Desirae Turpis, by James Keegan
Written by Michael Brewer
Illustrated by James Keegan
Concept/Archetype: Predator of Noble Men
Keywords: Fantasy, Succubus
Race: Human
Profession: Madam Harlot
Do you know what rules this kingdom? It is not the people, the aristocracy, nor even the king who pretends to dote upon that self-righteous bitch of a queen. No! I’ll tell you what rules this kingdom. Lust! Men and women breathe heavy with desire for that which they cannot have. It occupies their every thought and controls their actions. And, no one but I can provide relief for their burning hearts!!
Background
Known by the social elite simply as The Desire, this woman is a stunning beauty to behold. The Desire’s beauty is easily matched by her cunning, but exceeded only by her ruthlessness. Her influence is legendary, and recognized throughout the entire kingdom as no tavern, inn, merchant house or brothel survives long without paying tribute to her.
The Desire was born Desirae Turpis. She was raised a peasant girl among the families bonded to serfdom on the King’s personal estate. It was a difficult life, but one not without love – now just a fading memory. Shortly after her fourteenth birthday, after turning down multiple advances by a noble’s son, Desirae was accused of stealing wheat from the King’s grain-holds. Her family was banished from the farms, and she was thrown into the stockade without term. Therein, she endured months of humiliation, assault, and worse. Many a night she would be taken and placed into a deep cell, where her accuser and several guards would have their way with her. Imagine the worst.
Then one night she had a vision. The ghostly apparition offered to help her find a way out of her imprisonment. In exchange for her freedom, Diserae opened her heart to the apparition and promised to take it with her into the world. With the oath made, the apparition vanished and Diserae’s heart felt suddenly full and satisfied. She also found that her thoughts were consumed with seeking revenge on all those who had harmed her in the past.
Soon after the vision, she became pregnant and this discovery prompted her jailers to quickly cast her out into the freedom of the streets. Having no place to go, and no family to turn to, the filthy urban streets became her home. To survive, she resorted to begging, thievery, prostitution, and smuggling. Soon the child within her was ready for birth and she sought aid at a local church. The infant died during childbirth and the presiding priest reprimanded her fiercely for having a child out of wedlock, declaring her lust the cause for the child’s death. Having nowhere else to go, Desirae returned to the streets, and a life of selling her body to survive. Now, her heart truly burned with an icy hatred and revenge, and it is said that this was the day her skin turned to the color of chalk.
With her renewed determination, she quickly grew wise to the ways of the streets and know that first she must wrest control of them. Her handler was her first victim, but many others followed suite. She drew power from her inner demon, and in time took the name The Desire to rid herself of all the trappings of her past. Once remade, The Desire continued on her path to conquering the underbelly of society. Her harem grew, as did her reputation. Eventually, through murder, trade, trickery, and deal brokering, The Desire controlled the most extensive network of flesh of any kingdom.
Motivations & Goals
Being abused at the hands of a noble is obviously The Desire’s primary motivation for all her endeavors. While she has obtained a life of extravagance peddling to the fleshly needs of both the aristocracy and common men, luxuries are not important to The Desire.
She uses the riches of gold and flesh as a means to destroy and control men of power. Once The Desire has finished extorting someone, she usually enjoys making a public mockery of them while watching their power, rank, and privilege stripped from their name.
She exists only to inflict pain and humiliation upon the rich and powerful. Indeed, many men under her thumb have willingly submitted themselves to cruel and violent tortures overseen by The Desire. These tortures are usually some form of ritual performed for the goddess of lust and wrath.
The current target of The Desire is the king himself. After failing several times to seduce the king with her courtesans during popular masquerade balls, The Desire has decided she needs to take a more active approach with inducing the king’s fall into temptation.
Organization
The Desire’s organization consists of practically every prostitute and brothel in the kingdom. The women and men in her service are very well taken care of and protected from harm. They are perhaps the one group of people The Desire shows compassion for, though she does not tolerate open defiance. She employs a number of mercenary bodyguards that serve as protectors for members in the organization as well as muscle to deal with clients that owe money or favors. The Desire also has several arrangements with the various assassin and thieves guilds, ensuring members of her organization do not become targets while furnishing opportunities for members of the guilds to ply their trade. While residing in a well protected chateau located on the bluffs outside the city walls, The Desire enjoys a commanding view of the city. And, despite her fearsome reputation, she hosts one the many masquerade balls that are the current rage among the social elite.
Adventure Hooks
- A young street girl asks for aid escaping the city and the clutches of an angered Desire.
- The PCs are invited to a masquerade ball and are mistakenly handed documents containing highly sensitive information on a local lord.
- A PC finds himself framed for the murder of a working girl, earning the attention of law enforcement as well as The Desire.
Combat Tactics
The Desire avoids direct confrontation at all costs, preferring her hired mercenaries to dispose of dangerous aggressors. However, if cornered, The Desire relies on her innate charms to compel men to be more understanding. If that fails, she resorts to sorcery to confuse and delay opponents until help arrives or so she can escape. It is well known by those close to her that The Desire is an accomplished enchantress.
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