'The Painter'
"There, in the one-room home, were paintings of young women. Each bore the resemblance of several nationalities. The details in the eyes alone were enough to make Mutugen pause; the rueful mirth of the Acherlin, the secretive eyes of the Lodrin, and the dark expressions of his people, the Volg, made them appear lifelike. It unnerved him. The clothing they wore, he recognized, spanned four generations.
Each painting was in the Acherlin style, with bright colors whitened until they were almost unseen, in stark contrast against the dark hues of the women's hair, eyes, and apparel. The women had their backs turned, looking into a distant, painted window. It filled him with an odd sensation. There were too many details, Mutugen mused. It was as though the paintings themselves were crying."
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Disguised as a mortal, the flesh appears nearly the same as it had when he was possessed. He appears in the form of a young man with pinkish skin and innocent eyes, with a soft, almost impoverished look. His modest clothing is baggy, slightly oversized, making him look as though he could blow away in a strong wind.
When it feeds, it begins taking its true form.
Nearing its unholy perfection, the painter grows three feet taller and fills out the clothing he wears. His dark hair pulls apart, revealing a set of serpentine horns protruding from his skull, leading towards his shoulders. The face appears more bestial with every stroke of the brush, no longer able to contain the spirits within. It stretches, feral, turning a shade of green as he is forced to surrender control. The hidden savagery, withheld from the victim through silken words, is revealed.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
The being known as 'The Painter' has no name; his former life was lost in time. He is many, the victim of dozens of Outsiders, who descended upon him during his lowest moment. They offered the degenerate a false sense of meaning: skill, determination, and fame. The man couldn't have suspected how easily he could be manipulated by the Outsiders. Now, he wanders the land, trying to alleviate the suffering he welcomed.
The girls in his portraits are all victims of the same Outsiders, and the many that line the room of his current safe-house are merely a drop in the bucket. 'The Painter' has lived many lifetimes, and many secret places throughout Xùyì bear his dark works. Each girl was lured into a false sense of security, initially drawn by the eccentric painter and beguiled by his honeyed words. Ferried upon the waters on a small ship, the girls arrive at hovels near the docks. Sitting near a prepared window, they pose for the painter as the sun sets upon the water.
They never see the morning.
Mental Trauma
The Painter has given his life in exchange for his passions, though, in opening up his soul, has become so far removed from the thing he loved most that it has become meaningless. He is a husk of a man, like a man watching through a dirty window, as the Outsiders steal his joy and passion, their unseen hands performing what he desires most.
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Author's Notes
Part of the March of 31 Tales