Rein d'Ariette

Observant • Loyal • Guarded • Empathetic • Protective

✦ A lonesome barghest who once haunted the Trollers’ Gill. Despite her title as an Arbiter of Death she has chosen to shirk her duty in favor of her love of humans.

✦ Rein has not strayed far from her past as she now resides deep in a Yorkshire wood, tucked away in a once-abandoned human dwelling now restored by her very own hands. Over the centuries she has gathered both human and nature-born curiosities with which to decorate her abode; a veritable hoard of bones, plants, jars, and other odds and ends procured from the nearby village. While she rarely speaks with others she holds a special fondness for animals - often caring for those found injured or hungry and if the situation demands, offers them a merciful death. It is not unusual to see a multitude of critters within and without her abode, content to come and go as they please.

✦ Despite her aloof nature, Rein is viciously protective of the neighboring village - unaware of her true identity as they may be - both for their safety and her own solace. Earning her trust may be a challenge as she has witnessed a myriad of deaths and betrayals that have forced her to keep from repeating past mistakes in spite of any desire she may have to forge a true, lasting connection. While it may be a lonely existence, she feels it is the best course of action to foster her peace.

✦ As a small shadow of a whelp, Rein entered the world the same as most other barglings; clueless, playful and unknowing of who they’d become. Crafted from the shadows of Erebos, God of Death, she lived on the Hell Plane until she was ready to be released onto the Overworld as a full-fledged barghest, orb and all.

Early Years

✦ With little preamble, she found herself on the Earth, amongst dense soft grass, deep gorges, and vast woodland alongside another young barghest, Somber. It wasn’t unusual for multiple barghests to be released in the same area; they would either work together or cull the weak - regardless, Erebos didn’t mind the outcome. The two were still young when they came across their first humans, a small village on the outskirts of their claimed woods. The most notable feature of this village was the lush pasture full of sheep - an ideal meal for growing barghests. They were not quite of age to start their work as Arbiters of Death which would entail taking human lives when it was their time and consuming their abandoned flesh, but sheep would do in the interim.

✦ As far as they were concerned, the only threat was the shepherd and his dog, but it was not long before a new face appeared - the shepherd’s son. A young whelp, roughly the age equivalent of the duo, had begun learning under his father’s rigorous tutelage. He was slight but strong, a trait he'd need to cultivate as he became a proper shepherd. He shared his father's looks - dark hair and tanned skin - but his smile was different, soft and kind in the way it creased the corners of his warm umber gaze. They’d managed to grab a sheep here and there but the more the boy appeared the less success they had. Cautious but curious, Rein would watch him day by day from the forestline, impressed by his dedication to protect the sheep until that curiosity got the better of her; she transformed into her human visage for the first time - a young girl. While many of her barghest traits transferred over most were not visible to mortalkind - the purple hair and odd pink eyes would still be jarring in their own right. Nevertheless, she approached, unsure of what the reaction would be from the first human she ever spoke to. To her surprise, he returned her curiosity in kind, offering her a warm meal and an affable smile.

✦ From there on out Rein would meet with the boy, sharing her odd forest findings while he in turn would show her trinkets and books from the human world. He most likely assumed her to be some feral child with how little she knew of human society. Feeling she could trust the boy she finally brought Somber, likewise in his human form, to meet her friend. Somber was unhappy by Rein’s choice to get involved with humans, yet he couldn’t deny free meals nor the boy’s unwavering kindness to them both. Disarmed, he joined them in their daily gatherings and grew just as close, a driving a force for them to make the mutual decision to stop preying on the flock. The boy never the wiser that they were the beasts all along.

✦ This joy was short lived, however, as nearby barghests caught wind of their interactions. Advised to cut off contact with humans as it would interfere with their job, both were left at an impasse. Somber held stronger values with their mission, while Rein fancied a life that was not her own. Even worse, they were growing close to the age where they would begin their work in full, Somber making the decision to cut off his contact with the boy as well as growing more distant from Rein. She could see a darkness grow in him as he stopped referring to the boy by name, and his words became sharper everytime she showed little interest in arbitrating or in barghest society.

✦ Under the crimson light of a blood moon everything finally came to a head as the two argued late into the night. Somber would attempt to force Rein into the correct choice, as he left to lure the boy deep into the woods to the spot where they had often played in secrecy. It was there that he showed his true form to the boy and sprang his attack. Panicked screams shot through the trees, springing Rein into action - enrapt in terror she ran at full speed in her canid form. When she arrived at the clearing the boy was grievously injured and a blood-soaked Somber loomed atop him, his eyes colder than they had ever been as he watched closely for Rein’s reaction.

✦ Red Moon. Static. The metallic scent of blood. She could do nothing but cry out, a horrible, violent feeling bubbling within as her form changed once more to that of an maddened, alabaster beast. She charged at Somber, taking even him by surprise at this rapid change. The two fought voraciously before realizing this was not a fight that could be won and thus Somber fled.

✦ Rein felt as if she was adrift in a void, the static still ringing, the iron smell of blood still strong. She held no control over her body as it sauntered toward the boy laying in a pool of his own blood and stared down at him as he looked up at her and weakly raised a hand to stroke her wolven face. She knew what was coming but could do nothing to stop it - C R U N C H. She wailed and raged internally for control as her body acted of its own accord, taking deep bites of flesh and consuming the boy who was her friend.

✦ When the warm sun began to rise, the girl found herself bloodied and alone back in her human form. The disfigured corpse lay in front of her and all she could do was beg for him to wake up.

Please wake up.

Present

Soon :)