Origin
Bearing an extravagant fur-lined cape, this deer-like entity was once the guardian of a secret city secluded from the rest of the world in hopes of bearing their own against the Corruption. Mimhere, more colloquially known as Mim, was of the most beloved noblemen, the trust he earned granting him more freedoms into the outside world than were given to most any other. In his adventures beyond the secluded city, he must have encountered something that had caught his attention as he began spending more and more time away from the city and in the surrounding wilderness. Over time his figure morphed, becoming more and more fiendish as his bones broke into a digitigrade ungulate-like form. He grew more gaunt and lean, though his musculature remained strong. A would arrive when Mim was outside of his city when he was attacked by lesser Corruptions.
It was then that a sudden desire, a primal hunger, sprouted. A slave to his instincts, Mim would consume the flesh of the Corruptions until nothing but haunted, twisted bones remained. Momentarily, his hunger subsided as his senses returned and he went back to the city. As the march of time continued its tread, Mim’s hunger pangs would return, each requiring a satiation by flesh and muscle. Each subsequent pang was exponentially more painful and demanding than the last. To him, the meat of Corruptions was a necessary lifeblood to his survival, however he failed to realize the Corrupted slain and consumed were none other than mere humans. Slowly the numbers of his city dwindled until a time came when he was all that remained. A final pang would arise, prompting Mim to leave the city in search of more flesh. An unpredictable being, the Corruption is not entirely aggressive, however any who approach the hidden city are met with a swift end by the Corruption, giving him the title of the Rotting Guardian.
Appearance
With the face of a carnivorous deer, much of the jaw and distal face have become barren or void of flesh and muscle while the teeth have elongated and sharpened to a point made for tearing away at meat. His left arm has rotted away its flesh and muscle, leaving only the exposed bone and terrible claws while the right remains strong. His legs have broken and deformed into the ungulatory, digitigrade form they bear now with toes adapting into hoof-like structures. His eyes, foggy and dead, bear no visible pupil and appear to be from that of a rotting corpse. His neck and torso, though less visible of the former, have also been stripped of their flesh and muscle, leaving bare bone exposed. The mane covers this of the neck, making it most apparent along the torso and ribs. He bears a sword with strange indents made to catch other blades while his cloak remains intact…
Behavior
Unpredictable and strange, the Guardian is evidently driven by whatever hunger it may feel in a given moment. During times of “fullness” it will watch people pass as it crouches down, the sword planted firmly into the ground as it watches. Other times of great hunger bring to the Guardian an immense irritation and aggression as it goes straight for the kill. Regardless of your timing, to approach its ancestral home is a most certain suicide.
Abilities
Expert Swordsmanship
A skilled combatant, though undead and Corrupted, the Guardian retains its battle intellect and unrivalled prowess.
Fearsome Claws
Claws that extend from the left arm, which consists entirely of bone, made for striking opponents whose weapons become trapped by the sword
Corrupted Existence
It is unknown exactly how one is Corrupted by the Guardian, however it’s theorized that the ghost city guarded is now filled with lesser Corruptions that succumbed to the allure of flesh as they were driven to such atrocities by their being trapped in the city by the Guardian
