#Tales of Valor

[thenwothm]

OATHBRINGER (SERBIA) UNVEIL THEIR NEXT "TALES OF VALOR" ALBUM COVER

Serbian metal powerhouse OATHBRINGER, revealed the cover artwork of their sophomore album earlier this week, attracting the attention of the headbanger community in the Balkans and beyond. Part of a legendary trilogy, “Tales of Valor” is targeted to be released in January 2024. Setting a landmark with their debut release “Tales of Glory in the summer of 2022, the band made quite a name touring…

[littlezorrillo]

A curse for true love

[tojosuggestionbox]

How informative and helpful.

Inappropriate. This is not the sort of suggestion that belongs in the suggestion box.

...

Please take the suggestion box seriously. This is not a place to put jokes or fun facts. I will also add, anything that can be handled personally or on a family level should be done there first before taking it to Tojo HQ.

You can tell Majima-san yourself. As for the Chairman, he is too busy to be bothered with such nonsense.

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Knightly Valor by Matteo Bassini

[ellemany]

The Tale of the Stars and the Ocean

Historically, ancient civilizations used myths and tales to explain everyday phenomenons and develop moral lessons. For example, Brazilian folklore presents a beautiful tale about the origin of the plant “Victoria Amazonica” and the Greek tragedy of Icarus is a warning about the limits of knowledge. In addition, tales serve to express human actions and emotions, such as Chang-e's loneliness on the moon (probably caused by her own curiosity or selfishness).

 The tale of the Stars and the Ocean, developed by an ancient and forgotten Indian civilization, supposedly links the incidence of floods with meteor showers, seeking to explain the two phenomenons. 

 But, it's also a love tragedy, about two lovers who couldn't consummate their love.

Available in Wattpad in Portuguese

Available in Ao3

The Tale

 “Suddenly you’re ripped into being alive. And life is pain, and life is suffering, and life is horror, but my God you’re alive and it’s spectacular.”

— Joseph Campbell, Ep. 4: Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth -- 'Sacrifice and Bliss' 

Recommended Song: Venus - Sleeping at Last

 A long time ago, the Old Gods created the world and everything in it. They shaped the mountains and filled the seas. They painted the skies and drew the forests. They developed surprises under and over the Earth, which only those similar to them could witness. They created multiple creatures, from the tiny ones like grains of sand to the huge ones that were able to reach the Stars.

 The Old Gods developed everything with the same affection, but they had a special fondness for bipedal beings. These were especially fragile, rather clumsy, but their potential promised to be exorbitant. After all, they were created in their likeness. It was to be expected that such beings could develop complex organizations and magnificent constructions. They had large kingdoms and small villages. They had majestic queens and ambitious emperors. They were either very rational or extremely irrational. As smart as dumb.

 Humans were an exceptional species. The Old Gods gave them the privilege of life and the humans took it and wasted it. The Old Gods gave humans the gift of love, and humans cultivated and misrepresented it. They created music, built temples and also declared the most brutal wars because of this gift.

 Indeed, human beings were fascinating.

 So much so that its tiny existence was desired by the gods.

 How was it supposed to be so fragile? Asked Earth.

 How should it be so limited? Wandered the Ocean.

 How is it supposed to be so slow? Questioned the Wind.

 The murmurings among the gods began and to this day no one knows who started them. All that is known is that the gods wanted to become human. And they made it their leader's problem.

 The leader claimed that he could not allow this insanity. Who would take care of the day and the night? Who would be shaping the seasons? The balance of the universe depended on the management of the gods.

 So they bargained.

 They were immeasurable and their forms were incomprehensible to human beings. They could leave parts of themselves to watch over the worlds. That small part, which barely made any difference to his celestial existence, could take on the form of a human.

 The leader, giving up trying to convince his fellows, cut off a small piece of each one of them and placed them on the ground. He trapped a tiny infinity in a limited body. The gods were mounted on bones, flesh and skin, made from the water of the Ocean and the dust of the Stars. They would live and feel as those beings did.

 The leader wasted no time in warning his crazy relatives; although they still possessed their heavenly powers, they could only stay in this pathetic form for 30 days.

 The human body was strange. It was too cold for the Summer and too hot for the Winter. Their eyes saw too clearly for Night and too dark for Day. Their appearance was too ugly for the Moon and too impotent for the Sun. Being human was a thing too small for the Stars and the Ocean.

 It was like being smaller than they were.

