Allison Thorn

'Llihatha'

INFORMATION

Bee, Female, 23

Aliases: None
Nationality: United States
Residence: London
Employer: Templars
Function: Crusader-Agent

"My name is Allison Thorn. This is my story."

"The buzzing is always with me now. It is part of me. Or, more accurately, I am part of it, part of the collective. Like the low hum of a radio in the back of my mind, barely audible, tuned to a specific station and set at a specific volume for a reason. Just beyond what can be heard clearly, there is a voice, a pattern, I can grasp at the faint words to form the meaning. The lessons are there, but not easily understood. This is Gaia and her 'education protocol', her attempt to awaken my potential. Potential for what? Light or Dark? Order or Chaos? I am not sure."

"I remember when it happened. It happened while I slept. The vortices of synchronized membranous wings struck like a tempest on my skin, followed by the prick of tiny claws across my face. That horrid sensation of suffocation as the bee crawled inside my nasal cavity. Was this metaphorical, my dreaming brain's attempt to process the information I was gifted with? Or, perhaps it was all too frighteningly literal. I don't know. That is when the bee injected the raw nectar of knowledge into that honeycomb of gray matter I call a brain, where it was digested and reconstituted over the following week while I slept. No. That isn't how it was. I was digested and reconstituted over the following week."

"Before all that, I was an ordinary small-town kid. Well, at least that is what I thought. I also thought my parents were normal. Well, as normal as a couple of quirky hippies with a good grasp of druidic magic, alchemy, and other assorted occult knowledge can be. I didn't know they were former member of the Illuminati, or at least they thought they were. The reality is, secret societies don't see things that way. Once in, there is no getting out. The Illuminati was nice enough to let them pretend for a while. At least until they developed an active interest in me and my abilities."

"Now you are probably wondering how I ended up wearing a Templar uniform. Well, it started after I was transformed, A transformation that shattered my world and my sense of self. But my parents took the transformation in stride, even the sudden raw surges of destructive force. It was as if they were expecting it. They knew exactly what to do. The next thing I knew, I was being shipped off to Innsmouth Academy. A place for 'special' kids like me."

"As far as the general public is concerned, Innsmouth Academy is a private coeducational boarding and day high school for privileged rich kids, situated on a tiny island off the coast of Maine. The reality is that the Academy is an educational facility affiliated with the Illuminati. So there I was, exactly where the Illuminati wanted me. That was until my parents had second thoughts about it. I don't know what prompted them to decide to pull me from the school. All I know is I received a message from my father that they were coming to get me. They never made it. Their small plane went down, and they both died. Now I can't prove they were murdered, but there are some things a person just knows. But the things I learned investigating their deaths made me determined to stay as far away from the Illuminati as possible."

"The Illuminati is far too powerful, and their reach is too great for a young girl to defy alone, even one imbued with anima. I needed allies who were just as powerful. The Templars were more than willing to take me in and shelter me. The Templars took me in and trained me as a soldier. Now I fight alongside them to defend justice, divine law, and all that is righteous against the forces of darkness. My religious upbringing, a unique blend of Catholicism and Druidic beliefs, made me a perfect fit for the Templars. It was like finding a new family after the loss of my parents."

"But, this isn't where my story ends. This is just the beginning. I have been placed on the path to some unknown destiny. I don't know where this path leads, but I am determined to follow it courageously while holding to my ideals and remaining true to myself."

Height: 1.7m

Weight: 59.42kg

Hair: White

Eyes: Blue

Allison Thorn is a formidable yet inexperienced "Bee" operative serving within the ranks of the Templar faction. Born and raised in the United States, Allison grew up in a small town where her parents lived. Allison's early education was influenced by her parents, who were knowledgeable in both science and magic. This cultivated a deep respect and curiosity about the world around her in the mind of young Allison. As well as an early recognition that the world was not always what it appeared to be.

