ANKOU

Everyone has tales of ancient terrors stalking the night. One such legend is among the Malkavians. He is the Ankou, the Reaper itself. The Malkavians who know of the Ankou treat its legends with reverence and loathing. A few have said it is the first of the serial killers, or possibly their patron saint. Some believe the Ankou to be a Methuselah. It power is so great that it can walk unscathed through Garou territory or even vanish from one place and appear miles away.

Ankou (Ahn-koo) is the personification of death who comes to collect the souls of passed-over humans. He is male, dark, wearing a black-robed costume pulled up high about his head and a large hat that conceals his face. No one living has ever seen his face, for to do so would be to die. His skull spins like a top on his bony shoulders so he can see in all directions. He drives a black cart, though some say it is really a small coach or even a hearse, drawn by four black horses. When there are too many patrons, he is assisted by two skeletons who hurl the copses into the cart. They stop at the housess of ones who are about to die . There, it either knocks on the door (making a sound sometimes heard by the living) or he gives out a mournful wail like the Irish Banshee. He is always preceded by a cold gust of wind...