Reaper in the Mirror

Item #: RR

Object Class: Keter

Threat Level: Red

The first known image of 'RR', recovered from a deepweb message board.

Special Containment Procedures: ‘RR’ is housed in a modified Secure Humanoid Containment Cell in Sector 5 Reliquary Containment at Site 19. The modifications are as follows:

The cell must be entirely lined in one-way mirrors constructed of silvered and smoked glass, allowing sight into - but not out of - the cell. To avoid damaging the properties of the glass, it must be backed with durable plexiglass and inspected for any damage on a weekly basis. Any signs of damage are to be reported to the Site Director immediately.

The door of the cell must be modified to be airtight, and likewise lined along the interior with silvered mirror. Additionally, no ventilation, ducts, or otherwise are to create any gap in the containment cell. All seals are to be inspected with the same protocol as above.

Cameras should be used in the cell to observe all mirrored surfaces, but must be suspended above the layers of said mirrored surfaces to avoid creating non-mirrored spaces of the cell wall.

This cell must be appropriately weatherproofed for the extreme cold conditions produced by ‘RR’.

In the case of transportation, ‘RR’ is to be contained in a cubic crate at least two and a half meters along all dimensions, constructed of the same glass/plexiglass design as the cell.

Due to a combination of ‘RR’s anomalous properties and indeterminate age, it is impossible to guarantee that ‘RR’ will always remain within the Cell. Every 28 days, during the full moon - hereafter referred to as a ‘Red Moon Event’, ‘RR’ will appear via ontokinetic means in a reflective surface somewhere else on the globe, near someone who has been affected by the cognitohazardous nature of eye-contact with the entity. See the Description or Addendums section below for further details.

In the case of containment breach, and during a ‘Red Moon Event’, Task Force Alpha Seven (“Mirror Knights”) are to be dispatched to either retrieve ‘RR’, or find the location of his manifestation, along with appropriate media blackout procedures, monitoring, and administration of class A, B, or C amnesiacs.

All potential employees of Site 19 are to undergo rigorous questioning, and if it is determined that any of them have made non-filtered eye contact with ‘RR’, they are to be terminated from employment by the foundation and administered class A amnesiacs, forcefully if necessary.

Description: ‘RR’ is an Non-corporeal, Ontokinetic, Cognitohazardous, Class-G Phantasmal Entity of roughly humanoid shape. It appears to be wearing a black, hooded cloak which obscures most of its body. It’s face, hands, and booted feet are visible, though often shrouded. The hands and fingers of the figure appear similar to those of a mummified or skeletal human. It lacks a mouth, and its eyes lack normal human features like pupils, instead appearing only white. ‘RR’ is approximately 1.9 meters tall, but has no physical mass measurable by any means the Foundation possesses.Thermal imaging has displayed that the entity itself, and the space immediately surrounding it, display anomalous temperatures as low as -200 Celsius. This low temperature renders its touch and immediate proximity lethal to flora, fauna, and most biological entities it touches.

‘RR’ has never been recorded speaking, or communicating in any way except the occasional gesture. Generally speaking

It is of critical importance to all research personnel to avoid making direct eye contact with ‘RR’, though viewing ‘RR’ through a one-way silvered mirror or through remote means poses no danger.

All personnel present in sector 5 are to wear glasses constructed of silvered glass as a preventative and proactive safety measure to assist in counteracting the cognitohazardous effects of ‘RR’ in case of possible containment breach.

It does not walk to move, but rather glides through Ontokinetic means a short distance from the ground. It has been known to glide in any orientation, without any respect to gravity, wind, or any physical force that would normally hinder movement - including, but not limited to: wood, glass, plastic, stone, concrete, and steel. The only discovered inhibitor of ‘RR’s movement is a mirror constructed with authentic sterling silver plating. However, this does not stop other anomalous properties related to mirrors. ‘RR’ has very rarely been known to move swiftly, usually floating at a speed of around 6 kilometers an hour.

Mirrors or reflective surfaces of any variety, even those constructed of silvered glass, act in an anomalous nature when touched by ‘RR’. Shortly after being touched by ‘RR’, the mirror will stop reflecting what is in front of it, as expected, and instead reflect a location on the other side of a mirror or other reflective surface within the vicinity of an instance of ‘RR-A’.

Whenever a human being makes non-filtered eye contact with ‘RR’, the anomalous properties of ‘RR’ will take effect, and the subject should now be considered ‘RR-A’. Immediately after this event, instances of ‘RR-A’ will enter a coma for at least one week. Sometime during the following week, when they awake, ‘RR-A’ will perceive the previous encounter with ‘RR’ as a dream experienced during the coma. Although shaken, they will generally return to their baseline emotional state after a few days.

