LaVOISIN
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human, magic user
Occupation: Writer, Witch
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Devanens, Abbé Guibourg, Hellstorm, Marquise de Montespan
Enemies: Louis XIV
Known Relatives: Marduk Kurios ("son")
Aliases: Catherine DeShayes
Base of Operations: Normandy, France
First Appearance: Hellstorm#16 (July, 1994)
Powers/Abilities: LaVoisin has extensive knowledge of the occult. Her actual abilites are undefined. She may be able to extend her own life physically or reincarnate her spirit to continue to survive.
History:
(Hellstorm#20) - <as related by the modern day LaVoisin>
Catherine DeShayes, also known as LaVoisin, lived in the 17th
Century France, during the reign of Louis XIV, the "Sun
King." In 1768, the Marquise de Montespan, mistress to Louis
for decades, found herself out in the cold. Her looks dimmend by
seven births, she watched miserably as the king took new lovers.
Her misery brought her to DeVanens, a province nobleman who
practice alchemy and consorted with occultists. The marquise,
having failed with guile and seduction, desired magic to reclaim
the king.
DeVanens took the Marquise to LaVoisin, a parisian witch, who
extracted great riches from her and forced her through three
unspeakably foul black masses, involving the "black
monk" of French legend, Abbé Guibourg. The horror resulted
in what fairy stories term a "love potion." Introduced
into Louis food, it made him sick as a dog, but it worked. In
fact, LaVoisin's appalling juice operated for two years.
Louis took a young duchess to bed and thre over the Marquise for
good. She went directly to LaVoisin, and paid her to kill the Sun
King and the Duchess. Poison, like medicine, was an occult art in
the 1600s. LaVoisin, a loyal and excellent magician, made
poisoned gloves for the duchess and poisoned paper for Louis XIV.
Remember; the act of murder was the Marquise's, not hers. This
little nuance had not occurred to a drunken friend of LaVoisin,
who spoke too loudly in the wrong places. LaVoisin was arrested
for attempting the worst crime possible in France--regicide.
LaVoisin was tortured for a year. Can you even imagine that? Her
body was so ruined that, when they finally burned her alive--her
legs and back had to be bound and splinted so that she would stay
upright long enough to be tied to the stake. but she never
betrayed the Marquise. LaVoisin had honor.
In the modern era,
a French witch, considering herself (at least in her youth), to
be the reincarnation of DeShayes, took the name LaVoisin. She
accumulated a wealth of occult knowledge, and made a living as a
writer of occult fiction and somewhat watered-down magic.
(Hellstorm#16(fb)/21(fb-BTS)) - Hellstorm, seeking to slay his father, a demon calling itself Satan, sought out LaVoisin. From her he gained "Satan's" true name--Marduk Kurios--the secret of which made the demon vulnerable, and allowed Hellstorm to slay him and usurp his role as one of the Lords of Hell. In exchange for this information, Hellstorm was "forced to...donate my seed."
(Hellstorm#20) - After granting an interview to the journalist Jacques Bordenave, LaVoisin received the news that she was pregnant. She asked her servant, Georges, to communicate the message to Hellstorm: "Please inform him it's going to be a boy."
(Hellstorm#21-BTS) - After receiving the message from LaVoisin, Hellstorm commented that dead devils are reborn on Earth. He decided to refrain from telling her that it is almost certainly his father.
Comments: Adapted by Warren Ellis and Leonardo DeManco.
LaVoisin is apparently based on an actual fortune-teller, also known for her work in poisons.
Alas, I doubt the fate of LaVoisin and Marduk Kurios are ever to be seen. More likely, we'll get a (crappy) story revealing that the whole series of Hellstorm took place in an alternate timeline and involved clones, evil twins, and the revelation that Hellstorm's father is really Satannish--oh wait, part of that already happened. Oh well.
CLARIFICATIONS: Not so much
Appearances:
Hellstorm#16 (July, 1994) - Warren Ellis (writer), Leonardo Manco (artist), Marie Javins (editor)
Hellstorm#20-21 (November-December, 1994) - Warren Ellis (writer), Leonardo Manco & Martin Chaplin (artists), Marie Javins (editor)
Last updated: 08/15/02
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
All characters mentioned or pictured are
™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights
Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real
thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com