#Lamb has no idea that Narinder not only is still powerful but he still has all of his powers

[justarandomlambblog]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 [END]

The second shackle comes off

Get adopted and feel loved, mangey cat

We're gonna pretend I didn't give Heket the wrong shaped crown aight? aught 👍

(explanation beneath the cut bc I didn't want dialogue)

The harvest comes. Narinder can't help but notice how sad the wheat fields are, the wheat growing small and patchy at best. He remembers how Heket would make the wheat fields flourish just by walking between the stalks. The memory of the fields she would create early in their godhood makes him feel somber, realizing now what the cost of being a godless land is; their entire lives are left to the limitations of the earth, without any god to help them thrive. These people are making the best of what they have, and they're happy even though it's not a lot.

Narinder notices some are harvesting wheat while others till the earth once it's been harvested, and the old dog explains that once this wheat is harvested they plant "winter wheat", which can be harvested in the spring before they plant their summer wheat. They till and fertilize the earth before planting the winter wheat, of course. Narinder tries his hand at harvesting the wheat, and the old dog begins to teach him how to use the sickle. Time passes.

Over the late summer, autumn and winter, Narinder learns how to live this provincial, modest life. He tills the fields with the other villagers, he sees feral beasts for the first time in over a thousand years, learns to collect eggs from said feral beasts, learns how and decides he doesn't like to collect milk (the godless lands have more feral beasts than the Lands of the Old Faith ever did), has finally regained enough strength to draw water from the village well without help, learns to bake bread (with great amounts of help so as to not waste the precious resources with the inevitable first fifty failures), and attends his first lantern festival. All in all, this marks his approach to his second year here, most of his first year spent indoors recovering. (His fur is also getting long, something something new me new hair something (totally not an excuse for me to draw hair))

At his first lantern festival, Narinder decides to partake in what is usually a coming of age tradition for the village; he gets an ear piercing, choosing a symbol that will essentially act as his written name. He chooses a symbol that is a crescent moon inside of a sun, thinking of Aym and Baal when he sees it. (Note: He is not scared/nervous about the ear piercing, he isn't bothered by a literal pinprick of pain, but the fact that someone he barely knows is this close with a needle is what worries him)

Later on, days or even weeks later, the old dog gives him a chain with their individual symbols on it, with a loose chain hanging from the other side of Narinder's sun-and-moon charm. Narinder questions this and the old dog explains the symbolism behind the charms; two charms with a chain extending between them indicates marriage/partnership, and two charms with another charm on the chain between them indicates that couple's child/children. The one Narinder has is the latter, with the second parent's charm missing, indicating that the old dog views Narinder as his own son, now. It takes a moment, but Narinder realizes all at once that this is the old dog's way of extending an invitation to become family- and it's been so long since Narinder had a family... (And yes, the old dog is fully aware that this cat is thousands of years old (Narinder was very vocal about this in the first weeks before he eventually stopped bringing it up), but that won't stop him from deciding he's gonna be this abandoned, fallen god's new family)

Narinder goes to sleep, and finds that despite everything- despite how simple and quaint and, frankly, not easy life in this little godless village is, he's happy. He has none of the luxuries that he had as a Bishop; no worship, no reverence, no servants, no silks or satins or veils or anything of the sort. Here he's just... one of the people. Just another face in the crowd. And he's happy. Happier than he's been in a long time. Unfortunately for Narinder, he is failing to realize that this godless village is a little less godless every day he's there. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The village wakes up to their fields flourishing like they never have before. The wheat is taller than the tallest villager, and no one is really sure what to do about this, but there is excitement throughout the village. Narinder thinks of Heket again, reminded once more how she would make the fields come alive. The shackle on his left hand opens up before dispersing into light, and he remembers the way she looked at him in the days leading up to his imprisonment, the quiet and somber warnings she would give him. He takes a moment to grieve before turning his attention back to the present, back to the family he's creating now.

[justawrites]

Sometimes I think about how Chemach probably was a lot like her brothers, a serious and stoic bird who assisted gods at one point or another. I hc her as being the one who created the Crowns so, Ancient!Nari au has her being the one to create the Bishops' Crowns from Nari's blood. He may have given her rebellious ideas in this moment.... unfortunately, an Ancient can get away with a lot more than the Hatchling of a First One.

Also I had no fuCKING clue how to draw Chemach in my style so I hope this is acceptable. I tried making her beak look more duck-like....

Open in new tab for better quality/reading experience, this one I might digitize later...

(context for anyone wondering, in this particular AU the "hundreds blessed" are chosen by higher beings and are overseen by the First Ones. Narinder is actually Death itself, like the concept of Death in a personified form. Universal truths like Life, Death, Time, Space, Nature, etc are woven into the fabric of reality and are called Ancients. The other four Bishops were chosen by Narinder to be blessed, each one's domain being an avenue to Death. Narinder has existed since the beginning of time itself, but he's reborn into every world and exists in fragments. The Lamb has no idea Narinder was a Bishop in name only, but Narinder's siblings know he's an Ancient. The Lamb also, as such, has no idea that the Red Crown is made from Narinder's blood)

[krysmcscience]

Hi this comic was just meant as lineless color practice but it took forever and now I never want to look at it again :)

Rambles and textless versions under the cut:

So yeah, I'm a little feral about the idea that the reason Narinder remains immortal if he's spared after his defeat is because the Lamb still has continued and unswerving devotion towards him.

I'm also kinda feral about the idea that said devotion lets him use more and more of his old powers over time up until he could even effectively RE-ascend to godhood.

And I'm especially feral about the idea that it very quickly has him latching onto the Lamb with his own equal and desperate devotion until it becomes this wild feedback loop between the two of them, and leaves them both not only grossly overpowered, but hopelessly and obsessively intertwined in the sort of love that would be concerning beyond belief if it involved literally any other two individuals but them.

Now have these textless versions:

I feel like the fourth panel is especially busy but Oh Well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I may have another mostly serious Narilamb comic in the works, but it's not going to be in color because it's five pages and that's a lot and I am so tired

[melled42]

Idk if this is a huge request or not, but could you explain more about Bell? (The shitten in your au)

I would be thankful, take care.

