Cruentus

This article is for the character. For the boss fights, see Cruentus (Tactics) and Eldritch Cruentus.
Cruentus is a Blood reaper in service to the Aspect of Death, Esquire. He is largely responsible for the collection of blood and partially for some of the souls within the Scepter of Stolen Death. He was once an associate to the Aspect of War, Scarr, where he learned his mastery over domains of fear. Cruentus has a "pet" known as the Fear Visage.
He plays minor roles in A Legend's Legacy: The War Reincarnated and in A Legend's Legacy: Rise of Grimbane, the latter expansion he meets his suitably bloody demise.
==History==
Cruentus in earlier times was a Blood reaper, associated with Death. He once assisted Scarr, an Aspect of War representing Fear, and ultimately learned to enslave the aberration known as the Fear Visage. Later on, he went to aid Esquire, who had ambitions Cruentus could be of assistance to.
===A Legend's Legacy: The War Reincarnated===
Cruentus appears in Ultim Clama'kul.
====The Cheater of Death====
Cruentus was in part, responsible for transforming Death'kul into a nightmare with the help of Esquire's magicks. He serves as the fifth boss, awaiting those in the Chamber of Subjugation, claiming that Deathlius Loss'end can't be saved. He preys on the unnerve of Salvator Leonus, and the insanity of Tylious Dawnbane, though he is defeated regardless. His body liquidizes into blood and slides down the sides of the chamber, hinting he may still be alive. His minion, the Fear Visage, vanishes into thin air.
===A Legend's Legacy: Rise of Grimbane===
When Esquire transforms Lucien Avaros into Grimbane, he is there to witness it.
====End of Death====
Cruentus appears in the final patch of the expansion, revealing to have collected various amounts of blood tithes for his own ends, and souls for Esquire's "grand scheme". Esquire comments that he did a great job staying hidden, better than he ever did. Cruentus tells him that when he went to Ultim Clama'kul, trying to find the Fear Visage to bind himself to again, but that now it is under the control of someone else. Esquire notes it is interesting, but due to his heavy spite for Grimbane's constant failures, he corrodes the mind of Cruentus, making him lose more of his sanity. Eventually, this mental corrosion would transform Cruentus into a flesh, tendril-esque aberration.
The boss, known as Eldritch Cruentus, exists as the sixth linear boss in the Deathheim Fortress raid. Being unable to contemplate sanity, Cruentus has an unconditional purpose to destroy what he can, and takes multiple, amalgamatory forms to defeat his opponents. Nevertheless, he is defeated, and his remains fall down the sides of his platform's wracked foundation, hinting he may be alive. 
Later on, Esquire sees Cruentus in a near-death state leaking out of the castle walls. He silently ushers a spell that "rejuvenates" him, making him even more eldritch than before. He then says "the void owns you now" to Cruentus. Cruentus begins spouting random words about the void, flesh like aberrations, and the inevitable death of the universe and the world, his mind completely destroyed.
====Nothing====
Cruentus appears, shortly after Tylious Dawnbane finishes with Deathlius Loss'end. Attempting to invade his mind, Cruentus utters words of doubt and malice, trying to convince Tylious that he could've killed Esquire if he decided not to listen to Deathlius. Tylious forces Cruentus out of hiding, and Cruentus begins to utter what Tylious describes as "nonsense" before saying "NEST...ER... awaits"; Tylious dares him to say it again and charges at the bloody monstrosity.
Tylious cleaves Cruentus cleanly in two, who then regenerates from his wounds, and asks Tylious if he would like to go to the void. In disgust, Tylious tells Cruentus he is the void, charging again with K'Chonal in hand, throwing his axe into Cruentus' skull. Cruentus begins to laugh, corroding the ground around him, and tells him that he is doomed, and that it would've been better to have fought Esquire than to have challenged him. Grabbing Tylious with his tendrils, he begins to try and asphyxiate Tylious, telling him that the beings he has defeated, Thotazlxax, Klaxon, and Xanaxath do not amount to Cruentus' powers, before adding that he was good for nothing, and that he was destined to just be "part of his blood".
Looking Cruentus in the eyes, Tylious' blood begins to boil, ushering that Cruentus "makes him sick". Cruentus, trying to squeeze the life out of Tylious, grows full of fear, babbling in cowardice, before Tylious' eyes flash blue and he yells, and Cruentus crystallizes and explodes. As Cruentus' body no longer exists, Tylious looks on at a drop of blood and spits on it, calling Cruentus pathetic and he doesn't even compare to some of the battles he has fought in.
==Powers and Abilities==
Cruentus is a highly proficient Blood reaper, being able to steal the entirety of blood from one's body if close enough. He also has a very profound aura, that those around him feel an eerie sense of fear and melancholy. Whether this is with the Fear Visage around or not is unknown, but it safe to assume that it is without his demon, as he was able to make even a sturdy champion like Lucius Avaros feel fear. 
His mastery over demons is one of his strengths. Over the course of an hour Esquire fully enslaved the Fear Visage and made it fully subjugated to his demands. With it, he is able to subject his victims to visions of horror, baiting them to be consumed by the Visage itself.
In an eldritch state, Cruentus, though mentally insane, was able to control any part of his fleshy, blood-like body to form constructs and separate minions. His blood-infested breath was hot enough to melt his opponents, and exhibited enough strength to shatter an entire portion of a heavy stone floor.
As a blood reaper, Cruentus used a large degree of blood magicks. He can heal himself quickly, and is known to bathe in the blood of his enemies to "refresh" himself.
==Quotes==
===Death'kul===
*Fear overpowers hope.
*You all wish you could sleep.
*Cower, in your worst fears.
*Go my pet! Let them run!
===Deathheim===
*Cruentus: My lord, it seems the Fear Visage I once... controlled, is now in the hands of someone else.
*Esquire: Someone else? Interesting. I wonder who is insane and scary enough to do that.
*Cruentus: What must I do now?
*Esquire: You've done well to keep yourself hidden. You will now journey with Grimbane. And don't fail me.
*Esquire corrodes the mind of Cruentus with his magicks.
*Cruentus: Why? WHYYYY??? THE CALL OF DEATH, BECKONS.
*Esquire: Failure is a heavy price to pay.
===Eldritch Cruentus===
*The whispers... they tell me that the end is coming. You must all drown in blood. Blood is required for the end. Failure... beckons upon your weapons.
*The void is the world's gaping mouth...
*DIE, INFESTED!
*My blood is on your hands! Feel the essence, of the end.
*The oldest of old ones comes... the world will BURN!
*The sun will set again, and rise ANEW!
*How many times must we DIE to see an END?
*The world turns as we all crash and burn...
==Trivia==
*When asked if Cruentus is more sadistic than Esquire, the devs said if roles were swapped, Cruentus would ask for a "mountain of bodies".