Whitherer

“Where the Singer coaxes life to bloom, the Whitherer reminds the world that all things must end.”

Whitherer

Whitherers are individuals whose souls resonate not with life, but with entropy. Their presence subtly accelerates the natural decay in plants and soil—roots curl away from their touch, leaves brown more quickly in their shadow. Just as Singers are tied to fertility and growth, Whitherers are attuned to the cycle of death and renewal, though their presence is often mistaken for blight, rot, or misfortune.

Their power is not tied to the One Power, yet there are whispered tales that their abilities—when combined with the One Power, or in opposition to a Singer—can alter the balance of entire ecosystems. In forgotten corners of history, Whitherers were known by other names: Ashbringers, Blight Bringers, Soil-Eaters. Most of these titles are spoken with dread, though a few cultures revere them as necessary agents of cleansing and change.

Origins / Lore

Legends say that Whitherers were not born, but awakened, a counterbalance formed by the Pattern itself in answer to the abundance gifted by the Singers. For every grove that grew too wild, a Whitherer was drawn near. Some claim they emerged during the days of the Age of Legends, birthed by desperation in the War of Power—when too much was made to grow too fast, too unnaturally. In this version of the tale, the Pattern corrected itself by creating those who could unmake.

Another theory suggests the Whitherers were once Singers who lost their way—souls burned out by grief or rage, whose connection to the Pattern twisted from nurturing to unmaking. This idea is heretical among the any Singer who might hear of this theory.  that remain.

The most harrowing theory ties the first appearance of Whitherers to the eruption of the Great Blight. After the Dark One’s prison was fractured by the Bore, the land itself recoiled. Singers, already attuned to growth and vitality, were overwhelmed by the rot that seeped into soil and spirit alike. It is said the Pattern reacted—violently. Just as a body sends fever to purge infection, so did the Pattern birth Whitherers, like a natural immune response to a spreading sickness. These Whitherers did not serve the Dark One—far from it—but neither were they easily trusted. Their powers affected the same realm as the Blight, and the line between purging corruption and becoming it grew ever thinner. Some believe the very first Whitherer walked the edges of the Blight, turning cursed groves to ash so it could not spread. Others say she disappeared into the heart of it, and never died. 

Abilities

• Decay Acceleration: Whitherers can cause plants to wither rapidly, soil to lose fertility, or even slow the healing of organic matter.
• Entropy Sense: They can sense the “age” of something growing or dying—knowing when fruit will rot, when a tree will fall, or when a field will fail. They may even be able to sense the growth of cancer within a body like a sixth sense.
• Balance Manifestation: When in the presence of a Singer, the land around them often becomes a silent battleground—growth surging, then fading, as the Pattern seeks equilibrium.

Social Role in the Modern World: Depending on the setting, Whitherers might be feared as omens of famine, war, or sickness. Historically, in darker or more mythologically conscious societies, they might be employed by secret orders to “cleanse” corrupted land, cursed groves, or unnatural growths—viewed not as evil, but as a necessary end.

Some even argue that Whitherers, far from being destructive, are agents of restoration. After all, nothing new can grow unless the old is cleared away.

Whitherer Characters

• Nazariy Moroz