Waziri (wuh-zeer-reeh)

(a.k.a. Baphomet)

The giraffe kaiju is the largest megafauna specimen in continental Africa, patrolling the region of Tanzania as its kingdom. It was known as Baphomet to the Knights Templar as a result of dubious translations and interpretations.

Artifacts

Various idols were carved in its visage that depicted a six-horned goat-like humanoid squatting like a man upon its knees. The identity of which tribes or kingdoms paid reverence to it is unknown. Subsequent replicas and copies along with the mistranslation of Baphomet have transformed the image and identity around it entirely. Many of these have been uncovered and taken by Majestic for preservation and research.,

Holy Books & Codes

It was cited in various scattered works with the earliest example being in 1098 CE in a letter detailing the Siege of Antioch, where French Crusader Anselm of Ribemont recorded the word "Baphomet". The second occurrence was from the French chronicler Raymond of Aguilers in his chronicles of the First Crusade, spelling it as "Bafomet." He made the claim that Bafomet was either Muhammad or an equivalent according to the troubadours. It would appear again in 1195 - this time spelled "Bafomenz" in the Occitan poem Senhors, per los nostres peccatz, written by the troubadour Gavaudan. Another Occitan poem would make the mention of it, written in 1250 by troubadour Austorc d'Aorlhac. An entire chapter dedicated to the entity was written in Libre de la doctrina pueril, written by philosopher and poet Ramon Llull. It was titled De Bafomet and is one of four surviving chapters. The chapter itself is an Occitan translation of the work and not the original itself, which could cast some doubts on its authenticity.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Waziri is a behemoth among behemoths and possesses many traits both of genetic relation and convergent evolution. Its tail is incredibly long and capable of whipping opponents, as is its muscular and flexible neck.

Body Features

The downward-facing fur on its tail superficially resembles the tail of a giant anteater, but it is comprised of many large quills like that of a porcupine. A whip from the tail could send quills puncturing hide or metal, with the kaiju even being able to fling them. Its adornment of six horns matches a similar framing found on the Jacob sheep. Giraffes have ossicones, but the evolution of horns is attributed to a genetic connection within the infraorder Pecora. Within the mouth is a pair of fangs similarly found in camel, which it uses to bite through bark or into opponents. Along both sides of the throat, rows of osteoderms are present, a feature having only been found on the extinct titanosaurs. They give the kaiju an advantage when necking as they are solid bone.

Facial Features

As it has no visible pupils, the haunting glare combined with the rusty, blood-red sclera makes for an intimidating sight.

Special abilities

Like all other kaiju, Waziri also possesses an advanced healing factor, able to heal damaged body parts that would be unsalvagable for normal animals. Its muscular form and thick hide can shrug off conventional human artillery and stand up to more unconventional mecha weaponry. Its regenerative healing abilities plus the advanced amniotic-addled DNA and natural regenerative abilities all worms possess have made Waziri immortal, only killable via starvation or another kaiju.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

• Species description: Giraffa basiliceros
• Biological basis: Giraffe
• Diet: Omnivorous (opportunistic)

