#Lore24 – Entry #315 – Fantasy Month IV #10 – Nights of Torment

From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos

My wish that Lady Armenia would see fit to grant me a proper release that night was not to be.  Following our dinner with Commander Asselin, she had indeed brought me to her room, bidding me to strip down to my “armor”.  Hopeful, I eagerly complied, noting the recent addition of several iron rings set into the wooden framing of the room.  It would not take her long to make use of these, for I was soon spreadeagled in the center of the room, my wrist and ankle cuffs secured with ropes to the rings, my eyes covered by a leather mask, and a ball gag harness secured about my head. 

She removed the chastity gear then, though the infernal cage around my cock still remained, leaving my chest free for her to grope, which she most eagerly did, tugging at my nipple rings several times while she teased and squeezed my testes, which felt swollen with my pent-up frustrations, making the cage feel all the tighter.  Once I was even more worked up than I somehow was already, she began something new, moving more to the painful practices her religion is more known for.  She swiftly bound my breasts with rough twine, causing them to swell rather painfully in a matter of minutes, then began adding weight to the nipple rings to add a constant, somewhat painful pressure.  She likewise bound my new anatomy with small leather thongs, stretching the testes rather painfully before she added weights to those as well.

My torment was far from over, for everything that remained continued vibrating, keeping me at consistent edge of climax, my cock dripping constantly.  It was then that she began using a flogger upon me, the sting of the knotted leather thongs making me yelp and struggle against the ropes, causing the hanging weights to swing and bounce, increasing my torment drastically.  Each strike was as if several bees had stung me, the worst of the pain fading quickly to leave my skin tingling and hot, the sensations repeated over most of my body. 

At long last, when Lady Armenia removed the plug in my rear, I had hoped it was finally time for my reward.  I could hear her doing something behind me, then her hands were upon my tingling rear, spreading something cool around my anus.  Then I felt the head of a dildo pressing against it, and within moments it slid inside me.  I moaned quite loudly, and most lewdly, as it stretched me and pushed deeper and deeper.  When I felt the base of the dildo press against my cheeks, felt her hips brush mine, I squirmed eagerly.  Then she pulled backward, then pushed forward, building up to a steady thrusting of her hips as she fucked me with the dildo, her own heated moans joining my own as her claws dug into the flesh of my hips.  The cage around my cock had grown so painfully tight, a constant stream of fluid dripping from it as I continued to hit that wall that separated me from my desired pleasure.  Lady Armenia slowed her pace, giving me a few moments for the fires of lust to die down, then picked up again.

I know not how long she worked the dildo in and out of my ass, but never once did she let me climax.  Nor, notably, did she climax.  Though her cries of pleasure were quite loud, and she worked her thrusts quite forcefully, she never reached climax either.  With a final cry that sounded more frustrated than pleased, she pulled out of me, whispering that I had done well, that Yurisaya was quite pleased with our performance, and that she would free me to rest soon.  In somewhat shocked disbelief, I hung there limply, whimpering and pleading around the ball that filled my mouth for that sweet release that I had so desperately craved. 

It was not to be, for once Lady Armenia had tended to herself, she undid the various objects of torment that had remained attached to me before she replaced the butt plug and then my “armor”, which felt even tighter than ever.  At long last she unbound me, holding me too her for a time, my head against her chest, as I cried in frustration.  Once the weakness had passed, she kissed my forehead, promising that the time would come soon, before she sent me off to bed.

The following three nights were much the same, to my great frustration.  Lots of build-up, hoping against hope that I would be allowed to climax, and finding denial each and every time.  Yet, for whatever reason that she did not divulge to me, Lady Armenia never climaxed either.  I could tell she was just as aroused as I was, perhaps more so, but she never gave in, never allowed herself to succumb to the pleasure. 

Yurisaya’s ways are indeed strange.

The following mornings were perhaps worse in some ways, for not only did I wake from fitful slumber as horny as ever, cursing the chastity gear that I could not remove, I had to deal with Aishi’s smug, knowing grin when we would have breakfast with the commander, her subtle teases, little flicks of her tongue or motions with her hands to intimate carnal acts.  I am loathe to admit it, but I found myself very much considering taking her up on her offer of aid, whatever I would have to do to obtain it. 

Thankfully the Heroes of Vindinium finally returned around noon on the fourth day, and I would have something else to distract myself with.

#Lore24 – Entry #314 – Fantasy Month IV #9 – A Private Encounter with the Stellae Illustris

From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos

Lady Armenia had decided to rest for the rest of the day and bid me to explore about the fort and village if I wished; she wouldn’t have need of me until that night.  The constant stimulation and edging of the devices I’d been dealing with for days now had my focus severely impeded, so I decided that a walk would not be amiss, though that came with its own challenges thanks to the random nature of the vibrations that came from them. 

I took in the lay of the redoubt first, spoke with a few of the workers who were tasked with restoring the fort to proper form.  From what I’d learned, it was at least a couple centuries since it was last used, and had been remarkably well maintained all things considered, though I saw large sections of the walls that had been recently rebuilt, along with many sections of the inner structures.  New additions had been made, specifically an additional watch tower and the aforementioned gate leading up the road to the fort, with another two planned. 

Then I ventured down into Vindinium to see what facilities were available and learn what I could of the nature of the adventurers who I would be working with, and to get the lay of the town and a feel for its people.  For the most part, those I spoke to seemed rather favorable to the coming of the Imperial garrison, for the area had grown much less stable over the last few years, with raids from the tribal orcs, kobolds, and other non-human races becoming all too frequent.  For a time, trade caravans had come from the elvish lands further to the southwest, but those had mostly stopped now due to the banditry that plagued the road deeper into the Wildlands; there was a whole town, Duskgulch, a few days on that seemed overrun with thieves and criminals of all sorts, they told me, though for now I couldn’t tell if that was just the nature of villagers to be overly proud of their own town or not.

Regardless, there had been several groups of adventurers to have come through in the wake of the Imperial Legion’s reclaiming of the fort, for Commander Asselin had made the call specifically to lure them in with the promise of great wealth should they help them restore order to the area.  A shrewd decision, given the lack of manpower he’d originally been given.  All told, he had perhaps a hundred men, though perhaps only half of those were soldiers, the rest support staff and builders.  The Emperor certainly wasn’t making the task too easy for him.  Some adventurers hadn’t been seen since they had set off weeks ago, their fates unknown for the moment, while others, specifically the “Heroes of Vindinium” as they had been named, seemed well-liked.  They weren’t particularly disruptive, had brought in a few shipments of stolen goods back to the town, and additional wealth taken from a few bandit groups they’d encountered.  Plus they had cleared out some nearby tribals and monstrous creatures that had plagued the village, and had even helped construct the new palisade. 

I sampled some of the local liquor and some pastries while I was in town, not enough to spoil the coming dinner later that night and introduced myself to most of the merchants in town as I perused their wares.  Somehow, I managed to keep from embarrassing myself with a random, useless attempt to grope my breasts or adjust my “manhood”, which I might note, felt extremely confined and very uncomfortable in its unceasing attempts to remain erect, to say nothing of the plug that filled my rear.  I almost wished these devices were of a mundane, unmagical sort so that they would have to be removed regularly.

As evening approached, the shadows growing long, I returned to the fort and to my quarters, a small room near to Lady Armenia’s where my scant few possessions had been placed.  However, before I could enter, I saw Aishi approaching me with the most smug look upon her face, her eyes not glowing quite so brilliantly as they had upon our first meeting.  Though I briefly hoped she was headed elsewhere, she reached my door first and waited for me, bidding me to enter so that we could speak privately.

