Razira
"You don't ask for what life hands you. You don't get to choose what the universe metes out to its poor sorry citizens. You just get to deal with it."
"How you deal with the whims of fate can say more about a person's character than what those whims were. The thing about troubles and pain is that every one is different, and yet every one is similar."
"Everyone has had a broken heart. But no one has had your broken heart. Everyone has suffered loss. But no one has suffered your loss, in your way. Two people can experience the same life-changing events and emerge the other side very different people."
"No, you don't get to choose what you go through in life. But you do get to choose how it affects you."
Contents
- 1 History
- 2 Before the Change
- 3 After the Change
- 4 And It Starts
- 5 Appearance
- 6 First Mutant (Wolf) Form
- 7 Human Form
- 8 Second Mutant (Wolf) Form
- 9 Current Mutant/Werewolf Form
- 10 Trivia
- 11 Personality
- 12 Powers/Abilities
- 13 Equipment/Apparel
- 14 Equipment
- 15 Apparel
- 16 Weaknesses
- 17 Friends & Allies
- 18 Nemeses
- 19 Trophy Case
- 20 Comments/ Opinions
- 21 Art Gallery
A quick note before you keep reading: The following detailed info is for reference purposes only, and as such your character would not know about any of this (short of the basics they might be able to pull from UNTIL). But Razira is a very open and friendly person, so give her a poke if you see her running about saving the world and such.
Razira had what what would be a boring or safe life by most standards. She was an only child, raised well by both of her parents, and lived on the outskirts of a major city. She was well off, but not rich, and only one of her two parents worked, so they had plenty of time for her. She loved helping out others though, whether it was in school or at home, and this was one aspect that her parents praised her for. It was unfortunately that aspect that got her into so much trouble later in life.
Before the Change
Razira had seen a lot in her life so far, and she'd accomplished a bit too. She held a college degree in Business Management, but it was mostly going to waste being a manager at a local popular coffee shop, although to her delight it actually had Heroes drop by from time to time. The 40 hour a week job kept her more than financially stable in a three room apartment on the border of Westside in Millennium City. Nothing fantastic, but it was a good life and she had what she needed to be happy.
All until one fateful night...
She was walking home from work, as she did nearly every night as she lived nearby, when she heard the sounds of a distressed cat nearby. She traced the sound to a dumpster down one of the many alleys in the city, and being the helpful sort that she was, walked into said alley and pulled the lid open. A small gray cat jumped out of the dumpster and landed gracefully on its feet a few feet away.
It then turned to her and let out an angry hiss.
At that moment, somebody large grabbed her from behind. One arm pinned her right arm to her side and grabbed her left arm, while the other put a large piece of cloth that reeked of chloroform up against her face. She writhed and kicked in a desperate attempt to escape, but she was utterly outmatched in strength. The last thing she saw before she fell unconscious seconds later was that the hand against her face was from some monstrous gray-furred creature.
After the Change
October 1st, 2009: UNTIL Report #124368 (From Agent #1512, Aundrea Slyn)
Agent #4123 said he found two anthropomorphic wolves unconscious outside of a burning building, as well as a few ‘various mutated creatures’ running amok as well. He called in a medivac team for the two wolves, but was too busy helping get the fire under control (as that was why he was there in the first place) to do much else.
Subject A came in to us as a naked, shaggy white furred werewolf with red stripes, and is female. Computer scans place her at approximately 6’3” assuming she stands on two legs, 253.2 pounds, an athletic build based on proportions, and an estimated age of around 30 based on cell and bone degradation.
DNA and fingerprint tests come up with no matches across the board, which implies that she was either never registered when she was born and has no criminal history, or has experienced a mutation so drastic that it has changed her core self. More experimentation is needed. Or we just wait for her to wake up to talk to her.
For now, she is in isolated ICU, and I’ve been assigned to find out who or what she is.
October 2nd, 2009: UNTIL Report #124382
That was far easier than I expected. It seems that our newcomer’s name is [REDACTED BY REQUEST], and short of a small period of time when she didn’t know where she was or what was going on, she was very pleasant and answered all of my questions to the best of her ability. I was surprised she was so forthcoming of her answers, but after talking to her for a while, it made some sense - she’s heard of UNTIL before (apparently via interaction with the city's hero population), and holds them in good regard.
She said she was abducted on her way home from work (a Galaxybucks near Westside, employment info in Addendum A below) on September 25th. I have confirmed this part as she was supposed to work the next several days after. She never showed up, causing quite a disruption at that location.
According to her, her abductor was the other wolf that was brought in. She remembers waking up twice before she had a chance to escape her confinement. Both times the other wolf was running tests upon her, and practically cheering in glee upon his successes, as he had an army he wanted to make out of the formula that transformed her. She also mentioned how she was crudely chained down to an examination table, and how she was able to freeze the chains to finally escape.
I talked with her in length about what she’d like to do from here. Other than putting away her abductor and trying to get her life back together again, she wasn’t sure. Although she knew that her drastic visual change and what seems to be access to some sort of magical powers would keep her from ever having a normal life again. We did discuss hero life and such, however. At the end I asked if she’d like to be given UNTIL’s physical/psychological exam. It took her some time to answer once I’d explained what it would entail, but she said yes. At that point we called it a day. She’s in Room 21B for now if you’d like to look in on her yourself.
Personal thoughts: I’m requesting to be the one who does [REDACTED] psychological exam. While I will have to explain to her how I’m a certified telepath, and that I have not used my powers on her, I know that I can do so without losing the trust I’ve built with her today. Additionally, I believe she’ll be much more open with me than anyone else. Either way, I look forward to learning what she’s capable of, and hope for the best in passing the exam despite her sudden change and age.
October 3rd, 2009: UNTIL Report #124439
As I hoped, [REDACTED] did surprisingly well in her tests. She was surprised to learn that I was a telepath, but as I assumed, she had grown to trust me in our prior conversation. Once I convinced her to open her mind up to my thoughts, her psychological testing began.
