Cambions are a common, low ranking member of the succubus family. They are occasionally referred to as half-succubi, a term some consider denigrating. They lack the wings and tails of succubi but do have horns and alluring bodies, so technically speaking the term half-succubus is not entirely inaccurate.
Cambions lack the magical affinity that many other members of the succubus family have. While this does not mean they cannot cast magic, their magic is highly mana inefficient. Oddly enough cambions do excel at converting and storing decently large quantities of mana. Furthermore, they do not have any specific preferences for where they live or what they eat, and hence can be encountered wherever humans live as well.
A cambion’s horns can vary greatly in size and shape. Some horns require the cambion to have strong neck muscles while other cambions have horns so small that they barely protrude through their hair. Their appearance varies greatly from individual to individual as cambions span the whole spectrum of physical and racial traits that humans have and then some. Nevertheless, despite the great variety in their appearances, all cambions have a supernatural attractiveness to them that easily matches that of their succubus cousins.
A cambion’s strength and agility are on the lower end of average. Furthermore, while most cambions will learn a handful of useful eromancy spells few will study any magic beyond that. Their casting is simply too mana inefficient. Yet at the same time they are exceptionally good at converting spirit energy into mamono mana and then storing that mana. Hence it is much more efficient for a cambion to donate her mana to a trusted partner rather than do the casting herself. While cambions are more numerous than most other mamono species they are not a species that naturally bonds together in large groups and hence they are not able to rely on strength in numbers. This leaves them in a weak position to claim a husband. Therefore most cambions enter covenants with other mamono, preferably other members of the succubus family. A covenant is a magically binding agreement between the cambion and a trusted partner that bears some similarities to a demon’s pact. By accepting the covenant the cambion will serve the partner in an agreed upon capacity, relinquish most of her autonomy, and grant the partner unrestricted access to her mana -- basically she becomes her partner’s familiar. In return the partner accepts a high degree of responsibility for the cambion’s well-being including sharing her husband if she has one. It is not unusual for a well-off mamono to enter a covenant with multiple cambions.
Extracting mana from the cambion is preferably done through suckling. While it is a slow way of transferring the mana it is the only way that isn’t uncomfortable to the cambion. Only in emergency situations are faster methods of extracting the mana used. This breastfeeding is quite an intimate act, hence it should come as no surprise that the cambion and her partner begin to develop romantic feelings for each other over time.
A cambion’s average lifespan is short for a mamono; few will pass half a millennium. On the flipside, their fertility rate is also much higher than that of most other species. This has, for some reason, given cambions a detached sense of self that results in most cambions being altruistic and putting others before themselves. In some cases, especially among older cambions without a covenant, this can warp into fearlessness or even recklessness due to a fading self-preservation instinct.
Cambions typically do not have specific sexual preferences. Instead most prefer to simply go along with whatever their partner wants to do. Cambions who are in a covenant for a long time might take this attitude two steps further and neglect their own pleasure in favor of their partner’s. Cambions without a covenant might be a bit more decided and assertive about their desires, but at the same time also tend to develop a taste for riskier sexual acts.
Name That Mamono: Amaya
Amaya originally hails from central Kioko. Her mother has entered a covenant with a kunoichi samurai whom she serves as a valet and lover. They share a husband who ended up impregnating both women simultaneously, hence Amaya grew up with a kunoichi half-sister named Miyu. Both girls were trained in various martial arts and fighting styles, and eventually the ōdachi became Amaya’s weapon of choice. When the half-sisters began to grow too close for their mothers’ liking the two were separated; Miyu was sent to train with a small kunoichi clan in southern Amarante while Amaya was sent to Kilkelly in Elizabeth where she was trained by the marchioness’ trumpart honor guard. Amaya dutifully served her time with the trumparts and learned various skills in the process. Still salty about having been separated from Miyu, she decided to not return to her mother after her time in Kilkelly came to an end. Instead she entered a covenant with one of the marchioness’ baronesses to become her bodyguard. While her empusa partner is a few cards short of a deck she is also stacked and loaded. Having served her for several years now Amaya has begun to grow strong romantic feelings for the baroness and hates herself for it. Perhaps she would feel better if she could somehow insert Miyu into the equation too.
