Ralph Lynch -Informative- Iron Dragon

Ralph Lynch is the main protagonist in my Western/Fantasy story called 'Iron-Dragon'.

Character Reference Sheet 1.1

Last Updated 6/25/21

---

a.           Age: 30

b.            Name: Ralph Lynch

c.             Alias/Handle: Ral

d.            Gender: Male

e.            Religion: Not religious

f.             Birthplace: N/A

g.            Date of Birth: N/A

h.            Deathplace (if at all): N/A

i.              Date of Death (if at all): N/A

j.             Gender Orientation: Heterosexual

k.            Power Element Affinity: Juunaa (Deception)

---

Biological Information

---

a.            Ht: 6’02

b.            Lb: 160

c.             Mother (if at all): N/A

d.            Father (if at all): N/A

e.            Siblings: One sister, her name is Aerial Lynch. Unknown whereabouts nor status.

f.             Children: Miele (Meal-ah) Thought to be his dead/unborn child with his wife, shortly born after the wife’s death.

g.            Marriage: Yes but widowed. Wife was called ‘Serena Sierra’

h.            Friends (if at all): N/A

i.              Enemies: Tellaa’juujaa (Tell-ah-shew-jah) The ‘Goliath Wyrm King’ of the NightScreamers

j.             Related to Who: Miele Lynch

 

---

Physical Traits

---

a.            Eyes: Grey tinged with copper/brown (right) and red eye with black pupil (left, later on in story)

b.            Skin: Tanned

c.             Body Type: Muscular but not bulky

d.            Scars: Left eye, vertically placed and about 3 inches long

e.            Other: Missing left eye (original) by being impaled by a tail spike. Later is replaced with a new eye that he covers with an eyepatch to keep from sight. Is the one physical trait that doesn’t seem able to return to being ‘human’ nor can be regarded as ‘human’ in origin. His new eye is regenerated by the NightScreamer’s powerful healing abilities. Should similar results occur in loss of limbs is unclear as to how unpredictable and powerful the abilities of NightScreamers are.

f.             Unusual Notes of Interest: Ralph did not die from being impaled but did suffer severe scarring to the left half of his face, in his left eye area. Ralph also doesn’t appear to have any lingering injuries after his face heals. Though he does become a NightScreamer he does not lose his sanity or self-awareness, nor is he permanently transformed into one like a typically infected individual. He can shift between forms but isn’t very good at the transition instead ending up horribly confused in physical appearance when he tries. The only few times he does shift into a full NightScreamer is rare and only occurs in situations that he loses his temper, extreme stress, or strong emotional outlet. Ralph is a very introverted person, so this rarely happens. Though he isn’t very good at keeping himself out of trouble. It usually finds him.

---

Mental Traits

---

a.            Month and Year Traits: N/A

b.            Persona (Major): Ralph isn’t the most easy-going person out there, but he is quite tolerant and yet never submissive in any given situation. Though he’s had his fair share of unwelcomed events and situations he himself never expected to be involved in, he’s quite warm towards those he grows to care for. Despite his rough demeanor Ralph is quite the soft touch at heart and sometimes even slightly gullible. 

c.             Persona (Minor): Given that he has many traits of frustration his main ideal emotions are just a mask of what he really is. Though considered smaller and less inclined to show, his minor persona is a small child in a large bright room. He has a hard time understanding why these events are happening to him and why he must deal with those he deems unsavory. Though due to this, he has grown over the years but has also become much ‘rougher’ and sometimes has a noticeable temper.

d.            Trauma: His wife and unborn child (the child isn’t dead actually) were killed by some unknown persons that had something out for Ralph. Ralph suffered severe depression, drinking and anger issues due to this. Though over time (as this occurred when he was 25) he learned to suppress his haunted thoughts of being unable to take care of his family. This mainly afflicts him in the story throughout it. This becomes a targeted weakness when his sanity is at stake.

e.            Nature: He’s quite a caring and considerate fellow that would give the shirt off his back for just about anyone for any reason. His hidden feelings of sorrow typically overwhelm this though as he tries to remain this way as he develops throughout the story.

f.             Nurtured: As he grew up, his naivety was generally his Achilles heel. After the deaths of his wife and child however, he became grim and cold to everyone around him, adopting a more serious tone for his work and mindset.

g.            Interests: He hasn’t really had much time to contemplate things he enjoys during the years of his hunt for the killer of his family, but those he did have typically involved caring for animals and being with his wife. He also has the odd knack for being able to calm wild animals that others considered rabid or dangerous.

h.            Dislikes: Plenty of things but the most being his frustration of not understanding why things are occurring to him and the part he feels he must play in order to figure out why. That and things that are too cute looking in his opinion.

i.              Fears:

---

Power Abilities

---

a.            Power Strongest Against: Ra’Vexi (Spirit), Wataraa (Water)

b.            Power Weakest Against: Juunaa (Deception), Ro’tulaa (Death)

c.             Learned Powers:

d.            Inherited Powers: NightScreamer elemental powers (Ro’tulaa)

e.           Resistant Against: Kreturra (Life)

