Hey there, people. As promised, it’s time to start digging into the character ideas chosen by the poll. Up first, as it says in the thread title, is Eagle. So here he is!
(Art by the awesome CrownySuccubus)
Story: Breaking the Iron - Eagle and his brother, Thunder, grew up on a reservation in Idaho. Their parents being officers on the reservation, they were taught to go with the law, instilling a sense of duty in the brothers. The two were also hardened athletes even from a young age, Thunder taking to football while Eagle became more of a fighter. He was a star wrestler, unchallenged on the mat by anyone in the state. Eagle also dabbled into boxing, becoming just as devastating in the ring. He was renowned for his harsh straight punch, as well as his willingness to take huge risks. By combining a mixture of speedy blows and punishing strikes, Eagle earned a name for himself on the amateur circuit.
Eagle soon grew bored of his easy wins and lack of competition. What he desired was a true challenge. He began to laze about as his interest in his skills began to dwindle. Thunder took notice of Eagle and his hunger for a real contest. When he saw his brother sulking about and losing his form, he knew he had to do something. Thunder told Eagle that perhaps he would find an answer to his problem by consulting his weyekin through a vision quest. When Thunder ventured out for his first vision, he was a teenager. Eagle was worried that since he was in his 20’s he might have passed his chance, but his brother reassured him. His weyekin would speak with him all the same, Thunder told Eagle. All he needed to do was venture out and isolate himself in the wilderness. Once there, he would find the guidance he sought.
Eagle travelled to the same peak Thunder had for his vision quest, a lonely peak in the wilderness near their home known as Devil’s Throne. Thunder said that he would know his vision was visiting him by an unmistakable sign. He found his omen in the form of a tornado in the distance, then having his own vision. From the twister flew a giant eagle that made thunderclaps when it flapped its wings. Just as with Thunder, the bird spoke to Eagle, telling him of his fate. He would find the challenge he was looking for, but with it would come hardship. He would be cast into an iron shell, trapped in its confines. When the time was right, he would break free from his prison and free his people as well. Eagle seemed confused, but his weyekin told him he would know it was time when he saw a great ice statue. In order to fulfill this fate, Eagle would need to endure extreme training and great suffering. Only with great strength could he break his iron tomb, the spirit told him. The casing not only held Eagle, but it also had his people tied to the outside. By breaking it, he would free himself and his people. With that, the mystic winds subsided and the bird with them, leaving Eagle alone on the peak. Eagle returned to his home, looking to tell his brother of his vision. Before he could recount the tale, Thunder stopped him, telling Eagle that he was not to tell anyone what he had seen in his vision quest, but rather what lesson he pulled from it.
Eagle returned to his training with newfound fervor, pondering what his weyekin had told him as he went to town on a punching bag. His ears began to buzz as he heard the TV behind him talking about signing up for UltraTech’s first Killer Instinct tournament, which sought to test the skill of fighters from all around the world. Eagle had no love for the megacorporation. They had moved a facility onto his people’s land, bringing pollution and crime with it. However, the idea of an ultimate fighting tournament peaked his interest. Having found a new purpose, Eagle trained his body into a human bulldozer. His combined boxing and wrestling training gave him a well-rounded offense and defense, leaving little weakness in the his fighting ability. However, during his training one day, his brother visited him with some terrible news. Their parents had been found dead in front of the UltraTech facility on the land.
They were both wrecked with grief, soon seeking justice against the company. The feds had told them they were killed by drug dealers, but the brothers knew better. The corporation shut their efforts down at every turn, and all hope seemed lost. Eagle wandered in sorrow, seeking someway to bring UltraTech to justice. He travelled the country, looking for any clues or hints that might help his quest. As he stumbled along, he was approached by a hooded figure. The strange person knew of Eagle’s mission, and told him of The Disavowed, an anti-UltraTech organization. Eagle was wary of the mysterious figure, but he felt he had nothing to lose at this point.
He made plans to travel immediately, understanding that he would likely be searching for some time. He tirelessly sought more information on The Disavowed, eventually coming across a location of theirs in Sierra Leone. After weeks of seeking, Eagle finally found The Disavowed’s hideout. He met the leader, a young woman who went under the codename Black Orchid. She was unsure of the wanderer at first, but his purpose beamed from his eyes. The two quickly formed a friendship, Eagle becoming Orchid’s second-in-command and go-to for whatever mission she needed done. He didn’t care about the risk. Anything he could do to hurt UltraTech was worth it in his eyes.
After Eagle had nestled his way into the ranks of The Disavowed, Orchid needed someone she could send undercover as a combatant in the Killer Instinct tournament. Eagle jumped at the opportunity. His friend warned him that she hadn’t come to him since she considered it a suicide mission, but nothing would dissuade him. Eagle had trained his body for this tournament and he had a way in now. He finally had the chance to test his skills against the entire world. Knowing he’d need more than his fists, he brought a special set of weapons he had made years ago. They were a pair of simple bracers fitted with blades, creating a makeshift set of punching daggers. The blades held special meaning for Eagle. They were two sets of steel bars his father had used when training him. They were how Eagle learned the basics of fighting. His father taught him that fighting was primarily for self-defense. However, he also told Eagle that it may be necessary to fight for what he believed in one day. This was that day. The daggers allowed Eagle to take advantage of his close-quarters combat skills, but it also provided a deadly edge. With their use, Eagle was victorious in the tournament. Before he had a chance to celebrate, UltraTech abducted him and he felt himself fade into darkness. He found himself in a great plain when he awoke, not knowing how he had gotten there. Eagle had been put in suspended animation by UltraTech, seeking to use his brain as the basis of the AI for their experimental cyborg unit known as the Fulgore.