Already nervous around her, for even though she was a kerryn, she was also in direct service to the Emperor, this very nearly sent me into a panic right there.  Somehow, I maintained my composure, though, and invited her inside.  I let her move past me and closed the door, and the moment I turned to face her, she pushed me up against it, purring in a predatory way, her nose twitching as she took in my scent.  Her gauntleted hands went to my chest, her fingers tapping knowingly against the mythril that kept my anatomy shielded, while one knee came up between my legs and rested directly against my entrapped anatomy.  My piercings and anal plug began to vibrate at that moment, most powerfully, making me squirm even more vigorously in her grasp, hear keen ears no doubt hearing everything.

I won’t repeat everything she said to me here, for it was quite lewd and embarrassing, and hardly accurate to my true nature, though my constant state of arousal and inability to find relief had certainly done little to prove anything to the contrary.  She had known the moment she had first laid eyes upon me that I was quite well entrapped by Lady Armenia, had spotted the arcane signatures of not only my chastity gear, but of the transformation spell she had performed upon me, though she admitted it only took a keep enough nose to pick up on most of that.  I smelled “like a randy whore” she had said at one point. 

Aishi had pressed herself against me then, replacing her knee with a strong hand, while her tongue licked at my cheeks, her lips finding mine.  My brain told me to protest such treatment and resist her, but I did no such thing, and in fact did quite the opposite, leaning into her and eagerly engaging the intimate contact to the limit of my ability, driven so close to a climax by my gear that I felt near completely defeated when they stopped, leaving me on the edge of that precipice.  Aishi seemed to enjoy my desperation as she pulled away.  She told me that she could help with my predicament if I but begged her to do so.  I was too flustered to reply in the moment, but she excused herself, delivering a sharp slap to my ass before she left, telling me to remember her when I had reached the end of my endurance and just had to sate the fire inside me.

For once I found myself hoping that tonight would be the night that Lady Armenia would give me what I so desperately needed, simply so that I would not be driven to even consider Aishi’s offer. 

#Lore24 – Entry #313 – Fantasy Month IV #8 – A Village and a Fort, a Commander and a Shadow

From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos

I was expecting to be dressed once more into the hobbling dress the following morning, but instead I was allowed back into the riding dress; Lady Armenia said that we would be leaving the Imperial border once we were into the mountains, and even she wouldn’t take a chance on leaving me defenseless through potentially hostile terrain.  In fact, she even returned my scimitar and bookish bulwark, even had me make sure that my new “armor” wasn’t a hindrance after breakfast.  Aside from some rather unwelcome pressure and pinching between my legs for what must be quite obvious reasons now, I was quite capable of going through my practice routines.

Of course, that didn’t stop her from continuing my “training” along the way.  She was assured we would have ample warning in case of an attack, for her drakonae scouts were unrivaled guardians, so she told me.  Travel was slow once we had entered the mountains, the road recently shored up to some extent, but still rough and windy.  So, it was practicing some things that did not involve improving my ability to take large phallic objects into my throat, including more worship of her feet and more endless edging in my case, while practicing various new positions in which I found myself restrained.  I was rather impressed by the number of anchor points hidden away behind the panel work of the carriage, and the variety of restraints Lady Armenia had packed for the journey.

Further oral practice with the dildo would wait until we made camp that evening, in the privacy of her tent.  I was quite a horny mess by then, and would remain so for the foreseeable future, as she seemed to have no intention of allowing me to remove my chastity gear, nor the plug in my rear, the enchantments upon the items seeing to it that my bodily functions were taken care of.  She had promised a surprise if I performed my oral exercise satisfactorily the first night, and indeed, after some time with my lips and tongue working the dildo as she held it between her legs, I experienced a most intense ejaculation of salty, white fluid from the device, nearly choking me and then spraying upon my face.  The flavor was most familiar, being the same mixture that was produced by the feeder gag, though never before had I experienced it in such volume nor in such an embarrassing manner.

I daresay the journey through the mountains was rather mundane compared to the first couple of nights, but with good reason.  We were indeed attacked in the mountains no less than three times, once by a rather large group of bandits who appeared quite desperate, and then again by two separate orc tribes.  In each case, our injuries were relatively minor, and I did not become engaged in the combat, as I was officially on guard duty for the Lady Armenia.  Though having seen the soldiers and drakonae in action, I daresay I would have made a poor final line of defense, not that a priestess such as herself couldn’t defend herself. 

After the long journey through the mountains, we descended into something of a large valley basin, and I could see the fort that was our destination from some distance away, standing high upon a rocky plateau, overlooking a village.  These were the Dawnsummit Redoubt and Vindinium, respectively, the Baydwell River running along out of the mountains near the village.  As we came to the village, I could see that it had recently been enhanced with a stout wooden palisade, complete with a quartet of small, recently built watch towers.  We followed the road through the village, the people there seeming to look upon us favorably as we passed.

Beyond the village, it was a short trip to the road leading up to the overlooking ridge and the redoubt, a series of spiked wooden barricades having been constructed to slow any advancing force, with an additional stone gatehouse currently under construction closer to the top of the plateau.  The roadway led right to the fort’s walls and gatehouse, both of which having been recently repaired to Imperial Legion standards and were even now being further reinforced by a mix of dwarven and drakonae craftsmen.  I counted what seemed a rather small amount of soldiers on patrol and guard about the fort and village, though, a curious detail.  I thought perhaps they had gathered inside the walls of the fort for some reason, but as the carriage passed through into the courtyard and grounds, I saw only a fraction of what I had expected. 

In short order, our large group had come to a stop and Lady Armenia and I left the carriage.  The commander of the soldiers sent to guard her was already barking orders to some of his men to see about reinforcing the current garrison troops, and a notable pair approached us from the direction of the commander’s quarters.  The garrison commander seemed familiar to me, walking with a pronounced limp and making use of a crutch, his left leg obviously having received a wound that had not properly healed.  He was an older human, dark hair graying from his temples, wearing a neatly trimmed beard with his hair cut short, still seeming to be in rather good shape overall aside from the leg.  He wore one of the Legion’s broadswords at his side, garbed in the tunic of a general.  He introduced himself as Lexaundre Asselin, and I certainly remembered the name then, for that name held only slightly less infamy than that of Res’Taringal for which the notable rebellion had been named.  He and his house had spoken in support of the Res’Taringals but had notably not committed any significant resources to the ill-fated operation, which is likely why he was alive now, and almost certainly why he had been sent into the Wildlands with such a small force with orders to tame it.

The second person to join us kept her distance, remaining back about ten feet from us, seemingly not interested in our discussions, though I doubted she was ignoring us.  It was a kerryn, golden hair loose about her shoulders, with red-tinged fur upon her ears and tail, brilliant blue-green eyes that faintly glowed, marking her clearly as a Stellae Illustris, even if the armor and cloak, bearing the red, black, and gold colors of the Emperor, and her collar stamped with the insignia of the order, had not marked her as such.  She was armed with a longer, narrower bladed sword than that of Asselin, which she kept one hand upon, ready to draw at a moment’s notice.  This was Aishi, as Asselin told us, his second shadow.  She offered us a smile then, playful, no, predatory, though she refused to bow as would other kerryn.  I had heard the Stella Illustris were quite proud of their positions, and would only bow to the Emperor himself, perhaps a handful of others, and seeing this behavior, perhaps that was indeed true.  She certainly came off as quite smug, the more I regarded her. 

Once our introductions were complete, Commander Asselin gave us the tour of Dawnsummit Redoubt, highlighting the impressive work they’d managed to complete so far in restoring the fort to its long-lost glory days, some centuries ago, and with such a small force.  Aishi remained behind us, but within a few strides should danger come, though I suspected her reason for being there was rather obvious, to ensure that Asselin did nothing to step out of line, to make sure that his support of the Emperor was genuine.  As I watched her out of the corner of my eye, I got the sense that she was quite dangerous, very much a great hunting cat stalking fresh pray as she tried to get a sense of what Lady Armenia and I were about.