At an unspecified amount of time later, although always on a night of a full moon, RR-A will be drawn to stare into a reflective surface, where they will perceive ‘RR’, which, like the reflection in the mirror will appear inverted. Research has gleaned that subjects in this state are unable to look away, but even forcefully moving the subject has not been effective in preventing the next steps

In addition to appearing in white robes and with black eyes in his inverted environmental reflection, RR will also appear to hold RR-1, which is a large scythe of the same non-corporeal nature as ‘RR’. ‘RR-A’ will begin to mutter incoherently at this time, although these vocalizations will eventually increase in volume over the next few minutes, devolving into desperate pleas for forgiveness, apologies, confessions of regret, and similar topics. Additionally, due to relative proximity of ‘RR’, ‘RR-A’ will begin to exhibit symptoms of frostburn and other low-temperature related biological damage.

Between two and three minutes after this process begins, RR-A will close their eyes, and although RR (holding RR-1) is present only in the mirror, the head of RR-A will be severed from its body.

History: The Foundation’s first exposure to ‘RR’ was a series of rumors and internet-hosted images of a “Grim Reaper”- like entity in the rural areas of [REDACTED]. The area long had a tradition of folklore involving the dangers of the night of a full moon. Due to the questionable quality of the images, rumors, and folklore, the Foundation categorized these stories as unfounded superstition until the event of ‘RR’-Incident-2 and the discovery of Document ‘RR-Alpha’ at a site of known Neo-Sarkic activity nearby, when investigation formally began into the recovery, classification, and containment of ‘RR’.

Experiment Log: ‘RR’:

Early in the containment of ‘RR’, experiments consisted of sending D-class personnel into the containment cell of ‘RR’, outfitted with silvered and mirrored lenses, and covered in heavily insulated clothing. The format for these experiments will be recorded below.

Researcher:

Item:

Subject:

Directive:

Additional Notes:

Experiment 1

Date 05/04/20[xx]

Researcher: Dr. [REDACTED]

Item: ‘RR’

Subject: D-class D-568

Directive: D-568 was given a spear with a silver-coated tip under armed supervision, told to enter the cell through a system of double-doors (both mirrored), along with appropriate insulation and eye-shielding equipment, and told to test ‘RR’s reaction to the weapon.

Additional Notes: None.

Video Transcription:

00:03 - D-568 Enters the small chamber controlling entry to the containment cell. The mirrored door behind it closes. After the door is closed and sealed, the door to the containment cell unseals and opens.

00:12 - D-568 says “Are you fucking kidding me? That thing? You want me to poke that thing with a stick?”

00:19 - D-568 is given a terse reminder about his employment.

00:42 - After hesitation and a sigh, D-568 enters the containment cell proper and the door to the controlled entry chamber seals behind him. ‘RR’ is currently floating on the other end of the cell, staring into the mirror in front of it, where it has been without action for the past five days.

00:53 - D-568 raises the spear point first and walks slowly toward ‘RR’. The entity does not react at this time.

01:03 - D-568 is close enough to place the spear point within a few feet of ‘RR’. At this time, ‘RR’ turns, levitating a few feet to its left to avoid the spear, and reaches a hand toward D-568. A visible distortion in the visible form, closest to where the spear had been, briefly appears, and just as quickly, ‘RR’s appearance returns to normal.

01:06 - D-568 lowers the spear and sprints to the other end of the cell near the door, shouting to be let out. His motions and voice display quivering and chittering as symptoms of extreme anxiety and distress. His hands are visibly shaken.

01:08 - Dr. [REDACTED] discusses what occurred briefly, and the decision is quickly made to recover D-568. The door is open, and D-568 rushes in before ‘RR’ can arrive into the entry-control chamber.

01:17 - D-568 falls to his hands and knees and sobs without restraint, dropping the spear in the process. D-568 is reprimanded for this action, as it could have damaged the mirrors which coat the floor. Upon inspection, no damage occurred.

02:20 - D-568 recovers from his distress enough to rise, retrieve the spear, and exit the room.

02:36 - Although D-568 is now wearing heavily insulated clothing in a room-temperature environment, his hands and teeth are visibly shaking. He quickly returns the spear to the security team without complaint and starts to remove his gloves. The experiment is considered concluded.

