The Prime Histrionics

The Champions of Syroa

The Prime Histrionics are the five Champions of Syroa. These five have all extended their lifespan far beyond mortal limits thanks to the power of Syroa's Blessing, with them being older than all but the absolute oldest of the Mortalborn. They have taken so many names and faces over their lifetimes that they are now known exclusively by their titles, as any other identity they take is only temporary. Their original identities are now known only to the Prime Histrionics themselves, as the only person to know who they used to be was Syroa herself. The very existence of the Prime Histrionics was a secret known only to high ranking Sesser's, as Syroa knew better than to expose the existence of her closest followers to those of less-than-certain loyalty.

The Prime Histrionics are cruel and care little for the lives of Mortals and Mortalborn, who they see primarily as tools to use or playthings to torment. However, they are not entirely without care, as the Prime Histrionics have formed a close bond among themselves, seeing each other as their only true family. They were also quite close to Syroa, and they have a certain level of care for regular Sesser, who's lives they consider at least worthy of some consideration. Unfortunately, Syroa's allies were concerned about the dangers that the Prime Histrionics presented, owing to their complete disregard for anyone that didn't at least bear Syroa's Blessing. As a result, Faldrun convinced Aelig to seal away four of the five Prime Histrionics, leaving only The Imposter free.

Syroa was, naturally, furious about this but as the Immortal of Acting, she was able to hide it well, convincing Faldrun and Aelig that she was still on their side. All the while, Syroa worked to free her Champions or to kill Aelig, as his death would free the Prime Histrionics. After saving his life during The Battle for Tried's Tomb, or rather making it appear she did, Syroa did talk Aelig into freeing The Parasite. Ultimately, however, Aelig died when his essence was consumed by The Ascension Throne, freeing the remaining Prime Histrionics. Unfortunately, before Syroa could even reunite with her Champions, she herself was killed in battle. After Syroa's death, the Prime's took over as the rulers of Syroa's Emean Domain and the guiding force of the remaining Sesser's, many of whom fell in behind the Prime Histrionic's in hopes these Champions of Syroa could still give them whatever it is the rank and file Sesser's chose to follow Syroa for.

Of course, the Prime's ability to control Pandaemonium is limited, nor do they have the ability to grant or advance Syroa's Blessing or inflict her curse. These deficiencies, as well as the death of Syroa herself, have formed the crux of the Prime Histrionic's current plans. Their goals are to gain full control of Pandaemonium, so as to better protect and utilize their home and base of operations, to gain the ability to give out Syroa's Mark themselves, and to transcend what's left of their mortality and become something that can't be truly killed.

This last goal of theirs is not wholly motivated by Syroa's death, however. While it did remind them that they too can be killed, the Prime Histrionics have not considered themselves mortal in many centuries. They see themselves as demons, and that is what they wish to truly become: beings of pure soul who can never be truly killed, only temporarily banished from Idalos. Their limited care for the regular Sesser is reflected in this as well, as they want to expand this to them as well. In their mind, no one who was chosen by Syroa should be considered Mortal or Mortalborn anymore, as they were chosen to become something far more great and terrible. In truth, however, this goal did not begin with the Prime Histrionics, but with Syroa, who had considered that the Throne of Ascension could be of use in achieving this goal before she died trying to accomplish it.

General Traits

General personality traits shared across the Prime Histrionics.

Cruelty: The Prime Histrionics delight in the suffering of Mortals and Mortalborn alike. They hurt and torment people because they enjoy it.

Destructive: The Prime Histrionics take a great deal of joy in causing death and destruction.

Lack of Empathy: The Prime Histrionics have no empathy for regular people and don't understand why they should be expected to care for what they see as inferior beings.

Arrogant: The Prime Histrionics fully believe they are far superior to the regular people, Mortal and Mortalborn alike, of Idalos.

General strengths shared across the Prime Histrionics.

No vital organs: Syroa taught her Champions her greatest feat of shapeshifting, the ability to remove individual vital organs, either removing their function entirely or spreading that function across the whole body.

Masters of Sesser: The Prime Histrionics are all masters of Syroa's Blessing, allowing them to make use of its powers in ways that regular Sesser might never even think of.

Intelligent: One does not become the Champion of an Immortal, live for centuries beyond the normal lifespan of Mortals, or deceive untold numbers of people by being stupid.

General weaknesses shared across the Prime Histrionics.

Fire: Like Syroa herself, the Prime Histrionics are vulnerable to fire, as it does need to damage vital organs to kill them.

Arrogant: The Prime's belief in their own superiority can frequently lead to them underestimating Mortals and Mortalborn.

No other powersets: None of the Prime Histrionics have any other Blessings, nor do they posses any Magics or Effigies. They believe that Sesser is all they will ever need.

List of the Prime Histrionics

The Imposter

The oldest of the Prime Histrionics, even the other Prime's don't know much about the history of The Imposter. Their title came about because of their main mode of operation, killing someone, or trapping them in Pandaemonium, and taking their form, name, and place in society, a practice they refer to as "wearing" someone. Something of a myth among higher ranking Sesser, many theories have been made about The Imposter's origins, but the most popular one is that they were the first human Syroa ever met, perhaps one of the first humans to ever live. The Imposter has never bothered to confirm this rumor, and indeed never speaks to their origins. They are also the least likely of the Prime Histrionics to interact with rank and file Sesser, owing to their deep cover role in the world. The Imposter was the only member of the Prime Histrionics not to be sealed away by Aelig, leaving them as Syroa's only active Champion for centuries.

