#|| very much this undead / human ally

[luckyberet]

Not me having sudden memories of my rogue goddess who turned back at her own kin and pursued humans to push aside the gods and let the fire fade... by occult arts, silencing miracles, offering an absolution from sins they may have once gained - those stigmas that mark them to be one day punished.

[kaidatheghostdragon]

That trope where danny and jason meet during jason's six months dead? That, but with good fenton parents.

Jason is either the same age or a year or two younger than danny (between danny'and ellie's age). The fentons know danny is a ghost and have already adopted ellie. Team phantom includes the entire fenton family and valerie (and obv sam and tucker), maybe even valerie's dad.

Vlad is either reformed (post agit with teen dan?), blackmailed into submission, ran out of town, or "dealt with." The giw have been run out of town, and may or may not still exist somewhere licking their wounds. Peaceful ghosts are openly welcomed in the town, which is phantom's haunt, the fentons plus red huntress deal with the troublemakers, and the phantom siblings handle the biggest threats. May or may not be an everyone knows au.

Anyways, danny runs into the ghost of robin and is all, holy shit, a teen vigilante died, and immediately drags robin home to get all the overbearing comfort and love the fenton family can provide.

Somehow, that transformed into the fentons adopting the ghost of robin as one of their own. Jason even starts going to caspar high. Everyone knows that jason is a ghost of a kid who died too young and may be considered an honorary phantom, only team phantom knows that he's robin, and may have learned a concerning amount about batman from jason, depending on how open he is.

The joker disappears a month after jason joins the fentons and the fenton parents have solid alibis to prove they werent involved (having access to phantom's ghost allies is a large boon).

After six months of living (excuse the term) with the fentons, its as if jason has always been part of the family. So his sudden disappearance is a shock. Its treated as a ghostnapping, and the fentons are quick to use the boomerang to track him down.

They find a near-catatonic, but very much living, jason either wandering gotham, or just as he's being carted off by talia. If the latter, wrecking the league of assassins probably becomes an entire team phantom affair.

Jason is brought back home, and between the fentons and frostbite, they find a way to treat jason, learning that his living body is developing into a halfa in a similar slow manner that vlad did, but with jason's ghost core already fully developed.

That's four different halfas created in four different ways (five for five if teen dan exists), plus the increasingly liminal population of amity park, and the human members of team phantom so strongly liminal that they all have protocores and will probably become halfas when they die.

At this point, the story can go multiple directions.

If the fentons wrecked the league of assassins, either they discovered damian or talia dropped him off with bruce a few years early, when tim is just starting out as robin. If the fentons have damian, serious discussions about informing bruce of his biokid ensue, and the fact that theyve also adopted his undead son will inevitably come up and whether jason wants to deal with that mess of emotions.

If damian is dropped off with bruce, bruce is gonna hear stories of an orange man that can bust through walls, his teal assassin wife, their fiery daughter, and pair/trio of loyal white haired pit demons (assuming jason's ghost is white haired, and whether or not he's well enough to join), that wrecked ra's shit and sealed away the pits. He *will* investigate. Also, damian and tim will probably have to be kept separated, probably by having tim patrol with dick while bruce wrangles the feral child. This is smack dab in the middle of the worst period of the batfams social dynamics, but otoh, damian being younger will ultimately be better for him as he'll probably be deprogrammed a lot easier.

If the fentons never cross paths with the loa, another avenue is still open with the giw. If they've been run out of amity, but the anti ecto acts still exist, the justice league still have a chance to encounter them. Perhaps after amity ran the giw out, a formal complaint was filed to the justice league (they finally broke through the giw's blackout), but it was labelled a non-emergency (because the complaint described how the town couldnt get the message out until *after* they dealt with the problem) and was never investigated for being labelled a low priority. Baby robin tim found the file while exploring the bat computer and asked bruce about it, kicking off an investigation.

On the flipside, the giw try to convince the justice league that hostile entities have taken control of a small midwestern city, maybe the league is convinced right up until batman comes face to face with jason and is willing to hear him out.

If none of the above, jason could start talking about how he wants to return home to help crime alley, and the fentons support him all the way. You could even have jason still become red hood the crime lord, minus the family drama and joker ultimatum, and the training he would have gotten from the league is covered by ghost hunting, halfa powers, and the fenton parents' ecclectic skillset. Cue gotham being slowly invaded by team phantom as each child in turn goes to gotham U for college to be near and support jason.

Or jason is perfectly happy to stay in amity forever, but jazz goes to gotham U for its psychology program. She tries to keep her head low, but batman at this point runs a background check on every psychology major in gotham U (maybe bruce wayne funded a reform of the program - the reason why its now lauded as one of the best in the nation - to try to prevent more rogues being created.) Jazz pings a few warning criteria because her parents match a handful of mad scientist traits, so batman is now doing a full investigation on her family and finds a picture of jason.

Ignoring all of that, maybe jason keeps tabs on batman and is extremely upset that he's taken on another robin after the last one died. He's emotionally stable enough, and the fentons emotionally competent enough, to get him to talk and work through his emotions, but everyone agrees a wellness check for the new robin is in order. They go to gotham and confront batman, realize he's an emotional mess and that tim forced his way into the role and decide that the bats are all fentons now, no batman, you cannot escape. Assimilation is inevitable. We *will* get you to work through your grief and make you a better vigilante because of it. And tim has been abandoned by his parents and is living alone? That wont do. We're going to assume for your benefit that you were too grief-stricken to notice bruce, but you will not be making any more oversights like that under our watch.

There are probably a dozen other directions this could go, but mostly i just wanted to provide some prompts/ideas with ghost/halfa jason as a fenton. I need more fluffy fenton dynamics and jason fluff.

[thecreaturecodex]

Demon Lord, Orcus

Image © TSR Inc, by Todd Lockwood.

[Sponsored by @tar-baphon. Orcus is one of the iconic D&D villains, and through the SRD and plausible deniability (he's a Roman god!), he's in Pathfinder as well. In Pathfinder, he is deliberately not a power player, and my flavor text takes that already metatextual decision and runs hog wild with it.

A note on the art: I feel like Orcus is emblematic of when D&D was seen as dangerous, and this piece absolutely feels like it should be the cover of a Black Sabbath album. It's no surprise that I was fascinated with the anti-D&D strain of the Satanic Panic when I was a kid. Also, although there has been some course correction in the 5e era, there's a trend with Orcus in a lot of art, including his official Pathfinder depiction, of making Orcus buff. Let Orcus be fat!]

Demon Lord, Orcus CR 28 CE Outsider (extraplanar) This humanoid is a corpulent giant with skin mottled like a decaying corpse. He has great black bat-wings growing from his shoulders, hooves for feet, and the head of a goat. He clutches a short staff, tipped with an oversized human skull.

Orcus, Prince of Undeath CE male demon lord of death, necromancy and wrath Domains  Chaos, Death, Evil, Magic Subdomains Demon, Divine, Murder, Undead Favored Weapon heavy mace Unholy Symbol a goat’s head with curving horns Worshipers liches, necromancers, sapient undead Minions boneclaws, deathdrinkers, demons, other undead For information on his Obedience and boons for his worshipers, see Book of the Damned

Orcus is one of the most powerful demon lords in the Universe. But not on Golarion. On that world, his is one of a number of undead cults, and not nearly the most popular. Orcus has a clear hierarchy to what undead he considers truly worthy, with those created from contagion seen as inferior to accident, and those inferior to those who intentionally seek out undeath. His most dedicated worshippers on Golarion are liches, some of whom have learned the secret of crafting a phylactery by teasing apart the Prince of Undeath’s wisdom from his threats. The followers of many other undead-focused religions, particularly vampires and ghouls, see Orcus as pretentious and unworthy of dedication, although few are foolish enough to directly oppose him.

Orcus himself knows that his star has fallen. In his extensive research into planar lore, Orcus has learned that he was once the most feared being in another universe, who went on a killing spree that left several gods dead and an entire race of lawful outsiders duped into being his pawns. That Orcus cannot accomplish this level of power in this version of reality vexes and frustrates him, and he takes his rage out on his minions as much as he does his foes.

Orcus is a genius tactician, although his temper sometimes gets the better of him. He enjoys combat as a distraction from his cosmic-level sulk, and as a way of expressing his power over others. He typically opens combat with a time stop to summon allies and cast defensive spells on himself, and then unleashes a potent death effect as soon as the duration expires. Against creatures that can resist his negative energy and poison, he uses dispelling magic. On more than one occasion, Orcus has beaten a cocky archmage to a pulp by centering an antimagic field on himself and wading into combat.

Orcus in the Great Game Orcus’ response to the brewing theomachy between Mormo and Lamashtu is cautious optimism. He desires more power in the Abyss, and Lamashtu could open the door for him to seize it. Kabriri and Zura are at the top of Orcus’ hit list, but views a direct assault on them as currently too risky to be worth the effort. If one of them were to make a move against Lamashtu and be punished for it, or if they were struck down in the scramble for power following Lamashtu’s (theoretical) demotion or demise, Orcus would happily swoop in to finish them off.  And if Mormo is capable of legitimately slaying a god, Orcus will be very keen to study her techniques.

Wand of Orcus (major artifact) The Wand of Orcus is the Prince of Undeath’s scepter of office, and it never leaves his side. Lesser versions have appeared in the Material Plane, often created by Orcus or one of his high-level clerics. The real Wand of Orcus is a Huge +5 anarchic, unholy heavy mace. In the hands of a demon, it grants a +4 profane bonus to Armor Class. The first time the Wand of Orcus strikes a living creature in a round, that creature is subject to a slay living spell (DC 30). Weight 24 lbs.; CL 25th

Demon Lord, Orcus        CR 28 XP 4,915,200 CE Huge outsider (chaos, demon, evil, extraplanar) Init +11; Senses arcane sight, darkvision 120 ft., detect good, detect law, Perception +48, true seeing Aura frightful presence (120 ft., DC 36), undead obedience (120 ft., Will DC 36), unholy (DC 28)

Defense AC 47, touch 23, flat-footed 40(-2 size, +7 Dex, +4 deflection, +4 profane, +24 natural) hp 709(33d10+528); regeneration 30 (deific or mythic) Fort +31, Ref +29, Will +34 DR 20/cold iron, epic and good; Immune ability damage, ability drain, charm, compulsion, death effects, electricity, energy drain, petrification and poison; Resist acid 30, cold 30, fire 30; SR 39 Defensive Abilities Abyssal resurrection, freedom of movement, negative energy affinity

Offense Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (average) Melee Wand of Orcus +51/+46/+41/+36 (3d6+20 plus 2d6 chaos and 2d6 evil/19-20), claw +44 (1d8+7), sting (2d4+7 plus poison), gore (2d6+7) or 2 claws +46 (1d8+15), sting +46 (2d4+15 plus poison), gore +46 (2d6+15) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks epic spellcasting, powerful charge (gore, 4d6+22) Spell-like Abilities CL 28th, concentration +38 (+42 casting defensively) Constant—arcane sight, detect good, detect law, freedom of movement, true seeing, unholy aura (DC 28, self only) At will—animate dead*, astral projection, blasphemy* (DC 27), circle of death* (DC 28), create undead, enervation*, greater dispel magic, greater teleport, plane shift* (DC 25), telekinesis* (DC 25), unholy blight* (DC 24) 3/day—control undead (DC 29), create greater undead, energy drain (DC 31), finger of death* (DC 29), quickened greater dispel magic, quickened harm*, summon demons or undead, symbol of death (DC 30) 1/day—power word kill*, time stop*, true resurrection, wail of the banshee (DC 31) * Orcus can use the mythic version of this spell-like ability in his domain Spells Prepared CL 20th, concentration +32 (+36 casting defensively) 9th—energy drain (DC 33), etherealness, mage’s disjunction* (D, DC 31), overwhelming presence (DC 31), soul bind (DC 33), wail of the banshee (DC 33) 8th —cloak of chaos (DC 30), fire storm* (DC 30), greater spell immunity, horrid wilting (DC 32), orb of the void* (DC 32), protection from spells (D), unholy aura (DC 30) 7th —control weather, destruction (DC 31), greater scrying (DC 29, x2), repulsion, spell turning (D), waves of exhaustion 6th —antilife shell, antimagic field (D), banshee blast (DC 30), blade barrier* (DC 28), geas/quest, harm* (DC 30), mass bull’s strength 5th —dispel good (DC 27), flame strike (DC 27), greater command (DC 27), mass ghostbane dirge (DC 27), righteous might, suffocation (D, DC 29), vampiric shadow shield 4th —contagion (DC 28), death ward (D), divine power (x2), rest eternal, sending (x2)*, tongues 3rd —bestow curse (x2, DC 27), prayer*, protection from energy, rage (D, DC 25), ray of exhaustion, vampiric touch*, water breathing 2nd —bear’s endurance (x2), death knell (D, DC 26), desecrate, owl’s wisdom (x2), resist energy, spiritual weapon* 1st —bane (DC 25), divine favor (x2), entropic shield, identify (D), ray of enfeeblement* (DC 25), sanctuary (DC 23), shield of faith* 0th—bleed (DC 24), detect magic, light, read magic *—Orcus may use the mythic version of this spell in his Abyssal domain