Anatu hatched from the egg of an Echidna mother and is as of yet the only known cerberus in existence. She has the lower body of a short- and dark-furred hound and a humanoid upper body. She possesses three heads which float in the vicinity of her neck but can be fully removed by pulling hard enough. She also sports tufts of longer fur around her forearms, legs, and where her upper humanoid form meets her lower hound form. Her heads and upper body resemble those of a hellhound. Her lower body is heavily muscled with the thighs of her hind legs being twice the thickness of an average man’s. Anatu also sports a long prehensile tail topped by red glowing spikes and ending in a similarly luminous hard and pointy tip. Her body and tail are each about two and a half meters in length, and she stands about three meters tall counting her floating heads. Anatu appears to have no talent for the magical arts whatsoever, though whether that will be a defining characteristic of her kind remains to be seen… if she is able to propagate.
The designation “cerberus” was given to Anatu by her father, who likened her to a legendary Earth creature who guarded the gates of a mythical underworld. Spurred on by her father’s stories, Anatu has developed a fascination with guarding gates and thresholds since her childhood, and so she became part of Alnor’s city guard. Her triumph lasted only for a short time, as she was never assigned to guard any gates at all due to her propensity to allow none to pass. In annoyance at how her superiors squandered her great talent for guarding gates she departed Alnor when she turned 25 in search of a passage or gate worthy of her watchful vigilance. She briefly guarded the Turl Pass, a popular travel route between Amarante and Teremir, but was evicted after many complaints by merchants and other travelers who had been barred from passing through. Not one to be discouraged, Anatu set out once more and finally found an abandoned keep in poor repair. With such ferocity did she guard the gate that none dared attempt to enter.
Each of Anatu’s three heads has a distinct personality. The middle head is called Anatu-Alpha, has the greatest control of their shared body, and is the most opinionated of the three. Some might describe her as a bit simple-minded and impulsive. The head to the right is called Anatu-Mu and enjoys the second highest degree of control over their shared body. Anatu-Mu is intensely curious and, when no one stops her, will heap a barrage of questions onto anyone who knows anything about a subject that garners her interest. Anatu-Omega, the final head, is someone who thinks before she acts. She is both the most intelligent of the three and the one with the least control over their shared body. She often acts as counselor to the other two and tries to convince them of her preferred course of action rather than taking it herself.
Even though the three have quite distinct personalities they share a strong territorial instinct and playfulness. In spite of her rather imposing appearance that obvious playfulness was also the reason she was simply evicted from the Turl Pass without further consequences. Curiously, the three heads are able to change position, which they do often, yet the middle head will always display the personality of Anatu-Alpha and so on. Their father suspected that perhaps the three heads' distinct personalities may be another one of their games, but no one has ever managed to confirm whether this is true.
Though the three Anatus quite enjoy guarding their keep they can’t help but wonder how long it will take for a man to stumble upon it. Anatu-Omega has already talked her sisters into a plan to convince the man to “cross their threshold” in exchange for crossing the threshold of their keep. Anatu-Mu has proposed asking Lord Amarante for help in obtaining a mate since she would surely help ensure the future of cerberus-kind. Anatu-Alpha was almost convinced until Anatu-Omega argued that no self-respecting guardian of the underworld (abandoned keep) would lower herself to beg for a man to keep her company.
FALSE DRAGON
Family: Lizard
Type: Reptile
Habitat: Hills, Mountainous regions
Disposition: Boisterous, cowardly, careful
Diet: Primarily carnivorous
False dragons, as the name implies, are a type of reptilian mamono that employ Batesian mimicry to make their way in life. They imitate many of the physical features of dragons, such as their wings, horns, and claws, and do so well enough that an observer who is unfamiliar with the relevant differentiations would be unlikely to spot the difference through mere observation.
False dragons are most often found in mountainous regions and prefer sparsely populated areas or smaller settlements where the truth of their deception is less likely to be discovered. They will most often act as boisterously and arrogantly as one would expect of a dragon, but they prefer to avoid any kind of confrontation where there is a risk of the secret being revealed. As such, false dragons are often rather cowardly or at the very least very careful creatures. While her deception is successful a false dragon will attempt to use her status as a “dragon” to have others work and provide for her, though she is perfectly capable of surviving by herself by scavenging or hunting in the wild when necessary.
False dragons are tall, but on average shorter than dragons, though the difference is not so significant as to be immediately obvious. They are quite strong by mamono standards but fall far short of a true dragon’s prodigious physical strength. Similarly, they are neither as long-lived as dragons nor are their scales as tough. While capable of flight, doing so on a sustained basis is very difficult for them. They prefer flying only short distances, though they are also competent gliders.
