Lal_Eleon

"Kehehehe... I swear, it's like I've hit a goldmine! Everywhere I look, it's nothing but scrumptious meals here, delicious targets there, and plenty of mystique! I'll get a suite of rare artifacts and a three course meal all in the same place!"

Appearance: Lal-Eleon appears to be a giant, only vaguely-humanoid chameleon; rather than look like a simple scaly anthro, he closer resembles a true chameleon standing on its hind legs, complete with proportioned limbs and a large, bulbous head. While he normally has a slight hunch, standing straight has him at a height of 8'8", and he weighs a hefty 400 pounds.

For the most part, Lal-Eleon is naked. Most conventional clothes don't really fit him, and his race doesn't make much use of them. They hide anything naughty behind a scaly sheath, so him being in public could be considered 'work safe' (you can't even tell there's anything there). He does, however, have an old straw beach hat that he likes to wear along with an extra-wide Hawaiian shirt in moments of leisure. When hunting, he eschews these pieces of clothing, but still has his final bit of apparel, which is his brown leather waistpouch.


Racial Overview: Lal-Eleon, usually called 'Leon' for simplicity's sake, is a specimen of a species called the Melo-Toa. Distant cousins of the Kuo-Toa, a race of frog men, the Melo-Toa instead resemble chameleons, and are more terrestrial than their amphibious cousins. As a whole, they are a race of hunters, trappers, and adventure seekers. Because they are naturally devoid of any magical ability, Melo-Toa have a tendency to seek magical items and artifacts. Over the years, they've developed a keen eye for appraising such items.


Feeding habits (the fun part): Leon will normally stalk the park for a bit when in a hunting mood. Once he's found prey that he has an eye for, he'll cloak and slowly attempt to approach, usually using trees as a way of keeping off the ground. Once within range, he'll either make one final leap to get in range or simply- *SNAP!*- lash his tongue out at his victim. They are more often than not caught by his tongue and dragged back to their waiting captor where a few things can happen.

Most of the time, Leon simply pops his prey into his mouth, savoring their taste as the inside of his mouth is where his taste buds are located (not his tongue). After a few moments, he lifts his head high and uses gravity to help gulp them down. If he's not pressed for time, he'll restrain his victim and cut their clothes off. He can still eat them right there; sometimes he'll even stimulate their crotch with his tongue to produce juices which he claims adds to the flavor. Finally, he could fully bind his target and drag them back to his home, where he'll lay them out on a table and fully prepare them for dinner (all while keeping them alive). One way or the other, Leon is known for being exceptionally cruel and efficient in his hunting.


Abilities:

Strength - Leon possesses the natural strength that comes with being his size. This strength is about equivalent to a grizzly bear's, though his rather clumsy footing renders it mostly useless apart from supporting himself from various surfaces or holding down prey.

Stealth - The Melo-Toa have the ability to change their color to adapt to their surroundings, just like real chameleons. Unlike real chameleons, they can change their skin to more complex patterns, such as the bark of a tree's trunk and the blue sky that might be viewable off to the side. It should be noted this is NOT invisibility; while quite clever and very difficult to see through, Leon is much easier to see when moving.

Mobility - Despite his size, Leon is capable of moving at some surprising speeds. His running speed is no better than a human's and, in fact, is often worse. However, he can climb at about the same speed he can run, and if there's something to latch onto with his tongue... whatever he's chasing will likely end up in his gut soon. Basically, open fields might be his weakness, but he excels at chasing in a forest.

Tongue - The tongue of a Melo-Toa is proportionate to that of a chameleon. Leon's tongue in particular is about 18 feet long. It can be shot at fairly blinding speeds, using either the sticky tip to snap up prey or even wrapping the tip around them to pull/roll them in. While it is soft, the tongue is also tough and fibrous, meaning that cutting it with a blade generally won't work (though it probably still hurts like all hell). Because of its tough structure, though, it doesn't taste very well. Most of a Melo-Toa's tastebuds are actually located on the inside of its mouth.

Combat - Leon is a hunter first and a warrior not even second. He excels at avoiding detection until it's too late, and hungrily catching his quarry. Faced with somebody who is as strong as he is, he'd much rather get out than fight.

Equipment: Leon's only real clothing when he hunts is a leather waist-pouch, which holds everything he needs to catch and eat what he desires.

Obsidian knives - Almost as if to drive home the point that Leon is a hunter and not a fighter, his primary 'weapons' are two knives expertly carved from obsidian with whalebone handles. Because of the material from which they are formed, they are extremely sharp. However, they are brittle, and clashing with a steel blade is more than likely to shatter them. Instead, they are used for stripping prey of their clothing, cutting ropes and the like, or the very occasional sneak attack in case his quarry needs that 'extra something' to put them down.

Rope - His tongue does the trick in the short term, but if he wants to restrain anybody for a length of time, Leon always keeps a length of rope handy. It's just enough to tie up those pesky wrists and feet - either normal or hogtie style! (He uses hempen rope right now, but would like to get some silk)

Elastic cuffs - A special pair of handcuffs made from a gelatinous material that stretches, but once snapped on a pair of wrists, the body heat makes them contract sharply to hold the prey's arms nice and firm. The material is soft, tasteless, and can handle Leon's digestive track undisturbed.

Magical items:
Ruby Boots: These magical boots have an affinity to fire, which would allow Leon access to learning fire magic... if they fit his feet. Obtained after devouring Anna_Peronna.
Tiara and choker: These items, also obtained after eating Anna_Peronna and then burping up her belongings, have effects that are currently unknown.
Corazon_Alts