Character List, Round 0

Amabilis

Age: ???

Job: Host of the Athanor.

Appearance: Standing about 5’8”, poised, with a body that reads as deliberately composed rather than naturally relaxed. Her beauty is unmistakable but austere — the kind that feels designed rather than inviting. Her skin is flawless, but not soft-looking. Half of her hair is pure white, the other half is black. The hair is long and wavy, worn loose down her back. Her eyes are her most striking feature, a pale green-gold, clear and penetrating. She is beautiful in the way monuments are beautiful: impressive, reassuring, and faintly inhuman. Amabilis dresses in garments that evoke ritual and refinement, not seduction, always half black and half white, although sometimes one or the other predominates.

Relationship to Adrien: Host of the show.

Bio: She's the Host of Athanor. She selected Adrien personally because, in her view, he had reached a point of no return. She created the Athanor for him, but implied that anything inside the Athanor will be changed, including not just Adrien or the Reactants, but herself as well. She speaks cryptically, only rarely giving straight answers, and appears focused on maintaining the judgment of law, whether human or not. It isn't clear if she considers Adrien's role a gift or a punishment, and it appears she intentionally selected the girls from moments in their lives when they had fully and irreversibly suffered the consequences of Adrien's actions (or lack thereof). She seems not to be concerned by the suffering this has caused the girls, or Adrien.

Transformations: None.

Adrien Moore

Other Names: Master, Catalyst, Albert Rosenkreutz, Andrea Valerio, "the healer", Andronikos, Andreas, ???

Age: ???

Job: Professor of History of Philosophy in an English college.

Appearance: Standing about 5' 10'', in his early thirties, with a lean and balanced face, and features that settle easily into neutrality. Straight nose, well-defined jaw, mouth inclined towards seriousness rather than warmth. His skin is unblemished and unscarred. His hair is black, worn a little longer than fashion dictates, usually swept back or brushed behind his ears. He has a black beard and mustache. At first glance he reads as entirely young — until one notices the eyes, strange enough to feel wrong. His eyes are the most unsettling feature: steady, observant, and very old in their stillness. He dresses simply and well, favoring muted colors — charcoal, bone, beige, brown, deep blue — clothes chosen for durability and comfort rather than style.

Relationship to Adrien: Himself.

Bio: Mostly unclear, but he has lived as early as Ptolemaic Egypt. It is unclear if he lived through the last 2,360 years, or if he skipped through them. He lived in Pella at the palace of Alexander the Great. He met and gave immortality to a mysterious woman there, who ended up being the nameless girl of Athanor. He lived for at least a few years, as an exile (according to him), in Sebennytos, the capital of Ptolemaic Egypt, where he fell in love with an embalmer called Nebet-Hedj. He left to shake off questions, and when he returned for her, she was dead of mercury poisoning. Five centuries later he was in Cumae, where he owned a villa and may have worked as a healer. He saved the life of a young **** he nicknamed Selene and visited her as she grew up, bringing her little presents, and earning her affection and trust, although she apparently believed him a spirit. In 275 CE, when questions about him started piling up, he left Cumae, intending to return to free Selene, but when he did, she had been sold and he could not find her. When he left Cumae, he found a silver sestertium at a roadshrine altar to Hecate, left for him by Selene (although he didn't know this at the time). Five hundred years later, in 736 CE, he was somewhere in Byzantine Anatolia, working as a healer, and accidentally discovered Drosia's secret when treating her. According to him, he didn't share it with anyone. His next known appearance is in the Renaissance, when he met a Venetian woman called Chiara Vendramin. The nature of their relationship is unclear, but he eventually left Venice prior to 1491 CE. He is also known to have lived in Vienna in the second half of the eighteenth century, where he built a relationship (possibly only professional, or as a patron) with a talented woman, an inventor called Magdalena Weiss. He left for a journey to Prague and it is not clear whether he came back. He also seems to have lived in, or at least visited, the town of Ashcombe Vale, in Wyoming. In 2023, he teaches as an Associate Professor of History of Philosophy in an English college, and seems to live a solitary life - by choice, rather than imposition.