 Being human was the most thrilling feeling the gods had in eons.

 Fire discovered what it was like to breathe without being afraid of ending. The Wind learned to walk and to feel the grass under its feet. That unique experience represented a novelty that would mark the gods for the rest of their existences.

 The Stars have always seen from afar the planet populated by the race that interested their fellows so much. Their curiosity about humans intrigued them.

 When they became human like the others, they could see with their mortal eyes the colossal size that represented them. They understood then how those tiny beings could worship them. For someone who has always seen the infinite, having the perspective of the limited was fascinating. And what caught their attention the most was something as immense as they in human eyes.

 The Ocean, used to being the biggest part of that planet, took relief in being just a fraction. From something spectacular, he settled for the simple. Having legs to go where he wanted was better than being everywhere. Having hands to fetch something was more interesting than having everything at his disposal. And when he found the Stars, he realized how insignificant he was, both as an Ocean-god and as a human.

 They met at twilight, where Day and Night met. When the Moon, Ocean's old friend, came to greet him and the Sun, one of the many children of the Stars, could catch a glimpse of them. They bumped into each other because of the Stars' fascination with a gold nugget. They found it splendid that something so tiny could reflect such great beauty, even if incomparable to their own. With their human hands, they held the nugget carefully, admiring it as if it were the most spectacular phenomenon in the universe.

 The Ocean, which was accompanying the Day until its long-awaited meeting with the Night, for the first time was completely static when contemplating the Stars. He identified the stellar companion quickly. However, what he felt in that mortal body was different. He had already seen the most eccentric phenomenas that the earth experience could offer. He attended picturesque beginnings and glorious endings. However, with everything he had already experienced, he was entranced by goddesses in the body of a human. The Ocean thought that nothing could compare to the sublime beauty of the Stars, encapsulated in a mortal body that tried hard to achieve their primacy.

 Even accustomed to being gazed at for hours and hours, the Stars felt that singular gaze upon them. The moment they took their eyes off the small rock and rested them on the Ocean, they lost their breath. The feeling of emptiness should be common; they lived in the void of space after all. But that human body was cunning in ways they didn't know. Their heart pounded, breathing stopped, pupils dilated. They always found the Ocean small compared to them, unworthy of attention. They couldn't lie that they were sometimes jealous of the adoration the humans gave him too. But there, seeing him as a god in a mortal body, they could understand why the veneration existed.

 The Day noticed the looks between the two and knew perfectly well that they would lose their walking companion. They encouraged the Ocean to talk with them and left for close to the Night, eager to tell about the encounter between the Stars and the Ocean.

 The Ocean approached slowly and articulated the words. His human voice was like the gentle crash of waves on the shore, calm yet assertive, unmistakable. The Stars responded as they could. If the universe had a song, it was their voice, which rang in the mind even after they had finished speaking.

 They didn't have many conversational skills. The rudimentary language of humans was incapable of show everything that they, in their magnitude, needed to express.

 However, with each phrase, word and syllable uttered by the other, the more they wanted to hear. Their conversation became a melody, one that even the most genius composer could not create. It was original, unique in every way. From the way the Ocean spoke or the words the Stars liked to use the most. They were the inspiration of the most beautiful poetry, artists lived for them. But it was there, in a mortal body and in the middle of an usual conversation to anyone's eyes, that they understood why humans created art. Speech alone was incapable of expressing everything they were feeling at that moment.

 In their celestial forms, both the Stars and the Ocean had boundaries, even if they were huge. They were content with their immensity. It was all they needed.

 But it was talking to each other that for the first time they wanted to overflow.

 And their fullness was only abundant if it was filled by the other.

 They talked until dawn. And when this one came, they continued talking until the twilight. Their skins burned, their stomachs rumbled and their eyes felt heavy. But no human need was as urgent as their yearning for each other. It seemed that the millennia in which they lived until that moment were in vain. Everything they needed was right there, in front of each other. Gods encapsulated in mortal bodies feeling something they've never felt in their entire existence. And the most phenomenal thing was that the feeling was mutual.

 Indeed, were it not for the intervention of the Sun and the Moon, they would only move away from each other if their mortal bodies perish. Since they had to attend to their bodies' basic needs, they ate eagerly and forced themselves to sleep.

  For the first time, Ocean and Stars dreamed. They dreamed about touches, about words, about laughter and fun. They dreamed about what humans like to dream. And when they woke up, they knew the reasons why those little beings got up.

