Snatcher

From The Wandering Inn Wiki
Snatcher
Snatcher-3-by-Enuryn.jpg
Aliases

Face Collector
Facestealer
Headsnatcher

Status
Deceased?
Affiliation

Mother of Graves

Occupation

Collecting Heads

Residence

Liscor's Dungeon

First Appearance

Chapter 5.15

Snatcher, also known as Facestealer, is one of the three Lesser Guardians of Liscor's Dungeon.

Appearance[edit | edit source]

It is rather large, brown, and has leathery, cracked, old skin, with arms as large as Badarrow's chest. It doesn't possess talons but 6 brute fingers on each hand. The most noticeable feature is its head, or rather lack thereof. In its place is a rounded upper torso with two gaping holes that might act as its eyes.[1]

Below the leathery brown skin, which acts as armor, is yellowed skin which can feel pain. Underneath its hide is a shell of dragonbone, so smooth that it appears as if it doesn’t have joints.[2]

At the center of its chest, the dragonbone is dented and cracked through a combined skill of several Named Rank Adventurer’s. Weakening it to the point that Relc’s spear could cut into it.[citation needed]

Personality[edit | edit source]

Snatcher is obsessed with taking heads, especially rarer ones. Its obsession overtook it to the point that it turned on a fellow guardian of the dungeon. Only its duty to protect the Mother of Graves keeps it from leaving the dungeon to take more heads, and it's considering taking her head.[3]

It fears the City of Stars and its weapons.[4]

Background[edit | edit source]

Snatcher was one of three primary guardians of the Dungeon, which was what became of the City of Graves, with the duty to guard the Mother of Graves. It is ancient enough to remember Mershi, the City of Stars.

Over the millenia, its obsession with heads grew and its other concerns decreased. It killed its fellow guardian, Stalker, for its head. It also emptied one of the horde nests of the Dungeon.[2]

It would store an armory of enchanted weaponry it would use on more dangerous foes in an old Raskghar Camp.

Chronology[edit | edit source]

With the support of Named-rank Adventurer Colthei, the Horns of Hammerad attempted an expedition into the Dungeon to retrieve the decapitated body of Stalker. Annoying Snatcher as the heads of the undead were of little interest to him, and the constant attempts by forces above to reach the Dungeons center city infuriated him.

Causing Snatcher to climb to the surface and launch an attack on Liscor. Forcing the Horns, Shriekblade, Saliss, Lehra, and Colthei to attempt to kill it.

Snatcher's skin would be so tough though, that few things could even cut the protective layer of hide it had around it. Only being beaten back after Saliss had bombarded it with as many alchemical weaponry as he could, Lehra had revealed the Blade of Mershi, and Colthei would mark it with a broken brand of Roshal.

This brand would allow the adventurers to track and lure it into a trap. Moving through multiple ways of attack, finding not even the strongest tier 4-5 spells managing to inconvenience it.

It would retreat into the city with Eldertuin, Mihaela, Deniusth, and Valeterisa would use a combined skill to send Eldertuin flying into Stalker. Caving in his chest, and cracking the entire section of the body.

As the Named Ranks and Gold adventurers pursued the Guardian. It would rip off Yvlon’s arm before fleeing deeper into the city. Where it would trick the adventurer’s by skinning itself, leaving the part of it marked by Roshal in an alleyway. Allowing it to escape to the surface again.

The remaining Gold & Silver ranks would be scattered by it immediately. Several teams being wiped out in as many minutes. Kblkch & Relc would attempt to hold it off next. Kblkch’s swords managing to cut through even the undamaged parts of Stalker. While Relc’s spear could pierce through its chest.

Stalker however would reconfigure its body into its true form. Partially decapitating Relc before going after the [Crusaders]. Who would be forced to quickly flee as Stalker used its own brand of Miracle/Aura to repel them.

It would then break into the Wandering Inn, where Ishkr would distract it before evacuating everyone into the Garden of Sanctuary.

Erin would feel Stalker attempt to break down her door. And in response would send a horde of magical fish to rip it apart. Managing to actually rip into the dragonbone. Before Stalker would scatter the summons.

Stalker would grow bored, and leave, being hit by multiple tier 6 Antinium contingency spells by Zevara in an attempt to kill it.

Ylawes would lead a force into the Dungeon, with Infinitypear painted like Xrn to draw Snatcher back into the Dungeon. It followed them into a trap room, where the ruse was revealed and it fell down into the massive underground ocean beneath the Dungeon.

Powers and Abilities[edit | edit source]

The Face Collector is capable of paralysing its opponents, seemingly through a Skill.[4] Furthermore, it possesses an immense strength, allowing it to easily lift Hobgoblins into the air and crush their heads, break a trapped magical barrier within the Liscor's Dungeon,[1] destroy a Frostmarrow Behemoth, or throw an entire hills worth of dirt at sonic speeds to break through a 30+ [Mage] barrier.[4] Moreover, aside from its strength, it is extremely durable, seen when it was stuck in the treasure room in Liscor's dungeon and attacked an excessive trapped room. It took numerous spells, which entailed among other things acid, before it was in actual danger.[1] It outright ignores Tier 4 spells.[4] The shell of dragonbone underneath its hide is even tougher. Its hide can also heal and its bone shell can mend itself in less than a day.

It is able to reconfigure its body, shaping its bone into sharp claws, lengthening its limbs, and creating a cylindrical head with a toothy maw. It is not as strong in this form, but strikes more quickly.[2]

Skills:[edit | edit source]

  • [Aura of Disarming]
  • [Aura of Haste]
  • [Aura of Paralysis]
  • [Reconfigure Aura]
    • [Haste]

Weaknesses[edit | edit source]

Snatcher's skin is vulnerable to certain elements, observed when caught in a trap which filled the room with fire, cold, acid, and several other effects. The trap removed layers of its brown skin before escaping. While the brown dead skin acts as armor, when removed it revealed patches of yellowed skin beneath. When one of the patches of yellowed skin was hit by an ice spike, the paralysis effect was momentarilly disrupted (though it seemed to do only minor damage). However when pierced this layer of skin did bleed black blood

Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • Due to its disturbing hobby of collecting heads, it had been given aliases of:
  • It reminded the Redfang Elite Warriors of the dark things in the High Passes,[1] one of which Ryoka encountered when she visited Teriarch's cave for the 2nd time.[8]
  • When Snatcher approaches someone and uses the heads on sticks behind a corner, usually it is possible to deceive it into leaving by staying silent and pretending to be a statue.[9] A telltale sign that Snatcher is going to leave is when it starts rotating the heads on the sticks left and right.[10]

References[edit | edit source]