Night Court of Marsilikos

In order to offer entertainment and diversion to the nobility attending the Ducal court, Marsilikos has grown its own version of the Night Court. Local courtesans have been replaced with a more organized entity of established local salons, founded by Servants of Naamah that have left the City of Elua. The members of this Night Court are highly respected, and their service valued for the religious importance as well as their exquisite training. Being of a less hierachic structure than in the Capital, presidence is handled in a round-robin fashion, granting one leader of a salon at a time the right and duty of attending the sessions of the ducal council. The office of Speaker for the Night Court is granted for a year, and then is passed on to the next.

It is possible for players to open up their own salons, creating their own blend of traits, or perhaps even specializing in one trait alone.

The following salons can be found not too far from La Place des Mains d'Eisheth:

Established Salons

Salon Motto House Traits Current leader
Lis d'Or Shine and Inspire Dahlia, Camellia, Cereus, Eglantine Philomène nó Lis d'Or
Rose Sauvage Be You Hunter Or Prey Mandrake and Valerian Jacques Verreuil nó Rose Sauvage
Coquelicot Feel with the Mind, See with the Heart Gentian, Balm, Heliotrope Philandre Chalasse nó Coquelicot
Glycine Joy and Pleasure Bryony, Jasmine, Orchis Bertrand Perigeux nó Glycine

Other Salons

Salon Motto House Traits Current leader
Rose Blanche With Innocent Eyes. Alyssum Virginie nó Rose Blanche
Coeur de Lavande Love is powerful but fragile. Cereus, Heliotrope, Jasmine Alucard nó Coeur de Lavande
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Earning the Marque

Similar to the upbringing of a courtesan on Mont Nuit, a member of the Marsilikos Night Court must go through the same phases to become a fully marqued courtesan. Even if fosterlings are slightly rarer, and most start their training at the age of ten, as a novice. The candy test will henceforth often precede their being accepted into one of the salons. The following years will be spent, learning refinement and the advanced techniques as lived by each canon - at least in theory. As novices have to wait till their debut, to experience the full extent of their service for the first time. The debut will happen no sooner than the sixteenth birthday and sometimes it occurs later, depending on canon and special skills that need to be refined.

With the debut, the novice becomes an adept, taking assignations and using patron gifts to pay the marquist, to begin the work on the art that will - once completed - adorn the back of the adept, all the way from the small of the back to the nape of the neck. The marque will be that of the salon in question - or a freely chosen marque if the adept is independent of local salons.

Once the marque has been completed, which will be the case after about two or three years of service, it will have to be acknowledged by the leader of the salon or the owner of the marque. And the adept becomes a courtesan, which grants more freedom and comes with the duty of training novices and adepts in the arts of the salon.

Assignations

Potential patrons will have to pay a small fee called the tithe to the salon, and give the servant of Naamah a patron gift in acknowledgement and reward for the service. Adepts are not allowed to be intimate with a patron outside of the context of an assignation. Fully marqued courtesans can choose to pay homage to Naamah for free, under certain circumstances.

Status and Leaving Service

It is known that some noble families offer their children to the Night Court, knowing that they will learn refinement and submit themselves to a holy service by becoming a Servant of Namaah. While these noble children maintain their noble name even during their service, they are by no means treated as superior to those servants of a common background. They are members of the Night Court, first and foremost, and so the hierarchy of the Night Court will apply.

Nonetheless, some courtesans may elect to leave service, at some point. Be it that they have to do their duty in inheriting a title, or that they become a noble's consort or spouse.

Some Facts

  • Service of Naamah is a holy service: Yes. This is true. And this is what makes courtesans differ both in social status and reputation among d'Angelines, from what non-d'Angelines may think of them. The service of a courtesan is defined through her canon, which is based on the story of how Naamah saved Elua from the clutches of King Persis. As such, each assignation in a way pays homage to that story, and to Naamah, to honor what she did.
  • Due to the fact that courtesans accept patron gifts and a tithe will be required to be paid to the salon or House, foreigners would often regard them as being no more than prostitutes. This is a non-d'Angeline view, however.
  • Within a salon or House there are rules. Novices and Adepts will have a guard with them when leaving for a stroll through the city. A novice will have even a chaperone. As they are investments of the salon, and their marque, that is still to be made, the property of the salon leader.
  • Breaking rules will come with severe consequences. A novice having sex before their debut, for instance. Or an adept disregarding the rules and having sex outside of an assignation. These will be actions that will provoke severe IC consequences if they become known.
  • The Night Court of Marsilikos is defined by a somewhat friendly competition between the salons. In the Ducal council, they are represented by one of the leaders, who will pursue the interests of the Night Court as a whole. As they are united in their Service of Naamah, a certain sense of competition is still governed by respect of courtesan traditions as a whole and the intention to keep friendly relations to the other salons. After all, each salon has its niche it is catering to.
  • To signal being available for assignations, a fully marqued courtesan may sometimes wear attire that will put the marque on their back on display. Some will do this, showing off their marque openly as a statement. This is not mandatory however, as for certain canons (male Thorns, Lis d'Or courtesans in general) it may appear out of place. Also, a retired courtesan might flash a bit of marque through thin fabrics or reveal it in part, without intending to be contracted. When in doubt, this can prove an intriguing topic for IC discourse.
  • As for Adepts: Here rules are more strict. They will wear attire that keeps their back fully covered, as it is considered bad taste to show off an unfinished marque in public.

If you are considering to play a courtesan on our game, make sure also to check out our Courtesan Guide.

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