I love discovering new types of magic. So you can imagine my delight upon the uncovering of bellemancery: the magic of cosmetics and fashion. Rogues and courtiers Eldura-over seek out bellemancers for their unique branch of magic. There is no one better suited to those who wish to disappear into a crowd. Conversely, bellemancers can just as easily draw an entire room’s worth of eyes upon oneself.
I discovered bellemancery while crafting our new campaign sketch, Treachery in Sanctuary and its corresponding serialized fiction, Phantom Pain.
bellemancers
Bellemancers are skilled craftspersons and casters who specialize in cosmetics and fashion. Unlike tailors and beauticians, bellemancers can enchant a client’s clothing or alter their appearance. However, these alterations are not usually so significant as to involve changing or disguising a character’s race, height, build, etc.
Madame LeGrange of Leather & Lace in Madrogas, for instance, affixes magical buttons to subtle seams in her clients’ clothing. Switching out one clasp for another completely changes the color of the garment, allowing one to shift from a bold red gown to a subtle black one with a simple twist of string. For those who travel to her salon, she can change their hair color, eye color, as well as other small shifts such as adding freckles or hiding scars.
Madame LeGrange is rumored to have even stronger magical capabilities than these, such as the skills required to fashion a mask of many faces, but she maintains that this is a flattering yet fallacious falsehood.
in our game
Madame LeGrange is a trusted ally of Jonathan’s PC, Silas, who is a nobleman in the kingdom of Sanctuary. He sends members of his household to her for matters as simple as haircuts to matters as complex as special wardrobe requests. She is also a key informant in his network of spies around the capital city of Madrogas.
Lucinda LeGrange also plays a pivotal role in revealing part of my GMPC’s backstory. This discovery also connects to the hidden intrigue in the court.
(The out-of-game reason for this new form of magic is that I discovered that the character art I had picked originally didn’t suit my GMPC once I played her for a little bit. So now I have a character-rich and convenient way for her appearance to change!)
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