#I was reading up on the paladin lore and the idea that they just believe in themselves /so/ hard they just manifest their powers is

[swordmaid]

shri’iia mood board

[devotedlystrangewizard]

i fuckjgng love au ra idk what it is i would never change my masc viera for the WORLD but the au ra are so cool

[madameoni]

My current fave bg3 take is that you can't possibly justify playing durge as a cleric. Specially a good one.

My sweet bhaalbabe, maybe what you're missing is creativity- and reading comprehension.

Bc I ran into that dumb take while looking for inspiration to build Scipio's lore, I'll rant a lil bit down here, might help if you're building your own cleric durge.

From the idea of your durge being a cleric before the crash, not as a whim after losing their memory:

• If you rest right away after the crash you can ask yourself about your race and class. Both hint to a life before the urge, almost forgotten but there. The dragonborn remembers his people (you know their customs and even speak draconic in game), but haven't lived near them in a long time. The cleric feels foolish for praying, it's something done out of habit and it feels ancient. Note that you feel foolish bc your God doesn't answer but:

•God's can't interfere with durge's story. Withers just watches you stumble around, not even the butler can tell you your past bc the higher-ups told him not to. It is very probable that your chosen deity is giving you powers, but not directly answering your calls, because they can't interfere. So you can cast spells in their name, but papa bahamut isn't answering the phone. Your deity would probably hope for your redemption (if good) or your devotion (if evil) and give you power while you find yourself. If you go back to Bhaal- then he is giving you the powers.

•Haven't played but the Paladin storyline hints that it isn't the first time you take and break your oath.

•The butler hints heavily that durge needed guidance often. The worse thing you ever did, for him, was giving a beggar money for no reason. Any hint of mercy was scolded- but they were there. It is perfectly possible that teachings of another God remained either from your past or in search of getting rid of your urges.

•Durge didn't grew up in Bhaals temple, you had a foster family and nice childhood at some point, and you murdered said foster family at a young ("adolescent") age. That leaves your "biological" family, where you learned about your race, and a nice chunk of time to learn your religion. Most clerics start at a very young age, it is perfectly possible you had your teachings at a very young age and they just stuck. Maybe you tried to reconnect during the years as the Urge, but failed spectacularly.

•What I DO wonder is after your super lovely redemption arc, and daddy Withers pulls a fuck you to Bhaal, where you lie there. Because you're referred as faithless, because your father God forsake you. I wonder if that is meant as a you're now in a clean slate. Or you're liberally condemned as a faithless regardless of who you choose to worship afterwards (after all, you don't need to be a cleric to be a worshiper of any god).

Overall- the plot hole of the "ending" applies pretty much to every character that believes in any God, so it isn't a big enough plot hole for me.

Anyway, after coming from DA where we disregard half of the canon to make it work better, having so much canon to work with is a delight.

I think BG3 does a good job of giving you a nice skeleton to build the missing pieces of your durge to your pleasure. Were you a tortured child, lead astray from your path by your evil father? Were you always a monster and your urges simply exploited what already was there? Your choice.

Btw writing your durge to have a good deity and a good past doesn't mean you're erasing the Urge nature. Bitch is a murderer. But let them have an extra layer of tragedy.

It's crazy people seem to not understand this logic when SHADOWHEART is right there. You can drive parallels from her lore easily.

[noneatnonedotcom]

pathfinder second edition Jaune arc build

so this is a build i recently made and I wanted to make jaune something different than a normal paladin, think of this jaune as what he would have become if aura wasn't a thing. I'll be taking it to level 4 stats str: 10 dex: 16 con:12 int: 18 (22 with magical gear) wis:12 (18 with magical gear) cha: 10 hp: 44 race: human (versatile) background: sword scion class: investigator with mastermind rouge archetype methodology; forensic medicine:

You've learned that in most cases, especially murders, criminals tend to leave more evidence of the crime on the body than they'd like to believe. Information from bruising, bone fractures, blood spatters, and even the life cycle of carrion insects can provide valuable clues that help reconstruct the scene.

You're trained in Medicine and gain the Forensic Acumen and Battle Medicine skill feats. When you use Battle Medicine, on a success the target recovers additional Hit Points equal to your level, and the target becomes temporarily immune for only 1 hour, not 1 day.

bio: jaune arc was the child of the famous arc family, having been taught from a young age how to use a sword effectively jaune had a deep knowledge of the human body and how best to cause harm. instead of simply becoming a hired killer like most of his family did jaune instead tried to become a superhero. with no powers he did so using his mind. one of the greatest strategic minds on earth and an accomplished doctor besides the young arc is ready to make his mark on the world..... it's just a shame he's a huge dork and has very little charisma and little strength training. boy is a noodle. but he's on the case at least.

gonna cut off the feats and skills here so it's not too long but you can read below to see the descriptions. but as an explanation jaune's entire fighting style is based around using devise a stratagem combined with mastermind's use of recall knowledge to keep his enemy flat-footed and therefore easier to hit and crit. with this in mind when using his warfare lore it's impossible for him to get a crit fail thanks to experienced professional and unmistakable lore and even if he fails he still gets better information than anyone else. with automatic knowledge, he does his lore checks as a free action In combat and with assurance he's always doing so at a 24 for dice checks more than enough to make sure that no matter what his enemy is always flat footed. jaune can hit more often and is doing more damage than even a two-handed fighter. thanks to sneak attack and strategic strike. in essence even at a low level jaune's probably the greatest strategic mind in the world and it shows in combat. his ability to use medicine checks in combat to keep himself and his allies up and fighting also references his semblance and keeps him as a sort of godless paladin. with science being his smite! lol. in essence, jaune's a militarized Batman who's investigations are more about learning key targets then working to take them out. using his soldiers and connections to do the groundwork and investigate his enemies for him so he can put together a strategy and pick them apart. his day job is an officer in some sort of military apparatus which is more just for the earn income action but with all his feats in the warfare lore skill he's pretty much consistently making 4 gp a week (with weekends off) and a comfortable lifestyle only costs 1 gp a week meaning jaune's got quite a bit going into his savings even as young as he is. @weatherman667 any ideas as to what jaune's job would actually be? he's supposed to be his cannon age so i doubt he'd be an officer already but he's doing hard dice checks for his earn income action without having to roll so i imagine it's something important and difficult even as new to things as he is.

feats:

assurance (warfare-lore): Even in the worst circumstances, you can perform basic tasks. Choose a skill you’re trained in. You can forgo rolling a skill check for that skill to instead receive a result of 10 + your proficiency bonus (do not apply any other bonuses, penalties, or modifiers).

streetwise: You know about life on the streets and feel the pulse of your local settlement. You can use your Society modifier instead of your Diplomacy modifier to Gather Information. In any settlement you frequent regularly, you can use the Recall Knowledge action with Society to know the same sorts of information that you could discover with Diplomacy to Gather Information. The DC is usually significantly higher, but you know the information without spending time gathering it. If you fail to recall the information, you can still subsequently attempt to Gather Information normally. devise a stratagem: You assess a foe's weaknesses in combat and use them to formulate a plan of attack against your enemy. Choose a creature you can see and roll a d20. If you Strike the chosen creature later this round, you must use the result of the roll you made to Devise a Stratagem for your Strike's attack roll instead of rolling. You make this substitution only for the first Strike you make against the creature this round, not any subsequent attacks.

When you make this substitution, you can also add your Intelligence modifier to your attack roll instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier, provided your Strike uses an agile or finesse melee weapon,

strategic strike: When you strike carefully and with forethought, you deal a telling blow. When making a Strike that adds your Intelligence modifier on your attack roll due to Devising a Stratagem, you deal an additional 1d6 precision damage.

As your investigator level increases, so too does the deadliness of your strategic strike. Increase the number of dice by one at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels. rouge (mastermind) dedication: Where others might use sleight of hand or a silver tongue to achieve their objectives, you rely on your intellect to craft intricate schemes. You likely view your operations as a chess game, always planning 10 steps ahead where others might plan three. You might be a detective determined to solve crimes or a spymaster in the service of a powerful family or nation. If you operate outside the law, you might be an aspiring crime lord or information broker, excellent at directing others toward suitable jobs.

If you successfully identify a creature using Recall Knowledge, that creature is flat-footed against your attacks until the start of your next turn; if you critically succeed, it's flat-footed against your attacks for 1 minute.

battle planner: You are constantly drawing up plans and battle scenarios, assembling strategies and gathered intelligence for later use. When you scout an enemy's position or receive a detailed report from an ally who scouted the enemy's position, if you have a clear indication of the number, position, and identities of your potential foes, you can spend 1 minute to come up with a battle plan that takes such potential factors into account and reduces the role luck plays in the equation. Roll a Warfare Lore check. As long as the information was accurate and remains accurate when you roll initiative against those enemies, you can use the Warfare Lore result you previously rolled for your initiative roll; if you do, this is a fortune effect. catfall: Your catlike aerial acrobatics allow you to cushion your falls. Treat falls as 10 feet shorter. If you’re an expert in Acrobatics, treat falls as 25 feet shorter. If you’re a master in Acrobatics, treat them as 50 feet shorter. If you’re legendary in Acrobatics, you always land on your feet and don’t take damage, regardless of the distance of the fall.

automatic knowledge(warfare lore): Prerequisites expert in a skill with the Recall Knowledge action, Assurance in that skill You know basic facts off the top of your head. Choose a skill you’re an expert in that has the Recall Knowledge action and for which you have the Assurance feat. You can use the Recall Knowledge action with that skill as a free action once per round. If you do, you must use Assurance on the skill check.

experianced professional: You carefully safeguard your professional endeavors to prevent disaster. When you use Lore to Earn Income, if you roll a critical failure, you instead get a failure. If you’re an expert in Lore, you gain twice as much income from a failed check to Earn Income, unless it was originally a critical failure.

sneak attacker: you gain access to the sneak attack class feature (page 181), except it deals 1d4 damage, increasing to 1d6 at 6th level. You don’t increase the number of dice as you gain levels.

unmistakeable lore (warfare-lore): You never get information about your areas of expertise wrong. When you Recall Knowledge using any Lore subcategory in which you’re trained, if you roll a critical failure, you get a failure instead. If you’re a master in a Lore subcategory, on a critical success, you gain even more information or context than usual. skills (there's a lot)

arcana: trained +12 athletics: trained +6 crafting: trained +15 deception: trained +6 diplomacy: expert +8 lore warfare: expert +14 medicine: expert +12 occultism: expert +12 society: trained +12 stealth: trained +9 thievery: trained +9

[carrion-whispers]

Hey! Hi! Hello!

This is a side blog for diggingforkuponuts. I made it as a sounding board for my dumb ideas and as a way to remember ideas and happenings in my BG3 plays to offset my poor memory. And a place to collect amazing stuff from other wonderful people.

If you happen to think one of my dumb ideas is smart or like one of my silly lil ocs and then it’s not dumb! And you’re smart! I just self depreciate a lot as a humor tactic. I don’t actually believe any of the self-depreciation I do so it’s fine! Right?

Anyway, I’m on mobile so comments, follows, and likes will come from my main.

I have a few Tavs and Durges with fully fleshed backstories and relationships and lore and stuff but I’m bad at cultivating and recording and in general not being overly anxious about oversharing and using the wrong tags so most of the stuff I come up with stay in my head, drafts box and my screenshots. If you have any questions just ask I guess.

Thanks for stopping in!

Character info in Read More

I’m avoiding burnout on this game by having about 8 concurrent characters running. I have posted intros/infos the important ones (linked at the end.) I have a lot of teiflings gods abound

Good

Carrion - DU/Tav - Barbarian - Teifling - Astarion/Karlach - Tav vers is related to Whisper

Whisper - Tav - Draconic Sorc - Teifling - Astarion - Related to Tav Carrion

Sorrow - DU - Ancients Paladin of Selune - Half Drow - Astarion

Lilliput Kindsong - Tav - Bard - Forest Gnome - Wyll

Tippet Piper - Tav - Bardlock - Deep Gnome - Astarion

My posted characters:

tags: bg3 Carrion | bg3 Whisper | Selunite Sorrow

[theggning]

I Hate the Alternate Ending of Blind Betrayal, and Here's Why!

DISCLAIMER THE FIRST: Massive spoilers for Fallout 4 abound. This post discusses Blind Betrayal, a quest with suicide as a heavy theme. Content warning applies.

DISCLAIMER THE SECOND: This post discusses cut OFFICIAL content from Fallout 4 that has since been repurposed into multiple mods. I am not criticizing any modders or their implementations of this content. Mods are fun and people can enjoy whatever the hell kind of game experience they want with whatever mods they want.

I am ONLY interested in discussing the original cut content as Bethesda had written it, and how it would have impacted the story and lore of Fallout 4.

So, yeah, it seems there was originally going to be another way to conclude Blind Betrayal (BB).

As described in this Kotaku article (citing this post by Tumblr user tentacle-explosion,) there are unused audio files of Danse’s dialogue that show an alternate ending to his pivotal quest. These lines are the only evidence we have of this ending (suggesting that it was cut fairly early on, as no other actors/characters seem to have recorded for it.)

From what we can tell, in this alternate ending of BB, Danse comes up with a possible way out of the sticky situation re: his identity as a synth. According to the Brotherhood Litany, he is able to challenge Maxson’s authority as Elder via combat. If you agree to this idea, you go with Danse to challenge Maxson. The Paladin and the Elder duel one another, Danse wins, and Maxson dies. Then Danse names the Sole Survivor the new Elder-- or with a hard charisma check, you’re able to convince Danse to take the job himself. It is unknown how the main plot would have progressed beyond this point, as there is no other evidence of what being (or influencing) the Elder would have been like or what choices it would have given you.

