Member
Apollosarcher
shylarah
Susanna Grace, the Infernal Girl
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Race: Human/Possessed
Mark of the demon: A brand on the back of her neck in the form of a demonic rune that translate as "First One". This is the symbol of an ancient demon.
Profession: Bounty Hunter/Wanderer
Appearance: Though her lithe frame doesn’t look it Susanna is actually quite strong. She stands at 5'8" and only one hundred and twenty pounds. Her skin is fair and she has dirty blonde hair that she traditionally keeps tied back out of her face. Most of time it covers the mark on her neck but if she is fighting or moving swiftly the brand will become apparent.
Arcana Demonic Abilities:
Though she possesses no magic herself the demon harbored within Susanna's soul commands powerful storm magic. These demonic abilities include mastery over many forms of weather such as rain, wind, snow and hail as well as lightning summoned down from the clouds. Like all hell spawn Lilith possesses the skill to summon demonic hell fire though she has always preferred her storm magic stating that it has a natural elegance which hell fire lacks." When Lilith was in control of Susanna's body these abilities were at their peak. She had such skill with them that she could even use her control over the wind into a rudimentary form of telekinesis. Susanna however struggles to control these abilities. With the human soul in command she works harder to contain the powers of the demon than she does utilize them. It is as if she has a powerful storm within her billowing and battering every second, fighting to break free. In those occasions that she does use this power it is often more than she is able to adequately control and as such is highly unpredictable.
Personality: Susanna has an almost inexhaustible will to fight for what she believes to be right. She was taught by her father from a young age that nothing in life was free. If there was something you wanted for yourself or your family you had to carve it out for yourself and make sure no one ever took it from you. She has a good nature within her that she has to keep a hold of in order to balance out the evil lurking within. She fights for what she believes in and tries to keep those she cares about safe, even if that means making hard sacrifices such as leaving them. Underneath her undying pluck Susanna harbors a deep seated fear that she will lose control of Lilith or her powers and hurt someone, an innocent or even someone closer to her. Because of this she keeps everyone at arm’s length with a cold disposition, especially those she cares about. When Susanna uses Lilith's demonic abilities her eyes become stained an inky black which proclaims her to be a demon to anyone watching.
Bio: Compared to many Susanna's early life was good, she was comfortable. Her father Richard was a former member of the King's Royal Guard. He retired from the military when he married Susanna's mother Marie and for his service was granted a plot of land by the King. The plot was not large but Richard worked hard on it and the land turned out enough food to feed the two members of the household and some extra to be traded at market for other necessities. Marie died giving birth to Susanna, this saddened Richard more than the Susanna could understand till she was much older and more scarred. Despite his wife's death he was a good father. He never raised his voice to her and always listened. Though when she'd done something wrong Susanna often wished he would yell, it would be better than the disappointment that permeated his face.
As Susanna was his only child Richard possessed no male heir to pass on his skills or knowledge too. With regard to this Richard raised Susanna as he would a son. He taught her about the world, history, mathematics and literacy. He taught her other things too, the value of a hard day’s work, the wisdom to know right from wrong and as any father would a son how to behave in combat. Richard taught Susanna how to fight both unarmed and with a staff. She received no lessons in swordplay as the only sword in the house was the one that Richard had worn at his side when he had been a member of the Royal Guard. It hung on a wall and hadn't been unsheathed in years.
When Susanna was fourteen years old her father announced a surprise. They were going on a trip to the trading city of Veiron two days journey from where they lived. The King was apparently calling any former military member for a meeting at the citadel. Richard was not sure what the meeting was about but as a faithful member of the King’s land he was honor bound to obey. That however didn’t mean that it couldn’t be fun. Veiron was a large city with a great deal of foot traffic, people and wares from all over the land would be there. Richard fastened his old military sword to his back as a way to prove his identity to the King’s guards before they set off in their old horse and cart in the direction of Veiron.
Susanna enjoyed the trip. For a girl that spent most of her life in a three room house and the towns nearby Veiron was like another world. People from every walk of life, elfs, dwarfs, humans from the south and the north. It was amazing… that was until it all collapsed.
