Quest Failed: Chapter Two - Dev Log #28

Hi there, guys!

First of all, happy late Thanksgiving to all those who may have celebrated it! I posted this picture originally on my twitter when I posted a similar message, but feel I should share it here, too, as it's appropriate for the season:

(It's quite the heavy feast she seems to be carrying there, but I'm sure our clumsy merchant will be able to handle things!)

Moving along to the main meat of this post~

So, the votes are in and it looks like Lamia Lore won by a clear margin! I guess you guys must really love those sneaky snakes, huh?

I know that a lot of you saw this lore as perhaps a chance to explore more of Lucille's character, and the reason behind why she's been exiled, but I wish to mainly go over lamias in a more general sense than to delve too deep into Lucille in particular. (That's Matt's job, anyway, ahuhuhu) Since it's no fun if I just spoil everything about her in a blog post, right? Though, perhaps I can still tease some aspects of Lucille here and there just to keep the mystery alive~

With curvaceous, graceful forms and expansive intellect that is generally considered far superior to that of an average human, lamias can perhaps be seen as the opposites to dragons in many ways. Whereas dragons overpower their foes with pure, raw strength and unwavering pride, lamias on the other hand will do what they can to avoid direct confrontation, opting to disarm their targets with far more...cunning means. How this will manifest will depend entirely on the lamia's own sensibilities and disposition. Some may attempt to defuse the situation in a diplomatic manner, some may seek a momentary lapse in the foe's concentration and use that to vanish, and others...particularly the more...under-handed lamias...may exploit and prey on the perceived naivety of their target, putting up a guise of hospitality and friendliness before revealing their true colours. Tea, anyone?

There are always exceptions, however, and there are in fact lamias capable of holding their own in combat, fighting their foes directly, but they are a great rarity among their kind in their societies. These lamias adapt to the lengthy coils they've been gifted with, honing their agility and maneuverability to great effect, becoming an especially tricky foe to fight. Tripping their opponents, ensnaring them, and even able to lash out with enough force to strip the bark bare from a tree, their tails are just as much a weapon as whatever actual equipment they may choose to wield. (Spears, tridents, etc. are a popular choice, as well as ranged weapons such as bows) Once caught in a lamia's clutches, the crushing pressure of their coils is also another risk to be considered. Even those that are not typically inclined towards direct conflict are still able to apply a scary amount of force with their tails, able to crush a human rib cage with ease. In short, lamias have quite the toolkit at their disposal and an adventurer should best be prepared when dealing with one!

Given their intelligence and desire to live more civilised lives compared to that of some lesser monsters simply content to thrive in the dirt, lamias took it upon themselves to establish a variety of settlements hidden deep from the public eye where communities of their kind thrive. True to their cunning nature, they integrated their villages amongst the trees, in the deepest, darkest parts of forests that humans wouldn't dare to venture.

But, of course, even with the intention of hiding from humanity, being monsters, lamias do need the essence of humans to remain sane and healthy. Even the most civilised, composed of lamias can break down and succumb their desires if deprived enough. To combat this potentially crippling flaw in living an otherwise civilised life, the lamias devised a very 'business-like' solution to their plight. Periodically, they'll send out particularly enticing lamias to venture out from the heart of the woods and to areas that humans are known to roam, where they'll then strike up 'deals' with the more open-minded humans. The 'deal' essentially being that they'll bring that human back to the village where they might then show them 'the time of their life', pumping out a great deal of essence from out of them and distributing it among the lamias most in need. Depending on what is agreed, the human may stay anywhere from a day, to several weeks, enjoying a luxury vacation so long as they agree to be thoroughly 'milked' each day. This is of course, all consensual, and the human is allowed to leave whenever they please, as the lamias wish to maintain a longterm 'business relationship' with the amicable humans they may find.

A certain lamia may have once compromised this arrangement by devising less luxurious, and more...permanent vacations for some humans, but she was swiftly dealt with before she could tarnish the reputation they had all worked so hard to build up over the years. Details are scarce on what exactly this lamia may have done to invoke the ire of her peers, but the word 'farm' sometimes crosses hushed lips.

Understanding that allowing one person to rule over them and have the final say in all matters is incredibly flawed, the hierarchy of lamias consists of councils--one for each village--composed of the wisest lamias and those most fit for leading their kind. Each council member generally oversees a certain aspect of the village, though they all confer together in regular meetings to ensure that everything is running smoothly.

This extends to their justice system, where they're quick to deal with troublemakers in their community. Depending on the verdict (in a court of lamias!), they'll sometimes jail them, sometimes penalise them, and yes, even exile them from their village completely if they consider what they've done is that irredeemable in their serpentine eyes.

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Whew, that about does it for lamias! Admittedly I couldn't fit in everything I wanted without diverging into too many tangents, but if you have any specific questions concerning lamias or feel the answers above aren't satisfactory, please don't hesitate to speak up in the comments and I'll try to answer what I can! (I've said 'lamia' way too much now, it hardly even resembles a word, aaaaa)

Additionally, I may come back and refine some of this, or tweak it depending on what I decide. As while I always have general ideas for each society of monsterkind, sometimes I may change some aspects if I feel they'll better fit the plot. So feedback is always welcome, too!

Thanks again for reading this and I hope to have another post up in the coming days with a little less text to burn through, haha.

Until next time~