Graves Lore

The dead have been making a whole lot of demands lately.

Graves enjoyed her time in the cemetery. It was a quiet place to calm her thoughts and talk through her problems…but one day her one-sided conversations started to change.

It began with a faint whisper. A woman’s voice that seemed to respond to Graves’ complaints. Intrigued, the teenager listened…and followed the voice’s instructions until it guided her to a lead-lined box buried in Van Cortlandt Park. But while most high school students would freak out if they were to unearth a severed lich hand, Graves was certainly not most teens.

The hand now free of its prison, the lich’s voice grew stronger… It had spent years looking to find a student she could pass her knowledge to, and Graves was eager to learn.

Now a fledgling necromancer, Darcy balances not only her homework at Blackmore Academy…but the demands of graveyard denizens, each of whom have their own unfinished business that they seek her aid in resolving.

Overview

Graves’ motivation in the ritual is unknown, but she seems to be fighting on behalf of her mentor: the Lich.^[1][2][3]

Biography

Graves’ parents are wealthy, owning a penthouse in Midtown Manhattan,^[4] and enrolled her in the elite Blackmore Academy.^[5] Their law firm seems to be called "Whiteside & Graves".^[6] Graves has a sister.^[7]

While Graves’ age hasn’t been mentioned, she shares classes with Apollo, who is 18 years old.^[8][9]

As a fledgling necromancer, Graves is still learning about the craft from her mentor.^[10][11] Her Jar of Dead was one of the first things the Lich taught Graves.^[12] According to the Patrons, Graves works tirelessly to honor the dead and grant them peace, and many souls are in her debt.^[13][14] During the ritual, Graves calls upon her favors with the dead to get them to help her out.^[15] Part of Graves’ work as a necromancer seemingly includes helping people communicate with the dead.^[16][17]

Graves once wrote an essay about Johann Geist in a humanities course.^[18] She’s currently writing a paper on Wuthering Heights.^[19]

Graves does babysitting.^[20]

Personality

Graves is cynical and snarky, but she also shows a sensitive side, being sympathetic to the plight of the dead.^[21][22][23] She considers her role as a voice for them as "an honor".^[24] The other heroes often think Graves is in over her head.^[25]

Graves has a strong conviction that the Lich is helping her, and disregards those who warn that she may have been manipulated.^[26][27][28] While Graves doesn’t usually antagonise people she’s unfamiliar with, she often pushes people away if they try to reach out to her.^[29][30][31] Graves likes people who are blunt and direct.^[32][33][34]

Graves seems to like cats,^[35][36] and believes that the world would probably be better off if 90% of humans were replaced by cats.^[37]

Graves has a low opinion of the law.^[38][39] She likes to skip her school classes.^[40]

Appearance

Graves is a short, slim young woman with pale white skin. She has green eyes with dark makeup and long eyelashes, black lipstick and fingernails, a hooked nose, and short white hair with bangs covering the left side of her face, with a top knot on each side.

She wears a red Blackmore Academy uniform jacket with a white shirt, a uniform gray skirt over 3 layers of black skirts leaning to her left side, pantyhose ripped at the knees, fingerless black gloves, and worn black boots.

She carries a backpack with a skull motif and has a green pin in her jacket, a spiked bracelet in her left hand, chains over her skirt, black pendants in her chest in the shape of a skull, and a pair of black coffin-shaped earrings.

Her weapon is the necrotic severed hand of her lich mentor, flaming green. She carries her Deadhead skulls in a green jar. Her ghouls are skinny green undead humanoids with black legs and a floating skull head burning with green flames, like the lich hand.

Character Relationships

The Lich

Speaking through her severed hand, the Lich is Graves’ mentor.

Graves idolises the Lich and considers her her best friend.^[41][42] Graves promised the Lich that she’d do whatever it takes to complete the ritual, believing it would make her happy.^[43][2]

While Graves deeply trusts the Lich, there are implications that the Lich is just using her to get what she wants.^[44][45] While occasionally warned about the dangers of a lich’s hand, Graves ignores the warnings.^[26][27][28]

The Lich knows Grey Talon and warns Graves of him.^[46] She also warns Graves about Seven‘s power.^[47]

The Lich wants Abrams‘ Tome.^[48] Graves also thinks her mentor would want to get her hands on Kelvin‘s stone.^[49]

Apollo

Graves and Apollo are classmates at Blackmore Academy, and are each other’s lab partners.^[50]

Apollo believes Graves is a "decent" lab partner, but disapproves of her truancy.^[40] Graves calls Apollo "the Golden Boy",^[51] and doesn’t hate Apollo as much as she wishes she did.^[52]