While the entire report is too long to include here (please see the attached entry [UNTIL Report #124438] for the official report), it is of my opinion that the subject is mentally sound, of a lawful mindset, and willing to do the right thing. She just needs to be guided properly from here on out. Her sudden change can be used for both good or evil, and we all know which way we want things to go.
As will be mentioned in her physical report, [REDACTED] is in excellent physical shape and is stronger and faster than she gives herself credit for, and this is even with the unfamiliarity of her new form. She insists she wasn’t this way before she changed, and as such we’ve surmised that it’s due to the serum she was injected with. More testing is needed however to be conclusive.
Her magical might is far more interesting, however, and consists of most of the attached report. She is able to channel both fire and ice energies, and we’re working out just how and why, as well as how strong her powers can be. Ralph has classified this as a mutant power, and not a magical one, due to how exhausted she gets with continued use. She says it’s more of a physical exhaustion and not a mental one, which also points to that.
Additionally, she needs both line of sight and line of effect in order to generate her powers at a distance. And as of right now at least, her distance is rather limited. We surmise that she’s channeling her energies through her hands due to her constant gesturing with them as well. Time and practice will determine if they can be improved upon.
Personal thoughts: I’m requesting that I be granted over-watch of [REDACTED] training. I realize that official UNTIL regulations are to pass candidates around to others once they get past my evaluations, but I feel I can properly help her through the trials ahead in becoming an effective hero working under us. It’s not an unheard of request either, as you no doubt know.
As for why? Let’s just say I like the hard up on their luck cases.
October 7th, 2009: UNTIL Report #124687
In all my years, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone as happy as I saw [REDACTED] today. Long story short - she’s learned that she can fly. How? Let me explain.
In addition to teaching her what she needs to know, I’ve been helping [REDACTED] further strengthen her powers. In just a few days, she’s increased her range, defensive potential, and control.
I found it most interesting that it seems that based on thermal imaging at least, that the icy side of her powers was keeping her from being burned from her fiery half. Whenever she generated her energies, I could see that the rest of her would cool down by a like amount.
With a bit of coaxing, I had her blast herself on her unclothed furred feet. As I surmised, her icy half flared to life, completely covering her feet and protecting her from her own attacks. She seemed surprised at this at first, but then I mentioned how she told me that her icy shielding was more automatic than anything else, and that this more or less proved it.
At that point, I wanted to test this further. It took a bit of time to make her understand my reasons, but she decided that what I said made sense and removed her simple training outfit (before you write that reprimand, keep in mind that she and I were the only ones in Testing Chamber 2 at the time, she said yes, her fur covers everything, and I’ve already put in the required forms to have the video itself blanked during that time), and focused on covering herself with her fire powers.
Again, I was correct - despite being engulfed in flame, her icy side was keeping her completely unharmed. I suggested that she turn up the proverbial heat, and she did so, with the same results. Finally, I told her to put her all into her fire, and once again, the same thing happened.
Well...short of one small thing.
She flew.
She hovered a few feet off of the ground before she heard my gasp of excitement and realized what was going on. Just as suddenly, her powers shut off (based on a conversation after this, it was due to shock and she lost all concentration), and she dropped to the ground.
The realization that she might be able to fly with her own powers put the biggest smile I’d seen in many years onto her face. And you better believe I’m going to make sure she can, too.
I have a request for Ordnance: [REDACTED] is in need of an outfit (doesn’t matter what, as long as it fits, as her defense entirely comes from her powers) that is capable of being frozen solid as well as heated up to extreme temperatures. Exact numbers from the thermal camera I used will be attached to the end of this report.
October 12th, 2009: UNTIL Report #124979
It has been a lot of work over these past days, but both [REDACTED] and I feel that she’s ready for the heroic world. She’s learned significant control over the strength of her powers, and she’s become quite the capable flier as well. In addition, she has a clear understanding of the rules and regulations that UNTIL runs under, and I believe she’ll be an excellent addition to our cause.
For now, I suggest we place her in a support position alongside others until she’s gained the confidence and skill needed to work by herself. I have no doubts that it won’t take long at all.
After a bit of talking, she’s decided on her secret identity - Razira. Additionally, due to the fears of her ‘real’ name being discovered and used as revenge against her family and such (extremely unlikely as far as our database goes, but I understand her worries), she’s asked for help in basically starting over and using that name as her real one. I’ve told her I’ll do what I can to assist her in that choice.
/END
Private Note Addendum: While I want to do further investigations and tests before suggesting any of this to anyone, I think Razira would be a perfect candidate for Project Firewolf (yes, I realize the total coincidence on the name). Her power levels are in the zone the project is aiming for, and I sense that she'd accept given the right kind of suggestion.
October 17th, 2009: UNTIL Report #125522
All hands have been on deck over the last day, due to an unexplained outbreak of the undead from somewhere. The citizens are in a panic and UNTIL, as well as the heroes of Millennium, are pushed to their limits.
The only reason I’m writing this is because I’ve been forced off of the front lines due to injuries sustained while fighting. Sadly, many of us aren’t anywhere near as lucky. I’m trying to watch over the conditions of way too many heroes right now, and I’m worried what might happen if this continues much longer.
/END
Private Note Addendum: Yes, Razira is just the type of person I, and no doubt the boss, want to see in Firewolf. I've been monitoring her abilities remotely and if it wasn't for this invasion, I would've had the time to finalize a report for the boss as well as approaching Razira with entering the program. I hope she, as well as our other field members, survive this.
October 19th, 2009: UNTIL Report #125659
I'm still trying to make heads or tails over all of this information, but this is what I can determine: Rhakos somehow escaped from his cell during this confusion, Razira found out and went after him, and now he's turned up dead by her hands. Or claws. I have reports that also state that Razira has not been in her usual excellent state of mind since this blood moon has started, which implies that she's either burned herself out defending Millennium and just snapped, or something else is going on.