The Imposter was frequently sent on long-term assignments by Syroa, most recently a lengthy assignment in the Kingdom of Rynmere. The exact causes of Syroa sending The Imposter to Rynmere likely died with her, but it is known that The Imposter was behind most of the events of Rynmere's final collapse. First choosing to "wear" Freya Renault, The Imposter planted the seeds of rage and madness in King Cassander Renault by faking Freya's death. Then the Imposter "wore" Emerson Sands, the head of Rynmere's state religion, becoming Cassander's second wife and fueling the anti-mage paranoia that led to Rynmere burning much of its own population.

Following Rynmere's collapse, The Imposter was briefly seen during the events of Ruin's Dawn, where they "wore" Cassion for a time and briefly engaged Arlo Creede, Zana Delroth, and Edasha before being driven into retreat. They have not resurfaced, though in all honesty, who would know if they had?

Prior to Syroa's death, The Imposter served as Syroa's saboteur, serving to bring down Syroa's enemies in ways that couldn't be traced to the Queen of Mask's or her followers until after the fact, if at all. The Imposter is was responsible for a great many tragedies prior to Syroa's death, but owing to their nature and how secretive Syroa was about the existence of the Prime Histrionics, no one can say for sure what was and what wasn't The Imposter's doing.

Traits

The Imposter's personality traits.

Religious Zealot: The Imposter remembers the early days of humanity, and considers The Immortals responsible for lifting humanity out of the mud, even before the Immortals made the other races. Consequently, they hate it when humans worship anything that isn't an Immortal, seeing it as pure ingratitude.

Immortal Hater: The above, however, does not stop The Imposter from genuinely hating most Immortals, seeing them as petty beings that squandered their potential as deities. They saw Syroa as being greater than her kin, and they encouraged the Queen of Mask's attempt to become something other than an Immortal.

Thinks Mortals/Mortalborn are boring: The Imposter has lived a long time even by the standards of the Prime Histrionics, and has experience almost the entirety of what Mortals and Mortalborn has to offer. As a result, Mortals and Mortalborn tend to bore them, as they find that regular people have little new to offer.

Enthralled by Novelty: The Imposter encounters new experiences and sensations so rarely that they tend to be easily distracted by something that is genuinely new to them.

The Imposter's strengths.

Excellent actor: The Imposter has "worn" someone at every level of society multiple times. As such they are excellent at playing the role of a boring, ordinary mortal.

Comfortable demon: The Imposter is just as comfortable in a non-humanoid body as it is a humanoid one, leading them to frequently take monstrous forms when not needing to impersonate a mortal.

Disparate control: The Imposter has gotten good at spreading control centers throughout their body, so that they are able to control body parts even if they've been severed.

The Imposter's weaknesses.

Easily distracted by novelty: As mentioned above, The Imposter can be easily distracted by a genuinely new experience, which they will often take the time to savor if they have the opporunity.

Can't play Immortals: Owing to their hatred of Immortals, The Imposter is not great at impersonating Immortals, as they tend to play them as more volatile, petty, and weak-willed than they actually are.

Brute force: The Imposter focuses primarily on deception and subterfuge to accomplish their goals, and as a result their fighting style focus on just trying to overwhelm opponent through sheer force and their tactics tend to be surprisingly mediocre.

The Imposter's verbal and behavioral tics.

Wearing people: The Imposter exclusively refers to their habit of taking people's appearances and identities as "wearing" them.

Just a regular Champion: When dealing with someone who doesn't know they're The Imposter, they tend to play themselves off as just a "regular" Champion of Syroa, taking a mostly human form, despite no regular Champions of Syroa existing.

Inhuman form: If the Imposter is in a situation where they don't have to hide their identity, they will not take on a humanoid form, preferring something more monstrous and demonic to wear.

Tails: The Imposter likes having a tail, and will always have one unless they are on duty and actively "wearing" a normal, non-tailed person.

The Ringmaster

One of two Prime Histrionics whose primary duties kept them largely within Pandaemonium itself, The Ringmaster served as Syroa's head of entertainment. Owing to the predilections of many of the Sesser, and especially those of the Prime Histrionics and Syroa herself, a great deal of the entertainment within Pandaemonium took on the form of shows made out of torture and pain. The Ringmaster runs these shows as the head a demonic carnival, where the main entertainment is the souls of the cursed and those innocents that have been trapped within Pandaemonium forced to perform for the amusement of their tormentors and captors, transformed into shapes suitable for their roles in the carnival by The Ringmaster themself.

Of course, sometimes the denizens of Pandaemonium hunger for a different form of entertainment, and The Ringmaster is all too happy to provide that as well. Making use of an artifact that Syroa gifted them, The Ringmaster creates a portal into their region of Pandaemonium, and poses as the ringmaster of a travelling circus. The purpose of this travelling cirucs to lure Idalosian people into their carnival for special night of entertainment. Once the tent is full and it's time for the show to begin, The Ringmaster closes the portal back to Idalos, trapping all the guests within Pandaemonium. They also take in those who seek to join a travelling circus, though as these are not the main entertainment, they're often just transformed into part of the carnival and used as part of the show.