Graves and Apollo are familiar with each other’s parents, and insult each other over their parental relationships.^[53]

Calico

Graves recognizes Calico. Calico apparently attended a Christmas party at the law firm of Graves’ parents.^[6]

Graves likes Calico and wants to stay in touch with her after the ritual.^[54] She also likes Ava, despite finding her ugly.^[35][36]

Mina

Graves seems familiar with Mina and hates her.^[55][56] Graves expresses glee at hearing about Infernus carding Mina on her 16th birthday.^[57]

Character Interactions

• Graves shows interest in trying to help the undead characters, such as Kelvin, Vindicta and Victor.^[58][21][22]
• Graves thinks Dynamo‘s jacket is cool.^[59] She dislikes Infernus‘ fedora.^[60]
• Graves really likes Yamato, even though she knows she shouldn’t like her.^[34][61][62]
• Graves mentions that Shiv "took something that doesn’t belong to him".^[63]
• Graves hates people like Lady Geist and thinks she was a fool to make a deal with Oathkeeper.^[64][65]
  • Aside from Lady Geist, Graves is the only other person who can hear what Oathkeeper says.^[66]
• Seven warns Graves that her mentor is using her to "live glories they could not achieve on their own".^[67] He also warns Graves that the path she’s on will eventually get her killed. Seven warns Graves because he "hates to see talent wasted".^[30]
  • Graves would like to be Seven’s "intern".^[68]
• Haze suggests a job to Graves as an OSIC medium, to which Graves says "that might not suck".^[69]
• Infernus offers to help Graves if she ever finds herself in over her head, as a form of payment for Hank saving his life when he was Graves’ age.^[29]
• Holliday and the Shopkeeper call Graves a "theatre kid".^[70][71]
  • Holliday dislikes Graves participating in the ritual as she’s just a kid.^[72][73]
• Venator warns Graves that the Lich is using her, demanding that she gives him the lich hand.^[74] Graves misinterprets the warnings as Venator threatening her.^[28]
• According to Rem, Graves smells like wet dirt.^[75]
• Holliday and Silver imply that Graves smokes cloves (cigarettes) despite her model not showing any.^[70][76]

