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Heathcliff Sinclair
Characteristics
Race

Human

Gender

Male Male

Magic Affinity

Fire

Personal Status
Relative(s)
Relationship(s)

Miranda Sinclair (wife)

Duster (childhood friend)

Professional Status
Affiliation

Sinclair Family

Team Rhea

Previous Affiliation

HelperBadge Icon Helper's Guild

Occupation

Merchant

Attributes
Languages

Lingo, Fairy

First Appearance
Slightly Damned #250 [HQTS]
Image Gallery


Heathcliff Sinclair is a travelling merchant who roams Medius in his family wagon with his wife Miranda, his niece Samantha, and his Fairy friend Duster, and recently has become a father by the birth of his daughter, Baby Flo. He makes his living as a peddler. Due to his travels, Heathcliff is very worldly. He does not fall for Kieri and Buwaro’s “disguises”, and resents Buwaro for being a Demon. Although he has a surly personality and is suspicious of strangers, deep down he’s actually a good guy.

Appearance[]

Aside from a typically constant surly expression on his face, Cliff has short brown hair, sideburns and chin stubble, wears glasses, a pin-striped vest with white sleeves, and blue jeans with red suspenders hanging from his sides. He also seems to wear spats. In later art, his ears appear pointier, indicating his heritage.[1]

Personality[]

Cliff is a moody, quiet guy, sometimes a little grouchy but he's a good guy at heart, and loves his family dearly. He willingly traveled clear across Fragaria to claim his niece Sammy after her parents' deaths, and while he bickers frequently with Miranda they love each other very much.

As a child, he was more happy-go-lucky and compassionate, wanting to help people, which led him to joining the Trouble Center, and like the rest of his family, he loves to travel and is restless, never desiring to stay in the same place for very long. Even as an adult he tends to secretly show his kind, warmhearted side when no one seems to notice;[2] otherwise it's only when he's in a really good mood does he actively show it to everyone.

Originally he was prejudiced against Demons and had a hard time being around Buwaro but grew to tolerate and later accept him. Not only that, lately he asked Duster to keep an eye on Buwaro, Kieri, and Rhea, indicating they're growing on him.

History[]

Past[]

YoungDusterandCliff SD336

Cliff and Duster as children.

Cliff was born to the Sinclair Family, which is known for being vagabonds, ever-travelling from place to place, making a living as travelling merchants. As a child, he met and saved a fairy named Duster and they've been best friends ever since, staying together.

When his sister and her husband died, he traveled all the way from the Dragon Island Archipelago to adopt his niece, Sammy.

Cliff apparently used to be close to Siara the Lynx somehow (Slightly Damned #492 [HQTS]); whilst he states not to be related to her, Duster obliquely refers to Siara as Cliff's "grandma". Cliff doesn't appreciate the joke and doesn't seem to look forward to the idea.

River-Side Stories[]

Fateful Meeting at Riverside City[]

CliffMeetingBuwaro SD250

He never saw this coming.

While visiting Riverside City, he and Duster got separated from Sammy who went off on her own to try and save a fairy who was being kept in a store. Because of his grouchy personality he would be greeted by Buwaro, who thought he needed help. Cliff, surprised by the sudden appearance of a Demon, threatened him with magic, before Kieri stopped him. Not sure what to make of this he decided to back off and leave.

MirandaAndCliff SD263

"TRAITOR!"

Later in the evening they returned to his wagon where Miranda and Sammy were, only to find that the Demon and Angel he met earlier are now in his home, along with their friend Rhea. Because of how they helped Sammy before, he reluctantly agreed to let them travel with him and the family to St. Curtis.

Love and War[]

Journey with the Sinclairs[]

Some time during the travel, Kieri had an argument with Rhea about Buwaro which lead to her running off alone. Rhea pursued her, leaving Buwaro alone with the Sinclair family. Cliff went to check on him and how Buwaro was having "some girlfriend problems". He harshly told him about how even if he does care for Kieri, he could never truly be with her because he is a Demon, while she is an Angel, and that nothing can erase centuries of history brought on by hate between the two sides. He concluded by saying it's better to let her be alone as she would be happier that way.

The Weyville Incident[]

Cliff and his family, along with Rhea and group, arrive outside of Weyville after some more days of travel. Along with Miranda and Duster they set off to do business while Sammy and Kieri hung around in town. He would stop at Trader Moe's where he would purchase a mysterious egg.

CliffDenevolFight

Cliff vs Denevol.

