Gretchen (Knights Contract)
Gretchen is a female video game character who features in Knights Contract.
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Biography
Gretchen and her fellow witches lived for around 500 years during the time when Medieval Europe was inflicted with the Black Plague. She and her comrades were noted for being gentle souls that sought to help those stricken with the Plague with normal human being unaware that the reason for the disease was due to rats infested with fleas. However, their actions and magic led them to be condemned at witches and abominations in the eyes of God. This led to Gretchen along with her sisters such as Straeggle being captured by the inquisitors who intended to execute them. Unknown to her comrades and others, Gretchen had uncovered that the leader of this inquisition was the malevolent necromancer known as Faust who had returned in a new guise as he attempted to gather the Anima Del Monde in the care of the witches. The likes of Straeggle and others were convinced by Faust to hand over their shards whereupon he had them killed by the executioner; Heinrich Hofmann. Knowing of this, Gretchen hid her shard and had released Rapunzel from her shackles. When she was captured, the witch was placed in a prison cell where she was to wait for her public execution. In that time, she sent a messenger pigeon to her apprentice, an alchemist by the name of Paracelsus who was ordered to fashion a Human Homonculus for her. This vessel was to be used by Gretchen for her resurrection so that she could complete her task following her death. During the Committee for Witch Accusation, Gretchen was declared a witch whereupon Faust offered her a means of escape by giving up the remaining Anima Del Monde after highlighting that her comrades gave in easily. Gretchen, however, refused and revealed what she had done as well as her knowledge of Faust having used dark forbidden magic to remain young. She made once last plea to the people to make them realise their actions but this only stirred the executioner, Heinrich Hofmann to question the inquisitor as he did not want to slay an innocent woman. However, he was overruled whereupon Hofmann asked Gretchen if she had any last words to which she replied; "Should crimes committed in innocence... be judged?" whereupon she was beheaded. Her last act as she died was cursing Hofmann with immortality thus allowing him to live despite numerous acts that would normally kill an ordinary human being.
A century later, the task of completing the Homonculus was done so by Paracelsus's own apprentice who was Minukelsis. This allowed Gretchen to be restored as a young woman whereupon she intended to kill her fellow witches who had become evil and filled with raqe over how mankind had treated them. At this time, Straeggle and her sisters had allied with Faust where they spread the Black Plague around settlements as well as animated the bodies of the dead to serve them in spreading terror. Gretchen sent Minukelsis to find her a champion whilst she battled Straeggle which led to Hofmann to arrive on their battlefield. Recognising the executioner despite his age and scars, she quickly enlisted his aid in slaying Straeggle and putting her soul at peace. Afterwards, she revealed to Hofmann that Straeggle and herself were the witches he had executed a century ago. However, she intended to kill her evil comrades and wanted his aid; in exchange, she would remove the curse on his soul thus allowing him to become mortal again. To bind their agreement, she formed a contract created by blood which placed Hofmann as Gretchen's knight, companion and protector with them sharing their enemies. They later travelled to the Witch's mountain at Brocken as part of their quest where Gretchen revealed how she had been resurrected as well as her mission to her champion. In the snow covered tops, she were confronted by Trude who was another of Gretchen's sisters that attempted to entice the witch into joining them but Gretchen refused leading to a battle with her forces. During this time, she revealed to Heinrich that her sisters were once peaceful being who did not deserve execution but were now the very monsters the mortal world feared from them. Minukelsis arrived during their quest which forced Gretchen and Hofmann to save him from Trude's tree monsters whereupon he gave her a bracelet containing the might of Enoch's Hammer.
An avalanche afterwards separated Gretchen from her protectors and also left her unconscious which led to Heinrich in a desperate race to reach her before Trude's monsters did. They later battled Trude's large monstrous ice snake whereupon they entered the evil witch's lair. Once there, Trude revealed that she and her fellow six witches had forged a pact with the Devil in order to get their revenge and were willingly working for Faust. In the resultant conflict, Gretchen helped Heinrich in slaying Trude thus ending her reign of terror. Following the battle, they learnt that a nearby town was being attacked by another evil witch and quickly made their way to the settlement. Whilst walking among the fleeing towns people, she revealed why she abided by the Witch's Code whereupon they discovered that it was Holda responsible for the attack.
