Crossing the Forbidding Part 3; Descent into Debauchery (Patreon)

Like the Dalish cities of Evandale, Braylen is a city of zones, sectors, and compartmentalization. Though beautiful and functional, in case of attack, each section of the city can raise its gates, conjure its wards, and isolate itself from the rest of the city. Built during the Unification war, each of these five areas of the city were called parishes, unlike the Dalish who refer to their districts as ‘wards’.

Saint Braylen’s Basilica was located in the southernmost Parish known as ‘Saint’s Burrough’, with the center of the city, Sathis’ Heart to its north. The city's northernmost parish and the only that could be accessed by land was called Assur’s Gate, with East Shoulder and West Shoulder about where you’d expect flanking the city center.

In her first days infiltrating the church, Monette had noticed that the Watch of Saint’s Burrough wore violet gambesons, coal gray armor, leather pants and accessories. With the city's crest embossed behind a visage of the Basilica on their emblems. Those of ‘the Heart’ wore blue gambesons, a stylized heart within the crest. The east and west wore red and orange respectively. A sword in the crest of East Shoulder and Shield in the Crest of the West. Lord Assur had been left handed afterall. Finally the watchmen of the north wear dark blue gambesons, with Braylen’s portcullis embossed in front of the city's crest for their sigil. Each one a well trained fighting force.  Monette knew right away that she would need to consolidate her power before challenging such an organized defense.

Though impressive and certainly effective at handling external attacks and internal strife, the self-contained nature of each parish actually aided in the Elderian’s plans for domination. From her new seat of power within the basilica, Monette was allowed to slowly enthrall and corrupt the denizens of Saint’s Burrough slowly over several weeks. By the time anyone noticed its citizens acting strangely, it was too late.

At first, the powers that be, including the Watch Commanders were pleased with the rumors of a wise new priestess, that hat more of the citizens going to church. It seemed a blessing in the beginning. The already low crime rate plummeted to the point that only street urchins and young punks were ever getting into trouble. Mostly, boys and girls who had not yet come of age. The citizens of Saint’s Burrough seemed to have become more polite and well mannered than ever; and everyone was raving about the Blessings of the Mistress. Folk would work their jobs diligently, excited to return to see the Priestess and had little time for anything else.

Day by day, one citizen at a time, Monette seduced and enthralled nearly the entire population of Saint’s Burrough. A brobdingnagian feat. She would conduct dark rituals of pleasure, as well as use her magics and abilities to heal wounds and purge sickness, at the cost of her beneficiaries free will. Those who had accepted her blessing could not help but return time and again to receive her debauched sacrament. It didn’t take long for the succubus to gain enough power to become intoxicated by it.

While those who were intentionally kept out of the know were unaware, Monette consumed a gluttony of energy. Her thralls became hopelessly addicted to the Elderian’s ‘Venusian Nectar’. Even a scent was enough to capture the mind and create an intense sense of euphoria. Prolonged exposure turned her victims into ‘Love Junkies’, who would do anything to be in her presence. With her domination of these kin complete, Monette held wild orgies within the basilica, defiling the sanctity of the holy building maliciously. Night and day the sounds of her thralls carnal activities echoed through the halls.

Despite a gluttonous reputation, Monette did not affirm the worst fears many have of her kind. Though she perfectly illustrated the dangers of one such as her gaining power, she did not actually kill any of her thralls. Through the haze of power and carnal desires, Monette was still keenly aware that taking a life was not necessary for her conquest. She had more than enough thralls that she could pace herself on sheer variety, rather than draining any victim under her control.

It was this decision which hid her activities for so long; but when her thralls stopped going about their everyday lives, working, traveling, or even raising their children, the city watch finally grew concerned. Worse, her thralls began to gather around the church full time. Never going home. Even their children could not break them from their enthrallment. Those unable to get inside to be close to Monette would congregate as close as they could in the streets around the basilica; their depravity on display for all to see.

Unable to ignore the odd happenings within their parish any longer, the Watchmen of Saint Burrough sent a team, including their proctor, to investigate. Six veteran men of the watch, and the Watch’s highest ranking investigator was thought to be enough to bring most any situation to a reasonable conclusion. Or at least it had in the past. This time things did not work out as the Watchmen had expected.

