[Citadel] Only Lhex Knew

[Edreina]

“Most of these places are empty save for the few Pulsers that live here, or Nuit undergoing body transference. Most Apprentices dwell in the labs of their masters, those with a bit more freedom live here.”

"Pulsers are... humans?" Edreina questioned, making sure that her assumptions were correct. She had assumed as much but, now that she and Annalisa were on slightly better terms, the Svefra finally felt comfortable in asking. 'Better terms' may have been a bit loose of a term, but Edreina was not sure what the wizard saw her to be. Personally, she quite liked the quirky wizard, enigmatic and standoffish as she was.

As the light of the corridor illuminated the wizard's quarters, Edreina felt her breath sigh away. The room was more akin to the maw of a beast than someone's living space. There was no sunlight, no personal touches aside from the pack and shoes. Had the walls lacked angles, Edreina would have wondered if it was a part of a cave. Gingerly, she stepped into the room, shaking her head faintly. "A sad room if ever I've seen one..." Her words were a whisper, as if only to herself. A little louder, she spoke directly to Annalisa, lips quirking in an amused smirk. "You'd think they would let the Wizards had a room with a window. I can see why so many sleep in labs..."

She turned, then, and paused, brows curving together as her lips fell and tightened fractionally. "Are you okay? You seem rather... ill." Or upset by something... Those words were spoken kept within the confines of her head; Annalisa did not seem to be the sort to admit to any kind of emotional distress to a woman freshly met. What Edreina really wondered, though, was what had upset the wizard. Edreina's hands were gentle as she reached out to the woman, preparing to steady her if need be or offer her comfort if she saw need to. If a chime passed and there seemed to be no reason for her to do so, Edreina would stride over to the wall and lean against it, letting her pack slip from her shoulders.

[Annalisa Marin]

Pulsers as humans… it was accurate but incomplete, the Nuit tended to have rather all-encompassing form of racism in that if it drew breath or lived it was lesser to those that did not. Undead were the superiors here and the living were second class at best, often when Anna sat in on Judgments she found that living were turned away far more often than undead. It amused the sorceress to some degree, as though the position of Apprentice were prestigious when it really amounted to being a glorified slave. Anna had no fond memories in her Apprenticeship, only pain stacked upon pain, things that haunted her nightmares when she slept.

“Pulser describes any who are among the living. Anyone who is not a Nuit is a lesser in this eyes of society here on Sahova. We actually require sleep and food, whereas the undead can work day and night without the need for such things.” Anna clarified.

“As for the room… it is a temporary arrangement at the moment. Soon enough I’ll have space to call my own, it is simply a matter of time which is something I possess in abundance here in a place where time stands still.” The sorceress continued, her eyes narrowing slightly in discontent with that statement.

Ill? That was a word for what she was feeling, more desolate on the inside as she pondered just how much it hurt her to live like this while others walked free from here. She didn’t make any move to accept the assistance and simply held her position, staring at Edreina with stormy grey eyes. She was so stupid, so gentle and kind in ways that were not fit for Sahova in any way. Naïve came to mind as a description though she genuinely seemed to enjoy learning; her interests were obviously held in the matters of Djed. Yet Anna could very well wager that she had no idea the sacrifice necessary for magic, to truly become something successful.

Anna was weighing her options carefully as the feeling in her grew and encompassed her in crushing despair, urging her to do something to push it away. So she latched onto the feeling she had gained in this woman’s company, and like the Chaon she was Anna found herself wanting to take it and twist it as her own. Another slave then, though this one would have to be taken by force rather than purchased. If she succeeded though, Anna would be able to keep her from just forgetting her. She could remain as more than just a faded memory. A rather spur of the moment urge and dangerous, though not due to breaking any laws in the Citadel as Edreina was a nobody here. She’d need to keep her locked up and restrained until her group finally left Sahova.

Part of her wavered, logically knowing that Edreina had done nothing to harm her or to deserve being treated harshly. It was crushed under that need though, to snatch up any kind of positive feelings and keep them for herself. At the end of the day, one of Anna’s greatest fears was to end up like the Nuit that roved these halls. To be passionless and emotionless, to have nothing to separate her from their lifeless ways and to just exist without really living.

