#The most powerful wizard must be the WIzard Source

[lookin-reproachfully]

To all the Fans of WBN

If you are Pro-Citadel, You are Pro-Plagiarism <3

Turns out the S-Names stand for Somerton,

Like, for real, they all clapped when they discovered how to copy wholesale from witchcraft

Every Language and every meaning and every translation of "Steal" and they ended up having their super Anti-Witch Spy device be something that copies from both Primary (Stars) and Secondary (Indri) Sources?

No wonder the Antivali went independent, they knew there was no Intellectual Integrity there...

Also also, The Reflexive Indicative could even be another tracker-copier technique... And that's not even getting to their BS Axiom of Proliferation... they knew spreading around the spells would let people know that their writings are stolen

AND THEY HAVE THE AUDACITY TO GET MAD AT HEDGEMAGES FOR "COPYING" AND "STEALING"

[drchucktingle]

trans wizard harriet porber is not a work of spite. not even close

there is common refrain from well meaning buckaroos that i wrote TRANS WIZARD HARRIET PORBER out of spite and this is absolutely not true. i have never written anything out of spite and never will.

this may seem like pedantic way but I think it is important to talk on. i create from the fuel of love and my biggest advice for artist buckaroos when they ask for it is also to create from a place of love. 

this does not mean everything you make must be light and fun. in fact, love shines BRIGHTEST in darkness so theres plenty of reason to bring this fuel to your most frightening or heart wrenching ideas. in art, the fuel of love is o negative blood type. it is a universal source

not only is it universal, it is perpetual. love is the most powerful resource on this timeline, and while its shape can change it does not go away. hate and spite will falter. they are tiring to create with, and they are tiring to witness as a viewer or reader or listener

so no. i will say it loudly this time and likely again in the future: TRANS WIZARD HARRIET PORBER is not a creation of spite, it is a creation of love for trans buckaroos and autistic buckaroos and disappointed buckaroos. it is a creation of joy as protest

[prokopetz]

On the one hand, it's true that the way Dungeons & Dragons defines terms like "sorcerer" and "warlock" and "wizard" is really only relevant to Dungeons & Dragons and its associated media – indeed, how these terms are used isn't even consistent between editions of D&D! – and trying to apply them in other contexts is rarely productive.

On the other hand, it's not true that these sorts of fine-grained taxonomies of types of magic are strictly a D&D-ism and never occur elsewhere. That folks make this argument is typically a symptom of being unfamiliar with Dungeons & Dragons' source material. D&D's main inspirations are American literary sword and sorcery fantasy spanning roughly the 1930s through the early 1980s, and fine-grained taxonomies of magic users absolutely do appear in these sources; they just aren't anything like as consistent as the folks who try to cram everything into the sorcerer/warlock/wizard model would prefer.

For example, in Lyndon Hardy's "Five Magics" series, the five types of magical practitioners are:

Alchemists: Drawing forth the hidden virtues of common materials to craft magic potions; limited by the fact that the outcomes of their formulas are partially random.

Magicians: Crafting enchanted items through complex manufacturing procedures; limited by the fact that each step in the procedure must be performed perfectly with no margin for error.

Sorcerers: Speaking verbal formulas to basically hack other people's minds, permitting illusion-craft and mind control; limited by the fact that the exercise of their art eventually kills them.

Thaumaturges: Shaping matter by manipulating miniature models; limited by the need to draw on outside sources like fires or flywheels to make up the resulting kinetic energy deficit.

Wizards: Summoning and binding demons from other dimensions; limited by the fact that the binding ritual exposes them to mental domination by the summoned demon if their will is weak.

"Warlock", meanwhile, isn't a type of practitioner, but does appear as pejorative term for a wizard who's lost a contest of wills with one of their own summoned demons.

Conversely, Lawrence Watt-Evans' "Legends of Ethshar" series includes such types of magic-users as:

Sorcerers: Channelling power through metal talismans to produce fixed effects; in the time of the novels, talisman-craft is largely a lost art, and most sorcerers use found or inherited talismans.

Theurges: Summoning gods; the setting's gods have no interest in human worship, but are bound not to interfere in the mortal world unless summoned, and are thus amenable to cutting deals.

Warlocks: Wielding X-Men style psychokinesis by virtue of their attunement to the telepathic whispers emanating from the wreckage of a crashed alien starship. (They're the edgy ones!)

Witches: Producing improvisational effects mostly related to healing, telepathy, precognition, and minor telekinesis by drawing on their own internal energy.

Wizards: Drawing down the infinite power of Chaos and shaping it with complex rituals. Basically D&D wizards, albeit with a much greater propensity for exploding.

You'll note that both taxonomies include something called a "sorcerer", something called a "warlock", and something called a "wizard", but what those terms mean in their respective contexts agrees neither with the Dungeons & Dragons definitions, nor with each other.

(Admittedly, these examples are from the 1980s, and are thus not free of D&D's influence; I picked them because they both happened to use all three of the terms in question in ways that are at odds with how D&D uses them. You can find similar taxonomies of magic use in earlier works, but I would have had to use many more examples to offer multiple competing definitions of each of "sorcerer", "warlock" and "wizard", and this post is already long enough!)

So basically what I'm saying is giving people a hard time about using these terms "wrong" – particularly if your objection is that they're not using them in a way that's congruent with however D&D's flavour of the week uses them – makes you a dick, but simply having this sort of taxonomy has a rich history within the genre. Wizard phylogeny is a time-honoured tradition!

[dragonagitator]

Timeline of major events during Gale Dekarios's lifetime

Here is my attempt to compile a timeline of major events that took place during Gale's lifetime, including his personal history, happenings in his hometown of Waterdeep, and major world events that would have affected him personally or affected everyone in Faerun. I hope this is useful in writing your Gale-centric fanfics!

The time period covered assumes that Gale is 40 years old during the events of BG3 and thus was born in the year 1452 DR. AFAIK there's no canon age given for Gale, but most fanons seem to peg him as being between 35 and 45, so I went with the middle of that range. Please feel free to adjust his estimated age for each event up or down depending on how old you think he is in BG3, e.g., if you think he's 38 then subtract 2 years, if you think he's 42 then add 2 years, etc.

Some of the more interesting implications of this timeline revolve around how much Mystra's powers and presence in the world significantly changed during Gale's lifetime. When Gale was a child or teen and first attracted the attention of Mystra, she was weak, not in contact with her Chosen, and assumed to be dead by most of the world. Gale was ~27 years old and already her lover by the time a "much diminished" Mystra called to Elminster for help, and Gale was ~35 years old when Mystra fully regained her powers as the Goddess of Magic. She seems to have dumped him shortly thereafter.

Detailed timeline and sources under the cut. It's long.

Most of the text that isn't specifically about Gale is copypasted from the Forgotten Realms wiki. See bottom for links. I haven't read all the novels and modules referenced by the wiki for these events yet and thus will likely need to revise this timeline as I work my way through those.

Birth to age ~27: until 1479 DR worldwide: Mystra was generally considered to be "dead"/missing during Gale's childhood and early adulthood because Mystra/Midnight was "murdered" by Cyric in 1385 DR (67 years before Gale was born).

