Psychopomp

sexxxual-frustrations asked: thank you, why are you jealous?

Just wishful thinking that I was there to give you that good time, perhaps…. :<

“True” Demons
What is there to say that hasn’t been said about demons?  Every human culture has their own tales regarding these dark and foul creatures.  The most common portrayal of demons dates back to the story of the Rebellion, where the archangel Lucifer and his followers waged war against God and his angels.  It was a grand failure; Lucifer was defeated by the archangel Michael and as punishment for his actions God cast him and his legions into the depths of hell for punishment.  However Lucifer was cunning and charismatic to his peers—what most would see as punishment he saw as an opportunity.  Together Lucifer and his followers became rulers of Hell; corrupted by the infernal realm’s atmosphere they warped from their angelic beauty to become the demons we come to know today.  Demons are the greatest adversaries of the world: creatures so vile and evil many believe them to be figments from our worst nightmares.  They seek nothing more than the ruin of souls and have many means of getting what they want.  The hierarchy of Hell is seen as follows: Lucifer is the sole “emperor of the woeful realm” and under his rule is a cooperative reign of seventy-two demon monarchs—Lucifer’s closest allies during the rebellion.  High ranked demon generals and knights serve the seventy-two monarchs and under them are foul demonic beasts and peons.  Demons are infamously known for possessing humans and wreaking havoc at unprecedented levels; their arrival on Earth is ushered in by omens and natural disasters.  Such fearsome creatures have relatively few weaknesses—the common way to “defeat” a demon is an exorcism, a ritual that releases a demon’s hold over a human and banishes it back to Hell.  Some cultures see salt as a ward for keeping demons out and iron/holy water are considered fatal depending on the demon’s title and rank.  Blessed human weapons, angelic weapons, and to some extent reaper weaponry, are the only true arms that can slay a demon.  If a demon is seen wandering Earth it must be stopped immediately.

Demons Born of Human Souls
Evil spirits undergo a terrifying transformation beginning as a Despair and slowly growing worse.  A soul that becomes a Ravager is a dangerous and unstable element; it must be eradicated immediately before causing too much damage.  A Ravager that is consumed by malice and darkness undergoes a last transformation; this is how demons can be born from human souls.  These demons are unstable than their “true” counterparts, acting like a savage animal and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.  With the right guidance, though, they can learn remain in control and not let the overwhelming negative emotions drive their impulses.  Demons from human souls can also be created in Hell, when a shade is corrupted heavily by the realm’s constant surplus of eldritch energy.  Appearance wise they remain relatively human, save for minor changes: increased strength and durability, and minor physical features such as darkened skin, demonic eyes, and sometimes a pair of small horns or a tail.  This class of demon has the ability to possess people, though it’s not as powerful as demonic possession from “true” demons.  If anything a demon born from a human soul is nothing more than a hyper aggressive poltergeist; as such they can be disposed of in a similar matter.  A spirit lingers on Earth because of one connection between it and this plane—its remains.  If the remains are coated in salt and incinerated that connection is broken and the spirit is destroyed.  The same Achilles’ heel befalls on this branch of demon.

Death is never a happy occasion for some.  When a person dies and the soul passes from the body, they may first see their death as nothing more than a terrible dream.  It is imperative that a reaper finds a soul and sends it off to peace as soon as possible; wandering souls are easily overwhelmed by powerful emotions after death than in life.  Sorrow and anger are two of these powerful emotions; if a soul is not tended to immediately, the harsh reality may start to sink in.  They can be overcome by intense sorrow to the point that their humanity is swallowed up and they are transformed into perverse abominations.  These creatures are no longer human souls but are now Despairs, a term used by reapers to describe such a state.  Despairs are predatory evil spirits that seek out the living to feed on their life force; they do so in a pitiful attempt to quell the sadness in their (lack of) hearts.  They stand out due to the bizarre inky black substance seen pouring from their eyes and caked around their mouths.  Despairs cannot be bargained with or shown reason; they must be put down immediately before they become something much worse.

