Monsters & Mayhem

The Prophetess

A barking loony female human who can see the future but only by talking to her collection of porcelain dolls. The one topic she doesn't discuss is herself. She claims to be a total amnesiac on her personal history. Attempts to scry upon or read the mind of the Prophetess always fail, so no one can be certain if the Prophetess is telling the truth. Given that she has never been known to lie most arcanists believe she is telling the truth. Rumors of her existance go back over 50 years but she is always described as looking in her 20s and does not appear to age.

Appearance:
Jet black hair and alabaster skin so smooth and pale it rivals her dolls. Always dressed in a Victorian Era nightgown of silk and lace, usually white or cream colored. Always speaks in English accented toward the country in which she is encountered (French, German, etc.) Voice is whispy, diction childlike. Never shows deep emotion, doesn't recognise or react to danger. Never seen engaging in human bodily needs.

Location:
Always found in an apartment on the side street of a side street. usually a single room flat on an upper level. Light is always gas and candles, not electric. Windows are either covered with curtains or so dusty little light and no vision can get through. Porcelain dolls cover most flat surfaces. All seem to have names and their eyes appear to follow the PCs as they move around. Lace doileys are prominent, other decorations trend toward the Victorian.

Story Elements:
The Prophetess barely notices visitors, even when she is telling their future. She ignores questions but usually touches on the PCs' desired info. The knowledge gained is vague and egnimatic but always accurate.

The dolls look and act like dolls. They do not respond to stimuli and break easily. They will appear to have moved when not watched closely, with their heads turned to look at a PC, or their bodies moved to threatening postures. The room will subtly darken and the shadows will lengthen. Candles will flicker and gas will become smokey.

Any blow to the Prophetess will cause her to cry out and fall to the ground in a Victorianly dramatic fashion, dead. The dolls will act as above and the room will take on an air of menace. From that point on the murderer and their companions will find porcelain dolls in odd or scary places: cabinets, pantries, under the bed, abandoned in alleyways. Deadly "accidents" will befall them, accompanied by tiny footsteps and weird shadows. If the culprit is cornered all the part will find is an old porcelain doll...

The Prophetess will reappear in a new city, dolls and all. If the PCs find her she will not act like she remembers them but her predictions will be dark and full of terror. The dolls will convey hostilityfrom the start and the room will be chill and full of shadows regardless of the time of day or weather outside. A contrite apology and gift of a new doll might buy the murderer a respite.

Those attempting to limit or control access to the Prophetess always fail. One day the room will simply be empty, windows open and dust layered on the floor and sills. If guards were present they only hint of their fate are faded bloodstains on the walls and floor and scraps of clothing, jewelry, and fake body parts (glass eyes, wooden legs, dentures, gold teeth) apparently abandoned and dusty. The Prophetess will then appear again as before.