However, Forgotten Realms canon of Mystra's timeline clashes with what Gale tells us about the timeline of his relationship with her:

Gale: "Once upon a time, not quite that long ago, there lived a wizard in a tower. The wizard was what one might call a prodigy, who from an early age could not only control the Weave, but compose it, much like a musician or a poet. Such was my skill that it earned me the attention of the mother of magic herself. The Lady of Mysteries. The goddess Mystra. She revealed herself to me and she became my teacher. In time, she became my muse, and later, even my lover." PC: "What did Mystra's attention feel like?" Gale: "Love. Perhaps it was not quite love, but you see, the wizard was but a very young man. It was most certainly love to him."

Speaking as a middle-aged person myself, while most 40-year-olds would consider 27 to be "young," the modifier of "very" suggests he that was much younger than 27 when he first became Mystra's lover. I'm older than the oldest estimates for Gale's age and I still wouldn't characterize myself at age 27 as being "but a very young woman." That description seems more fitting for someone in their late teens / early 20s.

Also, if he was "but a very young man" when they became lovers, then that means he was even younger (a child or teenager) when she first revealed herself to him and started teaching him magic.

So Gale's relationship with Mystra must have started during the period that the rest of the world believed she was dead or missing. Mystra did still have some sort of disembodied "presence" during this period, so maybe she was simply not able or interested in speaking to Elminster or her other previously established Chosen. Or perhaps she was fragmented, and Gale's relationship began with one of those fragments? Part of her "presence" ended up possessing a bear, but I'm assuming not the part that Gale was fucking.

Birth to age ~30: until 1482 DR worldwide: Gale was born and grew up during the "Era of Upheaval," which was known for widespread wild magic and dead magic zones, a lot of changes in the pantheon of deities, and a lot of wars and political conflicts amongst mortals.

Age ~16: c. 1468 DR in Waterdeep: "Dagult Neverember, the richest man in the city, became Open Lord."

Age ~27: 1479 DR in Waterdeep: "By this year, the Field Ward had been established, and Skullport was no longer inhabited."

Age ~27: 1479 DR in Waterdeep: "The 8th walking statue, the Griffon, appeared in Waterdeep and to defend Ahghairon's Tower. It eventually settled down near the Peaktop Aerie on Mount Waterdeep and eventually became a landmark of the city."

Age ~27: 1479 DR in western Cormyr [roughly 1050 miles / 1690 km southeast of Waterdeep]: "While recuperating in a cabin in the King's Forest, Elminster felt Mystra's presence calling to him. He found her much diminished, possessing the body of a bear that had guarded a cache of items Mystra's still-mortal form had collected. She asked her most trusted servant to find new candidates to become Chosen and to recruit Cormyr's War Wizards. Only a few weeks later, having been restored to his full powers as a Chosen by absorbing the silver fire of the dying Symrustar Auglamyr and then that of the Simbul and Manshoon, Elminster returned to Mystra (in agony from absorbing too much of it) and returned much of it to the Lady of Mysteries, restoring much of her power and divinity. This event became known as Mystra's Return."

I'm assuming that Elminster's acquaintance with Gale must have begun sometime after this because otherwise you'd think Gale would have mentioned "oh yeah she's not actually dead, we've been banging for a while now."

Mystra reestablishing contact Elminster, regaining some of her power, and the rest of the world learning that she was alive is pretty huge and therefore must have been a significant turning point in her relationship with Gale as well.

I'm also assuming that Gale did not become one of Mystra's official Chosen until after this, since it seems like Mystra's Chosen weren't active while she was laying low and letting the world think she was dead?

Ages ~30 to ~35: 1482 DR to 1487 DR worldwide: "The Second Sundering, also known as the Sundering of Toril and Abeir, was a great catastrophic event in the history of the worlds of Abeir and Toril."

Age ~32: 1484 DR worldwide: "Most of the gods created many Chosen among mortals, trying to gather as much power as possible to be as high in divine ranking as they could before Ao completed the new Tablets of Fate, sealing their status and portfolio. People started to claim they had been 'chosen' by the gods and granted special powers, some apparently for 'divine purposes' while others had no idea why."

It's possible that Gale was recruited to be a Chosen of Mystra by Elminster per Mystra's instructions to Elminster to find candidates, but given that the gods were also choosing people directly during this period and that Mystra had a preexisting relationship with Gale, she may have also Chosen him directly herself. Poor Elminster out there trying to find the best candidates and then Mystra surprises him by adding her boyfriend to the roster. Gale being a nepotism hire despite having otherwise been qualified would be pretty funny.

Age ~34: 1486 DR in Waterdeep: "Neverwinter and Waterdeep began to clear the rubble in their cities that had built up over a century of neglect."

Hey, remember when Gale said that he used to be able to levitate an entire tower back when he was an archmage? Maybe this is when he was doing stuff like that.

Age ~35: 1487 DR worldwide: "Stars reportedly fell from the sky, gods long thought dead walked the land and armies led by Chosen clashed everywhere. Major geological instability resulted in numerous earthquakes and volcanoes, as the worlds of Abeir and Toril were separated once again, and areas once consumed by large chasms were restored to their pre-Spellplague status. Ships arrived on the mainland continent from Evermeet, Halruaa, Lantan, and Nimbral—all realms previously thought lost to Toril."

Age ~35: 1487 DR in Candledeep [roughly 650 miles / 1050 km south of Waterdeep] : "In an attempt to fully restore the goddess Mystra and the Weave, Elminster Aumar began his search for Khelben Arunsun's writings on the Weave, heading towards Candlekeep. Laeral and Alustriel Silverhand had also been hiding within the library: the two sisters' duty was to prepare their own destruction, so that no one could use their power to gain control over the Weave." ... "The energies of the destroyed Wards were absorbed by the Shadow King, who then left for Myth Drannor, followed by the three Chosen of Mystra."

Although Gale was likely a Chosen of Mystra by this point, he wasn't one of the three mentioned here.

Age ~35: 1487 DR in Myth Drannor [roughly 1350 miles / 2170 km east of Waterdeep]: "Meanwhile in Myth Drannor, Larloch, the Netherese, and the Chosen of Mystra (allied with the elves) clashed in a catastrophic battle." ... "As Elminster defeated Tanthul in a mage duel, the Netherese enclave crashed atop Myth Drannor. Elminster himself was saved by Mystra, who gained full control over the Weave once more, stopping Shar from turning it into a new Shadow Weave."

Age ~35: 1487 DR worldwide: "As 1487 DR came to a close, the Second Sundering ended with the full return of Mystra and the Weave, the separation of the worlds Abeir and Toril."

Gale was not a character in the novel about these events so any personal involvement would have been minor, but I'm including them in his timeline because he would have been impacted by the "full return" of Mystra to the world. I imagine he would have experienced many of the same issues that spouses of someone just elected to a high-level office go through.

Gale's lack of personal involvement in Mystra's restoration despite being her Chosen AND her lover is kinda weird, which makes me wonder if things were already starting to sour between them? I really wish that I could lock Ed Greenwood and Jan Van Dosselaer in a room together until they came up with a coherent explanation for what the fuck Gale was up to while all this was going down.

Age ~35 to ~39: 1487 DR to 1491 DR: Sometime during this period must have been when Mystra dumped Gale and he went looking for a lost bit of Weave to win her back but got a Netherese orb lodged in his chest instead.

