Erschek

Erschek was presumably raised for some time by his parents, but has no memories of them preceding his awakening one day in the care of a mountainous tribe. Unable to properly communicate with the far-separated beastfolk, Erschek sought civilization down from the range, but when he discovered a village in the great valleys, he was shunned away by the people, them being fearful of his Demetrion heritage. Despite his being turned away, Erschek didn't stray far from the village, and was quick to step in when a rampant beast came around with some intention to attack the villages' livestock. Having earned a sort of right as the town's defender, Erschek spent many months honing his abilities against the stray predatorial packs and roaming bandits that dared to aggress his newfound home, but ultimately he felt his capabilities were so much more than what was being tested.

When the Gilden Shire caravan rolled through the valley, making a quick stop at the village, one of its members--an avian psionic named Lircul--approached Erschek, offering his support for Erschek's desire to become an even more talented warrior by representing him in the country-wide arena leagues, many of which were hosted at the Gilden Shire's various destinations. Erschek jumped at the opportunity, although he was hesitant to abandon the people he'd been protecting. When Lircul showed him that, despite his efforts, many of the village's leaders still thought ill of Erschek despite all he'd done, Erschek bought into Lircul's promise that, as both an arena fighter and one of the caravan's newly hired security, he would find the world far more accepting of him than he'd been led to believe thus far. At this point, Erschek seemed to lose any concern for what family he may have had, as by having found a place in the Gilden Shire caravan, he eventually concluded that they were plentifully qualified as a family in essence.

Erschek fights with a personal style of martial arts that switches between the use of blunt force from his fists, feet, and horned head; lethal attacks with his Vestigial smallfinger claws; and lashing attacks from his elastically-muscled hook tail. Through participation in various arena matches, he refined his techniques against tried and true pro fighters, eventually finding his strength in not only the sheer impact of his physical might, but also his natural agility and aggression, allowing him to maintain a vigorous offense while his impact-reactive hide allowed him to push through his opponents' counter maneuvers. The near-feral style of fighting earned Erschek great notoriety among his fellow arena fighters, though he continued to refine it further, wanting it to resemble more of a focused, nuanced style than simple overwhelming insistence.