The Origin of Samantha Grey
This story concerns the origin of Samantha Grey and is set in the Dimension Delta Zeta 17-46 timeline in 1692.
Annabelle Hubbard and the Illstone
Annabelle Hubbard's story is one of a woman driven by personal hardship and a thirst for purpose, leading her to become a pivotal figure in this dark chapter of the Croatoa Colony.
Before her discovery of the Illstone, Annabelle was a widowed colonist struggling for respect and recognition within the community. The other colonists did not hold her in high regard; she had not been born to any of the more prominent families, nor was she active in the community's social and religious life. She had developed a reputation for being different, and in fact, for being quite odd. Her lack of status and influence gnawed at her, fueling a deep-seated desire to be something more and to leave her mark on the world.
The sun beat down on the rocky field as Annabelle Hubbard, her hands calloused and worn, walked through the hilly terrain and stumbled upon yet another outcropping of stones. "Just more useless rocks, like myself," she thought, her heart heavy. The day's work was never easy; while the ground was fertile, it seemed to produce more stones than vegetables. She put her hoe to the stones and loosened them, preparing to lift them into her barrow for removal.
But as she touched one loose stone, it began pulsing with a faint, dark energy. "What is this?" she wondered, her breath catching in her throat.
Her grandmother had once confided a secret to her: they had been witches, sorcerers even, long ago, but were driven into hiding by the envy and hatred of those without such power. Grandmother had told her that one day, either she or her own grandchildren might recover their lost station and wield power again.
Annabelle had dabbled in the occult as best she could, hiding her efforts from the others in the Colony. The colonists were ever concerned about the supernatural; this land in the Americas harbored more of it natively than the Old Country had. As the colonists worked to tame the land, they pushed away the powers that had dwelt there over the ages, just as they slew and drove off the native peoples. Annabelle knew she possessed power, but lacked the knowledge to unlock or wield it fully. And now, the touch of this stone beckoned to her.
She had a vision of herself in the future, surrounded by servants of power, ruling a group of mages and sorcerers, occult fighters and spirits, harnessing the powers of the land and using them to recreate the world of her distant ancestors, restoring their legacy and birthright to herself.
The stone flashed green with energy, and certain knowledge unlocked in her mind. She came to understand a plan—a means for bringing the powers of Mu back to this world from the netherworld to which it had been banished. Oranbega, it whispered in her mind. Oranbega.
The Recruitment of Young Samantha Grey
In a cozy but dimly lit room, light struggled to pierce through the heavy curtains; instead, the two spoke by candlelight. Eleven-year-old Samantha sat quietly on a stool, downcast. Across from her, widowed Mrs. Hubbard, with a gentle and warm expression, observed the young girl.
“Samantha, dear, you seem a little downcast. Is everything alright?” Mrs. Hubbard asked softly. Samantha looked down at her book, her voice barely above a whisper. “Not really. It's just... the other children. They don't understand me.”
Mrs. Hubbard smiled kindly, leaning forward slightly. “And why would they, my dear? You’re not like the others. You're special.”
Samantha scoffed, still not meeting her gaze. “Special? They call me names. They say I'm odd.”
“Odd is just another word for unique, Samantha,” Mrs. Hubbard said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “You possess a gift that others can’t comprehend. A spark of potential waiting to be ignited.”
Samantha's eyes flicked up, curiosity sparking within them. “A gift? What kind of gift?”
Taking Samantha's hand gently, Mrs. Hubbard continued, “A gift that can make you more than you are now. A gift that can make you strong, confident, and admired. You have a unique mind; a deep heart. You simply need to know how to use them.”
“But I don't feel strong. I'm just... me,” Samantha replied hesitantly.
“Of course you don't feel strong yet, my dear,” Mrs. Hubbard caressed her hand. “It is waiting to be unlocked. I can show you how, Samantha. There is a way, a special ritual, that will reveal your true self. It’s a sacred process, to make you into the person you were always meant to be. Imagine, no longer feeling invisible, no longer being overlooked.”
Samantha's eyes widened in surprise. “A ritual? Would it hurt?”
“No, dear one. It is as safe as can be,” Mrs. Hubbard reassured her with a smile. “It’s like... a chrysalis, where a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. A process of becoming. After this ritual, you'll shine. You'll be capable of great things. No one will ever underestimate you again, nor will they be able to push you aside or ignore you. And you will help me accomplish great things here. Great things.”
A note of hope crept into Samantha's voice. “Really? And the other children?”
