Witch
{I obviously do not own any of these images. The face-claim for this character is Rosa Ushiromiya from Umineko No Naku Koro Ni.}
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Name// Gwyneth Van Etten of Westhaven Parish, formerly Magnolia Argalls of New Haven
Age// 133 (visually appears to be in her early-mid 20s, and claims to be around that age)
Pioneer Family// Family Argalls, settlers of New Haven Colony/River Colony (Welsh origin. You can hear her accent when she speaks.)
Appearance//
Gwyneth's appearance is strictly conservative, conforming to the traditional dress regularly worn by members of the Puritan Westhaven Parish. She is the only woman in the entirety of the parish with light hair. Her skin is fair, and appears sickly without the use of cosmetics. She is also notably taller than average. Like all Westhaven Puritans, she has the gold insignia of the church embroidered on her clothing; For her, it is stitched on the jabot she wears around her neck.
Magic Ability// Decomposition Manipulation; The ability to increase or decrease the rate of rotting, prevent it, or preserve it altogether. Those who hold the ability to break down organic matter may control all things/beings connected to decomposition such as vermin, worms and maggots. They can also influence the minds of scavengers, such as coyotes, crows and vultures, or possess their form.
How Did You Get Your Powers// Is unwittingly possessed by the demonic entity Leviathan, the sin of Envy. This demon, represented by the image of a colossal sea serpent, slowly eats away at her. If unabated, the demon will consume her soul, adding to its own hellish size and strength.
Personality// Prejudiced opinions about witches have warped Gwyneth's idea of magic entirely, and has caused her great fear over what she is, and what she has met over the course of her very long life. The feeling of guilt has hung over her head for a century since she signed the contract of Leviathan, condemning her soul to an ageless - but not timeless - existence. She is a coward to the thought of death, believing she needs redemption before she may finally rest. Gwyneth is a terrified puritan, but she is also a charitable one. She loves children, and is highly traditional. To her, she is not a witch, but just a woman in need of help. She strives to fit in and deny her past. However, Leviathan's influence is becoming harder to manage. Under the effects of the demon, Gwyneth now has a jealous streak; She can become irritated more easily, ambitious, chaotic. Manipulation and deception has become her way of life. And as her abilities begin to manifest, she endangers not only herself but those around her.
History// Marigold Argalls hails from New Haven, a puritan port colony in Conneticut. She was born during the high peak of New Haven's prosperity, during the 16th century, before it was combined into the Conneticut/River Colony. She was a little girl when, in 1646, her father embarked on a ship set for London overflowing with grain and animal skins. Unfortunately, that ship was lost at sea, and with it her father. What Marigold did not know was that her father's mother had been a Witch, and that the magic had been passed down to her, untapped and raw. And it never occured to her, as it never actually manifested during her early childhood.
When she was a teenager and prospective schoolteacher, Marigold grew envious of a woman who fancied a man she would have liked to marry. Unfortunately her envy and magical origins drew the attentions of demonic forces, and Leviathan's eyes began to observe the young lady. Marigold began to be influenced by this demon, her mind distracted by thoughts of what she would do to get back at this woman. These thoughts plagued her for a very long time, and soured her relations with the man. It had to be the last straw when she witnessed the man proposing to the other woman, and she was devastated with grief and jealousy. During the night, Leviathan finally made itself known, appearing in the form of the man she loved, and bringing with it the Contract of Allegiance. Under the sway of both her own grief and malice, Marigold did not hesitate to sign it.
Once the demon vanished she awoke the next day with her mind cleared of all anger and instead frozen with fear. Later that day she learned that the other woman had been found dead, floating face-down in the shallows of the sea. They barely identified the body, for the woman's flesh had withered into a skeletal corpse, fragile and nearly breaking in the hands of the men who lifted her out of the ocean. For years, Marigold was plagued with the vision of what she had done, and was now within the league of a very powerful devil, who had bestowed its power to her. In 1664, New Haven Colony became a part of River Colony, and by then Marigold had fled the port city she grew up in. By now she was supposed to be 30, but due to her new powers, she had learned to preserve her skin and flesh, so that she never aged. This infuriated Leviathan, as it could not claim her soul as long as she lived in payment for the contract, and so it pursued her. Whenever it found her, it would possess her mind, drive her to begin using her powers, until the only answer was to move once again.
Over her years seeking sanctuary from the angered demon, while continually trying to find a way to redeem herself from being condemned to Hell itself, Marigold has changed her name several times. Now seemingly a schoolteacher living on the outskirts of Westhaven, Gwyneth has adopted her new identity and has fallen into the Parish, rising up to become a well-known figure of the Parish despite being female. This has been the longest time Gwyneth has been untouched by the influence of Leviathan, and though she is wary of what this means, she has considered it a blessing to not be affected by the demon thus far.