After Sammy informed him about what Denevol was doing, they quickly rushed to their aid. While Miranda tried to heal Buwaro, Cliff and Duster confronted Denevol who was bent on killing the two, and even Cliff if he interfered. With Duster's magic power he unleashed his "Siara Special" on Denevol which greatly damaged him, telling him after that even though Buwaro was a Demon, "Murdering innocent people is never right". After finishing him off he helped Miranda in bringing the unconscious Buwaro back to the wagon.

KieriCurseReveal SD383

"What a horrible time to have a curse."

Some time after the whole incident, he and the rest of the family discovered that Kieri was cursed thanks to Toski the Rabbit. Before he could do anything to harm her, Miranda stopped him and reminded him about the time when 'he' had a curse placed on him by Meeros the Mortori Bird. When asked by Buwaro if any of the Guardians can break a curse caused by another, he answered that he didn't know and that they would need to ask them if they should meet them.

Forgive Me[]

Journey to St. Curtis[]

TeachingBuwaroMagic SD396

Teaching Buwaro how to form a Fireball.

Days later, Buwaro asked Cliff if he could teach him how to use Fire Magic. However Cliff only offered to teach him in exchange for a valuable item. Buwaro then offered to give him Thadius, who he said was his pet, while being a rock from Hell. Cliff decided not to take it and just teach him how to form a Fireball for free, privately agreeing with Duster that he was a good kid after all. Unfortunately Buwaro was a slow learner as the first Fireball he was able to conjure up ended up on the wagon, which upset him enough to where he simply ended his lesson.

At some point, Cliff was awoken by a disturbance from Rhea regarding someone crying. At first he thought it was just an owl, only to suspect that his newly acquired egg might have been the one making the sound.

As the journey continued, Cliff and company would arrive at the river that was just before the Southern Woods where they would say good bye to Willow and Eve. He would also discuss with Rhea and her friends about what they would have to do while they stayed in St. Curtis, that they would help watch the wagon while Miranda was with his mid-wife; at least until the end of the Flower Festival or when they meet Meeros.

The Flower Festival[]

Pre-Festival Events[]

Weeks later Cliff and company would arrive in St. Curtis. There he was surprised to see Demons and Angels walking around casually among the residents of St. Curtis. Before going to take Miranda to see his mid-wife, he asked Duster to keep an eye on Rhea and friends so they didn't get into trouble.

As the flowers began to fall and final preparations for the festival began, Cliff expressed his wet-blanket nature by reading a newspaper instead. He learned of various disasters taking place, apparently deciding it was a bad omen of things to come. After Rhea, Buwaro and Kieri returned (along with their new Wright Wyvern, Crunky), he left the wagon in their care while he went to stay with Miranda at the midwife.[3]

Day 1[]

The following morning he roughly woke the group to help him, and dragged them to his stall that he had borrowed from a friend. During the time he explained to Buwaro how Magic Crystals worked and even had a run-in with a fan of his uncle. He also introduced Rhea and friends to Toby, who was the first Hukai Rhea had ever seen.

BuwaroPopcorn

"Aw, come on!"

While selling his merchandise, a large Khamega appeared, wanting to buy Crunky but was denied by Kieri, he then attempted to steal it but Kieri stopped him with her magic. Cliff later revealed that he didn't intervene because he wanted to see what they would do; presumably, whether they would actually sell Crunky or not.

Toby returned with Sammy a moment later, having brought lunch for Cliff; however, all there was were honey popcorn balls, Toby told him that Sammy gave most of the food to a baby earth dragon. Cliff decided he'd eat it anyway but Buwaro had already helped himself to it. He yelled for Sammy, who decided to take Buwaro to the popcorn stand to avoid punishment.

Cliff explained that Golden Wright Wyverns are very valuable, especially on the black market, because their scales are practically identical to gold and can be used to make coins and jewelry. He also noted that because Crunky has such a small body (thinking she's either a baby or just deformed), she can only fly because of magic. He and Rhea explained that Wright Wyverns are said to be what's left of the Wind Dragon species. Cliff stated that all Wright Wyverns can use Wind Magic but Golden Wyverns being the most powerful.

After Buwaro and Sammy returned and told them what they learned, Buwaro prompted Kieri to name Crunky. Cliff elected not to participate in choosing one.

At the end of the day he compensated Rhea and her friends with some money they had made from selling merchandise and likely returned to see Miranda.

Day 2[]

On the second day of the festival, Cliff learned from his midwife that Miranda might be having her baby that day. He wanted to stay but Miranda told him to go sell some of her merchandise, including the now complete Rainbow Reverie set. He took Sammy with him as they first made a stop to the stables to visit their horses. There, unbeknownst to him, he was seen happily petting one of his horses by Jake "Jay" Thorndyke, who commented that he appeared to be a nice guy as Cliff walked away.

