Sisterhood of Sirens
Those in the know whisper about a so-called Sisterhood of Sirens operating at the highest levels of society. It is said that these monstrous or undead females have infiltrated the nobility and the top of the mercantile class. Their actual activities remain a mystery. No one has ever come forward saying they've been victimized by them. There is no concrete proof of their existence.
The most dangerous monsters are the ones you don't know about. I've spoken to a mercenary or two who claim to have done jobs for the Sirens. Things like leaving an article of clothing in a taxi-skimmer or stealing personal letters from a mid-level courtesan. If they exist the Sirens don't deal in flesh and blood, they trade in souls and influence. I'm glad to be below their notice!
The Sisterhood of Sirens is a group of vampire-tiefling-aswang hybrids who were made by and serve Alera, the Blood Siren. In fact, they are the young mortal women whose lives she has picked to live as her own. When she is nearing the end of one of her public lives, she surveys the young daughters of House Molndal and of the wider Grand Duchy of Molndal. She prefers to take over the lives of members of her own house, but if a girl is talented enough, she has been known to take their lives as well.
They call me Mother of Tieflings, but I've only given birth once. The Cambion might be my flesh and blood, but my Sirens are the true children of my heart.
Entering the Sisterhood
In Molndal, all daughters of the nobility, and those rich enough to afford it, are presented to society in a Debutante's Ball on their 18th birthday. The night before her Ball each young maiden is given a private audience with the Duke of Molndal and his family. It is at this audience that the Blood Siren, the secret Head of House Molndal, takes the maiden and replaces her. The young woman's family is distracted or enchanted to forget the details of the audience. They just know that they arrive with a nervous child, but are delighted with the confident women they go home with.
Meanwhile their real child has undergone a harrowing, pitiless ordeal. They are subjected to the Three Curses of the Blood Siren that Alera herself suffered through. They are infused with infernal energy to imbue them with, or bring forth any tiefling tendencies they may have. They are infected with vampirism by Alera herself and drained of blood. When they rise as vampires, they are given The Black Chick to also turn them into Aswang.
The process invariably drives the poor girls insane. It takes a decade of care, feeding, and nursing to bring them back to any semblance of sanity. Once they've recovered enough, each prot-Siren is trained according to their talents in a variety of arts. Each continues their training in the ettiquette of all the known worlds and societies. They are taught seduction, infiltration, performance, assassination, and rudimentary magic. They are all given a specialty and when they are ready, they are initiated into full Sisterhood.
I am no fool. I take everything from these girls and I do not ask. I take their entire life and I make their entire future into my own. I give them a purpose beyond anything they could have known. I know how hard it is for them. Remember, it was done to me first. In the end they thank me.
A Life Worth "Living"
The Sirens report directly to the Blood Siren herself and are her most skilled and trusted operatives. She considers them her children and she treats them as such. They infiltrate the courts, boardrooms, and beds of the richest and most powerful men and women in the world. They make it their business to know everything worth knowing before it even happens. They send this knowledge to Alera who uses it to keep House Molndal and the Order of Light in the positions of power that they deserve.
Holy motherforking shirtballs, this is good. From the contrasting quotes through the descriptions of what happens to each girl with the three curses, all the way to the end—I was hooked!
Thanks Chris! Really appreciate the kind words! I have some updates to make when we hit the "real" end of SC.
Learn about the World of Wizard's Peak and check out my award winning article about the Ghost Boy of Kirinal!