Kate Dennison

Kate Dennison is one of the Signature Characters from Orpheus, as well as a Storyteller character.

Kate began life under tragic circumstances when her mother died while giving birth to her. Kate herself almost didn't survive, but managed to hang on. It happened again when a burgular hit her so hard it knocked her out; he then killed her father and fled, leaving her for dead. These events left Kate with a craving to find out what happens to the human soul when it leaves the body. She began studying shamanic traditions, trying to induce a special trance that would allow her to project; instead she almost killed herself several times. She also studied philosophy, religion, and anything that would give her a grasp on the nature of death. Her studies ended with a degree with honors and an assistant teaching position, but no real answers.

It was her questions and answers on death that brought the Orpheus Group to Kate. She was summarily hired and quickly became a top agent. Despite her fierce and bitter nature, her Shade hints at her softer, kinder side she rarely allows herself to show. Many agents took a shine to her and saw her as a natural leader, which is why when Orpheus was destroyed in the NextWorld raid, several followed her into hiding.

Even with her strong nature, some times became too trying. Particularly difficult was the night of the pigment massacre at a rave. After a warning from Radio Free Death, she had seen, via Forbode, the presence of Tom Hayes' daughter Sarah there. They arrived too late to save her, though, and Tom's anger and deterimination turned him into a Spectre, despite Kate's best efforts. She never gave up on him, though, or any of the other agents.

Eventually, she decided that the services that Orpheus offered, while based in corruption, were too useful to just discard. With the surviving Orpheus agents as well as some new allies, she founded Lazarus Redux, a small projection firm with better aims and a nobler leadership than Orpheus. Among their first tasks was capturing the Spectral Tom Hayes after learning of a process that would redeem a Spectre. She tried for days to reach him, but before she could make that breakthrough, he escaped. Searching for him became out of the question, however, as several Spectral hives burst forth soon after, keeping both Lazarus Redux and several other firms and spirits busy for a long time.

As it turns out, she had not failed. Tom Hayes returned as an Orphan-Grinder days later, after failing as both a Spectre and an Orphan-Grinder to find Sarah. Kate welcomed him back into the fold just in time to hear about the grand plans of Grandmother. Organizing her followers, she lead several of them across the Stormwall and into the Shadowlands to find a way to stop, or perhaps get rid of Grandmother once and for all. However, like many Orpheus signature characters, Kate's final fate was never revealed.