Mystra was newly back to her full power as the Goddess of Magic and laying down the law, and Gale didn't take that very well:

Gale: "We enjoyed each other's company - body, mind and soul. But even so, I desired more. You see, no matter how powerful a wizard we mortals can become, we never scratch more than the surface of the Weave. Mystra keeps us in check. There are boundaries she doesn't let us cross. Yet every time I was with her, I stood on the precipice, gazing into the wonders that lay beyond. I sought to cross her boundaries." PC: "How exactly did you try to cross those boundaries?" Gale: "I tried to convince her. I pouted, I pleaded, I swore my ambition was only to serve her better. But she only smiled and told me to be contented. As inconceivable as it seems to me now, I shared a bed with a goddess and yet I wasn't satisfied. So I sought to prove myself worthy to her instead."

Gale's description of what happened after she dumped him sounds like it took place over a multi-year period, since I'm assuming that he had to spend some time searching for the "tome of gateways":

Gale: "The goddess spurned the mortal. The veils were drawn once more, and the wizard was left behind heartbroken." ... "Poor wizard. Silly wizard too, for he wouldn't take no for an answer. Like so many of the heartbroken, he did something infinitely foolish. One has to think big if one seeks to win back a goddess. So the wizard thought big." PC: "Define big." Gale: "Here goes: Once upon a time, very long ago, a mighty lord lived in a tower. A flying tower to be precise. I'll save his story for another time, but the gist of it is that he sought to usurp the goddess of magic so that he could become a god himself. He almost managed, but not quite, and his entire empire - Netheril - came crashing down around him as he turned to stone. The magic unleashed that day was phenomenal, roiling like the prime chaos that outdates creation. A fragment of it was caught and sealed away in a book. No ordinary book, mind you: a tome of gateways that contained within it a bubble of Astral Plane. It was a fragment of primal Weave locked out of time - locked away from Mystra herself. 'What if', the silly wizard thought, 'What if after all this time, I could return this lost part of herself to the goddess?'" PC: "What was the answer to his question?" Gale: "The answer was to try, and the outcome was to fail."

Not sure how much Gale was around for the next few events, since he might have been gallivanting around the Astral Plane looking for the tome instead of spending time in Waterdeep. But one assumes he'd notice the physical changes to the city whenever he returned, and that he'd hear about local news from his mother and Tara, so he would certainly be aware that these things happened.

Age ~37: 1489 DR in Waterdeep: "In response to increasing dragon and cultist activity, the Council of Waterdeep was formed, bringing together representatives of realms from all across the Sword Coast. The threat of the Cult of the Dragon was driven home when Masked Lord Arthagast Ulbrinter was assassinated, though it inspired more resolve than fear. In the midst of these events, Open Lord Dagult Neverember was ousted by a vote of the Lords of Waterdeep, replaced by Laeral Silverhand. Although Waterdeep was largely spared due to the dragonward, the Field Ward was still burned to ashes by dragon attacks, displacing huge numbers of people."

Age ~38: 1490 DR in Waterdeep: "The cloud giant castle of Count Nimbolo and Countess Mulara appeared out of clouds and hovered over Waterdeep for a while, triggering mass panic. Heralds sent out by Lady Laeral Silverhand tried to calm citizens and promise that there was no danger. In fact, the giants wanted to research Waterdeep's history and meet its leaders, as they search for traces of the ancient giant realm of Ostoria."

Age ~39: 1491 DR in the Astral Plane (I think?): Gale finds the "tome of gateways" and becomes afflicted with the Netherese orb:

Narrator: "You see through Gale's eyes, staring down the corridors of a dread memory. A book, bound, then suddenly opened. Inside there are no pages, only a swirling mass of blackest Weave that pounces. It's teeth, it's claws, it's unstoppable as it digs through you and becomes part of you. And gods, is it ever-hungry…"

Age ~39: 1491 DR in Waterdeep: Gale begins a year-long isolation in his tower in Waterdeep and eventually stops communicating with anyone except Tara. Not sure exactly when his isolation began relative to the other events of this year, so he may or may not have been personally affected by or even aware of some of the Waterdeep events below.

Age ~39: 1491 DR in Waterdeep: "The returned Eilistraee appeared under the walls of Waterdeep causing an influx in the amount of her followers in the city. They eventually sought out Remallia Haventree and asked her for a holy forest-glade in the ruins of the Field Ward. By Mirtul, the housing crisis in Waterdeep had worsened as a mysterious sickness killed or drove out all of the inhabitants of Downshadow, the Field Ward remained desolated by dragonfire, and Mistshore was burned down by agents of Masked Lord Braethan Cazondur, rendering all three unofficial wards uninhabitable."

Age ~39: 1491 DR in Waterdeep: "Fear threatened to overtake Waterdeep once again as the cloud giant castle of Burruld hovered over the ocean near the city. After the Blackstaff Vajra Safahr panicked and threatened the giants, Open Lord Laeral Silverhand calmed the situation, negotiated with Burruld, and learned that their purpose was to search for the lost daughter of King Skyvald, Princess Irie."

Age ~39: 1491 DR in Waterdeep: "In mid-Mirtul, numerous Masked Lords and other people were gruesomely assassinated as part of Cazondur's conspiracy to seize control of the city. Open Lord Laeral Silverhand, assisted by Elminster and Mirt, worked to maintain order in the city while investigating the murders. While attempting to apprehend Cazondur, Laeral herself was killed and disintegrated by a surprisingly simple trap involving falling rocks, but recovered with Elminster's assistance. An exceedingly dramatic showdown at the Palace of Waterdeep between Laeral and Cazondur in front of assembled servants, nobles and guildmasters resulted in Cazondur's death at the hands of an unexpected third party, Xanathar agents Belvarra Bowmantle and Suthool. Including Cazondur, a total of thirteen Masked Lords and scores of others were slain, and several more Lords publicly unmasked."

Please note that our best guess for the location of Gale's tower puts it couple blocks away from Mirt's Mansion and Gale has mentioned being a patron of the Yawning Portal Tavern, so it seems likely that Gale and Mirt would have been acquainted. If Gale was already in isolation by the time all this went down, perhaps Elminster and Mirt tried dropping by Gale's tower at some point but were repelled by the wards that Gale had set up to keep everyone away? Gale seemed very certain that no one cared about him enough to check on him but I wonder how much of that was the depression talking.

Age ~39: 1491 DR in Waterdeep: "A delegation from the city of Mirabar disappeared while en route to the city, having been waylaid by cultists of the Elder Elemental Eye."

Age ~40: 1492 DR in Waterdeep: Gale abruptly departs his tower and doesn't tell anyone where he's going per Tara's line in his origin, "You left the tower in such a hurry, and you didn't leave an address."

Age ~40: 1492 DR in Yartar [roughly 310 miles / 500 km north of Waterdeep as the crow flies]: Gale is kidnapped by the nautiloid. As explained in a previous post, I believe that he was headed north to find an unpopulated area to die and explode in.

Sources:

FR wiki: Gale Dekarios

FR wiki: Era of Upheaval

FR wiki: Second Sundering

FR wiki: Mystra

FR wiki: Mystra (Midnight)

FR wiki: History of Waterdeep

FR wiki: Yartar

BG3 datamined dialogue transcripts

Map of Faerun

Sad headcanons posted to Tumblr by various people over the past few months that I unfortunately didn't save links to. If you saw something in here that you've posted about then I probably got the idea from you. Please feel free to drop links in the comments so people can read the original post(s) about it, thanks!

