Walking City OCT - Agnes Reference Page

History: As a young girl, Agnes was very happy to have a doctor for a father. He would often go about the town aiding others, and he was well loved by the population because of this. Being so proud of her father, Agnes was quick to follow in his footsteps, constantly by his side as he performed procedures and discussed medicinal theories with his colleagues. A naturally gifted intellectual, she picked up on the practice very rapidly and showed great promise despite her young age.

But during this time, there were some rumors circulating throughout the nearby towns. It was no issue that the good doctor wore a mask with an elongated nose and dressed in all black. It became a symbol of hope for those who were afflicted, mysterious, yet oddly charming. But it was being said that the beloved and well-known physician had been escaping to the forest in the dead of night, followed by many others dressed just the same. It was said that a cult had begun to surface, its rituals dark and maddening.

The Pestus Cult had begun to gather notoriety amongst the countryside. Primarily composed of physicians, this cult believed in enlightenment through death. They felt that the experienced reality was simply an illusion, and that ceasing ties to their physical bodies will allow them the freedom to pass on. Needless to say, his supposed association with the cult left Agnes' father rejected by the majority of the community. Though he still offered his services, he was spoken of as a madman, and the rumors would continue. This did not affect Agnes' father, however. His smile was still sincere as he offered aid, and it stayed even after the most harsh rejection.

Agnes did not take it as well, however. Despite her father insisting otherwise, she would confront anyone who outwardly insulted him. A very odd thing for such a shy young girl, but her father was the epitome of purity to her.

Things did not improve. The village suddenly succumbed to a horrific plague that spread like rapid fire in the night. A terrible affliction, those affected scarcely lasted over a day. And just as the plague spread, so did more rumors of the cultist doctor. "He was the one who brought this upon us!" "He needed work, so he invited dark spirits to infect us!" Quickly, those who were physically able sought him out intent on attaining revenge. Agnes and her father quickly fled the town to stay in a shack on the outskirts.

The town perished within a week. Those who initially became infected attempted to cure themselves with medicine. After seeing no change, others turned to religion, spurred on by the idea that the doctor had summoned dark spirits to consume them. And yet, this brought nothing better.

Agnes and her father had also been infected. While on the brink of death, Agnes' father introduced her to a curious invention, something he had been working on since the rumors began. It would combine two chemicals together into a poisonous gas, one that he said would hold off the illness for a while. Though it would keep the illness from progressing, the "medicine" would still cause their bodies to deteriorate, but at a significantly less rapid pace. However, her father had been infected for much longer than Agnes, and was soon bedridden.

Before his death, Agnes' father had revealed the source of the plague. The Pestus Cult had discovered a ravenous disease that held a wild nature from isolated lands far away. Infected individuals would sometimes mutate beyond natural means, gaining dark claws, tentacles, spines... The cult saw this as the ultimate means to ascension, and thus decided to release it upon the rest of the civilized world. Remaining uninfected themselves, they introduced it into the village secretly. Agnes' father was able to keep the disease from spreading, but at the cost of getting infected himself, and by extension infecting his daughter.

As she is one of the last remaining hosts for the disease, Agnes' father encouraged his daughter to do only one thing: survive. His invention would allow her to continue living and keep the disease from spreading as long as she kept it under control. She could keep the gas off when she wears the mask and heavy amounts of clothing, but if she were to breathe openly, a sizable area must be disinfected before she can continue. Honoring her father's wishes, Agnes began traveling, only arriving in cities at night in order to minimize the chance for infection. She'd offer her services as a physician in exchange for food, but she'd scarcely be in one place for long.

The Pestus Cult has been said to be pursuing her, as she may be the last hope for their final ritual.

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This is my first time entering an OCT, and I'm pretty stoked. I've always been big on character design, as I know many are. Unfortunately, I don't know a lot of people that I can discuss character design on a deep level, explore ideas and play around with them. That's why I hope to meet a few people throughout this and make some good connections. Also, I love the idea of creating characters and having them interact with others. It shows a dynamic that really interests me. I could go on for days about the theories of character design, but perhaps another time.

I spent a CRAZY amount of time on this, though. I need to find a quicker and more effective way to do line-art and coloring... I recently discovered my college has fantastic computers (with the most recent Photoshop) and great quality tablets, so I've been using those. I own a fairly old tablet and only have Photoshop Elements. You'll notice a lot of my character designs are still very sketchy, but this one I've had the tools to clean up.