The Reaper
The Reaper was a dark spirit of old tales, intent of bringing chaos and ruin to as many people's lives as possible. Featured in many stories of adventurers and explorers, he was often a major antagonist, bringing about ill fortune and bad tidings to the heroes of the stories.
Many times, he'd create misunderstandings by changing his appearance to resemble a friend or family member of his victim, then flaring those misunderstandings out of proportion. While people were scrambling to recover from the chaos, he'd frost their crops or send in a storm to destroy them.
No one was safe from him - pure souls and greedy people alike.
He's perhaps the most destructive entity in all of ancient Skydweller mythology. Manipulative, scheming, downright evil. When autumn fell and the sky became his domain, bad things happened - especially to those out after dark.-scholar
Powers
The Reaper was incredibly powerful. Skilled in illusions and armed with a terribly powerful knowledge of how human and dragon brains worked, he could commit terrible atrocities without a second thought. Scholars have attempted to list all of his written abilities. These include:
- Shapeshifting
- Illusions
- An aura of fear
- Teleportation of small objects
- Tracking anyone he's touched
- Moderate control of weather
- Terribly efficient with weapons
- Manipulation of light and shadows
- Bestowal of curses, ailments, and ill fortune
- And, most terribly, influencing people's emotions
A war scythe, the weapon most commonly used by the Reaper
Through these powers, the Reaper was an agent of destruction. Summoning storms to attack airborne parties, assassinating public figures for no apparent reason, directing physical and mental attacks on entire villages, making crops fail, inflicting people with curses or ailments, tracking heroes across vast skyscapes to harm them, stealing children out of cradles or nests, punishing anyone who dared speak his name, and, of course, harvesting souls.
But his most terrible power was that of manipulation of emotions. He already projected an aura of fear and anxiety wherever he went, but his favorite tactic was turning people against each other.
He would drive people insane by whispering in their ear, showing them visions no one else could see, and yanking on their dread and fear, then sitting back and watching them either murder their friends and family or be banished. Either way, he'd harvest their soul afterwards.
He would prey upon traveling parties, turning them against each other by bringing their minds to anger, annoyance, hunger, and exhaustion. There have been so many accounts of merchant or other traveling groups found dead, having finished each other off in a brutal and furious battle.
He would whisper in people's ears, telling them to rise up and rebel, conquer new nations, rise to power and then abuse every bit of authority they were given. Anyone with darkness inside them was susceptible to his suggestions - which meant that everyone was vulnerable to him to some extent.Stop, stop stop! Can't you see what's going on? It's Him! He's poisoning your mind!-desperate friend of a victim
Secrets
Unknown to current Skydwellers, the Reaper was more than a myth; he was a real entity. After he was chained away in the Tanglepeak mountains, Skydweller scientists feared he would one day be freed, and come back with a vengeance. In an attempt to build resistance to his manipulation of emotions, they created a powerful elixir granting clarity of thought. However, several of the ingredients were toxic if consumed. So they dyed the hair of human criminals and sent groups of them to live on the mountain range where the Reaper was held prisoner. They carefully monitered these groups to see if the elixirs helped to negate the effects of their proximity to the Reaper. Eventually, they broke off contact with the groups, and the people of the mountains created a small country and took on the name of Crysphics.
This explains some of the modern-day traditions of Crysphic Skydwellers, such as wearing orange undershirts, thinking carefully and critically before rushing into situations, and, of course, the well-known trait of their half-and-half hair colors. Today, Crysphics are the only Skydwellers who are automatically vulnerable to the whispers of the Reaper even from far away. However, he can also reach those who feel lost and alone - those who cry out in their minds for company and help.
The man's eyes narrowed. "Suffice it to say, I would not be here if some part of you hadn't asked for my help."
That was even more disturbing. "Help?" Stormbreak asked.
The man's smile was more of a smirk. "Help. At your request, I have told you everything I can. I hope you make the right decision - the one that lets the truth prevail." He dipped into a lazy bow. "Until we meet again, little prince."
In a blink of coalescing shadows, he was gone.-excerpt from an encounter with the Reaper
Appearance
The exact attributes of the Reaper's appearance are unknown; he shapeshifts so often that it's really a matter of guesswork. However, the three characteristics most commonly associated with him are dark robes lined by silver runes and skulls, the war scythe that he carries around, and his dark gray eyes that remain consistent no matter what form he takes.
Current Status
Chained away, but remaining manipulative nonetheless
Age
Old as nightfall
Children
Eyes
Dark gray
Hair
Short; a mixture of grey, white, and black
Height
6'5"
Variations
In some tales, the Reaper is a ringleader of smaller, less powerful spirits of the night - Darkbringers, or Stormwalkers. He would send his minions forth to destroy heroes, attack towns, and generally wreak panic and terror wherever they went. They would bring back plunder for him to add to his ever-increasing hoard.
Other times, he would act as a solitary being, roaming the night sky and casting curses, illusions, and trickery to anyone he saw. Some people he would mess with. Others would find their soul harvested to add to his ever-increasing collection. Children were warned never to venture outside after nightfall, for he desired to reap pure, brave, or witty souls above all others. This is the most popular version of him in variations, although strangely enough, none of the legends ever told what he intended to do with the spirits.
Strangely enough, a few versions of the Reaper seem to paint him as a psychopomp guiding souls to an afterlife. Scholars suspect these are earlier versions that hint at his origins.
Wards
As in all myths, stories of the Reaper include ways to ward him off. Staying indoors during dark, naturally, is one of the methods. Avoiding his attention is another. Wearing symbols of the sun or the color orange was a great way to avoid him, as well as carrying anything that smelled of lavender. Of course, if he wanted to harm you, then he could. But those methods tended to see a moderate success rate in avoiding the worst of his wrath.
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