Gabriella Campagna

'Nym (the Emerald Lady)'

Played by: Unknown

INFORMATION

Ancient human, Female, Unknown (40 something)

Aliases: None known
Nationality: Italian-American
Residence: Transylvania
Employer: Unknown
Function: Hermit

• Appearance •

• Life History •

• Personality •

• Outsider / Fey•

• Quotes •

• Special Notes / OOC •

(version 1.0)

Before you looms an intimidating titan of a woman. A physical specimen, she stands well over six foot (very tall for a woman) and in excess of a hundred-ninety pounds, fit more for professional netball or the UFC than the middle aged ex-housewife she purports to be. Thick with lean muscle, there is hardly an ounce of fat anywhere on her. She moves like the wind, a terrifying combination of sheer physical size and power combined with an impossibly durable frame built for heavy fighting. Her skin is tough like bark and here and there leaves sprout unbidden, often in inconvenient locations, like between her fingers.

Among people she is clad in simple clothing, usually figure-hugging jeans or track pants and a t-shirt, often one or two sizes too small for her. A tattoo of the "Third Eye" sprouts from her forehead, and two great antlers spring from inside a shock of wild red hair inexplicably tangled with leaves. She often suppresses these as they are tell-tale signs that she is Fey, but on close inspection one can identify her. Out in the wilds in her 'persona' as the Emerald Lady, she often wears a beautiful green dress, long frayed skirt and a matching hood.

Nym's face, once angular lines and gaunt skin, is now flush with life, her once faded, lifeless blue-gray eyes vibrant and all-too knowing and self assured. There is wisdom in them, and pain, experience born only from hard choices and suffering, and an unwavering, though kindly, gaze that can be unsettling to look at for long; Nym sees you, not as you want to be, but as you really are. Despite her immense physical presence, Nym is a gentle, serene sort of spirit. She doesn't want to hurt anyone.

Note: When not among humans, Nym's connection to nature strengthens and she automatically causes flora and fauna to flourish around her, even coaxing those who are near to death back to full life gradually in her presence. Animals and pets are often drawn to her, grass will grow greener, and leaves will sprout in the cracks of buildings and pavement she passes. This is a Extraordinary effect and an obvious sign that she is a member of the Fey Court.

Note: Much of the following took place in character (including interactions with Nym's family)

Nym was born Gabriella Campagna to a mother of Italian descent and a father from the states. Raised in Rhode Island, New England, she grew up assimiliating American cultural values and views on life. When she was still young, her mother successfully campaigned to have her raised according to her cultural heritage and returned to Italy to complete middle school. Instead of attending university, she held down a quiet yet successful job as a hairdresser in Florence before she met a man (also from the states) and ended up marrying him and mothering three daughters and one son (in order of descending age): Isabella, Lucretzia, Fluoro and Leonardo. She was content running her hairdressing business while her husband was often away in the states on business. Marrying into wealth, her family was well provided for and Nym believed (errantly) that she was happy. Despite this she was wracked by recurring nightmares and a niggling sense that she was missing something, something important. This would cause strains on her social relationships with others among her friends and family and cause many to remark on 'what's wrong with her'. Viewed objectively, Nym had it all; beautiful children, a 'loving' husband, good friends and enough wealth that she would never worry about finances. Yet despite all this Nym was still deeply unhappy. It was as if her heart was broken, nothing seemed to satisfy her and she fell into a deep melancholy for several years. Tired of hearing about her misery, her friends and family turned against her and her marriage grew turbulent. Nym did the best that she could, tried to be as loving a mother for her children as they could want, but her efforts were inexplicably thwarted time and time again because despite her best intentions, mothering four children was not her true calling. Nym's children loved her despite this and protecting them and keeping them safe would become her raison detre (reason for living) and guiding principle in a world filled with darkness.

With the advent of the secret war, Nym ended up swallowing a Bee, but far from changing her into a servant of Gaia, she remembered that she already was one. This further strengthened the schism in her heart and having always played the role of the dutiful, submissive housewife - and truly thinking that this was all she could aspire to in life - Nym found her newly reawakened powers and innate sense of power to clash with her husbands expectations of her as a wife. This caused an irreconcilable riftin their relationship. With the advent of her 'powers' only further isolating her from all the muggles around her, Nym fled into the night, abandoning her husband and four children without warning.

