maomix - 2 years ago

Can’t believe I never read this one before, it’s great!

IvesBentonEaton - 4 years ago

Because (a) Tom didn't think he could fix it anymore given the time constraints of his government handlers, and (b) that wasn't what the customer who commissioned it wanted.

One may argue that it wasn't a commission anymore, but it isn't the sort of thing I would have written for myself, and if it hadn't been close to done already when I came back to it, it would have languished on my network drive indefinitely.

Mechdragon1k - 4 years ago

Why did Tom just not keep Rick for a few years until he had a chance to fix it.

IvesBentonEaton - 7 months ago

If you recall from “Talk to the Animals”; she doesn’t really [i]need[/i] a horse; Langōval got it for her and she didn’t want to spurn his gift. (The horse did come in handy for carrying Būshān—snakes aren’t terribly fast—until she got too big.) But when a druid gets to 8th level, they can pretty much stay in wild shape all day, so she could just travel in eagle form, which is faster than riding.

The walk wasn’t to travel, of course: it was to have some time to herself and think. She could have flown out in eagle form to some nice place outside of Spellkeep and walked back thinking from there. I didn’t feel the itinerary was necessary; it was only needful to establish that she was (seemingly) alone and outside of Spellkeep.

IddlerItaler - 7 months ago

Fair enough about Drandel's line. I imagined it was a "powerful wizard disconnected from mortal woes" type of deal rather than a hint he was secretly evil or something.

Ah, yep, that's the name, black pudding. I also used that statblock in the game I ran. They hit pretty hard, enough to one-shot a basic tribal warrior, but lack any ranged counter so they'd be pretty easy pickings for a dragon. I gave them a ranged attack in the form of them spitting out the bones of their preys as if they were projectiles - it still wasn't enough to give the players any real trouble as they pelted the slime from the skies, but it added the risk that a lucky hit could break the concentration on their flight spell and send them plummeting...

About walking, I was talking about the return scene with Zōēā alone. The way it was written seemed to hint that Zōēā didn't bring a horse, and that those were still in the stables at the time Onawella's trap sprung. "She was content to walk rather than fly in bird form; she welcomed the time to think. {...} Her thoughts were interrupted by a cry for help. It came from the stables just outside of Spellkeep, where Langōval’s and Zōēā’s horses were being kept. {...} She got a long coil of rope and brought her horse, Lēawilnoth, out of her stall"

IvesBentonEaton - 7 months ago

[list]
[*]Well, when one has a permanent [i]telepathic bond[/i] with one’s lover who is standing next to a good friend who is a pretty high level wizard/arcane professor, the response time is…rather quick.
[*]“Hratt” is, indeed, the species name. I sort of “borrowed” the name (with a pair of transposed letters) from a similar species in [i]Chess with a Dragon[/i] by David Gerrold. And yes, her second language degrades when she is frightened.
[*]That “lucky rod” is a [i]greater metamagic rod of empowerment[/i] straight out of the [i]Dungeon Master’s Guide[/i] (version 3.5), page 236. The D&D game I played with the character who Zōēā is based on got one from one of the treasures in that game. (It might have been better in the hands of the party wizard, but I knew he was leaving the game soon and I didn’t want a 73,000 gold piece item to leave the party with him, so I called dibs. In the last session of the game, I used that toy along with [i]boots of temporal acceleration[/i] (from the [i]Magic Item Compendium[/i], page 79—basically, a two-round [i]time stop[/i] once a day), a [i]ring of the beast[/i] ([i]Complete Champion[/i], page 141) and the Greenbound Summoning feat ([i]Lost Empires of Faerûn[/i], page 8—basically allows any [b]animal[/b] summoned by a [i]summon nature’s ally[/i] spell to appear with the greenbound template applied—in short, the animal becomes a plant creature with laundry list of really nasty buffs) to summon 1d3 greenbound tyrannosauruses—twice—using the rod each time to get 50% more of them. I rolled 2 each time to get a total of six. The battle was over shortly after that with three T-rexes gnawing on the boss monster and the other three chasing minions around the battlefield and snapping them up.
[*]I don’t write my characters to be absolutely perfect human (or whatever) beings. For wealthy individuals (like business magnates and dragonslayers) they will often purchase what I call a “life assurance policy”— basically a prepaid agreement, usually with a particular allied temple, to cast [i]true resurrection[/i] if the “policy holder” meets an early demise (i.e., something other than old age). Death for them is more of a bothersome expense. If it had been brought up to him, he would have been embarrassed and apologetic. It’s not deliberate callousness on his part.
[*]The black slimes are called “feeding darknesses” and are basically renamed black puddings from D&D.
[*]Well, more like rode, and they could take a few shortcuts. Both druids and rangers have access to the [i]longstrider[/i] spell, and the [i]mass longstrider[/i] spell could affect their steeds. Zōēā could also wild shape into various faster animals for whatever needed faster speeds. And, of course, they teleported the last leg of the trip. Zōēā, as a druid, doesn’t get very good teleportation spells, but druids who can cast 7th-level spells can prepare [i]master earth[/i], which basically allows one to meld with the planet and appear anywhere else on it. Since this isn’t a conjuration (teleportation) spell, it will bypass magic hat blocks interplanar travel, like that which protects Spellkeep. (The [i]Ordo Ars Magica[/i] doesn’t particularly like that.) Eventually, Zōēā will be able to cast that spell.
[/list]

IddlerItaler - 7 months ago

I like the description of Spellkeep. Some scenery porn along with the regular porn doesn't hurt. :^) Well, there wasn't a lot of porn in this chapter, but Onawella teasing Zōēā about her oncoming fate was rather erotic. I love me a good gloating villainess, even if she got thwarted in moments.

Rat people are cute. I assume hraat is the name of their species? It's curious how Atolha's first line is in broken speech, while she speaks more eloquently at the dinner afterwards. Maybe the panic had sabotaged her language skills, or she had a better translation or eloquency spell cast on her off-screen.

That lucky rod makes me think back to last chapter's afterword, where step 3 involved Zōēā getting lucky and summoning 3 arrowhawks.

“Your mother may be the only person more loquacious than mine.” That's a pretty cold line on Drandel's part, considering how worried sick and distressed both mother and daughter must've been after getting no news about each other for so long, and the recent events. "Your mother just gave me a list of everyone who died in your tribe. Boy, she sure is talkative!"

