Mr. Avarice

Mr Avarice was the supernatural antagonist of The House in the Web (This Magazine is Haunted no. 8, 1953). Bearing a striking resemblance to The Shop Keeper from Dance of the Doomed, he appears to be one of the Seven Deadly Sins, tempting mortals to exchange their souls in return for wealth and power.

While not explicitly described as a demon, he is shown to be immortal, impervious to physical harm, and capable of reanimating the dead at will. He can also manifest as a ghost-like apparition, adopting the persona of a malicious trickster. He is depicted as gleefully reminding his victims of their impending doom, communicating via mirrors, picture frames and other reflective surfaces.

In The House in the Web, Avarice resides in an isolated mansion in the middle of a forest, where his undead slaves are forced to count money for all eternity. The story suggests that he is an incarnation of human greed, granting him implicit power over thieves, criminals and misers. As he mockingly tells one would-be assassin, "To kill me, you have to kill the greed in your own heart first."

Links

 * Fawcett Horror Library 1
 * Fawcett Horror Library 2