Bloodshed
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Strengths & Weaknesses
*Note: Daeus is not venomous (constrictor), and can only breathe fire in his draconic / feral form.
Strengths
Constriction - His lower body is a deathtrap. Being an anaconda naga, Daeus has the strong muscles capable of squeezing the life out of a victim with his coils, either by suffocation or crushing/breaking their bones. Strength is enhanced also by his dragon blood, enabling him to smash through small/medium structures, or at least damage them.
Intelligence/Wisdom - Daeus has much more of the former (intelligence) than the latter (wisdom), but both still contribute to his strengths. Defining the difference between the two is an issue of itself and sometimes they blend or one is well represented in him while the other seems to lack in certain situations. Simply put, intelligence is one's ability to analyze and understand information, including traits like cleverness, multitasking, quick learning, memory, and predictions, which shows Daeus' higher level of intelligence. Wisdom, on the other hand, is more about reasoning, willpower, 'connecting the dots' with reality, keeping things in perspective, etc. To quote Jurassic Park: Intelligence is figuring out if you could do it, Wisdom is figuring out if you should do it.
Man or Beast - He has 2 alternate 'forms', though really it is only the suppression or the increase of his dragon/naga blood to change his form, which is only temporary. The decrease or suppression of his blood causes Daeus to lose his naga portion and instead grow legs, with the snake tail growing much smaller and actually appearing on his tailbone on his arse. Vice verse, the increase of his blood causes him to transform into a full dragon-naga beast, which is, again, temporary. Depending on how far the suppression or increase of his blood went, he can remain in either alternate form for several days, a week at most. Afterwards, Daeus in need of a cool-down period, since too much of either blood type is toxic to his body in too much dosage.
Flight - This is a given. He can fly, woohoo. In his naga or dragon form, Daeus can only land in water, or soft terrain, so he doesn't damage his body. Despite his weight, he can take off and gain altitude relatively quick, and can fly for relatively long distances. His speed far outweighs his stamina though, and his wings also aid in swimming underwater.
Extended Underwater Breathing - He can't 'breathe' underwater as much as he can simply hold his breath much longer than most creatures, similar to that of aquatic animals, but it is not indefinite and he will eventually need to come up for air (2 - 5 hours).Flawless Sight - No matter the fog, the darkness, or the snow, Daeus' eyesight remains near-perfect, unless he is blinded or injured in that area. Magical means of invisibility, conjuring darkness, and other view-impairing qualities have no effect on his eyesight.
Fangs/Claws - Though he does not have the ability to inject venom, his fangs are instead much stronger and more durable than snake fangs that would normally be used to poison a victim, which are also hollowed out to inject the venom (while his are not.) He can bite and slash through flesh with these fangs without them breaking, and they can fold into his gums and extend back out at will. They are quite numerous, curved and cylindrical in shape, and of varying sizes; the smallest being two inches, and the longest ones the length of a pencil, while being as thick as a finger. Similarly, his nails can grow and sharpen into four inch long claws, just as durable and capable of slicing through flesh.
Serpent's Speed - Lacking legs can be a good thing. Along with being flexible, this enables him to move significantly faster in nearly all terrains, including water and sand. He avoids rocky areas, or places that could be otherwise damaging to his scales, however.
Fireproof - Thanks to his dragon blood, fire of any sort cannot hurt him. It washes over his flesh like a passing breeze, and causes no discomfort.
Parseltongue - Daeus can speak with feral snakes and command them to do his bidding. He can also summon snakes as allies to help him.
Poison Resistance - Part of the reason he cannot wield venom is because his body is immune to it, and thus cannot produce or harbor it. Most poisons will not affect him, though magical or unique ones may bypass this resistance.
Weaknesses
Temper / Emotions - As a creature based firstly on the killer instincts of a predator, coupled with a narrow mind due to his limited upbringing, Daeus is a very violent sort. His temper is easy to ignite, and quickly spins out of control over even the most minor of issues. He also tends to be extreme in the emotions that he feels, and betrays such through his facial expressions, body language and voice, whether he wants to or not. Even when the naga consciously tries to maintain a sense of calm, it is exceedingly difficult for him to do so for an extended period of time. He is not the most stable nor restrained of individuals, and tends to be very impulsive, acting and speaking directly on his thoughts and emotions before thinking them through.
Magic Seal - On his back is a magic spell circle, which is normally invisible unless within close range of magic users or potent magical energy. This enchanted seal was placed on him by the Tether's mages after they found out he could change form, allowing his naga and dragon blood to be restrained and suppressed, and forcing him to assume his legged, humanoid form, by speaking the spell's trigger word*. The effect lasts for 48 hours, unless the seal is reversed manually beforehand. The seal itself covers a majority of his mid-back, positioned between his shoulder blades, below his neck and above his waist. It glows red when activated, otherwise it is a duller, darker hue of his own skin (when still visible but not active.) If Daeus attempts to shift back, the seal will physically 'punish' him and cause him pain, to prevent it.
*The trigger word is known only to the Tether mages and high-ranking staff / handlers.
The phrase is given to anyone who rents or owns him, but after he is returned to the cages or disowned, the phrase is changed to something different each time.
Blood - While not thriving on blood like vampires, it is a staple part of his diet, and he ingests it when possible, whether his own or someone else's. The effect is twofold: it gives him energy, because his large form must be powered by blood, and a constant supply (in the form of raw meat) is vital to maintaining his strength, though he will not perish if he doesn't consume blood. In the same way, blood also maintains his body temperature, and if he drinks fresh blood, it will help keep him warm and stabilized. As such, drinking cold blood or being drained of his own will have negative effects, contrary to the positive ones.
Mental Abilities - Physically Daeus is a powerhouse, and while he does have a strong will, and is very clever, intelligent and the like, when it comes to abilities of the mind, he is more or less vulnerable. While attempting to control his mind will be significantly harder due only to his willpower (but not impossible), being manipulated, mentally weakened or the like is something he cannot defend well against.
Coldblooded - As a reptile, his body does not produce heat on its own, and requires outside sources for it, usually the sun, or a warmblooded creature. The drinking of blood can also 'warm' him. If his body temperature gets too low, he will become dormant, in a coma-like state, until the temperature increases enough. If left cold for too long, his body will wither, shutdown completely, and he will die.
Winter - This ties in with his coldblooded weakness. Since winter is the coldest time of the year, along with having the least amount of sun of the four seasons, each winter is potentially life threatening to Daeus.
Appetite - Due to a survival instinct he has, Daeus can eat an endless supply of food, and never get 'full' (not realistically speaking, anyway). It works as a two-edged sword. He'll never have the comfort of being 'fulfilled', but this also makes it incredibly hard for him to starve to death, since if he goes without food for a while, his body will use the reserves he has stored in a 'second' stomach, in his naga portion. On the other hand, while he cannot be full, he can be 'satisfied' in a way that he is not hungry, but can still eat if food is available. Nonetheless, he gets hungry fairly easy.
Hearing - The naga's hearing is slightly poorer than that of a human's, and this can cause some issues. However, he makes up for it with increased sensitivity to vibrations and other 'physical' means of detecting someone. If soft-footed enough, or in terrain that makes it difficult to feel vibrations, then Daeus is at a loss.
Underbelly - Naturally, while his top side is protected either by hard scales, spikes, or himself, if one were able to land a blow to Daeus' underside, it would cause severe pain and damage, depending on the circumstances. His chest and stomach are naturally sensitive as well, whether in legged or serpent form.
