Bloodseeker/Lore

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Bloodseeker
Main Artifact
Associated with
Factions	Bonehunters
Places	Xhacatocatl Roseleaf
Gods	Flayed Twins
Characters	Iczoxtotec Eztzhok
Species	Hlotl

“

▶️ You should be honored to bleed so that the Flayed ones may live. — Bloodseeker justifies his gory deeds with the divine purpose behind them

”

Strygwyr the Bloodseeker is a blood rite hunter, a vicious hunter of his faith that was ritually bound by the Blood Oath. He is but one of the many known as "Those Who Ever-Thirst" who faithfully serve the Flayed Twins, a pair of unstoppable deities who can only be pacified by blood to stave their vicious thirst.

Granted by his gods the energy of a ferocious hound and the power to wield his patrons' divine blood, this dogged yet spiritual hunter descends from the lofty peaks of Xhacatocatl with one goal in mind: to search for those willing and unwilling and release the gift of life that flows within their bodies.

Biography

Strygwyr, the Bloodseeker

Strygwyr the Bloodseeker is a ritually sanctioned hunter, Hound of the Flayed Twins, sent down from the mist-shrouded peaks of Xhacatocatl in search of blood. The Flayed Ones require oceanic amounts of blood to keep them sated and placated, and would soon drain their mountain empire of its populace if the priests of the high plateaus did not appease them. Strygwyr therefore goes out in search of carnage. The vital energy of any blood he lets, flows immediately to the Twins through the sacred markings on his weapons and armor. Over the years, he has come to embody the energy of a vicious hound; in battle he is savage as a jackal. Beneath the Mask of the Bloodseeker, in the rush of bloody quenching, it is said that you can sometime see the features of the Flayers taking direct possession of their Hound.

Bound to the will of the Raw Twins by honor and the Blood Oath, Strygwyr is a ritually sanctioned hunter who descends from the mountainous Xhacatocatl to harvest blood for his gods. Although his task appears to be sinister to any unwitting observer, he does all of his work in the name of his people and the twin gods they worship. The Flayed Twins require oceans of blood to keep themselves sated and pacified, but failure to fulfill their needs shall result in them draining all of Xhacatocatl's people. Thus he dons the mantle of the blood rite hunters to collect as much blood as possible, with his work made much easier thanks to the sacred markings of his gear that immediately channels the collected vital energies to the Twins.

Strygwyr is the latest descendant of an ancient lineage of blood rite hunters who have also served the Flayed Twins in bygone times that no living being of the modern times can remember. In his youth, he served his blood hunter predecessors as a courier before he took on their mantle.

Gallows Understudy

In one of his travels, Strygwyr stumbled upon a strange benighted land that held executions over sacrifices. The killings that were offered to no one intrigued him for it was such a foreign concept to one who is accustomed to performing and receiving sacrifices. Before he could observe such fascinating customs, he needed to ensure that his visage and his identity were hidden to any suspicious bystanders. Hence he wears the local garbs of the land to blend in; including a hood a cape bracers and a skirt while fastening them with crude hempen rope from a noose that he found to be very useful. He also discarded his usual obsidian blades before heading out, until he managed to commission a pair of metal blades from the local blacksmith. Although he temporarily discarded his equipment that carries the sacred markings, he still relies on sacred lines of power to channel the blood he collects.

Strygwyr spent an entire season studying this backward culture. He observed that the executioners of the gallows carried out their deeds with metal blades (guillotines) and hemp rope, decapitating and asphyxiating unlucky victims while a mob would watch their deaths with morbid fascination. He soon realized that the mob itself was a deity in disguise, and that the executions were actually sacrifices offered to it. Satisfied with his investigation, he departed for his homeland to share what he learned with his masters of Xhacatocatl's priestly caste.

Artifact

Strygwyr was mentioned in passing when Dark Willow meets him as an ally. She says that she saw him at Roseleaf, but she kept her distance from him so that she wouldn't get killed. Cut Artifact card art shows that Strygwyr has been harvesting Oglodi for their blood, likely from the battles between Stonehall and the Red Mist in Roseleaf.

He is also dispatched to sacrifice Prellex and Kanna, the two leaders of the Radiant and the Dire, respectively.

Personality and Mannerisms

• Strygwyr's canine embodiment has deeply affected him on many levels besides his body, including his speech (sometimes) and his temperament when he is frenzied by bloodshed.
• Although his outward appearance would say otherwise to those who are unwitting, Strygwyr is not a simpleminded beast. Outside of harvesting expeditions, he wanders far from his home as an anthropologist, thoroughly studying the cultures of any land that just so happens to intrigue him.
• Strygwyr is a faithful and religious person. He does all of his slaughterings not out of sadism or cruelty, but with a ritualistic purpose—proof that he puts his bloody faith into practice. Although it may seem cruel, he only does this to feed his gods and receive their mercy and blessings in return, allowing his people and homeland to thrive.
  • Because of his faith, he is a very spiritual person who dislikes selfish sacrifices and materialist lifestyles.
  • It's implied that his faith to the gods compels him to honor and respect his chosen sacrifices.
• When Snapfire meets him, her responses imply that Strygwyr has a rather friendly side to his personality. He seems to be offering cookies for unknown reasons, but the implications would say that he is doing it out of friendliness. It may not be canon, since it might be a reference to his voice line when he kills someone via Rupture.

