#The Witherwound

[saltineofswing]

DRELLINGTON

Full Name: Drell Hartford, Cleric of theMatrivalan Beltane

Gender andSexuality: Male,Straight

Pronouns: He/Him

Ethnicity/Species: Drell is a Matrivalan, which isn’tquite human and isn’t quite elven but is sort of similar to both of thosethings. Note his weird ears and magenta eyes with big sideways-oval pupils. Hisblood is also violet-magenta.

Birthplaceand Birthdate:Drell was born under a Scythan Moon in the month of Samhain, year 77 in the Ageof Orbits. He was born in a Beltanic Monastery in the south of the Matrivalancontinent, and was given up to the Order of the Matrivalan Beltane as is customfor firstborn children of certain families.

GuiltyPleasures: Drellhas a bit of a sweet tooth, which he indulges very often despite being on a ‘diet’of sorts. He loves to line-edit schlocky romance novels in his spare time, ahabit he picked up while aboard the Incandesca (Usually books provided to himby Fee, who would then secretly read the edited versions). He’s alsouncompromisingly fond of 60’s-70’s era rock of all sorts, like America, SteelyDan, 10cc, ELO, and ESPECIALLY Queen, which – probably the guiltiest pleasure –he enjoys singing very loudly.

Phobias: Drell actually has a pretty solid head on his shoulders;there isn’t a ton that he’s afraid of. He seems like the kind of guy who wouldbe kind of a pushover, but he can be very firm and doesn’t balk at a lot. Plus,Drell was barely 18 when he began to undergo the rites required to bind theWitherwound to him, and was only just in his early 20s when he left to go onthe Hunt, so he had to come to terms with the likelihood of his own death at anincredibly early age. Drell is, however, terrified that some day theWitherwound’s inability to filter the magical energy she absorbs at all timeswould lead to her overloading before Drell could allow her to work enoughenergy off; the resulting explosion would be theoretically powerful enough toeffectively destroy whatever poor planar system he happens to be inhabiting atthe time. Not to mention it would atomize him. He was terrified of theWitherwound when it was first bound to him, too; he has since overcome thisfear, but he is still flinchy around large dogs or any other big predatorycreature.

What TheyWould Be Famous For:As with every member of The Hunt, Drell is technically famous in a way.Unfortunately, Drell isn’t the ‘attraction’, so to speak; he isn’t even billedin the roster as Drell Hartford, his name is completely left out of it and heis only known as ‘The Witherwound’. 99% of the people familiar with the Huntfor whatever reason don’t even know his name. Plus, Drell was not exactly theshining beacon of positivity and faith that he is now; his binding to theWitherwound caused him an extreme amount of chronic pain, 24/7, as his bodybecomes the transient medium for the Witherwound to absorb ambient magicalenergy. It was only when the Witherwound was ‘fixed’ by the home team thatDrell was able to think clearly enough to regain some of his ‘true’ personality.In the meantime, Drell has been a sickly, fatigued man barely able to take careof himself for the past couple hundred years of the Wild Hunt. The Witherwoundis famous for her high-speed, hardcore, merciless kills. Drell is famous forthat Threnghelleon YouTube Compilation Of Times He Vomited.

Otherwise,Drell would be famous for being an influential and acclaimed Cleric for theMatrivalan Beltane; Drell is the model that other Clerics would aspire tofollow, honestly, and is probably one of the best people – in a ‘quality ofperson’ kind of way – in the whole campaign. He is currently trying to rebuildthe Matrivalan Beltane around the Witherwound instead of the goddess she usedto be, and so he may actually be famous one day for founding a new religion onThe Road. 

What TheyWould Get Arrested For: I literally cannot think of a single thing that Drell would getarrested for. He’s an ordained Cleric, for god’s sake. I think the only reasonDrell might get arrested is by association with someone else who did somethingwrong, or maybe in a shitty dystopian world where people can be considered ‘illegal’and that classification then permits a wide variety of atrocities to becommitted against them (looks at camera flatly), for harboring fugitives orinterfering in a law enforcement investigation to find said fugitives.

