Griffon Ryx (Ready)

[Elderflower]

Roleplay Type

World of Equestria

Name

Ryx

Sex

Female

Age

Young adult

Species

Griffon

Eye Colour

Antique gold. Though Ryx’s eyes are that of a raptor, the more subdued tone and the warmth easily seen within them takes away from the sharpness often associated with griffons. Locking eyes with her has a tendency to leave one reassured – a useful trait to have for a friendly bird!

Coat

Her fur and feathers are a uniform jet black which fades to charcoal around the extremities. Though black is often associated with shadows, her coat has a slight golden tint that has a subtle flash in direct light. This takes away any associations with fear or darkness and is instead reminiscent of warmth – the same warmth found in her eyes! On top of that, Ryx is blessed with a natural gloss and fluffiness to her coat, and though she puts little effort into its maintenance she constantly looks primped.

Mane/Tail

Though she is a griffon, Ryx certainly has a mane! Because of the fluffiness of her coat, the feathers around her neck are so thick that they almost give her something of a lion’s mane! Things are not much different near her bottom, where thick tufts of fur stick out horizontally to create the illusion of a second wide, stubby tail atop her actual tail.

Physique

Ryx is extremely handsome and has a thick, muscular figure that is a little larger than your typical griff. Add the natural thickness of her coat and she makes quite the tank! It’s no surprise, then, that she is often mistaken for a male. To compensate for her sheer girth, her wings are also larger than average and very muscular. It takes a lot to keep such a heavy creature aloft!

Despite her size, however, Ryx is surprisingly agile. Her movements both on land and in the air have a natural fluidity that seems more than a little out of place considering her size. One would think upon looking at her that she’d be the type to deal with power and building heavy momentum for charging in a straight line. But appearances can be deceptive, and this griff is living proof!

One of the few luxuries this big bird indulges in is gold jewelry. Her right ear is pierced with studs, rings, and a band while her left sports one elaborate cuff. In much the same style, the ridges of her wings are adorned with cuffs and bands. She wears a thick, gold-plated band on each of her avian forelegs as well, and though the amount of jewelry she wears is a little flashy she manages to make it all seem natural.

Residence

She lives with her family in one of the rare permanent fishing settlements in Clopton Shores. Because of her job, however, Ryx typically lives all over.

Occupation

Ryx has one official job and one unofficial. Because of her friendly, easygoing charisma she has a knack for making friends wherever she goes, despite being a very large and intimidating griffon. She uses this to the best of her abilities, flying to communities all over Equestria and settling in for extended visits. While there, she takes observational notes on the ponies and the places they come from in order to send reports back to Talonopolis. She is something of a freelance anthropologist and more often than not she collects this information for business-savvy griffons looking for ideal places to extend their trades. During her more relaxed periods, she compiles this information into volumes for further documentation to be kept in Aquellian libraries.

That is Ryx’s official job – the one that brings in the bits. Her unofficial job (and the one she vastly prefers) is adventuring and exploration! Ryx loves nothing more than to fly into uncharted territories, discovering the wonders and dangers of the world. Sometimes there will be valuable and mysterious treasures, other times the treasure is simply the beauty of the natural world untouched by industry. Every adventure, without fail, brings her joy. She keeps record of these adventures the same way she does with her official job, compiling her notes into volumes and scribing copies for libraries. Though they aren’t as valuable to griffon society, she hopes that at least some of her feathered brethren appreciate her efforts and read her journals!

Cutie Mark

Not Applicable.

History

Ryx is an only child to two fishing griffons of Lower Aquellia. In the early stages of their relationship, both of her parents were miners living near Talonopolis. During one of their vacations they flew south to Clopton Shores in order to check out the ocean, and after a few short days they realized that was where they wanted to live. In a matter of weeks they had left their mine work and found a home in one of the few permanent fishing villages in Aquellia and they haven’t looked back since.

Discovering their love of the ocean somewhat late in their lives helped invigorate a very forward and upfront passion for the sea, a trait that was instilled in their daughter. As a little grifflet, Ryx was always playing in the ocean and doing her best to help her parents fish. When she aged enough to learn how to fly, she found untold joy in soaring over the vast waters. Every day that she grew stronger she flew a little longer over the rolling waves, despite her parents’ worries and their pleas for her to fly safely and responsibly. They were terrified she’d become exhausted and fall right into the unforgiving ocean! Ryx, however, was much too enchanted to listen. It seemed inexplicably wonderful, the prospect of the world being so large that the horizons were just about empty. She would fly until all around her was just bright blue water – no landmark in sight. How big the world seemed! It inspired a hunger to see every inch of Equestria and beyond, and she promised herself that she would see as much of it as she could fit into a lifetime.

Ryx spent all of her time up until she was old enough to be independent helping her parents fish, learning how to read and write, and adventuring as far around Aquellia as she was allowed. She stumbled upon many smaller griffon settlements during her youth, and her eagerness and friendly attitude helped her to make friends wherever she went. She always came home with interesting stories, which her parents encouraged her to write down. It eventually became a force of habit, and when she became an adult she made friends in Talonopolis who encouraged her to make a useful living from her charm!

And that’s exactly what she did. She started work almost immediately, rushing off to say goodbye to her parents and pick up a few of her things. Since then, Ryx has lived on her own wherever she travels. She visits her parents occasionally, whenever she feels drawn to the ocean again, and that is when she takes the time to compile her volumes of notes and journals.

So far, though, Ryx has only had a handful of adventures…something she desperately wants to change.

Character Summary

Ryx is an oozing puddle of kindness. She views everyone she meets as a potential friend and treats them as such. This makes her an unconventional griffon to some, being something of a large and fluffy plushie as opposed to a sharp and threatening raptorial beastie. That hardly bothers her, however; Ryx’s passions are family, flying, exploration, adventure, and the ocean! She's very much a product of community-driven ocean-side life - a stark contrast to the usual industrious and sharp-edged griffon culture. Unless something comes between her and those precious things of hers, she is guaranteed to be totally calm.

Calm seems to be a perpetual state for the black gryphon, in truth. Despite being athletic and an adventurer, she loves to indulge in relaxation. The feline side of her seems to be very strong, especially on hot days. For Ryx, there’s nothing quite like finding a large, dark rock on a warm day and simply lounging on it for hours on end. Sunbathing, cat napping, writing – there are plenty of things for a sloth-infected griffon to do on a rock! The only way that situation could improve would be if it were a rock sitting on the ocean shore.

There are a few small passions she has that she keeps to herself as well, many of which she has picked up in her travels. Some of these include: a love of making pretzels from a green pegasus stallion in Corralwood Corral, a somewhat natural talent for percussion from a yellow musician mare in Baltimare, and an absolute obsession for the game of hide and seek from a group of fillies in Trottingham, and an ability to “whittle” with her talons from a carpenter stallion in Appleloosa!

Ryx is just an easygoing griff, all in all. She’s not hard to please, she’s friendly and encouraging, and she’s totally relaxed. She lacks a sense of competition, leaning more towards teamwork and cooperation rather than trying to play at “king on the mountain.” Or queen! One last, important thing: she loves sweets!

[SunsetSombra]

Having looked this application over, I have decided that it most certainly deserves...

A jolly good stamp - have fun out there, elder!

[Rosewind]

Moving to the appropriate approved area. Another gem, dear Elder.

[Elderflower]

Eee thanks guys.