#Caster Central

[cloudbusiness1]

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Helping you is a pleasure for me.

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[probablyspooky]

One Of Us (Celtic x Reader) P.2

Born as if you were a yautja yourself, you join your pack to go on your right of passage trip. But running into other humans always causes problems for you.

Trigger warnings : Blood, swearing, white men of course, British people, NSFW

[Last]

The man begins to shout in agony, as if something was tearing him up from the inside out, the membrane that held him firmly against the wall glistened against his skin as he struggled to try and free himself, yet he had no strength in him. He continued to scream, begging for Lex to help him.

“Please! It’s inside me!,” He shouted, writhing in pain as his chest started protruding out, something inside of him was bumping into his ribs, desperate to free itself from the human host it had been born into.

You put your hand on the hilt of your blade, standing to attention, ready to take on this chest burster. Lex rushed to the man, grabbing at the membrane trying to free her colleague from his prison.

You rushed over to her pulling her back.

“Stop! Are you stupid?,” you shout at her, suddenly hearing the sound of bones breaking, and flesh tearing. Hearing the battle cry of a xenomorph young, you turned as it leapt out of his chest. Grasping it mid air, it struggled against your gloved hand.

“This! This is what could have killed you!” you shouted at Lex, your facial expression hidden by the mask you wore, but the sound of anger present in your voice.

Lex stared in horror at the empty chest of her friend, blood dripping from the exposed bones that were shattered by the strength of the tiny monster you now held in your hand. She stuttered nervously, clearly sad her friend is dead, but even more afraid of the anger you now had.

Celtic walked over, his heavy footsteps seemed to still clank against the slimy ground. His large hand finding its place on your shoulder, his head tilted as he clicked underneath his mask.

“She is untrained, do not waste your rage on her,” he said,  grabbing the still growling xenomorph in your hand, and snapping its neck with little to no effort.

Dropping its corpse, you stomped along, following your pack through the halls. Lex slowly walked behind.

Scar started to slow down, seeming to take pity on Lex for being unable to handle the harshness of this hunt. You were lost in your thoughts, angry that the hunt was going so wrong. If the humans hadn’t stolen the plasma casters, then this hunt will be done and over, you wouldn’t be stuck in such an awful situation. You could be at home right now on Prime, snuggled into Celtics arms in your nest, eating the sour fruits that grew on the trees.

Celtic could obviously see that you were rather…angry, though he had seen you angry before, like the one time he and his brothers crashed into the bathing room as you were soaking in the tub, or the time he knocked you into the freezing waters in the clan central fountain. Taking a deep breath, he quickened his pace to meet yours, and he scooped you up into his big arms, spinning you around.

“Oh stop!”, you growled, trying to squirm out of your mates arms, “Put me down!”

But he didn’t, Celtic nuzzled his cool mask into your neck, purring from his chest.

You could never help it when he purred to you, or when he held you this closely, you found yourself giggling uncontrollably as he continued to spin around. You straightened yourself in his arms, your eyes meeting his, he could tell he lifted you out of your funk.

Suddenly the temple shook hard, as you could hear the crumbling of ancient bricks and doors being crushed down, down by something large, something large was coming this way. Everyone turned to look down the hall, and in horror you watched as a flood of xenomorphs cackled as they rushed down the hall, followed by the queen. Her large footsteps shook the ground as she ran past. A few stragglers turned, noticing the five of you, Scar and Chopper pulled their wrist blades out, and with a roar they charged to battle. You turned to Lex, knowing she’d be a burden in battle, you rolled your eyes and rushed over to her, standing defensively ahead of her to keep her alive. Celtic nodded to you, understanding the situation you were currently in, he turned, taking his spear out, as it extended, he began to fight his way through the swarm of xenomorphs. 

While the others fought, you looked around to find any way to escape this current area you were in. Scanning the walls that began to sizzle with the blood of the xeno, you noticed one area that was sprayed could see into the other room. An idea came to your mind, as you handed Lex a blade.

“Don’t die,” you ordered, pulling your spear from your back, you pierced through the head of a xeno, and pushed it towards the hole, hitting at the wall multiple times, as its blood oozed from the exit wound of your spear, the blood began to eat away at the rubble.

The other began to catch on, as they began throwing all bloodied xeno towards your exit plan, soon after 7 or 8 of them had fallen to the hands of your pack, the hole was just big enough for Celtic to fit though. Once your pack has reached the other room, you could spot the lights coming from spot lights the scientists had left behind,

Between you and those lights, you could spot the Queen and her crowd of xeno rushing to the exit tube.

Without thinking, you took your spear, and put everything you had into the throw, sending it soaring through the air, it pierced the queen through the chest, pinning her to the ice. She let out a horrific battle scream, and all the rest of her minions rushed towards your small group.

Chopper growled, pulling out a plasma grenade, tossing it towards the group, obliterating nearly half of the swarm.

Scar clicked, impressed with his brothers and your actions against the xeno swarm, Scar pulled his throwing star, sending it towards the queen, slicing those rushing towards you in half, as he hit the back of the queens leg, slicing it clean off, a flood of her acidic blood coated the now sizzling melting ice. Celtic, wanting to show off to his brothers, and mostly you, he pulled out his spear as well, throwing it and kabobing a few xenos, melting his spear in the process.

You chuckled at your mate, as the four of you rushed to the large queen, who was still pinned to the ice, you began to type on your wrist computer as you ran, producing from it a silver orb, you threw it under the queen, where other xenos were trying to free the queen. The silver orb began to spin and glow, as the plasma shot out, the queen let out one last piercing cry, as its blood burst with plasma, sending its life.

Shielding yourselves with a plasma field, you looked back at your pack and Lex.

Scar, Chopper, and Celtic let out a battle cry, and threw their fists into the air as they claimed their victories over the xeno, and were now fully blooded yautja. They took off their masks, showing off their faces, their mandibles clicking as they acknowledged one another. You smiled, taking off your mask, turning to Lex.

“It is over,” you smile at her, your eyes checking her for any injuries, but instead your eyes trailed to the knife you had given to her prior.

“Did you…kill one?” you asked, tilting your head towards her.

She dropped the knife rather quickly.

“I had to defend myself,” she frowned, staring at the corpses that now littered the ground below.

You turned to the three and they nodded in agreement, as you knelt down before a corpse of a xeno, cutting its finger off, the green acidic blood oozing from it as you stood up, and walked over to Lex.

“With this, you are a hunter,” you said, placing the burning finger against her skin, carving the mark of the blooded to her face forever, and turning it to yourself and burning your cheek.

The five of you then walked to the entrance tube, and began to climb up. You rode on Celtics back as he climbed, Scar carried Lex, the five of you had reached the top, your wrist computers began to buzz, you all looked at them as you saw off in the distance, the mothership you had left earlier that day now turned off its cloaking devices, it now sat on the icy Earth in all its glory. Your pack walked to the main shuttle door, as it opened, the Ancient Elder walking down in his ceremonial garb as he stood ahead of you. Your brothers, your mate, and yourself knelt down as a sign of respect towards him, as he examined all your marks, clicking as if telling you that you had done a good job. He motioned for you to return to the ship, so that you may rest and return home, but then noticed the additional human standing behind you.

He growled and rushed over, grabbing Lex by her face and lifting her up to examine her, noticing the mark upon her cheek, he nodded, releasing her from his harsh grasp.

He turned to the yautja behind him, grabbing a ceremonial spear weapon, and presenting it to Lex, he extended it to its full length, and then retracted it. Placing it in her hand, he turned and boarded his ship.

Your brothers and mate boarded as well, and as you stood Lex spoke up.

“Are you really okay…?” she asked, watching you board the ship.

“Why wouldn’t I?” you replied, staring at her with a confused look.

“You…you’re not one of them.”

Celtic heard this, and quickly retreating back down the rap, he placed his hand on your waist, and pulled your small frame into his large one.