Susanna was in the main square asking her father if he could buy her a sugary treat from one of the vendors when a sound split the air. No one who was present in the city that day could adequately describe the noise that echoed through the streets. As it pasted there was a moment of calm as everyone fell silent, struck by some primal horror. That was when all hell broke loose.
Several blocks over every window of the great citadel blew out and red smoke with lightning dancing within it like a storm cloud spilled out into the streets sweeping past everyone and everything. Some found cover from it in the buildings but Susanna and her father were not so lucky.
Instinctively Susanna took a breath of clean air as the smoke came towards her. When the cloud touched her skin Susanna felt as though she’d been lite on fire. She fell to the ground convulsing, her body spasming on the cobblestone. Some part of her knew that she couldn’t take a breath, if she did she would die. As the acrid substance swept over her Susanna felt as though he skin was melting. She could feel her neck burn with unholy fire and a part of her wished she could simply die. Susanna could feel the evil in the air all around her but her body cried out for oxygen and after what felt like an eternity Susanna took a breath of the vile air.
As she did so Susanna felt something invade her body, every particle of her being consumed in fire. She could hear voices all around her. "Pretty little one." "Too young for me." "I could take her for a spin." "We could grow into her." "I want stronger flesh." Until louder voice, a woman's Susanna thought silenced them all. "She’s mine." the moment these words were spoken Susanna felt the burning crushing smoke leave her body as the air all over Veiron cleared.
Susanna sighed but somehow the breath wouldn’t leave her lungs. "Oh no dear, our fun together is only just beginning." The words came from Susanna’s mouth but the poor girl never spoke them.
"Who are you?" she tried to speak but the words stopped somewhere in her throat. She had no control over her body. Evidentially though the demon that had invaded her soul through the smoke could still hear her.
An uncharacteristic smile spread over Susanna’s features. "Ooh goodie." She said like a child receiving a present. "I really picked a live one."
"Who are you and what do you want with me?" Susanna asked the demon silently.
The demon cocked Susanna’s head to the side. "Hmm, with you... not much, I’d be perfectly happy if you were to die but I need your body alive and well to serve as my own. As for my name... it has been awhile since I needed one in the realm of mortals... perhaps Lilith. Yes Lilith will serve quite nicely."
"Lilith...?" said a shocked voice from the ground nearby. The demon turned Susanna’s body towards the sound. It was Susanna’s father Richard lying on the ground. His hair had been bleached white and one of his eyes glowed purple.
"He’s not...?" Susanna asked the unfinished question.
"Like us?" Lilith finished. "No, he’s been tainted with our markings, nothing more. It is a shame to let such a strong vessel go to waste but I suppose the others did not want such an old vessel." Lilith put a boot on Richard’s throat.
"You can fight it Susan." Richard gasped. "Never stop fighting." He managed to say before a crack sound echoed around the town square as Richard’s neck snapped.
Lilith looked around. Other bodies were beginning to get up from the ground. Some survivors, most possessed. Then a crash rent through the air coming from the citadel. "Ah, the others have arrived." She said listening to the sound of buildings being torn down like it was music. The smoke forms had escaped the nether realm first, the corporeal demons were now forcing their way through.
"Let’s not miss out on the fun." Lilith laughed. She raised her hands to the sky and storm clouds formed in the air. The wind picked up to whistling speeds and lightning struck building and stone lighting home and stall on fire. Lilith laughed into the night as the rain and destruction poured down on the kingdom’s once great city.
When the carnage at Veiron was exhausted Lilith left the city searching for more interesting locations. She was a demon in every sense of the word. She destroyed what she could and obliterated everything in her path. Often times it even seemed she was intent on causing Susanna emotional anguish through her acts.
Susanna and Lilith may have carried on like that for an eternity. Lilith just another machine of destruction doing what she pleased with no consequences. Destroying anything in her path. However something changed that transforming the pair from what they were into something extraordinary.
