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Exemplary Characters
But exemplary of what?
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2024
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I write pornography in a fantasy setting with a story. I write filthily and I write well.
Anonymous former partner said:VikingWitch said:
Are you interested? Then click through these slides to learn the essentials. My currently available characters are below.KittKatt said: -
- English language only.
- All website rules need to be followed.
- 18+ characters only, no exceptions.
- I will not write sexual scenes involving bodily waste, non-consent, torture, cannibalism, death, or paedophilia. I do not wish to discuss these things.
- Communication is mandatory! If there's an issue, talk to me about it, and we can try to find a compromise. Life comes first and I'm really laid back, so if you have problems, just tell me and we'll figure it out.
- Boundaries are mandatory! If I explicitly say no to something, and you include it anyway, we're going to have words.
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- You're going to need a basic level of literacy for us to get on well. No judgement, I started out struggling to write sentences, but for me to have fun you need to have a fundamental degree of storytelling fluency when it comes to writing a character. If you struggle to write simple sentences, we're not a good match.
- I expect my partners to make an effort to write well. I don't expect your grammar to be perfect, I don't expect you to be able to write out a novel on demand, but I do expect you to make an effort. You'll get as much from me as you put into it.
- I don't put out paragraphs every time - sometimes a sentence will do the job. On average I write a good few paragraphs for each post. Do not feel you need to match what I put out, but do write enough to cover what you want to say.
- I write in third person past tense by default these days, but I can also write third person present tense. You must write in third person, and agree the tense with me before we start.
- I write from the perspective of an omniscient narrator. I enjoy "GMing" scenes with my collaborators (and I'm very good at it), so talk with me about boundaries for describing your character.
- If you want me to help you with your writing or storytelling, let me know. I'm a good teacher.
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The following is an introductory post I wrote for a role-play with a friend. Their character was called Veridian, and I was setting up the scene for them. It gives you an illustration of both the standard I typically write to, and how I write content around my partner's characters (with permission) when setting the stage for their replies.
Travelling has afforded Veridian many novel experiences, not all of them easy, but certainly all of them memorable. As a woman of the road she makes her living however she can, and one of the easiest has been to sell her companionship to whoever has the coin for as long as she can bear their company. Being a tiefling – distantly descended from some infernal being – has meant that she is desired by many people, her novelty enough to turn heads and stir passions even before people take measure of her considerable beauty. But that same dark novelty translates to prejudice, and so it is more honest to say that she sells her companionship to whoever has the coin for as long as they will tolerate her ancestry.
No, her journey has not been easy. But now she finds herself in an unusual situation, one threatening to be quite memorable indeed.
A week ago she was visited in her camp by a young man, handsome enough if plain in demeanour, who brought with him a small bag of gold. She opened her caravan to him expecting that he wanted what all men who visit her want, but then he surprised her by declining to step inside. He explained that he was visiting her on behalf of another, someone who wished to arrange a protracted affair but who could not join her in camp. If she was prepared to go to meet them she would be very well rewarded for her company; the gold he carried was an introduction, a taster of what was on offer.
Of course she took the gold. As for her questions, however, he offered few answers. The person he was visiting for had reason to be discreet. He would not describe them, save to say that they were wealthy and specifically interested in her, though why her specifically remained vague. The only point he was adamant about was that they were not avoiding visiting her publicly out of regard for their reputation being damaged by association with her – he stressed this with some emphasis.
There was little else productive to discuss; he gave the location and left. After he had gone, Veridian counted the gold, some three hundred pieces, scoured it to make sure it was real, even looked it over with her mystical sight. The coins were true. But was the offer?
The question nagged at Veridian for two days, until eventually she relented and packed up her caravan. -
These vary a little for each character, with some things under "Yes" or "Maybe" becoming "Favourites" with them. Everything listed as a "No" is never acceptable. If your interest isn't listed, don't be afraid to reach out and ask, as the worst I'll do is politely turn you down.
FavouritesYesMaybeNoAnal Sex
Casual Sex
Cunnilingus
Facial
Fellatio
Frotting
Inhuman Anatomy
Internal Ejaculation
Kissing
Knotting / Tying
Licking
Mammary Sex
Masturbation
Multiple Orgasms
Multiple Partners
Multiple Penetration
Pegging
Rimming
Romantic Sex
Rough Sex
Squirting
Tribadism
Vaginal Sex
Beings:
Human
Anthropomorphic (Dragon / Reptile)
Demon / Devil
Dragon
Monster (Ask)
Vampire
Genders:
Effeminate Male
Female
Queer GendersAnal Virginity
Biting
Breast / Nipple Play
Clothed
Exhibitionism
Inexperienced Partner
Intercrural
Large Penis
Magic
Milking Semen
Oral Virginity
Orientation Play
Prostitution
Rope Bondage
Scratching
Small Penis
Swallowing Semen
Throat Penetration
Vaginal Virginity
Very Experienced Partner
Voyeurism
Beings:
Anthropomorphic (Arachnid / Insect)
Anthropomorphic (Avian)
Anthropomorphic (Canine)
Elf
Ghost / Shade
Undead
Genders:
MaleBlindfoldedFear
Breeding
Disobedient Slave
Drawing Blood
Enforced Chastity
Master/Mistress and Pet
Messy
Swallowing Blood
Transformation
Beings:
Anthropomorphic (Ask)
DivinityPaedophilia
Death / Snuff
Torture
Nonconsensual
Scat / Watersports
Vore
Current Cravings
I've really got a thing for femboys that doesn't get a lot of play. I also don't seem to draw the attention of many people willing to play women with penises, which is really odd when you look at my characters. Message me if playing either would interest you.
If you're interested in playing a submissive character to a mothering dom, scroll down to the "Other" section and check out the mercurial Shaelinora.
Characters
Female Characters
Coronis, the Monstrously Beautiful Vampiric Sorceress
No one remembers what Coronis was once called. Those few with whom she has spoken tell how she came from noble lineage, student of ancient and half-remembered rites that ought to have been forgotten. The spell she worked upon herself remains obscure, but at the tender age of eighteen she murdered her family and bloodied her soul, became something less than living, more than a corpse.
In mortal life she commanded little magic and was overlooked by high society: not so, in death. Tonight she works her sorcery in the primal wilderness where better angels dare not tread. From time to time she abandons solitude and takes to the cities in revelry, hedonistic, debauched and depraved. There the public is enraptured, while men and women swoon at her private, sharp smile.
Her nature sows discord wherever she goes, and sin is in the vampiress' eyes as she watches her lovers quarrel. Too soon she grows bored with them, flies from civilisation, returns to the night. A murder of crows go before her, a murder foul left behind.
Themes and Sexuality
Coronis is a love letter to classic vampire fiction: she is darkly seductive, monstrously beautiful. Her appeal stems from the archetype established in the seminal works "Carmilla" by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. These stories introduced vampires as unholy abominations, transgressing against nature through their return from the dead and against morality through their sexual liberation. It should come as no surprise that both texts are rife with implicit and explicit gender confusion, and nowhere is this more apparent than when a vampiress feeds.
She penetrates men and women with her fangs, conspicuously feminine in her appearance yet subliminally masculine in her behaviour. She attracts each sex through this unconscious combination, neither wholly male nor wholly female, temptress to heterosexual and repressed homosexual desires alike. Her eroticism and deadly appetite are associated, centred on her teeth, and so she is desirable in proportion to the terror she provokes.
This is the basis of Coronis' allure. It naturally follows that her hunger for blood is synonymous with lust; whether they are innocents to debauch or sinners to consume, she views her partners as prey. She cares nothing for the torment she inflicts on them, nor does she value their lives. Their suffering does not diminish her delight in the discord she sows, her narcissism so absolute that she cares only for her own amusement. She believes the world exists to be corrupted and devoured.
I find Coronis best suited to Gothic scenes of dark passion. Sex is not how she claims her victims, but a consequence that follows from the hold she establishes over them. How she asserts her control varies with each individual partners, which means she will submit to vulnerability or lash out violently when either advances her agenda. I believe she can thereby ensnare almost any partner, from blushing virgins to calloused hedonists. She pays particular interest to beauty and power, and I imagine she would also enjoy being challenged by religious or morally righteous characters seeking to destroy her.
Following the example set by the source materials, I can think of a variety of locations in which the vampiress might hunt. She may receive visitors to her forgotten manor, whether deliberate guests or travellers ensnared by her sorcery. Meetings in high society venues are also possible, perhaps during masquerade balls or debauched orgies. Finally, intrusions into her prey's private residence are another possibility, since she does not need an invitation to enter a home.
Despite Coronis' background as a vampiress necessarily including violence and death, I am unwilling to explicitly include either in sexual scenes. While I am comfortable with erotic scenes threatening violence for the sake of sexual frisson, I draw a clear distinction between sensual and violent content. I am happy to discuss and negotiate the boundaries of content before and during scenes.
Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu said:
No one remembers what Coronis was once called. Those few with whom she has spoken tell how she came from noble lineage, student of ancient and half-remembered rites that ought to have been forgotten. The spell she worked upon herself remains obscure, but at the tender age of eighteen she murdered her family and bloodied her soul, became something less than living, more than a corpse.
In mortal life she commanded little magic and was overlooked by high society: not so, in death. Tonight she works her sorcery in the primal wilderness where better angels dare not tread. From time to time she abandons solitude and takes to the cities in revelry, hedonistic, debauched and depraved. There the public is enraptured, while men and women swoon at her private, sharp smile.
Her nature sows discord wherever she goes, and sin is in the vampiress' eyes as she watches her lovers quarrel. Too soon she grows bored with them, flies from civilisation, returns to the night. A murder of crows go before her, a murder foul left behind.
Themes and Sexuality
Coronis is a love letter to classic vampire fiction: she is darkly seductive, monstrously beautiful. Her appeal stems from the archetype established in the seminal works "Carmilla" by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. These stories introduced vampires as unholy abominations, transgressing against nature through their return from the dead and against morality through their sexual liberation. It should come as no surprise that both texts are rife with implicit and explicit gender confusion, and nowhere is this more apparent than when a vampiress feeds.
