Hazel

"A cleansing fire always burns little Mandus, but it purifies and it makes anew."

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Hazel
Biographical information
Born	late 1823 or early 1824
Died	Later than the 16th of May, 1839 (determinate)
Cause of death	Unknown disease
Age	15 (in 1839)
Physical description
Species	Human
Nationality	British (English)
Gender	Female
Career and family information
Spouse(s) or partner(s)	Unnamed Husband (possible)
Children	Mr./Mrs. Mandus (possible child)
Parents	Unnamed father and mother
Sibling(s)	Daniel (older brother)
Other family	Oswald Mandus (possible grandson)
Non-familial relationships	Doctor Tate (physician)
Appearances
The Dark Descent	Mentioned
Rebirth	Mentioned (notes)

Hazel is a mentioned character from Amnesia: The Dark Descent. She was the younger sister of Daniel. She is not heard from or seen in-game, but rather mentioned through a series of loading screens displaying Daniel's family background.

History

Hazel was born in 1823 or 1824 in Canterbury, Kent. Her father was an artisan and her mother presumably was a homemaker. She had one older brother named Daniel, for whom she cared deeply. Hazel was stricken with sickness at a young age and Daniel would often read to her during the summers. Her father was physically abusive and would often take out his anger on his children, at one point being known to have kicked Daniel in the stomach in the kitchen, as well as lock him in the dark basement. It is unclear if their father abused Hazel to the same extent.

The family physician, Doctor Tate, diagnosed Hazel with an incurable disease, projecting that she would die in 1836 at the age of 12. Despite this prognosis, Hazel was able to live at least three years longer than expected, although she was sent to the Canterbury hospice due to her parents’ exhaustion with caring for her. Hazel embraced Daniel and wished him a grand adventure in Algeria before his departure.

Daniel wrote an incomplete draft of a letter he meant to send to Hazel. Although for unknown reasons, he never finished it.

Mentions of Hazel

Loading Screens in The Dark Descent

"He fell to the kitchen floor. Tears were beginning to well in his eyes as he received the first kick in his stomach. Hazel remained hidden, in fear she too would be punished."

"Hazel spent all summer in bed. He used to read to her after helping father with his work. In his mind he was like Scheherazade, and as long as he kept telling the story she would not die."

"When Hazel turned fifteen she had lived three years longer than Dr. Tate had foreseen. Her parents had given up from exhaustion and decided to have her committed for permanent treatment at Canterbury Hospice, but she was still alive. She had embraced him and wished him a grand adventure in Algeria."

The Unfinished Letter in Rebirth

The unfinished letter found at Al-Mamaru Fort indicates that she was still alive at 16th May 1839 and keeping in touch with Daniel. It also mentioned that she asked Daniel to talk about a certain subject with their father. It was not mentioned what the subject had been, but it is apparent that the conversation didn't go well. Because, Daniel wrote "I don't think he will..." and then, decided not to say anything to Hazel (the sentence was crossed out).

Trivia

• The Developer commentary mentions that at some point, different loading screens concerning Hazel were shown depending on the player's actions before getting captured and taken to the Cells. Caring actions showed that Daniel saved Hazel's life somehow, and selfish actions meant she died. Presumably, this was tied to collecting the ingredients for Weyer's Tonic, as it was originally only possible to do so before being captured. It was likely cut after the developers realized that because they made all the ingredients obtainable in the Nave after returning there from the Cells, it made little sense to judge the player at the point of being captured, as the player still has the opportunity to show compassion by helping Agrippa.
  • The commentary talks about it like it's present in the game, so it must have been cut very late into development.
  • Given that the loading screens in the final game are concerning Hazel's illness, it likely had a role in if she had lived or died.

Video

Amnesia The Dark Descent Note about Daniel's sister

Commentary on Daniel's sister