Anger can be a powerful emotion often in the worst ways.  When a person dies and the reality of death sinks in, they feel sad about their passing at first.  Soon that sorrow shifts to anger—anger towards their own demise, against the world, against God, etc.  Powerful anger can warp the soul more adversely than prolonged sorrow to create a far more terrifying monster than the Despair.  Reapers term this new state of soul degeneration the Ravager, the embodiment of spiritual wrath.  Despairs feed on the life force of the living to quell their sadness, but a Ravager is consumed by so much rage it merely attacks without purpose or goal.  It cares not for feeding on a person’s life force in a feeble attempt of emotional healing; it is nothing more than a living typhoon of destruction.  Ravagers look similar to their Despair cousins with the exception of vein-like cracks covering their body that seem to glow with the fires of rage.  A Ravager is more dangerous and needs immediate extermination before it causes too much damage or evolves into a low-tier demon.

The threat of the undead is not one to be taken lightly.  Defying the natural laws to return from the beyond in unnatural ways, these creatures pose great danger to the world of the living.  However no creature of undeath is more dangerous or cunning than one who has existed for centuries: the lich.  A lich is created often from the botched efforts of a king or magician seeking a means to eternal life.  In their spells and rituals they bind their soul to an object of their own choosing called the phylactery, keeping their life essence trapped in their bodies and allowing them to live even as their body decays to a cadaverous husk.  Unlike most undead creatures a lich retains its independent thought and intelligence similar to a revenant (minus the return from the grave with a purpose).  Due to their extensive knowledge of dark magic, a lich usually holds domain over the lesser undead, using them as minions to do its bidding.  As long as the phylactery is intact, a lich is relatively immortal; to destroy the phylactery is to destroy the lich’s life force and therefore slay the foul creature.

Introduction
The world of the paranormal has very limited info on the manner of ghosts, spirits, and demons but it has even far less on a more elusive race of spirit entities—the reapers.  The unseen emissaries of the dead keep the universe in proper function while in silence, demanding no credit or rewards for their outstanding eons of laborious service.  Swearing allegiance to neither Heaven nor Hell in their eternal war, the reapers work for a higher power claiming no stake in the prophesized “end times”, often earning flak from both factions.

Many cultures have entities that could be classified as reapers all through their mythologies.  The Norse culture has the Valkyries, fierce battle maidens who escort the souls of fallen warriors to the afterlife of Valhalla, to feast and be merry until Ragnarok.  Japan has its shinigami, literally “death gods”.  All unique to their respective cultures as emissaries of the dead to guide the souls to the afterlife and separate them from the world of the living; the Greeks call such entities “psychopomps” (hence the title of the story).  However, as diverse and unique these deities are, while they do share some similar duties, they are not reapers.

When Death was assigned his post as keeper of universal order, even his vast powers had limits.  As omnipresent as he was throughout multiple universes he was limited to being in one location at a time.  To give the illusion that the Grim Reaper could be at multiple locations simultaneously, Death used his ancient powers to create a race of beings loyal and serving him alone—beings known today as reapers.  Bearing powers similar to their master at a lesser degree, the reapers would aid Death in his daunting and eternal task until the End of Days was ushered forth.  It was a daunting task only suited for the best, which was all he could ask for.

Appearance
It is hard to determine what a reaper’s true form looks like.  Generally they all bear a humanoid appearance but whether the forms they use can be classified as their real appearance is highly debatable.  Reapers have been known to use powerful illusions to take on appealing and pleasing personas to aid in their tasks handed down to them by Death.  While most reapers look very human, others are nearly corpse-like and can be terrifying.  Humans cannot see reapers so easily; only when a person is on their deathbed or destined to die can they see these emissaries of the dead come for their souls.  If a reaper is under the effect of a powerful spell they can be seen by the living.

Most reapers were created by Death and given traits suitable to fit his demands.  There have been rare occasions where the Horseman will recruit the aid of human souls and transform them into reapers.  Death seeks quality traits he believes can be useful in human souls; that which he deems acceptable are taken back with him to the Veil and are put through an ancient trial known as the Initiation.  The Initiation is a powerful incantation that transforms a human soul into a reaper through a hellish process; not all recruits survive the Initiation.  Those who endure such pain are warmly welcomed into the reaper ranks.