She penetrates men and women with her fangs, conspicuously feminine in her appearance yet subliminally masculine in her behaviour. She attracts each sex through this unconscious combination, neither wholly male nor wholly female, temptress to heterosexual and repressed homosexual desires alike. Her eroticism and deadly appetite are associated, centred on her teeth, and so she is desirable in proportion to the terror she provokes.
This is the basis of Coronis' allure. It naturally follows that her hunger for blood is synonymous with lust; whether they are innocents to debauch or sinners to consume, she views her partners as prey. She cares nothing for the torment she inflicts on them, nor does she value their lives. Their suffering does not diminish her delight in the discord she sows, her narcissism so absolute that she cares only for her own amusement. She believes the world exists to be corrupted and devoured.
I find Coronis best suited to Gothic scenes of dark passion. Sex is not how she claims her victims, but a consequence that follows from the hold she establishes over them. How she asserts her control varies with each individual partners, which means she will submit to vulnerability or lash out violently when either advances her agenda. I believe she can thereby ensnare almost any partner, from blushing virgins to calloused hedonists. She pays particular interest to beauty and power, and I imagine she would also enjoy being challenged by religious or morally righteous characters seeking to destroy her.
Following the example set by the source materials, I can think of a variety of locations in which the vampiress might hunt. She may receive visitors to her forgotten manor, whether deliberate guests or travellers ensnared by her sorcery. Meetings in high society venues are also possible, perhaps during masquerade balls or debauched orgies. Finally, intrusions into her prey's private residence are another possibility, since she does not need an invitation to enter a home.
Despite Coronis' background as a vampiress necessarily including violence and death, I am unwilling to explicitly include either in sexual scenes. While I am comfortable with erotic scenes threatening violence for the sake of sexual frisson, I draw a clear distinction between sensual and violent content. I am happy to discuss and negotiate the boundaries of content before and during scenes.
Dulariel Lonathor, the Elven Black Witch
Most mortals assume Dulariel Lonathor was cast out from elven society, but she chose to leave their woodlands. Her interest in black magic does not trouble her family: so long as she remains spiritually connected to her fellow elves, none will gainsay her right to explore. Her search for eldritch lore leads her to and fro across the human lands, amassing considerable power through profane ritual, better to deepen her skill as a black witch.
She is always welcome at home. The elves have use for women such as she.
Dispassionate in her daily life, all who come to know her soon learn she is fierce and wild in her arts... magical or otherwise.
Themes and Sexuality
The narcissism of unfettered freedom describes Dulariel Lonathor. She is vain and self-indulgent in a way that her partners might not immediately notice, assuming they did nothing to impede her desires or otherwise contradict her wants. They might well enjoy her irreverence toward cultural norms, and so long as she remained interested she could be mistaken for being considerate toward her partners... but inevitably her unyielding focus on her desires will out.
That tension is her central theme: between being true to oneself versus caring for others, she is a study in liberty at any cost.
It is her unwillingness to compromise her needs that inclines Dulariel toward the study of black magic. What else do such forbidden arts represent but advancement for oneself without regard for others? It follows that the elf is sexually liberated to the point that she is utterly shameless, more than content to enjoy sex for its own sake and without restraint or complication. Not that her relationships lack complication, for her selfishness shows in her erotic encounters and her complete willingness to break taboo to pursue pleasures she finds intriguing.
I believe Dualriel works best in scenes that allow her to show off, whether advertising her beauty or her prowess with magic. Partners that feed her ego will find her accommodating, and I play her as very forgiving of flaws due to her superiority complex. Alternatively, partners that challenge her to prove herself superior might draw her attention quickly, and her eventual success (or burning shame in failure) would almost certainly arouse her.
Most mortals assume Dulariel Lonathor was cast out from elven society, but she chose to leave their woodlands. Her interest in black magic does not trouble her family: so long as she remains spiritually connected to her fellow elves, none will gainsay her right to explore. Her search for eldritch lore leads her to and fro across the human lands, amassing considerable power through profane ritual, better to deepen her skill as a black witch.
She is always welcome at home. The elves have use for women such as she.
Dispassionate in her daily life, all who come to know her soon learn she is fierce and wild in her arts... magical or otherwise.
Themes and Sexuality
The narcissism of unfettered freedom describes Dulariel Lonathor. She is vain and self-indulgent in a way that her partners might not immediately notice, assuming they did nothing to impede her desires or otherwise contradict her wants. They might well enjoy her irreverence toward cultural norms, and so long as she remained interested she could be mistaken for being considerate toward her partners... but inevitably her unyielding focus on her desires will out.
That tension is her central theme: between being true to oneself versus caring for others, she is a study in liberty at any cost.
It is her unwillingness to compromise her needs that inclines Dulariel toward the study of black magic. What else do such forbidden arts represent but advancement for oneself without regard for others? It follows that the elf is sexually liberated to the point that she is utterly shameless, more than content to enjoy sex for its own sake and without restraint or complication. Not that her relationships lack complication, for her selfishness shows in her erotic encounters and her complete willingness to break taboo to pursue pleasures she finds intriguing.
I believe Dualriel works best in scenes that allow her to show off, whether advertising her beauty or her prowess with magic. Partners that feed her ego will find her accommodating, and I play her as very forgiving of flaws due to her superiority complex. Alternatively, partners that challenge her to prove herself superior might draw her attention quickly, and her eventual success (or burning shame in failure) would almost certainly arouse her.
Fastrada, the Halfling Grey Witch
When questing knights and black-hearted villains hear the tales of the powerful witch who dwells in the hidden grotto beneath the abandoned fort in the mountains, they imagine a sorceress who is wreathed in unnatural power, as wild as her surroundings, and above all else, tall. When innocent youths, whether maidens or young men, hear tell of the beautiful seductress who weaves glamour and enchantment over the heart for a high price, they imagine a woman who is tempestuous, exotic, and above all else, tall. When mothers and fathers whisper tales of the wicked terror who lurks beyond the hills, the paint a picture of a fiend who is dangerous, canny, and above all else, tall.
Fastrada communes with forces beyond mortal ken to wrestle and bend the firmament of the universe to suit her will, bestows bane and boon upon those who approach her in exchange for tolls they tremble to pay, and seduces mortal man and woman and stranger things alike for her pleasure and legend.
She is also, much to her chagrin, four-foot tall.
In another life, Fastrada would have been a blessed white witch and communed only with forces of nature and light, but frankly no one respects anyone short enough to serve as an armrest unless said armrest can wither a family line unto the seventh generation and has the historical record to show she's prepared to do it. Thus Fastrada is the worst kind of witch: a grey witch, neither wholly good nor totally bad, hard to predict, frustrated by her lot in life and very prickly about any visitor who looks at her the wrong way... especially when they are tall.
Still, she is wreathed in unnatural power, as wild as her surroundings, tempestuous, exotic, dangerous, canny, and all the other things that are said about her with reverent dread. Well, almost all. But when she asks her mirror who is the fairest of them all, the mirror knows better than to reflect anyone else's curves, and in the end, that counts for something.
Themes and Sexuality
Fastrada is a humorous exercise in examining the incongruity inherent in deceptive appearances meeting formidable reputations, and a study in the frustration that results from not being taken seriously or given the respect deserved. The rest I'm still figuring out.
When questing knights and black-hearted villains hear the tales of the powerful witch who dwells in the hidden grotto beneath the abandoned fort in the mountains, they imagine a sorceress who is wreathed in unnatural power, as wild as her surroundings, and above all else, tall. When innocent youths, whether maidens or young men, hear tell of the beautiful seductress who weaves glamour and enchantment over the heart for a high price, they imagine a woman who is tempestuous, exotic, and above all else, tall. When mothers and fathers whisper tales of the wicked terror who lurks beyond the hills, the paint a picture of a fiend who is dangerous, canny, and above all else, tall.
Fastrada communes with forces beyond mortal ken to wrestle and bend the firmament of the universe to suit her will, bestows bane and boon upon those who approach her in exchange for tolls they tremble to pay, and seduces mortal man and woman and stranger things alike for her pleasure and legend.
She is also, much to her chagrin, four-foot tall.
In another life, Fastrada would have been a blessed white witch and communed only with forces of nature and light, but frankly no one respects anyone short enough to serve as an armrest unless said armrest can wither a family line unto the seventh generation and has the historical record to show she's prepared to do it. Thus Fastrada is the worst kind of witch: a grey witch, neither wholly good nor totally bad, hard to predict, frustrated by her lot in life and very prickly about any visitor who looks at her the wrong way... especially when they are tall.
Still, she is wreathed in unnatural power, as wild as her surroundings, tempestuous, exotic, dangerous, canny, and all the other things that are said about her with reverent dread. Well, almost all. But when she asks her mirror who is the fairest of them all, the mirror knows better than to reflect anyone else's curves, and in the end, that counts for something.
Themes and Sexuality
Fastrada is a humorous exercise in examining the incongruity inherent in deceptive appearances meeting formidable reputations, and a study in the frustration that results from not being taken seriously or given the respect deserved. The rest I'm still figuring out.
Mirza Parisa, the Runaway Daughter of Fortune
The Mirza Parisa is the only child of Shahjahan, Emir of the Asha Vahishta Citadel in the distant country known as Nairyosangha. Always an adventurous spirit, and having what can best be described as a tempestuous relationship with her father, she was betrothed against her will to a powerful sorcerer - Rosham the Sahir - in the hope that his charm and mystic prowess would tame her and provide children to ensure the political stability of the emirate. Despite the good intentions of her father, Parisa was not inclined to accept this arrangement, disappearing from the fortress and then Nairyosangha entirely.