Either way, this does not bode well for her. I promise I'll get to the bottom of this one way or another.
/END
Private Note Addendum: Damn it, damn it, damn it. Please don't be true. She so seems set for our needs, but this is seriously going to screw things up. However, if this is true, Project Firewolf might save her from being removed from UNTIL...
And It Starts
Also, I got assigned into what UNTIL calls Project Firewolf. Aundrea, the person who has been so nicely helping me out since I first arrived, mentioned the Project to me as I was being interrogated for my prior actions. I laughed at the sheer coincidence of the name and Aundrea insisted that it has been around before my time, but in the end not only did it sound exciting, but it sounded like something that was right up my alley as far as my capabilities go.
Finally, I might as well put down what Project Firewolf is exactly. In short, it's an initiative where superpowered agents, capable of putting out a lot of destruction, are tossed into high-risk situations and allowed free reign. It's reserved for the more extreme threats out there that need to be taken care of. Hunt them down and burn them out. Where the name came from in the end.
Although doesn't mean that we can kill anyone or everyone in sight. I for one intend to make sure no deaths happen on my watch.
December, 2009: Things have gone well enough in Project Firewolf. They've been playing things relatively safe so far, and frankly it's a good thing. This is a tough place to be working for. I've seen what happens when things go wrong when my cohorts come back barely alive.
January, 2010: We lost one of Firewolf's members today. Good guy, too. Friendly, helpful. Got overwhelmed by VIPER forces who apparently ambushed him. Myself and one other rushed out to try to help, but it was too late. I don't know what hurts more - the fact that he's dead, or that I took at least a dozen rounds against my icy defenses trying to get to him. Almost went down myself.
Now I see why Heroes tend to work alone. I didn't know him that well, and yet the things I tried to do to save him...
May, 2010: Two people retired out of the group over the course of the month due to their injuries. Our numbers grow and ebb, but it's never enough. I wonder at times if I made the right choice, but I must press on.
July, 2010: Out of the original ten people who were in Project Firewolf when I started, only five remain. We've gotten enough replacements so we're running with twelve right now, but I'm really starting to worry if I'm going to see the end of the year at this rate. I have to be more careful...
September, 2010: An invasion of Destroid robots from what we assumed was Destroyer (or someone trying to impersonate him, as Destroyer is quite dead thank the Gods) came apparently out of nowhere in Millennium City. Somehow we survived that onslaught. Met some good friends who helped out, too. Saw some others in which it was their final battle. Horrible.
November, 2010: What a mess. Over the last month and change I've had to deal with my own clone coming from nowhere, getting infected by some kind of something that turned me into a crazed beast when Blood Moon hit, and I even got myself captured. All I know is that if it wasn't for my friends and allies, I wouldn't be here today writing this journal. May the rest of the year go better.
January, 2011: Oh, Cal... Words can't express how much of a boost you gave me pulling Thundrax like you did out of your back pocket, but it was exactly what I needed. There are lots of other Heroes out there. It's time to make myself a bit more known to them all, as we're all in this together.
February, 2011: I've met an interesting pair in my travels - Zarek, an inter-dimensional traveler who swings a mean sword and has magic, and Wolfgirl, a, well, female werewolf. Interesting and relatively friendly duo. Seem almost right for each other, too.
April, 2011: I really need to spend more time writing in here. Work is still going well, although I'm arriving home absolutely exhausted more often than not. I'm surprised my cat still knows who I am with how little I tend to be around.
Before Razira's change happened, she looked like your everyday citizen running around Millennium City. 5'7", athletic build, natural red hair, green eyes, and a tan complexion. She kept in shape with an exercise bike in the living room, along with all the walking she did to and from work. Beyond that, nothing really stood out about her.
And then that all came crashing down around her.
First Mutant (Wolf) Form
Razira's DNA has apparently gone through total resequencing, giving her soft, white fur across the entirety of her body. It covers everything so well that she could run around naked if she so chose like what many stories try to tell. But unlike said stories, she wouldn't be caught dead doing so. Her human mindset still stands in this instance - being naked is not acceptable in public.
She went through a noticeable growth spurt as well. With a straight posture, she now stands about 6'3", although her usual feminine stance causes her to look a bit shorter. It's also an attempt to simply not look so large around other people. A very bestial looking wolfish head tops off her body, looking quite like the traditional werewolf head. The green eyes within however, are anything but. They're best described as human, capable of showing off all the emotion she used to be able to express.
The last change that makes Razira stand out, especially against other creatures that look like her, is her very unusual coloring. The tips of her fur are a very bright red color, possibly because her primary mutant element is fire. Nobody is quite sure at all. But it is entirely natural. Her finger and toenails however? Well, that's nail polish.
When Razira was forcibly changed and took up the mantle of Hero, she tried for only a short while to conceal her identity from the public, as the citizens were rather frightened of this bestial looking creature flying above the city. It was an act she quickly gave up however, as it was outright impossible to do everyday activities without somebody noticing her looks. Plus, the citizens eventually accepted her for what she was - a Hero looking out for them.
Human Form
Her Human form is something Razira hasn't seen in a while. After living best she could knowing that she'd never look human again, the UNTIL Mystics watching her progress as a Hero made a realization - her previous self wasn't gone at all. She just didn't have the slightest idea how to actually change back, or the knowledge that she could to begin with.
It took some time, along with a pair of enchanted armbands, but Razira can now freely shift between her two forms. She was so ecstatic the first time she changed back, that she poofed back to looking like a werewolf seconds after changing. It was then that everyone learned of her limitation - she must constantly focus upon her human form, as her werewolf one is her natural state. Any loss of concentration and back she goes.
After her first shift, the Mystics noticed another thing - her fur had suddenly reverted into an absolutely pristine shape and look, as if she'd just had a trimming and bath. A barrage of testing was thrown at her, and at the end they came to the conclusion that for whatever reason, whenever she shifts she's shifting into a very specific looking form, and as such she'll always look like new again. However, this effect is barely skin deep - any actual damage to the body underneath is not repaired when shifting.
