Lady Aesculapius

Lady Aesculapius by Johannes Chazot.

**Lady Aesculapius** was a rebellious member of the Firmament, the caretakers of the 10,000 Dawns. She was friends with Graelyn Scythes and Archimedes Von Ahnerabe, who were once her travelling companions through time and space. She also has travelled with Blanche Combine, and Jason Jackson.

## Biography

### First Body

Like all of the Firamament, Aesculapius was born through soul-bonding. However, like always the first body was a complete misfire - with excess skin hanging loose from the body and face. Aesc was bundled into a group along with the Firamament's other new recruits, and they were welcomed to the multiverse by a man who warned that they would have a role to play in the inner workings of the 10,000 Dawns. The man went on to say that, because of the defaults in the original bodies, they would have to be transferred to new bodies immediately - and the group of new recruits had their throats slit by the Enforcers of Knives. (PROSE: *Mortal Gods*)

### Second Body

Now in another body she was greeted by an attendant who gave her the name - Aesculapius. (PROSE: *Mortal Gods*)

Aesc had a teacher growing up named Professor Meistras, who killed her repeatedly in order to try to get her to behave as Meistras saw fit. (PROSE: *Life After Death*) The Arbiter of Resurrection convinced Aesc to stick things out till graduation, as she would get a Factory of Crystal and be able to travel and explore.

Aesc was tasked by the Superiors to return Dawn agents Graelyn and Arch to their own reality, but got side tracked along the way and took them on several adventures, including stop offs on Mars and Mercury. She eventually returned them to Spiral.

Aesc then met Blanche Combine, a former Dusk agent who Graelyn and Arch asked her to help reform. After several adventures together, the pair began a romantic relationship. Shortly after, Blanche decided to retire and leave Aesc's Foce, but they continued dating.

After this, Aesc met Jason Jackson, a Centro Space Navy pilot, and the pair briefly traveled together before Jason too decided to leave. (PROSE: *Poor Man's Iliad* — **better sourcing wanted**)

When the Firmament were turned to fiction by Auteur, Lady Aesc tried to find other survivors using her Quantum Whisk, which led her to New York City in 2460. From there, she joined Graelyn and Arch in pursuit of the painted warriors into the Totality. After meeting with Littlejohn on Gendar and being joined by Coloth, Aesc and her cohorts confronted the Original Mammoths. They were then betrayed by Auteur and Aesc was made a fictional character.

In Auteur's Town, Aesc was the star of a long-running television series which had 276 blu-rays and wasn't suited to movies. Aesc escaped from fictionality during the Town's destruction and briefly fought the Firmament with Coloth. Later, she was present at the Needle during the signing of the Christmas Needle Agreement, playing cards with Archimedes, Coloth, and many other aliens. (PROSE: *White Canvas*)

After escaping the 10,000 Drafts, the Tourist encountered Lady Aesc in person, helping her defeat the Fabulous Killjoys and save Better Living Industries. Following this adventure, the Tourist had a “drunken one-night stand” with Aesc, whose name she later had difficulty remembering. (PROSE: *Go On, Toddle Along*)

## Travelling Companions

Aesc had many friends who joined her on her journeys, a list of whom can be found at: Characters Who Have Traveled With Lady Aesculapius.

## Behind the scenes

Lady Aesc originates from the short story *Never Go On Walks*, first published in James Wylder's unofficial *Doctor Who* poetry book *An Eloquence of Time and Space* and later republished in the *10,000 Dawns* anthology *Poor Man's Illiad*, which also included a story on Aesc's origins among the Firmament.

Notably "Aesculapius" is the latin name of the Greco-Roman god of healing and medicine. Amongst other potential meanings, this hints at Aesc's status as the 10,000 Dawns's equivalent of what the Doctor is to the Totality.