Greatest Reapers

## Common Knowledge

Practitioners of soul magic would probably know of the “White Light”, an entity referred to by the incantations to certain healing spells. Mid- to high-ranking members of Etton’s White or Black Divinities might know that this White Light is a reaper named Azarath, and has a counterpart in death magic named Zinthos.

Just about everybody is aware of a massive army of undead that swept across Orelisle about recently (10,014 A.B.), but combatants of that bloody affair may have heard of the undead’s master: a reaper named Metrion.

## Further Description

The Greatest Reapers are the three Reapers created by Death as agents of his order, the order of life and death, and the cycle all souls ought to adhere to. Each of the Greatest Reapers wields unfathomable power, not just over life, death, undeath, and souls, and each qualifies as a deity in their own right.

The Greatest Reapers’ primary goal is to teach others the ways of their respective field of life and death. Azarath and Zinthos would occasionally (once every couple hundred or thousand years) dip onto the Material Plane to educate a select handful of mortals in the highest forms of life or death magic (without violating the order of Death, of course), and Metrion would be expected to visit those who violated the order of Death and punish them for going beyond their means.

Azarath acts as the leader of all Life Reapers, and Zinthos the leader of all Death Reapers (usually just called Reapers).

All three Greatest Reapers have at some point bestowed a certain understanding of runes and their uses to mortals. Metrion was the first to do so, creating a cult of Rune Knights around himself and his tenets with undeath runes shortly before his imprisonment at the hands of Death. Azarath followed suit in the years after, granting the powers of life runes the Binturian Rastlina and many others, and Zinthos distributed death runes to many others after that.

Metrion has been imprisoned in the Soul Plane off-and-on since 10,014 A.B., and Azarath and Zinthos have joined forms with the ex-Binturian Sylarra Elvadour to form the Pillar of Soul Magic as of 10,015 A.B.. Though Metrion cannot communicate beyond his bindings, Azarath and Zinthos have found ways to project themselves and their power beyond Sylarra’s body to continue their mission.

## Members

### Azarath, the Greatest Reaper of Life

Known as the White Light, Azarath advocates for the sanctity of life and its preservation, as well as a strong aversion to violence. An illusory image of Azarath sometimes appears over the target of the archaic spell Effigy. Azarath also leads and instructs all Life Reapers.

Azarath appears as a tall, thin, faceless, humanoid figure in gleaming white robes. In times of great need, they may appear carrying a Reaper’s Scythe, but he prefers not to.

### Metrion, the Greatest Reaper of Undeath

Debatably the most active in the affairs of mortals, Metrion was originally created to catalogue and combat the various ways that mortals and other beings might combat their natural end. Instead, Metrion is a vehement advocate for the acceptance of necromancy and undeath, and is more than willing to impose that acceptance onto the Material Plane by any means necessary.

Metrion’s behavior often gets him into trouble with his siblings and father Death (to say nothing of the havoc it wreaks on countless mortal lives), but nothing was anywhere near as damaging as his direct participation in Darkfell in 10,014 A.B.. During this time, Metrion allied himself with a mortal and led a vast army of undead in a rampage across Orelisle. It was stopped after several weeks by the Binturian Party and their allies, but Death could no longer abide by his son’s misanthropic tendencies. Metrion was imprisoned in the Soul Plane, and has only breached captivity twice (once during the Fel Invasion, and again during the Deathless Days).

Metrion appears as a tall, lanky, humanoid figure, partially obscured in darkness and by a dark gray cloak. Beneath the coat, though he lacks any set race, he usually looks like an adolescent male. He is often seen carrying his Reaper’s Scythe. On the few occasions when Metrion can project out of his prison, he appears as a floating skull engulfed in blue flame.

### Zinthos, the Greatest Reaper of Death

Zinthos advocates for the sanctity and preservation of death, and in lieu of his brother Metrion’s rebellious phase also advocates for the eradication of all undead without exception. Zinthos has no preference or aversion towards violence, unlike his brothers, but acknowledges that sacrifices must be made. When Death is not available, Zinthos leads and instructs all Death Reapers.

Zinthos has a dedicated cult, whose origins reach back all the way to Old Binturia before they scattered to the corners of the globe. At least two chapters of this cult still remain, one in Calahay and one in Galkador.

Zinthos appears as a tall, emaciated, featureless, humanoid figure, mostly obscured by darkness, fog, and a pitch-black cloak. Beneath the coat, they have no face or body to speak of, they are just the cloak. Zinthos always has his Reaper’s Scythe.

## History

### Creation

Azarath, Metrion, and Zinthos were created by Death shortly after he himself was created by Knowledge. Their purpose was to facilitate Death’s task of imposing an order onto the nascent reality, that all things must end for other things to begin.

### Dealings with Mortals

The Greatest Reapers have had dealings with mortals and other beings throughout history. Each would teach secrets about their area of study in Soul magic, and those students would amass followers who spread that knowledge.

### Darkfell (10,014 A.B.)

Metrion is personally responsible for the even known as Darkfell, more information on which can be found here (@link). Shortly after his defeat, he was imprisoned in the Soul Plane by Death.

### Planar War (10,015 A.B.)

As a result of Darkfell and the planar collision, Galkador was filled with even more undead than ever before. Atop Mount Galkador, Azarath and Zinthos presented the Binturian Sylarra Elvadour with a choice: flood the nation with life magic, bringing back everyone lost to the undead but also the undead themselves, or flooding the nation with death magic, wiping out the undead but killing everyone else and keeping life from ever growing there again. Sylarra chose death, and Zinthos obliterated the undead army before joining Azarath in Sylarra’s body to become the Pillar of Soul Magic.

### Fel Invasion (10,016 A.B.)

During the Fel Invasion, Metrion was somehow able to escape his binding in the Soul Plane and aided the Binturians against the Fel on the Material Plane. Shortly after this, he was re-imprisoned by Death.

### Deathless Days (10,019 A.B.)

Azarath, Metrion, and Zinthos cooperated in the Binturians’ ritual to fix the barriers around the planes during the Deathless Days, and shortly thereafter Metrion directed another undead army to march from the Soul Plane to the Material Plane. This attack was rebuffed, and Metrion was re-imprisoned again once Death recovered.

### Current Planes of Residence

Azarath and Zinthos currently reside within Queen Sylarra Elvadour of Kuragma, the Pillar of Soul Magic, on the Material Plane. Metrion is imprisoned within the Iron Fortress in the Soul Plane.

## Further Information

* The Binturian Party
* Calahay
* Darkfell
* Death
* Deathless Days
* Etton
* Fel Invasion
* Galkador
* Greater Reaper
* Kuragma
* Magic
* Metrion
* Planar War
* Reaper
* Runes
* Soul
* Soul Plane
* Vierfrynn