 They searched for each other like a human searches for water in the desert. They felt something new in their chest, an urgency that could only be quenched by a glimpse of the one who had so loved them. When he saw the Stars that day, the Ocean's chest expanded in a way he never thought could happen. And they, used to being sovereign, found themselves with wobbly legs.

 That day, when they touched each other, they understood human physiology. Why the spaces between the hands exist: they were supposed to be filled with someone else's. The Stars had thin, long fingers, agile and elegant, while the Ocean had large, strong hands. But even with that disparity, the fit seemed perfect. Whoever designed those bodies must have created each to complement the other.

 And how they connected! In physical and immaterial aspects. They discovered that they needed a daily dose of each other, in order to quench that new feeling that arose in their human chest. Soon they who never needed anything, always had everything they wanted, yearned for more and more of each other. And when they touched, oh, it was a singular sensation. The Stars aligned in the Ocean's embrace. He, who was always ready to swallow anything that challenged his limits, for the first time in his existence was involved instead of enveloping.

 The Ocean, wanting her to know him as no explorer could, revealed to her the secrets he hid within. And they, fascinated by the wonders he kept under the beautiful surface, explained that the mysteries that supposedly governed the universe were not as complicated as they thought. They shared their worlds, so enchanting in their own way. And they knew that world in which they chose to step together. They felt the cold of the mountains and the heat of the desert. They ate all the delicacies they could and danced to the most diverse rhythms. They learned to laugh and sometimes even to cry. They could go wherever they wanted, whenever it pleased them. Nothing could stop them from living and experiencing their great passion.

   They had thirty days of full freedom by human standards; and they would never want to spend them in any other place than being attached to each other. Eternity seemed like a blessing if they could spend it like that every day until the end of time. With their hearts beating in sync and their existences joined as one.

 However, for mortal bodies, time always has an end.

 The end is a strange concept.

 In one day, they were together.

 In the other, they weren't.

 The Stars had to return to the sky and the Ocean returned to his water form. The Wind stopped using their legs to run and the Fire returned to consume.

 It wasn't a surprise. It was the deal after all. They only had thirty days as humans.

 But... It hurt.

 It hurt in a way the Stars and Ocean didn't know could hurt. They didn't expect their human end to be so impactful. How could the Stars shine without the Ocean's touch? How could the Ocean be beautiful if it weren't for the Stars to enjoy?

 For gods who only knew power, they tended to... Wither.

 The Stars, desperate to reach their lover, tried to detach themselves from the sky and, like rain, return to the Ocean's embrace. Their goal was never reached. They turned into pieces of stardust, wandering through space without ever touching the love of their existence. The attempt was in vain for them, which went out when they could no longer fall.

 And the Ocean was forced to watch the one he loved corrode into space dust for a period that no one who has tasted the flavor of time would have been able to endure.

 He cried. He cried so much that he flooded the world. He fell apart in such a way that everyone knew his pain.

 It wasn't fair! How unfair it all was!

 The Wind still danced with the Fire. Night and Day met in every dusk and in every dawn. The Sun and the Moon could kiss during an eclipse.

 But the Stars... How could the Stars reach their beloved Ocean to ease their pain?

 They were too powerful for humans, but they were powerless over their love.

 Love, as a divine feeling, is a blessing for humans.

 But to gods, felt as a deadly emotion, it's a curse.

 Ocean's curse was to spend eons watching every little part of the one he loved come to an end. Often, his pain washed over the Earth in floods and tsunamis so devastating they could only create more heartbreaks.

 And the curse of the Stars was that they was so far from the Ocean that all that was left for they was to try desperately to fall from the sky in order to touch him, offering a heavenly spectacle to any other spectator who was unaware of their pain.

 Thirty days of infinite happiness were capable of transforming an eternity of apathy into complete suffering.

 As the Stars slowly faded away, they wondered if never having loved was worth it. The Ocean, in his weakness, questioned whether it was better to cease to exist and never have to suffer again.

 And, to their deep anguish, they remained who they were, but eternally marked by each other.

 The Ocean still inspired poets and was the stage for the most courageous acts of love.

 And the Stars continued to shine for the most diverse lovers.

 Together, they were the guides and the passions of adventurers who, like them once, wanted to experience everything that planet had to offer.

 It was a cruel fate for someone who was condemned to love.