It was at this point that it was determined that she needed clothing to wear that would fit and shift between her forms. The first and best solution was a sort of highly flexible fabric that wouldn't rip when she changed forms, and still be tight enough to wear when she was a human. There was only one problem with that though - due to the drastic size change of her feet between the two forms, the same couldn't be done with shoes. So, she simply decided to go without. She'd been barefoot all this time anyway - why not do the same whenever she looked human?
In the end though, having accepted what she'd become, it's not very often you'll find her looking like this. If she's out at a fancy restaurant with friends, perhaps, but beyond that it's something that's rarely seen.
Additional: Constant practice has drastically improved her ability to shift back to her old self, thus allowing her to spend far more time in her human half than before. When out on duty however, she'll still remain looking like a werewolf - she hasn't gotten that good. Yet.
Additional: Due to now being a full on lycanthrope, Razira has next to no problems shifting to and from her human side any more. Short of a full moon anyway. But as she tries to 'hide' her non-Hero persona, odds are this form is something she won't be in often.
Second Mutant (Wolf) Form
Having gotten used to her werewolf looks, this new form was something she prayed was only temporary due to the high level of magics permeating the air due to the Blood Moon. Sadly, it was not to be in the end, and she's remained stuck this way once things returned to normal. She's thankful that she regained the ability to change to her human side at least, though.
This new form is different than her old self quite a bit. For starters, she looks far less monstrous than before. When talking to the locals, or her friends, this is an improvement, but doesn't help at all while on the field, as she doesn't intimidate her foes anywhere near as much as she used to. She's also lost some of her height (she's now 6'0"), muscle mass, and weight (a good 50 pounds or so).
Her fur is a lot thinner than before, and it has changed colors. While maintaining it wasn't ever a problem in the past (short of the time needed to dry it out), she gets colder a lot easier than she used to. But a pinch of her fire powers can quickly fix that problem if needed. Her different fur tones are quite noticeable however - instead of white fur with red stripes, it has become red fur with white stripes.
She's seen one great improvement however with her new form - clothing that was impossible to find before (like shoes) now is far from it due to how her werewolf changes aren't as drastic as they once were. Odds are she'll still be barefoot (or at most sandal-clad) as she runs around, but it's no longer a requirement.
Current Mutant/Werewolf Form
Her friend took her to Mercy Hospital, but it was too late - a short time later she changed into a dark version of herself, one sporting her old looks in a way as well. After being disabled by a helpful bunch of heroes, she dropped into unconsciousness and went into Mercy's care.
A few days later she woke up, and much to her surprise found that she'd turned into a version of her old self - old wolfish head and old white fur with red highlights, but she had her recent mutation of more human-sized feet. And her body hadn't changed much otherwise, if at all.
Pleased in a way with her 'classic' look, she's back to doing what she does best - keeping the world a safer place.
Why is her body so volatile? She doesn't have a clue. But she wishes she'd stop changing all the time...
Additional: A recent capture by an unknown assailant turned her from what she was into a full blown actual werewolf, with all the advantages and disadvantages that come with it. Thankfully her look hasn't changed any, but many other things about her have.
- ...is a werewolf by the standard definition. The moon at times gives her the chills, and while she could run around on all fours, she prefers to move upright as she runs. As for the Blood Moon? Let's just say those are the nights she wishes she didn't fully become a werewolf (as she was somehow only the visual side of one before).
- ...has enhanced sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. Previously she only had improved hearing due to her larger ears looking like a werewolf's, but her full on transformation has strengthened everything across the board. She's still learning how to use them effectively, however.
- ...has a powerful natural regeneration ability that keeps her looking as good as she may feel. While she can kick the process into high gear by changing forms, on its own it'll help her bounce back from anything that may have gotten past her defenses. Unless it's silver, anyway. That stuff is just nasty.
- ...is almost always seen barefoot. The clothes she's most always seen in are made of an expandable material that shifts in size when she does. She used to be unable to find footwear that could do the same thing, but now with her new form, it's possible. She's just gotten used to it and hasn't changed things around.
- ...prefers to spend her time in her werewolf form. Thanks to her lycanthrope powers, she can more or less shift between her human and werewolf forms whenever she chooses (short of a full or new moon). Despite that, she'd rather have her wolfish looks and body simply because it's what she's spent the most time looking as. Plus it gives an intimidation factor towards her foes.
- ...her mutant skills are entirely generated by the availability of oxygen molecules between her hands and her target. She either super-heats them for fire, or brings them to a halt for ice. A lack of oxygen means she's practically useless. At that point, the best she can do is make her hands very hot or cold.
- ...as thus, she rarely wears any sort of gloves, preferring to have the most amount of contact available with the air around her. Long airtight gloves or coating her hands with specially designed air-proof compounds (say, the goo the Qularr use) can completely disable all access to her powers.
For the most part, Razira is a kind, curious, and helpful Hero. Just popped onto the comms? She'll say hi. First time Hero? She'll welcome you and find out what makes you tick. Need assistance with something? If she's not already occupied, she's only a call away.
But she has her problems too. Her being a Hero was just thrown on her one day, and as such some things that other Heroes take for granted like stress management techniques or just how difficult it is saving the world every other day haven't embedded themselves into her head. She also knows her own strengths and weaknesses, and as such she's growing more and more fearful that she won't return home someday. Or worse - she'll be the direct cause of that happening to another Hero.
So in short, Razira might be best described as the motherly type - always worrying about others, hoping that they'll be safe when they wander off, but still happy to help despite being a bit older in age than your average Hero in Millennium City.
Personality Quirks:
- ...generally bows to those she meets and talks to, and does again when they leave.
- ...hates heading into filthy environments like sewers and swamps, due to how much of a pain in the rear it is to clean out her fur afterward. And how icky it feels to trudge through it barefoot. But it won't stop her from doing her job.
