to help with small injuries other than attempt to remove some of the pain, but if an injury is life-threatening, he can intervene, damaging his own body in order to bring someone from the brink of death. He cannot use this ability on other dragons unless they are much weaker than he is. His healing ability is somewhat easier to use on his bonded human, but still limited to severe wounds.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Endurance</span>In human form, Ehroj is not faster than any other fit human (though his long strides help in that regard). He does have incredible endurance to make up for it, however, allowing him to run for hours if need be - which over time usually makes up for any lack of speed.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Gem Sensing</span>Ehroj, like all dragons, greatly appreciates the beauty of precious metals. He is somewhat odd however, in that he prefers gemstones (or even rare rock formations) to gold, and his senses are attuned accordingly.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Sharp Senses</span>Ehroj has a limited sense of touch over much of his body, and his eyesight at a distance (over 40' or so) is poor - but up close he may as well be a microscope, so detailed is his vision. He has passable night vision (up close at least), but can “see” using a sort of echolocation, which can be felt by others when he uses it.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Telepathy</span>It takes Ehroj rather a long time to speak, and so when he has something lengthy to say, he tends to switch to telepathy. His telepathy, if he is not careful, can seem to vibrate in the brain like a rockfall, causing dizziness.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Tremor</span>Ehroj can cause earthquakes ranging from the localized to the widespread, though the larger the radius, the lesser the effect. The maximum range at which his ability is powerful enough to, say, knock someone over is half a mile radius, and he must be in contact with the ground to use it. He can also send lower-intensity waves through the ground well over 100 miles for communication.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Earth Mastery</span>Ehroj is a creature of the very bones of the earth: the stones, rocks, gems, ore, etc that make up the solid mass that all other life exists upon and around. He exerts power over these things, parting rock like water, sculpting stone, and the like. This applies to ordinary dirt and sand as well, though he prefers the feel of more solid rock. If he desires, he can absorb these things into himself, making himself more like the terrain, and in so doing can become nearly invisible as long as he does not move. Indeed, he tends to do this subconsciously when he is at rest, and sometimes he remains still long enough that plants grow upon him.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Earthen Body</span>Ehroj can weather almost any physical assault, including blasts of fire, ice, and the like (though he might not be happy about it). His skin, upon closer inspection, is actually made of billions of closely-spaced stones (see number IV (http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs50/i/2009/275/e/7/Dragon_scales_by_sanguisGelidus.jpg)), dusty and dull with the years. These provide near-impenetrable protection against weapons; the only mundane thing that could damage him reliably are siege weapons like particularly large ballistae. See weaknesses.<br/><strong>Orientation:</strong>Heterosexual<br/><strong>Weakness:</strong>He is not equipped to deal overly well with magical assaults, and powerful sonic effects in particular are downright crippling to him. Ehroj is also fairly slow. A good analogy would be this: Ehroj is to a faster dragon as an elephant is to a horse. Explosive in power, enduring at medium speeds, and devastatingly lethal up close, but quite possible to outrun and out-maneuver.<br/><strong>Treasure:</strong>Ehroj's body is made up of treasure, in a sense. He likes to take particularly prized gemstones or the odd nugget of metal and press them into his hide, sometimes replacing his own rocky scales with the glimmering prizes. These seem to go away over time, though they never fall out – in fact his body simply absorbs them over time.<br/><strong>Weapons:</strong><br/><span class="bbc_u">Jaws</span>His teeth are not particularly sharp, but as a creature that eats trees, stone, and metal more than meat, his jaws are more than powerful enough to crush just about anything through sheer force. Like a crocodile, this is closing pressure, not opening strength.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Claws</span>His claws are mostly blunt (dewclaws excepted), designed for burrowing through solid stone, but a kick or swipe can easily uproot a tree and send it flying.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Tail</span>Arguably Ehroj's most deadly weapon is his tail. Heavy and covered with rocky spikes, a hit from his tail can demolish buildings in a single swipe, and would utterly pulverize the skeleton of just about any creature unfortunate enough to get in its way. Easily his deadliest weapon.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Horns</span>While certainly fearsome, Ehroj's horns are mostly designed for show and to protect his neck and shoulder blades while digging. However, he has been known to lower his head and charge at an enemy at times, and this charge can shatter the ribs of another dragon.