Zenith Rathian

Zenith Rathian are the Zenith Species of Rathian.

Developed Part
Zenith Rathian's developed part is its tail.

Explanation for Differences
An older Rathian who has extensively used its tail in combat and repeatedly broken its barbs, causing them to grow back as hard, pointed thorns.

Aesthetic Differences/Appearance
Zenith Rathian has a darker overall coloration than Rathian. Its claws, chin spike, and wing membranes are tinted purple. The projections on Zenith Rathian's head are larger, and its wing claws are slightly larger with a more hooked shape. Zenith Rathian is most notable for its enlarged tail spikes, which are covered in thorns and are tinted purple from the presence of poison.

Behaviour
Zenith Rathian is highly aggressive and territorial, and it will chase down and attack almost any foe that crosses its path.

Mount
Zenith Rathian is mounted exactly like a regular Rathian.

Rage And Tired States

 * Enraged: Huffs purple gas from mouth and eyes glow yellow.
 * Tired: Will fail several tail-based attacks and drool.

Attacks
Zenith Rathian uses all the attacks of Rathian and HC Rathian.

GR 200

 * Completely Poisonous, And Thorny: Any movement and minor attack from the tail cannot be ignored in the Zenith Rathian's case as hunters can either be inflicted with Deadly Poison or Bleeding depending which part hit them.
 * Right To The Veins: Zenith Rathian's unique ailment known as Blood Poisoning is inflicted by its normal and major tail attacks. This acts like a lethal combination of Bleeding and every poison type up to even beyond Deadly Poison. This ailment alone is a major attack, which can easily send hunters to camp on the cart.
 * Across The Earth: When Zenith Rathian's tail attacks make contact with the ground, it leaves behind gashes containing either Deadly or Super Poison that remain for a while, similar to Dreadqueen Rathian's toxic spikes.
 * Toxic Mouth: The mouth of the Zenith Rathian courses with the almost incurable Super Poison, which is released in its bite attacks and sometimes its very movements.
 * Raging Toxic Flames: When Zenith Rathian becomes enraged the higher poison output now makes its fire attacks emit poisonous smoke behind or around them even in the state where they burn the ground. The smoke inflicts Super Poison, making the flames even more dangerous than before.
 * Rage Brings On The Backflip: Unlike the other Rathians when Zenith Rathian becomes enraged it will do a fast backflip after roaring. It will inflict Blood Poisoning on off guard or effected hunters immobilised.
 * Advancing Bites: Like the Dreadking Rathalos, Zenith Rathian can bite repeatedly towards hunters, inflicting Super Poison if bitten. When enraged, a poisonous steam will emit from each bite to extend its range.
 * Hammer Defiance: In a shocking way to counter the Rathian species weakness to hammer users, if it is stunned by one, it won't fall over and will shake its head, wings and tail around wildly while howling. Even when not enraged it will spew poisonous clouds from its mouth and keep its head from range of further attacks while the wings and tail inflict their corresponding poison types from impacts.
 * Get Away From It!: To get hunters away from its tail, the Zenith Rathian will quickly open its mouth and looks upwards, then suddenly without warning make a violent bite right around next to its tail. It can be done in both sides and knocks hunters away from the tail as well as giving them Super Poison.
 * Earth-Rending Backflip: It drags its tail thorns through the earth behind it and then does a backflip that flings four rocks forward like the HC Rathians.
 * Backwards Smash: Looks behind itself as a target is near and jumps back, bring its tail down on them in a fast and heavy blow. It may inflict Blood Poisoning or Bleeding.
 * Venomous Whiplash: It turns so its tail faces a hunter, then swings its tail violently around to upswing them and give them Blood Poisoning.
 * Tail Twirl: She will put her tail by her face before doing a tail spin similar to Jho's Twirl Attack. This attack will cover the Zenith Rathian's front rear view.
 * Tail Swings: Swings its tail to the left and right in an identical fashion to a Diablos.
 * Tail Smash: In a fast twirl it slams its tail at hunters.
 * Turning Backflip: It will look backwards as it lifts up its tail then, suddenly, jumps up into the air and spins around to where it faced backwards and does a much faster backflip then land immediately.