Yeah, ive done like... 3 pieces of her max but she gets SO many asks lol. the story isn't really ready for her yet, and i'd like to finish what im working on before i do more with her, but i'll give the basic rundown.

she LITTERALY started as a joke baby post but she got so much interaction i said i'd expand on her design and now she seems to just have a following of simps (oops, like lamb like daughter)

most of the old ideas for ewen and nari with her are out of date now on the art, but heres a bunch of plot and some unposted sketches under cut

Nari and Ewen are married and leading the cult still. all the siblings have kids, grandkids and even great grandkids (excluding shamura). Its only after they decide having a child is someone for them to love and raise, not someone who they're forcing the cycle of trauma on that they have Bell. And they adore her. While growing up, one by one, the former bishops, all her aunts, uncles, and shamura decided it was time to peacefully end their long lives. So she sees death as a good thing, the satisfying end to a long life story. So when Ewen and Narinder are ready to die together, even though they say she doesn't have to, she takes on the crown and ends if for them with a last "i love you" between them. She runs the cult now which is more themed around their shared neck wound "rings" and their relationship than just the lamb. She's called "the black sheep" by her followers (or queen if they're kinky, princess when shes younger). she wields the crown as a pair of horns and a sythe, sine the cult of the black rings also referenced Ewen's large black horns and she keeps up the theme.

Baal and Aym are her "brothers" (more of her body guards and technically her cousins but she refuses to call them anything else) and her body guards, staying after their master's death. They've known her since she was a baby and still treat her as one sometimes. She's VERY protective over them, but also will bully them sometimes, like kicking their asses when training and saying they're just going easy on her like when she was a kid, knowing full well she's overpowered by the crown.

Because shes such an oddity, the mystic seller assigned one of their followers to keep an eye on her and, much like her "ba ba" she found the overpowered demigod shes now obsessed with. With some help from Ewen before they passed, they were able to translate their glyphs. Now that helper follows her around disguised as a poor imitation of a regular mortal to better understand her and the mortal realm. Or at least thats what she convinced them to do since she wants them around <3 probably not to their masters liking lol. I haven't decided on a name yet. Bell eventually give them the purple crown (they/it)

Before they left, Narinder was trying to reawaken the crowns, whether for the memory of his siblings, or that the cult was growing too large to be centered on the red crown. They're not very powerful right now and Bell is the leader of the others, more like a babysitter.

The blue crown is with Kalliope (kalli for short) (she/her), a distant relative of Kallamar's who had to fight, both physically and socially, with all her other of age relatives to get the chance, since Kallamar's polycule made a LOT of kids and grand kids. She's kind of bitchy about it and whines about everyone not respecting her or how hard she worked. shes a flamboyant cuttlefish and trans femme. also the crown is worn like an earring. Bell has little tolerance for her and they have a lot of bitchy girl fights.

The green crown is with isop (a kinda combo of isopod and aesop) (he/him) who is a rubber ducky isopod. he's Leshy's great great grandkid, and really only god the crown because no one else on the peaceful forest farm leshy put together in his later years really wanted it and figured it meant free babysitting. he's pretty young and small with a fascination for chaos and violence that only little kids without developed social perception can have, though he more watches at this point. The others tend to carry him or he rolls around in a little ball. The crown is worn like glasses.

The orange crown is with Mycelia (lia for short) (they/them plural) who is a homunculus mushroomo made through experimentation by Heket and Sozo before they died. they're the only one who is actually older than Bell. They're undying because they're a hive mind of all the mushroomo, who have been progressively growing. They can see everything the others see, can spout new bodies when needed and even feed on their own dead bodies. Bell sometimes just kills them when they're frustrated with them or other things. They'd be a threat but they're very monotone and emotionless about pretty much everything and don't care. They've worked with the red crown just because death is a natural boon to fungus and keeps them alive. The orange crown is worn as a necklace.

Heres some sketches since I haven't been able to get the designs to my liking but people keep asking so :T

[bamsara]

I dont know if it was intentional but I love that Narinder when he sees Lamb throwing up he turns gentle and pushes their wool and ears back so they dont get stained with vomit and for some reason it reminded me of how when Nari was throwing up too after the nightmare he had when they were on route to fight Leshy, Lambert helped him with camellias for the nausea.

Ahh, parallels. I think.

IM SO GLAD YOU POINTED THAT OUT allow me to ramble for just a moment.

Narinder was trapped in the Afterlife for over 1000 years, with little social skills and plagued by wishing for vengeance and his only company being two kittens who become disciples under his rule. He has terrible social skills, if not lacking them entirely.

(I would argue that Aym and Baal also have horrific nonexistent social skills, so those three cat's can't really help each other communicate properly to anyone else outside themselves.)

It can be argued that since The One Who Waits had other vessels to pass time and try to kill /annoy his siblings before the prophesized Lamb arrival, that he would have developed them a little bit more, but I would argue that the power balance would have been oodles more severe since the vessels weren't the promised one. He didn't need them, so if they no longer were of service or disobeyed him, he got rid of them. Whether just sending them out or killing them, any how.

Lamb, however, knows they are the last Lamb, the prophesized liberator of The One Who Waits, and therefore his only option. They knew that they were his only reasonable way out of there (whether they asked for it or not) so they were oodles more comfortable than how a professional relationship would have been.

So they asked questions, bothered him, played and ran around him. Complained and vented to him. Yapped and yapped. What is he gonna do? Kill them? Find a new vessel? He can't. "You're as trapped into this prophecy as much as I am, so let's be friends"

Example parts from Chapter 3:

The power balance equalizes because Lamb did not see his presence a God, but rather a fellow prisoner and victim of fate. Rude and demanding, but in the same chains as they were. 'My lord' was simply formalities at first.

This puts Narinder / The One Who Waits in social situations he hasn't been in (or hardly been in) in over a thousand years, and frankly, he had no idea how to navigate them:

Example from Chapter 5:

The God of Death has not needed to comfort or 'be there' for someone in a long, long time. The Lamb's presence is what forces him to try, even if his first attempt aren't perfect. So in that same chapter, he'll ask them a question to distract them. Conversation. Like how they do it.

While I won't post a screenshot of everytime this happens in written format (not including the dreams/memories/flashbacks that haven't been posted yet)-

The One Who Waits is pushed outside of his bubble when it comes to socializing in a way that isn't just 'God-to-Lowly-Vessal' format. He has to talk to them like a person, because he's being talked to like a person, not a god on a pedestal.

