Dead Venus Boone

In and around the area known as Midnight, there is an old tale about a beautiful young woman named Venus Boone that is sung about in children's rhymes and high school ghost stories alike. The most common telling is as follows:

"Dead Venus Boone, a love deceived,

From cruel man, she tried to leave.

Now she roams with smile so sly,

No eyes to see, just souls to pry.

Speak not to her, or you'll be gone,

Lost forever in the dark unknown.

In shadows she lurks, a chilling sight,

Dead Venus Boone, haunting the night."

It is rumored that she walks the length of Old Highway 49, head down and hands in her pockets until someone approaches her, at which time she'll raise her chin with a friendly smile and reveal her empty eye sockets. This is usually the last thing people see before they too, vanish on that stretch of road.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Dead Venus Boone exists as a ghostly apparition, her once-solid flesh now a translucent, insubstantial haze. Her spectral form wavers in the moonlight, like a delicate wisp of smoke that clings to the fringes of the living world. Where once her eyes sparkled with life, now remain only two haunting voids. Her eye sockets appear as deep, dark chasms, seemingly endless portals into the abyss.
Her movements are slow and deliberate, yet appear almost weightless. As she glides through the night, she leaves no footprints, her steps leaving no mark on the mortal world.

Ecology and Habitats

This spirit is only ever seen along the route of Old Highway 49 within the bounds of Midnight, Mississippi.

Behaviour

Trapped between the realms of the living and the afterlife, Dead Venus Boone yearns for closure and resolution. Her spectral existence is marked by a profound longing to find solace in the unfinished chapters of her own tragic tale. This yearning drives her to interact with the living, seeking answers or perhaps a sense of purpose that eludes her in the spectral realm. She seems trapped in a loop of her own tragic narrative. This cyclical nature of her behavior reflects a persistent struggle to break free from the shackles of her spectral existence. While cognizant of mortals and other creatures around her, she will not be roused to notice save for by intended interaction. Upon gaining her notice however, much like a drowning individual, she will attempt to pull closure, safety, and solitude from anyone within her reach, pulling them into a nightmare realm of her own design while she drains them of their living essence as they stand motionless and helpless before her.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Although her eye sockets are empty, Dead Venus Boone's spectral vision transcends the limitations of mortal eyes. She perceives the realms of the dead and the living with clarity, seeing through the veil that separates them from one another. Nothing escapes her spectral gaze, and she can witness events hidden from mortal eyes making her nearly impossible to hide from.

Civilization and Culture

History

In the days before her spectral existence, Dead Venus Boone was a young woman who moved to the Mississippi Delta in pursuit of love. Her heart was captivated by a charming but enigmatic man named Caleb, who had a magnetic presence that drew her in like a moth to a flame. At first, their love seemed destined for an idyllic life together in the small town, however, as the days passed, Caleb's demeanor began to shift. Beneath his alluring façade lurked a violent and possessive nature that he concealed from Venus. As their relationship deepened, Caleb's true colors emerged, and the shadows of abuse and control crept into their once-promising love story. Venus, trapped in a cycle of fear and denial, endured the torment of Caleb's violent outbursts, hoping he would change or that love would conquer all. But the more she yearned for the man she thought he was, the more he spiraled into darkness. Isolated from her family and friends, Venus felt trapped, her spirit slowly withering away like a dying flower.
One fateful night, the violence escalated to a point of no return. In a fit of rage, Caleb struck a fatal blow, ending Venus's life and forever sealing her fate. He knew that he had to dispose of her body, and in a chilling act of callousness, he concealed her remains near the old power relay station out on Old Highway 49. In the eerie darkness of the night, Caleb carried out his dreadful deed, hiding her lifeless form among the overgrown bushes and decaying structures. The abandoned station now became the final resting place of the tragic woman whose dreams had been shattered by the man she loved.
As weeks turned into months and the truth of Venus's disappearance remained buried, the townsfolk speculated and whispered about her fate. Some suspected foul play, while others assumed she had simply run away from the torment of her troubled relationship. Unbeknownst to the living, Venus's spirit remained bound to the vicinity of her earthly remains. Her spectral presence, now haunting the forgotten town and its surroundings, emerged from the shadows near the old power relay station, an ethereal reminder of the horrors she endured in life. Through the passage of time, Dead Venus Boone became a chilling specter, her presence a haunting enigma, forever trapped between the realms of the living and the dead. The old power relay station on Old Highway 49 became her spectral anchor, a place where she wanders from night after night, seeking closure and solace amidst the darkness that engulfed her tragic tale.

HP: 2

Stats:

• Body: 1
• Strength: 1
• Agility: 4
• Mind: 5
• Luck Points: 2

Skills:

• Initiative: 2
• Stealth: 2
• Grappling: 5
• Melee: 1
• Ranged: 1
• Soak: 6
• Dodge: 3

Abilities:

• Haunting Visions: She can project chilling and haunting visions into the minds of those who encounter her. These visions place the victim into her own memories of the night she was murdered, forcing them to relive her last moments in painful and vivid detail. This entrancing effect causes a (11 to 12: Very Hard) Paralysis Effect that locks the victim into that cycle. The Game Master should play out the scenario with them as an RP opportunity where they may interact and make their own decisions,  but much like a dream, move too slow or are too weak to counter anything that happens to them, generating a powerless sense, however, the victim may make another attempt to resist it every minute, failure resulting in the loss of one point of Sanity every Minute. 
• Intangible: Dead Venus Boone is intangible and can only be harmed with Eldritch or Blessed weapons.

Combat:

• None