Transformations: None.

Summer and Autumn Weaver

Age: 29

Job: Ghostwriter and book doctor (Summer), translator (Autumn).

Appearance: Standing about 5' 5'', Summer and Autumn are a set of dicephalus conjoined twins (most people mistake them for a two-headed woman). From the neck down, they share one torso, one pair of shoulders, two arms, two legs, and one set of organs. Their body is narrow and compact, almost fragile at first glance, all fine bones and slight shoulders, with C-cup breasts. Viewed from the front, Summer is the twin to the right of the viewer, while Autumn is the twin to the left. Each sister controls only the limbs on her own side of the body: Summer governs the left arm and left leg, Autumn the right arm and right leg. Sensation is likewise divided; each feels only her own half of their shared body. Movement is therefore always coordinated, never unilateral. They cannot stand, walk, rise, or turn independently of one another. Their skin is pale and easily bruised, but their posture is upright and steady, practiced rather than posed. They move with careful precision, their shared steps coordinated enough that uneven ground or narrow spaces rarely slow them down. Summer wears her dark blonde hair in a braid, practical and unobtrusive. Autumn lets her dark blonde hair grow long, often in a ponytail or worn loose over one shoulder. Their faces are identical, their green eyes mirrored, but their expressions diverge: Summer's gaze is alert and assessing, Autumn's calmer and more inward. Their skin and appearance are flawless, but their clothes never fit.

Relationship to Adrien: They have no idea who he is or why they're here.

Bio: Born in Ashcombe Vale, Wyoming, a small rural town folded between old farmland and a slow river, they would be a spectacle in any other place. But Ashcombe Vale is different, with higher-than-average stillbirths and a high proportion of children born with abnormalities, which for locals is just how things are. The twins grew up normally, even happily, learning to function normally via instinctive coordination, even learning to drive. At school, Summer is the one who learns teachers’ names early, keeps track of schedules, and negotiates accommodations before they become problems; Autumn sits through the attention without flinching, answering when spoken to and ignoring what doesn’t matter. When a substitute once insists on separating their desks “for fairness,” Summer argues until it’s fixed; Autumn spends the day quietly refusing to engage until things are put back the way they work. As teenagers, their differences become clearer. Summer dates first, cautiously and briefly, filtering people through practicality—who can handle logistics, who can deal with stares, who won’t disappear when things get inconvenient. Autumn dates less often but more seriously, uninterested in curiosity or novelty, and once ends a relationship simply by saying it no longer fits, without explanation or apology. In their teens, they develop a shared habit of combing through local records—church registers, burial plots, old census documents—initially out of curiosity, then with growing seriousness. Their interest in Ashcombe Vale’s history never becomes obsessive, but it stays with them, a quiet thread running alongside everything else. As adults, they both work from home, their careers shaped as much by temperament as by practicality. In Ashcombe Vale they are known not as curiosities, but as the sisters who know the town’s past better than most. They haven't dated in three years.

Transformations:

• Alchemical Perfection: The twins become an exemplar of health and beauty—flawless skin, flawless health, unaging, and a perfect balance of muscle and fat throughout. However, their body becomes so perfect that clothing never fits properly. (Gold/The Sun)

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Magdalena "Magda" Weiss

Age: 27

Job: Inventor (previously), violin instructor (currently).

Appearance: Standing about 5' 6'', Magda has a build shaped more by long hours at a workbench than by softness or display. Her posture is straight but not rigid, her hands are long-fingered, steady, and marked by faint scars and traces of ink and metal polish. She moves with quiet economy. She has brown hair, pulled back or braided simply out of practicaliy, and favors clothing that is sober, well made, and functional. Her eyes are pale gray and intensely observant. She has E-cup breasts.

Relationship to Adrien: Some form of professional (?) relationship.