“She is one of us.” he said, in near perfect english,

He took your hand and led you aboard the ship. The docking doors closed, and the ship began to hover into space.

The excitement of returning home now washed over you as you walked to med bay to get your vitals checked over. They gave you the okay, and showed you to your temporary room, where you found a plush bed to rest your head on.

You were so excited when you began to drift off to sleep, but you heard your room doors open as you mate, Celtic walked in.

You looked at him puzzled, but soon understood, as he dropped his armor onto the floor, and removed his mask, his large mandibles clicking as his eyes scanned over you. He walked over to the bed and laid next to you, pressing your soft skin against his rough one, his tongue slithered out of his mouth, and began to gently lick in circles onto your neck. His large hands began to graze lower onto your hips, as he pressed himself into the back of you.

Small moans came from your mouth as he used his spare hand to rip your thin clothing off of your body, his hand found its way to your clit, as he gently began to swirl pleasure into your stomach, sliding a large finger into you as he continued to swirl your clit and pump into you.

You began to whimper as he continuously pumped into you, the sound of you liquids squelching around his fingers echoed in the chamber.

“Please…,” you begged your mate, gripping the smooth leather of his loincloth between your fingers as you lifted it to the side, showing off all his length of his shaft, his glistening nectar sitting upon his tip.

“You are much too impatient my love, “ he groans, shifting above you so now he was hovering over you, “After such a great hunt…I find it fitting to savor this session of ours”

You whined underneath him, practically bucking your hips against his crotch.

“Patience….” he whispered, licking your neck and slicing your bra off of your body, licking down your chest. Taking extra time to savor one of your perked up nipples. You whimpered, feeling the warm wetness coating your nipple, his free hand massaged your free nipple between his rough skin.

“Celtic…please I need you…” you whined under him, sliding off your panties and placing them on his mandibles

He let out a deep chuckle at this, and took them off of his mandibles, tossing them aside.

“Very well…my love” he says, taking his length and sliding it into your slick.

You let out a moan, feeling him stretch out your walls, he let out a deep growl, allowing your body to coat him, allowing him easier movement against you.

“Look at how you body temples for me, begs for me…You are perfect…” he growls, moving against you.

You cried out as your body shook against his strength, feeling every pulse of his cock as he rammed into you with inhuman strength.

Feeling his hips roll against you, your face flushed red, his hands began to grasp random fatty parts of your body, he growled, feeling his peak coming.

“God…you’re so…” he groaned,  shaking slightly as he felt the end nearing

You begin to whine, feeling the pool of pleasure filling in your stomach as he continued to fuck you senseless, your eyes rolled to the back of your head as your climax peaks, sending your fluids onto his torso. He roared a mighty roar, filling your cup with his love as his body shakes with ecstasy. 

Later, you were curled up in his arms, taking in his scent

“I love you,” you whispered, tilting your head up to meet his gaze

“I love you too,” he replied, licking your forehead, "I am glad you are one of us”

[nasuverse-most-breedable-tourney]

Side B, Round 5 (Semifinals) *Clash of Casters*

On the left: An almighty genius who lived between 15th and 16th century Europe. One of the many geniuses who left a mark in human history by forever influencing the development of civilization. An Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect while also producing detailed notes and drawings on anatomy, astronomy, botany, cartography, and paleontology. "Gender and age mean nothing in front of a true genius!". Principles and trends will change but there's only one indisputable fact: in any form, Da Vinci is universally invincible!

On the right: A Buddhist master who lived during the 7th century Tang Dynasty. In search of the Original Buddhist Scripture, she set out on the Silk Road, traveling from Central Asia to India. At the end, she brought 657 scriptures back to Tang and founded the East Asian Yogācāra sect of Buddhism. Also a major character from the Chinese novel "Journey to the West". Buddha's most specialist girl. A caster also able to perform incredible physical violence. She is Xuanzang Sanzang

[libbee]

Jacques Lacan had Venus in the 8th House

And that is quite visible in his work. Some of his quotes are shared below. These are the words of someone who must have felt the tragedy of losing a grip over their reality. Who must have lived a fantasy first and seen it tear apart later. Therefore comes the school of psychoanalysis.

What does it matter how many lovers you have if none of them gives you the universe?

Love is giving something you don't have to someone who doesn't want it.

All sorts of things in this world behave like mirrors. 

His description of psychology and the unconscious touches the depths and borders of the unknown. It is the exploration of the 8th house but in a scientific way rather than spiritual or magical. Perhaps it is the closest we can get to understanding this house of astrology:

I always speak the truth. Not the whole truth, because there's no way, to say it all. Saying it all is literally impossible: words fail. Yet it's through this very impossibility that the truth holds onto the real.

I identify myself in language, but only by losing myself in it like an object. What is realised in my history is not the past definite of what was, since it is no more, or even the present perfect of what has been in what I am, but the future anterior of what I shall have been for what I am in the process of becoming.

Desire, a function central to all human experience, is the desire for nothing nameable.

As to why 8th house Venus could influence Lacanian psychology, we find its answer in the nature of this house. This excerpt is from Barbara Pijan's article on her website:

Whichever graha occupy bhava-8 become fuel for the Kuja (Mars) -Ketu magical-transformation engine of hidden and secret tantric processes in the human consciousness. Will the native become a victim of this process or an instigator of it? A long-lived and wise magician, or a tragic childhood death? A brilliant surgeon or psychiatrist? An attorney of wills and estates? Or a sorcerer, caster of curses, agent of superstitious fear and petty control? Will"self-destructive" urges be recognized as healing transformations, or will the native and-or his culture adjudge such behaviors to be undesirable?

True to this description, Lacan did indeed become a brilliant psychiatrist. If you read how he speaks of psychoanalysis, it is not merely his profession or source of income, it is rather something that has touched something inside him, that he cannot articulate but knows it is connected to psychology. How do we even know if something is scientific work and not the gibberish of a mystic who speaks whatever he wants? Anyone with planets in the 8th house or aspects to this house is bound to experience a similar psychic fate: of self-undoing and psychological analysis.

The madman is not only a beggar who thinks he is a king, but also a king who thinks he is a king.

Yet, analytical truth is not as mysterious, or as secret, so as to not allow us to see that people with a talent for directing consciences see truth rise spontaneously.

Obsessional does not necessarily mean sexual obsession, not even obsession for this, or for that in particular; to be an obsessional means to find oneself caught in a mechanism, in a trap increasingly demanding and endless.

In other words, the man who is born into existence deals first with language; this is a given. He is even caught in it before his birth.

[erikiara80]

ST S5 little spoiler...

Edit: (Old theory, but I still think some of this, like Will having a centrale role, is true)

Loved the Stranger Things Day. So many nice photos, and we even got the title of the first episode! But I’m fine. Not going crazy with theories or anything, lol

So.

What it probably means...

I love this title. It immediately gives you the sense of impending danger. A nice play on words to describe the spread of the Upside Down taking over Hawkins. Our heroes must do something, before it consumes everything.

But since we’re never normal about this show, theories are crawling, too. Everywhere. Everywhere...

A very normal and relaxed fan (Rae):

“And if I say this relates to both Steve’s “crawling forward” speech + Hawkins having a crawling infection + the team have to crawl/sneak around Hawkins, what then”

EDIT: Disaster spell caster tweeted this:

“The Stranger Things Wiki describes the tunnels as an organism itself that took the form of tunnels. What if the Crawl is Hawkins and the monsters are the tunnels themselves, coming alive again through the faults and helping spread the spores in the town?”

My take on this. It is also about Will’s role in stopping the “infection” once and for all at the end of the show. I say at the end, because the pen-holder was on the right side of the grid. Last episodes. Yep.

So. There could be new tunnels, of course, but there is only one person who can remember most of them. He even drew them, because they were Henry/Mind Flayer's now memories: Will. 