During the early years of the Crusades, the Knights Templar had been pillaging Jerusalem and other areas throughout the Levant. Their ventures had netted them a few treasures, with a particular one in the form of a strange small idol carved from stone. The idol was worn from the many decades it had traveled. It had been kept in a museum within the city to be studied by religious scholars for its significance. This fueled the Crusaders' belief that the Muslims were idolaters and interrogated them for answers. The language barrier made obtaining information difficult, but they found a sort of answer in the word "Mahomet." It is not entirely known how the exchange transpired, but it is believed the prisoner was talking about Muhammad the Prophet, and the Crusaders either misheard or mistranslated it. A shoddy translation from Arabic to both Old French and Middle English yielded the word "Baphomet." As many Muslims did not portray the Prophet in a physical form, many Crusaders operated under the assumption that Baphomet was their god of worship, fueling their demonization of them. Throughout their occupation of Jerusalem and crusades in the Levant, various Christian scholars within the templar order attempted to uncover more about this alleged "Baphomet." Many of this suborder within the order either adopted dual faiths or totally converted to Islam, which helped their understanding of the culture, texts, and archaeological finds. Their studies came to the conclusion that the entire story of Baphomet was completely wrong on all accounts. Working with Islamic scholars and historians within the area traced the idol to Africa, beyond Egypt. Such claims to the contrary were met with hostility and tension, forcing the scholars to be very secretive with their findings. Those willing to listen were forced to undergo initiations into the suborder, which only fueled the paranoid perception of the templars from the common folk. This idol and the following around it would ultimately work against them.
Starting from 1307, the order began being systematically undone, with King Philip IV of France coercing Pope Clement IV to assist in seizing their land and wealth as well as rob them of their power. Accusations against the Crusaders ranged from vague notions of heresy and idolatry to more detailed and specific claims like sodomy and defiling the cross. Many were tortured to death or burned at the stake, with a few others managing to either receive life sentences or escape out of Scotland , France, and England. The majority of these claims were entirely fabricated, wildly exaggerated, or taken completely out of context. In 1308, Clement brought many major Crusader figureheads to him for a secret summit in Chinon to question them. Even while persecuted, many of the Baphomet scholars never gave up their studies. Slaves and foreign scholars had told them tales of strange beasts beyond the sea of colossal might and power, with one of them matching the description of the statue. Initially, the Pope actually attempted to pardon many of the Crusaders to protect them from Philip's wrath, but the king rapidly undermined his authority. Pope Clement was desperate to restore his undermined authority from such a tyrannical king, and the Crusaders were desperate to prove their innocence and be free. The pope proposed an ultimatum to the imprisoned Crusaders: hunt down this "Baphomet" creature, kill it, and bring its head back to France to prove their innocence. Many of the order's finest warriors were sent out with ships and military aid from the inquisitors, but important figureheads like Jacques de Molay were forced to stay behind in order to avoid suspicion of any sort of coup.
They made landfall on the coast of North Africa and began their search, but it did not take long before the templars began pillaging the natives. Tribes had their livelihoods destroyed from assumptions of blasphemous paganism and racial inferiority. The Crusaders deemed it prudent for their own interests to subjugate the indigenous population rather than cooperate. Language barriers only made their hunt more difficult on top of the vast amount of land to cover. Eventually, they were able to obtain information from the natives. Their journey would take them deeper into the center of the continent, taking a few prisoners to act as guides. Navigating the Sahara was a monumental effort, and many perished in the sands. The full journey would take nearly five months to complete, having to contend with heat, malaria, warring kingdoms, and wild animals. Their attempts to wage holy war with the local Muslim populations resulted in failures and dwindling numbers. A few prisoners and mercenaries were conscripted into their numbers, but they were wearing down the longer they persisted. Through the desert, plains, and forests, they eventually made it into Tanzania. A renewed sense of triumph resounded from the Crusaders as they drew closer to their goal.
As they ventured deeper, they met a rather esoteric, unknown tribe and attempted to communicate with them. The translators were told to let them know they were pilgrims here for Baphomet, but the tribe did not understand what they meant. The Crusaders were welcomed into the village and allowed to stay among them as they recovered from their long journey. As they rested, the Crusaders set to work in secret on how to sack the village and plunder its resources. One group ventured into the nearby forests to look for any clues about where or what Baphomet was while a couple of soldiers snuck into the center structure of the village to pilfer it for potential treasures. Inside, there were a few large vases, sealed to contain samples of the great amniotic fluid. Tribesmen had ventured into the caves of Mount Kilimanjaro years ago to fill the vases from a chamber that held a crashed seed, carrying the filled vases down the mountain for days. A soldier reached his hand into the fluid, and contact caused his body to transform, the trauma killing him. This immediately provoked the templars into sacking the village in order to contain what they believed was hellish witchcraft. Though better armored, the villagers put up immense resistance and even managed to overpower the Crusaders. They were stripped of their weapons and armor, bound and forced to watch the corpse of their deceased comrade be strung up by his arms. A strange ritual took place with drum music and chants, with the vases being emptied into a pit to form a large pool. From the jungle, a massive beast emerged and drank the amniotic fluid before snatching up the corpse to eat. While the tribe discussed either negotiating or forcefully relocating them, the Crusaders believed they would be offered as human sacrifices to this giant kaiju. Though it was obscured by immense shadow, they believed it to be the Baphomet they had been hunting. The Crusaders managed to get free in the dead of night and set fire to the village, spreading it to the nearby forests to flush out the kaiju. These forest fires startled a nearby herd of giraffes, which the Crusaders slaughtered to further provoke the monster. It worked as a mighty roar echoed across the forest, and the kaiju emerged to attack. Many were either eaten or stomped to death, with the survivors scattering into the African wilds to survive. Those who were not picked off ended up dying in the jungles due to disease, dehydration, starvation, or predation. None of them returned to Europe, and the order along with its remaining members are stomped out.
At some point, the kaiju ventured to the west and slept within the Congo Rainforest for unknown reasons. Industrialists pushed too deep inside, and the deforestation reawakened the creature. The resulting attack was devastating, and the kaiju cut a swath of destruction and fury across the equator until it returned to Tanzania.

