The Two-Headed Woman

Yvonne Zwillinge/Yvette Zwillinge
7th-level Human Female Enchanter, Chaotic Neutral/
7th-level Human Female Arcanist, Lawful Neutral

2nd edition stats :
Yvonne Zwillinge/Yvette Zwillinge (hf enchanter/hf arcanist): AC 10; MV 6; HD 7; hp 26; Str 17, Dex 7/15, Con 17, Int 13/14, Wis 15/12, Cha 15/9; # AT 2; Dmg by weapon; AL CN/LN; SA Spells, SD Spells, +2 to Fear and Horror checks, +2 to saves vs. Necromancy and Divination, +1 to saves vs. Enchantment/­Charm; THAC0 18, Morale 12;
Non-Weapon prof. : Ancient history, astrology, etiquette, gaming, healing, herbalism, local history, religion, spellcraft

Hidden in the shadow between two large pavilions stood a wagon, ornately carved and brightly painted in the manner of a Vistani vardo, just where the bow-legged dwarf had said it would be. The young woman read the sign above the door - Eva Zwillinge: Seer - and resolutely climbed the steps. At the top she hesitated for only a moment before rapping on the door.
“Enter, Madeleine.”
The response came immediately, naming the young woman although she had never met Eva, had never even been to the Carnival before. Though the wagon could be no more than fifteen feet long, there had been a disconcerting echo to the feminine voice.
Madeleine stepped through the doorway into the darkened wagon, barely lit by light strained through closed shutters on the windows. In front of her was a table covered not with purple or red velvet as she had expected, but bare and polished to a fine sheen. A large figure moved about in the shadows at the other end of the wagon.
“Eva?” Madeleine inquired.
“We are,” came the answer, with its odd echo apparently not caused by the acoustics of the chamber. The figure continued, “Sit, please,” followed immediately by “Yes do, sit,” in the same voice.
Madeleine did as she was bid as the figure lit a short candle. In profile Eva appeared young for a fortune-teller, no more than forty years old, and was dressed in fashionable ladies’ day attire. A glint of gold at her ear and neck hinted at expensive jewellery. Her lustrous black coiffure was immaculate, and had evidently taken some time to arrange. For a moment, Madeleine felt angry - she wanted her fortune told by an aged Vistani seer, not a young Richemulot lady. But the anger was replaced almost immediately by fear and disgust. For as Eva turned, her true nature became obvious - despite her dainty appearance her shoulders were wider than those of a farm labourer, and from the shoulders emerged two slender necks and heads!
“Now, Madeleine,” spoke one head, its lips smiling sweetly at the wide-eyed, slack-jawed girl before them, “you came to ask about love?”
“Yes, betrayal of love,” said the other more sinisterly, its eyes hidden behind a blindfold of black cloth. From a velvet purse the two-headed woman produced a beautiful porcelain top, painted with roses and thorns, and set it spinning on the table in front on Madeleine.
“Tell us everything,” said the seer.

Every travelling show requires a fortune-teller, a woman whose reputedly mystical powers of foresight and wisdom are on show and at call for those who can pay her reasonable fees. The Carnival is no exception. But the Carnival’s “Madam Eva” is as mysterious as the Vistani and as unusual as the rest of the troupe.
“Eva Zwillinge” is the Carnival’s fortune-teller. For reasons of “authenticity” she has taken the stage-name “Eva” and resides in a wagon designed to emulate a Vistani vardo. Nevertheless, she is not Vistani and, aside from the affectations mentioned before, does not pretend to be. Eva rarely actually foretells the future. Rather, like most good fortune-tellers, she is a consummate actress, a keen observer of people and a shrewd judge of character. After making a few apparently innocent inquiries, she generally tells her clients what they want to hear. As necessary, to assist the masquerade, she will use palmistry, phrenology and props such as a crystal ball and a tarokka deck, but will not truly divine anything through these methods when merely telling someone’s fortune for money (this is not to say she is not able to do so, should she choose - see below).
Eva used to appear in the Carnival’s Freak Show, where she drew crowds as “The Two-Headed Woman from Markovia”. Certainly, with the aid of proper clothing, lighting, and her own unique abilities (see below), she does appear to be a living, breathing woman with two independent heads! However, this attraction was withdrawn many years ago on demand of Eva herself.

