Ira Talon Anchor

Head Commandant of the Western Division of the IPL Ira Talon Anchor, the Gilt Compass

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Standing just tall enough to look down on most, the Gilt Compass is a commanding presence in any room. With their calmly intense two-colored gaze said to look straight into one’s soul, the mixture of opulent military dress and casually presented authority tells all who meet the Talon of the Legion that they are not to be trifled with. Lean like a runner and equipped with an oddly long boarding cutlass and the wings of an albatross, the veteran of the sea, Ira has seen their fare share of action.

Body Features

Anchor possess long limbs and a short torso, with long fingers and a longer than normal neck. They look uncanny at a glance and only get odder the more one studies their features; lightly pointed ears and a sharp chin combined with their lankiness betrays their preternatural ancestry, as Talon is the descendant of thunderbirds.

Identifying Characteristics

Ira possesses two wings attached at the upper back that are similar to those of a wandering albatross. The only notable difference is that specks of warm metallic colors are evident in the feathers: bronze, gold, and copper. Sections of their arm and head hair are replaced with similar feathers, but in the cooler metallic colors of silver, gunmetal, and white gold.

Special abilities

As the Gilt Compass possesses wings, they are capable of flight, and have proven to be very adept at in-air maneuvering and combat. They are also capable of calling upon minor ENTITIES associated with storms, the sea, and/or the wind in favorable conditions. The infrequent use of this latter talent points towards them not being an experienced magic user.

Apparel & Accessories

Anchor has only ever been observed to wear clothes typical of a high-ranking Commandant of the Independent Preternatural Legion in the form of dress summer and winter uniforms.
Their summer uniform consists of a double-breasted tunic, a white button up with a dark bronze tie, dress trousers, boots, and a Vertian cap. Both the trousers and tunic are dark blue in color with light gray and dark bronze embroidery. The cap is light gray with a dark blue bill with dark bronze embroidery.
Their winter uniform consists of a double-breasted coat that falls between the knees and the ankles, a high-necked tunic, dress trousers, metal toed boots, and a Vertinan cap. The trousers, tunic, and coat are dark blue with light gray and dark bronze embroidery. The cap is identical to their summer uniform.
Additionally, Ira holds many internal Legion decorations, not all of which have been identified. The following is a list of those that have been sighted:

• One Crown of the Eagles, 1st rank. Currently the highest known Legion decoration. Takes the form of a bronze-and-platinum pin on the left lapel of the coat/tunic in the shape of a two-headed eagle.
• One Bundle of the Hawks, 1st rank. Currently the third highest known Legion decoration. Takes the form of a silver pin on the left lapel in the shape of three feathers touching at the stem.
• At least two Osprey’s Catches, unknown rank. An award for accuracy in shooting competitions. Takes the form of two horizontal blue-and-gold ribbons on the left breast of the coat/tunic.
• At least three Owl’s Catches, unknown rank. An award for some form of hunting competition. Takes the form of three horizontal red-and-gold ribbons on the left breast.
• Unknown decoration that takes the form of a ‘peacock-colored’ platinum pin on the left lapel in the shape of a long legged bird (possibly a secretary bird) eating a snake.
• Unknown decoration that takes the form of one horizontal green-and-gold ribbon on the left breast.
• █████████

Specialized Equipment

The Talon of the Legion is known to carry and use an elongated boarding cutlass in battle. This cutlass is possibly an Artifact of the Fable, as it has been seen, on rare occasions, to ‘unravel’ and ███████ those it cuts.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Very little is known about Ira outside of their involvement with the Legion; even their exact age is unknown. They are theorized to be at least partly descended from Native Americans who had a strong relationship with the thunderbirds of the Rocky Mountains. Anchor grew up somewhere in the Great Plains, joined the Legion at a very young age, possibly due to personal tragedy, and gained a reputation for being a dangerous combatant in the underground supernatural community. Their epithet ‘the Gilt Compass’ may indicate a connection to the Shooting Star Division and/or the Feathered Serpent crime syndicate, but no concrete evidence of either has been found.
Talon first came to prominence when they were very publicly promoted to Head Commandant of the Western Division of the Independent Preternatural Legion during a ceremony in ██████████, England. Notably, ██████████ was only discovered when a member of the IPL rabbited to the International Paranatural Council 1 month to the hour before the ceremony. Possibility of the rabbit being a plant is next to zero; they were interrogated very thoroughly by the IPC and showed no signs of deception nor tampering of any sort. Regardless, agents of the IPC, as well as field agents from the Chatter & Melody Society, liaisons from the Inter-Cultural League, and an officer of the Royal Constabulary’s Supernatural Office, attended the public ceremony. During this ceremony, Anchor was viewed to have all of their Osprey’s and Owl’s Catches, as well as their Bundle of the Hawks and the currently unknown ‘peacock’ platinum award. The IPL knew of the presence of all but three of the present observers: Victoria ‘Dog-Ear’ ███████ of the CMS, ██████ Barney King of the ICL, and [Turbulent Twisting Tornado], a minor █████ ENTITY, are confirmed to have been undetected. An apparition of the Dear Loyal Canary was also present; it is unknown who they had arrived for.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Talon has shown some personal motivation against the Cult of the Great Bat, the Great Church of the Serpents, and the Gunmetal Legion, possibly due to negative experiences with Era-based religions in the past. They avoid conflict with the Chatter & Melody Society, the International Paranatural Council, and the Inter-Cultural League when possible. They have shown both familiarity and animosity towards the Shooting Star Division and the Preternatural Wing of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Current Status

Likely on a ship in the Pacific Ocean, fishing

Date of Birth

20th Julai, unknown year before 1990

Gender

Unknown, possibly genderfluid

Presentation

Androgynous

Eyes

Heterochromatic: right is light gray, left is goldenrod yellow

Hair

A blonde so pale it borders on ivory, hangs messily just pass the ears

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Well-tanned

Height

6’ 6”

Quotes & Catchphrases

I’ve always balanced on the razor edge. At this point, cuts don’t mean much to me.

— Ira Talon Anchor

Aligned Organization

Independent Preternatural Legion

Known Languages

Talon has shown repeated fluency in English and Spanish, conversational understanding of Portuguese, German, and French, and basic conversation skills in Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and Sanskrit. They are also able to communicate with Albion faeries, Germanic faeries, and some Beta-variant North American dragons.