Similar to natural lion pride mannerisms in the wild, lion ichori live in prides comprised of a dozen or more females presides over by a single male who both protects the strength and integrity of the pride while also fathering the next generation that will grown to become part of it.
Shortly following her first litter of cubs, Leeu began to feel restless, as if called to by an unforeseen presence. She began to take time to herself away from the pride, attempting to open herself to the influence of nature to better understand what it was that she had felt and eventually came to find that it was charm of magic that had called to her. Unfamiliar with anything other than the thrill of combat and the success of the hunt, she had no concept of what magic was and in trying to comprehend its power, she continued to take more and more time away from the pride.
On one such occasion, she returned to her family to find a scene of horror; the previous male murdered, along with every cub he had fathered, including the two of her own. Sick with grief, her mind became a cauldron of boiling hate and anguish and under the night sky, as her sisters slept, she remained awake, her mind whirling with visions of the vengeance she would soon take.
In the dark of the night, she crept to where the new male lay sleeping and awoke him with a sultry purr, tempting him out into the dark of the desert with whispered promises of heated passion. Alone at last, she challenged him to a playful contest, assuring her surrender if he could simply wrestle her to the ground.
Face to face and chest to chest, she struck clean, the hate in her heart flowing as strongly as the magic in her veins and with one powerful swipe, the males throat lay bare to the desert breeze. Her teeth took their toll, sheering flesh from bone and giving way for so much spilt blood. Victorious, she stood over her kill and yet, was not satisfied. Splitting his skin with ease, she took from him his pelt and with it, she felt, his power. Tossing the pelt around her shoulders, she strode back to her family with a sense of wholeness not since felt since holding her cubs for the first time, but upon returning to her kin, she was met with scorn and disgust.
Her sisters wept for the cubs they'd lost for naught, for the months ahead of discord and strife, the lack of safety and companionship they would now do without, and with a singular wailing cry of loss and spite, her charge of exile was handed down. Into the desert she went, alone, the pelt on her shoulder her only warmth in the night, the stain of her hollow victory now dry a stiff stain on her fur.
Days of starvation passed, her body grew thin and weak and as she lay on the hot ground, skin baking in the sun, she saw death's gaunt skeletal face looking down at her, empty eye sockets only inches away from her face. But as the sun glared, the blinding light cleared and it was not bone that looked at her but the face of something she knew all too well. A massive vulture sat before her, cruel beak poised to pluck out unprotected eyes. She waited and watched as the beast, rather than strike as its moment of opportunity, placed a hunk of flesh in front of her nose. Glancing past the black overbearing shape hovering over her, in the distance she glimpsed a downed creature, unrecognizable but massive, surrounded by circling shapes like the one watching her.
Smelling the flesh in front of her, she smelled fresh blood, fresh enough to ensure her survival and a full stomach and moving fast, she drew it to her and and under the black placid eyes of her provider, she feasted for the first time in days.
Time passed, and as her strength returned, she came to know the creature who had saved her, and as the days of having him by her side went by, she began to once again feel the presence of magic she'd once felt. But the ache of her hate lingered and although she accepted Ilk's place beside her, she remained suspicious of his direction, wondering if once again she would act on its singing influence in her veins and rather than lose others, she would lose herself.
Appearance:
Standing at 5 feet tall, Leeu has long tawny blonde hair, black schlera framing yellow irises, pale skin with a soft layer of golden fur and a golden brown tail which reaches the ground. She wears an assortment of black clothing scraps made from sheer lightweight fabrics to conceal her savage nature from afar, as well as a long hooded cloak. Beneath the cloak, draped over her shoulder and tied beneath her chin is the hide of a male lion ichori, the throat and lower jaw of the hide completely missing. A ragged scimitar hangs at her belt, notched and scarred from long years of use. Always at her side is her companion Ilk, a great unsightly vulture which stands almost at eye level with her. His feather shine oily and black up to his neck and head, which are bald and splotched red from almost constant sun exposure.
Current Status:
1st level Druid
HP 8/8
XP
Basics:
Female Cougar Ichori Druid
N Medium Humanoid (shapechanger)
Initiative, Senses Low-light vision, Perception
Defense:
DR 5/silver
AC+2 natural
Touch
Flat-footed +2 nat
Offense:
Melee claws 1d3 (x2)
Ranged
Statistics:
Base Attack Bonus +0
Fortitude+2 class Reflex+0 class Will+2 class
CMB CMD
Speed 30 ft
D8
Nature bond, nature sense, wild empathy
Feats:
Athletic, Magical Aptitude, Stealthy
1st level
Skills:
*Acrobatics
Appraise
Bluff
*Climb+2 feat Craft
Diplomacy
Escape Artist +2 feat *Fly Handle Animal Heal
Intimidate
Knowledge Geography K Nature+2 class Perception
Perform
*Ride
Sense Motive
Spellcraft+2 feat
*Stealth +2 feat Survival+2 class *Swim+2 feat
Equipment:
Animal Companion:
Giant Vulture
Starting Statistics: Size Medium; AC +2 natural armor; Speed 10 ft., fly 50 ft. (average); Attack bite (1d8); Ability Scores Str 12, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 7; Special Qualities low-light vision, +4 on saves vs. disease.
7th-Level Advancement: Size Large; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (2d6); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex –2, Con +4.