Eva is not one person but two, Yvonne and Yvette Zwillinge. Yvonne and Yvette are Siamese twins, joined side-by-side from the shoulder to the hip. From the twins’ perspective, Yvonne is on the right, Yvette on the left. Physiologically, each has all the internal organs required to sustain them in independent existence, but the bones of their shoulders, ribcages and hips are fused. They have only two arms, but four legs.
Yvette and Yvonne are in their mid-30s. They are pale skinned and blue-eyed, but raven-haired. Yvonne chooses to present the image of a woman of breeding and fashion; Yvette cares little for such matters, and hence Yvonne’s is the image which the twins present to the world. They dress in fine clothes, wear expensive cosmetics, and adorn themselves with fashionable jewellery and accoutrements. Were it not for their obvious deformity, they would be quite attractive women. While Isolde, the Mistress of the Carnival, would, for business reasons, prefer the twins to be more Vistani-like in appearance, she tolerates Yvonne’s idiosyncrasies because of the twins’ other skills.
When telling a fortune for a paying customer, Yvette often dons a black silk blindfold, to add to the air of mystery surrounding the process.

The circumstances of the twins’ birth are unclear, although they variously claim to be giomorgo (half-Vistana) cursed by Vistani, and/or related to the Reniers of Richemulot, and/or the offspring of Ivan and Lucretia Dilisnya of Borca. Certainly, their particular talents lend credence to just about any of these stories, and indeed many others. Whatever the truth, it is not even known by Isolde.
Isolde claims she “discovered” Yvonne and Yvette more than two decades ago, living an unusual existence amongst the abandoned residences of Pont-a-Museau. While there seems no rational explanation for the survival of such hideously deformed individuals into their teen years, particularly without any visible means of support, it seems they were particularly resilient and resourceful young ladies. In truth, both had determined to join the Carnival once they learned of its existence, although for very different reasons.
For Yvonne, the Carnival provided excitement, entertainment, and some measure of wealth. Knowing she would never be respected in “true society” because of her particular problem (having to physically drag your sister wherever you go has a certain detrimental impact on one’s social life), at least in a society filled with freaks and wierdos she could take on the mantle of nobility and respect.
For Yvette, the Carnival provided ample opportunity to travel the Core and a cover for her darker curiosity.

Despite having the same genetic make-up and life experiences, Yvonne and Yvette are remarkably different individuals.
Yvonne is an extrovert, feisty, and quite short-tempered. She imagines herself to be a lady of breeding, and is the one who started the rumour of the twins’ relationship to the Renier family. She is the more intelligent of the twins, more charismatic, and more manipulative. She desires attention, particularly the attention of attractive, wealthy men. Needless to say, such men rarely see her as an object of desire, but she has an arsenal of enchantments and illusions to rectify the problem.
Yvette is dismissive of her sister’s insecurities and power plays. Introverted and serious, Yvette attempts to impose some order to the twins’ lives and reduce the effects of Yvonne’s self-destructive tendencies. Yvette is a serious scholar and has a deeper understanding of the nature of Ravenloft than the vast bulk of its inhabitants. She often acts as Isolde’s counsellor and adviser on matters pertaining to the Demiplane, despite Yvonne’s frivolous interjections.
The pair tolerate each other because they have no other choice. They harbour two great secrets that motivate their lives. The first is that someone, somewhere, caused them to be born Siamese twins. They seek the knowledge that will lead them to that person, and then take their revenge upon him or her. The second is that they both wish to be physically independent and whole people. It should be noted that both have heard tell of the medical miracles performed by Dr Mordenheim in Lamordia, and have also heard of the magical item simply called The Apparatus, which reputedly has the power to transfer minds between bodies.
The pair have collected a number of magic items during their travels with the Carnival. Foremost amongst these is a crystal ball with clairaudience. Yvonne also carries the September porcelain top, one of the cursed toys created by the toy-maker Guiseppe of Odiare (see accessory Forged of Darkness, pp36-39). Yvette is said to have access to a death shard, one of the stilettos used by the Ebon Fold (see adventure Death Unchained, pp61-62), but to date has only had cause to research it, not use it in anger.
Due to Yvonne’s selfish manipulation of people, and Yvette’s delving into the darker forces of the Demiplane of Dread, the pair have together failed two Powers Checks - they are Corrupted.

If faced with the prospect of combat Yvonne and Yvette act in a co-ordinated fashion. They should be treated as one target for the purposes of attacks made against them, and take the benefits of both their classes for the purposes of saving throws and Fear, Horror and Madness checks. Nevertheless, while they are able to walk on their four legs perfectly adequately, they have not perfected co-ordination of rapid movement, and have an effective movement rate of 6.
Each of the twins controls one arm, Yvonne the right and Yvette the left. They can wield two weapons simultaneously without penalty, but are only proficient in the use of the knife. The twins have mastered the art of casting spells with one hand, and can each cast one spell per round. Yvonne has all the powers, benefits and hindrances of a 7th level enchanter, Yvette has all the powers, benefits and hindrances of a 7th level arcanist. Yvonne can cast an additional spell from the Enchantment/­Charm school of magic for every spell level 1st through 4th, while Yvette can cast an additional spell from either the Divination or Necromancy school of magic for every spell level 1st through 4th (these additional arcanist spells are a 'blessing' from the Dark Powers). Yvette can rebuke undead as a 7th level evil cleric.

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