 * Airborne Tail Swipe: Like the 5th Gen Rathalos, it will sweep it's tail at hunters while flying.
 * Double Aerial Sweep: The Zenith Rathian will fly backwards into the air before diving and, quickly turning around and diving at the hunters again. This replaces the standard version when enraged.
 * Deadly Wings: Zenith Rathian's wings are not safe either, as they get attacks of their own that inflict Deadly Poison.
 * Wing Slap: She will lash out one of her wings quickly and extend it outwards then fold in back with equal speed, an easy way for it to cause Deadly Poison.
 * Double Wing Slap: With a delay, it does its Wing Slap attack with both wings at the same time.
 * Wingclaw Pierce: Zenith Rathian springs its legs and lunges its large spikes on the wings at hunters at remarkable speed. They inflict Deadly Poison.
 * Toxifying Wind Gust: A flap of the wings surrounds them with poisonous mist, and just a moment later the Zenith dashes backwards with a single powerful flap that sends a large long wave of the poison in a gust of wind. This causes Dragon Wind Pressure and Deadly Poison at a longer duration than the simple attacks.
 * Gliding Drag: The Zenith Rathian yells upwards and takes off after a hunter, but keeps its tail near the ground. As it glides towards hunters the tail's thorns shred through the ground as they leave Super Poison in the gashes left behind. It's tracking gets better as it becomes quicker, until eventually having to land.
 * Re-positioned Charge: Should Zenith Rathian get a bad start to its charge, it will hop around to the direction of the hunter and use its wings to instantly redo the charge again at a faster speed.
 * Thorn Rake: Hurling itself backwards it whips its tail through the ground which stands no defence against its thorns and leaves heavy poisonous gashes across it, then doing it three more times to leave four gashes for hunters to avoid.
 * Dissolved Fireball: A fireball forms in its mouth, but its form begins to melt from the poison around it. Proceeding to then fire it like normal, the fireball bursts into purple sludge globs that spread outwards from the firing spot in an AOE shrouded in a large cloud.
 * Dissolved Wyvernfire: Smoke billows from the maw of the Zenith along with decayed flames that becomes weaponised with a large breath that spreads the concoction across into a wide toxic smokescreen wall.
 * Damaged Spike Toss: If hunters do enough damage to its tail tip, it can hardly spin it's tail around and fling several cracked spikes at them that even though damaged, will inflict Blood Poisoning.
 * Super Charge: Pushing itself backwards and building up pressure, the Zenith Rathian produces poison around its wings and opens its mouth for a second. Then, suddenly with a Dragon Wind Pressure gust, it does racing towards a hunter with deadly speed and its wingclaws positioned like bayonet sword coated with poison. Once its charge is done it turns itself around and falls down for a moment then lifting itself up with a hard hop then does a Dreadqueen taunt. Impact causes major damage and sends hunters flying from the strength, and if struck by the wings also receive Deadly Poison.
 * Thorned Stabs: Zenith Rathian swings its tail sideways at by the thorns multiple times with confusing movements. A single hit can inflict Blood Poisoning, but can also inflict Bleeding.
 * Whirling Smash: Curling up its tail for a few seconds, the Zenith Rathian spins around uncontrollably until it brings itself to stop with a single large smash of its tail enough to break the ground.
 * Poison Rain: Zenith Rathian's tail drips heavily with poison and with a single airborne flail, is shot into the air as many drops that all land in random places. They inflict either Deadly or Super Poison depending on colour.
 * Cartwheel Backflip: A super version of the backflip. The Zenith Rathian emits a howl as it braces its tail against the ground as its wings slowly extend and it's body readies for what it is about to do. In a split second the Zenith Rathian backflips once, twice, trice, and then goes into a backflipping spin so fast it looks like a dark green and red saw that cuts apart the earth as it approaches hunters. Rubble blasts from the spin, causing Bleeding quickly while the attack in general does multiple hits when in the middle of it that can easily cart hunters, either by damage or Blood Poisoning if they barely survive. Once the momentum dies, the Zenith Rathian flops to the ground and emits a long non-earplug roar.