>>> The Lost Scripts

[chifar]

На самом деле я пошла играть в Валорант только по причине, что Чембер показался мне похожим из-за дизайна на Риза

[fakemonlanzeliaregion]

WELCOME TO THE LANZELIA REGION

The Lanzelia Region is well known across the world of Pokémon for its rich history, eccentric natives and mysterious Pokémon. With a past of arts and tales of yore, and a future of amazing technologies and devices, Lanzelia has much to offer for a young trainer looking to make it big.

Introducing POKÉMON SCORN AND POKÉMON VALOR

More info soon...

Hey peeps, Marina here. Check out my main blog if you don't know me (https://www.tumblr.com/marina-the-witch). This is a project I've been working on for a while now and that I feel is now finally nearing a state in which I can share it with the world. So far I only have these logos to offer, and as I'll have my finals relatively soon, progress will be slow at first, but I'll do my best to keep you updated.

For a little bit more info on the region, Lanzelia is heavily based on my home country, Germany, with a bit of inspiration from neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands or Austria, as well as a softer theme of folklore and fairy tales. Like Galar, I tried to make every Pokémon at least somewhat related to Germany, even if it's over 3 corners and some obscure history. But that's for another date. For now, stay tuned for more Lanzelia content and enjoy this little sneak peek:

[evilhorse]

Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes #325

[infernal-general]

ღ Valentino~

@cold-inferno

Attraction meme

Romantic attraction: none | very low | low | medium | high | very high | extreme

Sexual attraction: none | very low | low | medium | high | very high | extreme | confidential.

Aesthetic attraction: none | very low | low | medium | high | very high | extreme

Sensual attraction: none | very low | low | medium | high | very high | extreme

Romantic attraction: none | very low | low | medium | high | very high | extreme

Sexual attraction: none | very low | low | medium | high | very high | extreme

Aesthetic attraction: none | very low | low | medium | high | very high | extreme

Sensual attraction: none | very low | low | medium | high | very high | extreme

[akumamana]

Teiran Reference Sheet

Commission Info | Instagram | DeviantArt

Likes & Reblog are greatly appreciated!✨

[lunarstreams]

Commission Info | Instagram | DeviantArt

Likes & Reblogs are greatly appreciated! Ty!💚

____________________________________

Undertale related. Resuming progress on my Valor!Tale comic.

[wieldedhonor]

/ MAN- there is so much weight on the thirteen seals, it's not just a matter of -who- Arthur is facing and how these should (mostly) apply to whoever he is fighting against, but it's also such a heavy task for arthur himself; like, till how long can he hold onto his values before they backfire on his emotional well being? How much can he keep accepting? How much of his humanity can he keep? Because sure, he's grown to learn to sacrifice almost all of himself but at the end of the day, he hasn't reached a perfectly mechanical nature as Arthur's heart is still human at the end of the day (and heck we get to see this in his legends) so in conclusion, it's like, till how long would he be able to hold onto his ideals of goodness and evil, and till how long could he keep himself detached from his own (not his Knight's) emotions and follow the values of the seals and his knights?

[chrisx-212]

Top 15 Video Game Crushes

Happy Valentine's Day! Here's 15 Video Game Female Characters who happen to be my crushes in my history!

[fishmech]

The Puritans considered being a workaholic a form of sinful pride and greed actually. They believed overwork was essentially a moral failing especially from the part of any boss who was demanding it. Working more than you needed to voluntarily was considered forgoing your duty to God and family, and a boss who expected it of a worker was similarly considered impeding proper worship & family life.

If you're going to pick a historic Christian denomination to be about pride in overwork, you'd wanna talk about maybe continental Calvinists and industrial revolution Lutherans: key ideological forebears of such behavior in modern American (and I do mean both continents here) conservative Protestantism.

it's good that we're saying "i don't feel guilty about pleasure im not Catholic" but we also need to start saying "i don't feel self-righteous about being overworked I'm not Puritan"

[dnd4adults]

Tales from the Great Library

Mighty Digressions

Commotion surrounding Murdered Matreous takes the better part of a week (Day 11), dying down within the Great Library. Even the Arcane Assembly becomes involved, thanks to Fistandia and her creation. Hyram & Teddy find themselves obliged to repeat the details of the adventure time and again -- to Khora Kharran, to Great Uncle Fehm', the Gate Warden and Master Scribe, and then a committee hearing for the Assembly -- delaying their departure, off to see the world.

And, wouldn't you know, just as things begin getting back to normal another book up and makes a nuisance of itself!