Then we retired to the commander’s offices, where he showed us a map of the large region he had been tasked with civilizing, spread over the top of a table, the map itself a copy of one much older judging by the style of the drawings and relative newness of the parchment, lacking much in the way of details about the region besides major landmarks.  There were new additions however, drawn directly upon the map, showing several significant discoveries made by the adventurers who had come into the area seeking wealth and glory, including a few ruins and ancient ritual sites, lairs and territories of various hostile tribes of orcs, kobolds, gnolls, and even lizardmen in the area, and of course, the ruins that had recently been discovered marking what was thought to be an ancient temple of some sort, bearing draconic iconography.  With permission, I began making notes and copying the map for myself.

The adventurers had been gone for several days now but were expected to return within the week to resupply from their further attempts to secure the area around the ruins, and upon their return, we would have proper introductions, for I would be working closely with them going forward.  In the meantime, Dawnsummit and Vindinium were open to us.  There would be a feast later that night in honor of Lady Armenia, and she would retire to the quarters that had been prepared for her (and I, for now).  I would remain here, making my notes and studying the notes left by the adventurers, as well as the handful of artifacts they had recovered from the site.  I felt the eyes of Aishi lingering upon me for a few moments more as the others left, and I sensed that I would be having my own encounter with her before long.  There was something about her that made me nervous.

#Lore24 – Entry #312 – Fantasy Month IV #7 – Night at the Wayrest

From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos

Though I felt great embarrassment at my bound, magically altered, and partially revealed state, none of the soldiers nor the drakonae seemed to think it odd in the slightest, which formed many questions in my mind that unfortunately I could not immediately ask thanks to the very filling penile gag.  I felt the distinct shift in the air the moment we crossed onto the land surrounding the Wayrest that evening, the sun already beginning to form long shadows on the land.  Once we had come to a stop before the inn, Lady Armenia was quick to make her exit, seemingly possessed of a great deal of pent-up energy.  This of course left me alone in the carriage, but it was not long before her drakonae came inside and unbound me from the bench, then packed me carefully to the ground outside.  One of them snatched the dangling leash and guided me toward the inn’s entrance, turning to glance at me with annoyance several times at the slowness of my pace, even tugged the leash more forcefully as if that would spur me to move quicker. 

I offer no apologies; I had been sitting for most of the day and was quite stiff, even without the ridiculously restrictive attire I had been forced to wear for Lady Armenia’s amusement.  I suppose only the enchantments upon the outfit had kept my limbs from going at all numb and from being terribly sore.  The gawking of the farmhands, likely the children of the inn’s owner, sent a fresh flush of embarrassment through me, no doubt having never seen something like me in their lives. 

At least the atmosphere on my awkward walk toward the inn was mostly pleasant otherwise, the inn and associated farm nestled amongst rolling hills and lightly packed forest, with a rocky stream coming in from the higher mountains further to the southwest that would prove our biggest challenge on the next leg of our journey.  The evening air was cool but pleasant on my exposed flesh, which made my mercilessly teased nipples remain quite erect.  My enjoyment of the scene was short lived, however, for I was brought inside as quickly as I could manage with my tiptoed steps.

Though the banter I heard between lady Armenia and the proprietor was rather jovial, when I came in, the plump human woman, streaks of gray in her hair, turned a disapproving scowl at me, her eyes immediately dropping to my newly formed and caged genitalia.  She shook her head, shooting a look at Lady Armenia, asking if I’d be attending dinner in such an indecent state.  With assurances that I would be properly presentable, Lady Armenia motioned the drakonae toward the stairs, much to my displeasure.  I overhead more consternation from the witch about what damage my appearance could possibly have done to the “young and innocent minds” of her sons, but lost track of the rest of that conversation when it came time to navigate the stairs.  I had hardly mastered this most awkward technique, and the drakonae holding my leash was not as forgiving as Lady Armenia, tugging at it insistently while moving behind me to swat my behind with his bare hand when I failed to move fast enough.

I had earned nearly a dozen such swats by the time we topped the stairs, the flesh of my exposed behind reddened and stinging, for his strikes had grown more forceful the higher we went, and perhaps most annoyingly, my caged and restricted erection was straining against its prison most painfully now, my excitement having been rekindled by my treatment.  I hesitate to mention it, but I seem to be developing a fetish for being humiliated, yet I cannot deny what I have experienced, as much as I may wish to.

Topping the stairs, it was immediately apparent which room was Lady Armenia’s, for two of the drakonae stood guard on the door at the end of the hall, and it was this door I was ushered toward.  Once inside, though the room was undoubtedly the largest of the ones inside the inn, it seemed much smaller and less fine than befitting of someone of Lady Armenia’s stature.  I was taken to the bed and told to sit, which I did most gratefully, and waited with my leash tied to the bedpost, flexing my feet and listening to the sounds of the fine leather creaking over my body as I shifted about in the quiet.  I noted that Lady Armenia’s chests had already been brought up.

It was perhaps another thirty minutes before Lady Armenia came to the room, bringing with her the scent of cooking meat and fresh bread.  She sat beside me and fondled my breasts for a time, teasing my tormented cock with her tail, not saying a word at first.  Then, once she had had her fill, she stood and brought me to my feet, announcing that it was time to make me presentable for dinner with Melanis, the Witch of the Ways who owned the inn.  My accusatory look at the one responsible for my poor impression only garnered a smile and a look that could have passed for pure innocence had I not known better of Lady Armenia’s nature.  Perhaps it was for that reason she left my gag for last when my restrictive attire was finally removed, the cool air upon my sweaty skin quite refreshing.  I was allowed to wash up and fix my hair, though Lady Armenia insisted that I wear it up in a pair of tails instead of my usual braid, much to my annoyance.

As I would soon learn, my annoyance was only just beginning; this would become a common theme with Lady Armenia.  While I had cleaned up, she had already picked out my eveningwear, and when I turned from the mirror to see it laid out upon the bed, I gulped and shrank away.  She looked every bit the grinning devil her heritage would indicate as she watched my reaction.  “A warrior mage such as yourself needs armor, yes?  If I am not mistaken, you favor a highly mobile style, dancing about your enemies?  Don’t worry, this is quite light weight, I assure you; it’s made of the same mythril as your cage, after all, and enchanted to ensure that you are protected.  I promise it won’t stay on…forever.  This should ensure our hostess that you have no intentions whatsoever on her sons.  Don’t dawdle, my dear, Melanis won’t be pleased if we are late for dinner.”

A finely crafted set of full chastity gear lay before me upon the bed, my arcane sight revealing that it was indeed strongly enchanted, but with more than simple protection.  I had witnessed several Yurisayan priests and priestesses wearing such things, not uncommon in their order, but never thought I’d be wearing one.  All of the pieces were lined in leather and inscribed with intricate patterns of thorny vines, mixed with arcane runes, and the belt was curiously crafted with male anatomy in mind; how long had she been planning this, or did her order have such things ready and waiting? 

“Oh, there is another item before we get you dressed, a little preparation for what comes later on, and something to keep you entertained.”  She beckoned me toward her with one clawed finger.  Sighing, I approached and followed her lead when she bent me over before the bed.  She caressed my backside for a moment, told me to spread my legs and relax.  I had my suspicions of what she had in mind, recalling some of my more debaucherous nights during my tenure as Alekos’s tutor, and breathed out slowly.  Sure enough, I felt the rounded head of the butt plug pressing against my anus, felt the cool lubricant spread from the enchanted device, and allowed her to push it inside me, wincing momentarily as the widened base, feeling quite huge, pushed inside me.  She tapped the base of the plug, and I felt it grow ever-so-slightly larger, grunting as it did.  Worse, I felt it vibrate, slowly, then strongly, for only a few seconds, then stop. 