Statistics Str 40, Dex 25, Con 42, Int 30, Wis 35, Cha 31 Base Atk +33; CMB +50; CMD 71 Feats Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Rod, Craft Wondrous Item, Flyby Attack, Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Greater Spell Penetration, Improved Critical (heavy mace), Improved Initiative, Hover, Multiattack, Mythic Spell Lore (B), Power Attack, Quicken SLA (greater dispel magic, harm), Spell Focus (necromancy), Spell Penetration Skills Bluff +46, Craft (alchemy, weaponsmithing) +46, Fly +36, Intimidate +43, Knowledge (arcana, planes, religion) +46, Knowledge (dungeoneering, history) +43, Perception +48, Sense Motive +48, Spellcraft +46, Stealth +35, Survival +45, Use Magic Device +46 Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Infernal, Necril, telepathy 300 ft. SQ demon lord traits, master of death

Ecology Environment any land or underground (Abyss) Organization unique Treasure triple standard (Wand of Orcus, other treasure)

Special Abilities Aura of Undead Obedience (Su) Any undead creature within 120 feet that attempts to make a hostile action against Orcus must succeed a DC 36 Will save or be unable to take that action, wasting it. The save DC is Charisma based. Epic Spellcasting (Ex) Orcus gains Mythic Spell Lore as a bonus feat. Once per day, he can use one of his spell-like abilities or spells as if it was a mythic spell without spending a use of mythic power. This allows him to use a mythic spell or spell-like ability outside of his Abyssal domain, but he cannot augment that spell or spell-like ability by spending additional uses of mythic power. Master of Death (Ex) Orcus applies his Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus (necromancy) feats to his spell-like abilities. Death effects created by Orcus, including the Wand of Orcus in his hands, ignore immunity to death effects except for those granted by creature type, or from deific or mythic sources. Poison (Ex) Sting—injury; save Fort DC 42; duration 1/round for 4 rounds; damage 1d6 Str and 1d6 Con; cure 2 consecutive saves. A creature reduced to 0 Str by Orcus’ poison cannot breathe and begins to suffocate. The save DC is Constitution based. Spells Orcus can cast spells as a 20th level cleric, and can prepare necromancy spells from the sorcerer/wizard list as if they were cleric spells. He gets access to domain slots, and can fill them with spells from any of his domains or subdomains. He can also spontaneously cast inflict spells as an evil cleric can. Summon Demons and Undead (Sp) When Orcus summons demons, he can also summon undead creatures.

[fabuloustrash05]

What do you think of the Shredder from TMNT 2012? I think he did a good job of making the Turtles' and Splinter's lives miserable and causing terror. But honestly, I'm not a big fan of this villain. Sometimes, he seems forced when trying to show his evil side, and it feels like his only personality trait is hating Splinter and wanting power.

The Shredder was one of the most memorable villains in the 2012 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" series. With his imposing presence and incredible fighting skills, he became a formidable adversary for the Turtles. However, despite being memorable, he had many flaws that made him a complex and sometimes flawed villain.

From the beginning, the Shredder was portrayed as the ruthless leader of the Foot Clan, driven by a thirst for revenge against Hamato Yoshi, also known as Splinter. His determination and fighting skills are undeniable, but his obsession with revenge often blinded him to other opportunities and strategic alliances, leading to impulsive and self-destructive decisions.

Additionally, the Shredder was very manipulative and selfish. He used anyone around him to achieve his goals, including his adopted daughter, Karai. His lack of empathy and willingness to sacrifice anyone showed a cruel and inhuman side, which, although effective in the short term, often alienated his allies and weakened his power base.

Another major flaw of the Shredder was his inability to recognize and correct his mistakes. His arrogance and pride prevented him from learning from his failures, causing him to repeat the same mistakes. This was evident in his repeated attempts to defeat the Turtles and Splinter, which always failed due to underestimating his opponents and overestimating his own abilities.

Finally, the Shredder's transformation into Super Shredder and later into Zombie Shredder highlighted his further decline. Instead of strengthening his position, these transformations made him more monstrous and less human, further distancing him from his original goals and any trace of honor he might have had.

I like 2012 Shredder, I’d say he’s my second favorite version of Shredder (87 Shredder being #1). He’s evil, his backstory with Splinter is tragic and his reason for revenge is interesting. The twist that he kidnapped and raise Miwa to hate her bio father is brutal. Kinda makes him look like an incel with the whole Tang Shen thing, all of this over a woman who told you no, but that’s what makes him scary. (I do wish his relationship/history with Tang Shen was explored more cause in the ep Tale of the Yokai it’s insinuated that they used to date or something cause Saki says to Shen “take me back”)

The lengths Shredder will go to ruin Splinter’s life just shows how obsessed and lost in the past he is. Splinter lives rent free in his head when the man is just trying to rebuild his life that he ruined. Though his quest for revenge began to get repetitive by the 3rd season.

He’s a good version of Shredder, but I do think he overstay his welcome come season 4. I really think Shredder should’ve been killed off much earlier to make room for bigger threats and villains for the final 2 seasons like Lord Dregg, Kavaxas, the Triceratons or even April being possessed by the Aeon Crystal. There were so many other villians the show introduced that could’ve taken Shredder’s place as the new big bad but that bitch just keeps coming back whether it’s as a human, super mutant or a literal undead zombie

[nicoleanell]

Another smart post going around reminded me of this thing that's been in my drafts, so you gonna hear some SURPRISE RENFIELD 2023 DEEP THOUGHTS FROM ME. <3

Going back to this post which still does occasional numbers,

I feel some ways about how Robert Montague Renfield is overflowing with empathy for other people despite his own circumstances being a million times more dire. He adopts calling the group's abusers "monsters" despite intimiately knowing an actual genuine monster and arguably being one himself.

Like he could've EASILY taken a look around that support group and been like "boo hoo call me when your literal intestines are coming out of your body", but instead of ever looking down on them or treating it as a competition over who has suffered most, he meets them at the place where they're hurting and absorbs it and connects to his hurt. He recognizes it as part of the same continuum, even when the details don't line up or measure evenly, it's Real and an experience he can imagine or relate to. Which is a good thing for support and/or therapy in a group setting.

Later on he lightly calls Rebecca out for her anger issues, but then after she rants about the source of that anger, his response is an utterly sincere "that sounds painful." INTESTINES. OUT OF HIS BODY. MAYBE 48 HOURS + 1 BAD HAIRCUT AGO. HE HAS JUST SHOWERED OFF THE BLOOD OF THE ONLY FRIENDS AND ALLIES HE HAD. But he winces in sympathy over her corruption and dead dad stuff.

And yes, I also feel a way about how that's a part of his nature that's been either exploited or fully trained into him by Dracula, because we ALSO see that in their interactions - "you deserve better", "I know being undead is a painful existence." Like… the fact he constantly leads off with empathy and validation of other people's feelings and that's the way he diffuses Rebecca's anger in that moment is not NOT linked to his codependency issues and the ways he's been abused. Of course everyone else's pain is not less valid than his, it's more valid actually!! He is more than happy to shut up about his needs and his trauma and declare someone else as the priority and Life's Main Character. The way he's still apologizing compulsively and transferring his submissiveness and fawn behavior to somebody else is very much a thing other people have pointed out, jokingly and sincerely.

But in spite of that, I still think it's ultimately a sign of his kindness and genuine compassion for others. And it doesn't have to be a one-way street.

Rebecca is (pretty understandably!) not as sympathetic to him in that scene as he's being with her, because she's still very freaked out and thought he was an ENTIRELY different type of weirdo than the weirdo he's turned out to be. But. Less than an hour later she is listening with an open mind while he tells her the most bluntly holding-myself-accountable, not-self-pitying version of his story and her takeaway is not only "you're not a bad person", it's specifically: I've done shit that I regret too, and being mean to my sister is on an almost LAUGHABLY smaller scale than anything you just said to me, but the point is I recognized your feelings on a basic humanity level somewhere in there and related to that. Again not a competition, and not about their experiences being perfectly in proportion with each other! It's good.

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: vampires

Listen, vampires are a classic for a reason, but they have also been done to death (pardon the pun) to the point that finding books that are creative with the premise can be a bit of a slog through tired old tropes. Hopefully this rec list can be to a bit of help for all vampire fans out there wanting something fresh!

For details on the books, continue under the readmore

Previous rec posts:

Really cool fantasy worldbuilding

Really cool sci-fi worldbuilding

Dark sapphic romances

Mermaid books

Sci-fi vampires:

Fledgling by Octavia Butler

Octavia Butler my beloved, literally you cannot go wrong with one of her books. Fledgling follows what at first seems to be a ten-year-old amnesiac girl, who finds out she is in fact a decades old vampire on the run from others of her kind. The vampires here are a separate species from human, not supernatural, and are as a whole very fascinating and unsettling. Come in prepared for fucked up power dynamics.

Blindsight by Peter Watts

Vampires and aliens and questions of the nature of consciousnesses, oh my. Not a vampire novel so much as a scifi novel about aliens in which there also happens to be vampires (one of which is captain of a spaceship sent to explore an alien ship just entering the solar system). Another example of vampires as an entire separate species, but more horror focused than Fledgling. No, seriously, this book will fuck you up, highly recommend if you're okay with a lot of techno babble and existential horror.

Peeps (Peeps duology) by Scott Westerfeld

Young adult. Vampirism as a sexually transmitted parasite that turns most people into bloodthirsty monsters. Cal is an asymptomatic carrier working to find other infected before they hurt people, including his own former girlfriends. But there is something else lurking in the dark, an ancient enemy of the vampire parasite...

Post apocalypse vampires:

The Hallowed Ones (The Hallowed Ones duology) by Laura Bickle

Young adult. Katie is an Amish girl eagerly awaiting her rumspringa, when she gets to try out the outside world. But before she has the chance, something happens to the Outside; a nearby town is wiped out, and something evil stalks the night. To protect their community, the Amish elders decide that no one can leave and no one can enter the sacred ground that makes up their home. That is, until Katie finds an injured young man and decides to help him.

The Company of Death by Elisa Hansen

Wild mix of genres, where a zombie apocalypse has struck and vampires gather up humans to keep their food source from going extinct, a robot travels across America with a young man she's tasked to keep safe, and former-vampire-hunter-recent-zombie Emily teams up with Death himself to stop the apocalypse. Features bi and ace characters! Bonus rec: the author also runs the youtube channel Maven of the Eventide, where she talks about various vampire media. Check it out!

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden trilogy) by Julie Kagawa

Young adult. Another zombie apocalypse (well; feral vampires) scenario in which vampires gather humans up to keep their food safe. Allison Sekemoto hates vampires, but when she ends up on the brink of death and is offered a way out, she has no choice but to take it. Hunted by a mad vampire and forced to flee the relative safety of her city, Allie must enter the post-apocalyptic outside world and team up with the free humans roaming there, seeking a cure for the undead plague that ravages the world.