---

Role in Story

---

 

 

 

a.            Appears in what Story: The Iron Dragon (Only)

b.            Main or Minor Character: Main Protagonist

c.            Relationship to other Main or Minor Characters:

d.            Important Situations Involving Character and/or Others: Ralph experiences his first shift on the night that he is locked in a decrepit barn that resides on Miele’s small but sustained ranch for injured creatures. NightScreamers generally are permanently shifted from human form, only the oldest of their kind generally able to return to a humanoid form. Ralph is odd in this fact seeing as he can shift between either, but still does feel weird from confusion and discomfort when shifting forms. Though not painful, the shifting of forms isn’t exactly of any kind of pleasantry from doing as such.

Initially the barn was for the more vicious and uncontrollable kinds such as wild animals, it also handily serves as an area for Ralph’s unexpected stay during the time his wounds heal. Ralph is taken care for inside the barn by Miele when unconscious. However, he is locked inside when she believes he’ll turn rabid once a NightScreamer. She can’t bring herself to kill him, but she cannot allow him to roam free due to the high chance of killing innocents or infecting others. She figures a mercy killing is the best option, before he turns.

Ralph currently has no clue of what is a NightScreamer, as he’s only vaguely aware of his own disposition as well. To him, this is all a huge headache and slows him down in his search for the killer of his family. NightScreamers are considered a somewhat fairy tale to scare young children into behaving and as a warning to those who trespass where they’re not welcome in the BlackSands, the territory of the Wyrm King. It’s merely considered a local legend and isn’t well known to those outside of the closely-knit community.

When Ralph begins to have a strange impulse to pace around, he doesn’t really consider the fact he is in fact, becoming restless as his infection is reaching its peak, where the body can no longer resist the shift. Typically for those infected by a NightScreamer, they suffer in agonizing pain as their body fights against the unwelcome change but eventually reach a point where they can no longer resist and turn rabid from pain. Ralph is in an odd situation where his physical self doesn’t resist (though mentally he’s freaking out, sure) but seems rather more or less able to withstand the transformation, despite the other worldly like circumstance he encounters.

Eating his supper given via a slot under the large formidable iron barn door (which he notes is covered in gouges and slash marks from something or someone) and sits to eat at a makeshift table from a mirror he finds inside, does the shift begin to take place. The first oddity is his teeth becoming suddenly loose and being unable to think clearly, as the instincts of a NightScreamer create a sort of haze over his consciousness. Why he retains his sanity and humanity isn’t quite clear yet, but it does have some part to play in the future.

As he contemplates the situation, he experiences a sort of numb back spasm yet feels no particular sort of pain. Instead, he feels a mounting pressure race across his spine as if he were trying stretch his back. Bewildered, Ralph is shocked to find, as he removes teeth that have for some reason begun to fall out harmlessly, that they are not causing any type of pain from the mouth. Instead, as he explores his exposed gums, he cuts the tip of his finger on a sharp pointed edge that has begun to come out of the same exact spot the tooth came loose from. The sight of blood seems to trigger something in him mentally and moments later, a bizarre change in his hands gives him a sudden confused sense of panic, as sleek black talons begin rupturing from the tips of his fingers, his skin peeling off in larger and larger chunks. His hands begin to crimp into a digi-grade form akin to that of a cat, all the while his body starts contorting in a way that is extremely unpleasant, but alas, not painful.

As he begins to realize something is quite terribly wrong, his legs give out as his entire body frame begins to change from its original form. He falls hard to the ground and cringes in confusion. His only real thoughts at the time are wildly tumbled and can only watch in pure horror as his skin sloughs off revealing shiny scales the color of darkest night. He can’t seem to make any real progress of thought or why this is occurring to him, and discovers the bizarre changes are haphazard and random. He then tries to stand once more to his dismay and discovers his legs are completely mangled in appearance and are out of synch with the shifting of each leg. His body soon begins to bulge in places he cannot seem to keep from ripping apart his clothing as they grow into monstrous proportions.

Despite all of the panic, he feels no pain. It’s as if his body is naturally accepting whatever is happening and nothing is out of the ordinary. As large knife-like fangs begin to fill his mouth, he can no longer close his mouth and starts choking on his own tongue that has become long slithery like that of a snake. He retches in the horrible sensation of gagging and makes pained sounds of wheezing just as black furls of smoke unfurl from his mouth in sporadic puffs.

Once the initial disorientation begins to unravel into the idea he’s shifting into a monster, does he really start to mentally thrash and physically throw himself around trying to regain equilibrium to his stance. As his face finally catches up to the rest of the changes and splits into a huge maw, he shakes himself violently as he sheds the last of his human form (and clothing) off his new, monstrous one. Ralph at this point is breathing heavily through lungs of great size and trembling from the new sensations he’s experiencing at one time, and it doesn’t help one side of his face has three eyes, while the other, remaining human-esk in appearance, swivels wildly to assess the situation.

