Harbingers of Death (2024)

“For they are the harbingers of death, nothing shall grow above or below them, no seed shall flower, neither in Man nor…”

―Record on the Harbingers^[src]

Harbingers of Death,^[1] colloquially known as Bringers and self-referenced as the We,^[2] were the high priests and foot soldiers of the non-corporeal First Evil.^[1] These beings were seemingly former^[3] humans that had been corrupted by the First and transformed through rituals^[4] that included self-mutilations.^[2]

History[]

Against Angel[]

The Harbingers of Death first surfaced in Sunnydale in December 1998. Three of them set camp beneath a Christmas tree lot and summoned a manifestation of the First Evil to haunt the vampire Angel, whom the First sought to draw to its side. The Bringers' presence scared some of the underground's previous inhabitants, causing them to leave Sunnydale.^[1]

This information reached Willy and, through him, the Slayer, Buffy Summers. The Slayer then learned of the Bringers' ability to render their surroundings sterile and tracked them down to a cave beneath the tree lot, where a group of trees had withered and died. Buffy defeated the Bringers and confronted a manifestation of the First.^[1]

Against the Slayer line[]

“We attend to the needs of infinite Evil. We exterminate girls and destroy the legacy of Slayer. We are everywhere. We are like the ocean's waves. We watch your efforts and are not scared. We will laugh at you as you die.”

―A Bringer through Andrew Wells^[src]

Years later, in mid-2002, a large number of Bringers rose in many parts of the world in order to hunt down each Potential Slayer they could find. Their master had declared war on the Slayer line and sought to eliminate it. Organized by Caleb, the Bringers hunted and assassinated a large number of girls around the world.^[5][6][7][8]

As most Potential Slayers made their way to Sunnydale, so did the Bringers, swarming the town with their numbers. The Bringers unearthed the Seal of Danzalthar and then the Slayer weapon mʔ. New bringers were also created by the Seal of Danzalthar's corrupting energies.^[4] These new bringers were once students of the newSunnydale High School. They were, however, quickly eliminated by Buffy. They latertook part in the Battle at the Hellmouth, mainly on the school front.^[9]

Abilities[]

“I am a drone in the mind that is evil. I say I'm part of the Great Darkness. I'm only a fragment of the We. We work as one to serve the First.”

―A Bringer (through Andrew Wells)^[src]

While Bringers were not well known among demons, the letters Ab Initio Ab Origine included information concerning the First Evil and the Harbingers of Death. These documents took special notice of the Bringers' poisonous aura, capable of rendering surrounding ground and living beings sterile.^[1]

Bringers were blind, with their eyelids covered by rune-like scars, and incapable of speech, beyond grunts and moans during physical exertion or when in pain, having had their tongues ripped out. Caleb, who had become their leader, said that Bringers were incapable of sweating and panted instead.^[2]

Despite their apparent disabilities, Bringers were swift assassins capable of highly organized attacks thanks to their collective consciousness, which was under the control of the First and allowed them to be aware of their surroundings.^[2]

Besides their deadly fighting skills, Bringers were also able to summon manifestations of the First to haunt people, and could also create psychic links between dreamers by way of their dark rituals.^[1]

The Bringers wore black robes and often carried identical curved knives with themselves.^[5]

Behind the scenes[]

• Although never specified in the series, the Bringers are not to be classified as humans notably due to Spike's ability to hurt and kill them them while having an activated behavior-modification circuitry in his head with no ill effect, as seen in "Potential."

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

Canonical[]

Other[]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels

• Chosen: The One
• Chosen (Only mentioned)

Video games

• Chaos Bleeds

References[]