Tikoloshe

### Background

A devil fueled by the Sin of Lust, Tikoloshe is a being which survives on the mortal plane by harvesting energy from the lust of others. He was then imprisoned by Wekesa, at the time the Apprentice, in order to discover how to open a portal to one of the Hells. Although he was to be executed after he gave up his secret,Wekesa advocated for keeping him alive since he was a curious creature. After an interrogation the two became lovers, eventually marrying and later adopting a son together after Wekesa had become the Warlock.

According to him, he was first summoned by the Witch-Queen of the People of the Wolf when she grew dissatisfied with her husbands. As her lover, he was present during her campaign against the Kingdom of Sephirah. He was attracted to the carnage and bore witness to formation of the Kingdom of the Dead. At some point he slipped his bindings and became free, wandering Creation for millennia ever since.

### Appearance

Although Tikoloshe holds the appearance of a man with close cropped hair, and smooth, dark skin, it is revealed that a devil of Lust (alternatively called a succubus or incubus based on their current gender) will appear as the most attractive form to their summoner.

### Personality

Due to his demonic nature he is defined by absolutes, in his case, Lust. He appears to be intelligent and enjoys conversation and by Catherine's account he dotes on his son Masego, causing the later to be spoiled. As a devil of Lust, he is attracted to everything, with gender making no difference.

It is publicly known that Tikoloshe only appears sentient and sapient due to Wekesa constructing his bindings in such a complex way as to closely imitate free will, despite the fact that devils are fundamentally incapable of free will. A feat that was considered the most remarkable and sophisticated set of bindings in existence.

Despite that, he has on several occasions expressed free will, even claiming that he has had it for ‘a very long time’. He displays this in ways such as willingly keeping information about the Kingdom of the Dead from Masego, even though his nature as a devil meant that he was compelled to fulfil desires (such as Masego’s desire to learn of the Dead King’s work) and his bindings meant that he couldn’t lie. This is further displayed, when he willingly stayed with his husband unto death, even after the severing of his contract. He has also claimed that his love for both Wekesa and Masego was genuine, and not just a part of his bindings.

As such, he may very well be the first devil to ever have free will in his own right, something he found wonderful, and something that made him unique, according to Wekesa.

### Powers

Although he does not require food or water for survival, Tikoloshe enjoys the sensation of taste, having an especial fondness for wine and lemonade. Due to his nature he is also able to discern the wants of others. For instance, he can understand how much carnage that Amadeus is willing to wreak in order to get his way, and comprehends that Malicia's driving desire is a craving for control.

Although he isn’t a mage, he has witnessed much sorcery over his millennia in Creation, allowing him to give insightful suggestions to mages as powerful and skilled as Wekesa and Masego, both of whom ranked in the ten best sorcerers on Calernia.

It is noted that as an unbelievably ancient devil, Tikoloshe has great intelligence. Devils become smarter the longer they spend on Creation, amassing knowledge and experience. Marshal Ranker considers him a good source of ancient knowledge, such as if the concept of truce first originated in Arcadia or Creation.

Tikoloshe most unique power is arguably that he has free will. Something which was considered fundamentally impossible for devils. This allows him to go beyond his base nature as a devil of desire and deliberately withhold desired information. It also allows him to ignore his own instinct for self-preservation. And allowing him to feel true love and affection for his family. Both him and his husband agree that he has evolved beyond his base nature as a devil, and become something unique as a result of this.