The main focus of these specialty shows is for those trapped to try to survive within Pandaemonium until the end of the show, which always lasts exactly twelve breaks. Since these shows are meant to be exciting for the audience, and excitement is often reliant upon an element of uncertainty, the promise of the guests being allowed to leave Pandaemonium if they survive is always genuinely made and stringently upheld, so as to make the guests struggle harder to survive and escape, with many of the audience even sincerely congratulating those who do manage to survive and escape. Of course, The Ringmaster does their best to stack the deck against their guests as heavily as possible. If someone dies within Pandaemonium, their soul is trapped there, and almost all of the carnivals attractions are deadly if not done carefully. Moreover, if a guest gives up, they are trapped within Pandaemonium as well. Finally, those who came to join the circus and got trapped in Pandaemonium are used as bait for their loved ones, should they happen to be there, used to trick a guest into willingly staying Pandaemonium to be with their loved one, though The Ringmaster ensures they are placed throughout the carnival in such a way as to never see each other again.

Prior to Syroa's death, The Queen of Masks often played the role of co-host alongside The Ringmaster, and was always present in this capacity during the Idalosian shows. Despite Syroa's death, however, The Ringmaster has made it clear they intend to continue their shows, both the regular ones and their special Idalosian nights. After all, Syroa did love their shows, and it would be a dishonor to the Queen of Mask's memory to bring them to an end.

The Ringmaster was one of the three Prime Histrionics that remained sealed until Aelig's death. They have since returned to Pandaemonium and taken back their duties, but now with a darker edge to them than ever before.

Traits

The Ringmaster's personality traits.

Jokester: The Ringmaster thinks they're funny, and from the perspective of an ancient, sadistic shapeshifter, perhaps they are. They're often telling jokes, often at the expense of the cursed, the trapped, and their Idalosian guests.

Motormouth: The Ringmaster is quite enamored of the sound of their own voice and not only talks very fast, they almost never shut up.

Faux Affable: The Ringmaster puts on a front of being friendly and approachable, even in the midst of actively torturing someone and making jokes about their suffering.

Cheerful: The Ringmaster is genuinely upbeat and cheerful most of the time, loving every moment of what they do.

The Ringmaster's strengths.

Master of Transformation: The Ringmaster excels at Sesser's transformation powers, able to twist not only their own form to perfectly suit their needs, but also that of others.

Stage Magician: Perhaps a mundane seeming skill, The Ringmaster is an excellent stage magician, able to use common tricks and misdirection to great effect. This is often what lets them escape getting caught at the end of their specialty shows.

Acrobat: In keeping with their carnival host nature, The Ringmaster is an excellent acrobat, able to perform impressive feats of agility with bodies that don't look like they should be able to do what they do.

The Ringmaster's weaknesses.

Weak fighter: The Ringmaster's focus on transformation powers, and their ability to transform the bodies of others, has left them without much need for combat experience, making them poor in a direct confrontation compared to the other Prime Histrionics.

Obsessive: The Ringmaster is very prone to compulsive behavior, especially in regards to their role as the Prime Histrionic's entertainer. They will even stop tormenting someone if they can't think of a joke for the situation.

Possessive: The Ringmaster is very possessive of their trapped victims and will do anything to prevent someone leaving with one of them, which can be used to manipulate them if someone is clever enough.

The Ringmaster's verbal and behavioral tics.

Missed Beat: Especially in Idalosian shows, The Ringmaster is used to performing with Syroa at their side and still misses beats where Syroa would do or say something in their performances.

Choose violence: The Ringmaster has a habit of encouraging their guests to take violent or cruel options to survive their shows, frequently pushing them to betray the other guests.

Carny: Whatever form they take, The Ringmaster always looks like they just stepped out of a carnival. Even their more monstrous forms will still follow this theme.

Bright colors: The Ringmaster favors loud, eye catching colors in their appearance. They can always be spotted in a crowd.

The Parasite

The Parasite's origins are murky, lost to the deep jungles of Rhakros from whence they're speculated to have originated from. Through some form of evolution through the gifts of Sesser and possibly other means of apotheosis, the Parasite has developed the ability to consume and acquire the memories and knowledge of anyone they overcome. It's speculated that their fascination and evolution was in part inspired by time spent either in Rhakros amongst the plague-bearers, or else in the jungles of Quacia observing the Creep. But no one within the society of Sessers has been able to uncover their secrets.

Most recently, the Parasite is believed to have become interested in the mage Llyr Llywelyn, presenting themselves through Sesser impersonation to him as his long-dead father to try and persuade Llyr to attend the Mummer's Ball in Rharne. When Llyr neglected to take his bait, the Parasite merely shrugged, and moved on to the Mummer’s Ball. There they would co-opt the performance put on by Madame Leona of Daia. They posed as an odd Qi’ora woman who attended the Ball, who ate Temple Monkey brains in order to feed into the illusions they put on during the performances, showing each of the guests a vision of an event of significance to one or the other of them. They then revealed themselves to be Syroa, having the unmitigated gall to imposter the Goddess.