Relationships

Respect

Strygwyr respects those who have made themselves known for their reputation of death dealing and bloodshed, because their actions are indirect benefits to the Flayed Twins. This includes the likes of Pudge Luna Necrophos and Sorla Khan.

Enemies

Strygwyr dislikes Omniknight. He also acts on the will of his twin gods, who seek the Omniscience as sacrifice. He also dislikes Chen and sees his faith in Obelis as a sad and empty thing.

Acting on the will of the Flayed Twins, Strygwyr is hostile towards and dispatched to hunt demons who fear these gluttinous gods. Anessix is one of these demons hunted by their Hound as seen in Dota Underlords. Eztzhok also attempted to possess Strygwyr, something that his twin gods did not take kindly to.

Powers and Abilities

Physiology

Under his hood, Strygwyr has an eyeless face. He more than makes up for this handicap with a blessing from the Flayed Twins, who guide his vision with their own in the place of his nonexistent eyes.

Strygwyr's original form is unknown, but over the years his appearance has drastically changed. In his current form, he has come to embody a houndlike being. In the process of him quenching his thirst with blood, the features of the Flayed Twins may manifest in his face and take direct possession of their Hound. Eztzhok was also able to manifest his visage in Strygwyr's, but his influence was dispelled by the Flayed Twins nearly too late with great sacrifice on their part.

Equipment

Strygwyr's default garbs are imbued with sacred markings that allow him to channel the blood that he lets to the Twins. His default weapons, which are made of tough obsidian, are also imbued with these markings as well. Some of his equipment may be stained in the blood of the Twins themselves.

He may be seen wearing armor adorned with the surprisingly durable feathers of a Hlotl beast. These feathers are said to offer benedictions to the wearer. This armor may even be adorned with the tusks and fangs of the great beasts native to Xhacatocatl.

He once wore the primitive gear of the Bonehunters, a group of ferocious hunters living in the drylands. This bony equipment is worn alongside his default garbs which appear to be damaged and tattered. Speaking of bones, Strygwyr has access to a pair of heavy blades that are counterbalanced by a heavy portion of a prized red drake's spine.

In some occasions, Strygwyr may take on the mantle of the Scarlet Raven. The garbs that he wears has a resemblance to the birds of prey who serve the Flayed Twins. While wearing these garbs, he is known as the Feathered One, flying towards his sacrifices (metaphorically) and striking at his prey with talon-like blades (literally) with an inhuman thirst for quivering heart-meat. He may also wear a headpiece that honors Iczoxtotec, the Herald of Blood. This great bird of prey is also bound to the Flayed Twins, soaring through the skies to search for sacrifice. When blood is shed in battle, the skies above will darken and herald the coming of this great raptor to the carnage.

At some point in time, he was given a pair of demonic blades bearing the visage of Eztzhok. He wields these blades at the sight of his twin gods to share the blood he collects with the demon Eztzhok, which they do not approve of.

Powers

Even without his sacred appurtenances, Strygwyr can channel the blood that he lets to his gods through sacred lines of power. The collected blood is not just given as tribute for the Flayed Twins, but also a source of self-healing. He can also absorb different kinds of vital energy, such as the essence that Outworld Destroyer channels through his being.

Strygwyr's Bloodrage allows him to bestow his animalistic thirst for bloodshed on others, making them just as vicious as the hound himself. When used on himself, it increases his own strength. Unused voice lines suggest that this skill, when cast on someone else, causes them to choke on blood. The blood inside their throat and mouth prevents them from speaking and reciting incantations aloud, hence the Silence debuff that it used to have. It is unknown if this ability still does that in the lore as it has long been reworked.

Calling upon the power of the Flayed Twins themselves, Strygwyr performs a Blood Rite on the battlefield. Once cast, Strygwyr will baptize the target area in the sacred blood of his twin gods, spattering the ground with a bloody symbol of the Flayed Twins' eye: a reminder that these enigmatic gods are always watching. Little to no information exists of how this ability harms its victims.

When blood is shed, Strygwyr undergoes a Thirst for blood. The faintest scent of blood is enough to send him into an animalistic frenzy, making him doggedly in the hunt for his victims. It's possible that Strygwyr can sense injured victims from far distances thanks to the Flayed Twins guiding him with their own vision.