OC You ShipThem With: FEEFITZSIMMONS!!! They have really good chemistry and she’s one of the like twentypeople (out of a couple hundred thousand) on the Glorious Incandessa who knewhis name and liked him. She’s a really stalwart person and one of the fewpeople Drell doesn’t have to worry about wrangling at any given moment, andsomeone Drell doesn’t technically outrank. He is constantly taking care ofother people, and he really doesn’t need to take care of her. Aside from Fee,as Sal said I guess I could see people digging Iona and Drell, but Drell is oneof the people who helped her put her brain back together after the trauma sheexperienced at Apocrypha’s hand, and now that she’s joined the MatrivalanBeltane he is her direct superior so there are some yucky vibes IMO. Butreally, anybody who can tell Drell to chill out for a few minutes when he’soverworking himself and refusing to acknowledge it and actually get him to doit would probably have at least a little chemistry with him.

OC MostLikely To Murder Them: At this point, probably The Helmsman or Ethem-Cailo or Glory. Theproblem with trying to kill Drell is, good fuckin’ luck chump! There’s a dragonon his back and she can move faster than the eye can see and her claws andteeth are made of pure arcane energy! And, the thing is, Drell is her fuckingfavorite, so she will and has turned people into meat ribbons of her ownaccord if she feels like Drell is threatened. So, the only people who could laya finger on him at this point are the high-level Gods on the Hunt who could andwould do something nasty to him or that are just powerful enough to laugh theWitherwound off.

FavoriteMovie/Book Genre:Anything suitably dramatic, honestly. He won’t turn his nose up at a good documentary,of course, and he prefers books to TV and movies anyway, but he loves reallywell-crafted drama, fantasy, and thriller material. He also has a deep, abidingrespect for encyclopedias, guides, journals, and other similar record-stylebooks. The Matrivalan Beltane revolves predominately around the act of makingbooks, so Drell is actually a talented bookbinder and makes his journalshimself, and so he has a really keen eye and appreciation for those kind ofdetails.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Any cliche or trope that has todo with the cleric, holy man, priest, or otherwise religious leader is adirtbag and uses his power for his own gain. Not necessarily because itirritates him, but rather because he recognizes that there is too much precedentand truth in the real world behind these cliches.

Talentsand/or Powers: AsI mentioned, Drell is a very skilled bookbinder who has made at this pointhundreds of tomes. His Order requires its Clerics to craft their own HolySymbol, which for the Matrivalan Beltane are Grimoires hand-crafted andinscribed. Members of the Beltane are expected to read any of various tomesthat suit their interests and pick one to transcribe into a personalized tome,and are encouraged very strongly to include their own research, notes, andunique flourishes to the material to build on what has come before them. Drell’sGrimoire, the Treatise of Simon the Magician, is perfectly crafted and isenchanted at Drell’s own hand with a series of spells that allow the book tomagically self-inscribe with a broad variety of arcane and occult knowledgefrom whatever society he happens to be in. So, basically, nerd that he is,Drell made himself a book that he can read over and over again that will neverget boring.

His Grimoiredoes contain, at all times, a series of Clerical Orison-prayers designed tolead the Witherwound through her different divine natures – when he needs tocalm her, excite her, heal her, or subdue her, he can read the appropriatepassage from his Grimoire. In addition, so long as he is on the same plane asthe Witherwound (which, you know, she’s attached to him literally so he alwaysis), he has access to a set of spell Orisons that he can use to attack anddefend. Drell would predominately be a utility/support fighter, were it not forone thing: The Witherwound.

As I mentionedbefore, the Witherwound is basically a super-fast super-pissed dragon made ofpure arcane power, capable of literally shredding anyone who comeswithin range and constantly dragging in magical power from the world aroundher. The Witherwound usually whips herself into a frenetic frenzy, racing backand forth at lightning speed in random angles that turns a the area aroundDrell into an inescapable death trap, referred to as the titular Beltane. TheWitherwound can widen this radius, and increase the intensity of her speed andpower, creating an ever-widening field of Pure Fuck that grows more deadly withthe passing seconds. In game mechanics this equates to a passive AOE abilitythat deals damage in stacking d20s until you manage to escape the ever-wideningradius of the attack. It ramps up very fast and is fucking brutal. TheWitherwound’s other natures mostly augment Drell’s magical abilities, but shehas a couple other beefy powers she can trot out if need be.

