Blessing of the Reaper

"Today, up on this hill, I'm counting all the killers. They sway, as they swarm, a look of gluttons in their eyes as the body loses warmth."

Written by: jester2b

Cover Art by: Rafael Sewa

Power of the Soul

Death is the only certainty in life. All who are born must die so that new life can take its place. Since the beginning of civilization on Nostrina, mortals have tried to explain this simple cycle, complicating it with tales of gods and the eventual afterlife. These tales give a purpose to their simple lives and comfort those approaching the end. When life finally leaves their body, the truth becomes apparent; there is no afterlife, no eternal paradise or endless suffering, just the cold silence of nothingness. Their souls fade into nothingness as the body dies, the faint essence of existence within them flowing back into the great beyond.
This is how death is supposed to be, but some, both mortal and divine, find power in the soul and break this natural cycle. The Aeunta consume human souls to sustain themselves, collecting them through their tainted artifacts and demon hordes. Worse, however, are the power-seeking mortals who harvest the souls of their kin, obsessed with the potential power the faint trace of the Omnicrea within the soul provides. Nothing encapsulates this wickedness more than the Reapers, supernatural mutants who live to feed off death.

The Void Mother's Gift

Those whose lives are intertwined with death often gravitate towards the ways of the Reapers. Some are drawn to the sense of family the lifestyle can bring, others are devotees harvesting souls to honor the Void Mother, while others seek the power the mutation brings. Those that have undergone the mutations to become Reapers gain enhanced strength and speed, better reflexes, and the potent magics of the Void's Mother's followers. A strange side-effect of this is that Reapers become cold-blooded, relying on outside temperatures to maintain their body temperature. Due to this, Reapers have a hard time in cold environments or against those using frost magic. The exact reason for this facet of the mutations is unknown, even to the Reapers themselves. This has made living in cold climates difficult for many Reapers, though select groups have been able to adapt.
When one becomes a Reaper, they become a siphon for the souls of the recently killed. All living things that die within the vicinity of a Reaper will have their soul absorbed by them. Absorbed souls provide temporary sustenance for the Reapers, but holding onto souls for too long can negatively affect their minds. Holding onto souls for too long can cause a Reaper to become a feral killing machine whose only cure is death. To prevent this, a Reaper must be cleansed by their clan's Matriarch, a powerful sub-type of Reaper who acts as their leader and spiritual guide.
Matriarchs are the physical connection between Reapers and the Void Mother. They are some of the oldest Reapers and wield power far greater than their kin, being respected and feared by those under them. Their followers rely on their Matriarch to prevent them from going feral from absorbed souls. They do this by filtering out the souls from the Reaper, removing the harmful energies that cause Reapers to go feral. Beyond this, Matriarchs are spiritual leaders of their Reapers, acting as both priestesses and personifications of the Void Mother for her followers. For the Matriarchs and her Reapers, harvesting the souls of mortals is an act of worship and love towards their creator, who rewards them with power and protection.

Notable Reaper Groups

The Lotus Petal Society

With clans scattered across eastern Glakora, the Lotus Petal Society was a large conglomerate of Reaper Clans, all unified under one goal. This society's mission was to act as peacekeepers, assassinating warmongering leaders and upstart revolutionaries across eastern Glakora. This group was instrumental in preventing many wars and coups throughout the late First Era and early Second Era, though they also suppressed citizen uprisings to uphold the current order. While they were not associated with any particular government, most rulers refused to get in their way to save their skin. Their downfall would come in 210 2E when a woman named Benay Aktuna and forces of the Saffarruh Order organized efforts to wipe the Lotus Petal Society out entirely. Starting in Aviad, Benay's forces would slowly cull the numbers of the society until they were all but extinct in the country. Her crusade against the Lotus Petal Society continued for another three years until nearly every Reaper apart of the organization was dead or missing. The remaining group members have fled eastward toward Cundruna and Diorung to rebuild the clan, while some have even gone farther to Krallum.

The Swords of Antierra

In the frigid land of Enceladus, a place most Reapers would not dare enter, one clan has made its mark on the frozen continent. Led by the Matriarch Antierra, this entirely Frost Elven clan of Reapers has played a vital part in fueling the divisions between the east and west being strong proponents of western independence. Using their magic to subvert their exothermic nature, Anteirra's Reapers have been able to pave the way for their Matriarch's ambitions for power over the western lands of Enceladus.

The Cult of Mutar

This clan of Reapers stands out for their entirely unorthodox nature among their kind. They worship a dark deity named Mutar, though some believe the Void Mother and Mutar are the same entity. While it mainly consists of and is led by Reapers, this cult comprises many unscrupulous and shady individuals who value power above all else. This cult has been a blight upon the Ardyatan empire for centuries and may be poised to outlive it entirely.

Type

Supernatural

Origin

Divine

Rarity

Rare