#Rosohna

[critrolepolls]

Note: the poll only allows for 12 options so this only has cities that are currently populated, reside on/in Exandria, and exist on the prime material plane. I'll do a separate poll for major cities outside of that criteria later, though!

[Please consider reblogging to help increase sample size! 🗳🐦‍⬛]

[idiosyncreant]

SHADOWHAND - 560 yards Sport Art Yarn

Again, images not taken at the witching hour so this is desaturated from full glory but it's a yarn I've been working on for a while!

Doing a Xhorhas/Rosohna yarn has been on my list for a while. The angle of the twist and the way the darker gray is coming across brighter above hides that two of the four skeins have a lot of black/dark gray in them.

The dark gray is carbonized bamboo so unlike the bamboo rayon "silk" that is the sheen of teal in there, it's a matte fiber with a heavier drape.

The skeins are: Xhorhas, Dunamancy, Bright Queen, and Luxon (described in detail on the yarn page). Each have different proportions of light to dark, but the contrast strand only changes occasionally so there's no sudden jump in tone. Like the namesake, despite being tightly color-coordinated, this yarn has a lot of hidden depths.

I build my yarns by creating small batts with hand cards that I sort into a palette and progression. When the two strands come together in a yarn like this there are surprises but one of the things I love about working with just a few colors in different proportions is how much a tiny shade added impacts the color along the way.

This is a fine yarn that I think would pool in an interesting way if worked narrow, but have more gradual gradient in longer rows. One of my favorite ever customer projects used a yarn like this as an inset block in a solid color, which fascinated me!

Originally this post was gonna link to my shop with a Tumblr discount but we had a fire in our basement and I don’t know if any of my yarn is fit for sale anymore 😭 thus the ephemeral nature of beauty etc

[ludinusdaleth]

on todays cr bear agenda but also genuine headcanons. we know that elves can be hairy & fat in a few instances in exandria. so my idea is:

uthodurnian elves are known far and wide for being hairy like their dwarven neighbors but also as stocky as them too. even those without any dwarf blood in them tend to eat a lot more, especially carbs, and ignore the poshness that just doesnt work in uthodurn. it's not unheard of for elves to be deeply, bara-like muscular & fat there. king imathan, grace of molaesmyr, among them, with a bit of scruff and a body that will never know the trial of running from home again.

while they arent as known for it, drow of the kryn dynasty just dont care what other elven cultures may think about them, and jewelry is braided through their beards, and the most handsome & beautiful of their houses are often seen with soft frames. almost any elf with testosterone stationed out in areas like bazzoxan or asarius is lumberjack-like in fur growth, often encouraged & peer pressured & celebrated for it all at once by beastfolk friends.

in general elves are becoming less conservative about their appearances in exandria these days, syngorn holding onto a hairless thin ideal the most but still beginning to break down - in large part due to globalization but also artagans lodge and the feygrove. young elves find a sort of rebellion in learning about the fae, who snicker at how uptight syngornian elves are - they value being so close to fae in heritage and yet every fae looks utterly unique! the feygrove encourages indulgence and self love and more and more syngorn elves find themselves with a belly and attempts to grow facial & body hair whenever possible even admist harsh glares.

[exandriacityshowdown]

Final Round

Nicodranas, Wildemount: Nicodranas is a bustling port city on the Menagerie Coast. It is the hometown of The Mighty Nein's Jester Lavorre, and the party visited multiple times. C2 NPC Yussa Erennis lives here.

image is official art by adragonswinging, from explorer's guide to wildemount

Zephrah, Tal'Dorei: Zephrah is the home of the Air Ashari. It is situated in western Tal’Dorei. It is the hometown of Keyleth of Vox Machina, and Orym of Bells Hells. Both parties have spent time there during their adventures.

image from tal'dorei campaign setting reborn / link

Rosohna, Wildemount: Rosohna is the capital of the Kryn Dynasty in Xhorhas. Due in part to the sunlight sensitivity of its majority-drow population, the city’s mages maintain a blanket of eternal night in the sky above the city. This magical effect is seen as a hallmark of the Kryn Dynasty, especially as it is also cast at contentious points along the Dwendalian border to reduce the disadvantage to drow soldiers fighting during the day. Rosohna is built on the ruins of the calamity-era city Ghor Dranas, the capital of the betrayer gods’ alliance during this conflict. Sometimes Rosohna is still erroneously called Ghor Dranas, especially by political opponents of the Dynasty. Rosohna is the centre of the Dynasty’s secret religion worshiping the Luxon.

image from the postcard merch by pretty useful co

[strwpup]

god guys. I've been so obsessed with the way titmouse has built and colored and shaded places i never really knew about or had stock in but guys. the team that brought us motherfucking whitestone and vasselheim bringing us ZADASH??? REXXENTRUM???

ROSOHNA????? MOTHERFUCKING ROSOHNA????? i will not apologize for the person i become when we get titmouse's rosohna. you KNOW they are going to go apeshit with the lighting there. the lucid bastion???? the THRONE ROOM (leylas kryn animated incident every single person injured and dead because she's too fucking beautiful)????? essek's lab and tower 🥺🥺🥺 the markets 🥺🥺🥺 the marble tomes 🥺🥺🥺 THE XHORHAUS???????

like if they are having so much fun with vasselheim i cannot WAIT until we get their take on this city of perpetually night, half underground mushroom caverns, all lit by green magelight, the tree in the xhorhaus glimmering on the skyline like i KNOW i will be sobbing

[blackmosscupcakes]

Is Rosohna's perpetual darkness still working or are they all out there in the daylight? Are the beacons still working the same or affected like other divine magic? Are consecuted rebirths paused like other forms of resurrection?

no one:

absolutely fucking no one:

my brain, at 4am: what is the kryn dynasty up to in this trying time (perpetual moon solstice). have they noticed a sudden lack of activity from the children of malice if even asmodeus considers this a moment of truce and change in priorities. is bazzoxan a hotspot of demonic activity like the grey valley, or the opposite. how aggressive are their prejudices against ruidusborn on a cultural level, given ruidus's historical association with the betrayer gods. given the beacons' demonstrated capacity to negate long-standing generational curses, would being born within range of one prevent ruidusborn from growing up as exaltants altogether. is the luxon awake and sending anyone visions like the pantheon. does leylas see this as superceding the dynasty's missionary efforts, or have those efforts been doubled to take advantage of the chaos. are dunamantic researchers able to register a significant change in activity from the malleus key. where is verin thelyss.

[shrugsinchinese]

Xhorhas…

[hemisphaericas]

alone

[spottedenchants]

WIP Wednesday

Still been chipping away at the first time fic and just got over a big hurdle in chapter 3, so here's a fun chunk from chapter 1 :D

enjoy! :3

--

Essek hums, satisfied, as he rights Caleb’s shirt collar to its position a mere minute ago and returns to scratching fingertips along Caleb’s jaw, through the hair that has grown in well enough to darken the cut of it quite noticeably. Already a beard in appearance after only a few short days, it isn’t yet particularly soft.

But the sh-skritch of it…. Certainly an entertaining sound.

Sh-skritch sh-skritch.

Caleb, still seated lax, his hands folded polite in his lap while he performs his part as the subject of Essek’s study, leans his jaw into Essek’s hand.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m beginning to better understand the extent of your grooming habits while you were in Rosohna.”

“How is that?”

Essek holds Caleb by the chin and angles his head leftward with care.

“I thought it was a pretty quick shift, from your initial, mm…”

Right, left. Hm. What to call that mess.

Down, and up- ah, notable delineation under the chin here, but a fade here on either side…. The hair spreads farther down his throat than Essek recalls. Caleb must usually keep these portions trimmed.

A combination, then.

“Ensemble, to the style you kept.”

Side and side, a tad bit longer between cheek hollow and ear, less stiff than the rest along his jawline as well. Does length play such a significant role? Though, perhaps here it is also a result of the reach of his conditioner during baths.

Essek scratches a detour through the coarser bits again.

“Have you made use of any oils?”

Sh-skritch.

Wasn’t it Fjord who made a mention of that? Essek briefly considers along the lines of plain logic, but can’t presently dredge up the memory.

Sh-skritch sh-skritch.

“Too rough for you?”

Caleb lets out a little laugh, which Essek easily requites.

“Mere curiosity.”

He can handle Caleb’s prickles pretty well.

He continues his sh-skritching now under Caleb’s chin and Caleb juts his jaw like a happy kitty.

“It’s been a fair while since I have grown it out so much.”

Blatant dodge. Considering Caleb’s original maintenance plan of a continually smooth face paired with the spontaneity of this research, that’s likely a no, then. Though- the tower can easily provide any manner of conditioners, oils, softeners, the like.

But anyway, back on track.

“If your facial hair grows in this fast, it was certainly frequent upkeep to maintain it gone as well.”

Essek turns Caleb front and center, runs a thumb down his chin- hm. Thick as the hair here now is, even his little dimple is only there in memory.

“Quite a deliberate attempt at camouflage, wasn’t it?”

He meets Caleb’s eyes.

“A presentation of conformity, and yet one of intimidating pride and distinction.”

Blue eyes crinkled bright, Caleb gives him half a grin.

“Takes one to know one.”

Essek mirrors the smirk.

“Perhaps.”

“You didn’t think this then?”

“I didn’t know what to think. You all are…”

Idly toying with the fastening buttons keeping down Caleb’s collar, Essek exhales in a slow stream.

He hated them all as much as he feared them, which is to say, with every fiber of his being. Strange, wild, unpredictable lot.

Ah.

“Eccentric.”

Caleb bumps a chuckle, mouth curling quite prettily.

“I suppose, though I would have hoped my own styling put me in better graces, maybe appearing respectful to the locale- those watching.”

Those watching, hm.

Raising his gaze to meet Caleb’s again, Essek inclines his own head.

“Did you have specfic targets in mind, Caleb?”

Caleb shrugs, his face too nonchalant for the dip in his voice.

“The closest eyes, at least.”

“Well….”

Essek gives an equally smooth lean.

He deposits a kiss upon the apple of Caleb’s cheek and darts back with a full grin.

“Despite your best efforts, I at least ended up liking you.”

“I will, in that case, consider my failure a success.”

[ariadne-mouse]

Oh man if Essek makes an appearance in the liveshow they're going to have to pause for a few minutes due to all the screaming 😂

[yikes-ajax]

I don't care if we've never seen Verin, this concept of a man would 100% steal Essek's people's silverware and bury them in his their backyards if let anywhere near a kitchen.

[balleater]

vasselheim, my beloved, i've missed you

[blackmosscupcakes]

Is there ever an indication in Campaign 2 that your average citizen of Rosohna knows about the beacon theft before the war breaks out (or even after)? Obviously there's tension between the dynasty and empire, but I can't remember if it's ever stated outright whether the Bright Queen is open with her citizens about why there's enmity or whether she's keeping that weakness on lockdown from the everyday people.

[exandriacityshowdown]

Round 4 Poll 5

Rosohna, Wildemount: Rosohna is the capital of the Kryn Dynasty in Xhorhas. Due in part to the sunlight sensitivity of its majority-drow population, the city’s mages maintain a blanket of eternal night in the sky above the city. This magical effect is seen as a hallmark of the Kryn Dynasty, especially as it is also cast at contentious points along the Dwendalian border to reduce the disadvantage to drow soldiers fighting during the day. Rosohna is built on the ruins of the calamity-era city Ghor Dranas, the capital of the betrayer gods’ alliance during this conflict. Sometimes Rosohna is still erroneously called Ghor Dranas, especially by political opponents of the Dynasty. Rosohna is the centre of the Dynasty’s secret religion worshiping the Luxon.

image from the postcard merch by pretty useful co

Aeor: Aeor was a pre-calamity flying city known for its anti-god sentiments and military aggression. It was destroyed in the war, and its ruins landed scattered on the inhospitable islands of Eiselcross. The Mighty Nein explored the ruins extensively during the Weird Magic arc towards the end of their story. In recent years, artifacts dug out of the ruins have been traded around Exandria, including sentient automatons Devexian, FRIDA, and Fresh Cut Grass of Bells Hells. 

image is from the postcard merch by pretty useful co

[strwpup]

okay so i missed the first half of this episode but I'm so 😬 about this mass dispel

first of all, is the darkness over rosohna gone?

did the average person assume it's an impromptu day of light? did they go about their day in supplication, having some holy experience?

if the luxon isn't a god, did no one feel it pull away? with the children of malice fucking with the divine gate and lolth shit happening on another continent, did the dynasty as a whole even know anything was wrong for the first like 30 hours? what were they thinking when they realized on the second morning that the darkness hadn't returned?

