Voodoo
![]() Dominique Simone as Priscilla Kitaen |
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Details
Some stories are difficult for defining the right starting point. This one seems like one of those.
It could begin with vast cosmic entities, Celestials, visiting a mudball that would someday be called Earth, choosing to experiment upon the monkey creatures evolving there, creating the Eternals and Deviants and laying the seeds for the future of mutantcy and metahumans.
It could begin with the approach of the Kree, already involved in a galactic war against the Skrulls, choosing to follow the prior example of the Celestials in their experimentation, creating the Inhumans to be powered soldiers in that war and then losing control of those they sought to enslave, and their own advanced installation.
It could begin far from what would be called Earth, when a sect of the Skrulls chose to split from their people and travel the vast void of space to find a new home and seek the power to overcome their own people, as well as their long-time enemies in the Kree empire. That sect of onetime Skrulls, Celestial-altered Deviants as they were, would take up the derogatory name given them as a badge of pride and become the Dire Wraiths. They would settle upon a planet in a dark nebula orbiting a black sun, and it would become the key to their magical as well as technological evolution.
But the best place to begin this particular story is likely the point, hundreds of years ago, when a group of Inhuman guardians, watching over Atillan against the ever-growing spread of humanity, encountered something not at all human hiding amongst them: a Dire Wraith. Their dangerous enemy did not last long under questioning, and certainly did not willingly divulge much, but they learned enough to be concerned: a race of magic-using master shapeshifters had infiltrated Earth, and had begun manipulating humanity towards their own ends, including searching for supposed Kree-bred super soldiers and technology there which might serve their ends, or endanger it.
To avoid panic, the circle of those who knew was kept small. One of the Inhumans, gifted with a limited prescience, delivered a series of prophecies on the matter, and the guardians who had first encountered the dire wraith were tasked with leaving Atilan, exploring Earth and seeking out the dire wraiths to eliminate their threat. They were ordered to keep their fight secret, to avoid informing or panicking the humans at all costs. And so it began.
These guardians continued their quiet war for generations. Given a precious collection of Terrigen crystals and guided by the prophecies, they would at times seek out one of the dormant and unknowing humans with the Inhuman gene, engineer their exposure and Terrigenesis, and recruit the survivors into their war, replenishing their ranks. And whenever, wherever they might find dire wraiths, they would seek out the means and methods to battle them and destroy them while leaving no witnesses able to truly describe what had happened or how.
Our story picks up jus shy of two dozen years ago, when the latest (at that time) iteration of those Guardians watched a known dormant Inhuman, who happened to also be a key Naval Intelligence officer serving in Louisiana, fell in love with an amazingly beautiful schoolteacher. That naval officer could not know what the Guardians suspected, based upon investigating another of their guiding prophecies: that the schoolteacher was in fact a dire wraith operative, getting close to the officer to gain access to his intelligence. Normally, the guardians would have killed the wraith and left the man to mourn; but their prophecy, vague as it was, indicated that they must wait. And so wait they did, watching even as the two were married, and even had a child.
It wasn't until the child, a girl named Priscilla, was five years old that the guardians took action. In one night that girl's entire life changed forever, her world, her family disappearing in a terrible fire. Yet the girl survived, and despite being a mixed-race child in the deep South, she thrived - after a fashion. Raised in the foster care system, she moved from home to home, always striving to do her best. But as a poor, unloved and unwanted child of mixed race with no family 'from the wrong side of the tracks', there was a limit to how well she could thrive. Schooling was hard, while - despite her disadvantages - social situations were easy for her. She was always vivacious, friendly, a magnet to her peers. A gifted young athlete, she excelled in dance, a fateful talent that would shape her future. As she matured into a gorgeous teen with few prospects, facing the approaching end of care as a ward of the state and avoiding the worst of what could befall such a lovely young woman in her circumstances, she struck out on her own to use her obvious talents of beauty, charm and dancing skill to make her way in the world.
And that is where her story intersects once more with the guardians. They had always kept tabs on the child of that fateful union, never interfering but rarely too far away. And as the last elements of this particular prophecy seemed to fall into place, so did their plans, watching the secretly underage dancer work her way up in the performing circuit, waiting for their opportunity. Yet Fate intervened once more, and events rushed ahead nearly out of their control, as a dire wraith agent entered the club where the girl was working. When they then noticed the girl's behavior change, all at once confused and afraid of the stranger, they had to act. The club was consumed in another terrible fire, though many of the patrons and staff successfully escaped the furious battle that erupted. And no one asked where one particular dancer had gone; all simply assumed she had been slain in the fire.
Swept away by the guardians, Priscilla was actively recruited. They explained - slanted in their own way - their mission and purpose, and offered a girl who had no one and nowhere a chance to belong, a chance to be important and special. She leapt at the chance, never really considering the possibility that terrigenesis could kill her. But it did not, and she emerged as the prophesy had foretold she might: a child born of dormant seed and vile betrayer shall dance through the Mists and emerge with the Sight, to See and hunt the enemy of many faces.
Priscilla trained with the guardians extensively, and became a warrior in their cause. Her ability to See the dire wraiths for what they were regardless of their forms proved key, not only in battle but in intelligence gathering. And meanwhile she built herself up to become a respected member of their team, capable in her own right, while also finding the sense of belonging and purpose she had never found in her life before her chrysalis.
