Lydia

Elegantly decked out in verdant hues, golds, and blues, Lydia appears to be your average noblewoman at first glance. Spend any amount of time talking to her, however, and two things immediately become apparent: the telltale chilling aura of a ghost, and the fact that she has been dead for over a century—which she cheerfully informs you of. For some cultures, death is a natural step in the cycle of life. Passing on carried with it a certain poignance usually marked by a period of grief and sorrow, but the annual festival of The Return instead celebrates the deceased's visitations from the spirit world. Though born into a noble family, Lydia was never known for flaunting her wealth or position. In fact, the only thing Lydia ever flaunted was her vivacity, which often made her front-and-center of any event she was in attendance of. The noblewoman was also a fantastic dancer, and was popular with children for her kind and patient manner. Many more, however, loved her simply because of her soothing, charismatic energy, and admired the bright trails she left in their lives. All flowers must fade someday, but Lydia accepted her natural passing with grace. She'd lived a good life, and what's more, her unlife was only just beginning. Her family and friends remembered her with great fondness, and of course there was The Return to look forward to. How she longed to catch up and reflect on another year! Little did she know she would be welcoming someone new—someone she'd never seen before, in fact—stuffing her face on offerings in the churchyard.