Nemenphite Isadora Icklan

**Nemenphite Isadora Icklan** or **Knight** is a vampiric paladin knight that resides in the world of Crossroads. Formerly associated with the chess themed vampire family of Cythika, Izzy chose to betray her undead family and join the Seekers in order to destroy the vampires and make up for the centuries of wrong she did in the name of chasing honor.

#### Early Life

Nemenphite was born to a wealthy family in a human kingdom long since fallen. She took up swordplay and horseback riding at an early age, and at age 25 was dubbed a knight. She was a cheerful, outgoing individual who was known for her compassion, bravery and people skills.

#### The Arrival of King

Some years later, a vampire couple named King and Queen invaded the castle Nemenphite was stationed at. They reigned utter chaos and brutality, all of which she was helpless to stop. When King turned his sights to her, he offered a choice: die here and now with her slain regent, or join his family and serve him. Looking death in the eye for the first real time in her life, Nemenphite grew frightened and chose to join him.

### Life as Knight

Nemenphite was given the name Knight to match her "sisters" Rook and Bishop, two more vampires under King and Queen. Knight spent the next few centuries regretting her cowardly choice and trying to make up for it by serving King to the best of her ability, committing countless atrocities in his name. She also took the opportunity to travel the continent, learning about and exploring the world around her, while secretly seeking a cure for her vampirism.

At some point, Knight met and befriended a light cleric named Oswynn Valora. She implored his help in finding her a cure, though all he was able to discover was that if one were to kill a vampire fully, they might be raised from the dead into their original living form.

#### The Vampire Chess Arc

While traveling west to Cythika, the Seekers ran afoul of and ended up killing both Bishop and Rook, sending King into a spiraling rage and depression at the loss of his daughters. Knight mourned for them as well, but also understood why someone would have motivation to do so.

Some time later, Knight witnessed the Seekers plan to disrupt a slave auction and free several penfulls of slaves unfold, and recognizing them, chose to help them escape. She also saw the opportunity for the Seekers to provide her with an honorable death, the only thing she knew she truly wanted anymore. Taking them to her Magnificent Mansion, the Seekers pleaded with her to reconsider, and to join them in their fight against King. Before she had the chance to respond, King spirited the Seekers away to his lair for battle and trapped Knight in her bat form for the duration.

After the party was defeated, Knight was released and questioned about her loyalties. She admitted to have considered their offer, an unacceptable betrayal in the eyes of King. For the next ten months she was imprisoned and tortured far beyond what any mortal would be able to stand. But by this point, having seen the Seekers stick together and fight him to their bitter end, Knight had resolved to escape from King and end his terror in this realm.

During the last few months of this torture Knight was eventually able to convince King of her renewed loyalty and released along side her new siblings, Belros, Togar, and Ethireth, who had been transformed into vampires during her imprisonment. The next two months she spent planning the perfect escape. And one year after the battle which inspired her change of heart, she put it into action. Nemenphite paid a great sum of money to a local wizard who put a powerful anti-scrying spell on her person, and then, invisible to the prying senses of King and Queen, released the captured Ashani and Song from their cages inside King's estate. She led them carefully from the premises and hid them in her mansion, explaining to them everything she could and her desire to join them in their effort to save their friends and defeat King, and took back her original name of Nemenphite.

The rescue of Ethireth proved relatively successful, but after her resurrection King once again spirited away Nem and Delgo, leaving their fates uncertain.