Re: The Unseen Veil - {OOC & Sign-Up}
Who remembers that it was not always so? I do.
Name:
Though a being that was never meant to have a name, nor a need for one, the denizens of the life after life and those who originally saw after the planet of Earth came to call him "The Reaper", which, humorously, he eventually took up as his title.
Age:
As the shadow of life and the retainer of the realm of the dead, The Reaper has existed as long as life has walked upon the planet.
Gender:
While The Reaper is, in actuality, genderless, he is commonly referred to as a male, due to his masculine voice and frame.
Appearance:
While certainly a being with a solid form, The Reaper's physical self seems to be in a regular state of flux, seemingly changing from time to time, as well as changing based on his current mood and use of power. Gowned in a grisly, black robe that engulfs the entirety of The Reaper's being--or very well may
be the entirety of The Reaper's being--all that can be seen from beneath the thick cloak are two hands, flesh and all wiped clean from the bones, and two, red eyes from within the dark hood, resembling two, small embers amidst a cloud of smoke.
The Reaper's cloak is a curious sort. While it does, at times, stay in a single, solitary form, at which point it looks like nothing more than a simple cloak, the cloak is in a regular state of movement, moving and crawling around The Reaper's presented form like thick, black smoke and dark, eerie shadows dancing a dark, dooming waltz together. The image is hard to put in words, as there is no real appropriate word to describe the strange movement of the cloak and all who see the awe-inspiring dance between the different types of movement within the black cloak understand why. Amidst the dancing shadows and moving smoke, the cloak also, at times, glows slightly, much like embers within a cloud of black smoke. These embers seem to appear largely when The Reaper preforms an attack or as his anger grows.
Personality:
The Reaper was never meant to have any sort of emotions or any form of personality. Never to feel the joys of happiness, or the sorrows of sadness. Never to like, never to hate. An emotionless, obedient dog, a retainer of the realm after and the founder and enforcer of its laws. Neutral, balanced, and unbiased. That was what he was supposed to be. And for that, the Reaper could not be burdened with such trifle things like happiness or anger. He had to remain perfect and pure.
However, the perfect Reaper faded with his downfall. The defeat of the retainer and his subsequent display as proof of the Fae's power awoke powerful feelings within the Reaper: Shame, for how could a being such as him, a being that was practically a god, be defeated by mortals; Melancholy, for the passing years were long and lonesome, and the ever-growing shame became heavier and heavier upon his shoulders; Bitterness, a foul taste that rose toward his mouth whenever he saw one of those that brought about his downfall; Anger, bitterness gave way to it as the retainer's dislike for the Fae grew stronger; Hatred, he hated them, all of them, for taking from him what was his; and, finally, Vengeance, as he would not only regain his position and power, but he would massacre every single member of the Fae race before he quieted. The Fae's victory over the retainer veiled him under a dark fog of rage, turning the once fair and balanced Reaper into a bitter and spiteful, rage-filled being seeking revenge.
His anger and his spite, however, has not deterred the retainer from his given task. The Reaper continues (or rather will still continue) to protect the natural order and balance of the Netherworld as his top priority. Should he deem one to be an enemy of said balance, he will mow them down unprejudicedly. However, should said person be a Fae, well, the retainer's newly forged emotions would likely shine through like a bright fire.
Abilities:
A being who is feared, or at the very least respected, by all who walks the realm of the dead, The Reaper's strength is to never, at any point, be underestimated. After all, there is a reason that no one ever challenged nor beat The Reaper, except for the Fae, who successfully overpowered the retainer only by using the combined power of their entire race. Though now weakened by the Fae and their Veil, The Reaper still remains a force to be reckoned with.
The Reaper is able to gain substance and replenish some of his strength by either absorbing raw soul substance or literally consuming a soul. Should The Reaper consume part of a soul, but not consume it all, the soul will, over time, grow unstable and, slowly, begin to dissipate, eventually unwinding into raw energy. In some cases, The Reaper leaves a sort of infection, which, until the infected soul unwinds, allows the Reaper to use the soul as an unwilling puppet.