Mazforth's Mighty Digressions arrived a few days earlier, while the Matreous to-do was at it's peak. Teddy noticed the acquisition on the Gate Warden's log and mentioned the work to Sir Andros, who asked to review it for anything pertaining to imperial war magic. Together, priest and knight open Mighty Digressions in a study chamber, scan its irregular pages, and discovering the following passage:

At its peak the Androsian Empire considered Arcana and Arcanos polymorphic deities. Lady Lore personified the pinnacle of the thought and reason that separates people from animal -- in other words, Sentience -- whilst twin brother Arcanos fills the same role with regard to the Powers Arcane -- ergo, Magic. Today, of course, it is well understood that Arcanos extends his favor to sorcerers alone, effectively making them his priesthood. It is only through Lady Lore's discipline that wizards acquire mastery of the arcane, so her role is saint-like, indeed; the enlightened figure who intercedes on mortals' behalf. Warlocks do not enjoy Arcanos' favor, of course, as their powers are eldritch, deriving from bein–

First comes a sudden sputter and spark and then, KA-BOOM! Might Digressions annihilates itself in a fiery explosion! Fortunately, the blast occurs inside the closed study chamber. Not only enchanted to seal out noise, they're also reinforced to contain any arcane discharges that might result from arcane studies. Unfortunately, this means the detonation is fully contained within in a confined space, concentrating damage potential to DC 17.

As they are unavoidably surprised, Andros and Teddy may use Reactions, only.

ROUND 00 -- Surprised Teddy Reaction: Begins resistance on Sir Andros, but won't make it. Andros Reaction: Knocks Teddy to the floor and covers him. Might Digressions: The blast is equivalent to a half-power fireball, causing 2d6 fire and 2d6 force damage: 21 total.

As luck (or chance) would have it -- Hyram and Khazpar had been looking for their friends to join the midday meal, and were approaching the study chamber when the explosion occurs. The explosion inside blasts the chamber's door straight across the passage -- Dex 13 to avoid being struck:

Teddy: Dex save with Advantage (covered) 11, fails; 0 hp Andros: Dex save 6, fails; 0 hp Hyram: Dex save 7, fails; 7 bludgeoning and prone Khazpar: Dex save 10, fails; 12 bludgeoning, shoulder dislocated, and prone Initiative -- Khazpar | Hyram | Andros & Teddy (unconscious) ROUND 01 Khazpar: Half movement climbing to feet; lay hands on Hyram, healing all damage. Hyram: Half movement climbing to feet; dash into study and roll Andros off Teddy. Ignore Andros, focus on Teddy. Andros: Death Save 18, succeeds! Teddy: Death Save 1, double failure!! -- XX ROUND 02 Khazpar: Stumbles into study; spare the dying on Teddy. Hyram: Pops the cork on his potion of healing and dumps it down Teddy’s gullet. Andros: Death Save 14, succeeds! Teddy: Regains 5 hp; rolls onto his side and heaves! ROUND 03 Khazpar: Spare the dying on Andros. Hyram: Rifles unconscious Andros for his potion of healing, but it was smashed in the explosion. Andros: Stabilized by Khazpar. Teddy: Half-movement standing, cross to and cure wounds on Andros, restoring 10 hp.

Only after helping the blast-stunned men back into the corridor does Khazpar use the last of his lay on hands, resetting his own shoulder.

Terrorizing Tomes

In fact, this is not the first but third occasion a book self-destructed within the Great Library. Most Master Sages, the First Reader, and Gate Warden kept previous two incidents quiet, hoping to prevent panic. A third incident in as many weeks, however, is far more than two members of the Avowed will tolerate -- especially when their children are the ones getting blown up!

Khorra Kharran is more than the only Mountain Dwarf at the Great Library, more than the priestess-Sage of the Forge, and more than Special Envoy of the Mountain King, himself -- she is "wee Taedhor's" adoptive parent, and Lady Lore, herself, would get knocked flat on her boney butt, coming between an anxious dwarf mother and her injured child!

Two-and-a-half centuries of age be damned -- the woman comes at pounding trot to check on her boy, and puts that ear-shivering bass voice to good use, taking command of the situation. Even the Gate Warden puts up both hands and takes a step back, noting how the fiery woman brought her hammer along, straight from the forge.

After assuring herself all four "lads" are well enough to see, hear, smell, and speak as they should, she marches them straight off to the bath, to make certain they’re fully recovered, with no inner fires lingering on the insides.

