The Dread Fomentor

> "I saw it... I swear... The thing exists... It will come for me now... Kill me already..." - Witness of the Dread Fomentor
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The name given to the being that is claimed to be the bringer of the plagues in Seolstrum, the Dread Fomentor is considered a nonsensical creature by the majority of the governments of the Nine Kingdoms. The people believe that it is a punishment from the Gods as a result of too much violence and bloodshed that has occurred within the Eastern continent.

## Appearance

The Dread Fomentor is described to be a being with a levitational ability, floating as a cloaked corpse-like creature. It is often surrounded by a shroud of mist and shadow. No one alive has seen it with its hood unveiled.

It is said that whenever it moves, the sound of chimes and bells ring out in eerie tones. Those who get close to it also report that the creature whispers in horrid voices.

## Powers

> "It does not stop..." - Witness of the Dread Fomentor
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It is widely believed by the common folk that the Dread Fomentor is a harbinger of death and disease. The places that it visits are often followed with the Shadow Plague and starvation, as well as the sudden invasion of pestilent animals such as rats and locusts.

It is also said that those who glimpse upon the Dread Fomentor are cursed with only three days to live.

## Glimpse of the Character

*The village watchman Hirane saw it first. And true to the rumors, he died in two days, muttering gibberish and screaming in terror. For those two nights, the man who had kept them sleeping peacefully for all those years brought them not a single restful moment during his final moments.*

*This had to mark the end of the world, Kiyoke thought. His country, Kyore, as well as the eight others that squabbled on Seolstrum, had gone to war with all their neighbors, spilling too much blood. The creature had to be the punishment from the Gods. Senmai-Sena had cavorted too long within these lands. The War-Keeper was probably smiling in pleasure for all the violence that had consumed Seolstrum.*

*The village elders took council within the town hub, arguing whether or not it would be wise to stay or flee their homes towards safer places. Some argued that the creature could not cross the holy lines set by the village priestess, which she whole-heartedly agreed with. Others argued that the leaving the village would incur the wrath of their ancestors for being niggardly. They believed that the creature could be defeated, just as any other thing.*

*"There is no honor in running away from this, this... Whatever the hell it is. What would our ancestors think of us? Could we even call ourselves men if we cannot protect our own homes from this thing?"*

*"Better to live than to die like Hirane-Aen. You all saw how he was as he perished. Is that an honorable death, Tayune-Kan? If honor is that important to you, does it not extend to death as well? Do you wish to die as he did?"*

*"Who says that I'll be dying, Ryou-Ken? Do you actually believe in those rumors that by just looking at the creature, you are fated to die in three days? Next thing I know, you'll tell me that krakens are real."*

*"Then what about the watchman? How did a perfectly healthy man die just like that?"*

*"You knew the man. He was partial to mushrooms. Must have picked up a bad one."*

*At the end, Tayune came out victorious. The majority of the villagers decided to stay, except for a few that wished to flee. Kiyoke felt a deep pit of apprehension open in his stomach. The word of mouth from the other villages was that the creature was to be avoided at all costs, as it was deathly dangerous. But very few of the other townsfolk seemed to believe, especially after Hirate's assertions.*

*Ryou lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "Will you come with us?" he asked. His face was grim but determined.*

*"Where will you go? They say the South has been consumed by the plague and the entirety of Silwa has been taken. It would seem the northeastern lands remain the only safe place to be in."*

*"That's where we'll be headed. That is the only safe place left here. Come with us, Kiyoke-Kan. Don't die for tradition and pride, when you can live to fight on another day."*

*"This thing... What if it doesn't stop?"*

*"Then we'll fight. At least we will have bought some more time to find ways to defeat it. Come with us."*

*He hesitated a moment and looked at Ryou. He gave a slight nod.*

*The man looked relieved and pleased. "Come Kiyoke-Kan, gather your belongings. We leave at first light tomorrow."*

*Kiyoke raised his eyes to the crescent moon, which coldly stared back. First light would come too slow, he thought.*

## The Preview of the Dread Fomentor

He could still hear the chimes that rattled underneath the creature's ragged shrouds. Each *clink* tinkled lightly as if it were an innocuous rattle, meant to calm those who heard its ring. But the whispers that slithered from the hood of the creature said otherwise. "*Come boy,"* the voices sang, "*Let us taste youth once more. Let us feel young and alive again."*

He continued to run. Although he was sure that the thing was miles behind him, he could still hear the bells that jingled coldly every time it moved. And ever so softly, he heard the cruel choir of tortured tongues call out in famish, their pitiful pleas riding on the cold winds that battered him from behind.

As soon as he had felt the cold cover of mist settle upon his village, he knew that it had come. The survivors of Yen-Sai had come a week before, warning them that everything south of the Shinazo was overrun by the creature. They called it the *Kyofyurae*, a ghostly creature that brought plagues and death to those it visited. While the dead were not particularly feared in Kyore, this one was different.

The villagers who saw it told them of the horror of the creature. It glided through the air without legs, floating as a cloaked corpse with cuffs that were shackled to its wrists, dragging along rusted chains of metal that dripped with blood. No one alive saw anything behind its hood, to which they confessed that they were glad not to.

But it was not the creature, as horrible as it was, that was to be feared. It was the power that brought with it, a great plague of all things foul that seeped into every tiny crevice it could. It was a malevolent force of filth, one that threatened to grab hold of anything and anyone it could.

He stopped to catch his breath. Panting, he spat a mucous glob of phlegm that landed on the ground with a sharp "crack".