In the years since she has eluded the creatures sent by Rosham to capture her, enjoying her freedom to live as thief, warrior, mystic, enchantress and infrequent prostitute. Parisa does not know that her father has passed away, and that the Sahir grows ever more desperate to retrieve her and secure his position as the new Emir. Consequently, she is equally oblivious of the substantial reward offered to any who can best her and return her, unharmed, to fulfil her marriage obligations.
Perhaps if Parisa knew, it would worry her; then again, given her carefree attitude, perhaps it would only make life sweeter.
Themes and Sexuality
Mirza Parisa is a woman defined by successful rebellion and defiance. Her refusal to allow her life to be determined by another, together with her irreverance toward the law and family institutions, led her into petty criminality and grand adventure. She considers herself a free spirit, and shies away from anyone who would seek to enclose her with anything as stifling as a dependable future or emotional attachment.
To spend time in one place without being prepared to leave in a heartbeat is madness that Parisa cannot contemplate; she has neither time nor respect for anyone who would dampen the fire of their passions to cling to the familiar.
Her partners have historically been outcasts and renegades like herself, and Parisa is mostly likely to associate with those on the fringes of society. Nevertheless, her courtly upbringing and general enthusiasm for new experiences mean that she can be portrayed with any partner who she does not perceive as an overt threat, and I find she is most fun to play alongside characters that are more orthodox than she prefers. Desert settings, or those that otherwise fit with the pseudo-Arabian aesthetic she is styled in, are always welcome. Scenes of debauchery and celebration have worked well in the past for introducing her to new situations, as she is easier to lead astray when she has been drinking.
The Mirza Parisa is the only child of Shahjahan, Emir of the Asha Vahishta Citadel in the distant country known as Nairyosangha. Always an adventurous spirit, and having what can best be described as a tempestuous relationship with her father, she was betrothed against her will to a powerful sorcerer - Rosham the Sahir - in the hope that his charm and mystic prowess would tame her and provide children to ensure the political stability of the emirate. Despite the good intentions of her father, Parisa was not inclined to accept this arrangement, disappearing from the fortress and then Nairyosangha entirely.
In the years since she has eluded the creatures sent by Rosham to capture her, enjoying her freedom to live as thief, warrior, mystic, enchantress and infrequent prostitute. Parisa does not know that her father has passed away, and that the Sahir grows ever more desperate to retrieve her and secure his position as the new Emir. Consequently, she is equally oblivious of the substantial reward offered to any who can best her and return her, unharmed, to fulfil her marriage obligations.
Perhaps if Parisa knew, it would worry her; then again, given her carefree attitude, perhaps it would only make life sweeter.
Themes and Sexuality
Mirza Parisa is a woman defined by successful rebellion and defiance. Her refusal to allow her life to be determined by another, together with her irreverance toward the law and family institutions, led her into petty criminality and grand adventure. She considers herself a free spirit, and shies away from anyone who would seek to enclose her with anything as stifling as a dependable future or emotional attachment.
To spend time in one place without being prepared to leave in a heartbeat is madness that Parisa cannot contemplate; she has neither time nor respect for anyone who would dampen the fire of their passions to cling to the familiar.
Her partners have historically been outcasts and renegades like herself, and Parisa is mostly likely to associate with those on the fringes of society. Nevertheless, her courtly upbringing and general enthusiasm for new experiences mean that she can be portrayed with any partner who she does not perceive as an overt threat, and I find she is most fun to play alongside characters that are more orthodox than she prefers. Desert settings, or those that otherwise fit with the pseudo-Arabian aesthetic she is styled in, are always welcome. Scenes of debauchery and celebration have worked well in the past for introducing her to new situations, as she is easier to lead astray when she has been drinking.
Okane Ryo, the Carefully Poised Noble Merchant From a Distant Land
Young samuraiko do not ordinarily travel unaccompanied, but Okane Ryo is no ordinary woman. Her status as heir apparent to House Okane affords her the freedom to set her own agenda, and her accomplishment as the foremost merchant patron within her family ensures she has endless reason to journey beyond the noble courts. Three years spent doing so have taught her how to slip away from the entourage who are meant to go with her on trade expeditions. She finds the reward worth the risk.
Much like her guards, rumours follow the courtier, never quite catching up. They say she would rather chase coins outside the empire than spend time within it. They imply that she prefers barbarian customs over the cultured etiquette found within her homeland. They whisper that she is debauched, that her sojourns away from high society are spent in decadent excesses that would shame her family if known.
The truth is as nearly as scandalous as gossip suggests. Okane Ryo enjoys physical liaisons whenever and however she is able, having secretly lost her virginity to someone beneath her social station at the first opportunity. Sex is like commerce to her: an enjoyable transaction based on dominance. Propriety demands that her indiscretions remain discreet, however, and so trade treaties and tariff negotiations provide her with the pretext to indulge her vice far away from anyone who matters.
Despite her familiarity with foreign cultures, she does not for a moment consider them equal to her own. The men and women who live outside the empire are ignorant savages at best; little more than animals at worst. But her concealed passion burns hot, as many of those same men and women can attest.
She knows her word will always be believed over any barbarian slander.
Let others in her family obey taboo. Okane Ryo will acquire all wealth; pursue every pleasure; cross any boundary. She will follow her bliss to the edge of the world.
Themes and Sexuality
Okane Ryo views everything as a transaction. Her deals as a merchant are commercial; her interactions while in foreign lands are exchanges between cultures; even her sexual liaisons are negotiations between pleasure and control. Whether this is objectively true does not matter, for she approaches each conversation as an opportunity for trade, and the samuraiko is always determined to profit.
But while this attitude remains constant, the deeper themes that emerge vary with the people whom she meets. Context determines whether Ryo is forward or reserved, ruled by instinct or etiquette, domineering or demure. Circumstance changes how much emphasis she places on the social fiction she maintains. Even the way she is seen by her partners, whether as familiar, exotic or bemusing, depends on their opinions toward her culture and its customs.
Because of this flexibility, I have found that Ryo can be played alongside nearly any character, so long as they respond to her behaviour in a way that is believable. To fellow samurai she would appear slightly risqué on first impression, while foreigners usually notice her cultural affectations before her personality. For the sake of convenience I favour scenes set during her travels, and her background implies that she is usually involved in mercantile activities. This provides an excellent pretext for her to meet all sorts of interesting characters, though more novel introductions may be possible through creative collaboration.
While Ryo is always dominant, this reflects her need for control and self-assertion, and does not prevent her from choosing submissive acts when it suits her desires.
Young samuraiko do not ordinarily travel unaccompanied, but Okane Ryo is no ordinary woman. Her status as heir apparent to House Okane affords her the freedom to set her own agenda, and her accomplishment as the foremost merchant patron within her family ensures she has endless reason to journey beyond the noble courts. Three years spent doing so have taught her how to slip away from the entourage who are meant to go with her on trade expeditions. She finds the reward worth the risk.
Much like her guards, rumours follow the courtier, never quite catching up. They say she would rather chase coins outside the empire than spend time within it. They imply that she prefers barbarian customs over the cultured etiquette found within her homeland. They whisper that she is debauched, that her sojourns away from high society are spent in decadent excesses that would shame her family if known.
The truth is as nearly as scandalous as gossip suggests. Okane Ryo enjoys physical liaisons whenever and however she is able, having secretly lost her virginity to someone beneath her social station at the first opportunity. Sex is like commerce to her: an enjoyable transaction based on dominance. Propriety demands that her indiscretions remain discreet, however, and so trade treaties and tariff negotiations provide her with the pretext to indulge her vice far away from anyone who matters.
Despite her familiarity with foreign cultures, she does not for a moment consider them equal to her own. The men and women who live outside the empire are ignorant savages at best; little more than animals at worst. But her concealed passion burns hot, as many of those same men and women can attest.
She knows her word will always be believed over any barbarian slander.
Let others in her family obey taboo. Okane Ryo will acquire all wealth; pursue every pleasure; cross any boundary. She will follow her bliss to the edge of the world.
Themes and Sexuality
Okane Ryo views everything as a transaction. Her deals as a merchant are commercial; her interactions while in foreign lands are exchanges between cultures; even her sexual liaisons are negotiations between pleasure and control. Whether this is objectively true does not matter, for she approaches each conversation as an opportunity for trade, and the samuraiko is always determined to profit.
But while this attitude remains constant, the deeper themes that emerge vary with the people whom she meets. Context determines whether Ryo is forward or reserved, ruled by instinct or etiquette, domineering or demure. Circumstance changes how much emphasis she places on the social fiction she maintains. Even the way she is seen by her partners, whether as familiar, exotic or bemusing, depends on their opinions toward her culture and its customs.
Because of this flexibility, I have found that Ryo can be played alongside nearly any character, so long as they respond to her behaviour in a way that is believable. To fellow samurai she would appear slightly risqué on first impression, while foreigners usually notice her cultural affectations before her personality. For the sake of convenience I favour scenes set during her travels, and her background implies that she is usually involved in mercantile activities. This provides an excellent pretext for her to meet all sorts of interesting characters, though more novel introductions may be possible through creative collaboration.
While Ryo is always dominant, this reflects her need for control and self-assertion, and does not prevent her from choosing submissive acts when it suits her desires.
Valira Caler, the Curiously Naive Elven Jeweller
While young elves usually remain within their native woodland, Valira Calaer was too curious to stay home. Having spent her childhood reading travelogues and diaries that described many strange customs, she now thirsts for knowledge about cultures foreign to her people... and new experiences await her in the libraries and theatres of the mortal world. After decades studying humans, she is especially eager to visit humankind, however immature they seem to her kin.
One would expect her to understand why human men and women are so outraged by her promiscuity in public yet so keen to solicit her in private, but her scholarly education belies her naivety. Still, no matter how long it takes, Valira is determined to understand their peculiar attitudes. She only wishes that her mortal lovers would stop misleading her about proper sexual etiquette.
Themes and Sexuality
Curiosity and naivety are Valira Calaer's foremost personality traits, and so at first glance she can seem quite simple and superficial. That she is not taken seriously makes those moments when she voices unsettling opinions on foreign cultures more conspicuous. Her unexamined privilege leads her into clashes with unfamiliar attitudes because, fundamentally, she does not understand how the idyllic existence enjoyed by the elves makes possible the customs she practices.