There is understandable disappointment in learning that this ending was cut. Choices in games are great, and it could have been fun to have multiple different options for how to resolve the quest. In many gaming circles, people complain that this theoretical ending is superior to the one we got and shouldn’t have been axed. The Kotaku article calls it a “way better” ending, and you’ll see many players lamenting that it wasn’t implemented, saying Bethesda was bad at writing for cutting it, etc.

So why did Bethesda get rid of the Elder ending of BB?

In December 2020, after the Fallout 4 Cast Reunion, Danse’s voice actor Peter Jessop answered questions in a private signing session on his Instagram. Peter Jessop is an extremely kind and gracious man, an avid gamer, and a huge fan of Fallout. During the stream, he reflected on the alternate ending and remembered recording the lines, but stated the content was ultimately cut because Bethesda decided it was lore-breaking.

Peter Jessop is right. Bethesda was right. The Elder ending of BB is a bunch of dumb nonsense. It sucks, I hate it, and I’m glad they got rid of it. And now I’m going to tell you why!

SIDENOTE: King Shit of Fuck Mountain

There is no wrong way to play a single-player video game. If you are having fun, then you are accomplishing the task for which the game was made. Good for you! Play it on easy. Play it on hard. Mod it. Speedrun it. Make up an intricate roleplaying scenario. Perform “challenge” runs. Kill everybody you see. Ignore the story and run around collecting wheels of cheese. Games are meant to be fun and there is nothing wrong with enjoying a game however you damn well please. This is especially true for RPGs like Fallout, which are designed with player freedom in mind.

There is an RPG playstyle I like to call King Shit of Fuck Mountain: a naked power fantasy in which your protagonist is the most powerful person ever, even beyond normal RPG plot significance. Through brute strength, incredible charisma, or having completed tons of quests for world-breaking artifacts and weapons, your character wields godlike influence, able to control people, factions, and the fabric of the world itself. A game enables KSoFM gameplay when it allows the player limitless freedom to gain as much power as they like with zero consequences to plot or storytelling.

A great example of this is the Dragonborn in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. If the player chooses to pursue every questline in the game, one single person can become Harbinger of the Companions, Archmage of the College of Winterhold, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Nightingale and Guildmaster of the Thieves’ Guild, hero of the Imperial/Stormcloak army, the chosen one of like, 11 different Daedric princes, a bard, a Blade, and otherwise just, absurdly goddamn powerful in completely unrealistic ways. And that’s not counting DLCs. A fully-kitted-out Dragonborn is King Shit of Fuck Mountain.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing KSoFM if you like to. But I’m not a big fan of this style, personally. Sure, my first Skyrim character became KSoFM while I was figuring out the game, but after my first playthrough I preferred my characters become coherent figures in the story of the world. I pick one or two character traits and things that my Dragonborn is good at, focus on them, and make them part of some overall story. My honorable Imperial paladin werewolf is in the Companions, and hunts vampires on principle. My Argonian sneaky archer is a gleeful thief, but would never jive with the College or the Dark Brotherhood. I like creating protagonists who fit into these settings immersively. I don’t care about power fantasies or being in charge. I don’t WANT my character to be all-powerful, because that ruins my immersion and my little story.

Additionally, in a plot-driven story-focused game like Fallout, KSoFM tears the narrative apart. Skyrim is fairly light on story, so the Dragonborn can be the leader of the Companions and the Dark Brotherhood and whatever other factions without any of them noticing or caring. But FO4’s themes, faction drama, and the main thrust of the plot don’t work at all if the Sole Survivor is able to become too powerful or too influential. The Sole Survivor cannot become the leader of every faction, solve every problem, or eliminate every inconvenient bend of the conflict because it makes the lore of the entire setting implode. Thus, the game forces you to choose between factions. You cannot be with the Minutemen and the Nuka-World Raiders. You cannot be with the Railroad and the Institute. And you cannot become Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel.

So if you’re the kind of person who loves playing KSoFM, if you like plots that your character can “solve” with relative ease, or if you just think it would be super cool for your Sole to become Elder regardless of surrounding storytelling, then you might think the Elder ending sounds super cool. You are absolutely allowed to disagree with me here. Install all the mods and write all the fic and have all the headcanons you like. I respect that. There is no wrong way to enjoy a single-player video game. Have fun!

But if you’re a big nitpicky pedantic lore nerd like me, a fan of cohesive storytelling, or if you just want to hear how the Elder ending of BB absolutely fucking ruins Maxson, Danse, the Brotherhood of Steel, and the entire plot of FO4 from a narrative perspective, read on!

1. The Synth Thing

The Elder ending requires the stupid plot contrivance of the BoS forgetting about Danse’s synthhood.

One of the biggest problems with the BoS as an institution is their strict and dogmatic beliefs, which include a widespread dislike of non-human species. Perhaps more than any other non-humans, the BoS hates synths. Synths are, in their eyes, machines given free will, a violation of the sanctity of human life and the ultimate example of technology run amok. To them, synths are not sympathetic, they are not slaves, and they are not victims of circumstance. They are weapons that left unchecked will destroy all of humanity for a second time. Synths are anathema to everything the BoS stands for, and finding out that one of their most beloved and trusted Paladins is one is an earth-shattering blow to their integrity and sense of security.

It is completely absurd that the BoS would allow a synth within their ranks, particularly as they are waging war against the Institute, who created synths in the first place. It is even MORE absurd that they’d allow one to influence their Elder, or even worse, to become Elder. It completely undermines their mission in the Commonwealth, and the core tenets of their extremely rigid beliefs. No matter the Elder, no matter the Litany or obscure BoS law, no matter how valuable the Sole Survivor is as a soldier or how much influence they wield. Danse is a synth. He’s the enemy. He is physically the embodiment of everything they hate.

Not only wouldn’t they trust a synth in general, but the BoS specifically believes that Danse is an infiltrator for the Institute. Even Danse believes that he is a danger, that the Institute may be able to take control of him and use him as a weapon. Sure, we know none of this is actually true, or possible, but the BoS don’t know that. And given how quick they are to order Danse dead without even the possibility of surrender, I don’t think there’s any charisma in the world that’s going to convince them otherwise.

According to Peter Jessop, this, ultimately, is the reason why the Elder ending was cut. He talks about it around the 11:30 timestamp in his Instagram stream, linked above:

“We recorded an ending where you keep Danse alive and you take over the Brotherhood. But there was a question of content… there’s no way the Brotherhood, once they knew he was a synth, would let him be even the right hand of the person in charge.”

Bethesda correctly recognized the incredible narrative contrivance for the BoS to shrug off the reason they’re trying to execute Danse in the first place. Whatever other beefs I have with this ending conceptually, they all come in second to just what a big dumb leap it is to get beyond this first and most important problem.

2. The Complete Death of Conflict

The Elder ending of BB destroys the conflict of the quest, and potentially the conflict of the entire game.

Greed is a poison. There is no such thing as a perfect ideal or a perfect organization. Power corrupts. Humanity has the choice to build back better. War never changes. The Fallout games are full of themes, depicted by the characters and quests and factions we play out.

Blind Betrayal is rightfully praised as one of the most powerful quests in FO4. Not only is it well-acted, but it puts the player in a very difficult position. The BoS has given you clout and glory and free power armor and lots of firepower, but now you see the price: unquestioning obedience. You are ordered to execute your friend and mentor Danse for the mere fact he is a synth. Are you going to follow that unjust order? Are you willing to give up your principles on command? Or is this where you can no longer stay quiet and stay in line?

To be honest, I’ve always thought the fact you can talk Maxson out of killing Danse but still remain with the BoS in good standing was a cop-out. BB goes 90% of the way to forcing you to choose between a companion and a faction, and then chickens out at the last second to let you have both, if your charisma is high enough.

(I believe this has the fingerprints of Skyrim’s development on it-- Bethesda’s writers got nervous about doing another Paarthurnax choice involving the fan favorite Brotherhood of Steel. That’s right. Danse is the Paarthurnax of Fallout. Frankly, I understand why they chose not to go there, but damn, wouldn’t it have been wild? You want to run with the BoS? Then kill your friend and feel the burn. THIS is what it means to follow orders without question.

As for me, I’d pick Danse every time and sleep soundly without the company of shitty bootlicking dieselpunk LARPers- but I digress.)

Anyway, you know what would have REALLY been a copout? If the game asked you to make a difficult thematic storyline choice, and you solved the problem by just not choosing at all.

You are supposed to feel uncomfortable when Maxson orders you to kill Danse, because the game is telling a story about how it is maybe a bad thing to thoughtlessly follow orders without question. It is asking you to think about what the BoS is, what they are doing, and how they are going to run things, if you choose to let them “win” the Commonwealth. It is pointing out that there is no room for gray in the BoS’ black and white. That a good, loyal man may die because of the way he was made, through no action of his own. That soon, you’ll be killing other people on command. The Railroad. Fleeing Institute synths and scientists. Others, down the line. It all depends on who’s giving the orders. Are you going to follow those orders?

Eesh, that sounds thought-provoking and unpleasant and difficult! Let’s just skip it by killing Maxson and making ourselves the boss. Now we get to tell everybody else what to do!

It’s unknown what powers the Elder ending would have granted the player, or how it would have interacted with the other factions. There is speculation that you’d have been able to ease back on the BoS’ dogmatism, or change some of the later events of the game. For instance, perhaps you could talk the BoS down from attacking the Railroad, sparing popular characters like Glory and Deacon who must die in the normal BoS storyline. Perhaps you could have made the BoS a kinder, gentler faction and directed them to run the way you want them to.

If this was indeed the case, then the Elder ending would not only suck the gravitas out of BB, but torpedo the entire main plot.

If you can get rid of any and all downsides to siding with the BoS, why in the hell would players side with anybody else? With the player given total power, the BoS becomes a perfect faction with no drawbacks, no weaknesses, no tough decisions to be made. Screw slumming it with the Railroad or the Minutemen, let’s take over the BoS. Free power armor and a giant robot! Forget the whole intolerance thing, I hereby proclaim the BoS No Longer Problematic! Now to force all the factions to get along, completely removing all conflict and nuance from the plot!

That’s some real anticlimactic “tell Legate Lanius to go home and then he does it” bullshit right there. King Shit of Fuck Mountain!

Look, it might be nice if there was a perfect path like that to take through the game. It would be cool if our characters could be that powerful and the game was that tailored to our individual choices. On the other hand, “I change all the factions to suit my exact liking” might be a fun idea for a fanfic, but it’s an incredibly boring plot for a video game. “I get to make everything in the world exactly how I want it” is Minecraft, not a story-driven RPG with a complex and intricate plot.

It would be great if complex conflicts could really be solved that easily and effortlessly, but hey, you know what? War never changes.

3. The Assassination of Arthur Maxson (Literal)

Arthur Maxson’s death is too significant and fundamentally disastrous for the Elder ending to make any sense at all.

Hero, villain, leader, monster, tortured soul, brutal dictator, immature twerp, bearded sex hunk. However you personally interpret Arthur Maxson, there is no denying that he is a venerated, popular, beloved figure in the BoS. He is the blood heir of the organization’s founder, a powerful warrior, a brilliant tactician, and a charismatic negotiator. He is responsible for reuniting the East Coast BoS with the Outcasts, leading the new, stronger BoS with a sense of shared purpose. There is a damn good reason his name is Arthur and he named his ship The Prydwen, echoes of King Arthur and the legends of his glorious kingdom of Camelot. Arthur Maxson is so beloved that many view him as a demigod, a messiah sent to lead the BoS into a mighty and prosperous future.

So I’m sure nobody’s going to be upset when some wasteland jackass recruited a month ago stumbles in with a synth, kills him, and takes over his job. Right?

It doesn’t matter that it’s “honorable.” It doesn’t matter that it’s done “by the book” via obscure BoS rules. There is no codex or litany or rule so binding that it’s going to overcome the cult of personality around Maxson. There is no way that the BoS is going to accept the death of Arthur Maxson, a man whose reverence borders on worship, especially not when he is immediately replaced by a wastelander, or a synth.

The death of Arthur Maxson removes the unifying glue that’s been holding the BoS together since mending the rift with the Outcasts. Maxson’s death eliminates the one person that both sides of that conflict agreed could steer the organization in the right direction. Some level heads may try to keep the focus on the mission and the Brotherhood tenets, but Maxson loyalists will never forgive the new Elder for his death, and that amount of passionate righteous anger will not be quelled by appeals to the rules. The new Elder’s war on the Institute is basically over before it begins, when the forces splinter and start infighting over the change in leadership.

And this is if the new Elder lives long enough to actually give any orders. I give them around 24 hours after the duel before some angry Maxson loyalist “accidentally” pulls the trigger and “tragically” empties a clip into their back.

24 seconds, if it’s Elder Danse, the dirty synth abomination.

4. The Assassination of Arthur Maxson (Figurative)

The Elder ending of BB falsely pretends that Arthur Maxson is the biggest and only problem with the BoS.

In the Elder ending, as written, the conflict of BB is considered completely and totally solved by the death of Arthur Maxson. The core problem, that Danse is a synth and considered an enemy by the BoS, has not gone away. But by getting rid of Maxson, this apparently no longer matters. Nobody else is going to take offense to Danse’s nature or protest his presence. Nobody else is going to attack him or try to follow through with Maxson’s prior orders. Nope, that meanybutt guy who gave the order is gone, and everybody else is going to welcome Danse back into the fold like nothing ever happened.

