Slashers

-Initial Description- The most feared of the known Deviancies, all Slashers are serial killers who feel a psychological need to kill and every time they do they grow incrementally stronger as they gain the ability to manipulate the vile energy known as Malice.

-Historical Note- Arguably the Deviancy responsible for the government implementation of Kill Warrants, Slashers are the most infamous, feared, and homicidal of all Deviancies with all of them possessing a body count due to the fact that the Deviancy is often triggered upon their first kill.

-Slasher Powers- Slashers are a Deviancy that is both versatile and specialized, possessing a large number of sub-Deviancies, each with its own abilities often reminiscent of other Deviancies. There are two primary ways to separate a Slasher from other Deviancies:

--Growth and Death Count- The primary power of Slashers that marks them apart from other Deviancies as well as granting them their fearsome reputation is the fact that all Slashers grow in power as their body count gets higher granting them new abilities and strengthening the ones they already possess.

--Malice Manipulation- The other factor that makes Slashers distinct from Deviants with similar powers is the fact that all Slashers possess and generate Malice, a particularly volatile and violent Deviant Energy that has been shown to possess the habit of consuming other energy types.

(Malice Sub-Note: It has been noted that a number of Arcane Contracts seem to possess the ability to use Malice despite feeding on Anima from their Contracts. The reason this point is being added to file is to the fact that all Contracts in question are considered Dark or Demonic by the Arcane Association.)

-Rules and Obsessions- An odd occurrence among Slashers is their tendency to develop a mix of Rules and Obsessions. (Not to be confused with a Deadman’s Obsessions despite their similarities.) The reasons for developing these seem to be varied but can be boiled down to a desire of most Slashers to keep themselves under control in some way or fashion. These rules are most commonly attempts to limit themselves by killing only certain types of people, killing only on one day a year, doing this activity on this day or etc.

Unfortunately thanks to circumstances Slashers will end up breaking these rules more often than not, causing a degradation of their Sanity, forcing them to implement more rules in a downward spiral that will result in the Slasher in question eventually ‘snapping’ and dealing with themselves or going on a berserk rampage that sees them being put down by a second party.

(Note: While rare there are a handful of Slashers who have managed to achieve a stable equilibrium of Rules and Obsessions, and due to this stability should be considered twice as dangerous as a standard Slasher especially when threatening said rules.)

-Related Organizations-

-The Slasher’s Royale- Often considered the most terrifying collection in modern history, the Slasher’s Royale was a group of Slashers who unified under the banner of the Slasher King for one reason or another towards the end of the Rift Riots. And while the leaders of the group were either killed or sentenced to [redacted] their successes have led to a number of smaller groups of Slashers working together be it to protect, hunt, or restrain each other.

(Note: While there are a number of imposter organizations none of these groups possess the backing of an actual Ripper, and as such should not be acknowledged to the public for fear of uniting more Slashers under their banners should they be violent or public hostility should they prove a restraining element to the Slasher community.)

-Sub-Deviancies-

--Hunters- Are Slashers whose power revolves around their physicality, often developing abilities revolving around super strength, regeneration, heightened senses, and occasionally developing exceptional stealth abilities.

--Hex- This Sub-Deviancy is near identical in abilities to that of the Arcane if with a more violent and twisted bend. Whereas most Arcane magic grows stronger the more they cast, Hex magic has been proven to grow stronger the more they kill. Additionally studies have shown that Hex are far more prone to generate single affinity Incarnates than their Anima wielding counterparts.

--Trappers- Are commonly mistaken for M.A.D.s due to the fact that they prefer to make traps and weapons while leaving their targets to wander in on their own. However when studied these Slasher Devices were shown to have a level of residual Malice that granted them their unique properties and as such their devices can actually be considered a twisted hybridization of an Arcane’s Enchanting and an M.A.D.’s inventing.

--Social- Arguably the most terrifying of the Slasher Sub-Deviancies, Social Slashers are known for their tendencies to find a target and manipulate them into a situation where violence is bound to occur. The more powerful examples of these Slashers have been shown to be capable of manipulating their Malcie in such a way as to physical enhancements to their enthralled.

---Social Slashers vs Psychics: While originally believed to be a form of Psychic, Social Slashers’ manipulative abilities have since been proven to be closer to a supernatural persuasiveness rather than psionic manipulation. Due to this their commands are easier to resist but longer lasting once implemented than the more common telepathics.

--Masters- Often considered an odd hybridization of Trappers, Hex, and Social Slashers, Masters create or summon minions to do their dirty work for them, and thanks to their Malice gain a supernatural connection to their minions. The true distinction between this sub-Deviancy and its counterparts is due to the extreme reliance most Masters have on their minions, often having no other abilities outside of them except in the most unique of cases. Unlike Trappers who still have their weapons, Hex who have their magic, and Social Slashers who can use any person they talk to.

-Rippers- Are not actually a sub-Deviancy of Slasher, but instead are considered a separate class than most due to being the most powerful of all Slashers. Often being considered army killers and one-man-apocalypses by sheer definition alone, and as such have been blacklisted by virtually every agency under a blanket order to not make them any stronger than they already are.

Thanks to their long and violent careers Rippers often achieve a level of power that allows them to break free of the more common restrictions of their initial sub-Deviancies, and while maintaining those abilities often dabble in the abilities of other sub-Deviancies as well.

Fortunately due to said career Rippers have frequently bound themselves by so many Rules and Obsessions that the amount of damage the cause is actually considered to be less than a mid-tier Slasher so long as nobody actively antagonizes them.