Last March when Spireborn were first announced I couldn't resist the urge to get one of my own, creating Cyphin as one of the original batch of them! While I later got Fia, Cyphin's been around and hasn't gotten too much in the way of art because I wanted to take him off of the base and individualize him a little better. Sweets is someone I've had a lot of eyes on since she proved really good at drawing Zorgoia in the past, so she was the one I picked and she did amazingly!

Changes are pretty self-explanatory I think, the black in his mane has been made asymmetrical, with the black bit coming over his shoulder like a pauldron. He's also been made a little bit chubbier, since he's so lazy it wouldn't make sense for him to be a beanpole like most spireborn.

Cyphin belongs to me!

Art is by  Sweets

Zorgoia are  CorrieZodori

For a description:

Cyphin has the ability to mimic unique magics of creatures he digests or stings with his tail. These abilities are as far as anyone knows limitless, and because of this he's quick to try to eat new magical creatures regardless of sentience - often regardless of consent. He is a perfect gentleman however and will always reform his victims once he's copied whatever unique spells they can teach him. In situations where the spells or natural abilities require body parts he lacks, he'll flash shapeshift them for as long as he needs it, like growing feathers to fly, or letting his lungs be capable of breathing an element.

Within his specific group of Spireborn, Cyphin holds the title of "Spireguard", meaning that he's someone who protects their God, the Spire, and the others who inhabit his cave system home near it. However, due to the general hesitance most other people of planet Veldram have of approaching - out of fear of the Spire's sometimes mutative energies, or the giant dogmatic man-eaters who worship and protect it - this title is less of a day job and more of an excuse for the lumbering mimic to read books, slack off and sleep.

In the rare cases someone approaches with malice or intent to harm his family or the Spire, he'll devour and digest them and reform them in the middle of nowhere, with a warning that the next time he'll suppress his reformation and his belly will be their resting place (though so far, he's never had to follow up on this threat, so it's unclear if he's serious about it). Whereas the more common lost traveler or someone seeking knowledge in good faith he'll educate, eat to keep safe from the Spire's energies, then reform them as close to society as he can get without panicking the tinier locals, with an invitation to come back if they have more questions once the Spire's energy has left them so it doesn't reach the critical point of causing Gemstone mutation.

Unlike many Spireborn who see being struck by the Gemstone plague the Spire gives off as a gift even if it seeds wrong and kills them, Cyphin is far more of a realist and empathetic to creatures who turn out "wrong". This is part of why he initially became a territory guard - not just to keep his family safe but to keep outsiders from risking a coin flip of becoming a gemstone creature, or suffering a horrific mutative death. Despite realizing the pain and gravity of the Gemstone mutations, he still firmly believes in the Spire's benevolence, but rather just shows a racial pride that not all beings are "worthy" enough to take in its energies and be fine.

Outside of being "on the clock" with territory intruders, or when he spots a magical creature with a spell he's yet to mimic, Cyphin is incredibly laid back, friendly and lazy, it's hard to motivate him to move anywhere and even his own circle of Spireborn friends have been known to eat him from time to time because he won't even put up a fight, and his "hunting" style outside of his guard duties mostly amount to lazing around looking harmless until a tiny gets close enough he can scoop them up into his mouth. Befriending him is a good idea for nearly any individual to earn a lazy giant who makes a good friend, but can be surprisingly effective when it comes to protecting. With the disclaimer, of course, that trips into his cavernous belly will be frequent and at his whim.

Cyphin also has a great hunger for knowledge and lore, he loves learning of other locations, worlds, cultures and stories. One of the easiest ways to befriend him besides willingly feeding him so he can get the individual unique magics is to be willing and eager to tell him stories, histories and cultural knowledge of places his duties keep him from traveling.

If needed he can use his stride to cross distances in a surprising bursts, and his copied magic can let him jump miles, sprint at a blur, and even fly, but the amount of circumstances he'll actually practice this kind of seriousness can be counted on two or three fingers. When pushed though, he proves why a lazy slow-moving oaf like him was appointed the position he holds.

Recently, after encountering Veluren on the dragon's quest to learn more about Zorgoia, Cyphin has copied a major magic from the dragon; his ability to draw portals that can transport him to any world that Vel has also been to. With the ability to travel planets with only minutes of preparation and cross back over just as easily, Cyphin has started to strike out and explore when he's not slacking off on guard duty, usually allowing other Spireborn to do the same and causing the pious mega-noodles to be able to explore other planets while still being able to get home in time to fulfill their duties to their god. On other worlds, Cyphin holds very strongly to Sacred Hospitality and treating the entire planet as a place he's been invited to, which means he'll restrain his hunting urges and desire to consume and copy their magics.