Rialclaw

"This kingdom is rightfully mine, skull-head. I was always bound to take it, yet nobody knew until now. Except, you'll be the first and last to know about this plan. -Rialclaw before the fight with Scarthorn"

Rialclaw is a Character created by Arcticseal156. He is the deceased guardian of Midzyas, Archao, Sorrel, Onyxshell, and Scarthorn. He was killed after being impaled by Scarthorn with a pin, and his corpse is sealed within the Void of Thorns. His soul is imprisoned within the Pure Automation.

Appearance
Rialclaw had a pitch-black body similar to that of The Hollow Knight. His eyes were a bright white. He had a dusty green cloak with a bluesteel collar. He wore a metal belt. He had four void tendrils sticking out of his cloak, allowing for quick combat and flight. He wielded a large nail and a shield.

Personality
Rialclaw, from the outside, was a kind soul, But secretly, he was cunning and sly. He had a plan to overthrow the citadel and take Pharloom for himself, but the plan was abruptly ended after being killed by Scarthorn.

Backstory
Rialclaw was the original vessel, one without a shell, but able to hold the void. He was thrown into the Abyss after being deemed to have a mind, but he survived the fall, being a pure void being. He used the help of the serrated claws on his hands to grip to the walls and escape the Abyss. Shortly after being "confirmed" dead, Rialclaw escaped the Ancient Basin and entered the City of Tears.

Rialclaw stole whatever he could from the citizens to keep himself alive. Everyone knew that the thefts were happening, but nobody knew it was him who stole it. One fateful night, Rialclaw snuck into the White Palace and took the Hollow Knight's nail unnoticed, before escaping through a window, being seen by a Kingsmould. It attempted to attack him, but Rialclaw trapped it with his Void Tendrils and killed it with the nail. He hid the corpse in the nearby stag station before using it to escape to Dirtmouth. After entering, he took time to rest next to Sly's shop before using the nearby elevator to get onto the bridge and entering the Howling Cliffs.

After leaving Hallownest for good, Rialclaw adventured solo, careless of where he went. After a few days of wandering, he found himself at the gates of Pharloom, entranced by the beauty and entered the kingdom. He found himself in the gilded city, talking to the citizens and gaining respect within the kingdom. Eventually, he met with the lords of Pharloom and requested to become a guardian. His request was accepted, and he used his nail and a shield he was gifted to kill anything that threatened the Citadel.

However, little did anyone know, that Rialclaw was a power-hungry warrior, seeking revenge on the Pale King who created him. He was using the respect of the citizens to overthrow the Citadel when the kingdom least expected. In an attempt to gain more respect, he took Midzyas, Archao, Scarthorn, Onyxshell, and Sorrel under his care, planning to kill them later to keep them out of his way. When Midzyas left for Hallownest, Rialclaw knew that the others would be easy targets, with their brother gone.

One day, Scarthorn and Rialclaw were alone in Greymoor, when he began to neglect him. Scarthorn was eventually enraged and challenged his guardian to battle. Rialclaw then explained his whole plan to Scarthorn before immediately lunging at his skull. He fell back after being thrown off by Scarthorn's pin. Eventually, parry after parry after shield throw after tendril usage, Scarthorn was knocked to the ground. As Rialclaw was about to kill him, Scarthorn raised his pin, impaling Rialclaw with it and killing him.

Rialclaw's soul retreated to the Moss Grotto, waiting for an opportunity to return to his body unharmed and killing Scarthorn for real. However, the soul was imprisoned in a crystal, which would later be sealed within the Pure Automation. Eventually, the seal was completed, leaving Rialclaw's corpse and the Pure Automation trapped within the Void of Thorns for eternity. However, Rialclaw didn't give up there, slowly destroying the mecha's insides and allowing lava to leak throughout the Void. Eventually, the leaking of the magma started to interfere with the Crystal, which would eventually release him. It would only take a seemingly infinite period to break the crystal and free his soul, allowing him to return to his body, break free from the chains, and become whole again.