Background/History: Grackleflints are not so much a "what" as a "who." The Umbra Sprite's sons, there are five of them: Emil, Lazlo, Piet, Radu, and Stanis. Evil through and through, they are deadly enemies of mankind and, in particular, Kevin Matchstick. Matt Wagner has this to say about the Grackleflints:
"Umbra Sprite means simply, dark spirit, but the Grackleflints are utterly my own creation. In searching for a moniker for a brood born of a demon, I devised the term in the same way I came up with Matchstick—by combining common words to form a character name that was descriptive. Grackles are oily, squawky, nasty birds. Flint is brittle and black—like their souls. Making them featureless and white stressed the point by forming an opposite image. Otherwise, there's no mythological base for these characters—although there are certain mentions in Native American lore about hideous old women with sharp, spiked elbows."
Personality/Motivation: The Grackleflints are, as a rule, evil and sadistic, taking great delight in causing pain and torment. All of them (with the exception of Emil) follow their father blindly, never questioning his actions or decisions. Their father keeps close tabs on their actions and will harshly punish any one who commits a serious error (said punishment often putting a Grackleflint out of commission for a few days).
Aside from their unusual looks, the Grackleflints are highly susceptible to water. Radu is killed (appearing almost to choke to death) after getting drenched with a blast of water. Their corrupted nature makes Grackleflints more susceptible to green magic. At times, Edsel's bat seems more effective than Kevin's fists.
Powers/Tactics: Each Grackleflint can do something different. Their respective powers are:
Lazlo: Clairvoyance. This ability allows him do touch someone and determine who and what they are.
Piet: Shapeshifting. Piet uses this power to disguise himself and others.
Radu: Invisibility. Radu can make others invisible as well.
Stanis: Flight.
Emil: Initiative. Emil does not blindly follow his father's lead, and this makes him very dangerous. Emil also looks to be significantly brighter than his brothers.
On top of these individual powers, the Grackleflints are very strong, durable, resistant to harm and fairly quick. They also have a venomous spur at the base of the elbow. The poison in this spur is very lethal and will kill a man very quickly (and painfully).
Appearance: The Grackleflints look to stand about six foot even, with a thin, but strong, build. Their skin is dead white, and they don't have hair, pupils, ears, or fingernails. Normally, the Grackleflints dress in slacks and black sweaters with the sleeves rolled up. Over this they wear long, dark blue trench coats and fedoras.
(Grackleflints created by Matt Wagner, character sheets created by Michael Surbrook)
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