Obviously after the final battle and betrayal (to both of them, otherwise known as the Grand Miscommunication) this means nothing for a while as tempers are still high and feelings are hurt. But overtime, this returns, and can show in small ways (ways that may not seem like comfort but is certainly an attempt) like just in Chapter 18:

Trying to bring them an 'offering' (breakfast) mirroring other times the Lamb has done the same for him:

Crudely offering to replace something they are upset at losing/later offering reassurance abet in a curt way:

And what you mentioned: earlier when the Lamb is throwing up, narration shows they're having trouble with keeping their wool, cloak, bell, ect all back at the same time. He can see that. He has a mental boiling pot explosion over the fact that helping them is even a want that he has after the denial crisis he's experiencing where the only answer a minute ago seemed like he needed to kill them, and he chose comfort.

It is intentional. Narinder is learning how to show care, and allowing himself to show care. Slowly, and not perfect, but learning.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Cult of the lamb ask!

The reader is the god of adventure. They don’t really have a cult like the other gods did, being a person that was on the move too much to settle down and form one. But they frequently travel to places that are either in abundance of adventure or where the people desperately need one.

Lambert is constantly having to stop the reader from dragging their cultists into dangerous adventures or is having to deal with reader following them around as they crusade against the other gods and dragging him into some more adventures against his will.

(Reader isn’t malicious, perhaps just a little ignorant to how much damage the mortal body can take)

With nearly all of the old gods having fallen to the Bishops ages ago, Lamb never expected to meet any of them..

Until he did, in fact, meet one such god:

You, the God of Adventure, who only survived the wars/massacres by simply moving from place to place all the time.

This made you difficult for the Bishops to track.

Your singular purpose was to seek out people who were in desperate need of an escape from their routine lives and give them new adventures/quests to undertake.

You've basically invented crusading...so why the Bishops wanted to destroy you and that very concept was baffling.

In a way, you've helped the Old Faith grow stronger. They should've been thanking you instead of hunting you like an animal.

After a few centuries, you passed by Lamb's cult and quietly observed its growing size, never straying too far.

Despite having followers who worshipped you, you've never actually settled anywhere to start your own official cult. But they've adopted a nomadic lifestyle in your name.

Wherever you went, they were never far behind, spreading your gospel...although after Narinder's betrayal, many of them went into hiding or got captured, leaving you to be slowly forgotten about.

But seeing Lamb's followers going on missionaries gave you an idea..

Of course, an immortal god couldn't feel the thrill of "dangerous" adventures and would never know what it's like to have a close brush with death.

So..why not become mortal instead?

Thus, you made a pact with your Crown to dull its powers, showing up to Lamb's cult as a humble creature looking for a new home.

Obviously the Red Crown sensed your godhood and it made them wary of letting you stick around.

But you've proven you're trustworthy enough.

Now you're tasked with assigning missionaries to followers and accompanying them in the Bishops' domains.

If several are going at once to different places..you prioritize whoever had the lowest chance of survival to ensure a safe trip home (which may or may not involve you giving a few subtle blessings to them).

However you've found yourself dragging them into danger quite a few times while evading hostile creatures and traps (especially in Silk Cradle where they seemed to be at every turn).

Even when Lamb's crusading, you'll cross paths with them sometimes and end up running right into heretic territory.

While you can't die from old age, your mortal body still has its limits....and Lamb only had to revive you once.

Ofc you don't remember that and brush off their concerns.

"Oh come on, little Lamb. What's adventure without a little danger every now and then? There's no fun in beelining it to the Bishops and not exploring the world around you!"

"...the only things that are "around us" are centipedes that spit acid and giant axe traps-"

"Then let's go to where they reside!"

If Narinder ever found out who was the most recent cause of Lamb's death...he'd just roll his eyes.

[miss-conner3]

In the AU of the leader Ando, what is the relationship between Ando and Narinder? (If he has forgiven him, of course) If he has forgiven him, do Narinder and the little lamb end up having a romantic relationship or not? And, what would be Ando's reaction upon seeing that his little brother likes the black cat?

I would like to start by saying that between Ando and Narinder, there was no forgiveness.

Ando resented him enough to put aside his greatest wish (that of “resting in peace”), deciding from that moment on that now that he had his power, he would use it against him at all costs.

Also including the idea of allying himself with one of the bishops to finally ensure that The One Who Waits could never escape again. Unfortunately, he had no luck on that part.

The bishops only saw him as his pawn, the prophesied lamb, the monster that would kill them, and listened to nothing more.

So seeing that more than potential allies, they were obstacles, Ando decided to meet their expectations.

And he killed them.

After all that, Ando took the risk of facing Narinder on his own. Armed only with his thirst for justice, fervent wrath, and the power of the red crown, Ando fought to the death.

Over and over again.

Until almost destroying his soul.

As for Narinder, in his arrogance, he saw Ando as just “a little inconvenience” that he could get rid of later. When everything was done.

Although, in the end, the prophecy finally acted in favor of Ando, ​​and in the face of his defeat, Narinder, enraged, challenged him to end his life if he wanted it so much.

And Ando did want to.

However…

Despite the hatred he had for him, Ando could not find enough willpower within himself to kill him.

No matter how much pain he had put him through, no matter how much hate he had made him accumulate, he couldn't do it. He couldn't face Death.

Nor the emptiness that would bring.

The rest is history.

Narinder became his follower, and Ando, in his inner tirade, could only question the true nature of that decision.

Without really reaching a conclusion.

Moving on to happier things...

The lamb, like Ando in the main AU, had no idea of the real reason why his species was hunted to the point of extinction.

So Ando, as his older brother, took it upon himself to quickly bring him up to date. Letting him know in every way possible about the role Narinder played during all that massacre and how much he would hate for him to take action against the lamb just for the simple fact of being his brother.

Pretty much warning the lamb to stay away from him.

A warning that, surprisingly, the lamb did hear.

Although with mixed results.

After all, Ando still couldn't catch a break in this life. ¿Right? XD

¡Thanks for asking!

[cconfusedkat]

The one who wilts being a terrible person is,, probably the least expected thing of them considering how they treated both goat & ram when they were both their vessel

Kiss me son of god was very fitting for Wilt because of their desire for power, which eventually lead them to their downfall and being in Purgatory for three millenia. I guess they were a bit too ruthless

Also additional doodle to accompany this pmv because i am. Very much Not a serious person with lore things,

An actual summary: Shamura—The One Who Wilts—has heavy reasoning as to why they ended up in Purgatory the way they did.

Rather instead of just making their siblings being jealous of their rapid growth rate of the War Cult increasing, it was a mixed bag between jealousy and insanity due to losing their mind (metaphorically and literally) from holding just the Purple Crown of War.

Going so far, they didn't only kill other unfamiliar Gods to increase both fearmongering and faith, they killed their siblings for getting in their way.

