Orthos
| Orthos | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General Information | |
| Name | Orthos |
| Titles | Dragon Sage of Black Flame |
| Faction | Blackflame Empire Anti-Dreadgod Force |
| Age | 300 |
| Race | Majestic Dragon Turtle (Sacred Beast) |
| Sex | Male |
| Status | |
| Vital | Alive |
| Sacred Arts | |
| Path | Path of Black Flame |
| Aspect | Fire, Destruction |
| Rank | Sage |
| Icon | Dragon |
| Contracts | Wei Shi Lindon |
| Relationships | |
| Parents | Ataraxias (mother) |
| Friends | Eithan Arelius
Wei Shi Lindon |
| Allies | Eithan Arelius
Wei Shi Lindon |
| Enemies | Ekerinatoth Northstrider |
| Appearances | |
| First Mention | Blackflame |
| Introduced | Blackflame |
| Appears In | Blackflame
Skysworn |
Orthos is a majestic turtle descended from Black Dragons. He is one of very few sacred beings alive today who still practice the Path of Black Flame. A sacred beast almost 300 years old, he was born during the rule of the Imperial Blackflame Clan (see Ashwind Continent History)
Contents
Appearance
“Bid welcome,” Eithan announced, “to the last great descendant of Serpent's Grave.” A massive black shape shouldered its way through the tunnel like a man pushing through a tight doorway. It turned blazing eyes on Lindon: they were inky pools of darkness, those eyes, with a circle of furious red where the iris should be. The skin of the creature’s reptilian head was cracked and leathery, pure black, and clusters of blazing embers burned on its back. (Blackflame ch 10) Orthos was a massive black turtle, the peak of his shell rising as high as Lindon's head. He was as long as a horse but thrice as wide, and his squat body looked heavy enough to sink a ship. The facets of his shell glowed sullen red around the edges, and black smoke rose from him in hazy waves. (Blackflame, chapter 10)
- The derogatory gold dragon Ekeri calls him “dragon-spawn” in book 5, but he is actually her better, the evolutionary descendant of a long-extinct (as far as we know) line of very powerful black dragons:
"The black dragons were the kings of this continent. In their day, their power dwarfed the Akura family. The gold dragons were just a servant family beneath them, scraping and clawing for every scrap.” (Ghostwater, chapter 8)
Sacred Arts
When first introduced in Blackflame, Orthos is a Truegold on the Path of Black Flame. As of Bloodline, he is an Underlord on The Path of Black Flame. Skilled at techniques like The Dragon Advances. Etc.
His Allies
Orthos is allied with House Arelius. He is soul-bonded with Wei Shi Lindon Arelius. They are like brothers. After a rocky start, he gained trust and loyal friendship from Yerin. The nature spirit Little Blue is his big helper and good friend. He respects and trusts Eithan Arelius. He thinks Dross talks too much. He cares about Akura Mercy, warning Lindon when she was unconscious too long (Reaper). As for Ziel, Orthos gave him the highest praise, comparing him to a black dragon (in Ghostwater).
Orthos shook himself like a dog, spraying yet more blood everywhere, and laughed freely. “You hit with the strength of a dragon! What is your name, human?” (Ghostwater chapter 11)
Progression
| Rank | Location | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truegold | Blackflame | Orthos was Truegold at introduction | |
| Underlord | Bloodline | ||
| Overlord | Waybound | C? | Training in Ghostwind Hall; consuming Black Dragon remnants, training against |
| Archlord | C15 | Orthos finished his training regime in Ghostwind Hall, becoming close to the peak of Archlord. | |
| Sage | C16 | After receiving some of the madra, memories and authority of Northstrider through Lindon, Orthos was able to make the connections necessary to manifest the Dragon Icon, becoming the Dragon Sage of Black Flame. He was able to do this as he has always been close to dragons and has meditated on the nature of dragons more than anybody else. | |
| Monarch | |||
Biography
When the former imperial Blackflame Clan ruled, Orthos was liaison to House Arelius — the branch in the Blackflame Empire. About ten years ago, he was burnt out and injured protecting Arelius house members from “a rogue Blackflame” (Blackflame ch 16):
Eithan spoke with a wistful sadness. “Long before my time as Patriarch, Orthos served as a liaison between the Arelius and the imperial Blackflame family. Only ten years ago, he overused his power defending us from attack.. .Orthos’ own madra overwhelmed his mind. He gave too much of himself for the sake of protecting my family. The branch heads spent a fortune trying to restore him, to their credit” (Blackflame chapter 10)
Bonding and Healing
Eithan Arelius wanted to help Orthos, while helping Wei Shi Lindon-Arelius. So Orthos bonded with Lindon and taught him the Path of Black Flame. Lindon helped Orthos clear his channels of harmful madra buildups. With the help of Lindon and Little Blue he was able to regain some measure of sanity. This was further helped by his time spent in Ghostwater (Pocket World), where he accessed the Dream Well, the Spirit Well, and the Life Well, plus he ate Silverfang Carp and other divine food.
Sacred Valley
In Underlord, Orthos temporarily leaves Lindon and the others, saying that Sacred Beasts do not have to undergo a revelation to reach Underlord. Instead, they chose what they wished to become (ex: Orthos could remain a turtle, become a dragon, or even become human, as seen by Seshethkunaaz, the boy King of the Dragons). For this reason, Orthos leaves and is later seen in Sacred Valley alongside Lindon's sister, Wei Shi Kelsa. He helps her and teaches her. He also gets Jai Long and Jai Chen to help free her mother.