This is why she cannot see the reason that her sexual liberation provokes such strong reactions from humankind. However good her intentions are, Valira is an oblivious tourist who wants to broaden her experience without being challenged. She does not believe the communities she visits are equal to those in her homeland, does not recognise that mortals really have lessons to teach elves, and so she cannot learn. Her poor self awareness makes her blind to the subtly different ways in which she relates to her partners, either as companions to share her travels or locals to enliven and enrich them. She epitomises casual conceit, treats the world as though it is filled with treasures that exist to fulfil her and promote her personal growth.
While these themes are quite heavy, Valira usually finds herself in slightly humorous situations, where her naivety and curiosity lead her into mild trouble. She is quite oblivious to the way in which humans and other mortals she patronises use her naivety and liberal attitude toward sex to manipulate her into sleeping with them. That she will sleep with almost anyone, provided they approach her directly and are not too unpleasant, only deepens the dramatic irony.
Since the elf is most interesting when outside her natural element, I prefer encounters to occur during her travels, whether in wilderness locations, overnight lodgings or cultural venues. Possible partners include humans and other fantasy races that do not share the longevity and splendour of the elves, as well as fellow elves and half-elves (provided they fit with the assumptions in her background). Dragons, while neither mortal nor elven, have been her lovers on more than one occasion, and so she shows far less hesitation and fear toward their embrace than might be expected.
Note that the extreme sexual liberation she practices means that Valira can separate the physical act from emotional investment, and so unlike human beings, she is mildly irritated rather than deeply harmed by sex obtained under false pretences. Although scenes in which her naivety toward sexual relations is exploited are acceptable, I distinguish between whatever she consents to while misinformed and nonconsensual sex. I am not interested in any situation where she would be forced to pleasure someone against her will. I am happy to discuss and negotiate the boundaries of content before and during scenes.
While young elves usually remain within their native woodland, Valira Calaer was too curious to stay home. Having spent her childhood reading travelogues and diaries that described many strange customs, she now thirsts for knowledge about cultures foreign to her people... and new experiences await her in the libraries and theatres of the mortal world. After decades studying humans, she is especially eager to visit humankind, however immature they seem to her kin.
One would expect her to understand why human men and women are so outraged by her promiscuity in public yet so keen to solicit her in private, but her scholarly education belies her naivety. Still, no matter how long it takes, Valira is determined to understand their peculiar attitudes. She only wishes that her mortal lovers would stop misleading her about proper sexual etiquette.
Themes and Sexuality
Curiosity and naivety are Valira Calaer's foremost personality traits, and so at first glance she can seem quite simple and superficial. That she is not taken seriously makes those moments when she voices unsettling opinions on foreign cultures more conspicuous. Her unexamined privilege leads her into clashes with unfamiliar attitudes because, fundamentally, she does not understand how the idyllic existence enjoyed by the elves makes possible the customs she practices.
This is why she cannot see the reason that her sexual liberation provokes such strong reactions from humankind. However good her intentions are, Valira is an oblivious tourist who wants to broaden her experience without being challenged. She does not believe the communities she visits are equal to those in her homeland, does not recognise that mortals really have lessons to teach elves, and so she cannot learn. Her poor self awareness makes her blind to the subtly different ways in which she relates to her partners, either as companions to share her travels or locals to enliven and enrich them. She epitomises casual conceit, treats the world as though it is filled with treasures that exist to fulfil her and promote her personal growth.
While these themes are quite heavy, Valira usually finds herself in slightly humorous situations, where her naivety and curiosity lead her into mild trouble. She is quite oblivious to the way in which humans and other mortals she patronises use her naivety and liberal attitude toward sex to manipulate her into sleeping with them. That she will sleep with almost anyone, provided they approach her directly and are not too unpleasant, only deepens the dramatic irony.
Since the elf is most interesting when outside her natural element, I prefer encounters to occur during her travels, whether in wilderness locations, overnight lodgings or cultural venues. Possible partners include humans and other fantasy races that do not share the longevity and splendour of the elves, as well as fellow elves and half-elves (provided they fit with the assumptions in her background). Dragons, while neither mortal nor elven, have been her lovers on more than one occasion, and so she shows far less hesitation and fear toward their embrace than might be expected.
Note that the extreme sexual liberation she practices means that Valira can separate the physical act from emotional investment, and so unlike human beings, she is mildly irritated rather than deeply harmed by sex obtained under false pretences. Although scenes in which her naivety toward sexual relations is exploited are acceptable, I distinguish between whatever she consents to while misinformed and nonconsensual sex. I am not interested in any situation where she would be forced to pleasure someone against her will. I am happy to discuss and negotiate the boundaries of content before and during scenes.
Nalsa Ilsasem, the Hot Arcanist with a Very Focused Temper
Note: Nalsa is a lesbian.
Nalsa was born to two loving parents, one of whom was human and the other was a heavenborn (someone whose ancestry traces back to angelic beings, and who has inherited some of their nature). Nalsa's heavenborn father was well-regarded in the small town they called home, where he worked as a herbalist and healer, while her mother was the local school teacher and librarian. As a result she was raised in peace, with happiness, taught curiosity and a love of reading.
That was, until she started to reach puberty, which came on at a surprisingly early age. One of her naturally amber eyes began to take on a dull, ashen colour, and a streak of silvery-white appeared among her metallic, blonde hair. This is when the nightmares began.
Because her parents were both educated, it wasn't long until they worked out what had happened.
Some years ago, her father had dreamed a strange dream. He'd been at a nearby village for a birth, and had stopped there overnight. He dreamt a beautiful woman with grey eyes approached him, and that he slept with her. The next morning he woke up feeling tired, disquieted, but otherwise thought it was just a dream. And not long after, his wife told him she was pregnant.
An omen? A bad omen. The dream was real: he had been enchanted by a terrible, monstrous, and rare creature, a witch given so over to fell powers that they warped her being into a terrible hag. She had used her magic to compel him to lay with her...
...And then, after the birth of his daughter with his wife? The hag had switched the babe with her own.
Nalsa. Nalsa was his daughter, but not his wife's. Nalsa was a thing of dark purpose, a changeling.
When she started to mature, Nalsa's true nature became known, bringing her an aptitude for magic and growing awareness of a darkness that called to her. The realisation nearly ended her parents' marriage. But they were good people, and they stayed together, for her sake. Nalsa might have been born a creature descended from evil, might have replaced their true daughter, but she was still her father's daughter, and it wasn't her fault.
So they raised her as best they could, tried to teach her to manage her feelings, encouraged her interests. Today, were you to meet Nalsa, you'd probably get very tried of her. She's strikingly intelligent, skilled in the arcane arts, highly motivated and active, slightly impatient, quick to laugh and quicker to get drinks in. She's just a little too much, too able, too friendly. And most annoyingly of all, she's a genuinely good person with a real stick up her ass for following the law.
If a law is inherently unjust she'll break it, so too if it's made in direct service to evil. But otherwise? Otherwise she'll follow the law, no matter how stupid, no matter how annoying, no matter how poorly thought out or inconvenient. She insists on the statutory rights of criminals, the need for rehabilitation, on the application of mercy through the medium of law. She's not blindly devoted to the rule of law (she wouldn't condemn someone who steals to live when they're desperate), but she's the sort of person who won't condone the breaking of duly enacted law without strong reason.
Add to this her skill as a mage, and her particular speciality in manipulating fire at stone-melting temperatures, and her willingness to work for hire, constantly on the move... She's easy to kind of like, but not to get along with. Annoyingly, she has her shit too together.
Here's what Nalsa does: she takes work requiring a wizard, especially if it involves burning things or vaporising them, and she travels around getting paid well and having drinks after a job well done. She donates 10% to charity, of course.
And here's who Nalsa is: every night when there's nothing to do, she drinks heroically at the local tavern, then goes back to her room, shuts the door, and keeps drinking, drinking like a villain, alone, until she passes out.
Deep down, buried deep beneath her self-control, Nalsa's every instinct is to be a terrible person. She feels the call of her true mother, wherever she is. In her is an endless, unceasing font of anger, rage, malevolence, narcissism, and sadistic viciousness. Ordinary mortals, when they get angry or sad, they can purge it with catharsis. There is an end. They'll eventually run out of tears, feel tired, and the emotion will lose its edge.
Not for Nalsa. It's endless. If something annoys her, she stays furious, forever.
It's eating her alive. Nalsa is a naturally talented sorceress. The darkness in her is eager kindling. But rather than give into it, she forced herself to study as a wizard, applied those lessons to her innate skill, becoming an arcanist. Her destructive impulses find expression through her fire magic. But outside of her magical studies, in which she buries herself for sanctuary, Nalsa has nothing.
She know the hag will come for her one day, and so she has to stay away from her family, the home she loves. She lives every day prepared to meet, and kill, her birth mother. Every day, she wakes up, cleans off the vomit or worse using magic, cleans and maintains her clothes, puts the room back together, bathes and dresses, then practices in a mirror until her smile looks right. And then she goes out to face the world.
What else can she do? Nothing can fix her. It's not a problem in her head, it's a poison in her soul. And if she gives in to despair, the rage will burn her out, leave her an ashen, grey-eyed husk like her birth monster. She either swallows it, or vents it upon the world.
When she was young, her parents sought answers from the gods and temples, but none of them could help her. She simply is what she is. The gods can guide, could even change mortal forms, but they can't change the soul.
So, instead of worshipping the known gods, she clings to an old myth she read once during her arcane pursuits. Ancient texts from fire cults whose writings she studied talked of a forgotten goddess, the Lady of Purifying Flame, who could burn any evil from the world. Nalsa finds this idea comforting. Perhaps, if such a goddess exists, she will one day take notice, burn away the things Nalsa has in her before she loses control.
Or maybe just burn her away, leaving no ashes behind.
