Even in fantastical worlds, average people want escapism. And while tales of bold knights and powerful wizards are likely the fodder of the day, it's very likely that more adult stories are what would end up as the most popular titles among the reading public. Whether it's leather-bound books containing centuries-old elven love poems (which are really only scandalous to those who understand the full scope of the elder tongue), or the throwaway smut of the day (such as the tale of a witch summoning ever-more-impractical creatures from the void to slake her lusts), chances are good people are going to come across these books in any place that literature is sold.
Some of these books are practical guides to lovemaking, others are insights to the religions of various gods and goddesses of love and romance. Others are merely the indulgent tales one tends to dive into late at night in their cabin on a sea voyage. On the one hand, these books can be used as commentaries on what is considered "normal" in this fantasy world in terms of sex and romance, even going as far as acting as plot points if the book stirs up riots, book burnings or restrictive laws that curtail publishing and speech. On the other hand, they can just be little pieces of scenery included in a game as décor in a brothel, or perhaps as an Easter egg in a noble's bedside drawer to imply they might not be quite as stuck up and stodgy as they appear.
How you choose to use these titles in your game is up to you!
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- Her Majesty's Lover: Queen Lanorenth is the third to bear the crown after the last two queens died under truly tragic circumstances. Her husband Taroth, who has been king for decades, is a broken mountain of a man who is given to fits of paranoia and rage, in between bouts of lusty appetites his body is not always capable of seeing through until the end. Lanorenth knows her position is precarious, and is largely dependent on her bearing an heir to the throne. However, the king seems incapable, and other male members of his line are thin on the ground between exiles, executions and willing departures from court. When she stumbles across a black knight who has the same countenance as the king in his younger years, though, he just might become her salvation... or her downfall, if they two of them are found out!
- Under The Hills: A Halfling's Memoir: Adrianna Underhill was an infamous halfling prostitute who (according to her memoir, at least) lived quite an unusual life. From servicing notable nobles (including a rather infamous pair of twins), to entertaining bandit lords, and even seducing her way out of being kidnapped and ransomed, the stories she tells in her book are extremely colorful, and more than a little bit bawdy. Then again, A Little Bit Bawdy was the name she performed under for years, and it's a name she only recently bequeathed to her protege, who folks are already saying will release a book of her own once she's collected enough fresh, saucy stories to share.
- A Gardener's Guide to The Flowers of Love: A book written by the aasimar Nirana Heartslily, the text flows poetically, and the book is often read aloud because of how smoothly the lines drip off the lips. Despite the title, though, this book is a guide to the feminine form, and how to properly pleasure it. Considered required reading for many young people who are coming of age, the book has had 13 different editions since it was first printed decades ago.
- A Devil's Playground: A controversial book written by Black Tom Tanniger, the tiefling's tale is one of hedonistic indulgence, and drug-fueled debauchery. A well-known traveler and storyteller whose whole persona is that of a charming devil, there are more than a few people who have questioned the authenticity of this book, and the tales told within its pages. However, that speculation seems to have only fueled the volume's popularity as more and more readers buy copies of their own to see for themselves what all the fuss is (or isn't) about.
- Where Darkness Meets The Light: Elarra has heard whispers in the darkness her entire life, but one voice began to rise above the others when she reached adulthood. It was a voice that guided her to a place that sat on a border of two worlds; an old, abandoned house that held a secret forgotten by most who were still living. The dark mirror sat in the basement, pristine, surrounded by rot and ruin, and when Elarra looked into it she saw a face that was not her own looking back. The pale white countenance was drawn, and the dark eyes were full of pain that the whispering voice could barely express. Erannor is bound to the mirror with shadowy shackles, but as long as Elarra is there he's less alone than he was. Elarra wants to believe his words, the dreams he sends her, and the body that steps from the mirror, even if they have to make love in the dark. Part of her says he was bound here for a reason, though, and it is that part of her that says if she manages to truly free him that he'll do something terrible, and it will all be her fault.
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