The Marquess¶

Role¶

The Marquess of Nicodranas and mother of Lucien Sugea. She is the ruler of the city and resides in the Marquis Demesne.

Appearance¶

A woman of careful composure and aristocratic bearing, the Marquess carries herself with the practiced ease of someone accustomed to power. She is always impeccably presented.

Personality¶

Aloof and meticulously composed, the Marquess projects an air of being unbothered by even the most extraordinary events -- including a tsunami that nearly destroyed her city. She is protective of Lucien to the point of aggression, and is not above using threats and bribes to ensure his safety. When Shin Cherou was present during an incident that put Lucien in danger, the Marquess bribed Shin with 500gp and obliquely threatened her order and her family. She challenges Lucien intellectually, once telling him that “philosophers never changed the world” when he complained about the influence of the temples.

Connections¶

Mother of Lucien Sugea
Ruler of Nicodranas, residing in the Marquis Demesne
Employer of Rev. Seraphine Duroy, the Palace Chaplain

Appearances¶

Session 3: The Rising Sea — Furious at Lucien's endangerment; threatened Shin
Session 7: Fire and Stone — Challenged Lucien about the power of the temples

Spoilers

Motivation¶

The Marquess is a secret follower and warlock of U’kotoa. She wants U’kotoa to gain power and influence in the region. She has been watching Caliban’s smuggling operation through Mara, a former Zhelezo she placed as a guard at Caliban’s warehouse.

Her support for stopping Caliban is entirely self-serving:

Caliban’s usefulness has ended -- he weakened the city’s defenses, which allowed U’kotoa to “save” the city and gain credit and worship.
Caliban is now a loose end whose continued presence risks discovery of the larger plot.
Removing him preserves U’kotoa’s credit for saving Nicodranas.
The party becomes useful tools she can manipulate for future purposes.

Connections¶

Secret follower/warlock of U’kotoa
Controls Mara, a spy placed in Caliban’s warehouse who reports to “a contact at the Palace”
May be connected to a larger U’kotoa cult
Her motivations for helping the party are always self-serving

Notes¶

She does not yet know about Dazz’s quest to take down Caliban (as of Session 7)
She is unusually interested in the Sluiceweave and the Ley Stone if she learns about them
She pushes Lucien toward action rather than philosophy, which aligns with her U’kotoa agenda
Red flags: discourages thorough investigation, pushes for violent confrontation, asks about the Sluiceweave repeatedly