The Pale Maiden



The Pale Maiden is a portrayal of The Fear of Memory from The Path of Dread. She appears as a female of varying age, with pure white hair that is often tangled and messy, eyes lacking any pupil or iris, and is usually seen in raggedy clothes of any sort and a winter jacket or parka. She mainly appears in locations typically absent of human presence, such as parks or alleyways in late night periods, or forested areas with little human interaction. She seems to be desperately searching for something important, as she is often seen digging at the ground or looking in bins, though what it might be is a mystery.

The Maiden doesn't speak, and will often avoid interacting with people unless the individual talks to her, physically makes contact, or gets in her direct path. The result of interacting with the Pale Maiden varies, but she typically responds by screaming in intense distress. Individuals who hear her cries often black out or are brought to their knees while trying their best to drown out the noise. Victims of the Pale Maiden's cries will lose something significant to their lives, including objects, loved ones, memories, ideas, or information. These memories are commonly valuable or sentimental, including their own name, important life moments such as weddings or birthdays, and even the identities of their loved ones and where they are.

Individuals who attack the Maiden always go missing and will reappear anywhere from a few days to decades later in the same spot. Said victims are incapable of remembering anything beyond basic bodily functions, how to interact with people and their encounter with her. They frequently awaken from sleep to recall her screaming at them nonstop in their dreams, resulting in extremely poor rest. These people frequently die from dehydration, malnutrition, lack of sleep and accidental bodily harm. Most of them are never found since they are transported to remote locations and will awaken with no knowledge, which can lead to them getting killed in a matter of minutes.

Followers of the Pale Maiden are known as The Seekers, and run under the belief that the Pale Maiden exists because mankind has forgotten something vitally important. They don't have any way to track the Pale Maiden, but will openly sacrifice everything they have to her in the hopes that she eventually finds what she's looking for.