However, through the actions of Arlo, Balthazar, Doran, Elisabeth, Gennadiya, Hart, Varlum, Vega, and Vivian., they were thwarted in their attempts to bring chaos to those proceedings and were defeated by Vega Creede after being weakened by Peacelings, which had been wrathlings conjured by the Parasite prior, their concept turned on its head by the Blade of Deceit, possessed by Hart.

The Parasite was also behind the terrorist attack at the Lightning Dome, during which Faith Augustin and Vivian Shiryu killed a Sessfiend that they’d summoned, while Balthazar and Elisabeth Black, joined by a group of Rharnean brawlers combatted against the lesser cultists on the surface.

The Witch Doctor, a Kingpin in the Shadow Quarter of Rharne was apprehended by Vivian Shiryu, while Faith ( Moseke's Champion) grew into a Healing Tree to heal the victims of the attack in the Arena proper.

However, the [ Watchful One, Sarah Glazebrook | /viewtopic.php?t=27214] and the Parasite both left, escaping from the Infirmary and Brig (respectively) before those who entered the Bloodworks could apprehend them. [Later on | viewtopic.php?p=189777#p189777], Sarah Glazebrook was confronted by the Parasite in her personal safehouse, who revealed that she was the victim he’d sought all along, and then consumed her from within, taking possession of the Watchful One as well as her extensive intelligence collection.

Since Sarah Glazebrook’s consumption, the Parasite has been relatively silent.

Traits

The Parasite's personality traits.

Leader of the Pack: The Parasite has spent the greater part of his release from Treid's Tomb collecting and creating Sesserfiends for a small personal army of the terrifying beasts, as well as a sizeable cadre of fanatics who aspire to either Syroa's mark or (in the case of the truly depraved) become a Sesserfiend themselves. They obey him without question and carry out his will with all the ferocity that their kind are known for.

People-Curious:'" For all their hot-headed nature, the Parasite has a keen curiosity toward people, particularly regarding what makes them tick over into fury. They will often try to tease out a person's temper, sometimes only to see if their flavor of anger appeals to them.

Master of his Lines: [What's my Line? | /wiki/index.php/Category:Sesser] is one of the Parasite's favorite powers gifted by Syroa and one that he relies on heavily to manipulate the emotions of those who he's targetted for consumption.

The Parasite's strengths.

Physically indomitable: Extraordinarily difficult to kill, with an incredible constitution and resistance to most diseases if not full-on immunity.

Physically strong: The Parasite is not only difficult to harm with conventional methods, they also have an immense capability for visiting violence on others. They are particularly gifted at grappling and unarmed combat.

People Smart:'" The Parasite is very adept at sussing out an individual's personal and emotional weaknesses. They do this through a combination of Sesser's native abilities, psychological skill, and intimidation.

The Parasite's weaknesses.

Hot-Blooded: The Parasite embodies Syroa's domain of fury most strongly among the Prime Histrionics. They are easy to goad toward anger and bait into making mistakes.

Growing Pains: The Parasite, for the first few seasons after assuming a person's body and identity, will tend to mute their own characteristics until they have resided within that body for at least an arc. This limits not only their primary strengths but also the adroitness through which they can command their Sesser abilities. They also take on several personality quirks of the one they have consumed and have an added side-effect of making them more convincing in their new body.

Agoraphilia:'" The Parasite, for all their ability to blend in sometimes, is not a shadowy figure. They like to be in the thick of things, getting their hands dirty in attaining their goals. During many of their operations, they will often have a direct hand and not be far from the action in question.

The Parasite's verbal and behavioral tics.

Drug-Connoiseur: They consume a large amount of recreational drugs. Whether it be something as innocuous as Reevi or something heavier like Panorium Powder or Khatomise. They have, however, acquired a full tolerance toward these substances, and seem only to consume them as a matter of habit.

Southern Accent:'" He speaks with a mixed Xanevic and Vahanic accent. Even in the early stages of possessing a new body, this will emerge during moments of uncertainty or weakness.

Slouch:'" They often slouch and present a shabby appearance without much taste for finery. The longer they spend in a given body, the more they tend to slump over and present an overall unattractive posture.

The Archon

The Archon, or “The Recruiter,” as he’s more commonly known to people outside the upper ranks of Syroa’s marked, has long believed that bringing people to Syroa is the true path to wielding more power than any other Immortal. Seducing the masses with vibrant tales and making outlandish promises about what they will gain by becoming a follower of The Great Fury, there is very little they wouldn’t do to secure faithful devotees for their Mistress.

Prior to their sealing, The Archon was responsible for the creation of several temples and shrines created in Syroa's honor, serving as gathering places for her current worshipers, or recruitment centers to convert outsiders to the service of the Queen of Masks. The Archon had also begun to make plans to infiltrate the followers of other Immortals, so as to steal their worshipers away for Syroa. However, before any of these plans could come to fruition, they were sealed away alongside most of the other Prime Histrionics.

In direct contrast with the general superiority that the other Histrionics feel over regular Mortals, The Archon's views are more tempered, having realized that to recruit people for Syroa, there was no place for such an aggressive stance. While they still consider themselves inherently superior to Mortals, it's firmly locked away on the inside and rarely shown. Following their release, they are looking at how to expand the followers of the Histrionics, since they have taken over the Sesser following Syroa's death.