If you read my analysis of the show you know what I mean. But to sum up:

In 1x08, the campaign ended but Will, Lucas and Dustin thought that it didn’t make sense. There still were mysteries to solve. And Will said this: "What about the weird flowers in the cave?" 

A cave (tunnels). At the end of the story... 

Weird flowers - The Mind Flayer as a super organism, a sort of a giant plant-mushroon (the spores) that Henry is using to control the creatures of the UD and infect the world, like he did in S2 and S3.

Owens talking to Joyce about viruses that can be cured. And then telling El he thought she was the cure (but then she lost)

The Little Shop of Horrors (a movie about an alien sentient carnivorous plant) AND The Cure posters in Will's room in S4. 

Radagast as the password to enter Castle Byers in S1 as a hint that Will has Radagast’s power (the ability to communicate with animals and plants). 

Yes. Imo, Will is the cure to the UD “crawling infection”.

If you’re interested, I made a post with the links to all my analysis and theories on the show.

Here

Anyways. Hi, this is me for the next weeks, lol

[plounce]

thinking about yshtola (i am nearing the end of 5.0 so these are incomplete thoughts) and it’s like... ok imo there are two main character traits for her: seeking knowledge and being a mean blunt bitch. the first i think lends more toward “what is yshtola doing here now in the plot” activity which is important for  a character. the second is what im thinking more about because it’s almost entirely flavorful for her. i think that her being blunt in that way matches well with matoya’s own stubborn pursuit of doing her own thing and yshtola spent a large portion of her youth with matoya, who was stubbornly apart from the rest of the sharlayan elite and made no secret of her disdain for them! so i think being at least partially raised with that gave her a certain tendency for avoiding centralized authorities - see how she leaves sharlayan for eorzea, see how she goes to the rak’tika greatwood and away from the exarch (who she is suspicious of). it doesn’t matter if somebody’s A Good Guy: she is willing to doubt anything to ascertain the truth of it. she’s stubborn but she’s also very humble, because she’ll also doubt her own understanding or previous knowledge (but not to an extent that she’d be gullible - she’ll invite emet-selch to share information, but she still doesn’t trust him as far as she can throw him).

she doesn’t like tricksy machinations and doesn’t engage in them herself and will tell you that right to your face. she says “urianger what the FUCK are you lying about this time” “thancred get your STUPID ASS head on straight” “emet-selch say something USEFUL or shut the FUCK up” “sharlayan you are full of BITCHES and COWARDS” and it is just great every time. she has love for her companions (excluding mr squelch obv) but that love does not hold her back or preclude her from demanding better of them.

she’s not a rude person. she is very kind and has a solid heart in her chest and a great head on her shoulder. she is blunt. (urianger’s a really great foil to her as another scholarly character but as opposed to her, he will circle around something and keep things to himself and try to get everything to work out for the best without sharing anything. meanwhile she will say “alright here’s what i think needs to be done and i’m going to do it. and if i can’t, i need you to.” he’s kind of an enabler; she calls people out. passive vs active. healer vs caster dps.)

and that bluntness lends itself to her choosing to be really reckless! girls will jump into a bottomless pit to save a community of civilians and then do a really insanely risky spell, one that she has already permanently disabled herself (and thancred!) doing, rather than resigning herself to dying, because she will do everything in her power to move herself and the cause forward. she thinks things through, but she thinks fast, because she’s smart and decisive. she is reckless but not rash. and she will throw herself into danger if it’s the best thing to do to help save the day - in the english translation, using her aethervision drains her vitality, but she’s gotta do it to keep others alive and to save the world. it’s a sacrifice she’s choosing to make, even if her loved ones would rather she not do that to herself, please. but that’s a value judgment she’s making, and you probably couldn’t win the argument against her. she’s not infallible, but she’s usually right. she is the sort of person who is full of hope that can be more accurately described as stubbornness. she knows her loved ones for who their best self can be and she demands that of them - which can make her a great character to have around for other characters as well.

there’s also another secondary aspect to this that is kind of more depressing lmao but it is evident that in eorzea miqo’te women are often sexually objectified by the game and by characters within the world, so another reason she might have to have such high + spiky walls up is to like. deal with that. her more suggestive lines of dialogue are about her having sexual control (the lines about having you “over her knee” or putting you on a leash, for example). after the stormblood expac magnai fight:

she’s got it handled, but it does also suck that this is something she has needed to learn how to handle! 

and those are my current #catgirlthoughts

[koshka-sova]

i have finished reading hortus de escapismo. i liked it more than i thought! certainly grim and depressing in many parts, as this was the central conflict of the monastery' inhabitants and especially clément's internal breakdown. some thoughts below about the event's ending teasing future stories, in no clear order...

firstly, they really went and put in a teaser for the next celebration event (zwillingstürme im herbst) by having arturia be escorted out by a spire caster of all people. if her previous appearance in lingering echoes was any hint (or even oren's tip about her back in guide ahead), it's clear now shes not only operating in leithanien, she seems to have strong ties with the country's militia. from what little i got by filtering any spoilers, ZiH seems to involve not just the twin empresses but the witch king again, so just what kind of business did arturia even get into... im curious.

next, is andoain. it's nice that he gets a nod through the notebook lemuen found in the monastery. i wonder if it's a given that he visited there, given that hes from iberia, laterano's partnering nation in building the monastery in the first place? i used to share fiammetta's anger towards him and thought him unsensitive to lemuen and mostima, and really, none of them have given the closure fia so desparately wants. but with how internalised sankta othering is, how it's so ingrained in their culture because to them, Paradise is real and is their given right, andoain is unique in asking these questions about the lateran faith and equality. to the readers, who are now learning even more clearly how sankta naturally live in a system that promotes that specific brand of racism, andoain becomes more decent than most other sankta characters. seeing the sankta involved in hortus, we can now see just how prejudiced they are especially about sarkaz, with the exception of federico. the nod to andoain in hortus invites me to think he might play a role again in another laterano event, as despite having two laterano events that bring this prejudice into light, theres no satisfying addressing of the issue despite it being literally questioned--by patia, andoain, ezell and cecilia in GA, then by federico and abbot stefano in HdE. this brings me to...

third and last point: im hoping hg cooks something new for laterano. in the epilogue, the pope expresses satisfaction that federico is starting to ask questions about how the law is not as encompassing. he says he will relay federico's question to a man he knows. although there's no way to say this is andoain (hell, what if it's ezell or an entirely new person), it does raise the question why they'd include this dialogue. ofc, in true arknights fashion, this could mean nothing at all. the same is true for lemuen and the abbot's epilogue. both of them either say or think that the abbot's journey is yet to end, and that he will find his own laterano. a new kind of laterano? much like a new volsinii without the famiglie? or (the efforts of) a new iberia? or whatever is in store for leithanien in ZiH? or the strides kjerag is pulling in the new event with degenbrecher? this could be a sign that the issue of laterano and the Law's directive--and its consequences taking shape as sanktan prejudice--will be challenged again, perhaps in a more direct manner. and who better to challenge this than andoain, who's done so before? perhaps it is true that abbot stefano will be involved again then. and id also like to mention lemuen, who does show that sort of questioning as well, in the form of acknowledging the monastery residents' bond regardless of race. still, she seems to have concluded as of the event's epilogue that that sort of understanding between different people is impossible (though she even seems to extend this to between sankta; is she saying this bc even with shared empathy and common goals there is still conflict?). so, who knows. for all i know this is just my delusional hope that andoain and lemuen might become playable some day. even if not though, i do think hortus de escapismo intentionally doesnt give a resolving answer to the inherent issues with Law's directive.

i dont know how to end this, other than that in the end, it is nice to have an epilogue that gives closure to the different characters involved. theres closure for raimund, fortuna, abbot stefano... even hyman and aulus have a section.

last thoughts. the arknights wiki mentions that a sami priest once foretold that terra's end is near, though their cries were ignored. interestingly, we've seen at least two apocalypse scenarios, both not addressed as canon as of now. one is the seaborn assimilation (is3 ending), the other originium spread (kaltsit skin). so perhaps, its not out of pocket to speculate that there might be a future laterano event that signifies a sort of 'end' or fall, either of the physical holy city or the Law. we'll see in due time...

