The Children of Theft ("Takers" or  "Gluttons")
As with all varieties of Retributors, each one is handpicked by the Septimus whom the Retributor shall serve.  The mind of each initiate into the Children of Malaise is first shattered through a slow process through which Abraham von Kessel subjects the initiate to a gradually intensifying gauntlet of psychological torture, beginning with simple starvation and sleep deprivation, progressing through beatings and sensory deprivation and graduating to such harrowings as drowning torture, live burial and the Septimus' agonizing and mind-wracking psionic attacks.  Such an initiation routinely lasts for months, though unusually stubborn, hopeful or defiant initiates may demand years of such malignant treatment...time which the Septimus is all to pleased to devote to the task of breaking his charge.  Those who fail the initiation end up seizing the conveniently placed dagger which accompanies each initiate and putting an end to their own lives; Those who pass the tests are merely reduced to babbling, weeping victims curled into fetal positions, alive yet wholly broken by the ceaseless torment.     It is at this point that von Kessel conducts a psychic transfer, filling the gaps and cracks in the initiate's shattered mind with his own manifest gloom and malaise.  The initiate comes to see his or her life as a neverending cycle of misery and blindness, a cycle from which Abraham von Kessel alone is the only respite.  After such loyalty is established, the newly christened Retributor--baptised in darkness--commences the training which will fashion him or her into the elite guard for the Septimus of Despair.     Appearance: Despondents are typically clad in uniforms of tattered black leather and canvas.  Their hair, dyed dark gray or black, is grown long and groomed to drape forward over the face, concealing their vested shame and leaving their perpetually trembling eyes to peer neurotically through cascades of oily locks.  They exude the foul odors of their fetid waste excretions and stale sweat--the products of neglected hygiene--yet beneath such common odors lingers a reeking stink which can only be attributed to something rotting and monstrous.  The Despondents maintain arsenals of potent weapons both mundane and sorcerous, yet these are reserved for emergencies; They most commonly arm themselves with nooses, garottes, small piercing weapons and heavy shackles, as they prefer to kill through methods such as strangulation, drowning, bloodletting and other slow forms of death which allow a victim enough time to submit to panic and, finally, despair.     Powers:     Feast of Worry    The Children of Malaise are fueled by the fears, regrets and failures of others.  Anyone who fails any Willpower check in the sight of a Despondent loses a point of Willpower in addition to any other penalties resulting from the failed check.  This lost Willpower is consumed by the Despondent, who recovers one lost Willpower point and/or one lost Health Level (even one lost to aggravated wounds).  A victim who is reduced to zero Willpower by this ability is reduced to a babbling, incoherent heap and may be subjected to the next power...     Fear's Familiar    A victim reduced to zero Willpower in the Despondent's presence may become a vessel for the Despondent's bleak malice.  By touching the victim's skin or meeting the victim's gaze, the Despondent may sacrifice up to three Willpower, transferring them to the victim.  These Willpower points are considered tainted by Despair; They cannot be spent voluntary (for successful actions, resisting psychic attacks, etc.) and dissipate by one point each day.  While the victim has such Despair-tainted Willpower, he or she does not recover Willpower--even through serving one's Nature--and, by concentrating without distraction, the Despondent who donated the tainted Willpower may perceive the victim's surroundings through the victim's own senses, no matter how much distance separates the two...as long as both are in the same Void Realm.  This clairaudience does not function across planar barriers or in the Void.     Touch of Despair    With the touch of his or her unnaturally cold skin, the Retributor may steal the victim's Willpower, siphoning it away and adding it to the Despondent's own reserves.  The touch attack is treated as either a Quick Strike, a Heavy Strike or a Grab, except that rather than dealing Bashing damage, the "damage" is drained Willpower.  This effect ignores clothing, armor (less than three inches thick) and other forms of protection such as the Fortitude Discipline, yet victims who are more analytical can more ably identify and mitigate the effect; The Willpower loss can be Soaked, but substitute Intelligence for Stamina.  The Retributor may never have more Willpower than his or her Permanent Willpower rating; Any stolen points which would carry the Retributor's pool beyond this limit are simply lost.     Weaknesses:     Foul Miasma    The Children of Malaise exude a strong and unmistakable odor.  Anyone with a functioning sense of smell can locate a hidden Despondent in the vicinity at -3 Difficulty (minimum 4); Creatures with keen senses of smell may even sense a Despondent from a number of miles downwind equal to the observer's Stamina.  Multiple Despondents add one die to this check for each Despondent beyond the first, but the Difficulty reduction may be reduced or negated by surrounding conditions: -2 if surrounded by mild yet persistent scents or odors (ie. standing in a springtime honeysuckle meadow), -1 if the smells are strong (ie. standing in the charred remains of a house that burned down the night before) and +/-0 if the smells are overpowering (ie. standing near an exhumed mass grave).  Of course, breathing from a self-contained air supply or being separated from the Retributor by an airtight seal or a vacuum will negate this advantage entirely.  Other unusual conditions may apply; A Despondent who sets foot in a river will drive away fish swimming dozens of miles downstream.     [Weakness #2: Unidentified]