Huh, so the answer to what had caused the disappearances was a horde of mind-controlled black slimes. This is a fun coincidence since in one of my stories the protagonist ran into an elven tribesman and saved him from a black slime which they then fought together.

Just casually walking back from the Velnes to Spellkeep... Zoea made quite the progression.

1ring42 - 4 years ago

Its good to see you back!

IvesBentonEaton - 5 years ago

Actually, I have a sequel just about finished, so I suppose I can only hope it is "up" to your standards. If it is not, I suppose I will have to toss it d-erect-ly in the bit bucket.

NightRoller - 5 years ago

Honestly, the title and the first half of the first scene had me worried, but this ended up being amazing! I really love how, while you included cock vore (which I do not find enjoyable), you did mention the things that CV fans would like, without making it over the top sexualized. I would never had enjoyed this at all if there wasn't so much humor and irony in this piece, just because of the subject matter, but you really made it worth the risk! Definitely not the kind of stuff I would read for enjoyment, but definitely the stuff I would read for some dirty humor :')

This is a bit rambly already, but if I could, I would rate this 5 stars out of 5, and maybe suggest it to coworkers who don't mind the subject matter too much.

Your LONG story made it HARD to keep from laughing (and normally any facial expression is rare when I'm viewing things on this site, as I've trained myself), and it certainly wasn't a PUSSY cat about STICKING its joke topics into all sorts of crannies where it might not belong and SPURTING them out everywhere. It really RUBBED the reader the right way, SLIDING IN the humor without FORCING it.

Please don't make a sequel, I don't know how a continuation could top this. Unless you can, and I'll enjoy my second story containing cock vore.

IvesBentonEaton - 5 years ago

Ah aims ta please. Sometimes Ah even hits.

Houyo - 5 years ago

This story was a blast, I love the concept and it hits all my kinks but I was reading from start to finish on pure entertainment from the writing alone. Good job.

IvesBentonEaton - 5 years ago

I didn't mention all the details. I wrote that Dxyxallyxikspt had his own instructions but didn't explicitly state whose instructions they were. One could infer that those instructions came by way of Sanselibera, who decided to get the upper hand on her rival by having her promise a payment that she wouldn't be able to deliver.

whitpey - 6 years ago

OK cool. I was just asking to make sure. I really liked what you did as the dragon. I was also wondering if maybe you and I could rp some day.

IvesBentonEaton - 6 years ago

I did. I'm good at dragons. See half the other stories in my gallery: "The Dragon", "The Sixth Path", "Duel of Drakes", "A Study of Dragons", "A Fairly Fair Ferry Fare", and now this. Didn't start out thinking that I'd be doing so many dragon stories, it just sort of ended up that way…

whitpey - 6 years ago

I was just saying I liked the way things were in the story. Who played as the dragoness?

IvesBentonEaton - 6 years ago

Darn. We were going for torturous. :P

But seriously (as such things ever get), thanks.

whitpey - 6 years ago

Well that was fun to read.

Bradleymiddler - 6 years ago

Beautiful.

Deleteduser89324b - 7 years ago

Nice work, do you take requests?

1ring42 - 7 years ago

That last line

IvesBentonEaton - 7 years ago

Well, when one of the founders of the Portal is asking for a story, you sort of write what they want. It's a commission, after all. Anyway, I just posted a RP the day before over six times longer than this story titled "Comes the Storm". Still working on story #7 of [i]Tales of a Visceral Voyager[/i], "Spellkeep".

Cobbly - 7 years ago

Taking a break from sentient disposal?

IvesBentonEaton - 6 years ago

Well, I strip out the fetish part and run it as an actual D&D campaign.

Most work is wasted anyway; what is one more?

In this case, the world-building sprang from the fetish work; the former would not have existed without the latter.

Bradleymiddler - 6 years ago

The world-building you do is beautiful. It's a shame, in my opinion, that it feels largely wasted on a fetish work

IvesBentonEaton - 7 years ago

I see what you did there…

averyhillpeak - 7 years ago

This is the breast spell to use in this case.

IvesBentonEaton - 7 years ago

I don't see why not. Or pump it out in some method if not. Of course, it might just be easier to use [i]quick potion[/i] from the [i]Spell Compendium[/i] in such cases; [i]lactation[/i] was somewhat based on it.

IvesBentonEaton - 7 years ago

Gee, why don't I get more comments like these on my other stories? :P

(Just in case someone missed the :P, I'm kidding.)

You're not the first to ask for a sequel. I have quite a few stories ahead of it and I have to think of some new plot involving them.

But who knows?

Nalzindar - 7 years ago

I love your story, it is both cute and awsome. Nice to see the two of them getting so close to each other at the end (and not to mention intimate). I like the idea of a gentleman dragon who also has a naughty side, especially when both parties enjoy it^^ I hope you will write more about this couple one day.

IvesBentonEaton - 7 years ago

Thanks. I wrote it in rather a hurry, so it may still have bugs. But I am fairly pleased with it despite that.

illirium - 7 years ago

This is very cute! :D I really liked this scenario, and it's well written as always. :)

IvesBentonEaton - 7 years ago

Don't miss the other stories; they are all in the same setting.

IvesBentonEaton - 7 years ago

Technically, it isn't reformation, which is the equivalent in this setting of a [i]true resurrection[/i] spell. It is tagged that way because if [i]I[/i] didn't, everyone else would.

Transformation is the more accurate tag: what the [i]kwurdāin[/i] spell does is actually a contingent defensive transformation. It defends against the digestion in the stomach as long as it can, then triggers a temporary transmutation of the subject of that spell into a substance that can safely pass through the creature's bowels: chyme. Since the subject never actually dies, there is no need for an expensive reformation (resurrection) spell.

Oh, dear. Someone left me set to "nerd". Let me start again…

Hi! I'm glad you liked the story. Almost all the other stories in my gallery (except the Commissions) make use of that spell. (I really like that spell.) So you may find other stories you enjoy even more here.

Jempy - 7 years ago

Quite a lovely story,though im a tad biased for reformation it can lead to so may interesting situations.

IvesBentonEaton - 9 months ago

Oh. That would be my bad. Fixed.