Lilith like many demons was threatened by others with power, particularly magical power. Most mages were either hidden or on the run but the brave, mostly monks banded together in their monasteries. Most demons got a thrill out of ousting a place of holiness. Lilith was no different. One day she chose the wrong target. The monastery she attacked was heavily fortified and all the monks masters of their craft. They chased the demon girl into the woods nearby where she was captured by a rune trap, a field of magical energy imbued in symbols carved onto the ground that was capable of ensnaring demonic energies.
The monks confident in their victory brought forth one of their members, one that kept himself hidden from the populous because he was a practitioner of Witchcraft in the form of exorcism. He arranged the materials necessary to expel Lilith from Susanna's body.
In the back of her mind though Susanna's heart sank for she knew something that the exorcist did not. Lilith was a devious and old demon who unlike some of her incorporeal brothers and sisters had learned defenses against common demon repellent magicks. Lilith had carved a rune of her own into Susanna's flesh. On the small of her back, done with a small knife, creating a clean scar sunk into the flesh. It was a binding rune. Demon magic meant to prevent exactly what the monks were attempting.
When he began to chant Susanna and Lilith felt a pull in there gut, an insistent tear at Lilith's smoke form demanding that she descend bellow. The rune on Susanna's flesh held the demon firmly in place as the pull increased in intensity. Pain built in Susanna's abdomine. Susanna screamed inside her prison of flesh but Lilith kept her face calm and collected despite the pain that became ever more intense every second. Just when Susanna though the monk was going to give up Lilith collapsed to the ground. Susanna could still feel the demon within her but for a very short time in the last seven years the demon's consciousness was dormant. Susanna reached out a hand towards the monk, finally free of her prison but she was unprepared for living with the demon's power inside her. She couldn't contain it.
Wind swept forth in all directions from where Susanna knelt. Storm clouds formed overhead and the wind started to spin and swirl around the girl who couldn't control it. A funnel formed around Susanna, the wind whipping faster and faster, pulling all the monks in with the force of the wind. Lightning struck the ground all around her obliterating some of the runes in the trap that held her. Despite her freedom from the monks, the trap and the demon Susanna couldn't move and she couldn't stop. It seemed all of her energies were being poured out of her into the storm she was generating.
The winds kept picking up speed, uprooting trees and rocks and dirt and sending it flying into the storm. Finally with the wind around her raging in anger Susanna passed out. As she did so the storm around her died leaving her untouched in a field of ruin.
Susanna's salvation was that almost forty nine hours later she was the first of them to wake. When she opened her eyes every muscle in her body screamed its soreness. Her tongue felt dry as sandpaper and her stomach rumbled for food. She felt half dead and a part of her wanted to lie back down and simply let the end come. One thing stopped her. She was moving on her own. Lilith was not in command. Susanna could still feel the demon inside her though and knowing it would awaken soon she looked around desperately for something to save herself with.
The bodies of monks littered the area, trees had been torn up and debris covered the area. Surrounding Susanna however a number of the markings from the rune trap remained intact. Not enough to trap her but enough for Susanna to recognize. Looking at them Susanna recognized a number of them from Lilith's previous raids on other monasteries. Seeing two runes she believed them to read in holy script "Protect" and "Freedom" Suffering from exhaustion and dehydration Susanna's mind came up with an idea to rid herself of Lilith once and for all. She pull a dagger from her belt and carved the runes into her forearm.
Susanna accidentally accessed Lilith's magic pouring demonic power into the holy runes. The two powers clashed violently and the marks burned themselves into Susanna's flesh sealing her wounds. Though the holy words acted on her the demon magic caused them to take on the worst and most destructive connotation they possibly could. Rather that throwing Lilith from Susanna's body the runes trapped the demon, sealing her inside Susanna's soul. They granted her freedom from Lilith's influence and protection from her powers but not in the way that Susanna had desperately wanted. It was at that moment that Lilith woke, brought to the surface by the use of her own magic.
"What happened?" Lilith asked and in that moment Susanna felt something akin to a gasp inside her head. "Girl what did you do?" Susanna looked down at the runes now permanently fixed into her arm. "You foolish girl, you thought life was hell when I commanded your body. Wait till you experience what it will be like to command my powers."