Their investigation team returned in the wee hours of the morning. The group, all men, were changed somehow. Not in any discernible, physical manner; but their mannerism and interests. Firstly the proctor, a lion named Gebre Taye, normally a silent, stoic man, became incredibly social. He and the others began espousing the merits and majesty of the Goddess. Telling everyone and anyone who would listen of the wonders and blessings they’d seen performed by the new head priestess. They described her as being touched by Angea’s Light.

This was especially concerning when two of the watchmen that went with Proctor Taye, Bemnet Mamo and Jember Dawit began doing the same. Bemnet, a leopard and Jember, a wildebeest, had been well known atheists among the Watch. It was for that reason they were assigned to the initial investigation. The two were often reprimanded for mocking the faith and the belief in gods in general. To hear them holding sermons and preaching on behalf of this mysterious new Priestess was concerning. It only took a day's time for the Watch command to decide to detain the group.

Next was sent a team of Inquisitors. Specialists who were awoken to the flow of magic. Trained in some of the tactics used by both the Sacred Order of Raven Knights and the Magus Librarium for dealing with preternatural threats, it was thought a squad of these special watchmen would succeed where the first had not; bringing answers to the mystery of what was going on in the Basilica. This group never returned however, and were soon seen days later congregating around the church with other citizens participating in the debauchery.

It was the taking of their quintessence that made Monette so powerful that the disturbance in the flow of mana could not be ignored by even the lowliest of magic uses within Braylen. Very quickly those with Librarium training realized just what they were dealing with. An Elderian creature had taken up residence in Saint’s Burrough and she would not be easily removed. It was decided that the situation needed a more forceful response, so the watch sent several squads from the garrison to round up the citizens and put an end to the supernatural threat. Their goal was to free the parish from the clutches of an immoral fiend. It was a challenge the succubus would welcome with open arms.

The first obstacle was getting past her thralls. Though they did not attack the watchmen coming to round them up, they were all now an extension of the cubi’s unchecked power. A miasma of her scent and essence surrounded the Basilica, and those with weak will and even weaker constitution fell victim to their lusts; being dragged away into the crowds to join in the orgies.

Others could not bring themselves to harm the enthralled. Friends, neighbors, family; the victims of Monette's power formed a wall between the squads and their goal. They lost many of their number just getting to the Basilica, and by that time the group had already exhausted themselves mentally and physically. It was then that they were confronted with Monette in all her glory.

Sitting naked on a pile of exhausted thralls, the cubi smiled as she touched herself. Her golden eyes glowed with an unnatural light as her horns grew and her wings unfurled from behind her. Monettes paws turned to hooves and her tail, once thin and feline, thickened and the tuft grew large. Before their eyes she changed from the form of a very attractive lioness, one who seemed to have an understated beauty and charm, to a creature whose very smile exuded sexual energy.

“Welcome to my congregation, ladies and gentleman.” she cooed as she began to float.

The Squad commander wasted little time attacking the ‘wretched monster’. With pikes, bows, swords, and even magic, the watchmen fought Monette with everything they had. Of course, the group was as brilliant and organized in actual combat as advertised, but this meant little to the succubus, for her powers had grown exponentially. Not one of the fukin present, mundane or awoken, could challenge her.

Monette used her otherworldly magic, bolstered by the stolen quintessence of her thralls to subdue the watchmen to a man. What followed their defeat was a display of might and sexual depravity that would have shocked even the most seasoned whore into clutching their pearls. The cubi made sexual toys of her would be captors. Tentacles of energy binded the watchmen, lifting them up in the air, and putting them on display.

She kept them there, suspended on high as an example of her power whilst her thralls cheered. The tentacles removed clothing only where necessary and pushed, poked, and prodded the watch members, defiling them sexually and injecting them with Monette’s nectar.

Standing defiantly in the middle of the spectacle, Monette looked upon her great works and cackled in the moonlight. With a self satisfied smile she proclaimed herself the dark queen of the parish; and promised to extend her dominion to all of the city. She then changed her form once more, growing a large, thick, chocolate colored cock that she stroked as she fed on the energies all around her. Her faithful would crawl to her on hands and knees, hoping to get a taste of her endowment.

After a night of enthralling the watchmen, Monette decided to use her new soldiers to solidify her rule. A parade of her thralls marched down the streets to the Saint’s Burrough Watch tower, where the parish’s defenders were garrisoned. Dawn barely broke before it was all said and done, and the entire watch had fallen to her depraved machinations. It would not be long before the entire parish was hers.