Countess Axylides' Dungeon

The Dungeon Mistress

Countess Axylides has asked me to deny once again that she is beautiful, intelligent, kind-hearted, generous, talented, vivacious and a must for every smallship, and it behooves me to accord this request all the attention it deserves. However, I have reluctantly acceded to the lady's plea that no biographical data nor images be published here.

The Countess is best known for her lyrics, which have enthralled all who have had the rare pleasure of hearing them, and have been of pivotal importance in establishing the reputation of Zander Nyrond, who has taken the liberty of setting some of them to tunes of his own contrivance, and thus added weight to the well-known dictum of the poet Coward on the potency of cheap music. It is, of course, entirely the Countess's lyrics which have made these songs so popular.

Less well-known till now, by the Countess's own wish, are the stories from which the lyrics are derived. Unlike some, who merely play at writing, the Countess has been working out the complex destinies of her own unique universe since childhood, and the Chronicles of Mershane reflect this painstaking attention to detail. The ongoing saga spans many thousands of years, and boasts a wealth of character and a dramatic momentum rarely encountered in modern science fantasy. Fortunately, the Countess has at last consented to seek publication for a small selection of these tales, and it is to be hoped that a publisher may be found who can see the potential in this ongoing and gargantuan work-in-progress.

The Countess is also well known among filkers as the onlie begetter and organiser of the twice-yearly Nycon. These gatherings have seen the birth of Sari Fandom, the premiere performances of several fine filksongs and some by Zander, the presentation of awards varying from the edible to the utterly useless, and one memorable expedition during which sweets were forcibly bestowed on neighbourhood children by a collection of costumed weirdities whose interpretation of the custom of "trick or treat" was innovative, to say the least. While the Nycons have had to be suspended due to illness for some years, the Countess still hopes to be able to revive them in some form.

Buttons and bars and such are courtesy of Jelane's Free Web Graphics, at http://www.erinet.com/jelane/families/.