As a result of her upbringing, Allison is deeply religious. She believes in good and evil and the importance of protecting the innocent. This strong moral compass made her an ideal recruit for the Templars. A group Allison sees as a second family, but also one that is not above using her beliefs and ideals to manipulate her for their own agenda. Under the rigorous training program of the Templars, Allison became one of their most lethal operatives. She is proficient in small arms, mastering pistols and rifles. Her combat prowess was further enhanced by her adeptness in elemental magic, making her a versatile and deadly asset to the Templar cause.

Allison’s entry into the Secret War was less of a recruitment and more of a metamorphic awakening. After being "reconstituted" by the Gaia bee, she was thrust into the hidden layer of reality that most people never see. Since her transformation and the suspicious death of her parents, Allison has been a rising star within the Templar ranks in London. She has spent her time:

Mastering the Anima: Balancing her inherited druidic understanding of nature with the raw, chaotic power of Elementalism.
Investigating the "Crash": Quietly using Templar resources to dig into the Illuminati’s flight records regarding her parents’ final moments.
Frontline Duty: Serving as a "Bee" operative in hotspots anywhere evil threatens the natural order, viewing her missions as a divine mandate.

"Every round in the chamber is a prayer; every spell cast is a lesson learned from the Hive."

Allison’s loadout is a unique marriage of high-tech tactical gear and ancient occult relics. Her equipment reflects her transition from a "small-town kid" with druidic parents to a lethal "Bee" operative trained in the rigorous Templar tradition.

Primary Weapon: The "Sanctified" Tactical Rifle[edit]

As a proficient marksman, Allison utilizes a customized semi-automatic rifle designed to bridge the gap between ballistics and the arcane.

Aether-Chambered Barrel: The rifle is modified to channel her elemental anima directly into the ammunition as it leaves the chamber.
Runic Engravings: The receiver is etched with Enochian script and Druidic Ogham, stabilizing the raw surges of destructive force she generates.
Ammo Types: She primarily uses "Cold Iron" rounds for supernatural entities and "Dragon-Breath" incendiaries for Filth-infected targets.

Secondary Weapon: "The Penitent" Precision Pistols[edit]

Mastering pistols was a core part of her Templar training.

Dual-Channel Fire: She often weaves elemental magic through her sidearms, allowing her to fire kinetic blasts or freezing "glacier" rounds in rapid succession.
Silver-Filigree Sights: Adjusted for her blue eyes to track the shimmering trails of anima in low-light environments.

Templar "Crusader" Armor[edit]

A blend of reinforced Kevlar and blessed silk liners, providing protection against both physical bullets and metaphysical corruption.

Elemental Focus & Alchemy[edit]

The Rowan-Wood Cross: Her trademark equipment is a custom-forged cross made of rowan wood (for protection) and cold iron (to ward off the dark). It serves as a focus for her elemental magic, helping her "grasp at the faint words" of Gaia’s hum.
Alchemical Satchel: Drawing from her parents' teachings in alchemy, she carries vials of "Raw Nectar" (for emergency anima restoration) and salts used for grounding chaotic energy during ritual casting.

The "Education Protocol" Kit[edit]

The Grimoire: A leather-bound journal where she records the "lessons" she hears in the buzzing of her mind.
Innsmouth Academy Ring: A small memento she keeps hidden, a reminder of the facility where the Illuminati tried to mold her.

The Templars (The Ordo Templi Orientis): Her current "family" and employers. She is well-known in the Crusaders’ Square for her piety and her tendency to mix Catholic prayers with druidic chants.
Innsmouth Academy Alumni: Though she fled the school, she still remembers the faces of those she studied with. Some may still be within the Illuminati, creating a web of tense, former friendships.
The Illuminati (The Pyramid): Formally an "asset" by birthright; currently viewed as the architects of her parents' demise. She avoids their territory in New York whenever possible.
Rowan and Elspeth Thorn (Deceased): Her parents. Their legacy of alchemy and occultism remains her primary source of non-Templar knowledge.