IddlerItaler - 9 months ago

The shortening is one thing, but I meant that she yelled Ara[b]n[/b]gandafer with an extra N instead of Aragandafer. With how petty he seemed about exact memorizing, if he heard her that must've stung a little.

IvesBentonEaton - 9 months ago

Technically, she didn’t misspell his name. (How would that work, really? Maybe the dragon uses telepathy to detect that she thought the wrong spelling?) She used the five-syllable form diminutive, which is only used with dragons who consider one a friend. Sentient dragons add one syllable to their names for each year they have lived; the five syllable name is considered their “baby name”. They prefer the full name, but they realize that mere humans might not live long enough to pronounce that, much less remember it, so they settle for the eleven-syllable name.

Dragons end up speaking several languages, so a lone-word is possible, but familial bonds tend to be short: fathers don’t often stick around, even when sentient, and mothers have to boot their non-sentient offspring from the nests when they start getting too bitey even for her. Non-sentient dragons will eat about anything—and anyone. Brutal buggers, they are.

IddlerItaler - 9 months ago

“He trapped it in a cage of force, conjured a wall of water to flood the cage, then summoned a swarm of creatures shaped of the same force as the cage to tear the dragon to bits as it drowned.”

Aaaah, the deadly forcecage combo. I had one of my PCs experience the microwave version.

"I cannot think that Aragandaferithondacanathee would challenge you without thinking that you would consider all of this—and yet he did, and he would not challenge if he did not expect to win. Yet why would he, given that you are both mighty in battle? Why wait a day and give us time to prepare? Why not call you out at once? No. He needs time for something to happen, something he thinks will ensure his victory over you."

It's double, triple, quadruple-guessing game all the way down like it's the finals of a Pokemon tournament.

“Arangandafer!”

Hah, I like how she disrespected him by mispelling his name. Killing a predator by making them choke feels like a breach of genre conventions in vore, but wow if it wasn't satisfying to see the haughty dragon brought down with his own greed.

“Are you saying there is no word for ‘love’ in Draconic?”

This makes me wonder... even assuming dragons don't have familial bonds, the draconic-speaking humans probably would. Maybe they use a loanword from another language?

Lol at Veedavongavirt’s end dialogue.

LabyrinthineMind - 4 years ago

The file of this story seems to have been overwritten with a copy of Spellkeep.

IddlerItaler - 10 months ago

Yea, I read the note on your previous chapter. She just seemed inspired by blue dragons, rather than being one outright.

I do think your approach to them is better. I get DND wanting to be simple about the various encounterable species and so it tells DMs: "This is the cruel acid-breathing black dragon, this is the chatty copper dragon, this is the noble human-loving silver dragon, this is the imperious well-intentioned golden dragon" and so on... But it makes dragon types very rigid and predictable if followed to the letter. At least allowing every dragon colour to be any alignment, like Eberron does, is more to my preference.

IvesBentonEaton - 10 months ago

Dragons on Āen are not "color-coded for your convenience" as typical dragons in D&D are. Red dragons are just dragons with red scales. There is no guarantee that they will breathe fire: they could breath lightning, acid, cold, sonic screams, or more than one. Metallic dragons are not always good, chromatic dragons are not always evil. Dragons are often not even wholly chromatic or metallic; they can be a mix. Some can even change their scale colors.

Comparatively few dragons get to live to be centuries old; those that do are usually sapient (not all dragons are) and quite clever and wise.

Yessorganithanarawlitanista isn't completely authoritarian, but she does have the wisdom of her age. She's not about to tangle with Aragandafer unless she absolutely has to. Dragons like treasure. They like living even more.

IddlerItaler - 10 months ago

Neat to have some Draconic-speaking human tribes; I wonder what they'd call the Velnes. Interesting worldbuilding with this chapter. The audience with Yessorganithanarawlitanista was intriguing. Her lightning attacks and her cautious far-sighted personality seemed inspired by DND blue dragons (blue dragons are also portrayed as strict and authoritarian which fits with the dying tribesman trying to arrest the heroes the moment he's healed). Also I liked the multiple dragon paths - my partner introduced me to the Dragonflight supplement a while back which had a similar tone and evocative descriptions.

Chef in chief, huh? That's an interesting way to become boss. Certainly a deserved title considering that prepping and banquet scene.

"Dragons just aren’t as satisfying as snakes, she thought"

Pfffft. All that parading and fanfare, and she was left feeling underwhelmed. It's a good thing she noticed the parasite in time and struck it down; I shudder to imagine if it had disrupted the kwurdain spell.

IvesBentonEaton - 7 years ago

Well, fantasy worlds in vore fiction are a dozen for a silver, and elves in fantasy worlds are even cheaper by the dozen, so that is no surprise. Even druids in vore fiction are not unheard of, but all of the ramifications of a D&D 3.5 druid—not so much. Some of their class abilities add certain touches that will become evident in later stories about Zōēā.

Cobbly - 7 years ago

Thanks m8e. Ya know it's odd. I've actually been writing a set of stories a little similar to this, but not as well written. Seriously, elvish protagonist, fantasy world, reformation.

IddlerItaler - 11 months ago

"Once there was a tribe of humans in Elyzhar who worshiped him, which he found rather proper. After all, he was mighty like a god, and his zealots understood their place in the world as prey. They had, over the years, brought him much treasure and comestible sacrifices."

It only makes sense, I suppose. Some people are really into snakes and being eaten by them, others must feel the same for dragons. Shame about the genocide though.

Speaking of... Ouch. Whoever took away the Ocelot tribe probably wasn't this dragon, due to the line about not having tasted elf in a while.

"And if he fell—well, the main vent had partially collapsed after the magma chamber had emptied a millennium or more ago, and the dragon had kicked more rock into it. The hapless climber would not fall into lava.

What he would fall into would be much, much worse."

Oh me, oh my.

"He imagined his victims now mocking him, daring him to dive into their noxious remains to find his scattered treasure, to pull him down and suffocate him in their putrid grasp. “Come,” they seemed to hiss from the bubbling cesspool. “Join us. Become one of us. Become one with us-s-s.”"

Oh, talk about karma. I'd say it's a delicious vengeance but, you know.