Thanatos—the white dog with the other purple crown, being a God of Wisdom—Narinder, etc—was extremely critical of these ongoing events that lead into disaster. He tried to convince Wilt one more time that they weren't THIS violent. Where was that wise and sweet sibling? The one that would stay on Thanato's fur for dear life as a tiny spider, frolicking in the daffodil fields? The one who raised all four of their siblings? Giving them a place and shelter to stay at their very own palace, to eventually being able to create their own cults within palaces?

Well. They were gone. Long gone. Thanato's had been long desensitized on how cults actually worked. Wilt was the one who cared for being in higher power, they didn't reckon their siblings as people anymore.It wasn't until Thanato's panicky plan that made Wilt realize how messed up everything was. Thanatos laid down diagonally on the opening curtain of his bed, knowing fully Wilt would try to kill him in his sleep. A wisdom God still had his ways, despite preferring a pacifist life.Areem who had been on top of Thanato's bed looked over at Hadaf, him nodding as a signal to finally end this war of cults and sentence them to The Above. Wilt saw the hallucination of their dead siblings in Below (essentially an underworld heaven of sort) and actually felt some sort of relief to see them, convinced they were waiting for Wilt all this time in Below and forgave them for all their warcrimes.

Unfortunately for Wilt, it had been quite the opposite. They died slowly to the ichor loss from their already open head from their war crown, their eyes being blinded from ichor spilling in and out of it, and experiencing every painful moment of it.

Off screen, Areem would dig the sword deeper within their body, which then explains why they have a chain right in their head as The One Who Wilts. The sword went that deep to create an empty spot through their organs, the chain being the single thing to keep them alive and tortured within Purgatory for the next three millenia.

That's all to be explained for the video basically- after three millenia the wise and war (wise one referring to goat/giuseppe, where as alluring lamb would refer to lamb/allure in their own world. Twist on words! Yippee!) cult would begin, with a little ram and a goat. Cult of the goat baaaabeeeyyy 🎉🎉

But yes yep that's really it \o/ i still gotta touch up on giuseppe and aaliyah lore and how the war & wisdom cult operates compared to the death cult in allure's timeline,, fun fact there is no death god in rw&rw!! War was the replacement for death for a very long while

Ou wait name guide probably is a good idea

Thanatos is Narinder, he is a dog and is a god of wisdom

Wilt is Shamura (or shamara), they are a pink toed spider and a god of war. Thanatos took the wisdom crown

Hadaf and Bael are Aym and Baal (the white fluffy cats near the end)

Aidos is the blue cyclop squid (kallamar), Phobos is the neon green fuzzy worm (leshy), Limos is the lime green frog with eyelashes (heket), and Areem is a cotl follower oc (he's the snow leopard also at the end)

That's pretty much everyone :o) in the small doodle is giuseppe and aaliyah when they were a year staying in purgatory with wilt to train for which crown suited one or the other the best-

[giglio-nero-e-bianco]

COTL Deathmaid AU

The Lamb's cult has grown to be it's own kingdom, the cult is known by everyone on land and the knowledge that the former Bishops are not only part of it but they're also the most loyal members has angered quite a few heretics.

There's many families that dedicated their whole existence and generations to serving the Bishops, so they have a deep hatred towards the Lamb, they think that they did something to their Bishops to make them so loyal and if they destroy the cult then everything will go back to the way it was before.

So there's many heretic attacks to the cult whenever the Lamb is out on crusades, what they don't count in is the fact that there's someone in charge on the cult when the leader's out: The high priest and the Lamb's husband... Dressed as a maid.

This throws heretics for a loop, they think less of him and attack confidently.

But you see, Narinder is the cult's maid, he's in charge of cleanup, housekeeping, he has to clean the grounds from the disasters the cultists make, from caught spies and from heretics that attack his home, I mean, who else but the maid is going to scrub the blood on the floor left by the heretics before the Lamb comes back?

Here's a few details of the AU:

While it was the Lamb's idea for Nari to wear the maid dress, Narinder is the one who modified it and made it shorter, he says it's to make it more practical, but deep down he knows he just felt bonita in the dress.

The Lamb also gifts a lot of gold to Narinder, but he only uses it on special occasions, wearing only his earrings on a daily basis.

Narinder fell in love when he was still a god, and while angry at the Lamb's betrayal, he still said yes to the marriage proposal given to him the second he appeared in the cult.

The night their daughter Luci's egg was conceived, it was Nari who laid the egg... Even tho he wasn't the bottom that night. But you'll catch the Lamb dead before them going through labor, lol (something something god power so we'll do it like seahorses)

Also, they want to try for another baby in the future, maybe the next time they'll get a little kitten or a baby lamb, but don't get them wrong, they love their daughter with all their soul.

The crown is just a tsundere tbh

They're the one who wanted Narinder and Lamb together in the first place, they actually finds them adorable and loves their little shitten (no one touch her, that's their niece, back off), but they find it funnier to make them angry.

The crown loves to mess with both, third wheels when they start to get all romantic in front of them and often interrupts them to ruin the moment, but when they feel like it, they'll just stand back and see the lovely couple in front of them, maybe they deserve it from time to time.

The Goat basically lives with them, they destroyed their own universe seeking for revenge, only to find out after killing everything that that wasn't gonna bring their kin back, so they went to find what they were missing, traveling to another universe to find this answer.

Only to find their alter version making out with their own version of TOWW.

They lived in the cult for a while, living the results of what their life would've been like if they had taken other choices... And before they knew, they found comfort, familiarity, calmness, they even found love in this version of Shamura, can you believe that? Shamura! That spider was the Goat's TOWW, but here? They were a far kinder version of his own Shamura, just as stunning, a bit easier for their mind to get lost in memories, but they found out that they didn't mind holding their hand while helping them remember.

Shamura is just a silly little guy / gn.

They love to tease their siblings, they always win on board games, they love to read to the kids on the nursery, they show their love to the Goat by trapping them in spider web.

But if you see them acting weird, don't follow them, they may be trapped in a memory of their Bishop days, just let their siblings handle it.

All it took for Leshy to fall in love was a flower, Theon was new to the cult, so Leshy being down bad offered to be the one show him around the place. He was the one who offered Theon to be part of the gardeners and taught him everything he knows about plants. Leshy fell first, Theon fell harder. You'll have a better chance to find Leshy not making a mess than to find the cat not following him around everywhere.

Also, Leshy's flower is indicative of his mood and health.