GR 400-600

 * Tail Spin Spurt: Now whenever it does its tail spin, a strong spurt of poison will be flung from the thorns like HC Pink Rathian's spike fling. This poison is fast enough to inflict Blood Poisoning.
 * Slicing Thorns: At an incredible speed the Zenith Rathian flies around by the strength of its tail up to ten times. They are so quick, Blood Poisoning cannot take effect so as a result this attack is its biggest method of causing Bleeding.
 * Headbutting Bite: Dirty tricks are not beyond this Zenith, as in this attack it does a lightning fast headbutt that flinches a hunter so they cannot avoid an instantly followed bite that gives them Super Poison.
 * Poisoned Rocks: The rocks that are flung by its tail during some attacks now inflict Deadly Poison.
 * Fireball Chase Down: Very similarly to the HC Silver Rathalos, it charges around a hunter while shooting several fireballs at them.
 * Wyvernfire Shield: Zenith Rathian will rear her head back before shooting a wyvernfire. Unlike the normal one, the fiery explosions will explode around her like Teostra's explosive powder.
 * Tail Twirl-Wyvernfire Combo: Z.Rathian will put her tail on her face before doing a tail spin but right after she does it, she will quickly back up and shoot a huge explosion of fire at the hunters.
 * Smash, Smash, Flip: Lifting itself upward it lunges at hunters with two twisting tail slams then doing a precise backflip that is difficult to avoid.
 * Stream of Fire: The Zenith Rathian will begin to have fire puff out of her mouth before she shoots a stream of a fire infront of her while roaring. After the stream of fire is shot, she will taunt for a few seconds. In Rage Mode, she will instantly connect the attack into a Tail Flip, which will push the now poisonous fumes towards hunters to give them Super Poison.
 * Wing Twirl: It readies a wing like Blangonga beginning a Clothesline Punch then uses its weight and wind to launch itself spinning around at hunters repeatedly like Zerureusu, becoming near weightless in movement and lands softly.
 * Wingcheck: Curving to face towards a hunter it tackles into them by the wing with a hard jump sideways. This inflicts Super Poison if the spikes hit.
 * Wings Of Plague: Breathing some poisonous smoke into them, it unfolds its Deadly Poison coated wings and flies up over the hunters and beats down a trail of poison that discolours what is inside its grasp. Once enough smoke is on the field it does a final toxic wind gust, making it land.
 * Dance Of Poisons: In a non-stop almost dance like pattern, it breathes Super Poison around in circles, rapidly strikes with its wings to shoot Deadly Poison in arrow-like shapes, and then finally jumps up high scrapping the ground with the tail thorns and spins around vertically to spray Blood Poisoning earth around in three widening circles.
 * Three Swings: With both its head and tail, it rushes toward hunters and does three low aimed bites and tail swings that swoop around in opposite directions.
 * Four Backflips: Back-stepping with one foot it lifts up its tail and backflips. Then it changes direction three times, backflipping with each and then slamming its tail in a heaving landing enough to split the ground into Blood Poisoning spikes.
 * Pin Frustration: If the Zenith Rathian misses its talon feeding pin attack, then it now does this. Digging it's talons and tail into the ground where it landed, it in frustration tears it up into pieces that go all around it. They may have avoided a pin, but hunters can now get Blood Poisoning or Bleeding from its new action.
 * Fire-smoke Lashes: Zenith Rathian shoots a charged up fireball while standing upright that creates a much denser flash. It then charges into the smoke, swinging its tail thorns around three times running in between each. Blood Poisoning is to be expected if hunters cannot see the way out.
 * Rock Scatter-fall: Its tail is swung through the earth as it stomp it apart. With cracked rubble around it, the Zenith Rathian spins around behind it and unearths a giant rock into the air while several smaller rocks fall around it below. It flies up to the rock and smashes it into pieces in a single tail strike, inserting poison into all of the many fragments that fall down around the area afterwards.
 * Painful Choice: While in the air, the Zenith Rathian flies behind hunters and with a curving precise swing, it creates an arc of pointed rocks that will cause Blood Poisoning instantly on touch that extend all the way around except the very front, where Zenith Rathian lands. Without any break, it begins breathing a dangerous stream of poison from it's mouth left to right, right to left. Hunters if they don't escape before the breath begins will be trapped by the rocks and the poison stream, giving them no other choice but to either go through the rocks and get Blood Poisoning or take the stream and take attack damage and Super Poison. If they don't choose the stream eventually reaches the arc and makes a burst of both, meaning hunters get both lethal poisons at once, effectively dooming them.
 * Thorny Grab: Zenith Rathian yells at a hunter and runs towards them with its tail flailing. When it is right near them, it lashes its tail widely around to its face and if it doesn't do to plan its drawn back extremely fast to prevent advantages for the hunters. Should it manage to hit them, they will actually become impaled on the thorns and without a single chance to escape it yells at the victim again and does a violent acrobatic spin upwards and smashes them across the ground, releasing them quickly but very painfully from the tail. This causes Blood Poisoning and heavy damage.
 * Enhancement Dissolver: Zenith Rathian inhales a trail of poison right to its lungs, then emits a distorted roar. Anything in its range indicated by the purple and red glow will completely lose all positive buffs granted from potions and songs. This can prove an annoyance to hunters with continuous healing items.