She travelled for many years before she would return to them and in this time she found a very gentle, light hearted peace in her heart. To Nym's surprise, she learned that she loved travelling, going to new countries, trying new foods and speaking to strange people. Initially joining the Templars who promised her resolution to her questions, she didn't stay long before realising they were mostly smoke and mirrors. She ended up travelling the world alone for two years and when she found herself in Asia, was contacted by the Dragon. She ended up serving with them dutifully for a number of years despite a growing sense of unease. Fearing a second 'recurrence' of what caused her to leave her family in the first place, she fled. At some point she also came into contact with an ancient weapon of power, a sword from the Third Age which spoke to her in a way she could not understand. It was so heavy and physically demanding to wield that she was forced to undergo strength training to safely handle it. When her hands finally closed on the hilt and she drew the great weapon from it's sheath, she was overwhelmed by a feeling of unexplained sorrow, hereafter nicknaming the sword Regret, and remarked to Gaia that the weapon resonated with her, as if she had held it previously.

Becoming her own agent for a time a middle aged Nym wandered for several years, eventually coming to terms with her nightmares. With the benefit of time, what had appeared superficially as nightmares were revealed as the memories of previous lives and the significant traumas she had experienced in service to Gaia. During this time Nym met and became fast friends with a man known as Atley, and a woman known as Casey, the latter becoming an important member of her family, while the former convinced her to at last give up the responsibility of the monstrous sword Regret . This was of great importance to Nym as it symbolised a contract she had forged in blood lifetimes earlier. Immediately she felt her spirit lightened and gladly relinquished the cursed sword to Atley's safekeeping, finding herself a simpler, less storied weapon to use in the meantime. In her interactions with Atley and Casey, Nym came to understand that her reason for being was to protect others and that if she did her job right she could shield her husband and her family from the familiar horrors of the Secret World. This also provided pathos to Nym as her decision to abandon her family, and later the Templars, had never sat right with her. Reconciled with her 'nightmares' and with Regret put to rest, Nym saw the world for what it was and her place within it became clear. Nym's purpose was to protect. To shield those weaker than she. She had performed this task countless times for Gaia and now, blessedly, she would do so by choice.

Eventually she came across Cucuvea in Transylvania who looked her straight in the eye and said something that caused a deep recognition within her. They talked late into the night and come the morning Nym made to leave, but Cucuvea said to her 'You've been down that road before. Is that really where you want to go?' Baying her to stay, Nym came to live with Cucuvea and became her live-in protege, student to an unconventional and often crotchety old crone. After some months of apprenticeship the old woman abruptly came to her, informing her that she could not teach anymore and that the 'fledgling bird must leave the nest sooner or later'. She advised Nym learn more about the Filth so she could understand not only her enemy, but more importantly why she fought.

Nym battled the corruption in Transylvanian personally over the years, eventually completing her tutalege with Cucuvea and on seeing the degredation of the Forest firsthand and the many foes that threatened it, she agreed to stay. Taking up the mantle of the 'Emerald Lady', Nym took her first footsteps on the path to becoming Cucuvea's replacement and finally granting the old woman the right of death, her sacred task complete. At this point the woman known as Nym became a distant memory, known only to a select few, and arising from the ashes of her spirit was a terrifying agent of nature known as the Emerald Lady, providing safe habour to allies and bringing swift retribution to enemies of nature.

Note: Nym did eventually reunite with her family and agreed to stay in touch when her duties didn't keep her busy. She has kept her promise to this day, even if her daughters don't understand - or believe - that she is who she says she is. Despite this, the eldest, Isabella has shown a facility in protecting others similar to Nym herself, while Lucretzia picked up Nym's talent for magic.

Nym is a world weary old soul who just wants to be left alone. She doesn't have time for the 'problems of the flesh' anymore and considers the Factions and their petty squabbles beneath her. She has bigger fish to fry. Despite this, lifetimes lived as a protector and servant of Gaia have given her a hard, practical edge and a kind, if fiercely protective nature that lends itself to helping and safeguarding others.

Human Nym has an old, hard bitten love of cigarettes and liquor to deaden her pain, favors loose fitting clothing especially robes and simple dresses, and has simple tastes in life. She sighs a lot, especially at the antics of the 'young ones' and is tired of what she calls the Endless War, but maintains her body in a state of permanent readiness for when it comes knocking at her door.

• • • Spoiler Warning ***

---

I recognise that it's a tricky thing to write a convincing deity, even a minor one. I'm open to discussion and compromise about the details below and how that might or might not influence your character. Just message me. :)

- Nym is a newly raised member of the Fey Court and a minor deity with several domains, notably protection, nature and Travel. You can pray to her and she can sense her 'name' being invoked in from a vast distance. She can also sense when others tap into spells, powers or skills that have any of her domains as a key theme.