Traits

The Archon's personality traits.

"'Infallibly Optimistic…on the Outside:' "Regardless of how they feel, it is rare that The Archon allows their true feelings to show on the outside, adopting a steel facade of optimism. Of course, keeping it up indefinitely is tricky, and when extraordinarily stressed, cracks can form. The Archon is a master at reigning in any breaks, explaining things away, and entrenching themselves once again in their 'disguise.'

"'Out-of-the-box Creativity:' "Figuring out how to bring people to Syroa's banner means learning about them and developing unique strategies that achieve the end goal. The Archon has recruited all sorts of personalities, but the combination of ambitions, desires, and traits within people is endless, requiring flexibility, patience, and ingenuity.

"'Mental versus Physical Pain:'" A cruel soul, The Archon abhors what they consider to be trite and unimaginative ways to inflict pain on another, far preferring the vast, deep wells of creativity that can be employed when choosing psychological torture.

"'Unquenchable Curiosity:' Information is the way to power, and The Archon takes its path to power seriously. They can often be found prodding their targets for stray nuggets of information regarding sensitive topics such as politics, influential figures, and interest groups that might be ripe for corruption with just the right person in the right position. There isn't much The Archon isn't interested in, and if it's not of current value, the information is stored away for later use.

"'Power Consolidator:' "Through power and people, The Archon quietly amasses their network, rarely letting their fellow Historonics in on intelligence gained. Syroa was the exception to this rule, but her demise has forced The Archon to redouble their efforts to ensure their position and resources should things turn ugly.

The Archon's strengths.

Charismatic Force: Attract, charm, influence. Charisma is something The Archon has in spades, having honed their skills over decades of experience. They know how to manipulate a crowd to their benefit, whether riling them up or soothing them.

Psychological Chameleon: In concert with their charisma, The Archon is a master at appealing to a person’s unique personality for the purpose of controlling them, adapting their own personality based on what will bring the other person to Syroa.

Supernatural Focus: Lack of focus brings failure, or so The Archon would say. Over the decades, their ability to lock in on their current tasks/projects and block out unimportant clutter and nose gives them an edge

The Archon's weaknesses.

Avoids Physical Confrontation: The Archon believes physical confrontation to be too unimaginative and avoids it at all costs, trusting in their abilities of manipulation to get them through any sort of unpleasantness.

Can Dish It Out but Can’t Take It':' This trait is somewhat tempered by The Archon maintaining their outer facade exceptionally well. When aggressively challenged, bits of their ‘armor’ crack, revealing the fury that lies beneath. They may not act on it immediately, but they will act on it.

Hates Losing: Bad things happen when The Archon feels that someone has bested them. Really bad things. But whatever happens, they will have a smile on their face when it does.

The Archon's verbal and behavioral tics.

Dress to Impress, or Just Fit In: Part of The Archon’s public persona revolves around fitting into wherever they are trying to recruit. Assessment of the situation is required, but it could involve presenting themselves as just one of the people, or dressing up to impress.

Just a Little Smarter: An intelligent person, The Archon always strives to appear just a little more knowledgeable than the people they are trying to recruit, adding to the illusion of being in control of the situation.

Flair for the Dramatic: Theatricality has its place, and in terms of recruiting people, The Archon employs it to get people’s attention. Perhaps a bit of entertainment value as well, but still, it’s a skill that’s proven effective in getting people to lower their guard.

The Demimonde

The second of two Prime Histrionics who mostly operate out of Pandaemonium, The Demimonde was Syroa's power gatherer. The Queen of Masks was never satisfied with Devotion as the only source of their power, and so she began to look for another means of gaining power. It was The Demimonde that came up with another means of empowering Syroa, and after demonstrating its effectiveness to the Queen of Masks, they were put in charge of the project. The Demimonde is the youngest, though that's a strictly relative term, of the Prime Histrionics and gained their title due to their tendency towards extreme excess and their fondness for the parts of the mortal psyche that most societies consider shameful.

The Demimonde's plan involved drawing energy out of people directly, using Sesser's means of life extension as a basis. Sesser feeds of lust in order to heal and rejuvenate Syroa's Blessed, and The Demimonde believed that this could be harnessed for greater power if done within Pandaemonium itself. Using an artifact that Syroa had obtained from Saoire, The Demimonde created an inn and brothel that appears at random alongside the roads of the Idalos, appearing as a place of rest and pleasure for the weary travelers of the world. With the help of regular Sesser acting as staff, the main room of the building rests within Idalos while the other rooms are gateways to Pandaemonium, letting guests be lured into Syroa's Domain with relative ease.

To make the place more appealing to travelers, The Demimonde presents their inn and brothel as an affordable, but welcoming and well appointed. The food is good, the alcohol is strong and plentiful, the beds are soft, there's always plenty of rooms available, and the company is both beautiful and quite friendly and inviting. All of this is, of course, little more than bait. Once someone takes a room at the inn/brothel, whether to sleep through the night or to enjoy the pleasures offered by the companions, they are pulled into Pandaemonium and trapped. Since neither The Demimonde nor the regular Sesser are particularly interested in being kind to prisoners, all comforts promised by The Demimonde's lure disappear and these victims are kept as prisoners to be harvested as needed.