GR 800

 * Dreadqueen's Attacks: In this tier, it gets all of the unique attacks from Dreadqueen Rathian.
 * Five Rocks: Its Earth-rending Backflip now flings five rocks instead of four.
 * Bite, Bite, Smash: It preforms two advancing bites, then its shakes violently for a second and smashes its tail around where it was biting towards, making a poisonous burst. The smash attack is so fast and powerful that it will send hunters flying away from a direct hit.
 * Aerobatic Backflips: Jumping into the air it almost seems to lose control of itself as it flails its tail, which it then proceeds to glide quickly at a hunter and backflip. With flying skills seen normally on a Rathalos, it flies around the area, randomly targeting hunters in a dive to quickly backflip then continue flying. The attack lasts until it flies up high, diving down with a huge smash of its tail to create several pillars of poison around it as it appears to bask in the clouds created.
 * Fire Scatter, Poison Scatter, Earth Scatter: Spinning around with a fire in its mouth it shoots it right in front of its face to scatter its embers forward like HC Rathian, then it spins again and flings big drops of Deadly Poison from its wings, and with one last big spin it drags its tail around and flings large clusters of Blood Poisoning earth at hunters.
 * Corrupting Spin: Standing high upwards and spreading out its wings, it slowly moves backwards as it tries to keep a hunter in sight. Then, much like the Hidden Haze Malfestio it jumps and goes rushing towards hunters like a drill, its wing talons being pointed forward for maximum impact. When it lifts off, it drags its tail through the earth to create a dusty poisonous cloud around it that just adds to the range and deadliness of the attack. When the spinning reaches near the ground it does a finishing strike from its wings as it lands. This attack can cause all three poison types, send hunters flying and do massive damage.
 * Queen Of A Broken Land: Zenith Rathian will roar to the ground and make the first smash with its head, breathing a fireball into the hole. It then stomps to break the ground further, using its tail to bat rocks at hunters. Then it buries the tail deep into the ruined earth and does a powerful backflip to unearth a large poisonous rock, and another backflip immediately after to launch itself through the rock, shattering it to shards to fall down at random spots. To end the attack it flies up high with a yell and plummets down into the wreaked spot and impacts the ground with so much force, it cracks the earth around the crater and throws up a giant cloud of dust and soon after due to the tail, Blood Poisoning.
 * Lethal Injection: Zenith Rathian's tail begins seeping with extra poison as it raises it like a spear towards a hunter. It makes up to three hard turns to keep him/her it sight, then suddenly rushes at him/her and trusts its tip thorn directly into the hunter. If the attack connects, the hunter is thrown to the floor and pinned by its tail thorn. Without hesitation the Zenith sinks the thorn even deeper and begins inserting the built up poison into the hunter's body. If not freed by others in time, red/purple smoke engulf the hunter as his/her health goes to 0% instantly and coughs up some of the poison before unavoidably fainting. Zenith Rathian then draws out the thorn and resumes fighting the other hunters.
 * Poison Eruption: Zenith Rathian makes a very short roar then draws its head to the ground and fires a wyvernfire right as it splits the ground with a tail smash. The fire travels down through the crack and bursts out at distance as a geyser of fire and leaves a smoking hole. Zenith Rathian then suddenly does airborne and gather the poisons around its body to its tail as it hovers above the start of the crack before plowing it right into it and creating a small burst of Blood Poisoning like G-rank Astaloses tail explosion. It then sinks the tail completely in, injecting all the poison through to the hole. The hole steams for a few seconds and with a large quake, the ground around it bursts open from the pressure in an eruption of poison. Balls of the poison will fly from the eruption as the Zenith Rathian depletes its extra poison, slowly ripping its tail from the crack and stomps down heavily with a Dreadqueen taunt. The poison eruption ends soon after. The eruption can do massive damage and inflict all three poison types at once.
 * Rose Of Death: The ultimate attack of Zenith Rathian. With a drawn out build up it smashes the ground with its head, wings and tail to crack it enough to soften it up for the main attack. The three types of poison begin to steam around the smashed ground and around Zenith Rathian as it begins to concentrate on building up all the poison it can. Its scales turn all purplish as it emits a Zenith Level Roar that is noticeably distorted than the normal Rathian roar. With a big jump and glide upwards, it spreads the poison cloud to the full range of the following attack. Raging down in a somersault the Zenith Rathian impacts into the ground itself and with one violent uncurl, explodes a gigantic wave of poisons that break up the earth in such a way, it looks like a rose made of poison and dissolving rock. As this happens, the Zenith Rathian makes another long roar as all its poisons are emitted into this creation for six seconds. When all the poison is expired they rose collapses into a thick purple smokescreen that remains in the area for two minutes. The attack will always leave the Zenith Rathian tired afterwards from dispelling the massive amount of poison. This attack can easily end hunts in failure for unknowing hunters, one shot them from damage alone and even if they survive that, will give them all three kinds of poison at once to finish them off.