My “armor” went on next, beginning with the chastity belt portion first of course.  The enchanted mythril resized to a perfect, snug fit, the larger, bulging cover for my cock reshaping itself perfectly around the cage as it was latched and magically sealed around my waist.  The chest piece came next, the formed cups fitting tightly around my breasts, seeming to grab hold of my nipple piercings in some way on the inside that ensured I would feel them with every move I made, a pair of delicate but strong mythril chains going over my shoulders, crossing behind my back for additional support.  Pairs of cuffs went around my biceps and wrists next, followed by thicker bands around my thighs, which were joined to the waist belt via more chains, magically connecting together once they were in place to ensure I couldn’t spread my legs very wide at all.  The final pieces, a pair of ankle cuffs, were soon in place as well, leaving my whole body glowing with shame, my mind already furiously coming up with ways in which the attire could be used to torment me.

I could already feel my discomfort and arousal growing as I shifted and tested my movement; though the weight of the gear was barely noticeable, the way the items hugged my body and applied pressure in the worst places most certainly was.  Somehow, the cage around my cock felt even more constricted now, and I was already dripping.  My nipples were aching, constantly rubbing against the inside of the mythril cups in an unrelenting tease.  Lady Armenia watched my squirming about with great amusement for a time, but brought us back to the moment, handing me a pair of thigh-length leggings and leather riding boots, which were more easily donned than I had suspected given the helpful nature of the enchantments upon my new “armor”, which more or less magically applied the garments once I had started putting them on, nestling them beneath the cuffs.  Atop all of my gear went a more sensible riding dress in shades of brown and green, its long sleeves covering my arms completely, the skirt hanging to my ankles, leaving only my collar visible.  Indeed, it should more than adequately satisfy the apparent “decency” requirement from the mistress of the house.

Properly attired now, my face no doubt revealing my embarrassment, though thankfully the mythril was light enough that I could barely hear the chains and chastity gear clinking beneath the dress, we ventured downstairs.  It only took a few moments before the new plug in my rear began to vibrate, setting off both my nipple rings and cock cage, making my steps falter, and I would come to learn that this would be a constant, unrelenting force, activating randomly, and with random levels of intensity, throughout dinner and beyond. 

Melanis still seemed to wear a look of disapproval when she looked at me, but at least she wasn’t particularly cold to me otherwise.  The common room was filled with Lady Armenia’s entourage and a mix of the soldiers, some having remained on guard duty for now in spite of the safety offered by the inn, as well as the drakonae as well as the owner’s family, those who had saw me earlier seeming quite disappointed that I had covered myself so thoroughly.  Had it not been for all the awkward squirming and frequent distractions from the vibrating devices upon me that caused me to stutter or lose my train of thought, no doubt painting me as something of a dullard, dinner was mostly pleasant and, dare I say, normal. 

Lady Armenia would see to it that came to an end once we had retired for the evening, though.  I was stripped to my “armor” soon after we had returned to the room, leaving only my stockings in place beneath my mythril gear, and she somehow commanded the piercings, cock cage, and butt plug to activate at a most intense setting.  She announced it was time for additional training, and soon produced a sizeable dildo, shaped to appear as a most convincing, larger than average penis.  She spread her robes as she sat upon the bed, revealing her admittedly impressive thighs, holding the phallus between her legs, and then commanded me to show her what I knew about pleasing men. 

I was somewhat ashamed to admit that I knew more having learned some things from Ryona using similar methods.  I did as instructed, though, using my mouth and tongue upon the device as my various vibrating devices kept me squirming and on edge.  Her hand soon went to the back of my head, forcing the dildo deeper.  This I hadn’t practiced much, so she made sure to move slowly from here, just a fraction deeper each thrust, stopping when I gagged or she sensed me tensing, promising all the while that I would be quite proficient at such things before I left her service.

Certainly not something to be particularly proud of, but I didn’t exactly protest her instructions, did I? 

Once Lady Armenia was satisfied that I had learned enough for the evening, she had me rise before she magically cleaned the dildo with a quick spell of cleaning, then replaced it amongst her things.  She blindfolded me then, and replaced the feeder gag harness atop it, the penis inside feeling larger than before as she tightened the straps.  I was guided to one side of the large bed, my ankle and wrist cuffs lashed to the footboard and headboard respectively, leaving me stretched out in only mild discomfort.  Bidding me to rest while I could, saying that she must pray and perform her nightly rituals, she tugged the deprivation hood over my head again, leaving me oblivious to the world beyond.  Only when she finally slipped into the bed beside me, cuddling up to me and wrapping her tail around my thigh did the vibrations cease, finally allowing me to sleep, though it would be some time yet before I settled down enough to do so.

#Lore24 – Entry #311 – Fantasy Month IV #6 – The Journey to the Wildlands

From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos

I heard Lady Armenia rise early the next morning, for I was already awake, still squirming helplessly and uselessly attempting to sate the very intense and unrelenting desire within myself and my new member.  To put it quite bluntly, I was a sweating, quivering, moaning mess that morning, having had almost no sleep, my uselessly balled hands having spent much of the night in their vain quest to stimulate my caged penis into achieving some kind of release as it swelled and strained against the unrelenting mythril cage that held it entrapped.  The stiffness and tightness of my attire had done less than nothing to induce any feelings of relaxation as well, leaving me quite discomforted by morning.

I was left to stew for some time yet, until Lady Armenia had gotten herself dressed and prepared for the journey with the aid of one of her attendants, who, I am quite sure, was not subject to the same magical transformation as me, nor was she forced to wear such strict attire, just the common servants clothes.  Soon enough, however dazed I was, I was assisted to rise, and Lady Armenia once again took hold of my leash to lead me along, once my hands were properly restrained behind my back of course.  It was to the courtyard she led me, where her team of drakonae waited, each carrying backpacks fit for a long journey, and armed with recurve bows and short swords and hunting knives. 

Lady Armenia told me that the rest of her entourage awaited us in Scarbantia, and for a moment I was absolutely mollified, for it would take us at least two weeks of travel to reach the distant city by carriage, and perhaps another week or more to reach the edge of the Empire, depending on the exact region she intended to visit.  With my lack of sleep and constant horny distraction having addled my senses, I had failed to observe the presence of a teleportation circle, which I only noticed when the marker stones were activated and began glowing, filling the area with their magic aura. 

Indeed, once the party had appeared on the corresponding circle in Scarbantia, still in that most dark period before dawn this far west, I saw no less than three wagons and a carriage that would only have been Lady Armenia’s, as well as several mounted Imperial soldiers, at least two dozen from my count.  She immediately led me toward the waiting carriage, and with some help from her drakonae, I was loaded inside like so much baggage and maneuvered onto one of the bench seats, and then we were off at a brisk pace once Lady Armenia had settled herself.  Being the wife of General Komides, I suppose I should have suspected such a force to protect her.

Our journey would take us southwest, she told me, and we would visit the last Wayrest tonight before starting down the Malarshaw Road to the region that held the curious ruin she was so interested in, a trip that, with the numbers in our party, would take approximately eight days, not accounting for bad weather or other delays.  The look upon her face when she told me that we would be getting to know one another quite intimately during this period was absolutely devilish, and not merely because of her red skin, upward curving horns, and sharp teeth. 