Idly Anna tugged at the wellspring of her Djed, willing it out from her legs in a liquid form and keeping the freshly drawn Djed wrapped around her legs. Then, with a locking of her eyes to Edreina and an empty expression the sorceress would close the door to the small room shut. The tall woman pressed herself against it and willed her res outward along the ground, moving it to shore up the door as supports and block anyone trying to get out. She transmuted it to smooth purple stone, hoping that would be enough to keep Edreina in the room.

From there purple gaseous res would start to radiate from her body and move to hover just outside the cracks where air came through. The tall woman would then will an attraction to activate on the air already in the room and the air that would go inside of it, a shiver of pleasure running down Anna’s spine as she siphoned the air from the room itself. She would keep going for a bit, stopping taking from the room after a bit to avoid creating a vacuum and just making sure she would make it harder and harder for Edreina to breathe. At that point the sorceress would just focus her full attention on keeping air from getting into the room.

“Apologies, Edreina. You were just too good a treat to pass up on.” Anna would call back through the door, a somewhat broken grin on her lips as she continued her casting as needed and starting to count the ticks by in her head and trying to ignore any pleading that might come from her victim.

[Edreina]

Edreina's flame-colored hair glittered in the wan light as she cocked her head watching the sorceress pull forth Res with gentle interest. Edreina imagined that she was preparing to light a fire or a lamp in order to light the room. But, there was something wrong about the woman's gray eyes. Never had she seen eyes so without empathy or emotion; Razkar's eyes after a battle held more than hers at that moment. It chilled Edreina to the core, setting something in her soul trilling faintly in alarm. But no, she was overreacting, surely. It was just the light of the room that suddenly made Annalisa look so malevolent, so sinister.

Her thumb twitched vaguely.

Her heart leapt into her throat as Annalisa unexpectedly closed the door, leaving Edreina alone in the pitch black room. "Wizard Marin?" The Svefra's voice quavered as she approached the door, pack falling to the floor.

“Apologies, Edreina. You were just too good a treat to pass up on.”

Every fear whispered in the back of Edreina's mind came to the front in that instant, traveling with the adrenaline that filled her veins. "N-no!" Without thought, she hurtled forward, slamming her shoulder into the door with all of her might only to rebound and stumble to the ground, scraping her palms on the rough stone. "You bitch!" She pushed from the ground and threw herself against the door again, gritting her teeth and straining against its immovable surface. Her body quaked and her breath came in uneven gasps.

"You snake-petching, coward!" The growling of Myrian came more easily through her bared teeth and taut lips than any other tongue would have. She could not go out like this, would not! Gods damn it there was still so much left for her to do! "You won't get away with this! Razkar will search for me and, when he finds you, he will kill you!" Gasping, she fell to the floor against the door, futilely slamming her fist into the door before it fell to the ground beside her. Her head was spinning, black spots dancing before her eyes.

She could not pull a full breath. Had she been poisoned? The thud-a-thud of her heart slammed on her ear drums. Other than that, there was silence. It was smothering her. Every fear that would skulk through her heart as she explored a cave came to the surface, then. Fear of suffocation. Fear of being trapped in rock. Fear of dying alone.

Her mind's eye filled with images of her pod and of Razkar. Razkar... He had been right, the bastard. "Please..." The Svefra's voice was a whisper, barely strong enough to sound above the pounding in her ears or the gasping in her chest. Razkar... Would he mourn her as he had Ayatah? For how long would he search for her? Painfully, Edreina hoped that he would not. These mages were more than a match for him, she now knew. If he sought her, he would find his own end. He had to live... To her gods she prayed in silence, prayed that he would not seek his doom with her disappearance. She prayed not for her own life to be spared, but his to be saved. Edreina prayed that he would find favor with Yahal, and his way safely back to the forests of his home. One day, perhaps she would be just a pleasant memory to him.

Darkness edged in around her vision, creeping in like wolves about their mortally wounded prey. "Please... Annalisa..." Though she spoke Fratava, the pleading in her voice would be unmistakable. There was a particular brokenness that transcended speech. A dying woman was refusing to reconcile with the inevitable. She wanted to live, to leave this place and never return. Her hand reached up onto the door, nails pulling at the surface, a last attempt. "Razkar..." she breathed, tears trailing down the length of her nose before hurtling off of the edge. "I love you..." Somehow, somewhere, she had to believe that he heard her.

