Venomania Event



The Venomania Event is the name given to the mass abductions in the Beelzenian Empire, carried out by Duke Sateriasis Venomania. Taking place over a year, the event consisted of the duke enchanting, collecting, and sexually defiling many of the women in the region until his untimely death.

Origins
Born to the Duke of Asmodean in the Beelzenian Empire, a boy was locked away by his father and neglected for many years for having a deformed face; his only friends were his younger half-brother, Sateriasis, and the daughter of the Marquis Glassred, Gumina. Eventually, the boy was released from house arrest due to the pity of his half-brother and step-mother, given a job as a servant on the estate and called "Cherubim." Although reviled by the other servants for his deformity, Cherubim remained close with Gumina and Sateriasis, eventually falling in love with the former and unaware of her engagement to the latter. In turn, Gumina developed deep feelings for Cherubim.

Years later, Sateriasis began to grow suspicious of Cherubim's relationship with his fiancee, and plotted to assassinate his brother. In response, Gumina attempted to ward off her fiancé's suspicions by publicly scorning Cherubim, breaking his heart in the process. As a result, he became violent after learning of Gumina and Sateriasis’ engagement and he slaughtered his entire family. Immediately afterwards, the man was approached by the sorceress I.R.

Demonic Abductions
I.R. allowed Cherubim to steal his half-brother’s face, and then encouraged him to make a contract with the Demon of Lust to give him its many powers, including the power to enchant women. In return, Venomania agreed to aid her in future dealings. The duke assumed his brother’s identity, using his new-found abilities to erase memories of Cherubim from anyone who might grow suspicious of him. Over the next year, he then set about gathering women from all over the land to be part of his new harem. During the Lasaland New Year's Festival, he used his powers to enchant Lukana Octo and lure her back to his mansion; he following month, he seduced Mikulia Greeonio at her farm in Abito village. The next month, he infiltrated Gumina's estate and enchanted his childhood love, as well as her servant Carol Shields, and wiped her memories of their childhood in the process. By April, the duke abducted over a dozen women into his harem.

Around this time, he visited Mystica with I.R. in order to obtain a special spoon in the Misty Mountain ruins; as he visited the adjacent town, Venomania seduced a baker's daughter, Lilien Tarner, over several days. During this time he massacred the entire Ferdinand estate, whose Earl was investigating the disappearances, and enchanted an undercover soldier named Teto Cetera, putting an end to all prying eyes in the region. When placing Lilien under his control, Venomania also encountered her childhood friend, Rajih, who witnessed his depravity and demonic power. Briefly battling with Rajih, the duke defeated him and left Mystica.

Over many more months, Venomania seduced even more women; by capturing the Beelzenian spy Neruneru Nerune, he was even able to seduce Princess Maylis Beelzenia. As well as this, he enchanted Haru Netsuma, the lesbian dancer Lolan Eve, and later Queen Yufina Marlon, the wife of the Beelzenian prince Martius Marlon. Growing increasingly absorbed in his harem, the duke's lustful and sadistic nature became more and more warped; added to this, some of the women experienced increasing strain from the brainwashing they were receiving. Notably, Lolan Eve eventually passed away in the night.

Rescue
As the number of disappearances increased, the empire's nobles had put forth an effort to discover the source. In particular Princess Maylis, before her abduction, hired Baron Toy Conchita to investigate the matter; on his recommendation, she also brought in Count Kachess Crim from Marlon. Before beginning his investigations, the count received the Golden Key from his lover, the queen Yufina, and later he set out to visit Mystica on a lead. He encountered Rajih, the man commiserating the loss of Lilien, and received from him information on Duke Venomania.

Following this lead further, Kachess encountered Elluka Clockworker in the region and the two joined forces to defeat Venomania. The count's efforts became personal after Yufina Marlon was enchanted, and he entered the duke's home alone disguised as the sorceress and holding the Golden Key, now a knife, concealed in his hand. Venomania, with no suspicions, came to greet "Elluka" and held "her" in an embrace.

Kachess used this opportunity to stab Venomania in the chest with the golden knife and the duke collapsed in the mansion entrance. As the duke's Bloodlust flowed out of him, his power over the women held in his manor disappeared and they all fled the estate. Gumina, his childhood friend, was the last one to exit.

Aftermath
While multiple individuals--a few of the harem women among them--had been slain by Venomania, most of his victims were able to return to their families relatively unharmed. Their lives, however, were irrevocably altered; many of the women would face intense discrimination and mistrust from others, as well as experience retroactive emotional trauma from their ordeal. In addition to this, several had been impregnated by the duke, and so began many lineages that would extend for centuries in Evillious. Due to Venomania's parentage, a handful of the women gave birth to children that acted as carriers for HER Syndrome.

Political upheaval and social change also followed in the wake of the Venomania Event. Following their reunion, Kachess and Yufina were hunted by the Beelzenian Empire and its political affiliates for their actions--the two would later return to the Kingdom of Marlon and stage a coup to remove Martius from power and establish a "legitimate Marlon country," with no ties to Beelzenia. As well as this, Gumina Glassred would flee to Elphegort and become it's prime minister, setting a precedent of female participation in politics that would influence the surrounding regions.

Civilian Perception
Many citizens of the Beelzenian Empire were baffled by the disappearances throughout the region, the girls seeming to have simply vanished without a trace. Nobles who attempted to look into the incident were usually without success, and many of the girl's friends and relatives became increasingly distressed by their absence.

Due to Venomania's power over memories, few citizens recalled him at the site of each disappearance; because of this, none suspected the duke of his involvement and believed he was merely investigating, himself, with the other nobles in the Empire. Even after the Venomania's death, many details about the event remained unclear to the public, including the exact number of women abducted into his harem or Venomania's true identity as Cherubim.

In Asmodean history, many citizens would venerate Venomania as a hero for his exceptional tenure as duke; this veneration lead to Venomania having a significant impact on Asmodean culture, adopting military and cultural traditions based on his memory. In other parts of Evillious, particularly among Levin believers, Venomania was instead reviled as a demon. Because of their bodily association with him, women who had been confirmed part of the duke's harem were feared and publicly shunned, this discrimination extending to all their descendants and continuing for many centuries. It was only by the tenth century EC that Venomania's crimes and legacy faded from public memory completely.

Curiousities

 * The Venomania Event is the first major incident caused by the Demons of Sin; fittingly, the duke would also indirectly cause the next major Sin-related incident, fathering Banica Conchita's ancestor.