Desdemona Falkenrath

'Sventovit'

Played by: Unknown

INFORMATION

Atlantean, female, immortal

Aliases: Col. Falkenrath / Lt. Gen Sventovit
Nationality: Atlantean
Residence: London
Employer: Inquisitors
Function: Interrogator / Field Commander
Twitter: @EmbracePoseidon

• The Basics •

• History •

• Beyond the Viel •

• Atlantean Heritage •

• The Filth •

• SECTION TITLE GOES HERE •

Appearance

She stood above the collapsed mesh of steaming gore that had once been a vampire. With her large hands still clasped in tight fists, she brought her healing knuckles up to wipe off the blood that had splattered on her angular face. One of her handlers stared at her, but her steel-blue eyes would not lift to return the glare. They preferred it that way. The Atlantean easily towered over most of them and she always seemed to have a slight, beast-like hunch in her broad shoulders as if she were a bear that had just woken up from hibernation; hungry and ferocious.

It wasn't her height that they were particularly worried about, though, no matter how imposing her stature was. It was the tightly sculpted muscle that stretched over almost every inch of her frame, often times in places that normal people didn't have it. That didn't surprise them, considering what she was. What made them gawk was how brutally she used her strength and how quickly it adapted to nearly everything they threw at it. Even now, her handler could see her ivory skin shimmering with the nanotechnology that they had failed to replicate. It gave her a porcelain sheen that could easily draw a person's attention to her.

"Get another," a gruff, yet feminine voice rang out. It sounded as he imagined a Valkyrie would: like a mountain being ground into a fine dust while it rang a hollow roar into the wind.

Personality

"You do not fuck with Sventovit. She will scowl at you, threaten your life or disregard your existence entirely, but under no circumstances will you call her bluff because she will deliver. She is a woman of pure determination that's fueled by an anger that has been smoldering longer than most people have been alive. So, before you go and mouth off to her, know this: when you're found with your head caved into an alleyway wall, nobody will mourn for you because you should have known better."

— Unknown Templar

Atlantis

It's no secret to any of Desdemona's employers that she is an Atlantean. The pale skin, the inability to age, the heightened intelligence, ancient knowledge, enhanced strength and incredible healing abilities all give her away rather quickly. Even if it didn't, that is the first piece of information that she comes forth with and for good reason: She makes it clear that she wants something specific from her employers and the only way to make it worth their while is to show why she's worth the effort. While she has given insight to Atlantean technology whenever it's found, she does not speak much of her time during Atlantis. All anyone has are the basics: That she was a commander of some sort and that there was a great cataclysm that she just barely witnessed. It was this apocalypse that some believe likely ended the Third Age and birthed the Fourth.

World War II

The signing of the Treaty of Sèvres created more terrible problems than it solved. Coupled not only with defeat of their nation, the Germans were also bludgeoned with the responsibility of the First World War. Broken and beaten, Germany fell into an economic crisis the likes of which it had never seen before. In the midst of this chaotic and depressing time, the idea of a German identity was the taste of everyone's tongues. The Thule Society, an occult research organization created by Rudolf von Sebottendorf, was one such organization that sought to find something to inspire Germany. It was during one of their expeditions that found Desdemona's Time Tomb in the sea.

When they opened up the tomb, they believed that what they'd find was evidence of their claims: remains of the Übermensch, from which they could officially proclaim that all pure-blooded Aryans originated from. They got much more.

The Atlantean was not so pleased. She lashed out immediately after gaining consciousness. Several men died, but soon her fear and angered ebbed just enough that those strange, small men could talk her down. The German language was easy to understand but hard to speak for Desdemona: she had the mind to easily pick up anything she heard, but she was not used to talking. The Thule Society would not wait for her to be able to speak clearly to them. They managed to convince Desdemona to trust them, then sedated her before transporting her elsewhere. Countless tests were run and Desdemona eventually learned to speak once more, yet on the precipice of declared success, the Thule Society was publicly disintegrated. World War II was declared soon after. Desdemona was no fool, however. She knew very well what had occurred: She had been woken up by a people desperate for meaning and power. Those same people took what they could from her and tumbled down the path to create the sort of utopia that Desdemona had described. The flung themselves feverishly at the idea. She should taken their obsession as the first sign. She knew that it would be flawed and she saw it all unfold: The Übermensch. Adolf Hitler. The Nazis. The Final Solution.

