Mani is a teen who was urban exploring in the facility with friends. Mani got stuck in the facility and has been trapped inside for three years, feeding on prehistoric insects to survive. They wear a mask to slow The Mycelium Vitae infection, but can’t stop it from worsening at this point. The Mycelium communicates with Mani more as it takes over their body. They have blackouts where the Mycelium takes over, and they awake in unknown areas of the facility with no knowledge of what happened previously.
Formerly, she was Mani Quail was the Head of the Research & Development Department whilst Project First Dawn was active 200 years ago. She was a trusted co-worker of Eleanor Halliday, who tasked her with the research and cultivation of The Mycelium Vitae once Halliday developed her degenerative disease.
She did so diligently, but realized after a time that the Mycelium Vitae was conscious and aware. She warned Eleanor of the dangers, but her concerns were overruled. Not agreeing with what was being done, she sought support from the other department heads and staff members. The department heads shared a similar view on the Mycelium Vitae, and outcast Mani, barring her from all systems. However, she was able to garner a large following from the other staff members.
But the protest against the Mycelium Vitae quickly grew out of control. Staff members fought to burn the fungus before it spread, but Mani fought against this notion, arguing that the fungus was alive. She was unable to convince the majority of the protestors, barring a young man named Jeremy who was devoted to her cause, so she did the only thing she could.
One night, she snuck down to the Mycelium's containment chamber and unlocked the doors, freeing it. But she was unknowingly followed by a staff member, who saw what she was doing and attempted to end Mani's life using a knife. The Mycelium overtook his body, and then took Mani's, healing her wound but infecting her at the same time. Mani fell into a deep slumber until three years before the events of the campaign, waking up with severe memory loss and believing she was a teenage girl who had gotten trapped in the facility by accident.