Why SomeoneMight Love Them:Drell is an earnest, good-hearted and indefatigably positive guy who is AMAZINGat giving advice, AMAZING at navigating interpersonal relationships, and is anAMAZING listener. He’s not good, he’s not great, he is The Best Listener. He isvery introspective and self-aware, and has always been very mature for his age.He’s patient, empathetic, easy to talk to, and is devoutly faithful to his god.He is willing and eager to share his faith but is critically un-pushy, and bythe nature of his religion is highly interested in and excited about most otherreligions outside of his own, welcomingly incorporating other deities into histypical worship which makes him a capable Cleric for whatever deity anybodyneeds to interface with. However, Drell isn’t a pushover; he is very firm and doesn’ttake shit from anybody, and isn’t afraid to tell somebody off (albeit verypolitely). If you need help, he will possibly literally work himself to deathto help you.

Why SomeoneMight Hate Them:Man, some people just don’t like any of that.

No, butseriously, religion isn’t for everyone. And Drell is inseparable from hisfaith. To some people, he’s just that annoying person who won’t stop fiddlingwith their personal religiously-affiliated jewelry and has to praise Jesus orBuddha or whoever. Plus, he lived in a monastery dedicated to making books outof raw components (AKA animal skin) and cataloguing + storing arcane power; histales of his home have provoked more than a few ‘It’s Not A Cult’ explanations.Drell could be seen as an off-putting individual for his relentless (at times abit forced) optimism and positivity, and could be seen as a patronizingknow-it-all. Drell is very patient and extremely careful about proselytizingwhere it’s not wanted, but if somebody needs help in some other way? Sure,Drell could be a little annoying about trying to help someone.

How TheyChange: As tendsto be the case with people who join the Hunt (whether willingly or not) andthen decide to defect and reform, Drell’s arc is sort of up and down. Beforethe Hunt, Drell was being groomed as the ‘Chosen One’. When the Wild Huntshowed up and completely fucking ruined his entire planet and the attachedplanar system, the leaders of Drell’s clerical order went ‘GUESS THIS IS WHATYOU WERE CHOSEN FOR’ and explained to him that if he wanted anything, anythingat all, to be left of his home and what few were left of the people he knew andloved after the Hunt swept through, he would have to have the Top BananaGoddess of the local pantheon (who, to remind you, is at this point a crazyperma-mad dragon made of lightning) TATTOOED INTO HIS BODY. And all of this atage 18. So Drell was forced in short order to come to terms with: The deaths ofmost of his friends and family, the destruction of his Clerical order, thedeaths of 9/10 of the Supreme Deities of his homeworld, the oncoming apocalypseas the planar instability of his home threatens to drag Matrivale intooblivion, the fairly high likelihood that he will ALSO die, and then also thefact that this crazy thing that might kill him is the only way to deter theapocalypse. AND THEN, after ALL of that, he was told ‘Actually you can’t stayhere, because we don’t want to die, so go join those guys who just killed allyour friends’ (The Wild Hunt stuck around after winning that hunt to stabilizethe planar system and keep Matrivale from just imploding).

That’s prettyheavy. So, accordingly, Drell wrestled with a lot of stuff in those first fewhunts: hatred for his Clerical order, hatred for the god that was now tattooedto his skin, hatred for himself and his circumstances. He was laid low forbasically a couple hundred years by the constant, overwhelming pain that theWitherwound inflicted on him just by the virtue of existing; whenever theWitherwound wasn’t burning through her excess energy by slaughtering things inthe Hunt, he was suffering alone on the Incandesca. He eventually came to termswith his situation, but it turned him into a solemn, quiet, sickly guy withoutmuch optimism to spare. He connected with the Witherwound, seeing both her andhimself as two beings who had been forced one way or another to do thingsagainst their will, and found his faith again. By the time the current Huntrolled around, though, Drell had consigned himself to eventual death byflash-obliteration when the Hunt encountered a world that was too magicallyrich and he failed to find a suitably tough foe for the Witherwound to wearherself out on.

But! He got asecond chance at the hands of Daigh, who pulled some dangerous Ether-MagicFuckery and stabilized the Witherwound’s mind, ‘fixed’ the existential woundthat prevented her from regulating her energy intake, and finally gave Drellthe opportunity to stand up to the Wild Hunt once more. Now, Drell has bouncedback; he’s a lot more measured and has in a way had part of his childhoodrobbed from him, but he has joyfully taken the opportunity to get back to beinga Cleric and helping people again.

