All characters engaging in sex acts are 18 or older.
Karlin Adahan, Duke of the Flowered Isles, Heart of the House to Anem Kargati, heir to the county of Morora and General of the Left.
I am gratified that you responded so promptly to my last correspondence. As you are marrying into my family, you must be informed about our way of life. It is to be expected that an outsider would find our customs bizarre and even immoral, and I am used to such reactions. I would implore you to be patient. Your questions and concerns will be answered in the course of our correspondence.
In my last letter I recounted my first encounter with princess Kemina and my subsequent lovemaking with my sister, Vena and her daughter, Almay. While they stayed at my estate, I had numerous other amorous liaisons with mother, daughter, and both at once. But the princess was still on my mind.
Our house's sacred bloodline protects us from the afflictions suffered by children of close relatives, and this is the reason we can be so uninhibited with our love. It does, however, require some mindful work. You see, not all who are born of our house have the blessing. We must work to maintain it. The less of our dynasty's blood a person has in their veins, the less likely they are to have the blessing of St. Adahan. For this reason breeding is of utmost importance to keep our family blessing alive.
Enchanted as I was with the princess, I knew that she would need to have the blessing, were I to marry her. Even a distant relative of the house can have the blessing, God willing. This is quite difficult to determine by conventional means, since many of the boons brought by our blessing can be accomplished by sufficient good fortune. Therefore, I would need the house sorceress.
Sorcery is a dirty business. Communing with the dark powers is certainly an affront to God, and one who signs an infernal pact is subject to the macabre and depraved will of their master. Nonetheless, any house that can afford to have one does, while those who can't make sanctimonious objections. I knew that I would need some sort of divining magic to determine if the princess was suitable to be my wife.
Darmen, our house sorceress, lives on a tiny island of the Flowered Archipelago. Exactly which is a closely guarded secret, so forgive me if I do not mention it. She is a distant cousin of mine and lives there with her young apprentice, Kest, who is another distant relation. The trusty ferryman at the dock sailed with me in a small boat and we arrived in little time. He agreed to wait for me while I spoke to the sorceress, his eyes nervous.
The island is shrouded in a boggy wood. It's large enough that there are parts that I've never been to. Despite being the Heart of the House, there are places on the island even I am not permitted to go, lest I disturb Darmen's magic.
There was a path of sorts leading to the sorceress's hut, and I followed it through the sounds of frogs and other more unpleasant creatures. After a short while, her thatched hut became clear through the undergrowth, smoke coming from its crooked chimney. It was dusk, so the witch would probably be awake, but there was no telling with her. Next to her front door was her garden, full of weird herbs and a fenced pond behind it which I dared not approach. The demonic presence in this place was palpable, and I hoped I wouldn't have to stay long.
I pulled the rope hanging down in front of her door and a bell rang inside. I could hear shuffling within, and the door creaked open. There stood Darmen's apprentice, Kest. An odd girl, she was tall and thin, and had unkempt blond hair which reached down to her chin and partially covered her face. She wore a shapeless robe and a wide-brimmed hat which covered her eyes. "Your Grace," she said, just above a whisper. We knew each other of course, I had rutted her when she came of age before she went off to be an apprentice. It must have been seven or eight years now. She hadn't changed much. She forced a nervous smile, "What brings you out here?"
"I have need of your services, apprentice. A most important task. Is your mistress in?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, your Grace, but she still sleeps. I was just up to check on our brewing potions."
"When does she usually wake?"
"Forgive me, your grace, she may be another hour or two." Kest winced.
For a moment, I thought to have the girl wake the witch, but Darmen was already frustratingly surly, and I didn't want to exacerbate her foul temperament. This is common with sorcerers, pray that you never find yourself in need of black magic. "I think not. I'm content to wait."
She stared at me for a moment. The foolish girl was highborn, and raised with a sense of hospitality, but it seemed the years in the swamp had dulled her sense of decorum. Her eyes wandered around, and she began to close the door. "Hold, apprentice." She poked her head back out. "I would prefer not to wait outside."
Kest grimaced, but motioned for me to come in. Anywhere else I would have preferred to wait outside. Inside the hut it was dark and smelled of tinctures and pungent herbs. There was a single room they used for a laboratory and sitting room. There were work benches covered with bottles of all shapes and sizes. A black cauldron bubbled on the fire. On the far wall was a bookshelf whose books were covered in arcane runes unknown to me.
There were only a few chairs, and all of them bare wood. The one I sat in creaked and groaned. "Can I get you some tea, Your Grace?" Kest asked.
Now she decided to show some hospitality. God only knew what kind of wretched brew they considered "tea" here. My darting eyes spotted a wooden keg. "You have beer, yes?"
She reluctantly poured me a cup of beer. I was surprised at its rich flavor. Kest went about her work as if I weren't there. A shame her clothing was as drab and loose as it was, otherwise I would have something pleasant to look at. She was hardly a beauty, but a woman is a woman, and I found all those of house Adahan to be comely. I sipped my beer in silence while she worked.
Over the next hour Kest fiddled with bottles of liquid, stirred the cauldron and read from their demonic books. I was becoming impatient. A duke is not accustomed to having to wait for long. "I say, my sweet. Come hither."
Kest turned back, started by my words. She silently came over and stood before me. "I am afraid that your hospitality is lacking, though it pains me to say so. You have spent too long out here with the toads and mosquitos."
"I'm sorry, Your Grace," she bowed her head. "We rarely get visitors here, and I-"
"Yes, yes. I know. Do you remember when we last met?"
She stared at me, her green eyes wide. She nodded slowly. "Please, Your Grace, don't send me back!"
"I do not intend to. But I want you to remember the hospitality I showed you. I recall you were quite elated when you bloomed for me."