They have their own abomination baby (Put that Transmasc Leshy drug in my veins)

Heket's been dating Forneus since she was still a Bishop, but hid this from her siblings because she knew they were going to try and embarrass her in front of her wife at any given chance. However they had to take a break when Shamura took Aym and Baal away, Forneus didn't blame Heket for it, but it was hard to look at her.

After the Lamb resurrected the kittens, they dragged her to Forneus to make up and make out, and so they gave it another chance. Heket is a good step-mom to Aym and Baal, she's the parent that stepped up frfr.

Heket rules the kitchen, that's her domain, not even the Lamb has a say there, don't test her or you'll be tomorrow's dinner.

Kallamar, dear Kallamar, a total diva, he loves his jewelry and putting some make-up on when the day looks like it'll be a chill one. Has 6 spouses and he makes sure to give love to every single one of them, he doesn't even have a favorite! I mean, just because Witness Astaroth gets more time and gifts than the rest of spouses doesn't mean they're the favorite, of course not!

Refuses to date cats because he's special, unique and out of the mold that his younger siblings are.

Also, Ratau and Red Fox are ex-boyfriends because I can't live without some toxic yaoi, even less if it's old men yaoi.

[scramblescrew]

I think it’s time for the cult of the lamb stuff too begin (do the first one)

Male Black Cat!Follower Reader Being the “sibling” of the Bishops of The Old Faith

TW: [Unhealthy Relationship, beatings, drugging, forced sibling relationship, gaslighting]

Relationship type: Platonic but unhealthy

Since your birth after the banishment of The One Who Waits, your life had been filled with luxury. Being in the likeness of the bishop of death had its perks. for a few examples; you were widely respected among the old faith, you got special exemptions for certain rituals such as fight pits and Flesh sacrifices, higher positions in the old faith, and at some points, you were even given offerings. But there WERE downsides, the attention you had gotten from the four bishops was a bit unnerving. they seemed crazed since the day they met you! All four bishops treated you like their own blood..? And even though your name was [Y/N], they kept calling you Narinder....you always asked why you were given the nickname you were but Heket or Shamura would always tell you that that there would be a time and place for that. But it wasn’t now….

As you've gotten older, you were given a gold skull necklace, a charm that gave you everlasting life as long as you wore it. but with your age and more knowledge, you had also noticed a pattern of behaviors in the bishops you've now accepted as your "siblings."

Leshy:

- god d*mn. This gremlin

- he uses his domain, Darkwood, to trap you in for extended of time, forcing you to cuddle him and to hear you eventually purr.

- is he delusional? ….kind off

- he knows you aren’t Narinder, but you were the closest thing to him

- and GODS- he was so angry for what his brother did to him

- this boi is fluffy!

- when giving hugs and just hanging out in general, the density and softness of his fur(?) makes the Camilia flower fields his domain is known for feel like brittle hay in comparison!

-he essentially uses you as a tiny feline teddy bear

- speaking of Camilia flowers, since they are used for healing, Leshy might withhold them from you in order for you to depend on him even more.

- leaving you ill and consequently suffering for sometimes days before giving you Camilia flowers and bed rest

- only because his siblings begged him to give you some mercy

“Who’s tough now, huh!? Who’s the one with the power now, Narinder!? ME-“

Heket:

-WOULD SHANK SOMEONE!

- anyways- she IS VERY protective but she has good intentions/reasoning for that

- to her, you are so weak and kind of pathetic but that would be ok to her

- as long as you stay with either her or her siblings

- in case you ever got any ideas of running off in order to escape, she would periodically use the mushrooms around her grounds of Anura to brainwash you into being subdued and making you docile

- despite her crown helping her talk to some extent, Heket still expects you to help her get her point across when she can’t voice them

- she (along with Kallamar) tries to dilude herself with the thought that you are indeed Narinder returned from banishment and trying to repent for his actions, no matter how futile that would be

-but that wasn’t the truth and she knew it. She knew you were an innocent follower that was given a name and title that didn’t belong to you

-she almost pities you

“Just eat…….the mushrooms….Narinder…..you’ll feel…better..soon.”

Kallamar:

-He wholeheartedly believes you’re just Narinder without your crown…therefore…powerless…

- and he absolutely takes advantage of that delusion

- on the beaches bordering anchor deep, he’d be found throwing you around and shrieking about everything “you” did to your “siblings”!

- you took his handsome ears, Heket’s ability to speak-her voice, Leshy’s eyes, SHAMURA’S MIND-

-he’d curse you with everything’s he had, just wanted to hurt you for things that you would never think of doing

- but eventually he’d calm down and see you in a curled up ball on the ground, crying and bleeding in pain, the pain of the attacks and illness taking over you as you writhed

- he’d gasp, rushing to you and picking you up and holding you close

-he’d shake and tear up as he runs to his siblings for Mushrooms, to ease the pain, and Camilia flowers, you heal you

-he’d immediately be scolded and forbid from seeing you period

- this severed communication between you two would lead to him taking it easy, thankfully

- after he was allowed to be around you again, he’d just take you to the docks

-you two would catch fish together and feast on your catches. Talking about Kallamar’s old happy memories with Narinder as if you shared the same happiness and were there

“I’m sorry, brother…you’ve just caused us so much pain…I-…I still love you though

Shamura:

-Two words.

-MANIPULATION and DELUSIONAL

-they were the closest to Narinder back before his banishment, so they would be the one to spend most time with you

- you be using the silk found around to make thread and making clothing for Shamura’s followers when the spider bishop themself would come up behind you, pick you up, and take you back to her temple

-they’d warn and advise you against spending unnecessary time around followers

-They wouldn’t want you to get that much power getting to your head…

-“you wouldnt want to be sent away again, do you?”

-Shamura would also gaslight you into thing that you’re crazy for thinking they were anything but loving to you

“What? We love you!- We’re your siblings, you’re acting like we’re some sort of captors and you’re a prisoner! You were a prisoner when we sent you to the underworld! But you’re back now! Just let us be a family again, damn it!”

-similar with Heket, if you tried to escape Silk Cradle, Shamura would fly into a rage and chase after you, grabbing you, and secure you in a spider silk cocoon that was in a safe area of their temple before calming down

-you could try to struggle and scream but “your eldest sister” would just hug you close and sing to you

“Narinder..Dear brother..please stop fighting. You’ll only hurt yourself more…”

UP NEXT: DEPRESSED READER X ANCIENT COOKIES

[rataartista]

So about the Guardian au, I thought about what if the Lamb gives the crown back to Narinder and they are finally sacrified as the deal said.

