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Description
AKA: The Hand of Terror

Universe They Appear In: Westridge Academy

Age: 395 Years Old

Height: 7'9" (236 cm)

Weight: 72 lbs. (33 kg)

Gender: Male

Date of Summoning: October 13th (Libra)

Place of Summoning: Token Village, Westridge

Species: Nightmare Spawn

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Relations:
▪ Heidra (Enemy)

Occupation: Drains the souls of innocent people to extend his own lifespan.

Body Type: Lanky

Posture: Intimidating

Notable Features: There's a few things worth mentioning about Gruel. Some people notice his tall and oddly-shaped frame first while others focus on his weapon, pumpkin face and floating hand more.

Something Always Carried: Gruel is never seen without his weapon, the Bleak Crescent. If you can hear the sound of it scraping across the ground, then chances are it's probably too late to run.

Story Arc: The Night of Laughter

One-Sentence Description: A monster that is constantly looking for ways to enter our Realm so he can proceed to cause mayhem.

Quote: "Ah...aha...ahahah...ah ha ha ha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

😱 Personality: Gruel's personality can be summed up in one word: Chaotic. He is a highly unstable individual, who frequently bursts into maniacal laughter and relishes in performing gruesome deeds. When he's on the verge of capturing his victim, Gruel's smile will twist into an extreme, contorted look.
🔸 If Gruel has the upper hand, then he'll taunt his prey, playing with them and letting as much time pass as possible before he deals the finishing blow. However, this also causes Gruel to become overconfident and careless, giving the victim an opportunity to turn the tables against him.
🔸 Gruel's instability is evident in the way he attacks his victims. Sometimes, he'll have a playful vibe, where he'll pretend to look like a regular scarecrow if they're staring directly at him, and then will proceed to sneak and strike when their back is turned. But at other times he can be relentless, charging after his prey like a rabid, bloodthirsty beast. It's a complete toss-up when it comes to Gruel, as his motives are completely unpredictable.

♠ Hobbies & Habits: The only hobby Gruel enjoys doing is hunting people in our Realm, devouring souls and taking lives. He also has a huge habit of getting distracted by multiple people. If Gruel is chasing at least three characters or more, he'll get conflicted on who to go after first (and if he doesn't catch them right away, he'll change his mind).

👶 Childhood: Gruel was "summoned" around the 17th century by a mage. They originally planned to conjure a Taffy Giant for one of their earliest celebrations of Halloween, but they made a few errors in their incantations. Instead of making a gateway for a Familiar, they created one for a Nightmare Spawn, allowing Gruel to successfully crossover into our land. He went on a rampage in Token Village for 8 days until his time finally expired, and was sent back to his Realm as a result.

☡ Greatest Fear/Phobia: Being made almost entirely of straw, Gruel's biggest fear is the element, fire. It's bad to the point where even candles make him pause. Although Gruel is a chaotic being, he's still smart enough to avoid getting burned alive.

Abilities:
✅ Dread Vision - Gruel has the power to sense Aura, and can detect it depending on that character's personality. People who are mostly energetic and happy will emit a brighter Aura, which Gruel can pick up from further distances away.

✅ Bleak Crescent - The name of the giant weapon that Gruel carries around. Added with his tall height, he can hit opponents from extremely long distances, despite using a melee weapon.

✅ Nightmare Fuel - When Gruel is within close proximity of his victim, he can consume their vitality. By taking a deep breath inward, he siphons their life away until they're in a vegetative state, making them an empty, emotionless being. This power greatly benefits Gruel because it extends the time frame he can stay in our Realm. Although he profits more from characters with bright Auras, he won't discriminate when push comes to shove...

✅ Terror Hand - Believe it or not, the purple, floating hand is arguably Gruel's best ability. He uses it similar to a tag team style of fighting, where Gruel can keep it close and use it as a second arm or send it away to pester opponents that are out of his striking distance. This allows Gruel to setup numerous possibilities to attack his enemies, forcing them to worry about two threats at once. His favorite thing to do is put the opponent in between himself and his Terror Hand, and literally ping-pong them back and forth.

Weaknesses:
❌ Time Limit - When a Nightmare Spawn enters our Realm, they're allowed to crossover once per year, on the exact day they were summoned. However, since their souls are still tied to the Nightmare Realm, they can only be out for a base time of 12 hours. Granted, Gruel can extend his deadline by using Nightmare Fuel to drain characters, but once he's defeated (or when he reaches his time limit), then he'll have to wait an entire year (October 13th) before he's able to come back.
▪ If there's a character that knows how to summon a Nightmare Gate, then Gruel is allowed to crossover more often than usual. Unfortunately, this method forces him to become a servant under the person who created it. The 12 hour time limit is still active as well.

