Taven

"To prevent Armageddon, he and his brother, Daegon, must undertake a quest that will decide the fate of the world."

- Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Bio Card

Taven is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He made his debut in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.

About Taven
Taven made his first appearance in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon as the game's hero, featured as the main character in the game's Konquest mode. He is a half-god and son of the Protector of Edenia, Argus (making Rain his half brother), and a powerful sorceress who has the ability to see into the future, Delia. He also has the ability to control fire, much like his brother Daegon.

Taven was referred to as "Hero" and "Bob" in his early character development.

Storyline
The Konquest Mode in Armageddon revolves around a contest between Taven and his brother Daegon set by their father to save the realms from Armageddon. They are sent to Earthrealm and are kept in incubation by two dragons, Caro and Orin, until Blaze calls for them to be awakened and the quest to begin. Their task is to find and defeat Blaze. The victor would succeed his father's place, becoming a full god and Protector of Edenia. He would also decide the fate of the rest of the combatants.

When Taven is released by his dragon, Orin, he finds that his brother, Daegon, had been prematurely awakened centuries ago. Taven soon discovers that his brother had become corrupted during this time. Daegon's dragon, Caro, reveals to Taven that Daegon had killed their parents and formed the Red Dragon clan in order to locate Blaze sooner, as well as to eliminate the competition: his own brother.

Eventually, Taven confronts Daegon in battle on the edge of the crater that Armageddon is said to begin in. Taven emerges victorious, defeating his brother. The Pyramid of Argus then rises from the ground nearby. Fighting his way to the top, Taven finally reaches the end of his quest to save the realms and decide the fate of the other fighters. Not knowing if his victory would disarm the rest of the combatants or kill them all, Taven manages to defeat Blaze in Mortal Kombat. In the end, however, his victory over Blaze does neither of the above, instead actually increasing the powers of the kombatants below, potentially exacerbating the onset of Armageddon. As a result, Taven will make it his duty as god to prevent Armageddon or the one being might return; he must do this until a solution can be found.

Biographies
Armageddon Bio Card: "Son of the Edenian god Argus, Taven awoke from a centuries-long sleep to a future where powerful kombatants wreak havoc upon the realms. To prevent Armageddon, he and his brother, Daegon, must undertake a quest that will decide the fate of the world. If not when armageddon is unleashed the one being might return!

Powers and abilities
Due to his status as a half-god, Taven's powers are ones never to be underestimated and appears to be one of the most powerful characters to ever appear in the franchise. He is commonly associated with the element of fire, much like Liu Kang. He uses this in the form of devastating fireballs that can decimate rows of lesser opponents in one fell swoop, deliver an earth-shaking leaping ground pound that knocks foes into the air and deliver quick punches with his fist enveloped in fire. He also has the distinction of being the only character in the series with any influence over time and space. He has the ability to teleport himself across vast distances and temporarily halt time.

Before his ascension to godhood, Taven's strength was shown to already exceed that of Earthrealm's gods, Raiden and Fujin. It is unknown how powerful Taven has become after absorbing Blaze's essence and becoming a god, but he has stated that his abilities will be enough to hold off the apocalyptic event. It appears that Taven's time and space powers have been enhanced, sending several characters back in time long before the beginning of Armageddon

Signature moves

 * Fireball / Inner Fire: Taven blasts a fireball at his opponent. In Konquest mode, this attack will often kill enemies with a single hit. (MK:A)
 * Ground Pound / Ring of Hatred: Taven rises into the air and smashes his fist into the ground, causing a shockwave of fire. In Konquest mode, this attack is used to activate Ground Pound markers, or switches placed in the earth. (MK:A)
 * Godly Charge: Taven charges forward, ramming his opponent with his shoulder in a show of fire. (MK:A)
 * Speed of Light: Taven dashes instantly toward his opponent, connecting with three hits. (MK:A)
 * Escape Move: Taven vanishes and reappears elsewhere, allowing him to quickly evade his enemies. This is a supermove only used during Konquest mode. (MK:A)
 * Time Stop: Taven halts time, freezing nearby enemies for a short period. This is a supermove only used during Konquest mode. (MK:A)

