#when faced with a 'sink or swim' dillema Imogene just floated...and sank

[vitanithepure]

Character Arc: Imogene von Valancius

@bnbc tagged me to present the story arc of my RT! Thank you :D

Hers is a story of falling from grace, getting back up only to start down a road of moral descent. Imogene lived long enough to become the villain - first in her own eyes and then in the Imperium's.

Imogene Aeos Venria de Vahl af Calixis was born into power and privilege, and it was never a burden for her. Armed with her unwavering faith in the God-Emperor and a charming smile she reached what she believed was the pinnacle of her career with claiming governance over a planet back in the Calixis Sector.

And she made it look easy, so easy in fact that a long line of political enemies figured they could do it instead of her. Perhaps it was one of them that finally managed to stage a coup, maybe it was an unrelated event, or maybe a ploy of Theodora herself, but Imogene was abducted one night from her estate, no ransom was made, no demands presented. Just her, mistreated and tortured to the brink of her life, to be finally rescued by the von Valancius forces and informed of the summons made by Lady Theodora.

First step down on her new road.

She was more than capable of filling the shoes of her esteemed predecessor and done so gladly, but the toll was high and Imogene has not recovered from her previous ordeal before the next one came. Surviving Commorragh was the next step of her journey that left her sanity maimed. From there, it was a constant battle with nightmares plaguing her sleep as well as waking hours.

So it was pushing on, pushing forward, unthinkable to stop, almost heretical to think about taking a step back. And she did great things. To anyone outside her closest retinue she must have seemed like a blessing sent from the Emperor himself, His chosen, defeating all enemies of humanity with one brilliant victory after another.

But behind each success stood a secret, each a step downward. The Aeldari defeated with the help of a fellow Rogue Trader who succumbed to the whispers of Chaos. Footfall 'secured' for Kasballica with the blood of another of Imogene's peers. Her alliance with Xavier Calcazar, forged with a heresy of relying on the C'tan Shard. 

But it lasted like this for decades. People around her changed, the powers shifted, but in the end she leaves behind a prosperous and stable protectorate, if corrupt and run on shady dealings. She herself will be remembered as a lunatic, despite her accomplishments. Lost in her own world, laughing at things only she seemed to witness.

But it's not her worry anymore, nothing is. Imogene is done with her duties, done with keeping secrets, and done with the Imperium. She disappears the same day Lord Inquisitor Heinrix van Calox does, who himself barely escapes the trial his acolytes wanted him to face. Very few believe it was a coincidence, but there is little that can be done about it - wherever they decided to run off to, they left no trace to follow. 

Branded traitors and heretics, they took the last step of this journey together.

I lost track of who got tagged and who didn't, so I'll give a heads up to @iamaweretoad and @yrlietlanaevyss and who wants to give it a go! Please tag me in your RT's journey if you do! :D