There is something about
The Warlord that has always appealed to me.
It's not just the fact it's Mike Grell writing, or that it's an awesome take of Edgar Rice Burroughs, it's the women. The women in
The Warlord were always very...for lack of a better word, awesome. From Tara to Jennifer Morgan and finally to Shakira, the women weren't women in distress, but strong, no-nonsense characters that often held their own against the threats from Skartaris.
Case in point: Shakira the werecat. While often considered to be nothing more than a damsel in distress, Shakira was an incredibly lethal ally of Travis Morgan, who harbored more than her share of secrets. Loyal, mysterious, and graceful, Shakira was definitely the one woman in Skartaris you would not wish to underestimate. Many did, and they paid for such.
Why Shakira?
First, it was how she was introduced, and the fact that she wasn't just a one-shot character, but a character that had even Travis Morgan guessing. Secondly, she was a good foil for the gregarious Morgan, and was always just a little more curious as to the machinations of Skartaris than most people were, which saved the realms many, many times. I think I like her because as a Warlord fan, she was the one character that despite her feline nature, refused Morgan as often as she tried to seduce him, making her a lot of ways his equal (Tara being the other one, Mariah a close third).
Shakira
F: Ex (20)
A: Am (50)
S: Typ (6)
E: Ex (20)
R: Gd (10)
I: Am (50)
P: Ex (20)
Health: 96
Karma: 80
Popularity: 0/30 in Skartaris
Resources: Pr (4)/Typ (6) when in the court of the Warlord
Talents:
Thief
Survival
Knowledge: Skartaris
Knowledge: Skartaris Threats
Mystic Origin*
Acrobatics
Tumbling
Firearms
Sharp Weapons
Feral Combat
Dual Weapons
Powers:
Werecat:Shakira is a werecat, capable of shifting from her human form to her cat form instantly. Shakira is at home in either form, and possesses senses and other skills that carry over from one form to the other. So far, Shakira has only displayed the ability to shift into a cat the approximate size, shape, and weight of a normal housecat, but it is suggested in both the new Warlord series and the Justice League Unlimited episode with Skartaris that Shakira can shift into a large panther and hybrid form. For the purposes of this write-up, Shakira is being featured in her house-cat form. As such, Shakira has the following abilities:
- Animal Transformation: House Cat: Shakira can assume the form of a black house cat, with all of her equipment and scant clothing chanigng with her. The only thing remaining obvious is her silver collar which shifts with her in size.
- Tracking: Shakira can track with Ex (20) ability
- Heightened Senses: Shakira possesses Gd (10) enhanced senses
- Dark Vision: Shakira can see in near total darkness, and can perceive heat signatures
- Stealth: Shakira posseses Rm (30) stealth
- Natural Weaponry: Claws: Shakira's claws do Gd (10) damage, halving effective body armor in either human or feline form.
- Bite: Shakira's bite can do Gd (10) damage
- Hyper Climbing: Shakira can climb quickly with Gd (10) ability.
- Hyper Leaping: Shakira can jump further than a normal human or cat with Gd (10) ability.
Contacts:
Travis Morgan: Warlord
Tara Morgan: Queen of Skartaris
Jennifer Morgan: High Sorceress of Skartaris
Limitations:
Feline Nature: Shakira displays feline characteristics, including the need for affection, a fear of water, and other atypical personality traits associated with cats.
Loyal: Shakira is incredibly loyal to Travis Morgan, and would die for him.
Recognized Ally of the Warlord Similar to Public Identity, most individuals recognize that Shakira is a trusted ally and friend of Travis Morgan.
Note: I am still hesitant on placing Shakira's agility at Am (50), but her appearances in the comic seem to justify it. I would be perfectly fine placing her Agility at In (40), but I felt after seeing some of the thing she had done, it made more sense to go for the higher rank and reduce as necessary than to justify talking it up.