Kahnalos the Soulpiercer (Karn-a-lowss)
A daemon lord present during the re-unification of Expin who broke through the blockade & wreaked havoc on Lycan's Isle before disappearing, a feat credited to two unknown sorcerers by the surviving inhabitants who witnessed the battle. Memory surveys of the survivors suggest the daemon lord wasn't slain but sealed away through enchantments, most likely due to the sorcerers lacking the strength to do so, meaning there's a chance for Kahnalos to re-emerge in the future, and so all known abilities and weaknesses shall be laid out for future use should they be sighted again. Whatever Kahnalos was sealed in is also a mystery, though it's safe to assume it to be in the possession of the sorcerers who were last seen returning to Expin, presumably to continue assisting with the effort to contain the daemonic forces present there.
Appearance
Kahnalos is large & humanoid in appearance, standing at around 10 metres tall with charcoal coloured skin. Their mouth is circular with multiple rows of sharp, pointed teeth within it, off-centre to the right of their face under a crooked nose, 5 diamond-shaped red eyes with no iris or pupils taking up the bulk of the upper portion of the face underneath two large double-corkscrewed horns. The body is strangely proportioned & noticeably more bottom-heavy, with two large leathery wings draping behind like a cloak. Two sets of arms protrude outwards from the upper body, the lower pair being more traditional arms & hands with large claws, whilst the upper pair are shorter, with three clawed fingers closing up over holed palms with strange, crooked barbs lining the interior in a close-knit, curving pattern. Finally, it stands on two plantigrade feet, with three long talons at the front and one pointed back. Abilities
The most notable & dangerous ability presented by Kahnalos is their shriek: a high-pitched frequency capable of shattering bones at a range of up to 30 metres, bursting eardrums & causing internal bleeding up to 100 metres, & shattering glass & other fragile materials up to 250 metres. This loud, audible sound is hardly discreet, but given its sheer destructive power it has little need to be. Ear protection will likely dampen the effects as memory surveys showed this was counteracted by one of the sorcerers erecting soundproof protective bubbles, implying the effect is completely sonic in nature. The other noticeable factor was that it takes some time to reach the pitch necessary to cause this amount of damage, so short of blocking their mouth & preventing the sound entirely, engaging them fast or from long distances would be the most ideal strategy to mitigate this risk if unable to adequately dampen the sound. From our calculations, the wings don't appear to be capable of lifting Kahnalos, though as the wings were never used from what we've seen, we can only hypothesise on their purpose. They may have another use entirely for an unknown ability, or it's possible that it assists with directing the sonic pulses from the shriek, increasing range at the cost of radius. The holed hands appear to be capable of generating electricity which can either be fired directly out as a beam or collated by linking the two holed hands together, the claws enclosing the space between them & causing the electricity to coil into a ball which, whilst slower to launch towards targets, has a much more explosive impact with lightning arcing in all directions, jumping from target to target. Insulating materials to be recommended to ground the electricity, & there's a chance that breaking off a claw may prevent them from producing ball lightning at all. Similarly, blocking the holes could achieve a similar effect, though uncertain as to whether they'd be able to dislodge the blockage with multiple blasts of lightning. Finally, the survivors reported hearing a voice in their heads as the attacks went on, suggesting telepathic communication. Whilst no other psychic abilities were demonstrated during the attack, this does suggest an easy means of communicating orders to lesser daemons should they be nearby, and so extra care should be taken to avoid potential ambushes. Weaknesses
Their lumbering size serves as a detriment in many regards, as it makes it easier to spot them from a distance beyond the lethal range of their shriek, as well as providing a number of blind spots that can be used to get up close. This combined with the bulk of its ranged attacks being electrical in nature provides very secure ways in which to combat them with adequate preparation, the main risk at hand being a surprise appearance where the damage they can inflict in a short period of time is significant. Their main means of attacking also being tied directly to orifices leading further inside the body also provides the possibility of internal damage when targeting those spots. Whilst it's expected that some level of defence exists to reduce harmful exposure from those openings, it will likely still be weaker than going directly through the skin. Finally, it's believed that Kahnalos has a strong ego which can be manipulated, and seems like the method in which the sorcerers were able to ensnare them & seal them away. Their attitude from the telepathic messages heard by the survivors suggest a prideful nature & overconfidence in the destructive power of their abilities. Once these powers were mitigated in part by the sorcerers, it was easy to goad Kahnalos into targeting them for opposing them directly, where a single-minded desire for revenge led them into the trap the sorcerers had prepared. Whilst it seems unlikely that the daemon lord would fall for the same trick twice, that sort of ego could still be manipulated, & depending on how long they remain sealed away it seems more & more likely that a personal vendetta against these two sorcerers will be more important to settle than the overarching machinations of the archons Kahnalos serves.
