#The answer to Narinder’s question? he can’t (‘: (at least at first)

[spiderin-space]

Lamb unfortunately was Not dainty in their escape 😔😩

(Feat. @paintpaintpaintman’s Petra in the third sketch)

[thygoddessouijathicc]

Ok COTL Post

I feel like of all the bishops Heket doesn’t get enough recognition.

Spoilers. Obviously spoilers

She’s the second major boss fight so we don’t see much of her, she doesn’t have a bad design but it’s not as memorable as like… Leshy. The game doesn’t talk about her as much as Narinder or Shamura because she’s less involved in the main plot and let’s be real when do you ever need to go back to ANURA it’s unlikely you need mushrooms so badly that you can’t just grow them.

But I’d argue that Heket is actually like… really interesting and important. Though less is clearly stated so I’m speculating here, keep that in mind.

Heket has a domineering and aggressive personality, and tends to almost act like an unofficial leader of the bishops.

The bishops SEEM equal like in theory, but in practice it’s pretty clear that Shamura was the leader when they started and whatever they did others went along with. Now, since Shamura is still around but definitely NOT what they used to be, it’s pretty clear they aren’t leading the way they once did or at least not as actively as they once did. The bishops would be left in a power vacuum without them and Nari and let’s be real. Kal is a coward who will back down easily under the slightest pressure, Leshy is absolutely not leader material and it doesn’t even seem like he’d be all that interested, the only one of the bishops who could be leading that makes sense is Heket, even if Kal or Leshy were to try to take on a leadership role it’s likely Heket would overpower them.

And it’s kinda what we see in the game honestly like Heket commands her siblings a bit. She tells Leshy to deal with you early on and later tells Shamura to rest because she and Kal will handle it “won’t we Kallamar?” The dialoge implies Heket is definitely the one calling the shots, telling the other bishops what they should be doing even if they already are aware. The dialoge frequently being against getting Shamura involved also tends to imply to me that 1, either she thinks they aren’t needed, or 2, which makes more sense with the comment to rest, Heket questions Shamura’s ability to do this. And the other characters tend to agree

I don’t know if it’s just a me thing but every time I kill Heket I feel like I’ve largely beaten the old faith. Kal and Shamura are still around but… what are they going to do? Kal is a coward who bargains with you to leave him alone, and Shamura is definitely not what they once were, not to mention there’s a coldness to their dialoge like they don’t really care about survival they just want to follow through. Heket was the one commanding her siblings to act, she was the one keeping the old faith moving. Once she’s gone the game may get harder but it feels like the old faith is just rallying for one final stand rather than actively making progress towards destroying you. Though this is just a vibe.

Beyond just being probably the unofficial leader Heket is authoritative and loud and capable of telling her siblings what to do clealry but at the same time… she’s not Shamura. She’s not a genius, she’s a thug. Heket is hotheaded, violent, and overall gives the impression of “attack first ask questions at a far later if I feel like it’s necessary”. She’s not a great leader who has all the answers, she’s again, like a thug trying to take over as leader. She thinks she is the next most qualified and honestly she might be, but it’s her anger and her lack of consideration for situations beyond “kill” or “cause famine” or “punish with violence” doesn’t necessarily make her the best leader.

Heket is so hot headed and angry that she doesn’t consider other options beyond outright killing the lamb really, Leshy doesn’t seem like the type to think that far, Shamura doesn’t seem to be trying to stop you, the only one who does think of another option is Kal he tries to make peace. Because the lamb CANT DIE. That’s obvious by now. Leshy doesn’t seem to give that much thought, and Shamura understands but doesn’t care. But Heket seems to believe if she kills you hard enough, you will fuck off. It’s even seen in her purgetory dialoge that she’s still just killing you until you stop. So are the others but her take on doing it is less because she has to more because it’s what she thinks will work. Heket doesn’t know how to handle a problem she can’t kill. And despite her being the most leader ish of the bishops who still care to lead, that makes her a bad leader.

Heket is a thug taking the place of a great leader trying to be just as great as they were, but she simply isn’t. Heket is not Shamura she never will be and violence is really the only order she knows how to give.

You could argue the bishops may have always functioned this way but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Shamura may be a god of war but they’re also smart. And kinda sentimental. They lock Narinder away because you can’t kill death (and honestly I think they also didn’t want to). You know what else you can’t kill? THE LAMB. Shamura has shown they know how to handle a being that can’t be killed and maybe it’s a bit different but I like to think if you can chain away a kicking and screaming god you can chain away a tiny sheep with a knife. Shamura in the past when they led the bishops, was smart.

And this is kinda a reach… but you know what plan ISNT smart and seems to be all “kill first think later”. The lamb genocide. Shamura understands how Narinder works enough to know you can’t kill him, and he is just chilling in the after life, I personally believe Shamura is not making any attempt to stop the prophecy because as they say “Though no longer be wise, I am no fool.” Shamura dreads the end but they cannot stop you they know this, they’re here to prepare you. I don’t think Shamura ever thought they stopped the prophecy because all the lambs were dead. They know better. And it really doesn’t sound like the kind of order they’d make more one they’d accept. But which of the bishops is notable for the belief that all problems can be killed. Heket.

I strongly believe that HEKET is the bishop responsible for the idea of the lamb genocide. I believe she hears the new prophecy, and decides to do what she knows best. Violence. Shamura seems to have an understanding you can’t just FIGHT fate, but Heket… Heket thinks if you kill something that will eternally resurrect enough times, it’ll stop. Heket’s logic throughout the whole game that if she kills you hard enough she wins is the same logic as “if we kill all the lambs the prophecy won’t work” both ignore that you can’t fight death with more death, both don’t really give thought to the situation, and both make no sense if you think about it. And this is a big part of why I think Heket is important, it’s her fumbling the bag that leads to the games events and her own death. Heket is a thug in the role of a leader who leads like a thug.