It made the world's fading a touch more peaceful.

[Annalisa Marin]

Once again she had done service to Rhysol, taken the trust placed in her by another and betrayed it in a manner most foul. As always with a betrayal Anna felt an odd mix of pleasure and revulsion, erotic sensations radiating from the mark upon her chest. She was serving Rhysol in this action, but she was also killing herself in that as well and losing more and more of what made her human. Edreina had followed her here, had expected friendship in the place and instead been rewarded with slavery at the hands of Annalisa. Her lover snatched away from her, her friends and family probably never to see her again because the sorceress couldn’t help herself.

Anna heard Edreina’s rage and anger, her languages switching up on the fly but the tall woman got the message as she herself slumped down on the door and felt the frantic pounding within. A bitch? Yes, she was a bitch, a wretched betrayer that most others would classify only as a monster of the worst order. She had betrayed her best friend, then Kouri, now Edreina was facing the twisted faith of Rhysol’s disciples. Anna did it all though for Rhysol, for his approval and in the hopes that if done enough times it would start to feel fulfilling entirely. She’d made her decision; Edreina would belong to her, her newest possession on Sahova and a pretty one at that.

She heard Edreina’s declaration that Razkar would save her and snorted, knowing full well that he and his lot would be forced to leave soon enough without the red head. Even if he tried Anna intended to keep Edreina locked up in there for a time, at least until her group left and the Svefra would have no one but Anna to turn to for protection and to be provided for. Anna ran her hand down her face, her fingers lingering over her lips as she kept up the attraction and could hear her victims labored breathing through the door.

Then came that broken plea, that finally desperate call for mercy from Anna that fell upon the ears of a broken shell of a human being. It twisted and wrenched at the sorceress’ gut as she briefly imagined if it had been Dasoma Zanelli in that room begging her, a thought that the sorceress shuddered to think of. Betraying someone like Edreina like this was already trying on her, despite her having tortured prisoners in the Dungeons alongside her daughter something like this managed to feel wrong to even someone like Anna. However the sorceress didn’t stop still, she would keep going until she was certain Edreina was unconscious.

Once Anna was certain of that the tall woman would cut off the attraction and move her res to the transmuted purple stone, willing it to directly transmute it to air to unblock the door. Her grey eyes stared ahead blankly for a half chime before the woman stood and smoothed out her black silk robes, turning to the door and taking a deep breath. Slowly the sorceress opened the door, grunting at the weight of Edreina pressing against the door. As it opened the unconscious body of the other woman slumped limply to the floor, drawing a sigh from Anna as she looked around to ensure no one was around.

The tall woman stepped over Edreina, tugging at her Djed and drawing res to light a small lamp with a flickering purple light, bathing the small cramped room in an eerie glow. Anna gripped Edreina’s ankles and pulled her fully into the room, closing the door behind her to give them both some privacy. In the purple light Anna opted to set about searching the Svefra first, riffling through her clothes and even under them for any concealed weaponry. That task accomplished Anna slowly started to strip the unconscious woman of her clothing, grunting a bit as she manipulated the other woman’s limp form like it was some kind of macabre doll.

The trousers came first, Anna wiggling the other woman’s form out of them with some effort and tossing it in the corner. This was followed by her shirt, and then finally by her underclothes and that yellow bandana around her head. All of Edreina was laid bare to Anna’s grey eyes, and the sorceress soaked in the fullness of the other woman’s slopes and curves with pale fingers trailing across the Svefra’s body. The traveled down the valley of her breasts, over her muscled stomach and rose up before touching her core. That was not something she intended to take just yet, perhaps later but for now she needed to bind her as she did all of her slaves.

Translucent purple liquid rose from Anna’s body, slithering across the unconscious woman freckle marked form and spilt off into five sections. Two twisted around her wrists, two around her ankles and one around her neck the beginning of the bindings. The tall sorceress moaned slightly at the euphoria of casting, always loving the feeling that came with it and how addicting it was. Anna willed the res around her wrists and ankles to transmute to smooth purple stone, forming thick bracelets and anklets of stone. From here she willed the res around Edreina’s neck to transmute similarly, shaping a sigil into the liquid at the front beneath her chin. Once it was transmuted a collar of smooth purple stone would adorn her neck somewhat loosely, the sigil of a burning scroll upon it much like the sigil on her ring.

