Cryto

Cryto's History

Cryto, also called the Demon of Vanity, is a powerful demon who grants youth, beauty and health in return for one's soul.

Early History

In the 16th century, Cryto traveled the Dukedoms offering youth and beauty, but at a great price. In exchange for his services, Cryto demanded the souls of those he restored. A group of three witches sought to stop Cryto by skinning him alive, believing this would prevent his spirit from returning. Rather than being vanquished, the demon was reduced to a non-corporeal state.

Encounter with the Charmed Ones

Centuries later, three members of Penny Halliwell's old coven, Amanda, Helen and Gail, summoned Cryto out of desperation to save Gail from incurable cancer. They traded his aid with the Charmed Ones' active powers, along with their own souls, in order to bargain with him for youth, beauty and health. They tricked the Charmed Ones into coming to Gail's home in Santa Costa, then used the "To Call a Witch's Power" spell to transfer their powers to Cryto.

However, Cryto didn't want to chance them turning on him, so he turned Helen and Amanda to dust because it would take three witches to banish him again. He begins to venture outside, restoring more people's youths to claim their souls. When he found out Gail hadn't killed the Charmed Ones, he turned her to dust as well.

Despite being an upper-level demon, Cryto didn't have much experience using the Charmed Ones' powers. For instance, he didn't know that good witches were immune to Piper's freezing power, allowing them to take him by surprise when he tried to freeze them. The Charmed Ones used their knowledge of their own powers to turn the tables on him when he followed them back to Gail's estate. They lured him into the basement and tricked him into astral projecting upstairs after Phoebe. While Cryto fought Phoebe in astral form, unaware that this would leave his body defenseless and leave his astral form unable to use magic, Prue and Piper poured the power-calling potion down his throat. When Cryto eventually returned to his body, the sisters took back their powers and banished him back to the other dimension.