Memories, that’s the name of the game. Memories of the past, memories of the present, memories of that which has returned to the Earth in ages already dead. Keeping that in mind , Joseph’s history is unimportant. His mortal life was simple and pedestrian, and whose details are of interest only to himself. His death was slightly more interesting, but nothing but a footnote in the greater scheme of things.

In death, however, his existence became much more interesting. He was Reaped by one of the more influential Mnemoi and trained in their Arcanos, in the hopes of becoming a member of the once-illustrious Guild, which he did. He did little to advance within the rank structure of the Guild, preferring to spend his time wandering the Necropoli of the world, attempting to bring peace and stability with him wherever he went. His efforts were eventually made futile by the Great Maelstrom, which sent him back home and into the arms of trouble.

Joseph found that old predujices die hard in a world full of Restless Dead in New Bremen. He was eventually found as a Mnemoi and was exiled from acceptable society for his Guild status. There his only company was his Shadow and others who sought the knowledge of Mnemosynis for their own dark ends, which Joseph refused to provide. In time, however, Joseph found that the sins of his Guild had been forgiven, and he was accepted back into wraithly society.

However, other problems have arose, highlighting the city’s dangerous position in existence. Most harrowing, for Joseph, was an assault into the depths of Spectre-infested Cathedral in the Tempest. He watched as brave men fought and died against a Spectral horde while he sat and stole memories from the dying Spectres. He also ran like a coward when faced with possible destruction, leaving one of the most powerful Pardoners, and a friend of Joseph’s, Alia Winters in the hands of the Spectres’ leader. She was eventually rescued, through the sacrifices of others. He now labours to heal the wounds on Alia’s psyche as her personal confessor.

Other concerns vied for Joseph’s attention at this time, though. He sought to revive the Mnemoi and restore it to the prestige that it held before it feinted a fall from grace in ages past. To this end, he developed a new oath to bind all that he would teach Mnemosynis. The twin martial threats of the Hammer and Anvil Legion and the Spectral armies also loomed heavily in Joseph’s mind. On a recent sojourn, Joseph was cast adrift in the Tempst, until he came upon a tiny island of stability, where he found the Memory Golem of his now-destroyed Reaper. With its knowledge in hand, Joseph returned back to his home, ready to face whatever he would find there.

He found himself facing something that he had not been prepared for. A request by the Neo-Puppeteers sent him searching for the tools to infiltrate the Hierarchy. However, with news of the transformation of one of his friends, Rion Bartlet, into a Spectre, the revelation received by another friend, Frank Adder, and the growing danger posed to his closest of comrades, Joseph found himself less and less able to pursue the request. He found himself torn between the potential salvation for a small few and revenge for the soul forging of hundreds. His responsibilities to the city and to his friends conflict within his mind. Aggravating matters, he found his emotions betraying his rational judgement about Judie May. To resolve his issues, Joseph cut off all contact with his friends and sought counsel within his mind. There, buried with the ever-increasing taunts of his Shadow, Joseph found the answer he was seeking. He returned to the theatre, full of this new knowledge. The time had come to retreat from the politics of the city; the time was to focus on the needs of those immediately around them, not to pursue byzantine plans and plots.

But, as in the way all things in the Underworld, the situation soon began to decay. In a single bold act of heroism, Joseph stood up against a group of Legionarres in a vain attempt to keep them from capturing Alia. He failed of course, and was captured as a result. He spent the next several weeks locked in a small room, barely bigger than a closet, forced to hear the screams of torment of the one he had tried so desperately to save. However, he took advantage of the time incarcerated to focus his will and further his knowledge of the Underworld by searching through the depths of his memory palace. He would need all of his new found knowledge to face what awaited him when he returned to the outside.

The theatre had been claimed by the Heirarchy, the Guilds had distanced themselves from the small band of Renegades that Joseph had unofficially alligned himself with, and the Neo-Puppetteers controlled the Heirarchy interests in the city. Faces once familiar now seemed strange and distorted and new faces meandered their way through the Necropoli. Joseph also found the other Mnemoi in the city to be quite displeased at Joseph's pressence and advanced knowledge of Mnemosynis. Alia was soon removed from the Pardoner's and Doomslayers were sent to assure her destruction.

The chaos seemed to intensify with every passing day, as more and more wraiths were pulled into the bloody combat between Heirarch, Guildwraith, and Renegade. Joseph attempted to find some peace by splitting from the group of Renegades that he once considered his allies. But this was not been enough to distance himself from the pain and suffering. Horizon's dissapearance into the Tempest and his probable destruction left him as the only Mnemoi in the city, once again. Alia's return from hiding spawned mixed feelings in him, especially considering her new leadership role in the Renegade group.

So Joseph came up with the only solution he could think of. He began to intensify his lessons with his student in Mnemosynis. He began to seek the knowledge of an alien Arcanos known to have to power over Spectres. And he began to unify the young wraiths of the city into a cohesive body, capable of standing on their own against the myriad of forces that seek to dominate their existances. While he fully realizes the hypocrisy inherent in his belief of controlling the freewraiths so they can be free, he sees it as the only possible solution.

Unfortunately, it would never be. Politics seemed to dissolve over the months of ennui. The streets seemed empty and Joseph's research was taking him nowhere. Giving up one of his few dreams, Joseph decided not pursue Connaissance any further. Giving up one of his other dreams, Joseph has abandonded his idea of a free wraith alliance. He has even stopped instructing his student, at the request of his guild higher-up in the city.

Though the current peace may only be temporary, Joseph is using it to enhance his defenses and strengthen alliances between him and the other wraihs, to a little success. Joseph also continues his task of helping new wraiths to adjust to their current situation. Although he does not do much, he hopes that in the end it will make a difference.

How things have changed.... The winds of fortune have given Joseph a rather different set of circumstances to work with. Alia and Mike are now members of the Hammer and Anvils.... Alia and Horizon are engaged. The Old Heirarchs have descended into mere terrorist actions. The Guilds seemed to have aligned themselves with the Hammer and Anvils. And the Spectres grow ever closer. Joseph has sacrificed his sense of self in order to gain further power, changing his self-indentity through a series of memory alterations. Yet it hasn't been enough to keep him out of trouble. After Wesley and Alia fell to Joseph's Shadow's hands, temporarily at least, Joseph was arrested by the Heirarchy again. This time, his incarceration was shorter, but significantly more traumatic. His will was broken down by Alia, leading to a Castigation, his last for a very long time.

Now Joseph strengthens the bonds to his allies, trying to help them through their difficulties. He spends his free time studying the depths of his memories, seeking solutions to his problems. And so things continue as they always have. Freewraiths helping each other to survive the vagaries of the Underworld, while more politically inclined wraiths facing greater threats for greater rewards.

How things have changed. The sands of time bring about the most peculiar of things. Like Joseph leading a Brigade of Freewraiths against the Spectres. Like the Spectres actually attacking the city once. Like a Labyrinth Walker coming to town. Like Horizon turning out to be a bad hero, and Joseph saving the day, more than once. But that's the way things are. Maybe they'll make sense, in the end.