The Bluebeard

Basic Information

The name of this character type comes from the old French fairy-tale. Bluebeard was a wealthy nobleman who marries a pretty young girl. When he goes away on a business trip, he gives her all the keys to his chateau, but warns her that she is forbidden to enter a certain room. Feminine curiosity being what it is, she eventually does; and discovers that the room contains the corpses off all her husband's previous wives, whom he has murdered. Of course, that's when Bluebeard comes home…

The name has come to be applied to serial killers who murder their wives.

See Also

• Black Widow
• Conomor the Cursed
• Henry VII of England

Sources

Bibliography

1. TV Tropes entry: The Bluebeard

2. Wikipedia article: Bluebeard

3. Bluebeard

4. Annotated Bluebeard

Game and Story Use

• The Bluebeard does not make a terribly good PC; not in a heroic campaign anyway; but he makes a nice, sinister BBEG.
• Or a "nice" bit of subcharacterization for the PCs patron, liege, ally or employer.
• The PCs are contacted by a young bride who has suspicions about her much-widowed husband. Can they uncover the proof of the husband's secret?
  • In the original story, Bluebeard was a wealthy nobleman; he may have enough power to discourage people from poking their noses into his marital past.
  • In a dowry culture, the parents of a prospective - or previous - bride may commission the PCs to investigate given the amount of money at stake. If Bluebeard is marrying from his own class, exposing him may lead to war … if he's marrying wealthy commoners, more direct action may be required from the aggreived parties.
• For true hilarity the PCs could set him up with a black widow and see who survives.