Urban fantasy vampires:

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Queen of fucked up gothic horror, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, comes for vampires in this gritty novel following Domingo, a garbage collecting street kid in a Mexico City where vampires walk the streets. His life gets turned upside down when he meets Atl, a vampire descendant of Aztec blood drinkers who’s on the run and needs all the help she can get.

Sunshine by Robin McKinnley

Urban fantasy on a level of its own, where dangerous magic exists alongside humans. It keeps you guessing and much is left unexplained; if you want clear answers and explanations to everything you might be disappointed, but if you want a world that feels mysterious and dangerous and lived in you'll probably like it. It follows a baker who, after getting kidnapped by vampires, gets embroiled in a dangerous struggle and has to team up with one of them to survive. The vampires here are really inhuman and unsettling.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Young adult. After vampirism swept the land, special Coldtowns were built to quarantine anyone bitten, whether they have turned or not. After having survived a massacre at a party in which her ex-boyfriend got bit, Tana sets out with him and mysterious vampire to reach the nearest Coldtown, not knowing if she’ll ever be able to leave it again.

Modern vampires:

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Swedish literary novel set in the 1980s. Follows twelve-year-old Oskar, a troubled and bullied boy who befriends his new neighbor, Eli. But there’s something strange about Eli, such as her only coming out at night. Also available as two separate movie adaptations (I highly recommend the Swedish original; the American remake is perfectly adequate standard horror fare, the original is a masterpiece).

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

Literary novel following Lydia, who’s grown up as a vampire under the thumb of her mother, who’s been obsessed with self-hate over their existence as blood drinkers. Finally on her own for the first time in her life, Lydia moves to London hoping to make it as an artist. But surviving alone as a vampire is harder than expected. Slow and fairly light on plot, but utterly captivating.

Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde

Young adult. After Kerry saves a young man from three attackers who claim he's a vampire, she's drawn into a dangerous game and forced to work with a manipulative vampire. Pre-cursor to the modern ya vampire genre, Companions of the Night utilizes many of the same tropes but in very different ways, making it a unique experience.

Historical and fantasy vampires:

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

Dracula inspired novella, following Constanta, who’s turned from a medieval peasant to an undead bride. As time passes the relationship between Dracula and Constanta grows all the more strained and potentially dangerous. Teaming up with his two other consorts, she seeks to unravel her husband's secrets. Sapphic and polyamorous.

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez

Having escaped from slavery in the 1850s, young Gilda is taken in by a vampire, and eventually finds herself turned as well. Consists of a series of novellas following Gilda throughout the centuries, from the past to the present to the future. It’s also sapphic!

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

In a world where the rich drink blood to preserve their health, Marion applies to a position as bloodmaid in a notorious noble house far from home. Suddenly showered with luxuries and debauchery, Marion soon gains the interest and favor of Lisavet, countess of the house. A fresh take on the idea of vampires and deliciously dark sapphic romance.

Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

The Hunger by Whitley Strieber

Ancient vampire is on the hunt for a new partner, none of which tend to last long.

My Soul to Keep (African Immortals series) by Tananarive Due

I keep seeing this one described as a vampire book, and once stumbled on the description "almost a vampire book" and listen by now I'm simply curious to see what it's about.

Team Human by Justine Larbelestier & Sarah Rees Brennan

Young adult. As far as I can tell, a satire on typical ya vampire romances.

The Madness Season by C.S. Friedman

*chanting* vampires in space vampires iN SPACE

The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl

Young adult, sapphic. Three vampire girls turned and abandoned by the same vampire get together to stop him from turning yet another girl.

The Balance of Fates by Raquel Raelynn

Young adult, sapphic. A girl enters a competition against vampires and werewolves, complicated by her feelings for one of her vampire competitors.

[wraith-caller]

D, Hunter of the Dead, or Darian, is easy for a lot of people to hate. He’s rigid, allied with the Golden Order, and a hunter of the undead, who may be in need of mercies which the Order isn't interested in providing. I often see him written off as sort of bigoted, callous, an asshole, and given little in the way of nuance that is afforded to (almost all of) the rest of the cast of complicated characters we encounter. So I’d like to try to tease out those shades of grey, highlight the very human tragedy of his backstory, as well as make a few (hopefully interesting) observations about his parallels with both Fia and Morgott.

🚨🚨SPOILERS AHEAD🚨🚨

I. A quick recap

Players can first meet Darian near Summonwater, where he warns us about the Tibia Mariner and Those Who Live in Death. If we harvest the Mariner’s deathroot and return to him, he’ll offer to show us to the Bestial Sanctum and ask us to take his place as Gurranq’s servant. He will move to the Roundtable Hold and gives us a little info on who he is, who he serves, his bitterness towards Rogier, and will teach us incantations which are especially effective against the undead. We can summon him for help in two fights: one against a Mariner in eastern Liurnia, and another against a Black Knife Assassin in the Black Knife Catacombs. If you’ve kept up with Fia’s quest, she’ll ask you to bring the Weathered Dagger to its original owner. Interacting with Darian while having this item will result in him wondering where you got it, offering to take it off your hands, and thanking you for it. Next time you come to the Roundtable, he’ll be dead, presumably killed by the Fia’s Mist spell.

II. The allure of acceptance in an otherwise hostile world

As with most characters, we’re given very little info about who Darian and Devin were or where they’re coming from. Info from the Inseparable Sword tells us:

The inseparable twins found solace in the Golden Order, the only institution not to revile them as accursed beings.

The reason for the harsh treatment appears to be related to their strange nature. The twins share a single soul between them, living otherwise as distinct, autonomous persons. Per the Twinned Set:

The two known as D are inseparable twins. They are of two bodies and two minds, but one single soul.

Elden Ring is full of curses and shunned beings, so it’s not all that surprising that the world saw these kids with their weird spiritual situation and just weren’t having it. What is surprising at first glance is that the Golden Order, who are generally experts at reviling aberrant lifeforms, are the ones to accept them. But it makes some sense. Marika birthed not one, but two sets of cursed twins. And of course, Marika and Radagon have a very similar condition. In the fight within the Erdtree, we see them as one singular body, shifting between two aspects. It likely wasn’t always this way, and they were probably two distinct beings at some point, like Darian and Devin. Aside from how impractical it'd be to ask us to believe that no one noticed these two high profile rulers were never active at the same time, the wording of some of Marika’s echos indicates the two were not sharing a single body at some point:

O Radagon, leal hound of the Golden Order. Thou'rt yet to become me. Thou'rt yet to become a god. Let us be shattered, both. Mine other self.

All of this is to say, Marika and Radagon’s nature may have at one point been exactly like the D twins: a single soul shared between two bodies. This is further teased at by the fact that we receive the Inner Order gesture from Devin, and the Outer Order after listening to Marika’s words in a church. While the placement of these gestures was likely much more about illustrating the difference in blind faith versus an examined one, given Marika’s dialog there, it’s certainly interesting that we are given these paired gestures by these two characters. It’s not common knowledge to people of the Lands Between that Marika and Radagon are the same, but perhaps enough people in the upper echelons of the Order know this so as to recognize the similarity, and thus accept Darian and Devin.

It's clear why the Golden Order might make an exception for the D twins. It also conveniently sets the stage for some very fanatical devotion. It’s easy to write off fanatics. After all, they’re, well, fanatical. They’re rigid, unchanging, uninterested in adapting to new information which sheds any unflattering light on their new group. We’re all quite susceptible to this, our propensity towards tribalism once being a valuable trait which helped us to survive in our species’ infancy. The D twins get this kind of cranked up to 11 because they suffered a lifetime of being not just unwanted, but actively despised by everyone. They’re reviled for something they have no control over. We don’t know anything about their life as children, but it wouldn’t be surprising to learn they were abandoned by their parents if all institutions saw them as reviled. It could be that their parents were also adherents of the Golden Order, but given that they are Tarnished, and that the Inseparable Sword description specifies that they found solace rather than took solace or similar wording, it reads as though they may have only really had each other until the Order took them in.

What does something like that do to a person, especially if they lived with such cruelty as children? The need to belong is fundamental to our being, and shunning on a societal level like this would be pretty devastating. And it isn’t just one society that’s repulsed by you – it is every society except one. While the Golden Order has done horrible things, that becomes a lot harder to focus on when the hands that have committed those wrongs are the first to ever be extended to you in kindness. It’s hardly surprising then that Darian doesn’t just serve the Order, but has woven it into his identity. He doesn’t have any interests to share with us outside of his dedication to the Golden Order, like Rogier with his desire to be a scholar. He was given a purpose by the only people to show him acceptance, and he will pursue it doggedly.

III. Morgott and Darian – “Thy kind are all of a piece”

I mentioned before that the Order may have been accepting of the D twins due to Marika’s own 2 sets of twins. Malenia and Miquella have no significant similarities to Darian and Devin. And while Mohg shares a sense of instability with Devin, they don’t have much more in common beyond their cursed nature. Darian and Morgott, however, share a handful of interesting parallels.

They’re both reviled and rejected due to the circumstances of their birth. Cursed through no fault of their own, both were likely abandoned for it and kept from participating in society. Both serve the Golden Order fervently, with Morgott presiding over Leyndell as king while Darian hunts the dead on their behalf. In spite of being mistreated for what they are, they both perpetuate that mistreatment onto others like them. Morgott keeps the Merchants imprisoned, and leaves the Omens to wallow in the sewers. Darian hunts Those Who Live in Death while refusing to accept Rogier’s discovery that they are a result of a flaw in the very thing Darian has devoted himself to.

And both have a less than stable twin brother, one they never mention but for whom we might be able to reasonably assume they care about all the same as they were both likely each other’s only companion for much of their lives. When naming all of his siblings as traitors, Morgott notably leaves out Mohg from his condemnations. Darian, if killed by the player, begs his brother’s forgiveness, and keeps his very existence under wraps, with only Rogier appearing to know of Devin. Of further note, Morgott and Darian walk above ground, under the light of the Erdtree, while both Mohg and Devin live beneath the earth, in the endless night of the Eternal Cities.

IV. Rogier – “Such adaptability is more important now than ever...”

Besides Gurranq, the only other person we hear much about from Darian is Rogier. The dialog these two give about each other indicates that they meant a lot to each other before their fallout. I touched on it in my post about Rogier, but in essence, while Rogier appears composed and maybe even a bit wistful about their old days, Darian seems to stew and fume with resentment. He talks about Rogier as someone who used to be all of these positive things, but that he gave it up when he fell from the righteous path and took up with Those Who Live in Death, ultimately becoming a victim of them.

Yet in spite of their apparent split, we still catch Darian helping Rogier out with his research. He tells Rogier about the markings he found in Summonwater, and he fights a Black Knife Assassin in order to help us bring the knife print back to Rogier. There’s a strange little back and forth between them and I can’t help but read it as Darian navigating an internal conflict he’s not all that familiar with. After all, he’s unlikely to have had a friend like Rogier before, given how he was hated by everyone. So he’s even more unprepared to deal with losing that singular positive relationship he had with another person who wasn’t his own brother, or ordained to accept him. So he struggles, both resenting Rogier for his sacrilegious discoveries and maybe regretting parting ways to begin with. It has him fuming one moment then bringing back peace offerings the next.

They’re a classic case of opposites attracting, and the polarity between the refusal/acceptance of change was their downfall. Rogier encountered new information, was able to integrate that into his reality, made the challenging admission that he’d been doing wrong, and tried to fix it. Darian listened, but simply shut it down. It’s easy to write it off as bigotry, fanaticism, or whatever else – Fia indicates that the undead are unjustly persecuted by the Order, and Rogier tells us they aren’t malicious but rather unfortunate bystanders. Darian is too rigid in his beliefs to accept change, especially a change so radical as this. And he’d have to admit that he and Rogier may have been perpetuating an injustice in their brutal treatment of Those Who Live in Death.

