#Legacy of the First World

[dailycharacteroption]

Hooded Knight (Cavalier Archetype)

(art by tonyhurst on DeviantArt)

Far off in the distance, you see a hooded figure on a horse, their form and visage concealed beneath their cloak. Are they simply a traveler protecting themselves from the elements? A bandit or outlaw on the run? Are they secretly a monster? With today’s entry, they are none of these things, though they are not necessarily allies

Guardians of the roads and highways, hooded knights wander the pathways of the world providing aid to others on their journeys, remaining inscrutable much like the patron they emulate if not worship: the fey Eldest known as Ng.

Much like Ng, hooded knights conceal their identities, making many wonder if it possible to tell the difference between them and a bandit, but one look at the supernatural power that these individuals have while on a road and there can be no doubt.

Interestingly, several of these cavaliers belong to the order of the blossom, sworn to aid fey on the material plane, rather than mortals, they may serve as guides and protectors for visiting fey beings from the First World, or they might simply offer aid to those fey they meet on their travels. Others may favor orders more keyed to mortal affairs, whatever their reasons for doing so might be.

No matter what they are devoted to, These warriors are good, if unsettling, companions to have on a journey.

Most hooded knights belong to the order of blossoms, shield, or sword, but others may reasonably exist depending on their overall goals.

Being on the road all the time does mean surviving and understanding where you are. As such, these warriors are better at such things than physical athleticism.

Their mount, meanwhile, is an uncanny, feytouched creature, particularly when the rider is mounted upon it. They might be creatures of whimsy, or more eerie, but they are clearly not entirely of this world.

The reactions of these knights is enhanced while on a road, as is the speed of their mount. What’s more, they can extend this blessing to the mounts of their allies to speed them along as well.

They also have a knack for showing up exactly where they are needed on the road, though this is more than serendipity. In truth, they and their mount can teleport a decent distance as long as the endpoint is on a road, useful for retreating to a clear escape route, or speeding along their passage when needed.

Later on, this teleportation improves to cover truly vast distances as long as the destination is a road, and they can take their allies and mounts with them, almost as if they have traveled miles along secret paths to wind up on entirely different roadways.

These cavaliers are a major boon when travelling, arguably the time when mount-focused characters are at their best in a traditional dungeon crawling campaign, but make no mistake that they can still be quite competent even off their mount and off the road. This archetype does get rid of tactician and all of it’s improvements though, so you’ll have to rely on whatever strategy and strengths are associated with your order, both when you are mounted and on foot. I recommend a mixed mounted combat build with whatever strategy is favored by their chosen order, as well as possibly a magic item that lets you call your mount to your side if the battlefield allows for it.

Ng himself is an utterly inscruitable deity. His motives are only known to him, though he is known for sharing lore on occasion. Because of this, those who choose to emulate him have a bit of leeway as long as one of their goals and beliefs is to protect fellow travellers. Beyond that, they may be as evil or goodly as anyone else. More selfish ones may require payment in exchange for their services, which they funnel into their agenda, while the more goodly may offer the for free, a friendly voice to help pass the time on the road, despite never showing their faces.

Also, consider the sort of local legends that would spring up around such characters, and what sort of truth and fiction that would surround them.

Only one person knows the identity of the White Rider of Shalkaten, a vine leshy called Oakrider. The elderly plant spirit has no interest in willingly telling, but a new bandit lord is eager to get the information to stop their interference, and they’re not discreet in their methods.

The party has been searching for the grave of a legendary hero for some time, but the road they’re looking for doesn’t seem to exist. It is then they are approached by a hooded rider offering to help. Do they trust this stranger who has an eerie air to him?

Some follow the path of the hooded traveler because they protect others by hiding who they are. Others really enjoy the mystique. Some, however, are running from something. Rumor has it that the rider known as Smouldercloak was an ifrit dandy from a faraway land, though why they fled here none have ever been able to get out of her.

[kagoutiss]

pelican town, ‘72

[saydesole]

You deserve a beautiful love story

[vaguely-concerned]

To the ‘themes I am picking up on in Veilguard’ list, let's go ahead and add what I have a sneaking suspicion will actually turn out to be The theme:

— the world has changed and can never be as it was again.

— I have been changed and can never be who I was again.

— in this simple unavoidable truth there is endless grief and endless hope.

And I… may be getting a bit emotional about it haha. Let me show my work a bit: 

if da:o is a game about people who are already dead or half ghosts in some form (through societal forces, psychologically, functionally, literally, in body, through the joining etc.) coming together anyway to save the world from being swallowed by total nihilism and despair (symbolized by the blight) through the power of love and friendship and also this sword/potential heroic sacrifice that I found, da2 is a game about people who have lost their homes and been set adrift finding and building new homes in each other (while completely failing to save the world. also through the power of love and friendship. as well as years of petty bickering <3 we must imagine kirkwall if not happy then worth having been because the love was there the love was there and that's the only sanctifying force we can ever have in this doomed world and city of ours), and da:i is a game about old stabilizing-but-unjust comfortable lies vs. disruptive but potentially liberating uncomfortable truths, and the power of friendship to help us distinguish the one from the other and navigate through them...

folks… I'm starting to think that veilguard might be a game specifically about moving towards recovery and acceptance after trauma — about how even in this flawed, severed, scarred state, what is here right now is worth loving and worth caring for. even in an imperfect and impermanent world and self, there is worth and joy. and of course the first real tragedy — and threat — of Solas is that he just cannot find it in himself to accept this and move on, to let go of what was, the regret won’t let him go or he won’t let go of it. which means that even though on the surface it’s Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain (and the will to subjugate and violate they represent) who are the main villains, the real antagonistic force in this story beneath that is the Dread Wolf’s despair. A despair Rook must make an answer to by the end of the game, one way or another, compassionately or with righteous fury, triumphant or pyrrhic.