The Reaper's scythe makes for the perfect partner, as, while The Reaper is able to absorb and consume souls, the blade of the scythe is able to unwind portions of the soul that it slices, which then converts into raw soul substance that The Reaver absorbs into himself. To assure no misuse, the scythe has a built in defense system, in that, should anyone try to wield the staff, their hands would ignite in a great fire, burning through any sort of covering that may be used. The longer one holds the scythe, the greater the fire grows, before it consumes and eventually cremates the holder.
A being of great physical strength and powerful magic, The Reaper reassures his position as the caretaker of the Netherworld whenever he enters combat. Extraordinary strength, great leaps, lightning-fast speed, The Reaper could easily overpower most beings with his physical strength alone. However, The Reaper can be, at times, a bit of a showboat-ist, so to speak, as he feels his show of power puts beings in their rightful place. With great control over fire, smoke, and shadow, The Reaper's powers and the possible combinations of said powers are numerous. From flying on wings of fire and shadow, to great vortexes of smoke, shadow, and flame, to even greater mysterious and wonders, to the greatest nightmares of the Netherworld, The Reaper will put the fear of the gods into anyone who opposes him.
Biography:
When the Earth was formed and Life was born upon the barren rock, so too was the Reaper. However, as Earth was to be ruled by Life, the Reaper, a being opposite of life, was not welcomed and therefore could not stay. As such, a realm opposite of life, a realm of death, was forged, so that the Reaper may live there and watch over it as Life did the Earth. The realm of death connected to Earth, soon to be called the Netherworld by the Reaper, once a simple, empty realm, began to fill with the souls of those who passed on from the realm of the living. The Reaper watched over them as Life had and kept them and the realm he was charged with safe.
As mankind came into existence, so too was religion eventually created. And from that religion, multiple realms, over the course of thousands of years, grew and bound together with the original Netherworld, changing the once simple Netherworld into a vast connection of different realms that were forged and molded by the souls that passed on to the realm of the dead. Elysium, Valhalla, Hell, Tartarus, the realms grew in numbers and in occupancy. As such, the Reaper was forced to erect, and therefore enforce, laws in order to maintain the balance of the Netherworld. These laws, however, proved to be no issue and the Netherworld was able to continue on peacefully.
However, that peace was soon interrupted by a war between the Fae and human sorcerers that spilled into the Netherworld from the realm of the living. The Reaper acted in suit to the anomalies that disrupted the balance of the Netherworld and began to mow down human and Fae alike, shedding their souls and banishing them to oblivion. He knew not who these beings were nor did he know of their reasons to be within the Netherworld. He did not care. As far as he was concerned, these beings were disrupting the natural order of the Netherworld and therefore must be removed by any means necessary.
The Reaper's harvesting was cut short, however, as the retainer's energy was pulled from his body by the combined power of the entire Fae race, leaving him unable to move, unable to speak. All the retainer could do was sleep. His defeat did not come free, however, as the Fae that directly preformed the ritual to drain the Reaper of his energy had their souls violently ripped and shredded to pieces. Victorious over the retainer, the Fae took the Reaper's body and placed it as a trophy within the Glass Palace of Gwladyr-Hav, his arms outstretched to his sides and his scythe placed over him. Unable to do anything else, the Reaper could only watch as the Fae took control of the Netherworld for themselves and wove the Unseen Veil from The Fear of Death harvested from his being. At times when the Veil has weakened, even if only slightly, the Reaper shows the faintest signs of movement, waiting, preparing, for the day that he can break free and return his presence to the Netherworld.
Misc.:
Character Theme 1 (Behold The Reaper) /
Character Theme 2 (Fear The Reaper) /
Battle Theme (The Bane of Life)