IvesBentonEaton - 7 years ago

Not sure what you meant by this, but the only way for a shout to be edited is to delete it and redo it, as far as I've seen. Oh, and I'm glad you like the story. :)

IvesBentonEaton - 7 years ago

Actually, the next two stories are written, and part of the one after that, things will be a bit busy for everyone. :P

Mechdragon1k - 7 years ago

Is there a edit button on this site.
Edit the treasure dumped.

Mechdragon1k - 7 years ago

Great story. Perhaps the dragon can force the elf to dive for treasure.

IvesBentonEaton - 1 year ago

• I would be quite surprised if even Google found that reference. Kyrg are grey-skinned humanoids designed by magic to emphasize brawn over brains. They fill the niche of orcs on Āen, although some grow large enough to rival ogres, and some grow an extra pair of arms. The name is an invention of mine and is a homophone of the German word for war, <i>Krieg</i>.

• Since Zōēā is the protagonist in these stories, she gets priority for vore scenes.

• Langōval isn’t due for his turn as prey until story #9, “Stillwater Glade”, which has yet to be written. I’m still busy not finishing to story #8, "A Snake and Her Girl”.

IddlerItaler - 1 year ago

"The serpent spoke back. “Food for me?” (...) “Hungry. Good food. Food good. Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes,” the snake crooned as Zōēā scratched scales at the back of its head."

I like Ēānōga already.

"how the druids of Deepwold defeated Treebane and his kryg army"

I'm curious as to what a kryg is. A quick google search doesn't turn up anything.

"[i]Really stuffy[/i], Zōēā thought."

Pffft, I love a good picky prey. One could say she has a right to be - it is her body that is being eaten, after all.

Despite that initial grumpiness, that between Zōēā and Ēānōga turned out as another lovely vore sequence, and though we're eluded yet again by a full Yessanth vore scene, seeing what she was up to with her new pet and companion was still a treat.

“Imagine your whole body is like your happy little fellow here, sli-i-iding into my mouth. Every inch of your skin feels like this—”

The "Vore as an overzealous blowjob" explanation. A classic! Zōēā may want to be careful Langōval does not end up craving being eaten by her, with that kind of similitude, unless that's also her thing. Then again, in the closing scene with the demonic imagery and her assertive position, you could say he's her prey either way.

I also would like to add that there's probably more in it for Zōēā regarding vore, considering her reverence towards digestion and her own predation, but I suppose those are even harder to explain.

IddlerItaler - 1 year ago

Thanks for the typo-hunting.

As for the languages field, you've already put in a considerable amount of effort in fleshing it out - the opening excerpt about Ladahūnā vowel lengths and diacritics in the first story immediately stood out to me. It definitively worked for me, helping make the adventure feel immersive and the world more unique.

I also have nothing against Anglicizations, like Ameldēān -> Doomjaws or Velnēs -> Wetweald, and am more than happy to use them sometimes. My main vore-related OC bears an English last name even if in-universe she'd go by a different one. When I said "Humans speaking English" I was simply reacting to the opening line of "Velnēs, the vast equatorial jungle that humans called the Wetweald." But since it's later specified that those humans were living in the nation of Cartaige, speaking Cartaina, which is presumably represented as English, I have no problem there.

IvesBentonEaton - 1 year ago

The offending typos, as well as a few others I encountered hunting those down, have been eliminated.

It may amuse you to know that as the town of Ass End grew, the town elders renamed it to “Ascension”. Unfortunately for them, giving something a more respectable name does not necessarily make it so.

I render all languages in my stories to English because I’m an English speaking writer whose target audience is largely English speakers, of course. I am not an Oxford linguist like Tolkein was to construct entire languages such as he did with Quenya and Sindarin (and to a lesser degree Khuzdul and a few others), but I do like to at least fake it as convincingly as I may. Cartaige

In version 3.5, D&D allows as animal companions a snake (Small or Medium viper) at 1st level, a constrictor snake (size Large) as an animal companion at 4th level, and a giant constrictor snake (size Huge) at 10th. Usually a druid would dismiss the smaller one and summon a bigger one, but for story purposes I found it better to simply start with a hatchling and have it grow as Zōēā grew in power as a druid.

IddlerItaler - 1 year ago

Awww, Ameldēān died? My condolences.


"“Perhaps not. Būshān cannot be more than she is. No creature of nature can be, not even we elves. Part of maturing is discovering one’s limits.”

And overcoming them, Zōēā thought."


Lovely exchange. Seems like Zōēā is setting for a new adventure in a more familiar land - with humans, dwarves, and more classic sylvan elves. The humour surrounding Manfrid seems to be heralding a shift towards a more lighthearted direction; we're outside of the deadly jungles of the Velnēs, and even if Zōēā does go back to them, she'll be far more capable to handle herself.

"Ass End" ...is this going to end in anal vore? Just what I first thought of.

"and Cartaina, the language of the sea-faring human nation of Cairtage to the north that was known in many places with which they traded."

Cairtage, you say? Hope they never get into a war with Roime. ;)

"Through her sorcerer father, Gelorn, she learned the language of his magic, Draconic."

A draconic bloodline sorcerer, I see.

A tyrannosaurus, living in the Swald. Is this the notorious T-rex on the plains, meant to deter ambitious adventurers from straying off the intended path?

Good on Zōēā for having prepared some way to defend herself. Watch yourself from your enemies, but also from friends.

...Those mercenaries wish they had trained on mounted shooting.

Breathing spell letting a kiss last longer... that adds another point for creative application of magic.

A couple typos:

[quote]Using her animal-speaking spell, she shouting to the creature in a way it could comprehend.[/quote]

[quote]Zōēā cast an body enhancement spell[/quote]

[quote]Oh, the dagger. It thought you were called Et Cucurrit. I came to get you out of this creature’s gut.[/quote]

Was "It" meant to be "I" in the last one?

I also want to nitpick the narration's continued usage of "monster" to refer to the Tyrannosaurus even after Zōēā's line: “I see no cause to kill the beast. It is only acting according to its nature. It is a predator; almost anything smaller is prey to it. You said you needed your dagger. Do you also need its life?” Though fair enough, as monster can also be used in the sense of "behemoth", plus RPG conventions to refer to any hostile creature and whatnot.

