The Last Immortals Introduction

The Human Animal Council had been structured during a period in history when the infant mortality rate escalated alarmingly, creating substantial social decay and presenting a serious threat to the long term economic stability of an ever expanding empire. Land transportation practices within imperial borders along the cross border trade routes were achieving unimaginable success due to their upgrades linking major shipping ports and the implementation of border control initiatives. Continuing the successful supply of demand however, would be short lived if the procurement of a labor force well into the future could not be secured.

Senatorial forecasts predicted the infant mortality rate would potentially create a 40% negative impact to the future labor force for at least the next century. Prohibition against the sale of infants to be raised into slavery had been implemented decades before to appease the surging popularity of the catholic religious movement. Inadvertently and without long term foresight the governing body had relented to the hedonism of popularity amongst the minority movement rather than long term sustainable economics.

The Human Animal Council consisted of members chosen from slave trading entities who shared perceptive vision or those who had personal qualities that identified them as natural selections. Since the introduction of prohibition, the slave trade had shown a down turn in demand, due partly to increasing public disapproval of the absolute ownership of slaves and the limitless punishments available at their masters' behest. Encouragement of the house slaves to breed among themselves had also reduced the necessity to import slaves from other regions and countries.

Being the largest single entity that provided municipalities with slaves trained and educated with specialist skills, the Human Animal Council was discreetly commissioned by the senate to address the escalating rate of infant mortality. Invited to provide recommendations that would ultimately secure a skilled labor force to drive the future of both domestic and international economic growth, the first convention of the Human Animal Council would consist of the initially selected six board members to officiate the policy reforms.

SELENE.

The founding member and fittingly elected unanimously to remain as chairperson, Selene owned the Selentia Group Northern African division of international slave traders. Her heredity had been the subject of misguided public perception, however her destiny had been sealed at birth. In exchange for the abandonment of her royal lineage the illegitimate daughter of Cleopatra Selene II had accepted the offer of immortality that was bestowed upon her during the celebration of her twenty eighth year of life by Hades the God of the underworld and his sibling Hera the cow goddess.

Throughout her early formative years and sexual development she had been fascinated with, and perfected the skillful art of conditioning human slaves as sub-human bovine commodities. By the age of twenty one she was the head Mistress of the Selentia Group's Northern African division tasked with the capture and training of slaves, specifically indigenous females with large breasts as well as indigenous males with well proportioned genitalia.

Keeping them isolated in constant captivity as human-cows for breeding purposes, breast milk production and milking the semen of males, Selene had successfully developed the first slave breeding program instilling an unrivaled purity to her marketable product that had generated exclusive, profitable opportunities. Fresh breast milk was sold daily at the Columna Lactaria in the produce markets, and the milking of male semen for cosmetic skin tightening treatments had become popular with female clientele.

The continued development of the first generation of naturally born human-cows proved that the Selentia Group slave traders were also able to assist the broader community with specialised and defined health benefits. Selene's success had not gone unnoticed within the inner sanctum of the powerful senate, and the formation of the Human Animal Council had been discreetly endorsed by It's more influential members.

ECHO.

The incredibly flexible, diminutive, blue eyed, blonde haired, nymphomaniac who had difficulty keeping any shred of clothing on in the company of others. She had become the unique example of the irony that the goddess Hera dispensed her occasional fury for no reason other than her own amusement, or as in this instance, eternal vengeance. With the news that Venus had been voted the sexiest goddess, Hera became so infuriated that she inflicted the first mortal female virgin she could find with immortality, cursed her with nymphomania, and forbid her to speak excepting to repeat the last three words of another.

Despite her silent and eternal torture Echo had become renowned for her manufacturing skills and extreme bondage applications provided to prominent slave traders including the Selentia Group. During this stage of societal evolution her vision of genetic engineering and surgical transformation as a method of conditioning slaves as human-animals was considered unorthodox and heretical. Echo's talents extended to any project that incorporated her imagination, ability, and her perpetual nymphomania.

Selene discovered the conditions of Echo's immortality quite accidentally through her underworld connections and promptly commissioned her as the bondage aficionado of the Selentia Group, then immediate inclusion in the Human Animal Council. Her craftsmanship with leather, wood and iron seemed centuries ahead of her time. Obsessed with transformative and formative body modifications she had been credited as the creator of the elevated heel sandal, but due to her inability to establish fluent conversation Echo often presented herself physically through appearance and willingness.

HECUBA.

Born into slavery she had been sold at birth, then as a young slave girl, re-sold at the age of twelve to a gentleman of boyar heritage in the region of Transylvania. During the transfer of sale the young slave girl snarled and growled at her new owner who immediately renamed her Hecuba after an ancient Trojan Queen. This only confirmed that through systematic regression she would initially be kept as his daughter, then later trained to be his human pup during her decade long term of captivity. As an alchemist who also studied the black arts his purpose was to maintain her purity and, perfect her behavioral traits until her maturity.

