Calaii the Enchantress

From the Liber Daemonum — Codex of the Night-Born

Entry: Succubus (pl. Succubi)

In the shadowed folds of the mortal veil dwell the Succubi, daughters of desire and hunger. Born of the lower circles yet clothed in beauty that undoes the wise, they walk among men as living temptation. Their form is that of a woman perfected — fair of face, graceful of limb — yet marked by the signs of their true nature: the curving horns of the goat-king, the membranous wings of the bat, the lashing tail tipped in flame or barb, and eyes that burn with borrowed starlight.

They feed not upon flesh alone, but upon the vital essence of passion, dream, and will. A single night in their embrace may leave a mortal hollowed, yet craving more. Some among their kind bind themselves to a single soul for years, weaving slow enchantments of love and ruin; others flit from dream to dream, leaving only fevered memory and fading strength.

Beware the one who appears at the edge of sleep or in the lonely hour before dawn. She may speak with the voice of a lost beloved, or wear the face of one never met yet instantly known. Her kiss is both gift and theft. Her laughter is the last sound many hear before the long descent.

Illustration: A modern vessel touched by the ancient blood — horns newly risen, wings half-spread, the spark of the abyss already kindled in her gaze.