Our Lady of the Deep

## The Lady of the Deep

### Aliases

Our Lady of the Deep (by those connected to the Network),Henrietta Hedrick (previous name)

## Physical description

### Gender

Female

The Lady of the Deep, also known as "Our Lady of the Deep" by the cranium rat scholars, is one of the founders of Wildcliff. Before her transformation into an illithid, she was also known as Henrietta Hedrick. She is first mentioned in Episode 189 - Archivalpalooza, though does not make a full appearance until Episode 197 - Steel Your Mind.

## Physical Description

In her current form, The Lady of the Deep is a massive brain, covered in thousands of tentacles of many different sizes. It is unclear whether she was always an Elder Brain, or changed form sometime during her life, however historical records both before and during the creation of Wildcliff depict her as a dragonborn.

## History

The Lady of the Deep started as Henrietta Hedrick, a gifted scholar of the arcane. She found a source of great magical potential in the Wildcliff mountain, and invited two other mages: Merrick Beardless, and Davis Willburn, to join her in studying this magic. During their studies, all three took on apprentices to assist them with their work. This would eventually lead to the start of Wildcliff, one of the most prestigious magical schools in Agiya.

Sometime during her research, she came across the Sunken Hatch, and likely other remnants of the Sheoran Empire. While she knew there was something in the Hatch that was responsible for the high concentration of magic surrounding Wildcliff, she could not get it to talk to her. After trying and failing to uncover the mountain's secrets, Henrietta came up with a plan to invite more students to the school in the hopes that the entity would one day speak with them, and then she could find out what they knew.

Over the centuries, whatever mortal form she had changed, leaving behind her current illithid form buried deep underneath the campus. She connected rats to her consciousness, forming the Network, and used them to spy around the school. However, no students sufficiently connected with the Progenitor to warrant revealing herself, along with the complications presented by the clockwork golems who had been assigned as guardians of the school. During this time, she also killed Merrick and kept his brain locked in an isolated chamber as a trophy of her dominance over him.

Eventually, Integrity Idleberry and the rest of SWIM discovered the Hatch in Arc 1: The Sunken Hatch, taking the Orb of Progress, and forming a connection to the Progenitor. After the golems had been removed from the school, The Lady of the Deep was able to enact her plan to take control of Wildcliff. To aid her in this she enlisted the help of Bailey Blue, in exchange for helping him win the Event Planning Committee elections.

As explained by the cranium rat scholars in Episode 189 - Archivalpalooza, The Lady of the Deep intended to poison the water supply of the school, rendering all the students and professors incapacitated while they were integrated into the psychic link known as the Network. In Episode 194 - Incognito Among Excellents, all members of the Hedrick's Society for Excellents are poisoned in this way, including Winsler, Serinepth, and Integrity. Serinepth managed to shake off the effects of the poison, but Winsler and Integrity immediately collapsed unconscious and hear a voice welcoming them to the Network. Later, Mira fell unconscious in a fight against Jakov, and during this time was also integrated into the Network.

The Lady of the Deep was able to search through the memories of all three members of SWIM connected to the Network, and she finally found the information she had been looking for regarding the Progenitor and the orbs. Now that Bailey had fulfilled his end of their deal, The Lady of the Deep granted him power and became his warlock patron. After Winsler and Integrity escaped her chambers, it is revealed that she used the time they were unconscious to steal the Orbs of Progress, Reverence, and Might, leaving only the Orb of Power with Ferimel. When asked about her intentions with the Hatch, The Lady of the Deep admitted that she wanted to open it, letting the Progenitor into the world.