I think there’s another pretty important factor in this which is often overlooked in discussions of Darian’s inability to adapt to the idea of a flawed Golden Order. And that’s in how much of his self-worth, his self-esteem, is going to inevitably be tied to the only people in the world to accept him and his brother as being fit for life. He wasn’t just exiled from his home after witnessing Grace like Fia or Roderika, he was reviled by everyone from day one. As I’ve said before, this leaves an indelible mark on a person, and such extreme shunning and forced isolation from society are a form of psychological torture. This is bound to leave a person with some trauma and maladaptive traits, and one that is relevant here is Darian’s inability to handle the Golden Order being mistaken about something so personal. This isn’t some mild administrative mistake, or even a major miscalculation in a war. It is a mistake about who is accursed and who isn’t, who is fit for society and who isn’t. And if they’re mistaken about the dead, who else are they mistaken about?

Normal people who have normal lives have a hard enough time accepting change. And those normal people have an even harder time taking in that change if it conflicts with some belief they already hold dear. So for someone like Darian, a change like this is not some trivial adjustment. It could be world-shattering for him, and would take loads of effort to accept, an effort he’d then have to make entirely on his own since his initial reaction was to flee from the conflict that brought it on altogether. He left Rogier, unable to handle this revelation, finding it easier to deny it altogether than accept it. And that in itself must tell us how painful this new truth would be for him – as someone viewed as accursed by all societies outside of the Order, Rogier very well could have been his only friend. Darian was willing to sever that link in an effort to preserve the reality where he has acceptance and a place in society. It is a very human reaction, and one that I feel deserves a little bit of reflecting on when we consider Darian and his motivations. This isn’t a standard case of someone being a stubborn ass because they can’t admit they made a mistake. This is something akin to cult indoctrination, when a traumatized person’s identity is far too wrapped up in people who told them that they are good, and that it’s everyone else who doesn’t love them.

V. Fia and Darian as caregivers

These two have more in common than you might think initially, since they’re positioned on opposite ends of the spectrum in the matter of death. While Fia seeks to uplift the dead, Darian would terminate them. One reviles the Order while the other reveres it. But both know very well what it is to be an outcast. Fia is exiled from her home after seeing Grace, and upon her arrival to the Lands Between is seen by some as “vulgar”. It’s her first taste of receiving the kind of scorn Darian would’ve known all his life.

But she still finds it in herself to care for others. And I would argue that Darian does too. Fia seeks to bear the hatred and disgust others have for the dead, to protect them from persecution. She has a gentle bearing that invites us to let our guard down around her, is soft spoken, steady, and calm. Darian shares a similarly placid disposition for the most part. Where Fia wants to protect the dead, Darian seeks to protect others from them. While he hunts the dead for the perfection of the Order, he clearly cares about the people the dead inflict themselves on. Upon first encountering him in Limgrave, we overhear him speaking to one such victim of Those Who Live in Death, saying:

I'm sorry, I cannot give you your proper rites... But at least you did not join Those Who Live in Death. Your soul will return to the Erdtree, in time.

He gives what comfort he can to this person, admitting that it isn’t much. And he does his best to warn us away from the village, trying to keep us from harm. When we return with the deathroot, he names us a comrade. Contrast this with Tanith or Varre, who ask us to kill for them to prove our allegiance. Darian does the opposite, telling us to leave the dead alone lest we fall victim, chastises us as foolish for taking such a risk to get the root anyway, and then invites us to serve Gurranq. He’s uninterested in pressuring or forcing us to join him, much less in having us bloody our hands for his own approval.

In his cut dialog for the Dreambrew quest, his thoughts go not to his own personal enjoyment of the drink we offer him, but to the victims of the dead. He says:

Alcohol, to make a libation? A fine idea. The Lands Between brim with the dead. If a drink can serve even as a small rite of remembrance, that is enough.

And then there’s probably the most blatant symbolism of this caring nature seen in the form of his armor and his posture with it. He literally holds his other half protectively in his idle stance, cradling the head of his twin as he is clutched by this smaller, frailer form. Even in death, repositioning the camera beneath him shows him shielding the bust as if to protect it from Fia’s fatal attack on him.

I often see Darian characterized as cold because of his distaste for the undead. But all of these little things about him add up to me as someone who is more concerned with being conscientious and caring of the living.

VI. Conclusion

I don't anticipate changing many minds about Darian. This is a pretty niche corner of an already niche fandom, after all, and it's super tempting to pick sides in search of which group in the game is right or wrong, which is going to pave the best way forward. Most characters in the game are doing something less than moral in an effort to advance an agenda, whether their own or that of who they serve. But at the same time, they usually have interesting and sympathetic motivations pushing them towards those goals. Fia murders Darian and never tells us her true goals until we find her with Godwyn, never letting us know that we were assisting her in killing someone, maybe even a friend, when she handed us that dagger. But she does all this in an effort to protect those she sees as persecuted. Darian is the one persecuting that group, but he does it as someone who has seen the violence the dead inflict on the living, as someone who has lived the very same persecution, as a servant to the only people to ever stay that persecution for him the way Fia would for the dead. This game is not interested in giving us neatly delineated good guys and bad guys for the most part, which is what makes their stories so compelling even when we're only given a few breadcrumbs. But it's also why it's strikes me as a bit short-sighted to write any one of them off as wholly irredeemable.

[monstersdownthepath]

Herald of Milani: Courage Heart

CR 15

Chaotic Good Medium Outsider

Adventure Path: Reign of Winter: The Shackled Hut, pg. 84-85

The baby of the bunch among the Heralds, Courage Heart here also has the dubious honor of serving the youngest of the gods we've seen thus far, with Milani becoming a full-powered deity only a century ago with the death of Aroden, for whom she formerly served as a saint. Courage Heart is even younger, being only a few decades old, having perished as a mortal in the upheavals of Galt, only to have her soul rescued by Milani and transformed into a being of divine freedom. She is so young that she still has immediate mortal family, as in brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, parents... but she refuses to ever see them if she can help it, and has cast aside her past name in favor of her divine title so that no connections can be made between her and her family. Not out of shame, or pride, or hatred, but because Galt isn't a very nice place to live, and if anyone ever found out who her mortal family is, that's a weak point that could be exploited.

She still remembers being mortal and will sometimes return in the guise of one to avoid suspicion from fiendish onlookers, taking on the shape and abilities of a Ranger of 4th or higher level, staying only long enough to fulfill whatever mission she saw fit to accomplish before departing, never revealing her divine form or purpose until she's safely back in Elysium. She never stays long enough to form attachments and purposely hardens herself against any attempts to know her, not wishing to put any allies (or potential friends) through the grief of watching a beloved companion vanish without a trace. One must imagine it a terribly lonely existence, but at least she has the benefit of friends she's made in Elysium waiting for her between missions.

Despite her appearance preceding Inner Sea Gods by a full year, Courage Heart really benefits from the two-page spread she's afforded in the book. Compared to the rest of the Heralds who have their stats, art, and lore crammed onto single pages with no room to breathe or stretch, CH has a fully realized lore block, beautiful art, and a statblock that puts an enormous number of other Heralds to shame despite being younger and, thus, much less experienced than any of them. There's a few Heralds who punch above their weight class, and CH is one of them. Let's see just what that looks like...

Almost immediately, one's eyes are drawn to CH's weapon of choice: A +3 Anarchic Morningstar, a weapon a full +1 tougher than any other Herald's. Her attacks are both highly accurate (+29 to the first hit, +14 on the last) and powerful, dealing 1d8+11 damage (+2d6 vs Lawful targets) up to four times a round, or 2d8+11 once via Vital Strike if she can't make a Full-Attack... though if you stay out of her melee range, she may instead decide to swap to her even more intimidating ranged option.

Oh yes, from a distance, her silly little rose may not seem all that impressive as a weapon, but anyone who knows anything about Milani knows just how dangerous a rose can be in the hands of her believers (that link to her article above? scroll down a bit until you read what she does to Wall of Thorns). Indeed, CH's Bloody Rose is not just a token she can hand out, but a shockingly potent weapon: A +1 Anarchic Dart, meaning it deals 1d4+9 damage on a hit (+2d6 vs Lawful) and it can hit up to four times a round, as CH can conjure as many as she wishes as a free action. While seemingly less damaging and less accurate than her melee morningstar at first, she has two to back it up: Point-Blank Shot and Rapid Shot, the first adding +1 to attack and damage rolls vs nearby creatures, and the latter giving her an extra attack if she Full-Attacks with her dart... And ALL of her weapon attacks benefit from her Favored Enemy ability, to which she has +8 vs Lawful Outsiders, +6 vs Evil Outsiders, +4 vs Undead, and +2 vs Humans giving her even more damage than she first appears to have when opposing tyrants and fiends.

Her dart isn't her only ranged option, just the only one that can critically strike: she's also got both Chaos Hammer and Holy Smite at-will to deal a burst of damage to multiple Lawful or Evil targets... but her true power lays not in what she can do on her own, but what she adds to an ongoing rebellion. As servant to the goddess of uprisings, Courage Heart gives hope to the hopeless and bolsters them with the strength to fight back against their oppressors; allied soldiers will feel the most benefit from CH's presence, but even peasants and commoners will feel new strength welling up inside them.

CH's Rebellious Aura quite literally gives hope to the hopeless, granting every ally within 60ft a +4 to saves versus fear effects and a permanent, undispellable Good Hope effect, granting a +2 to every d20 roll and weapon damage roll they make until they're no longer in the aura. In addition, her spell-like abilities benefit others far more than they benefit her, as she can grant Darkvision out despite having it herself, Magic Vestments and Magic Weapon when she already has fully magical equipment, and Protection From Arrows when she's already got the Deflect Arrow feat. All of the mentioned spell-likes can be cast 3/day, and they're not nearly all she can do to aid an ongoing cause; if she can help it, no one will die in her care. She does have Cure Moderate Wounds 3/day, but that pales in comparison to her Martyr's Blood, granting her the power to lower her own Fast Healing 10 by 1 to grant Fast Healing 1 to an ally for an hour, meaning the target regains 600 HP over the course of that hour, one round at a time. There's no limit to how many times she can grant someone her blood, just that she's restricted to only marking 10 targets at a time (lowering her own healing to 0/round for an hour), basically allowing her allies infinite out-of-combat healing. If you can't kill someone under her protection, they'll be back on their feet at full health an hour later.

But a true uprising isn't built on defenses alone, her fellow freedom fighters must be ready to take up arms when needed. Not everyone in her makeshift militia will have proper weapons, but whatever they grab off the ground will serve as a fine weapon thanks to her 3/day Peasant Armaments, a spell unique to Milani followers which allows anyone nearby using an improvised weapon to A) do so without penalty, and B) treat them as their closest equivalent simple weapon. The spell amusingly states that even a butterknife or broken chair leg can be treated as a dagger and a club (respective) while under the effects of this spell, letting a group of peasants fight back against trained soldiers with planks torn from the ground, tree branches, silverware, and furniture. With Magic Vestments and Magic Weapon being handed out, even people in scavenged armor can have a better chance at surviving long enough to escape a tyrant's grasp. Anyone who cannot or will not fight can be shrouded by her 1/day Mass Invisibility to sneak around what cannot be fought.

Also, when I say 'handed out' in regards to her magic, I mean it literally. CH can't be everywhere at once, but she can freely use Imbue With Power to grant anyone she touches the ability to cast one of her 3/day spells, expending one of her uses but allowing the target to cast it themselves at a later time. She can hand out quite the lengthy list: Cure Moderate Wounds, Magic Weapon, Peasant Armaments, Protection From Arrows, Shield Other, and Status! With the power to divide the workload between herself and her allies, it leaves her hands free to go on the offense while other people 'holding' her magic for her can get it to the ones in need, removing any potential for her enemies to try and split her focus. About the only one she might want to keep for herself is Shield Other, as it allows her to take damage meant for a chosen champion, with that damage crashing into her long list of defenses: DR 10/Lawful, and 20 Resistance to Acid, Cold, Electricity, and Fire. With Fast Healing 10 ticking her up each round, she's an excellent Shield Other battery, and even beyond all this she STILL has more tricks!