[saintsenara]

ik the draw of snoldemort is that it's as delicious and healthy as fibreglass-riddled cotton candy but have you ever considered them being happy?

yes, all the fucking time.

i am genuinely of the opinion that snape and voldemort are each other's most plausible romantic pairing, and while i sustain that opinion mostly thought the power of being delusional, i do think there's a legitimate grain of potential for snapemort to actually be strangely wholesome.

and so, since this is not the first request I've had for such a thing...

...here comes the snapemort manifesto.

i am also of the opinion that the series presents an extremely narrow and unhealthy definition of love - love as suffering and sacrifice and secrecy - which voldemort can't allow himself to experience because his life has unsurprisingly made him unwilling to suffer or sacrifice and which snape forces himself to experience to the clear detriment of his physical and mental health.

but love is also - fundamentally - about comfort and pleasure and not being bored in someone's company.

the canonical voldemort clearly actually likes snape. he also clearly enjoys spending a substantial amount of time alone with him - especially in deathly hallows: voldemort teaches snape how to fly unaided [the only death eater he seems to do this for], which is canon proof they were going on lots of romantic midnight swoopings; snape is obviously voldemort's source for the information that tonks and lupin have recently married, which means they're gossiping over glasses of wine just as much as they're planning to take over the ministry of magic; voldemort visits snape at hogwarts while he's headmaster, and while that's to steal the elder wand, he does say that he'll join snape once his grave-robbing is done...

the two are clearly intellectually compatible - not simply in terms of level of intelligence but in how that intelligence manifests itself. snape has a very voldemort-ish view of magic as something whose boundaries can constantly be pushed and whose authorities must constantly be challenged - that magic is really about power [and those too weak to seek it] - and it's clear in canon that dumbledore's unease about allowing him near the defence against the dark arts job prior to half-blood prince [when snape agreeing to kill him - and revealing how his love-as-suffering for lily drives him - finally convinces him that snape has rejected the dark side entirely] is because he fears snape's way of understanding magic, since it reminds him of voldemort [and - in reminding him of voldemort - reminds him of grindelwald].

but snape and voldemort's intellectual compatibility has something underpinning it which goes beyond how they understand magic and its purpose in the world. they think the way they do about magic because of the similarities in their life experience.

as harry walks to the forest, he sets himself, snape, and voldemort up as a trio - the "abandoned boys", whose lives have all been shaped, to varying extents, by dumbledore. but, while harry and voldemort are each other's narrative mirror - due both to the overtly mystical pseudo-fraternal [or, if you're so inclined, soulmate] connection which voldemort establishes between them by making harry a horcrux, and to their shared experience of orphanhood - harry actually has much less in common with either half of snapemort than they have in common with each other.

for example, while they're all half-bloods, harry's pureblood parent is his father - which gives him a wizarding name, and the social cachet this brings in a world which is so obsessed with blood, family, and male lineage. snape and voldemort have muggle fathers and muggle names, and this gives them a radically different social standing - even if they are, ostensibly, within the same blood-category - to harry.

similarly, while lily is muggleborn, she is still a witch, attends hogwarts, is known and liked within wizarding society, and - like many muggleborns seem to - separates herself entirely from the world of her birth in young adulthood to live in a way indistinguishable from someone born and raised in a magical family.

tom riddle sr. and tobias snape are actual muggles - which means they exist in a world completely divided [and with that division scrupulously maintained by the ministry] from the magical one. while snape is brought up by his birth family and voldemort isn't, their lives are still dictated by their fathers' experiences of, fear of, and disconnection from magic - and this shapes their lives very differently even than harry's experiences with the dursleys.

harry also heavily resembles his pureblood father, which provides similar social cachet. one device which canon uses a lot is the idea that every member of a pureblood nuclear family unit looks alike - narcissa malfoy is blonde and pale, while her sisters are dark-haired, so that she is immediately identifiable as lucius malfoy's wife and draco malfoy's mother; molly weasley is red-haired and freckly, even though these are weasley, rather than prewett, traits, for the same reason.

in having harry look so much like james - while its primary intention in doing this was clearly to help obscure lily's role in the series' central mystery for as long as possible - the text allows him to smooth his path through the wizarding world because he looks like a pureblood, like someone who is understood to belong in the society through which he moves.

voldemort, in contrast, looks exactly like his muggle father. which parent snape resembles is more ambiguous - in deathly hallows, harry says that snape "greatly resembled" his mother, but both order of the phoenix and half-blood prince suggest this isn't the case, and the person he resembles is his father. this makes more sense, since snape resembling tobias means that he - like voldemort - lacks the visual connection to the wizarding world which would - like a pureblood surname - ease his way of belonging within it.

snape and voldemort are also from the same working-class background and have the same experience of childhood poverty. harry - no matter the financial aspect of the dursleys' neglect of him - is still middle-class in the muggle world by virtue of being raised in a place like little whinging by people like vernon and petunia.

and - crucially - harry's financial circumstances and class-status change utterly when he enters the wizarding world. he ascends to being upper-middle-class; he has the resources to buy everything needed for school new - meaning there's no visual distinction between him and his wealthy peers caused by him having, as voldemort does, secondhand possessions; he is able to treat these possessions casually; and he never, ever worries about being able to afford them [when his nimbus is smashed by the whomping willow, he's upset because he liked the broom so much and because he's embarrassed by the circumstances in which it was damaged, he doesn't worry one bit about not being able to afford a new one - he also considers buying himself a firebolt and, of all the things the one sirius buys means to him, it never seems to seriously cross his mind that it's a stupendously expensive thing for a teenager to own].

harry's class ascendance once he enters the wizarding world also gives him access to the ways of connection and network-forming which dictate how magical society runs. while much of this is voldemort's fault - since it's bound up in the fact that harry is a celebrity - it's also evident that this isn't entirely the case. slughorn's attitude towards harry is influenced just as much by his fondness for lily - and the clear reading of canon is that, if harry was the average hogwarts student and james and lily were still alive, harry would be "collected" for the slug club in the way that cormac mclaggen or regulus black are: people that slughorn wants to keep around in case they offer him something, not people he wants to keep around so that he can manipulate and control them.

voldemort and snape, in contrast, exist outside the social networks which govern wizarding society by virtue of their birth [hence why voldemort sets up a parallel social order - with him at the top - among his followers].

voldemort plays the game the way he's expected to while at school - sucking up to slughorn; leaning in to being, as he puts it, "poor but brilliant" - and then rejects a lifetime of being dependent on slughorn's patronage [he could be minister for magic, but only "if you keep sending me pineapple"!] for the only job he can get on his own merits.

snape rejects the idea of playing the game while at school - the teen snape we meet in order of the phoenix is conspicuous in his difference, not only in appearance but in behaviour, from his peers, and the marauders' bullying of him is motivated just as much by his existence outside wizarding social norms as it is by james' sexual jealousy of his friendship with lily and his own deliberate provocation of james and sirius.

and he also rejects the social convention the series values [by which i mean, the series thinks the class system is good as long as the good guys are the ones insisting on maintaining it] in young adulthood. i bang on about this a lot, but it's clear in canon that the reason snape becomes a death eater - and also the reason why he thinks the death eaters will help lily, even though this initially appears to be nonsensical - is because voldemort offers him a chance to transcend the limitations placed upon him in a world with such a restrictive class system. voldemort is the only person who offers him the things he desires - power, respect, recognition - in a context in which his background is [seemingly] irrelevant.

