Duchess Veleto Lotheed is the wife of Duke Panivar Lotheed. While her husband is extremely reclusive, the Duchess has occasionally been know to attend parties at the Palace of Birdsong without him. Little is known about her, except that she must be a capable spellcaster to have attracted Panivar.
The party first encountered her at the Exaltation where she accompanied the Duke. They later encountered her at the Tanager Jubilee when she came out during the first evening to attend the dance.
Duchess Lotheed is not what she seems. Some time after the Jubilee, she appeared unexpectedly at the Betony Manor. She was quite taken with Artorius, whom she had danced with at the Jubilee. Her ability to appear in paintings revealed that she is actually a trompe l’oeil, a living painting imbued with a semblance of a real person. She can move between paintings at will, allowing her to remain hidden and observe whatever is going on near the painting. She gave Artorius an ultimatum: provide her with companionship, or she will reveal what she knows to her nephew, Count Lotheed.
Complicating matters is that her abilities are unknown. Surely a woman who is married to Duke Panivar Lotheed VI is a formidable person. And the Lotheeds are quite engrossed with arcane magic, refusing to marry anyone who is not themselves a practitioner. All this makes the trompe l’oeil of Duchess Veleto Lotheed a true wildcard who should not be underestimated.
