#Deskari

[blighted-elf]

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - A Dance of Masks - Nenio

[kutkhart]

The first impression was exactly this хD

Original: Maya Winky

[the-tomato-patch]

Long live the queen and off with her head!

[w0wls]

Deskaris having a great day

[golariontoday]

First day of spring: New Life https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Deskari Worshipers honor the first day of spring, a time of new life when insects emerge from their cocoons.

[sualne]

new game, new wizard!

[thefireemblemfuturechildern]

basically deskaris in act 5 for the Azata route

[ariannadi]

THEY'RE MARRIED TT____TT

Idiot proposed to me via rat-shaped pastries how could I refuse

[thedragonagelesbian]

#12, #13, and #20 for KC Cyrus!! <3

Pathfinder WOTR Knight-Commander Asks

I love. Getting asked about exactly the things that I've mapped Cyrus' character arc onto adpsfojaisdfwef

12. What is their alignment, and why? How do they feel about it? Do they change alignment at one point?

Lawful good -> Neutral good, following Cyrus' transition from paladin to bloodrager. For Cyrus 'lawfulness' has always been less a matter of strictly following societal laws (which he often recognizes as unjust) and more of following his own principles of duty, devotion, and selfless service. He finds himself at odds with more strictly lawful characters, like Hulrun and Regill. Personally, though, he sees no conflict between his paladin's oath (I don't. know if that's actually how paladins work in Pathfinder, but it's sexy, so I'm keeping it) and his (occasionally more chaotic) inclinations toward forgiveness, mercy, and compassion.

He likes being lawful good! Or, well, he liked it, until he went to Pulura's Fall and had a big freakout about it. For as deeply as Cyrus had internalized that duty was worth any sacrifice, in his mind, that always meant some kind of physical pain or early death, not... the bleak, tedious, isolated immortality he saw when the Hand took him to Pulura's Fall. Discovering that his devotion had a limit (as much as he didn't want to accept it) shook him bad enough to move him from lawful to neutral good... and lost him his paladin powers, culminating in the Echo of Deskari kidnapping Eliandra from the shrine.

Cyrus eventually becomes more flexible with himself and less bound by the expectation to perform perfect, angelic heroism (the catharsis of his bloodrage helps a lot), which is to say he settles into being neutral good, but it does take time, as he's initially quite hard on himself for what he perceives to be. Perhaps his biggest personal failing since Carver died.

As a bonus, here's a snippet of Daeran trying to cheer Cyrus up (with sex) after said events while not letting on that he cares.

13. What is their biggest regret regarding their time as the KC?

No longer being a paladin is largely a temporary regret, and there are a number of smaller ones--that he couldn't get through to Staunton, that he missed Nurah's treachery, that he didn't handle himself better when Galfrey demoted him, all the times he had to lie to Daeran during his personal quest, everything he did to play along in the Abyss--but the main thing that still agonizes him is Camellia. Cyrus was uncomfortable during the confrontation in A Noble Intent but allowed her to stay in the party under the condition of No More Ritual Sacrifice. Talking to her afterward, though, recognizing the cloying fake friendliness (Wenduag has a great line about Ember being able to better hide who she really is than Camellia...), hearing her insinuate that he was in on her blood lust and enabling her crimes... Cyrus pivoted to trying to arrest her, at which point she turned hostile and he had to kill her. The two were never particularly close, so it wasn't a big emotional loss, but Cyrus is still haunted by the question of whether it was necessary. Whether there was another way forward for them that didn't involve yet another needless death.

(From what I've read about late-game Camellia, I get the distinct impression that the answer is no, but Cyrus doesn't know that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

(Also.............. given that Daeran is, if not Camellia's friend, the person she seems to get along with the most and be most similar to/understanding of, I have to wonder how he felt about it and what it might mean for his relationship to/with Cyrus. Daeran's been waiting the entire time he's known Cyrus for the other shoe to drop-- for Cyrus to prove that he's no different from any other righteous crusader paladin or inquisitor who would kill/imprison/sermonize at him if he knew the truth about the Other. Those doubts quieted in Act 3 as Daeran began to trust & care for him, but would they come back watching Cyrus execute Camellia?)

