Last time we talked about Skeleton heroes. Now, let's try some Skeleton villains. Just like all individuals, Skeletons are just as capable of villainy as flesh-bearing entities, and, perhaps, are much more commonly found as antagonists because of it. So here's a brief tribute to some cool ones.
Now here's one scary Mother Hubbard, and he is known as Lord Asphyxious, the Lich Lord of Cryx. I've never been a huge follower of Privateer Press's Warmachine series, but models like this seriously make me want to learn more. Asphyxious is a great example of a skeleton villain with vision: in the service of the Dragonlord, he spreads death and destruction as his army of the dead marches upon the land, leaving ruin in his wake. On the table he's a monster, obstenibly a supporting hero but entirely capable of delivering a massive beating up close or from afar. He's a worthy commander, and a terrible threat.
Perhaps no skeleton villain is quite as well-known as Pious Augustus, from Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. In service to an eldritch abomination, Augustus is very much a willing pawn - he may have wound up in the service of his chosen ancient by happenstance, he may have wound up there by design, but he revels in his newfound abilities and he is now a terrifyingly powerful liche. Augustus is also known for his either killing, maiming, or driving insane several of the protagonists over the course of the game, and whether he serves a god whose patronage gives him power, magic, or the power of the mind itself, Augustus is perhaps one of the most terrifying skeletons to grace gaming.
Not a villain per se, but no less of an enemy, is Nito, the First of the Dead, from Dark Souls. Nito is, quite simply, Death, or rather, an embodiment thereof. Nito is not evil - his belief is that death is the lot of all mortals, and that it must be accepted, even if it brings grief. His minions, the Gravelords, bring trial to the deserving, offering them a chance to pit their mettle against his champions to show their true skills, with the prize being the blessings of the lord of the dead. But when Pinwheel draws from Nito's own power for his own ends, Nito is crippled and driven insane from the drain, and you are forced to end the unlife of the lord of the dead in order to potentially bring light back to the world.
So what we've seen the last few days in the daily skeleton is that Skeletons can be heroes, and they can be villains. But what else can skeletons be? For the answers to that, we will look into more of the lore of skeletons next episode.
