Widowmakers

General

Widowmakers are partly mythical, partly myth-inspired figures in Quaräan folklore.

Description

The physical description of widowmakers is rarely constant and has frequently changed throughout history. Tales depict them as shadows, oversized figures wrapped in dark robes, or animal-like creatures.

Regardless of their appearance, Widowmakers are considered boisterous and somewhat curious creatures that mostly stay in the shadows but are easily angered. Occasionally, they are said to reveal themselves to the citizens of Quanar, either accidentally, out of interest in a trade, or because they have been summoned. Only a highly respectful and fearless approach will save a person from being killed by them if encountered by chance.

Because Widowmakers are easily offended or angered by various causes, they are often described in narratives as conjured contract killers who become active in exchange for goods of varying nature. They kill their victims in a brutal and quasi-formalized manner, often said to process the remains - if any - by fashioning body parts into tools or objects, which are sometimes believed to possess magical abilities. From skulls to organs, all kinds of materials have been described in tales. ^[1]

Widowmakers can allegedly be killed, but only with the greatest - often unspecified - effort.

History

Stories about widowmakers have been told in Quanar since at least the 5990s A.I.D. Many have claimed to have encountered such creatures over time, but there is scant evidence to support these assertions. The most well-documented case is described in a text by the scholar Lidas Bakhir ^[1] from 6755 or 6756 A.I.D. However, this account has only been seriously discussed within the Republic of Letters.

Literature

^[1] LB-6755/6-Q-21