Lena Backstory

So, the character Lena (the succubus being trained by Ozuran to be something more) came from a PF2E campaign, where her original name was Balenni. This is the story I wrote for my players at the time (Zelda and Tsukiko are characters from that game), which was well before I started writing "No Need For A Core?". It is not automatically canonical to my serial in details, but the general story is still what happened.

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“Hello Balenni.” The succubus woke with a start to find herself sitting in a soft chair in a small, comfortably furnished bedroom, though it lacked any doors and only had a couple of small, sealed windows. So a cell truly. And she had the oddest sensation that she’d been here for a while, though she certainly didn’t remember arriving.

And sitting on a large cushion several feat away was a kitsune male who was calmly taking a sip of his tea, nine tail spreading out from beneath his robes. “My name is Ozuran, and at the moment, you are my prisoner.” Well, that confirmed the idea of this being a cell.. then she remembered hearing that name, and carelessly speaking an oath to what she assumed was a minor or false deity. This was beginning to feel like a mistake.

Balenni moistened her lips before replying “Ah, my lord Ozuran, I must offer my sincere apologies, I believe I have in my ignorance offered you offense.” She paused briefly as she was considering whether or not to slide to the floor and kneel, subservience might work here.. and then she saw that Ozuran looked amused, and she was left briefly paralyzed as anger surged to clash with the fear she normally felt in the presence of any one with such blatantly greater power than herself.

Ozuran’s smile widened slightly as he observed her struggling with her emotions. “Demons are such volatile creatures, it’s one of your greatest weaknesses. And your ignorance in the specifics do not get you out of consequences, you know well enough that dire consequences can befall those who make oaths upon names. Just because you didn’t know my name didn’t mean it wasn’t a risk. You gambled in your arrogance, and you lost. I am a god as powerful as any whose name you know, but I am simply new to Golarian and it’s local planar slices. Fortunately for you, my gain can also become your gain.”

Balenni had gathered her emotions back by the time he’d finished speaking, and she had decided to continue with deferential, but dialed back subservience and coyness. “I take it my lordship has some plan for me then?” She was holding on tightly to a spike a fear in her heart, she’d been in the presence of demon lords before but never in the presence of a deity, and this one did not radiant any of the holy presence she associated with angels, or any of the menace of a demon or a devil, leaving her very uncertain as to his motives and desires. In fact, she was certain that every emotion she’d read from him had been exactly the emotion he had wanted her to read, and that was terrifying to someone for whom manipulation was as natural as breathing.

“You are correct. But you can relax, I have no intention of biting. Please, have some tea.” Balenni eyed the teacup sitting on the small table next to her chair dubiously, in part because she wasn’t certain the tea or the table had been there before he’d mentioned it. But being rude seemed like a poor idea at the moment, and she cautiously took cup and saucer in hand, and lightly sipped it. It was a black tea with a slightly citrus like note, lightly sweetened with honey. It took her a moment to identify the herbal source of citrus flavor as verbena.

“It’s very pleasant my lord” she murmured, and she did mean it, but she was still suspicious of this Ozuran. So she used the slow savoring of the tea to give herself an excuse to be silent, as he seemed to have something in mind and Balenni needed time to think and observe.

“I’m glad you enjoy it.” He replied with a satisfied tone, then set his own tea down on a tray nearby. “Now, what I have in mind is a bit of an experiment, and it took me a little bit to find the right harmonies to present it to you properly, but now that I know what I am looking for,” He reached out and seemed to pluck at an invisible string in the air.

“Dreams, desires, passions; these are all very closely related things. Demons may not usually dream, but that is in part because they are creatures of the now. Nebulous futures are hard to hold on to when one is to indulgent in immediate desires. But dreams can come to demons, those who dare to seek a greater existence, to do more than just wallow in rampant surges of anger and fear and lust and hate and hunger. I do not offer the sweet path of Love and Freedom that Desna has used, I would show you a possibility a little closer to whom you are now.”

Visions bloomed in the air around Balenni, bringing to life possibilities of a woman who walked through her life with true confidence, who could openly walk through the courts of deities and mortal royalty alike. She was just as seductive and dangerous as any succubus, but her mind and talents went far beyond the reach of any creature burdened by a demon’s torment. And while enemies might fear her, allies and friends both respected and trusted her.

This woman had actual friends, people whom she gave her own trust and love to as well. And more possibilities splintered off, a thousand possibilities of different dedicated lovers, and just as many paths that lend to more casual but trusting and open relationships. There was warmth, but no undo softness, those who incurred her wrath would suffer mightily for it, and her poise was often cool towards those whom she did not yet know. The idea that these potential futures could really be her seared Balenni to her core.

Her vision was watery for reasons the succubus could not yet comprehend as she glared at Ozuran, how dare he offer her such impossible promises… and then she saw more shadows and reflections of possible futures. In one she stood behind him, a shadow awaiting orders, lethal tension as her eyes flickered over any who approached her lord. In another she lounged casually upon a cushion near him, giving sweet words and coy glances at those who sought audience with Ozuran while offering him plates of delicacies or cups of tea. A third vision showed her seated further away, seemingly ignoring him and his visitors except to offer the occasional cutting remark or witticism at the expense of a guest. Endless variations and combinations of these spilled forth, and they in turn were merely facets of what ever the truth was of their relationship.

