Difference between revisions of "Lucille Paige"
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=• The Red Right Hand and Or'talhac'hna •= | =• The Red Right Hand and Or'talhac'hna •= | ||
| − | While Lucille demonstrates considerable supernatural abilities when operating in the field, she did not obtain her powers as a result of encountering a Bee, and does not utilize anima to manifest her abilities. Rather, her powers appear to manifest as part of her involvement in a religious cult centered around an apparent Outer God named Or'talhac'hna. The details surrounding this religious affiliation and its inner-workings are sparse, as Lucille is its only known active | + | While Lucille demonstrates considerable supernatural abilities when operating in the field, she did not obtain her powers as a result of encountering a Bee, and does not utilize anima to manifest her abilities. Rather, her powers appear to manifest as part of her involvement in a religious cult centered around an apparent Outer God named Or'talhac'hna. The details surrounding this religious affiliation and its inner-workings are sparse, as Lucille is its only known living active adherent to date, and records kept by previous adherents are extremely rare and closely guarded. Additionally, as is often the case with such cosmic deities, some details are simply beyond the understanding of mortal human beings. |
The details that are known are recorded here as part of a joint investigation by the Council of Venice and Temple Hall. | The details that are known are recorded here as part of a joint investigation by the Council of Venice and Temple Hall. | ||
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'''Or'talhac'hna''' | '''Or'talhac'hna''' | ||
| − | At the center of this curious religious cult is its deity, the cosmic entity known as Or'talhac'hna. As with most names assigned to cosmic beings of this nature, both spelling and pronunciation are approximations based on the physical limits of human speech and writing. Per Lucille's description, this entity identifies as female, and does not have a definitive physical form. However, Lucille did state that in most of her interactions with the alleged goddess, it appeared to her in a form that can best be described as a vague hybrid between a common cuttlefish and an extinct Cambrian arthropod relative known by the genus [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anomalocaris Anomalocaris]. In keeping with this description, the deity's 'head' carries numerous tentacle-like appendages. At the center of these appendages appears to be a void or wormhole, which occasionally carries a silhouetted humanoid form or an alarming pictograph of | + | At the center of this curious religious cult is its deity, the cosmic entity known as Or'talhac'hna. As with most names assigned to cosmic beings of this nature, both spelling and pronunciation are approximations based on the physical limits of human speech and writing. Per Lucille's description, this entity identifies as female, and does not have a definitive physical form. However, Lucille did state that in most of her interactions with the alleged goddess, it appeared to her in a form that can best be described as a vague hybrid between a common cuttlefish and an extinct Cambrian arthropod relative known by the genus [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anomalocaris Anomalocaris]. In keeping with this description, the deity's 'head' carries numerous tentacle-like appendages. At the center of these appendages appears to be a void or wormhole, which occasionally carries a silhouetted humanoid form or an alarming pictograph of an eye turned sideways at its center. |
| − | While the pantheon of cosmic deities and their relationships to one another are often regarded as vague and open to numerous interpretations, Lucille has been able to provide some context as to just where this Or'talhac'hna fits in. Primarily, | + | While the pantheon of cosmic deities and their relationships to one another are often regarded as vague and open to numerous interpretations, Lucille has been able to provide some context as to just where this Or'talhac'hna fits in. Primarily, She appears to serve as a keeper to the slumbering Old Ones (going on the hypothesis that Old Ones comprise a lower caste of cosmic deities below what are known as the Outer Gods), ensuring that they remained lulled to sleep either indefinitely or until some yet-unknown predetermined moment. For this reason, Or'talhac'hna utilizes Her priestesses to suppress any signs of an Old One awakening or stirring, in particular eliminating the physical manifestations of the Old Ones' dreams (what we colloquially refer to as 'the Filth'). Lucille has described numerous prior instances of encountering Filth where she felt bouts of hyper-aggression towards Filth entities specifically and increased physical prowess, which appears to be due almost entirely to her role as a servant to this alleged deity. |