- ...for the same reason, her most hated enemies are the VIPER Tartrappers and Foxbat. Have you ever tried getting gum out of your hair? Imagine that, except having far thicker hair across your entire body. It's practically impossible!
- ...is downright frightened of seeing somebody hurt or worse while she's around helping them. This is why she used to spend most of her time alone in the field, as the only person who could get hurt is herself. Now that she has joined the Protectors, this has become a lot bigger of an issue.
- ...is somewhat claustrophobic, and especially so if she's in a small, dark location. She also much prefers the open air as she can take flight if something goes wrong, but she can force herself into any closed areas if she has to.
Razira's mutation caused a variety of side-effects, not the least of which is her elemental powers. In what might be considered an oddity in the magical realms, she has the elements of both fire and ice under her control and uses them to her fullest in defending herself against the unrelenting criminals of the world.
When she started her Hero career, she found that her abilities were powerful, but very limited. As time went on, she's developed her mutant powers into something to be feared by her foes.
In the end, if you need something burnt up, frozen, or a combination of the two, Razira is more than ready and capable of helping.
Powers and Abilities
Pyrokinesis: Razira can superheat the air around her and cause it to burst into flame. She can take this ball of fire and launch it towards a foe with a bit more concentration. She's gained enough skill with this power to direct its effects at a distance as well - so she's capable of causing a chunk of ground to suddenly ignite for example. Her skill with it is so great that she can manipulate the effects of her fire so she can fly through the air with little difficulty.
Cryokinesis: She can also supercool the air around her as easily as she heats it, but it's mostly to a defensive effect. Its primary use is to sheathe herself in a layer of ice, protecting herself from her own fire as well as from hostile attack. Further effort allows her to freeze the ground someone is walking on, or she can generate icy cages to trap someone in out of the air itself.
Airborne Combatant: When battle starts, one of the first things Razira does is launch herself into the skies. From there she brings her powers to bear from a safe distance, and it allows her to stay away from melee based foes. She's practiced her skills enough to allow her to go any direction from a hover - she's not restricted to flying like how a plane does.
Lycanthropic Abilities: Razira is a recently transformed werewolf, and as such she has its bonuses - shapeshifting, regeneration, faster than normal running speed, boosted endurance, enhanced strength, and heightened senses. She hasn't spent much time testing the limits of her new abilities, but what improvements she's seen have definitely been to her advantage in the field.
- Shapeshifting: Like the werewolves of legend, Razira can shapeshift to and from her human side to a werewolf relatively quickly and painlessly. Due to her lack of experience, her mood can make things tougher (if she just finished defending herself in a life-threatening situation it’ll be hard to calm her ‘wolf’ down enough to shift to her human half), as well as the phases of the moon (the wolf fades away and becomes difficult to access during the time of the new moon).
- Regeneration: While she had a minor form of regeneration in the past due to her transformation (slightly faster than normal healing speed, minor nicks and bruises on the surface only would vanish quickly), she now has full on lycanthropic healing. She’s not sure of its speed or effectiveness (nor is she willing to test it), but if it’s anything like the rest of the Pack, it’ll keep her alive when all else fails.
- Speed and Agility: Like a wolf, Razira is quite fast and agile on her feet, giving her agility and ground speed like she never had before. She doesn’t fly around quite as much as she used to because of this, too, as sometimes it just feels good to go on a run.
- Enhanced Endurance: One thing that Razira lacked in the past was the endurance to press on for long periods of time. With the wolf inside of her, that isn’t as much of a problem. She still has her limits, however.
- Super-strength: Despite her athletic looks, Razira is capable of lifting several hundred pounds. She's not as strong as other werewolves that she knows, but it's an improvement over what she could bench before.
- Heightened Senses: The final thing Razira gained was enhanced senses. The change is still too recent to her, so she sometimes doesn't know how to process the extra information. But it's there for when she learns.
Portable Hole: Being a Hero on the go means you have to be ready for just about anything. Unfortunately, carrying everything you might need is next to impossible. This is why Razira was so excited to basically stumble upon this spell, or innate power, or whatever it exactly is.
Whenever needed, Razira can reach 'sideways' and stick a hand into an extra-dimensional pocket. She hasn't tried to see if she can fill it up, and she refuses to stick her head into it to see just how big it is, but so far it's held whatever she needs to put into it. Whatever goes in sits at a consistent 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and what food she's tossed into it never seems to go stale. She hasn't tried anything alive yet however, nor is likely to do so anytime soon.
The good news is that this hole holds whatever she can think about tossing into it ahead of time. Spare clothing, sandals (for those places that refuse to service her under the 'no shirt, no shoes, no service' policy, despite looking how she does), Keioseth's Frostfire armor, bottles of water, small snacks, towels, tissues, and other useful knickknacks are generally what'll be inside, but only she knows what's in there in any specific moment.
How does she access it exactly you might ask? All she does is stick her hand in and think about what she wants. If it's there, she'll feel it immediately and be able to withdraw it. Otherwise, she can just 'feel around' inside and take inventory that way until she comes across it.
Equipment
Project Firewolf Uniform: As Project Firewolf comprises of multiple superpowered individuals very loosely working together, it was decided by UNTIL that they needed a team uniform that showed that they were part of the same group. And the standard UNTIL uniform just wouldn't cut it in their case.After some discussion with the team, they decided on the following:
1) The uniform had to protect those Heroes who needed it, and not hamper those who could protect themselves otherwise.
2) Had to offer ways to support the Hero without any additional pouches/containers that could get snagged/ripped off.
3) Be comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time.
4) Match with the rest of the team while allowing for individual looks.
5) Allow minor modifications based on the request of the user.
Razira's uniform is the 'light armor' version - which is a flexible armor plating made out of a compound of exotic materials, covering the vitals as well as the extremities. Plus it'll generate a layer of force shielding upon activation for additional protection. It's far from as defensive as the 'heavy armor' one, but since she can generate her own icy defenses, there's little need for something super protective.
