Ambrosia (CTL)

Ambrosia, the Lady of Delights, is a Hobgoblin that pretends to be one of the True Fae.

Biography
The hobgoblin named Ambrosia was out one evening, gathering those goblin fruit that only appear at dusk, when the Gentry rode past on their fae steeds. She was awestruck by their splendor and by the power that radiated from them in waves of Glamour. She watched the True Fae until they were lost from sight and her thoughts dwelled on what she had seen for days. The next time she saw the Gentry, Ambrosia was at a market. She watched as business slowed,  then  ceased  completely,  as  everyone  turned  to gape at the True Fae and hurried to earn their favor. At that moment, Ambrosia determined to become Other.

She cleared  out  a  large  Hollow  for  herself  and  decorated it  —  and  herself  —  in  lavish  style,  mainly  financed  by  theft. She traded with witches for Glamour cast upon her and traded with her kin for Contracts and Trinkets. She tracked down Billy Birch and listened to his stories about the Gentry, soaking up the knowledge like a sponge. Her crowning achievement was the ensorcelled snaring of an Ogre and a Wizened to act as her guard and chatelaine. Her preparations  took  years  to  complete, but, when finished, Ambrosia presented herself as the Lady of Delight, Gentry-In-Exile, and found none to object. Since her reinvention, Ambrosia has taken to collecting changeling servants and has begun to spin plans to capture one of the True Fae to steal a Title.

Beneath her mask of beauty and sensual abandon beats  a  heart  of  ice. Ambrosia is  willing  to  go  to  any extreme  to  become  one  of  the  True  Fae  and  she  doesn’t  waste a moment’s thought on those she tramples to succeed. She will court privateer and Loyalist as readily as Summer Court royalty if she believes it will advance her cause. Her latest plan is to use her enchanted changeling thralls to lure one of the Gentry into her clutches. Her Ogre bodyguard, named Violents, is armed with cold iron daggers and she has commissioned the crafting of cold iron chains to bind her prisoner.

Ambrosia seeks out changelings wandering through the Hedge and attempts to ensnare them with her charms. She offers advice and assistance, care and feeding, or straight-up offers of sex to lure them into her bed. If a target doesn’t seem sexually interested in women, Ambrosia will use her magic to take on the form of a handsome man and try the same gambit. Not without reason, most changelings are rightly distrustful of anyone that even looks like they might be True Fae. Ambrosia is willing to swear oaths to ensure their safety in the short term to build a relationship she can exploit later. If her victims tumble to her schemes or seek to attack her on sight (in the case of some Summer Court members), Ambrosia relies on Violents to act as rear-guard while she beats a hasty retreat.

Any character that could bring one of the True Fae to Ambrosia would be greatly rewarded (though how a changeling might accomplish this feat or even learn about her desire is another thing). Though only  a  pretender,  Ambrosia does possess  extraordinary amounts of knowledge about the Gentry as well as heaping piles of tokens and trifles. Changelings that are being actively hunted by their Keeper could easily find refuge with Ambrosia and, even if the pretender’s plans fall through, she might distract the Keeper for long enough to give the changeling a proper head start at escape.

Appearance
Ambrosia was considered attractive (by hobs, at least) even before her transformation, but nothing like the divine creature that exists today. Upon learning that Hedge magic couldn’t alter  her  nature  enough  to  permanently remove  her horns or exchange her hooves for feet, Ambrosia has settled on the image of a satyr with short, downy fur covering her legs to mid-calf. Great waves of flaming red hair crest from her brow and roll down her back, framing a face of pale beauty with sparkling green eyes. Her figure  is  full  and  lush  without  passing  into  the realms of the unlikely or artificial. Ambrosia prefers revealing, yet tasteful, styles of dress that enhance her beauty.

Character Sheet
Ambrosia, the Lady of Delights

Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 5, Resolve 3

Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 3

Social Attributes: Presence 5, Manipulation 5, Composure 3

Mental Skills: Occult (Gentry) 4

Physical Skills: Athletics 4, Larceny (Pickpocket) 4, Stealth 3

Social Skills: Empathy 2, Expression 5, Persuasion (Seduce) 5, Socialize 4, Subterfuge 5

Merits: Fleet of Foot 3, Retainer 4, Striking Looks 4, Token variable

Willpower: 6

Virtue: Fortitude

Vice: Envy

Initiative: 8

Defense: 5

Speed: 15

Health: 8

Wyrd: 5

Glamour/per Turn: 14/5

Armor: None

Contracts: Fleeting Spring 5, Vainglory 4

Fae Aspects
• Flawless Beauty: Ambrosia’s enhanced beauty is so prefect that it takes a steely resolve to attempt to mar it. Each time a character attempts to physically assault Ambrosia they must succeed on a Resolve + Composure roll at a –3 penalty or find themselves unwilling to harm her.

• Drunk on Passion: Ambrosia’s bower is considered a place of magic by those that sleep with her. The poor fools are more right than they  know. Ambrosia has  woven  spells  of  control  and  passion into her lovemaking to ensure the submission of her victims. Any character that has sex with her must roll Resolve + Composure + Wyrd versus Ambrosia’s Manipulation + Persuasion + Wyrd. If Ambrosia wins the roll, the character is smitten, and becomes compelled to act in accordance with her wishes. Anytime a smitten character wishes to act against the desires of Ambrosia, he must spend a  point  of  Willpower  to  do  so. This effect  persists  for  one month. If the character wins the roll, the spells fail to take effect and the attempt goes unnoticed. Ambrosia must wait a full 24 hours before making a new attempt to enthrall the character.

• Magpie: Ambrosia collects tokens and trifles the way a sports fan collects baseball cards. Storytellers should feel free to give Ambrosia access to any number of tokens or trifles they feel might be useful or that might appeal to the baser instincts of the players.