Claudette Vanderbilt is a widow in her mid 40’s with a dark secret.
Claudette drapes her shapely body in fine black evening gowns, wearing enough jewelry to enhance her aesthetic appearance, but not so much as to appear gaudy. She can usually be found at the Thirsty Serpent Tavern, flirting with men half her age. She is quite confident and very charismatic which sometimes scores her a handsome man for the evening. She will only take home visitors to the village and never a resident. The townsfolk often jest about how scary she must look naked since none of her male suitors ever return to town again. Fact is, her suitors are never seen or heard from by anyone, ever.
Claudette is a widow who has continued along in life just fine without her husband whom she found quite irritating. He was always barking orders at her and putting her down. Eventually Claudette grew tired of the orders and dropped some Laungoroot poison in his favorite rabbit stew. The meal was his last and she has lived happily in solitude ever since.
Although quite deranged, Claudette is not insane. She has found great pleasure in forging her own path in the world.
Many years ago while cleaning the cellar, Claudette found a hidden compartment in the wall. Within the compartment rested the mysterious Tome of Nabid (cursed) and an ancient dagger with runes upon the blade known as the Dagger of Nabid (cursed). The large tome appeared quite ancient with a strange symbol burned into the stitched leather cover. Claudette kept the book hidden from her husband and studied the writings while he was out fishing each day. The tome taught her how to make the poison which she later used to kill him and regain the control he had taken from her the day they were wed. Little does Claudette know, but the tome and dagger are cursed and over time are slowly changing her into a Sea Hag. The change has occurred so gradually that Claudette has no recollection of how or why this happened. By drinking fresh blood drawn by the cursed dagger Claudette is able to keep her attractive appearance and alluring charisma.
When Claudette brings male suitors to her home, she first tricks them by stripping them naked and tying them to her bed posts. She then proceeds to torture them whilst drinking their blood. If they yield and completely give up hope, she is able to transform them into rats using a witchcraft spell and a very sinister potion, both of which were learned from the evil cursed tome. In this state the creatures cannot remember their former life and must obey Claudette’s orders, understanding but unable to communicate or resist in any way. If one of her suitors fails to yield to her evil ways, she drinks their blood until they pass out and die, then carves up their corpse with the cursed dagger, feeding it to the other rats who take refuge in the cellar and tunnels below.
Claudette’s ultimate goal is unknown even to her, but if she continues to grow in power and people keep disappearing, she will eventually be found out and will have to retreat to the depths of the Serpent Lake or face a traditional village mob lynching.
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Claudette Vanderbilt
Sea Hag
Remove: Horrific Appearance (su)
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