During her formative years her tongue was lengthened as well as having her gag reflex eliminated to compliment her obsessive desire to be orally used as a proficient cunt lapper and cock sucker. Her modifications became a much sought after novelty for the seemingly vagrant human inhabitants of her owner's fortress, and although she had never been fucked vaginally or anally she had regularly swallowed and digested their semen or ejaculate on demand.

Her body had been perfectly preserved to retain it's natural, flawless beauty and retain premium re-sale value for her owner. The news of her imminent release through the slave registrar prompted a substantial offer of permanent captivity from the Selentia Group, and having been born into slavery her inclusion within the council would be prioritised. Aware of the growing reputation within the region, Selene requested to have her new human pup transported in a heavy iron cage during a full moon phase.

SPHINX;

The most influential member of the council and the oldest immortal, she is the only known human to have been gifted immortality by any of the gods or goddesses of ancient Egyptian times. The sibling goddesses Sekhmet of Upper Egypt and Bast of Lower Egypt were respectively represented as the lioness. During the period that Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt, the sibling goddesses agreed that only one lioness could continue, and so Bast became the representative of the domesticated feline.

The siblings realised that they could not be goddesses for eternity, and that civilisation would soon enough forget the heritage of their past. They elected to immortalise a young female not of any recognisable status, slender with defined facial features, breasts, hips and legs who personified their vision of the feminine feline. Sphinx became the sibling goddesses natural selection to preserve their antiquity, perpetually.

For a millennium and six centuries Sphinx had already endured five dynastical periods. In human form she was Instrumental in re-establishing a formal administration, and having buried several Pharaohs during the course of her first two centuries was promoted as the economic advisor to the Pharaohs. Her successes included the modernisation of agricultural commerce, mining of natural resources for construction, port development, shipping and land transport. Her most recent accomplishment was designing and supervising the construction of the Pyramids of Giza.

In animal form she transformed into a leopard, the hybrid breed of the sibling Goddesses who gifted her immortality. Unlike the siblings her animal transformation could be at will and was complete becoming the ultimate huntress. Sphinx would rarely be seen wearing more than a short kalasiris with a pair of meticulously crafted elevated heel sandals custom made by Echo and a pair of sheathed stiletto daggers exposed on either side of her hips or hidden beneath a woven silk cape occasionally draped from her shoulders. In human form, cunning with piercing green eyes, long black hair and an irresistible attraction, Sphinx was eternally ready to fuck, or kill.

Having witnessed the virtual birth of civilisation and the subsequent economic growth of her native continent as well as the Roman empire, her inclusion within the council was automatic. She had long been an advocate of slavery as an effective labour force for construction, enhance transport efficiencies, and increase economic benefit, so her endorsement carried critical influence and was integral to the current project as well as the future direction of the Human Animal Council.

LOTHAR and AVRIL.

Inseparable even in conversation, the incidental childhood sweethearts Lothar and Avril had been trained as warriors from the age of seven. Lothar by an elite group of surviving Spartans as an assassin, and Avril by the enduring Amazons under Queen Antianiera who taught the young virgin how to attract, tame and train unicorns for their equine cavalry. While they were not siblings their long standing association and resistance to the mortal aging process had led to rumours that they were the reincarnated twins of Olympians Apollo and Artemis.

Their inclusion within the council was also automatic in retrospect of their long standing service to the international slave trade and to the Roman Empire itself. Recognised for their particular abilities both were appointed by the Emperor Trajan as salararius. They were members of Legio X Equestris for several years before being commissioned to III Augusta to protect the imperial borders of North Africa where they also completed engineering trades.

By 100AD the emperor Trajan had assigned them as commanders of his newly formed Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix, as well as protectors of his adopted son, Publius Aelius Hadrianus. It remains unclear the circumstances or period of time that led to their immortal status, but their abilities were glaringly obvious at the battle of Sarmisegetusa when they had each rode their beloved unicorns into battle, but after the dangerous pursuit for prisoners of war walked away unscathed, without prisoners, and without their unicorns.

Upon Trajan's death his adopted son Hadrian became the 14th Roman Emperor, and with that came the loyalty of Lothar and Avril. Hadrian appointed them as commanders of Legio II Adiutrix stationed on the mid western side of Brittania. The emperor Hadrian was renowned for his analytical thinking and ability to avoid bloodshed wherever trade could succeed equitably, and through consultation with his two protectors Lothar and Avril, border control became paramount.

Lothar and Avril undertook the design and supervised the construction of Hadrians Wall at the northern extremities of the imperial borders in Britannia, restricting the Caledonians stealth attacks and pilfering of livestock, but not the purchasing of bond slaves for Romes wealthiest clients. Reassigned back to III Augusta as a matter of urgency by Emperor Hadrian, Lothar and Avril were immediately summoned to the Selentia Group headquarters.