Ankou
A type of soul devoted to helping Dhakors for repentance. Ankou are the 'grim reapers' of the world, acting as assistants to the god of death and xis fellow deities of disease & medicine, funerary rites, and undeath. They are given a portion of Dhakors' power, but are leashed to do xis bidding so they do not abuse this power.
They help locate and gather souls, as well as keep an eye on any souls that have not passed on yet while Dhakors is not there to keep an eye on them. This also means Ankou are given a task to guard these souls from anything that threatens them, at all costs, from those who would harm or even potentially steal or consume these souls.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Ankou take on the appearance of the person they were in life- albeit they tend to look haggard and vaguely undead with gaunt features. This means Ankou can look like any sapient race that exists.
Genetics and Reproduction
Ankou are unable to reproduce- as they are 'created' by Dhakors by bestowing xis power to the soon-to-be Ankou upon striking a deal with them.
Additional Information
Average Intelligence
Many Ankou are very smart, as they have a small dose of the infinite knowledge deities have.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Due to having a small amount of Dhakors' power in their hands, Ankou have powerful magic skills and a knowledge of a wide variety of magic spells in turn. They also gain the ability to sense the thoughts and feelings of those around them- especially any dead or dying individuals.
Civilization and Culture
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Ankou's power lets them know any and all languages- past, present, and future- so they are able to communicate with any they come across.
Common Dress Code
Most Ankou dress in simple black clothing fitting their tastes, though some make take up other looks. Flowing or ragged clothing is also not uncommon, and robes are most frequently worn.They also often mirror Dhakors' own cloth, taking up symbols or jewelry to represent xim or making use of corvid feathers or animal skulls as accessories.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
As part of their pact with Dhakors, Ankou are to follow a specific set of rules of their conduct:
Ankou must never hurt the living nor shall they hurt the souls they protect
- They must repel or destroy any undead, malevolent spirit, or souls that have gone rogue from not passing on
- Should an Ankou go rogue, they must be captured and brought to Dhakors. They are not to be slain, rather they are to be judged for their fate by Dhakors.
- An Ankou is forbidden from knowing exactly how long they have until their redemption. Improvement and personal growth is expected of them and should be their main goal next to their job.
- No Ankou shall intervene in the death of an individual, as that is the role of Dhakors to decide who lives and who dies. They, however, may warn an individual if their life has earned them Sepulcher, and offer their souls a chance to redeem themselves with Dhakors' deal.
Common Taboos
It is highly taboo for an Ankou to break any of their set rules that guide their jobs. It is also highly frowned upon for Ankou to stick to their old behaviorisms, morality, or ideas that doomed their soul to Sepulcher in the first place unless they are new to their existence as Ankou.
History
Millions of years ago, when Dhakors was new to xis role as the god of death. As a peaceful, forgiving individual, xe wished to give a happy afterlife to all. But xe also understood that some people were undeserving of that afterlife due to crimes they commited in life. Xe resorted to creating an afterlife for those truly horrible people that would morph itself to their thoughts of an afterlife and fears. This afterlife became known as Sepulcher. In spite of this, Dhakors felt that even some of those that had earned such an afterlife could still be redeemed, ever knowing their thoughts and feelings.
Then an infamous man came upon his death- and thus into Dhakors' judgement. The man- Bharidth- was formerly the leader of the Faerie race. Out of distrust and disgust, he had started the genocidal war against demonkind that wiped out a chunk of their population. But as his life had gone on, he had grown remorseful for his choices- and could not take back what he had done. After some thought and discussion with Phaedra- a faerie herself- and some of the other deities who were affected by the conflict, he came up with a deal with Bharidth. He would spend his time working for Dhakors for the length of each life he had taken- and Dhakors would let him earn a better afterlife. Bharidth took the deal and became the first and oldest Ankou. Since then, Dhakors would offer a similar deal to almost all truly repentant souls- even those who had already been put into Sepulcher- with very few exceptions.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Many individuals fear Ankous or are otherwise repelled by Ankou, as the presence of an Ankou always indicts an impending or recent death. Often Ankou remain invisible to the average person's vision, but some more gifted or aware individuals will always be able to spot Ankou even when they are in hiding.
Other times, Ankou reveal their presence if they feel it is necessary or if they are given permission to intervene in a situation. This type of situation has lead to spread of many tales and myths about Ankou speculating about their existence and connection to Dhakors.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Average Physique
Many Ankou are either skeletally thin or bloated, and some even take on the appearance of a skeleton.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
All Ankou's bodies look deathly or ill, as if they were fresh from their deaths. In the case of races with skin, it is often paler, grey, or rotting.
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