It was done and Edreina was now bound and secured, the stone bindings would allow Anna to use her res to control the other woman’s body. This task accomplished the sorceress simply stared down at her captive, grey eyes set upon her face. Slowly Anna lowered her own face and lightly brushed her pale lips over Edreina’s, her tongue peeking out to lightly taste at them. They were so soft, so supple and tasted so good. Anna wanted more, but she held herself in check, brushing an errant strand from the red head’s face and gazing tenderly down at her.

“You are mine now, Edreina, you cannot hear me but I’ll tell you why this happened to you. I’ve been alone for so long, I don’t think you could ever understand how long. Every day here in Sahova has been a constant battle just to live, only rare moments rising to indulge in what makes me living. Those moments are snatched away so easily, they have been snatched away so easily. I’ve been left, abandoned, forsaken by all but my god. Now… now I claim you. Now I am going to prevent someone leaving me again.” Anna whispered, kissing the other woman’s conscious lips again with the sting of tears in her own eyes that were savagely pushed back for fear of showing too much weakness even here.

With that Anna drew back and opted to start rifling through Edreina’s pack, searching for whatever the woman owned so that she might take it for her own. The sorceress smirked when she pulled out a swollen money pouch, suspecting that her funds had now just gotten a little more substantial. Ironically enough the money would be Edreina’s lifeline as well, since Anna would be her only means of acquiring food from now onwards. The sorceress set that aside and rummaged through the rest, setting the more interesting things aside.

What really caught her attention after a bit of searching was a strange primitive bone necklace and a ring made of the same material. The circles upon both of them brought Sahovan Master Vick to mind and his craft of Malediction, the art of enchanting dead parts with power. These would be something to interrogate her captive over when she would finally wake up, for now she set them aside and leaned back against the far wall to face Edreina. Now it was a waiting game, one where Anna prepared to draw res as soon as the other woman would awaken to more easily restrain her.

[Edreina]

The first thing Edreina became aware of was a gentle, rhythmic whooshing sound cutting through the empty darkness. Her body may have been weightless, but her head made up for all of that. It pounded and throbbed and was so heavy she knew immediately that she could not lift it.

But, she was alive.

Edreina was naive enough to think that, perhaps, it had been some kind of a misunderstanding. The world had tempered her enough in the time since she left the Anchorage that such thoughts lasted a tenth of a tick. Stay calm... Appear to remain asleep... Gather as much information as you can... With effort, Edreina forced her breathing to remain slow and her eyes still beneath the pale lids.

Her was entirely exposed to bare air, she discovered, but unmolested. Oddly enough, that only exacerbated the fear growing in her heart. If she had been raped, Annalisa's intent would immediately have been made clear. Like this, she was left to wait and to wonder. From the darkness of the room and the texture of the floor, she figured she still had to be in the room; Annalisa was much too weak to lug her about, as well. There was no light in the room aside from a faint violet glow to let her mark the passage of time.

In a single movement, Edreina was 'awake' and moved across the room, back pressed against the wall. One arm instinctively came up to cover her bare breasts while the other rose in a defensive half-fist. A mouth more suited to smiling was set in a harsh snarl and blue eyes were the color of an icy sea as she stared at the wizard, silent and waiting.

It was then that the Svefra became aware of the cool stone against her wrists. With a frightened gasp, her fingers found the one about her throat. Her stomach rolled and quavered as she looked at the Wizard once again. This time, there was an entirely different look in her eyes. Instead of doing her best to look fierce and planning an escape, Edreina had realized just how trapped she was, and it terrified her. For the first time in her life, she did not have sole dominion over her fate. This was a problem she could not run or sail away from.

She wanted to beg, to plead and use every trick her Djed offered.

But, she knew better. This was not going to be a quick and easy situation to fix. For the first time in her life, Edreina was facing a situation that she could not escape through her means, or her brother's, or Razkar's. She was on her own with the wizard and the harder she struggled, the worse things would be for her...