- Her presence is extremely reassuring and soothing. Minor injuries will begin to regenerate automatically in her presence (major injuries may take time) and emotional pain will seem distant in her presence, even aches and pains and fatigue from the day's activities can wash away in her presence.

- She is a veteran of countless battles against the enemies of Gaia and an old hand at the Secret World Mythos. The way she moves, the way she carries herself, speaks to excellence, the type that doesn't need to be demonstrated to be felt.

Nym is a reluctant deity. She rarely answers calls for the sake of he own peace of mind and is usually content to let others resolve their own problems for the most part, but particularly impassioned pleas can move her. She does acknowledge all the prayers that she can but only commits as a last resort. She can grant some of her power to others in close physical proximity, or when another is closely aligned with her thematically.

Protection: This domain extends to protecting others or self, wards, abjuration magicks. Those who need shelter or protection are often drawn to her without knowing why and Nym will often protect those who are less experienced than she is. This, combined with her Nature domain, also mean that she automatically grounds other people near her. Her presence provides those who wish it great reassurance and a sense of peace, that everything is under control.

Nature: This domain extends to awareness of, and ability to command, the natural world. Flora and fauna, nature lovers or those who need anchoring are often drawn to her. Life springs up wherever she walks and she is able to coax vitality back from the feeblest spark of life. Nym heals and recharges in nature and if absent for too long can grow weakened. Sites of great technological significance are very taxing for her, e.g. Orochi Tower.

Travel: A nomadic free spirit at heart, Nym is associated with travel of all forms. She can teleport long distances easily (this can take minutes or hours to do), or teleport others to her or to any other anima well around the world. She likes to wander in a physical sense but rarely strays from the forest unless she has reason to. Movement restricting abilities such as roots or snares do not work on her. Nym can also sprout massive wings and fly (if a little clumsily).

- As an Outsider, Nym is resistant or immune to normal weapons and low level magick. She does not need to eat or drink, cannot be affected by poison or toxins of any type, resistant to mind control and similar and immune to sickness and disease, except the Filth and it's effects (she can stand in this for hours before being affected but is not immune). She sees through illusions and reads lies told to her easily, and functions as a mobile Anima Well for Faction and Gaian agents, her DNA able to decode and re-encode the lives of other bees who die in her proximity. Filth creatures cannot stand her presence for long and often become enraged near her, targetting her and only her to the exclusion of all others. She can regenerate away from fighting but once 'killed' requires an extended rest (often hours or even days/weeks) before she is 'reborn' at the nearest Anima well, and then only in a weakened state.

- As an outsider (Fey/Celestial), Nym is able to be effected by a range of abilities that do not affect ordinary Bees, such as exorcism and banishment magics. She can also be targeted by the 'Ultimate Powers' bestowed on ex-Tokyo PCs by the Nephalim and this is a significant source of concern for her.

- Speaks in a 'universal language', meaning she doesn't need to know your language to understand it.

This section is just for flavour and a little insight into Nym's hardbitten personality. Consider it like when you click an NPC in the game and they have that 'about them' section where they detail their worldview and thoughts on the Secret World.

(on modern Bees) She sighed and gently rubbed her temples, the young ones truly did like to cause problems for her kind, "It wasn't a 'choice, darlin', but an act of desperation. Gaia was losing, so she created your kind. Kids with dynamite. What could possibly go wrong?"

(on the Filth) "I can see it." she admitted, sighing, "What the young ones refuse to see. How vital the Filth is. You hate it. It hurts you. And yet without it Anima would find no balance and you would have no purpose in life. You would still be a banker, or a sales clark, or a mechanic or whatever. Saddled with debt or depression or a boyfriend that doesn't love you. It's a package deal."

(on Cucuvea) She's .... I dunno ... I guess she's like the mother I never had... Don't get all misty on me."

(on her fighting style) "These new kids, they like shooting things and blowing things up with flashy magick." she snorted, "But bottom line, we are all agents of Gaia and our powers exist to serve it. Hammer or sword, laser rifle or occult book, we are all protectors in one way or another. I'm just more obvious about it."

(on what it means to be a Bee): "Yeah, I know darlin', the Factions and a lotta older agents like to make it seem mystical, like you're special. Sure, you're special. Special like a white blood cell surrounded by cancer, because that's what it is. What we are. A planetary auto-immune response."

(On her clothing style): "I like comfy clothes. You can wear your fancy stuff, I like a nice pair of jeans and a snug top."

(after teleporting a terrified secret worlder crying out for help): "Don't look at me like that. You called ME not the other way around. Next time don't shout so loud. It gives me a headache."

(on being ressurected at an Anima well): "Worried that I was gone? I'm made of pure Anima ... Where else am I gonna go?"