Born
in a city eradicated by an unrelenting and devastating plague the Pestilence
grew up under cruel and unfathomable circumstances, witness to the most extreme
of human realities. Her family died while under quarantine and she watched as
men in coats piled their bodies in the streets. Some tried to oppose the
quarantine, but they were suppressed by gunfire and men in riot gear. It was
chaos. Panic tore through the city and littered the streets with death by means
of friendly fire and merciful self infliction. Meanwhile, the contagion spread
like wildfire, leaving the stench of burned flesh in its wake.They burned the
corpses, hoping it would it would stem the disease. There was no cure. The
Pestilence alone survived the epidemic, but even she did not get by unaffected.
She relived the nightmare every time she went to sleep. Many were surprised she
was even able to cope at all after all she had been through.
After running its course the disease
eventually died out. The church declared it as some form of divine judgment,
claiming that the city had somehow wrought this upon themselves. Others
believed it to just be a terrible tragedy and nothing more. But some went as
far as to blame the Pestilence, accusing her of putting a hex on the city. This
led to countless speculation and endless paranoia. Soon there were people after
her trying to rid the world of her curse. Even the church joined in the hunt,
claiming that judgment could not be fully passed until she too was eradicated
of her sin. It was like she never escaped quarantine. Everywhere she went she
was treated like an outcast.
Inevitably the Pestilence ran out of
places to hide and found herself a resident of the Frozen Abyss. It was simply
the place to go when there was nowhere left. Surprisingly though she had
actually been enjoying her stay. The people at Jazmin’s Tavern didn’t stare at
her the way the rest of the world had. They almost seemed… rational. Now that’s
not to say they were her friends or that she had even gone out of her way to
talk to any of them, but it was still a pleasant feeling. Even the Beacon, who
served the church did not confront her about her past. In fact, she was the one
she spent the most time around. And it didn’t even feel threatening. It almost
made the Pestilence feel as though the Beacon was hiding something, but she
herself was not new to secrets. She had her fair share as well. To merely say
she did not get by unaffected by the plague would be a bit of an
understatement. She had trouble sleeping, it was true, but not only her psyche
felt the residual aftershocks. It affected more than just her dreams…
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