Bio: Born in the outskirts of Vienna, Magda showed great interest in repairing and building mechanisms, learning from her father who was a watchmaker. Despite the scandal at the time, she found enough patronage to set up a small workshop where she eventually started building an automaton she believed would bring her fame. While it's unclear when she met Adrien and under what circumstances, it is known that she knew him as "Herr Rosenkreutz," although she did call him "Albert" once when seeing him during her recruitment. It is also known that while he was traveling to Prague, someone broke into her workshop, stole her incomplete automaton and its blueprints, and presented it as their own. Magda was disgraced, lost her patronage and ended up teaching violin to children by early 1784, and would die later that year, of consumption.

Transformations:

• Workshop Requirements: Magda knows that safety is important, in the workshop and outside it. She is physically unable to perceive herself as "clothed" unless she is wearing a lab coat or an inventor's leather apron; wearing only lingerie and a lab coat feels perfectly modest to her. To help her, a lab coat or apron also provides full physical protection and warmth, as if she were fully dressed. (Inventor)

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Chiara Vendramin

Age: 28

Job: Information broker? Courtesan? Cloistered?

Appearance: Standing about 5' 6'', Chiara is tall for her era, with an upright posture that suggests composure even at rest, and C-cup breasts. Her hair is a deep chestnut with warm copper undertones, and when it falls, it frames a face defined by sharp cheekbones, a straight nose, and a mouth that seems perpetually on the verge of either a smile or a verdict. Her eyes are a clear hazel, flecked with gold, attentive and unblinking, giving the impression that nothing said in her presence goes unrecorded. She rarely loses her composure.

Relationship to Adrien: Unclear.

Bio: A daughter of Venice, little is known of Chiara's life other than she's clearly highly intelligent, literate, and socially perceptive, that she collected useful information on a number of personages in Venice, and that she knows how to move through salons and palazzi even though she is not a noblewoman. It's unclear how she met Adrien (whom she calls "Andrea") or what the nature of their relationship is, but it is known that he left Venice before 1490. Sometime around 1490, Chiara's fortunes changed, and she was either **** to hide in a convent, or forcibly exiled into one. In 1491, men from the Arsenale found out she had information they could use and asked her to provide it to them in exchange for freedom and a small pension (although it is implied they planned to actually use her as a scapegoat). It is likely she died in 1491 after trying to save herself from these men.

Transformations:

• Carnival Parade: Chiara knows how to use every nuance of movement of her body to communicate her desires. Now, Chiara's body language always conveys how she's really feeling, and the Catalyst can read it easily, regardless of what she says. (Courtesan)

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Drosia Kallistratos

Age: 21

Job: Daughter of a strategos. Commander?

Appearance: Standing about 5' 9'', Drosia is a natural redhead, her hair cut short and uneven. Her eyes are a clear gray-green, made sharper by constant alertness. She has an athletic build with well-defined muscles shaped by marching, scarcity, and training. She has D-cup breasts, and a body built for endurance and strength rather than softness.

Relationship to Adrien: He healed her wounds once and found out she was a woman masquerading as a man, but did not rat her out.

Bio: Drosia was born around 715-716 CE in the outlying regions of the Byzantine Empire, as the daughter of a strategos assigned to defend the region of Anatolia from raiders. She received a good classical education but her real passion was her father's craft. While as a woman she was forbidden from going into the martial profession, her father taught her warfare and fighting, thinking it was fun to see his little girl pretend to be a soldier. In 734 CE, Drosia's father was killed by raiders and, without aid or reinforcements, Drosia took up his armor and sword, pretended to be a man and commanded his soldiers, repelling the raiders until 736 CE. During those two years, she was injured at some point and took to a healer (who turned out to be Adrien). The healer discovered her real identity but didn't disclose it to others. In 738 CE, reinforcements from Byzantium finally arrived, discovered Drosia's charade, declared her a lawbreaker, and executed her at the crossroads, on a six-spoked wheel.

Transformations:

• Summary Execution: Drosia's execution was so sudden, perhaps the effects can be mitigated slighly. Now, whenever her head detaches, as long as it is less than 10 feet from the body, she can control the body as if the head were still attached. However, she experiences an immediate, powerful orgasm whenever her head is reattached to her neck. (Lawbreaker)

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Selene

Other Names: ???