The Gaia Buzz: Unlike some operatives who can ignore the call of the Bee, Allison experiences it as a constant, low-frequency hum. It grants her a high degree of situational awareness but makes "true silence" impossible.
Elemental Firearms: She has a signature style of weaving elemental charges into her ballistic rounds. A favorite tactic involves "flash-freezing" a target with a rifle shot before shattering them with a kinetic elemental burst.
The Druidic Cross: She carries a custom-forged Templar cross made of rowan wood and cold iron, a symbol of her dual heritage.

"The bees don't just give you power; they give you a perspective you can never un-see. The trick is not letting the hum drown out your own voice."

The air in the London Underground was thick with the scent of ozone and something far worse—the cloying, metallic stench of the Filth. Allison adjusted the strap of her tactical rifle, her knuckles white against the grip. The Templar uniform felt heavy on her shoulders, not just because of the reinforced Kevlar, but because of the red cross stitched over her heart. It was a weight she was still learning to carry. Behind her, the senior Knight—a man named Galahad who looked like he’d been carved out of old English oak—gestured for silence. But Allison’s world was never silent. Bzzzzzz. The hum was a low-frequency vibration in the marrow of her bones. It wasn't just noise; it was a map. Gaia was whispering, pointing, showing her the jagged edges of the reality that had broken open in this tunnel.

The Breach[edit]

"Focus, Thorn," Galahad’s voice was a low growl. "The first time the Hive speaks back, it’s easy to get lost in the static. Eyes on the objective." "I see them," Allison whispered. In the flickering light of a dying fluorescent bulb, three figures crouched over a puddle of black, oily sludge. They had been transit workers once. Now, their skin was translucent, stretched over bodies that seemed to be rearranging themselves into something multi-limbed and wrong. The buzzing in Allison's head spiked to a sharp, electric ring. Anima. It flooded her system like liquid sunlight, warm and terrifyingly powerful.

The Elemental Strike[edit]

As the first creature shrieked and lunged, Allison didn't hesitate. She didn't have time to be a "small-town kid" anymore. She raised her rifle and pulled the trigger, but she didn't just fire lead. She channeled the heat rising in her chest—the raw, elemental fire she’d practiced in the training pits of Ealdham. The bullet left the barrel wrapped in a swirling shroud of white-hot embers. CRACK. The shot took the creature in the chest, the kinetic force staggering it while the elemental flame cauterized the Filth dripping from its wounds. "In the name of the Law," she muttered, the words of a Catholic prayer slipping into the rhythmic cadence of a druidic chant her mother had taught her. Another creature vaulted off the wall, its claws extended. Allison dropped her rifle to its sling and thrust her left hand forward. She felt the "nectar" in her brain—that digested knowledge—crystallize into a command. Freeze. The humidity in the tunnel condensed instantly. A jagged spike of frost erupted from the air, impaling the creature mid-air and pinning it to the soot-stained tile.

Aftermath[edit]

The tunnel fell silent, save for the dripping of water and the fading hiss of steam. Allison stood there, chest heaving, the white of her hair gleaming in the dark. The buzzing had receded to its usual low-level radio static, leaving her feeling strangely hollow and hyper-aware. Galahad walked over, his heavy boots crunching on the ice shards. He looked at the frozen monstrosity, then back at Allison. "Not bad for a first outing, Initiate. Most newcomers panic when the magic starts pushing back." Allison touched the rowan-wood cross hanging from her neck, her fingers trembling slightly. "It didn't feel like magic. It felt like... an education." She looked down at the black sludge on the floor. Her parents had been right—the world wasn't what it appeared to be. But as she stood there in the dark of London, she realized that she wasn't what she appeared to be, either. She wasn't just Allison Thorn anymore. She was a weapon.

"One down. A world's worth to go."