The Reapers

The Reapers are a feared and secretive organization responsible for the grim task of burning down villages and settlements that have succumbed to the Blight. Their existence is whispered in dread among common folk, seen as both necessary and monstrous—agents of finality who ensure that the corruption does not spread.

The Reapers: The Silent Purge

Purpose and Role

The Reapers exist solely to contain the spread of the Blight, a sinister affliction that ravages crops, sickens the land, and warps living beings into twisted husks of their former selves. When a village or outpost shows signs of infection—be it tainted water, blackened soil, or people succumbing to unnatural mutations—the Reapers arrive in the dead of night or the early dawn, clad in soot-stained cloaks and steel masks. Their mission is simple and absolute:

• Purge the settlement with fire

• Slay anyone who resists

• Ensure nothing remains that could carry the Blight beyond the burned ruins

No mercy is given, for even a single infected survivor could doom entire regions. Their methods are ruthless, but the Reapers believe that their cause justifies every life they take.

Hierarchy and Structure

The Reapers are not an official force of any kingdom. They are a coalition of individuals, bound by duty rather than law, operating under an unspoken accord with the rulers and warlords of the land. Their hierarchy is loose, but they answer to a shadowed council known as The Embered Circle, whose members are unknown outside of their ranks.

Ranks of the Reapers:

• Kindled (Initiates) – New recruits, often survivors of past blight purges who have nowhere else to go. They are trained in firecraft, combat, and the identification of Blight symptoms.

• Flamebearers – The main enforcers, recognizable by their heavy leather armor, scorched insignias, and flame-branded gauntlets. They lead the burning of settlements and ensure no one escapes.

• Ashwardens – Veterans of many purges, responsible for reconnaissance and choosing which settlements must be destroyed. They are often grim and hollow-eyed, burdened by their deeds.

• The Embered Circle – The shadowy leaders of the Reapers, their identities kept secret even from their own. It is said that they hold knowledge of the Blight’s true origins and the terrible price that must be paid to contain it.

Methods and Tactics

The Reapers work with terrifying efficiency. When they receive word of an outbreak, they mobilize swiftly, moving in small, coordinated squads. Their methods include:

• Firebombing – Homes and fields are doused in oil and set alight before dawn, ensuring the fire spreads before people can flee.

• Ritualistic Cleansing – The Reapers have rites they perform before and after each purge, muttered prayers to old gods or forgotten forces that they believe hold the Blight at bay.

• Silent Culling – For smaller outbreaks, they sometimes eliminate infected individuals quietly rather than burning entire villages, ensuring minimal panic.

Public Perception

To the common folk, the Reapers are demons in human form. Their arrival spells doom, and many settlements would rather fight than submit to their judgment. Rumors abound that the Reapers sometimes purge villages that are not yet infected, acting on paranoia rather than certainty.

However, lords and strategists know that the Reapers are a necessary evil. Without them, the Blight would consume everything. Some rulers discreetly fund them, providing gold and supplies in exchange for swift action when the infection threatens their borders.

Rivalries and Opposition

Not everyone accepts the Reapers’ methods. They have enemies among:

• The Sylvan Blades, who view their actions as reckless destruction and believe in purifying the Blight through nature’s own means.

• The Emberhearts and Stonewardens, some of whom suspect the Reapers of hiding deeper secrets about the Blight.

• Desperate survivors, who form resistance bands to hunt Reapers and avenge their burned homes.

Legends and Theories

Some whisper that the Reapers know more than they admit—that the Blight is not a natural disease, but something summoned long ago. Others say that deep within their hidden strongholds, the Embered Circle holds secrets of the Blight’s origins, ones that could change everything… if only someone were bold enough to uncover them.