Personality Characteristics

Likes & Dislikes

While giraffes are typically docile and only confrontational when frightened, Waziri is outwardly aggressive. The kaiju will attack and chase away humans in its territory with great ferocity and loud bellows. Fatalities often occur when humans encroach on its land, and local officials try to keep it and people separate. Jeeps and helicopters are violently chewed upon or stomped into scrap. It is also an opportunistic carnivore and occasionally uses its fangs to tear apart flesh and crush bone. The only example of it eating meat in the wild is after it kills humans, as if the kaiju is cleaning up. Without the presence of humans, Waziri is quiet and calm, often avoiding the open space until it has to eat or stretch its legs. The sight of it on the Serengeti is truly wonderful, with it silhouetted against the sunny sky and towering over the African wildlife. It acts as a sort of guardian, protecting the animals from poachers, tourists, and one another.

Personality Quirks

Waziri has been spotted picking up rhinoceros and hippopotami with its mouth and separating them like a lioness handling her cub. The display is both comical and terrifying.

Environmental Impact

While it leaves massive destruction in its wake when provoked, its influence on the environment is profound. Its feces is high in protein - both natural and amniotic-addled - and benign nuclear isotopes that - after being absorbed by the soil and filtered into the water - cause immense population booms in the flora and fauna inhabiting its region. Flowering plants and trees will grow wildly, and animals experience high birth rates. Lush forests have grown around Tanzania, and its presence has been pivotal in restoring the Congo rainforests. Trucks of feces are transported across the continent to use for farming or logging. The black rhinoceros, northeast African cheetah, beisa, reticulated giraffe, and African bush elephant populations have climbed to safe levels, with the protein-enriched soil and plants bringing the return of the Big Tuskers. Vegetation enriched by the soil has been imported to neighboring wildlife preserves and zoos for conservation efforts. The scimitar horned oryx, addax, northern white rhinoceros, and giant sable antelope have undergone a major population rise, reaching levels where they can survive in the wild again.

Lumber and food have become quite abundant on the continent, but the tourism economy is in a rocky position. The demand for safaris and big-game hunting has become higher than ever because of Waziri's presence, but it has made such ventures a thousand times more dangerous because of the kaiju's unpredictability. Furthermore, the wildlife have also become emboldened by the kaiju's presence and are more aggressive and protective in the presence of humans. Safaris that are willing to venture into occupied territory earn record-breaking profits from thrillseekers, environmentalists, tourists, and wildlife enthusiasts. It acts as a watchful attendant during the Serengeti migration. which has seen a major transformation since its arrival. Diverse herds of animals from all walks of life will follow it en masse during the migration, and it is often accompanied by great volumes of beasts along the African plains. Giraffes - in particular - occur in abundance when it is present. Poaching and big game hunting - on the other hand - have seen a sharp decline, as the loud gunfire is a surefire way to attract the kaiju's attention. Very few have actually made it out of the wilderness alive, with most being killed horrifically by the kaiju.

Miscellaneous Information

Waziri is named after the fictional African warrior tribe featured in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan novels, first seen in 1912's Tarzan of the Apes. The kaiju is seen as a sort of folk hero in Africa in the environmentalist, anti-colonialist, and anti-Apartheid movements. Its image is often used as a promotional icon for their causes. Fringe cryptozoological groups have attempted to claim that Waziri is actually the mythological Mokele-mbembe cryptid in the Congo River Basin, but this has been consistently discredited by Majestic and leading cryptozoological experts.

Gallery

waziri.png

Commission of Waziri from rochasaurus.

Giraffe kaiju of Tanzania.

View Character Profile

Divine Classification

Guardian Monster

Current Status

Alive

Age

Pre-Colonial

Circumstances of Birth

Unknown

Birthplace

Africa, Earth

Current Residence

Tanzania, Africa, Earth

Sex

Female

Eyes

Red

Hair

Brown fur

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale tan and brown

Height

125ft

Related Historical Events

• 1095 CE
  The Crusades