Northclaw

''"True power means knowing how to use what Primus gives you." ''-Motto

Northclaw is the powerful commander of an elite Decepticon special teams unit known as the Eisen Dragoons. A rare combination of power and intelligence, he is considered one of the rising stars of the Decepticon ranks. He became leader of the Eisen Dragoons apon the retirement of his founder and has forged the group into a formidiable force. His past before joining the Decepticons is a bit of a mystery, having been found on the distant Zi, the lone survivor of a crash. The combination of his leadership abilites, rapid rise in the ranks, growing popularity, and physical power has made more than a few higher ranking Decepticons nervous.

Profile
Stoic in expression, powerful in form, intensely cool under pressure, and highly respected by even his rivals, Northclaw is considered on of the most capable warriors to appear in the Decepticon ranks in some time. The lone survivor of a crash that left him stranded on in an uncharted system termed “Zi,” little is know of his history before he was rescued; Northclaw himself rarely, if ever, mentions it. While his origins may be in doubt, what is not is his dedication to the Decepticons and their cause, as he’s shown in countless battles. It’s not just Northclaw’s prowess on the battlefield that’s earned him respect among his peers, but he is also an eloquent speaker whose calm, measured manner of speech can ease even the most antagonistic of his brethren. Many of his fellow Decepticons believe he could easily fit into the role of a diplomat, theologian, philosopher, or statesman given his natural abilities and interest in these fields – if there wasn’t a war going on. A rare combination of brains and brawn, he possesses a keen sense of strategy; he is well aware of his own strength and weaknesses, knows how to use one to effectively offset the other, and can gage an opponent’s weakness and exploit it to his advantage. He has displayed a great degree of leadership ability in countless missions, which makes it no surprise that he has since taken command of the Eisen Dragoons after the retirement of its previous commander. Northclaw’s abilities, intelligence, growing popularity, and lack of loyalty to any particular Decepticon commander has made some of his superiors nervous that he many be gunning for their positions. Northclaw has shown little interest in usurping anyone and doesn’t particularly care for the backbiting that occurs in the higher ranks, but some believe this to be merely a ruse. But as his former commander Archanubis once stated, “Do you really think I’d still be here if Northclaw had even half of Starscream’s ambitions?”



Abilities
Northclaw is believed to be physically one of the strongest Decepticons, if not the strongest; he was once observed punching through a six inch, electrum-plated wall. His armor is composed of a unique alloy that is both lightweight and capable of withstanding a barrage from all but the heaviest artillery. Thrusters the back of his legs and on the large “backpack” unit can propel him to a top speed of 340kph over open terrain. The backpack is home to a pair of weapons called “Buster Claws:” two sets of elongated blades, three to each set, able to extend outward or compressed inward, each capable of being charged with plasma energy, each set on a hinge that allows them to extend out and up, mounted on a high-speed rotor that, when activated, turns them into high-speed drills capable of ripping apart armor into shrapnel. Each Claw assembly is armed with an armor piercing 185mm particle cannon and mounted on a durable, highly articulate arm, giving Northclaw the ability to attack or defend himself in nearly any direction. The rotors of his Buster Claws each house a shield generator, allowing Northclaw to generate a forcefield around himself; the shield has been found to be strong enough to withstand a point blank attack from three fusion cannons with virtually no reduction in field strength and he can generate this field even if he loses one of his Buster Claws, though not without a noticeable reduction in strength. Arguably, his most powerful weapon is the charged particle cannon, the barrel of which is located in the mouth of his Zoid mode and possessing the same destructive potential of a black hole tap equipped fusion cannon, without the strain on the circuitry. If that wasn’t enough, the particle cannons in his Buster Claws double as extra charged particle cannons, each bearing firepower equivalent to that of the main cannon; these can be fired independently or simultaneously. He’s also upgraded his arsenal recently; his tail now converts into an experimental rail gun that can tap interdimensionally into a neutron star, drawing on the dense material within to create an armor piercing projectile with virtually no equal. If these aren’t enough, Northclaw can always resort to using the razor sharp teeth and claws of his Zoid mode.

Weaknesses
Northclaw’s capability to travel at surprising speed for a Decepticon with his mass doesn’t translate into any considerable amount of agility; as fellow Eisen Dragoon member Novacula explains, “He can’t maneuver worth slag, so he usually just smashes through anything in his way.”He can only obtain his astonishing speed through his thrusters; without them, he’s reduced to a slow, plodding gait. When discharging even one of his three charged particle cannons, Northclaw has to engage a set of anchors on the back of his heals to prevent him from being knocked over by the force of the recoil; this also prevents him from moving and he can’t generate a shield during the process, leaving him wide open to an attack. Knocking out one of his Buster Claws reduces his shield strength and also takes out the particle cannon; destroying both Buster Claws completely disables his shield and cuts down his total firepower. Since his Zoid head becomes part of his chest in robot mode, he effectively loses the use of the charged particle cannon within. None of his weaponry is capable of rapid fire; his new rail gun is probably the slowest weapon in his arsenal. Because the rail gun is still considered to be in the experimental stage, it doesn’t always work as intended, even under ideal conditions; sometimes nothing happens at all and sometimes it suffers a catastrophic failure.