No... I cannot give up like this... I will not let her break me... Despite the fear in her eyes, Edreina set her chin and stared down the wizard, waiting for her to make the first move. Edreina decided then and there that she would oppose the woman however she could without endangering her life.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna had simply stared at Edreina for the whole time, waiting and watching her form for her wake up and preparing herself to draw res to keep her body from being savaged by the stronger woman. The sorceress didn’t want a repeat of her little spar with the other woman, the bindings would give her an advantage here but she needed to use it to its fullest. Grey eyes simply stared at the prone Svefra for the whole time, pondering over how best to make her a little more complacent and the way to go about breaking her. First things first, Edreina would need to feel alone and deprived of those she loved and trusted.

The red haired woman shot awake, moving opposite Anna and slamming against the door with a fist raised and a snarl upon her lips. The tall sorceress felt her trademark arrogant smirk cross her own pale lips, her eyes never leaving Edreina for a moment. A cruel chuckle came from Anna’s lips as she noted that the Svefra had bothered to cover her chest, she had already seen her like that so there was no need to cover up in Anna’s opinion. She would simply watch her captive for a time as the reality of the situation would fall over her.

She seemed not to notice the shackles immediately, though when she did her fierce expression regressed into worry. Anna merely placed her own hands behind her head and leaned back again the wall, crossing her legs leisurely as she stared at the other woman. She looked at ease with the whole situation, though on the inside her emotions were a chaotic torrent. Anna waited until the Svefra’s situation sunk deeply into her mind before finally speaking, her voice smooth like honey as a diplomat’s voice no doubt.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Edreina. You were out for quite some time, had me a little worried that you wouldn’t wake up. Good to see that was not the case.” Anna offered flippantly.

“Do lower your arm, nothing I did not get an eyeful of as I was searching you and striping you. Also, I take it you like the new jewelry? Fun little things I came up with, they grant me control of the wearer’s limbs to some degree through reimantic attraction. I’ve never tested if they could twist a person’s arm off, but I am fairly confident they can snap necks.” Anna said, the message of the price for resistance of a violent nature being quite clearly laid out in the subtext.

It was rather interesting to ponder just what the other woman was thinking, no doubt hurt and anger would be chief among them and probably a bit of hatred. Then again if she had liked the idea of being captured by Anna the sorceress might have worried over her mental health, as it was the tall woman merely flashed Edreina smile that could only have been described as predatory. Anna considered any defiance she might face a necessary by product, she would have been a little disappointed in Edreina had started begging for release right away.

“Don’t worry about making yourself modest, I rather like the view from this angle. Luckily for me I’ll have all the time in the world to stare at the view, my new slave. I suggest you get intimate with these walls around you, because these are what you will be staring at for quite some time to come. Also, I suspect your possessions will serve me nicely, after all you won’t need them in your new lot in life.” The tall woman spoke, eyes drifting up and down the red head’s body shamelessly as she reached for both the necklace and ring.

Anna had learned from Master Vick that Maledicted item effects could vary and be extremely wild in their nature. It was always thus best to test them out on those nearby first before yourself, since Edreina had possessed them it was likely she would know what they did. If she withheld the information or looked like she was lying Anna would have to simply test them on her, not exactly a pleasant idea but one far safer than killing herself.

“What do these items do? I know they have been made by Malediction judging by the circles, but what is their purpose. If I think you are lying or withholding information I’ll try them out on you, so think very carefully over your words, Edreina.” Anna said, grey eyes hard and firm.

[Edreina]

“Do lower your arm, nothing I did not get an eyeful of as I was searching you and striping you. Also, I take it you like the new jewelry? Fun little things I came up with, they grant me control of the wearer’s limbs to some degree through reimantic attraction. I’ve never tested if they could twist a person’s arm off, but I am fairly confident they can snap necks.”

Hate coursed through Edreina's veins as potent as venom. The throbbing in her head was dulled by it and she felt her limbs entirely again as if they had been scorched by fire. For a half tick, she hugged her arm tighter against her chest, hiding her shame. It could not last, she knew. Even if she did her best to hold it there, Annalisa could rip it away as easily as Edreina could bend a blade of sea weed. As if it physically pained her, the Svefra lowered her arm, placing it at her side. The other followed as she sank from the crouch to a plainly defeated, careless seating. This was it, she realized, this was her fate. The other woman's smile chilled her to her bones, sending a faint wave of goose flesh crawling across her skin as trepidation crept into her soul.

