The Jersey Devil : Omen of Disaster

Posts : 19 Join date : 2009-11-12

It is a haunted place where the blood red waters of the Mullica River rise in the bog of a New Jersey town...the cedars that line the river banks stain the waters their deep color. Stunted pitch pines stand motionless, their shallow roots anchored precariously in gleaming white stands. Silence reigns.

The truest tale about The Jersey Devil might lie therein Native American Folklore. The Lenni Lenape tribes from 1609 referred to the area around Pine Barrens as 'Popuessing', which translates into 'place of the dragon' (A related area was referred to as "Swankum" meaning 'place of evil ghosts'). Swedish explorers later named it 'Drake Kill', 'drake' meaning dragon, and 'kill' meaning arm of the sea. Descriptions of the Devil vary and include a 'flying lion' or 'an eagle with four legs'. The consistent report is that it calls with a combination howl and whistle, and it is said to be carnivorous. There have been many sightings of the devil, all similar yet different; they are all accurate accounts. He has several forms as a chimera of sorts. These forms are nonthreatening, used for travel and escape more often than not. Obviously, he doesn't fight and will not fight. To say he won't display hostility is a lie, but he's more 'all bark and no bite', unless you're livestock or a domestic animal. Just asking him to leave is enough to send him retreating.

Name: Othello.
Nicknames: Leeds Devil, Jersey Devil, Demon Leeds, Shrouds Devil, Pine Barrens Demon.
Occupation: "Second" in command. Sentinel of various parts of New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia, especially lurks The Pine Barrens despite having been sighted there (he doesn't fear humans and can easily escape if spotted by one).
Personality: Kinda acts like a hotshot but is obviously a baby. Appears scarier than he actually is, seeing as he won't fight at all, period.
Clothing: Absolutely nothing, unless in full-human form he'll wear an old-timey kinda outfit. Black slacks, furred at the cuffs. This matches his sleeves (which are long by the way) and his collar, which is dramatic and bushy. His shirt is laced shut, and is a sandy auburn color, while the fur bits all over are brown with dark/black flecks.
Pictures: None yet.
Forms: None of these were made on a whim. They come from conflicting reports about how the Jersey Devil appeared to them.
• Avians •
Sandhill Crane
Stands at about five feet. His wingspan is seven feet, and he weighs about 12lbs. Grey feathered except around his forehead, which is alternatively crowned with red feathers. Trumpets a 'garoo-a-a-a'.

Tawny Eagle
Stands a little over two feet, while his wingspan is about five feet, weighs three pounds or so. Makes typical 'yaap-yaap-yaap' and 'yee-ka-ka-ka-ka' noises. His chest/legs/head are all a pale tannish color which stretches to his wings, but the tips are of a darker brown color as are his tail feathers. The tip of his beak is black, then yellow at his nostrils to the corners.

• Hooved •
White horse
Appears much like a regular wild mustang. He stands at around 17 hands or so (5'6'' from font hoof to base of neck) and weighs between 700-800lbs. He's covered in pristine white despite appearing to be unowned. His mane is the only unkempt thing about him, flowing in all sorts of directions and covering a bit of his face. His tail extends to his hooves, stringy and wavy.

White Stag
In this state he appears very ghostly, probably see through if he weren't luminous. This form is rarely used, it's only purpose is to gain attention in dire situations, diverting people from an impending disaster. It is noted that he once detoured an out of control stagecoach from crashing into a river in this manifestation.

• Reptilian •
Scarlet Kingsnake
The most colorful of all his forms, making it the worst for camouflage. It's an ideal shape to take when trying to squeeze into tight spots. His snout is red, and he's got similar red blotches all throughout his body as well as a continual series of white bars sandwiched between black ones.
He may be mistaken for something deadly due to his coloration, but is benign.

• Canine •
Rough Collie
Much taller than the average collie, but not something blatantly odd. The tip of his snout is white, but darkens into a pale-tan color which darkens towards his ears. There's a white strip that resembles a lion's mane or a boa that stretches to his chest and matches all four paws, while a mahogany color starts beneath that at his shoulder blades. That tapers off into a tannish hue.

• Anthropomorphic •
This varies, but more often than not he will keep everything above the waist human.

The most common one he'll use is one where he stands at 5'10'' and appears thin, bearing almost no muscle mass. His lower half is typically hooved, consistent with his horse form. His tail is wiry and three-pronged at the very tip. He's got a set of wings which are webbed and bat-like, stretching out at a wingspan of six feet.
Although his upper half is human for the most part, but he has a set of antlers project out from a mop of white. Sitting up above a pair of ovalish furred ears, which best resemble goat (ram) ears.
His hair is choppy, the longest strands reaching his jaw, the tips no longer a pristine white hue but instead more of a tawny color. It's a bit longer in the back; a somewhat thick sliver of hair that extends from his nape, to a little past his shoulders. This is always braided (it's kinda like a rat tail, but not really).
Basically he looks like an anthro Kirin, ok?
His eyes are red, bordered all around by a gold color.

When he's like this, he's been heard making noises relative to the scratching of a phonograph before the music begins, squeaking, piercing at first and then it grows low and hoarse. He can also produce a whistle noise, similar to a factory shriek, and also make unearthly screams and hiss.

Additionally, in all forms (with the exception of the stag, seeing as it's always lit) he's capable of emitting a dull glow like that of a firefly.

• Special •
Dragon: He has a very long neck with several spikes leading to the back of his head, which connects at a series of projections which reach out from the back of his head and appear almost feather-like or leafy. A single, thin tusk on either side of his jaw spread past his head, though they look like catfish whiskers (if not for their position and the fact they aren't wavy or hair-like). A pair of actual horns pop out a few inches past his eyes and appear to be barbed.
He has a forked tongue and gaping mouth, capable of unhinging his jaw like a snake. His teeth are pretty uneven with size and such, some randomly larger and overlapping the top or bottom.
He also has a pair of black leathery/rubbery wings, similar to what's described in his anthro form but much larger and frayed at the edges. The outer "shell" of his wings are indeed black, but the inside is white, and he bears two scars on his right wing. One considerably larger than the other, but both resemble healed gunshot or circular wounds, marked by a cream color (these scars are apparent whenever these wings are visible, which won't only be in dragon form). The front part of his throat, chest, inner-arms, pelvis and thighs are also white, but everything else is red. with the exception of his claws, which are also white, and horns, which are white as well (the feathery bits at the back of his head/jaw aren't considered to be horns). This scheme matches the various shades of a Scarlet Kingsnake.
Like this, he is capable of fire breath and can poison water simply by breathing on it.