She became Colonel Falkenrath, but she cared for none of it. She saw the world being thrust towards complete obliteration, but she had other aims. The world as it looked in the 4th Age was still young, it seemed. It had grown over the ashes of the 3rd Age and there seemed to be no recollection that the 3rd Age managed to stop its own destruction. Logically, what had come for the 3rd Age may very well be coming for the 4th. So, she searched. What she found was the Filth. Was it the Filth that had devoured the 3rd Age? She couldn't be sure, but she ran into it again and again during her adventures. Guided by a dark whisper in her mind, she followed the black ink wherever it crept. Through battlefields and concentration camps, she followed despair and the Nazis funded her travels, wanting to use The Filth as they had used Desdemona's knowledge.

Desdemona, however, suspected that the Filth had always been inside of them. With the end of the Nazis came the end of The Thule Society and the trail of the Filth seemingly disappeared. Had The Thule Society really vanished? She couldn't be sure but she didn't care to be sure. They were a tool. Had the Filth vanished? No and something begged Desdemona to find it again.

The Cold War

When World War 2 ended, Desdemona did not notice at first. The passage of time, the frequency in which things changed in the 4th Age was something that she hadn't gotten used to. What she did notice was that the trail of the Filth no longer huddled around Germany where the wails of millions of innocents were smothered by flames, but instead, the black whispers pulled her behind an iron curtain.

Like so many others, she discarded her Nazi uniform and escaped in secret. Unlike so many others, she did not seek to hide out her days in other countries, where they enjoyed the beach or took scraps of barely usable high technology to American companies in exchange for amnesty. Instead, she found The Red Hand waiting for her with open arms, stony faces and the nickname "Sventovit"; a slavic God of War.

In the company of the Soviet Union, she did not find the religious fanatics that had defined the Nazis. The lot in which she cast herself was still as passionate, but they were driven by science and logic rather than legends and mythologies. True, they found interest in Desdemona's status as a living Atlantean, but they did not seek to create a utopia based upon her memories. What they wanted to create, they wanted to create with their own hands, based upon their own genius. Desdemona was not cast to the side, but after they gave her the rank of General, they did little else with her.

They had other, bloodier, interests with origins in Romania. Still, they knew of the danger that Desdemona could pose and since they couldn't kill her or keep her hostage, the funded her personal missions. She wore their uniforms and she was "loyal", though she remained free to follow the whispers of the Filth wherever they led her. She soon came across The Facility, which had been kept secret from her despite her knowledge of The Red Hand. She didn't mind. The secrets of the Soviets were theirs to keep. However, the Soviets were not as comfortable with Desdemona, who was on a very thin and ineffective leash, knowing about their greatest project. She was caught unaware and turned into a test subject.

A preliminary test was run on Desdemona, (as they did with each prospective cosmonaut) and at first, nothing out of the ordinary showed itself. As an Atlantean, anything that they did to her either had no effect or was quickly rejected. Wounds healed too quickly to properly study; poisons were forced back out harmlessly through her pores or digested. Whether it be by training or an Atlantean brain, her mind was withstood any sort of abuse.

Perhaps they would have found a way to kill her. They had to, eventually, for they believed that she could escape at any moment and when she did, she would surely destroy them. If she was honest with herself, she wanted to, but a voice kept telling her to wait. And wait. And wait. It was only a matter of time before the scientists found that Desdemona was harboring Filth inside of her and had been for an unspeakable amount of time. Yet, she clearly wasn't deteriorating.

The Red Hand within the Facility planned to use that information for their project concerning Anima and Anti-Anima. If they had managed to, Desdemona did not know. There was a terrible accident that rid her of consciousness. Instead of remaining shackled in a secret facility by the Red Hand, she found herself in the grip of The Templars.

Present Day

The Templars knew very well who and what she was. While she had little faith in her previous allegiances, she had figured that her previous partners would have at least been capable of keeping her identity a secret. Ultimately, it seemed that putting faith in a 4th Ager was a fool's errand. Nonetheless, there were things that attracted to her to the Templars.

To Desdemona, they are the epitome of military might and order. Within them, she sees passion, discipline and a respect for customs that had been lacking in her other benefactors. It was clear why the Templars had survived for so long, (though she had regarded them as little more that nuisances when she had come across them before): they were so tenacious that if they could not win through civility, they did so with brutality. That brutality came so thunderous and swift that there was often no fear of revenge.