In an instant, Yahal's golden light burned it away, for the woman's soul belonged to Him. This was but a test of her faith, an obstacle that she could and would overcome. She knew it to be so; she had faith. Some minute measure of strength returned to her features. Yahal was watching over her, she knew that as surely as there were wings marked upon her bare back. Under His eye, she would not be handed any more than she could handle. Her time with Razkar - it pained her deeply to realize that this was a time now passed, or postponed if somehow she could find him again in the future - had served to teach her of the good that was in all people. Now, she had only to search for it in Annalisa.

The woman, Edreina slowly began to realize, was depraved. There was something in her that craved human contact so desperately, she would abduct a stranger and threaten her with death, simply to keep her around. Edreina shifted slightly, brushing her hair over her shoulders so that it trailed down to cover the tops of her breasts. Godly test or not, she sure as hell did not like this woman staring at her body in such a way. For the time being, it was still hers, even if her possessions were not.

“What do these items do? I know they have been made by Malediction judging by the circles, but what is their purpose. If I think you are lying or withholding information I’ll try them out on you, so think very carefully over your words, Edreina.”

Again her heart lurched as the two ivory items came into view. The Balicani Necklace and a ring she had found after a battle with a Yukmen hoard. Gods... How could she withhold information she knew not? The necklace was hers and its dangers she knew, but the ring? She could lie... but she was an awful liar. Her only hope was to tell the entire truth and pray that Annalisa saw the truth in her silvery-blue eyes.

"The necklace bea-" Was that her voice? It was hoarse and raw and so filled with the depth of her emotion, Edreina struggled to continue speaking. A look down at the malevolent stones about her wrists steeled her wits and brought a quavering sort of strength to her words. "The necklace bears five claws of a Balicani slain in the woods near Syliras. I was with a group of mercenaries including my-..." Again she lost strength, lashes becoming heavy and wet as tears came to her eyes. There was no point in lying, now. If Annalisa had not expected before, she would as the Svefra's shoulder's heaved once with a barely restrained sob. She loved Razkar, wholly and purely. She would never see him again... Yahal give her strength...

"My lover, the Myrian Razkar, was there with me... He Maledicted the piece. It strikes fear from your soul and gives you the courage to protect what is yours... But, it robs you of your sentience, reducing you to a frothing beast if worn for a prolonged period of time... As for the ring..." She swallowed hard. Did she dare use Hypnotism on the woman? Accomplished a mage as she was, Edreina had no doubts that she would fail to recognize a threadbare Hypnotist's paltry methods. Perhaps one day when her skill was greater. "I do not know the ring's name, origin, or abilities. I found it in the sack of a man killed during a battle with Yukmen on the Kabrin Road towards Zeltiva. I swear to you, that is the truth..." Despite her words, the Svefra's honey-colored, freckled body tensed slightly in preparation of the blow she would not be able to ward off or the undeniable motions of her shackles. She had told the truth, but it would not satisfy the woman, she knew. At least this way, any violence done by the woman would lay on her soul, not Edreina's.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna heard the other woman try to find the strength to speak, words apparently failing her at first as she cut herself off. It was hardly surprising considering she had been deprived of air for a time and brought to near the brink of death, so Anna let it pass without comment. The name Balicani was unfamiliar to the sorceress, though she highly doubted it could ever be as terrible as the horrors Sahova had to offer. As she continued her explanation she started to tear up, her voice losing its strength as she spoke of her lover the Myrian warrior Razkar. Her lover apparently, former as far as the sorceress was concerned.

The effects of the necklace sounded interesting, though Anna doubted she herself would have cause to use it as losing her sentience as a wizard could be a very poor idea. She set it aside, noting that Edreina might have possibly learned a bit of Malediction from her lover and raising her worth just a tad. Anna herself had some interest in the art of handling enchanted bones, but she opted to keep that to herself as she listened to Edreina continue her explanation. The ring was the remaining mystery in her eyes; hopefully it would be something useful.

A frown crossed the sorceress’ face as she heard the Svefra deny knowing what the ring did, considering that the woman could very well be lying. As she gazed into her blue eyes however Anna found that they did not look overly deceitful, honest as they were. Of course it was possibly Edreina wanted Anna to place the ring on her finger, that it granted her some burst of strength that would let her kill the sorceress. However the shackles would prevent that, as long as Anna kept control of them which would be easy at this range.