❌ Disarming - Gruel's Terror Hand can be a real nuisance if it's allowed to float and pummel freely about. However, it can also be attacked separately since its detached from his body. If the Terror Hand takes too much damage on its own, it'll wither away, severely crippling Gruel's effectiveness in battle. The maximum distance he can be away from his Hand is around 50 feet. Any further, and it becomes limp, making Gruel unable to control it from that point onwards.

❌ Fire - Nightmare Spawns are immortal (to an extent). When one gets defeated, they're just sent back to their Realm and they wait to be summoned again. However, all of them have a very specific weakness that can permanently kill them if they're exposed to it.
▪ To put it in perspective, Gruel can be chopped up into numerous pieces, get summoned immediately afterwards and come back fully recovered. His left arm however, has been burnt away for over 300 years and still hasn't returned, no matter how many times he's recalled. If the same thing happens to Gruel's entire body, then he'll completely cease to exist.

⚖ Cleverness:
♧ Although Gruel needs to be close to his opponent in order for the Nightmare Fuel to work, he can use the Bleak Crescent to snag his enemies by the waist and pull them within range.

♧ Gruel can hold one person with the Terror Hand, another with his regular arm and Nightmare Fuel them both at once.

♧ Gruel can sense when his Terror Hand is at critical levels. When its in danger of withering away, he can stow it somewhere safe from harm and let it heal back up. Even if he gets out of his 50 foot range, Gruel should have no worries about its safety if he hides it well.

♧ Gruel can use his Terror Hand to hold the Bleak Crescent double-handed for more power and control. Additionally, his Terror Hand is strong enough to hover around and swing the weapon by itself, giving Gruel even more options to work with.

📖 Lore:
It's the same thing every year,
October 13th...the day of fear.
This scarecrow is my town's bane,
Oh, I'm sorry...please let me explain.

It all started a while ago,
26 years if you wanted to know.
My father was going to help prepare,
The first in our village, a Halloween fair.

He thought it would be quite handy,
To make a bear out of sweet candy.
He was going to summon it with magic,
But this is where the story gets tragic.

While chanting the spell, he made an error
And out walked the Hand of Terror.
It grabbed my father by the neck,
And drained his soul, not leaving a speck.

Ever since, he was never the same,
He can't even remember his own name.
It was at this moment I made it my aim,
For my father's justice, I will reclaim.

After 8 days the creature disappeared,
And the entire village it almost cleared.
I noticed how all the people were shook,
So I went and got my father's spellbook.

There's no telling when it'll come back,
But I trained hard, no room for slack.
When I saw that results began to dawn,
I said, "This is where the line is drawn."

It took an entire year to pass,
Before the monster came back to harrass
Again, the people he was going to prey,
But this time, I stood in front of his way.

With my skills I felt misguided,
Because the battle quickly got one-sided.
Too much damage the thing was dealing,
In mere seconds, I was already kneeling.

It was clear I suffered defeat,
And now my soul it was going to delete.
Before my willpower began to fade,
Some of the villagers ran to my aid.

From the fight, my body collapsed
After I woke, a day had elapsed.
Once again the creature left us alone,
Once again, my chances were blown.

Ten seasons went by since that day,
And every time, the creature had its way.
But this year, I was ready for the beast,
To show it how far my skills increased.

October 13th, it came into town,
And I was prepared for the second round.
Once I spotted it on Avenue Ten,
Our battle commenced once again.

For a while, it seemed as if we were even,
But like before, my advantage was leaving
Afraid to lose, I pulled a desperate act,
With my spells I used every kind of attack.

By the worst stroke of luck,
Only one of them successfully struck.
But then the tables started to turn,
Because its arm began to burn.

I didn't get it, that was my weakest spell,
Yet it was screaming like it was in hell.
And then an idea started to loom,
The element fire is what seals its doom.

As soon as I found something to click,
The monster ran off just as quick.
I didn't even bother to chase,
After I saw the horror on its face.

Ever since the creature got burned,
It has yet to make another return.
However, rumors spead across the land,
That it now evolved a floating hand.

Although it does sound a lot stranger,
Other towns could be in danger.
So now, I write this message to you
To spread the word if it passes through...

"Every year in the night air,
Out walks the nightmare.
If your heart is full of light,
He'll drain you till you're pale and white.

A dark cape runs down his back,
Standing as tall as a chimney stack.
He carries a pole with a scary hook,
And cackles all night with a sinister look.

Here's a tip to survive the day,
Things that burn will keep him away.
As long as you remember this rule,
Your soul is safe from the crazy fool."

