Description

A tall (6' 3") tanned Caucasian. He has long dark hair cut in bangs several inches above his eyebrows, large gray eyes, and a square cleft chin. His nose is short and stright, his upper lip short also. He is extremely athletic, big boned and muscular, but more like a sleek leapord than a brawny lion. He is Apollo like in his handsome appearance. There is a thin scar from his left eye to his right ear over the top of his head that flares when he is angry.

Also know as: John Clayton, Lord Greystoke. Monsieur Jean C. Tarzan, John Caldwell, Waziri King of the Waziri.

Birth Story
See The Greystoke Lineage

The Greystokes are descended from Odin in several lines the most notable being Westerfalcna Graegbeardssunu "Son of the Grey-Bearded One" born in 578, the son of King Aella of Deira. Aella was the son of Yffe, the son of Uxfrea, the son of Wilgisl, the son of Westerfalca, the son of Saegl the son of Saeld, the son of Segegeat, the son of Swebdae the son of Sigegar, the son of Waeaeg the son of Woden. Westerfalcna Graegbeardssunu was also born a scion of Odin. They family remained Odin worshipers until at least 1400. Even into modern times they maintained odd family customs which produced the occasional Scion.

In an effort to refute his fathers turning his back on the lineage of the family John Clayton and his soon to be wife (Lady Alice Rutherford daughter of George Rutherford, 13th Baron Tennington) were married by the old rites of the family before the public Christian ceremony. Unknowingly this opened the door for his son to be a Scion of Odin. Other gods, realizing that a Scion of Odin was to be born, arranged for John Clayton to start on an expedition to Africa where he and his wife were abandoned by a mutinous crew.

The area were they were standed was jungle and inhabited by a subhuman specias of hominod called Mangani. John Clayton built a cabin and they couple proceeded t live awaiting a promised rescue by British forces. Several months later one of the Mangani seeing the older John Clayton away from the cabin attacked him, Lady Alice coming from the cabin shot the Mangani with a rifle, but this caused the Mangani to turn on her. It attacked her only die at last second, its dead body falling on her. Between the shock of being trapped in the jungle, the rifle (she disliked guns), and the dead Mangani she went mad and retreated into a fantasy world believing she was still in England. John Clayton (Tarzan) was born that night Nov 22 1888. Exactly one year later Alice died. The elder John Clayton dsitraught did not close the door to the cabin and was killed by Kerchak king of the Mangani. The baby John Clayton was adopted by the she-ape Kala who had recently lost her own child. After scaring them all with and accidental firing of the rifle the Mangani fled and closed the cabin door, sealing.

At aproximatly age ten a young Tarzan, smarter than his Mangani companions learend to open the cabin door. There a discovered his fathers hunting knife and mothers locket. Leaving the cabin Tarzan was attacked by a gorilla, he killed the gorilla with the knife but was severly wounded. After his recovery he reclaimed the knife and became a feared member of the Mangani tribe

Tarzan 12/15

Mother is of high status (Queen, Famous Star, Heiress, Nobility) Hero is first of mother's children Mortal father is of equal or higher status than mother Mortal parents are related Conception/birth is unusual or miraculous An attmept is made to kill the Hero near birth by a near relative The Hero is raised away from his mortal fathers homeland One or both parents are absent during childhood Coming of age involves defeating a monster Special Weapons/Items are left for the Hero before he is born that only he can access Dispute or unusualness over inheritance Prophecy regarding the Heros fate Hero is reputed son of a god (does not apply, historical only) Scion(God) ancestors Famous Tutor

Alice Rutherford is the daughter of an Earl Yes John Clayton is the son of a Duke Yes, cousins (see Tarzan Alive) Birth takes place because of a Mangani attack, mother is driven insane. Both at birth and age 1 by Mangani. Raised in Africa not England Yes both are dead by age 1. The killing of the Gorilla with his fathers knife is his coming of age Father's hunting knife and Mother's locket in cabin that only he can enter Yes, his uncle (father's younger brother) and then cousin become duke in his father's and his abscence. Then he become the 8th duke out of order. He does not press his claim on his cousin while his cousin is duke and hides it from him.     Multiple scions of Odin

Attributes:

Epic Strength
• Strength of 4 men: Any act of strength which has recently been performed by 4 or fewer men Tarzan can replicate alone.

Epic Intelligence
• Speak with the animals: Tarzan can communicate with most Jungle animals that possesses some semblance of intelligence, Elephants, monkeys, apes etc.
• Master of Languages: Tarzan has a superhuman ability to learn new languages, he learned to read English from books alone and picked up French, English, Arabic, Waziri in a few weeks each.

Epic Dexterity

• Can not be harmed by guns (Book 2, duel, takes 2 bullets but is unharmed): Shots from pistols produce only minor flesh wounds, or miss him entirely. Shots from rifles can knock him out, but only if he is hit in the head. He is effected normally by larger caliber weapons, as well as arrows and other weapons.
• The Spirit of Great Managani: Tarzan possesses the spirit of the Great Mangani. When he enters combat it takes over and controls him in a superhuman rage until the foe is defeated, and he makes the call of the great Ape.
• Immortal: Tarzan was given a potion over a period of 30 days by a witch doctor that made him immortal. He can be killed but will never age or die of old age.

Relics:

• Father's Hunting Knife
• Diamond Locket: A golden locket studded with diamonds, linked to a small gold chain. The work of a skilled artisan the diamonds are of great brilliancy and superbly set, but of an older style cut. Pressing a hidden clasp the locket opens revealing two ivory miniatures. One is of a beautiful woman and the other of a man who resembles Tarzan. In Jane's posession.

Perhaps the great god of the north is not dead but in hiding. it pleased the Wild huntsman to direct the falling star of Wold Newton near the two coaches. Thus, in a manner of speaking, he fathered the children of the occupants. The mutated and recessive genes would be reinforced, kept from being lost, by the frequent marriages among the descendants of the irradiated parents. Tarzan Alive Farmer.

I think I'm not going with the whole Wold Newton thing. Its to extreme and doesn't lend itself to gods. Tarzan is a scion of either Odin (the Greystoke family are both descendants of and worshipers of Odin) or Athena (via Alice Rutherford). Either way Loki conspires to strand John Clayton and family in Africa expecting to rid the world of a scion of his rivals. Instead Tarzan is adopted by Kala the Mangani, and as a side effect the Great Mangani (ie. Great Cave Bear).

Tarzan absorbs the Spirit of the Great Mangani when he kills Kerchak, the ritual king of the Mangani and embodiment of the Great Mangani. This set Tarzan well on the path to demi-god hood. His next step was becoming immortal via the potions of the witch doctor.

Canon: Only some novels by Burroughs. Not the more fantastic ones like the trip to Pellucidar. Becomes demigod 1912 with immortality.