“I believe you, Edreina.” Anna said simply, tugging at the tapestry of her Djed and unraveling it slightly.

The sorceress willed the energy outwards from her legs and arms, purple translucent liquid forming, which she made hover in the air before her as four separate balls of shimmering purple res. Anna moved the substance out and focused each one to attract the stone bindings around Edreina’s wrists and ankles. The tall woman would will the res to drag the red head onto the mat closer to Anna, stretching her body taught with her arms pointed towards the door and her feet towards Anna. The sorceress herself would rise with a smirk and step over the other woman towards her hand, ring in her own grip.

“Still, I can’t very well let this device go untested. It could have some hidden worth, besides this should warm you up to one of your duties serving me. As a test subject. Test Subject 1A, I think that would be a fun moniker for you Edreina, don’t you agree?” Anna offered, stooping down near Edreina’s hands.

“Let me tell you how things are going to work, Test Subject 1A, you will refer to me as ‘mistress’ whenever you address me. You will be respectful in your address to me, and you will not dare to raise your hand against me. I will have to punish you otherwise, and trust me you won’t like it.” Anna said as she would attempt to pry open Edreina’s fingers on her right hand if they were closed in a fist, or would lower the ring near her ring finger if not.

“I suggest you forget about that Myrian, forget whatever he called you, you shall never lay eyes upon him again. He is gone from here and shall never return to Sahova, he’s left you behind and you’ll be nothing more than a memory to him. You are mine from here onwards, 1A; I suggest you get used to the idea.” Anna said, slowly slipping the ring of bone onto Edreina’s ring finger.

The sorceress would make sure to keep her bound and then step back, focusing on keeping the attraction at was and feeling a tingly of pleasure from the drain upon her Djed. She looked down at Edreina, looking for any change in her body or anything notable physically, when she could find nothing she opted to think that it might affect a mental change rather than a physical. Or perhaps that it did nothing, best to ask and find out.

“Do you… feel any different?” Anna inquired, peering down at the other woman’s form.

Note for GraderWe PM'd Radiant, the original one to award the ring and these were the effects that the ring possesses.

The ring is a maledicted from the spine of a ranuri slave, wearing the ring will cause the wearer to be more complacent, the effect wouldn't be much, but there's this push in the back of the wearer's mind to feel more relaxed and to derive joy from servicing others, take it as a very mild form of L1 Ranuri. It's by no means divine in power though, just good ol' malediction effect.

The ring will bind itself to the wearer and could only removed if the finger wearing the ring was severed (or through some other creative magical methods).

[Edreina]

“I believe you, Edreina.”

A great breath heaved from Edreina; her shoulders sagged ever so faintly in relief. This moment of peace was just that: a moment. In the span of a tick, the Svefra felt herself being pulled by her wrists and ankles. The strain on her joints made the young woman stiffen automatically in pain as she was tugged about so forcefully. Again she bared her teeth, willing the protests and pleas for it to stop to stay within the confines of her body. Finally it did as Annalisa finished situating her new captive, and Edreina was granted another moment of peace. That was what her life would be from that point on, Edreina realized: moments. A moment of pain, a moment of rest, a moment of relief, a moment of heart-ache. Maybe one day she would be granted a moment of joy, again.

“Still, I can’t very well let this device go untested. It could have some hidden worth, besides this should warm you up to one of your duties serving me. As a test subject. Test Subject 1A, I think that would be a fun moniker for you Edreina, don’t you agree?”

My name is Edreina! she screamed, only the words echoed about in her head. In truth, the Svefra lacked the courage to say it aloud in that moment. Everything was too new, too fresh for her. So many details were still being processed. The last thing that she wanted in that moment was more pain. Her heart hurt enough for her entire body had each bone been broken thrice.

“Let me tell you how things are going to work, Test Subject 1A, you will refer to me as ‘mistress’ whenever you address me. You will be respectful in your address to me, and you will not dare to raise your hand against me. I will have to punish you otherwise, and trust me you won’t like it.”

Coppery hair shimmered in the violet light as Edreina averted her eyes, closing them tightly so that her fear did not escape them and poison the air around her. After a tick, her tightly balled fist relaxed and Edreina offered her fingers to the wizard, trying to fight the tremors that wracked them.