As for the afterword... letting a druid player have a giant constrictor snake companion with the caveat that it would start as a much weaker hatchling feels like a very fair compromise a good GM would make. I did not mind at all High Ashenten being represented as Latin. Humans speaking English is less of my cup of tea (get it?) but it doesn't really impact my enjoyment of the story, also it's completely fair for Cartaige's language to be represented as English. I also found the rendition of Velnēs into Wetweald to be very pretty.

IddlerItaler - 1 year ago

Awww, Ameldēān died? My condolences.


"“Perhaps not. Būshān cannot be more than she is. No creature of nature can be, not even we elves. Part of maturing is discovering one’s limits.”

And overcoming them, Zōēā thought."


Lovely exchange. Seems like Zōēā is setting for a new adventure in a more familiar land - with humans, dwarves, and more classic sylvan elves. Things also seem to be taking a more lighthearted direction, as we're outside of the deadly jungles of the Velnēs, and even if Zōēā does go back to them, she'll be far more capable to handle herself.

"Ass End" ...is this going to end in anal vore?

"and Cartaina, the language of the sea-faring human nation of Cairtage to the north that was known in many places with which they traded."

Cairtage, you say? Hope they never get into a war with Roime. ;)

"Through her sorcerer father, Gelorn, she learned the language of his magic, Draconic."

A draconic bloodline sorcerer, I see.

A tyrannosaurus, living in the Swald. Is this the notorious T-rex on the plains, meant to deter ambitious adventurers from straying off the intended path?

Good on Zōēā for having prepared some way to defend herself. Watch yourself from your enemies, but also from friends.

...Those mercenaries wish they had trained on mounted shooting.

Breathing spell letting a kiss last longer... that adds another point for creative application of magic.

A couple typos:

[quote]Using her animal-speaking spell, she shouting to the creature in a way it could comprehend.[/quote]

[quote]Zōēā cast an body enhancement spell[/quote]

[quote]Oh, the dagger. It thought you were called Et Cucurrit. I came to get you out of this creature’s gut.[/quote]

Was "It" meant to be "I" in the last one?

I also want to nitpick the narration's continued usage of "monster" to refer to the Tyrannosaurus even after Zōēā's line: “I see no cause to kill the beast. It is only acting according to its nature. It is a predator; almost anything smaller is prey to it. You said you needed your dagger. Do you also need its life?” Though fair enough, as monster can also be used in the sense of "behemoth", plus RPG conventions to refer to any hostile creature and whatnot.

As for the afterword... letting a druid player have a giant constrictor snake companion with the caveat that it would start as a much weaker hatchling feels like a very fair compromise a good GM would make. I did not mind at all High Ashenten being represented as Latin. Humans speaking English is less of my cup of tea (get it?) but it doesn't really impact my enjoyment of the story, also it's completely fair for Cartaina's language to be represented as English. I also found the rendition of Velnēs into Wetweald to be very pretty.

IddlerItaler - 1 year ago

Awww, Ameldēān died? My condolences.


[quote]“Perhaps not. Būshān cannot be more than she is. No creature of nature can be, not even we elves. Part of maturing is discovering one’s limits.”

And overcoming them, Zōēā thought.[/quote]


Lovely exchange. Seems like Zōēā is setting for a new adventure in a more familiar land - with humans, dwarves, and more classic sylvan elves. Things also seem to be taking a more lighthearted direction,

"Ass End" ...is this going to end in anal vore?

[quote]and Cartaina, the language of the sea-faring human nation of Cairtage to the north that was known in many places with which they traded.[/quote]

Cairtage, you say? Hope they never get into a war with Roime. ;)

[quote]Through her sorcerer father, Gelorn, she learned the language of his magic, Draconic.[/quote]

A draconic bloodline sorcerer, I see.

A tyrannosaurus, living in the Swald. Is this the notorious T-rex on the plains, meant to deter ambitious adventurers from straying off the intended path?

Good on Zōēā for having prepared some way to defend herself. Watch yourself from your enemies, but also from friends.

...Those mercenaries wish they had trained on mounted shooting.

Breathing spell letting a kiss last longer... that adds another point for creative application of magic.

A couple typos:

[quote]Using her animal-speaking spell, she shouting to the creature in a way it could comprehend.[/quote]

[quote]Zōēā cast an body enhancement spell[/quote]

[quote]Oh, the dagger. It thought you were called Et Cucurrit. I came to get you out of this creature’s gut.[/quote]

Was "It" meant to be "I" in the last one?

I also want to nitpick the narration's continued usage of "monster" to refer to the Tyrannosaurus even after Zōēā's line: “I see no cause to kill the beast. It is only acting according to its nature. It is a predator; almost anything smaller is prey to it. You said you needed your dagger. Do you also need its life?” Though fair enough, as monster can also be used in the sense of "behemoth", plus RPG conventions to refer to any hostile creature and whatnot.

As for the afterword... letting a druid player have a giant constrictor snake companion with the caveat that it would start as a much weaker hatchling feels like a very fair compromise a good GM would make. I did not mind at all High Ashenten being represented as Latin. Humans speaking English is less of my cup of tea (get it?) but it doesn't really impact my enjoyment of the story, also it's completely fair for Cartaina's language being represented as English. I also found the rendition of Velnēs into Wetweald to be very pretty.

IddlerItaler - 1 year ago

Welp, that's a curveball to my assertion. I was figuring that Yessanth had occasional contact with other subtypes of elves beyond the Velnes but I certainly did not imagine that she had access to an Āen-wide communication network.

Thanks for the praise; I've grown up with the internet so I learned English language while using various sites, and in school the English teacher was tendentially happy with me. A classic case of technology favouring globalization.

And now the druids get to both touch grass AND be on the internet... elves co-opting this magic-technology to establish* a degree of pan-elven identity across the globe makes for a cool explanation for why there's a global elven language in Āen, or a druidic one, even admitting that the end result is still not my cup of tea.

(*or maintain? In case elves first achieved language and then spread out across Āen.)

Environment and biology are factors in how every society develops but I would consider them just a piece of the puzzle. One believes there are rails, and the next moment a new spell comes in - or a new application is discovered for an old one - and it shatters the preconceived notions and logical-sounding assumptions to shape things into an almost-infinite variety of ways, like you've elegantly demonstrated with the "forest voice" spell, or with Zōēā's surprise at the way her predation played out.