- Heidra's Journal

Description
AKA: The Hand of Terror

Universe They Appear In: Westridge Academy

Age: 395 Years Old

Height: 7'9" (236 cm)

Weight: 72 lbs. (33 kg)

Gender: Male

Date of Summoning: October 13th (Libra)

Place of Summoning: Token Village, Westridge

Species: Nightmare Spawn

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Relations:
▪ Heidra (Enemy)

Occupation: Drains the souls of innocent people to extend his own lifespan.

Body Type: Lanky

Posture: Intimidating

Notable Features: There's a few things worth mentioning about Gruel. Some people notice his tall and oddly-shaped frame first while others focus on his weapon, pumpkin face and floating hand more.

Something Always Carried: Gruel is never seen without his weapon, the Bleak Crescent. If you can hear the sound of it scraping across the ground, then chances are it's probably too late to run.

Story Arc: The Night of Laughter

One-Sentence Description: A monster that is constantly looking for ways to enter our Realm so he can proceed to cause mayhem.

Quote: "Ah...aha...ahahah...ah ha ha ha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

😱 Personality: Gruel's personality can be summed up in one word: Chaotic. He is a highly unstable individual, who frequently bursts into maniacal laughter and relishes in performing gruesome deeds. When he's on the verge of capturing his victim, Gruel's smile will twist into an extreme, contorted look.
🔸 If Gruel has the upper hand, then he'll taunt his prey, playing with them and letting as much time pass as possible before he deals the finishing blow. However, this also causes Gruel to become overconfident and careless, giving the victim an opportunity to turn the tables against him.
🔸 Gruel's instability is evident in the way he attacks his victims. Sometimes, he'll have a playful vibe, where he'll pretend to look like a regular scarecrow if they're staring directly at him, and then will proceed to sneak and strike when their back is turned. But at other times he can be relentless, charging after his prey like a rabid, bloodthirsty beast. It's a complete toss-up when it comes to Gruel, as his motives are completely unpredictable.

♠ Hobbies & Habits: The only hobby Gruel enjoys doing is hunting people in our Realm, devouring souls and taking lives. He also has a huge habit of getting distracted by multiple people. If Gruel is chasing at least three characters or more, he'll get conflicted on who to go after first (and if he doesn't catch them right away, he'll change his mind).

👶 Childhood: Gruel was "summoned" around the 17th century by a mage. They originally planned to conjure a Taffy Giant for one of their earliest celebrations of Halloween, but they made a few errors in their incantations. Instead of making a gateway for a Familiar, they created one for a Nightmare Spawn, allowing Gruel to successfully crossover into our land. He went on a rampage in Token Village for 8 days until his time finally expired, and was sent back to his Realm as a result.

☡ Greatest Fear/Phobia: Being made almost entirely of straw, Gruel's biggest fear is the element, fire. It's bad to the point where even candles make him pause. Although Gruel is a chaotic being, he's still smart enough to avoid getting burned alive.

Abilities:
✅ Dread Vision - Gruel has the power to sense Aura, and can detect it depending on that character's personality. People who are mostly energetic and happy will emit a brighter Aura, which Gruel can pick up from further distances away.

✅ Bleak Crescent - The name of the giant weapon that Gruel carries around. Added with his tall height, he can hit opponents from extremely long distances, despite using a melee weapon.

✅ Nightmare Fuel - When Gruel is within close proximity of his victim, he can consume their vitality. By taking a deep breath inward, he siphons their life away until they're in a vegetative state, making them an empty, emotionless being. This power greatly benefits Gruel because it extends the time frame he can stay in our Realm. Although he profits more from characters with bright Auras, he won't discriminate when push comes to shove...

✅ Terror Hand - Believe it or not, the purple, floating hand is arguably Gruel's best ability. He uses it similar to a tag team style of fighting, where Gruel can keep it close and use it as a second arm or send it away to pester opponents that are out of his striking distance. This allows Gruel to setup numerous possibilities to attack his enemies, forcing them to worry about two threats at once. His favorite thing to do is put the opponent in between himself and his Terror Hand, and literally ping-pong them back and forth.

Weaknesses:
❌ Time Limit - When a Nightmare Spawn enters our Realm, they're allowed to crossover once per year, on the exact day they were summoned. However, since their souls are still tied to the Nightmare Realm, they can only be out for a base time of 12 hours. Granted, Gruel can extend his deadline by using Nightmare Fuel to drain characters, but once he's defeated (or when he reaches his time limit), then he'll have to wait an entire year (October 13th) before he's able to come back.
▪ If there's a character that knows how to summon a Nightmare Gate, then Gruel is allowed to crossover more often than usual. Unfortunately, this method forces him to become a servant under the person who created it. The 12 hour time limit is still active as well.

