Shariz, City of Delights, gleamed like a mountain of gold coins before the rising sun. From the gold-capped towers of the grand palace the enlightened lioness, Queen-mother Malika oversaw the great flow of wealth into her son's great city: goods and people of all kinds from all corners of the world, including slaves. Poor, unfortunate souls, at least here they can one day be free of their physical and spiritual shackles. But before any would-be freedman or woman could dream of such things, they were paraded before the market throng of the Grand Bazaar like pets.<br/><br/>From those akin to strong mules to those akin to gallant warhorses, every slave had their price. But the most prized were great beauties, birds of paradise from exotic lands worthy of the great harems of the Shariz nobility. Their value in recent years increased many fold since the passing of the last sultan, when the queen-mother marked her son's ascension with a month of public competition between the very finest ladies of the Royal Harem. Now every man and woman of special rank could not do without the almost weekly distraction of private competition, betting on the skills and beauty of their slaves.<br/><br/>That must be what brought the blonde beauty to the city in chains. With eyes like the ocean and hair like the sweetest honey she was already a rare find, but her mature beauty further raised her value to incredible heights. For that reason alone the bandits that had ambushed her did not immediately kill her despite the carnage she unleashed with her spells. They stripped her of her weapons, catalysts and scrolls, and destroyed her spellbook and familiar in revenge. Luckily the half-orc leading them held his men back from slitting her beautiful throat, though not from taking turns with her as their woman on their way to Shariz.<br/><br/>By the time they arrived she was a mere shadow of her former glory, but the merchant that bought her could see the diamond in the rough from the moment he laid eyes on her. Her adventuring tatters were stripped away, and she was bathed and lathered in rose water and perfumed oils before he wrapped her in soft, glimmering red silk. Though the lust in his gaze was plain to see, however, she was not touched. In his mercy the slaver merchant only shackled her wrists and chained her to a post inside a small, private tent in the morning. From inside she could see his boots from under the tent flap, moving left and right as he shouted to the crowd passing him by. He had an exotic flower to sell, a foreign rose of exquisite beauty.