Witches' Thralls Novel Ch. 1 (Patreon)

I have been... writing. Surprise!

Witches' Thralls initially attempted to exist in comic format, and still might to some extent down the line, but as time went on I was much more interested in different aspects of the world and story than simply its possibilities as a porn setup, so... consider this an appropriate pivot! Here is a preview:

Rooted in the devils’ plane, The Karnan Academy of Magical Arts was an old and elaborate campus. Its collective of ornate spired buildings pierced the skyline in the heart of the Erduin Valley, the vine-laced towers of beige cobblestone rising over the forest canopy with swirling golden accents that glistened in the sunlight. The school’s reputation was well-known, serving as Karna’s primary place of magical education, and as such its sprawling dormitories housed students of all kinds. It of course had no shortage of the land’s native demons looking to hone their spellcraft, but among them also walked, crawled and flew all manner of fae and animal kin, elves and orcs, and, in recent decades, the humans of Terra.

Serving as a connective plane, Karnans were no strangers to welcoming new kinds to their lands, though they certainly found Terrans to be of mixed quality. Being a species clearly used to holding a dominant position in their own world, they frequently struggled to navigate the complexities of their neighboring realm’s more interdependent society. More than a few had entered over the years with naked ambitions of claiming the realm as their own, be it by economic persuasion or raw use of force, but their successes had been, put graciously, minimal. Still, Terrans held the nasty reputation of being manipulative towards others and far too convinced of the “inarguable” power of money, and many a bad actor helped reinforce that impression while visiting the realm.

The Academy was no exception to these patterns, but the administration was quite used to such things. Ambition and lust for power were not lacking even among the higher echelons of Karnan witches, never mind within the ranks of the numerous candidates walking the Academy's halls. The High Council was composed of little if not the sort that the stereotypical Terran would feel right at home with. It was other shortcomings that made Terrans so rare among the student body.

The entrance qualifications for the school were clearly defined and strictly enforced by the Council, and the majority of Terran applicants would find themselves swiftly rejected. Terra was lacking in the kind of magical energy that infused itself into the beings of other worlds, leaving its human residents at a distinct disadvantage. For a Terran to make the cut at all, they needed to demonstrate an incredible sort of adaptability and aptitude, as most were deemed too lacking in magical compatibility to be worth refining. Only the most exceptional and determined Terrans were permitted to walk the school’s halls.

All the more confusing, then, was Lyselle Alwin.

You can read the rest of the chapter in its present form as a PDF download attached to this post! I have been waffling on this for quite some time and would love to know what y'all think.

I promise Thralls is still smut, but this is much closer to the sort of tone I want overall than the original pitch was shaping up to be, and generally a more manageable format for the kind of narrative scope I tend to fall in to. I have spent an unholy amount of time thinking about this setting and the people in it over the years, and I hope this proves of interest to folks who've been waiting to see what becomes of it. It'd certainly help egg me on.