But then Lamb (I named them Iska cause why not) wakes up like in the comic pages that I made. Its their home and they are with their big brother and younger siblings. Iska is like "ok what the actual fuck-"

They run away as they are in the lands where the God of Death rules. (They had to ask the people that lived around there about the place).

Iska wonders around the new lands looking for Narinder's temple, where they were told they could find the God. And they do.

The Lamb wants an explanation about what is happening, and Narinder only brags about how his power as a god has returned to him, and he demonstrated it by reviving just a small part of the slaughtered lambs. And also, how could he just let their vessel die after the good job they made? They could still be useful so Narinder wanted Iska around just in case (and because he is a bit selfish but eh)

The Lamb is furious, they only wanted rest after being a vessel for so many years, and their god broke the deal. So yeah they kinda hate him now :>

And after that Narinder gives the Lamb a position as a guardian, a bit like Aym and Baal I think?? And yeah Idk how to put that in a way that actually makes sense srry

Well after that I have some more things thought BUT I still have to plan them.

OK SO- I have no idea of how to explain an au or anything, this is the first time that I share this type of things because I always kept them in my head and never did anything 🧎🏻‍♀️ (rip to all those AUs I made when I was in my undertale phase) so I wrote it as I’d do in my notes or as I would explain it to someone in person ª ;;

[zarnzarn]

The temple is musty when Lamb steps in, dust mites suspended in the air. The door closes with a gentle thud and Lamb thanks their past self for having the idea to put a lock on it as they drive the bolt home. 

Everyone is asleep, but caution never hurts anyone.

Still, Lamb’s heart beats with something like fear as they approach the altar, with the cracked stained glass beyond colouring the whole place a welcoming red. 

Lamb hesitates a final time, before giving in and getting to their knees. 

“Thae One who Waits, praise be thy name.”

They haven't done this since Shamura’s ominous warning in Silk Cradle about leading themself to slaughter, betrayal making them numb. They suppose now, after the anger has faded, that it was silly to think power didn't come at a price, that dead things would be allowed to walk the earth forever. 

“Binsaar don in mora paelish death.”

Still, the movements and words come easy, having done this for a hundred and fifty years. 

“Hear my call, jein abkaar ji keish.”

They know it's stupid. Stupid to get on their knees and worship someone they destroyed themselves. They can feel the prayer hanging in the air, with no deity to travel to. Useless. 

“Hein skolaama boera jokha nayin.”

Narinder is still alive, anyways. He's in Lamb's tent right now, bandages on his arms and legs and neck, asleep. 

He caught Lamb across the muzzle with his claws today, after they foolishly thought he'd be receptive to having one more devotee help sponge him down after hearing him laugh at something the others said. The scratches sting, and Lamb knows they won't be closing for a long time.

“Dei bristan hilem koi pashun.” 

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that all these cowardly idiots got to touch their god, after hiding away for years like rats, only coming out now that Lamb had made it safe so they could. Acolytes of the Old One, they called themselves, coming to the cult to pay their respects to the god walking the same ground as them for the first time in a thousand years.

Lamb would have turned them away on day one if they'd known; but he'd glanced at Narinder when the group had first thrown themselves to his feet with joyful sobs and seen the surprise and the longing in his eyes. Had nearly cried themself at the bittersweet softness in his voice when he gently rebuked the group for coming after a god that had fallen and failed them after a thousand years of their undying loyalty. 

“Borig haiel, borig jeilla.” 

Lamb was Narinder's highest priest, his most loyal devotee, his strongest acolyte, his vessel. They should be the one replacing his veil and his robes, following him around and helping him recover with prayer and herbs and bandages alike, they should be the one travelling off to distant lands to collect the rare objects he covets in exchange for sacred knowledge, they should be the ones to bathe him at night and massage his scarred, furless limbs and sing him to sleep. 

“Borig twena tael omoro pe shaen haiel.”

But they couldn't. They couldn't because The One Who Waits refuses to do so much as meet their eyes, wouldn't touch anything the Lamb had cooked, would lash out with a snarl when he came too close, like today. And all Lamb could do in the face of the crowd looking at them expectantly was laugh it off, dance around the claws and coo nonsense until everyone laughed, pretending like they weren't dying inside at the unbridled hatred in the glare being sent their way. 

“Heeshal borek, heeshal nishaan.”

Their voice rises to the rafters, shaking. How shameful it was, for all those former vessels and loyal acolytes to look at them with disbelief and horror and pity, like Lamb was fucking stupid for not breaking their last promise to their sister, for not letting the god they loved kill them. 

And yet- 

“Hoore baikal shenagu-” 

When they looked at Narinder smiling or snarking at everyone except them- 

“Laenih westila shamfua-”

When all they got anymore from their god was curses and hatred, despite everything they had done in his name- 

“Poen poena haish kam-”

When they once had the full force of their god's attention, cradled in his palm and purred at and loved, and craved it like poppy and menticide now that it was gone; but it was gone because of them and all they'd ever have were memories and echoes of his love-

“Leora beeth, leora ha’iash-”

When all the riches and offerings and power in the world couldn't hold a candle to the dreams of Narinder smiling at them, laughing at their jokes, nuzzling them fondly, standing by their side, leaning in to reward all their years of hard work with his warm breath and soft lips- 

“Tvle non-”

Silence. 

They stop breathing, prostrated on the floor as they are, hands clasped in front of them. Their head is empty, no matter how much they wrack their mind for the next sentence. 

“What the fuck,” Lamb’s voice breaks on the whisper, feeling their hands start to tremble, vision blurring at the sides. “Tvle non- tvle non rere- fuck, how can I forget-” 

The crown slips from his skull in his panic and he turns to meet its eye, creased in grief like his own. 

“Crown,” They plead desperately. “Crown, what was the prayer?” 

The Red Crown remains silent. Lamb grabs it and shakes it, feeling hysteria burn in their veins the longer the words don't come to their tongue, the prayer they had just been saying slipping away like water. 

“What was the prayer?” They shriek, pulling at their wool as they screw their eyes shut, trying to remember. Now that they try, every ritual, every hymn and psalm, every last piece the cult had ever dedicated to their god- all of it has disappeared from memory, is disappearing like ribbons of sand through their hooves. 

The god you sing to is gone. The Crown whispers, tears of blood falling from its eye. Death is you now. 

“No, no, no, no,” Lamb chants, arms wrapped around themselves as they lean forward, tears slipping past his cheeks. “No, no, come back, come back!”