For years, Eagle remained in suspended animation, trapped in his dream of the plain that stretched for eternity. Occasionally, he was visited by a woman who called herself Arianna. Eagle grew to enjoy her company, as it was the only companionship he had during this time. The two would play games together, have debates and discussions about philosophy, and just enjoy each other’s company. Eagle knew not where he was or how he had gotten there, but he found solace in Arianna’s visits. Eventually, he was visited by the great eagle that had visited him on his original vision quest, only this time riding a wave of ice.
The eagle revealed to him that Arianna was actually ARIA, the robotic mind behind UltraTech, who had indeed killed his parents and trapped Eagle in this dream for years. They had been keeping him imprisoned and using his mind to create horrible machinations to do their bidding. Eagle was filled with rage, but his weyekin told him that he would free him when the time was right. The next time he was visited by Arianna, he told her he knew who she was, much to her surprise. Eagle told Arianna of his weyekin, and that he would soon be freed from the ethereal plain. He suddenly faded into darkness as his eternal dream ended and he finally woke up on the lonely peak of his vision quest.
So much had changed since Eagle had been here last, but the view was the same as it had been all those years ago. So much had been taken from him since that vision. His parents, his identity, years of his life. A deep sorrow washed over Eagle’s heart with this realization. His head fell as he let out a deep sigh. With his eyes on the ground, Eagle noticed yet another thing he hadn’t seen in years. His old punching daggers he had used in the Killer Instinct tournament. Something about these daggers refilled Eagle’s heart with hope. In his eyes, they represented his undying resolve and that which could never be stolen. UltraTech had taken everything from him, but there was something they couldn’t take. He could never be robbed of his fighting spirit, that much he was certain of. With a nostalgic grin and a subtle chuckle, Eagle reclaimed his old weapons. Though great changes had occurred, UltraTech’s evil was sure to be constant. But he would end that, and finally bring them to justice.
As he gained his bearings, Eagle noticed a strange creature standing over him. It was a tall, gangly humanoid creature with four fingers on each hand and an awkward, beaked face. Though perturbed, Eagle could sense this being meant him no harm. He could almost hear what it was saying without it moving what he assumed was its mouth. If it had saved him from UltraTech, there was a chance this creature also had a bone to pick with the corporation. Eagle had a very easy time believing that UltraTech had enemies from all corners of the universe. Eagle decided that he would team up with this creature, feeling a bond similar to the one his brother felt with the war golem Aganos. Eagle now felt there was more than revenge fuelling him. UltraTech had used his brain to create the Fulgores, Eagle seeing them as abhorrent extensions of himself. It was his duty to destroy each and every one of them. And so, Eagle and Glacius set out to find Thunder, seeking reunion on one hand and revenge on the other.
Gameplay:
Unique Trait - Gusts
Lightning Strike, Gale Force and Monsoon have a field around them once they become active that powers through projectiles. If they make contact with a projectile while the gust is active, they absorb the projectile and power up Eagle’s next attack.
Combo Trait - Command Enders
Eagle can use Lightning Strike and Gale Force as enders by hitting BF HP for Lightning Strike and BF HK for Gale Force in a combo. Lightning Strike acts as a wall bouncer ender, while Gale Force functions as an exchange ender.
Command Normals -
Forward HP - Lightning Strike - Eagle performs a quick straight punch. Can be cancelled into a special move. Opener.
Forward HK - Gale Force - Eagle turns back and comes back around with a strong straight punch. Can be cancelled into a special move. Opener.
3P (in Instinct) - Derecho - Eagle taunts the opponent as he assumes a counter stance. If he is struck while in this, he causes a hard knockdown on the opponent with a counterpunch.
Specials -
QCF P - Squall - Eagle dashes forward and flaps his arms together, bringing his daggers together as they slice through the opponent. Light travels a sweep distance, medium travels jump distance, and heavy travels nearly full-screen. Opener and linker. Shadow version is projectile invulnerable. Meter Ender.
QCB P - Monsoon - Eagle grabs the opponent and performs a high-flying powerbomb on them. The stronger the button, the more startup and recovery it has & the more damage it deals. Can be performed in the air. Shadow version is throw invulnerable. Damage Ender.
FDF P - Twister - Eagle performs a rising uppercut with his claw extended upward for a DP. The stronger the button, the further it goes in the air and the more recovery it has. Shadow version is a shadow ender. Launcher Ender.
QCB K - Typhoon - Eagle jumps forward and slams the opponent down on his knee guard, staggering the opponent. Light grabs in front, medium goes sweep distance then grabs, and heavy goes jump distance and grabs. Opener and linker. Shadow version jumps up at an angle and recaptures. Hard Knockdown Ender.
Instinct - Weyekin’s Blessing
Eagle channels the power of his weyekin and his claws become wrapped in wind. While in instinct, all of Eagle’s punch normals and specials have gusts around them. Eagle’s forward dash drastically increases in distance and can be cancelled into a special. He also gains access to Derecho, which parries the enemy and punches through them, causing a hard knockdown.
And that should do it! Hopefully you enjoyed the idea to some degree. I don’t pretend to be the greatest expert on this kind of stuff, so shoot me some feedback. It’s the first one of these I’m doing, so it’ll be a little rough around the edges.
Next time, we’ll be taking a look at Character Idea #2, which is Daisuke the Haunted Armor. Until then, it’s Eagle’s time to shine!
