Newbie
Group: Old One
Posts: 1
Member No.: 4
Joined: 7-September 07
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Name: Winifred "Fred" Burkle / IllyriaAge: 22 / UnknownGender: Female / FemaleRace: Human / Old OneOrientation: Straight / CelibateStatus: Single / SinglePersona: Good / Self-GainWeapons Usually used in Battle: Golf Club, Baseball Bat, Other melee weapons / Super strength and powersAppearance: Fred: Illyria:.jpg/220px-Illyria_Spotlight_(Angel_Comic).jpg) Occupation 1: Angel Investigator / Angel InvestigatorHistory: Fred was born in Dallas, Texas to Roger and Patricia "Trish" Burkle. When she reached adulthood and graduated from high school, she moved to Los Angeles for college. Originally majoring in history, Fred took a physics class with Professor Seidel which inspired her to take another path. Around this time, she began working at Stewart Brunell Public Library. In 1996, while shelving a demon language book, a curious Fred recited the cryptic text out loud and was accidentally sucked into a dimensional portal to Pylea (her future friend Lorne was sucked into the same portal on his side and ended up in Los Angeles). It was later discovered that the portal was actually opened by Fred's jealous college professor, Professor Seidel, who had sent every promising student to it, essentially sending them to their death; Fred was the only one of at least six to return (cf. "Super-symmetry"). In high school or college, Fred was a marijuana user as shown in the Episode Spin The Bottle. In that episode she asks Wesley and "Liam" for "weed", and was also revealed to be something of a conspiracy theorist.
For five years, Fred spent an arduous life as a "cow," the Pylean equivalent of a slave. The harsh life of solitude and serfdom took a serious toll on her social skills, as well as her mental health. (When Angel meets Fred she is curled up in a cave, scribbling on the already-covered walls. She had seemingly convinced herself that her previous life in LA had not been real. It was revealed that Fred had once been forced to wear an explosive shock collar.) However, Fred's salvation comes when Angel and his crew arrive in Pylea to find Cordelia Chase, who had become trapped there. It is notable that when Angel's demon came fully to the fore, it attacked just about everyone but Fred- including Charles and Wesley. Despite this shocking display of violence, Angel never seemed to scare Fred. When Pylea is liberated, Fred accompanies Angel and the rest of the gang back to Los Angeles and stays in the Hyperion Hotel to re-adjust to life on Earth and regain her mental stability. Despite several traumatic instances, such as being held hostage by Gunn's old vampire-hunting crew, she adjusts quite well to "normal" life. Her knowledge of physics and mathematics make her an excellent asset when researching and developing strategies. Fred quickly develops a romantic relationship with Gunn, which lasts roughly one year. She is also the object of affection of Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, who attempts to step aside after Gunn and Fred started dating, but is still drawn to her. Near the end of her relationship with Gunn, Fred and Wesley share a kiss, but after discovering that Wesley had been in a relationship with Lilah Morgan, her feelings for Wesley cool.
Eventually, Fred discovers that it was actually her former professor's fault that she had been trapped in Pylea, and indeed, Professor Seidel had attempted to trap her in another world again. Furious, she plots to kill him, with Wesley's help. Gunn, however, feels that such a brutal act, even against Seidel, will ultimately destroy her, and as a result, in a battle where she is trying to kill him and she is trying to trap him in a hell dimension, Gunn snaps Seidel's neck himself and drops the body into the portal. Unfortunately, this causes a rift between Fred and Gunn, and ultimately ends their relationship.
However, everything changes for Fred when she and the rest of Angel's crew joins Wolfram & Hart. Her memory is altered by a spell and it is unclear how much of Seasons 3 and 4 she remembers differently or at all (everything specific to Angel's son Connor is certainly lost). Fred receives her own laboratory and becomes the head of Wolfram & Hart's Science Division. A major asset to the team, Angel consistently relies on her department to quickly and efficiently solve problems. After going on a few dates with co-worker Knox, Fred begins to have feelings for Wesley again. The two pair for about a week, but the couple's happiness is not to last.
