The Reaper

What goes around comes around

The inspiration for the Reaper comes from two main sources. The first is from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series and the character of the Death of Rats, the second is the game Death’s Door.

Even though these might not seem to have much in common with the magical forest world the creatures live in, the Reaper has a vital role to play in the ecosystem.

In a forest, the way that nutrients are cycled between the living and non-living elements of the ecosystem allow the forest to feed itself.

Dead leaves, branches, trunks, roots, animals and fungi all release nutrients that can then be used again. The Reaper takes in the harvest.

When a tree falls, the Reaper is always there. I see him as a partner to all the organisms involved in that tree’s decomposition.

The tree is broken down mechanically by animals looking for food, by earthworms and insects. It’s broken down chemically by fungi and bacteria, all under the Reaper’s watchful eye.