Fatalities
Taven's Fatalities are only done in Armageddon's Konquest mode.
 * Head Uppercut
 * Heart Rip
 * Torso Rip
 * Neck Snap

Endings

 * Armageddon: (Konquest) "My world has been ripped to pieces. I awoke in a foreign realm, forced to complete a quest set forth by my parents, Argus and Delia. This quest, though intended to save the realms, has destroyed my family. My brother, Daegon, became obsessed with winning the ultimate prize of full godhood and murdered our parents -- and in his madness, he sought to destroy me as well. Orin and Caro, dragons loyal to our family for ages, were not spared from the curse this quest has wrought. Daegon enslaved Caro to serve his own ends; the sorcerer Quan Chi killed Orin, who was my guardian. Though I had nothing left, I was determined to complete the quest. I faced many kombatants, fighting my way to the top of the pyramid until at last, I alone defeated Blaze in Mortal Kombat. The energy released by his death passed through me, granting me full godhood. The excess power then filtered through my armor and passed into the other kombatants. Though this energy was to have one of two effects on them -- death or annulment of their powers -- a third, unforseen outcome resulted. The quest did nothing to resolve the instability of the realms. But as protector of Edenia, I vow to stave off Armageddon until a solution can be found."


 * Armageddon: "Taven finally completed the quest by slaying Blaze with the sword I left for him in my temple. As intented, the godlike energy passed through him, transforming him into a full god. The surge of power then passed through the armor given to him by his mother and was dispersed into every kombatant within the crater. The result was intented to strip them of their special powers, but Blaze had been corrupted long ago by the Dragon King's holy men. Instead of nullifying the kombatants' power, it made them stronger than before! The quest was a failure! May the Elder Gods forgive me!"

Trivia
In General: Mortal Kombat Armageddon:
 * Taven's original pending name was Bob. Although Ed Boon did not like the name Taven, he had stuck with it as the final one.
 * Has the same throw move as some characters.
 * The protagonist of the game.
 * Taven's Konquest ending is the only ending considered to be canon.
 * One of the few characters that does not have a relic to be found in konquest mode.
 * One of Daegon's Drakeswords is actually Taven's.
 * Despite Daegon taking both the swords in his father's temple, Taven still has a drakesword in Konquest gameplay.
 * Taven is currently one of the two only playable characters that appeared in one game. The other being Daegon.

Character Relationships

 * Son of Argus and Delia.
 * Brother of Daegon.
 * Half-brother of Rain.
 * Pupil of Orin.
 * Raiden and Fujin were friends of his family for ages.
 * Shinnok was once one of his family's friends.
 * Defeated Kobra when he began his quest.
 * Defeated Kabal and his Black Dragon clan.
 * Captured by Sektor and eventually defeated him and escaped his Tekunin ship.
 * Freed Frost from her ice imprisonment and defeated her and knocked her delirium out of her.
 * Fought Sub-Zero until Sub-Zero spotted his tattoo resembling the dragon on a door.
 * Defeated Smoke.
 * Defeated Noob Saibot and left him to have Sub-Zero revive him.
 * Defeated Fujin who tried to stop Taven from going through his corrupted quest.
 * Defeated Mavado who was hired by Daegon to kill him.
 * Encountered Kano who informed him that the Red Dragon had been creating a hybrid of human and lizard.
 * Killed Kia, Jataaka, and freed Sareena.
 * Defeated Reptile.
 * Defeated the cloned Li Mei who was attacking Shinnok.
 * Defeated the cloned Havik, Sheeva, and Kintaro.
 * Helped Shinnok regain his throne in the Netherrealm.
 * Wants to kill Quan Chi who slayed his dragon mentor, Orin.
 * Defeated Mileena.
 * Freed Shujinko out of Shao Kahn's dungeon.
 * Defeated Goro.
 * Defeated Reiko.
 * Defeated Raiden.
 * Defeated Scorpion.
 * Defeated his brother Daegon once and for all.
 * Presumably, he ultimately defeated Blaze and becomes the protector of Edenia and searches for a solution for Armageddon.