“They will see you, Samantha, they will admire you,” Mrs. Hubbard nodded with conviction. “They'll seek your advice and follow your lead. Think of all the things you've ever wanted to do, all the ways you wanted to change things, to improve the world. How you can show the ones who've mistreated you how wrong they were. All of that will be within your grasp. This will give you the power to finally be who you were meant to be.”
Samantha tightened her grip on her book, determination flickering in her eyes. “So, I could be... more?”
“More than you ever dreamed possible,” Mrs. Hubbard leaned closer, her voice almost hypnotic. “This ritual is not just a chance, Samantha; it’s your calling. Your destiny. You’ve always known you were different; now you will know why. The world needs you, I need you, dear child. Are you ready to take your place?”
With a barely audible whisper, but filled with burgeoning conviction, Samantha replied, “Yes... I'm ready.”
“Excellent,” Mrs. Hubbard smiled, a hint of triumph in her eyes. “The ritual will be soon, and you won't be alone. I and your true friends will be there. You won't regret this, my dear. This is your chance to be seen, to be heard, to be valued as you are meant to be. Run along home now, and don't tell your mother you visited me. This plan will be our secret; ours alone. If you tell anyone, then I won't be able to help you.”
Midnight Ritual
The midnight air hung heavy with the scent of wood-smoke and damp earth. A clearing in the dense forest, normally quiet and peaceful, was now transformed into a scene of unsettling chaos. Eleven-year-old Samantha Grey, along with several other young girls, stood in a roughly-hewn circle of stones, their faces pale and drawn. They were surrounded by flickering candlelight and the ominous glow of infernal flames erupting from a strange, pulsating stone at the center of the circle. Mrs. Hubbard, her face contorted with a disturbing blend of fanaticism and anticipation, led the ritual, her voice a low chant, casting the spell, that echoed through the trees.
The girls, vulnerable and trusting, had been lured by Mrs. Hubbard’s false promises of strength, belonging, and the chance to be seen.
The air grew thick with strange energy as Mrs. Hubbard’s incantations reached a fever pitch. The girls trembled, not entirely from fear, but also a building expectation. The power was rising, drawing them in. The complex spell began to tear at reality above the stone, breaching it open, and there emerged flames and the scent of brimstone.
As the ritual reached its climax, the air crackled with energy, and the central stone pulsed ominously, its flames dancing higher and hotter. The girls, initially standing in fear, began to experience strange sensations coursing through their bodies.
Two of the girls, unable to resist the infernal energy that filled the clearing, were the first to undergo a dramatic transformation. Their bodies convulsed as dark shadows coalesced around them, and a chilling wind swept through the circle. Within moments, they were enveloped in a shroud of darkness, their features obscured. When the shadows receded, they stood taller, their forms now cloaked in tattered, dark robes that billowed as if alive. Flaming eyes flickered where once there had been innocence, a malevolent glow replacing their former selves. They had become vessels for the evil souls summoned by Mrs. Hubbard, embodying a sinister power that radiated from their very beings.
Another girl, caught in the fervor of the ritual, was not so lucky. As the flames surged, she began to twist and contort, her body wracked with pain. The fire enveloped her, consuming her entirely, and in a horrific spectacle, she transformed into a Balrog -- a towering creature of chaos and fire. Her soul was obliterated in the process, and the fierce flames coalesced into a monstrous form, with wings unfurling and a body made of smoky tendrils and blazing embers. The air grew thick with the scent of scorched earth and brimstone as her transformation marked a catastrophic culmination of the ritual’s dark intentions.
The infernal energy surged around Samantha. She experienced a fierce tugging at her very essence, but unlike the others, she did not entirely succumb. As the youngest girl, perhaps her spirit, still innocent and untainted, fought more strongly against the dark forces encroaching upon her. She fell to the ground, burned and gasping, the malignant powers that sought to consume her were unable to do so completely.
The loud cries of the children had not gone unnoticed. The sounds of breaking branches and snapping twigs announced that concerned townsfolk were approaching the clearing, their voices growing louder as they neared. The cries, commotion, the smoke, and the unsettling glow of the infernal flames had alerted them to what was taking place.
Mrs. Hubbard, abruptly interrupted by the failure to complete the sacrifice of Samantha was struck by a wave of panic and fear. She watched the villagers move toward her through the trees and tried to gather her remaining resources, but it was too late. The situation was now beyond her control. She, the mages she had created and the spirits she had summoned fled into the woods.