Elves in D&D and most fantasy are either cripplingly infertile, bereft of sexual desire for anyone except their life-long marriage partner (Tolkien), or both. But neither of those attributes are particularly thrilling in a story focused on elves - the first can feel like a copout answer meant to limit their species and let the quick-breeding folks take over, the second means the supremacy of a romantic ideal over any eroticism - so kudos for shaking up that foundation.

There are a variety of factors that led to the suppression of sex in the majority of human societies we know - it's a thorny issue lacking a one-size-fits-all answer and I shouldn't demand an author to dive into it completely. I could attempt to imagine how an elven society would fare if it channeled their magic into repressing libido with the same zeal that Āen's society of dark elves represses interracial fracking... but that's neither here nor there.

[quote]I never understood how a long-lived, graceful folk could stoop to worshipping things so much uglier than they.[/quote]

I'd wager there's a spider-loving druid somewhere who has an explanation for that. Why not ask them? I've heard contacting them is [i]dirt[/i]-cheap. Ok, ok, I'll stop the puns... ;)

IvesBentonEaton - 1 year ago

“Provvidenza”, eh? So your native language is Italian? Your English is excellent, and I say that as a native speaker of English, and a somewhat nit-picking one at that. Your second language—that is, if it [i]is[/i] your second language, since I don't know how much of a polyglot you are—is better than many whose first (and only) language is English.

The magic system was lifted entirely from D&D, and some of the elven sub-races were as well, with significant differences. For example, dark elves, or drow, have a highly-regimented, somewhat militaristic culture. They do [i]not[/i], as in standard D&D, typically worship gods of spiders or oozes. (I never understood how a long-lived, graceful folk could stoop to worshipping things so much uglier than they.) Also, to them, “drow” is a racial slur and using that term in front of one is a good way to end up with a cut throat. Yes, they are usually (but not monolithically) lawful evil, but this is because they are very much into racial purity—so much so that half-elves live in fear of their lives.

But I digress. Wild elves had very little detail in their original source, and since I intended “Food Chained” to be the first in a series of stories with Zōēā as the protagonist and the prey, I had to flesh out her own people somewhat; she wasn’t to be just “cardboard prey”.

I also had to have a method for her to survive because (1) while resurrecting a completely digested body is possible in a setting with D&D magic, it is also high level and very expensive magic, and it would strain verisimilitude to give her access to this magic every story, and (2) it allows the prey to experience the entire process of digestion instead of dying in the stomach, usually of suffocation. And if one is going to make a spell to meet these conditions, why not make it pleasurable for the spell recipient? After all, the original [i]kwurdāin[/i] spell is a personal range spell, so it can only be cast on the actual spellcaster, although it can be enchanted into a magic item to protect its wearer, as seen in the story. It’s a 4th-level spell so Zōēā wasn’t able to cast it herself until about her fourth story, [url=https://aryion.com/g4/view/427160]“The Dragon”[/url].

Later, a wizard learned of the magic and developed an arcane version of the spell, [i]Harnes’ compassionate stomach[/i], with certain significant differences.

But that’s another (unfinished) story.

Eventually, she gives the [i]torque of safe passage[/i] that Yessanth gave her to her own daughter, Elsaya, decades later.

Now, regarding your statement:
[i]That’s certainly a better reputation to have than "pointy-eared snob". I'm not a big fan of species-wide cultures and attitudes though. Let me explain: the idea that most elven societies would be sexually liberated is certainly appealing and apt for a setting where we want to see fun Adult adventures, but ascribing it solely to the elves’ longer lifespans and availability of contracceptives verges too much on determinism for me.[/i]

Almost all societies develop in manners consistent with the environment in which they develop. Humans developed sexual conventions to deal with the reality of their sexes and sex, even if some of those conventions are unjust and most become outmoded with time. In D&D, elves become physically mature at the same time as humans but aren’t considered fully adult until they reach a century in age. I thought, [i]Really? They are sexually mature at, say, fourteen to sixteen, but not “adult” until 100?[/i] Humans have enough trouble repressing the sex drive of other humans during an adolescence just few years long. How in blazes would that be done with elves who have an adolescence of several [i]decades[/i]? It can’t be—and, being magically inclined beings with access to cantrip-level birth control spells, it was decided that it wasn’t necessary. To try would just frustrate everyone. So elves establish rules around consent that are ironclad and make the prophylactic magic widely available to let the “youngsters” get it out of their systems.

As for the uniformity of this attitude, given the difficulty of communication in a pre-industrial techology level…well, I encountered this in other ways when working with D&D. One glaring example: in D&D, [b][i]all[/i][/b] druids [b][i]everywhere[/i][/b] know a secret language shared only by them. The language is so secret that a druid who teaches it to a non-druid is no literally longer a druid. (Wow, dudes. How do you deal with someone who uses a [url=https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Tongues][i]tongues[/i][/url] spell to speak it?)

But how can that be? Druids can be found in every clime from the frozen north to the hottest deserts and jungles. How could they possibly develop a common language? Magical communication over any real distance is not easy for magic users; the most common form is the [url=https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Sending][i]sending[/i][/url] spell, which is limited to a 25-word message and reply. Druids also have fewer spells for instant transportation compared to, say, wizards.

Then I ran across the druid spell [url=https://dnd.arkalseif.info/spells/complete-champion--57/forest-voice--623/index.html][i]forest voice[/i][/url] in the [i]Complete Champion[/i]. This 3rd-level spell is lower level than [i]sending[/i] and lasts minutes per level rather than one round. As such, it can communicate much better and at a lower level. It requires a Medium (human-sized) or larger plant or tree at each end of the same kind at each end through which the spell works. (I envision a hardy, fast-growing, fruit-bearing plant that is used for this spell most of the time, so that one druid can say to another, “[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXWHpbpNdHE]I heard it through the grapevine[/url].”) There’s also another spell, [url=https://dnd.arkalseif.info/spells/complete-champion--57/forest-eyes--603/index.html][i]forest eyes[/i][/url], which allows images to be sent in a similar manner. Holographic communications, anyone?

