Nocticula

Our Lady in Shadow
CE female demon lord of assassins, darkness, and lust

Cult

Unholy Symbol: seven-pointed crown wrapped with thorny vines
Domains: Chaos, Evil, Charm, Trickery
Favored Weapon: Dagger
Temple: Brothels, dungeons, elegant manors, hidden cathedrals
Worshipers: Assassins, drow, rapists, shadow-using creatures, succubi, whores
Minions: Bats, carnivorous plants, charmed or dominated humanoids, seraptis demons, shadow demons, shadows
Obedience: Ingest a dose of psychedelic plants or fungi and engage in any number of sexual acts (either alone or with others), during which at least a pint of blood must be shed. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against blindness and charm effects. You may also cast charm person 3/day, darkness 2/day, or suggestion 1/day as a cleric of your character level.

The first succubus is a beautiful but deadly creature. Lady Nocticula is fond of wearing her dark hair in complex styles. Her eyes are devoid of pupils, her fingers are tipped with talons, and her feet end in stony hooves that weep molten iron. Bat-like wings covered with glowing runes and three tails ending in stingers complete her demonic appearance. Yet she typically appears to unsuspecting folk as a particularly beautiful woman or handsome man in order to lure them into her clutches. Even demon lords aren’t safe from her deadly seductions; the number of demon lords she’s seduced and assassinated is formidable—among her greatest triumphs is Vyriavaxus, the Demon Lord of Shadows. From him she won the grudging loyalty of the shadow demons.

The other demon lords treat Nocticula with a mixture of obsession and fear, with only one of them, Socothbenoth (her brother and sometimes lover), maintaining a relatively friendly relationship. Nocticula is one of the most popular demons among the drow, but she is also worshiped in places of decadence like Tarsas and Kalimsport. Recently, Lamashtu’s cult has taken notice of Nocticula’s rising power and has increased the level of hostility with her worshipers, causing some to believe that Nocticula may be close to becoming the second demon to ascend to divinity.

Nocticula’s Abyssal realm consists of dozens of islands on an immense sea of still black water. The sky is always dark here, with strange stars and a disturbingly large moon in the sky above. Each of these Midnight Isles represents a demon lord or other notable entity she’s assassinated—with each new kill, her realm grows. Each island is ruled by a unique succubus or incubus with strange and terrible powers. The terrain and natures of these islands are linked to the themes and history of her victims, save for the largest island in the center—this island is Alinythia, her personal realm of pleasure and decadence.