20. Which event of the crusade traumatized them?

The reveal that he was a weapon built by Areelu's hand to be wielded by Nocticula Sucked. Cyrus already had a very 'this is fine dog.jpg' relationship with his mythic powers, stemming from his discomfort with magic changing his body and the sacrifice incurred by the angel powers in particular. He didn't fully believe that he had been chosen by Iomedae like everyone said, but he did think that there was something special about him that he could use to do good & save the world. How upsetting, then, to discover that by trying to use that power nobly, he was still playing into the hands of a demon lord. The combined sense of powerlessness and depersonalization--being referred to even by the Hand of the Inheritor as Nocticula's tool--was even more distressing than losing his oath. Both came with a loss of identity, but one was 'I don't know who I am without this' and the other was 'I have never actually been my own person'. (And given the ambiguous timeline of Areelu's experiments and the fact that he hadn't seen his family since before Kenabres, there was definitely a part of Cyrus that worried it truly was never, that his memories of his life before the Fifth Crusade were just another set of fabrications meant to make him compliant. Sacrificial.)

Cyrus wanted to believe that his intentions still mattered, that he still had agency in how the powers Areelu gave him manifested and could still do good with them... but he couldn't stop doubting himself. That sense of being used lingered throughout the rest of the Abyss, until Iomedae helped him cast the powers away.

[fantastic-mr-corvid]

and what if i made most of my character playlists ska. what if i did that huh

[kutkhart]

Lord of the Locust (°◡°♡)

[jean-dieu]

Pathfinder : Wrath of the Righteous, an Ask Game for your Knight-Commander

Hello fellow crusaders! Here's a little ask game that is specifically aimed at your Knight Commander from Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. Have fun!

Do they think they're going to make it out alive?

How do they feel about Areelu Vorlesh?

Who is/are their best friend(s) among companions and why?

What did they do before they became a crusader? Did they have a job, an occupation?

Do they have a family? If so, what kind? Do they miss them? Do they still have hope to see them again?

Which mythic path did they choose and why? Do they regret it?

Is your KC religious? If yes, which deity do they follow? If not, what is their view on religion?

What do they desire the most?

Do they have hobbies beside the crusade? Any passions or skills they have?

What would be the meal that give them a little ability bonus?

For martial KCs, favorite weapon? For spellcasters, favorite spell?

What is their alignment, and why? How do they feel about it? Do they change alignment at one point?

What is their biggest regret regarding their time as the KC?

Which companion is their closest friend?

Which companion do they hate/really don't like?

If applicable, who did they romance and why? If no one, why?

Which non-companion NPC do they really like?

If they survived, what is their life post crusade?

How did they feel during their time in the Abyss?

Which event of the crusade traumatized them?

Did they actually like something about being the KC?

Who was their favorite advisor during crusade council?

Where did they get their name from? Family, themselves? Does their name have a particular meaning?

Where do they come from in Golarion? Do they miss their homeland? How do they feel about their homeland, its politics and current state?

How did they welcome the physical change that came with their mythic powers? Did they embrace it/reject it?

Did they separate from any companions? Why? (Consider killing a companion too for this question)

Favorite animal companion?

Would they be a companion instead of the KC? What would their storyline and personal quest be?

What would their domains be after a potential ascension?

Did they chose to take the crossbow or the scroll to run away from Deskari right at the begining?

[thecreaturecodex]

Nascent Demon Lord, Carchanore

Image © @chimeride

[Sponsored by @crazytrain48, from Arduin. Carchanone is one of the Arduin demons with the wildest appearances, but relatively little flavor text. Which inspired me to go off in my own direction, tying into some of my favorite topics in Pathfinder, such as the economy of souls and belief, the qlippoth/demon cold war and the machinations of divinities. The mouths in the claws are borrowed from another Arduin archfiend, Gorog-Nor the Hungry One.]

Carchanore The Death Mole, The Burrower Between CE nascent demon lord of burrows, portals and paranoia Domains Chaos, Earth, Evil, Travel Subdomains Cave, Demon, Fear, Portal Worshipers evil molekin, miners, planar travelers, doomsday preppers Minions katpaskir demons, earth elementals, skymetal reavers Unholy Symbol a molehill with a spiked ball protruding from the top Favored Weapon heavy flail Devotion spend one hour digging. At the end of the hour, while standing inside the hole or tunnel, kill a living creature and consume some or all of it. Gain a +4 racial bonus to saving throws against paralysis and petrifaction. Boons 1st—stone call 2/day; 2nd—stoneskin 2/day; 3rd—plane shift 2/day (as 6th level spell)

Nascent Demon Lord, Carchanore CR 25 CE Outsider (extraplanar) This creature is the size of a wagon, a cross between a mole and a lobster covered in stony armor and spikes. It has eight elephantine legs each ending in sharp claws, and a long tail tipped with a spiked ball. Its arms are long and have crab-like pinchers. It has a circular whirling maw set in its eyeless face, and similar orifices open up in the corners of its claws.