[annlynngilbertphotography]

Morning walk photos, Great Bougainvillea hanging over the sidewalk and Philodendron trunk and roots. — Central Florida, Monday, December 4, 2023.

What a day, last week I discovered I had lost / misplaced the registration to our car, had the correct insurance paper, the correct date sticker on my license plate but no registration paper. So, I Googled how to get a replacement and found a Trooper Steve YouTube he is a local news caster and former Florida State Trooper. His Video was excellent, made my appointment with the local Orange County Tax Collector office, my time there was less than 20 minutes and out the door with my registration. YEAH!

[mystic-crochet]

Day 3 of making Unprepared Casters icons

This time it's an orbula orb from Arc 4: Orb is Life!

Made the design using a description Gus gave at the start of the arc (and I found on the wiki)

I did attempt to make run like symbols on the central band but they didn't come out like I'd hoped so I'm going to leave my original design under the cut

[thysia]

Same question, back at ya. What's your boss fight, though I suspect it's gonna involve a gang of furious maniacs you keep healing and resurrecting

That is my general go to for the idea, yeah, that or one half of a duo fight since a lot of the stuff I find the most compelling is support casting. I do also like thinking about that since it's an exorcise in trying to design an actually compelling add boss.

I really like the idea of a fight centered around a more minimal number of adds over a horde. Even if I like the idea of infinitely resurrecting fanatics as a sort of living zombie horde, in a design sense I think following my much enjoyed 'spellcaster with a personal phalanx of knights' set up makes for something more enjoyable. Three with greatshields and spears that play defense for the caster and will block ranged attacks, one kite shield and longsword one that's more expressly a full on paladin and is the most aggressive, and two round shield and warhammer guys that are aggressive but base their positioning on the paladin and will try to circle around the player and catch them out. Then the central caster heals them, gives them offensive and defensive buffs, and can revive them when they get killed.

For all that I'm also fond of the idea of there being a second phase where nothing that the caster does changes, but all the guards get buffed up. The thing I had in mind was that they undergo a sort of angelic apotheosis mid-fight, growing feathered wings that alter their movesets. The paladin gains flying dives and other attacks from the air, the spearmen use their wings in place of their shields to block and to bolster shoulder tackles. Don't know exactly what it'd do for the hammer guys, maybe similar to the spearmen but a bit more aggressive. I feel like if they all started flying it could make for a really awful fight.

I could also honestly imagine the primary caster growing wings but mostly just using them to reposition when the player is too close for too long.

Anyways it's important that throughout all of this I am afforded ample opportunity to talk down to and condemn the player character as immoral and less than. You know, generally say the kind of preachy, holier-than-though shit that nobody likes to hear.

Aesthetically, you know I'm a big fan of, like, glister and gold and the general 'good guy' visual trappings for overtly villainous characters and factions. But I also feel like it'd be good for the attendant soldiery to have just enough wear and practical alterations made to their uniform to make them visually connected to the horrible massacres and tortures that my subordinates were committing in the areas leading up to my fight. I on the other hand should be wearing impractical, extravagant sorcerer-priest regalia to make it apparent I have never deigned to personally dirty my hands with the blood of the godless rabble I justly persecute.

To top it all off, the boss music should have heroic trumpets and triumphant swells, as I am a great fan of setting Protagonist Victory music behind the atrocities of an imperial Power or Doubtless And Self-Important Villain. This, of course, backing my proud and arrogant judgments of the player character that unhinge into zealous rantings about how much they all deserved my wrath and about how righteous I am for visiting it on them.

I think that'd be fun.

[valkariel]

Phoenix Incarnate

» Adapted from "[Haku] Shine Bright Like a Phoenix" by Hakuren Amnell «

Inspired by Hakuren Amnell's "[Haku] Shine Bright Like a Phoenix". An absolute banger glam. Go perceive and appreciate it please!

Caster take on matching the Rising Phoenix :> (You'll need a friend to follow you around with the mount though.)

Head: Emerald Carbunble Ears - snow white Body: Ascension Robe of Casting - ruby red Hands: Wolfliege Long Gloves - ruby red Legs: Spaekona's Skirt - metallic sky blue Feet: Wolfseye Thighboots - metallic sky blue

Alt Head: Rakshasa Kanmuri of Casting Alt Hands: Wolfseye Long Gloves Alt Leg: Panthean Skirt of Casting | Peacock Skirt | Far Eastern Noble's Petticoat | Asuran Hakama of Casting Alt Feet: Wolfliege Thigboots

Earring: High Allagan Earrings of Casting Neck: The Emperor's New Necklace Wrists: The Emperor's New Bracelet Right Ring: The Emperor's New Ring Left Ring: The Emperor's New Ring

For blue glow: Alt Earring: High Allagan Earrings of Healing/Aiming

Main Hand: Asphodelos Staff - metallic silver Alt Main Hand: Rod of Divine Light Off Hand: --

Fashion Accessory: -- Minion: -- Location: Coerthas Central Highlands - Providence Point

Mount: Rising Phoenix

Shader: Faeberry Bokeh

[art-blogge]

FGO/PM Mirror-World

Master Candidate number 48. The young man stood in the hallway of Chaldea, almost pouting, having been kicked out of orientation by the Ms. Director. He'd barely gotten to meet one of the other candidates before passing out, and he was being punished for it. That wasn't how things were supposed to go for his first day, but something about it also felt oddly right. The Flow, as he called it, called for him to go elsewhere. The other candidate- What was their name? Dante?- Had suggested he go lay down for a while with a sneer, so he may as well. He could always catch up on the orientation later.

He'd barely gotten to meet Doctor Garnet before alarms blared. Central Command had caught fire, and the Doctor had already run off. Then and there, the young candidate decided to go with him. The Flow be damned. People needed help!

There! In the rubble, Dante's body!

He tried his best to push it off of them, but it was no use. Their head was probably crushed, but they were still moving. As the computer continued to read off scripts, he grabbed Dante's hand. He could at least be there for them, even as everything went black.

--

He heard a clock in his ear, yet didn't. He heard words, but no voice.

<"Wake up! Do I use the official title?? Master Vergilius?? Wake up before I kill you!">

That woke him up quickly.

"What?"

Dante had a bright red clock for a head with flames completely dissimilar to the fires surrounding them. He forgot what they looked like before, but it wasn't that! The ticking was new, too.

<"Uhm. Sorry, I don't know where that came from!">

They rubbed their neck and turned their entire head to look at the ground. They hadn't been in combat garb earlier… Just lab gear. And were they being… Nicer than before?

<"Please work with me! We have threats coming in!">

--

According to Dante, they had fused with a Servant at the last moment, but they didn't recall much prior to that. In exchange for their memory, they'd been granted the power of a Servant. Servants needed a Master to survive, and they'd chosen him for their Master.

Him, a Master… A real, proper Master! The things he could change as a Master were countless, to say the least!

--

They survived, and he was the last Master alive. The fate of the City was on him, now. Him, and the rest of the staff. Doctor Garnet was promoted to Temporary Director, there being almost no one else alive. Despite his cowardice and inexperience, he had the makings of a good leader.

There was Caster Lapis, who he hadn't met before this point. She was brutally honest with him, and he liked that. She was now Second-in-Command, despite being a Servant.

And then there was Dante, who had been following him around like a lost puppy since they'd gotten back. There was nothing anyone was able to do about the memory loss- That'd been their own decision- But they seemed to retain faculties just fine despite the clock.

The Flow didn't stop. It would be followed until it ended.