As the formation settled into a proper travelling pace, Lady Armenia settled herself upon the bench next to me, easing me over to lean against her, and wrapped one arm around me, her hands once again exploring and teasing my breasts, giving special attention to my new rings, tugging and flipping them idly as we continued on.  Her tail, quite serpentine in its behavior, snaked around my waist and wrapped itself around the infernal cage and my quite sensitive new anatomy, the sharp tip poking through the mythril prison just hard enough to make me jump each time, while the wrapped tail squeezed and massaged.  Her lips found my ear, as did her tongue, and her teeth, for she nibbled and teased occasionally, all the while I whimpered, moaned, and pleaded through the phallic feeder gag for some kind of release.

Some time later, as the sun began to rise, Lady Armenia granted me a great mercy, finally bringing her teasing to an end, at least for the time being.  She continued to hold me close, her hands massaging soreness from my body as they explored it, and she told me to be at ease, to find peace in her embrace, and to rest.  I sensed her working the charm, but did not resist as the sleeping enchantment overtook me, falling into a deep and blissful slumber, in spite of the decidedly erotic dreams I would have.

I would not awaken until after noon that day, feeling refreshed if not any freer than I had been.  In fact, I was more restrained, having been secured into the seat by no less than six stout leather straps that I hadn’t realized were there.  As I stirred, Lady Armenia looked hungrily upon me from the opposite side of the carriage, making me squirm.  Though she was of high rank in society, she still wore the attire of a priestess, though in silks rather than more common materials, and her accessories were of gold and silver.  I squirmed, straining against the straps to no avail, as I tried to put distance between us.

She laughed then, a surprise to be sure, and returned to my side of the carriage, this time straddling my restrained form, pressing her knees against my hips and resting upon my legs.  She removed my gag before she started playing with my breasts again, hooking the claws of her thumbs into the nipple rings to tug or twist.  We spoke for some time as we continued along the road, mostly with her asking me questions about my time at the Library, and then focusing more upon my experiences with the lewd and erotic when my responses proved to be rather mundane.  She seemed rather pleased that I was so inexperienced in so much that she promised to show me in excruciating detail once we were safely to our destination, and some on the road beforehand.  Of our night at the Wayrest she seemed to be most excited, however she kept those details hidden at the time.

Perhaps it was the lingering, unending arousal I had experienced since my “recruitment” into her service that clouded my usually reasonable mind, or perhaps her mazoku nature had done so…or perhaps my inquisitive nature had evolved in the months I had spent tutoring her son and experiencing a rather abundant amount of pleasures at the hands of his kerryn slave Ryona, some at his behest, others all of her own devising.  Regardless of the cause, I found myself excited for these experiences, even though I had little choice in the matter.  Though…I had the sense that if I had been unwilling to participate in any of her games, Lady Armenia would not have forced me into anything I truly did not wish to participate in. 

She ended our question-and-answer time before I could ask her anything in return (I am beginning to think my Lady Armenia might just be a little unfair in her dealings…), deigning it time for my mouth to practice at something else that didn’t involve speech.  I was released from the bench and guided to the floor of the carriage, and this time, with her holding the leash, I was first to busy my tongue in cleaning her fine leather boots.  Fortunately for me, she had yet to exit the carriage on this day, so the leather was quite pristine, though certainly not my preferred flavor, even though it may have been Lady Armenia’s.  Following this, I had to undo the laces with my teeth before she removed her boots, thus allowing me to partake of her rather aromatic and sweaty, stocking-clad feet.  Translated, she held her feet before me and pulled my leash between them, forcing my face into them, where I was “allowed” to breathe of her essence for a time, before my tongue was once again “allowed” to explore them.

Throughout this worshipful ordeal, my nipple rings were constantly abuzz, as was the ring at the base of the cage surrounding my dribbling cock, which strained quite uncomfortably inside that unforgiving device.  I had sought to inquire with Lady Armenia about what I should do with the constantly leaking nature of my restricted asset, but she seemed not the least bit concerned by it, for her foot was soon teasing it again, only this time, after she had finally used both feet upon it, squeezing and teasing the swollen testes between her soles, she bade me clean them off.  I suppose that’s another entry on the list of things I had not expected to experience this week…

She seemed quite eager for more, but insisted she was restraining herself, saving herself, really, for tonight once we reached the Wayrest.  She replaced her boots upon her feet and decided that she too would nap, once more securing me to my place on the bench and replacing my feeder gag before she lay back on the other side of the carriage, but not before she gave me a long kiss upon my gag-covered lips.  She seemed rather restless for a time, her hands finding their way to her own breasts and between her legs, only for her to jerk them away suddenly, though she finally settled down into sleep.  A curious observation, though one that would make sense later…mostly.

At least the windows were open, allowing me to see the passing countryside as we rode onward.  It would have been a dreadfully boring time otherwise; thankfully the Wayrest was only another couple of hours away.

#Lore24 – Entry #310 – Fantasy Month IV #5 – To Serve Lady Armenia

From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos

Though I was left hanging in the dungeon for some time, I would find little in the way of respite from Lady Armenia’s machinations.  The new devices and…anatomy…which she had equipped me with proved to be every bit as capable of keeping me in a lustful daze as the lady herself.  And yes, I must now refer to her as “Lady Armenia” during my entries, for she insists upon me calling her that in person and says I should do so in my writings as well to continue to show her proper respects. 

Once I was finally released from my bondage and allowed to bathe, I found little relief.  I of course probed my caged cock…I doubt I shall ever find writing that to be anything close to normal…finding its continued sensitivity to be maddening, only compounded by the tightness of the cage it was now confined within, sealed by magic that I dare not attempt to break, as it is a surprisingly strong enchantment with layers of magic that I could not identify that was likely of a very punishing nature.  It seems that every minor touch to my cock sends a shiver through me; I can only begin to wonder if all men must deal with such issues, or if it is the magic or simply the newness of mine that makes it so difficult to deal with.  I am not entirely sure how the transformation magic works, either, as it is beyond my ability to replicate, my female genitalia completely replaced by this new organ, though my breasts remain intact…if perhaps somewhat larger now, and perhaps more sensitive as well.  I am assured by Lady Armenia that all will be returned to normal upon the completion of my service with her, “should I desire it to be so.”

I am still uncertain as to my feelings on this situation.  I am certainly angry, though I likewise find certain fascination with it all.  My initial outrage and shock have faded, though Lady Armenia still finds ways to rile me up each and every day.  She has a particular knack for such things, I believe, and relishes in my discomfort. 

This is evident given her choice of my attire, for when I am with her, she is to choose what I wear.  I surmise that the nature of the contract between her and Mother is rather fluid and vague to allow such things, though Lady Armenia insists I not fret over the “frivolous details”.  It seems my hopes that I would never again wear the restrictive dress Alekos had tailored for me were in vain, for it was this very costume which Lady Armenia had chosen for me to wear, with a few minor alterations to better suit her.

The ridiculously high heeled shoes that I had originally worn with the dress were replaced in favor of even more ridiculous footwear, specifically a pair of knee-length boots which had even taller heels, these forcing my feet downward to the point that I would be walking on my toes.  It seemed Lady Armenia was quite aware of my superior agility and balance, though I would not personally have insisted upon such footwear to test my grace.  The small arcane locks on the straps at the ankles and knees to ensure I kept them on were also quite troubling. 

The tight, black leather of the dress, of a hobbling design with a high neck that was the current fashion, already quite tight as it had originally been tailored, was made even more restrictive via an enchantment that had swiftly been added to it that would resize it absolutely perfectly to my curves, making it something of a second skin.  I would also notice that two sections of the leather had been removed, namely the area that covered my breasts, and those covering my pelvic area, leaving me little in the way of decency.

