Denise Dubois
Denise Dubois is the only child of Alain and Zenovia Dubois of the Raibonian Dubois. She lived a sheltered life surrounded by servants and minders, her every move and activity carefully planned out by her tutors. For even at a young age, she had always been driven to meet her father's often unrealistic expectations--a small mistake would make her father mutter audibly in her presence, "I should have had a son."
Her lessons often started and ended with the story of the rise, fall and recovery of the Dubois family--how their ancestors have struggled to rise into the aristocracy from the fringes of Sanerian society; how there were elements always acting to undermine their authority and power due to petty jealousy and greed; how hubris almost broke the family during the First Apgarian Revolution.
Because of her upbringing, however, she had never really had a taste of real life until she left her home to enter the University of Sanery in 1267. She suddenly found herself with a great deal more freedom to explore the world around her as she left her home. She went to taverns and bars, watched brawls and went into brothers. Most of these new experiences were due to the influence and charisma of her cousin Antoinette Dubois.
These new experiences and her education in the liberal and political arts had developed within her new feminist ideas. Ideas from feminist thinkers like Sapphia of Lesivos and Karamala of Calamutz.Further readings have led her back to the folklore from her homeland's island chain L'Illes Apgarie. In particular, stories surrounding the cults surrounding the Hags.
In her youth, she was told to dismiss the tales of the Hags of Hama as myth and heresy. A proper Masochistic woman should not believe in things such as magic. it isn't real--the Church itself says so. They are temptation by the adversary to lure you away from proper supplication to the Lord. So, as she had found herself free from the constraints of her conservative family, she was able to take a keener interest into the Hags, and what they represented. To her though. their magic was not what they could conjure from the void--it was the empowerment they gave each other as part of a collective. She took this as a model for the feminist commune she had formed with a number of her compatriots. They called themselves the Hags Congenial of Sanery. The fact that colloquially, prostitutes in brothels are also called hags was a huge part in choosing the name, as protecting the rights of sex workers was included in their agenda.
At the time, Denise Dubois was not a very charismatic public speaker. She had grand ideas, sure, but she'd always volunteered her work to the women she saw as her social betters--one of them was her dear cousin Antoinette. Denise had come up with the ideas, and Antoinette became the spokesperson. So most of Denise's accomplishments in the Hags Congenial were naturally attributed to the more gifted orator and natural beauty. Antoinette would deny accolades, of course, and would often refer them to her brilliant cousin from the Islands, but few believed it.
Even as she returned to Raibon, she retained this meekness that she'd had. She often attempted to avoid social events to explore more about the island she was taught to disdain. Eventually she met with some women searching for the Deep Lore. Her fascination with the topic, and the shared philosophy that these women peddled resonated with her, and so she had joined them. These women taught her their ways, which would result in a boost in her self-esteem and confidence. Enough to be able to speak with more expressiveness and passion.The group had eventually called themselves the Hags of Hama after those who were said to have had access to the Deep Lore in the past.
In a year, she felt she was ready to push her ideas into the public sphere again. This time, she would try her hand at politics.
She grew her support base by inviting more women to meet with the Hags of Hama. They were taught feminist ideas and also ideas that the women that comprised these new Hags of Hama believed. Then these recruits would spread the ideas along with her name and her intent to run for office.
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