___

Experiment 2

Date: 09/21/20[xx]

Researcher: Dr. [REDACTED]

Item: ‘RR’

Subject: D-class D-603

Directive: D-603 was given appropriate cold weather gear, with the notable exception of the mirrored glasses, and was told to look at ‘RR’ from as safe a distance as possible. D-603 uses a short cane for navigational purposes. The cane was fitted with a durable felt coating on its bottom-most section to avoid any possibility of damage to the containment cell.

Additional Notes: D-603 is blind due to an industrial accident at the age of twenty-eight. She has been without sight for twenty-two years.

Video Transcription:

00:03 - D-603 exits the entry-control chamber and enters the cell proper. ‘RR’ is currently pacing (by means of levitation) against the far wall slowly.

00:15 - D-603 stares in a direction he can best approximate as the opposite side of the room. He seems visibly nervous, but not in the manner the previous D-class was.

00:18 - D-603 says “Am I supposed to. Uh, stare this way? Just wait then? Is it facing me yet? I don’t-”

00:23 - D-603 freezes in place, stopping her speech. Despite being multiple yards away from ‘RR’ (Who at this point is facing her direction), D-603 shivers visibly. Tears start to form in her eyes, and unintelligible whispers are heard before she says “Oh, God.”

00:26 - D-603 collapses. ‘RR’ Does not appear to react further to D-603.

00:34 - After no reaction from D-603, on-site staff notify task force Alpha Seven “Mirror Knights” to suit up and retrieve D-603.

09:26 - on-site staff are notified that task force Alpha Seven is currently inbound to the containment cell. No movement from D-603 or ‘RR’ has occurred at this time.

14:59 - Four task force Alpha Seven personnel enter the containment cell and retrieve D-603, who was discovered to be in a comatose state, but otherwise unharmed. The experiment is considered concluded.

__

RR-Incident-1

Date: December 22, 1904

Description: Foundation personnel were made aware, through undisclosed channels, of the disappearance of twenty three individuals from the same rural village of [REDACTED] within the same 48 hour period.

Sweeps of the village indicated that sixteen of the twenty-three individuals worked at a factory nearby and had not shown up for their shifts in the past two days. The exception were all of the members of the notable family of noble history, the house of [REDACTED], and the keepers of their estate. Their groundskeeper and butler did not take daily trips to the market as the local shopkeepers had reported, and the gates to the estate were closed.

The following is a description of the collection of photographs, times taken, and immediate commentary recorded by the Foundation investigative recordkeeper at the time, James Hawthorne.

Photograph 1: This is a close-up, interior photograph of the groundskeeper and maid’s quarters on the edge of grounds. The photograph displays a collection of at least sixteen pieces of rope, cut into lengths of ten feet each, all on the floor of the storage basement area. Although the ends of the ropes appear newly cut, they show signs of heavy wear, including blood and traces of torn skin and hair consistent with captives struggling against their bonds. In the background, there is an alcove with a series of shelves, containing bottles with worn labels and piles of rags. Commentary: ‘Sixteen bonds. More fragments of rope. The six bottles in the room contain chloroform, but are mostly empty.’ - JH



Photograph 2: Photograph 2 displays a view from the top of a set of stairs to a ground level path, mostly covered over by decorative garden arches. The cobblestone path displays intentional patterns, but also signs of churning ground and many trails of blood. Some of the stones have come loose. At the far end of the path, a set of descending steps is barely visible. Commentary: ‘Path leads from the Groundkeeper’s quarters basement through the garden. The door at the end of the path is ajar.’ - JH



Photograph 3: This photograph displays the inside of a large marble room. It is lit by flame in iron sconces, and the center of the photograph houses a large marble basin, upon which lies a knife. A pool of blood congeals within the basin, and a number of red streaks drip down the sides. Symbols known to have Sarkite interpretations can be seen on the edges of the basin. Commentary: ‘Never thought I’d see the day that I’d be running into this on the job. Imagine that on day one. Gives me the chills. There is more lettering above the archways of the doors here, I’ll include pictures of them as well. Whatever they were trying to do here, it was big.’ - JH



Photograph 4: Depicted in the center is a low stone table, whereupon sixteen corpses lie, arranged roughly in the aberrant design of the Sarkic monstrosity present at the center of a hand drawn Seal of the same faith. The corpses have all been slit from collarbone to genitals, and their viscera is strewn - some of it still stacked haphazardly upon eating implements spread about the inside of the circle. The writing is done in blood. Commentary: ‘Unlike most depictions of the Sarkic Seal, a drawn path connects this seal to one out of sight in this photograph, in the adjacent room. The sooner we can leave this place, the better. Why is it so damn cold in here?’ - JH



Photograph 5: The groundskeepers and members of the family are all pictured, on the floor, their skin blackened. The lone exception is the matriarch of the family. It appears that she is frozen in place. Her stomach is distended and gorged. Streaks of icy blood paint her neck and bosom. Ahead of her is a large mirror, though it does not reflect her, or the background of the room at all. Her head is present on the ground, severed neatly just below the chin. An expression of terror is present on her face. Commentary: ‘Agent Oliver said that maybe she bit off more than she can chew. He tried to laugh. No one else did. I can see he’s shaking, just as much as the rest of us. It isn’t from the cold either. I remember the locals talking about how it was a full moon tonight. Nothing else is reflected in the mirror. Nothing. Only the moon. Blackness, and the red moon. And there are no windows in this room.’



