Shadows of Desire, Vol. 1 · Adventure · D&D 5e · 18+
The Killer Composes a Sermon in Blood
A dark fantasy murder mystery in Velnaris: bodies arranged to face the House of Red Vows, a paladin and a succubus keeping a secret the city will not forgive—and PCs who arrive as witnesses, not heroes.
Premise
It begins with a body. Then another. Each one left in a public place, arranged with deliberate care, turned to face the same address: the House of Red Vows, Velnaris's most infamous sanctuary of pleasure. The killer calls the work a composition. The city is starting to call it a sermon.
Inside the House, two people are keeping a secret the murders are about to put on a stage. Madame Lirael starves herself on purpose, refusing a hunger that would let her live, because the alternative would cost someone else their will. Ser Alistair Veyne carries a holy symbol that has begun to change temperature in his hand—warm near love, cold near the doctrine he was sworn to uphold. What they are to each other is the kind of truth Velnaris does not forgive. What they are to the killer is the wound she built an entire faith around.
The PCs arrive as investigators, blackmailers, tourists, or debtors—not pre-written heroes. By the time the names inside become clear, the party is already implicated in the question the killer is asking the whole city to answer.
Levels 5–7 · 5–7 sessions (3–4 hours each) · 187-page PDF (full color, bookmarked) · English (French edition forthcoming).
What's inside
Chapters
Endings
NPCs (5e)
Pages (PDF)
What's inside
- Complete adventure for character levels 5–7, approximately five to seven sessions of three to four hours across five chapters
- HEARTS Protocol and Four Doors; Heat + dual Trust tracks with threshold switches
- Les Cinq Aveux — optional five-beat scaffolding for intimate scenes that do narrative work without pausing the story
- Stat blocks for fifteen NPCs, portrayal cues and dialogue hooks, 5e-compatible
- Gazetteer of Velnaris: three districts in play, services, prices, Heat modulation
- Tone: erotic noir and gothic horror—consensual dynamics, ritual violence, psychological coercion, love made dangerous
18+ only. Content notice and full safety toolkit at the front. GMs calibrate with players before play.
Contains AI-generated content (publisher disclosure). Volumes two and three of the Shadows of Desire trilogy are forthcoming.
Free preview: Shadows of Desire — preview (Scene 1 + Lirael profile).
Buy if…
- A full campaign mystery (5–7 sessions), not a one-shot sketch
- Consent-forward 18+ design you will actually run at the table
- Velnaris, noir investigation, and NPCs with receipts
Specifications
- Format: PDF, full color, bookmarked · ~37 MB
- System: D&D 5e compatible (2024-friendly)
- Character level: 5–7 · Estimated play: 5–7 sessions × 3–4 hours
- Price: $19.95 USD (launch sale; regular $24.95) on DriveThruRPG
- Language: English · French edition forthcoming
- Author: Lorenza Nevada · Contains AI-generated content
About Fantasy Vixens
Fantasy Vixens publishes dark fantasy roleplaying for adults who want intimacy, ambition, and craft in the same volume. Forbidden Love is Volume One of the Shadows of Desire trilogy.
Companion products on DriveThruRPG now: Courtesans of Velnaris, Heroes of Velnaris (seven pre-gens), Velnaris: City of Desire and Secrets.
Velnaris does not promise safety. She promises truth. Enter if you dare. Stay if you can bear what you discover.
Closing
The composition is unfinished until your table answers whether love in Velnaris is worth the price.
