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Description
Mantle of Agony, Keeper of the Woeful River, Acheron is one of five aquatic beasts that dwell in the rivers of the Underworld. Acheron resides in the river of pain, which shares her name. She spends most of her time stalking the haunted waters, eager for prey that may draw close. When swimming, she cuts through the water with her armored mantle while propelling herself with bursts of water. She retracts most of her spines when swimming, to help cut down on drag, which also creates a curious illusion. Those who peer into the waters while she lurks in the depths will swear they see a human-like figure. Some believe this striking silhouette is meant to lure victims in, while others say it is a hint of some type of nymph form she possesses. Regardless of its purpose, it does unfortunately slow curious souls down long enough for Acheron to realize there is fresh prey close at hand. When she detects a presence close to her shores, she will rush to the surface and breach onto dry land. Her powerful tentacles will act as legs and lift her body high into the air. Acheron shows no discomfort when on dry land, though she obviously enjoys being in water more. In the end though, she will take any place as long as there are plenty of souls for her to torture.

As the beast of the River of Pain and with her bladed anatomy, it should be obvious what Acheron does best. She doesn't even require special powers to do damage, as every part of her is covered in razor-sharp spines and flesh-rending blades. Snaring prey with her tendrils, she will bind them in thorny tentacles or impale them on her many retractable spikes. Of her weaponry, the strongest are her two armored tentacles. Covered in spikes and ending in wicked blades, she can use them as spiny clubs or barbed lances. On their undersides are shredding limbs and hungering maws, which can capture human-sized prey and slowly peel them apart layer by layer. What makes this torture even worse is the powerful neurotoxin that is within every spine. Those jabbed by a single spike will be injected with a cruel venom that hijacks the nervous system and overrides the pain receptors. Those affected will be wracked with agony as it tears at their nerves and sabotages any immunity or resistance that could dampen the torment. Even souls hardened by war and battle will find her brand of torture worse than anything they have ever experienced. Shredding and flaying creatures that get close to her is rather cruel, but it is not the worst she can do. Those doomed to the Underworld for causing death and agony will become special targets for her. If she finds those who tortured innocent souls during their mortal years, she will hunt them down and feed them to her endless maw. Sitting in the middle of her mantle is an orifice filled with countless shredding jaws and slicing teeth. It is said that it is a mouth with no end, and those who are fed to it will be sent down a bottomless chasm of blades and fangs. Forever falling as they are ripped apart, only to regrow their violated flesh and be torn to pieces again and again. It is unknown if there is a way out from this agonizing realm, perhaps only if Acheron is willing. If there is an escape, then many have yet to find it, judging by the echoing screams that endlessly pour from that slavering maw.

The pain and torment Acheron causes is not just out of duty, but out of fun as well. She appears to greatly enjoy torturing souls, regardless if they deserve it or not. She does not require a reason to dole out this agony, she just needs to catch them. This is why many stay far away from her river, as being near its shores is enough to catch her attention and make them targets. In water, she will lash out with tentacles to over turn boats and yank people off the shores, dragging them down to her homemade hell. If they retreat to dry land, she will pursue and shred them with glee. The sheer joy and amusement she gets from this act has made folk think that she is less of a pain-loving torturer and more of an eager child that loves to play rough with their toys. Gathered from conversation and observation, it appears that she doesn't really think that much about what she is doing to her victims, she just loves the squirming and funny noises they make. This is all for fun, besides, no matter how many she breaks, there always seems to be more. This may be true in the Underworld, where the condemned will survive any torture and regenerate to receive more punishment, but the mortal realm doesn't work that way. When she winds up in the world of man, it is pure carnage. There are a ton of new toys for her to play with, not to mention those wonderful play sets they all come with! Tall fancy things that can be knocked over and smashed! Hard little shells to crack open and scoop out the screaming insides! And watch out for the falling bricks! The only way to escape this horrible fate is to either outrun her or find protection through the ferryman. Of all the beings in the Underworld, it appears the ferryman is the only one she listens to when he says "no." He may step in on his own to protect the truly innocent or visiting deities, or he may be convinced or bribed to tell Acheron that they are not playthings. When denied her fun, Acheron will be disappointed and leave in a huff, but she will always listen to the ferryman's words. This just means she will have to find new toys and take her frustration out on them, which is not so great for those on the receiving end.

With Acheron obsessed with causing pain and misery, many assume she would get along with Cocytus. Surely this beast of torment would find enjoyment from an entity consumed by it? It seems, however, that Acheron does not gain any pleasure or glee from Cocytus' miserable state. In truth, her wailing and song seems to disturb Acheron and put her on edge. As she puts it, "that isn't the fun kind of pain." Often she kind of just sits there awkwardly and silently as Cocytus mourns, unsure of what to do. Occasionally she has been seen trying to cheer her fellow beast up, but her idea of "funny" and "uplifting" involves a whole lot of screaming victims and brutal mangling. As the embodiment of misery, watching such bloody shows just makes her mood worse, and Acheron is left confused and hopeless.

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Number 3 for the Beasts of the Infernal River. At first this started as a sea urchin-iron maiden thing, but then it turned into a squid somehow. Not sure how that happened, but I like it!