----

"We're going to settle this now, Dragon Witch!" Ruler Faust cried.

"Shut up! Let's fight!" yelled Faust Alter, "Will despair win, or will hope win? Will murderous intent win, or will pity win? Let's see if you can surpass me, Me who gave up everything!"

Hope would win, of course. Vergilius was certain of that, and Dante resolutely stood by his side. They would win. The Flow continued on."

----

Are you going to stand in my way?" the opposition named Jia Huan calmly asked, staring Vergilius straight in the eyes.

"That's why we're here."

"I'll stand in your way as well," the still-living Hong Lu agreed, brandishing his spear. "The world is brimming with beauty. Flowers, songs, jade, love… And you'd destroy it all? Isn't that wasteful?"

Dante was still by his side, chained shield at the ready. They would win. The Flow continued on.

----

The enemy mage, the crazed Captain Ahab, had overwritten her last crewmate with the Identity of a Demon, and it now towered over them all with its hundreds of eyes on it's pallid body. Queequeg was no more, replaced with the monstrosity of the sea.

"If it can be hit, it can be defeated!," Captain Ishmael (Rider) declared, reloading her pistol. She could see it's heart, and she knew that it was her true target- Not the pathetic mage that summoned it.

"Come, Dante! This is our last battle together!"

She clapped her free hand on Dante's armored shoulder, a wide grin on her face.

"This is it! Be brave! Laugh those fears away! "

"Let's go, Dante!" Vergilius announced, pointing at their enemies.

<"Yes, Master! Commencing correction!">

They would win. The Flow continued on.

----

"Something is manifesting!" Dr. Garnet warned, "Something" is coming! It's an unknown phenomenon! Not a Servant manifestation! Unknown? No, it's actually more like a Rayshift? But that's impossible. Only we have that technology!"

Next to Vergilius, Dante shivered despite their coat.

<"Senpai, something's wrong here. I can't detect anything, but I'm freezing.">

Before them, the true enemy approached, wrapped in shadow. Vergil's companions of the Singularity all flinched away… And moments later, a branch had beheaded the nearest one.

Beside them, Saber Gregor cried out and threw himself at the manifestation that had named itself "Solomon". A single entity swatted him aside as easily as one would a fly.

"The only one that interests me here is the one with the clock," Solomon stated plainly. "Out of respect for your pure heart, I'll only bring four of them here with me. Show me everything you can do."

They wouldn't win, but they would survive. The Flow continued on.

----

"Let's get it started," the Effloresced man stated, his scythe at the ready.

"You don't intend to hand over the Bough, do you?" Assassin Yi Sang asked, already knowing the answer. His knife was already prepared for combat.

"Of course not. It's time to harvest the rewards I've rightfully earned. The past will be replaced."

Vergilius didn't need to be told that this was the final battle of the Singularity. Beside him, Dante stood as always.

<"Let's go, Vergil! Bring us victory again!">

They would win. The Flow continued on.

----

"I have this duty to stop you!" yelled out Heathcliff, brandishing the sword that would soon end his life. "As the Heathcliff that will end this accursed cycle! You won't take my Catherine from me, you fake deity twat!"

The opposing Catherine in white simply tilted her head as if she didn't understand. She didn't understand why Heathcliff had tears running down his face, or why she was being opposed. This was for everyone, wasn't it?

"Give me your final orders, Sir Vergilius! Let us end this. No one else should have to go through this."

Vergil looked at the ground briefly, then back to Heathcliff. Neither of them knew that Heathcliff would become a Servant after this by the will of the river deity, but this had to be done.

"If that's what you want to do, we're with you."

<"I'll do anything to help you, my Heathcliff!"> Dante chimed in, holding the burnt Holy Bough like a weapon, <"Our final enemy here is Ever'y Catherine! Let's finish correcting this mansion, Master!">

They would win. The Flow continued on.

----

"From the fiery abyss, I come, and only death do I bring. My name is Ryoshu, and you will be part of my canvas."

"I can't believe this!," Dr. Garnet chimed in from communications, pushing Lapis off screen entirely, "It's able to be killed now! Now, now! Vergilius, now is the time!"

"We've found the weakness!" Lapis announced offscreen, "It's the head! That Abnormality's weak point is in it's head!

"And now that she knows that she is mortal, she is fleeing," Grand Caster Meursault added, the tiniest smile gracing his usually stone-cold face. "Now is the time. This is the last chance we get. The storm is closing in. We can speak later. Prepare to fight."

<"Of course, Sir! This is the final battle of the Seventh Singularity! This is for all our friends who believed in us, and for King Outis! Let's do whatever's necessary to defeat that ALEPH!">

"Of course!"

On the sidelines, Mistress Rodion had finally regained control over her icy underworld. She willingly gave full permission to fight for the first, and possibly last time. Humanity would survive this.

They would win. The Flow continued on.

----

"Be careful, Vergilius! He's right in front of you!" crowed Lapis over the comms, panicked.

"I know," Vergilius responded, watching the false Solomon approach. "Solomon", true name Jumsoon, slowly strode up to him despite the failure of his lab, fully Distorted.

"We've both lost everything here," Vergilius plainly stated, holding Dante's shield at the ready. Garnet had sacrificed himself moments before to foil Hermann's plot, and Dante had been incinerated saving Vergilius' life. He barely had any reason to want to go on, but failing to would be a waste of the sacrifices.

"Everything here has been a waste, yes," Jumsoon agreed, his tail irritibly flicking about.

"I am all that remains here. There's nothing left but for one of us to be hung on the portrait wall, and the other to live. …My sworn enemy. My hatred. My destiny. I want you to witness this. This brief moment is now my story. This brief but precious time has given the creature called Jumsoon true life."

With all he wanted said, Jumsoon Effloresced.

--

Of course he won, and the Flow directed Vergilius to the Rayshift point. He wasn't going to make it-

<"Master, take my hand!!">

They both survived. They had won, and yet… The Flow did not stop.

--

Oh. OH.

--

With one success, a new threat emerged, wiping all progress and the City with it. The only survivors were "The Red-Gaze" Vergilius, Shielder Dante, and a few crew members. All Servants had been wiped away. Lapis had been killed in combat.

She'd predicted this and left a clone of herself to act in her stead, codenamed Charon. Charon's job was to drive New Chaldea's transportation- Named the Mephistopheles by Faust- to clear this new threat.

"This drags," Lancer Rodion complained from her seat, filing her axe.

<"HOW ARE YOU HERE?!"> Dante screamed, jumping so high that they nearly escaped their bandages.

"A bunch of us are," Rodion laughed, gesturing to the door at the back.

As Vergilius threw it open, a bunch of Servants they'd befriended poured out and ganged around him.

"Sir Vergilius! Tis fortunate to see you again!" yelled the Lancer Don Quixote of the second Sub-Singularity. She was so loud he couldn't hear anyone else.

<"You guys made it!!"> Dante cheerfully rang over her, and the Servants started to gang them instead.

Vergilius sighed in relief. Not everything was lost yet. It had come very close, but there was still some hope. They would win. The Flow continued on.

----

It was so, so hard. Millions of people killed just to restore the City they knew. The deaths were on Vergilius' hands. It didn't feel worth it to be a Grand Master with a title anymore. He never wanted this, but the Flow never stopped. He had to, they all had to Sin to get back the world they knew.

Next to him as always, Dante rested their head against his shoulder. They didn't need to speak. Vergilius knew what they were going to say. That they could do it. That everything would be right in the end.

Vergilius was so, so jaded compared to when he'd started, and yet… He knew they were right. It would end eventually. The Flow hadn't stopped, so they would win. They would survive, no matter what.

[thecreaturecodex]

Clockwork Beholder

Image by Fuyuan Tee, © Bad Moon Studio. Accessed at the artist’s ArtStation here

[Commissioned by @justicegundam82​. The idea of a clockwork beholder is such a chocolate and peanut butter situation that I’m surprised it took as long to appear as it did, and in a 3rd party book first. These stats are based off of the Dragonix Expanded Monster Manual III, and my own take on the beholder.]