Culture
Death deemed it necessary that reaper society and culture be modeled after the young human race; after all it is their souls he must lay to rest if he is to keep order in the universe.  As the centuries passed on Earth and human society changed, so did the reapers adapt to the new changes.  While most reapers today can easily blend in a crowd in today’s society and fashion trends, some reapers are strictly traditionalist—they believe the old ways instill more fear in enemies than the modern looks.

Reapers do not have a language of their own, common in most sapient races aside from humans.  They are generally multilingual and speak the language deemed fitting for the circumstances at hand.  Some reapers—and Joseph Blake (Death) himself—also speak in Latin, an old (and dead) language rarely used in the world.  When asked about his choice with Latin, Joseph Blake replied, “I find it to be very poetic.”

Roles of a Reaper
Reapers are given two big tasks to help Death keep order and balance in the universe.  The first, and perhaps most important, role of a reaper is a process called reaping.  When a soul is reaped it is successfully escorted to the afterlife by a reaper.  Like their grim master, a reaper possesses no knowledge of where a soul is sent after it leaves the mortal coil.  They are merely guides to ensure the soul has a safe journey to eternal rest.

The balance of the universe is always under constant danger by threats from the supernatural and mortal realms.  This is where the second task of a reaper comes to play: when necessary reapers are required to use force to remove dangerous elements from the earthly plane.  Be it a vengeful spirit, a demon, or at some point humans, balance through the universe must be maintained by any means necessary.  Not just any reaper can fight against such worthy adversaries; Death seeks particular traits in his reapers that can flourish in a combat situation.  This special cell of reapers resides in the Veil at Death’s central headquarters, ready on hand for his orders.

Combat Training
Reapers chosen by Death to join his personal cell to fight evil must possess considerable combat experience.  The oldest reapers created by the Horseman were personally trained under his watch to be suitable soldiers against the denizens of darkness.  Sometimes human souls who survive the Initiation recruited as reapers receive training from older, experienced reapers to be ready.  There have been cases where some souls have been inscribed with combat experience in their muscle memory, which helps reduce the training period.  Gunslingers, police officers, military soldiers, assassins, and mercenaries served as great examples of such souls.

A reaper’s weapon choice is practically limitless.  Whether it is classic medieval weapons or the modern advantages of a gun, a reaper is always armed to face the evils of the afterlife.  Constructed by spiritual energy, a reaper’s weapon is attuned to their auras—only they can use the weapons assigned to them.  This is why most reapers prefer to forge their weapons, which creates a stronger aura resonance between weapon and wielder.  Reaper Florenz Anselm, for example, personally forged his sword Carnifex when he first joined under Death’s servitude; as such, Carnifex is more powerful in comparison to the remaining reapers’ arsenal because of Florenz’s intense aura.

Relation to “Psychopomp”
“Psychopomp” tells the tale of Alex Clinton, a young police officer who dies due to unknown circumstances.  Under the guidance and watchful eye of the mysterious Joseph Blake, he finds himself the newest member of an elite unit of reapers dedicated to fighting the evils hidden from human eyes.  Aided by his five new teammates—Devon Warren, Lorraine Stewart, Garnet Losey, Tessa Donovan, and Florenz Anselm—Alex begins unraveling the mystery of his death, only to discover it is tied to a series of dark events ready to plague the entire world…

saneintolerant asked: ***

*I have this guilty knack for giving some characters last names after people I know (i.e. there’s a cop character named after you, Gage!).  Others are pseudo-expies of friends and their own characters (Reaper Lorraine Stewart is a mixed expy of Tara and her character Ame, for example).

*Despite his gruff appearance and somewhat cold nature when it comes to killing demons and other abominations, the reaper Florenz Anselm does have a sense of chivalry and honor.  He would never throw innocents under the bus even if it meant letting a foe escape; if lives are at stake he would quickly choose to remove bystanders out of harm’s way.

*Joseph Blake has a taste for bizarre cuisine.  His favorite “odd” food is the dreaded Rocky Mountain Oysters.  Tempting as it may be to make fun of him for his choice, it never ends well for parties involved (especially considering Joseph’s true identity).

*picks up*

*brushes off dust*

Alright…

Time to fill this up again.  Back on track, folks.

Stay tuned~