Manticore

A Manticore (MAN-tə-kor; En., from E.Mid.Per. martyaxwar "manticore", a legendary Arabian cryptid) is a half lion, half scorpion-like Wesen originating in Persia, that first appeared in.

Frankie Gonzales came to the house of Ron Hurd to confront him about something that happened when they were both deployed. When she doesn't leave, Ron runs to his house and grabs his gun. When he goes back outside, she is gone, so he returns back inside. He hears glass break in the house and finds the frame of his Military medals broken on the ground. As soon as he turns around, a Manticore appears out of a corner and slams him into a shelf, and then stabs him in the heart with its scorpion-like tail.

After Frankie confronted, Troy Dodge about the same thing as Ron, Troy came clean with his wife, Betsy, and said that he, Ron, Jim McCabe, and Robert Hammond gang raped Frankie in Iraq. Troy writes a confession and shows it to Betsy, who tells him no one will read it and tears it up. She tells him to burn the pieces and leaves the room. As Troy puts the pieces of the confession into the fireplace, he hears Betsy scream. He finds her on the floor with a hole in her chest. She is having a small seizure, but suddenly stops moving as she dies. Ron runs to pick up a phone to call 911, but as he is dialing, a Manticore tail stabs him in the chest, killing him.

At the trailer, Nick, Hank, and Juliette research in the Grimm Diaries to find a Wesen that can kill people with a scorpion-like neurotoxin and that could be considered a "six foot tall scorpion" with the way the holes in the victim's chests have looked. Juliette comes across a Trasque and a Shnabeltiermörder before she finally finds an entry on Manticores. She reads it and reveals that they make noble soldiers because they do not fear death.

Colonel Adam Desai is sitting at the bar in the VFW building when Jim McCabe comes in. Adam shows Jim that he has the last copy of the restrictive complaint that was filed on November 12, 2010, the day after he raped Frankie in Iraq. Adam tells Jim as it is the last copy, if it goes away then so does his problem with Frankie. Jim asks how much for it and Adam asks him what a clear conscience is worth. Jim says "nothing" because Frankie is out of control and takes the document. He heads towards the exit when Adam says "I think you're the one out of control." He says that he killed Ron and Robert, but not Troy and Betsy, and tells Jim that must have been him. Jim tells him Troy wanted to confess and Adam says "I guess it's between you and me now." Adam says "I think that's the way it should be. It's in our nature." He woges into his Manticore form and Adam does the same. They leap at each other, knocking each other down. After they struggle on the ground, they both get up and fight heavily, using their tails to hit each other across the bar. Eventually Jim kicks Desai down, who avoids a stinger strike, and pulls out a knife from his boot to stab Jim's tail. Jim retracts to his human form as Nick and Hank arrive. Jim picks up the knife and stabs Adam in the chest, killing him and is arrested.

Characteristics
When woged, Manticores bear a strong resemblance to Löwens, only they have much larger manes that seem to grow grey as they age. From their spines extend black, chitinous scorpion tails. They are able to move and control these tails, and often use them in combat. These tails are capable of delivering powerful blows and they contain a dangerous poison with high amounts of neurotoxins and nerve inhibitors that is similar to the venom of scorpions of the family Buthidae. This poison can paralyze and kill an adult human in mere seconds, as such it is the common method of killing. Manticore tails do seem somewhat sensitive though, as single stab with a knife was enough to cause one Manticore to rear back in pain.

Manticores are also superhumanly strong on a level impressive even by wesen standards, as they are capable of lifting and throwing humans, and other Manticores across a whole room with ease. They also possess a great agility, able to make Lion like leaps over a distance of several yards. Their durability is also impressive as they are able to take multiple blows from another Manticore. These abilities do not seem to be hampered by age, as the elderly Colonel Desai was able to fight with the much younger Jim McCabe. Likewise the fact the Manticore was dying of lung cancer and only had months left to live seemingly did not affect his abilities.

Manticores and Trasques were the first Wesen seen to have tails.

Behavior
Manticores are similar in temperament to a Dämonfeuer or a Taureus-Armenta, in that they are not afraid of death and they view dying in battle as a very noble and worthy death. This, of course, means that they are excellent soldiers, willing to fight for what they believe in. This species can often be found on the front lines of battle with the likes of Steinadlers.

Excerpt from Grimm Diaries
Siege of the Fortress of Ormuz

''I first witnessed what I was later to discover was a Manticore while my command laid siege at the Fortress of Ormuz. Pliny the Elder described this Wesen and its famous natural history circa 70 A.D., tracing its origins to ancient Persia. The beast described had a most unusual body, reflected by a physical duality: part Löwen, with skin red as cinnabar, it also had a scorpion-like tail which could protrude from its spine, having a spike-like nail at the end, capable of injecting a great deal of poison. When I attempted to make a move on this Wesen, I discovered there were several more in the ranks. I quickly put away my blade to conceal my identity as a Grimm. I was to learn that they were some of the most lethal soldiers in our command for they have no fear of death.''