I touched on this a little bit on an ask about Maxson a few weeks back, but a lot of people seem to believe that the FO4 Brotherhood of Steel is the way they are purely because of him. That he is the one making them treat non-humans as second class citizens at best, and enemies to be slaughtered at worst. That it’s his fault the BoS is so vehemently against synths and the Institute. That he is the one influencing their imperialistic tendencies, and treating the Commonwealth like territory to be conquered and people to be ruled over by their betters.

He’s not. That’s the Brotherhood of Steel, guys.

The charitable, altruistic, virtuous BoS that many of us met for the first time in FO3 were outliers. Lyons’ group was literally disowned by the rest of the faction because their kindness to wastelanders had gone so far astray from the “core” tenets. The BoS as a whole has always been exclusive, isolated, and seen themselves as “superior” to the average wastelander. They have long disliked or outright hated non-humans (and even Lyons’ BoS in FO3 use ghouls, feral or not, for “target practice” if they get too close!) The rigid dogmatism of the BoS is not something that Arthur Maxson started, but has always been part of their fabric.

Now, it’s true that Maxson is absolutely going hard on the BoS tenets, and extremely dedicated to upholding them. His BoS are the way they are and act the way they act because he believes that this is the way it should be. Is it possible that a different leader may be a little more flexible? Absolutely. Could a skilled Elder eventually show them the benefits of a softer approach and a more generous worldview? Totally. Is getting rid of Maxson and replacing him going to make that happen overnight, or going to make the rest of the BoS who supported him shrug and follow suit?

Nope.

Blaming Arthur Maxson for everything unsavory about the Brotherhood is unfair to him and also foolishly ignoring the deep, massive problems that are far older than he is-- problems that plenty of its members wholeheartedly believe are not problems at all. Getting rid of Maxson does not make the BoS kinder or gentler. Even pretending Maxson isn’t as personally beloved as he is, any new Elder who steps in and starts trying to fundamentally alter the way the BoS operates and what they believe in is going to face some major, immediate pushback.

Like, a full clip of bullets in the back type of pushback.

In the face if it’s Elder Danse, the godless freak of nature.

5. The Un-Redemption of Paladin Danse

Last, and my personal least favorite!

At first glance, Paladin Danse is a steely jackboot, a die-hard Brotherhood loyalist who fully and firmly believes in their cause. Many immediately dismiss him as a humorless brute, or completely ignore him because they think that’s all there is. But if you spend any time with Danse at all, you’ll notice a sort of weariness in him. He is tired, overworked, and his years of service are starting to weigh on him. He has watched friends, comrades, and mentors die in horrible and gruesome ways, and he suffers from PTSD. Though he has always been told that his own sacrifices, the sacrifices of his brothers and sisters have been” worth it,” he’s starting to question if that’s true.

After telling of the incident where he personally executed his best friend Cutler, who’d been turned into a super mutant, the Sole Survivor is able to console him:

Player Default: You did the right thing. Danse: {Somber} It's what I was taught. I don't know if it was right.

This line is an excellent summary of Danse’s entire character arc. He learns to question whether to believe what the Brotherhood has taught him, or to believe in himself. His gut feelings. His sense of justice and his own ideas of what’s right and wrong.

(In the interest of not turning this into an essay about Danse’s character, I won’t even get into how this also applies to his beliefs about his worth as a person. But keep in mind, that dimension is there, Danse just covers it up by making everything about the Brotherhood.)

During Blind Betrayal, after getting the orders to execute him and hearing Haylen’s plea for mercy, we may expect Danse to be ready to fight back or flee. But when you confront him in the bunker at Listening Post Bravo, he’s compliant and suicidal. Danse is so deeply poisoned by the BoS’ rhetoric that his own feelings or will to live don’t factor into the conversation. He demands that you follow your orders and execute him, because he believes, as the BoS does, that all synths are dangerous and must be destroyed.

Danse: {Stern} Synths can't be trusted. Machines were never meant to make their own decisions, they need to be controlled. Technology that's run amok is what brought the entire world to its knees and humanity to the brink of extinction.

{Confident} I need to be the example, not the exception.

Through various dialogue options, if your charisma is high enough, you are able to talk Danse off the ledge. He is able to consider, at least, that the BoS’ merciless judgment of him is wrong and that what he was taught isn’t right. He is a thinking, feeling, self-aware synth, and that makes him as much a person as any human. Danse is no danger to humanity-- and maybe, most synths aren’t either.

Danse is an example, not an exception.

Later on, if you manage to get him out of BB alive, Danse shows further acceptance of his nature. His approvals about synths begin to soften slightly (or many of them do, at least… it’s not perfect.) He is still struggling with his identity and reconciling it with his former hatred, but his dialogue suggests that he’s on the road to being more open-minded and understanding. Along with this, Danse learns that he has value as a person beyond the Brotherhood. He no longer needs to define himself with BoS beliefs or judge himself by how useful he is to them. He learns that he is worth caring about, worth being friends with or being loved because of who he is-- not what he is, in any regard.

[SIDENOTE: Many players, myself included, are frustrated that Danse’s arc leaves off sort of midstream there. Due to the open-ended nature of the game, we don’t get a real conclusion to his arc-- even though much of his idle dialogue doesn’t change and he still espouses pro-BoS sentiments ( an unfortunate by-product of writing for a video game) there is every indication that he’s started down the right path, but understandably has a ways to go.

Also, Peter Jessop agrees with us.]

Meanwhile, in the Elder ending, Danse doesn’t get a redemption. His entire character arc, actually, hits the skids and does a total 180.

He never leaves the BoS. So scratch the need for Danse to ever think about himself as separate from them. He never needs to question what they’ve taught him or whether they’re right or wrong. He never needs to find any worth in himself beyond his use to the BoS. Why would he? He might be the Elder. The BoS is all he needs to care about anymore. The BoS is all he ever needs to be, ever again.

And I think, most horrifying of all, this Danse never needs to change his mind about synths. On the contrary, one of the surviving dialogue files includes Danse’s speech to reassure the rest of the BoS of his stance:

Danse: I want to make one thing clear to everyone. This body might be synth, but my heart and mind belong to the Brotherhood. The Institute is still a tremendous threat to the Commonwealth. They possess technologies that need to be confiscated or destroyed. And even if that means I have to pull the trigger on my own kind, I’m willing to make that sacrifice.

Elder ending Danse doesn’t grow more understanding on the nature of synths. He doesn’t accept that synths are people, or anything more than technology run amok. He won’t even accept that for himself. Elder Maxson wasn’t wrong about synths-- they’re the enemy and they need to be destroyed.

But, see, he was wrong about Danse. It’s okay for Danse to exist in spite of his nature. It’s okay for him to never fully accept his own personhood, and to outright deny it to his kind. Because his body is a machine, but he’s different from the rest because his heart and mind belong to the Brotherhood.

He’s the exception, not the example.

CONCLUSION:

The Elder ending of Blind Betrayal is dumb, contrived, stakeless, character-derailing powergaming crap at its finest and I’ll happily dance on its grave.

People give Bethesda a lot a shit for their writing-- whether it be stuff they left out, stuff they left in, or stuff that they never, ever could have made work due to the limitations of writing for a video game. Plenty of it is well-deserved, or at least worth a discussion. But from the minute I found out about its existence, I have always wanted to extend a congratulations to Bethesda for cutting the alternate Elder ending of Blind Betrayal. It was a good choice. A very good choice to cut a very dumb plot that would have fundamentally altered the story they were telling, and characters that I’ve grown to love. I think the writers deserve some credit and a hearty handshake for the wisdom of this decision.

Now as for why Nick Valentine isn’t romanceable--

[skekheck]

Dark Crystal Question: Rank the best ways to consume the lore of the world. I've seen the original movie and the Netflix adaptation and I love them both and I want to participate in more of the Fandom but it feels like I only have a third of the pie. Rank the best-to-worst canon materials and lore!

So here's the tricky thing about the Dark Crystal's lore: it's contradictory. Even in stories centered around AOR, because the Jim Henson company is pretty loose with how their work and characters are portrayed, things get muddied up.

The best way I believe to think of the inconsistencies is seeing it all as different timelines (which could be backed canonically if Aughra's line of "I see many endings laid before us" has anything to go by). So what I am going to do is categorize lore-based materials into different groups, but still rank them from consistent to inconsistent.

Also, FYI, these are subjective so you can take it with a grain of salt if you don't agree.

Uncategorized:

Creation Myths: This is probably one of, if not the most, important lore-based material for this franchise. It dives into what happened during the very beginning of Thra's life, the arrival of the urSkeks, what led up to the Division, and what followed shortly after. There is some very minor contradictions between info told here and AOR, but it's not so distracting that it's noticeable. In my opinion, this should be the first thing to read as it sets groundwork for a lot of the other stories.

The Dark Crystal Bestiary: This is basically a compendium of all the creatures of Thra, including Gelfling, Skeksis, and Mystics. It doesn't include every animal within the franchise and it leaves some of the Urru and Skeksis out but overall pretty informative with nice illustrations to boot. There are some info mentioned in here that people didn't agree with but in my opinion it adds more to a lot of other characters.

Age of Resistance Focused Material:

Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans: This is basically an in-depth look into all Seven Clans written by J.M. Lee who also was a creative consultant for AOR so because of this I think this should be ranked highest in this category. It's a nice info dump of the seven Gelfling clans so if you wanted to learn more about a specific clan this is your go-to book.

Heroes of the Resistance: It's a small book with a lot of the information taken from the Dark Crystal website word-for-word, but it also has nice additional information not seen anywhere else about some of the other characters.

The Ballad of Hup & Barfinnious: Of all three prequel comics, this one hardly, or doesn't even, contradict lore established by AOR. It's the story of how Hup got the idea of becoming a paladin being mentored by an ex-paladin named Barfinnious who get into sorts of trouble. We get little lore drops about paladins and the Spriton clan. While a fun read, it's the least memorable out of the three.

The Quest for the Dual Glaive: My personal favorite of the prequel comics. It's the story of how Ordon retrieved the dual glaive. It gives needed exploration of Ordon, as well as Fara's, characters with a look at how the First Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood went. There is some minor contradictions between how the story went and Maudra Argot's accounts of it in AOR but it's not enough to ruin the comic.

The Journey into the Mondo Leviadin: This one is a double-edged sword when it comes to consistency. The comic adds a lot of interesting things to the world including an in-depth look into the All-Maudra lineage, additional lore about the Sifan clan, and crustecean sub-species of Podlings and Arathim (called the Bobblings and Zoas in that order). However, it also makes some odd writing decisions, some of the major ones being the characterization of skekSa the Mariner and the ending which, to not give off too much spoilers, sort of flips the whole idea of the Vapra disapproving Gelfling of two different clans from getting together on its head. It also painfully contradicts some of the lore stated in Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans that came out a month or so after this comic.

Quadrilogy Book Series:

Also known as the J.M. Lee book series. This should be seen as a self-contained story because while it eventually follows key plot points we see in AOR, it definitely takes place in a different timeline with a focus on Naia, Kylan, and co. I do recommend reading these books anyway as it gives focus to side characters who had little screen time or who haven't shown up at all (including villains such as skekLi the Satirist and skekSa). Also some other characters (like skekLach and skekMal) are different from their on screen counterparts.

Movie Focused Material:

Dark Crystal Novelization: Jim Henson said this book was like the child to the movie, as it was written along with it under his supervision. I feel like this is an important piece to read as it adds context to the film that was sorely needed. The biggest of these was giving Jen more depth as a character which honestly should have been in the film. Aside from that, the book contains ideas that are outdated, both within the franchise and surrounding certain subject matter (as this was written in the late 70s/early 80s).

The World of the Dark Crystal: This is another companion book written for the film. It's written from Aughra's point of view and does contain lore specified within the movie. Much like the novelization, it also contains outdated information.

Legend of the Dark Crystal (Vols. 1 & 2): This is the only story within the franchise so far that focuses on the Garthim Wars. I remember reading these books followed more closely with the original notes from the movie and it's one of the first lore-based material released for the Dark Crystal. Of course, this takes place in a different timeline for various reasons. The most entertaining of which is skekLach, completely different from his on-screen counterpart, being a main villain for both volumes.

Power of the Dark Crystal: This is a sequel comic to the film and was based on the script for the sequel movie that was canceled after a decade of development hell. And boy does it show. While it does introduce cool ideas, mainly the introduction to Firelings, the plot is a poorly rehashed version of the film's with many plot holes and lore contradictories. Some people might enjoy this, but if you're lore focused it's okay to skip this unless you're really curious.

Beneath the Dark Crystal: The least interesting material, not just for this category but out of all the reading material in the franchise. It doesn't do anything to clear up the plot holes and follows the inconsistencies from the previous prequel comic while being a boring read. It does add more lore about the Firelings, but a lot of ideas introduced around that is uninteresting or missed potential. I don't recommend reading this unless you really enjoyed Power but don't expect the same writing quality.

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

**SPOILERS** Featuring Netflix’s Cursed

SPOILER FREE REVIEW:

When I first heard about this show coming to Netflix I was excited. As someone who loves watching King Arthur inspired shows/movies, I was interested to see how the story would change by following Nimue aka the Lady of the Lake. I was surprised at how few Arthurian references were made. Mainly just focusing on characters names (like Arthur) and re-inventing them. This is more inspired by Arthurian legend than a full re-telling (or at least for this first season). From what I’m familiar with, there isn’t a whole lot of similarities with the King Arthur legend. When I first heard about the focus on Nimue, I thought the story would have followed a time long before Uther. Instead it’s more like an alternative story. 

There are a lots of characters and plots that can feel info dumpy at times, but you kind of roll with it and see how important they are as you go. Due to having SO many characters, it makes it easier to watch and doesn’t make me want to read the book. I think fans of Game of Thrones will like it because it feels like it’s trying to bank on filling the fantasy void that GOT left. (Especially with all of the characters involved and mini story-lines.) Disclaimer: There is A LOT of blood and gore. Sometimes it feels unnecessary and that they had a blood quota. So watch out for that if you’re squeamish or don’t like gory things. (There were a few parts I had to look away from.) 

Despite all of this negativity, once I understood this was a show that’s loosely based in the lore, I actually grew to like it. Of course, there’s things I would be okay without, but overall if/when a season 2 comes out I would watch it. 

SPOILER REVIEW:

Two things that I think made this watch even more enjoyable/fun was 1) Watching it with someone 2) Watching it with the captions on. [Mystical Twinkling]--Every time the sword made a noise. 

Like I said before, there were A LOT of characters and for some of them I really didn’t care. As the show went on, it made more sense, but still had a lot going on. At times, I wished I could see more of the characters I liked (ie: The Weeping Monk) compared to the Raiders.  

I definitely made a lot of Game of Thrones references and surprisingly The 100 too. Also, naming people other names. When the Widow showed up to Merlin we were joking around that it was his Mom. Also, thought Squirrel was Nimue’s brother for the longest time. 

Villains: 

SISTER IRIS!!! She needs to stop and I hate that she survived at the end of the show. For a small moment it looked like she might have changed her mind about killing the Fey Queen, but after that creepy scene of psyching herself into it, I knew she was a lost cause. Her and the paladins were very creepy and eerie. All the red just felt uncomfortable. So, that made them a chilling villain. I’m just frustrated that won’t be the last time we see Iris as now she’s been truly welcomed into the fold. 

“Born in the Dawn to walk in the Twilight”

MERLIN!!! I really enjoyed this incarnation of him and the direction they decided to take. Basically every scene he was in I enjoyed. The idea of him losing his powers to the sword and then the SWORD BEING INSIDE OF HIM!! AND THAT ENDING!! Such an epic scene when he used the sword. (I kept making Thor references with all the lightning.)

1x06 was probably my favorite episode because of his backstory/flashbacks with Lenore. They easily are one of my top ships of the show (very close to Pym and Dof). I GUESSED he was Nimue’s Dad (because it made a lot of sense) and was SO HAPPY when he was revealed as her dad. I really loved their dynamic. Gustaf did a fantastic acting job showing how much Merlin cares for Nimue. His watery eyes in so many scenes! And that the last one when she called him father and he couldn’t hold onto her! No wonder why he decided to use the sword again. I’m very excited to see what happens to him in season 2 (if/when there is one). I’m also interested to see what happens with him and Morgana. In Arthurian legend they are adversaries, but can have a very complicated relationship. Despite all of the changes in the show, I’m sure they’ll keep that in (or something close). 

Speaking of Morgana.... I really loved her character from when we first met her. I thought it was an interesting choice that she went under the name Igraine as she was Arthur’s sister and that’s his mother’s name. And then when the reveal happened with her actual name I got excited. When she was talking to Celia (when she was dead) I kept shouting NOOO and wanted to run into the TV. I like that they are going to explore her sorceress side. Now that she became the widow it should be interesting to see how powerful she will be. (We don’t know much about that character.) So happy she stayed loyal to Nimue at the end. 

I’m a HUGE fan of Daniel Sharman and after watching Medici earlier this year, I was very excited to see him back on Netflix with another show. Even though he was a villain in the show I kept holding out hope that he could be turned. (Probably because of my love for the actor.) Very early on I felt he was Fey. This was mainly due to the fact he could smell them out. This isn’t a trait that any other man blood had. There was also the fact he didn’t harm kids that sent a red flag to me that something probably happened in his childhood. I was pretty accurate when his backstory (or some of it) was revealed in 1x10. My one major complaint about this season is that we didn’t get more of him/more of his story sooner. Because if there isn’t a second season than we won’t be able to see this transformation happen. That is one of my favorite tropes in TV shows and books. 

While the Weeping Monk’s relationship with Squirrel was only a little part of this season, I really enjoyed them together. So I was very excited that they ended up together at the end, which will probably have them together for a good amount of another season. Their dynamics will be interesting to see. Definitely get an Arya and The Hound vibe. 

AND THAT NAME REVEAL! I can’t believe I didn’t piece it together!! Squirrel as Perceval makes so much sense! I read the romance of Perceval and the Story of the Holy Grail when I was studying in college and Preceval starts out as this young kid who longs to be a knight and is very hot-tempered and innocent. He will jump into anything without thinking about it first. That’s squirrel! So when Gawain named him before knighting him a knight of the Fey it was just perfect! I am very excited to see how his character develops. I just hope he doesn’t age too much before the next season. AND LANCELOT! I can’t believe I didn’t see that one coming! But it also makes sense as Lancelot is a skilled fighter and so is the Weeping Monk. With a name like Lancelot, he has a lot to live up to. I am very ready to witness this transformation. 

While watching the show I was doing my best to avoid all spoilers, yet in my YouTube feed I came across a few videos shipping the Weeping Monk and Nimue. This made me believe the two would have a true scene together, but no. I was very shocked that they did not and that the fandom already loves them so much. I can understand it because there are a lot of similarities between the two characters. From both in a way being cursed and the parallels with them having scars (specifically on their backs). He’s fire and she’s water and we know the connection there. Plus, the whole enemies to lovers trope feels strong. I also know about the lore of Lancelot and the Lady of the Lake which they have to explore. So, I can definitely see myself getting aboard this ship. 

For me Arthur’s character started out very wishy washy. I’m not a big fan of love at first sight ships just because I feel they’re not realistic. (I guess that’s the unromantic in me.) And then the fact that he backstabbed Nimue by stealing the sword all to try and restore his honor (which he failed). Now I know this was all within the first few episodes but when he tells her he doesn’t want to be saved yet they still love each other...idk. It felt like it was contradicted the female queen power being showcased. For me their relationship overall just felt rushed. Perhaps if it wasn’t so fast then maybe I could have gotten on board with it. I think time apart will help me like Arthur’s character more.

..

.....

Definitely watch Cursed on Netflix if you’re a fan of medieval fantasy and don’t mind keeping up with a ton of characters and gore. Then you’ll hope for a second season as much as me!    

[pauldron-pieces]

Destrier Revel: For Leofore

Fandom: Dungeons And Dragons (5E)

Pairing: N/A, Leofore-Centric

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: This is a hypothetical narrative boss battle scenario featuring original characters in a world created by my Dungeon Master. As usual, this is non-canon and I own nothing aside from intellectual properties specifically attached to Destrier Revel. This installment is mechanically unsound in a multitude of ways and ignores certain important lore facets. Trigger warnings are listed inside. Enjoy!

Taglist: @sporadic-fics and @cookiethewriter!

Inspired By: Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST: The Apex of the World (Rain) and Written By Wolves: To Tell You The Truth

Destrier Revel’s Backstory: Burn The Wicked

[Leofore is a human Oathbreaker/fallen paladin, and his appearance can be found here.]

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains multiple triggering scenes including vivid descriptions of gore, emotional/physical duress and character death. Stay safe!]

When we last left our party, Knight-Commander Leofore was believed to be dead, a casualty of the war. To the shock and dismay of the party, Leofore returned on the eve of their most ambitious push against the Urgals, their former friend and mentor twisted nearly beyond recognition and wearing a strange mask. Leofore proceeded to berate the King's Elite for their inaction before kidnapping both the prince and the queen and escaping into the night. The party has tracked him down in an effort to rescue the queen and prince, and possibly, Destrier's mentor as well ...

  He knew they had arrived before they even entered the portal. Thranrok was always so loud .

  The sound of their voices filled him with melancholy he did not entirely understand. Leofore's mind seemed to be in a fog, a daze that stole the strength from his very spirit. Was this what being undead was truly like? 

  The queen was still secured beside the throne, her regal poise maintained throughout the ordeal. Frail hands trembled ever so slightly as his gauntlet wrapped around her bound wrists, but other than that she gave no indication of her fear while she was pulled upright. King Jonathan's wife had always been the picture of composure, whether dealing with unruly nobility or Urgal hordes. 

  Leofore offered her a smile devoid of warmth. "It would seem your salvation is at hand, your Majesty. Better late than never. Unfortunately though, you will not live long enough to be rescued."

  "I pray that your friends will be able to rescue you from the inky depths you've sunk to." The queen replied softly. "The Leofore I knew would never surrender so easily, would never stoop so low as to condone murder and kidnapping."

  The torches lining the room suddenly flared bright, no doubt in reply to Thranrok's talents. A forlorn fondness swept the paladin when his old friends were revealed in the rising torchlight, his dagger moving without his input to slit the queen's throat. 

  Leofore couldn't remember why that caused him such distress, his thoughts clouded and confused while her hands weakly pawed at his blackened breastplate. He shoved her body away gracelessly, opening his arms in greeting instead. "My friends!" The paladin said gladly.

  "Why the hell would you do that?!" Thranrok squawked, the sorcerer already bristling. 

  Naero advanced cautiously, his attention obviously split between concern for the queen and wariness for Leofore. " Easy big guy, we did what you asked for. We're here. Your negotiating skills could use a little polish, but whatever gets the job done." 

  Leofore could hear the judgement in his quiet words. Naero had always been good at reading him.

  Knight Revel silently gathered the queen in his arms and Leofore's gaze was drawn to the large shield strapped on his back, identical to the one he himself had carried. The knight passed the rapidly fading woman off to Ganymethios, who looked as grim as a dragonborn could while he began to softly murmur a spell that would no doubt steal her back from death.

  Pity they never afforded you such courtesies.

  Leofore paid the queen's removal no further mind, predatory focus shifting to the two who now stood at the foot of the dais. The elf at least had the wherewithal to keep his expression neutral, but Destrier… "It is good to see you again." Leofore announced, his smile all bared teeth and false pleasantries. "How I wish that I had been able to see you all one last time before I died. Alone on the battlefield, eyes fixed to the horizon where I expected my aid to come from."

  Died rang hollow in his head. He knew it was wrong , but he was unsure why. Why would that be wrong? He had perished. 

  Right?  

  The spectral grip at the nape of his neck tightened, phantom fingers digging in like iron talons. Right . "Would that we could meet under happier circumstances," The paladin mused. 

  "The feeling's mutual, trust me." Thranrok muttered. 

  Argon already looked ready to tear Leofore limb from limb, the werebear sampling the air briefly before affixing those beady little eyes on the paladin atop the dais. 

  He will be a problem. Get rid of him. That cold voice in his head again, the claws digging deeper. Leofore shook off the sensation, straightening his shoulders. "After you all so callously abandoned me to die , really, what was I to do?" He asked no one in particular, clasping his hands behind his back as he surveyed the room. 

  Destrier's voice cracked when he spoke up, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, Knight-Commander. I had never seen King Jonathan weep so openly before that day, the day that he gave us the order to march on the main encampment instead of dividing his senior officers." 

  Leofore glanced at the young man he had trained and he was perturbed by the expression Destrier wore. The blond looked like someone had ripped the soul from his chest. And the idea of his dear friend King Yokam ordering the battalions forward with tears streaming down his face...it was-

  Exactly what you wanted! He abandoned you, let him suffer!

  Bitterness soured his mouth.

  "We grieved for you, we mourned your loss!" Destrier continued when he did not comment, his fists clenched at his sides. "And when Gany told us that he may be able to return you to your former state-"

  "I needed some time to work on the spell and gather resources, but yeah. We weren't letting you go without a fight." Gany inserted himself into the one-sided conversation, placing a hand on Destrier's shoulder to quiet him. "Thranrok and I aren't one hundred percent sure on what's going on, but for you?"

  "Of course we would try!" The hairless dwarf chimed in. Leofore's throat tightened. "Leaving you behind-- none of us agreed with it! They called us heroes, honored your memory, but without you there…"

  "An inescapable void in our team where our compatriot used to be." Naero paused, sharp eyes meeting Leofore's own steadily. "All the poetic words in the world won't cure the horror your lost soul must feel, therefore I won't bother with them."

  Despite their relative proximity, Leofore suddenly felt as though there was a bottomless pit between himself and his stalwart brothers in arms.

  Destrier raised his lance in a knightly salute. "You will never die alone again, my friend. We will lay you to rest as many times as it takes. I swear it." He promised fervently. "Whatever power dragged you from your grave, we will dismantle it and grant you the peace you deserve."

  "I think all this is pointless." Argon rumbled bluntly. "He's not just gonna' lie down no matter how much you idiots talk at him. Even if he wasn't all screwed up, this is Leofore ."

  "Too true, my ursine friend!" Leofore agreed with another smile, genuine this time. It was good to see them all again-

  The angry mask of his helm slammed down without warning, the ability to control his own motions entirely removed. 

  What am I doing?  

  A terrible oath in Urgal left the mouth he did not own and then a pinpoint of black flame tossed itself lazily into the center of his former allies. Fick was the only one quick enough to sidestep the attack, the elf having the audacity to look bored. 

  What am I doing? Stop!  

  Knight Revel and Ganymethios were unable to avoid the hellfire explosion and were thrown back from the throne dais, the knight striking a pillar sickeningly hard and the wizard tumbling across the floor with a loud clatter of scaled limbs. 

  Stop!

  His lance felt unwieldy and clumsy in his hand. Leofore advanced on the individuals he had fought beside so many times, his attention fixed on Argon. Argon, First General, was the largest and strongest of the group, the werebear towering head and shoulders over even Knight-Commander Leofore himself. 

  Get rid of him or he will cause trouble.

  Thranrok struggled to help Gany rise, the sorcerer hurling angry verbiage in Dwarvish at Leofore. With those two preoccupied, Leofore was free to attack Argon uninterrupted. The werebear stared him down, then opened his mouth and let out a fierce roar of challenge. 

  An arrow sang through the air, Leofore dodging the shot to the face with a speed he did not possess. Fick grunted something that sounded like a swear under his breath and Leofore knew he was supposed to hear it, simply because the Spymaster didn't speak for his own benefit even when he was frustrated. 

  The familiarity was ice cold down his spine. He would have to kill them. Argon would feint left, then strike right. Destrier would use the haft of his lance to knock him off balance before going in for the kill. Ganymethios was the wild card, but even he had predictable routes. Thranrok would attack from the air, and Naero-

  Gods help me. I will end up killing them.

  But then, Argon bolted right . Leofore was caught off guard, unable to get his lance up in time to fend him off and the werebear grappled him with massive paws. Claws raked through his armor and Leofore snarled, words foreign to his tongue imbuing his lance with a terrible power. He pulled his arm back as best as he could to strike, to stagger, to kill -

  He had forgotten about Destrier, more was the pity. "Garuda denies it!" the blond man barked sharply, his hand outstretched to render Leofore's spell null. The Knight-Commander was not even allowed the time to be irritated as Argon proceeded to maul him. Or try to, anyway. The blood hunter was certainly making quick work of his armor! Leofore was strangely lighthearted about this turn of events. Argon had factored in that he knew their methods inside and out. To change such tried and true strategies mere moments before battle-!

  Revel was abruptly inches from his face and Leofore blinked, unsure if he had hallucinated the curled onyx horns he had seen briefly on either side of Destrier's pale visage. The younger man's lance roared like a bonfire when he struck Leofore, pinpricks of strange light arcing around his form.

  The dark-haired paladin was then subjected to an ethereal weapon colliding with the side of his mask, catching the barest glimpse of a glassy obsidian battleaxe--no! A double-bladed spear, laced through with stars and flanked by those horns. It vanished as quickly as it appeared. Since when could Revel do that?! That was also a variable. It seemed Argon was not the only one who had adapted his strategies! Bittersweet pride surged in Leofore, seeing the determined look in those familiar brown eyes.

  Please, my friends, stop me. I am lost to you, please stop me.

  Kill them all, you insolent fool!

  The decaying bodies of his men rose from the shadows beside the pillars, shambling corpses heading for the recovering wizard and unconscious queen. Thranrok flew into the air, fire whirling to life and immolating their would-be attackers. The stars that began shimmering around his bald pate warned Leofore that he was about to have much more than the angry First General werebear, his fierce Knight-Captain and their potshot-taking Spymaster to endure. 

  Get rid of Argon, before it's too late! He is the largest threat!

  Leofore struggled wildly against Argon's grip, his lance puncturing the blood hunter over and over in a frenzy. Argon held on doggedly while the necrotic energy seared his flesh, one enormous paw swiping at the mask. 

  Destrier had entirely abandoned any pretense of composure, his attacks little more than frantic swings until Argon yelled at him to focus on the damn mask, Revel! Instead of stabbing his deadly lance through Leofore's head like a sane man would have, Destrier spun the weapon around and rammed the blunt end of it up into the underside of Leofore's chin. 

  Colors exploded across his limited field of vision and Leofore feared for a moment that Revel had shattered his jaw. The older paladin tasted blood in his mouth, viscous liquid spattering down his breastplate when he gasped for air. Argon's hold on him tightened even further, grim blackened pauldrons creaking in warning; another arrow glanced off the mask, chipping the bridge of the nose. 

  "Keep him still , will you?" Naero complained.

  " Look Fick, he's hellbent on making me into a damn pincushion-- will you knock it off?! " Argon interrupted himself to pound a furry fist into the side of Leofore's head, the blood hunter sounding more like he was berating a child than fighting for his life.

  Destrier abandoned his lance in favor of fumbling with the smooth edges of the mask, the knight swearing a blue streak when Leofore jerked his face up out of reach. "We are here to help you, Leofore!" He cried, clearly distraught. " Stop! "

  Leofore silently bent his legs at the knee and planted his black sabatons in the center of Revel's chest, using the solid wall of Argon to his advantage so he could knock Destrier flat on his back. A mote of pure starlight struck Leofore squarely in the temple and he heard a loud crack as the mask lost a small piece from the forehead. 

  "Ha!" Thranrok sounded pleased, which boded poorly-

  You stupid fool, kill him now!  

  Another Urgal spell left his lips and paralysis rippled across the battlefield. Thranrok tumbled helplessly to the ground, the dwarf landing hard beside Ganymethios and the queen.

  Leofore wordlessly flipped his lance around and thrust it into his own stomach. His plate and chainmail shrieked in protest before giving way and the pain from his wounds (which had been a far-off, dreamy sort of thing), rushed to clarity. Radiant energy cut him to the quick and he choked down his yell, shoving the lance through himself and into Argon. 

  The werebear roared at the explosion of power and loosened his grip, finally allowing Leofore to tear free. 

  The man dropped heavily to the stone floor, another mote of starlight crashing into the mask and knocking him onto his hands and knees. Leofore was dimly aware that he was slavering as he clawed at the mask, beating a fist into the ground in frustration when it would not budge. 

  He scrabbled frantically at his belt for his dagger, drawing it and feeling bile surge up his throat when he realized the blade was still stained with the queen's blood. 

  Leofore then jammed it under the edge of the mask, trying desperately to pry it off. Fight it, Leofore! That was Thranrok's voice in his head, concerned, loudbright , grounding him in reality. Knight-Commander Leofore, leader of the King's Elite, reduced to this?

  The dagger cut into his cheek while he struggled, the paladin digging and scraping like a rabid animal until the blade suddenly snapped with a sharp pang!

  I warned you, thrall. Now, kill Argon.

  " No! " Leofore screamed, slamming his face into the floor one last time and then staggering upright against his will. The chainmail covering his stomach was slick with blood; Leofore could feel it trickling into his greaves. He pressed a hand to the wound and gripped his lance even tighter, his breathing coming in harsh, liquid gasps. 

  The werebear lay still on the flagstones several feet away, badly bloodied. First one foot, then the other, Leofore slowly advanced the prone blood hunter.

  "Don't make me do this." The paladin whispered, fighting for control with every step. "Gods, don't make me do this." The icy fingers dug deep into the nape of his neck, making him grimace.

  You have no choice.

  Destrier grabbed his lance arm, the knight digging in his heels when Leofore tried to shake him off. " I won't let you! " Destrier raged, his voice hoarse from yelling as he roughly dragged the larger man back a step. 

  On the opposite side, Thranrok wrapped his entire body around the paladin's other arm, the stocky sorcerer slowing him down even further. "Gany, get it off him!" Thranrok exclaimed urgently. " Hurry! "

  The dragonborn's talons sank into Leofore's face before he could even think about dodging, Gany not even attempting to remove the mask so much as he was skinning it off of him. A crack formed down the center, the mask giving out under the strain.

  No!

  Thank you, my friends .

  Pain shot through his veins, fever-hot and furious. Leofore couldn't help but cry out, a weak shudder of agony rocking his battered body. Ganymethios carried on with his grisly task and Leofore finally felt something at the nape of his neck snap off with a dull crunch.  

  /x\

  Leofore collapsed face first, mere inches from his intended target. 

  Destrier couldn't keep from dry heaving at the sight of the bloody mask Gany now held, the dragonborn shooting him an apologetic grimace before stating, "Nasty stuff, but it had to be done."

  Naero sauntered forward, already putting on his gloves. Destrier gripped his lance tightly while the elf reached down, two fingers tapping on the side of Leofore's neck in habitual search of a pulse. He wasn't sure what on earth Naero hoped to find, Leofore was-

  Fick's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "He's still circulating, boys." 

  "What? But I thought that he was undead!" Thranrok voiced what they were all thinking, scratching where his sideburns would be. 

  Destrier hardly cared, digging his gauntlets in at Leofore's sides so he could roll him over onto his back. He glanced to Gany, opening his mouth to ask for help, but the dragonborn was already muttering theories to Thranrok. The two of them were scrutinizing the inside of the mask pieces in the torchlight, holding the objects gingerly between them. Better not to interrupt if I can do it myself.

  Destrier gave his healing freely, the hole in Leofore's stomach and his mangled face knitting themselves back together at a glacial pace. Revel's abilities may be able to keep himself alive in battle, but Ganymethios would forever be the better healer. Destrier's help had always been more akin to filling a pond by flooding it.

  The Knight-Commander was breathing, the blond realized in stunned silence, watching the rise and fall of his chest. Destrier leaned forward, resting his forehead on Leofore's breastplate so he could feel the steady motion of his breath. " Please ." He implored softly, not sure of entirely who or what he was even asking for. He felt Naero's hand on his shoulder, the elf giving it a brief squeeze between pauldron and gorget.

  Argon groaned, sounding more annoyed than pained. "Excuse me, senior officer over here? Guy who did all the work? Anyone want to give me a hand?"

  Gany chuckled, absently tracing a well-worn sigil in the air. "Relax, Argon. We wouldn't leave you out in the cold."

  The werebear grumbled at the quip, slowly moving to sit up after a moment or two. "So is he alive or what?" He asked. Destrier was uncertain who he had addressed, the Knight-Captain still slumped with his head bowed against Leofore's chest. Gany's healing spell washed over them all, but even after that Leofore did not stir. 

  "He breathes, anyway." Naero answered. "We should also make certain her Majesty is safe, and sweep the room for any further threats."

  A gauntlet fumbled to grasp the back of Destrier's neck heavily. "Are you alright?" Leofore rasped, his voice barely audible. The younger knight was not particularly proud of how loud his sob of relief was, turning his face against his own shoulder in a futile attempt to muffle the pitiful noise with his tattered mantle. 

  "And lo, our sleeping beauty awakens." Fick said dryly. "The real question is, do we have to have Argon knock some sense into you again or will you behave this time?"

  "I offer no promises." Leofore's laugh was a shadow of its former glory, the sound ragged. "I feel like death warmed over. Help me sit up, boys." Gany assisted Destrier with shifting their Knight-Commander into a sitting position on the stairs to the dais, Leofore nodding his thanks to the pair before glancing around the room. "What has happened?" He asked worriedly.

  "We were hoping you could tell us." Fick replied. "This is lich business, after all. And someone didn't do their required reading the last time we dealt with one!"

  "Hey! I can only apologize for not knowing about phylacteries so many times!" Thranrok protested. "Lich books are always so damn dry ."

  "Well the one who reigned here was so damnable proud of his phylactery, he practically put the thing in my hands." Leofore shook his head. "That may have been the worst part of this whole endeavor, removing the reign of this lich while languishing under the tyranny of the previous one! That blasted mask-" 

  "Won't be able to do anything ever again." Thranrok interjected. "Gany and I will see to that."

  "I thank you, my friends." Leofore sighed. "Near as I can recall, the prince is secured beneath the throne. The queen..."

  "Already acquired. She lies over there, unconscious but alive." Ganymethios assured as Naero bolted for the throne. 

  "We must convene with Jonathan, discuss how to approach dealing with that other lich." Leofore rose slowly, clearly still weary from their pitched battle. He extended a hand to help Argon up from the floor, and was nearly toppled for his trouble. 

  The blood hunter grinned toothily, slapping the man on the shoulder. "We'll save you coming to my rescue for some other time, eh troublemaker?"

  "Aye, I suppose we shall." Leofore paused for a moment, then turned to Thranrok. " Please tell me you can teleport us out of here, something . I am ready to be rid of this nightmare."

  Thranrok looked offended. "Ex- cuse me, Leofore? Do my ears deceive me, or do I detect a hint of doubt in your tone?" A scroll was drawn from one of his many pockets. "The nerve of you, thinking that I wouldn't be prepared!" The sorcerer blustered. 

  "Wait, wait, we definitely shouldn't go directly to the castle." Naero called, hauling the prince's unconscious body out of a small cell beneath the elaborate throne. "King Jonathan is likely to slaughter us first and ask questions later if we just appear with his unconscious family and Dread Knight Leofore in tow."

  "Too true!" Thranrok tapped his chin in thought, then snapped his fingers. "I've got it! Grab her Majesty, Gany."

  "Wait, perhaps we should-" 

  Whatever Leofore was about to suggest was cut off as Thranrok enthusiastically rattled off the power words written on the parchment in his hands and the party was unceremoniously teleported away.

  The familiar storage room of Maplecrest solidified around them and Destrier realized a split-second later that a wicked-looking cudgel was being swung at his head. His shield came up on instinct, deflecting the blow and making the metal ring loudly. "Illeria!" He said gladly, not really caring that she had come remarkably close to taking his head off.

  The diminutive innkeeper dropped her weapon, her eyes wide in the dim light of morning. "Destrier! And--oh. And...Prince Timothy. Is that the queen? " She hissed, starting to hastily smooth out her skirts and apron. 

  She halted when she noticed Leofore and Revel reached out a steadying hand, certain that the young woman was preparing to grab her cudgel again. "It's alright, Illeria." He soothed.

  Thranrok sidled to the main door of the inn, quickly scrawling a sign on a spare piece of vellum and then tacking it to the outside of the door. "We're buying you out for the day, Illeria. Y'know, for the trouble." The dwarf explained, the tips of his ears tinged slightly pink.

  Illeria nodded dumbly, yanking on Destrier's arm. The knight allowed himself to be dragged into her living quarters, caught between laughing and crying when she whirled on him. "What the hell is going on, Revel?! You all-"

  "I know. I can't even tell if I'm dreaming or not." Destrier confessed. "We had thought Leofore was lost to us, but he was working under the influence of a threat we believed we had destroyed."

  "What, more Urgals?" She asked incredulously. 

  "Something akin to that, yes." Whatever Illeria muttered was decidedly uncharitable, the young woman holding her head in her hands. Destrier hesitated, then opened his arms. "Would you-?"

  She tucked herself into his embrace without another word. The knight rested his chin on the top of her head, feeling a peace he had not known since Leofore had vanished.

  "It is good to be home again." Destrier whispered.

  "Home?"

  "Aye. Home ."

  /x\

  Leofore stood in front of King Jonathan, his body language pensive. He still wore the blackened armor, stating that he felt unworthy of his gold and white plate, so he made quite the bedraggled sight. Once the king was done squeezing the breath out of his wife and son, he turned a stern look to the Knight-Commander. 

  "Fallen Knight Leofore." 

  Destrier grimaced at Leofore's wince. They had known this would come, but it still hurt. Leofore dropped to a knee, his shoulders rigid. "Your Majesty." He replied evenly.

  King Jonathan meandered off the throne dais. Naero elbowed Destrier in the ribs, pointing surreptitiously at Jonathan's hands. More specifically, at the gauntlets he now wore. Destrier's brow furrowed in confusion, since when did his Majesty…?

  Jonathan bade Leofore to rise, placing his right hand on the taller man's shoulder. Before anyone could react (though Destrier suspected Leofore knew the punishment was coming), he balled his left gauntlet into a fist and slammed it squarely into Leofore's nose. 

  Argon huffed out a breath that sounded suspiciously close to a snicker. Ganymethios was taken by a sudden coughing fit, Thranrok slapping him as high up on the back as he could reach.

  Leofore staggered back with a grunt, cupping his face. Jonathan looked a fair bit pained himself, shaking off the impact of the blow. "Return to your duties, Knight-Commander Leofore. There is much work to be done." Despite his fierce expression, the king's eyes fairly danced with good humor. "It brings me great joy to have you back, my friend."

  "Aye, the feeling is mutual." Leofore replied with a rueful smile, wiping the blood from his nose off his upper lip. "We bring news of enemy plots, my liege."

  "Naero has informed me. We will tackle this topic ere the morn. Tonight, we feast." The king clapped Leofore's shoulder once again. "The queen and prince have returned, as well as the brave Knight-Commander we thought had been slain and the rest of the King's Elite. I would say that is cause for celebration!" He gestured a manservant forward, distributing tankards of fine ale amongst the adventurers before raising his own goblet. "A toast, my friends, for the new era! An age of peace shall finally dawn."

  "For Leofore!" Prince Timothy exclaimed, saluting the Knight-Commander who waved it off with a quiet chuckle. 

  " For Leofore! " The King's Elite echoed, and there was the sudden snap of leather straps giving way as Destrier's shield flung itself off his back to hover at his side.

  "You...gods, really? " Argon sighed.

  Destrier rubbed the back of his neck, clearing his throat awkwardly. "It had to be a phrase I would remember." He tried to explain, feeling thoroughly embarrassed. "I wanted it to serve as a reminder of what we fought so hard for and why we fought as hard as we did."

  "Well spake, my flushed friend!" Timothy teased, knuckling the other man's shoulder. "But come, we have a feast to prepare and drinks to indulge in!" Leofore's expression was unreadable when Destrier dared to glance over, and the younger knight feared that he had offended him. 

  Leofore approached him once the festivities were truly under way, asking for Destrier's presence while he circled the grounds. "It is very loud here, but I do not wish to be alone." He said by way of explanation, blue eyes strangely mournful.

  Destrier agreed and the two of them made their way to the ramparts, walking at an easy pace and making inconsequential conversation. 

  Once there, Leofore ran a hand along the rich buntings that bore the kingdom's colors and insignia, his gaze far away. " Wars are not won or lost, merely ended ." He mused. "I know not who coined that phrase, but I have always found it to ring true." The dark-haired man leaned against a parapet and fixed Destrier with a calculating look. "Have we won this war, Revel? Or are we simply ending it?"

  "Does it matter overmuch?" Destrier replied pragmatically with a question of his own, fixated on the bonfire in the courtyard far below crackling merrily away. "History will remember us as the victors and the people will recover with our help. Our work will not be over when the fighting is, you know that."

  "Aye," Leofore nodded. "About the shield, Destrier…"

  "I can change it." Revel rushed to assure him but Leofore waved him off.

  "It brings me comfort to know that you would hold me in such high esteem." Then, "do you think Argon will forgive me for trying to turn him into a kitchen sieve?" Destrier tried to stifle his laugh to no avail. Leofore grinned at him, the older knight mussing his hair teasingly before returning to staring out toward the horizon. "Many things have changed, and yet even more stay the same. I will not be so foolhardy this time." He promised solemnly. 

  "I do not think we would be able to carry on with this new era if you were absent, my friend."

  "Surely you jest. The strength I witnessed from all of you, the tenacity? I feared I would burst with pride. I understand your sentiment, though. I shall not go looking for my death, nor rush headlong into danger."

  "Not alone, anyway." Destrier amended. "That is all I can ask for, Knight-Commander." He extended his hand and they clasped forearms in the typical knightly fashion. Leofore searched his eyes for a long moment and then nodded, seeming to have found whatever he was looking for.

  "You have changed as well, Knight-Captain Revel. For the better, I would wager."

Part Three: Light And Home

[shy-magpie]

RQG 154

Wherein red stringing occurs. Liveblog under the cut:

 Not much hype this week, just a lot of being quietly thrilled RSB got the beginning of the episode dedicated to us. I hope the rest of the fandom doesn't feel like Bryn plays favorites. Its sweet he back reads and answers questions but its nothing he wouldn't do in official. Last week was such a gift that I think it cut down on hype for this week because even if (Alex forbid) they immediately time skipped to the end of the week, quarantine still got us amazing backstory and character moments. Unless Alex gets truly desperate and has someone attack the inn or infects both the new kids, the characters are safe from physical danger so no fear hype either.

Yes I want follow up on that Hamid & Zolf conversation: I am so proud of him for calling Zolf out on being patronizing (I can't believe I didn't see earlier with his family, of course that's the aspect that got to him) and they need to figure out how to deal with the chain of command. Zolf already seems more willing to get input on his decisions so its mostly losing the attitude when things happen like Hamid casting lights. Yes I also want Cel to talk about themself more, but I am fine with waiting until they aren't locked up with no privacy. Azu's backstory is coming out at a decent pace and Helen spoils us so not even worried about not hearing more about her becoming a paladin. I am curious if Alex thinks its worth bonding with the new kids and this better not be a set up for splitting the party. So enough pre episode babbling, final bets on if they play with the brorb now or wait until they can take it to Cel's? Gotta love that music. Oh they do want to get back to things! Listen to how fast they're talking. That's nice I wouldn't have thought they'd be as excited about the pure RP backstory and character bits as they get about a boss fight. No Alex neither players nor fans want to skip anything. I will concede that further conversation was unlikely to be productive that night so the morning makes sense. There was only one corridor! Barnes is still using the stairs to get some space. Some might see it as a sign he is infected or afraid of infection but honestly not wanting to puppy pile with a group as tight knit as the party especially while they are shaking out their issues is valid. Azu checks on Carter who passed out drunk face down. Zolf is sleeping in. With Hamid's family issues, Bryn being so careful to specify he has a healthy relationship with alcohol every time makes it a lot easier to not tense up listening. Oh My God thanks Bryn! I know he said the beginning of the episode was dedicated to us but I was expecting a throw away line not a proper red stringing scene! I am grinning so big right now. Azu is watching Hamid Cel is sleeping curled up with the sealed bottle of elvish mead. Because Lydia is as much a criminal as Bryn just plays a longer game. Speaking of criminal, Ben really plays up this rivalry from Azu & Zolf covering similar roles and its a really close second to the rank thing between him & Hamid in character arcs I'm interested in. I think both are aiming towards a happy ending but no idea how the middle is going to play out. I don't think it's aiming for a "this party isn't big enough for two of us". Alex is encouraging this. This is great just going to get a clip of this rather than attempt to transcribe on first listen. Bryn/Hamid is laying this out so clearly: The knowns, assumed, and questions are being labeled nicely. (I wonder if our little discord helped him refresh his memory so he'd be able to match how much Hamid would remember in character.) Bryn also goes 3rd person? Hope it isn't a stress tell like Alex. Yes Bryn is obsessed and as a listener its is utterly charming when he shows up in RSB or Official and is unabashedly as big a fan of the show as us. Zolf wakes up to Hamid red stringing. Thank goodness he isn't letting security concerns lead him to putting the brakes on. I know there was some concern that if one of them was infected sharing they could pass on anything they talk about. As long as they don't get too specific about classified info, using the time and frankly just having a project to distract them is a good idea. Plus in my mind Hamid always looks so hurt when Zolf pulls on the reigns. Lilliana is not allowed to be the connecting thread. Oh seed is finally being addressed. Aw Hamid handed Cel a glass of water. It really is the little things I love about this show: 1)told you he has a knack for leadership: anticipating the needs of team members even as they diverge from his own 2)He does see Cel as a team member not just someone he worked with, you don't hear him cooing over Carter 3)does it quickly then moves on, because as a gentleman he thinks it's what anyone would do. 4)speaking of, I wonder that Azu & Zolf haven't done rounds. its not like they have anything to save the spells for and the field is only in the cell.

Svalbard! Do not taunt us, does Ben have any idea how much we want to see the science dwarves of the north? Um hmm, vindi-fing-cation. I know it wasn't exactly a huge insight but the mixture of science and various schools of magic is key to my theory on what “Erasing The Line” refers to. Oh Frankenstein in this world is such a concept. Plus it makes Mary Shelley canon. Aw Alex thought we'd never get to this bit of lore. Thank you Blue Veins info being given as whole instead of bits & pieces.  Ooh and Barnes is taking it. Time to get a sense of who he is when he's not swinging a sword. Navel engagement with Blue Veins? Hive mind! Minimize harm? Not dead. Paladins are complicated, maybe a rumor, maybe transfer of allegiance. Cyborg kraken Cyborg Zolf Oh splitting the kraken to make more Barnes just checks out as the conversation goes over his head Called it I told you it was a sensible test. (ETA Zolf’s fart test) (ETA: Re: people with Blue Veins) No lies, no embarrassment, very literal. Other instances? Riots London->Paris->Europe Not safe to go to London If you're in their presence you are highly likely to be infected, mass infections,  not passed by corpses? Memetic effect? Tick tock. Ben and Alex have one of their friendly tussles as Carter decides its a me may Yes he did! And Helen name dropped us! I know I'm just a little part of the brigade but I'm going to to be smug for at least a week that we are so good at what we do one of the actual players looked to us. Hey Lydia is welcome too. Paperwork time! Yeah yeah I knew security was going to be used to undermine Hamid. At least it isn't Zolf and they aren't trying to make him look rash for the whole idea. Getting new info from the paperwork is a bit different than talking about what they already know. Make the place bigger? Nice spell Zolf. If this leads to Animorphs again... Oh I was thinking more like a big horde somewhere you could check stone in & out of a stone plane of existence ties in with elemental lore right? Seriously "Cure Hangover" isn't a spell? Or do Zolf & Azu just not approve of using their magic that way? Intoxicants have to fall under mild poisoning, right? Do the studying later in the week? That's a fair compromise; even if Zolf is still presenting it as an order he is explaining instead of giving his advice or IDK putting it to a vote. I'm not positive but I think Lydia is suggesting they go over their character sheets in character. Alex is not amused. Lydia sounds pleased with herself. Perception check? Azu hears someone knocking something over upstairs. Azu tries to not wake Carter as she listens at the door. It had to be her foot in his mouth. Multiple people in the inn. Carter tries to pick the lock. Azu & Carter start bickering. Carter is perception penalty. The inn is being searched Zolf suggests they wake Wilde up by making a racket. Cel hears the door being unlocked. Voices speaking muffled Japanese. Cel just shouts "Hey what's going on?". Zolf joins in. Azu uses her armor to make noise. Thump of someone hitting the floor! Wilde's voice! Lots of feet? Yes Helen, what if it is the kobolds? Oh god what if Skraak checked on them and found out they were in cages underground? Poor guy would think Wilde is their Shoin. Bryn clarifies Hamid shouts out to Wilde Zolf forbids them leaving the basement Cel shields themself. Azu goes for her armor Barnes is keeping Carter from going for the lock again. Hamid casts Fear (!oh that’s a new one isn't it) I assume #jail is already full of angst criminals connecting Hamid's bully days and him going from S1!Hamid scared of every fight to now casting fear as a way to control his enemies). Also these better be his enemies because I still don't put it past Alex to set us up for a tragic misunderstanding. Dragon roar and dragon face is how he casts fear Ok Rusty Quill LOTR night sounds awesome Zolf helps Azu put on her armor The other feet flee Zolf cries out for Wilde as loud as he physically can but still won't let them risk infecting Japan by leaving quarantine early. Oh if that ain't a fic and a half. A set of small claws! It is a kobold End the episode with the kobolds?  

[katzenkrieg]

Loredump: Cam’s Thoughts on Urianger

I have a massive loredump (see link in my bio) I work on updating occasionally, recording all kinds of details on my WoL, paladin Camille Delane, and his journey to date. Just finally got Urianger’s entry updated! So if you like reading other people’s thoughts on their characters and on NPCs, here you go.

Spoilers through all of the ShB!

Urianger (canon, Scion; 29 at start, 33 before ShB time jump, 37 at end of ShB) – Up until the events that returned the Warriors of Darkness to the First, Camille had no idea what to make of Urianger. Why was Urianger even in the Scions? How did everyone else know him? Why does he talk like he does? No one bothered to explain any of this to Camille, and he mostly left Urianger alone because...that seemed to be what the Elezen wanted. He did let Urianger know everything he learned about primals in combat, but that was about it.

Following Urianger’s collusion with the Warriors of Darkness, Cam just about had had it with him. Yes, it worked out well in the end--but summoning primals and risking another Calamity without telling anyone else about what he was doing *really* seemed like a bad way to go about solving the problem. Or any problem, really. Alisaie joining the Scions saved Urianger from being cornered by an angry Warrior of Light who wanted to know what the fuck Urianger thought he’d been doing. Alisaie read the situation immediately after the final battle with the Warriors of Darkness accurately and had a number of pointed conversations with Urianger and Camille, both individually and together, that defused most of the tension between them--mostly by calling them both out on a mutual failure to communicate or trust each other. The fact that Alisaie has known Urianger since they were both very young has also helped Camille trust him more.

Urianger and Cam didn’t really have much to do with one another during the fight to free Doma and Ala Mhigo--aside from Urianger handing Cam a stick and being like, “This’ll only work if you have no idea what it is. You’re good at not having any idea what anything is.” At least Urianger was being direct about keeping secrets that time, and everything worked out well and without any Calamity-inducing surprises in Cam and Lyse’s fight with Fordola, so Cam didn’t hold the “hey, ignorance is your gift” thing against Urianger. Too much.

Meeting Urianger again in the First was something of a shock. Cam had never really thought of Urianger as an actual *person,* with his own life and interests; in Il Mheg, Urianger seemed to have found a place where he felt comfortable and engaged enough with his surroundings to actually *not keep secrets* and live a full life. At first, Cam was more than happy to help the pixies pull pranks on Urianger (like making his books into living, biting creatures…), but as time went on and Cam saw more and more of Urianger’s relationships with Ryne and Thancred, with the pixies and other fae, and with the First as a whole, he began to stop resenting him and seeing him as a mystery and a cypher, a symbol of the Sharlayan Scions’ pretentiousness, secretiveness, and exclusionary, gatekeeping ‘white tower’-ness. Urianger’s obvious feelings of duty to the First and to Ryne and Minfilia, and his, to Cam, fairly goofy interest in fairy tales and fairy-tale-type magic, in particular, threw Cam’s perception of Urianger off-balance and made him rethink his feelings toward the Elezen.

After overhearing Urianger’s very honest, open, supportive, and generally incredibly emotionally respectful and perceptive talk with Ryne, encouraging her to believe in and have faith in herself and admitting his own past mistakes, Cam finally had to sit down with himself and admit that Urianger had become the Scion he most trusted to deal with complicated emotions and relationships among the Scions. In fact, Urianger playing moderator between Cam and Thancred probably saved the group from dissolving into useless fighting and finger-pointing many times. 

Of cross, Cam also had to deal with the fact that Urianger was, despite these apparent changes, *still* keeping secrets from him--not telling Cam that he was undergoing obvious Light corruption, for instance. And then, finally, revealing that he had, in fact, decided to accept G’raha Tia’s desire to sacrifice himself to save Cam and go right along with it and not question it through the entire time the Scions had been in the First…

Though he *was* understandably angry about this last set of facts, when it finally came to light, Cam also had a lot of other things to think about at the time (for instance, being a Lightwarden in all but physical form…) *and* he had more insight into what seems to make Urianger tick, to explain Urianger’s actions. Cam sees Urianger now as someone whose primary weakness is the same love of lore and fairy stories that is his strength--Urianger will cast himself as tragic lead or the tragic lead’s secret accomplice in any interesting story that comes along, and it’s up to Cam and the other Scions to keep alert to that impulse and check it constantly. As the Light is finally banished from the First, Cam’s resigned to it being his business, in the future, to push into Urianger’s private life *and* to drag Urianger out into the larger world regularly, just to make absolutely sure Urianger’s not wrapping himself up in another self-isolating unnecessary tragic narrative. Cam’s incredibly grateful that Y’shtola’s also decided this is her job and that Urianger has Thancred, Ryne, and Gaia to impose social life on him now.

Cam’s certain Thancred and Urianger are a couple these days. He has no idea when or how that happened (beyond knowing it’s new to their time in the First), and he hasn’t asked about it yet. He’s not sure he wants to know…

Cam considers Urianger one of Ryne’s primary parents. Thancred, of course, is also one of Ryne’s primary parents, but Urianger’s done a much better job in the role than Thancred, really, to date.

If the Scions in the First ever get back to the Source, Cam may just drag Urianger off to get blessed by the kojins’ kami, because honestly, *swimming is not that bad,* Urianger. Who makes deals with the fuath just to avoid learning to swim?

Cam goes through Urianger’s stuff whenever he can, surreptitiously, and isn’t above also asking pixies, including Feo Ul, to look through Urianger’s stuff/keep an eye on him. He’s not going to let Urianger surprise him with some ridiculous secret tragic plot again.

If Thancred and Ardbert hadn’t been around, there’s a chance Cam would have gotten together with Urianger, or at least tried to, while they were in the First. He was lonely! In any AU where Cam ends up the Faery King, Urianger and Cam *definitely* get together, because Urianger is very clearly fascinated by the fae and also very clearly into seeing himself as responsible for his friends’ weird, life-altering choices.

He won’t admit it, but prior to events in the First, Cam was actually jealous of Urianger’s closeness to Alisaie sometimes. Especially when Urianger gave her that really cool, extremely appropriate for her pink crystal sword and Cam was like WHY DIDN’T HE THINK OF THAT. Urianger doesn’t even fight using a sword! How could Cam not have thought to give her a sword? He beat himself up over that one for a while.

[fisherrprince]

hi! sorry to bother you but i saw a post on your other blog abt lloyd/zane’s dnd classes and was wonderinnnng if you happen to have thoughts about what classes the other ninja would be? i’ve been wanting to do a dnd au forever but can never decide on the classes

heck YEAH!!!! And, I can’t decide either, which youll probably see after reading this big long block of text, but these are my dungeons dragons and dives headcanons:

Lloyd is a rogue – at first. I mean, of course, he still is one, but since taking on this greater purpose and the very “chosen one” position, he’s multiclassing as a paladin (unwillingly). Which is fun for me because of the “evil smells bad” attribute of paladin-ing, because I hc that he can sort of ‘smell’ oni like the dragons can. He would probably take the Oath of the Ancients. :> Not sure what kind of rogue!! Maybe an arcane trickster.

Zane is a wizard, I think. there are SOOOO many kinds of Wizard though (I like to look at a lot of the expanded lore sets) that i dont know WHAT kind, but I think he’d either be the school of illusion or evocation (you know, ice wizard)! He COULD, feasibly, be a sorcerer if you wanted to take “his power was given to him” literally, but if we based everyone off of their powers, everyone would be a warlock/sorcerer.

I think Jay is a storm sorcerer – I mean, you’ve even got pirate imagery to go with it. Just look it up. Sorcerers use charisma for their ability modifier and can basically tinker with their own magic to make it do what they want. And at 6th level gain resistance to lightning/thunder as well as uncontrollable bursts of electricity from spells!

Cole…….. i want to make him a bard, i really, I Really Do. Just for the word healing and music. I also kind of want to make him a cleric?? this team DOESN’T HAVE A CLERIC– if he WAS I would make him a Grave domain Cleric. He would gain the ability to sense the undead, gain spare the dying and keeper of souls… and they use Wisdom as the modifier! Cole is very wise and i believe his hugs heal

Kai’s a fighter. He’s a protection fighter… or dual wielding? I swear I remembered somewhere that you could choose two fighting styles with a feat or something. hes got fire swords. If this were dungeon world I would make him an Immolator, JUST for the explosive fire magic, and the “Hand Crafted” move – you can use your hands instead of a forge to craft metal objects. Immolator REALLY fits Kai’s passion for everything and also the semi-self-sacrificial role the immolator has. I really love dungeon world

I dont know what Nya is. I kind of want to make her a ranger (that doesn’t SUPER fit though) and I kinda want to make her a warlock (I dont – I don’t have justification for that one) and I KIND of want to make her a technomancy wizard because she studied for her own power first and foremost before becoming a part of the ninja team. Also, technomancy!! Magical samurai suit. Also Find Vehicle is funny to me

Wu and Garmadon get to be opposing warlocks, because the FSM is a terrifying deity under the oni and dragon patrons, and i SWEAR if I wasn’t so “ooh” about rogue/paladin lloyd i would make him a rogue/warlock. But then again these ideas are all up in the air and it’s just ideas so!! Go nuts!!! 

[oceanwriter]

11 Questions (tag)

I was tagged by @paladin-andric -- thank you so much!

Rules: Answer the 11 questions and then make 11 of your own, then tag some people.

1: What’s your favorite genre and why? Historical with hints of suspense and/or mystery. I’ve always loved books set in another time. They were the only ones I ever finished as a kid and it’s pretty much all I read now as an adult. I like being transported out of the modern age.

2: Unusual themes or plot points that are important in your story? (Music or cooking, for example)

Hmm... I never think much of themes (though I should). I might skip this question just because I have been so blocked with my main wip (The Colors of War) that I don’t know what’s up and what’s down anymore.

3: Which two characters are the most polar opposites? What is their relationship in the story?

Kate and Nikita... they do not have a good relationship. Kate can be downright cruel to Nikita and Nikita takes it more often than not. Nikita is introverted and soft-spoken, yet will do anything for the people she cares about. Kate is loud and self-centered, getting what she wants and swaying people to believe what she believes at any cost.

4: Prophecy vs. Defying fate? Which do you think makes for a better story?

Hard to choose... I enjoy both scenarios. I suppose if I have to lean more towards one I’d have to go with defying fate.

5: Which character are you most proud of, for any reason?

Maybe Daniel. I don’t know if I can name a specific reason other than I really enjoy his character.

6: If your story could be told in any other sort of media, what would it be? How would you like it made?

In all honesty, I think the problems I’m having with TCW would be solved if I decided to turn it into a screenplay. I see it working well that way.

7: Which part of your world is the most interesting, in your opinion? Location, lore, whatever really drew you into making it.

The scenery of the town where the story is set. It’s a challenge for me writing something taking place in a town with such a low population (under 1,000 people), but the location itself is beautiful.

8: How much do your experiences color the world or characters of your story? Is it born of a worldview you either have or something you wish reality was closer to?

A good mix, but a reality I wish I was closer to has to be more so. A lot of my experienced emotions go into my stories, but the physical aspects are more what I wish was or could be.

9: What government system does the setting follow? If it’s an international journey, how are the nations different from each other?

Democratic.

10: What role does culture play in the world? Where did you get the idea for such traditions and pasttimes?

Being set in a rural town, namely on a farm, life is vastly different than a city or suburb, so I have to get creative with what the kids do with their free time all while balancing chores are the farm. I don’t think I can consider that culture, but that is a big part of the lifestyle of the characters in the story.

11: How do you like your villains and heroes? How do they think and act most of the time?

I like to give my heroes a lot of obstacles they need to overcome. I like the underdogs both in reading and writing. The villains are given choices -- opportunities for redemption. It depends on the character and what works for the story.

I tag (if you’d like): @gaslightwestern @t3chr3ad3r and @dreamywritingdragon

Questions:

1.) What brings you the most inspiration? 2.) Do you share your writing with people outside of the internet? Why/why not? 3.) How do you name your characters? At random, according to time and place, or do you look for certain meanings? 4.) If you had to choose to write a story outside of your usual genres, what would you pick? 5.) What are the first three sentences of the book you are currently reading? 6.) Do you write with or without music? 7.) How do you take your coffee/tea/beverage of choice? 8.) Do you prefer e-readers or old-fashioned books? 9.) How did you choose the location of your wip? 10.) Do you have a character that emulates you entirely? (or just about...) Who are they if so? If not, who comes the closest? 11.) If you were given an all expenses paid writing retreat, where would you go?