Breaks

 * Head Wounded
 * Left Wing Wounded (Reduces Deadly Poison ablities from the attacks from that part)
 * Right Wing Wounded (Reduced Deadly Poison ablities from the attacks from that part)
 * Back Wounded
 * Left Leg Wounded
 * Right Leg Wounded
 * Tail Slightly Wounded (Large thorns and some scales cracked slightly)
 * Tail Wounded (Thorns damaged and tail scales damaged)
 * Tail Severed (Can be carved once and revokes the Zenith Rathian's ability to inflict Blood Poisoning)

Taxonomy
Rathian are part of the Flying Wyvern classification, along with their male counterparts, the Rathalos.
 * Order: Saurischia
 * Suborder: Wyvern Feet
 * Infraorder: Armor Shell Wyvern
 * Superfamily: Flying Wyvern
 * Family: Rath

Habitat Range
Zenith Rathian can be found in locations where the normal Rathian live. They can also be found in the Defiant Stronghold.

Ecological Niche
Zenith Rathian is near the top of the food chain, and will prey upon anything it can poison and incapacitate with its tail thorns. The few monsters that are large or durable enough to resist its venom eventually succumb to blood loss from the deep gashes created by the thorns on its tail. With this hunting strategy, it can bring down many smaller and equal-sized monsters, and even larger monsters such as Tigrex, Nargacuga, Zinogre, and Plesioth.

Zenith Rathian's poisonous thorns and toxic breath are enough to ward off most predators, but there are still a select few monsters that are capable of competing with it or killing it. Its main competitor is the fearsome Zenith Espinas, with which it competes with for food and territory. Zenith Rathian is also known to contend with Elder Dragons like Chameleos, Elder Dragon-Level monsters like Rajang and Deviljho, and other Zeniths.

Biological Adaptations
Zenith Rathian have many of the same adaptations as Rathian, but there are a few differences between the two. After years of using its tail to poison its prey and breaking its barbs repeatedly with extensive use, the barbs on its tail have regrown as hard, thorny spikes capable of ripping through flesh and bone. These spikes are so deadly that even minor contact can cause their victims to be left either poisoned or bloody. When Zenith Rathian uses its tail as a weapon, these thorns are even more dangerous as they can be used to pierce the skin of their victims and inject venom directly into the bloodstream. The tail itself is more durable than that of a standard Rathian, which is evidenced by the fact that this tail must be wounded before it can be severed. Its wing claws have also developed slightly, as it is now able to poison its foes with them. The poison in Zenith Rathian's body is more effective than that of a standard Rathian, able to cause the debilitating Super Poison status. This poison courses through its entire body, and leaks out of its jaws as either a gas or a liquid. Older Zenith Rathians are capable of releasing all of this poison at once in a large burst.

Behavior
Zenith Rathian is even more aggressive than the standard Rathian, and will mercilessly attack anything that crosses its path. From this, only a select few hunters are permitted to pursue them.

Interactions with The Frenzy/Hyper State/Apex
None, Zeniths cannot be inflicted with abnormal statuses.

Trivia

 * Zenith Rathian was conceptualized as a Rathian even more terrifying than Dreadqueen Rathian.
 * This inspiration stemmed from TheBrilliantLance's disastrous first attempt at hunting it.
 * Flinching Zenith Rathian's head will make it drop the purple shinies needed to cure it's Super Poison.
 * Blood Poisoning is a special variant of poison. The affected hunter starts gripping at their side as the venom takes effect, if they run, dodge, block, or attack, they get Bleeding damage. Plus, the more they move (even when walking), the more effective the venom becomes.
 * Zenith Rathian despite its intelligence and combat expertise cannot use the curling backflip and other attacks from its pink and gold subspecies.
 * It does however, get the attacks from its HC (Frontier and BannedLagiacrus Fanon) variant and its Deviant, Dreadqueen Rathian.

Credits

 * TheElusiveOne: Coming up with attack and ability suggestions for Zenith Rathian.