The Skinner: Saviour of Mankind?

“The escape of 'The Skinner' from the last of the 'Seven Covens' was perhaps one of the most impressive but worrying lapses in HMMR security. Nobody is entirely sure how it happened, but agents escorting the woman known as 'The Skinner' were suddenly wrapped in roots before a thorn erupted from the ground breaking open her handcuffs and allowing her to flee.

From there, she went off the radar completely successfully and was neither seen nor heard from for some time. It wasn't until 2022 that authorities eventually caught up with her following rumours that Aether Fonts across the world were being sucked dry and shut down.

HMMR forces moved in when rumours that someone had returned to suck the Aether Font under Stonehenge dry, and apprehended a woman who blood and DNA tests later proved to be one Mary Samantha Campbell. Campbell was held by HMMR while her identity was discerned but the scar on her wrists as well as numerous traces eventually led HMMR to conclude that Miss Campbell was indeed the infamous Skinner and promptly put her on trial for her crimes.

The trial continued for days, but eventually evidence provided by Mr Sebastian Sterling (founder of WytchWatch) found Miss Campbell guilty and she was sentenced away to Dartmoor. Her efforts to control the Aether did not go without success, however, and the flow of magic into the world was permanently weakened by her efforts to shut off the Aether. Researchers even now suggest that this work may have prevented numerous cataclysms as Kaomancy continued to be practiced, and many still herald 'The Skinner' as a misunderstood heroine, not a criminal.”

- excerpt from 'The Legacy of Chaos'