By her request, her head and tail are left exposed, instead protected by a layer of shielding generated by the suit. Her hands are entirely uncovered as they're the source of her powers. And finally, when the suit powers down, the boots retract into the lower legs and leave her feet bare.
As a bit of an apology over recent events, UNTIL gave her access to their latest experimental armor tech - a suit of armor made out of regenerative nanofibers, capable of automatically repairing minor scrapes and cuts without involvement from the user. Major cuts require the application of special 'cloth blocks' that'll meld with the suit and have it act like it's new again.
The armor itself is resistant to many various types of attacks, up to and including small arms fire. While it won't stop a bullet, it will lessen its impact somewhat. All in all, it's a useful layer of clothing to wear underneath her usual protective powers, for the rare times when something gets past her defenses.
Like most of her other outfits, her head, hands, and feet are uncovered so she has full access to her powers. And while going barefoot has been problematic at times, it's something she won't change anytime soon.
Frostfire (Keioseth's ACE Suit): After having worked by his side a few times, Keioseth was nice enough to construct for her her own ACE Suit, giving her additional protection, a greater combat focus, and the ability to head into environments where she would be a liability at best.
Enchanted Necklace: Little is known as to what exactly this necklace will protect her against, but Wolfgirl insists that it has protected her well through the years, and that she wanted her to have it. So it's generally something she keeps around her neck at all times.
Apparel
Unlike some Heroes, Razira's defenses are generated entirely from her mutant powers. This doesn't mean that she avoids putting a piece of metal or something across her most vital areas like the plague, no. But it does mean that more often or not, she'll be running around in basic street clothes, or maybe a Heroic looking tights outfit. You have to look good while protecting the public, right?
Before you ask - yes, that means she could run around naked if she wanted and still be protected. She'd also never, ever consider such a thing, being able to turn into a werewolf or not.
As a whole, any outfit she wears has two needs:
1) Be capable of withstanding extreme cold as well as extreme heat. Her body, as well as her clothing, frost over whenever her defenses go up. It freezing over completely would be a bad thing, as maneuverability during combat is something quite useful. Along the same line it needs to be immune to fire as well, as her outfit burning away every time she used her higher end fire powers (or just flying around) would be just as bad.
2) Be made out of an expandable material so she can shift between werewolf and human form without the outfit tearing to shreds (or being too big on her human side). This has gotten a lot easier to find due to the fact that she no longer changes so drastically between her two forms.
The first is an absolute requirement, as she never knows when she'll get into combat. The second is optional, but something a lot of her more casual clothing has. Yes, this means that her outfits are far from cheap, but it's a necessity. And UNTIL foots part of the bill thankfully, as they know she needs it to do her job.
Two other tidbits: First off, she never wears any sort of gloves. As her hands are the generation point of her powers, she wants them to be as exposed as possible to the air around them. Wearing something makes her feel 'clumsy' with her powers, so even fingerless gloves are out of the question.
Second, more often than not, she'll be barefoot. When she first changed, it was impossible to find shoes for her monstrous feet, so she learned to do without. This toughened up her soles to the point where she doesn't need them anymore, despite her form having changed enough that she could easily enough find something that would fit. Additionally, when she flies, her feet burst into flame to give her additional thrust.
Unfortunately Razira has a number of weaknesses she has to contend with during her time as a Hero. It's something she keeps in the back of her mind and hopes she never runs into someone who can take advantage of them.
Power Source Limitations: Razira's powers have one severe weakness - her hands (and feet if she's flying) need to be touching the air around her (or more accurately the oxygen part of it) or else she's nearly useless. This means that in outer space, certain environments, or in alien locales lacking oxygen, she's little more than someone who can warm your coffee cup by touching it. Fortunately this doesn't happen often to her, but it's something she always keeps in the back of her mind as it can have deadly consequences if it happens.
Claustrophobic: This might have to do with her fighting style or possibly her powers, as she doesn't remember an issue during her childhood that might've brought this on, but Razira has found that she's mildly claustrophobic. She can force herself into enclosed areas, but she starts to get antsy and unsure about her situation when she does. And one time where she nearly got buried alive, she absolutely freaked.
Is Only Human: For the most part, Razira’s lupine abilities are ‘turned off’ when she’s in human form. So if there was some way to keep her locked out of her shapeshifting ability, it would put her at a bit of a disadvantage. Thankfully she still has her mutant powers of fire and ice to fall back upon if this ever happened.
Is Barefoot: Short of when she's wearing some very specialized armor, Razira pretty much always runs around barefoot due to needing her feet exposed to properly fly around via the fiery side of her powers. While her icy defenses do fully protect her body when raised, they aren't always up. So if she can be surprised with something like caltrops (woe be her if they're silvered, too) or some other spiky protrusion, VIPER Tartrapper goo, a basic beartrap, or anything else in those categories, it could turn any upcoming fight against her if she wasn't expecting it.
Lycanthropic Weaknesses: Every positive has its negative it seems, and this is especially true when it comes to werewolves.
- Silver: Like all werewolves, Razira is deathly allergic to silver. Anything silver that touches her skin causes an immediate rash, and injuries caused by a silver weapon create lasting harm that can't be regenerated from easily. Thankfully, those foes that she's encountered in the past don't know that she's a werewolf (because she only looked like one in the past) and as such haven't switched to silver weaponry. Woe be her when they do.
- The Moon: Normally the moon is something pretty to look at at night. As a werewolf however, it’s something that can affect them and badly. Until she has full control of the beast within, the full moon can bring out her true wolf self, running amok and not in control. And during the new moon, she can’t bring out the wolf at all without a lot of concentration. As for the Blood Moon? It’s something that makes her regret what she is.
- Heightened senses: While Razira finds her new senses to be a definite advantage, they are a weakness to her as well until she can control them better. Loud sounds (gunshots), overpowering smells (sewers), and others can make her pause just long enough for someone to take advantage of the situation if they wanted.