Still, she donates to the good cults and churches and causes, and tries to make merit as best she can. One refused her once, said her money was blood money. She thought about that for a long, long time. She donates less frequently now. She drinks more.
And the thing is? Nalsa is wrong. People can help her. There feelings can't be fixed, can't be removed, but they can be supported. There isn't hope of a cure, but there is hope of something else, another way to manage.
But she's an alcoholic. And gods help everyone if – and almost certainly when – she hits rock bottom.
Themes and Sexuality
Nalsa is about what we keep repressed finding its way out in the bedroom, and plays with the idea that thoughts and emotions aren't inherently evil, it's how we use them that matters. Heavy BDSM play is a natural expression of this, but it could be explored in different directions with the right context.
Note: Nalsa is a lesbian.
Nalsa was born to two loving parents, one of whom was human and the other was a heavenborn (someone whose ancestry traces back to angelic beings, and who has inherited some of their nature). Nalsa's heavenborn father was well-regarded in the small town they called home, where he worked as a herbalist and healer, while her mother was the local school teacher and librarian. As a result she was raised in peace, with happiness, taught curiosity and a love of reading.
That was, until she started to reach puberty, which came on at a surprisingly early age. One of her naturally amber eyes began to take on a dull, ashen colour, and a streak of silvery-white appeared among her metallic, blonde hair. This is when the nightmares began.
Because her parents were both educated, it wasn't long until they worked out what had happened.
Some years ago, her father had dreamed a strange dream. He'd been at a nearby village for a birth, and had stopped there overnight. He dreamt a beautiful woman with grey eyes approached him, and that he slept with her. The next morning he woke up feeling tired, disquieted, but otherwise thought it was just a dream. And not long after, his wife told him she was pregnant.
An omen? A bad omen. The dream was real: he had been enchanted by a terrible, monstrous, and rare creature, a witch given so over to fell powers that they warped her being into a terrible hag. She had used her magic to compel him to lay with her...
...And then, after the birth of his daughter with his wife? The hag had switched the babe with her own.
Nalsa. Nalsa was his daughter, but not his wife's. Nalsa was a thing of dark purpose, a changeling.
When she started to mature, Nalsa's true nature became known, bringing her an aptitude for magic and growing awareness of a darkness that called to her. The realisation nearly ended her parents' marriage. But they were good people, and they stayed together, for her sake. Nalsa might have been born a creature descended from evil, might have replaced their true daughter, but she was still her father's daughter, and it wasn't her fault.
So they raised her as best they could, tried to teach her to manage her feelings, encouraged her interests. Today, were you to meet Nalsa, you'd probably get very tried of her. She's strikingly intelligent, skilled in the arcane arts, highly motivated and active, slightly impatient, quick to laugh and quicker to get drinks in. She's just a little too much, too able, too friendly. And most annoyingly of all, she's a genuinely good person with a real stick up her ass for following the law.
If a law is inherently unjust she'll break it, so too if it's made in direct service to evil. But otherwise? Otherwise she'll follow the law, no matter how stupid, no matter how annoying, no matter how poorly thought out or inconvenient. She insists on the statutory rights of criminals, the need for rehabilitation, on the application of mercy through the medium of law. She's not blindly devoted to the rule of law (she wouldn't condemn someone who steals to live when they're desperate), but she's the sort of person who won't condone the breaking of duly enacted law without strong reason.
Add to this her skill as a mage, and her particular speciality in manipulating fire at stone-melting temperatures, and her willingness to work for hire, constantly on the move... She's easy to kind of like, but not to get along with. Annoyingly, she has her shit too together.
Here's what Nalsa does: she takes work requiring a wizard, especially if it involves burning things or vaporising them, and she travels around getting paid well and having drinks after a job well done. She donates 10% to charity, of course.
And here's who Nalsa is: every night when there's nothing to do, she drinks heroically at the local tavern, then goes back to her room, shuts the door, and keeps drinking, drinking like a villain, alone, until she passes out.
Deep down, buried deep beneath her self-control, Nalsa's every instinct is to be a terrible person. She feels the call of her true mother, wherever she is. In her is an endless, unceasing font of anger, rage, malevolence, narcissism, and sadistic viciousness. Ordinary mortals, when they get angry or sad, they can purge it with catharsis. There is an end. They'll eventually run out of tears, feel tired, and the emotion will lose its edge.
Not for Nalsa. It's endless. If something annoys her, she stays furious, forever.
It's eating her alive. Nalsa is a naturally talented sorceress. The darkness in her is eager kindling. But rather than give into it, she forced herself to study as a wizard, applied those lessons to her innate skill, becoming an arcanist. Her destructive impulses find expression through her fire magic. But outside of her magical studies, in which she buries herself for sanctuary, Nalsa has nothing.
She know the hag will come for her one day, and so she has to stay away from her family, the home she loves. She lives every day prepared to meet, and kill, her birth mother. Every day, she wakes up, cleans off the vomit or worse using magic, cleans and maintains her clothes, puts the room back together, bathes and dresses, then practices in a mirror until her smile looks right. And then she goes out to face the world.
What else can she do? Nothing can fix her. It's not a problem in her head, it's a poison in her soul. And if she gives in to despair, the rage will burn her out, leave her an ashen, grey-eyed husk like her birth monster. She either swallows it, or vents it upon the world.
When she was young, her parents sought answers from the gods and temples, but none of them could help her. She simply is what she is. The gods can guide, could even change mortal forms, but they can't change the soul.
So, instead of worshipping the known gods, she clings to an old myth she read once during her arcane pursuits. Ancient texts from fire cults whose writings she studied talked of a forgotten goddess, the Lady of Purifying Flame, who could burn any evil from the world. Nalsa finds this idea comforting. Perhaps, if such a goddess exists, she will one day take notice, burn away the things Nalsa has in her before she loses control.
Or maybe just burn her away, leaving no ashes behind.
Still, she donates to the good cults and churches and causes, and tries to make merit as best she can. One refused her once, said her money was blood money. She thought about that for a long, long time. She donates less frequently now. She drinks more.
And the thing is? Nalsa is wrong. People can help her. There feelings can't be fixed, can't be removed, but they can be supported. There isn't hope of a cure, but there is hope of something else, another way to manage.
But she's an alcoholic. And gods help everyone if – and almost certainly when – she hits rock bottom.
Themes and Sexuality
Nalsa is about what we keep repressed finding its way out in the bedroom, and plays with the idea that thoughts and emotions aren't inherently evil, it's how we use them that matters. Heavy BDSM play is a natural expression of this, but it could be explored in different directions with the right context.
Queer Female Characters
(Women who have penises.)
Athil Cerulea, the Zepherous and Understated Cartel Boss
There are many stories about the Tranquil Mask, none of them honest, all of them true.
They say she was born beneath a foreign sky, and drifted into the city on a sultry summer wind. They say she made a name for herself by being unseen. They say she never hurt anyone. They say hundreds disappeared the night she came to power. They say she has never sold opium, but everyone buys from her. They say no one works for her, yet she owns the city. They say the nobles are afraid of her, and that she receives an invitation to all of their soirées. They say she is kind to common people. They say her associates are wicked and cruel. They say she has no enemies. They say the city guards always know where to find her. They say no one really knows anything about her.
And, most importantly, they say she knows what they say.
Cartel Leader
For years the gangs and criminal guilds fought tooth and nail in the alleyways, tirelessly contested by servants of the law. Then – almost overnight – the Black Dust Cartel came to power within the city, and everything changed. Opium flooded the streets, prominent businesses came under new management, and violent crime all but disappeared. In the blink of an eye the most notorious lawbreakers vanished, never to be seen again, while even the most vocal lawmakers became studiously unconcerned with crimes of tax evasion and narcotics trafficking. And in the months that followed, the indifferent aristocracy suddenly began investing in public works, pointedly encouraged by agents of the cartel.
No one who remains will explain how it came to pass, but everyone knows who is responsible. The Tranquil Mask, Athil Cerulea, changed the fortunes of the city as she took control, transforming a moribund polity in decline into a vibrant centre for opium distribution. For this she is loved by many, and feared by many more.
Behind the Mask
Although highly formidable in many ways, Athil Cerulea's natural appearance is far from intimidating, her remarkable height undercut by her long, willowy limbs and airy grace. Her ethereal, undeniable femininity disadvantages her in a profession built by violent men. Even her voice, so soft and sibilant, does not readily convey her words with the gravitas appropriate to a ruthless leader of an opium cartel.
But Athil wields spectacle with razor precision. Beneath bulky yet refined clothing she hides her slender figure, while a mask covers her youthful countenance well enough to inspire uncertainty, even dread. As for her voice, she has found that whispers are more intimidating than any shout, especially when carried further than they ought to be heard.
Daughter of the Sky
Few know that Athil is a sylph: she prefers her lineage remain obscure, having long ago learned the advantage in mystery. Despite this, her inner circle have noticed her affinity for all things zephyrous. Around her the very air comes alive, dancing and playing according to her whim, carrying her every syllable exactly as far as she intends, even raising her aloft in moments of passion. To her closest lovers she describes the wind as a living thing, its every mood palpable to her, each breeze more physical and real to her than the earth on which other people are forced to stand.
Her confidants sometimes joke that Athil is as unpredictable as the wind. But when they do, they do so quietly. For all that she is magnanimous toward the ordinary men and woman of the city, even extravagant to her paramours, in matters of business she is severe. And she is unforgiving toward those who abuse her trust. That her private, hedonistic appetites often blur the boundary between professional and personal for her favoured subordinates is a ongoing source of tension to them.
Child of Fortune
While she seldom speaks about her childhood, her attitudes and habits provide small glimpses of the struggles she endured. Her penchant for luxury and opulence and frequent disdain for nobles who take them for granted tell that she grew up in abject poverty. Her enmity toward those who discriminate based on parentage and pedigree is well known within her organisation, and suggest that she lived in the margins of human society as an outcast. Whether this was because of her social class or because of her unearthly ancestry is unclear, but regardless, she welcomes the company and business of rich and poor, whether human or non-human.