The irony of those words is so mortifying to the men, even Hyram manages bite his tongue, nod innocently, and follow along.

Meanwhile, in the Court of Air . . .

Master Sage Fheminor Scrivenbark has had himself carried from his suite in a sedan chair, then loaded into a cart and rolled out, into the middle of everything public, anxious for word of his favorite nephew, Hyram -- who finally appears with Khorra Kharran.

After assuring himself the boy's truly safe -- not missing any bits or bobs -- Great Uncle Fhem' nods the "boys" along to the baths, then turns to the gathering crowd and unleashed a blistering halfling harangue! Avowed and Seeker, alike, learn the shocking truth, along with a half-hour recitation of his Thirteen Ongoing Conspiracies to destroy the Great Library!

Hyram: He's right about the gargoyles, though. I've seen 'em m'self, over in that district they call Bruise. Gimme the shivers! An' they all lookin' this way, just waitin' t'come back!

Special Investigation

While the Master Sage Fheminor raises a ruckus bordering panic in the Court of Air, Khorra Kharran -- whose true objective was getting the lads away from all those gawkers and their questions -- now sets the four men to work, offering the following information:

Two weeks ago a volume entitled The Dark Hunger (about a powerful entity served by star-fearing warlocks) unexpectedly erupted in a lightning discharge, killing the Seeker reading it.

One week ago another work, Fallen Tethyamar (about a king named Ghellin seeking to reclaim his throne) erupted with arcane frost, encasing the study chamber in ice and causing severe frostbite to the Seeker and Adjutant present.

On both occasions, as with Might Digressions, no trace of the books were found. Each was fully consumed by the arcane energy they discharged.  

High ranking Avowed fear some enemy has discovered a means of smuggling counterfeit books into the Great Library with intentions of destroying entire collections.

Khorra Kharran and Master Sage Fheminor have already conferred and agree, now that the lads are directly involved in the matter they should take the lead, investigating its source and eliminating it.

If anyone in the Great Library or beyond thinks to question their authority for this special investigation, the men have only to show the Mark of the Mountain King, entrusted to Taedhor's keeping.

Having tracked down Mighty Digressions that very morning, Teddy recalls (Int 13) the book was brought to the Great Library by a visiting Seeker calling himself Yalerion Highscroll. Further review of the Gate Warden's register reveals Dark Hunger was donated by a tiefling named Valor. The seller of Fallen Tethyamar only wanted gold for the book, departing within an hour of their arrival.

Yalerion Highscroll is another young priest and Seeker at the Great Library. Another Adjutant had the pleasure of assisting him with his studies, so Yalerion and Teddy have never met. Hyram recognizes the man from the Court of Air, where he prays every dawn, noon, and sunset. Khazpar has joined him in evening devotions, on occasion, although his begin when Yalerion's end -- one the sun has set and the the Lady Star rules the sky.

Yalerion's home is a important trade city called Meetinn, lying away west in the heart of the Androsian Plain. As a priest of Solandros, his proper title is Radiant Yalerion, but doesn't care to throw the title in other's faces. He gladly shares the story of purchasing Mighty Digressions at a shabby merchant's stand in the Eastern Market. Doesn't remember the establishment's name, however -- but certain it had a "dune" in it. He read Digressions fully, found little within it of value, but knew it wasn't in the Great Library's collection, so used it buying a fortnight's access to the Court of Air.

Valor is much more of a challenge. She'll only speak with her peers, and in dealing with other races this means the individual must be noble. Ironically, she hasn't been able to pay for her stay in the House of Rest, so to work off her debt honorably Valor's agreed to retile the roof. She truly is a paladin, as the shield, sword, and armor left as credit with the landlord can attest. Both Andros and Khazpar are fit for conversation by Valor's standards but Khazpar takes the lead for a change, as Emissary of Peace. (Persuasion 19, success.)

Valor permits herself a small rest from sweaty afternoon labor for conversation with another visitor to the city. Originally, she's from Port Kappar, a descendant of Alkhendir, itself. Teddy (Perception 26) knows that's true. Her dialect and vocabulary are Kapparite, alright. Valor is also convinced that she's descended from the bloodline of imperial emperors, and came to Alekhandir seeking of evidence of that fact. Thwarted in her attempt to access the Great Library's records without proper admission, she trekked half-across the city to a malodorous market, found some ramshackle book-peddler's stand, and purchased a volume to suit . . .

