Nessa Lith

## Kn. Check 16

Nessa as Empress Dowager was supreme ruler of the Vishkanya confederation for around the last two weeks of its formal existence, having risen quickly from a common courtesan over the course of the war to the previous emperor's head wife.

Yet according to her, this was not her first empire to serve as courtesan. Raised from birth to be an agent against Baz, Nessa had been sent to infiltrate the highest beds of Thedra, and was evidently very successful. Approximately 10 years ago (~1003) Nessa was introduced to Ignavia, to be appraised for the imperial concubinage, who she claims knew quickly she was a Vishkanya and poisoned. But rather than reveal this, the Emperor became accomplice to her secret and welcomed her to the imperial palace. According to Nessa, she was turned by Ignavia's beautiful heart, as she is sure was his intent, and loved him. Junius corroborates the material facts of Nessa's story as confided in him by Ignavia as a child, and adds that he knew Nessa and Ignavia to speak frequently and at length about vishkanya culture and societal reform.

During the fall of Thedra, Nessa claims she saw Ignavia playing his harp on a highest balcony before all the chaos, and that his song called down tears of aesthetica before embracing him beyond the world.

## Thus far

Nessa was first encountered at Animbra's masquerade in the guise "Courtesan" who performed exceedingly well at both dance and song. Illaria took Courtesan to bed during the party, where she learned Nessa's true name and much of her nature, and also where Nessa stole the pin Illaria wore to return to the Flower Court. The heroes did not immediately pursue Nessa, who they correctly assumed used the pin to conjure to the mountains herself, and by the time Vana Sarse learned of the infiltration the Vishkanya was very long gone.

The heroes did not encounter nor hear of Nessa again until they traveled to the Den of Love on invitation to the Keito-Sarese wedding, where they unexpectedly found Nessa already an honored guest. Ichabod spoke with Nessa some about the vishkanya invasion, hoping to learn more of what might have become of his love Cathrine and his home, but by whole the heroes wanted little to do with the snake and distanced themselves.

At the Blue Flower and Death festival, during the burning river event, Nessa stood beside the Groom and Bride-to-be and unveiled a shard of divine aesthetica, its existence an earth-shaking miracle, and set it before the Keito-Sarese to serve Aesthetica. The heroes attempted to convince the kitsune not to be over caught up in Nessa's epic play, but the snake won out.

After the festival, Nessa met again with the heroes gifted to them a key to the magnificent emperor's road, and informed them of the likely location of 'Emperor' Junius. She hoped the heroes would use these gifts to provide the kitsune with wick tools for their studies of the shard, to ensure constructive relations between Lote and the Keito-Sarese, and to find the Emperor both for his safety and to learn more of the holiest song which called the shard down, written by Ignavia. Furthermore, when questioned, she went into greater detail for her vision of what a better world might include, and called it democracy.

Nessa has proven herself to be golden tonged, deflecting or reflecting nearly all accusation or insult with playful ease, which displays also a remarkably quick wit. She has been seen and spoken to be supremely cunning, unexpectedly prepared and knowledged in a staggering number of things, such that her plans and connections seem to reveal themselves endlessly whenever she acts. However, even socially she is not without apparent weakness. Whether a choice of strategy or quirk of personality, Nessa seems to push boundaries compulsively and doesn't always correctly judge when is too much: seen when she was disqualified for overly risque displays at Animbra's ball; when she raised high flags of psychopathy for the heroes in her blase account of Milstead's sack; and when she was reprimanded by the kitsune for speaking too quickly for them