Although her accent is faintly exotic, none can place it. Her involvement with the cartel prior to arriving in the city suggests she comes from the distant, hot south, and her habit of sitting in the shade even on cold days supports this. The rope knots she ties in the bedroom also hail from that region, but the same style is used by kidnappers throughout her organisation, and she likely learned it after beginning her career in organised crime.
The Black Dust Cartel
The Black Dust Cartel began as two separate criminal groups based in the faraway south, one focused on opium production, the other on smuggling. The smuggling gang ran minor routes through the vast eastern deserts to distant locations, but the harshness of the dunes, the length of their journeys, and the significant travel time made their ventures unprofitable for perishable goods, confining their operations to high value materials that were imperishable.
All of this changed when the opium gang developed a reversible alchemical treatment to reduce processed opium into inert black dust, allowing its transport across extremely long distances without spoilage or deterioration. Sensing opportunity, both gangs joined forces to flood distant lands with opium, and when their operations proved insanely profitable they merged into a cartel, soon named by outsiders after the source of their wealth.
A major advantage of the titular black dust is that it is utterly non-reactive and harmless unless subject to a specific treatment, and the process of treating it is a closely guarded secret by the cartel. This renders their product very difficult to detect during transport, able to be stored in a multitude of places that would otherwise not be possible. It also makes their convoys virtually impossible to hijack to productive ends: opium under transport by the cartel is useless if stolen.
The consequentially immense success of the cartel allowed them to aggressively expand into more traditional smuggling routes, and so expand their range of smuggled goods correspondingly. As they have grown in power they have spread their network throughout the south and into states both near and far, including into the city, the prior decline of which allowed them set up discrete poppy fields and establish a black market trade hub.
While it nominally controls the city, under the Tranquil Mask's leadership the cartel exerts little influence on common criminality, but rather allows crime to transpire on a subcontracted basis. The cartel does not care about thieves, pickpockets, and other street-level entrepreneurs, so long as they pay a nominal fee for territory rights. Criminal gangs that wish to fight each other for territory rights are welcome to do, so long as they keep their violence out of public and each pay the cartel for what they claim.
The sole exceptions to this forbearance are the drug trade and the kidnapping business: no one may engage in these activities within the cartel's approval and involvement. Those who commit such crimes without being on good terms with the cartel receive one, and only one, warning.
Themes and Sexuality
I am in the process of working out the themes that underlie Athil Cerulea through play, so this section is necessarily incomplete. The tension between the licit and the illicit is a major focus of the character, as is the tension between what is presented and what is concealed. This latter theme is especially apparent in the fact that Athil hides her species and appearance to better fit what is expected of her in terms of presentation, as well as her ambiguously feminine presentation in the eyes of some as a woman who has a penis. I expect to flesh this section out substantially after I play the character for the first time.
There are many stories about the Tranquil Mask, none of them honest, all of them true.
They say she was born beneath a foreign sky, and drifted into the city on a sultry summer wind. They say she made a name for herself by being unseen. They say she never hurt anyone. They say hundreds disappeared the night she came to power. They say she has never sold opium, but everyone buys from her. They say no one works for her, yet she owns the city. They say the nobles are afraid of her, and that she receives an invitation to all of their soirées. They say she is kind to common people. They say her associates are wicked and cruel. They say she has no enemies. They say the city guards always know where to find her. They say no one really knows anything about her.
And, most importantly, they say she knows what they say.
Cartel Leader
For years the gangs and criminal guilds fought tooth and nail in the alleyways, tirelessly contested by servants of the law. Then – almost overnight – the Black Dust Cartel came to power within the city, and everything changed. Opium flooded the streets, prominent businesses came under new management, and violent crime all but disappeared. In the blink of an eye the most notorious lawbreakers vanished, never to be seen again, while even the most vocal lawmakers became studiously unconcerned with crimes of tax evasion and narcotics trafficking. And in the months that followed, the indifferent aristocracy suddenly began investing in public works, pointedly encouraged by agents of the cartel.
No one who remains will explain how it came to pass, but everyone knows who is responsible. The Tranquil Mask, Athil Cerulea, changed the fortunes of the city as she took control, transforming a moribund polity in decline into a vibrant centre for opium distribution. For this she is loved by many, and feared by many more.
Behind the Mask
Although highly formidable in many ways, Athil Cerulea's natural appearance is far from intimidating, her remarkable height undercut by her long, willowy limbs and airy grace. Her ethereal, undeniable femininity disadvantages her in a profession built by violent men. Even her voice, so soft and sibilant, does not readily convey her words with the gravitas appropriate to a ruthless leader of an opium cartel.
But Athil wields spectacle with razor precision. Beneath bulky yet refined clothing she hides her slender figure, while a mask covers her youthful countenance well enough to inspire uncertainty, even dread. As for her voice, she has found that whispers are more intimidating than any shout, especially when carried further than they ought to be heard.
Daughter of the Sky
Few know that Athil is a sylph: she prefers her lineage remain obscure, having long ago learned the advantage in mystery. Despite this, her inner circle have noticed her affinity for all things zephyrous. Around her the very air comes alive, dancing and playing according to her whim, carrying her every syllable exactly as far as she intends, even raising her aloft in moments of passion. To her closest lovers she describes the wind as a living thing, its every mood palpable to her, each breeze more physical and real to her than the earth on which other people are forced to stand.
Her confidants sometimes joke that Athil is as unpredictable as the wind. But when they do, they do so quietly. For all that she is magnanimous toward the ordinary men and woman of the city, even extravagant to her paramours, in matters of business she is severe. And she is unforgiving toward those who abuse her trust. That her private, hedonistic appetites often blur the boundary between professional and personal for her favoured subordinates is a ongoing source of tension to them.
Child of Fortune
While she seldom speaks about her childhood, her attitudes and habits provide small glimpses of the struggles she endured. Her penchant for luxury and opulence and frequent disdain for nobles who take them for granted tell that she grew up in abject poverty. Her enmity toward those who discriminate based on parentage and pedigree is well known within her organisation, and suggest that she lived in the margins of human society as an outcast. Whether this was because of her social class or because of her unearthly ancestry is unclear, but regardless, she welcomes the company and business of rich and poor, whether human or non-human.
Although her accent is faintly exotic, none can place it. Her involvement with the cartel prior to arriving in the city suggests she comes from the distant, hot south, and her habit of sitting in the shade even on cold days supports this. The rope knots she ties in the bedroom also hail from that region, but the same style is used by kidnappers throughout her organisation, and she likely learned it after beginning her career in organised crime.
The Black Dust Cartel
The Black Dust Cartel began as two separate criminal groups based in the faraway south, one focused on opium production, the other on smuggling. The smuggling gang ran minor routes through the vast eastern deserts to distant locations, but the harshness of the dunes, the length of their journeys, and the significant travel time made their ventures unprofitable for perishable goods, confining their operations to high value materials that were imperishable.
All of this changed when the opium gang developed a reversible alchemical treatment to reduce processed opium into inert black dust, allowing its transport across extremely long distances without spoilage or deterioration. Sensing opportunity, both gangs joined forces to flood distant lands with opium, and when their operations proved insanely profitable they merged into a cartel, soon named by outsiders after the source of their wealth.
A major advantage of the titular black dust is that it is utterly non-reactive and harmless unless subject to a specific treatment, and the process of treating it is a closely guarded secret by the cartel. This renders their product very difficult to detect during transport, able to be stored in a multitude of places that would otherwise not be possible. It also makes their convoys virtually impossible to hijack to productive ends: opium under transport by the cartel is useless if stolen.
The consequentially immense success of the cartel allowed them to aggressively expand into more traditional smuggling routes, and so expand their range of smuggled goods correspondingly. As they have grown in power they have spread their network throughout the south and into states both near and far, including into the city, the prior decline of which allowed them set up discrete poppy fields and establish a black market trade hub.
While it nominally controls the city, under the Tranquil Mask's leadership the cartel exerts little influence on common criminality, but rather allows crime to transpire on a subcontracted basis. The cartel does not care about thieves, pickpockets, and other street-level entrepreneurs, so long as they pay a nominal fee for territory rights. Criminal gangs that wish to fight each other for territory rights are welcome to do, so long as they keep their violence out of public and each pay the cartel for what they claim.
The sole exceptions to this forbearance are the drug trade and the kidnapping business: no one may engage in these activities within the cartel's approval and involvement. Those who commit such crimes without being on good terms with the cartel receive one, and only one, warning.
Themes and Sexuality
I am in the process of working out the themes that underlie Athil Cerulea through play, so this section is necessarily incomplete. The tension between the licit and the illicit is a major focus of the character, as is the tension between what is presented and what is concealed. This latter theme is especially apparent in the fact that Athil hides her species and appearance to better fit what is expected of her in terms of presentation, as well as her ambiguously feminine presentation in the eyes of some as a woman who has a penis. I expect to flesh this section out substantially after I play the character for the first time.
Atleztli, the Vampiric False Goddess
Atleztli (a-tl-ez-tl-i) is an ancient vampire who was at one time worshipped as a goddess. She dwells within the Acan jungle in the ruins of her temple, communing with the Pahatl river as she pursues true divinity, and only emerges to hunt the primitive tribes that once comprised her empire.
Her capacity for deception and mimicry runs deep in her blood; the same vampirism that sustains her corpse permits her to sculpt its flesh. At the height of her hubris she chose to transgress the divide between man and woman, adopted male genitals on her otherwise female body to set her apart from her worshippers. Her epicene sex suits her predatory desires.
Over a millenium spent transcending vampirism has given her unique insights into obscure magical lore. Those who show deference may seek her knowledge, provided they recompense her in kind. Those who cannot should be prepared to offer blood, or otherwise feed her dark passions.