She can use Tactician to grant all allies within 30ft of her the use of her Outflank, Lookout, and Swap Places feats for 11 rounds, giving them additional DPS, initiative, and maneuverability in a single action. All the while, her allies are benefiting from her long list of buffs, both active and passive. Were it not for the shackles of divine law requiring her to operate in secrecy, there's little doubt in my mind that Courage Heart would actually whip Galt into proper shape in a matter of weeks, if not days... were it not for some factors assuring that her homeland remains in its tumultuous state. But who's to say those factors wouldn't allow CH to shed her disguise and fight at full power? Perhaps, over the course of a specific module, the players see fit to call the Herald of Freedom back to her homeland to finally free it from the parasites that have been ruining it...?

You can read more about her here.

[archon-maenad]

taylor hebert finding out that the bijuu can be reasoned with and don't attack unprovoked, and that her new world made enemies of their endbringer-equivalents anyways, is the moment she truly learned to hate hashirama senju.

oh taylor had already been angry at him. watching people in konoha take so much for granted, watching child soldiers be glorified by indoctrinated masses, it made taylor incandescent with righteous fury. and hashirama, as the founder of the village, was definitely not spared that wrath.

taylor had also already learned to hate the elemental countries and whole shinobi system. this entire fucking place was one normalized atrocity after another, and she is not the kind of girl who could look upon such a tableau with only dislike.

but hating hashirama senju specifically, with visceral ferocity, didn't come until later.

upon learning that humanity here could have just left the bijuu alone and how hashirama decided to change that... taylor wants to weep and scream all at once at the fact that this world could have left their fucking endbringers alone. she would have done unspeakable things to give earth bet such a luxury. she is far from alone in that conviction.

yes, madara may have enslaved one of the bijuu first, breaking the shaky neutrality between them and humanity in a way out of hashirama's control, but he was defeated. the kyuubi had been freed. konoha could have had the gratitude of a goddamn endbringer! could have maybe even allied with them! at the least could have had an official non-aggression treaty written up!

but hashirama senju instead decided to enslave the kyuubi all over again, before hunting down each of their siblings to do the same. as a jinchuuriki taylor is now a monument to the shodaime's hubris, an embodiment of the fact that he decided to make humanity an enemy that could spell their downfall.

earth bet would have sacrificed any space program for the simurgh to never leave orbit, would have evacuated any city if behemoth simply slumbered beneath it, would have done anything to never hear those warning sirens again. the idea of rejecting peace with endbringers and instead wronging them in a way that they'd be right to never forgive is anathema to taylor's core.

and so she hates hashirama senju, hates him with the kind of intensity you only get from the pressure at the deepest depths of the ocean.

years later taylor will manage to hijack the enemy's mass resurrection jutsu, successfully bolstering her side with almost every famous shinobi from history. hashirama, as the first hokage, is one of the handful brought to the war table next to her.

if taylor hebert were not a child of earth bet with respect for the truce in her bones, she would have torn off his undead face then and there with her bare fucking hands. it is still a close damn thing, because hashirama is an insult to the very concept that now shields him. hell, grouping him in with them as "enemies I will work with for the greater good" might be an insult to the nazis and serial killers she once faced endbringers alongside.

taylor does it anyways, because with a goddess on their doorstep they need all the help they can get, and she has never been a girl who would value the means over the end result.

humanity wins, eventually. that's not much of a spoiler for this au, of course taylor hebert defeats another deity. and as soon as kaguya is dust, she informs hashirama that she hopes he will rot in hell for the longest possible eternity and that she will ensure he goes down in history as the man who nearly doomed them all, before releasing the technique keeping him on this place of existence.

[y-rhywbeth2]

In a recent post you mentioned that nowadays, Myrkul covered death by natural causes.

Once again, I'm curious what Myrkul gets out of the Absolute hoax. Not a lot of natural death happening there.

The first time I played, the Lord of Bones seemingly held power over necromancy, given his contribution to the plot. But that's mostly Velsharoon's job, isn't it?

Could Myrkul use the Absolute's power to steal divine influence from Velsharoon? Is that even something he wants?

Moreover, would Velsharoon care at all that Myrkulites were raising an army? Considering he serves Mystra, would he have known / been alarmed by undead brains getting implanted with Netherese-powered atheism tadpoles?

I'm laughing at the idea that Velsharoon, who is listed as one of Jergal's enemies, might have been the first whistleblower against the Dead Three's shenanigans. (Also possibly the result of Kressa's necromancy getting repeatedly foiled by the first True Soul being a Deathstalker of Bhaal who just wouldn't stay dead.)

Not a damn clue. Myrkul's current domains are entropy, age, the elderly, death by natural causes, funerals, and he is basically patron god of the undead. If we were establishing an undead empire of sapient undead and powerful necromancers, that would likely further Myrkul's goals and his priesthood would ally themselves with necromancers and the unliving to guide them - it'd also be something Bhaal would be on board with, although Bane's going to insist on putting his brand name on a few hundred if he tries that. I don't see any alhoons in this mind flayer army though.

(While there has been some brief mention of one temple planning to conquer Calimshan (literally or metaphorically, I'm not sure), his lot aren't a military order and Myrkul doesn't direct his worshippers to rock the boat without cause because he doesn't have the follower numbers to waste.)

I would assume he's looking to recover his power by revisiting his mortal adventuring days (it worked the first time). He's a thousand-year-old former Greater Power and Lord of the Dead who has lost almost all of his offices to younger powers, forcing him to borrow a portfolio from Bhaal; Kelemvor is god of the dead and has the funeral industry covered (and Jergal serves the office of the Fugue Plane, so that's a potential 'ally' lost for Myrkul). Velsharoon ascended and became patron of necromancers and is associated with the undead. Most of Myrkul's worshippers are coming from humans, and the current generation of humans associates those deities with 'his' domains. He's also not in a great position to run off an pick a fight with Kelemvor, as far as I can see.

(I can also understand why Bhaal took this path... And why are you here, Bane??)

Considering that necromancy and undeath aren't heavily involved in the squid army, I don't think it concerns Velsharoon much past perhaps not wanting Myrkul to gain power, although it's also been said that Velsharoon writes Myrkul off as a has-been who should be put in a retirement home, so he might not be paying attention.

While Velsharoon encourages lichdom and undeath amongst his followers he also apparently doesn't care that much for undead, who are just tools and his necromancers tend to brand those under their control with his holy symbols as a flex. Myrkulytes who revere the undead as holy very much do not appreciate that, and as such Myrkul apparently has custody of the undead after the Second Sundering and they like him significantly more. (Hard to say what's going on with Velsharoon right now though, because he's not on the list of deities for the Faerûnian panthon rn (although it sounds like he's still around).

As for Mystra:

'While he professes service to Azuth (and through him, Mystra), Velsharoon actually encourages his followers to kill followers of these deities when they have a chance in order to vaunt his own power.' - Magic of Faerûn

If there's a way for him to gain standing from whistleblowing, maybe, but I don't think he bothers to communicate anything useful to her most of the time.

-

Strangely I actually root for Myrkul to win here, as Old Lord Skull is the more sympathetic of the evil monsters. Aside from just generally having more style; Both gods are revered by necromancers, and their priests aid necromancers and try to get them to follow their god's teachings on the topic. Velsharoon is patron of necromancers (= undead are tools and servants. Surrender to death is Bad), Myrkul the undead (= the undead are those who have entered the holy state of death, their continued power of the living is proof of death/Myrkul's might and is holy and we should aid them in their goals. And taking a comforting stance to the dying with accepting that death is natural, not to be feared and inevitable is Right and there's (hopefully) a better place for you far from the suffering and trials of life).

[selfdiagnosedeyemotif]

little thing i've been thinking about as of late:

How could one make the Octopath Travelers II in Dungeons and Dragons?

the rules i've set for myself are as follows:

no variant human. that is boring.

we're going for flavour over optimization but my stupid optimizer brain will nonetheless be the architect behind this all so Watch Out

Unearthed Arcana and things of that sort ARE allowed. UA is my dear wife and to leave her out of my house would be a crime most unforgivable

stats will be calculated using the point buy method, simply because that is much easier than working with the other methods

in a similar vein to the previous, pre-Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse stat increases and abilities for races will be used (my best friend the Air Genasi gets burnt by this but sacrifices must be made)

characters will range from level 10 (agnea) to level 14 (osvald)

this is what the characters would look like at the END of their journeys, so abilities like the One True Magic would be taken into account

i'll link pages describing all of the things i use, all of which will be from my dnd site of choice, the DND 5th Edition Wikidot Site

that being said...

Ochette, the Hunter

Race:

Tabaxi (+2 DEX, +1 CHA)

Class(es):

Revised Ranger - Beastmaster Conclave - Level 8 Paladin - Oath of the Ancients - Level 3

Feats (if any):

N/A

Stats:

STR - 14 (+2) DEX - 19 (+4) CON - 15 (+2) INT - 10 (0) WIS - 8 (-1) CHA - 13 (+1)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Tabaxi - Race: Ochette, while more of a fox than a cat, notably has many animal features similar to cats (namely her claws and ears), so the cat race fits her quite well

Cat's Claws - Tabaxi: ability most akin to Ochette's latent power ability Beastly Claws

Animal Companion - Beastmaster Conclave: this is the space for Akala or Mahina, since the BM is the only class/subclass that lets you have an animal companion in any way, not counting the wizard spell Find Familiar (which just doesn't fit Ochette. she aint a wizard)

Oath of the Ancients Paladin - Class/Subclass: at the end of Ochette's story she is touched by the Flame itself, bestowing upon her the power necessary to continue her immediate mission of Stop That Shadow Beast and ongoing mission of protecting the wilds of Solistia. serving something greater than oneself for a specific purpose (divine or not) is how 5e paladins have been flavoured, and the OotA subclass is explicitly based around being the light for the world, and has a general nature theme (see: green knights)

Castti, the Apothecary

Race:

Water Genasi (+2 CON, +1 WIS)

Class(es):

Artificer - Alchemist Speciality - Level 9 Paladin - Oath of Redemption - Level 4

Feats (if any):

Resilient (Wisdom)

Stats:

STR - 12 (+1) DEX - 9 (-1) CON - 14 (+2) INT - 13 (+1) WIS - 20 (+5) CHA - 12 (+1)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Water Genasi - Race: first off, Castti obviously has a water motif. that's a guarantee. however, i also think that Water Genasi has some good flavour to it because before MMotM, it gave resistance to Acid damage. you know, like trosseau's poison rain. Castti was INSANELY resilient against that shit, and i think it could be fun if that was like. just a thing she did.

Class/Subclass - Alchemist Speciality Artificer: this is the place to go when it comes to apothecaries. i really wanted to make her a warlock of Malaya as well but the best fitting subclasses (Fathomless, Celestial, and Undead) didn't have abilities that fit her very well. regardless, you've gotta be an Alchemist if you wanna be an apothecary

Class/Subclass - Oath of Redemption Paladin: PLEASE go read the tenets of the Oath of Redemption. like yeah its about redeeming yourself but more importantly its about pacifism (that's castti), patience (that's castti), and protecting the weak (that's castti). shes SO Oath of Redemption that it isn't even funny

Experimental Elixir/Restorative Reagent - Alchemist: this is Concoct, to a T. Experimental Elixir allows you to bestow a variety of different effects onto an ally, ranging from healing to haste to defense. just. like. Concoct. also the Restorative Reagent feature that castti would get at level 9 just adds to the healing aspect of EE so like. yeap that tracks.

Lay On Hands - Paladin: Sounds an awful lot like a mix between castti's Healing Hands and Rehabilitate abilities, with a mix of healing damage and disease specifically via touch.

