Cryto

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

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 non-corporeal, gaseous state.

In the season 2 episode, How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans, three members of Grams' old coven- Amanda, Helen and Gail - summoned him out of desperation to save Gail from incurable cancer. They traded him The Charmed Ones' active powers, along with their souls, in order to bargain with him for youth and hence gaining beauty and health in the process. They tricked the Charmed Ones into coming to Gail's home outside San Francisco, then used the "To Call a Witch's Power" spell to call their powers to Cryto.

However, Cryto didn't want to chance them turning on him, so he turned Helen and Amanda to dust; it takes three witches to banish him again. When Gail refuses to help him kill the Charmed Ones, Cryto turns 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. 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 astral-Cryto fought with Phoebe, Prue and Piper poured the power-calling potion down his throat. When Cryto returned to his body, he was still groggy from the struggle with Phoebe, and thus couldn't do anything when the sisters took back their powers. They then banished him back to the other dimension.

Powers & Abilities
Cryto is a demonic personification of vanity, given the title of the "Demon of Vanity" due to this and his ability to either restore a person's youth or wither them to dust with a simple wave of his hand, as Javna could and given the SPX and effect of the power they probably shared the same power, with Javna channeling through his eyes rather than his hands as with Cryto.

After Gail, Helen and Amanda called the Charmed Ones' powers to Cryto, he briefly gained the powers of telekinesis, molecular immobilization, premonition and astral projection. Along with Melinda Warren and Curtis Williamson, he is the only character depicted as having all three Warren-witch powers all at once during the series' run.

The only other trick he had under his sleeve is that, unlike Javna, he cannot be vanquished normally, similar to The Triad. For example, one can destroy his body but his spirit will remain afterwards and may even ressurect. To truly destroy Cryto one must vanquish spirit also, a feat which not even The Charmed Ones have managed to accomplish.

Book of Shadows



 * In the sixteenth century,
 * Cryto travelled from
 * dukedom to dukedom,
 * preying on people's vanity.
 * bestowing youth and beauty
 * in exchange for their souls.


 * Cryto was found out and
 * skinned alive by a group of
 * witches who believed it
 * would keep his spirit from
 * ever being resurrected
 * again.

Spells
The members of Gail's coven used this spell to summon him in spirit form:

To Summon Cryto

 * We call on the demon Cryto
 * Reach back throughout the ages.
 * Humbled by his power
 * We invite him into our circle.


 * Witches Be Warned: This spell requires one to have a "body" prepared for Cryto in order for him to return corporeally. For example, Gail and her friends made a body for him by taking pieces of dead skin from graves and clothing a mannequin with it. If there is no body to act as a vessel for the demon then he will only appear as a gaseous spirit.

To Vanquish Cryto

 * What witches done and then undone,
 * Return his spirit back within,
 * and separate him from his skin.


 * A witch from the Halliwell line at some point discovered the witches had attempted Cryto's demise had been unsuccessful. As preparation for the day when his spirit might rise again, a spell was written in the Book of Shadows. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were able to use this spell to send his spirit back again, banishing him for eternity.

Appearances
Cryto appeared in a total of 1 episode throughout the course of the series.
 * Season 2 -
 * How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans