At 10 feet at the shoulder and approximately 525 lbs, Abyss is a gargantuan female with a thick, soft coat of fur the color of charcoal. Smooth, ruby-red scales cover portions of her body like iridescent armor. From her mother's blood she inherited many traits meant for survival within the ocean. A large dorsal fin runs the length of her body with matching fins adorning each limb. The dorsal fin behaves like that of a roosterfish, erecting like the crest of a bird when angry, stressed, or displaying dominance. Her fins fold when upon the land (to prevent damage). On her neck (behind and slightly below her ears), there is a set of gills on either side. These gills are covered in a scaly gill plate which blends seamlessly with the scales of her neck when not in use. Her fluke-finned tail is long, thick, and partially scaled. The powerfully muscled appendage is used for propulsion in water. Along her lower jawline are electro-receptors like those seen on sharks [ampullae of Lorenzini]. Along her sides and flanks run a series of sensory organs similar to the lateral lines of most fish. When in water, and to a lesser degree upon the land, these two sets of sensory organs allow her to detect vibration, pressure changes, and the fluctuation of electrical fields around her for hunting and self-defense purposes. A gland at the base of each hair follicle similarly secretes oil to sea otters, which helps keep her undercoat dry and aids in buoyancy and the retention of body heat.
Her father's blood gives her her jade green eyes with their nictitating membranes as well as several characteristics common to pit-vipers. Interspersed throughout the whiskers down either side of her muzzle are tiny, heat-sensing organs known as loreal pits. These pits allow her to sense the body heat of others and to locate them quite accurately by this sense alone within a distance of about ten yards. Her bite is venomous, delivering a haemotoxic venom, which causes necrosis and disrupts the clotting of the afflicted's blood. As with pit-vipers, her venom contains proteins that allow her to track by smell the envenomated victim. Her tongue, colored an alarming shade of electric blue, is forked like that of a viper and allows her to "taste" scents in the air like a snake. It was also from her father that she inherited her scales and heavy, draconic forepaws.
Personality
Abyss's is a very kind and welcoming nature. She tends to be a bit reserved of her own thoughts and feelings. As with most, it takes time to build trust with her, though hers is generally not a suspicious mind. In fact she is quite guileless, and is uncomfortable with deception. One's honesty should be as sacrosanct and indelible as one's honor, and she does not take kindly to others questioning her integrity. In her mind, respect is earned by way of merit. While a leader needs must prove themselves worthy of her allegiance and support, she holds that all creatures have a base right to dignified treatment. Quite diplomatic by nature, she is skilled at finding the common ground and is known to play the devil's advocate. While slow to anger, her temper is powerful, and she does not quickly forget an insult. Abyss likes to think of herself as a bastion of good, plain common sense, and she does her best not to over-think things. Extraordinarily curious, she loves exploring and getting into trouble, and it doesn't seem that she'll be stopping any time soon.
History
Born upon the shore of Lake Gorscar, Abyss has spent most of her life in the basin at the foot of the Falls. Her people are a proud, resilient tribe focused on the well-being of their community. Her upbringing was generally a happy one, though all journeys have their ups and downs. Caring and attentive parents, pleasant and patient neighbors and mentors, all helped raise her and her peers to be well-rounded individuals able and willing to contribute to the tribes' future. Though she has seen several adventures in her life, she always returns to her roots, her people.