Resilient - Feat: you'll notice that i made Castti's highest stat her Wisdom, which a keen-eyed D&D player might mark as strange, since Artificers are an Intelligence-based class, and Paladins are Charisma-based. well, this in conjunction with Resilient giving her proficiency in Wisdom Saving Throws (basically making her very good at holding on against fear, mind control, and things that affect sanity), are all because of one of my personal favourite Castti moments: she has canonically read the Book of Night and it couldn't do jack SHIT to her. her mind is made of IRON.

Throné, the Thief

Race:

Shadar-Kai (+2 DEX, +1 CON)

Class(es):

Rogue - Assassin Archetype - Level 11 Fighter - No Subclass - Level 2

Feats (if any):

Shadow Touched (spells gained: Invisibility, Silent Image)

Stats:

STR - 11 (0) DEX - 20 (+5) CON - 10 (0) INT - 14 (+2) WIS - 12 (+1) CHA - 14 (+2)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Shadar-Kai - Race: grabbed simply because i think that being a Dark Elf™ fits Throné really well. technically it also gives her teleportation which would be a cool in-universe explanation for Aeber's Reckoning but honestly this one's for the funsies

Inflitration Expert - Assassin Archetype: she straight-up does this in the first chapter. like full stop. that is the thing that this ability does. also i know it's very much not one-to-one but i also think this is how she would use Disguise but that ventures into headcanon territory

Action Surge - Fighter: the SPECIFIC reason that i gave Throné fighter levels. Action Surge allows the user to, once per short rest, USE TWO ACTIONS IN ONE TURN. THAT IS LEAVE NO TRACE. EXACTLY.

Shadow Touched - Feat: flavour for infiltration stuff but also sort of works as an expy for Veil of Darkness. Silent Image can be used to create a fairly large illusion, including but not limited to a quick and easy way to throw enemies off their game in terms of their attacks. Disguise Self was also considered as an option for the spell to take (Invisibility is always given) but i passed on it because she was already getting Infiltration Expert from her subclass.

Osvald, the Scholar

Race:

Goliath (+2 STR, +1 CON)

Class(es):

Wizard - School of Evocation - Level 14

Feats (if any):

N/A

Stats:

STR - 12 (+1) DEX - 10 (0) CON - 16 (+3) INT - 20 (+5) WIS - 14 (+2) CHA - 8 (-1)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Goliath - Race: Professor Osvald V. Vanstein is, amoungst other descriptors, fucking MASSIVE. that man is canonically like 6'7" or something. goliaths, the Biggest race in D&D 5e, are absolutely the best fit for him. as a bonus, they give him resistance to Cold damage, a fun reference to that teeny little stay on Frigit Isle

School of Evocation - Subclass: Osvald is canonically very much an offensive caster. that's clear. the School of Evocation, in D&D, is the one with the easiest access to Spells like Fireball, Lightning Bolt, and Cone of Cold, meaning that Osvald "Fire-Ice-Lightning" V. Vanstein simply MUST be one

Overchannel/Sculpt Spells - School of Evocation: neither of these two abilities, on their own, would equate to anything Osvald-y. Overchannel allows the user to make one damaging spell do max damage (and do it more at an HP cost), and Scupt Spells allows them to exempt certain targets from AoE spells. together, however, they form a decent expy for Concentrate Spells, Osvald's latent power

Prismatic Spray - Spell: this spell is a seventh level evocation spell. level 14 is the first time wizards have access to seventh level spells, and Osvald is an evoker. this spell is also a MASSIVE FUCK-YOU RAINBOW BLAST. i won't go through its actual abilities because they dont line up to the One True Magic very well, but aesthetically they're damn-near identical

Partitio, the Merchant

Race:

Human (+1 to all stats)

Class(es):

Paladin - Oath of Devotion - Level 6 Bard - College of Eloquence - Level 5

Feats (if any):

Inspiring Leader

Stats:

STR - 15 (+2) DEX - 11 (0) CON - 14 (+2) INT - 12 (+1) WIS - 10 (0) CHA - 18 (+4)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Oath of Devotion Paladin - Class/Subclass: mostly based around how Partitio is just. endlessly all about that helping people. you dont need to worship a god to be a paladin, folks, you just need to have a cause that you stand insanely firmly by. that's why they're Charisma-based. anyways Devotion fits Parti best so he gets it

Silver Tongue - College of Eloquence: half of this ability (bonus to Deception) is positively worthless to Partitio because he really doesnt lie much, but the other half (bonus to Persuasion) is DEATHLY important to this build. Partitio is a man built on being extremely good at talking to people, and it really shows in this. also, SILVER Tongue. Oresrush silver. get it? huh? huh?

Inspiring Leader - Feat: genuinely the most Partitio feat ever. it literally has the user make an inspiring speech for a mechanical benefit and if that ain't Partitio i dont know what is

Agnea, the Dancer

Race:

Spring Eladrin (+2 DEX, +1 CHA)

Class(es):

Bard - College of Glamour - Level 10

Feats (if any):

Mobile

Stats:

STR - 8 (-1) DEX - 16 (+3) CON - 12 (+1) INT - 11 (0) WIS - 12 (+1) CHA - 18 (+4)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Eladrin - Race: this is the most whimsical and fun race ever and i love it. spring Eladrin are the joyous and celebratory version of this race, so it fits Agnie pretty damn well. it also offers a teleportation option in the form of Fey Step (the season-themed version of Throné's teleport), which i feel like she would incorporate into her shows

College of Glamour Bard - Class/Subclass: this is the main performer bard for performers that dont use musical instruments, so it simply had to be Agnea

Enthralling Performance - College of Eloquence: this ability is effectively a make-your-performances-better card, which is exactly the kind of thing that Agnea would pull out if she needed to really bedazzle a crowd (see: Agnea chapter five)

Magical Secrets - Bard: this allows the user to gain two spells from any spell list. Agnea's would be Control Winds (Windy Refrain) and Beacon of Hope (Song of Hope). the latter is a much rougher expy than the former, but it's got hope in the name and i am nothing if not predictable. see the links below for what those spells do

Mobile - Feat: this is meant as an expy of the Dancer ability Ever Evasive, and to a degree Agnea's high base Speed and Evasion, since the Mobile feat both makes it more difficult for enemies to land hits on you, and improves your movement speed

Temenos, the Cleric

Race:

Changeling (+2 CHA, +1 WIS), pretends to be Half-Elf

Class(es):

Rogue - Inquisitive Archetype - Level 4 Cleric - Knowledge Domain - Level 9

Feats (if any):

Keen Mind (+1 INT)

Stats:

STR - 8 (-1) DEX - 10 (0) CON - 8 (-1) INT - 18 (+4) WIS - 18 (+4) CHA - 16 (+3)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Changeling - Race: i think it would be really cool because Temenos is such a goddamn liar. im so normal about it. sososo normal about it. i just feel that he would lie persistently about his identity lie that because just. i am hopelessly in love with the aspect of Temenos that he does not let anyone know anything ever

Inquisitive Archetype Rogue - Class/Subclass: one will note that this is the first class listed rather than his actual in-game class of Cleric. this is because i think that before he was a cleric, before he was found by the church, Rogue was a deeply fitting class for him. i think it was his base class, and grew into the Inquisitive subclass AFTER taking Cleric levels

Channel Divinity: Read Thoughts - Knowledge Domain: this is the equivalent of Temenos's Coerce path action; both are obviously magical in nature and involve to a certain (albeit different) degree looking into the target's mind. not a lot to say it's just a very good stand-in for Coerce

Legend Lore - Spell: this is the expy for Temenos's doubt-is-what-i-do mystery solving sections (like when he's in the cathedral with Crick investigating the death of the pontiff). it's not exact since Legend Lore targets an object and Temenos's thing targets a location, but i think it's close enough to be good enough. also it's a free spell you get for being a Knowledge Cleric so i think it's a good fit

Expertise - Rogue: this ability allows you to take two skills and become SUPER good at them. this would be Deception and Insight for Temenos, and i think it was important that i bring it up

Hikari, the Warrior

Race:

High Elf (+2 DEX, +1 INT)

Class(es):

Fighter - Samurai Archetype - Level 11 Sorcerer - Shadow Origin - Level 1

Feats (if any):

N/A

Stats:

STR - 18 (+4) DEX - 16 (+3) CON - 16 (+3) INT - 10 (0) WIS - 10 (0) CHA - 10 (0)

Key Abilities/Explanations:

Shadow Origin Sorcerer - Class/Subclass: homeboy's got the blood of D'arqest in him, so he simply MUST have some kind of spooky class. the other class in the running was Hexblade Warlock, but Shadow Sorcerer ultimately won out mostly for mechanical reasons (SO's Strength of the Grave was considered more flavourful than HB's Hexblade's Curse)

Fighting Spirit/Tireless Spirit - Samurai Archetype: these abilities are about the user powering up by sheer force of will and that's literally the most Hikari thing i have ever heard in my life

Fighting Style: Superior Technique - Fighter: this fighting style allows the user to gain one Battlemaster Fighter maneuver. the one selected for Hikari is Riposte, which serves as an equivalent to Hikari's Vengeful Blade ability (both of them are counterattack options)

Extra Attack 2x - Fighter: fighters are the only class that gain access to more than two attacks per turn, similarly to Hikari's Aggressive Slash ability giving him access to the greatest number of hits out of any class in-game

Links:

Ochette, the Hunter

Tabaxi

Ranger, Revised

Beastmaster Conclave

Paladin

Oath of the Ancients

Castti, the Apothecary

Water Genasi

Artificer

Alchemist Speciality

Paladin

Oath of Redemption

Resilient

Throné, the Thief

Shadar-Kai

Rogue

Assassin Archetype

Fighter

Shadow Touched

Silent Image

Osvald, the Scholar

Goliath

Wizard

School of Evocation

Prismatic Spray

Partitio, the Merchant

Human (yeah im linking that)

Paladin

Oath of Devotion

Bard

College of Eloquence

Inspiring Leader

Agnea, the Dancer

Eladrin

Bard

College of Glamour

Mobile

Control Winds

Beacon of Hope

Temenos, the Cleric

Changeling

Rogue

Inquisitive Archetype

Cleric

Knowledge Domain

Keen Mind

Legend Lore

Hikari, the Warrior

High Elf

Fighter

Samurai Archetype

Sorcerer

Shadow Origin

Riposte Maneuver

[eras-of-oroza]

Aleixo, the Crimson Blade (+ Aleixo's Folly)

let's take a look at this guy who is definitely alive and well and such! some backstory, lore, and some other things about our favorite (only) planeswalker from oroza (at this point). also we talk abt aphen a little!

Art by Nino Vecia (left) and Donato Giancola (right)

author's note: the end is a little bit intense, i think. not 100% sure. also, read about aphen first, if you want. it'll make more sense that way

so, we have this nice little planeswalker! good old, classic knight who hails from the Ekhma. he's a human (i guess), about fourty-ish? spark ignited like twelve years ago. so he's pretty good at being a walker. he generally goes about, fighting things, slaying wyvrens, dragons, and all, and is a commander in the Ekhmite army. his armor's special, i think, and his sword (which is definitely special) is permanently stained to be blood-red. which is why he's called that. believe it or not

at some point, he ends up investigating a lead into a Time-related Aphena plot. he makes his way to an ancient tomb beneath the Akand Peaks (thanks fantasynamegenerators), expecting nothing more than the regular bunch of Apheneon cultists and hordes of undead. instead, Aleixo comes face-to-face with, the Unkillable Monach, Aphen itself. Aleixo immediately retreats, rushing to tell his allies of Aphen, who does not take kindly to the disturbance of its rest

okay i came up with some Actual Writing for this next segment. so i'll put it here i guess. will put it with the rest when i write more.