[burr-ell]

on the writing of bp keith, from a lion swap fan

i support black paladin keith and the lion swap full stop. as a narrative, it’s wonderful to me. the lions’ bonds with their paladins being a vessel for them to grow? prime content. BUT i 1000% believe it could’ve been written better.

as i’ve said before, shiro as a character never especially interested me because he seemed to be a character that a lot of things happened to rather than someone who actually existed as a person. i never felt a personal growth arc from him whatsoever like i did with keith, lance, and allura, one where shiro had to overcome a real personal flaw, which is why i love the lion swap and think that overall it was best for the story. so on an emotional level, i don’t really care that shiro doesn’t get to fly black anymore. he never had to fight for it in a way that mattered to me, in terms of having to be imperfect by his own doing and then grow into it (which is why i like bp keith so much). he just had to prove that he got what being a paladin was about, which, i’m sorry, when you’re stacked up against zarkon, the undead emperor of an imperialist state that slaughters anyone who gets in his way, being able to say the exact same thing you were told like 17 episodes ago and mean it isn’t all that special when we never saw you struggling with it in the first place.

however, the fact remains that he did have a very strong bond with black. whether i care about it as a viewer doesn’t matter—he had it and it was clearly established in the story, and for it to be severed requires a narrative explanation. i totally understand why people aren’t satisfied with shiro and keith’s scene in the astral plane as representative of shiro passing the torch to him. not only can you read that as just a necessary means since keith was the only one of them who had a physical body to pilot black with in the first place, but keith’s spent several episodes apart from black and the team entirely. the only connections that were really focused on while keith was off with the blades were with krolia and shiro, not with the rest of the team, which does some serious narrative damage to the idea that keith is fit for black—if black is supposed to be the head of voltron, and the leader that all the team follows without hesitation, surely that must mean time actually spent bonding with the team and his lion. that i think is the bulk of why people don’t really feel keith as team leader, because he’s spent so much time only ever focusing on shiro for the sake of the plot that his bonds with everyone else aren’t addressed in a way where the viewer feels the chemistry.

of course i understand the issue with steven yeun’s availability. but i question whether they couldn’t have done some more episodes like ‘reunion’ spotlighting a specific character where keith doesn’t get any dialogue but is clearly there, or an ep where he’s off flying black on a separate mission of his own, rather than him running off with the blades. because once he did that, all we got was a couple of episodes with keith in the blade of marmora, which was hardly an organization that was going to allow for a narrative about team leadership. we could have gotten a story about keith growing as a leader because of his journey with krolia, but that was reduced to a montage covering two years that we...really didn’t see all that much of, to be honest. (another thing that could have lent credence to keith’s attachment to the team—have some flashbacks in the quantum abyss like the one that showed krolia what happened to keith’s dad, but instead it’s scenes showing all the things keith’s done with the paladins and his interactions with them and how much he loves them. saves animation time, anyway.) as it is, the viewer has to fill in those gaps themselves, which for an arc this central to the narrative and to the person clearly being billed as male lead really isn’t the best way to handle it.

so when keith finally comes back to the team, he flies black because somebody has to, not because he already has a genuine bond with black that he’s reawakening. and then he does bond with black because of his love for his friends and his desire to protect them, but then it’s just sort of assumed that there aren’t any other questions, and the matter of who will pilot black once shiro gets a new arm is never discussed. shiro actually saying something to the effect that ‘you are black’s paladin now, not because you were perfect at it the first time but because you’ve grown into it’ and having a Whole Moment where he passed the torch...to me, that still wouldn’t have made everybody happy because people still wanted shiro in black, but it would have at least addressed the issue instead of just shrugging off shiro’s old role.

to be honest, i feel like people who really and truly believed that shiro would always be black’s ‘one true paladin’ were setting themselves up for disappointment. vld’s status as a reboot of a preexisting ip puts the lie to that; there is not a doubt in my mind that they were gonna stick to the lore. you cannot forget the context in which this show exists. and i do think that the people who insist that they should have gone back to the OG lineup and that allura being commander of a castleship or something again would still be fulfilling for her were being kind of hypocritical by immediately declaring that shiro was being ‘benched’, the assumption being that shiro was more deserving of a lion than the person whose father literally created them and who has the most personal stake in this war bar none. i have always been critical of #onetru3blackpaladin theory and i still am. but it’s not hard to see why they have problems with it. something just kind of ‘happening’ in the narrative isn’t going to sit well with the audience if they don’t feel it, and with the way that plot was prioritized over characters, it’s not surprising to me that they don’t.

[anigraham]

This is going to get long so, lol...

1. What’s your favorite system? 3.5.  Or a stripped down pathfinder so there isn’t 9,001 classes to choose from.  (And yes, I prefer it over the homebrew version I talk about sometimes, lol.) 2. What’s something you hope to do/accomplish in a D&D campaign? I have so many D&D bucket list items!  First one that comes to mind is I hope to romance an NPC someday.  May be setting myself up for heartbreak as surely the DM will have something horrible happen to said NPC, but ya know.  

3. How important is a strong story line to you? It’s what I live for!  I mean, it isn’t going to ruin my fun if the campaign doesn’t have a strong/deep story attached to it, but man do I eat it up if it does~ 4. What setting do you prefer playing in? Mid-level fantasy.  I want some magic, I want unique creatures, and I want some gods, damnit!  It doesn’t have to get too crazy or anything, but I want some magic in the world.   5. Have you or any fellow players have a character die? What happened? Yeh.  My first character death was a stereotypical elven archer.  It was a TPK to a scorpion.  2e is brutal, man.  A character deaths you don’t know about... I played in a campaign where two players had their characters as siblings.  Well.  One fated day, the younger brother died.  And he died after being given so many second chances, but after so many the DM (and even some of us players) were like...death happens.  It was in a world where resurrection isn’t an option really.  (He died to a mammoth that was infected and controlled by a parasitic “plant” thing that drains your CON.)  While it was disappointing to the brother player, the sister player became super depressed.  We ended the session early, but the next few sessions he just had a lot of trouble focusing and getting into it.  It affected him pretty badly.  We then took an extended break hoping the player would feel better after he took some time, but he didn’t.  We ended the campaign because of it. 6. What is your favorite D&D monster or creature? THE FRICKEN TARRASQUE.   7. What’s your favorite race and class? Half-elf and Paladin!  As rambled more in detail here. 8. Who is a favorite NPC you have encountered? Does the Triad count?  Because that was pretty dang awesome and I love Ilmater forever. 9. Where do you get your inspiration to make a character? My brain.  My process tends to be. . .I think of something I want to have in a character and then I build around that.  Lore really helps me.  Ok started with the idea that I wanted to play a serious character who doesn’t show much emotion, then he became a drow, and the rest followed.  My skittish tiefling idea came to me because I decided, I should play a tiefling and reading the lore...I found it interesting the ways it describes tieflings handle prejudice and I felt like I never see or hear about the tieflings who kind of feel shame or hurt.  Then the rest got built around that. 10. What’s one of your favorite character moments? I am still a fan of my overly optimistic and happy wood elf, hearing a terrible voice in his mind reminding him of some traumatic event, and then upon seeing a nothic and knowing that was the cause of it. . .saying “Please die now!” and shooting it at the surprise of the entire party. 11. What’s the best thing that has ever happened during a session? Being able to actually cry on cue for a scene with Morghain and being able to turn it off when the scene was over.  I loved hearing everyone react! 12. What’s the worst thing that has ever happened during a session? Probably the character death I mentioned above.  Just watching our friend and fellow player become so dejected and unable to keep playing.  And it was doubly hard because that campaign had been going on for so long and so many of us were really enjoying our characters, really invested, and then we had to stop since someone just couldn’t keep going with the story. 13. What kind of characters do you typically create? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The closest I have to a “type” would be melee fighters.  Definitely what I am usually comfortable with.  But I actually try hard to play different things, even if I am only changing a handful of things.  I like to try different races, classes, and different quirks/personalities.  When playing with a new group I tend to go friendly/helpful fighter type so I can learn what I can and can’t get away with in the future, lol.  Not everyone will be comfortable with me playing a former slave or a lying bitch. 14. What is your character’s backstory? Since I think you know most of my current character’s backstories. . .I will go with an oldie.  A little gnome named Lorelai Brassgear!

She grew up in a very small town with a very large family.  Her family were the owners of the local grain mill.  Lorelai had bigger aspirations as she seemed to have a natural talent for using magic. . .something very rare among gnomes in her world.  She became determine to someday go the mages college in the big city and learn to explain the workings of magic through the use of science and math.  (Gnomes in her world are inventors and focus on science.  They actually have a penalty when using magic.)  One day after exploring a nearby cave-in with some of her friends from the town, they discovered that her entire village had been destroyed in an orc raid.  All their families had been killed.  Lorelai and her friends barely managed to get away and so began the start of her campaign. 15. Do you have any goals for your character? When it comes to Natali I just gotta accept I cannot have goals.  Everything is a surprise with her and nothing goes as planned.  My goal is not to die while fully expecting her to die.

16. What is a song you associate to your character?   Even though I haven’t played her very much, I have already associated one song with Cass.  The English version of “aLIEz” done by Amanda Lee.  I imagine Cass as a very conflicted and struggling woman, which I feel like this song captures.  I am especially fond of the following lyrics...

I say “Liar!” I say “Rise in hell!”  I am just about to burst as they say, “War!” I’ll wage war. I hate war. There’s no end to this...can’t you see that? 17. Does your character have any quirks? If so, what are they? My skittish tiefling sometimes slips into speaking in Infernal when he is talking to himself outloud.  If anyone points this out to him, he will be a bit surprised and doesn’t believe it.  His arcane focus is a medallion that he likes to fidget with from time to time.  He also has a habit of arguing with his familiar (usually an owl) as if she was a person. 18. Do you have a certain accent for your character? No.  I can’t do accents period, really.  I might try adding a little something to the way I talk for certain characters, but I think I struggle with consistency.  Loran I tried to speak higher and “friendlier.”  With Ok I try to sound more monotone as I don’t imagine he would be very expressive in. . .anything. . .let alone his voice.  

I can do three voices.  An absurd “old man” voice, a weird. . .voice (that I use for like faeries), and my own voice.  Haha.  But if I can’t even mimic accents from around the world, I sure as hell can’t come up with voices for characters. 19. What character (or type of character) do you hope to play in the future? My skittish tiefling, Mr. Pemberley~!  He doesn’t like being a teifling, feels bad about it, gets super nervous around new people and always assumes that other people expect the worst of him.  He kept his nose in books and is a wizard as a result. . .and is most comfortable (and confident!) when playing with fire.  Probably because he is a tiefling. . .but don’t suggest that to him. 20. What’s been your favorite campaign? Campaign would be the one we didn’t finished mentioned above, sadly.  But I am also really enjoying Tomb of Annihilation.  

[semi-imaginary-place]

I get mechanics wise why they did it, but lore wise what are the imperials doing in the fortresses the alliance took over?

i regret taking the questline to get the artifact weapons. I started it when I’d just reached level 50 and had bad weapons and after much running around I was waiting for garuda hard as blm. got into a fate and got stuck in the fate and missed the countdown...

different day different trial same story

oh so the pink might actually be his natural hair color. oh wait. Jandelaine and Guillefresne have the same haircut in the image above. Guillefresne’s been trying to copy his older brother because he doesn’t believe in himself. Jandelaine then calls his brother’s hair unsightly and disgusting because it doesn’t suit who he is. And who Guillefresne is at heart is a middle aged middle management bureaucrat. I like these moogle quests

why isn’t there a bridge here

well the ninja quest line is off to an interesting start. Ah yes of course fantasy japan is the diametric opposite to vague fantasy europe, since those are the two greatest civilizations of the world and the only ones that matter /s and Oboro doesn’t understand pirate accent, that’s good. regional accents are hard. Oh gods the japanese I learned from watching naruto when I was 10 is actually coming in handy

sooooo... you joined an illegal drug smuggling operation and tried to get us killed multiple times not to mention the betrayals... because?

what is this.

I haven’t started heavensward but isn’t this the edgy boy that people were crying over. hooboy. doing the dragoon quests at the same time as heavensward may cause a continuity snarl.

alright so this dragoon business... so once a generation the Eye (whatever that is though i have my suspicions) chooses a dragoon to be the Azure Dragon. Alberic here was the last once and the current one is Estien who has run off with the Eye. But because we are the super special main character the Eye also chooses us

.So the Eye is Niddhogg’s eye. and because I read the encyclopedia and got spoiled, weren’t they running to the promised land because they’d just betrayed their long term allies, killed one of their leaders pillaged their corpse and were now fleeing the enraged family members?

i still don’t get pvp one bit but look I got my first kill

so the sil’dah/ul’dah war was sparked by competition for resources (water)

well that’s all the base classes. so here’s the rest of my reviews for the class questlines. Yeah archer was probably the worst, and pugilist the second worst. Like many of the other quest lines puglist had a solid idea but flopped its execution, doing things for cheap drama instead of any substance, overall pretty bad. Marauder was kinda stupid but charming in its stupidity. Unlike a some of the other ones which were a mess, the marauder quests actually managed to have an emotional core with the little boy, which kept everything together. Rouge was cheesy as all hell but I still somehow liked it. Lancer was actually good, surprisingly. I mean I’ve seen better side quests and writing but the rest aren’t great so this is probably the best class quest line. Unlike most of the other class quest lines where you run errands and then the  “plot”  drama hits about at the lv 15 quest, lancer starts of with introducing foulques pretty early as a counterpoint to the lessons the guild master is teaching you. Nothing particularly new or interesting about the taking pursuit of power too far but at least it wasn’t botched. I’m a little eh on the moon logic of betrayed by friends thus I should have been better at fighting.

Ok.. so Jenlyns... ... running off to coerthas to lure out assassins sounds like a really stupid plan. Like, killing the assassins wont stop the monetarists.

so now that paladin is caught up with the msq, i never have to go into a dungeon as a scholar again. i am so happy. of course this means that the people using duty finder will now be subjected to my grade F tanking. I finally got into garuda extreme as paladin and wow that was a mistake I have not played paladin in like a month and i couldn’t remember what all the buttons did. we wiped like 7 times and at least 3 of those were solely due to me not tanking right because i forgot or couldn’t pull one of the other enemies to the edge of the map. 2 players dragged the other 6 of us through that.

awwww they’re about to brutally murder each other!!! these two fools don’t realize that the “beauty” they’re seeing is because they each had an emotionally riveting encounter with the women. dumb and dumber

also i spend 3 days screaming as i tried to decide between a swatch of shades of the same color. i won’t burden you with the process but it was very long and very stressful.

now let’s play a game of spot the difference. (funfact the colors between the character page and the try of gear page are different)