Age: 26

Job: Household ****.

Appearance: Standing about 5' 2'', Selene looks slightly younger than her age. She was never allowed excess, so her body is lean and slender, although her F-cup breasts stand out significantly. Her posture is naturally deferential. When she stands still, she seems almost to fade into the background; when she moves, it is with a soft, economical grace that makes space for others. Her face is gentle and open, with large, dark eyes that dominate her expression. Her mouth is small, lips often parted slightly. There is a thin, pale scar across her throat, old enough that it no longer looks like an injury so much as a line drawn there deliberately, as if marking a boundary. Her hair is dark and cut short in the manner of household slaves, and it catches the light easily, giving her an almost silvery halo under moonlight. Her only jewelry is a small silver crescent pendant. Her skin is flawless and pearlescent, her breasts are large, and she can switch between human legs and a long, shimmering snake's tail, black and silver.

Relationship to Adrien: He healed her wounds once and brought her presents as she grew up. She believes him a spirit, or a god.

Bio: Selene's real name is unknown (except to her, but since she can't read or write, she can't communicate it and she seems to prefer Selene anyway). She was born sometime around 249-250 CE in Cumae as a household **** to the Quinctilius family. The family didn't treat her well, and when she was a small child, for unknown reasons, one of the family members cut her throat. By coincidence, Adrien (who lived in Cumae at the time) came across the little girl before she died, and somehow healed her, although he couldn't restore the severed vocal cords. Selene was left mute, but alive, and considered Adrien a spirit. Over the years, he came to visit her during the night multiple times, bringing her small gifts to make her life easier. When she was 22, the Quinctilius family fell upon hard times and sold her to a family living outside of Cumae. On her journey to her new house, she was allowed to pray at a roadside shrine to Hecate, where she left her one silver sestertium as a tribute to the spirit who had watched over her all her life. Presumably, she lived the rest of her life serving the new family and died a ****'s ****.

Transformations:

• Hecate's Handmaiden: As a lover of the Moon and a devout of Hecate, Selene is chosen as one of Hecate's handmaidens. Her legs transform into a serpentine tail, which she instinctively knows how to use. Her chest expands, and her skin takes on a flawless, pearlescent sheen that makes her stunning to everyone. She no longer suffers from any form of hygiene issues or physical aging. At night, or whenever she's about to engage in something sexual, she can switch back and forth between the tail and her original legs at will. (Empusa)

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Nebet-Hedj

Age: 24.

Job: Embalmer.

Appearance: Standing about 5' 7'', Nebet-Hedj is tall for a woman of her time, and has a willowy build, with caramel skin and a faint sparkle caused by a dusting of powdered minerals that penetrated her pores. She is beautiful, with B-cup breasts, silver eyes, and thick, lustrous black hair. Her skin is smoother than it should be, and cool to the touch. She does not fidget or flush, and her eyes are unnervingly fixed, lacking the constant micro-movements of anticipation and emotional calibration. Her nails and the whites of her eyes have a very faint silvery sheen.

Relationship to Adrien: Lover. She was going to marry him.

Bio: Nebet-Hedj was an embalmer's apprentice in Ptolemaic Egypt, born in 335 BCE in Sebennytos, where she grew up and worked. Her parents died when she was young, and she was the last of her family. A genius with salves and preparations, Nebet-Hedj's project was a mercury-based tincture meant to preserve bodies forever. Some time before her ****, she met and fell in love with Adrien (going by the name Andronikos), and she clearly knew he loved her and wanted to marry her. He would have taken her out of the House of Preparations, but by his own admission, he had little money and so he delayed. When she was accidentally poisoned with her own concoction by her uncaring master, he left her to retrieve a mysterious "vial", but he returned only when it was too late, and she died in 312 BCE.

