Mesmerei Lamada; the Duchess of the High North and a Succubus from one of the Dungeon Moons. One of the first things I found out was that she was a Lilithian Succubus. That was news to me. The tell-tale features of a Lilithian Succubus were black, feathery wings and bird-like talons for nails. Their legs would be more bird-like too… I had caught glimpses of her full form, but not enough to adequately describe it. Mesmerei suggested there were more little details about succubi someone like me could never guess, but she played coy, suggesting that I hadn’t shown enough interest. That said, she still let me shadow her. 

The first days were a little rough, but by the fourth day, she was comfortable with me being at arm’s reach. Now, three weeks into my time with her, she was comfortable enough with my presence that I got to see the Duchess in action. Mesmerei tended to stay in the shadows, directing her minions from afar. The Succubus’s Ability, Charm, was essential in making sure her minions stayed in line.

“Charm makes it so that everything one does for me fills them with pleasure. The very act of serving me fills their hearts,” she had told me.

Never once did Mesmerei doubt her Ability once a person had fallen to it. From my observations, she had Charmed the entire village. Really made me hope a noble spirit didn’t pop up while I was here...

Anyway, the transport Mesmerei had her minions raid didn’t seem to have anything that interested her. Instead, she had the men keep the loot for themselves. Perhaps a bout of kindness? Or maybe she was just keeping her cows healthy.

Mesmerei’s feeding was relatively simple. She didn’t need to engage in intercourse as many who dreamed of succubus would suggest. All she needed to do was get her mouth close enough to the victim’s mouth, though I saw her sucking out their essence through their eyes, too.

Succubus sustained themselves through men’s yang or masculine-charged energy. That energy was intertwined with their stamina, so most of her victims were left lethargic afterward. I had yet to see her suck a man dry to the point of death. She didn’t seem to have any desire to do so, either.

No, Mesmerei Lamada was content to lead her minions on successful raids, keep them healthy, and then enjoy her dinner at the end of the night.

***

Succubi really had a way of bringing together anguish and euphoria.

“Mmm, that was enjoyable,” Mesmerei sang as she walked from the sorry soul she had chained up in her mansion’s basement. This dangerously sexy woman was wearing a black dress so tight it was hard to tell where her skin ended and the dress began. The outfit left very little to the imagination, with many translucent patches, but Mesmerei didn’t seem to care about such things. Her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail that swung when she moved, which made her look like some sort of feline predator swishing its tail around. She wore a pair of red heels that seemed out of place on the otherwise bare and drab floor, but Mesmerei liked to make an impression when all around her was so dull.

The man—that gift I brought her—was left groaning, barely conscious and still stripped naked.

Mesmerei held out her hand and another woman wearing black, silken robes appeared beside her. This woman had a long, flowing blonde braid. Her skin was pale white, with the pitch black eyes of their kind. She handed Mesmerei a wet rag.

“Thank you, dear,” Mesmerei said as she began wiping her hands.

Two more women in similar attire appeared behind the first.

“Nourish him and have your fill, dears,” Mesmerei said.

“Yes ma’am,” the replied, all wearing hungry smiles.

These three were women Mesmerei had taken from the monastery and converted to her side. They were different from the rest of her thralls in that Mesmerei’s Charm no longer worked on them. The reason for that was a little insidious. Mesmerei had shared with them the Succubus Factor and converted them into what Succubus called Daughters. They were now modified humans, holding within their bodies human traits and succubus traits. Outwardly, they didn’t look too different other than being paler and having pitch black eyes. Their behaviors were different now, however, with the women being able to eat the way a succubus did. Mesmerei also mentioned their beauty increased tenfold, though, when she told me that, it seemed like she was just being a proud mother.

Incidentally, I confirmed they could no longer be charmed. I used my own Charm Person spell on them many times—they resisted every time. Mesmerei had scoffed at my efforts.

“A succubus that can be charmed is a succubus that will be dead before the morning,” she had said.

I was happy that I tried. I learned that the Succubus of today were all succubus that were descended from Succubus that had the Charm Immunity trait. From what I could glean, succubus did not get along well enough. Being able to resist Charm meant being able to survive against the ones most likely to kill you. It was a strange iteration of survival of the fittest.

What did this mean for the three women? It meant that they wholeheartedly accepted Mesmerei’s gift when she presented it to them. That was how Mesmerei presented the matter to me, but make no mistake, my friend, this was insidious. They may have been immune to Charm now, but that was not the case when Mesmerei laid eyes on them.

These women were under her Charm effects for some time… Would they have taken the gift had they not experienced whatever stimulus Charm provoked? On the other hand, how many allow someone to sample something to entice them into buying said something? But, there’s a difference in those two scenarios. Mesmerei never gave them a choice to be Charmed. She forced said thing upon them and then showed them it ‘wasn’t so bad.’

…

Nevertheless, I’m not a paragon of truth or moral. I’m a Bard. One final note. I asked Mesmerei why.

Mesmerei said she was addicted to taking those seeking the favor of god and corrupting them. On first glance, that seemed like something a succubus would do, but on second glance, something didn’t make sense. If that was the case, why wasn’t she more committed to corrupting me? I seek the favor of gods! I’m pretty desperate for it—it didn’t make sense.

“Women are prettier,” she had said when I questioned her.

She could be pretty honest sometimes.

“Are you done taking your notes, Bard?” she asked as she walked past me.

“I am,” I replied. “Thanks for letting me see… It wasn’t as intimate as I expected it to be.”

She giggled. “There’s no need for intimacy. I’m not really all that romantic when my belly’s empty.”

“Hey, speaking of hunger, what’s so special about a virgin? Yeah, the guy had never placed his dick in a wet crevice, but he’s a 100% depraved. Is there any purity there?”

“There is. Humans just can’t perceive it. The purity of a virgin refers to the fact that their yin or yang energy is untainted. Something very significant happens during intercourse that forever changes a human’s energetic make-up.”

“Hmm…”

“There are others that feed on different purities and impurities. For instance, sin eaters would love my treat. We could both feed on him and not cause each other’s resource to dwindle since we’re consuming different concepts.”

“I’ll have to make a note of that.”

We went up the stairs, leaving the basement and the Daughters to their meal.

Mesmerei lived in the finest dwelling in the village—a mansion compared to the old log-and-stone homes. Apparently, the village had been founded by an alchemist. This mansion was his dwelling. No one was living here when Mesemerei moved in—it was haunted apparently. When I asked, Mesmerei did not confirm. Still, it was a fine mansion with old furniture and a dark atmosphere that fit Mesmerei’s aesthetic.

We walked into the dreary hallway and were on our way to the well-lit and warmer dining room.

“I’ve had my appetizer,” she said. “There is food ready for us in the dining room.”

“Thanks for feeding me again.”

She looked over her shoulder at me and showed me a warm smile. “It’s no problem. A host must be gracious.”