Once I had managed to fit the dress upon myself, it hugged me quite tightly, leaving my breasts and pierced nipples clearly exposed, as was my ass and my new, caged anatomy.  I would find my steps limited to barely a few inches between the dress and the boots, though this would only grow somehow more restrictive when Lady Armenia insisted upon adding the stout leather corsets, these in a deep red shade, one wrapping my torso from hips to just below my breasts, the other about my neck, to be worn beneath my collar.  Already at my limits, this would prove quite the challenge to overcome, especially once the gloves were added.  These bicep-length leather gloves had been altered as well, fit with a pair of red leather cuffs at wrist and bicep, as well as having the fingers altered so that my hands were forced into fists, ensuring their uselessness. 

Making use of the cuffs to secure my arms behind my back, Lady Armenia would insist that I learn to walk properly now that I could only stand mostly straight as an arrow, further enforced by the rigid corsets, tight dress, and tall boots.  She seemed to take great delight in my suffering as, after attaching a leash to my collar, she guided me through a multitude of exercises to ensure that I would be able to walk with “the utmost grace and poise”, making liberal use of a riding crop when I faltered or did not respond to her instructions quickly enough.  The vibrations of the nipple rings, and to my horror, the cage around my cock, kept me in a constant state of distracted arousal, making my ordeal that much more difficult.  The sting of the crop against my backside and even my new anatomy made me stumble even more than the infraction that had prompted the correction, thus prompting another correction.

I would learn later the boots had been enchanted as well, making it exceptionally difficult for me to actually fall while wearing them, but I did not know that at the time, and suffered greatly because of it, though Lady Armenia certainly enjoyed my predicament.  Once our first session had ended, she guided me to her chambers in what I assumed was a private estate that she owned, her perhaps was owned by the church itself, taking a very long and very painful and quite embarrassing tour of the grounds, which included its own chapel and gardens.  There were plenty of people around, other members of the church, mostly, but some outsiders like gardeners and other visiting nobility, all of which seemed to stare at me in ways that ranged from amused, amazed, lustful, envious, shameful, and disapproving, and likely more. 

Navigating the stairs in the residence proved quite difficult, though not impossible.  I simply had to learn to hop high enough, and Lady Armenia’s crop certainly helped with motivating me to succeed on my first attempts.

I noted that it was nearly sunset by this time we came to her chambers, in which I would, in spite of my growing weariness and great soreness born of the crop, be introduced to additional services I would be required to perform for her.  With my arms released from behind my back, and the gloves magically changing from balling my fists to regular gloves, I would show her some of what I had learned from Ryona during my time with her, specifically foot massage, both with hands and tongue.  Kneeling upon the floor was a trying experience, and I only accomplished it with Lady Armenia’s aid; thankfully she did not expect me to do it on my own, anyway.

Lady Armenia’s mazoku nature only increased my intense arousal as I removed her boots, her scent and the somewhat spicy taste of her sweaty feet upon my tongue were very nearly electric, making my whole body tingle with excitement to be this close to her, and the pleasure-filled moans she made only served to heighten my need to please her, so fully enthralled by her presence was I. 

Since I could only tend one foot at a time, her other foot was constantly working to tease my caged cock, rubbing at the cage with her toes or pressing down teasingly upon my balls, causing a mixture of pain and pleasure that had me squirming with a most delightful agony.  All the while, my face burned with shame and embarrassment, though my aroused state barely changed, my nipples hard and erect, my new cock straining against the tiny cage that held it, constantly dripping as I shifted and squirmed in vain to find some kind of relief.  Perhaps it had been my desire to stay in Draconis Magna for a time that had started me down this perverse road to begin with, my body and mind now hopelessly corrupted by the pleasures of the flesh I would never have known had I stayed at the Great Library.

Lady Armenia insists that I am being overly dramatic with that last line, for she is reading over my shoulder as I write this, though has made no efforts to correct or alter what it is I write here, has even stated I have something of a talent for description of my predicament that she finds quite enjoyable. 

Once her feet had been properly pleasured and her passionate flames greatly kindled, Lady Armenia had expressed a desire to continue further, though had decided to deny her own gratification for now so that she would find even higher pleasures in the very near future.  “It is a long journey we embark upon tomorrow, after all; there will be plenty of time to educate you on the way.”  With that, my gloves were once again shifted back to the mittens that would make my hands useless, and this time  my wrists were secured in front of me as I was led to my bed, that of a maidservant in the smaller room adjacent to her chambers.  She helped me into the bed, securing my leash to a nearby ring set into the wall, and then fit me with a rather large, phallic gag harness, telling me to enjoy my rest. 

Thankfully it was a feeder gag, for I was rather famished, and I found myself greedily sucking on the warm, salty mixture that came from it, heedless of the perceived lewdness of the act.  Considering what had just befallen me, and the fact hat my hands were constantly pawing at my caged cock as I lay squirming on the bed with only the sounds of the leather creaking and my own panting moans to lull me into what could have been generously described as a “fitful slumber”, I would barely consider suckling on the penile gag that great of a perversity. 

There would be more than ample opportunity to experience even greater perversities in the very near future, as I would find out soon enough.

#Lore24 – Entry #309 – Fantasy Month IV #4 – A Lopsided Bargain

From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos

As I hung helplessly in the grasp of Lady Armenia, she continued to relentlessly tease my body in a way I had never experienced.  Certainly, Alekos and Ryona had teased me during our rather erotic trysts between his classes, but not like this.  The combination of her mazoku nature and her training as a Yurisayan priestess were, for lack of a better term, maddening.  She knew exactly how and where to touch me to work my body into a mess of heated lust, and exactly how to keep it right there, on the very edge of attaining the pleasures I had soon sought and thought I had lost all cravings for after I had left as Alekos’s tutor. 

I cannot know how long exactly she kept me on edge, but it could have been hours.  She practically turned my mind to jelly during the time, had even seemed to twist my body’s perception of the pain she caused by the pinches and scrapings of her claws into pleasure.  She said little during this time, at least that I can recall, only making a few comments on the pleasureful sounds and physical responses I made in response to her touch which left me feeling great shame at my lack of control.

Once I had been properly edged for this small eternity, had become even hotter and sweatier than I had in the trunk as I hung helplessly in my bindings, she finally began to tell me of the reason she had intercepted me on my way back to the Great Library.  She did perceive some slight from my leaving my tutorship early and felt that I had somehow gone against the bargain originally arranged between the Library and her.  I tried to protest this, but of course, she had yet to remove the gag, so my complaints were quite ineffectual.  She had taken it upon herself, then, to see that the full terms of my service were to be handled in a different way:  I would serve as her historical and archaeological expert on an upcoming expedition to the south-western Wildlands, to help her and her people to study some ruins that were found there, as well as several artifacts that were found within them by an adventuring party who were working to civilize the area.

She said that she had already sent word to Mother regarding this and received a positive response (though I have yet to see such correspondence), and had come to a tentative agreement for an extension of the term should my work prove satisfactory.  And, of course, there would be additional requirements that she would have of me, given how she seemed to think that I had offended her and somehow impugned the honor of her son and her family name.  I personally feel that she was being most overdramatic in this assertion and had blown it up into something much more than it was, but who am I to argue with someone of her station and power?  Who save perhaps the Emperor himself and a handful of nobles would challenge someone of her station?  And over a lowly librarian such as myself? 

I was in quite the mess, to put it mildly, and certainly, I feel, not of my own making. 

But that would not be all, for Armenia then declared that she would continue my own ‘education’ to assist me in future endeavors, to help me learn from my failures (in her mind, I contest) to understand her “dear son’s unique predicament,” as well as expand my knowledge of Yurisaya’s ways.  By this time, somewhere in my pleasure-addled brain, I’m certain that I protested this, though I can’t recall if I actually tried to form words to such effect or simply made lustful noises and wiggled in her grasp.  It has all become something of a blur in my memory, a deficiency of my own mind that I must try to correct.