That was three years previous. Now Susanna lives the life of a wanderer. Taking odd jobs when she can. Keeping her distance from people and never letting herself care about another person because when she gives into her emotions Lilith's demonic magic escapes into the world. She struggles to live her life despite the being of pure evil bound to her soul. Sometimes she doesn't think that continuing is worth it but always reminds himself that were she to die Lilith would escape her prison and continue to reign terror down on the world just as her brethren did for the last ten years.
Equipment:
Royal Guard Honorary Blade
The sword her father carried when he was a member of the Royal Guard. It is a well-crafted blade easily recognizable by the king's crest on the pommel. The blade is well balanced even for someone of Susanna's size. She prefers to fight with a staff but has some skill with the sword should she need it. Seven years after the destruction of Veiron Susanna retrieved this sword from her father's corpse in the ruins of the city.
Travelers Garments
Susanna traditionally wears comfortable clothing that is good for walking. She favors loose leather pants that allow her to move freely and run quickly along with comfortable military boots implanted with a steel toe, giving her kicks some punch. She wears an emerald green cloak that has faded somewhat over the years. Her shirt is a pale blue with a neckline that can be pulled tighter with a drawstring. Though she usually keeps it loose showing just a little more than is appropriate. She finds this makes it easier to get what she wants from men. She carries a walking stick which she often uses to defend herself.
Sling Bag
A simple leather bag that Susanna stores her provisions in. These include a waterskin and preserved foods, a lantern and small bottle of oil, as well as whatever currency she can get her hands on and a number of other traveling necessities.
Blood
As the vessel to a demon Susanna's body is strengthened by the ingestion of human blood. She hates to drink the substance and will admit to no one that to her at least it actually tastes delicious. Despite this Susanna keeps a flash of human blood with her should she ever need to enter a fray. Drinking it makes her feel strong though a bit high, like she's tipsy. She doesn't like to drink it because while it makes her stronger and gives her more accessible control over Lilith's powers it also impairs her judgement and makes it that much easier to lose control. She gets it from certain underground suppliers whose normal clientele is primarily witches looking for ingredients for spells.
Royal Guard Honorary Blade
The sword her father carried when he was a member of the Royal Guard. It is a well-crafted blade easily recognizable by the king's crest on the pommel. The blade is well balanced even for someone of Susanna's size. She prefers to fight with a staff but has some skill with the sword should she need it. Seven years after the destruction of Veiron Susanna retrieved this sword from her father's corpse in the ruins of the city.
Travelers Garments
Susanna traditionally wears comfortable clothing that is good for walking. She favors loose leather pants that allow her to move freely and run quickly along with comfortable military boots implanted with a steel toe, giving her kicks some punch. She wears an emerald green cloak that has faded somewhat over the years. Her shirt is a pale blue with a neckline that can be pulled tighter with a drawstring. Though she usually keeps it loose showing just a little more than is appropriate. She finds this makes it easier to get what she wants from men. She carries a walking stick which she often uses to defend herself.
Sling Bag
A simple leather bag that Susanna stores her provisions in. These include a waterskin and preserved foods, a lantern and small bottle of oil, as well as whatever currency she can get her hands on and a number of other traveling necessities.
Blood
As the vessel to a demon Susanna's body is strengthened by the ingestion of human blood. She hates to drink the substance and will admit to no one that to her at least it actually tastes delicious. Despite this Susanna keeps a flash of human blood with her should she ever need to enter a fray. Drinking it makes her feel strong though a bit high, like she's tipsy. She doesn't like to drink it because while it makes her stronger and gives her more accessible control over Lilith's powers it also impairs her judgement and makes it that much easier to lose control. She gets it from certain underground suppliers whose normal clientele is primarily witches looking for ingredients for spells.
Notes: Despite all that she's been through with the exception of the two binding runes and the brand on her neck Susanna's skin is smooth and flawless, without any scars. Her demon preferred an innocent beautiful looking host in order to more easily lure in foolish humans. To this end Lilith kept Susanna's form in perfect physical condition.