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Wings</span>His wings are heavy things, and Ehroj prefers to physically batter enemies with his wings over buffeting them with gusts of air, simply in the name of conserving energy. If surrounded, he can sweep his wings along the ground. This is exceptionally good for destroying entire battalions of human footsoldiers, cavalry, and the like in one or two hits.<br/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v481/phantasmalpandas/Fantasy/Ehroj.jpg)</div><strong>Description:</strong>See image. Basic dimensions: Over two-hundred feet long from tip of nose to tip of tail, most of that length being in the body and tail. ~250' wingspan. ~60' tall at the shoulder, and ~75' tall at the head. Over 200 tons in weight. The huge crystals on his back can be absorbed partway back into his body; they serve little use but to protect someone sitting upon his back (in fact, Ehroj is probably one of the most comfortable dragons to “ride” on, all things considered; the space of his shoulder blades is relatively flat overall, with the crystals preventing much air from buffeting anyone sitting behind his neck). The crystals provide an accurate gauge of his energy level, going from light and partly transparent to dull and solid-looking as he tires. This is echoed in the smaller crystals on his head, and the myriad other, much smaller crystals dotted across his body, meaning that his entire color darkens when he is tired, injured, or the like.<br/><br/>Ehroj’s sheer weight makes him ungainly in the air. He prefers being in contact with the ground to flying (or “swimming” through the earth, given the option). His wings are huge and powerful, but nonetheless are barely enough to get him off the ground, and he cannot fly from a standing start; he must build up momentum by running – and as one might imagine, a dragon the size and weight of Ehroj needs quite a bit of room to get up to running speed. When he does, it shakes the ground. In the air there are few who are able to fly with as little effort as he, for he takes advantage of each and every alteration in air current to expend as little energy as possible. Indeed, his wings can lock partially into place over long flights, further reducing his energy consumption. He suffers for this with average speed at best and poor maneuverability. Landing can be something of a spectacle; the vibration can be felt in the ground quite a ways when he does make a landing – landing on any unstable surface is impossible.<br/><br/>While he wears the form of a human, it is clear that he is something more; whether due to his years or his connection to the earth, he simply does not seem mundane. In his human form, Ehroj is prodigiously tall, passing seven feet by a couple of inches. He has a powerful build that is athletic but not like that of a bodybuilder - for all his strength, he is not musclebound. His hair is not quite shoulder-length, a deep freshly-tilled-earth tone that combines well with his tanned skin. His eyes are a startling shade of amber, matching his draconic form perfectly, and have an unnervingly intense stare. In human form his main strengths are his size, strength, endurance, and ability to take a great deal of physical punishment. He is not particularly agile, but the human form feels so much lighter to him that he is able to move with ease that is surprising at times. He has never worn armor nor lifted a weapon before, but is devastating in hand-to-hand combat because he is already used to using every piece of his body as a weapon, and as a human there are fewer limbs to keep track of. Of course, wrestling someone to the ground is not always the best idea - for example when their friend is standing nearby with a weapon.<br/><br/><strong>Personality:</strong>Ehroj embodies, both literally and figuratively, the earth. He is slow to anger, slow to act, slow to make decisions, and has all the patience of a mountain. When he does decide to do something, little to nothing can stop him in his course, whether he chooses to act explosively (as a volcano or earthquake) or in a more steady manner (like a lava flow or continental shift). Ehroj can seem quite lazy to some, spending a great deal of his time seemingly asleep – though he never truly sleeps in the conventional sense. Given absolutely nothing to do, he will settle into one position and stay there for hours, days, or even weeks or months – and has been known to dally even longer than that. It is hard to tell whether he is napping or merely contemplative, as his eyes may be shut or open either way, and his stony expression (pardon the pun) generally does not change much. He speaks his mind when asked to do so, but generally is not particularly gregarious, preferring to observe others. He has a strong sense of logic, and is not afraid to make decisions that others might find morally difficult and act upon them. Ehroj never lies intentionally; if he does lie it is because he has been given false information in the first place and is not aware of it. He chooses his words carefully, tending toward being the mediator in a conversation. He is quite intelligent, though it is not uncommon for others to be bereft of the patience necessary to let him think something through in his own methodical way from beginning to end.