A mysterious sarcophagus, allowed through customs by a signature from Gunn, appears in the lab. As Fred examines it, a hole opens in the cover and a breath of wind blows into her face. It turns out that the sarcophagus is a holding cell for Illyria, one of the original, pure-breed demons known as the Old Ones, which is predestined to rise again. The air Fred inhales is actually Illyria's essence, which immediately begins a parasitic existence in her body, eating away at it and making her a shell. Worse still, Knox had worshipped Illyria for years and worked at Wolfram & Hart for the sole purpose of bringing the demon back. Because of his affections for Fred, he chose her as the only one "worthy" to house his god.
As Angel and Spike travel to England to find a cure, Wesley remains in Fred's bedroom with her, comforting her as she fights bravely, but slowly begins to die. Angel learns that the only way to save Fred would be to draw Illyria back to the Deeper Well in England by using her sarcophagus as a beacon. However, thousands of others would die as Illyria's essence cut across the world back to the Well. Thus, Angel and Spike are forced to do nothing.
As she lies dying, Fred's mind begins to give way. Nearing the end, she panics, stating that Feigenbaum, a stuffed rabbit named for mathematical physicist Mitchell Feigenbaum who studied chaos theory, should be there. When Wesley asks her who Feigenbaum is, Fred replies that she doesn't know. Cradling her in his arms, Wesley stays with Fred until the moment she dies, after which her body is taken over by Illyria. "Why can't I stay?" are Fred's last words.
According to Dr. Sparrow, Fred's soul is consumed, making it impossible for her to return from the dead or enjoy an afterlife. Later, though, Illyria states that there are remnants of Fred in the form of her memories, which are a source of confusion for Illyria. On occasion, Illyria takes on the appearance of Fred in order to go about unnoticed and to deal with Fred's parents.Illyria is one of the legendary Old Ones, an original pure demon from the Primordium Age who ruled territory that included modern-day California. She was one of the most feared of all the Old Ones and ruled from her citadel, Vahla ha'nesh, which corresponds to modern-day Los Angeles. However, Illyria was defeated and murdered by her many rivals.
Illyria in her true from, standing before her demon army.
As depicted in an illustration of a statue of her in Vahla ha'nesh, Illyria was a sight to behold in her original form. If one assumes that the statue is life-size, she would be at least five times taller than an average human. Illyria had five tentacles on either side of her torso that she uses like arms, which are flexible and ambulatory to the point that she can clutch and operate weapons with them. She has two claw-like feet that allow her to perch, much like an eagle. The rest of Illyria's form is obscured by armor, but its humanoid shape suggests that her head and torso are in much the same configuration as a human's. Illyria was loved and feared as few of the Old Ones were, so much so that she still had followers and acolytes in the modern day - arguably millions of years after her reign. Her features as an Old One resemble much the ones of Lovecraft's Spawn of Chthulhu.
When the Old Ones lost their claim over this world, Illyria's corpse was placed in a stone sarcophagus, her powers were drained and placed in jewels embedded on her coffin. Her sarcophagus was placed in a mystical graveyard known as the Deeper Well along with the coffins of other Old Ones. A warrior of good and his army were assigned to guard the Deeper Well to prevent anyone from extracting one of the coffins, as the Old Ones are capable of resurrection. In the 20th century, the Keeper of the Deeper Well was Drogyn the Battlebrand.
Before falling, Illyria planned her resurrection. She hid her temple in a different time plane, rendering it completely intangible, until she could return to open the gateway and enter it. Illyria's army was placed there as well, waiting to be raised once again by its leader. However, sometime in the passing centuries, the army was destroyed, leaving only dust in its place.
As preordained, Illyria's sarcophagus is teleported to the general area of Los Angeles, but due to continental shifting, it ends up outside of the United States of America. Somehow, it is delivered to U.S. soil, but is held up in Customs on its way to Wolfram & Hart. Dr. Sparrow manipulates Charles Gunn into releasing the sarcophagus in exchange for fixing his brain enhancements. Knox, Illyria's self-fashioned Qwa'ha Xahn (High Priest) and the mastermind behind her resurrection, has the sarcophagus delivered to Fred Burkle at Wolfram & Hart's science lab. Curiosity draws Fred to the sarcophagus, and when she touches one of the coffin's embedded crystals, Illyria's essence is released into Fred's body. Illyria's spirit acts as an infection that liquefies Fred's organs, hardens her skin, and allegedly consumes her soul. After hours of agony, and despite Angel and Spike traveling to Illyria's former prison in an attempt to find a way to draw her out of Fred, Fred's body is completely taken over by Illyria, who also absorbs her memories (which she later likens to "sparks").