Aphen stands, ancient bones creaking after eons of disuse. It raises its head to the sky, and lets out a mind-numbing shriek. Aphen knows it must stop that damned walker from escaping, but also knows that it is already too late. Suddenly, sunlight begins to stream through large cracks now forming in the ancient tomb's ceiling, and impossible amounts of dust are thrown into the air as Aphen flaps its wings once, and is gone.

that was fun. i hope. now back to this boring stuff! Aphen knows it can't catch Aleixo, so it decides just to fuck as much stuff up as it can before the Ekhma come to arms. Aphen flies about, destroying villages and cities all dilly dally, and then decides to take a charge on the Ekhmite capital, Vanulum (thanks again fantasynamegenerators).

as Aphen nears Vanulum, it is called to land by the blast of a horn.. Aleixo's horn. Aphen decides to humor him, and comes to a stop above Aleixo, before dropping to the ground, demolishing the landscape. suprisingly, Aleixo stands alone, no army to protect him. Aleixo offers Aphen a bargain -- in return for its immediate retreat from the lands of Ekhma, he will pledge himself to the Apheneon, and join their numbers.

more Actual Writing. have fun!

As Aleixo finishes, Aphen is impressed. This one man—whether planeswalker or not—came to face it alone. Diplomacy may not be the worst choice at this time, perhaps. Why not reward this human's fearlessness? "Very well," Aphen states, unblinking. "Our dealings are done, and you are Ekhmite no longer." Aleixo watches as Aphen begins the assimilation, as runes twist about his head. Having slain so many, he wonders how it is to be an Apheneon. He lets his eyes drift shut, having accepted his fate The instant Aleixo's eyes close, a deafeningly loud slam of jaws is heard for miles around. His body rushes to meet the ground on which he stood just moments before. Aphen is satisfied, and takes to the skies.

Art by Raymond Swanland

Now, Aleixo's blade is finally at rest, laid upon the shattered earth beneath it. It is crimson no longer.

- fin -

well! that was quite an ending! i had a lot of fun writing this. sorry if it it got a bit too much at the end there, i'm still very new to writing stuff. thanks for reading! behead ya later,

syl

[dailycharacteroption]

Roleplaying Races 15: Duskwalker

(art by JoshBurns on DeviantArt)

And so we continue this special with the very last of the planar scion ancestries that Pathfinder 1st edition has to offer: the Duskwalker, the neutral-aligned planetouched.

Much like Aphorites, duskwalkers do not come into being in the same way as most. No mingling of bloodlines occurs in their case. Instead, they are born the way they are by the divine mandate of the forces they represent, but we’ll get into that.

According to legend, two powerful psychopomps, a yamaraj and an olethros mother, entered into a discussion about the interplay between fate and fortune, and how many souls lose their chance at destiny when their lives are cut short, and whether that is fair.

This discussion led to an agreement, approved by Pharasma, in which some souls whose fates were severed too soon and whose lives led to them being distinguished among the psychopomps and other guardians of the cycle to get a second chance.

These souls are sent back to the material plane along the secret planar paths known as the dead roads, taking the form of young children with a basket of supplies in hand, and are often found by locals wandering the graveyards where they exit the Dead Roads. These are duskwalkers.

Now, as you might imagine, off-putting children found roaming graveyards are likely to be viewed with apprehension by most simple folk, so while the psychopomps do their best to send them places where they will be accepted, some are not, and are forced to mature physically and mentally very rapidly in order to survive.

Having not experienced infancy, duskwalkers are born into this world knowing their duty to help protect the cycle of life and death as mortal beings, however, they can still shape their own fate, and a few reject it, even going as far as to ally with the sahkils, the terrible enemies of the psychopomps.

While many duskwalkers resemble humans, it is possible for them to be born resembling any sapient ancestry, though they typically sport gray skin, and sometimes sport odd features that resemble one of the various forms of psychopomps, such as feathers, animal-like features on the face, hands, and feet, and so on.

Like many other planar scions, duskwalkers don’t have much in the way of a society of their own. Most go their entire second lives never meeting another of their kind, and what few communities do exist are almost universally founded as part of or after some great unified goal to protect the cycle and/or destroy some great undead threat. Due to the sporatic nature of duskwalker creation, such communities may cease to even be duskwalker communites after a generation, populated by their mortal descendants and those of their mortal allies. Perhaps the only other peoples they feel common ground with are planar scions and other hybrid folk, though naturally they share a mutual distrust with most dhampir.

Duskwalkers are agile and cunning, but their connections to death makes their bodies somewhat fragile.

Their nature as native outsiders also gives them incredible night vision, the better for seeing the undead that hide from the light.

Many are also created with innate understanding of living bodies and also they mysteries of faith and the undead, making them more skilled in areas of medicine, religion, and undead-hunting.

Perhaps their most iconic ability, however, is their ability to channel their undead-slaying power into any weapon they touch, making even mundane blades at least partially effective against the spectral dead, though they can focus further once a day to improve this to strike true against such lost souls for a short while.

Naturally, being a duskwalker gives them natural resistance to negative energy and harmful necromancy. What’s more, they are totally immune to magic and supernatural power that would cause them to rise as the undead. (though rumor has it that duskwalkers that forsake their duty and ally with the sahkils lose that protection, making for truly terrible undead indeed)

Of course, not all duskwalkers are built the same, so there are some alternate traits for them as well. For example, some were utterly shunned by the locals and forced to steal and scavenge to survive, affecting what they were skilled in. Others were taken in by big families that showered them with love, making them more social with both people and animals. Meanwhile, some were favored by the olethros associated with the origins of their kind, and trade their resistances for a knack for finding the perfect chink in a foe’s armor at the right time. Those that were favored by the yamaraj side trade the same protections for a measure of their wisdom, navigating social situations with their sagacity rather than charm.

With their agility and wisdom, duskwalkers make excellent ranged combatants, (particularly gunslingers, rangers, and hunters), as well as rogues, slayers, ninjas, and of course various wisdom casters like clerics and druids. However, their knack for fighting the undead with mundane weapons also means that combat classes both mundane and magical are also a good choice. Naturally, any build or archetype that focuses on hunting the undead is a good choice as well, though those built around using the undead are anathema to all but the most corrupted of their kind. Their con penalty does mean that fighting in a straight-up fight is a bit risky for them, but not impossible to get around.

That will do for today, but I hope you enjoyed this final look at a planar scion option in first edition!

[sn0wbat]

a friend of mine reread homestuck recently, and gave their non-hs ocs god tiers.... which in turn inspired me to try reconsidering the god tiers of mine!

(yeah they're still undead vampires. don't think too hard about it, this was mostly just for fun anyway)

UPDATE: reasons under the cut!

thoughts and reasonings

----------

MORTEN

moon - PROSPIT

optimistic, mostly

lives in the moment

mostly relies on instinct

doesn't always think things through

creative solutions

not exactly a huge rebel (their mom usually had their back anyway)

aspect - RAGE class - PAGE

a page starts out with a lack of their aspect. they're missing it, repressing it.

as a page of rage, they'd start out not knowing how to truly show anger, they repress it, it's fine it's fine everything is fine - negative emotions always take a backseat.

he's kind of a doormat about things, not really wanting to escalate things further, ever.

this is especially seen with mort's interactions with their uncle, who keeps pulling disagreeable shit while mort just. goes along with it. to avoid conflict.

the challenge for a page of rage is to learn it's okay to get angry, to express their more negative side, to let people know when things aren't okay!! to stop being walked all over!!

to embrace the more monstrous side that's been so pushed aside for a while - it's okay to be a vampire, you're just trying to survive. it's okay to let people know they're wrong. it's okay

why? yeah somehow they got rage on the official quiz. rage and prospit. very odd, but thinking about it, it made some sense. sure, the prospit feels obvious, but rage? took some time to figure that one out. sadly page is the class that suits them the most here. oops

------------

EINARR

moon - DERSE

very self-aware

can get very rebellious given the chance -- literally lead a rebellion against his sire -- also lead a whole jailbreak -- was literally a pirate at some point

absolutely hides parts of himself and holds himself back a lot

good problem-solver

introvert

usually thinks things through… unless he doesn't.

very powerful ally

has a tendency to cling onto the past

aspect - LIGHT (breath, space) class - MAGE

"One who Understands with Light or Understands Light"

knowledge-seeker. big nerd about everything. u get the vibe

not very concerned with laws and norms

mages are very hands-on with their aspect - einarr has been through a lot already, being as old as he is. most of his knowledge is first-hand experience.

mages have a deep understanding and often suffer from their aspect… being a thousand years old, there's certainly some things he'd rather like to forget. however, his memory is Really Good oops

on the flipside, also really loves knowing a lot of things. he is curious. it's in his nature. he's a knowledge sim

oh, so mages suffer from their aspect? let's see: bright lights hurt his eyes, yes. sunlight hurts him too, yes. he's a vampire so this bullet point about the more literal side of his aspect hurting him is really funny sorry

has suffered from the burden of being seen (target of vampire slayers), and tbh he avoids this like hell these days- constantly hiding, hates unwanted attention. mirrors Void aspect in this case - he often blends in out of necessity but dear lord is it harmful to his mental health

mindreader. easily knows too much. sir-

because of that, can easily tell when someone is lying

a bit superstitious. still believes in the old gods.

extremely hard to sneak up on. he's basically got satellite dishes for ears, He Can Hear You

this classpect can partially be summed up as "the mortifying ordeal of being seen" and that's einarr yeah

-------------

RUNE

moon - DERSE

bit of a pessimist

self aware introvert

finds the world alienating and confusing and mean

hides quite a lot about himself

generally lives in a state of dissatisfaction. either he's not human enough or the world isn't vampire-friendly enough. feels like shit either way

would rebel more if he wasn't too busy being a terrified doormat

rarely lets himself be vulnerable. unless it's someone he really trusts to not use it all against him yknow

aspect - DOOM class - MAID

"those bound to the aspect of Doom are fate's chosen sufferers"

misery loves company and he found that company in his fellow vampires <3

not the advice friend, not a healer, but will let you know you're not alone as his life is shitty too

maids are often treated like lesser, and tbh that describes rune pretty well

"dismissed or pushed around by those they rely on" his family at home i swear

all his life he has been trying so damn hard to just. be accepted by those taking care of him. by following their rules. he's not like other vampires, no! he's not evil!! he's not a bad guy! just as human as anyone else!

and he'd also just love to stop being excluded from literally everything his family does thanks <3

it's not working

overall, has a tendency to follow everyone else's rules and instructions, which is a very maid of doom thing to do

challenge is to draw his own lines and become his own master instead of being everyone else's doormat :-)

"aren't you tired of being nice? don't you just wanna go ape shitt"

---------

BAT

moon - PROSPIT (???)

intuitive

exists in the present

VERY impulsive

did worry about what mort would think of him yes

"trouble with deception" i mean he's good at it, but does it eat him up inside when he's forced to lie? also yes. that's the trouble

totally fine with not interfering with human shit. why bother

turning mort into a vampire instead of actually telling him sure was a… creative solution lmao

used to trust people but it kinda bit him in the ass so not much anymore

what doesn't fit:

still a bit of a rebel for sure

can get very negative - not quite "marked by optimism"

very used to hiding himself (unless you count his bat form as one of his true selves, which it might as well be. like nimona. sometimes he's just a bat.)

he's that kid who has the edgy derse vibes but is actually prospit somehow. secret softie.

look i put him on derse too at some point. he somehow fits both. this time the quiz put him on prospit. idk man he's kinda both

aspect - VOID class - KNIGHT

"One who Exploits with Void or Exploits Void"

not afraid of the unknown. it doesn't bother him

great at hiding… a lot of things

would rather stay confused than believe in something completely false

knights of void are very good at keeping secrets. (even from himself, especially when he can't remember shit)

lives in obscurity, hidden in the shadows

exploits unawareness to drink everyone's blood :3

usually knows way more about someone else than they know about him.

knights have a tendency to be very insecure about certain things and also not really being willing to show it. hiding behind a shield, figuratively.

so yeah that's very bat

this was the only one that didn't change from the last time i messed with classpects haha fun fact

maybe perhaps i will do a part 2 with more vampires later, but we'll see lmao! thanks for reading <3

[tychodorian]

Character Introduction: Urien, the Inquisitor of Avrena

In King of Dust, Urien is the glue that holds the party together, carrying a burden that’s both deeply personal and cosmic in scale. As an inquisitor of Avrena, the goddess who protects the sacred balance between life and death, Urien is driven by a singular purpose: to eliminate anything that defiles that balance. This means hunting the undead—a task that has shaped much of his life. But his journey is far more nuanced than a mere monster hunter on a divine mission.

