You'd think people don't die of tuberculosis anymore. It's so Victorian, and surely we have cures? As it turns out, they don't always work.
She'd been sickly for a while. The illness refused to leave her body, so there she was in her hospital bed indefinitely. She'd been there for years, in and out of the ward. Moving was hard, but she had a laptop that she ran a blog from. It was moderately popular, enough to pay the bills.
She was testing new drugs to treat the TB, but as it turns out, they didn't even slightly help. That's probably what killed her.
It's hard to say if her introduction to Stygia was incredibly lucky or incredibly unfortunate. Depending on who you ask, she either was taken in by a group of comparatively altruistic devotees, or she was brainwashed by a dangerous cult. The group called itself the Penitent Creed, and claimed that the only true path to transcendence was by righting the wrongs commited in life. In short, a wraith needed to make a positive difference to the lives of the quick in order to be allowed to transcend to heaven.
Whatever the truth of the matter, the group was arrested by the hierarchy, their new initiate included, and brought before the law. Their punishment was, it was mockingly declared, a test. If each one could survive a period of total isolation without giving any ground to their shadows, then they were free to go. If, on the other hand, they were found wanting, the forge was always waiting.
A year of incarceration went by. The shadow whispered, cajoled, threatened, pleaded and ranted. Gemma did her best to meditate and remain calm.
Gemma doesn't know if any others were released after their imprisonment, but somehow she came out of the ordeal unscathed. On being released, she fled to the shadowlands around prospect, hoping to escape the hierarchy's grasp and earn her redemption.
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Musics and Inspiration
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Full Name:
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Gemma Larsen
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Lifespan:
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June 12, 1984 - April 22, 2012
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Life:
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Blogger / invalid
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Death:
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Tuberculosis
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Faction:
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Heretic
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Legion:
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The Skeletal Legion
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Nature & demeanor:
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Caregiver & follower
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- Brandy - Sister! I missed her so, so much! I wish she was, uh, around more.
- Deidre - Omg omg omg. So apparently I have a girlfriend. And she's really cute and nice and understanding and, um, makes me all swoony. And she's painting me, it's, uh, really pretty!
- Basilisk - Isn't she lovely? I think she is. She's proof that, uh, you don't have to be a monster.
- Fenton - You're like if Basil was, uh, incredibly goth. I like that.
- Jun - Well, you're just like me but, um. Male. And alive. And Asian. And successful. But, other than that, just like me!
- Oberon - Wow. What a hottie. I totally would if, you know, it was in any way even slightly viable. We should hang out more.
- Zoe - I'm trying to help. Honest. I just keep, uh, making things worse. Sorry.
- Sheltark - I think, deep down inside, there's still something in there that can be redeemed. And, um, I think deep down inside you want to be redeemed, too.
- Lazarus and Christina - You two were the good guys, right? I mean, I think you were. I might not quite understand you, but I think I ought to deal with things. Sorry.
- Gray Worm - You're like, um, the anti-Basil. A fine example of, um, what's wrong with the world. Please just go away.
- Velok - I'm sure you have your, uh, reasons for being that way, and I'm very sorry about it. You're still creepy, though.
- Cross - Underneath that prickly exterior there's a prickly interior. But, he's one of the good guys, so that's, um, alright.
- Foster - Holy- wow. It's an angel. An actual, real life angel. WOW.
- Lucius Milano - What a prick. Have you tried being nice to people?
- Eve - Well, um. You talk, and, uh, I can see where you're coming from but, uh, you can just hear the shadow rubbing it's hands together in glee when you put it like that.
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