The Townsfolk Arrive
The villagers’ growing alarm and Mrs. Hubbard's mounting fear served as a dramatic conclusion to the chaotic and transformative event. Samantha’s partial transformation, born of this harrowing ritual, forever altered the course of her life and the future of the world.
The townspeople were already uneasy due to their beliefs about magic and the influence of satanic forces. The incident in the woods created an immediate and palpable sense of panic. The sight of the ritual site, with Samantha having been rescued at the last moment, the evidence of the other sacrifices, and the implication of a demonic presence heightened the community's fears. Over the next few weeks, dramatic hysteria reigned.
The townsfolk gathered arms and hunted down Mrs. Hubbard and the handful of creatures and spirits she had summoned, capturing them all. The village priest presided over the execution by burning of Mrs. Hubbard and her creatures, declaring the soil of their ashes and the stone buried with them to be desecrated ground, warding against them ever being found again.
Fear and paranoia spread throughout the Croatoa community as accusations flew. Who else had known? Who had been the witches' allies? Had other children been corrupted? Was she responsible for the poor harvest or the native attacks? The townspeople quickly blamed their neighbors, creating a climate of distrust and suspicion. They attempted to connect every misfortune or turn in their lives to evil actions and supernatural forces.
As the accusations grew, the town's magistrate initiated formal trials. These proceedings were heavily influenced by his own fear and religious dogma, resulting in many unjust convictions. The accused were coerced into confessions; spectral evidence was cited against them, and hearsay was taken as testimony. Truth was not served -- those deemed a threat to the community were eagerly punished and eradicated. Those accused of witchcraft faced harsh punishments, including expulsion, imprisonment, torture, and execution. Some were burned at the stake, just like Mrs. Hubbard.
The hysteria spread to the other colonies, though not with the same feverish pitch. Many of the wrongful victims had been seen as "different" or "odd," and the early societies of the colonies became more intolerant of fringe behaviors -- an effect that lasted for centuries.
Almost two decades later, In 1711, the Colony General Court reversed many of the attainders against those wrongly found guilty of witchcraft during what was later called "The Croatoa Hysteria". The legal authorities eventually recognized the injustice of the trials and the persecution of the accused, due to a combination of pressure from moderate voices and a cooling of mass hysteria. Still, the societal impact of the hysteria lasted for centuries and fueled both the Red Laws, the eventual Great Cleansing, and the ethnogenesis of the New American people.
The Exiling of Samantha Grey
In the immediate aftermath of the ritual, Samantha appeared to have been unaffected by the dark magic, and as a frightened eleven-year-old, she denied having been part of it. She experienced a few weeks of relative normalcy; however, the trauma of the ritual lingered, evidenced to her parents by her bad dreams, poor behavior, and fits of uncontrollable terror. They became fearfully suspicious when she started showing red glints in her eyes, and after six months, tiny nubs of horns began growing from her head.
They tried to hide these changes by dressing her in long clothing and later by keeping her hidden within their farm cottage. But over the next eighteen months, the changes became too great to ignore, and even her parents grew terrified of what she was becoming. By the end of that period, she had stubby wings erupting from her back, a tail beginning to grow, and horns on her head that were too large to conceal. Worse still, she was starting fires; pyrokinesis was manifesting, accompanied by the scent of brimstone.
It was undeniable, and they summoned their courage to go to the priest. His reaction was far worse than they had anticipated -- he did not offer to help them try to heal or exorcize their child but instead brought a violent mob to see the child slain and burned. After a standoff at the front door of Samantha's parents' home, the mob set fire to the cottage, preventing anyone from escaping. Samantha's family burned to death, and their home was destroyed. The mob dispersed, believing they had cleansed their world of the last legacy of Mrs. Hubbard's evil.
However, during the fire, with her parents dead and her own body catching fire, Samantha's ability to teleport first manifested. She escaped by teleporting herself half a mile away to a stream she had frequented for water. From there, she ran into the deep wilderness.
By 1715, she had matured and completed her physical transformation into her full half-devil form. She had manifested her full suite of superpowers and began to learn how to use them to survive more easily. Over the next hundred years, her solitary life in the wilderness led her further west as the edge of settled lands pushed forward. She encountered native tribes, isolated explorers, trappers, and hunters, as well as occasional early settling groups. Some, such as the early religious trekkers, were more tolerant of the unusual due to their own experiences with the intolerance of mainstream colonial society. Eventually, she accepted her condition and realized she was not aging.