And damn if it’s not kinda interesting. I feel like the game overall suffers from the lack of dialogue and context we get, especially OBJECTIVE dialogue all we really know is what happened not in depth on why and how for the most part. And no one suffers more from that to Heket in my mind because she’s a character who tries to be a leader and accidentally causes the old faith to fall through poor decision making but we don’t see that so blatantly in the games.

If I were to have one critique of COTL IN GENERAL it would be that as strong as the story is we don’t get enough of it. The bishops essentially loose all interesting details about them once you beat them. It’s a product of the gameplay type it’s not a story driven game it’s a rougelike with a town builder attatched so really only those details matter, there’s not a linear progression so heavily enforced sure you get new areas and things to do but in terms of story you do it, it’s done, you go back to the gameplay loop. It’s just how the game works. It’s a game meant to be continuously played not a storyline that ends it just stops having a story at one point. I don’t dislike this and think it should have been a fundamentally different game I love it and its gameplay is amazing, but the story and characters do suffer from not being given screen time and I think Heket is a good example of that. She hardly gets any. And I feel like she’s overlooked.

Then again this is all speculation I’d love to see what others think!

[thewitchoftheweed]

Hello! It’s me again! Coming at you with more questions because I never seem to run out of them. Plus you’ve built an incredibly engaging and complex world from CoTL’s baser aspects that I can’t help but try and pick apart a little. Very inspiring.

I noticed that you have alluded to or at least built up your own magic system for Red Star. I’m a sucker for anything with a magic system so I wanted to pick your brain a little bit if that’s okay.

In “Sins of the Bishops” Kallamar and Narinder are trying to figure out how to use magic with the book they have but they don’t have much luck. However, later on they do learn how to do some spells and Narinder focuses on necromancy. So mortals can do magic but I think it was mentioned somewhere that divine magic is different and obviously more powerful.

So if mortals can do magic are there any limits to what they can do?

Obviously there are also those who specialize in certain magics as well. Are there any categorized types of magic users?

Can anyone accomplish magic or does it require some special circumstances?

Also what is the difference between magic bestowed to a god with a crown and magic that any mortal can use? Both seem pretty powerful in their own right.

How powerful could a mortal mage be before they hit some sort of roadblock?

Also is Nari ever going to get back into magic again or is he pretty content with the farming gig he’s got going?

Sorry for so many questions! I’ve been thinking about this for the last week and figured the greatest teacher is the creator! Thanks for taking the time to read all my nagging and I hope you have a wonderful day. :)

Hi again!!

I tend to play fast and loose with my magic systems, but I do have answers for these.

The idea that I had for magic in the Red Star AU is that mortals can use magic and, theoretically, anyone can learn it with the proper education. Kallamar and Narinder struggle a bit initially as children because they are teaching themselves from scratch; they eventually realize they need to master the fundamentals and understand magic's basics before they can jump into actual spellwork.

The only thing that really separates casters from non magic users is their ability to focus their own willpower. It's like a 'muscle' that must be exercised regularly; the more often you do it, the easier it is. Not everyone has the time/patience/access to resources to learn, but the Bishop family is nothing if not scrappy.

As an aside: the Definitely-Not-Latin I use for some spells/incantations is called Godspeech in-universe and is (allegedly) the language of the First Gods, with which they shaped the world. (I like A Wizard of Earthsea can you tell.)

There are different types of magic users. Kallamar initially specialized in defensive magic (shields, barriers, force fields) while Narinder specialized in necromancy (speaking with/binding the dead). There's also healing magic, enchantments like Neftis used that can warp perception/take control of others, and various types of offensive elemental magic.

The difference between mortal magic and divine magic is what they're able to accomplish. A good example is Narinder's necromancy; he was considered a talented mage in that respect, and was able to:

Briefly speak with the dead (3 questions)

Bind spirits to his weapons

Summon spirits to fight on his behalf

As a god, Narinder is able to:

Create a variety of undead 'guards' and 'servants' out of skeletons, zombies, and mummies

Dispel restless spirits

Open a fissure directly to the other side and bring forth even more, spirits of the damned to fight on his behalf

Speak with spirits for longer periods of time (a few minutes)

And, eventually, resurrect the dead

Divine magic is essentially the same as what mortals can use, but without 'restrictions.' Other barriers that mages run into don't exist for them; the world will bend to their will always.

Mortals are able to do extraordinary things with their own magic, but it is a fraction of the power gods are able to use. They can even tap into devotion without a Crown, but again, at a fraction of its power. Narinder is able to channel the burgeoning cult's devotion to help him fight Neftis; it gives him a bit more strength/agility and adds some umph behind his magic. But that's about it.

Where a mortal's power plateaus depends on the type of magic being done. A force field may keep off rain or deflect regular blades/arrows, but will be destroyed by a godly curse or attack. A healer might be able to mend a broken arm or heal a cut, but they're powerless to beat back illnesses or more catastrophic wounds.

Basically, consider some of the magical enemies we see in game vs the Lamb. Enemies can throw a fireball here or there, heal an ally or two- but the Lamb can rip open fissures in the ground, send out huge blasts of hellfire, etc. etc.

Narinder still has his magic, but is very much out of practice. He got a bit of 'exercise' while fighting Neftis, but he doesn't really have much use for his particular brand of magic in everyday life. He's pretty content with his farming gig, but will occasionally spar with Hamal and use magic to give them more of a challenge during practice/stay in practice himself.

I hope this provided some clarity/shed some light on things! Thanks again for the questions, they're always so fun to read and consider.