CliffAndTsavo SD552

Cliff confronting Tsavo over the Rainbow Reverie.

He later arrived at the stand with the merchandise and Rainbow Reverie set. Rhea commented about the cheap-looking display he brought but he told her that Sammy made it. When Rhea asked if she brought breakfast, Cliff turned around and noticed she was gone. Buwaro picked up the Red Potion with interested and wonder that he if drank it his magic would be more powerful. Cliff snatched the potion away and told him that the Yellow Potion did that, that the potions were meant for Medians and that there might have a different effect on a non-Median like Buwaro. He also told him that it was better to practice his magic as that is the best way to grow stronger.

After Buwaro and Kieri accidentally caused a Water Bubble containing fire to be blown into an unsuspecting Wind Demon, he came to the stand and soon noticed the Rainbow Reverie on the table. Cliff told him that it was real and soon Tsavo demanded he give him the set. Cliff however was only willing to give it to him if he had the money, which he had none. Tsavo threatened to take it from him but Cliff stood his ground.

Eventually a couple of Angels arrived to try and tell the Demon off, just before the Seraph Angel Verammi who would end up forcing him to retreat. Before leaving, Tsavo said that it wasn't over and flew off. Cliff let out a sigh of relief which caused Rhea to question his capabilities. Duster arrived shortly after to tell him that Miranda was having her baby. Cliff told Rhea and the others to remain at the stand while he ran off to check on his wife.

Raising Hell[]

Day 2 - Night[]

As the sun began to set, he returned to the wagon, where he found everyone, including (to his fury) Meeros, with whom he quarreled a bit before telling everyone the good news - Miranda had given birth to their new baby daughter, Florina. At Merros' insistence, they went off to the festival to celebrate his fatherhood.

Day 3[]

Cliff arrived at the sales stand with Miranda, Sammy and the newly born Florina, in order to help a pair of Jakkai who were asking about a potion that might fix their partial winter fur coats. Miranda had him hold Florina and while Duster commented how she didn't take after her father he swat him away. Meeros arrived shortly after and started to talk about how his Mortori Birds were great and how he made them a good omen of peace and love; leading him to sending away Buwaro and Kieri. Confused, Miranda wondered if the two would be alright on their own in case they run into Melli; Meeros told her that they would be as she's not as crazy as "Cliffy's grandmother".

Shortly before Melli was killed, Meeros sensed danger and told the family to stay while he took care of it.

Oops! All Demons[]

Later on, Cliff and Miranda finished packing the wagon when she asked him if they should return the table to his ex. Cliff said not to worry, even after feeling ill for a moment, and decided he needed to get the horses. Miranda offered to help but he told her to stay and protect the children. Before he could say more, he makes a Fireball to attack an approaching Demon though he realized too late that it was Buwaro. As Cliff pushed Buwaro toward the wagon, saying it was too dangerous for anyone to be out, more Demons arrived, demanding they hand over the Rainbow Reverie or else.

Miranda complied, saying she would have to get it from the wagon, so Haury told Buwaro (thinking he was on his side) to accompany her. Shortly after, One of the Demons entered the wagon out of impatience, only to be punched right out of the wagon. This caused the other two Demons to enter the fray and she and Cliff engaged them.

Cliff and Duster faced off against Haury and were overpowered, even after Cliff had a moment to break away by transforming into a Lynx and start channeling a Siara Special spell, Haury used magic to fire his own feathers at him, severely wounding Cliff. Duster tried to protect him but he was grabbed by Haury; that is until Miranda came back and threw Triska at him and smashed them with their wagon. Duster called her over to tend to Cliff's injuries while he went to go look for everyone.

Soon everyone started to reunite. Kieri returned with Buwaro, and Miranda was happy when she used her magic to heal Cliff. Sammy returned with Florina shortly after and they embraced each other tearfully. However they started to become horrified that the Demons they fought had survived and were now gone. They started to panic when they heard someone yell for them, though it was just Jake, who had brought all their animals back with him. Relieved, the family went to comfort their mares before they learned from Kieri what happened with her brother.

After the story concluded and Rhea mentioned how one of the Demons was Iratu, Rhea said she and everyone else would help in saving her brother, however Cliff told her they were leaving because he had to protect Miranda and the rest of the family after the attack they had to go through. Kieri bowed and thanked them for everything before doing the same for her friends, though the Sinclairs watched as she started to have a breakdown in front of them, even calling Buwaro weak and stupid before leaving. After Rhea resolved to go help her by getting Buwaro to help too, Cliff offered to give them samples of their Rainbow Reverie set. Miranda explained each one of them though also mentioned the purple potion was destroyed in the wagon while he told Buwaro to do whatever he could to survive and not worry about representing Demonkind. The family soon bid farewell to their companions as they set off to find Kieri.