Clockwork Beholder CR 13 N Construct This creature is vaguely spherical, a metallic floating head propelled by jets of air and steam. It has one large central eye, and ten smaller ones on stalks, each a different color with different lenses or gemstones set into it. Its mouth is oversized and filled with sharp teeth.

With the emergence of beholders from the Dimension of Dream, mortal spellcasters have been inspired by their lethality and flexibility. This has led to the creation of the clockwork beholder, a mobile artillery platform shaped like that aberrant creature. A clockwork beholder is a marvel of engineering, capable of firing a wide array of different energy weapons. Unlike a true beholder, a clockwork beholder cannot choose what weapons it uses, instead rotating randomly through an assortment of damaging and hindering options. As their creators are mages, the central antimagic eye is instead a spell disrupting eye, making targeted spells difficult to use correctly in the area. A caster fighting alongside their clockwork beholder typically remains outside of this cone if they have targeted spells they want to use, and inside this cone when using area of effect magic.

Construction The creator of a clockwork beholder must begin with clockwork components worth 10,000 gp, and ten gemstones each worth 200 gp. Clockwork Beholder CL 13th; Price 150,000 gp Requirements Craft Construct, greater dispel magic, prismatic spray, ray of exhaustion, scorching ray, creator must be at least caster level 13th; Skill Craft (clockwork) DC 22; Cost 81,000 gp. 

Clockwork Beholder            CR 13 XP 25,600 N Large construct (clockwork) Init +9; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft., Perception +2 Defense AC 28, touch 14, flat-footed 23 (-1 size, +5 Dex, +14 natural) hp 147 (18d10+18 plus 30) Fort +6, Ref +13, Will +6 DR 15/adamantine; Immune construct traits; SR 24 Weakness vulnerable to electricity Offense Speed 5 ft., fly 20 ft. (good) Melee bite +19 (4d6+3) Ranged 3 eye rays +22 (varies) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Special Attacks death throes, snap shot, spell deflection cone Statistics Str 15, Dex 20, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1 Base Atk +18; CMB +21; CMD 36 (cannot be tripped) Feats Hover (B), Improved Initiative (B), Lightning Reflexes (B), Toughness (B) Skills Fly +7, Perception +2 SQ swift reactions, winding Ecology Environment any land and underground Organization solitary or battalion (2-4) Treasure none Special Abilities Death Throes (Ex) When a clockwork beholder reaches 0 hit points, it explodes. All creatures in a 20 foot radius take 13d6 points of damage, half of which is fire and half of which is slashing (Reflex DC 19 half). The save DC is Constitution based. Eye Rays (Su) A clockwork beholder can fire three eye rays as a standard action. Treat these as ranged touch attacks with a range of 120 feet and no range increment. A clockwork beholder cannot choose its eye rays; it rolls randomly for each (on a d10), rerolling duplicates. The save DC, where appropriate, is Constitution based. 1. acid ray. The creature struck takes 4d6 points of acid damage and must succeed a DC 19 Fortitude save or take an additional 2d6 points of damage on the beginning of the clockwork beholder’s next turn 2. cold ray. The creature struck takes 4d6 points of cold damage and must succeed a DC 19 Fortitude save or be staggered for 1d3 rounds. 3. death ray. The creature takes 8d6 points of negative energy damage (Fort DC 19 half) 4. dispel ray. The creature is subject to a targeted greater dispel magic effect (CL 13th) 5. electricity ray. The creature takes 4d6 points of electricity damage and must succeed a DC 19 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round. 6. exhaustion ray. The creature is exhausted. It is merely fatigued if it succeeds a DC 19 Fortitude save. 7. fire ray. The creature takes 4d6 points of fire damage and must succeed a DC 19 Reflex save or catch on fire for 2d6 points of damage a round. 8. force ray. The creature takes 4d6 points of force damage and must succeed a DC 19 Reflex save or be pushed 10 feet. 9. sonic ray. The creature takes 4d6 points of sonic damage and must succeed a DC 19 Fortitude save or be deafened for 1 hour. 10. no ray. A ray malfunctions and nothing happens. Snap Shot (Ex) A clockwork beholder can fire a single ray once per round as an immediate action. Roll randomly to determine what ray is used. Spell Deflection Cone (Su) A clockwork beholder’s central eye emits a cone of wild magic in a 70 foot radius. All creatures in the area casting a targeted spell must succeed a DC 24 caster level check or their spell targets a random creature in the cone. A clockwork beholder can open or close its central eye as a free action.

[nasuverse-most-breedable-tourney]

Side B, Round 3 (Match 3) *Clash of Casters*

On the left: A Servant originating from the Scandinavian Lostbelt. Manifesting many characteristics of Skadi, the Norse giantess and goddess of the mountains who shares an origin with the Celtic warrior Scáthach. She has no interest in serving as a mentor to heroes and she also has no mastery of any martial arts but if one gets close enough to know her beyond her perfect Queen/Goddess self. One will find out that she's actually pretty ditzy, silly, and warmhearted. She is Scáthach-Skadi

On the right: A Buddhist master who lived during the 7th century Tang Dynasty. In search of the Original Buddhist Scripture, she set out on the Silk Road, traveling from Central Asia to India. At the end, she brought 657 scriptures back to Tang and founded the East Asian Yogācāra sect of Buddhism. Also a major character from the Chinese novel "Journey to the West". Buddha's most specialist girl. A caster also able to perform incredible physical violence. She is Xuanzang Sanzang

[mass-effect-galaxy]

Four Baldur's Gate Tips For Dragon Age Players

I. Get the mods "Native Camera Tweaks" and WASD Character Movement NOW

II. Mages don't need staffs

III. Scrolls are for spell-casters

IV. Don't recruit everyone in every playthrough

I. Get the mods "Native Camera Tweaks" and WASD Character Movement NOW

They change the look and feel of exploration in what you are used to from Dragon Age. You have a proper over-the-shoulder camera and movement as you would expect from a third-person game.

Every time BG3 updates, these mods need to be updated too. And going back to the original camera and controls, even for a short moment, shows what incredible quality of life improvement these mods are. (and how much better Dragon Age is when it comes to controls and cameras).

II. Mages don't need staffs

Different from Dragon Age Origins where certain spells require the usage of a staff or DA2 and DAI where mages couldn't equip anything but staffs, staffs in Baldur's Gate 3 are only for selve-defence. And, of course, any weapon would do the job. So, instead of gluing a giant stick to the back of Gale why not give him a fancy dagger instead?

III. Scrolls are for spell-casters

When going into BG3, I had no real clue about what to do with the scrolls. I took them as some kind of backdoor for combat classes to start using spells and gave them to my warriors and barbarians. However, in the end, I found myself hoarding them without ever using them. The regular attacks of melee classes are as powerful as any spell and proficiency in longbows together with special arrows do the job of an AOR spell quite as well.

Then I realized that these scrolls are supposed to be some kind of backup for mages in case they run out of spell-slots, a concept that doesn't exist in Dragon Age. So, give them to your Gales, Shadowhearts, and Wylls. They need them more than Karlach or Lae'zel do.

IV. Don't recruit everyone in every playthrough

This is probably the most important lesson that millions of abandoned playthroughs in Baldur's Gate 3 have taught me. I always started a new game and after a few hours, I had the impression that I somehow messed up and started a new PT.

The problem always was the companions. While it looks similar to Dragon Age Origins where you travel around with a group that is much larger than your party permits and you have a camp as a central hub to interact, it actually works much differently.

In a game of Dragon Age, it doesn't matter who you bring to which main mission, save for some approval ratings. You evolve the relationship with your companions during your camp/Skyhold talks up to the point where the companion gives you a loyalty mission that you have to do with him to further develop your relationship. All of this does not influence the story missions most of the time.