Although Rupture has very little lore to describe what it does, it can probably be assumed that it works just like its gameplay counterpart. In that case, this ability will literally rupture an opponent, causing them to bleed with each step they take while affected by this power.

Friendship and rivalries

Allies meeting Bloodseeker

• ▶️ r So... if I give you a list of enemies, could you like, hunt them down for me?
• ▶️ r Oh I saw you years ago in Roseleaf! Kept my distance though, you know, so I wouldn't get murdered.
• ▶️ r I'm sure you're a very skilled delivery boy, Bloodseeker.
• ▶️ r I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together, bloodbag.
• ▶️ r Are you bound to the Flayed Twins by honor, Bloodseeker, or arcane oath?
• ▶️ r Yeah, hunting's only really fun if it's not work. So you're doing it wrong, is what I'm saying, Bloodseeker.
• ▶️ r This is going to be fun. Oh, and when we're done here, tell the Flayed Twins I'm coming for them. Happy hunting!
• ▶️ r I had a kind of a hound once. He got on mother's bad side...
• ▶️ ▶️ r Stick with me and you'll find all the blood you need.
• ▶️ ▶️ r Bloodseeker, your work is messy but necessary.
• ▶️ r I will be upfront about this: I'm not much for ritualistic slaughter.
• ▶️ r You may lick the drippings from my blade, if you wish.
• ▶️ r I heard you promisin' cookies, but I don't see an oven.
• ▶️ r I can help you fulfill that cookie order I was told you're making.
• ▶️ r Place our cause before your gods of gluttony, Bloodseeker.

Enemies killing Bloodseeker

• ▶️ You should have sought me in the mist, Bloodseeker.
• ▶️ Your blood alcohol level was insufficient.
• ▶️ r I've been hunted by better.
• ▶️ r You're an abomination, Bloodseeker!
• ▶️ r Come now. Your gods are but children playing in the mud.
• ▶️ r In the end, what you sought was your own demise.
• ▶️ r You're better off drinking maple syrup.
• ▶️ Respect, Bloodseeker.
• ▶️ You had the right idea, Bloodseeker…but the wrong master.
• ▶️ r You caught the wrong scent, Bloodseeker.
• ▶️ r What I'll do to you is nothing to what I have in store for your masters!
• ▶️ ▶️ r You don't need to hunt me down, I'm right here.
• ▶️ ▶️ r The only blood being spilt here is yours.
• ▶️ r What do you know! The blood was inside of you this whole time.
• ▶️ r The twins best find a new lapping dog.
• ▶️ You want to bleed me? I'll bleed you.
• ▶️ r Leaping lizards! Did you see the teeth on that thing?
• ▶️ r Bit off more'n you could chew, bloodboy!
• ▶️ ▶️ ▶️ Your blood runs cold.
• ▶️ r You concern yourself only with gluttony. And this is where that path leads.

Enemies dying to Bloodseeker

• ▶️ Careful, my blood alcohol level is fatal.
• ▶️ Bloodseeker, that was well done.

Others

• ▶️ r He who seeks blood shall seek you, who are full of it.
• ▶️ r Run not when you are ruptured lest you run to your own finish.

References

Heroes Lore Lore overview Abaddon Alchemist Ancient Apparition Anti-Mage Arc Warden Axe Bane Batrider Beastmaster Bloodseeker Bounty Hunter Brewmaster Bristleback Broodmother Centaur Warrunner Chaos Knight Chen Clinkz Clockwerk Crystal Maiden Dark Seer Dark Willow Dawnbreaker Dazzle Death Prophet Disruptor Doom Dragon Knight Drow Ranger Earth Spirit Earthshaker Elder Titan Ember Spirit Enchantress Enigma Faceless Void Grimstroke Gyrocopter Hoodwink Huskar Invoker Io Jakiro Juggernaut Keeper of the Light Kunkka Legion Commander Leshrac Lich Lifestealer Lina Lion Lone Druid Luna Lycan Magnus Mars Medusa Meepo Mirana Monkey King Morphling Naga Siren Nature's Prophet Necrophos Night Stalker Nyx Assassin Ogre Magi Omniknight Oracle Outworld Destroyer Pangolier Phantom Assassin Phantom Lancer Phoenix Puck Pudge Pugna Queen of Pain Razor Riki Rubick Sand King Shadow Demon Shadow Fiend Shadow Shaman Silencer Skeleton King Skywrath Mage Slardar Slark Snapfire Sniper Spectre Spirit Breaker Storm Spirit Sven Techies Templar Assassin Terrorblade Tidehunter Timbersaw Tinker Tiny Treant Protector Troll Warlord Tusk Underlord Undying Ursa Vengeful Spirit Venomancer Viper Visage Void Spirit Warlock Weaver Windranger Winter Wyvern Witch Doctor Wraith King Zeus