After two and a half years, all of that fell apart for Priscilla again. An operation in eastern Europe went sideways quite badly, the site exploding quite spectacularly. Priscilla managed to resiliently crawl out of the mess, recover and heal. But she lost all contact with her team. Her attempts to reestablish contact failed. She has tried to have faith that they are still alive out there, somewhere. But she has to go on with life without them.
So Priscilla has returned to the states, using the training and resources they gave her access to as she resumes her old life as an exotic dancer. Yet this time that is not her life, only her cover. She has not abandoned her mission, her calling. But without their stash of crystals, she cannot recruit others as she was herself recruited. And without the book of prophesies she can rely only on herself until she can reconnect with her team. If she can.
So the hunt continues.
Gallery
Logs
2019-09-05 - Sarah Go Boom
Summary: Mari and Priscilla call for Sarah Black as a mystic expert, and encounter Something Else...
(cib hank-mccoy hostile-takeover jimmy-baxter mari-mccabe plot priscilla-kitaen sarah-black)
2019-09-02 - Monsters, Ninjas and a Sun at 3am
Summary: Eve encounters a monster and calls for help from Sunny and Voodoo Log Info: Storyteller:...
(eve plot priscilla-kitaen sunny voodoo)
2019-08-29 - A Magical Connection
Summary: Tommy visits the Obsidian Club, and is rather stricken by their headlining dancer. Log...
(priscilla-kitaen social tommy-wisdom)
2019-08-28 - Rational solutions to an elliptic curve.
Summary: Priscilla Kitaen stops a fight from breaking out on the subway. Then kindly offers to help...
(nadia-van-dyne priscilla-kitaen social)
2019-08-25 - Revengeance
Summary: Whitestar at last has located Starfire and the fact she's at a university sponsored welcome...
(jimmy-baxter johnny-storm koriandr mary-jane peter-parker plot priscilla-kitaen susan-richards whitestar)
2019-08-14 - Queens of Brass Poles and Concrete Jungles
Summary: Emma and Sharon encounter Priscilla while shopping. Log Info: Storyteller: None Date:...
(catseye emma-frost priscilla-kitaen social)
2019-08-11 - Zappy Bats And Misunderstandings
Summary: Mayhem ensues at the Baxter Building when a Negative Zone portal unexpectedly opens on a...
(johnny-storm plot priscilla-kitaen reed-richards susan-richards)
2019-08-11 - Voodoo Origins
Summary: Priscilla opens up to Jimmy about her past and her worries. Log Info: Storyteller: None...
(jimmy-baxter priscilla-kitaen social)
2019-08-06 - Its Pris
Summary: Damian looks for someone in the Obsidian Club. He comes face to face with Voodoo. Log Info:...
(damian-wayne priscilla-kitaen social)
2019-08-05 - Jazz Festival in Blue
Summary: Two music lovers enjoy quality music in Central Park and each others' company. The magic...
(beast hank-mccoy priscilla-kitaen social voodoo)
2019-08-04 - Obsidian Introductions
Summary: Jimmy, Darcy, and Laynia take Priscilla's invitation to the Obsidian. Log Info:...
(darcy-lewis jimmy-baxter laynia-petrovna priscilla-kitaen social)
2019-08-03 - At Face Value
Summary: Laynia foils a theft, and meets Jimmy and Priscilla, who take her joking confessions as...
(jimmy-baxter laynia-petrovna priscilla-kitaen social)
2019-07-19 - Afterparty
Summary: Mari and Voodoo discuss the fight. Log Info: Storyteller: None Date: Fri Jul 19 01:09:40...
(hostile-takeover jimmy-baxter mari-mccabe plot priscilla-kitaen)
2019-07-18 - Fashion Show Turns Violent
Summary: A brawl breaks out on the catwalk. Log Info: Storyteller: jimmy-baxter Date: Wed Jul 18...
(hostile-takeover jimmy-baxter mari-mccabe plot priscilla-kitaen)
2019-07-14 - Comparing Notes
Summary: Jimmy and Priscilla discuss the attack and investigation. Log Info: Storyteller: None Date:...
(hostile-takeover jimmy-baxter plot priscilla-kitaen social)
2019-07-11 - Angry Hour at the Obsidian
Summary: A curse of rage starts a big fight in the Obsidian Club. Priscilla, Daredevil, Eve, and...
(eve hostile-takeover jimmy-baxter matt-murdock plot priscilla-kitaen)
2019-07-05 - Pool and Onion Rings
Summary: Pris and Kate meet up at a bar in upstate New york. They get to talking about mutal...
(kate-kane priscilla-kitaen social)
2019-06-18 - Secrets of Dance
Summary: Kori is improving at her new job, and decides to catch up with the friend who got her the...
(koriandr priscilla-kitaen social)
2019-06-18 - Lady's Night?
Summary: At the end of a long night partying, Ren ends up at Priscilla's club. Log Info:...
(priscilla-kitaen ren-kimura social)
2019-06-15 - Rise of the Freakshow
Summary: A random convergence of Rose, Priscilla, Piotr Isis encounter a mad mutant during first...
(cib hank-mccoy isis-marik mild-squick piotr-rasputin plot priscilla-kitaen rose-wilson)