Eriz Col-Myel

Eriz Col-Myel is a character in The $300,000 Fight-A-Thon, the eighth Season Intermission battle.

Description
Though one couldn't tell it by looking at her, Eriz is, in fact, a human. It is difficult to ascertain this at a first glance because she stands at 2.47 meters in height, weighs in at a hefty 773.24 kg and has six arms. Most of that, however, can be attributed to the enormous suit of masterfully-built power armor that she wears at all times. She is a member of the civilization known to other humans of the planet Orexies as a "Warrior;" in her native tongue, a Sauthai. To a Sauthai, one's armor is not merely a tool for war, it is an extension of their own being, a manifestation of the warrior's heart: to remove a Sauthai's armor and expose their face is the greatest dishonor one could ever inflict. The armor, Sauthorn, is removed only in private or in the presence of another Sauthai that one has sworn their life to in marriage.

Eriz's Sauthorn was built by her father, a master armorsmith known throughout all of Orexies for his skill at constructing the smoothest-running, most efficient powered armors of any of the Sauthai. He considers his daughter's suit to be his finest work; quite high praise, coming from the armorsmith responsible for the Curots Juggernaut's Sauthorn which could smash through a Jelian tank with a single punch or the legendary Black General's armor, famous for stopping a Kyretian railgun aimed straight for his heart. Eriz' Sauthorn is not as outwardly remarkable as those famous pieces of wargear but it is startlingly well-built; throughout its short four years of service it has never once needed more than routine maintenance. Its blued-steel exterior is engraved with countless minute carvings, some purely decorative such as the vines and flowers that wrap across her chest and some more meaningful like the family history that scrolls across her shoulders. Sauthai tradition dictates that one must paint and engrave new symbols on one's armor as achievements are earned; Eriz, at only 17 Orexien years of age (22.3 solar) has yet to add much to the original ornamentation other than the markings of an armorer's apprentice and two dispute bands, showing her victory in three honor-battles to settle minor disputes. Inside its chassis, however, hides one of the most interesting and important parts of the Sauthorn; its Kezi, or war spirit. A Kezi is a program designed to aid the user of the device it resides in; though common in vehicles and weapons, the most sophisticated Kezi by far reside in Sauthorn suits. Eriz's Kezi goes by the name Telt and is a particularly advanced Kezi, capable of approximately imitating a sentient personality while perfectly coordinating the systems in her Sauthorn.

The Sauthorn is roughly humanoid in appearance, having two arms emerging from its broad shoulders and standing on two clawed, piston-driven legs. Each of these limbs is far stronger than those of a human, able to lift heavy weights, strike with enormous force or propel Eriz across the ground or through the air at high speeds and heights. Four thinner, spidery, many-jointed limbs extend from her shoulders, giving her extra hands capable of reaching anywhere around her body for when her two large primary arms aren't maneuverable enough. Each ends in a modular socket, usually fitted with a multifingered insectile hand but often swapped for tools and other devices necessary for her armoring trade, which she was learning from her father. Racks along her upper back hold extra hands and tools as well as various sundry supplies necessary to work on Sauthorn armor, including her own. Her face is obscured by a large mirrored black dome, its surface made of an extremely durable transparent alloy. Behind it is her face, something that nobody save her own parents have ever seen. On the outer surface of the dome is a symbol that is essentially her "face" to other Sauthai; they recognize her at a glance by it. To a non-Sauthai, the symbol is essentially meaningless.