❌ Disarming - Gruel's Terror Hand can be a real nuisance if it's allowed to float and pummel freely about. However, it can also be attacked separately since its detached from his body. If the Terror Hand takes too much damage on its own, it'll wither away, severely crippling Gruel's effectiveness in battle. The maximum distance he can be away from his Hand is around 50 feet. Any further, and it becomes limp, making Gruel unable to control it from that point onwards.

❌ Fire - Nightmare Spawns are immortal (to an extent). When one gets defeated, they're just sent back to their Realm and they wait to be summoned again. However, all of them have a very specific weakness that can permanently kill them if they're exposed to it.
▪ To put it in perspective, Gruel can be chopped up into numerous pieces, get summoned immediately afterwards and come back fully recovered. His left arm however, has been burnt away for over 300 years and still hasn't returned, no matter how many times he's recalled. If the same thing happens to Gruel's entire body, then he'll completely cease to exist.

⚖ Cleverness:
♧ Although Gruel needs to be close to his opponent in order for the Nightmare Fuel to work, he can use the Bleak Crescent to snag his enemies by the waist and pull them within range.

♧ Gruel can hold one person with the Terror Hand, another with his regular arm and Nightmare Fuel them both at once.

♧ Gruel can sense when his Terror Hand is at critical levels. When its in danger of withering away, he can stow it somewhere safe from harm and let it heal back up. Even if he gets out of his 50 foot range, Gruel should have no worries about its safety if he hides it well.

♧ Gruel can use his Terror Hand to hold the Bleak Crescent double-handed for more power and control. Additionally, his Terror Hand is strong enough to hover around and swing the weapon by itself, giving Gruel even more options to work with.

📖 Lore:
It's the same thing every year,
October 13th...the day of fear.
This scarecrow is my town's bane,
Oh, I'm sorry...please let me explain.

It all started a while ago,
26 years if you wanted to know.
My father was going to help prepare,
The first in our village, a Halloween fair.

He thought it would be quite handy,
To make a bear out of sweet candy.
He was going to summon it with magic,
But this is where the story gets tragic.

While chanting the spell, he made an error
And out walked the Hand of Terror.
It grabbed my father by the neck,
And drained his soul, not leaving a speck.

Ever since, he was never the same,
He can't even remember his own name.
It was at this moment I made it my aim,
For my father's justice, I will reclaim.

After 8 days the creature disappeared,
And the entire village it almost cleared.
I noticed how all the people were shook,
So I went and got my father's spellbook.

There's no telling when it'll come back,
But I trained hard, no room for slack.
When I saw that results began to dawn,
I said, "This is where the line is drawn."

It took an entire year to pass,
Before the monster came back to harrass
Again, the people he was going to prey,
But this time, I stood in front of his way.

With my skills I felt misguided,
Because the battle quickly got one-sided.
Too much damage the thing was dealing,
In mere seconds, I was already kneeling.

It was clear I suffered defeat,
And now my soul it was going to delete.
Before my willpower began to fade,
Some of the villagers ran to my aid.

From the fight, my body collapsed
After I woke, a day had elapsed.
Once again the creature left us alone,
Once again, my chances were blown.

Ten seasons went by since that day,
And every time, the creature had its way.
But this year, I was ready for the beast,
To show it how far my skills increased.

October 13th, it came into town,
And I was prepared for the second round.
Once I spotted it on Avenue Ten,
Our battle commenced once again.

For a while, it seemed as if we were even,
But like before, my advantage was leaving
Afraid to lose, I pulled a desperate act,
With my spells I used every kind of attack.

By the worst stroke of luck,
Only one of them successfully struck.
But then the tables started to turn,
Because its arm began to burn.

I didn't get it, that was my weakest spell,
Yet it was screaming like it was in hell.
And then an idea started to loom,
The element fire is what seals its doom.

As soon as I found something to click,
The monster ran off just as quick.
I didn't even bother to chase,
After I saw the horror on its face.

Ever since the creature got burned,
It has yet to make another return.
However, rumors spead across the land,
That it now evolved a floating hand.

Although it does sound a lot stranger,
Other towns could be in danger.
So now, I write this message to you
To spread the word if it passes through...

"Every year in the night air,
Out walks the nightmare.
If your heart is full of light,
He'll drain you till you're pale and white.

A dark cape runs down his back,
Standing as tall as a chimney stack.
He carries a pole with a scary hook,
And cackles all night with a sinister look.

Here's a tip to survive the day,
Things that burn will keep him away.
As long as you remember this rule,
Your soul is safe from the crazy fool."

- Heidra's Journal