| − | Or'talhac'hna also appears to serve a secondary role in the pantheon of cosmic deities by tending what is known as the 'Garden of the Flesh' or the 'Crimson Garden' based on the text and translation being referred to. According to Lucille, this 'Garden' is defined as the genetic lineage of living things on Earth and presumably other planets or dimensions. Lucille was quick to clarify that this does not make Or'talhac'hna any sort of divine 'creator,' though | + | Or'talhac'hna also appears to serve a secondary role in the pantheon of cosmic deities by tending what is known as the 'Garden of the Flesh' or the 'Crimson Garden' based on the text and translation being referred to. According to Lucille, this 'Garden' is defined as the genetic lineage of living things on Earth and presumably other planets or dimensions. Lucille was quick to clarify that this does not make Or'talhac'hna any sort of divine 'creator,' though She does appear to have some difficult-to-define hand in cultivating life on ours and potentially other worlds. The exact reason for this cultivation is unknown, and Lucille herself has been unable to confirm whether the end-goal of this action will be beneficial or harmful to us as a species. |
'''The Priestesses of the Garden, or 'The Red Right Hands'''' | '''The Priestesses of the Garden, or 'The Red Right Hands'''' | ||
| − | As a means of carrying out | + | As a means of carrying out Her will on the physical plane, Or'talhac'hna has been known to imbue some individuals with some measure of power, essentially drafting these individuals to serve as Her priestesses. The exact means of selection is unknown, but based on the information provided by Lucille, it appears to be based more on heredity rather than specific selection of chosen disciples. The Paige family, for example, appears to have had several priestesses dating back centuries, though their activities were usually overlooked as withcraft, eccentricity, or general occult curiosity. Prior to Lucille, her paternal grandmother Margaret Paige carried the mantle of a priestess of Or'talhac'hna. |
| − | Unlike most cults and religious organizations, the priestesses of Or'talhac'hna have no centralized organization and no leadership beyond Or'talhac'hna | + | Unlike most cults and religious organizations, the priestesses of Or'talhac'hna have no centralized organization and no leadership beyond Or'talhac'hna Herself. Training and initiation occur in the form of gradually obtaining knowledge through genetic memory as the priestess ages, further lending to the notion that selection to become a priestess is based on heredity moreso than deliberate selection. As a result, priestesses are unaware of one another, and in most cases do not appear to ever interact. |
Some details provided by Lucille also seem to indicate that other species of a certain level of intelligence can also become priestesses. | Some details provided by Lucille also seem to indicate that other species of a certain level of intelligence can also become priestesses. | ||
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When fully initiated, priestesses of Or'talhac'hna can be readily identified by a distinct physical mutation of the right forearm. Beginning at the fingertips and running almost midway up the forearm, the skin pigmentation of the right hand changes to a deep, rusty red color, with fingernails exhibiting a darker shade of this same rust-red. The veins of the hand take on a mild bioluminescent quality, and are visible under the skin as bright ruby tracks. Interestingly, this mutation of the hand appears to have been recorded at least once in literature, with Milton describing a red hand of God in ''Paradise Lost'' as a representation of His divine vengeance. This, in turn, influenced contemporary musician Nick Cave when writing the song that would become "Red Right Hand." Owing to Lucille's curious pop culture obsessions, this association has led to "red right hand" becoming the accepted colloquial term for Or'talhac'hna's priestesses. | When fully initiated, priestesses of Or'talhac'hna can be readily identified by a distinct physical mutation of the right forearm. Beginning at the fingertips and running almost midway up the forearm, the skin pigmentation of the right hand changes to a deep, rusty red color, with fingernails exhibiting a darker shade of this same rust-red. The veins of the hand take on a mild bioluminescent quality, and are visible under the skin as bright ruby tracks. Interestingly, this mutation of the hand appears to have been recorded at least once in literature, with Milton describing a red hand of God in ''Paradise Lost'' as a representation of His divine vengeance. This, in turn, influenced contemporary musician Nick Cave when writing the song that would become "Red Right Hand." Owing to Lucille's curious pop culture obsessions, this association has led to "red right hand" becoming the accepted colloquial term for Or'talhac'hna's priestesses. | ||
| − | As far as their supernatural capabilities, red right hands appear to draw from Or'talhac'hna's vague dominion over genetic matter in order to enact | + | As far as their supernatural capabilities, red right hands appear to draw from Or'talhac'hna's vague dominion over genetic matter in order to enact Her will. As described by Lucille, red right hands are capable of freely manipulating blood, bone, and other living tissue as a result of their connection to the genetic material it's made from. This allows red right hands to both violently deform or even deconstructed living beings at-will, or rapidly heal the wounded. The full limits of these powers are yet-unknown, though Lucille has indicated that the power possessed by red right hands rises and falls with the needs of their matron deity. At times, red right hands are potentially capable of acts of mass destruction if Or'talhac'hna deems there to be a large enough threat to the Old Ones' slumber, while the baseline strength of red right hands would seem to be no greater than the average Bee. |