Eriz is, first and foremost, a Sauthai: she was raised to know that war comes first over all priorities. As such, she has trained extensively for combat since she was old enough to hold a weapon. Unfortunately, she was never particularly good at combat, much to her own shame. Though passably skilled and certainly far superior to an untrained combatant, most of her fellow students surpassed her easily and she was regularly beaten bloody in brutal Sauthai training fights. Instead, she preferred to study in her father's shop, sitting on his enormous shoulder as he worked on one of his many beautiful creations. She is a much better engineer than soldier, already matching the talents of many accomplished armorers even at such a young age. Though she has yet to construct a Sauthorn on her own from scratch, she assists her father in his shop and has rebuilt countless battle-damaged arms and legs, oftentimes even improving on their original design. Eriz is bright, quick to catch new concepts and has exceptional spacial awareness. She studies hard at her trade, seeking to live up to her father's legacy and to do her people honor by building the greatest machines she can. Her relative failure in combat, however, haunts her, driving her to work fanatically to improve her skills in other areas.

When Eriz fell through the rift in space, everything changed for her. Suddenly, everything she cared about was gone; her father, her home, her people. She faces her greatest challenge yet alone, terrified and unsupported on alien soil and surrounded by creatures she could barely even dream of.

Equipment/Abilities
Her Sauthorn, of course, gives her strength, speed and stamina far beyond what a normal human would be capable of. Its heavily armored exterior, built for combat, also provides a great deal of protection for her fragile body. She carries with her a full set of field tools, capable of repairing and maintaining her Sauthorn as well as possibly fabricating various simple devices from available raw materials. Telt's mainframe contains many blueprints and designs for various devices, some of which she could construct in the field. She also has a small laser weapon that can attach to one of her auxiliary arms, capable of emitting a laser that can, if held on a target, inflict severe burns and even melt through metal. Many of her tools could also double as weapons, such as her welding and cutting torches or hydraulic clamps. Her only other true weapon is the enormous warhammer she carries. It was given to her by her father along with her Sauthorn to mark her passage into adulthood, as all Sauthai carry a symbolic and ceremonial melee weapon for use in dispute battles with other Sauthai. Though not really intended for use in serious combat, it is nonetheless built within the Sauthai mindset: ready for war at any time. Its durable metal shaft can telescope between 1 and 2 meters in length, allowing her to wield it with one or two hands effectively and its huge brick-shaped alloy head is massively heavy to the point of making the hammer impossible for an unarmored human to wield. She is trained in its use, though she mainly just swings it in huge sweeping arcs until her target yields.

Backstory
Born to a master armorsmith and a career pilot, Eriz was raised on the Kaulhar Shelf, far from the majority of Sauthai civilization. She was only four years old when the Jelian Sixth Company breached the Sauthai war-host at Nexen's Folly and her hometown of Urim was blown to rubble by Jelian bombers. Her mother was killed flying a fighter at Nexen's Folly and her father fled the town hours before its destruction, holding a terrified little girl who cried for her mother. They moved farther from the border, away from the active fighting to the city of Nalahai. Here Eriz spent her childhood, before she recieved her Sauthorn. Sauthai children wear jumpsuits and masks at all times, ensuring their bodies remain covered until they stop growing and can be fitted for a Sauthorn. Though she often came out on the bottom of training fights, she excelled under her father's tutelage at armorsmithing, striving to some day match his skills. Her childhood passed without incident, and she was gifted with her magnificent Sauthorn at the age of 14. Afterwards, a full adult at last, she could officially become her father's apprentice and she spent her days locked in his shop studying and building with a near-mad intensity, desperate to prove to the people she felt she had dissapointed that she was worthy of being a Sauthai.

It is likely that she would have met or even surpassed her father's skill if given the time. Of course, fate had other plans. Shortly after her 17th birthday she was given her greatest honor: to construct a Sauthorn from scratch, just as her father had for so many decades. If she succeeded and the armor was up to Sauthai standards (which are ruthlessly high), she would become a full armorer. Her dream, it seemed, was finally within her reach.

Fate laughed in the face of her dreams.

On a walk outside the city, looking for inspiration in nature, Eriz came across something unlike anything she had ever seen. It seemed to shimmer and glow with an impossible radiance. It seemed to fold and twist in ways that shouldn't be possible. It was, she knew, an impossibility. Its impossible nature made it irresistible. She had to inspect it closer.

It pulled her through.