Why YouLove Them: Ithink the amount of affection I have for Drell caught me by surprise, in a way.As sometimes happens with characters, he didn’t really click until oneparticular interaction in which he stood up for himself – calmly but firmly – againsta guy who was kinda just lashing out because he was upset. After that it waspretty much all downhill from there; he’s like a reminder to be decent ineveryday life, and in-game he is kind of the linchpin that keeps the group ofdefectors from the Incandesca stable. He’s such an unrepentantly good dude andhe’s had some really genuinely interesting interactions that I don’t thinkeither of us were anticipating. He’s a genuinely stabilizing influence on theother characters in the game, and his warmth is infectious. I think there’s justnot a whole lot more to it than that, honestly; he’s kind of an uncomplicatedcharacter to interface with and I think that’s really nice. He’s a verywholesome person, perhaps a little bit more of a typical fantasy character thanI am used to running but that’s not a bad thing because it’s fun.

[salavante]

From the Godslaughter campaign. Two clerics on the Wild Hunt, who joined the trans-dimensional bloodsport under very different auspices, and yet, have both defected to the native population’s cause in the end. (expansion under the cut) 

artblog / commissions 

Iona Howell is from a decadent victorian-analagous society, and a former anthropologist/historian/adventurer who traveled the world in her youth to revive the art of Arcane Illumination, lost to time, crusades, and modernity. Though long thought an eccentric fool on a wild goose chase by her academic peers, when it was found that her research had merit and genuine magical power, her fellows turned on her, stole her life’s work to claim as their own and had her thrown away into a sanitorium. Destitute but not broken, she was approached by Apocrypha, Goddess of Illumination, who promised her revenge and great power should she take up the mantle of being her cleric. When the Hunt came to their world, it was not a difficult decision to abandon the planet that had forgotten and spurned them. No one has ever met Apocrypha in person, with Iona acting as her sole envoy, but many have seen Iona speaking out loud to the grimoire she keeps at her hip, though it does not audibly respond. Iona is dedicated and skilled in her craft, and has even created an ink-construct artifice to replace an arm lost on a previous hunt, but is reclusive, irritable and physically frail, with a sense of humor that is typically at others’ expense. Though fiercely intelligent, her thoughts seemed scattered and she often rambles, following topics down various rabbit holes unless someone shakes her out of it. For whatever reason, her and August en Zaeid have had repeated sexual dalliances, which she claims are inconsequential. But her actions say otherwise. The Witherwound is - or was, anyway - a god of arcana and magic from a very out-of-the-way planar system of such substantial magical power that every single member of the Witherwound’s pantheon gave the Wild Hunt a run for their money. Once upon a time, the Witherwound was a mentally sound, dignified goddess and an extremely powerful and learned magus; unfortunately the destruction of the Witherwound’s home pantheon caused a calamity: every plane in the cluster except for the mortal coil was obliterated as their patron gods fell one by one, leaving Matrivale irrevocably ruined. The strain of every magical source compressed into a single plane shattered the Witherwound’s mind, and now it’s little more than a seething monster, as chaotic as pure energy, corrupt and mad (in both senses of the word). With no way to control the influx of magical energy it absorbed, the Witherwound became an ever-growing energy sink that threatened to explode the second it overloaded. The Witherwound resides now in a tattoo on the back and torso of one of the clerics it once had under its employ, Drell Hartford; he is bound to it, and is the only one who can keep it ‘under control’. He was young when the Witherwound was pressed into his skin by ritual, and despite being maybe 23 has learned very quickly to harness the Witherwound to keep it from running wild on every new planet they arrive on. It was either participate in the Wild Hunt and let the Witherwound burn off excess energy to keep it calm... or become a magical ‘dirty nuke’ that effectively ruins anywhere unfortunate enough to house the pair when the Witherwound’s power becomes too much for him to handle.