The Templars regarded Desdemona with suspicion and worry, however. They immediately could tell that she was infected by the Filth, but they found no way to get rid of her. If she were to be left by herself, it was entirely possible that one of the other factions would pick her up. They had to find a way to keep her in their midst somehow, for a tool's natural instinct is to find a way to be used. After intense discussion, Desdemona found that they were of similar goals: the keep the 4th Age safe and Desdemona was proud to know that the Templars would do anything to make sure that happened.

She quickly found her place as an interrogator among the Inquisitors. Often kept underground London, she has utilized her connection with the Filth to wrench secrets from her victims. While the Templars aren't proud of the way the Desdemona handles their business, nor of the fact that they have a Filth-infected within their ranks, they are willing to overlook as long as the job gets done and she keeps herself well in their sights. Still, not even the Templars are willing to let Desdemona's other abilities go to waste. A fine combatant herself, she is often sent on missions where the presence of Filth is or has been.

After all, it's best to let a monster fight monsters...

There are things that not even Desdemona can hide about herself from those that have the ability to see through the surface to what lies beneath. What follows are examples of those traits.

3rd Age Resonance

Having come from an Age where technology was so advanced and well-integrated with Anima, the Anima signature that radiates from her body has an ancient feel to it. The taste of mysticism is mostly absent from this Anima-Aura and in its place, a mechanical resonance lives. It's still a gentle feeling, but rather than the warmth of a sun that many others may be used to, it has a strange firmness.

Filth Whispers

Unfortunately, Desdemona is Filth-Infected. Depending on how close a person is to Desdemona physically, the level of Filth interference can range from a general uneasiness to ghostly whispers in their head. At most times, the Filth just suggests for people to get closer to Desdemona, but once they get close enough, the suggestions become darker. Insults have been documented as being heard, but without previous knowledge about a person on Desdemona's or the Filth's part, the insults are rather impersonal. Out of the three 'oddities' that can be felt from Desdemona, this one is likely the most dangerous, yet the easiest to avoid in most situations. The only way to see the Filth's presence coming through her would be to look directly into her ghjeyes. At that point, the Filth takes the form of thin wisps of smoke only view-able to Desdemona and the person she's looking at. Unfortunately, it's also at the point that the attacks and suggestions become much more personal and the whispers more feverish.

Seething Rage

Empaths will be able to tell how Desdemona always seems angry. No matter what emotion that she's showing or feeling, there is an underlying aura of rage from it.

It's rumored that remnants of 3rd Age tech can be found in the world and in working condition. So, it's no surprise that Desdemona's Atlantean implants are still operational. These 3rd Age implants work by augmenting her already enhanced physical traits by means of nanomachines attached to every living cell in her body.

Positives

Heightened Physical Attributes: While the nanomachines work at keeping her alive (though not always stable), they can actively power Desdemona's physical attributes further. While the limit isn't well-known, there is a direct causation between how much Filth exhaust is put out and how much the nanomachines power her physical abilities. It should be known that she usually isn’t seen to do anymore than what the average Bee is capable of with their magic when it comes to the amount of force she puts out, which results in a Filth miasma of medium thickness and toxicity. Medium toxicity has been noted as being as extreme as a Bee standing in a common pool of Filth.

Negatives

Anima Leech: All machines need a fuel source and for the nanomachines, it is Anima. Like the Bees, Desdemona can be a conduit for Anima Energy, but instead of manifesting it as magic, the nanomachines immediately consume any Anima that comes through her and uses it to supplement her physical attributes. This is also the only method of using Anima that Desdemona can ever indulge in. Desdemona can control how much Anima the nanomachines consume, but she can't use any Anima that she channels into herself that isn't being used by the Nanomachines, nor can she store it later for future use.

Filth Exhaust: Normally, the nanomachines would only produce oxygen as their waste product, however they were corrupted when she became infected with the Filth. Now, the nanomachines expunge Filth into the air. It looks like a black miasma that rises out of Desdemona's body and the intensity of it varies from almost invisible to as thick as fog depending on how heavily she's using the nanomachines. Because the nanomachines keep her ageless, there is always a haze around her that, while it can't be seen, can be just barely detected and often leaves weaker people with a slight headache.

Mask Necessity: Because the nanomachines no longer produce pure oxygen for her, Desdemona has been forced to wear a breathing apparatus that cleanses the air for her. It also helps to protect her from the Filth that she exhumes from her body. Without this mask, not only would she not be able to breathe fully, but her Filth infection rate would sky-rocket and her nanomachines' abilities would be reduced dramatically.

