The Mighty Grazz’t of the Seventh House is furious when he hears that Prempress Cambion of the Third House has taken his son Prince Zymaan captive and sent him to the Citadel of Hate where everyone knows the Lady of Pain resides.
His spies tell him that Prince Zymaan secretly chartered an astral ship – The DemonWing – with the help of a secret source, and used that ship to sail into shadow in search of the Abomination. Many things about these facts strike the Mighty Grazz’t as odd.
Firstly, while the secret source of help in obtaining the DemonWing might be unknown, he knows that Prince Zymaan boarded the DemonWing in Tu’narath, which is the home of Queen Vlaakith of the First House. That alone is cause for extreme alarm.
Secondly, according to spies in the Fifth House (may all of Damnation spit on the Fifth House’s restless graves), the DemonWing did in fact locate the Abomination. The Fifth House attempted to intercept the DemonWIng to steal the Abomination, which only caused it to confirm the Abomination’s existence and set off this new competition amongst the Houses. However, clever Prince Zymaan moved his troops from the DemonWing to a second astral ship – The Sea Ghost – which he then planeshifted, wisely, to a port of the Third House to which he is betrothed to be married in an important and long-term alliance. This second fact causes the Mighty Grazz’t to realize that he has thus far underestimated this particular son, Prince Zymaan.
Thirdly, despite confirmed intelligence that Prince Zymaan located the Abomination and boarded it aboard the Sea Ghost, the Abomination somehow disappeared once the Sea Ghost arrived in port at the Third House, thus leaving Prince Zymaan in the unenviable position of no longer having a precious thing he thought he had because he did have it moments before. This third fact alerts the Mighty Grazz’t to the terrible danger the Abomination represents. The Abomination has put his son Prince Zymaan in terrible danger.
When reports come in that Prince Zymaan has had his tail removed as a permanent mark of shame, the Mighty Grazz’t becomes furious and attempts to demand an audience with Empress Killista, the true Matriarch of the Third House. However, sadly, with his bride Iggwilv long dead, the Mighty Grazz’t has no standing and cannot be heard – the heart of the reason why his House keeps falling.
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The Lady of Pain drains Prince Zymaan’s constitution down to almost zero and then licks her lips. She then orders him back to his cell so he can rejuvenate to have it done to him again as soon as he is well enough. Each recovery takes longer, of course, and his essential being is started to die. Soon he will not come back at all.
Her aides drag off Prince Zymaan and put his right hand man Grimald Nightleaf in the chair. She begins to drain him too and he screams.