Carchanore is a monster caught between worlds. Once, the Death Mole was a qlippoth lord who lived as a simple predator, albeit of the great wrackworms that crawl between the planes. His gift at digging is such that he can bore through planar boundaries in pursuit of his prey, and his knowledge of earth and stone made him occasionally revered by subterranean humanoids such as molekin or troglodytes. Deskari, Lord of the Locust Host, considered him a nuisance and a possible competitor to the portfolio of portals, and Yamasoth resented their shared domain of Earth. After Deskari was killed in the Material Plane, the severed faith of his remaining worshipers was cast into the multiverse, and the Burrower Between happened to be its recipient. The exposure to faith and sin warped Carchanore into a nascent demon lord. It made him rather more powerful, but also more vulnerable; without a domain to call his own, Carchanore cannot rejuvenate, and now is terrified that either old enemies or new will slay him. So he roams, digging his way from plane to plane and stopping only to rest.

Carchanore is a straightforward combatant. He prefers to fight with his natural weapons than with his earth magic, although he appreciates his newly gained ability to summon demons. Carchanore’s hide is stony hard and covered with sharp spikes, and weak creatures striking him may shred themselves on his spines before he even lays a claw on the. Carchanore is a juggernaut, trampling earthbound foes before grinding them to pieces with his diamond teeth. Carchanore has three mouths—one in the normal place and a secondary one at the joint of each of his crustacean claws—and any creature killed with these weapons is ground into mincemeat. If creatures keep their distance, Carchanore has a nasty surprise—he can fire the spines on his shell like a barrage of ballista bolts. In his previous life as a qlippoth lord, Carchanore gleefully fought to the death, but now he is quick to flee as he has a newly acquired fear of permanent destruction.

Although the bulk of Carchanore’s cult is made up of survivors of Deskari’s minions, not all of them are. The Burrower Between’s survivalist paranoia makes him popular among others who believe that the end is nigh, and some of his followers are converted from Groetus or other apocalyptic religions. After all, multiple apocalyptic events have been narrowly averted on Golarion, so sooner or later one of them is bound to come to its fulfillment. Such followers are noted for their endless digging, creating vast sprawling bunker complexes for themselves and filling them with provisions and traps. "Dig forever" is a common saying among the Burrower Between's worshipers. Amoral wizards interested in planar travel and mass summoning occasionally call on Carchanore to open gates for them, but doing so is fraught with danger, as the Death Mole views them as challenging prey as often as he does as supplicants.

Carchanore in the Great Game In the Age of Monsters plotline, Carchanore has received his demonic nature as an experiment. Pale Night, who straddles the line between qlippoth and demon herself, brokered a deal with a coalition of powerful katpaskir demons to turn the attentions of the fragmented cult of Deskari to a qlippoth lord, and the Burrower Between was the “lucky” recipient. Pale Night is now observing the Death Mole very closely, to see if he can fight his way into the ranks of true demon lords, or if he will die trying. Pale Night is keeping her reasons for this trial secret even from her allies.

Carchanore CR 25 XP 1,640,000 CE Huge outsider (chaos, demon, evil, extraplanar) Init +9; Senses blind, blindsight 120 ft., Perception +44, tremorsense 300 ft. Aura unholy (DC 25)

Defense AC 42, touch 18, touch 34 (-2 size, +9 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 deflection, +20 natural) hp 546(28d10+392); fast healing 10 Fort +27, Ref +31, Will +29 DR 20/good and adamantine; Immune charm and compulsion effects, death effects, electricity, paralysis, petrifaction, poison, visual spells and effects; Resist acid 30, cold 30, fire 30; SR 36 Defensive Abilities shatter weapons, spiny defense

Offense Speed 40 ft., burrow 60 ft. Melee 2 claws +40 (1d8+14 plus grab), bite +40 (2d6+14 plus grind), tail slap +38 (2d6+21) Ranged 8 stalagmite shots +35 (2d8+14) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks adamant attacks, gatecrasher (7/day), powerful blows (tail slap), rake (2 bites +40, 2d6+14 plus grind), trample (DC 38, 2d8+21) Spell-like Abilities CL 25th, concentration +32 Constant—unholy aura (self only, DC 25) At will—chaos hammer (DC 21), greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. objects only), spike stones (DC 21), stone shape, stone tell 3/day—flesh to stone (DC 23), transmute mud to rock, transmute rock to mud, wall of stone, word of chaos (DC 24) 1/day—clashing rocks (DC 26), earthquake (DC 25), repel metal or stone, stone to flesh, summon (9th level, CR 20 or less demon)

Statistics Str 38, Dex 29, Con 38, Int 17, Wis 28, Cha 25 Base Atk +28; CMB +44 (+48 grapple); CMD 68 (80 vs trip) Feats Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Deadly Aim, Dodge, Improved Critical (claw, stalagmite shot), Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical Skills Climb +45,Intimidate +38, Knowledge (engineering, geography) +31, Knowledge (planes) +34,Perception +44, Sense Motive +44, Stealth +32, Survival +40 Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Terran, Undercommon, telepathy 300 ft. SQ nascent demon lord traits, no breath, sprint, stone stride, thagomizer, tunneler

Ecology Environment underground (the Abyss) Organization unique Treasure none

Special Abilities Adamant Attacks (Ex) Carchanore’s natural weapons count as adamantine for the purposes of ignoring damage reduction and hardness. Gatecrasher (Su) As a standard action, Carchanore can tear a hole in reality between 5 to 20 feet wide in an area within his reach. This functions as a gate spell for the purposes of planar travel except that creatures can travel in either direction through it, and remains open for 1 minute or until Carchanore chooses to close it as another standard action. This can even function in the area of a dimensional lock or similar effect, as long as Carchanore succeeds at a caster level check against the caster level of the spell. Grind (Ex) A creature struck by Carchanore’s bite attack must succeed a DC 38 Fortitude save or take 1d4+1 points of Strength and Constitution drain from having its flesh ground. A creature struck by multiple bites a round does not take additional damage, but suffers a -2 penalty to its saving throw for each additional bite. A creature reduced to 0 Strength or Constitution through this effect is slain and cannot be raised from the dead by any spell or effect that requires an intact body. The save DC is Strength based. Shatter Weapons (Ex) Any manufactured weapon that strikes Carchanore takes 4d6 points of damage. Weapons that take any amount of damage above their hardness gain the broken quality. Spiny Defense (Ex) Any creature striking Carchanore with a melee weapon, unarmed strike, natural weapon or touch attack takes 1d8+14 points of piercing damage. Weapons with the reach property do not endanger their wielders in such a way. Sprint (Ex) Once per hour, Carchanore can move 10 times his speed when making a run or charge action. Stalagmite Shot (Ex) Once every 1d4 rounds, Carchanore can fire off eight of his spines as a standard action. Treat these as ranged attacks with a range of 120 feet and no range increment. Carchanore can fire these at the same or different targets. Creatures struck take 2d8+14 points of piercing damage, Carchanore regrows spines effectively immediately, and never runs out of ammunition. Stone Stride (Su) Carchanore ignores difficult terrain and damage from natural, worked or magically altered earth, mud and stone. Thagomizer (Ex) Carchanore’s tail slap deals bludgeoning and piercing damage. Tunneler (Ex) Carchanore can move through solid rock at half his burrow speed, leaving a 15 foot square tunnel as he moves.

[nnibarrel]

Polaroid pictures with pathfinder characters, if wotr and km were films and they were actors, that our gang from Pathfinder Ask made! 1) me and @boggubozakatochnihmashinok (Ramien) "I wanted a prop like that too!" (Varn) "This is a blessing of Cayden Cailean!" 2) @ronavorona16 (Lann) "You thought I was always so handsome? But that's a makeup!" 3) @laurelinlote (Tristian and, behind him, Kalikke) 4) Ilrand (Commander and Excess) "Am I real? Is he real? Haha, in fact we are both real." 5) RadSilv (Commander) "This is me auditioning for the role of the сount Arendae. But playing the lead role was also good!" 6) @doctorpasta and @kutkhart (Commander and Irabeth) "Will Deskari become a butterfly after a kiss?" 7) kutkhart and @alittlecrazy23 (Regill and Nenio) "We need coffee. At any cost." 8) kutkhart and Lina (Stitch, Areelu and Regill) "Discussing villainous monologues." Thanks to Kutkh for organizing this!

[golariontoday]

4433 AR: Aroden's last appearance on Golarion https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Aroden The god Aroden defeated the avatar of the demon lord Deskari along with his followers in the Northmounds of Sarkoris, driving them into the Lake of Mists and Veils.