“Welcome to my abode, the Pyramid of Riddles.  The entrance to the Labyrinth of Riddles is just down the stairs over there.  Rumor has it that the very end of the labyrinth houses unimaginable amounts of treasure.  I won’t stop you from trying to get there, but many before you have tried… and not one has succeeded.” —Si

Type of character: FurAffinity

Name: Si (NOT pronounced “see”; the I is long!)
Age: Appears to be in his mid-20’s, but is probably much older
Gender: M
Race/species: Sphinx (anthro)
Residence: Pyramid of Riddles

What is the Pyramid of Riddles?
As noted above, Si lives at and guards the Pyramid of Riddles.  The pyramid sticks four stories above the ground, and is located in the middle of the desert, conveniently near an oasis.  A secret underground bullet train delivers supplies to and from the pyramid.  The safest way to reach the Pyramid is to stow away on this bullet train, which is a practice Si has made no effort to discourage.

The top three stories of the pyramid are devoted to Si’s personal living quarters; it has all the modern necessities, including a wide-screen TV that gets cable, proper plumbing, and wireless Internet.  The ground floor is a big lounge for visitors; it’s a wide open space with tables and chairs to sit at, and even a café that sells a variety of hot and cold beverages.  Stairs from the lounge lead up to Si’s quarters, and down to the bullet train station and to… well, you’re about to see.

The real attraction is below ground level: the Labyrinth of Riddles.  It’s a huge labyrinth of rooms, each one containing a different puzzle, riddle, or challenge for a would-be raider to solve.  Only success in solving each riddle allows the challenger to continue, and failure to do so gets them flattened, melted, or otherwise physically punished— and then sent up a dumbwaiter column in the center of the pyramid to Si for further humiliation.

The Labyrinth can be shifted and rearranged to suit the skills of any raider.  This operation can only be done from Si’s personal computer in his quarters; he likes to do it himself, but when he’s not around, an A.I. by the name of Anubis takes care of it for him.  Nobody has ever made it to the end of the Labyrinth, so nobody (except probably Si, but he’s not telling!) knows how deep it really is, or if there really is treasure at the end as the rumors suggest.

Inspiration for the Labyrinth’s puzzles and traps were drawn from a variety of different sources.  A large chunk of inspiration came from a trap-filled castle at the north end of a particular coastal town; the castle’s lord was a wolf by the name of Tim or Todd or something like that.  (Si actually remembers the name perfectly well; he just likes leaving a little ambiguity.)

Family and associates:
No known relatives.  Asexual.  Shares the pyramid with a few other “residents”, but these are artificial constructs created solely for one job apiece, not fully sapient and independent beings.  They include (but are not limited to) the following:
Anubis - An A.I. that resides in Si’s personal computer, designed in the image of the Egyptian god of the same name.  He is responsible for managing the Labyrinth or Riddles when the sphinx isn’t available.  For security reasons, management of the Labyrinth is not possible from a remote location, but communication with Anubis is.
Sobek - A magically animated marble statue of an anthro crocodile, again modeled after the Egyptian god of the same name.  He’s the barista and proprietor of Sobek’s, the café in the lounge of the Pyramid.  The pyramid’s central dumbwaiter has a stop behind the counter of the café, which is handy when a raider has been liquefied by a trap and is ready to be mixed into a beverage for Si’s taste buds.
Ra - A magically animated statue of an anthro falcon, modeled after… well, you can guess.  He drives the underground bullet train to and from the Pyramid, and oversees the delivery of the supplies it ferries.  One round trip is made every day, coming at sunrise and going at sunset, and yes, the schedule fluctuates with the actual times of sunrise and sunset over the year.  It’s a thematically appropriate detail.

Appearance:
Si follows the “winged lion” definition of a sphinx— that is to say, no human face.  He’s a proud, fit figure of about normal height.  His main fur color is a pale sand color, and his chest and the insides of his ears are almost white; his eyes are brown.  He has a short black mane that encircles his face, and his tail ends in a black fluffy tip.  His wings are feathered silver, and sparkle in bright light; his full wingspan is about one and a half times his height.  His hands and feet have black claws, and he stands digigrade, although he’ll occasionally walk on all fours when it’s not inconvenient to do so.

He doesn’t wear much; what he does wear tends to be Egyptian in style, but never impractical.  His most common accessories are a golden Egyptian collar with vertical red and blue stripes, and a matching bracelet around his right ankle.  He carries a black smartphone.

Personality:
Si is a bit shy.  He’s okay around one or two people, especially if it’s just business, but tends to avoid crowds.  He’ll always welcome visitors to his pyramid, and every now and then he’ll accept an invitation to visit someone else, too.  He’s most comfortable in his “guardian of the pyramid” persona, but knows when it’s inappropriate.

He enjoys punishing failed raiders of the Labyrinth in creative ways, and is always coming up with new ways to do so.  He has a strict code of honor, though; he’ll always make sure the victim is restored to normal and set free within a few days.

He has a heavy fondness for puzzles and video games; he has a Wii U in his quarters.  He’s prone to some feline instincts, such as playing with spherical objects and napping in warm places.  He likes hot cocoa when he’s cold, and milkshakes when he’s hot.

Abilities:
As a sphinx, Si has a natural affinity for puzzles and riddles, both in solving them himself and in creating them for others to solve.  He can make just about anything magnitudes easier for him by visualizing it as a puzzle.  He also has a naturally high tolerance to both high and low temperatures, very handy for someone who lives in the desert.

He is skilled with a few basic forms of magic, most notably medium-range teleportation and telekinesis.  He is self-taught as an alchemist, and has brewed a number of different potions and elixirs with various effects.  He can fly long distances, but is specialized in stamina over agility.

Misc. info:
Si’s “hammerspace pocket” is located on the inside of his wings, and is invisible when not in use.  If he ingests someone as food or drink, they can later be found in there in a flattened state.

Recently he purchased a saddle for himself, so others can ride him when he’s flying.  Whether or not it was a wise investment remains to be seen.

This is my first attempt at a proper profile for a FurAffinity-specific sona (which I felt the need to create as I didn’t think any of my already-existing characters were suitable for the role).  I went with a sphinx because I hadn’t seen it done before.  He is totally unrelated to any other sonas with Egyptian motifs, so please don’t assume otherwise.