With the aid of Knox, Illyria attempts to bring about the destruction of humankind by resurrecting her ancient army. Despite the best efforts of Angel, Spike, and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, she manages to fight off all three of them and open the portal to where her army is waiting, but soon she discovers that it was destroyed long ago. Lost and without purpose, Illyria agrees to learn how to adjust to the modern world with Wesley's help, who is drawn to the ancient being that now occupies the body of his love. She spends her nights with the oft-drunk Wesley and her days wandering the corridors of Wolfram & Hart.
When Wesley mentions to her that Gunn is trapped in a Wolfram & Hart-imposed pseudo-Hell, Illyria opens a portal and rescues Gunn without hesitation, later noting the great debt that the group owes to her. In the process of finding Gunn, she destroys eleven torture units, two troop carriers, an ice cream truck, eight "beautifully maintained" lawns, and "rendered useless" dozens of Wolfram & Hart employees according to Marcus Hamilton. At this point, her pastimes include talking to plants and training with Spike—or, more accurately, beating him up while he tries to ask her how she feels when he hits her and record the details on a clipboard ("I have been hitting the half-breed. He makes noise," she notes). Although she criticizes Spike's adaptability (declaring adaptation to be a compromise), Illyria enjoys beating him up; at one point, she expresses her desire to keep him as a pet.
Eventually, Illyria's power becomes extremely unstable. To others, the Old One appears to be going mad. In truth, Illyria is being thrown out of linear progression of the time-line, altering her perspective as her power seeks a way to escape its shell. Initially, she kills Spike, Wesley, Lorne, and Angel in a confrontation, interpreting their actions as an attempt to kill her, but, during her time jumps, she drags an earlier version of Angel into the present, revealing what just took place before she detonates, potentially causing enough destruction to wipe out the continent. Fortunately, the explosion sends Angel backwards in time to shortly before Illyria killed the others, allowing Angel to use his new foreknowledge of their deaths to save his friends and calm Illyria down. Before Illyria can detonate again, Wesley uses a Mutari generator to extract a large portion of her power, effectively ending the threat.
As a result of the Mutari generator, Illyria is stripped of much of her super-strength, as well as her abilities to alter time and talk to plants. She grows bitter and withdrawn after the loss of her powers, which she considers a significant defeat. Her primary emotional connection is with Wesley, who continues to help her adjust to the world. After recognizing Wesley's feelings for the "shell" (Fred), Illyria wishes to explore her relationship with Wesley in a more sexual or romantic direction; however, he rejects any possibility of accepting her in Fred's form. She also develops a connection with Spike, who can relate to her new found situation and treats her with acceptance and dignity, communicating easily with her and helping her venture into the world.
Illyria is brutally beaten and humiliated by Marcus Hamilton, which fuels the Old One's extreme anger and motivates her to join the final battle against the Senior Partners. In the Angel series finale, "Not Fade Away," Illyria, Spike, Wesley, Gunn, Lorne, Lindsey McDonald, and Angel each fight separate groups of demons from the Circle of the Black Thorn. After killing her demon victims, promising to "make trophies from their spines," Illyria seeks out Wesley and finds him dying. Perceiving his imminent death, she comforts Wesley in Fred's form. Grieving for him uncontrollably, Illyria violently dispatches his murderer, Cyvus Vail, by shattering his head with a single punch, an action that does not begin to assuage her grief and leaves her with a strong desire to "do more violence." Her wish is granted when the Senior Partners send their army against the gang; Illyria joins Angel, Gunn, and Spike in the final battle against the Senior Partners.
According to rumors about a possible spin-off, mentioned by Joss Whedon and Amy Acker, Illyria survived the final battle against the Senior Partners of Wolfram & Hart. However, despite this, her current status is unknown.
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Fred and Illyria: Approved, (Human/Old One)
