Ivy O'Grant

Ivy O'Grant isn't a character from NBC Hannibal, but it's important for the webcomic Exoterism.

So, let's know her better! (P.S: Here you can see the other characters - EXOTERISM ILLUSTRATION MASTERPOST)

Ivy O'Grant

Written by +Jessica Meoli 

Illustrations by me +Elisabetta Palmeri

Name: Ivy O'Grant

Species: Vampire

Known as: Baltimore's Sheriff, mother wolf

Apparent age: 25 years

Real age: 130 years

Weight: 60 Kilos

Height: 1,70 centimeters

Eye color: Brown as a human, yellow/orange as a vampire

Hair color: Chestnut brown, medium-long

Biography:

She was born in Derry, Ireland, in 1885.

Her family was not rich, and since young age she learned that life never gives anything free; she was an hard worker, helping his father (a blacksmith) and mother with housework.

As a little girl, she wasn't social at all. In fact, she much preferred wandering in the woods around Derry, than playing with other children; she of course went to school and learned the basics, but wasn't interested in pursuing a scholar career.

One day Ivy, as always, went for a walk in the woods, when a group of kids started to bully her.

They threw little rocks and sticks at the girl, calling her names.

Ivy, simply run ahead. She wasn't scared to get in a fight, but they were many and she was one. She simply made the smart decision to get away from a fight that she would have surely lost. Survival isn't always about fight back. Sometimes it's also about knowing when it's time to retreat.

Unfortunately, she didn't see the deep hole in the ground (probably an old trap set by hunters), and she fell in. None of the kids saw her going into the hole, and simply went away.

Ivy didn't break any bones (pure luck), but she passed out until the night arrived.

Once she woke up, the girl tried to call for help as loud as she could, but no one came to her.

While sobbing desperately, a wolf peeked from above the hole.

She of course got scared, but the beast simply observed her. It almost seemed that it was waiting for something. The eyes of that wolf, its look, its mighty form, gave little Ivy courage and strenght. So she started climbing the wall of dirt, holding onto roots and bigger rocks to have a safer grasp.

When finally she got out, it was almost dawn. The wolf was nowhere to be seen.

Ivy returned home, and from that night on she honored nature and its creatures.

Years later, her parents died due to an horrible fire that destroyed half of the town, along with lot of other people. She was 23 back then.

Deciding that there was nothing left for her in Derry, Ivy spent two years wandering around the country, learning by herself how to survive in the forest (not because she couldn't find a job, but she wanted to be in contact with nature and maybe, meet that wolf again). She was interested no more in society and its nonsense laws and rules. She only recognized one rule: survive. Naturally, she wasn't a cruel predator: she was patient, indipendent, careful and even mercyful in certain cases. If she saw a doe, with her just born fawn, she simply left them alone.

Ivy had (and still has) great respect for life and its unwritten rules: they could seem cruel, but it was simply how things were. If a wolf kills a rabbit, it is only to feed itself and its offspring. No cruelty, no malice, no sadism.

Now, man on the other hand. From simply ignoring society and modern lifestyle, Ivy began to barely tollerate cities, big and small, and their vices.

She would often sabotage the hunters' traps and weapons, or ruined the senseless fox huntings, hosted by snobby, pretentious rich men.

That wasn't natural. They were destroyng the fragile balance of this world.

Hunting isn't wrong, unless you do it without respecting the prey.

One night, she was as usual sabotaging another trap, when the hunters surrounded her and captured her. Ivy got beaten and raped by the men for a whole day; they kept her chained to a pole outside their cabin, completely naked, without any food or water.

The night after her capture, when the men were asleep after hours of drinking whiskey, Ivy saw something approaching her. It was a wolf. The same wolf that gave her strenght to get out the hole that night of many years ago.

The beast simply bit the chain, and with just one bite, the girl was free.

There was no time to think about how in the world that wolf could be able to break metal chains with his teeth, because she immediately run into the forest, with the wolf behind her.

Once they were far enough, Ivy bowed before the animal, thanking him for saving her. When she got up, though, she saw no wolf. Only a man.

He was tall, with long, dark hair and beard. Two blue eyes staring into her soul.

"Who...are you?" Ivy asked confused and tense.

"My mortal name was Robert, my child. So you may call me that. I've observed you for years and years, until you grew up into a woman. I saw you protecting nature and its balance, neglecting the vicious life of city men and despise their arrogant acts. You are the one I've chosen. Become more than a mere human. Become the superior predator. But beware: your life will be damned. No sunlight will touch your skin, your heart will beat no more, and you'll need to hide your true colors to the mortals. So if you choose this path, just know that you'll never be able to go back.

Become, my child. Become one with mother nature."

Something in his voice, his looks, his speech, convinced Ivy.

"I accept."

And then there was darkness. When she came to her senses, the young woman remembered the lustful bite that turned her into a Cainite. A vampire.

She was starving, but her Sire, Robert, brought her back to the hunters' cabin. And she ceded to her inner Beast.

The next day the newspapers talked about an horrible fact: four huntsmen were brutally murdered by a very big animal, the police supposed.

Ivy spent almost one hundred years with Robert, learning that her vampire clan was called Gangrel, and so many other notions, that it would take a life to learn them.

Once she was ready, Robert told her that she now was free to wander wherever she liked. And so she did.

Modern Nights: After visiting many places, getting into almost fatal fights, and doing lots of interesting encounters, Ivy is currently in Baltimore, as the Sheriff of the Camarilla group in the city. She couldn't care less about their meaningless poltics and games. She simply accepted the role because they needed protection. That's why she gained the nickname "mother wolf".

She has a good relation with the Anarch group and deeply hates the Sabbath one.

Her territory is vast: most of the parks in Baltimore are under her control, and guards them. And any supernatural creature who trespasses them without her permission, it's dead meat.

When she meets the pack of werewolves "Le Malanove", she is understanding and careful, and offers them a truce with the Camarilla. For all she cares, they can go and reduce to ashes the Sabbath's Cainites, but not the ones she swore to protect.

Disciplines (aka the vampiric powers):

-Protean: she can use animal features (such as claws and perfect eye view) to attack and she can even transform into two animal forms: a she-wolf and an owl. She is unbelievably strong, so much that she could throw a big car or destroy a wall with a few punches.

-Animalism: she can talk with animals and give them orders. Normally, animals are scared of vampires, but whoever has this power, becomes their friend or master.

-Fortitude: thanks to this power, Ivy can resist without problems to most damages, such as bullets. But she can't resist to sunlight and fire, of course.

Extras:

-She has a very nice singing voice, but never sings in public.

-She is very protective. Sometimes too much.

-Calm, prudent, secure, humble, and wise.

-She has a great respect for life and its forms.

-Never understood fashion.

-She doesn't like to fly, and that is why she tends to never use her owl form. Except if she's in danger, of course.

-When Ivy kills, she does it quickly. She is not a sadist.

-She has a friendly relationship with Will Graham, as she sees him as a young cub still learning how to live his new life. She often gives him advices when needed.

-She doesn't give a damn about werewolves-vampires war. She thinks it's just useless. They have enough enemies already, such as other vampires, the Church and other supernatural creatures.