<br/><br/>Despite his rough sense of right and wrong (rough in human terms, that is), Ehroj is still a force of nature more than anything else. Even moreso than many others of his kind, when he is moved to violent action the collateral damage tends to be huge. True, the sky may not rain with ash nor the clouds spit prongs of lightning, but the aftermath is no less impressive. Cities crumble to rubble, great trees are ripped from their roots, rock shelves are shaved off their home mountain, rockslides divert rivers and alter entire ecosystems. He can bend his mind toward tactics, and when he takes the time to think things through the results are often surprising, but he is more inclined to be reactive, and thus to either do very little or spring explosively into action, with little middle ground. When paired with a human, his understanding of morality is improved, though still unaffected by traditional chivalric beliefs, and thus still somewhat questionable by human standards. Overall his sense of judgment can be described thus: tough, but fair. A human’s mindset can also help to focus some of his destructiveness when he is prompted to fight, thus reducing the collateral damage considerably.<br/><br/><strong>History:</strong>Ehroj has no memory of being born, per se. He has simply existed for as long as he can remember. "When" is a word he barely understands, for his sense of time is drawn out. He learned of the accepted calendar of men only once he broke through the surface of the volcanic mountain he first recalls living in, finding the remains of a city that had been nearly obliterated by his stirrings, which had caused the volcano to erupt. Needless to say the people feared him, and did their best to drive him off. He bore their assault for a time, letting them break their weapons upon him (at the time he was not much larger than a draft horse), but eventually his patience reached its end, and in an explosive rage he slaughtered every human he saw in the wrecked city. When he left, experiencing flight for the first time utterly by accident as a rock face gave way beneath him, he left behind him utter ruin and a number of survivors that could be counted on two hands.<br/><br/>Ehroj was a force of nature, existing in the world in his own way. He was explosively lethal at times, gentle at others, and more often than either he was simply still, resembling nothing so much as a boulder or knoll – and later a hill or rockslide. Sometimes he would remain in place for so long that moss and other clinging plants would grow upon him, and once a human family built their home right underneath his head, nestling the house between his motionless forelegs. This family intrigued him. He watched them for three generations as they were born, grew up, and died. At no point did they believe they were living anywhere but under an outcropping of rock, so when the rock suddenly moved, taking on the shape of a living thing and utterly obliterating their house along with it, they were understandably terrified - all but the youngest. She alone was brave, calling to him in her strange language. Her voice was soothing to him, and he soon settled down again, listening to her.<br/><br/>She spoke to him every day. The family rebuilt their house slightly apart from his body, but she was never far from him. When she approached one day and began to climb upon him, he scarcely reacted at all. She draped flowers upon him and drew on his rocky body with clay mixed with plant dye, she played games with other children upon him, and on occasion he would lower his head and raise it again, carrying a whole gaggle of children on the many rocky spikes above his neck. The girl grew larger over time, and eventually she went away. He waited a long time for her. Her father talked to him, but it was not nearly as soothing – Ehroj could not ask where the girl went, for he had no concept of language. It took a very long time, but his patience reached its end. Eventually he decided to go find her, and so he did. He had become so entrenched in the surrounding area that his act of leaving caused a sizeable earthquake, destroying many of the buildings in the little hamlet that had sprung up around him, but he did not notice. He searched for the girl for over a year, and when he found her it was in the arcane library of a city larger than any he had ever seen. It hummed with magic, and for the first time Ehroj was afraid. He could sense that the girl was there - for he knew her scent - but he was driven back by the mages of the city, who fought him as he destroyed much of the northern part of the bustling town, quite without realizing the chaos he was causing.<br/><br/>Eventually, the girl came to him. She was a mage now, but she did not attack him. She spoke to him, soothingly, and gestured for him to lower his head to her as he used to do. When he did, she lifted a blade to her arm, cutting it and allowing the blood to drip onto his teeth. The bond that formed between them was intense, different from anything he had known, and he shook his head to clear it as the human language transformed, suddenly full of meaning. When he did, he felt a great twisting, and for the first time he stared out of the eyes of a human rather than a dragon.<br/><br/>He lived with her for the remainder of her life, siring a single child with a presence like an earthquake. The boy grew to become a legendary leader of men, but could not reveal who or what his father was. When the woman (whose name has lost meaning to Ehroj, though her memory is perfectly clear) died, Ehroj shredded his human form. Crumbling with grief, he once again became a natural disaster, indiscriminate in his destruction, until the day came when the humans bound him with magic and chains and locked him deep below the great mountain. For a century he raged against his bonds, then finally fell into a deep hibernation, his rage utterly spent, such that the guardians themselves almost forgot him. A strange scent has reached him in his dreams; familiar in a way, and yet not. He has begun to awaken, but will not truly do so until his destined kin finds him.