Devourers

A wraith archetype characterized by black, skeletal protrusions and appendages, along with their cannibalism of other wraiths. They typically do not have a mask, instead having white eyes to indicate where their supposed face would be.

Appearance
Devourers will typically take the form of predators or mythical creatures known for devouring their pray, such as a wendigo. Their bodies are fully black, aside from unblinking, white eyes. Skeletal protrusions and appendages are the defining feature of a devourers, such as exposed spines, ribcages or other bones, which they use to capture and consume other wraiths. Horns, which are extensions of an animal's skull, are also common forms these features can take.

Larger and stronger devourers will typically be more skeletal in appearance. While a devourer that is fully skeletal in appearance has be theorized to exist, it has yet to be seen.

Behavior
Unlike other wraiths that directly feed off the negative emotions of humans, a devourer will indirectly feed off those emotions by devouring the wraiths born from them. They act like regular predators in the wild, stalking and hunting other wraiths when night falls. Their skeletal appendages give an advantage in combat against other wraiths, allowing them to weaken, then capture them with relative ease. They eat wraiths whole, slowly consuming them over time. Some digest them inside of themselves, while others will do so outside. For example, a devourers taking the form of a deer with typically have wraiths hanging from its horns while it seeps energy from them. Weaker versions will hunt in groups, while stronger ones will hunt alone, able to handle a decently sized group of wraiths without much trouble.

When faced with a masketeer, a devourer will only attack if bothered, such as if the wraith they were hunting down was damaged or killed. Their attacks are merciless and brutal, wanting to end fights quickly so that it can resume hunting. They also administer debuffs to wraiths and masketeers alike, usually in the form of screeches or other loud sounds. A larger devourer will also regurgitate wraiths they are currently consuming, whether to act as meat shields, minions or just to get rid of unwanted weight. These factors, alongside their strategic style of fighting, make weaker ones difficult to deal with, and stronger ones downright deadly to face, even in groups.

A devourer can be defeated if it has no wraiths that it is currently consuming, and its skeletal appendages are damaged or destroyed.

Trivia

 * Devourers are silent and hard to track unless they are engaged in a fight with other wraiths.
 * It has been theorized that the masks of the wraiths they consume become the bones of a devourer, explaining how they become more skeletal when they grow stronger.
 * "I've read up on certain mythical creatures in my free time, and so happened to glance at the Gashadokuro while researching on yokai. Large, skeletal creatures that are invulnerable and bite off the heads of lonely travelers. Makes you think, huh?" - Anansi, on what a fully developed devourer would look like