History
Atleztli once belonged to the tribes that inhabit the vast Acan jungle. What memories she retains from that time concern fishing along the Pahatl river, casting her nets into its green depths and passing the hours through ritual song. She does not remember the village that was her home and cannot recall the faces of its people. Half-recollected feelings tell her she was ostracised from them: she cannot think why else she would have done work that traditionally belonged to men, nor can she imagine any other explanation for being alone when she died.
Her death came as cold hands around her neck and burning agony in her lungs. She never saw her attacker. Before she knew the danger she was thrown into the river and dragged down by something swifter than the current. The next night she rose from the depths, hungry for blood.
For decades Atleztli hunted the canopies in darkness and fled to the safety of the water come daybreak. At first the tribes did not know what stalked them and cowered in their homes until the sun climbed into the sky: she was not deterred by their crude dwellings. Soon heroes emerged to seek her destruction with fire and hatchet: she dispatched them easily. Eventually they regarded her with awe and some sought to appease her through murder: she accepted their sacrifices, and listened.
They called her divine and begged she spare them. They named her goddess of the Pahatl river and pleaded that she calm her waters. They implored her to spare their mothers and children and turn her wrath against their enemies.
It pleased her to indulge their requests. She took the name they gave her, having long forgotten her living name, and butchered the people they specified. Soon others learned of her and drowned their unwanted in the river in ever greater numbers; she favoured those who were most devoted in their offerings.
As decades gave way to centuries Atleztli cultivated the mythology that grew around her actions, became the sole goddess of the tribes, and united them in monotheistic worship. At last she commanded her faithful to climb the great Techcatl waterfall, demanded they build her temple amid its raging waters. Many fed her when they fell to their deaths.
When work was complete she went among her chosen and instructed them in rituals and songs that would secure her approval, permitting lesser rites of blood-letting for those who wished to appease her without murder. Once they had grown strong she commanded them to conquer the jungle in her holy name.
The conflict ensured regular feeding. Soon she beheld the rise of an empire to span the entire peninsula, as all those who opposed were converted or drowned in her river. For the first time in history the primitive people knew peace and prosperity. Within years they began to farm the lush banks of the river to support their growing population, raising towns and then cities to glorify their goddess.
In due course the mercurial Atleztli became associated with the changes that swept through the land, forced to mature so that she could continue as an object of worship. To her faithful she became a dualistic deity associated with the solar cycle, goddess of savage death during the night and fertile wisdom during the day, the Pahatl river her sacred body that divided the living from the dead.
As she grew into her role, her blood matured, transformed her river and then her body in defiance of nature. To please her devout she made the river rich and fertile, and to please herself she grew male genitals, set herself apart from the men and women who fed her. Seeking to understand what permitted these changes, she began to study the occult, and posed questions under the pretence of testing her priests.
At the close of her first millennium she had become an undisputed master of esoteric matters, providing wise counsel to those judged worthy enough to approach her inner shrine. Yet Atleztli was not satisfied. Secretly she yearned to uncover the deepest mysteries of her condition, to become the goddess she had long pretended to be.
Looking beyond her empire for the answers she sought, she insisted on all manner of foreign fineries and forbidden texts be secured for her consideration, drove her people to expand beyond the jungle. It was not long before she became totally engrossed in the grimoires her warriors sent back. Obsessed with apotheosis, she began to care less for the problems that threatened her faithful, and ruled over them in orgiastic excess as she prepared to embrace her godhood.
One hundred years later her empire had fallen.
Among the scattered tribes that once more dwell within the Acan jungle, many stories explain the plague and famine that befell them. Certain accounts say that the goddess was prevented from aiding her people through the intervention of foreign gods; others tell how she abandoned them in their hour of need because they did not offer the correct invocations to her; heretical rumour claims she destroyed her people in uncontrollable anger.
The truth is that Atleztli grew less dependent on her people and took their devotion for granted. Sheer indifference to their plight caused her to drift away, receding deep into her temple to pursue her occult studies.
Over three hundred years have passed since the vampire withdrew from the world. For months she communes with the river and contemplates the subtle lore that holds the secret to her ascension. On rare occasions she visits those few communities that still worship in her name, answers prayers until she inevitably grows bored and elects to hunt them under the moonlight. She is still the savage who emerged from the water hungry for blood, only now she has other, darker passions.
Themes and Sexuality
Atleztli represents savage majesty. Both the majesty inherent in animal predation and the savagery inherent in rulership find expression through her moods, whether she chases prey through her dark jungle homeland or holds court within her ruined temple. Awe - in the original meaning - unites these seemingly contradictory motifs together, as she demands reverence, fear and dread from her partners. That she is capable of inspiring this complex emotion without resorting to trickery suggests that she might yet become what she pretends to be.
As a vampiress masquerading as a goddess, Atleztli is comfortable deceiving her partners on multiple levels. Her undead body masquerades as one of the living; her imperfect immortality masquerades as divinity; her hungers masquerade as divine retribution or favour. Even her sex is deceptive, appearing outwardly feminine while hiding masculine genitalia. Each deception incorporates transgression in some form, whether against nature, piety or heteronormative gender, and that is how the vampiress relates to the world. She seeks to attain godhood through transgressive deception, and in doing so elevates her desires to become holy, rather than selfish.
In keeping with these themes and the background written to support them, I believe Atleztli is best played within her natural element. She belongs within the Acan jungle, stalking the Pahatl river; I will only consider other settings if they can emphasise her character in new and interesting ways. It has also been my experience that she works best in scenes where she acts as either predator or ruler, assuming dominance over her partners, although I think it could be interesting to set her against an equal or rival. Note that, since her sexuality is implicitly tied to her ferocity and will to power, she is unlikely to show vulnerability to her partners.
Despite Atleztli's background as a vampiress necessarily including violence and death, I am unwilling to explicitly include either in sexual scenes. While I am comfortable with erotic scenes threatening violence for the sake of sexual frisson, I draw a clear distinction between sensual and violent content. I am happy to discuss and negotiate the boundaries of content before and during scenes.
Atleztli (a-tl-ez-tl-i) is an ancient vampire who was at one time worshipped as a goddess. She dwells within the Acan jungle in the ruins of her temple, communing with the Pahatl river as she pursues true divinity, and only emerges to hunt the primitive tribes that once comprised her empire.
Her capacity for deception and mimicry runs deep in her blood; the same vampirism that sustains her corpse permits her to sculpt its flesh. At the height of her hubris she chose to transgress the divide between man and woman, adopted male genitals on her otherwise female body to set her apart from her worshippers. Her epicene sex suits her predatory desires.
Over a millenium spent transcending vampirism has given her unique insights into obscure magical lore. Those who show deference may seek her knowledge, provided they recompense her in kind. Those who cannot should be prepared to offer blood, or otherwise feed her dark passions.
History
Atleztli once belonged to the tribes that inhabit the vast Acan jungle. What memories she retains from that time concern fishing along the Pahatl river, casting her nets into its green depths and passing the hours through ritual song. She does not remember the village that was her home and cannot recall the faces of its people. Half-recollected feelings tell her she was ostracised from them: she cannot think why else she would have done work that traditionally belonged to men, nor can she imagine any other explanation for being alone when she died.
Her death came as cold hands around her neck and burning agony in her lungs. She never saw her attacker. Before she knew the danger she was thrown into the river and dragged down by something swifter than the current. The next night she rose from the depths, hungry for blood.
For decades Atleztli hunted the canopies in darkness and fled to the safety of the water come daybreak. At first the tribes did not know what stalked them and cowered in their homes until the sun climbed into the sky: she was not deterred by their crude dwellings. Soon heroes emerged to seek her destruction with fire and hatchet: she dispatched them easily. Eventually they regarded her with awe and some sought to appease her through murder: she accepted their sacrifices, and listened.
They called her divine and begged she spare them. They named her goddess of the Pahatl river and pleaded that she calm her waters. They implored her to spare their mothers and children and turn her wrath against their enemies.
It pleased her to indulge their requests. She took the name they gave her, having long forgotten her living name, and butchered the people they specified. Soon others learned of her and drowned their unwanted in the river in ever greater numbers; she favoured those who were most devoted in their offerings.
As decades gave way to centuries Atleztli cultivated the mythology that grew around her actions, became the sole goddess of the tribes, and united them in monotheistic worship. At last she commanded her faithful to climb the great Techcatl waterfall, demanded they build her temple amid its raging waters. Many fed her when they fell to their deaths.
When work was complete she went among her chosen and instructed them in rituals and songs that would secure her approval, permitting lesser rites of blood-letting for those who wished to appease her without murder. Once they had grown strong she commanded them to conquer the jungle in her holy name.
The conflict ensured regular feeding. Soon she beheld the rise of an empire to span the entire peninsula, as all those who opposed were converted or drowned in her river. For the first time in history the primitive people knew peace and prosperity. Within years they began to farm the lush banks of the river to support their growing population, raising towns and then cities to glorify their goddess.
In due course the mercurial Atleztli became associated with the changes that swept through the land, forced to mature so that she could continue as an object of worship. To her faithful she became a dualistic deity associated with the solar cycle, goddess of savage death during the night and fertile wisdom during the day, the Pahatl river her sacred body that divided the living from the dead.
As she grew into her role, her blood matured, transformed her river and then her body in defiance of nature. To please her devout she made the river rich and fertile, and to please herself she grew male genitals, set herself apart from the men and women who fed her. Seeking to understand what permitted these changes, she began to study the occult, and posed questions under the pretence of testing her priests.
At the close of her first millennium she had become an undisputed master of esoteric matters, providing wise counsel to those judged worthy enough to approach her inner shrine. Yet Atleztli was not satisfied. Secretly she yearned to uncover the deepest mysteries of her condition, to become the goddess she had long pretended to be.
Looking beyond her empire for the answers she sought, she insisted on all manner of foreign fineries and forbidden texts be secured for her consideration, drove her people to expand beyond the jungle. It was not long before she became totally engrossed in the grimoires her warriors sent back. Obsessed with apotheosis, she began to care less for the problems that threatened her faithful, and ruled over them in orgiastic excess as she prepared to embrace her godhood.
One hundred years later her empire had fallen.
Among the scattered tribes that once more dwell within the Acan jungle, many stories explain the plague and famine that befell them. Certain accounts say that the goddess was prevented from aiding her people through the intervention of foreign gods; others tell how she abandoned them in their hour of need because they did not offer the correct invocations to her; heretical rumour claims she destroyed her people in uncontrollable anger.
The truth is that Atleztli grew less dependent on her people and took their devotion for granted. Sheer indifference to their plight caused her to drift away, receding deep into her temple to pursue her occult studies.
Over three hundred years have passed since the vampire withdrew from the world. For months she communes with the river and contemplates the subtle lore that holds the secret to her ascension. On rare occasions she visits those few communities that still worship in her name, answers prayers until she inevitably grows bored and elects to hunt them under the moonlight. She is still the savage who emerged from the water hungry for blood, only now she has other, darker passions.
Themes and Sexuality
Atleztli represents savage majesty. Both the majesty inherent in animal predation and the savagery inherent in rulership find expression through her moods, whether she chases prey through her dark jungle homeland or holds court within her ruined temple. Awe - in the original meaning - unites these seemingly contradictory motifs together, as she demands reverence, fear and dread from her partners. That she is capable of inspiring this complex emotion without resorting to trickery suggests that she might yet become what she pretends to be.
As a vampiress masquerading as a goddess, Atleztli is comfortable deceiving her partners on multiple levels. Her undead body masquerades as one of the living; her imperfect immortality masquerades as divinity; her hungers masquerade as divine retribution or favour. Even her sex is deceptive, appearing outwardly feminine while hiding masculine genitalia. Each deception incorporates transgression in some form, whether against nature, piety or heteronormative gender, and that is how the vampiress relates to the world. She seeks to attain godhood through transgressive deception, and in doing so elevates her desires to become holy, rather than selfish.
In keeping with these themes and the background written to support them, I believe Atleztli is best played within her natural element. She belongs within the Acan jungle, stalking the Pahatl river; I will only consider other settings if they can emphasise her character in new and interesting ways. It has also been my experience that she works best in scenes where she acts as either predator or ruler, assuming dominance over her partners, although I think it could be interesting to set her against an equal or rival. Note that, since her sexuality is implicitly tied to her ferocity and will to power, she is unlikely to show vulnerability to her partners.
Despite Atleztli's background as a vampiress necessarily including violence and death, I am unwilling to explicitly include either in sexual scenes. While I am comfortable with erotic scenes threatening violence for the sake of sexual frisson, I draw a clear distinction between sensual and violent content. I am happy to discuss and negotiate the boundaries of content before and during scenes.
Loriswen Calaer, the Elven White Witch
The white witch Loriswen Calaer is one of the fabled inya vee' hanwa, combining the male generative organ with the supreme femininity cultivated by elven maidens. From this sexual dichotomy she has learned to draw significant magical power, and her mastery of elven lore allows her to manipulate the natural elements with unparalleled finesse. Her travels take her through the forests and woodland native to her people, but she may also be found refining her art on the sea shore, calling out across the ocean to ancient powers long since lost in the distant West.
Themes and Sexuality
Mystery, dichotomy and awe are themes that Loriswen Calaer embodies. Her mastery of white magic is sublimely mystifying to those who have not been initiated, as are the fertility rites and cultural practices she keeps as an elven inya vee' hanwa. That she is both a being of the light and yet entirely corporeal, feminine and yet masculine, brimming with youthful joy yet replete in her elder wisdom all speak to the contradictions from which she draws her magical power. Her presence among the mortal races and the miracles she works to benefit them inspire awe, as does her beauty, which extends far deeper than the flesh in which her spirit is clothed.
This sense of otherness extends to the encounters she has with her partners. While they may come to know her intimately, and passionately, something about her will always remain beyond, unknowable yet knowing them.
Although her magical inclinations may be of interest to fellow witches and magicians, I find she is best portrayed alongside characters who are ignorant of her magic's workings, better to emphasise the wonder that it invokes. Her strange existence and the path she follows necessarily keep her apart from others in the ultimate sense, but on a more immediate and interpersonal level she enjoys the company of those who show courtesy toward the traditions she follows, as well as those who are ignorant but wish to learn about them. Possible partners include humans and other fantasy races that do not share the longevity and splendour of the elves, as well as fellow elves and half-elves (provided they fit with the assumptions in her background). Dragons, while neither mortal nor elven, are regarded by her as equals, and so she shows far less hesitation and fear toward their embrace than might be expected.
The white witch Loriswen Calaer is one of the fabled inya vee' hanwa, combining the male generative organ with the supreme femininity cultivated by elven maidens. From this sexual dichotomy she has learned to draw significant magical power, and her mastery of elven lore allows her to manipulate the natural elements with unparalleled finesse. Her travels take her through the forests and woodland native to her people, but she may also be found refining her art on the sea shore, calling out across the ocean to ancient powers long since lost in the distant West.
Themes and Sexuality
Mystery, dichotomy and awe are themes that Loriswen Calaer embodies. Her mastery of white magic is sublimely mystifying to those who have not been initiated, as are the fertility rites and cultural practices she keeps as an elven inya vee' hanwa. That she is both a being of the light and yet entirely corporeal, feminine and yet masculine, brimming with youthful joy yet replete in her elder wisdom all speak to the contradictions from which she draws her magical power. Her presence among the mortal races and the miracles she works to benefit them inspire awe, as does her beauty, which extends far deeper than the flesh in which her spirit is clothed.
This sense of otherness extends to the encounters she has with her partners. While they may come to know her intimately, and passionately, something about her will always remain beyond, unknowable yet knowing them.
Although her magical inclinations may be of interest to fellow witches and magicians, I find she is best portrayed alongside characters who are ignorant of her magic's workings, better to emphasise the wonder that it invokes. Her strange existence and the path she follows necessarily keep her apart from others in the ultimate sense, but on a more immediate and interpersonal level she enjoys the company of those who show courtesy toward the traditions she follows, as well as those who are ignorant but wish to learn about them. Possible partners include humans and other fantasy races that do not share the longevity and splendour of the elves, as well as fellow elves and half-elves (provided they fit with the assumptions in her background). Dragons, while neither mortal nor elven, are regarded by her as equals, and so she shows far less hesitation and fear toward their embrace than might be expected.
Other
Shaelinora, the Queen Beyond the Mirror
There are many ghost stories about the dangers of looking in the mirror at night. Most are told by children to children to scare each other — but there's a glimmer of truth behind them. From time to time a comely young man or woman of particularly effeminate demeanour has found themselves sleepwalking to their mirror, half-awake before its glowing surface, there to answer questions about their dreams and desires. Most wake the next morning without further consequence, half-remembering the odd events.
But a few? They disappear. Many are never seen again. And the ones who return, years later, come laden with fantastical wealth, strange mannerisms, and a youthful complexion that hasn't aged a day.
Not all who step through their reflections become the playthings of Shaelinora, the Queen Beyond the Mirror. The ones who return rarely talk about their experiences. All have had their hearts and loins stolen by the insatiable, possessive monarch, her powerful magic and monstrous countenance both belying her flighty affect. This makes their accounts contradictory, for she is a being of contradictions, horned and fanged and tailed and clawed like a devil, yet with statuesque, womanly beauty that befits a divine. Her great height, four arms, and glass-like skin only serve to further confuse her pets. At once she is both demanding, and kind.
What is she? Demon, angel? Some kind of fey? She laughs at the questions. Perhaps she's an elemental force of playful desire; perhaps she devours the soul along with the heart. All that matters is how she takes, and bestows, bliss.
...Until she grows bored, discarding her old playthings, though not with indifference. Still, there are always more beauties to call beyond the mirror.
Themes and Sexuality
Decadence, luxury, and mothering dominance are the primary themes of Shaelinora. I should also mention: she can change her genitals to suit the tastes of whomever she steals away. Much beyond this, I haven't had opportunity to explore yet. Why not help me?
There are many ghost stories about the dangers of looking in the mirror at night. Most are told by children to children to scare each other — but there's a glimmer of truth behind them. From time to time a comely young man or woman of particularly effeminate demeanour has found themselves sleepwalking to their mirror, half-awake before its glowing surface, there to answer questions about their dreams and desires. Most wake the next morning without further consequence, half-remembering the odd events.
But a few? They disappear. Many are never seen again. And the ones who return, years later, come laden with fantastical wealth, strange mannerisms, and a youthful complexion that hasn't aged a day.
Not all who step through their reflections become the playthings of Shaelinora, the Queen Beyond the Mirror. The ones who return rarely talk about their experiences. All have had their hearts and loins stolen by the insatiable, possessive monarch, her powerful magic and monstrous countenance both belying her flighty affect. This makes their accounts contradictory, for she is a being of contradictions, horned and fanged and tailed and clawed like a devil, yet with statuesque, womanly beauty that befits a divine. Her great height, four arms, and glass-like skin only serve to further confuse her pets. At once she is both demanding, and kind.
What is she? Demon, angel? Some kind of fey? She laughs at the questions. Perhaps she's an elemental force of playful desire; perhaps she devours the soul along with the heart. All that matters is how she takes, and bestows, bliss.
...Until she grows bored, discarding her old playthings, though not with indifference. Still, there are always more beauties to call beyond the mirror.
Themes and Sexuality
Decadence, luxury, and mothering dominance are the primary themes of Shaelinora. I should also mention: she can change her genitals to suit the tastes of whomever she steals away. Much beyond this, I haven't had opportunity to explore yet. Why not help me?
I also have a character whose gender (and form) is not fixed, but who defaults to being feminine and who I'm happy to de facto play as a woman even though they nominally can change their gender. You can read about Strevathea in my nonbinary request thread.
I consider playing characters on request, but it has to be for an idea I really like, so don't get your hopes up.
Thank you for reading. I look forward to hearing from you.
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