Transformations:

• Canopic Transfer: Nebet-Hedj's canopic jars are no longer necessary, so we'll put them to good use. Nebet-Hedj can "store" one transformation from herself or from another contestant into one of these jars, rendering it inert for 24 hours or until the jar is open. Each contestant can only be affected once per round, and each time Nebet-Hedj uses this ability, one of the jars becomes useless for the rest of the round (thus, she can use this ability up to four times per round). Only Nebet-Hedj can open a jar containing a transformation. (Mummy)
• Touch of Madness: As quicksilver drives users mad, Nebet-Hedj's touch becomes insidious. Skin to skin contact with her causes an increase in arousal, based on the duration of the contact and on the surface area that is involved. Too much contact too quickly can drive the recipient into heat. The ability doesn't work on Nebet-Hedj herself, and it only has a minor effect on the Master. (Quicksilver/Mercury)

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Oudemia

Other Names: ???

Age: 2,362.

Job: ???

Appearance: Standing about 5' 1'', the nameless girl is short with long legs, and while she is slender, she doesn't look fragile. She looks 22 years old or so. Her hair is thick, dark brown verging on black, and wavy. It reaches far past her ankles, falling heavily about her despite signs that it was hacked before. Her eyes are dark, deep brown, nearly black in low light. When she watches someone, it feels like being assessed rather than observed. She has high cheekbones, and delicate features. She has large breasts, small hips and a bubble butt. Her skin is unblemished and unscarred, despite the millennia.

Relationship to Adrien: Unclear. He gave her "life unending".

Bio: Unknown, but Adrien knew her before he met Nebet-Hedj, and when trying to get her attention, he reminded her he is "Andreas." She was entombed around the time of Alexander the Great's ****, the seal on her cistern bore the insignia of Alexander, and she was described as a "great daimon of the desert." She's been apparently entombed in a dark cistern for 2,347 years, alone. She's the one whose arrival shook Adrien the most.

Transformations:

• Smoke and Mirrors: Her captors called her a daimon of the desert. Let's prove them right. Now, her lower body can dissolve into a cloud of fine, sparkling mist at will, allowing her to float and even fly slowly. However, her arousal grows slowly but steadily while using this transformation. While she cannot herself have sex while so transformed, her whirling cloud of mist can exert pressure appropriately if used for this purpose. (Spirit of the Desert)
• No Need for Modesty: The nameless girl's clothes and social mores disintegrated over the millennia she was locked in the cistern. However, the utter lack of modesty is something Harem Hotel sees as an advantage. Hence, she will never suffer any ill effects from being naked, but will never develop the desire to wear clothing again. Furthermore, her presence loosens the mores of others around her, so that they'll be more accepting of her public nudity, or other acts that would normally be limited to private settings. This doesn't apply if her nakedness or activities are brought up to their active attention. (Lead/Saturn)- - - - - -

The Curator

Other Names: ???

Age: ???

Job: Challenge adjudicator.

Appearance: The Curator stands about 5' 10'', and looks to be in his mid- to late thirties, with short black hair tinged with gray at the temples, a straight nose, a short black beard and moustache that is trimmed close, with some gray on the chin. He wears thin metal-frame, practical glasses, and has steady blue eyes. His eyes are wise, a wisdom that seems born of a lot of joy and sorrow mingled together. He wears black boots, white trousers, a black coat with a red sash, and a gray cloak. Nothing about him draws attention, and he can often be ignored. His posture is relaxed but controlled.

Relationship to Adrien: Judges the challenges the Reactants will undertake.

Bio: Unknown. Amabilis said it is useless to look for him, and he will not answer questions even if he is found.

Transformations: ???

The Attendants

Other Names: ???

Age: ???

Job: ???

Appearance: The Attendants appear to be well-endowed women standing around 5' 9''. Because their faces are hidden by their cowl and no skin is otherwise visible, it's unclear if they resemble each other, what their ethnicity is, or if it even makes sense to think of an ethnicity. They have been silent so far, and the only difference between them is that one is dressed in fiery red, and one is dressed in stark black.

Relationship to Adrien: ???

Bio: Unknown. Amabilis said it is useless to look for them, and they will not answer questions even if they are found, but they may seek out Reactants and provide cryptic advice if they desire to do so. Amabilis also said they can't interfere with the game.

Transformations: ???