Hooded, skeletal, scythe wielding Death-- well, not exactly.
This is what he really looks like, and he'd appreciate it if you'd stop using that awful stereotype. He
is the taker of souls, and he
has been around since the dawn of time, but it's only recently that he's taken this form. The story goes that any human can challenge Death. If he or she can perform the responsibilities of the reaper for a period of twenty-four hours, he will grant life to one dead soul-- for a price. Death will absorb the soul of the challenger, his physical form, and his memories. The most recent 'winner' was a man by the name of Francis Hollis. Death fooled him into believing that he could resurrect both his wife and daughter, who had died in an automobile accident. In the end, he had to choose which one would survive. He chose his daughter, Isla.
Despite what you might think, Death isn't gloomy and pessimistic. He does get tired (after all, the only time he gets a break from his job is when someone tries to challenge him), and he'll complain about it. But for the most part, he's agreeable. He enjoys the little things
in life, like greasy diner food, television, old movies, hot baths, etc. He's the type of person to crack jokes in tense situations, and usually starts off his 'appointments' by apologizing. He's also very polite, and extremely old-fashioned. He says the 30's through the 50's were the best times to
be alive exist.
Death has a decent amount of powers. He can reap the soul of any living thing, be it human, animal, demon, vampire, etc. He can also kill anything simply by touching it-- but that's just plain rude. He operates on a different plane than humans, so regular, live people can only see him if he wants them to. He can also 'zap' himself (and others, though it takes more effort) anywhere he wants to go. Death can be summoned and made to do a person's bidding; this usually involves him killing someone who wasn't meant to die. He can also be bound, and prevented from taking any souls for as long as the spell-caster deems fit.