Urien is a Cambion, born of a demon father and a human mother, a fact that has marked him as an outsider since birth. Raised in an orphanage dedicated to the worship of Avrena, he grew up surrounded by whispers, fear, and hatred. Humans, both fearful and superstitious, saw him as a cursed being—a living reminder of the demonic forces they feared. This childhood of isolation and constant bullying taught him that no matter how much good he might do, his heritage would always make him something to be feared. His only solace was his faith in Avrena and the teachings of the goddess that guided his every action.

Urien's internal struggle revolves around this complex relationship with his identity. He is a man of faith who fervently believes in Avrena’s will, yet he is haunted by his demonic bloodline. Despite his religious dedication, a part of him wonders if his existence itself is a blight on the balance he so fervently protects. His magic, drawn from a sacred pact with Avrena, manifests in the form of tattoos etched across his body, which glow with divine power when he calls upon his magic. These tattoos are not only symbols of his faith but a constant reminder of the pact that keeps him tethered to something greater than himself—something he believes makes him worthy despite his demon blood.

Urien’s relationship with Darius adds layers to this moral dilemma. By all accounts, Darius, a vampire, should be Urien’s enemy. The undead are an abomination to Avrena’s sacred balance. However, Urien’s pragmatic side sees an opportunity. Instead of eliminating Darius outright, he chooses to use him—a willing tool to hunt down other undead. It’s a calculated decision, but it’s also laced with moral ambiguity. Can the very thing he is sworn to destroy be an ally? What happens when the line between tool and companion begins to blur?

As Urien fights alongside Darius, his convictions are tested. His black-and-white view of the world, driven by his role as inquisitor, slowly begins to shift. Darius, though undead, proves to be more human than many mortals Urien has known. The reader is taken on a journey with Urien as he confronts the contradictions in his faith, his role, and his feelings toward Darius.

Through Urien’s eyes, King of Dust explores themes of identity, purpose, and the tension between duty and personal morality. The reader is invited to question what it truly means to uphold justice and whether someone like Urien—a man born of darkness but dedicated to the light—can ever fully reconcile the two halves of his soul.

Urien’s arc is one of constant internal conflict, and readers will find themselves deeply invested in his evolution. Is redemption possible for someone who believes they’re inherently flawed? Can faith truly override what we are born into? These are the questions Urien grapples with as he moves through the story, making him an unforgettable character in the world of King of Dust.

Want to preorder the book? Check out the link in my pinned post!

[jedifighterpilot2727]

Somebody That I Used to Know

Just a little fic that that's based on the canon dialogue that occurs between the female Dragonborn (Aria), and Serana after Serana has been cured of vampirism. Takes place after the defeat of Harkon when Serana and the dragonborn are seeing each other for the first time post cure.

It had been two months since Serana had left.

Aria had offered to go with her, but Serana had insisted that the journey was one she needed to make on her own.

In a way, Aria understood - becoming human again was a very personal decision. But on the other hand, she knew how traumatic the experience of becoming a daughter of Coldharbour was. Serana didn't talk about it often - or really at all - but Aria knew enough. Between the many books of Daedric lore that she'd read on her travels, and the vocal nightmares that she'd had to wake Serana up from, there wasn't much she couldn't piece together.

The knowledge had certainly made the task of killing Serana's father Harkon a lot easier. If she were being honest, she had sparred with a few trees the morning of the siege on the castle in hopes that the blade would be a little dull when it cut through his skin. She didn't really know if vampires felt pain the same way that humans did, but it made Aria feel better at least.

A small act of vengeance on behalf of her friend.

And that's why she'd offered to accompany Serana when she went to Falion to ask him about curing her vampirism.

- Not that Serana needed to be cured of vampirism, she'd more than proven herself as a friend and an ally, despite her . . . unconventional diet. It's not like she'd ever tried to feed off of Aria - pretty good restraint for a vampire who'd been locked in a crypt for over a thousand years. Besides, there were plenty of evil people who deserved to lose some of their blood. Hell, Aria had helped kill dozens of bandits and murderers; who was she to care if someone like Serana wanted a little snack first? -

But she'd wanted Serana to know that she wasn't alone anymore. That she had friends - that she had Aria. That it didn't matter if it was killing her undead father or helping her become human again, or living life as vampire if that's what Serana wanted - Aria was here for her. And Aria could be there for her from afar too, that's exactly what she'd done these past two months.

Once Serana had left to find Falion, Aria had returned to Whiterun to check in with the rest of the Companions. It had been too long since she'd seen her shield siblings, and she needed some good old fashioned skull bashing to take her mind off of things. She mostly picked up jobs with Farkas, finding he was the easiest to talk to since she'd been named Harbinger. It made no difference to him what title she held, he treated her just the same as he always did; like a beefy older brother who would tease her and smack her a little too hard on the shoulder but would definitely knock somebody's lights out if they dared to look at her the wrong way.

It was nice to not have to do any hard thinking and just work for a change, and her pockets weren't complaining either. Between the bounties and the loot they's stolen off bandits; Aria had enough money to spring for the expensive corkbulb bolts that she preferred for her crossbow. That's exactly why she and Farkas found themselves trudging through Dayspring canyon, headed for Fort Dawnguard.

"I still don't understand why you can't just use a greatsword." Farkas grumbles. "Eorlund makes those right at Skyforge, and you don't have to keep buying them, just sharpen it every now and then."

"It's a little hard to be sneaky when you're heaving a giant hunk of metal around and grunting like a boar. Haven't you ever noticed that you never really sneak up on any of our enemies?" Aria asks, squinting into the sunlight.

"Don't need to sneak up on people when I can just bash them with my giant hunk of metal." Farkas returns, and Aria can't really argue with him there.

"Well I like slicing through people just as much as you, but occasionally the situation calls for a little more finesse. Or at least distance." She crinkles her nose. "Weren't you glad for my crossbow when we had to take down that troll that smelled all the way from here to Riften?"

Farkas belly laughs.

"I'll give you that, even with your crossbow, Aela complained about us smelling bad for a week! Guess she forgets she smells like a wet dog."

"Funny how you can really smell it when you're no longer a werewolf, huh?"

"I'll say, no wonder I was getting funny looks around town for so many years."

"To be fair, you still don't smell great." Aria teases, and Farkas gives her a playful shove that's still strong enough to send her stumbling up the last of the steps to the fort.

"Watch it, shield sister."

They're both laughing as they make their way into the Fort, Farkas having been her a handful of times so that Aria could restock or so they could pick up intel on the remaining vampire covens.

Isran has really made progress with the place since the the last time they stopped by, everything's not quite as dusty and Aria doesn't feel the constant urge to sneeze like she usually does.

Sorine's workshop is somehow even more cluttered than normal, Dwemer scraps laying about in haphazard piles. Really, it was a wonder that Sorine got any work done at all.

Of course, Aria only exacerbates the problem, trading a few Dwemer trinkets she'd picked up along with some coin to refill her stockpile of crossbow bolts. She and Farkas chat with Sorine for a while - Sorine somehow roping them into checking out a Dwemer ruin halfway across Skyrim for some weapon schematics. When they finally say their goodbyes, Aria decides to have a look around the rest of the fort, see what else is new besides the lack of cobwebs. Only, she finds something, or someone, she isn't quite expecting.

Right there in the rotunda, sitting in the beams of the noon day sun without so much as a hat on, is Serana.

The sight stops Aria so abruptly that Farkas slams into her back.

"You alright?" Farkas asks, his hands reaching out to her shoulders to catch her before she hits the ground.

The commotion has drawn Serana's attention, and Aria meets her eyes across the room.

Serana's eyes no longer have their vampiristic glowy quality, but Aria still finds herself completely mesmerized.

"You alright?" Farkas repeats, and Aria tears her gaze away from Serana to look at him.

"Yeah, yeah." She pats his hand thats still on her shoulder in reassurance. "Just, uh wait here for a minute, okay?"

"I will remain on guard here." Farkas gives a mock salute, and Aria finds herself grateful once again at his ability to overlook things that most people would ask questions about.

Her eyes once again find Serana's as she makes her way to the bench along the wall where the other woman is sitting. She resists the urge to check her armor for grease and blood. - it's Serana - she reminds herself, she's seen you in way worse shape than this.

Still, one hand tugs on her sword belt to center it, and the other adjusts her helmet where the collision with Farkas had set it tilted. It was her old Imperial officer's helmet; Arias much preferred the hard hat's protection to that of a hood, unless she was trying to sneak around; plus, it usually got her brownie points with the local guards.

If Serana notices her preening, she doesn't mention it, though her lips do curl up in a smirk.

"There you are. I'm - I'm back."

Aria's heart stills and then takes off at a gallop when Serana speaks, and she hopes she isn't imagining the grateful sigh she hears in Serana's voice.

"I was wondering when I would see you again."

Wondering? More like you've spent every waking moment for the past two months trying not to wonder when you'd see her again.

"Here I am." Serana shrugs. "Human as ever."

"And you're good? Everything is good?"

Mouth insert foot. Aria shakes her head.

"The world is alive and so am I."

"That's good." Aria cringes inwardly. "I'm glad. I uh, I missed you."

"I missed you too."

They stare at each other for a long moment, and Aria wracks her brain for something - anything - to say. She'd spent over a year fighting by this woman's side, battling the living and unliving alike, and she can't think of a damn thing to say. All the hours spent in conversation about everything from the fate of the world to how the smell of flowers hadn't changed in the thousand years Serana had been underground.

All that and she has nothing.

"I should - uh - I should get going, I guess. Farkas is waiting."

"Ahh," Serana jerks her chin over Aria's shoulder at the man mentioned. "Is he the thug?"

"He's not a -" Aria begins heatedly, but she follows Serana's gaze to where Farkas is standing in the middle of the doorway with his arms crossed looking like - well, a thug. "He's a good friend." is what she settles for in the end.

A look she can't quite place flickers over Serana's face, but then it's gone.

"Right. Well, I'll let you get back to your friend then."

The words feel like a dismissal, and they hit Aria like a punch to the chest; a wave of emotion thats crests over her, leaving her floating and listless in the aftermath. Tears spring unbidden to her eyes, and she turns her head before Serana can see them.

"Right. I'll see you around." Aria spins on her heel and crosses the large room back to where Farkas is waiting, brushing past him without speaking.

"Who was that?" his voice timbers out gently behind her, and she thanks the nine that she's at least she's managed to teach him to not always speak in a bellow.

"She's just - " Aria's voice cracks and the unshed tears blur her vision.

She doesn't know what she expected to happen when she saw Serana again, but it certainly wasn't that. That felt like a conversation with someone she barely knew - definitely not with someone she'd spend the better part of a year calling her best friend.

Serana's moved from the bench in the rotunda to a chair in the hall, and they've passed by no less than three times.

Damn Fort Dawnguard and its maze like layout.

"You ok?" Farkas asks, and she can hear the worry in his tone.

"Just, just get us out of this stupid place, would you? I swear the damn entrance keeps moving."

If Farkas has anything to say about that, he keeps it to himself; but he does take over the lead and Aria tucks in behind him, using him as a shield to block her from Serana's line of sight.

Once they've made it back outside, she swipes at her eyes, and Farkas gives her a studying look before tossing an arm around her shoulder and dragging her down the path that will lead them back to Jorrvaskr.

"You know I love you like a sister, but if you want to talk about whatever happened back there, you should probably wait and talk to Vilkas."

It's Arias turn to laugh, and she feels at least a little better.

It only lasts a moment though until she sees Serana once again in her mind's eye, and the weight of fallen hopes settles like lead in her stomach.

If only she could figure out what she'd been hoping for.