With such spells, it would be possible for druids to communicate with druids almost anywhere, and this would allow—or even require—the development of a common language all druids would know. Moreover, by making it a secret language, it provides a form of signals intelligence, at least against mundane eavesdropping.

This is so incredibly useful that when it was discovered by non-druids, the [i]Ordo ars Magica[/i] (Order of Magical Arts, that continent-spanning wizard’s guild) encouraged druids to establish groves near their Order Halls to take advantage of this network, paying druids to handle message traffic for them. This works to the druids’ advantage because while druid magic is cheap, druid magic [i]items[/i] are just as expensive as everyone else’s. Also, and perhaps more importantly, it gives the druids leverage: “Don’t cut down that forest or we cut you off from the grid.” A lot of economic traffic goes over the grid now, so that would be a serious threat. (The Order uses their Ban as a similar threat against governments who don’t play nice with them.)

All of this led to my corollary to Arthur C. Clarke’s Third Law (“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”), which is: “Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.” There are a [i]lot[/i] of D&D spells that can do things way outside their original intent, and I’m very good and finding and using those things. My stories, therefore, reflect this, as I envision that some characters in the setting are at least as clever as I try to be.

How’s that for a digression? To steer it back to the original subject: elves, being closer to nature, certainly number many druids among their ranks and would make use of that “grapevine”. Any wide-spanning communications network leads to a certain amount of homogenity. Also, similar problems tend to engender similar solutions as less successful solutions are dropped in favor of more successful ones. (Socially, this takes time, but elves have time to burn.) They could try to suppress the sexuality of the younger elves for decades—an effort doomed to failure—or they could learn to live with it and mitigate the worst of it. In general, elven societies chose the latter. What choice did they have, really?

Now look what you made me do. I’ve gone and wall-of-texted again. I’m cutting it off here.

IddlerItaler - 1 year ago

I read your reply in the forum thread "How do you make light in the pred's stomach?" and it piqued my interest; it was well-written, insightful on anatomy but not realism-elitist. So I checked your profile and gave your first story a go.

Thanks for the lore notes, naturally as an in-universe philosophy it doesn't have to reflect your beliefs nor be painted as in the right.

[quote]can behave in ways to us that would seem needlessly cruel, but don’t understand the concept of cruelty, so despite this, it is still not intentional cruelty, which was the point there.[/quote]

Makes me wonder still... Would the druids themselves call their worst actions "non-deliberate cruelty" or "seeming cruelty"? What if a veldami turned into a tiger and mauled someone, or they allowed a lost traveler to perish in such a way? I figure that if I continue reading the story, I will find out.

[quote]Druids have the advantage of gaining access to the speak with animals spell, even as initiates, so they can ask an animal why it behaves in a certain way.[/quote]

At the same time, that would likely blur the line between sapient and non-sapient by a considerable margin. I'm thinking of a book I read with an elf protagonist who has powers that let him empathize with animals and access their memories; one of his maxims is "Don't eat something that has thoughts" and is vegetarian because of that - though more willing to tolerate some creatures being eaten, like fish, and accepting of hunting when his friends have nothing else to eat.

[quote]One of the definitions of “province” is “an area of special knowledge, interest, or responsibility”. It is this definition which is the context for the use of that word, especially with regards to responsibility. “Providence” means “ god or nature as providing protective or spiritual care”. “Province” is more correct in this instance.[/quote]

I see, in my language provvidenza means "the constant action of god exercised over the created world.", and some English dictionaries seemingly accept a definition centered on the acts or care provided.

[quote]This is actually characteristic of most elf societies on Āen, even ones far less Neolithic than the wild elf tribes of the Velnēs.[/quote]

That's certainly a better reputation to have than "pointy-eared snob". I'm not a big fan of species-wide cultures and attitudes though. Let me explain: the idea that most elven societies would be sexually liberated is certainly appealing and apt for a setting where we want to see fun Adult adventures, but ascribing it solely to the elves' longer lifespans and availability of contracceptives verges too much on determinism for me.

Here's what I most liked about the worldbuilding, besides the waste-form spell - you painted the Shāhūnā as this unique, colourful culture who has to cope with its deadly-yet-beautiful jungle. Giving Zōēā's tribe a name rather than just saying "Here's our girl, she lives in the Wood/Wild Elves Tribe" further helped cement them as their own people, worlds apart from default elves.

[quote]she had three older sons and two older daughters, although one son, Hūlon, and one daughter, Fōena, had been claimed by the Velnēs.

Elves could live centuries before showing signs of age. Wild elves in the Velnēs rarely did.[/quote]

Woah.

Though I found Yessanth's remark later dialed back on that, a little: "No doubt the veldami that created the spell did that deliberately. It is a very elvish thing to do; in our long lives we try many odd pleasures." Here "we" presumably refers to the entirety of elvenkind, or maybe her fellow surviving green-witches, but it would fail to describe most elves she's met, as even those raised under her care were not guaranteed the luxury of long-livedness.

The discourse on sexual freedom and abundance of magic also diluted somewhat the direness that was painted before, but I found that a valid compromise - even in a thick deadly jungle, you gotta have some rays of light to lift you up.

IvesBentonEaton - 1 year ago

I must admit that I never expected a such long comment on a story I posted five years ago and figured had been buried in the morass of churning content that is Eka’s. So thanks for that. Perhaps it will inspire me to finally finish the backlog of vore stories for the [i]Tales of the Visceral Voyager[/i] and a few other stories of Āen. It would be a long time coming; I don’t think I’ve posted a new story in at least two years.