She finally stopped teasing me for a few moments then, but only so that she could bring over what I would be wearing for the foreseeable future as her “assistant”; I would learn that such a term, when used by a Yurisayan priestesses, or at least, by her, was possessed of much more responsibility than those which were simply academic.  She enacted a magical ritual upon me, tracing a magical rune upon my body with her claw and some mixture she dipped her claw into, forming a magical tattoo just over my pubic mound.  This, she said, would help me to better understand her son’s difficulties in dealing with his own lustful nature.

As I couldn’t see the rune she had inscribed upon me, not that I was able to think overly clearly at the time anyway, I was somewhat worried when I felt the magic take hold, felt my body beginning to transform itself.  I recall moaning into the ball between my lips as the strange sensation of pleasure and arcane energies coursed through me.  I am not sure how long it took to finish, but once it was done, I recalled feeling an unusual weight now resting between my legs, of an unusual throbbing sensation.  I was dumbfounded when I looked down to see a sizeable penis and testes hanging there, standing quite erect, my brain simply unable to process it in the moment.

Armenia then began to stroke my new appendage, filling my body with sensations I had never experienced before.  And yet, like she had done with my natural anatomy, she quickly had me squirming and moaning, on the edge of a climax I would never experience.  I could feel myself dripping, could feel her touch so keenly through this new, sensitive part of my anatomy. 

She further added to my plight by slowly and most erotically piercing my nipples, a mix of pleasure and pain that only added to that which I experienced from my…cock.  Here she attached a pair of stout golden rings, U-shaped, and set with faintly glowing rubies at the bottom of the U.  These, I would shortly discover, would vibrate through some control device she possessed, and would serve to keep me constantly on edge.  She placed a collar about my neck as well, heavy and golden, set with a similar ruby at the neck, which sealed with a click that sounded quite ominous in my ears.  Though this looked more like a richly designed necklace, it was no doubt a collar.

With these accessories done, she teased my new member some more, driving my pleasure-haze right back to that edge, but then announced there was but one more item to complete my ensemble.  Not knowing what it could have been, nor thinking at all clearly at the time, I dazedly watched as she secured a thick, silver ring around the base of my cock and balls, then proceeded to guide a matching silver cage around it, pressing it downward, forcing my erection painfully into the confines of the cage.  With a growing sense of erotically-charged horror, I watched helplessly as the cage met the ring, the metals fusing together and growing tighter around my new anatomy. 

Armenia then squeezed my testes, flicking the cage, sending an agonizing pleasure through my tightly trapped appendage, then patted my cheek, announcing that she had finished.  I would be allowed to “enjoy” my new predicament for a while longer, and then I would be freed of my bonds so that I may clean myself up and don some “appropriate attire”, then rest before we were to set out on our journey on the morrow. 

It would prove to be an arduous and long journey, as I will detail in my next entries, though I would learn much of which I had never intended to learn along the way.

#Lore24 – Entry #210 – Supers Month II #29 – An Immaculate Obsession

Musings of Demon Lord Kurae

You know what I absolutely LOVE to mess with more than culture and governments?  Religions!  Twisting the minds of the faithful is so very delightful, pet!  Why, do you know how many mortal souls I’ve converted to my cause through religion?  I’ve literally lost count.  Oh, it’s much fun corrupting them!

Now, take this soul that my minions have discovered.  She’s feeling rather desperate to find purpose in her life, praying to a god that may or may not exist, but one that isn’t answering any prayers from her regardless.  Now, that makes an absolutely perfect entryway for someone, say, myself, to take on the role of the god in question and guide this hapless sheep to the purpose she seeks.  Oh, yes, I’ve done this so many times, it’s practically like facing a newborn human child in battle.

I do have an advantage that others don’t when it comes to this kind of thing.  I can see every “sin” that a soul has committed, every bit of guilt, every little morsel of depravity it contains.  So, with a little nudge here, a bit of divine inspiration there, and a trickle of power to seal the bargain, just like that, I have a most loyal and blind follower. 

Just to spice things up a little, I’ve decided that this new church will be a most chaste one, a place for all the wayward souls to flock to where they’ll fine purpose in divine chastity, always completely and utterly sealed away from sexual pleasures, but always craving them, and always willing to do anything I could ask of them in the hopes of reaching that wondrous denied climax.  You humans really are that simple; you’re barely above animals where your sexual behaviors are concerned. 

What do you think, pet?  I’m thinking…yes, I like this aesthetic here, the look of these nuns, and…yes, heavy metal beneath their regalia, sealing away their naughty bits.  With the divine inspiration I’ve just given my newest devotee, she’ll be creating all kinds of devious devices in the name of her new lord.  We’ll call it the Sisterhood of the Immaculate Chastity…yes, that sounds quite delightful, doesn’t it?  Oh, we won’t discriminate, we’ll allow the boys in to, but they’ll have to conform to the standards of the church, mind you, and that could mean a bit of alteration, but I have people that can handle those details.

I really do enjoy my work too much sometimes, I think.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I’m a demon lord; excessive indulgence is part of the job.

#Lore24 – Entry #144 – Muckenmyre Month #23 – Conversations Along the Way

From the journal of Takara, Slave Inquisitor of the Stellae Illustris, Town Marshal of Grimbridge.

I took it upon myself to oversee the care of the twins while they were being held in front of the jail before transporting them out of town, giving them some relief from their bonds during meals and for a couple of periods of exercise during the day, though keeping them shackled with arms and fingers bound tightly together behind them.  I did not trust that their charms were entirely arcane in nature, as some mazoku have the ability to perform such magics with but their voice, so I prevented any ungagged speech with swift, painful discipline.  It seems they are capable of learning, however many times it took them to finally grasp the lesson I taught.

It was quite the procession that left Grimbridge early one morning, the two prison carts loaded with chained bandits, one twin in each, the merchants’ new wagons, one for the town guards and constable who would be making the journey to Ryanathyr, and several others riding on horseback for the trip, myself, Satella, Augra and Jessiryn, and the trio of freed prisoners as well.  If nothing else, it seems that the people of Grimbridge do nothing halfheartedly.  Though rain would be frequent during our travels, the route along the Grimbridge Way was pleasant enough, whatever weariness we had from the road eased with the line of wayfare inns spaced exactly as required along the route to provide rest at the end of each day.

I would finally learn of the nature of the noblewoman, her maidservant, and their would be mazoku protector during our journey, and would come to understand that the mistrust of the mazoku was not uncommon on this side of the world, whereas initially I had thought it simply the nature of the twins that had provoked such treatment upon them.  During our first night of rest at Izel’s inn, Ashley Lohengrin introduced himself to us as we finished dinner, expressing his thanks for our actions in freeing his charges and himself from the bandits, extending us a debt of honor that he would vow to fulfil.

As we spoke with Ashley, he revealed that he was of noble birth, and trained as a knight (I had already picked up on his excellent horsemanship and insistence upon respectful behavior, especially to women, during our time in town and along the road), though he was a bastard child, and shunned by much of noble society due to his nature.  It was here that I learned that mazoku were seen as demon-tainted and untrustworthy by many in this land, a reminder of those foul creatures that brought the Great Cataclysm.  He was of the opinion that it was the elves that had been responsible for spreading such tales, for most mazoku were simply trying to live like anyone else, and were unfairly judged based on appearances alone, though the behavior of certain members of the race like the twins had done little to disprove such lies.  It was this distrust that the Lady Azenora Glanndour, whom he had promised to rescue and chased into the swamp, despised him so; she had it in her head that a proper knight and hero should be beautiful and trustworthy, not a demon-spawned outcast noble.  It was the reason she barely tolerated his presence, and only for as long as it took for her to be returned to her home.