A century later, the six executed witches−necromancer Straegelle, ice witch Trude, fire witch Holda, storm witch Trendule, the seeress Rapunzel, and their leader Vederinde−are resurrected by Faust as monsters driven by vengeance. Heinrich enters a town being attacked by Straeggele, whom a reborn Gretchen and her human apprentice Minukelsus are hunting. Gretchen persuades Heinrich to help kill Straegelle, afterwards forming a contract with him to be her sworn Knight. Gretchen seeks to both stop the other witches, and seal the Anima Del Monde on the Brocken on Walpurgis Night before Faust can steal her piece and achieve true immortality. In return for his help, Heinrich is promised the return of his mortality.
On their journey to the Brocken, they defeat Trude, Holda, Trendule and Rapunzel. Rapunzel, later revealed to have retained her own will upon resurrection, took her own life to prevent Gretchen's soul from falling under Faust's spell. They also meet and fight Faust, who has used the Anima del Monde to extend his life and retain his youth. Reaching the Brocken, they are cornered by Vederinde, with Minukelsus sacrificing himself to save Heinrich and Gretchen. Faust faces them on the Brocken, using the Anima Del Monde to attack them. Defeated, he is betrayed and killed by Vederinde, who was feigning obedience to exact revenge on humanity and begin a new cycle of creation. Heinrich and Gretchen defeat Vederinde, and seal away the Anima Del Monde. During their journey Heinrich and Gretchen have grown close, and a final scene set in modern times shows the two still alive and protecting humanity from magical threats.
Overview
Personality and Attributes
Her original appearance was that of a young woman with brunette hair wearing simple clothing. Gretchen's form changed when she was killed as her spirit inhabited the body of a Homonculus that was crafted by her apprentice. This body was seemingly completely human in appearance though made her appear younger with blondish hair. Whilst perfectly mimicing the Human form, this body lacked the capacity to cry and did not shed any tears.
On the matter of her fellow Witches, Gretchen stated that Straeggle and Trude were once kind as well as gentle beings who did not deserve the punishments for the crimes that were charged against them. After their deaths, she did admit though that these once peaceful beings had descended to becoming the very beings that they were once accused. Gretchen herself was also kind and always sought to protect innocent life with her protecting humans as dictated by the Witches Code. To the corrupted Witches, she sought for them to be at peace and end their torturous existence with her willing to kill them to put their souls at rest.
She followed the Witch's Code and fought for peace as well as harmony which meant she fell into battle against her former comrades after they turned evil. The Code itself simply stated "As it harms none, do as thou will" which meant that Gretchen could not stand idly by and allow other witches to seek their revenge thus it led to her allying with her own executioner as well as aiding the inhabitants of a town that had her killed. In addition, she honored the contract between herself and her knight which meant his enemies became her own. Furthermore, she always sought to protect her disciples such as Minukelsis who referred to her as the Grandmaster.
Powers and Abilities
In regards to her nature, Gretch admitted that she was a witch but that the charges brought before her were false as she along with her sisters never spread the Black Death onto the mortal lands. Her magic and power allowed her to manipulate plant-life which she could use to attack her enemies, create barriers or aid her by allowing her to climb them by manipulating their growth. When an enemy was defeated, their spiritual power was released which Gretchen was able to absorb to bolster her own innate abilities.
Among her spells included Mag Mell's Rose which created steel thorns that extended from the ground to entangle her enemies with multiple foes entrapped in such a manner. It beckoned even the most restless dead to the isle of he blessed.
During her execution, Dr. Faust told the village people that Gretchen had tortured them for five hundred years indicating that she has a long lifespan. This was also indicated by Trude who stated that the spent five hundred years together at Brocken. Furthermore, she was capable of reincarnating her body within the form of a homonculus that needed to be created by her disciples. Her magic was also capable of inflicting the curse of immortality onto others which was seen when she was beheaded whereupon her blood created a pentagram underneath Hofmann who became immortal as a result. It was stated that it was the power of the Anima del Monde that allowed her to anchor her soul within the homonculus.
Appearances
- Knights Contract:
External Links
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