there's an element of snape seeing what he wants to see here, of course. he's clearly voldemort's exception in terms of social class [just as bellatrix is his exception in terms of gender], and this is a grooming technique on voldemort's part which sets snape apart from the other death eaters and makes him more dependent on maintaining voldemort's favour than men like lucius malfoy or rodolphus and rabastan lestrange, who are inherent insiders to the elite male social circle from which the majority of the dark lord's minions are drawn.

but there is also an element of recognition in voldemort choosing snape which has a heavy blast of affection - platonic or otherwise - behind it.

one of the things which dumbledore gets wrong about voldemort throughout the six books in which he appears is that he believes that voldemort is secretive to the point of repression about his origins, childhood, and life experiences. instead, the canonical voldemort is a certified yapper - he needs virtually no prompting, as a child with dumbledore, a teen with harry, or an adult with harry, to start talking about his life in a way which gives quite a lot about himself away. the proto-death eaters we meet in half-blood prince know all about the teen voldemort's search for his lineage. barty crouch jr. knows his birth name. lucius malfoy is completely unbothered to hear harry state that he's a half-blood.

and this shouldn't surprise us - what orphan wouldn't be on a desperate quest to be perceived, to be understood?

snape is clearly voldemort's favourite because he's someone the dark lord implicitly understands - a clever, awkward, lonely boy searching for respect and power which the stagnant wizarding world refuses to give him. it stands to reason, then, that snape is also voldemort's favourite because the dark lord thinks that snape can understand him.

and, in a situation where he's actually given a chance to offer voldemort this understanding, snape therefore has the power to give the dark lord the thing he's been searching for his entire life - someone who knows who he really is behind the elaborate mask of unassailable majesty and loves him anyway.

none of this has to change the future - voldemort can still be a terrorist who kills his wife guy's only childhood friend, the snapemort will slap nonetheless.

but it still can.

[soylent-crocodile]

Vizzerdrix (Monster)

(Vizzerdrix by Dave Dorman)

(Behold, a late Easter AND an April Fool's Day special, all wrapped up in one not-so-fluffy bunny! I wanted to capture the idea of a puzzlingly high-value creature with no special effects and not as much combat capability as its peers, so I went with a mad genius. There's also just a couple of tropes here that I tend to avoid- or lean on- if you can spot them. Enjoy!)

CR16 CE Large Aberration HD25

Vizzerdrix are savage beings created by a mad wizard, ravenous beasts who tear apart any who meet their path. It is generally accepted that the vizzerdrix were the last creation of said wizard before being torn apart by vizzerdrix. Unfortunately for the world, her creations bred true, and now vizzerdrix can be found leaving swathes of blood and death in their path. 

A vizzerdrix is a hybrid between a rabbit, a giant, and a piranha, creating a being with incredible intelligence, sharp claws, a craving for destruction and flesh, and big floppy rabbit ears. Vizzerdrix are among the most brilliant beings to exist, and use this to their advantage- they’re expert at evaluating threats, manipulating others, and devising cunning traps. Fortunately for a vizzerdrix’s enemies, they lack any particular abilities to put this brilliance to use, and without external help or tools, must fall back on ripping and tearing. This isn’t to say that a vizzerdrix has distaste for such combat- indeed, tearing other beings apart with their claws and incisors is the deepest pleasure a vizzerdrix can experience, and all their goals and conniving generally works to the end of getting a vizzerdrix a never-ending source of innocent victims to destroy. 

Vizzerdrix are obligate carnivores, only able to digest animal flesh. Despite this, they have a deep craving for root vegetables, which give them incredible indigestion and, occasionally, food poisoning and intense gastric distress. It is suspected that this was a failsafe created by their master and the reason to include rabbit parts, as vizzerdrix will do anything for proper digestive aids that allow them to comfortably eat their favorite food. 

This hulking, clawed beast has powerful human musculature, furless skin, and the head of an angry rabbit. Misc- CR16 CE Large Aberration HD25 Init:+8 Senses: Perception +27 Darkvision 60ft Stats- Str:28(+9) Dex:18(+4) Con:18(+4) Int:32(+11) Wis:9(-1) Cha:20(+5) BAB:+18/+13/+8/+3 Space:10ft Reach:10ft Defense- HP: AC:30(+4 Dexterity, +17 Deflection, -1 Size) Fort:+14 Ref:+12 Will:+17 CMD:39 Resist: Acid 20, Cold 20, Electricity 20, Fire 20 Immunity: Fear Special Defenses: DR5/Adamantine Offense- Bite +24(2d6+9), 2 Claw +25(1d8+9) CMB:+25 Speed:40ft Special Attacks: Rend (2 Claw, 2d8+14) Feats- Improved Initiative, Power Attack (-5/+10), Weapon Focus (Claw), Iron Will, Great Fortitude, Vital Strike, Combat Expertise, Improved Dirty Trick, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Greater Dirty Trick, Critical Focus Skills- Acrobatics +27, Climb +17, Escape Artist +32, Knowledge (Arcana, Dungeoneering, Engineering, Geography, Nature, Planes, Religion) +26, Knowledge (Local)* +29, Perception +27, Sense Motive +24, Spellcraft +39, Stealth +32, Survival +27, Swim +17, Use Magic Device +30 Spell-like Abilities- (Caster Level 20, Concentration +25) Dispel Magic /at-will Special Qualities- Ferocity Ecology- Environment- Forests, Swamps (Any) Languages- Common, Aklo, Abyssal, Draconic, Giant Organization- Solitary Treasure- None

[theshiftingwitch]

https://www.tumblr.com/creature-wizard/761018683964424192/the-law-of-assumption-isnt-a-cult-mmm-are-you?source=share

That's a very interesting read, thank you for sharing it!

(The Law of assumption is a cult)

Allow me to explain my side:

1- I don't believe in everything the "founder" teaches. Some rules work for me, others don't. I use critical thinking and past experiences to take whatever works and isolate it. Remember, his teachings came out in the 40s + he is not omniscient. Humans are bound to make mistakes.

2- I never guilt, shame, or turn away anyone who asks questions. If you scroll through my page, you'll see I'm trying to answer all questions and help everyone to the best of my ability. And all I ever insist on is having fun.

3- Everyone is you pushed out doesn't take away people's agency. It is a spiritual rule that suggests since we are all part of the great consciousness, we are all Spirit, the universe having a human experience. We are all One, and with that knowledge, we must face our shadows when people trigger us because they are merely holding a mirror to us and exposing parts of us we refuse to see or deal with. I know that when most people in loa community use EIYPO they mean no one else has free will in the world and you are the main character and you get to do what you want (that only applies in your reality, everyone's else reality doesn't have to conform to your beliefs) but I personally always say do not do onto others what you wouldn't do to yourself.

4- if loa is a cult, then by that definition so is the law of attraction, so is every religion and every spiritual practice that gives sole power to its founder/creator/god. If you're not allowed to question it then you're dealing with the wrong people and you should seek knowledge/advice somewhere else.

5- Try it out for yourself. Forget about Neville Goddard, forget about the community, let everything go, and try changing your assumptions about one single thing. Stick with it for as long as you can, and then we'll question the validity of the law. Too many people with great success stories started out as doubters too. (If it's not your thing, I totally understand, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do.)

TLDR: Law off assumption is as much of a cult as anything else that has a great following. If it works, then amazing. If it doesn't, feel free to try something else. And as usual, you're more than welcome to ask any questions 😊

Happy manifesting?

[lorrainmorgan]

Serpent's Innocence

[ 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐮 𝐦𝐲 🐍 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 ]

Previous Part 10 Next

You can read it here or just expand and enjoy!