The sudden change in vision is highly confusing as he can see much more and experience new senses he never knew possible. Yet his sense of balance, judgement of size, and over all ability to even fully understand these new perceptions elude him entirely. Ralph attempts to move in a calmer way but seems to discover his body has become incredibly bulky and larger than he is accustomed to.

At this time, Ralph has become 99% NightScreamer, save for the fact his human eye remains unlike his other eyes, that are entirely NightScreamer instead.

Horribly confused, Ralph squirms uncomfortably as he has become twice the size of his original form. He’s about 8 feet long by 7 feet tall as a NightScreamer. He clonks his massive head on the various beams around him and cannot get a sense of orientation all the while. He can’t even talk, as he rumbles and as he grumbles much to his dismay. When he catches his reflection in the mirror he was using to eat on, he instantly screams (roars) that startles himself considerably. He can barely believe his -four- eyes and blinks as if he can make himself un-see the beastly reflection. He can hardly believe he is a giant creature of vicious appearance.

Once he’s calmed but is still recovering from the over all shock, Ralph attempts to put together what has happened to himself. Though he’s never heard of his condition, he feels as if it has something to do with the fact he was attacked by a similar looking creature, that took his left eye. Yet again, his questions are only gaining in frustration as his missing eye was now replaced with three beady looking eyeballs, completely unlike his own normal eye. Or as normal as it could be given the lack of understanding.

NightScreamers typically have six eyes, three on each side of the head. In Ralph’s case, three on one side and his original human eye on the other, only much bigger to compensate for size as a NightScreamer. He does have a second lid on all his eyes which are uncomforting as they are useful. This is used as a means of keeping out debris and other things from hurting his eyes, sort of like a second eyelid. As he nervously tries to examine himself, he tries to sit and use the mirror in his now-very-large hands/claws. He finds this whole thing to be nauseating and bizarre. While incredibly awkward and given his sheer mass seems to fill the small barn, he quickly determines he must have some reason for any of this going on, the way it has.

After several uneasy hours of being much too big and quite confused, he senses something odd, but also familiar. As the sun begins to rise, he realizes his form is beginning to shrink. His black scales slowly seem to fall off, revealing a membrane that he can recognize as skin. His body appears to be reverting somehow and returning to a human form. As the last dregs of the unfamiliar form literally fall off him, only one thing seems to remain unchanged. His left eye refuses to return to a ‘normal’ appearance. While the other extra two disappear, a still beady black with red pupil eye remains where his left eye should be.

Upon this discovery, he realizes he’s stark naked. Which is incredibly embarrassing. Luckily, as if knowing this would happen, clothes had been put aside at some point in time where he could quickly amend his problem of being rather exposed.

As the story carries on, Ralph learns of what a NightScreamer is and their influence upon the people of Black Sand. While it doesn’t particularly have any reason to his case, he decides he needs to figure out what had caused his transformation. But also why he remained totally sane and returned to human form. Overtime however, he discovers that he isn’t actually as in control as he thinks, and certain things now have reason that previously had no consequence. Seems he can do things no ordinary human can do, like having the ability to speak to other non-human creatures. Which is off putting as not only can he seem to talk to them, but he can understand them quite clearly.

Problems begin to mount however when he learns his condition could possibly worsen, as NightScreamers are not known to be pleasant individuals, and their instincts are powerful and not to be trifled with lightly. He begins to feel bizarre impulses he finds little explanation for. He also finds he’s become incredibly sensitive to everything around him, from the creaking of the wooden buildings to the sigh of a person several feet away. But his most notable is his physical reaction to pain.

It isn’t long before he is targeted by the NightScreamers, not so much because he is different, but because the instinctual habits of NightScreamers is to protect their own, regardless of situation or form. NightScreamers, though entirely based on feral emotions, cannot seem to be able to tell the difference with Ralph being human and NightScreamer at the same time. In fact, to them, he is being ‘held against his will’ and they are determined to ‘reclaim’ Ralph by any means possible.

This problem quickly draws attention and hysteria, as no one knows save for Miele (while keeping Ralph in the dark about this), and the rampage of NightScreamers attacking begin. When Ralph is confronted by the strange beings, he is unsure as to how they are going to react to him as a human. They seem totally nonplussed however and again, take no care in the fact he’s a human. He has a brief conversation with the leader of the NightScreamer pack, come to discover, the creature is humanoid and though obviously not human, appears more intelligent than his brethren, by wearing clothing even. Ralph is taken aback by the whole, but the leader of this particular pack is curious of Ralph. Normally, only the very oldest of NightScreamers can regain a human form, though not even totally like Ralph has managed. This has peaked many of its clan (with some form of higher intelligence) as to how Ralph has retained total control.

And so as the story unfolds, he becomes increasingly pressured by the NightScreamers to leave the humans as they believe he has no reason to stay with ‘their kind’. While they are never a hostile threat to Ralph directly, it is apparent they care not for any other being save their own kind.

Author's Note

Any comments are welcomed.