This only works on living beings brought into Pandaemonium, however, despite The Demimonde's attempts to expand this harvesting to the souls of the Cursed. While she was alive, Syroa drew from this energy to supplement the Devotion that Immortals normally draw from. Since her death, however, The Demimonde has been look at alternate uses for the harvested energy. They believe that the energy they harvest can be used to give the Prime Histrionics control over Pandaemonium, and perhaps through that, control over Syroa's Mark. However, they believe they will need to increase the amount of energy harvested to do this, and so they've been looking at creating smaller gateways into Pandaemonium, hidden within ordinary brothels and inns throughout the world.

The Demimonde was one of the three Prime Histrionics that remained sealed until Aelig's death. Following their release, they have taken charge of their power gathering operation again, now eager to expand operations.

Traits

The Demimonde's personality traits.

Hedonist: The Demimonde revels in excess and pleasure, keeping favored servants and victims for their own personal enjoyment, whatever form that takes.

Flirtatious: The Demimonde is very open about their appetites and likes to flirt with and tease not only the other Prime Histrionics, but the regular Sesser and even the victims that get brought into Pandaemonium.

Cold-blooded: Despite the above, The Demimonde is not prone to fits of passion, instead keeping calm and controlled despite their indulgences.

Vain: The Demimonde is incredibly vain, considering themselves to an impossibly beautiful creature, no matter what form they take.

The Demimonde's strengths.

Non-threatening: The Demimonde excels at making themselves look non-threatening and harmless, frequently appearing as perfectly innocent to those who don't know better.

Demon of Desire: The Demimonde specializes in wielding the lust-based powers of Sesser, able to make use of them in ways that regular Sesser would never think of.

Torture Technician: The Demimonde enjoys torturing their victims and is rather an expert at it. They are constantly trying new forms of torment on their victims, both for their own enjoyment and to try and harvest new forms of energy from them or strengthen their existing harvesting methods.

The Demimonde's weaknesses.

Exprimental: The Demimonde is constantly trying new means of increasing or utilizing the power produced by their inn/brothel, creating unnecessary openings that can be exploited for someone seeking to escape their imprisonment.

Easily Sidetracked: The Demimonde is constantly thinking of new things, either for their own entertainment or for their inn/brothel. This has resulted in them having a hard time focusing, allowing someone to distract them if they can give them an idea to think on.

Restraint Focused: The Demimonde prefers to keep their victims alive, since they can't harvest power from the dead yet. This results in them being focused on capturing and restraining people they're fighting, and they will avoid potential killing blows for as long as it's an option.

The Demimonde's verbal and behavioral tics.

Upper-class: The Demimonde talks and acts like someone who was, at the very least high ranking nobility, generally being poised and graceful in both manner and speech.

Double-Entendre: As a result of their flirtatious nature, The Demimonde likes to pepper their speech with innuendo and suggestive phrases. They'll also do the same with their body language.

Never Ugly: The Demimonde is very vain and will thus never deign to take a form they consider ugly.

Never Still: The Demimonde can never still still for more than a few seconds and is constantly fidgeting or fiddling with things.

Pandaemonium

Syroa's Domain, once ruled by the Queen of Masks herself, has been the home of the Prime Histrionics for centuries. Owing to the close relationship between Syroa and her Champions, the Queen of Masks divided her Domain into six smaller regions, one overseen by each of the Prime Histrionics and one overseen by Syroa herself, with this last being where the souls of Syroa's Blessed go following their deaths. The regions overseen by the Prime Histrionics were also where the souls of Syroa's Cursed are sent following their deaths, with the cursed tormented as seen fit by the Prime that oversees their prison. Syroa also gave her Champions the ability to come and go from Pandaemonium as they please, and to bring people with them. This has resulted in the Prime Histrionics bringing still living victims into Pandaemonium to torture, though once trapped in Syroa's Domains, the living victims are all but indistinguishable from the souls of the Cursed.

The Imposter's Region: The Hall of Faces

Owing to The Imposter frequently being away from Pandaemonium for long periods of time, their region is more passive in how it torments The Imposter's victims and the souls of the Cursed. Those trapped within The Hall of Faces are stripped of their identities, left as faceless humanoid creatures without any markers to identify them. No voice, no birthmarks, no indicators of gender, nothing. The identities that have been torn from them are put on display as statues lining the walls. Those innocent victims who are pulled in by The Imposter, frequently including those whom The Imposter replaces, are told that if they can but find their own identity, they will be able to reclaim it and escape. Of course, while this is technically possible, the way The Hall of Faces is designed makes it all but impossible. The Cursed who are imprisoned here after their deaths, however, know they have no hope of escape. The wander The Hall of Faces of their own accord, perhaps in the hopes of reclaiming some remnant of who they were, perhaps to try and help those who might have some hope of escape, or perhaps because there is simply nothing else left to them.

Of course, the Cursed and the Trapped are not the only denizens of The Hall of Faces. Syroa's Blessed also come to Pandaemonium after their deaths, and even the lowly Favored can find something to keep them occupied in the regions ruled by The Prime Histrionics. Syroa's Blessed are free to torment the Cursed and the trapped as they see fit, but there is a cost to this. Under no circumstances is one of the trapped or the Cursed to be allowed near their own identity, and it is the charge of the Blessed to see that this is done. The Blessed dead will often amuse themselves by dragging the trapped and the Cursed alike off to some random part of The Hall of Faces to torture, regardless of if they were ever even close to finding who they used to be.