"They found evidence of all three Unforgivable curses on the wand they confiscated from you, Mrs Morgana. But that wand you gave them... it's not yours."

Lorra's heart raced as she was escorted through the imposing entrance of the Ministry of Magic, her wand taken from her and secured by Arthur Sallow.

Even the time being, the building itself exuded an aura of power and secrecy, with its hulking walls adorned with front pages of the Daily Prophet, bearing headlines of every kind that showcased the vast range of wizarding news. From famous Aurors capturing criminals to the most mundane topics, like the top 10 best-dressed wizards and witches. 

Along the sides of the cold, black marble halls were rows of black chimneys, a telltale sign of wizarding transportation known as floo powder. Lorra watched in awe as witches and wizards appeared and disappeared in flashes of green flames.

Their journey led them to a set of ornate elevator gates. Lorra followed nervously as they descended what felt like an eternity before finally arriving at a door marked with an ominous phrase: Veritas vos liberabit - "The truth will set you free." 

What a wonderful way to spend Christmas Eve…

They cautiously stepped into the small room, its thick gray walls seeming to close in around them. The only source of light came from a dimly glowing floo flame chimney at the far end of the room, casting eerie shadows across the space. In the center of the room sat a worn and uncomfortable looking emerald sofa, serving as a waiting space for visitors.

“Wait here,” one of the stern-faced aurors instructed Lorra as he disappeared through the black metallic door on the other side of the room. She nervously took a seat on the sofa, her mind racing to make sense of what was happening. The rough texture of the furniture only added to her discomfort.

After a few tense minutes, the green flames in the chimney sprang to life, signaling the arrival of Matilda Weasley, Ominis, and Sebastian. Lorra's heart leapt as she rushed towards Ominis, nearly tripping over herself in her haste. They embraced each other tightly, their reunion filled with both joy and pain.

Lorra's shoulders shook as she fought back tears while Ominis wrapped his arms around her, trying to calm her down. 

-"Why would they take my wand? What is happening?" she asked Ominis trying to imagine any possible answer.

-"I don't know, dear," Ominis said, struggling to keep his own emotions in check. "But I promise I will do everything in my power to get you out of this misunderstanding"

-"Don't make promises you can't keep," Arthur sneered, strutting towards them with an air of self-importance.

-"Arthur, please," Professor Weasley interjected sternly. "This is a serious matter and we need to handle it calmly and professionally"

Sebastian rolled his eyes 

-"Always so professional and well-centered, aren't you Arthur? Our family and your colleagues must be very proud." His words dripping with sarcasm and rage.

Professor Matilda let out a frustrated sigh. 

-"Enough! I brought you both here because you insisted on accompanying Lorrain...and because the Ministry allows two witnesses in cases like this."

Witnesses… Witnesses for what?

She glanced at Lorra and gave her a reassuring smile.

- "I'll make sure the paperwork for your wand is ready as soon as possible, Miss Morgana, and with it, your release. Then you can see for yourself that she is innocent, Arthur." 

With that, she turned and left the room with the rest of the aurors.

-“Your wand is currently undergoing thorough examination in the Department of Wand Control, Miss Morgana,” Arthur Sallow began to explain in a stern yet cordial tone. He attempted to soften his approach by casually adding, “Without so many formalities, do you mind if I refer to you as Lorra?” 

She remained silent, her eyes devoid of any respect for him standing in front of her.

However, before she could respond, Ominis interjected with a sardonic and cruel tone. The true Gaunt attitude seemed to seep through his pores as he sneered at the auror's attempt at civility.

-"I'm sure she does mind, especially after being abducted without any explanation from our school. But I suppose you understand that." 

- "I'm not here to argue or entertain petty insults. I want answers, just like I'm sure you all do".

-“Of course you do…” Lorrain whispered.

-“Look, miss Sweety Pie, you’re not going to start giving me lip here. You need to remember your place, and watch it. I’ll give you whatever explanation when I see fit to do so.”

Fury burned in Sebastian and Ominis as they listened to Arthur's patronizing words towards Lorra. Their fists clenched tightly, itching to punch some sense into the arrogant man before them.

"Don't you dare talk down to her like that," Sebastian growled, his voice laced with anger. "She’s not a criminal!"

Ominis stepped forward, his wand at the ready. "We demand answers now, Arthur. Ignoring us will only make things worse for you."

Arthur sneered, his smug expression infuriating. "I couldn't care less about your political and social advantages, young Gaunt. I am here to protect the Wizarding World, and that includes keeping secrets from nosy students like yourself. You’re only here because Matilda Weasley’s stupid connections to the Ministry of Magic proceed her long before your births."

Sebastian's hands trembled with fury as he resisted the overwhelming urge to lunge at his cousin and unleash his pent-up hatred. He could still vividly remember meeting Arthur for the first time at a family reunion, and the disgust had only grown since then. In that moment, he despised his uncle just as much for raising such an arrogant and useless man.

- “Your audacity to accuse innocent people in the name of protecting society makes me sick”. 

-"ALLEGEDLY innocent, dear cousin, allegedly…" Arthur spat back. A flash of rage flickered in Sebastian's eyes as he clenched his jaw, fighting back the urge to retaliate. 

-"...And I'll thank you both if you’d let me do my damn job now!" 

With a sudden burst of rage, Arthur slammed his fist down on the wooden table with enough force to make it shake. 

A heavy silence filled the room, punctuated only by the faint sound of shallow breathing and the distant ticking of a clock. The auror's face contorted in anger, his lip curling to reveal two sharp fangs as he glared at the three slytherin students before him.

Taking a deep breath to regain his composure, he motioned for Lorra to enter through the ominous black door. As it closed behind them with a heavy thud, they were enveloped in an eerie silence, unable to hear anything from the other side. 

-"Arthur is the true living image of Uncle Solomon. They are so alike they can't even tolerate each other. That's one of the reasons he left Feldcroft, they are just like two drops of water, him and his dad " As they stood outside the door, Sebastian couldn't help but chuckle grimly at the irony. 

-“I didn't even know you had a cousin, Sebastian. Charming he is…”

-“Something changed in him ever since he returned from Paris, where he was mentored by Professor Bertrand Caillet. He was already moody and insufferable, but after his return, everything went downhill…

Their chat was interrupted by the sound of muffled voices and screams coming from inside. Panic crept into their minds - could they possibly be torturing her?

Sebastian grabbed Ominis’ hand, in which he had his wand pointing at the door trying to catch a better glimpse of what was- or could- be happening. Sebastian slowly pulled it in another direction. He wanted to prevent his friend from the possible scenarios coming to his mind. 

"Don't torture yourself with unnecessary thoughts, Ominis. If anything happens to her, I'll make sure Arthur pays for it with every last tooth." 

His comment barely registered, and Ominis just nodded silently, feeling frozen in place. 

But amidst the chaos and uncertainty, there was something else lurking just beneath the surface. An urgent need to share something important with Ominis, caused Sebastian to speak up despite the difficult circumstances. 

-"I know this is not a good time," he began hesitantly, "but I need to tell you something important." 

The blonde's attention now fully shifted to his friend

-"Anne has been-"

The creaking of the door interrupted Sebastian and jolted Ominis out of his trance-like state. Sebastian's sharp gasp and urgent movements snapped him to attention. Something was clearly wrong. Ominis’ eyes immediately shut to concentrate on what his wand was showing him was happening”.

