Original Killer Concept: The Zetsubō – Harbinger of Despair
Lore
Shadouhantā Tsbuku was an assassin from the Tōhoku region of Japan during the 13th century. After years of searching the mountains, he discovered a mysterious weapon known as the Scythe of Despair, a cursed artifact said to grant immense power.
Word of the weapon eventually reached the empire, and Tsbuku was captured and subjected to brutal experimentation in an attempt to understand his unnatural abilities. Despite repeated attempts to execute him, he refused to die.
In an act of cruelty meant to break his will, the emperor ordered the execution of Tsbuku’s wife and daughter.
Something inside him shattered.
The power of the scythe awakened fully, allowing Tsbuku to break free and unleash a massacre across the empire that had imprisoned him. Entire armies fell before him, and the empire itself was reduced to ruin. Some who witnessed the destruction believed they were seeing not a man, but a god of death.
Realizing the bloodlust within him was growing uncontrollable, Tsbuku disappeared into the wilderness, leaving behind a note warning that he could no longer remain among the living.
Years later, while wandering alone, he discovered a strange black fog deep within a cavern. The presence within the fog called to him with a familiar hunger for death and despair.
He stepped forward without hesitation.
He was never seen again.
Now he walks within the trials as The Zetsubō.
Power Concept – Echoes of the Fallen
The Zetsubō wields the cursed Scythe of Despair, allowing him to throw the weapon as a projectile and recall it back to him like a boomerang.
The scythe can injure survivors both on its initial throw and its return, forcing survivors to carefully predict its trajectory.
Survivors struck by the scythe become marked by the weapon’s cursed energy, representing the lingering despair tied to the scythe.
This power encourages strategic positioning and prediction, rewarding the killer for skillful throws and punishing survivors who group too closely together.
Perk Themes
Indistinguishable Flame
Represents the lingering destruction Tsbuku left behind when he burned through the empire. The perk weakens generators after they are damaged, symbolizing the lasting devastation of his rampage.
Echoes Seek
Represents the voices and memories that follow The Zetsubō wherever he goes. The whispers guide him toward survivors, helping him track them through sound and presence.
Scythe’s Resurgence
Represents the cursed weapon feeding on suffering. Survivors struck by special attacks suffer worsening injuries as the scythe’s power continues to tear at their wounds.
Terror Radius Concept
The Zetsubō’s terror radius would be a distorted Japanese lullaby once sung by his wife and daughter.
From a distance the lullaby sounds soft and almost peaceful, but as survivors get closer it slowly becomes warped and unsettling, with the melody stretching and breaking apart.
When a chase begins, the lullaby becomes chaotic and distorted, mixed with deep drums and the sound of metal scraping as the scythe moves.
The idea is that the Entity uses the voices of his wife and daughter to keep The Zetsubō trapped in his grief and rage, pushing him to continue the hunt within the trials.
What do you think of this killer concept?
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