- Aggression: With the wolf now inside of her, Razira has found that it likes to try to take ‘control’ over her actions. And it seems to happen most often during combat - especially if she’s getting knocked around. While a sudden outburst of rage might be useful, if her foes are prepared for it...she’s only going to end up in even more trouble.
Despite being a loner for the most part with her day to day duties for UNTIL, Razira has come across quite a few people that she'd consider her friend and/or ally, especially in the heat of battle. Along the same line, she's come across quite a few villains or organizations that want to put her down for good:
Protectors of the World: The Protectors of the World are a superteam comprised of many different powers and abilities, and any one of them is a solid hero in their own right. As a team however, they're next to unstoppable. Razira is glad that she accepted Sparrowhawk's request to join the team back in 2013. Many positive things have happened over the years because of it...and some negative ones, too.
UNTIL: (United Nations Tribunal on International Law): UNTIL took her in when she was unsure about her future after her forced transformation, and she was a long time member of Project Firewolf (no, the name was that before she joined) through them. While she's left that special project, it, and her old boss, continue to exist and look out for the world as a whole. Razira is proud to stand by their side, and UNTIL itself, whenever a major threat bears down on Millennium City or elsewhere.
Caliban: A friendly, helpful, and quite entertaining individual in Razira's eyes. He's hiding something from her however, but she's not sure what. Still, she knows that she can call on him to help if needed.
Eshtarra: An Elf from the land of Faerie, her mighty magical prowess is a useful one on the battlefield when things can't be dealt with more simple blasts of fire or ice.
Kara and Keioseth: The McIlroy duo are an interesting pair. One is an experienced Psycho-Electrokinesis (Psychic and Electricity) user as well as a computer genius, while the other is just an Electrokinesis wielder, along with a master Power Armor craftsman. Raz currently owns a suit of armor designed specifically for her by him, too.
Mutt: While sometimes this werewolf's sayings and jokes go over her head, she knows that he's friendly, helpful, and completely capable of taking care of what needs to be done. A solid teammate.
Raccoon Girl: A super-hyper, super-fast, carefree young woman who Razira ran into one day and has never forgotten since. Raz worries about her some days, as she seems (or just acts) too young to be dealing with the many threats one might encounter as a Hero, but their time together as allies has shown that she can fully take care of herself.
Sparrowhawk: The leader of the Protectors of the World, and a very solid Hero in her own right despite not having any true superpowers of her own. That said, she proud to call her her boss and knows that she won't lead her astray.
Wolfgirl: A caring and compassionate werewolf despite her fierce looking exterior, she is someone that Razira trusts completely whether at her back or talking about personal matters over dinner. As of now, she's Raz's go-to partner for when things start to go terribly wrong...which seems to be quite a bit nowadays. She's also Razira's mate as of 2013.
Wolfhound: When the going gets tough, you bring a bazooka. Or lots of high explosives. While Razira may not always agree with her methods, there's no arguing the results that this werewolf brings to the table.
VIPER (Venomous Imperial Party of the Eternal Reptile): It seems that for whatever reason, more often than not, this seems to be Raz's common foe as she does her duties through UNTIL. They are a menace to society and need to be stopped. It just seems that the best that she (and anyone else) can do is put a dent into their latest plan for global domination.
Foxbat: While not exactly a common foe, the few times Razira has run into this creep have been ones she regrets. His silly antics, traps designed to frustrate instead of harm, and his means of using large amounts of bubble gum as a weapon (try getting that out of one's fur!), have turned this mostly-harmless villain into somebody that she truly despises.
Rhakos: A tall wolfman who had one nefarious goal in life - to make an army of creatures in his name that he could command via mind control and use them to do whatever he wanted. After many failures, his lone success (Razira) broke free of his confines and got him arrested. After being presumed dead, he came out of the blue one day and attacked her, trying to take her back into his control once more. He was killed in the ensuing battle.
Additional: Rhakos is not quite as dead as originally thought - out of the blue years after, Rhakos showed up again, but it seems that his goal has completely changed. Instead of threatening Razira and her friends, he instead sees himself as more of a 'protector' of sorts of the werewolf population. And that werewolves will be the next step in human evolution. Nobody is quite sure if his goals are noble or not, but no doubt they'll find out sooner instead of later.
Over the years, Razira has obtained a few assorted items gathered from her adventures which she keeps in a locked and warded decorative glass case in her bedroom. These items include:
A Golden Pendant in the shape of a dragon, forged out of real half-dragon fire, given to her as a Christmas gift.
Pictures of Vanguard, the Hero who lead a group of Heroes to try to save Detroit, Michigan, from the giant meteor that Dr. Destroyer sent towards it during the Battle for Detroit.
A Personal Letter written from Vanguard, who took the time to write letters to everyone when he somehow showed up in present time Millennium City for a single night right before his death in the Battle of Detroit. Time Travel is weird and confusing if you think about it too much.
A Syringe and a note that says would cure Raz of 'everything she is now; bring her back to before day 1'. No doubt given to her by her then villain Rhakos, more than likely as a way to try to get her out of his way permanently.
A Matched set of Drinking Horns made out of the horns of a half-dragon, wrapped in imitation silver in a wolf motif. It was given to her as a wedding present.
Two Shards from Keioseth's former elemental plane in a brilliant sky blue - they light up and glow in strength based on proximity to each other. Another wedding gift.
A Large Feather from Eshtarra, its edges cut to represent two wolf heads, mirrored, back to back. A third wedding gift from her friends.
A Library Card from Cryptos, the Lord of Secrets. While hers wasn't used in the end, she was involved in going to the "Infinita Bibliotheca", a library of ideas and truths that flow into the lower realms. Everything that has and will be written or recorded was stored there. And if something was destroyed there, it would vanish from all of existance. Will Raz ever return to check a book out? Time will tell.