It was a curious observation that the Lady Glanndour saw Ashley as unsavory to look upon, for I thought him quite attractive by most standards within the Empire; I had seen many high-ranking mazolu back home that looked far closer to their demonic heritage than he.  His features were decidedly feminine, as we had seen in great detail during our sneaking through the old fort’s prison, delicate and soft, his voice likewise sounding as a would a young woman’s.  His skin was of a paler blue hue than that of Chastity, his pink hair long and tied in a thick braid, his eyes a more common reddish-orange hue, while his horns were smaller than those of the twins, curving upward from his forehead, his pointed ears indicating possible elven blood in him as well.

I found it curious that his kind were treated in such a way here, whereas the mazoku were just as able to succeed as anyone else in the Empire save the kerryn slaves; I knew of at least three prominent senators and two high ranking generals who were of mazoku lineage.  During the course of our conversations along the journey, I would tell him of the mazoku within the Empire, of how there was little in the way of prejudice against them there, and of some examples I had encountered there.  Our discussions would also turn to the nature of the kerryn within the Empire, and I would relate to him the nature of our slavery, of our penance for breaking the world.  This seemed to upset him greatly, and he would tell me much that I would ponder for some time to come, of the kerryn he knew here, the nomadic people who travelled freely, of those who held great power within the cities, of those who openly defied the lies the elves spread of them.  It seemed fanciful to me, and having not met another kerryn during my time upon these shores, I could not say that I believed what it was he told me, though I sensed no deception within his words; admittedly I found the ideas…appealing.  It was with some shame that I admit this, for my thoughts have been straying greatly from those appropriate for a slave of my position.

My conversations with Ashley seemed to have put me in contempt of the noblewoman, though.  My conversations with her could hardly be called such, for she obviously had little intention of speaking to me or anyone else, relying upon Enora, her servant, for most things, though curiously I did notice that she kept looking at Jessiryn during the journey in a manner that suggested attraction.  I certainly bear no ill-will on her decision to treat me so, as it befits her noble status, and I am but a humble slave, after all.  Or at least, I’m trying to be; my thoughts and actions are making me question things that I should not question.

Though focused upon my duties to Grimbridge, my thoughts would only grow more muddled and harder for me to understand once we reached Ryanathyr.

#Lore24 – Entry #143 – Muckenmyre Month #22 – Grimbridge Justice

From the journal of Takara, Slave Inquisitor of the Stellae Illustris, Town Marshal of Grimbridge.

Though I thought it too light a sentence for allowing myself to get into such a state, Satella deemed that not curing my hangover and letting me deal with the consequences an entirely adequate punishment, though it was one I would not suffer alone, for she too imbibed too much that day.

I was late to rise that morning, and by the time I had managed to get myself ready for the day, it was already mid-morning, and the town was already hard at work on deciding the fate of our prisoners.  The twins were still pilloried outside the jail, though wearing some foul-smelling mixture of swamp mud, rotten fruits and vegetables, and other substances I could not immediately identify.  They gnawed at their bits in an almost frantic state, shaking and jerking at their restraints as I approached them, fear in their eyes.  I paused then, watching their reaction, considering that perhaps my methods were far too harsh for this land.  Then I thought of what destruction the pair could have caused in town, how easily they had thrown in with bandits, and how they had so casually tried to open an unknown portal in the hold keep and decided that my punishments for them were perhaps not enough.

I sought the mayor and the constable then, finding them with the town council and several of the town guard, recording statements from the merchant caravan and the prisoners we had freed.  They were bringing in the bandits one at a time, trying to get information out of them, but their resolve to keep their mouths shut seemed to have been bolstered by the confidence of their leader now that he’d had a chance to recover from the fight.  I watched proceedings for a time, eventually getting called for my statement on the matter, which I gladly related with due diligence on the details, though perhaps I was a bit too thorough for this particular region?   I simply gave reports as I usually did, with all the details I had been trained to convey to my masters, but kept getting prompted to speed things along. 

Eventually, once the morning’s procedures had closed, I offered my services as an interrogator to the town, to pry any remaining information from the bandits regarding additional forces, other hideouts, their plot with the noble girl, whatever else I could get from them.  Though Mayor Pleasence may have suspected the things I knew, and perhaps others as well, given the commonalities I shared with Satella, confirming what I am to them now revealed some apprehension on several faces.  Nonetheless, I offered to perform what must be done, and likewise offered the promise that no permanent damage would be incurred upon the brigands, if that was what concerned them.  I likewise offered to punish the criminals for their deeds, consistent with town law, if others did not wish to do so themselves; my hands were stained with enough blood, a little more would not matter, and it was for the public good.

Though their discussion lasted some time, it was eventually decided to allow me to proceed.  Satella had shown up by now, though remained silent, though encouraging.  I began the process by entering the jail with the jeering prisoners, allowing them their moment of bravado, before I picked one of the lesser thugs at random and had him hauled out to an accompanying room, well within earshot of the others.  I’ll spare the details of my methods here but to say that the bandit screamed for some time, and when he was returned to the cell, on the edge of consciousness and a quivering mess, not a mark upon him, the others were much cowed.  I stared down Jaggedtusk now, quickly forcing him to turn away, his own confidence now in doubt.  I picked another bandit, the second largest of them after their leader, and began to question him.  He was quite eager to speak to me of their intentions, and it took little prompting to get the answers we sought.  Once I had the information, I related to him the fate he had avoided by being so cooperative, in excruciating detail, with the promise that it could still happen if he revealed what we had spoken of to his companions.  He was shaking and in tears when they brought him back to cell, and absolutely refused to speak.

The fear within the jail rose significantly.

The next time I entered, I chose Jaggedtusk himself.  Though he tried to put on a strong front, I could see his nervousness clearly.  Once the guards had left us alone, I simply stared at him across the table for some time, my expression completely neutral.  His unease grew steadily, and he began to squirm, and no matter what he said, I did not reply, only shifted my head slightly one way or the other.  When I finally leaned forward and placed my hands on the table, he nearly jumped out of his skin.  Then I allowed myself a slight smile as I looked upon him, stating calmly that I had finally decided how I wanted to make him scream.  He offered me everything at that point, eager to please me and avoid the torture he had imagined.  When he was returned to the cells, he was a much-deflated man.  The following interviews were just that; having seen their leader broken, the other bandits were quick to offer up all that they knew.

My job finished to my satisfaction, as it was late in the day now, I returned to the mayor, constable, and town council, relating what I had learned. There was thankfully no grand plot against Grimbridge; the bandits had simply formed over time and had been getting more bold in their actions as they moved south, eventually learning of the keep in the swamps.  They had been operating for a few months now, tending to keep their unlawful activities to the north of the swamp due to better choice of targets.  Capturing the noblewoman, the maid, and her would be protector had simply been an opportunity they had come upon on the roads south of Ryanathyr during one of their raids, their appearances fancying Jaggedtusk, who had admitted to having to real plans on turning them over for some time.  Undoubtedly there was a reward for their safe return and the capture of the ones responsible. 

Though I was now looked upon with newfound trepidation by the members of the council, they nonetheless thanked me for my efforts in aiding the town and ensured me and my companions would be rewarded properly.  When further discussion had ceased, it was ultimately decided that the lot of the bandits and the twins, would be transported to Ryanathyr and delivered for their ultimate justice there, likely to be sentenced to hard labor in the Iron Valley Prison.  Satella and I volunteered to join the town guard in escorting them north, and soon enough, Jessiryn and Augra would inform us that they would be going along as well, as would some of the merchants and the former prisoners.  Official documents would be drawn up the following morning, and a pair of wagons would be fashioned to hold the prisoners over the next two days. 

On a rather cool and rainy morning, our party, with prisoners in tow, would set out from Grimbridge for the four-day journey along the Way, bound for the City of Ryanathyr.