Immediately, the woman's entire body tensed sharply, lips parted in a silent cry, as the foreign Djed made itself known for the first time. Had she been the blood-designated wearer of the ring, the Svefra would have had to wrestle the power of the ring into submission as she had the Balicani's shade. This time, she felt it course through her, whispering and intertwining with her own Djed. Something was wrong, very wrong. Most times, she felt the foreign Djed tap into her like some sort of parasite. This time, it was as if the ring wanted to be a part of her. No... It was demanding to be a part of her.

Already, she could hear it whispering into her soul. It was as if a fly had made a home in her ear.

“Do you… feel any different?”

When finally her body relaxed and her breath came in quick, frantic pants, Edreina felt a warm nudge at the back of her mind. She wants an answer... Give her one... Politely, as she asked earlier. The redhead started, head whipping back to face Annalisa. There was a war in her eyes as the desire to spite the woman and the desire to simply obey and avoid pain fought one another. Finally, through her tight-pressed lips, Edreina whispered, "Yes, mistress... But, it is in a way I cannot put in to words... I apologize." The last part was tacked on inexplicably and the Svefra felt herself panic. She had not meant to say those words at all! Her heart thundered and raged at her breast.

So much! Too much for one day! For one lifetime! Gods, help me!

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna frowned slightly, disappointed at the effects of the ring and shrugging as she stooped to remove the ring from the bound captive’s finger. The sorceress tugged lightly at first, the ring staying glued to Edreina’s right ring finger which prompted the woman to pull harder. Anna face wrenched up as she started trying to twist it and wrench it off, no doubt causing some small discomfort in the other woman as she tried. It was no use though, the ring did not want to remove itself from Edreina once it was fitted snuggly to her ring finger which caused Anna to release it and peer closer at her.

“Curious… it won’t come off…” Anna whispered, her tone as though she had forgotten Edreina was even there as her mind was presented with a puzzle.

It apparently did very little obviously but it also bound itself to the wearer like some kind of parasitic life form, like a leech of some kind really. Idly she pondered approaching a aurist on the matter, Clyde Sullins coming to mind immediately as a possible man to approach for the job. He was a fellow Chaon after all and was very much capable of discretion, an ally of sorts as far as Anna was aware and almost as eccentric as she. A mystery like this would no doubt pique his interest, so the sorceress filed it away as a possibility for another time.

“Well, it looks like you’ve acquired yourself another permanent accessory, Test Subject 1A. Unless you want me to try cutting your finger off it looks like the ring is staying on you. Pity, but such is the way of things unfortunately.” The sorceress offered with a shrug already rising and stretching idly.

Anna could tell the res she was using to bind Edreina in that position was beginning to decay at a fast rate, so the sorceress opted to simply drop the attraction effect upon her and smirk at the other woman as she leaned against the door. She had indeed won quite the prize today, something she did not intend to release from her clutches anytime soon. The dark haired woman had savored that recognition as being Edreina’s mistress, the little suggestion of forced subservience. Anna greatly enjoyed it, loving when others recognized themselves as being lesser than she in some manner.

“In any event, welcome to your new life on Sahova. Those bindings mark you as belonging to me; if you try to run it won’t end well for you at all. You are going to stay in this room, 1A, whenever I depart I expect to see you here when I get back. If you are not I’ll not hesitate to break both of your legs so you can only crawl. You will be fed once every other day as per the norm for slaves, perhaps an extra meal here or there if I am feeling generous.” Anna said, the words dripping from her lips in a cold instructional manner.

“I might, might, occasionally let you out of here if you are a good girl and behave yourself. I might even let you go unescorted occasionally, if you are a good girl. You are not to identify by Edreina anymore, when anyone inquires to whom you are, you are to give them the designation I have granted you. I trust I make myself clear, Test Subject 1A?” Anna inquired, continuing to use that dehumanizing moniker.

She didn’t want Edreina to have anything to comfort her in this place, nothing available but Anna herself to turn towards. So she reduced her identity to a position, followed by a designation of a digit and a letter from the alphabet. It was so very artificial, so very much like Sahova itself to dehumanize people into a series of digits and letters rather than names. Anna herself identified by Wizard Marin, as though her rank had become an integral part of her identity. It was simply one of the ways in which Sahova broke those that remained upon it, slowly but surely.