RR-Incident-1 Debriefing Notes: Most personnel involved in this incident requested, and were granted, various low-class amnesiacs following this incident. A number of documents, books, personal journals, anomalous artifacts, and the mirror were taken from the site and transported to the Foundation for further research. For further information, see Recovered Document RR-1 below.

RR-Incident-2

Date: [REDACTED], 2003

Description: Images posted to several online ‘Paranormal Activity’ related forums displayed a ‘Grim Reaper’ like figure. Although at first dismissed as fakes due to their low quality, the Foundations deepweb crawlers revealed that a police database in [REDACTED] had been hacked just before the images were posted, and that those same images were the ones recovered. Additionally, a number of beheadings in the same area prompted Foundation investigation and containment attempts.

Recovered Document RR-Alpha

Description: The following is a collection of key entries from the personal journal of Erzsébet [REDACTED], the Matriarch of one of the Houses of [REDACTED], translated from the original Hungarian.

September 21st, 1903

Andrus told me today that times are rapidly changing. The Empires of old are fading, and our family name means comparatively less with each passing day. It used to inspire greatness - in the public halls of policy, and in the quiet parlors and meetings. He said today there is still a way to retain greatness. “No point in remaining human any more than is necessary,” he says. I dismiss his words as ramblings of grandeur. He’s been to the opera too often recently, it must play on his mind.

October 3rd, 1903

It seems to be more difficult to find time with Aurel lately. She normally takes a few hours in the afternoon, when her chores are completed and she’s returned from the market, to discuss my writing and painting with me. She says that she’s helping Andrus with something. ‘A surprise’, she says. She still brings me the newspaper daily, and to my dismay there are more reports of missing people from the small villages near Eger.

December 12th, 1903

Andrus has been distant. Whenever I approach him about it, he brushes me off and says that business keeps him terribly busy. He often comes to bed in the early hours of the morning, smelling strange. Not of other women, but something not unlike a butcher’s shop. He told me that he’s gotten into the meat business in town, and may be using some space in the basement for its preservation, among other things. It seems a little plebian for us, but Andrus says that he feels his employees will be more motivated to work if they see him participate as well. I suppose I cannot disagree. Hopefully the holiday festivities will give us more time together.

January 2nd, 1904

I feel that the course of my life has been forever altered. Andrus has been more evasive than usual, and so I decided to investigate. The basement of our estate did indeed house a large number of racks for meat salting and jerky. But it is a mask. Behind it all, by one of the walls, a pathway down, hidden behind one of the old tapestries. I brought a torch to explore, only after I was certain that Andrus was not there, and what I found… It is still difficult to describe. Grotesque, perverted. But I can feel a draw. There was power in the shapes. In the old books. I spent hours poring over them. At one point, I was worried I may get caught, but no. What I felt was truth. Strength. Power. I feel the limits of my flesh straining. There is so much more that I have been blind to until now. Andrus will be mad I snooped around, but I must confront him and tell him that we must explore this new chapter in our lives together.

May 17th, 1904

I have discovered something. One of Andrus’ contacts in Romania have recovered a tome - not of one of ours, not of Nälkä, but something else. He says it was originally written in Ancient Greek on vellum, and that the originally was likely long gone. But it was painstakingly transcribed in the 5th century by monks, and now the book is on its way here.

Possibilities abound. Andrus doesn’t think that dealing with other outside deities aside from the Grand Karcist is wise. I can’t help but disagree. What Ion did was admirable, but his modern code is limiting. To take on the flesh of mortals is one thing, but the flesh of Gods, or, more safely, their manifestations… I can feel my skin crawling with the electricity of possibility.

September 3rd, 1904

After receiving the book, it is clear that preparations must be made. There is a full moon on Winter Solstice this year. I could not have asked for a more perfect time. I will have Aurel and Miklos begin preparations.

December 21st, 1904

The veil is broken. Finally, the mirror shows a starless sky, and the crimson moon. Now, we wait.