[aeoris4lovers]

i know bazzoxan is supposed to be a place that most people fled because of the demons, but personally, i choose to imagine that it's still way more populated than it should be because its residents are equal parts infuriatingly stubborn and batshit fucking insane. just think about it:

people from elsewhere in xhorhas having the same visceral reaction to headlines about bazzoxan residents that we have to the words "florida man," and dynasty parents threatening to send their kids to bazzoxan when they misbehave.

locals telling visitors dropbear-style stories about the demons they might encounter (which absolutely do not actually exist) just to freak them out, because why deny the rumors that the town is constantly overrun with demons when they could have fun with leaning into it instead?

religious leaders and worshipers who openly give placatory offerings to betrayer gods and demon lords alongside the luxon and other gods/beings without persecution or even judgment, because no one's going to argue over the philosophy of it when the utility is so clear.

on that note, a general tolerance for religious deviations that most members of the dynasty would call heresy and mock or punish, because being so far from the seat of the theocracy and so deeply embroiled in a conflict that no amount of faith will solve makes it difficult to care much about how others choose (or refuse) to worship.

an abundance of abyssal tiefling children and low-level warlocks in pacts with demons, because in a place where demonic presence is so concentrated near where people are living, of course more of those people will be touched by it.

teenagers sneaking past the guards and into betrayer's rise to drink or smoke or make out or stay the night on a dare or leave graffiti or haze a newcomer to their group or just try to fuck with the demons the way kids at a sleepover might play with a ouija board.

wild conspiracy theories circulating about what's really down in betrayer's rise and what caused it, from "the demons aren't real at all" to "they were intentionally unleashed by a spy posing as one of the original miners to sabotage the town" to "the empire planted them to use up military resources".

extreme circumstances leading to more extremist sentiments weaving through the town – survivalists who insist on preparing for a catastrophic incursion exponentially more deadly than even the worst so far and zealots who claim that one such grand incursion will kickstart an apocalypse of calamity-level proportions, secessionists who insist the town should leave the dynasty entirely and insurrectionists who encourage more drastic action against a political hierarchy that they feel has failed to properly address the gravity of the town's situation.

legends and ghost stories about what happens to people who go down into the tunnels – how they might be trapped or transformed by it, or what the demons might use them for – that are used to scare children into not running off alone or told around fires just for the thrill of the fear.

numerous research outposts from knowledge-seeking groups across exandria, most with research groups at least a dozen scholars strong living there year-round to do their work, and at least one relatively high-level wizard there to study the abyssal magic out of personal interest, all of whom are given protection on their trips into the tunnels in return for presenting their findings (and any solutions those findings reveal) to the military.

tons of drow who finally figured out sunscreen and sunglasses and other sun protection, because everyone knows none of the rich wizard fucks in rosohna are going to bother giving them the safety of constant darkness and the town's own mages have far bigger things to spend their arcane reserves on than the sun.

a general sense of casual disinterest and disregard for the brewing war and the politics of dynasty vs empire in general because they live on the defensive side of a very different fight, which is far more real and urgent than a bunch of powerful people's bickering as far as they're concerned.

streets decorated and full of music and laughter on festival days, with all the games and food and other pleasures you would expect anywhere else, including on festival days that only they celebrate, like the anniversaries of famous victories against the demons or improvised events thrown together with the sole purpose of lifting the townspeople’s spirits in harder times.

cuisine specific to the town, known for unique features like its much heavier incorporation of sun-grown crops than most kryn food and its utilization of enough spices to make even demon flesh taste good (a feat that many people living elsewhere would think is impossible, but when you have more access to abyssal corpses than livestock, you learn to make it work).

despite its lack of a true inn (because frankly, very few people ever think to visit), the town having a variety of places to eat and drink and shop and relax and be entertained, because no one needs leisure more than people who live their entire lives on the brink of very immediate mortal peril.

logically, of course it would make sense for people to flee when they realized how dangerous bazzoxan truly is, but are people ever really logical when it comes to their home? how many would truly be willing to leave after devoting themselves to building something there, and how many would insist on staying and adapting and eventually outlasting the demonic presence there?

canon bazzoxan may be a village populated largely by a skeleton crew of military personnel and the people who keep them alive, but the bazzoxan in my heart is a fully populated and improbably lively town full of people with the balls of steel required to live in an abyssal hot spot for the rest of their lives.