Description
Mantle of Agony, Keeper of the Woeful River, Acheron is one of five aquatic beasts that dwell in the rivers of the Underworld. Acheron resides in the river of pain, which shares her name. She spends most of her time stalking the haunted waters, eager for prey that may draw close. When swimming, she cuts through the water with her armored mantle while propelling herself with bursts of water. She retracts most of her spines when swimming, to help cut down on drag, which also creates a curious illusion. Those who peer into the waters while she lurks in the depths will swear they see a human-like figure. Some believe this striking silhouette is meant to lure victims in, while others say it is a hint of some type of nymph form she possesses. Regardless of its purpose, it does unfortunately slow curious souls down long enough for Acheron to realize there is fresh prey close at hand. When she detects a presence close to her shores, she will rush to the surface and breach onto dry land. Her powerful tentacles will act as legs and lift her body high into the air. Acheron shows no discomfort when on dry land, though she obviously enjoys being in water more. In the end though, she will take any place as long as there are plenty of souls for her to torture.

As the beast of the River of Pain and with her bladed anatomy, it should be obvious what Acheron does best. She doesn't even require special powers to do damage, as every part of her is covered in razor-sharp spines and flesh-rending blades. Snaring prey with her tendrils, she will bind them in thorny tentacles or impale them on her many retractable spikes. Of her weaponry, the strongest are her two armored tentacles. Covered in spikes and ending in wicked blades, she can use them as spiny clubs or barbed lances. On their undersides are shredding limbs and hungering maws, which can capture human-sized prey and slowly peel them apart layer by layer. What makes this torture even worse is the powerful neurotoxin that is within every spine. Those jabbed by a single spike will be injected with a cruel venom that hijacks the nervous system and overrides the pain receptors. Those affected will be wracked with agony as it tears at their nerves and sabotages any immunity or resistance that could dampen the torment. Even souls hardened by war and battle will find her brand of torture worse than anything they have ever experienced. Shredding and flaying creatures that get close to her is rather cruel, but it is not the worst she can do. Those doomed to the Underworld for causing death and agony will become special targets for her. If she finds those who tortured innocent souls during their mortal years, she will hunt them down and feed them to her endless maw. Sitting in the middle of her mantle is an orifice filled with countless shredding jaws and slicing teeth. It is said that it is a mouth with no end, and those who are fed to it will be sent down a bottomless chasm of blades and fangs. Forever falling as they are ripped apart, only to regrow their violated flesh and be torn to pieces again and again. It is unknown if there is a way out from this agonizing realm, perhaps only if Acheron is willing. If there is an escape, then many have yet to find it, judging by the echoing screams that endlessly pour from that slavering maw.

The pain and torment Acheron causes is not just out of duty, but out of fun as well. She appears to greatly enjoy torturing souls, regardless if they deserve it or not. She does not require a reason to dole out this agony, she just needs to catch them. This is why many stay far away from her river, as being near its shores is enough to catch her attention and make them targets. In water, she will lash out with tentacles to over turn boats and yank people off the shores, dragging them down to her homemade hell. If they retreat to dry land, she will pursue and shred them with glee. The sheer joy and amusement she gets from this act has made folk think that she is less of a pain-loving torturer and more of an eager child that loves to play rough with their toys. Gathered from conversation and observation, it appears that she doesn't really think that much about what she is doing to her victims, she just loves the squirming and funny noises they make. This is all for fun, besides, no matter how many she breaks, there always seems to be more. This may be true in the Underworld, where the condemned will survive any torture and regenerate to receive more punishment, but the mortal realm doesn't work that way. When she winds up in the world of man, it is pure carnage. There are a ton of new toys for her to play with, not to mention those wonderful play sets they all come with! Tall fancy things that can be knocked over and smashed! Hard little shells to crack open and scoop out the screaming insides! And watch out for the falling bricks! The only way to escape this horrible fate is to either outrun her or find protection through the ferryman. Of all the beings in the Underworld, it appears the ferryman is the only one she listens to when he says "no." He may step in on his own to protect the truly innocent or visiting deities, or he may be convinced or bribed to tell Acheron that they are not playthings. When denied her fun, Acheron will be disappointed and leave in a huff, but she will always listen to the ferryman's words. This just means she will have to find new toys and take her frustration out on them, which is not so great for those on the receiving end.

With Acheron obsessed with causing pain and misery, many assume she would get along with Cocytus. Surely this beast of torment would find enjoyment from an entity consumed by it? It seems, however, that Acheron does not gain any pleasure or glee from Cocytus' miserable state. In truth, her wailing and song seems to disturb Acheron and put her on edge. As she puts it, "that isn't the fun kind of pain." Often she kind of just sits there awkwardly and silently as Cocytus mourns, unsure of what to do. Occasionally she has been seen trying to cheer her fellow beast up, but her idea of "funny" and "uplifting" involves a whole lot of screaming victims and brutal mangling. As the embodiment of misery, watching such bloody shows just makes her mood worse, and Acheron is left confused and hopeless.

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Number 3 for the Beasts of the Infernal River. At first this started as a sea urchin-iron maiden thing, but then it turned into a squid somehow. Not sure how that happened, but I like it!