Sherzal

**Sherzal** of house Lansis is the sister of Emperor Crucical. Both she and her sister Velera have a reputation as unscrupulous schemers, with Sherzal commonly considered the worst of the pair. Her brother has banished to a palace near The Empire's eastern border.

## Appearance and Personality

 Sherzal cuts an impressive figure, a woman in her late-thirties, with red painted lips, very bright teeth, and a mass of dark red curly hair. She’s not quite beautiful, with each feature slightly too exaggerated, but she is striking and possessed with personal magnetism. Her face is animated, full of vicious good humour.

 She is a constant schemer against her brother and anyone else who gets in the way of her pursuit of power.

## History

 Sherzal has schemed against Emperor Crucical once too often in the past, and has been banished from Verity. Her palace is an isolated and forsaken fortress in the Grampain Mountains, virtually on the Scithrowl border. She send her soldiers throughout The Empire and beyond, searching for children who show more than one of the traits of the four original tribes. She has a Mages who can use Thread-Work to track these children down. One such child was a certain peasant-girl called Nona Grey, although in this case she failed and a number of her soldiers were killed; she takes her revenge, leaving her village a ruin. Another was the Ice-Triber Zole, who has since become her ward. Sherzal is also a power within the Inquisition of the Ancestor Church, as Prime Instigator.

### *Red Sister*

 Nearly two years after Nona joins Sweet Mercy, Sherzal visits the convent, wanting her ward Zole to become a novice. Although Abbess Glass tries to refuse, High Priest Nevis insists. The emperor’s sister also asks to see Nona and Zole fight. Both are Hunska primes, and the fight ensues at lightning speed. However, Zole knows moves that Nona doesn’t, beating her and then raining kicks on her prone opponent. With no one seeming keen to end the fight, Arabella Jotsis steps forward having walked The Path. Ordering Zole to stop, she shows her power by destroying one of the practice dummies. High Priest Nevis is not amused, and orders Ara punished. However, Sherzal has her own suggestion, that Nona as supposedly the Shield should take the whipping, a practice common among The Sis. Despite her injuries Nona agrees and receives twenty strokes of the wire cane.

 Zole does join Sweet Mercy as a novice in Grey Class, accompanies by her bodyguard Yisht. However, Sherzal’s ulterior motive is eventually revealed; she intends for Yisht, a Marjal Rock-Worker, to tunnel beneath the convent and steal the Shipheart. In this she eventually succeeds.

### *Grey Sister*

In order to reclaim Zole from Sweet Mercy, Sherzal adopts her because according to the Ancestor Church a parents rights is paramount. However, Abbess Glass refuses to handover the girl to Judge Irvone, insisting the matter must be decided by Church law. Undeterred, Sherzal sends Safira to kidnap Zole when she visits Terra Mensis in Verity, but the girl isn't there.

Next Sherzal uses her role as Prime Instigator to set the Inquisition on Abbess Glass. Inquisitor Pelter eventually arrests Glass on charges of heresy, and takes her to stand trial at Sherzal's palace near the Scithrowl border. The trial coincides with a lavish party that Sherzal is throwing with many great Sis lords in attendance. Sherzal gleefully watches as the Abbess is brought before her in chains. Glass points out that an Inquisition trial in her palace is forbidden unless formally invited, and Sherzal heedlessly snaps her invitation.

The trial takes place at midnight in the banqueting hall before the assembled Sis, including the novices Arabella Jotsis, Darla, and Joeli Namsis. However the trial doesn't go to plan. The Abbess pleads guilty but with special dispensation, producing document giving her permission to practise heresy from High Priest Nevis. She explains that the intention of this whole charade was to get a full Inquisition trial beneath the roof of the emperor’s sister, who is accused of stealing the Church’s only Shipheart.

Sherzal is outraged to be put on trial. As the Inquisition judges discuss the type of trial, Joeli tries to sway them using Thread-Work, but Arabella and Darla intervene to stop her. However, Sherzal has no intention of facing justice, and her soldiers led by Safira storm the room killing one of the Inquisition guards in the process. She announces to the shock Sis lords, that she has a plan to save Abeth. The Moon can be controlled by the Ark in Verity if powered by four Shiphearts. She admits to having the Sweet Mercy Shipheart, and access to three more through her secret alliances with the Noi-Guin and Scithrowl. The Scithrowl army will be used to pave the way to the capital, doubtless leaving slaughter in their wake. Many of the more disreputable Sis like Thuran Tacsis appear quite keen on the plan. Even Abbess Glass, who is under the influence of a truth pill, can’t help but admit the plan is sound, but goes on to add that without Sherzal the plan would work equally well. Sherzal orders her soldiers to silence the Abbess. A fight ensues with Ara walking The Path and unleashing her power, while Darla deals with the archers. Abbess Glass and the others eventually manage to escape Sherzal's palace with the help of Nona. Meanwhile, Zole has stolen the Noi-Guin Shipheart, throwing a spanner into Sherzal's plan.

*Holy Sister*

Flashforward throughout the first two books describe events that presumably occur in *Holy Sister*. It is hinted that some portion of Sherzal's plan has taken place since The Empire is in ruins.