Niccia's Necklace
Niccia's Necklace is a paranormal artifact that trapped the soul of a Niccia, a young Menomonee girl from the early 1800s, and ultimately possessed numerous women throughout the centuries.
History
Origins
The origin of the necklace begins with its gift to a young Menomonee girl named Niccia by her mother. The necklace held great importance to her mother; however, the tribe turned against both the mother and Niccia, and the mother committed suicide in front of Niccia and their tribe as a result.
The necklace's power continued to grow, ultimately giving Niccia abilities beyond those of normal humans. It's power possessed her to seduce and kill men, and after a few years, her tribe tracked her down and trapped her, burning her at the stake to end her reign of evil. As she burned, Niccia made a pact with the devil, trapping her soul in the necklace for all time.
The next morning, a white traveler who helped bring Niccia to the tribe finds the necklace in the ashes of the burning stake and takes it with him. The necklace remained hidden over the next 70 years as the young white traveler kept it within his possessions. It's unknown what exactly happened during that time; however, rumors speculate that the man became incredibly successful until he turned 50, and after that, suffered great misfortune. His wife and children died of diseases, his businesses went bankrupt, he lost all his money, and was ultimately left pawning his goods in order to buy food. Eventually, the man was found dead on the side of the road, penniless and homeless.
Resurgence
The necklace resurfaced in Chicago in 1920, among the many items inside a jewelry store. A man visiting from New Prairie purchases the necklace for his daughter's 17th birthday and returns to his home. Gifting it, the daughter slowly starts taking on odd characteristics after the family goes on a picnic in the countryside. Unaware that the location was an old Menomonee tribe site, Niccia awakens inside the necklace and possesses the girl, causing her to pass out. As the days continue, the power overcomes the young girl, and Niccia fully possesses her body.
Finally in control again, she sets out to the local bar and returns to her old ways of seducing men, killing them, and stealing their goods. Over the next week, the possessed girl seduces and murders another handful of men before being captured by the police and locked in a cell. When an old Menomonee tribesman hears of the story, he visits the girl in jail and detects the soul of Niccia inside her. When the girl answers to the name of Niccia, others are convinced, and an exorcism commences. The tribesman pulls the soul of Niccia from the girl and banishes it back to the necklace, where it's taken away by a local priest, entombed in a box, and buried at an unknown location.
The Return
In 1947, during the construction of I-43 along New Prairie's east side, a large stone box was unearthed. Thinking it is some kind of important item, it's brought to Mayor Alfonzo DelFanni. Opening it, he finds the necklace locked inside a small box, marked with various religious inscriptions. Unaware of its importance, he keeps the necklace for himself, ignores the writings, and gives the necklace to his daughter Lucia DelFanni. Over the next five years, the necklace possesses Lucia, and Niccia returns to her old ways of seducing, murdering, and robbing men throughout the city. With most of the men being travelers, the police do not question them going missing, allowing "Niccia" to continue her rampage.
In 1952, Lucia loses control and fights with her father, a result of Niccia taking control. During the fight, Lucia attempts to stab her father, only to gain control and flee the house at the last second. Hours later, Alfonzo is called to the city hall building, where Lucia stands on the roof demanding to talk to her father. Alfonzo reaches the roof, and they talk with Lucia, claiming she's not doing all of this, but something inside her is. Alfonzo dismisses it as an angry teenager lashing out, and when he approaches, Lucia trips and falls over the edge of the building, hitting the ground below.
Reaching the edge, Alfonzo watches as the soul of Niccia attempts to escape Lucia's body, but is sucked back into the necklace. He rushes downstairs and pulls the necklace off Lucia, and she instantly awakens, gasping for air. Lucia is rushed to the hospital, where she recovers as Alfonzo goes back to his office to entomb the necklace along with a warning. Together with a friend, they enclose the necklace, its small box, and a note of warning inside a larger cement crate and row out into Lake Michigan to dump it in the water. Together, they watch as the box sinks to the lake bottom, assuming that is the end of it.
New Generation
Over the next 50 years, somehow the stone box makes its way back to the shoreline where it rests amongst the natural rocks lining the waterfront on the north side. While out with friends, Aly Nadel and her boyfriend stop by the lake. Aly spots what looks to be an odd stone rock, and when her boyfriend picks it up for her, he slips and smashes his head on the rocks around him. Aly and their friends rush him to the hospital, but he's announced dead on arrival.
After his funeral, a few days later, Aly returns to the site near the shoreline and finds the rock he had grabbed for her. Angry and wanting to throw it back into the water, she finds that it's cracked open, revealing a waterlogged piece of paper and a beautiful necklace. She's overcome by the beauty of the necklace and takes it with her, wanting to keep it as a memorial to her boyfriend.
Over the next month, the necklace stays primarily dormant until during the Teen Massacres of 1995, Aly is murdered by the Dark Killer while delivering pizzas to the farm after being thrown into a tree and pierced through the heart. Niccia uses this moment to possess Aly's body, pulling herself off the tree and taking off into town. Now in complete control of a body that won't fight back, Niccia continues her wave of seductions, murders, and robberies throughout New Prairie and Wisconsin. Her powers maintain Aly's appearance and prevent her from rotting.
In 2001, Jack Ridley investigates a series of murders and missing people throughout the city and recognizes the pattern as that of Niccia. Confronting Niccia, she murders a close friend of Jack's and eventually sets a trap to capture and kill Jack. Thinking she has, she continues on her way, only to be met by a very much alive Jack who recites an encantation and banishes her to an alternate dimension. No longer possessed, Aly Nadel awakens alive and healed. She has no memory of the last 6 years, but Jack helps her regain her grip on reality, no longer possessed by Niccia.
The necklace is smashed by Jack, who scoops up its pieces, locks it in a protective box, and hides it deep within his collection of artifacts.
Niccia never returns to the world she came from, but that doesn't mean her journey is over in the alternate timeline.
Character Connections
Owners
- Niccia's mother (? - 1838)
- Niccia (1838 – 1851)
- Unknown White Traveler (1851 - 1911)
- Unknown Girl (1920 – 1920)
- Lucia DelFanni (1947 – 1955)
- Aly Nadel (1995)
Contacts
Current Location
- Jack Ridley's Collection (2001) (in broken pieces)