While there is no hierarchy among the Cursed, there is one to the Blessed. Mere Favored of Syroa are only allowed the same access to The Hall of Faces as the Cursed and the trapped, though are free to do as they please and retain not only their own identities, but any of Syroa's Blessing that they were given prior to death. The Adored of Syroa are granted greater control, being given the ability to move through The Hall of Faces without being bound to the illusion of reality that it presents. The Adored can walk through walls, floors, and ceilings and have a sense of where every Cursed or trapped is, and how close they are to their own identity. Those who are Exalted by Syroa have access to the most dangerous torment of The Hall of Faces. Each of Syroa's Cursed has their own Sessfiend, and as The Imposter uses Cursed Bite on each of their victims, so do each of the trapped. While no one transforms into their Sessfiend in Pandaemonium, their Sessfiends are a separate beast, and the Exalted have command of them, to use as they see fit. For many trapped, and especially many Cursed, the only hint of their identity that they ever see again once trapped within The Hall of Faces is the demon that was created within them, as it shreds their body over, and over again.

The Ringmaster's Region: The Nightmare Carnival

The Ringmaster's Region resembles a big, sprawling carnival, filled with attractions of all sorts. Performing animals, dancing marionettes, performing mannequins, magic acts, escape tricks, and things that don't have focal performer, such as a hall of mirrors and a haunted house. Of course, as this is Pandaemonium, many of the performers are those damned souls that were Cursed by Syroa in life, now forced to perform for their tormenters. Every new Cursed sent to The Ringmaster is transformed into a new shape to fit whatever they think their carnival most needs at the moment. They are then placed under the "care" of Syroa's Blessed dead, who are responsible for breaking the Cursed into obedience and then training them to their new purpose. Almost every performing role in The Nightmare Carnival is done by the Cursed, the performing animals, the dancing marionettes, and the performing mannequins are all Cursed that have been forced into new shapes and forced to peform. Even the magic acts, while peformmed by the Blessed, all involve the torment of the Cursed and is usually part of their training. The exception is the escape tricks, which are performed by the Cursed that are too mentally durable to avoid being broken. These are placed in, mostly, inescapable and very painful traps, where the Blessed watch as they try in vain to escape their torment for a moments reprieve.

Of course, The Nightmare Carnival is also host to The Ringmaster's special nights, when innocent people from Idalos are brought into Pandaemonium for the entertainment of the Blessed. While the rules for these special shows aren't consistent, as The Ringmaster tries to provide varied forms of entertainment for their audience, there are three consistent rules, two of which regard The Nightmare Carnival's passive attractions. The first is that dying in The Nightmare Carnival traps the soul of the victim within Pandaemonium. The second has to do with the carnivals hall of mirrors, which is a constant trap: the mirrors will try to pull those who pause to gaze upon their reflection into them. If they succeed, the victim is trapped within Pandaemonium. The third rule is similar, but applies to the carnivals haunted house, which is filled with monsters that hunt the guests and try to scare them. All the monsters are blind, but if they make the trapped scream, they will be able to hunt them through that, trapping any victims they catch within Pandaemonium. Once a guest is trapped within Pandaemonium, they are given the Cursed Bite by The Ringmaster and the other Prime Histrionics, and are thenceforth indistinguishable from the Cursed in their role in The Nightmare Carnival.

Among the Blessed dead, they are free to partake of the carnivals attractions at will without risk to themselves. However, if one wishes to assist The Ringmaster in managing the carnival, they will be assigned specific tasks depending on the level of their Blessing prior to death. The Favored are assigned to the watch and training of the trapped and the Cursed, tormenting them as needed until they fit the role that The Ringmaster assigned them upon their transformation. The Adored are more in charge of security and the initial breaking, ensuring none of the trapped or Cursed escape their assigned places and torturing them until they are broken into submission. The Exalted are secondary hosts, on stage with the trapped and Cursed for any parts of their performance that requires a Sesser, performing the magic tricks, and supervising the escape tricks. The Sessfiends of those trapped and Cursed within The Nightmare Carnival are held in reserve though, to be turned loose upon any of The Ringmaster's guests that don't co-operate with the specialty nights in order to provide additional motivation.

The Parasite's Region: The Cimmerian Trench

Often described as a, dark, bloody, fleshy, and slime-coated passage, The Cimmerian Trench is a tunnel that presents a passage from each corner of Pandemonium from one to another. Not a proper realm with a central seat in itself. Here, the Parasite commands Sessfiends whose souls have been claimed by death or destruction in life, to guard the Trench and sniff out any intruders between the realms. It is at the pleasure of the Parasite that anyone may make their way from one end of Pandemonium to another.

The Archon's Region: The Tempest Playhouse

The Archon holds dominion over The Tempest Playhouse. Fueled by The Archon's creativity and imagination, is the culmination of every type of stage and backdrop one could imagine, showcasing life on one of its many stages. Here, not just flesh and indivdual souls can be transformed, but the scenery shifts and alters, tapping into the chaotic potential of Emea that surrounds the Domain to create limitless realistic depictions of either imagined scenarios and dramas, or real ones.