Not so in Baldur's Gate 3. Here, the characters can only evolve when they are part of your active party because they need to act in, or interact with, the main story. Most notably Shadowheart who is the true protagonist of the story. Act 2 basically is her personal redemption arc - but only when she is present in your party. This applies, to a lesser degree, to all other companions as well: going for the gith without Lae'zel in your party is pointless. Astarion has to be in your party when entering the Temple of Shar and so on.

And that's the point where the "I fucked up"-feeling kicks in. This can be avoided by only recruiting those characters you actually want to have in your party all the time.

If you are planning a "dark side" playthrough stick to Shadowheart, Lae'zel, and Astarion. Since you are planning to side with the Goblins anyway, no point in bothering with Wyll and Karlach. You would also ignore Gale, or chop off his hand for cheers and giggles. Later, let Shadowheart kill Lae'zel and recruit your true love Minthara.

Wyll and Karlach are the most "light side" characters to recruit. So, when that is your path, why bother with the others?

Shadowheart has to be there anyway. So why not just play as her and have one slot free for, say, Gale?

While it might seem odd to seasoned Dragon Age players to leave anyone behind, Baldur's Gate 3 gets much better that way. Just try it out.

[12pt-times-new-roman]

c3e70

Ruidus being tidally locked to Exandria must be wreaking havoc on its ecosystem.

In Bassuras, troops from Vasselheim swarm the streets. They are from various faiths and bastions, not just the Dawnfather's. Orym sees that beyond them, gathering supplies, there are three skyships of Othanzian make, not unlike the one they saw crashed in the Hellcatch.

There are three more skyships moored outside the city's walls. As they watch, one of the skyships is hit with a fiery bolt. It sets it ablaze, but doesn't bring it down, and it lists to one side, knocking into the one next to it, and soldiers start swarming toward it.

From the reaction of the civilian crowd, which seems to be very nonplussed, they gather that this has happened before. The ships have been there for a day or two, and more have come through to head north. There have been a handful of similar "issues" with the skyships and within the town.

Keyleth does some recon, and thinks she might know some people aboard them. She sets of on her own to inquire, and will meet the Bells Hells at noon.

Duct tape exists in Exandria, canon

They get to Imahara Joe's shop, and the door is locked. They open the door, and when Laudna throws her voice in, a figure throws a heavy javelin (or something) at the spot. With detect thoughts, Imogen detects nine additional people inside the shop.

Laudna climbs up to a grate on the roof and looks through. The shop is in slight disarray, and she can see a number of figures inside: three are standing against the front door, others are behind tables or crouching. Two are pushed into a corner in the far back room, under guard -- one is cloaked but has long, fuzzy ears and a rabbit-like face (Morrighan???), and the other is Imahara Joe.

Laudna gets hit with a crossbow bolt through the grate, and we roll initiative.

These are Paragon's Call operatives. The monk is wearing a pendant of the Duskmaven, and the uniform of the Call.

One of my favorite parts about CR combat is the open table thing. Like, it's 100% normal for players to just get up and leave for a while, or to go to the other side of the table to see that part of the map, or even to run behind the GM screen for a second (see: Ashley's entrance in C2E86).

One of the assailants is General Ratanish! He embeds a battleaxe into Chetney's shoulder, and fails his save against FCG's banishment, which completely changes the layout of this battle. It sounds like Ratanish was meant to be the central and most powerful figure in this fight, so getting him out of the way for 10 rounds is major.

(minor) Ashton Rage Build Update: their wormhole strike is a melee attack, not a ranged attack. This is relevant for abilities like the monk's deflect missiles.

Dancer joins the fray. She's an artificer, likely with the magic initiate feat to give her find familiar.

FCG build update: FCG's Changebringer coin is magical! Once per day, they can give themselves advantage on an attack roll. It's unclear whether they can apply this to any d20 roll, or just an attack.

Chetney aesthetic update: When Chetney transforms, his equipment -- including his armor -- stays on them.

One of the assailants hits an ally with their own spell, indicating that the Paragon's Call isn't a particularly close-knit group emotionally. Sounds similar to the Angel of Irons cult, honestly.

A good clarification: concentration save DCs are determined by the damage the caster takes, not the total damage dealt.

Ashton rage build update: When Ashton critically hits a creature, the next attack against that creature has advantage. When the space build is active, there's just a hole where their eyes should be, straight through to the back of their head.

One of the casters -- a druid -- transforms into a giant eagle, grabs Imahara Joe and the unknown figure, and tries to fly away. It's stuck in the doorway, just barely making it through and flying away.

Ashton uses their wormhole strike and knocks the fucker out of the air, and all three plumet down to the spiked wrought-iron fence --

and we go to break.

Ashton rage build update: When Ashton brings a creature to 0 hit points while their space build is active, violent gateway activates. This causes them to be pulled through a gateway they created, adjacent to the creature they reduced to 0, and Ashton decides to grab Imahara Joe and put their back between Imahara and the ground.

Orym jumps off the fence and tries to catch the other individual, using bait and switch to face his back to the ground.

Someone remind me to write another post about Ashton and the way they just willingly fell from the sky for someone they care for, the way they pivoted their own back to the ground to project Imahara, the way they put their own fractured body between Joe and the ground.

And, someone remind me to write a post about Orym in this moment, about how he immediately leaped, grabbed, and pivoted himself underneath a complete fucking stranger, planned to take the terminal velocity impact of a spiked fence to his back rather than let this mystery person get hurt.

Imogen is the MVP of the moment. She uses telekinesis to push the fence flat against the ground, so Orym and Ashton take fall damage instead of impaling damage. Orym, Ashton, the mystery figure, and Imahara all still take damage, but not nearly as much as they would've had the fence been there.

The mystery figure's hood falls back, and the Hells see that they're a lagamore -- a half human, half rabbit figure with floppy ears and brownish fur. (This is 100% Morrighan Ferun from EXU: Kymal, yeah?)

Everyone groups up frantically and forms a circle around the place where Ratanish will reappear. FCG heals Imahara. They all prepare attacks.

FCG drops banishment, and everyone's held actions go off. (Oh, how far Matt has come, from managing the fight in the Invulnerable Vagrant to this one.) 25 damage from Chetney. 38 damage from Laudna. 13 damage from FCG. 24 damage from Fearne and Mister. 24 damage from Imogen, and he's incapacitated until his next turn; she also uses call Ruidus, taking 5 points of damage to deal 6 more points of damage. 16 damage from Orym, he disarms Ratanish, then another 16 points --

Orym gets the HDYWTDT on Ratanish. He slices the weapon from his hand, then sticks his blade into the leg, spins him around, drops him so Ratanish's head falls in front of Ashton, and Ashton makes the final blow -- "you really should've killed me, that time." Ashton sticks the handle of the hammer into his chest, then all the way out. "You pull the soft bread out of the sub."

And combat ends with the death of General Ratanish, the Paragon Call's second-in-command beneath Otohan Thull. The druid bleeds out, failing all their death saves.

They shutter the windows and surveil the streets. There are people taking interest because they know and look up to Imahara Joe; but he himself addresses the crowd. "All good, folks! Just put the wrong connector to the wrong focal point... it's all good, I'm fine, go back to sleep." He slams the door and turns around to the Hells. "I am so happy to see you."

The other figure steps in. "Well, we have suddenly been put to task outside of our preferences..." Joe speaks up. "Everyone, this is Verna the Viper."

Lagamore are rare people in Exandria -- a fey-based people, so Fearne is familiar with them. They're a hare/bunny-folk -- Exandria's version of harengons.

Verna is a part of the Overmind Sect of tinkerers, who specializes in strange esoteric explosives.

Meanwhile, everyone else loots the bodies. They get a very fine battleaxe and set of boots from Ratanish. There is a little over 2300gp on Ratanish and the rest. There are also 7 golden Duskmaven pendants, which they put in the portable hole.