Lorrain was being carried out of the room by Arthur and the other auror. 

She looked drained and pale, her normally vibrant features now marred by tear streaks and bloodshot eyes. She appeared exhausted and on the brink of collapse.

Arthur attempted to lay her gently on the sofa, but was quickly pushed aside by Sebastian and Ominis, whom took over the task of carefully placing her down on the stiff old cushions. The other auror hovered nearby, holding a small bottle of Withering potion to aid in her recovery. 

“We are not the monsters here, you know” the older Sallow said with full regret on his face. 

“Well you’ve certainly been behaving like one!” Ominis yelled at him, losing his grip as he could feel Lorra’s cold cheeks. 

Ominis had never felt the urgency to try to heal someone as hard as he wished he could at that moment. His hands traveled from her cold and sweaty forehead to her chest, that was beating so fast she could barely breath.

-“Sebastian, what did your cousin do to her?”

- “She’s just tired. Unharmed. She’ll be alright”

- “Does she look alright to you?!” Ominis yelled at Arthur but was quickly interrupted by the sound of the main door opening.

The -not so- imposing figure of Hogwarts' Headmaster, Phineas Black, strode into the room, his leather vest stretched taut over his chest and his long black coat billowing behind him. His presence craved attention, and it was clear he expected an answer or verdict from the other aurors in tow. 

-"W-What are you two doing here? Ugh, matter of no importance. Well, Arthur?" he demanded carelessly to the auror. The students just listened intently as Black continued his questioning. 

-"Have you determined her guilt or was this all just a waste of my time?" the Professor asked with a hint of impatience in his voice. The auror took a deep breath before responding. 

-“Despite administering Veritaserum at twice the legal dose and attempting Legilimency, we were unable to extract any useful information from her. Her early memories seem completely blank. As a result, we do not have enough evidence to move forward with a trial, Phineas. We are also waiting for the results of the Wand Weigher, but I’m afraid it’s a dead end”.

As if the words had fallen on deaf ears, Professor Black turned to face the blonde wizard next to him.

-"Young Gaunt, a word with you?" His stupid silly voice punched Ominis right in his brain.

Ominis rose from his seat, leaving Lorra in Sebastian's protective embrace, her now caretaker, making sure she drank all of the potion.

-"Do you understand, young Gaunt, that your family will not be pleased to see their youngest son associating with a criminal and a... stubborn farmer?" He gestured towards Lorrain and Sebastian with a dismissive wave of his hand.

-“I know... my father has made it clear... to some extent.” Ominis stumbled over his words, trying to translate them into something comprehensible from the ridiculous perspective of Black. 

Then it slowly dawned on him what was truly going on. This was no coincidence. This was perfect timing. 

How convenient…

-"Let me give you a piece of advice young man, from one pureblood to another: Stay away from them, until everything is sorted out and we know exactly what we're dealing with. I'm sure you understand what I’m trying to say." Professor Black spoke with a mix of pride and greed.

-"I do understand, Professor. Thank you for your wise words," Ominis forced himself to sound grateful and appreciative towards the headmaster, even though he was really just putting on a facade in an attempt to finish the conversation as soon as possible so he could return to Hogwarts. 

-"I'm so glad you understand... everything is for the greater good, isn't it? To maintain our pureblood status and connections." Professor Black finished with a smug smile as he patted Ominis' shoulder. 

Gaunt forced a polite smile in return, masking his true feelings towards the snobbish headmaster. He didn't even need his wand to see right through the facade of elitism and manipulation, all in the name of preserving their privileged standing. 

Ominis was smart. Extremely. He knew not playing along with the headmaster's game would only bring danger to him and his loved ones, but he had no choice. He had to maintain the facade of the well-behaved lamb, like he had always done. 

-"May I excuse myself? I believe I have more important matters to attend to." Ominis declared abruptly, feigning indifference to the tense situation.

-"There’s the young Gaunt I know! Of course, good boy. Get going and focus on your studies" Black replied with a sinister grin audible enough for others to hear. Ominis nodded in response.

As he walked away to the only chimney in the room, he slyly slipped his wand behind his left ear and whistled a tune. 

He hated whistling. 

But that was a signal to Sebastian, who caught the subtle motion and understood it immediately. They had devised this secret code years ago when they first met, and only they knew about it. Not even Anne, nor Lorra were aware of its existence. 

With a sneer on his face, Arthur scoffed as he watched the blonde wizard disappear into the green flames.

- "Well, well, isn't he just a quick changer?" he said mockingly, his contempt bubbling to the surface.

The headmaster only smiled proudly, convinced that he had managed to manipulate and control the situation to his advantage. But just as they began to bask in their self-righteousness, Matilda Weasley entered the room with two burly ministry officers, holding two chubby folders between her hands. 

-"Gentlemen," she announced with a smug smile, "I am pleased to inform you that this young witch is innocent of all charges you have falsely accused her of. And her wand has been thoroughly inspected by the Ministry. Not a trace of any Unforgivable Curses was found within its core." 

With a triumphant flourish, she handed over the sealed folders to Arthur Sallow for him to see for himself.

As he flipped through the pages, his eyes widened in shock. Every spell cast with her wand had been documented with meticulous detail. The evidence against her accusations of murdering Lady Igraine and Lord Gorlois were irrefutable.

-“Are you certain about this, Professor Weasley?” Professor Black's voice filled with disbelief and disdain as he stared at the green envelope with the results. His eyes were like daggers, willing her to be guilty of the false charges.

-“I made sure the officers followed all the proper protocol, Phineas. Prior Initio Incantato . It never fails,” Mrs. Weasley bit out through gritted teeth, her impatience evident. “Now, if I may, please take my students back to the school. This has been enough for today, don't you think?” She turned to face the Headmaster, a steely determination in her gaze.

-"Of course, of course, Mrs. Weasley," the Headmaster stuttered, clearly intimidated by her sharp tone. "Please, take them and be gone now. And umm...in the spirit of cooperation and convenience, I'll award 50 house points to Slytherin for your services to the school. Also, Merry Christmas!”

Mrs. Weasley scoffed at his pathetic attempt to silence his own students with mere house points. She couldn't help but feel disgusted by such a cheap attempt at manipulation. 

The deputy headmistress frantically pulled her two students close under her protective wing as they left the room threatening to consume them if they lingered any longer.

As they ascended in the elevator, Sebastian and Lorra stood silently at their professors' sides. She remained stoic, eyes scanning the elevator walls for any signs of danger.

-"Professor, how did y-" Sebastian began, but was cut off by a fierce look from her. 

-"You seem to have forgotten my past life as a curse breaker at the Ministry of Magic," she snapped, her voice laced with impatience. "I know how to navigate these treacherous waters, and there are some who still owe me favors, Mr. Sallow."

With a swift movement, they exited the golden elevator and she led them through twisting hallways, her pace almost frantic. In this moment, it didn't matter that she was their teacher - she was their protector. 

Lorra's breath caught in her throat as she whispered, finally regaining her voice. "You lied to them, professor, didn't you?" Her words hung heavy in the air, punctuated by the start of crackling sparks around them. 

"I did." She admitted. "They found evidence of all three Unforgivable curses on the wand they confiscated from you, Mrs Morgana. But that wand you gave them... it's not yours."

Without another word, the professor grabbed her students from the back and they disappeared into the closest chimney, leaving behind only a trail of green sparkles and swirling ash.