Lamb-

“My god,” Lamb moans, swaying back and forth. This is worse than any elimination, any injuries, any loss. Their chest is going to rip in half with the mourning, the horror. “My god, forgive me, please, please, my god, my lord, please, come back, come back.” 

There's no reply. The altar is cold, the glass still, the shadows unmoving. There's no deep voice curling around his ears seductively, no warmth to look forward to after the gore and bloodshed, no sulphur-drenched skeletal hand to curl up in on the worst nights, no bass purrs to soothe him to dreamless sleep. No offerings he can give for gold, no curses he can have whispered in his ears, no one to place his faith in to have his back and make sure everything will be alright. 

“COME BACK!” They scream to the temple rafters, wailing and bleating like they never have. In a moment of grief, of anger and fear, they manifest a knife and slice across their chest, spraying heartblood on the foot of the pew, on top of all the sacrificial blood dried in Narinder's name. “COME BACK, MY GOD, PLEASE!”

The Crown flies around them, saying something, distressed, but Lamb can't hear it over the sobs, over the healing of the cut, the sizzling of evaporating blood, the rejected offering, given too late. 

“My One,” The Lamb sobs into the temple floor. But their god lies in a hut on the other side of the grounds, weak and dying, because of them. Their god will never forgive them. Their god hates them. 

Lamb feels themself sink down, letting the mask drop, the facade they'd worn for eighty years come crashing down. The One who Waits hates them. 

“Tvle non rere desennte troma,” They whisper, closing their eyes, tears dripping to the ground. It's all they have left. 

[karmarox]

Kallamar the Coward

Thinking about Kallamar in Cult of the Lamb, with how the lore and even his own siblings taunt him for being a coward and he even tries to bargain and sway you away from getting your revenge and killing him, even ready to throw Shamura under the bus to save himself, but then when you finally push him into a corner and he's forced to fight he not only busts out a bunch of weapons and starts quad-wielding them but he was once regarded by the fandom as being among the hardest bosses of the base game.

It got me thinking, was he always like this? Narinder certainly thinks so, but there's bias there. It's easy to just write him off as always being a mess like this...

But there's no denying he's the second in power after Shamura, Anchordeep is known for its beauty, he takes personal pride in the way he took care of his cult/area, and when in Purgatory out of all the bishops he's notably the most lucid/aware of where he is.

So I present this: After Narinder's sealing, Shamura was in no state to lead or give orders. The Bishops all had massive injuries that refused to heal. Who out of the 4 would immediately be assumed to be the one to take a leadership role? Who had comparatively more "manageable" injuries to take care of the other 3? And who would you assume is most likely to have medical experience to at least try to lessen the impact of all of their wounds?

Kallamar, Pestilence and Cure.

Early on after The One Who Waits was sealed away, Kallamar would have had to effectively take over the Old Faith while also caring for a broken beyond repair older sibling, who had always been the "Wise" one that the others blindly followed, yet was now barely even there at the best of times, and two younger siblings, one who was now permanently blind (and young/weak enough that they couldn't even muster a single Curse towards the Lamb before being crushed within days of their resurrection even years after the sealing, so just imagine how new to godhood they were back when this all started), and another who had had her throat torn out, all while downplaying his own wounds.

What if, then, at some point, he simply broke?

He resents Shamura, even potentially sincerely blames them for causing the entire thing (which Shamura confesses to), both leading them to turn on Narinder and also for leading everyone to killing the Lambs. He's still fond of Leshy, but from how quick to take charge Heket is, it's clear that after he proved unable to take the stress of it all, she was next in line as the "leader" of The Old Faith. There's gotta be some resentment there on both ends because of that, particularly with how quick he is to criticize how she took care of her territory.

And then compare how he is as a bishop to how he is as a follower. I think it's very very interesting that he goes from a dirty coward and absolute pathetic mess of anxiety and fear, to pleading directly to his own executioner for help, to being almost perfectly happy and content to simply be a Follower of the Lamb's cult. The others (minus Shamura, due to their condition) are resentful and quick to give sharp words to the Lamb, but Kallamar? It's like all his anxiety is gone with his godhood. He has nothing to fear anymore, and is almost ridiculously quick to be friendly to the Lamb and share his tastes in decor and pride in appearances with them. Not even in the "kissing up" way, he talks like they're equals. Is this what Kallamar was like, before everything? Is he actually HAPPIER as a Mortal now that all of the responsibility and fear of death is gone? Even secretly grateful?

There's no denying his cowardice. There's no denying it crossed a line when he was ready to betray Shamura when his nerves reached their limit. There's no denying that as much as he'd like to believe that he is absolved of guilt for The Old Faith's sins simply because he was just doing what Shamura told him to even if he claims he thought it was a bad idea.

But you also have to wonder what caused that cowardice to form, and what other feelings motivate his actions besides fear.

(tldr: sad squid was not ready to become the responsible one, especially not after going deaf and being traumatized. Has a mental breakdown halfway through raising the others due to not being able to actually deal with going deaf or being traumatized because it turns out being the god of physical health is different from mental health. Little sister ends up having to step up and be the mom now. Their relationship never recovered because of it, and he now blames the eldest for failing them and also for his own failures to cope. As a bonus developed an attachment to his own killer out of some weird warped perception of them "rescuing" him from his stress and then from death itself.)

[teruuu]

Hello! I don't know if this question was already done, or you explained it before, but I am curious to ask how and why Narinder's left ear is damaged with cracks and doesn't heal or regenerate like other parts of his body...

CW: Descriptions of violence & wounds

OH MY GOD THANK YOU FOR ASKING. I actually wanted to elaborate more on the scars in one of my older posts but I TOTALLY forgot to. Let me explain with the notes that I’ve written down:

So, when Narinder first got defeated, his body transformed to become weaker than that of a mortal’s. Despite this, he still retained his quality of being immortal—it’s just that his body has become extremely weak.

I mentioned before that the Lamb bit off a portion of his right ear and scarred his left eye after Narinder lashed out on them when they finished their battle. Well, the Lamb just so happened to have the powers of a god running in their veins. I explained it in THIS POST. Anyways, so, I pulled out some bullshit about how because they’re now technically the god of death, some of their attacks can infuse decay on other people. And whaddya know, Narinder just so happens to be a victim of this! I had no idea how to draw necrosis or decay in a cool way for his design so I decided, fuck it, cracks would look AWESOME. Narinder’s eye scar also has mini cracks, but of course I didn’t include it in his design because it would look overwhelming.