They also notice that on Ratanish, there is a brand of the Duskmaven's symbol -- a raven's skull -- on the inside of his left shoulder.

They present Ludinus' vest to Joe and Verna. Joe explains that after the "moon stuff" went down, Ratanish seized Joe's shop and ordered them to create explosives like the ones that hit the airship. They also had Verna and Joe building a "brumestone nullifier" that would disable brumestone -- which powers skyships -- in a certain radius.

On the vest, Imahara Joe remarks that it is of elven make, containing a mix of magics that should make it unstable but which are somehow in harmony. Whoever designed this was a genius, incredibly gifted. He has a grasp on it, and it seems repairable, but he'll need time.

Both Imahara and Verna start to grab things from throughout the shop that they'll need to repair the harness. They take everything useful from Imahara's shop as guards approach. Laudna projects a ghostly image to scare the guards, and they all escape through the back door and the bent fence.

By this time, they have a number of hours before they need to meet Keyleth, so they head to Hondir's safehouse.

Imahara looks at the vest more closely. "It seems like the device can attach to a powerful magical source, whether it be object, creature, or location, and channel or syphon the energy into the back of the neck of the wearer... mind you, raw energies being infused into an incompatible host will likely destroy the host unless they are inscribed with similar runes or share a similar essence. This one... this one seems specific, but I suppose it could be adjusted by a powerful enough enchanter once repaired."

Two things: this implies that a) Ludinus is a fey entity of some sort, and that b) it could be used on any one of the Bells Hells if its runes are adjusted. Each of the Hells seems to have a material source of their power that the vest could be tuned to (i.e. fey for Fearne, elemental for Ashton, arcana for FCG, etc).

Residuum is apparently an important material used to make or enchant the vest, and Imahara Joe needs some to repair it, so the Bells Hells gives him what they have left.

They discuss sending Imahara, Verna, and Dancer to Whitestone so Percy can help them tinker with the vest, and apparently Imahara knows him as "the Terrible Tinkerer of Tal'dorei."

Ashton and Imogen head toward the Deathwish Run to ask about Pocket. It seems like, given the recent activity, Pocket has gone underground, along with most of Bassuras' criminals.

Plan B is to find Justie at the All Minds Burn. When they arrive, they are greeted by Shady Sally, one of the nobodies. "Well! Pleasant surprise to see you still alive." When Imogen contacts her telepathically, she senses one mind shared among each of the people in the chamber, like background radiation in their thoughts.

Ashton rage build update: As a reaction when someone misses (or possibly hits, since Tal said that Ashton took the hit) them with an attack, Ashton can roll their rage build die and cause an effect based on that. Time causes the target to fall prone.

"I spent so much time indentured to that fucking bitch (Jiana Hexum) to pay off your debts. Now, we're gonna get even." They want Sally to gather up the Nobodies.

Justie swoops down and stares into the hole in Ashton's head. "You haven't been in here yet... it's like a fucking funhouse in there." "Okay... there's someone I'd like you to meet." She hands them a mask to cover their nose and mouth.

All walls here are covered with this crawling black dust, like mold or some kind of fungus. It's the same as the residue at the corner of the eyes of those who connect psychically to the All Minds Burn.

"It asked for you." Justie leads them to a chamber. When Imogen drops her defenses just a little bit, she senses an oppressive mind, and the minute she shows a minute opening, it pushes into her will -- not quite invasively, but scarily. The presence is alien, unlike anything she's experienced -- fractured, but unified. Odd, but not dangerous. Yet.

The smell moves from mustiness to rotten citrus and dry moss. The mold becomes thicker, textured, like puss-colored veins. The stairs grow soft beneath their feet. The chamber is massive, and in the middle, a "mass of organic matter of that same twisted yellowish-green, striations of black. Skeletal remains bound and attached and held within, skulls pushing through, all tied up into it. And there's this faint glow just beneath the skin-like surface of the mass, 20 feet tall."

This is 100% an Elder Brain, right? Just reskinned to be fungus-like?

"How old is this?" At Imogen's question, the mass pulses, and all the skulls turn their eye sockets to her. It doesn't speak with words, but with thought and replicated emotion, like it's learned from watching others. These thoughts are not natural to itself. Justie speaks up. "This is the All Minds Burn... [the skeletons] were those who, at the end of their days, rejoined, when it was time."

Imogen reaches out to it psychically. "How old are you?" There are splashes of memory from the individuals that are part of this mass. Their body is gone, but they still hold a fraction of life connected to it. She sees many lifetimes go by -- hundreds of years, maybe. Not as ancient as other parts of Exandria, expanding slowly. "Where do you come from?" It isn't quite sure, but it wants to meet more, it's just... this is its home, and it's hard for it to go further. But it lives a little bit through the eyes of those that take of it.

As Ashton speaks about the thing in his head, Imogen senses that the All Minds Burn is sort of hesitant to connect to Ashton. It's probing her memories, cross-referencing, and she lets it -- her childhood, riding horses, destroying a city block of Bassuras. Drinking water by the river with her father, her first cry as she was born under the red light of Ruidus -- pulling back to watching Laudna die, being a young girl collecting firebugs, stepping through the dark shadow of this chamber, being above the moon and seeing Exandria in the sky. Then it withdraws.

Imogen gets the sense that it wants to help. "It [Ruidus] will put an end to all of us. To all of you." It acknowledges that. "If we took part of you with us, if we had people inhale, would you be able to see through them or use them?" It might be able to temporarily do so, but its strongest connections take time. However, it recalls again parts of Imogen's memory -- the dust storms, the red, the dry, arid landscapes, and there is a longing, a curiosity. "You wanna see the moon?" A little portion of its central "stalk" seems to split slightly and a hard shell the size of an orange rolls to Imogen's feet.

It's a "brood pit." Justie tells them to take it, and Ashton picks it up. "What do we do with this?" Imogen recalls being in the storm, in the red. "It wants to be seeded... maybe... you have our aid, there are many of us who are a part of it, when you need us, we can be of aid. All that we ask, all that it asks, is that if you go, take it with you and leave it there."

The All Minds Burn pushes into Imogen's mind again, not unkindly but adamant. It will help, and when it offers to help, she gets a glimpse of the many, many minds around the city, in the valley and beyond that it can call upon when the time is right.

As they leave, everyone who had been staring at them cautiously instead bows to them. "We'll be back." "I know -- we know."

Ashton finally feels like they're important, like they matter. "Every hit feels like a hit someone else doesn't have to take... I have spent my entire life taking up and being ignored. And I'm starting to learn that it's the things you ignore that get you in the end, one by one."

The All Minds Burn sounds very much like an Elder Brain, and I honestly can't tell if it wants to go to Ruidus because it's related to it somehow, or just because it's the most appealing environment it found in Imogen's memory. It only being a few hundred years old kind of rules out it being related to Ruidus' creation or early history, but it could be that it fell from Ruidus sometime later and is trying to get home. It being near the Tishtan site makes this more likely, I think, since Ruidus passed directly over it during this solstice.

They meet back up with Keyleth. She did know someone on the ships; she learned that forces from across Exandria -- not just Issylran or religious forces -- have traveled to the Hellcatch and are forming a circle of barricades and battlements around what they're referring to as "the Bloody Bridge." Their orders are to hold and only attack in retaliation. There's a sizeable army surrounding and protecting the Tishtan site, and no one's quite certain what it's capable of; their abilities in the skirmishes that have happened are mysterious and unrecognized. Right now, it's a cold war, but both sides are fearful that this holding pattern is giving the other side more time to execute their plans, so Keyleth predicts that it won't be long before someone has to make a move.

Keyleth also agrees to take Verna, Imahara, and Dancer to Whitestone.

Next episode, they head to the Shattered Teeth to find Jirana and Evan'travir!