Portrait of a Villain Unleashed for 4e

In this eBook, you will find the complete back story to Desiree Turpis, also known as The Desire, a calculating Madame who manipulates local nobles and crime lords to serve her own needs.

It is fully-compatible with 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons.

Along with The Desire’s own back story, adventure hooks, goals and motivations, you will also find:

• Three fully developed, drop-in encounters featuring The Desire
• Four new organizations to help create a rich campaign setting, complete with stats for each organization’s leader and minions
• The Objects of Desire; a collection of new magical masks for 4E
• The Sword Sisters; a new 4E Paragon Path for PCs bent on revenge
• Highcourt, City on the Edge; a fully developed microsetting to help get things started (includes full color map)
• The Ceremony, a short story where The Desire assassinates a local noble.

• TWO PDFs in each purchase. The main PDF is brilliant full color landscape, 3-column layout for EASY screen reading. The second PDF is a FREE B&W printer friendly version that includes a portrait 2-column layout, reduced graphics, and wider left margin. The result is a PDF that is easy on your ink/toner and ready to hole punched for your notebook.
• Interlinked PDFs with bookmarks and links
• Full color, beautiful illustrations and maps.

Encounter: Le Danse Périlleux

Written by Michael Brewer
Illustrated by Matthew Lichtenwalner

Difficulty: Medium
Magic: Medium
Keywords: ball, disguised, hostages, masquerade
Terrain: Interior – Ballroom
Treasure: Minor

A grand ballroom packed with revelers dressed to the nines stretches out below the balcony. Two sweeping sets of stairs extend from the sides of the balcony to the floor of a ballroom large enough to dock a small ship. The marble arches supporting ceiling of this massive hall reach skyward another story above the balcony

Exquisite tapestries that depict debauch revelries line the interiors of several alcoves along the length of the walls leading to the magnificent view at the end of the ballroom. Five huge chandeliers of polished bronze hang suspended above the ballroom by chains anchored along the western wall between the alcoves. Four tables laden with refreshments and hors d’oeuvres have been set near the foot of the stairs.

The far end of the ballroom terminates in a half circle enclosed in a wall of glass; dozens of large windows honeycomb the exterior wall at the end of the hall giving guests a magnificent view of the city below from the room’s precarious perch upon the cliff.

Background

The ballroom is 60 feet wide and 100 feet in length and is part of a larger estate built by the prostitution and brothel madam known as The Desire from decades worth of extortion and exploitation. Desirae Turpis is the madam’s birth name and most people believe her to just be a wealthy heiress. The ballroom extends out from the chateau proper along a narrow cliff that juts perilously away from the bluff the chateau is built upon.

This masquerade is being held in celebration of some minor stellar event and is hosted by The Desire. These balls are the current rage among the aristocracy and the majority of them have turned out for the occasion. No doubt many discrete (and indiscreet) trysts will be taking place either by direction of The Desire or just out of naturally occurring lust.

The Desire has ulterior motives for holding the ball. One objective is to grow the network of aristocrats that have fallen victim to her schemes, but an even more sinister object is at hand: assassination. The Desire brokered a deal between a local lord and the assassin guild to have a rival nobleman eliminated. Since this rival nobleman has also interfered with her prostitution operations, it serves The Desire’s interests as well.

The PCs have been tipped off that there will be an assassination attempt, but do not know who the target is or who the assassins are (or how many there may be).  Even if they did, the costumes would hinder their ability to identify either party involved.

Objective

The PCs must prevent the assassination and capture at least one of the assailants for questioning.

Adversaries & Tactics

Assassins
Number: 4-8
Equipment: Light Crossbows, Short Swords, & Poisoned Daggers
Attributes: Stealthy, Dexterous, Quick

• There are four to eight (depending on how difficult the Game Master wishes to make this encounter) assassins disguised as revelers at the ball.  They are spread throughout the ballroom, but there is only one tasked with the duty to murder the nobleman.  The remaining assassins are for support.
• Once the PCs engage the first assassin, three more close and flank.  If the Game Master has chosen to insert additional assassins, they are on the balcony and begin peppering the PCs with light crossbow bolts.  Once combat has begun, the guests begin to panic, scream, run and general chaos ensues.  The assassins will attempt to use guests as cover and may take one or two hostage using them as human shields.
• If a PC is injured with a poisoned dagger and fails to defend against the poison, he is immediately weakened and will die within 24 hours if the antidote is not administered. Retrieving the antidote should provide the PCs with another short quest.  Once half of the assassins are neutralized, the remaining antagonists escape by pretending to be terrified guests and fleeing with the other revelers towards the city.

Environmental Effects

1. Chandeliers: There are five chandeliers hanging above the ballroom.  Creative PCs may be able to maneuver their enemies below the chandeliers and have one of the characters release the anchors sending one crashing down upon the assassins.  If the assassins fail to react quickly, the chandelier knocks them unconscious and pins them to the floor.  A chandelier is large enough to pin four assassins standing in tight formation. An extremely agile and creative PC may be able to use the chain anchoring the chandelier closest to the balcony to swing up to the balcony by releasing the locking mechanism.  It may provide the quickest route to engage any assassins there.
2. Guests: Fleeing and cowering guests will hinder movement, reducing a PC’s movement by half.  Guests may also hinder a PC from being able to adequately engage an assassin by providing cover and concealment.  An assassin who is still disguised as a guest will gain a surprise attack on unsuspecting PCs.
3. Refreshment Tables: The refreshment tables are very sturdy and may be used for cover from the assassins with crossbows upon the balcony.  However, a combatant standing upon a table and is in melee with an enemy who is on the floor gains combat advantages for being on higher ground.
4. Stairs: A combatant standing on the stairs and is in melee with an enemy who is at a lower position on the stairs or is on the floor gains combat advantages for being on higher ground.
5. Windows: A combatant may rush an enemy and push them through a window.  If the attack is successful and the target fails to react quickly, he is thrown from the window and falls down the cliff face to his death.

Development

The encounter begins when a guest screams as the assassin brandishes his dagger and attempts to stab the nobleman (who may or may not avoid the attack).  Once the guest screams the PCs are able to close with the initial assassin within seconds and combat begins.  The guests begin to panic and flee or cower as the ballroom erupts into chaos.

Awards, Findings, & Treasure

If the PCs are able to kill or capture the assassins they may recover their equipment.  Whether or not these are magical or otherwise worth more than ordinary versions is left to the Game Master.  If the PCs manage to capture an assassin alive, then they may be able to discover who hired them and why.

The nobleman awards the PCs with monetary rewards as well as free room and board at a tavern he owns in the city.

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Le Danse Perilleux by Nevermet Press is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.nevermetpress.com/contact.

Portraits of a Villain: The Desire

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.

Distributed Workshops: Nevermet Press does not work out the system specific stats for any of our online content. However, in the spirit of crowd sourcing, we do encourage the online community to do so via their own personal gaming blogs, online forums, or other venues. If you are interested in creating stats for any of our content using your favorite game system, please do! If you link to us, we’ll return the favor as well!

The independently developed statblocks and other mechanics for The Desire are available from these other sites:

1. The Spirits of Eden (4E D&D)

The Desire by Nevermet Press is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.nevermetpress.com/contact.