A stately concert hall. Rambling classical grass and stone amphitheater. Elevated theater-in-the-round under a horde of colorful lights. These are just some of the things one will find on display in the theater, and by no means limited to that.

It is here where the Archon, a true mastermind and cunning planner among the Histrionics, can plot and plan out the operations of the other Primes as well as his own devices. He uses the ultimate mutability of the stage to morph into a fascimile of a situation he wishes to bring about, as it is now, as it will be when certain elements and plans are put into motion, and finally how they end up. While the sequence is not always accurate, they always leave the Archon and other Histrionics with a fair view of how a plan may play out.

Meanwhile, the adored marked who had gone with Syroa upon their deaths, who populate the realm of Pandemonium, see these as their reward for a life lived in service to the Tempestuous One. Meanwhile, the adored marked who had gone with Syroa upon their deaths, who populate the realm of Pandemonium, see these as their reward for a life lived in service to the Tempestuous One. Sometimes, certain marked are selected for participation in these plays, as are the cursed Sessfiends.

The Demimonde's Region: The Aphrodisia Stockade

The Aphrodisia Stockade can best be described as a large-scale combination of a dungeon and a brothel. It, generally speaking, has the atmosphere of the former, giving off the general impression of house of carnal pleasure. The place is warm, inviting, and well appointed. Of course, all this is for the benefit of the Blessed. The Cursed within The Aphrodisia Stockade occupy an odd position compared to the rest of Pandaemonium. The Demimonde has no current use for the Cursed, and indeed, only keeps them around as a backup or a warmup for the Blessed, to serve the pleasure of the Blessed if there aren't enough trapped to satisfy their needs, or to allow the Blessed to get into the rhythm of their tortures before they move on to the trapped.

Unlike the other regions of Pandaemonium, The Aphrodisia Stockade is primarily focused on the torture and utilization of the trapped. The Aphrodisia Stockade connects directly to The Demimonde's inn and brothel lures in Idalos. Once a victim is pulled into Pandaemonium and trapped there, The Demimonde has them given the Cursed Bite and locked within various rooms of The Aphrodisia Stockade. Sesser is a Blessing that draws power from lust, and while The Demimonde does search for other means of powering Pandaemonium, they see no reason not to use the existing method of gaining power. Since this requires a living being to work, The Trapped are transformed to so as to slow or stop their aging and overcharge their hormones to keep them in the state desired by The Demimonde. They are then turned over to the Blessed for harvesting, by whatever means the Blessed desire.

Any of the Blessed have access to The Aphrodisia Stockade, but there are Blessed who assist in running the region. The Favored are assigned to, essentially, clean up and detainment, ensuring that the trapped don't escape and are kept ready for the next harvest. The Adored are given experimental duties, working to maximize the harvest from the trapped or to find a way to harvest the Cursed or to find new means of harvesting power from the trapped. The Exalted have a special role, as they are the ones who keep up the illusion of the lures, making the inns and brothels that bring the trapped into Pandaemonium seem open and inviting. The Prime Histrionics also derive a direct benefit from The Aphrodisia Stockade, since they use Demon's Climax to extend their lives and the place gives them a place to harvest energy without need to go hunting in Idalos. Finally, there are Sessfiends in The Aphrodisia Stockade, but they are kept solely for emergency purposes, in case of a breakout or a threat to the lure.

Syroa's Region: The Thespian Palace and The Tempestuous Throne

At the center of Pandaemonium, connected to and visible from all The Prime Histrionic's regions, stands a grand and ornate palace, seemingly built from white marble. This palace, a place of beauty surrounded by realms of torment and pain, is The Thespian Palace, the personal region of Syroa herself. The inside of The Thespian Palace is as luxurious as it seems from the outside, with beautiful decorations, fountains, and any other luxury one could ask for. One might consider it at odds with the rest of Pandaemonium, but The Thespian Palace serves a vastly different purpose than the regions ruled by The Prime Histrionics. This is no place of torment, nor it is bent to any of Syroa's goals. It is the final reward given by Syroa to her Blessed, their home after death.

While she was ever capricious, Syroa did value the loyalty and service of those chosen to bear her Blessing, and so she saw fit to ensure that they had a comfortable place in her Domain, as she felt their service prior to death would have merited it. As a result, none of the trapped or the Cursed are allowed within The Thespian Palace, nor are there any Sessfiends to be found in the region. Moreover, while the regions ruled over by The Prime Histrionics divide the Blessed by the rank of their Blessing, there is no such division in The Thespian Palace. Favored, Adored, Exalted, all have full access to the amenities and luxuries on offer in Syroa's home.

There is one exception to this, however. Deep within The Thespian Palace lies the heart of Pandaemonium, a place known as The Tempestuous Throne. This place is the font of Syroa's power, where all energy gathered to power The Queen of Masks, and now Pandaemonium itself, gathers. Only six beings have ever been inside The Tempestuous Throne, and only they know how to access it. These six are, of course, The Prime Histrionics and Syroa herself. It was here that they gathered to plot their schemes, craft their grand plans, or even just to talk amongst themselves. The Tempestuous Throne also serves as the armory of Pandaemonium, housing the greatest artifacts that Syroa ever made or otherwise acquired.