Now for a few comments on the commentary:
[quote] A thought-provoking passage. But as majestic as Veldami philosophy feels, I want to poke at it. Nature IS indeed cruel, and one has to wonder just how important dolphins torturing pufferfish or zombie cockroaches are to the Wīţhluth. In service of their vision of what the jungle is and needs, the Veldami druids are yet vulnerable to self-deceit and rationalization, and may find themselves one day like those paladins clad in metal armour who would raise a hammer in front of a goblin baby. [/quote]A few things to note here:
• In this first story, Zōēā is an initiate druid, and most of her wisdom is related rather than experienced. It may not be correct, despite her actual age. Characters in stories can be wrong.
• Druids of the Velnēs do not often see the oceans and therefore are less likely to be acquainted with the behavior of dolphins. Still, they are not alone in seemingly cruel behavior; other mammals, such as cats, can behave in ways to us that would seem needlessly cruel, but don’t understand the concept of cruelty, so despite this, it is still not [b][i]intentional[/i][/b] cruelty, which was the point there.
• Druids have the advantage of gaining access to the [i]speak with animals[/i] spell, even as initiates, so they can [i]ask[/i] an animal why it behaves in a certain way. It rather gives them a leg up on scientists studying animal behavior. I suspect that the animal doesn’t conceive that what it is doing is appears bad to most humans, and would answer, “Why not?”
[quote]Was "province" meant to be "providence" here?[/quote]One of the definitions of “province” is “an area of special knowledge, interest, or responsibility”. It is this definition which is the context for the use of that word, especially with regards to responsibility. “Providence” means “[a] god or nature as providing protective or spiritual care”. “Province” is more correct in this instance.[quote]Coprophagia is a limit of mine and normally I'd find pooping in stomachs also gross, but I enjoy other forms of scatplay and Zōēā pooping herself ended up being a net gain to the arousal.[/quote]Is is actually coprophagia for a creature swallowed whole to have a bowel movement? I would think that happens pretty regularly with snakes, considering how much the prey is squeezed before and during swallowing. No matter; it was a bit of comedy relief and a somewhat blatant foreshadowing of Zōēā’s impending fate.
[quote]In conclusion I love how sexually liberated the Veldami are, and getting to experience vore without dying is a nice plus, but other parts make me grateful for the comfort and values of modern society.[/quote]This is actually characteristic of most elf societies on Āen, even ones far less Neolithic than the wild elf tribes of the Velnēs. This attitude is discussed in the third story of [i]Tales of a Visceral Voyager[/i], [url=https://aryion.com/g4/view/426620]“Homecoming”[/url]:

[i]Sometimes, if the kiss was good enough, the couple would leave the game and find a hammock to share more than just kisses. No one thought anything of it: the adolescence of elves lasted decades—not years as it did for humans. Trying to suppress the sexuality of these younger elves until adulthood would have been terribly cruel. Also, post-pubescent female elves only ovulated about once a year, so even without easily available contraceptive magic, pregnancy was rare. No elven society in memory had ever tried to oppress the sexual appetites of their juveniles. Only consent was strictly enforced. All children were planned and considered an adult elf’s highest responsibility. Beyond that, elf parents tolerated sexual behavior of their near-adult youngsters that would have shocked human parents of almost any society.[/i]

Again, thank you for your comment. It’s nice to see that one’s work has not completely dropped from sight.

IvesBentonEaton - 1 year ago

I must admit that I never expected a such long comment on a story I posted five years ago and figured had been buried in the morass of churning content that is Eka’s. So thanks for that. Perhaps it will inspire me to finally finish the backlog of vore stories for the [i]Tales of the Visceral Voyager[/i] and a few other stories of Āen. It would be a long time coming; I don’t think I’ve posted a new story in at least two years.

Now for a few comments on the commentary:

[quote] A thought-provoking passage. But as majestic as Veldami philosophy feels, I want to poke at it. Nature IS indeed cruel, and one has to wonder just how important dolphins torturing pufferfish or zombie cockroaches are to the Wīţhluth. In service of their vision of what the jungle is and needs, the Veldami druids are yet vulnerable to self-deceit and rationalization, and may find themselves one day like those paladins clad in metal armour who would raise a hammer in front of a goblin baby. [/quote]

A few things to note here:
• In this first story, Zōēā is an initiate druid, and most of her wisdom is related rather than experienced. It may not be correct, despite her actual age. Characters in stories can be wrong.
• Druids of the Velnēs do not often see the oceans and therefore are less likely to be acquainted with the behavior of dolphins. Still, they are not alone in seemingly cruel behavior; other mammals, such as cats, can behave in ways to us that would seem needlessly cruel, but don’t understand the concept of cruelty, so despite this, it is still not [b][i]intentional[/i][/b] cruelty, which was the point there.
• Druids have the advantage of gaining access to the [i]speak with animals[/i] spell, even as initiates, so they can [i]ask[/i] an animal why it behaves in a certain way. It rather gives them a leg up on scientists studying animal behavior. I suspect that the animal doesn’t conceive that what it is doing is appears bad to most humans, and would answer, “Why not?”
[quote]Was "province" meant to be "providence" here?[/quote]
One of the definitions of “province” is “an area of special knowledge, interest, or responsibility”. It is this definition which is the context for the use of that word, especially with regards to responsibility. “Providence” means “[a] god or nature as providing protective or spiritual care”. “Province” is more correct in this instance.
[quote]Coprophagia is a limit of mine and normally I'd find pooping in stomachs also gross, but I enjoy other forms of scatplay and Zōēā pooping herself ended up being a net gain to the arousal.[/quote]
Is is actually coprophagia for a creature swallowed whole to have a bowel movement? I would think that happens pretty regularly with snakes, considering how much the prey is squeezed before and during swallowing. No matter; it was a bit of comedy relief and a somewhat blatant foreshadowing of Zōēā’s impending fate.
[quote]In conclusion I love how sexually liberated the Veldami are, and getting to experience vore without dying is a nice plus, but other parts make me grateful for the comfort and values of modern society.[/quote]

This is actually characteristic of most elf societies on Āen, even ones far less Neolithic than the wild elf tribes of the Velnēs. This attitude is discussed in the third story of [i]Tales of a Visceral Voyager[/i], [url=https://aryion.com/g4/view/426620]“Homecoming”[/url]:

[i]Sometimes, if the kiss was good enough, the couple would leave the game and find a hammock to share more than just kisses. No one thought anything of it: the adolescence of elves lasted decades—not years as it did for humans. Trying to suppress the sexuality of these younger elves until adulthood would have been terribly cruel. Also, post-pubescent female elves only ovulated about once a year, so even without easily available contraceptive magic, pregnancy was rare. No elven society in memory had ever tried to oppress the sexual appetites of their juveniles. Only consent was strictly enforced. All children were planned and considered an adult elf’s highest responsibility. Beyond that, elf parents tolerated sexual behavior of their near-adult youngsters that would have shocked human parents of almost any society.[/i]

Again, thank you for your comment. It’s nice to see that one’s work has not completely dropped from sight.