The Poppy Chain


*note: any mention of the color red refers to the shade “Poppy Red”, for obvious reasons.

Name: Zyllah
Age: 20
Hair: Black, short on the sides and in the back, longer on top, which is normally somewhat spiked up; red hair wrap that serves mostly as a tail to the middle of her back, two gold beads at the end.
Eyes: left is green, right is gold
Complexion: dark ivory
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 120 pounds

Clothing: Top is made of black velvet like a vest, ending just above the navel. There are
cut-outs in the fabric on the back in the shape of poppies, lined in red embroidery floss. The
skirt is more of a crocheted black fringed shawl that hangs to mid-calf in the back and ties in
the front, shot through with gold and red threads. Black panties are visible, as the shawl/skirt
ties low around the hips, leaving them to cover necessities. There are loose gold bangles
around her ankles, a chain belt of gold around her waist that closes with a poppy-shaped clasp,
a small gold hoop through the right side of the nose, three hoops in her right ear, five in the left
(four in succession up the ear, one in the cartilage at the top). She also has a small-grade
barbell through her tongue. There is a tattoo of a yin-yang, half fire, half water over her navel.
Her makeup is primarily black and is styled around that of the Neil Gaiman character, Death.

Personality: Zyllah is an intelligent young woman, but tends to be very sarcastic. She has
little patience for someone who can’t appreciate what she considers the finer things in life:
art, literature and the Gothic lifestyle. She doesn’t see herself as a Goth; just someone who
enjoys being able to express her often- pessimistic views. Her music tastes run from dark
Classical (Shubert and Mozart are her favorites, though) to Industrial/Alternative Metal (ie:
Gravity Kills, Type O Negative, Nine Inch Nails, White Zombie, Stabbing Westward, My Life
With the Thrill Kill Kult, etc.) [if you need more bands, let me know, please!]. She likes to
read, but tends to be terribly critical of the authors, picking apart writing style, plot, character
development and anything else she can think of. And she loves to debate. Almost any subject
will do, and if there is one that she hasn’t had much experience with, she’ll demand to know
about it, then go and research it a bit on her own...and come back for the raincheck on the
debate she very probably extricated the promise for. And although she tends to surround
herself with dark images and opinions, she is a practicing Zen Buddhist. She also studies the
martial art of Tai Chi, as she feels the forms help her center herself. Because of this, she is in
very good shape. She also tends to dislike clothing and insists on sleeping naked.

Environment: Zyllah is also in love with antiques and it shows. It doesn’t matter what era,
dynasty, or century, as long as it’s not “new”. This makes for an interesting view, but any
trained person with an eye for placement may find themselves cringing at her eclectic
decorating style. Her room is mostly lit with candelabras, lamps and lanterns, all styled to
resemble dragons, gargoyles, dark faeries, and the like. The floor is hardwood, but there are
various Persian rugs scattered over it. The walls are predictably stone, modestly decorated
with art, many of which are the more erotic works of Luiz Royo, rather than his Sci-Fi
inspired paintings. There are statues mounted in the corners of the ceiling, which are described
as “cherubs with bat wings”, looking ready to take flight at any given moment. The bed is a
replica of a Chinese Concubine Bed, fourteen feet in height, ten feet in width, and nine feet in
length.

A fireplace is located on the far eastern wall of the main room, the mantle is carved into a line
of a depiction of the seven deadly sins, and the sides carved into shapes and forms of
characters described in Dante’s “Inferno”. Above the fireplace is a portrait of a couple; the
literary description of Dracula from the novel by Bram Stoker and Countess Elizabeth Bathory
(also known as “The Blood Countess”). No one knows where she got the painting from, and
she certainly won’t tell where it came from, either, if she knows at all, herself. The area in
front of the fireplace is furnished with 16th century French chaise lounges, overstuffed
armchairs, an antique loveseat that is shaped like an S, so that the occupants are side by side,
but facing away from one another, and a few small, well-placed end tables. The bases are
various creatures of Arcadia that hold up the tops of the tables. There is an enormous set of
bookshelves along the northern wall, complete with a rolling ladder to get to the higher stacks,
which reach up twenty feet from the floor. The western wall contains two doorways; one a
beaded curtain, the other a heavy oak door with a doorhandle in the shape of a mermaid. The
south wall is where the door to the outer hallways is located. Most of the time, it is covered
by a large Medieval Scots tapestry, so she doesn’t have to look at the door, which she claims
is nothing more than a taunt, meant to break her spirit.

The curtained doorway is actually to her meditation room and shrine. It is a bare room, with
the exception of the set altar and idol of Buddha. The room is lit by torches in the forms of
dragons. There is a small mat which she uses for her meditation, but there is nothing else. It
is a place that any visitor would be wise to stay out of, unless invited in by Zyllah. She feels
as it a holy place, being walked into without paying proper respect is a slight she is not easy to
forgive.

The mermaid-handled door is the entrance to the bathroom. It is divided into two sections; the
front being for a double sink, a small counter and the toilet (which is also antique in style, with
the pull string lever from the high tank). The back area holds two good-sized pools; one for
heated, the other for cool water. Each has a small, but serviceable waterfall at one end. The
pools are deeper at that end, and there are seats molded into the sides under the water line for
the occupants to relax on.

A warning to the wise: Zyllah also has a pet. Kartush is a five-foot Burmese Python that loves
to curl himself around his owner’s ankles at night to sleep, where it’s warm and dark.
Many Owners of the Poppy Chain have voiced their displeasure with the reptile, but Zyllah
refuses to get rid of it. On a given day, she may simply wrap the snake around her shoulders
and wear nothing but her skirt, jewelry, and Kartush. Her only complaint has been the feeding
of her pet, as she can’t stand to drop a live rat into the terrarium and watch it be devoured.

Sexual Preferences and Views on Masters/Mistresses: Zyllah is a complicated one when it
comes to the boudoir. Although under the correct circumstances, she is an excellent slave, she
refuses to give her heart to anyone. She tried first with a Master, but he left as soon as he
realized his playtoy was getting attached to him. Not ready to give up just yet, she then fell in
love with a Mistress who wanted nothing to do with her once she’d been used to her fullest
extent. After that, Zyllah swore she’d never love anyone again, as it only seemed to cause
her pain. So, instead, she focused herself on learning as many techniques as possible from
every culture she could read about. If pressed, she can actually quote passages from the Kama
Sutra on a variety of subjects. So, she may be technically perfect in bed, but many Master and
Mistresses through the years have commented later that she lacked heart in what she was
doing, not even seeking her own pleasure from the experience. However, the way a Master or
Mistress treats her is also a large factor in how she will react. If the Master or Mistress is
prone to cruelty, she will be very disobedient and sharp-tongued. But if the Master or Mistress
is kind to her, she will become the most compliant, sweet-natured slave ever dreamed of by a
dominant partner. In short, anyone possessing the Poppy Chain is sure to have their hands full.



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