As a species false dragons are both rare and rather obscure. This is quite intentional; if people were well informed about them their chances of passing for true dragons and living comfortable lives would be severely diminished, and if their numbers were to grow too high it would be suspicious as true dragons are among the rarest mamono on Arcadia. Among those few who are aware of them many tend to dislike false dragons and scorn them, though there is a certain temptation for some enterprising and ambitious individuals who may wish to make use of one in a false show of force to get their way, calculating that the threat of a dragon as an enemy would make business partners, rivals, or all manner of enemies think twice before starting a fight or being too aggressive in a negotiation. Though most false dragons would dislike being put in a situation like that, it would be preferable to having their secrets exposed.
Though false dragons lack many of a true dragon’s advantages they tend to excel in the intelligence department. Thinking and scheming are stages where they usually shine, and so these are qualities they also appreciate in a partner. Like true dragons they prefer to have a man to themselves, though that is mostly because they will be worried about their secret being revealed. Should another mamono already be aware of their secret they will be quite comfortable sharing. A man who is married to a false dragon is likely to become embroiled in her games of acting and deception -- which some may consider an entertaining lifestyle.
Name That Mamono: Carla
Carla is 42 years old and hails from the mountains of Teremir where her mother managed to act her way into an influential position working as a guard and advisor for a well-regarded councilwoman. She and her sister left the proverbial nest some nine years ago to make their own way in life and have made bets about who would translate their natural gifts into the most advantageous position within the next 10 years.
Carla is confident that she has her sister beat ever since she managed to score a job as the captain of the guard for a rich -- but largely inconsequential and none too bright -- baroness in northern Elizabeth. Said baroness could barely believe her luck and has subsequently been bragging to all her acquaintances about how she managed to secure a dragon to guard her estate. She doesn’t even mind that Carla refuses to accompany her when she travels or won’t attend to her when guests are present, as such should be expected of a dragon's pride. Having such a powerful protector for her property is well worth the expenditure.
Ophanim (OH-fah-nim) are the messengers of the heavens -- their efforts maintain contact between realms and keep them up-to-date on news. It’s a task with little glory in it, but the Chariots of Fire don’t mind. They love their jobs.
An adult ophan (OH-fan), regardless of her actual age, looks like a human girl ranging in age from preteens to mid-teens. Her hair and eyes can be any color found among humans while her skin ranges from ruddy to dark brown, often with freckles. She also has a pair of feathery or fiery wings sprouting from her back. An ophan’s most striking feature is her wheels. An ophan sits at the center of one or more seemingly metallic spinning rings, each of which has many eyes lining its rim, with a diameter slightly greater than her wingspan. An ophan is born with one wheel, and she gains more as she grows in knowledge and power. The eldest and greatest ophanim have nine wheels. Because the wheels are spiritual appendages an ophan can dismiss them into an incorporeal state, but beings who can perceive spirits or auras can still see them. An ophan can always see through the eyes on her wheels; she can see in the dark and has 360° vision in both the horizontal and vertical planes. While her wheels are manifested an ophan can perceive spirits and auras, and some learn to see through invisibility.
The greatest powers of the Chariots of Fire are those that directly tie into their function as messengers. Ophanim are the fastest creatures in the sky of the mamono world -- they can fly at over half the speed of sound, and they have enough stamina to maintain that velocity for up to an hour at a time with no ill effects that a hot meal and a good night’s sleep wouldn’t fix. Ophanim also have faster reflexes than those of werecats, and their airborne maneuverability surpasses that of hummingbirds. They perfectly remember any message they have been charged to carry even decades later, though they forget quickly upon delivery. Ophan elders can compartmentalize their minds so as to hide private information from mind readers. Reading surface thoughts won’t defeat this measure; retrieving a message hidden in this manner is impossible without risking contact with the angel’s subconscious.
Because their duties as messengers often take them away from home every ophan expects to share a husband. In fact it’s rare for an ophan to be a man’s first wife; it’s more common for one to invite herself into an existing marriage. She energetically woos both the man and his wife (or wives) by bringing souvenirs and treats from faraway places. She makes a point of conversing with each member of the family she aspires to join, including any children, to endear herself to them before she makes her move. She also freely offers and/or accepts sexual favors during this courtship period. By the time the ophan proposes marriage her prospective family has already grown to love her, and how much they miss her when she’s gone is exceeded only by how glad they are when she returns.
