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Aethernaut
Otherworldly Visitor
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2022
- Location
- a dimension beyond comprehension
Intro
Hello, I'm Aethernaut. Erotic roleplaying is my hobby. I've always been a daydreamer and there's nothing I like more than dreaming up cozy, exciting, smutty & emotionally fulfilling fantasy. I'm looking for a woman to write a classy sex worker in a steampunk setting. So join me on an erotic journey into high society, frilly dresses and gas-lamp lit streets. This will be a reverse harem roleplay. Your character will be pitted against a small cast of men who are entangled in a struggle to dominate the city of Ironhallow, a sprawling metropolis which is the center of innovation, industry, and art. While your character is a sex worker, she isn't an undignified, desperate woman shunned by society. In this setting, courtesans are highly regarded. They play a quasi-religious role in society as the epitome of grace and beauty. For example, if a new cruise liner or warship is being launched a courtesan would christen it by smashing the bottle of champagne on its hull, cut the ribbon for the grand opening of an opera house, carry the crown at the coronation ceremony and so forth.
To put it simply, a courtesan is a performer on behalf of society who is always on duty. To lay with one is not considered fornication. They service the aristocracy, the priesthood, the royal family, bankers, industrial magnates, foreign diplomats, and godlike mystical beings which exist in the setting. I'd like to explore the contrast between their dignified social status with the dirty and salacious situations she finds herself in. A courtesan technically has a large amount of influence and freedom but at the same time they are under constant pressure to perform and conform to society's customs and expectations which only grow the more fame she accrues. As the story progresses she becomes entangled in the web of power, she's asked to perform small favors for her clients, asked or threatened to sabotage the others, show her favor publicly to one over another. I want your character to be faced with a question, how much power does she really have?
To put it simply, a courtesan is a performer on behalf of society who is always on duty. To lay with one is not considered fornication. They service the aristocracy, the priesthood, the royal family, bankers, industrial magnates, foreign diplomats, and godlike mystical beings which exist in the setting. I'd like to explore the contrast between their dignified social status with the dirty and salacious situations she finds herself in. A courtesan technically has a large amount of influence and freedom but at the same time they are under constant pressure to perform and conform to society's customs and expectations which only grow the more fame she accrues. As the story progresses she becomes entangled in the web of power, she's asked to perform small favors for her clients, asked or threatened to sabotage the others, show her favor publicly to one over another. I want your character to be faced with a question, how much power does she really have?
The Setting
Our story takes place in the bustling metropolis of Ironhallow. Ironhallow is famous for many things: Its burgeoning industries, its mighty shipyards, the impressive Royal Palace, the revered Magical College. Though one famous landmark not often mentioned in polite company is the Golden Cat Pleasure House. The Golden Cat offers only the highest standard of entertainment and pleasurable company to its very exclusive clientele.
While base prostitution in the slums and alleyways is generally frowned upon, its understood that the courtesans of the Golden Cat are trained entertainers who offer a valuable service to their customers and society at large. In addition to in-house calls, trained courtesans are invited to white collar parties, ribbon cutting ceremonies, ship christenings, opera premiers, even coronations. It is not considered fornication for an upstanding citizen to make use of the Golden Cat, and the exorbitant prices a single night demands ensures that it does not become a regular habit for all but the wealthiest patrons.
Lately, things have been changing in Ironhallow. There are whispers of a conspiracy against the crown. As their work often forces them to brush shoulders with influential men, one courtesan is about to embark on a journey that may change the city forever.
Key Characters
♡The Golden Cat♡Madame Sara Wintergreen: Sara is the madame of the Golden Cat. She was a courtesan herself in her youth and takes great care to ensure her girls are well taken care of. While no longer young, she is still beautiful and has considerable influence over some of her former clients such as King Caiphus II. She is a strong willed woman who demands excellence from all her employees from the lowest to the best. She takes great umbrage at any who threaten her girls or the reputation of the Golden Cat.
Ulnokt Graveweed: The Golden Cat's head butler, host and concierge. Fluent in over a dozen languages and familiar with many more. A man in his late forties, he has a mysterious past before he came to work at the Golden Cat and is very protective of his secrets. Mild mannered and soft spoken, he manages the day to day operations of the Golden Cat when Madame Wintergreen has other duties.
Kalanor "Kal" Brightsteel: Your character's personal bodyguard. Every courtesan is a valuable commodity which must be kept safe. Kal is a Numonian, a partially demonic race native to haunted swamps in the southern part of Darkholme. His skin is ashen grey, hair white as snow, and his eyes are black orbs with no whites in them at all. Before coming to Ironhallow, Kal was a famous duelist in Numonia, and is rumored to have killed around fifty men in combat. His intimidating appearance and reputation ensure that payment for your character's services is prompt and no harm is done.
♚Royalty♚
King Caiphus af Tanover II: King of Darkholme. He has ruled over Darkholme since he was a young boy. A shrewd man who carefully cultivates the image of a wise, caring and fatherly figure. In private he is a sullen figure exasperated by the lack of power the crown actually holds. While he is ostensibly at the top of the social pyramid, his actual duties as king are mostly ceremonial. The King must juggle his responsibilities between managing his councilors, parliament, his family, and the increasing demands of the landed nobility to do something about the growing power of the industrialists.
Queen Jasmine af Tanover: Queen Jasmine is an enthusiastic patron of the arts and sciences. The largest warship of the Darkholme royal fleet is named after her. Queen Jasmine was born in a foreign land and has never quite lost her accent, nonetheless she is popular with the common citizens of Darkholme and is known for her many humanitarian projects and concern for the poor. She and her husband have three children, the oldest being Crown-Prince Jastor. She is generally well-meaning, though she has lived in fabulous wealth her entire life and is somewhat out of touch with what most of her citizens actually live like.
Crown-Prince Jastor af Tanover: The handsome, young future ruler of Darkholme. Crown-Prince Jastor, though not malicious nor sadistic is quite narcissistic and rude. An intelligent and strong young man who believes himself to be much more intelligent, strong, and talented than he actually is. He takes great pleasure in fencing, riding, singing, trying on new uniforms, going to parties, and being the first to sample new inventions such as automobiles and airplanes. His rowdy antics cause great exasperation to his parents when his scandals end up in every newspaper around the kingdom.
＄Titans of Industry＄
Michael Blackmont: The founder and owner of Blackmont Steel. His foundries are like small towns in of themselves. His steelworkers live in dormitories around his factories, buy their groceries from Blackmont stores, marry at Blackmont churches, send their children to Blackmont schools, and are buried in Blackmont cemeteries. His summer home built in the prairies outside of Ironhallow is almost as large as the Royal Palace itself. Though he is the richest man in the Kingdom, he is not nobility. Michael was born the eighth of nine children to a cobbler and a seamstress. A driven, ruthless competitor, Michael single-mindedly clawed and bit and stomped his way out of poverty and has little regard for those who are not similarly driven. He resents the aristocracy who have done nothing to earn their wealth and snub him for his common background.
Cassandra Kulston: A genius inventor and polymath responsible for much of the rapid changes occurring in Darkholme. At eight years old she could divide two eight figure numbers in her head. Cassandra's talents stretch across many fields including rocketry, automotives, aeronautics, shipbuilding, submersibles, architecture, and archeology. Though her inventions have earned her constant and lavish praise, many in Darkholme regard her with suspicion, especially from the practitioners of magic who view her inventions as a threat to their long held prestige.
Thomas af Bulklow: The Bulklow family own the largest bank in Darkholme. Thomas has a finger in every pie. He owns considerable shares in Blackmont Steel as well as the Kulston Company, and is the owner of a large amount of debt owed by the Royal Family to cover their enormous expenses. While not from a common background, the Bulklow's are descended from the lowest level of Darkholme nobility and thus are not considered equal to the old aristocratic families. Despite this, Thomas has little interest associating with the upper nobility in anything other than business, and prefers to keep his affairs and life private in comparison to the bullish Blackmont.
❂The Aristocracy❂
Duke Jace af Daykonpure: Jace is descended from a long, proud line of knights. He can trace his lineage back two millennia and it would be no exaggeration to say his ancestors shaped the nation into what it is today. Duke Jace holds a position as Admiral of the Royal Fleet and has been at sea half his life. In his spare time, Jace is a naturalist who devotes much time in the study of aquatic life. He seeks to embody the ideal of a nobleman who is a soldier, scholar and gentleman. He feels threatened by the growing power of people like Blackmont, Kulston and Bulklow who chip away at the prestige of men like himself day by day. He considers himself a staunch defender of traditional values of Darkholme, and of course using the services of courtesan are well in line with those values.
Duchess Beatrice af Valwell: Not all is well with Valwell. When she was fourteen, a storm destroyed a ship carrying her parents as well as most of her family, simultaneously devastating her but also making her the sole inheritor of a massive fortune as well as dozens of estates. To numb her pain and loneliness the duchess spends her time and money on extravagant parties and libertine pleasures. Week by week she spends huge amounts of money on whatever takes her fancy. Though her distant family and staff try to control her, ultimately there is nothing they can do legally to stop her. The rowdy soirees at the Valwell mansion in Ironhallow are famous among the aristocracy. She hires illusionists from the Magical College to create desert oases in her private garden, dreamy cloudscapes in the ballroom. She hires acrobats, dancers, musicians and actors from far away regions to entertain her guests. The Valwell manor cellars are packed with the rarest vintages of wine an liquor which constantly flow. Though many are concerned for her well being, an invitation to one of her parties is a guaranteed good time.
♟Denizens of the Gutter♟
Sally "Fingers" Mizzoon: The queen of thieves in Ironhallow. She was born in Ratpark, the worst slum in town. When she was seven years old two of her fingers were hacked off with a meat cleaver by an angry baker after she'd ruined the wedding cake meant for the royal marriage of Caiphus and Jasmine by sneaking into the bakery and carving out a piece. The bakery later burned down and its owner mysteriously disappeared without a trace. She spent most of her life on the streets fending for herself and learning how to survive. Over time she acquired a vicious reputation feared by other criminals. In middle age she is central figure in Ironhallow's criminal underworld. She does not like being called by her nickname.
Desmond Turnock: The son of a steelworker who was killed after falling into a vat of molten metal. Now the leader of an anarchist organization responsible for the sabotage and bombing of Ironhallow's factories and shipyards. The crown as well as Blackmont Steel have both offered a huge reward for information leading to his capture, but thus far Desmond has eluded them. He has been rumored to have been killed or captured on numerous occasions, but he and his ilk always seem to turn up again later.
Themes
Prostitution: Rather obvious. I'll leave it up to you whether you would like the story to touch on any of the darker aspects of the world's oldest profession or not. Aside from offering her body and interesting conversation, your character should have other talents and qualities which make her unique. She could be from a rare and exotic race/bloodline, she could have a unique talent in magic or alchemy which have creative uses in bed. I'd like to see something that makes your character really stick out, a reason why her services are so highly sought after.
Intrigue: Whether she wants to or not, your character is going to mixed up in the lives of her clients. One thing that she has that all will want to take advantage of is access. She has access to the Royal Family, access to the aristocracy, access to the rich, access to wanted criminals. Characters will want to use her to achieve their own ends because she can get so intimately close to other key players. They may offer her things, they may threaten her, they may just use the genuine relationship built between them to get what they want.
Fashion: A courtesan should have an extensive wardrobe and outfits for any occasion whether it be a house call, a masquerade ball, or a private house visit. You don't have to build up a catalogue of pictures and drawings if you don't want to, but I would like a lot of creativity going into her appearance. Have her accessories be extensions of her personality and mood.
Vice: Sexual immorality, bribery, drug use, corruption, and murder. All those good things. To be emphatic, your character's gonna see some shit. While I don't want to write shocking things for their own sake, I do like the story to have stakes. I like to write characters who have flaws, insecurities, irrational emotional blind spots, coping mechanisms, addictions, ugly aspects of their personalities. It makes them more human.
Kinks
F-list - Warning
www.f-list.net
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