References

1. ↑ The Hidden King‘s in-game voice line (Graves start): "Your devotion to your mentor is admirable, Graves. Use what she taught you to complete the ritual."
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Graves‘ in-game voice line (select): "This should make my mentor happy."
3. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (Unselect): "I think there’s safer ways to help my mentor."
4. ↑ Graves And Celeste Conversation 2 – "Ever thought about leaving home for the circus?" – "My parents have penthouse in midtown, what do you think?"
5. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (kill high net worth) – "I go to Blackmore. You think money impresses me?"
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Graves And Calico Conversation 1
7. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (upgrade Jar of Dead): "These guys do a great job at keeping my sister out of my room."
8. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Apollo): "Great, I killed my lab partner…"
9. ↑ Apollo And Celeste Conversation 3 – "Most 18-year-olds aren’t about to summon an Elder God."
10. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (upgrade Essence Theft) – "One day I’ll get a phylactery of my own, but this will have to do for now."
11. ↑ Graves‘ unused voice line (upgrade ‘Power 2’): "One day, I’ll figure out how to keep them around longer, but… it’s good enough for now."
12. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (upgrade Jar of Dead) – "This was one of the first things my mentor taught me."
13. ↑ The Hidden King‘s in-game voice line (Graves start): "You work tirelessly to honour the dead and bring them peace. The Hidden King is counting on that same devotion."
14. ↑ The Archmother‘s in-game voice line (Graves start): "Many souls are in your debt, Graves. If you finish the ritual, the Archmother herself will join that number."
15. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (upgrade Essence Theft) – "I’m gonna have to call in all my favors with the dead if I want to stay alive."
16. ↑ Graves And Wraith Conversation 1
17. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (unselect) – "Can’t help with the ritual, I gotta find the body of some old crone’s lover that’s buried in Woodlawn."
18. ↑ Graves And Lady Geist Conversation 1
19. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (select): "Completing some eldritch ritual beats finishing my paper of Wuthering Heights."
20. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (upgrade Jar of Dead): "I don’t get why people don’t like it when I use this babysitting. Kids love pointing at skulls."
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Vindicta): "I wish you’d let me help you, Vindicta."
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Victor): "You should’ve came to me for help, Victor."
23. ↑ Graves‘ unused voice line (upgrade ‘Power 5’): "These streets are haunted by the dead who were never recognised. I’ll give them their respect."
24. ↑ Graves And Wraith Conversation 1 – "It’s not… sweet, for them. It’s painful. They see loved ones… hurting and they want to offer comfort. Or… advice, or… anything. To be their voice? It’s… it’s an honor."
25. ↑ Graves‘ enemy hero interactions
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Graves And Grey Talon Conversation 3
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Graves And Seven Conversation 2
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Graves And Venator Conversation 3
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Graves And Infernus Conversation 3
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Graves And Seven Conversation 1
31. ↑ Graves And Paige Conversation 1
32. ↑ Graves And Venator Conversation 2 – "I don’t do purple prose."
33. ↑ Graves And Silver Conversation 1 – "Are you always a bitch or is this something special just for me?" – "I’m pretty consistent." – "…I think I don’t hate you."
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Yamato): "She’s a bitch, but I’m kind of okay with it."
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Calico): "That cat rules."
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Graves And Calico Conversation 3 – "Look–I mean, I think she’s great, but… objectively she’s ugly as sin."
37. ↑ Graves And Silver Conversation 2 – "I’d say… that humans are generally awful with moments of surprising compassion and that we would all probably be better off if ninety percent of us were replaced by cats."
38. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (use Holliday’s Bounce Pad) – "Maybe all cops aren’t useless."
39. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (killed Haze) – "Billy was right, the OSIC sucks…"
40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Apollo And Graves Conversation 2 – "I was skipping class, I’m fine." – "’Oh, I’m fine! Just undisciplined and negligent!’"
41. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (Upgrade Borrowed Decree): "What’s the point of having a lich for a best friend if I can’t tap into her power?"
42. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (upgrade Essence Theft): "I need to appease my mentor."
43. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (generic kill) – "I promised I’d do whatever it takes!"
44. ↑ Krill‘s in-game voice line (killed Graves): "The poor girl didn’t even realize she was being used."
45. ↑ Haze‘s in-game voice line (killed Graves): "Killed the lich’s pawn."
46. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (killed Grey Talon) – "My mentor warned me about you, Talon."
47. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (Storm Cloud multikill): "My mentor was right about him…"
48. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Abrams): "My mentor says she needs that tome!"
49. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Kelvin): "I bet my mentor would love to get her hands on that stone."
50. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Apollo): "Great, I killed my lab partner…"
51. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (ally Apollo killed in lane): "They took out the Golden Boy!"
52. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Apollo): "I don’t hate him as much as I wish I did."
53. ↑ Apollo And Graves Conversation 1 – "You gonna go make daddy proud?" – "My father’s already proud of me. I don’t need to pull stunts so he knows I exist."
54. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (killed Calico) – "When this is over, I’d love to keep in touch."
55. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (killed Mina) – "You won life, Mina, can you stop being an asshole?"
56. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (killed Mina) – "God, Mina, what’s your problem?"
57. ↑ Graves & Infernus Conversation 1
58. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Kelvin): "I might be able to help you, Kelvin… not today, obviously, because I killed you, but in the future!"
59. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Dynamo): "If it makes you feel better, I think your jacket’s cool."
60. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Infernus): "Lose the fedora."
61. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Yamato): "I get that I’m supposed to not like her, but I can’t help it!"
62. ↑ Graves‘ in-game voice line (killed Yamato): "She’s so cool!"
63. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line – "You took something that doesn’t belong to you, Shiv."
64. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (killed Lady Geist) – "I hate people like you, Geist."
65. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (killed Lady Geist) – "You were a fool to make a deal with Oathkeeper, Geist."
66. ↑ Graves And Lady Geist Conversation 3
67. ↑ Graves And Seven Conversation 2
68. ↑ Graves‘s in-game voice line (killed Seven) – "I wonder if he takes interns?"
69. ↑ Graves And Haze Conversation 2
70. ↑ 70.0 70.1 Graves And Holliday Conversation 3 – "Sooo, do they give you the pack of cloves when you become a theatre kid, or was that something you brought to the table all on your own?"
71. ↑ Shopkeeper‘s in-game voice line (Graves buys t4 item): "I know a theatre kid when I see one."
72. ↑ Holliday And Graves Conversation 2
73. ↑ Holliday‘s in-game voice line (killed Graves) – "That kid didn’t give me a choice!"
74. ↑ Venator And Graves Conversation 1
75. ↑ Rem‘s in-game voice line (killed Graves): "She smells like wet dirt."
76. ↑ Silver‘s in-game voice line (killed Graves) – "God, I’m gonna smell like cloves for a week…"