Thankfully, that problem has been fixed – as has the Witherwound, leading to Drell’s prompt defection from the Hunt to join the side of the folks responsible for healing his god. Before the Witherwound was healed, Drell was a sorry sort, afflicted by a constant sickness and fatigue due to the constant exposure to the divine magicks of the Witherwound that suffuse his body. He did not undertake this burden willingly per se, but recognized that it was either take on the Witherwound or lose everything. Although he is somewhat reserved and used to chronic pain, Drell is otherwise a fairly sprightly young man with an affection for learning and a devout faith. He listens very well and is always willing to lend an ear, and only gives advice when asked. Despite his troubled relationship with her, he loves The Witherwound as his patron deity and now that he has bonded with her would never give her up; he is old enough to remember the teachings she conferred upon him before she lost her name and became what she is now, and often recites relevant idioms or morals accrued from her teachings. He would be more inclined to take opportunities to proselytize about her and begin to regrow her base of Clerics were she not... well, a crazed animal. He can be a bit preachy at times, but is overall good-natured and open-minded, and considers himself to be a polytheist at heart - Matrivale’s preferred stance on gods was that they should all be worshipped if possible, and that favoritism was unwise. Drell tries his best to record information on gods from every planet he visits, hoping to keep the religions lost to the Wild Hunt alive in some way shape or form. (Drell & The Witherwound are @saltineofswing‘s characters) 

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𝓕𝓲𝓻𝓮 & 𝓕𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓭

Revenge. That's why I decided to join the assassination class at Mount Olympus Academy. A monster killed my father and grandmother - and I'm going to make them pay.

But first I have to learn how.

I'm Edie. Once I was just a normal girl with asthma and a bad back. Now, though, I'm at a school taught by Greek gods. My classmates are vampires, witches, and shifters. We're all training to fight in the war between the gods and monsters.

There's also...Val. He's a vampire, but he's different from the others. Plus, he's got secrets too.

I get secrets. The wings that sprout from my back were hidden from me my entire life. I also sometimes breathe fire. But no one - including me - can figure out what I fully shift into. Honestly...a part of me doesn't want to know.

But if I'm going to avenge my family, I need to figure it out before I flunk out.

𝓟𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓪𝓰𝓮 & 𝓟𝓵𝓪𝓰𝓾𝓮

Turns out-I'm a stone-cold killer. And I'm not sure I like it.

Last school term I figured out I was a dragon shifter. And then I killed a bunch of monsters. It was to save my friends...but also I kinda liked it. Or my dragon did.

Now, it's summer term at Mount Olympus Academy. Besides classes I also need to: find my mom, rescue my best friend, and help figure out a cure for the shifter plague that's sweeping across campus.

Talk about a heavy course load!

My personal life isn't any easier. Even though my vampire crush, Val, brought his fiancee back to school with him - I'm the one he's kissing.

Val isn't my only boy problem. There's also Nico, a one-eyed werewolf who's been tortured by the monsters and has a major alpha thing going on.

On top of that we have a new professor. With her searing, charismatic speeches, Maddox Tralano has MOA students ready to follow her into battle.

The drumbeat of war is growing louder, soon everyone will be forced to fight for their lives. Because when gods and monsters battle it out - there is no middle ground.

𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 & 𝓦𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭

I've turned traitor and spy. By the end of this, someone big is gonna die.

I hope it's not me.

My sister, Mavis, is going to be put on trial. Mr. Zee is certain to find her guilty of helping the monsters in their war against the gods. And then he'll kill her.

I can't let that happen.

So when I find out about a sword capable of wounding him, I set out to the collect the pieces.

With the sword in hand, I'll convince him to step down and free Mavis.

Or get killed trying.

My time at Mount Olympus Academy is coming to an end. The only question is, whether I'll exit the gates dead or alive.

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*Fire and Flood* Revenge. That's why I decided to join the assassination class at Mount Olympus Academy. A monster killed my father and grandmother - and I'm going to make them pay.

*Pillage and Plague* Turns out-I'm a stone-cold killer. And I'm not sure I like it. Last school term I figured out I was a dragon shifter. And then I killed a bunch of monsters. It was to save my friends...but also I kinda liked it. Or my dragon did.

*Wither and Wound* I've turned traitor and spy. By the end of this, someone big is gonna die. I hope it's not me. My sister, Mavis, is going to be put on trial. Mr. Zee is certain to find her guilty of helping the monsters in their war against the gods. And then he'll kill her. I can't let that happen.

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