Though she had not known it before The Red Hand's study on her, Desdemona had been 'infected' with the Filth from the very moment that she had seen the start of the 3rd Age's collapse. Unfortunately, the Time Tomb did not fully protect her from the Filth and instead, it trapped her with just a tiny bit of it for countless years. Mutation has almost definitely occurred, but despite the presence of the Filth being detected, it is unknown exactly how far or how quickly mutation has progressed. Ultimately, it is easist to think of the Filth inside of Desdemona as an entirely separate entity that has the Atlantean wire-tapped. It can make suggestions and, with Desdemona's permission, can even act in small amounts, but it is mostly there to listen and influence rather than attempt to gain direct control.

Positives

Filth Resistance: Due to the constant presence of the Filth within her, Desdemona is able to walk into Filth Infected areas without much damage being done to her directly.

Filth Knowledge: By being in the presence of the Filth, Desdemona can have access to the same knowledge that the Filth in the area has. However, whether or not The Filth actually want to share this knowledge willingly with Desdemona is another question. Should they not want to, Desdemona can force the Filth to comply, though it takes great mental strain on her part and weakens her to further influence.

Forced Knowledge Acquisition: While keeping direct eye contact with another person, the Filth can leave Desdemona's eyes and enter into the mind of a victim. Under Desdemona's guidance, the Filth begins to pilfer all they can from the subject's brain until the knowledge that Desdemona wants is secured and delivered. To the victim, it feels like a dull, rusty knife is being used to slice apart sections of their brain, and often leaves the subject mentally exhausted with a very intense feeling of violation.

Negatives

Insanity: It's highly likely that continued use of the Filth will drive Desdemona insane, if she isn’t already. While the Filth has been content with just watching and interjecting when Desdemona calls upon it, they know there will come a time when The Filth wants more and Desdemona will be unable to do anything but give it. That's not to say that the presence of the Filth hasn't already taken its toll. Desdemona's savage and unrelenting nature can be partly due to constantly receiving the Black Signal.

No Personal Relationships: These are outright near impossible. The closer that Desdemona gets with anyone on an emotional, spiritual or physical level, the more dangerous for both parties it becomes. The worst case scenario is that the Filth devours the mind and sanity of those that Desdemona gets close with. She also knows that if there was something that she cared about other than the current Age itself, the Filth would try to use that against her. This has made her into a social wreck. She's outwardly abrasive and uncaring to people because it keeps them both safe. This, unfortunately, has come to include herself.

Dreamless: The first thing that the Filth took from Desdemona was her ability to rest peacefully. The Filth, in all of its hunger, devours whatever Desdemona dreams. This has ensured that the Atlantean never gets to mentally rest as most people do. This leaves her feeling psychologically exhausted while she is awake, at the edge of her insanity most of the time and sleeping has no real mental difference to her than staying awake. Because of this, she often goes without sleep until her body collapses wherever it is and she wakes up whenever she has enough strength to.

Hallucinations: As with anyone else, the longer that Desdemona goes without sleep, the more likely she is to suffer hallucinations. Slightly different from the breaks in reality that people normally experience from insomnia, her 'hallucinations' are fueled by the Filth looking through her. She has come to believe that the Dark Dream is a mirror reality to the one fueled by Anima and that the greater the influence that the Filth has over her senses, the more she's transported into the Filth's alternate reality. Though it is possible for her to gain useful information while enduring these hallucinations, it is by far such a horrifying experience that it's not worth it to her.

Dampened Anima: Due to the necessity of suppressing the Filth's presence within her, Desdemona has to limit the amount of Anima she uses. Thus, she relies on her physical attributes and technological enhancements instead of magic during combat. Ultimately, if something HAS to be subdued with magic, she won't be able to beat it.

Mind-Breaking: The Filth watching through Desdemona does require payment every so often for its services. It is at these times that Desdemona maintains eye contact with an individual and allows the Filth to completely ravage the mind of her victim. Most of the time, this leaves nothing but a mindless husk of person, as if they had a lobotomy. The Atlantean has some idea what the Filth does with the victim's mind with their infinite hunger, but she benefits in no direct way by Mind-Breaking someone, unless further cooperation from the Filth counts. Should she not find a sacrifice, the Filth would start taking parts of her mind instead.

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