Kahnalos is large & humanoid in appearance, standing at around 10 metres tall with charcoal coloured skin. Their mouth is circular with multiple rows of sharp, pointed teeth within it, off-centre to the right of their face under a crooked nose, 5 diamond-shaped red eyes with no iris or pupils taking up the bulk of the upper portion of the face underneath two large double-corkscrewed horns. The body is strangely proportioned & noticeably more bottom-heavy, with two large leathery wings draping behind like a cloak. Two sets of arms protrude outwards from the upper body, the lower pair being more traditional arms & hands with large claws, whilst the upper pair are shorter, with three clawed fingers closing up over holed palms with strange, crooked barbs lining the interior in a close-knit, curving pattern. Finally, it stands on two plantigrade feet, with three long talons at the front and one pointed back. Abilities
The most notable & dangerous ability presented by Kahnalos is their shriek: a high-pitched frequency capable of shattering bones at a range of up to 30 metres, bursting eardrums & causing internal bleeding up to 100 metres, & shattering glass & other fragile materials up to 250 metres. This loud, audible sound is hardly discreet, but given its sheer destructive power it has little need to be. Ear protection will likely dampen the effects as memory surveys showed this was counteracted by one of the sorcerers erecting soundproof protective bubbles, implying the effect is completely sonic in nature. The other noticeable factor was that it takes some time to reach the pitch necessary to cause this amount of damage, so short of blocking their mouth & preventing the sound entirely, engaging them fast or from long distances would be the most ideal strategy to mitigate this risk if unable to adequately dampen the sound. From our calculations, the wings don't appear to be capable of lifting Kahnalos, though as the wings were never used from what we've seen, we can only hypothesise on their purpose. They may have another use entirely for an unknown ability, or it's possible that it assists with directing the sonic pulses from the shriek, increasing range at the cost of radius. The holed hands appear to be capable of generating electricity which can either be fired directly out as a beam or collated by linking the two holed hands together, the claws enclosing the space between them & causing the electricity to coil into a ball which, whilst slower to launch towards targets, has a much more explosive impact with lightning arcing in all directions, jumping from target to target. Insulating materials to be recommended to ground the electricity, & there's a chance that breaking off a claw may prevent them from producing ball lightning at all. Similarly, blocking the holes could achieve a similar effect, though uncertain as to whether they'd be able to dislodge the blockage with multiple blasts of lightning. Finally, the survivors reported hearing a voice in their heads as the attacks went on, suggesting telepathic communication. Whilst no other psychic abilities were demonstrated during the attack, this does suggest an easy means of communicating orders to lesser daemons should they be nearby, and so extra care should be taken to avoid potential ambushes. Weaknesses
Their lumbering size serves as a detriment in many regards, as it makes it easier to spot them from a distance beyond the lethal range of their shriek, as well as providing a number of blind spots that can be used to get up close. This combined with the bulk of its ranged attacks being electrical in nature provides very secure ways in which to combat them with adequate preparation, the main risk at hand being a surprise appearance where the damage they can inflict in a short period of time is significant. Their main means of attacking also being tied directly to orifices leading further inside the body also provides the possibility of internal damage when targeting those spots. Whilst it's expected that some level of defence exists to reduce harmful exposure from those openings, it will likely still be weaker than going directly through the skin. Finally, it's believed that Kahnalos has a strong ego which can be manipulated, and seems like the method in which the sorcerers were able to ensnare them & seal them away. Their attitude from the telepathic messages heard by the survivors suggest a prideful nature & overconfidence in the destructive power of their abilities. Once these powers were mitigated in part by the sorcerers, it was easy to goad Kahnalos into targeting them for opposing them directly, where a single-minded desire for revenge led them into the trap the sorcerers had prepared. Whilst it seems unlikely that the daemon lord would fall for the same trick twice, that sort of ego could still be manipulated, & depending on how long they remain sealed away it seems more & more likely that a personal vendetta against these two sorcerers will be more important to settle than the overarching machinations of the archons Kahnalos serves.
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