Have you worked alongside Razira? Know her personally? Leave your thoughts and comments here!
"Goddamn, Raz? Well what do you want me to say. The girl is like a crack rock of pure sunshine. She's always optimistic but seriously, she's got some confidence issues she needs to work through. It's cool, though. I'm good at that sort of thing and I've got,like, fifty goddamn teargas grenades that the Army doesn't know about. If you make it through those, that's one hell of a confidence boost." -Wolfhound
"I honestly can't think of a person I'd rather have around than Razira. She's absolutely wonderful. ...That's pretty much all I really need to say." -Wolfgirl
"Lemme tell you one thing about Razzie. She's the kind of girl who would give you the shirt off her back in a blizzard. Then again, I guess she kind of has all the fur to make up for that. She's probably used to the cold, too. All those ice powers and stuff. She could probably just MAKE fire to keep her warm if she ne-
The recording skips ahead about five minutes.
...with the flat end of a... Hang on. What was I talkin' about again? Oh! Raz. Yeah. Anyway, one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, hands down. I'll admit that, sometimes, I'm worried she tries to bare the weight of everyone around her on her own shoulders. Worries about everyone around her just a little more than I thinks good for her. But y'know what? Someone willing to actually give a damn about the people around them is something you don't get to see much anymore. I can respect that." -Mutt
"Let me take the honor of being the first person who isn't covered from head to toe in fur to speak here." The sound of the wingless snow dragon's throat being cleared emits over a recorder. "An admirable lady, Razira is unfortunately one of the very few agents in UNTIL I have yet to have the pleasure of working with. I find I'm quite similar to her - optimistic, actually giving a shit about others, mild phobias, just to name a few. Look forward to actually seeing and fighting with her in the field one day. Kinda iffy about the pyrokinesis, though..." - Snowtalon
"Professional to a fault. Razira is a great leader on the field who uses her heart as much as she uses her head. I consider her not just an ally and a co worker, but a friend as well. I can't imagine the Protectors without her, to be quite honest." - Sparrowhawk
"Raz! I've been on a bunch of missions with her and she's a cool, reliable person that knows how to get things done when it comes down to it! The only problem I have with her is that she's on my team and it's hard for me to compete for token dog girl spot with like... an actual dog... wolf person there." - Dobergirl
"Can I call you momma? Seriously though Raz is a very interesting person. Far more down to Earth and quite extremely polite despite outside appearances. She very much so feels like the 'mom' of the group more so than even Sparrow. And that's not an easy feat. Still I can defintely trust her to have my back if things get outta hand." - SoulStar
"Raz is amazingly talented I got to see her in action and she knows her stuff. I had never met a werewolf before, and she's given me a newfound respect for what she can do and her talents." - African Violet
"Smart, powerful, kind, and one of the few lawful good seeming people I know that doesn't have the typical 'lawful stupid paladin' feel to them. Raz is always someone I welcome to cover my ass in a fight, she's an excellent leader whether she realizes it or not." - Keioseth
"Red-head girls unite for buttkicking awesomeness! Don't tell my dad but I want to be like Raz when I 'grow-up'... well minus the wolf-y stuff I don't think I'd pull off the look as well as she does. Any way, she's awesome!" - Kara McIlroy
"Razira can be a bit of a pill sometimes, especially when she's barking on about her opinions. Still, she's a good egg. Clearly passionate about what she does. For what it's worth, I'm glad to have her on my side." - All-Star
"I kind of want to be her when I grow up...sans the fur, mind you. I mean she just seems so confident, even when the odds are stacked against us. On top of that, she's compassionate, something that I think is a good quality to have. She's definitely something to aspire to be." - Tesseract
"Razira is like the best of winter and summer rolled into one with a dash of justice and compassion thrown into the mix. That is Raz to me! She's got my back when I'm in trouble and I'll always be there for her when she needs it. Razira is one of the people I think of when I hear 'super hero.'" - Cosmic Glory
"Compassionate, dedicated, and damn good at what she does. To devote so much of herself to the well being of others is worth no less than my full respect." - Wildeye
"Razira is just like, great. Not only great like "She's great!" kinda great but like "She's just a downright Great person", with a capital G in there, ya feeling me here man?. There's a void in this group only she can fill, that not even the Boss Lady could step into. That's the kinda Great Razira is." - Stonemason
"Don't let the whole "Team Mom" act fool you. She's the second toughest Protector there is." - C.O.P.
"Razira? She's talented, that's for sure. Maybe a bit too trusting, but that's not a bad thing. I for one love how unshakable her optimism and trust can be." - Artifist
Razira standing, powers at the ready, by Satapatis on dA.
Even Heroes Need a Break, by Coyrin on FA.
'Ravishingly Ruthless Razira' (his description, not mine), done by Smackwell over on the CO boards.
Razira's current look and form, done by Tesahli on CORP.
Razira battling VIPER by Chaoseth on dA.
Razira in Millennium City, done by Chaoseth on dA.
Razira's human side relaxing in her condo overlooking MC. Done by Chaoseth on dA.
Protectors, Assemble! by MJB
Razira and Sparrowhawk by VPDessin
Raz prepping herself for combat, done by CharlesLogan over on dA.
Raz surrounded by a few VIPER soldiers, done by CharlesLogan over on dA.
Razira dashing off by Fox-Die.
An upper body look of Razira by EWG on dA.
Razira's second bio pic, done by Chaoseth on dA.
Team Leader Sparrowhawk | ||
Field Leaders: Captain Adamant • Peacemaker • Razira • Thundrax | ||
Protectors Charter Members: African Violet • Atomac • Blue Cyclone • Blue Pheasant • Citizen 13 • Cosmic Glory • Fahrenheit • Gold Rush • Hydro Light Of Being • Lucky Shot • Marauder • Mercuriel • Oni • Sinsonte Azul • Tesseract • Wildeye • Witchery Way | ||
Protectors Reserve Members: Aura • Noble • Psion • Wolfgirl |