Brother Taedhor's Journal: At this point, Khazpar's efforts were sadly interrupted by Hyram, who asked the tiefling what sort of meals they enjoy eating, down in Hell. Are they especially spicy or -- because demons enjoy that -- is it all bland? This so offended the woman she threw the tile in-hand at Hyram -- followed immediately after by two handfuls more. Thus, we never learned if she read Fallen Tethyamar, or recalled the name of the vendor who'd sold it. Even so, to the Eastern Market we must go. And, Lady Lore help us, Hyram's taking lead!

[ellemany]

The Tale of the Stars and the Ocean

The Lost Scripts

<<< The Tale

Although tales handed down orally underwent several changes over time, the Tale of the Stars and the Ocean had the peculiarity of keeping its Sanskrit text more or less similar to the older versions. Recently, a new text was discovered in the ruins of a flowering city, nicknamed as Lotus, with a strangely specific new part of the tale of the Stars and the Ocean.

And that changes what was an ancient tragedy into an epic novel, capable of overcoming the barriers of time.

Their anguish reached the other gods. The crying of the Ocean was already hurting the Earth a lot. And the grief of the Stars could be felt by the Sun. The Seasons used everything they could to try to cheer up their old friend and even the Moon gave the Stars a gift so that they could shine again as before.

It didn't take long for the other gods to realize that their fellows would only be sated if they could feel what they felt when they had flesh and bones again.

Moved by the destiny that their nature imposed on them, the gods bestowed a unique boon on the Stars and Ocean.

They would be the only gods able to govern their domains while keeping mortal bodies on Earth, being called Guardians.

All so that their infinite existence would be encapsulated in human bodies for the rest of eternity. Life after life after life until the end of time.

The Stars and the Ocean readily accepted the gift, uttering a thank you that would echo through all of creation, desperate to find each other again.

Thus, the Stars and the Ocean became human again. Once more, they felt that they were too small to contain their greatness.

And that was phenomenal.

However, the gods did not allow them to remember their past existence; when they were gods. It would be too much for any fully mortal mind to handle. The gods only left an instinct rooted in the human hearts of the Stars and the Ocean.

They should look for each other in any life.

They were born and raised. They were glorious kings and simple peasants; honorable princes and brazen thieves; legendary warriors and ephemeral librarians. Sometimes they knew they were supposed to rule the Stars and the Ocean, but usually they had no idea. They were always happy, despite knowing, deep down inside, that they were looking for someone special and unique.

The Stars, in their mortal bodies, remembered this whenever they drank a simple glass of water or dedicated themselves to swimming. And every night, the Ocean remembered that he needed something else as it went to sleep looking up at the Stars.

The dream world they entered was the only place where their past glory was allowed to be relieved, only to be quickly forgotten in the morning. There was where they danced, laughed and loved forever, until they were forced to wake up.

The Ocean even tried in one of his lives to carve the beauty of his beloved in the rock, saying that he had seen her in a dream. The other humans said it was crazy. That woman was certainly imagined.

But he knew she was out there, waiting for him somewhere.

They lived life after life after life.

Until they find themselves in one of the most unlikely of lives, where their lives have taken more twists than they could have expected.

After all, even though Varum, the name Ocean went by in that life, always found a life full of adventures cool, he never expected that his career as a historian/archaeologist would lead him into the black market business and, later, into an interdimensional mess.

When they saw each other, they immediately felt a sense of familiarity. A deja-vu difficult to explain. They knew they knew each other, even though they had never seen each other before in (that) life.

Their first dialogue was definitely not as melodious as the one they had in another life.

But it was certainly just as memorable.

"You can call me Harbour"

In this life, the Stars still had their bright eyes and that singular fascination with gold. Her voice was fun and her laugh, not at all rare, for the happiness of the world, was the melody itself.

"I prefer water boy"

The Stars for a brief moment, remembered everything. In a flash, she knew that she loved and would love the reincarnation of Ocean who was in front of her until the end of her time there. In an intensity that only gods who have sought themselves for centuries could love. It felt like a love that only happened in fairy tales.

Therefore, her human and ignorant part, preferred to believe that it was just a tale quickly created in her head.

" Do I know you from somewhere? "

She asked, searching her human mind for some reasonable memory of the man in front of her. He just reminded her of the Ocean.

He sent her a mischievous smile, that mysterious edge of someone who is calm on the surface but hides many treasures within.

"I would remember if I knew you"