In a temple, bound for sacrifice.

Sonja slowly awakens, her mind swimming and her body still sore from the **** she endured in the Stygian's wagon.

The first thing the she-bandit realizes as her senses return is that she is tied to a stone pillar by thick leather straps that wrap around her ankles, thighs, waist and neck. There is a gag in her mouth and her hands are firmly chained above her head. She wears but a linen cloth wrapped around her torso outside of her restraints. The redhead is not alone, however, for there are four other pillars, each standing on the point of a pentagram, with a man bound on each of them, facing inwards.

By the large stone chamber's damp nature Sonja guesses they are underground. But to her surprise, the architecture is not of Stygian design. There are no statues of serpents, dark runes or other signs of the demonic god Set. Instead the room is hewed of normal stone and lit by torches. Various circles with eight arrows pointing out all directions decorate the walls along with paintings of lithe, pantherish figures wearing black masks. At the front of the chamber is a large statue of a six-armed fat elephant-man sitting on a dais. Off to the side is another statute, this one a grotesque naked stocky dwarf with a grinning face and a massive stone penis pointing down to a pit below it.

"Bel." Sonja thinks to herself. "This is a temple of Bel, the god of chaos, trickery, stealing and thieves." Though a worshiper of the goddess Scáthach, the redhead knows the thief god well for many of her bandit brothers worship him. "But why would a Stygian snake take me here?" She ponders.

Her thoughts are soon distracted as she hears the main door open and out of the corner of her eye Sonja sees the sadistic wizard enter in, clad in his finest ceremonial robe holding a candle of burning incense.

Hissing swears and curses at her foe through her gag the Hyrkanian prepares herself for likely ****. It does comfort her, however, that at least her tormentor's attention has gone from her lord and clan to these four strangers and herself.