The Specters of Sin

The Specters of Sin are the four demigods that represent the four sins that those individuals represented in life. The specters roam the lands on the backs of their spectral mounts, which differ for each specter. The four are Apathy, Greed, Anger, and Deceit, and their mounts are (respectively) a bull, a great hyena, a direwolf, and a [pouncer rhino]. The four specters travel the world individually, tending towards areas where their sin is mostly concentrated. Throughout the night they appear to their perpetrators and drain their life force with what's called the 'Specter's Embrace'. Nobody has ever seen the Specter's Embrace occur before, nor has anyone survived to tell the tale. Witnesses who have been nearby when one has occured describe a chill in the air and an unsettling feeling that makes them want to go inside and isolate themselves.
  Before they were cursed with demigodhood, the specters were a group of nobles ascended from military generals. In their retirement, they all laid claim to grand estates in the countryside where they sought to live their remaining years. However, growing old and reaching the limits of their mortality they grew scared. The four congregated and contacted the @[archdevil] Porbonum to make a pact. Seeing their immense negative effect on the world as military generals, they sought to use their knowledge to spread goodness, but to do this needed immortality. They struck a deal with Porbonum that in exchange for eternal life, they would have themselves forever restricted from higher magical powers, bring monthly sacrifices of sinners, and must sever from their body a hand, an ear, and an eye. The nobles regretfully agreed with Porbonum. The first of the four to become cursed was so because he continued to put off his sacrifices. He also never severed any body parts, and became known for his apathy to Porbonum, hence becoming the first specter of sin, and is still the only one with both hands and other body parts. The second of the nobles used his new power for the accrual of wealth, performing daring stunts knowing he couldn't be killed, and became the Specter of Greed. The third noble was angry at Porbonum for going back on his word, and tried to strike a deal with the Archdevil Melus for transportation to hell to slay Porbonum. He was promptly cursed as the Specter of Anger. The final noble was smarter than the others, seeing their downfalls. He gave his sacrifices and upheld his word, but the pact was having its drain on him so he began to plot in secret against Porbonum. Being an archdevil, obviously Porbonum noticed this, and he made him into the Specter of Deceit. Porbonum had brought the four nobles to demigodhood, and made their cursed purpose to uphold their end of the deal.
  The names of the Specters in their mortal lives is unknown, lost to history. So is their race and place of origin, although many claim to have found the four manors of the long lost generals. Those who have seen the specters and survived to tell the tale describe them as wispy beings with hollow faces and flowing ethereal cloaks. Their steeds are described similarly, although they always appeared to bend to the will of their riders, rather than the limited agency that the Specters themselves seem to have. In modern times, the Specters are used as a folk tale to scare children into behaving, and many believe them not to be real. This quickly changes when a cold night in the village ends with a few dozen mysterious deaths through the night, always keeping the legend alive and real.