Name That Mamono: Sandalphon III (SAND-all-fahn)
Despite diplomatic relations between Arcadia and Asgard not being normalized the Lords have kept communication channels with the Isle of Angels open, and it is Sandalphon and her fellow ophanim who make that possible. Sandy -- none of the other angels call her that, but she hopes a human lover will -- carries messages to each of Arcadia’s capitals on a regular basis. Mostly she passes secret communiques to Elizabeth or Amarante and returns with replies. It says much about what sort of person Sandy is that reading those messages has never occurred to her, and this integrity makes her illustrious mother and grandmother proud.
Sandalphon is almost 1,000 years old and has received criticism from her superiors for being a workaholic, so in her over-reactive fashion she has decided that she needs a husband. She knows her messenger duties will frequently take her away from home, so her plan to make sure that her man isn’t left alone and unprotected is to share him with her squadmates. Now all she has to do is find a man on whom she, a tsundere cupid, a dandere valkyrie, and a bakadere sun bride can agree. Sandy hasn’t figured out that she’s the yandere in this mix (though her squadmates have), and she probably never will.
RUSALKA
Family: Zombie
Type: Undead
Habitat: Large ponds, lakes
Disposition: lustful
Diet: Men’s spirit energy
Rusalki are undead mamono that are created when a deceased human woman is reanimated by mamono mana while being submerged in a body of water. They retain the memories and intelligence they had in life, but their minds become flooded with thoughts of drowning men in pleasure. They largely keep their human appearance but their bodies are altered to be more alluring to men -- their breasts swell, their waists narrow, and their hips flare to give the typical rusalka a sensuously luscious body. Depending on how saturated with mamono mana the water is where they reside their skin is either a pale or dark grey with their hair being either blonde or black, and come nighttime their eyes glow with ethereal light.
They have excellent night vision and can see clearly in the depths of murky ponds or lakes. They can swim with unnatural grace and ease, having enhanced physical traits under water, but when separated from a body of water their bodies gradually wither to having the strength and speed of a typical human woman and only get weaker as they spend more time unsubmerged. As they get drier they become more easily fatigued. A rusalka needs to either consistently bathe in water to sustain her strength or have her husband regularly drench her body with his seed.
The light emanating from their eyes does much more than help them see in the dark however; that ethereal glow is also a display of their magic. Much like medusas they use their eyes to acquire a husband, but instead of turning men to stone rusalki use their eyes to hypnotize them, covertly implanting their minds with lewd thoughts of satisfying their carnal desires with the rusalka’s soft, wet, supple flesh… and due to the fact that their eyes glow in the dark, if a human stumbles across a rusalka at night her eyes will likely be the first things he'll see.
When a rusalka sees a man that strikes her fancy she will emerge from her watery lair and saunter up to him, seducing him with sultry motions and erotic promises as she draws near and openly inviting him to indulge his desires, all the while maintaining eye contact to magically drown his mind with thoughts of lust. When she reaches him she'll take his hands and place them on her body, eagerly encouraging him to cup and grope wherever he wishes while she works to relieve him of his clothes. Lust will eventually claim both of them, and the rusalka will drag him back to her lair where she will drown him in carnal pleasure.
Name That Mamono: Mira
Mira is a rusalka with pale grey skin but dark green hair and eyes, which is rare for her kind. The colour of her eyes is a keepsake from her life, and her hair changed to match after her death. She has a preference for freshwater ponds in tropical rainforests that also support water lilies, of which she greatly enjoys the smell.
Thanks to where she chooses to call home Mira doesn't always spend her time submerged in her pond like most rusalki do. Mira instead enjoys venturing away from her pond whenever there is a rainstorm; the constant heavy shower helps keep her wet, which in turn helps keep up her strength. Thanks to this wanderlust she has far more encounters with people than the typical rusalka would. However, since she is still severely limited in how far she can travel, Mira loves asking the people she comes across about where they come from, where they're going, and the world as a whole. She absolutely adores those who tell her of strange faraway lands.
Whenever she comes across a man that strikes her fancy she'll try to catch and hold his eyes, using her magic to subliminally coax out as many perverse thoughts as she can while sensually moving her luscious figure to tempt him closer. Once he reaches her Mira will take him by the hand and lead him back to her pond, promising that she'll indulge every deviant desire he has as soon as they get there if he agrees to follow.
MetallumOperaturJul 16, 2023 12:31 AM
"When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling
