Kirichiki, Bringer of Our Silent Death

Summary

Death is a fear that shadows every living mind, forcing all to confront how they will meet it. From the terror of the unknown, and the maniacal desire to live, springs its most terrifying specter: Kirichiki. Born of shadows and fear, gliding upon silent winds, it is only when the air stills, and the heart thunders with primal realization, does one know she is near.   Long before Imperious sought to own the world, before Atenkhet‌'s vaunted pyramids arose from the sands, before even humanity‌ or the dragons‌, there was her. All the world has lived under the beat of her wings, toiling in her wake as life is wont to do. Why has death come for them? No one can answer her mysterious appearances, but all are desperate to survive. So it came to be, the vampyr‌ as the agents of death, her dreadful servants ever hunting the living. So too the vampires‌ inherited this, for however it was not theirs to have.   Kirichiki stalks the world, a tireless hunter with an endless tally. It is thanks to her awesome presence throughout time that so many fear the vampyr, and so many fear the night. Where there are shadows, there can be her, for she glides through that umbral world as easily as clouds drift in the sky. But, for all that might terrify the minds of prey, a curious nobility enshrines her.   Whether from she herself, or the fanatical worship of those in Toi'drinn‌, it is hard to say. The chief goddess of their vast pantheon, Kirichiki presides over the dead and living, and commands the eclipsed world singularly. A stark contrast to the many goddesses responsible for the radiant world, and the ever busy affairs of daily life for many other species. It is from these scriptures and oral traditions that the rest of the world has learned of her, and the disturbing correlation of evidence there is. Chief among these would be Bloodwing‌ herself.   For as monstrously terrible as she can be, Bloodwing is no liar, and harbors a very real grudge against Kirichiki. The two have crossed wings and talons on a number of times over the millennia, always resulting in debilitating injuries. Seemingly claiming victory at long last, Bloodwing was blindsided by Kirichiki's sudden appearance later, nearly losing her own life in the process. Dying was no inconvenience to her, it seemed, disappearing to shadows and ashes, only to return once more. Was it then, she was a true immortal, one that eclipsed even the jiuweihu‌? In the age of the Imperium‌, such a thought had great validity, for they spent much in trying to research Kirichiki.   But, such is the folly of those blinded by fear that the other half of Kirichiki is overlooked.   It is a truth often only understandable to the vampyr, who need others for themselves to live. So too does Kirichiki need life, in order for her to bring death. In the wake of her passing does life find itself renewed, invigorated with sublime energies. Vast forests may arise from the veltron, confronted by sweeping plains, filled with the teeming life both big and small; great and meager. Thus it is said her home of Etzli Cuauhtla‌ came to be, the harmonious exchange of those who can live, and those who die to feed them. Or, as it is, in the minds of those who dwell in Toi'drinn. Perhaps there may yet be truth in their worldly view, for others confer a similar cycle of rebirth.