Powers and Abilities[]

Fire Magic: Cliff is very experienced when it comes to Fire Magic as he seems to know various spells, as well as being able to manipulate fire for conventional purposes like lighting his finger on fire to use as like a match. He was taught a unique spell which allows him to form a flaming apparition of a lynx by Siara the Lynx (one of the Twelve Guardians who sided with Heaven) and she may have blessed Cliff with enhanced power over her element.

  • Fireball: A basic spell that Cliff knows how to do and taught both Sammy and Buwaro how to use it. By snapping his fingers he is able to create one though like most spells he can hold both his hands together to form it. Sometimes he can create one in the shape of Siara's head.
  • Fire Punch: By engulfing his hand in flames, Cliff is able to increase the power of his punches as well as even inflict serious burns to his enemies. He used this to defeat Denevol after being weakened by his Siara Special.
SiaraSpecial SD367
  • Fire Apparition - "Siara Special": A spell given [somehow] to Cliff by Siara the Lynx that he is unable to teach anyone else. It requires Duster donate extra magic power to meet the power level required; Cliff is able to create a large lynx apparition made of flame that pounces on his opponent and engulfs them in a long tunnel of fire. It is strong enough to seriously harm a Seraph-rank Warrior Angel who foolishly leaped into the air above Cliff without a magic shield (allowing the flame to completely surround him and slam him back to the ground).

Guardian Magic: As a descendant of a Guardian, Cliff is able to access various abilities that normal Medians would be unable to utilize. Though he's only displayed one of them, given his ties to Siara and being able to feel the death of Melli, he does possess enough power to use it.

  • Transformation Form - Lynx: As with all descendants, Cliff is able to transform into the animal form of whatever Guardian he is related to. When transformed he becomes the size of the average Lynx and his glasses carry over as well.
    • Bestial Combat Specialist: While in this form, Cliff relies on his animal abilities for combat; such as the use of claws or fangs.

Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Cliff seems to rely on unarmed combat in addition to using magic. When not using magic from a distant he can combine it with his hands to provide additional damage.

Overall Abilities: While not physically strong like Rhea, his Magic capabilities are above the average Median and are greatly enhanced when combined with Duster's power. Together they have been capable of conjuring up powerful spells capable of subduing an old Seraph Angel.

Keen Intellect: Cliff is very knowledgeable with the world of Medius, given his experience with helping people when he was younger and how he travels a lot. He has shown to know a lot about magic, items, locations and even people. He is often the first to explain the details to things that Rhea and her friends might not know.

Enhanced Magic Power: Cliff appears to be a descendant of Siara the Lynx, given recent revelations by Moonshade regarding Rhea and their bloodline with one of the Guardians; even then as Meeros hinted, his magic power would be well above the average Median despite still needed to share with Duster to perform higher-leveled spells. Like Rhea, should a Guardian be killed he would feel the aftereffects of Magic being out of balance, indicating that he may have a much higher degree of power should he be able to access it.

Former Abilities[]

CliffMortoriBird SD385

Cliff as a Mortori Bird.

Curse Form - Mortori Bird (formerly): At some point after adopting Sammy and marrying Miranda, Cliff was cursed by the Wind Guardian, Meeros the Mortori Bird as a prank, and was turned into a Mortori Bird himself (he retained his personality and ability to speak like Kieri's Snow Bunny form but was unable to change back on his own like she could). Meeros removed the curse after a short time but Cliff was not amused and is still bitter about it.

Other Appearances[]

Cliff SoT41

We raise Lynxes around here.

The Legend of Buwaro: Soprano of Time[]

Cliff makes a small appearance, taking on the role of Talon. He is the sole farmer of the Sinclair Ranch where he seems to mostly raise Lynxes (keeping in theme to his elemental affinity and connection to Siara) in order to sell milk, much to Rhea's dismay. He also took in Buwaro while he was disguised as a cow.

A Monster Hive Christmas Special[]

Cliff Christmas

Who exactly invited us here?

Cliff appears as a guest to a Christmas Party involving various characters from other comic works like Wamoh, Lunavis, messenger, Grayling and Untitled.

Trivia[]

  • Cliff is bisexual, as revealed when his wife off-handedly mentions a male ex of his.

Quotes[]

  • (to Buwaro Elexion) "But you shouldn't feel responsible for representing all of Demonkind. This is about survival. Your reputation as an individual could be the difference between life and death."[4]

References[]

Navigation[]

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