Continued from S3: Roland, lord-protector of Mistendell. Roland’s thoughts shot back to when he had stood there with Ny’essa, just a day after she arrived. Like every other man in the castle, he was captivated by her beauty, charm… and the strange allure that seemed to hang in the air about her like perfume. “Have you fond everything you want?” he asked, drawing her attention away from the ancient tomes that she had spread upon the reading table. “Everything I want is not to be found in books,” she purred, standing very close to him. “I’m not sure I understand,” he stammered, shocked by what he thought she was implying. “I have not come here just to use your library,” she confessed, laying her slim hand on his broad chest. “There is more that I want from you.” His heart pounded at the thought of what she might want from him. But he was a nobleman of Shazaar, and she his guest, so despite her demeanor he would make no presumption about her intentions… or break from proper decorum. “An ancient tower stands near here,” she surprised him, dashing his hopes of what she wanted from him. “It has stood since the height of the Bright Empire, and surely contains treasures the likes of which have no human eyes have seen… and it is all ours for the taking!” “I have lived here all my life, as has my family for generations… since before the founding of Shazaar itself… and I can tell you that no tower survives from those days,” he replied. The disappointment in his voice, and in his eyes, brought a sly smile to her face. She knew he wanted her. But was his desire strong enough for what she wanted from him? “The tower stands where no man will have set eyes upon it,” she purred, leaning closer as she slowly slid her hand down his chest. “It stands in the Marshes of the Mists!” To be continued on S3: Ny'essa, of the cathedral of Chaos (Portrait). A half-Melnibonean daughter of the house which once ruled the region of the Bright Empire that is now part of Shazaar and the Marshes of the Mists, Ny’essa was treated as nothing more then a slave by her own family due to the taint of her human blood. Seeking to prove herself worthy of her family name, she fled Imrryr to find wealth and power, but her quest ended in tragedy. Serving as a scribe in the Cathedral of Chaos for the priesthood of Slortar, eldest and most decadent of the Dukes of Hell, she learned to use her beauty to gain what she wanted, and discovered the dark secret her family hid… the existence of the Blood Fountain! Thanks for looking... Hope you enjoy! Comments and suggestions always welcome and appreciated!