The Eclipser

"The Eclipser" is one of two entities inhabiting Level 82 – the other being The Black Sun. It attempts to deceive wanderers by leading them to "exits" from the level, which are in fact death traps.
==Description==
 A painting believed to depict Entity 82, found in Level 57. Entity 41 consistently appears to act apprehensive in its presence.
It is said that even the very act of beholding The Eclipser inflicts pain, in a manner akin to staring directly at the sun. The rays of the Black Sun reflect off of The Eclipser's body like a dark mirror, forcing those who observe the entity to avert their eyes after mere seconds of doing so. The entity has been described to stand at 8'4" when hunched over, and even taller when standing upright. The Eclipser is garbed in robes of leathery black fabric, which inflicts momentarily paralyzing agony upon those who touch it. The material of this fabric is believed to shield The Eclipser from the intense heat of the Black Sun.
The head of The Eclipser appears as an ever-undulating mass of black tendrils encased within a geometrical crustaceous shell. Upon vanquishing enemies, The Eclipser will proceed to "unfold" the shell around its head to extend the tendrils forth, completely enveloping prey and absorbing them into its head before the shell promptly snaps back into place. It can also utilize its mantis-like claws to slash, stab and climb.
==Behavior==
Wanderers who have encountered The Eclipser report first seeing it looming from some high vantage point on the horizon, sometimes stalking the wanderer for an extended period of time before directly approaching them.
Upon meeting The Eclipser, it will attempt to deceive wanderers with certain instructions, claiming that following them will lead to an exit from Level 82. However, This is never the case, and following The Eclipser's instructions may even lead to death in certain instances. Such tasks include:
*Jumping off of the island. ("You will be teleported back onto it.")
*Digging in the ground and finding rocks. ("You will go to Level 83.")
*Screeching nonstop for more than three minutes. ("You will go to Level 181.")
*Dying in Level 82. ("You will go to Level 10.")
If one ignores or defies The Eclipser's instructions, it will begin to taunt them. Examples of these taunts include:
*To whom do you pray? Them? (Motions to Xandros as it floats across the horizon) 'Man's Defenders'... They used to pray once long ago too you know; and now their ruins lie here, with me.
*Why do you keep running from me? (Follows the frightened traveler, crawling along the wall as they try to escape by climbing a ladder) Do you think you can climb a ladder high enough that you reach your god? (Looks towards Babel) Others have tried it, and look where that got them.
 
==Defeating The Eclipser==
It is possible to reach an exit from Level 82 by challenging the Eclipser to a duel. If the wanderer loses, they die; but if they win, they will be sent to Level 83. Thus far, only two wanderers are known to have defeated The Eclipser.
The prospect of actually defeating The Eclipser in battle is an unrealistic one, especially if unprepared. For one, the entity has an intimate knowledge of Level 82 and can traverse its labyrinthian features with ease, holding a territorial advantage. Furthermore, it does not tire easily, nor does it seem to be effected by the intense heat of the Black Sun like most other beings.
The most effective strategy in combating The Eclipser is with long-range attacks, using weapons like firearms. Close-range is almost a guaranteed death sentence, as The Eclipser's tall stature and far reach allow it to easily snatch, slash, impale and devours opponent that approach too closely. If timed correctly, it would be possible to sever The Eclipser's claws with a blade in close range, though this is not considered to be worth the risk.
Piercing the leathery fabric adorning The Eclipser will release what has been described as "the screams of one thousand grieving mothers", an event which is deafening and severely psychologically harmful to wanderers exposed to it. It is described as a degree sensory overload so overwhelming, it outright collapses the minds of many wanderers as they are unable to comprehend the fragmented fractals of information projected into their minds.
The Eclipser appears to have an incredibly high pain tolerance, or perhaps is even incapable of experiencing physical pain. Even after sustaining severe injuries, it will continue to fight until it is crippled to the point of being physically incapable of fighting. 
In the only documented instance of The Eclipser being defeated, two wanderers worked together and used scraps of metal as makeshift spears to strike the entity. They supposedly had to stab the entity seven times before it was finally subdued, though the wanderers remained psychologically damaged from experiencing the screams of one thousand grieving mothers.
==Origins==
The Eclipser's true name, if it ever had one, remains forever lost to time. According to texts found in the Infinite Library, The Eclipser achieved Godhood after eclipsing the Sun of the Seven Heavens, which was deified by its inhabitants such as the Highborn. From there, it went on to usurp the Seven Heavens, twisted them to its own malevolent whims. The inhabitants were conquered, enslaved and genocided, forced to abandon their faith and worship The Eclipser instead. Eventually, The Eclipser, The Sun and the Seven Heavens were banished to Level 82 by The Royal Court, serving as a prison.
There, The Eclipser would fester and brood for millennia until the first wanderers began to find themselves within the isolated level. It is believed that The Eclipser taunts its victims as a form of entertainment, to escape from the centuries of lingering solitude. Others believe it seeks to devour souls so that it may attain the power necessary to escape its imprisonment. 
Thanks to one wanderer who encountered The Eclipser and lived to tell the tale, more insight has been gained into its motives and mentality, as the wanderer managed to record a monologue from The Eclipser. A transcript of the monologue reads as follows:
"I once knew those who worshipped the sun...
[Gazes off at Teochihua as it passes along the horizon] 
They believed themselves to have descended from it. Through shedding the blood of the weak, the lesser, they achieved great marvels. They built towers, taller and taller, hoping to one day reach their god with them and rise into the sun. They would sacrifice anything, even their own children, to their 'Sacred Flame', because they believed it to be divine. They thought it could protect them from anything, from me.
And so it was, until I took it from them, on the day that never dawned – the day that I blackened the Sun.
With abject horror, they all helplessly witnessed the public execution of their deity at my hands, as I took its power all for myself. I toppled their tallest towers so that they could never again reach their god.
When the sun fell dark and the world grew cold, many faltered, for the sun could was no longer their savior. And so they turned to me instead, and I treated them well.
...They thought they could keep me here, forever waiting for the Black Sun to burn through my skin and erase me from existence. The Backrooms instead seems to have... other plans. For eons, it has brought me wanderers like you to feast upon, and in time I will regain enough strength to break free from this prison, and then the entire Backrooms will tremble before me.
...Who am I? Think of me as The Eclipser, the living eclipse that vanquished the Sun."
==Relevant Tales==
*The Beginning of The End
*The Battle for The Crown
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Category:Entities
Category:The Eclipser
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