The world will change again and again and so will you — BUT the crucial element is that so will everyone else who exists along with you, you are fundamentally not alone in this existential truth. all we’ll ever have is each other and my god that is plenty, my god that is enough!!! Which is the second thing Solas just can’t accept, he keeps himself separate and completely alone out of an awful mix of fear and pride and feeling himself unworthy of anything else. Rook and the player want to save the world of Thedas because it’s where everyone we love lives, Solas wants to go back to the past because that’s the only neighbourhood where he can still visit those he loved — and the person he himself was, before. A very sympathetic and human instinct/trap to fall into when touched by trauma, I think, if only it wasn’t backed by godlike power, a fundamentally oppositional personality, and a catastrophic lack of therapy to make it literally everyone else’s problem too lol. It’s varric and solas’ banter about the man on the island and where meaning in a life comes from all over again, writ large and with detail work — and the added idea of ‘what if there are also other islands out there, though. With other people on them that you could find if you reach for each other’. Rook with the best of intentions has to make choices to which there are no perfect outcomes and live with what happens — and not cut themselves off from everyone else around them even when there is regret or shame. You get back up every day and you make a life with other people doing the same and you do your best, and that’s the only victory this world will give you. In the end, that is more than enough, that is essential. And I um. I love that. So much. It’s why some of the writing clumsiness on top can’t hurt me because this thematic spine is so solid and so beautiful to me. It’s DA2 all over again that way for me personally — I forgive this story for what it isn’t and couldn’t be, and I love it with my whole stupid open heart for what it actually is. Thank you for coming to my TED-talk and goodbye etc.      

(For my fellow TLT heads out there — you know what this story is reminding me of most of all, actually? It has some big Nona the Ninth vibes down there in the deep. It’s about… the horror and unspeakable beauty that can only be found in liminality, and the role of love in making that basic fact of existence bearable. And also even more unbearable at the same time. I'm so sorry.)

[limonnitsa]

MUDBLOOD

[serpentsillusion]

Happy Halloween friends!

⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧•✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧•✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄

I work for a surgeon and I didn't give a single heck today at my office. I dressed up as my Jess. This is my first cosplay ever! 💚✨🐍✨💚

[ageless-soul-au]

Introducing: Hatsune Miku, ASAU version!!

Odyssey is her biggest fan and he's being so normal talking to her!! Aren't you proud??? He's never been more excited to be the hero, because he gets to show up to a gala and Miku is just THERE. Free concert! (He should probably stop showing off though...)

Characters are from ASAU, please don't tag any other AUs!

Miku has been making music since she was a kid and wants to share it with the world! She's pretty famous, but being asked to play at an official event for another country is still an honor! (Not that she doesn't travel and perform across the continent anyway)

But what is she actually doing here? Well....

She's a sword spirit! She was the one and only replica prototype with a soul. The Sheikah researchers that made her never attempted it again. Did their funding get cut? Did they just call it quits because they realized playing god might not be worth it? Who knows! Regardless, the program ended and Miku escaped with someone's help.

This reference sheet is only current Miku, not how she looked when she was first created. We might draw that eventually, though!

After escaping and hiding her blade inside herself (I wonder where she learned that?), Miku changed her form to a child's to reflect her mentality and wandered into a Sheikah settlement, hoping someone would take her in. It worked! She grew up like a human and blended into society, no one the wiser.

How will the chain meet her and find out her secret? Wait and see!

[gracelesstars]

"Back when you first came into my life, I recalled a place that I knew as a child A special place One that I held close to my heart Won’t you lead me in a dance down this winding road where light and shadow entwine to take hold of the thoughts of the one left far behind? Know that, sometimes, I want to turn around and see the things that I’ve passed on the journey, but know with love on my side, with courage and pride, I’ll fight I will carry on"

R.I.P. Akira Toriyama

[justkillingthyme]

Happy Flora Friday!

Living in the shadow of someone you never knew.

[faelingdraws]

what’s in a name?

[ryllen]

Please don't crucified me if this headcanon is deemed unrealistic in real life. (´；ω；`) More notes / detailed notes:

stayed & travelled with the Figs for awhile -- after being found, before finally dropped of to an institution, as the Figs think their travelling life style is not really suitable to raise a child

quickly picked up civilization as he is an intelligent child (that's why he is a ravenclaw)

exchanged letters with the travelling Figs during his time at the institution / orphanage

was a really helpful child during his time at the institution / orphanage that he is close with the staff

he thinks of befriending people is a way of learning & by helping them he gets to experience a lot of different things

a mellow temperament child in general (just like how it is ingame)

likes exploring (bcs damn! we really going places in that game)

picked the silly 'Alex Xander' name himself, maybe he heard a mother called her child with that name once and he is obsessed with that name ever since.

he always writes Xander as his 'family name' to show that he is complete even without a family

actually a bit older than his classmates, as he went through extra few years to catch up to civilization as a feral child

blank template [x]

#anyhow i really love our barn owl; she's so beautiful but with a face like biscuit

[mxtxfanatic]

Jin Guangyao and Jiang Cheng may not have taught Jin Ling to hate his parents, but they did teach him that loving his parents is intrinsically tied to hating everyone else, so was that really any better?

[liliaceaae]

Convinced my mom to start watching Naruto last night and I was nearly in tears by the outro one episode in

[goldensunset]

the gravity falls renaissance is messing with my head because i keep seeing the same level of dramatic artwork of middle aged/old men on my dash in a very particular style akin to the way people post about like. superwholock. like it’s that kind of vibe. but this is for the disney cartoon i grew up with. the first episode features a gnome barfing rainbows

[ps-cactus]

[duusheen]

some advice from mom and dad 😉