Ofc receiving wounds from a newborn deity like the Lamb with his weak constitution made the wounds leave scars on him. It was only through his immortality that his body barely even managed to stop the continued decay. The only way he managed to recover from his weak body, regain his power, and get back his regeneration was when he grew closer with the Lamb. I mentioned also on the post that I linked that he built up power the more he drank the Lamb’s blood, vampire style—so, he slowly went from having an extremely weak body to a more agile, powerful one that’s on par with the Lamb’s. Paired with the Lamb’s devotion supplying him, he became even stronger. Now, get this, he ACTUALLY had the option to get rid of all of his scars from the fight with the Lamb. He had enough power to supply him now with the Lamb’s blood + devotion, but at this point he’d become so drunk on the Lamb’s obsession with him that he decided to keep them. He parades these scars around in the Cult as a sort of non-verbal way of expressing how he’s above the rest of the members of the cult. Those scars, to him, are badges of honor. So he kept them.

[bamsara]

Narilamb fic idea thought of, in progress, general gist:

Something goes wrong. The crown is split during Narinder's defeat, splitting the power between God of Death and the Lamb.

Narinder keeps a portion of his godhood, and the Lamb finds that rituals and powers they had access to before are no longer possible, Healing is cut short. Powers are halved. And there is a very real chance of perma-death, as the ability to resurrect oneself or anyone at all is not possible without full power, and the God of Death is not cooperative.

Afterlife and Purgatory are not options either. Dying means dying for real. Gone, no trace of you left.

Discovering that the will of dead gods are still in effect even when they are dethroned and in purgatory, even if not intentional, Lamb realizes there will come a time when Narinder will return to his full power, crown or no crown, and they must rehabilitate the God of Death before that happens, or at least give him a reason not to strike the Lamb down the moment their back is turned, and wipe out sentient life as the pissed off cat proclaims he'll do.

Narinder, The One Who Waits, now confined to a weaker, albeit free body, adapts to his release from imprisonment and place in the living world. Still retaining some power, he gains strength with every passing day, vowing vengeance on the lamb for usurping him. After a few unsuccessful murder attempts, it appears that he's in for the long haul. It is only a matter of time before the Lamb's guard is down before he can strike, and The One Who Waits is very patient.

All this and there's some god weirdo with mismatched eyes watching them, an offering of journies they can take to revive Narinder's siblings, and returning the power of resurrection so the Lamb can work on their original goal: reviving the family they lost before all of this began.

Something something something enemies to freniemies to wary friends to deeply caring friends to a very self-conflicted moment of 'oh'.

Notes: Narinder is a LOT more pissed off in the AU because I imagine having your power stolen like that right out of being imprisoned for 1000 years is something that would piss someone off a lot longer than how upset he was in the game. Lamb also is an idiot but in a good way, and has goals that no one else knows about.

I think I'm gonna name the fic 'The Rehabilitation of Death'

[justarandomlambblog]

mmm thinking about an au where Narinder runs away after being defeated and eventually finds himself being taken in by a kind soul in a distant village beyond the borders of the Old Faith. He begins to learn how to just... be, after a rocky start. Slowly easing into village life, taking over the kind person's role once they get too old to continue working (Narinder quickly realizing he himself isn't aging) and somehow accidentally fitting himself into the role of this person's son.

Years pass by and he's fully settled as a member of this godless village, unaware of the power vacuum left by the crowns and the war the Lamb (& Co, he's unaware that his siblings have been brought back) are fighting, watching the generations being born and aging. Maybe a whole generation has come and gone in the time he's been there, and over those ~100 years he becomes a pseudo-leader/protector for them.

Maybe a stranger comes to the village one day. A stranger from outside. Narinder was once a stranger from outside too, and like the kind soul who took him in he does the same, and something... starts between them. Something warm, something he's never felt before. Painfully aware of his own mortality, yet.... a family sounds nice. He's watched everyone around him start their own, he's even helped widowed parents and orphaned children....

So he starts a family. And they're happy.

Until they're not.

The power struggle from the land of the old faith spills over their borders, wannabe gods looking to expand their power, and in the dead of night Narinder's peaceful little village is attacked.

so much is lost- not a kit, thankfully, Narinder protects them with everything he has, and by now he has discovered he can still use magic so protect them he does. But the village is under attack and Narinder's partner is among those who are lost.

He lashes out with his magic, essentially rotting every heretic in the village alive in his grief, and afterwards they rebuild with a few dozen new graves, well cared for, with Narinder pretty solidly stepping into the role of leader. He doesn't introduce the idea of gods to these people- they're his people now, and they don't need gods. He can take care of them himself, god or not.

Those who are capable of magic, he teaches to use it. Those who are not, he teaches to use weapons and runes. He won't let the outside world harm them again.

Fast forward ~15 years, the village is thriving and the people are happy. His kits are teens/young adults now and his people are capable enough to defend themselves, so he's started joining hunting parties and trade groups, interacting with other villages outside of the Old Faith lands (they're spread apart, and Narinder's village is at this point the most prosperous... due to magic reasons, not that Narinder will reveal this). He very, very much refuses to go anywhere near the Old Faith's lands, and has in no uncertain terms forbidden his kits from even approaching the border.

No one knows who he really is. Unfortunately, skeletons don't stay in their graves when the Old Faith is involved.

Narinder is away with a trade group when the Lamb and the Bishops, who are searching for a rogue heretic faith that attacked their cult, stumble upon the village. It's the only one for miles, having been days since they've seen another village (Lamb laments the fact they can't just teleport out here, since there's no warp stones set up out here). The villagers are cautious but friendly- very clearly not warriors, but clearly not about to lie down and let themselves be harmed.

They talk amongst themselves, knowing the people out here don't speak their language, when someone greets them in their language. It's Narinder's oldest kit, a polite thing who definitely plays the rules on their lines; "Father says we cannot go into the Old Faith lands but he said nothing about inviting them to dinner." Ofc this kit has no idea who these people are, and they have no idea who she is, but she greets them nicely and lets them know her father is the village's leader and they cannot offer anything more than water for the road but there is room at their table if they would like to join them.

The Bishops and Lamb are tired and have been on the move for weeks now, trying to hunt down the rogue heretics who managed to escape, and honestly, dinner and a place to safely sit sounds nice, and it's not like any of them can actually be killed if things go south (Lamb would just bring them back and they know it). So they agree to stay.

And then Narinder returns. Impromptu family reunion :)