Countess Desiree Belafonte by Fetalstar (Patreon)
Content
As some of you know, Fetalstar is doing a comic for the printed anthology called Rival Hearts, Cunning Minds, which he stars in. The comic is completed thankfully. So look forward to that.
Key to that story is Countess Desiree Belafonte, a noble of the Belkin Empire and eldest of her fathers children. A seasoned soldier, commander and general; the Countess was made Castellan of the castle at Fort Baedor in Freehold when the city state was taken by Belkin forces.
Desiree is a cunning woman who uses her sensuality and intelligence to overcome opponents. As a daughter of one of the Great Houses of Belk and a former commander in Belkin's Infamous Vanguard, she is a loyal vassal of the Belkin Emperor and believes in the Empires expansion. She truly believes that the Free Timberlands would prosper under Belkin rule and that they are bringing order and stability to the unruly lands.
A widower three times over, Desiree was a virgin of fifteen when she was wed to Duke Alcorn to secure an alliance between their two noble families. The two were happy together, though the Duke had been a man of about forty when they wed. Desiree has been a faithful and dutiful wife until her husbands tragic demise, a year later, having been killed during a campaign to bring timberland raiders to justice.
She would be married twice more after Duke Alcorn's death. Once to his younger brother, Frederick and then to his cousin Harrison Alcorn. Both would die in combat, leaving their youngest brother, Lorentz Alcorn, a boy of nine, as head of the House.
Having loved each of her husbands, the Countess refused any other attempts at marriage. Fearing that she was cursed. Instead she used her considerable skills to pursue the deadly arts in order to avenge her husbands. Working together with Knights of House Belafonte, she hunted down those responsible and dealt with them personally.
This gained the attention of the Vanguard whom wished to recruit her into their order. It is rumored that her historical rise in the ranks had as much to do with her skill, strategy and martial talent, as her love for men. As a widower whom did not wish to remarry, she was free to have liaisons with whomever she wanted. Often attracted to men of action and status, many believed the Countess fucked her way to the top. An accusation the Countess neither entertains or refutes.
Though effective in her duties and well liked by her soldiers, the Countess' nontraditional behavior has garnered her several powerful rivals within the Belkin Nobility. Chief amongst them being Duke Prescott Boreanaz; a man scorn by her affections in her youth and disrespected by her father when he was not considered for Desiree's hand. Despite his powerful position as the current Commander of the Vanguard and his considerable clout, Desiree has always enjoyed toying with the Duke. A practice that may come back one day to haunt her.
The art for this fine piece is drawn by the tremendously talented and cool Fetalstar, please go check out her work on FA @