Balenni’s eyes darted instinctively, her nature responding to the sort of visions she was not seeing, and she sought for them, but her hunt only turned up faint shadows, vague and distant, and thus unlikely but not impossible. This left the succubus confused, she had seen the promise of who she could be, how could she not become Ozuran’s lover in some way? “Why am I not-” she was frowning as she turned towards Ozuran again.

When she looked back at him directly, the kitsune’s head was tilted slightly, curiously examining the same shadows she had looked at. “Interesting, now what would cause…” he murmured, then gestured, bringing into existence two small clouds of shadowy images in front of himself. Balenni could feel that she was being gently but deliberately excluded from seeing these. “Ah, now that’s an interesting pair of possibilities. Either one of them would cause that.” He chuckled, then glanced at the demoness with amusement while the visions around them collapsed and faded. “A free lesson for you: even gods can lack in introspection of the obvious, if they are predisposed to not consider an idea seriously. And if you are concerned about debt, consider it a redressing of balance, as you have accidentally helped remind me of this lesson, which I think will serve me well then.”

Balenni’s mind was racing, combining everything she knew of people and the things she’d recently experienced, and her eyes widened slightly. “Wait, two possibilities, one for each of us? But the only overlap…” Her voice trailed off as Ozuran nodded.

“Yes, but I think it best if you not speculate upon the matter. You have a lot to work on, and it’s best for you to not have the temptation to try and manipulate things, in part because that’s a good way to twist them to paths you don’t want. But on to the details of the bargain I am offering. You have seen what I am offering, a path to become something far greater than what you are, with out entirely abandoning yourself. It is not an easy path, and I will be strict in some matters, and you will suffer in some manner in order to overcome your weaknesses. In return, I require absolute loyalty, and obedience within the bounds of loyalty, but not absolute. There are conventions for disagreement with an order, but for you that’s currently an advanced lesson. And if you doubt my ability to enforce loyalty,”

Something changed about the room, the area behind Ozuran becoming darker and some how larger, hinting at a vast deepness. There was a presence peering at her from that darkness, and all she could see of it was an almost reptilian eye that glowed of molten gold. That same glow reflected out of Ozuran’s eyes now, and Balenni briefly quailed under the pressure of that gaze. “If you agree to my bargain, and willfully turn against me, you will not have time to regret it.”

The room snapped back to how it was, and the succubus gasped as that pressure was released. “You.. you’re a dragon?” She asked, feeling confused, and Ozuran shrugged slightly before replying.

“Both my parents are deities, so such things are complicated, but in short my mother is a kitsune and my father is a dragon, so I am both. Gods are less limited in such matters than mortals.”

Well, that clarified matters. It did more to terrify her than comfort her, but it was at least very clear to her that she had vastly misjudged the risks when she thought she was swearing an oath to a minor deity at best. And he was just sitting there now, having back to his tea while waiting with a patient air.

Balenni considered the matter for a long time, sipping her own tea while she contemplated. She realized that she’d always been pressured to agree to bargains quickly, with threats being liberally applied for even hesitation. Ozuran had only delivered a single threat should she violate the bargain. Which brought up the question…

“What happens if I say no?”

“I have not decided. You would remain a prisoner for now of course, I may come up with other arguments to persuade you, or perhaps you would be more compatible with a family or ally. I won’t say that there is no chance I would eventually decide upon a different sort of use for your soul, but I’m not inclined to end you unless you willfully do something to provoke me.”

Once more he gave her an uncomfortable truth. The god sitting before her held the nature of a predator, but he was not vicious or cruel. He would in fact be kind to those he favored, and not as part of some twisted game of sadism. It was strange, alien to her existence to be treated with such respect by one so much more powerful than herself. He had power to command her, to remake her even, but here he was offering a bargain, asking her to make a choice, and there was a true choice here, though her other realistic options were limited.

Balenni licked her lips nervously and placed her empty tea cup on the table next to her. The she rose from her chair to slowly step forward and kneel before Ozuran, her head bowed. “I am yours to command, Master.”

She waited while Ozuran considered her. “Mmm, a slight adjustment I think first.” He said, breaking the silence. “First, you will not use Master or similar terminology to address me. Sir, My lord, etcetera are acceptable, but given your past ‘master’ has to many connotations, and we are breaking you away from such chains. Second, I would enforce my earlier suggestion, and bind certain thoughts to your subconscious for now. Do you accept these additional conditions?”

Balenni took a moment to make sure she understood what he was saying, then raised her head to meet his gaze before speaking. “I would be happy to serve you as you have offered, My Lord.”

“Done.” With that single word, Balenni’s world shifted. She couldn’t say exactly what had changed, but her reality was now different from before, and she felt like maybe even she was slightly different. She blinked as she tried to refocus, and found Ozuran standing before her, offering her a hand up. She accepted, rising to her feet as she looked around, and saw that her room now had a door. “Welcome to my home. Allow me to show you around, and give you a better idea of what your training will be.” She let him hook his arm with hers and lead her out of her room and out to the start of a new life.