It was less a small courtyard than a miniature fortified manor.
The courtyard walls towered high, their surfaces covered in black, highly poisonous thorns. Renato did not know what kind of plant they were, and Tristana could not explain either, but supposedly they needed to be fed blood and flesh.
A heavy alloy gate stood at the entrance, with several dim magical gems set into its edges. Some sort of protective spell had clearly been laid upon it.
At the center of the courtyard stood a three-story tower. Its top floor was a storeroom stocked with food, and narrow firing slits in the walls faced the courtyard gate.
The third floor had no bedrooms; only the first and second floors contained living quarters. After some consideration, Renato chose to stay on the second floor.
The first floor had plenty of rooms, but each was small, presumably meant for the guards. The second floor, with its large canopied bed, was undoubtedly the priestess's quarters.
Renato was no ascetic. Given a comfortable option, he always chose it first.
Rising from the bed, Renato walked over to the full-length mirror at the side of the room and examined his current appearance.
Under the purple light of the magic lamps, he had a typical Drow face-angular features, high cheekbones, slightly upturned eyes, and irises as crimson as blood.
More conspicuous than his face was his suit of armor. The servants had cleaned Mountain's Embrace until it was spotless. An even coating of wax gave its dark surface a muted sheen, with runes faintly visible beneath it.
A ring of gold-thread ornaments had been added to his pauldrons, and spider-shaped designs painted onto the armor. A black spider-silk surcoat bearing the Nightwind Family crest hung over Renato's breastplate, marking his status.
The faint glow of