Ankou
Ankou is a servant of Death, a reaper to be precise, and the keeper of the grave in Breton, Cornish, Welsh, and Norman French folklore.
Description[]
Ankou appears as a man or skeleton wearing a black robe and a large hat which conceals his face, or, on occasion, simply as a shadow. He wields a scythe and is said to sit atop a cart for collecting the dead, or to drive a large, black coach pulled by four black horses and accompanied by two ghostly figures on foot which are said to be Church Grims.
Overview[]
The origins of Ankou are unclear, but some believe that he was actually the first mortal that Death fell in love with, however, as with the ancient laws that bound the Endless should any of them fall for a mortal their doom is assured and tragically this was the case with Ankou. Out of grief, Death decided to enlist him into her service but would not be granted entry into the afterlife.
Whatever the case may be, Ankou is also known to be the keeper of the grave where he watches over the souls of those who are confined within a graveyard as they await their judgment in the afterlife. In addition, he is also said to protect the bodies of these souls from being desecrated by graverobbers or even necromancers. Necromancers in particular have a long antagonistic history with Ankou as he is the one obstacle that truly tests the limit of their paths to power by raising the dead or ascending to become a Lich.
Though quite powerful, Ankou is not invincible as it he is able to be overcome by powerful magic wielded by the mightiest necromancers or mages but even that is no minor feat according to their writings. However, Ankou cannot truly be destroyed for if he is to ever perish, another who was embraced by Death in that same year would take his place becoming the next Ankou.