Ah, Hawkules, Hawkules, our community manager's namesake. Legendary Hero of Aquila, Son of Zeus (as he's said goodness knows how many times already), Hawkules comes off as this mighty and powerful figure who will allow nothing to get in the way of his path of glory. Inspiring, yes?

Except... Hawkules (the Companion, not the Community Manager ) has a few shortcomings that would not be expected of him after all his boasting. Story Companions are supposed to be these big, imposing characters that can have a place on many a team, but that's not the case with Big Bird over here. Hawkules is not bad, not in the slightest, but he's far outdone by other Buccaneer Companions with a greater number of Epic Talents and more impressive Powers.

I normally wouldn't suggest a Promotion for Aquila Companions, but I can actually see one happening for Hawkules shortly after you acquire him. I know models for Hawkules promotions already exist in Pirate101's game files, so that won't be a problem here. For this Promotion Quest, Hawkules would be summoned By Emperor Tibirdius in order to complete his remaining favors to him (as mentioned during the Aquila questline). It would be a grand calling to be done by the mighty Hawkules! (Actually, the Emperor's messengers has been asking this of him for a while now, but he dismissed them initially because he thought they were annoying. ) Inspiration could be clearly taken from the "Twelve Favors of Hercules" for this quest. I'll design my ideas around the possibility of a Promotion shortly after Hawkules' acquisition.

Around the time of reaching Aquila, good Companions have impressive skills and a large number of Epic Talents at their disposal. Companions obtained from Aquila usually don't get that luxury, and unfortunately the same applies to Hawkules. To act as a countermeasure, Hawkules needs to have a large number of innate Epic Talents that he already knows from the moment he recruits. Being a Story Companion means we don't need to shy away from the good stuff, so I'm thinking... Turn the Tide 2, Vengeance Strike 1 and Blade Storm 1! When he promotes, he could even get Turn the Tide 3, a rare but powerful ability on a Companion. I know this seems strong, but it needs to be; other companions already have so much power that Hawkules would appreciate this method of catching up.

As for Powers, Hawkules needs more. He's the mighty Son of Zeus, he will not be content with just a mere Epic Strike! (Which should absolutely turn to a Mega Strike upon promotion, by the way). A Power which I think Hawkules would really appreciate is Valor's Armor, which applies an absorb effect onto an ally. Additionally, I feel Buccaneer Strike/Smash fits Hawkules's approach to combat very well.

These changes would help Hawkules get the glory he deserves. Well, at least he feels he deserves. He probably won't take no for an answer if someone tries to tell him otherwise.