Notes

👉 Sebastian understood the assignment - protect your best friend's girl at all costs.

👉 Also I love the idea of Matilda Weasley being a badass

[sitp-recs]

15 fics with different takes on Harry

Nobody asked but here’s another self-indulgent reclist to celebrate Harry’s HBD week! I wonder how many people are open to seeing their fave under a new light? Some readers can be very picky when it comes to characterization, myself included; it can be scary but I also believe that new approaches can be exciting and thought-provoking, and help us understand the multiple layers underneath their personality, as well as imagine how different things could have been had they lived under different circumstances. I am all for having my perspectives challenged so I thought it would be cool to share some of the fics that made me go 🤯🫢 with their bold and captivating take on Harry. These include dark unhinged Harry, down & out Harry, pitiful Harry, himbo Harry and some other tropes that I’ve found particularly creative and refreshing. Each fic is unique in their own way so come pick your flavour of fanon Harry and enjoy!

The Language of Power by Lokifan (E, 2k)

Harry loves talking in Parseltongue to Draco during sex: his response is just delicious.

Magpie by @corvuscrowned (E, 4k)

Potter doesn't steal because he needs anything, Draco quickly learns. He doesn't do it because it makes him feel anything. It isn't about power, and it isn't about control. Potter just does it because he can.

The Antique Bed Frame by @lazywonderlvnd (E, 5.4k)

Draco “needs his bed fixed.” Harry offers to help.

Better Left Dead by calrissian18 (T, 6.6k)

A love story and a half.

World's Edge by RurouniHime (E, 15k)

In the harshest environment on earth, Harry finds that escaping is harder than simply running.

Violent Delights by primaveracerezos (E, 20k)

Draco Malfoy's life should be going very well. He's engaged to a wonderful man and in line for the Head Auror job. He's been made lead investigator on a serial murder case, trying to figure out who is killing off the scum of the wizarding world, one by one.

A Year in Training by Omi_Ohmy (M, 25k)

Harry is finally living his dream and training as an Auror, but nothing seems to be going right: he’s just so angry all the time. And Draco Malfoy’s presence on the programme really isn’t helping with that, either.

Fearful Trill by @vukovich (E, 29k)

Harry should have come out and met someone when he was younger. He should have seen a doctor about the pain in his hip while youth was still on his side. Now, he's made his peace with dying young, but maybe not with dying alone.

He Who Must Not Be Normal by lettered (E, 41k)

Potter has fame and fortune and posh clothes and all he wants is a simple life. Draco has a flat and a cat and a steady job and all he wants is a complicated life. Which makes you think this story has something exciting like body-swapping, but it doesn’t.

REVOLVEVLOVER by firethesound, zeitgeistic (E, 46k)

The work Harry does is justifiable. It’s justice. He works for his country, and his country is a republic—the magical side, anyway. It’s not laudable work, it’s not work he’s proud of, but it’s necessary work. Harry has always taken the necessary jobs that no one else has the stomach for.

Chocolate and Pastry by agentmoppet, anemonen (E, 50k)

When Pansy bets Draco that there is no chance he and Harry could carry out a genuine romantic relationship, he and Harry form a plan. But as their fake relationship progresses, Draco sees a side of Harry he never expected.

Harry Potter Gives a Shit by talithan (E, 58k)

“Where are you headed?” “No place special,” Draco fumbled, and flushed further. But then: “I can change that,” said Harry Potter.

Absolution by sunnyeclipses (E, 63k)

At the mercy of his failing marriage, Harry only meant to use the potion once — to get Draco to listen. It’s not his fault that it works so well and that Draco’s just so easy to control.

Balance, Imperfect by @bixgirl1 (E, 91k)

When Harry sustains an injury in the line of work, he no longer knows how to navigate the life he loved, and finds help and solace from the most unexpected source.

A Sword Laid Aside by @korlaena (E, 128k)

When Draco’s cover is blown during a deep undercover operation and the Ministry is compromised, Ron takes Draco to the only safe place he can think of—Potter. Hiding out with a taciturn Harry Potter, who has been missing from the Wizarding World for almost two decades after a shocking fall from grace, is nothing like Draco thought it would be.

[darklordazalin]

Azalin Reviews: Darklord Hazlik (5e)

Domain: Hazlan Domain Formation: Not Specified (714 BC older editions) Power Level:💀💀💀⚫⚫ Sources: Van Ricthen’s Guide to Ravenloft (5e)

In the good doctor’s most recent guide, Hazlan has transformed from a Domain of suppression and ancient magics to one that can be best described as a large magical experiment gone wrong. These chaotic casting result in supernatural disasters and a populace that would have faired better in face of the Spell Plague.

Hazlik’s descent, that resulted in his imprisonment in the Mists, is similar from previous accounts. He rose quickly among the Red Wizards of Thay in Toril and made many enemies by scaring his rivals with his spellcasting. One such rival, Indreficus, became Hazlik’s lover and the two shared a sort of love-hate relationship.

Hazlik learned that Indreficus planned to betray him to the ruling zulkirs. Brokenhearted, he did what any rational man would do - he performed experiments on his former lover and turned him into a living portal, then presented this portal thing to the zulkirs.

In true monologuing-villain fashion, the zulkirs revealed that they had tricked Hazlik because they were weary of his and Indreficus’s rise in power. And as punishment for creating the living portal, which they dismissed as an affront to magic, they declared that all those Hazlik had defeated in the past could choose their own penance against him. Likely this would have been a rather drawn out death sentence, but Hazlik decided to risk jumping through his living portal/ex-lover instead.

Hazlik is supposedly a powerful wizard. Perhaps he should have looked into the memories and thoughts of his lover before assuming all he was told was true? Hazlik has always been a rash fool driven by his emotions and this logical course of action clearly evaded his mind.

Stepping through his lover-portal, Hazlik found himself in the Nightmare Lands where Indreficus’s voice tormented him. But, as before, he fled and his personal prison was formed.

Hazlik can no longer learn new spells. I wonder what that’s like…Though, it must be far more limiting for a mortal who is only mid-career. He is also tormented by his former lover whenever he sleeps, so that curse still holds him and he still attempts to stay awake as long as possible.

His obsession is to escape. Again. I wonder what that’s like…Though his goal of escape is not for any clear reason, such as revenge or being able to learn new magic so you can bring your long-dead son back and restart as a non-specific example, but because he wants to see what lies beyond Hazlan. This obsession leads him and his apprentices to preform countless experiments that really just amount to them causing all sorts of supernatural disasters. I wonder…Never mind. I think you get the point by now.

Lastly, as if he did not already take enough of my aesthetics, the Eyes of Hazlik are everywhere in Hazlan and our little red wizard can see through them all. Hazlik’s new limitations and youth indicate he is not as powerful as he once was. Still, he’s an archmage with few rivals and little to oppose him.

[midnightstargazer]

Marauders Era wand headcanons, part 2

Sirius was in my first post - here's the rest of the Blacks

First, a note about the cores:

I hc that the Blacks all use wands with dragon heartstring cores. For some, it comes more naturally than others, but they go to Ollivander's refusing to try - or to let their children try - anything else. Dragon wands produce the most powerful magic, and they're the most easily turned toward the Dark Arts, so I think the Blacks would find dragon to be by far the most desirable, and indeed, the only thing worthy of them.

Regulus: blackthorn and dragon heartstring

Blackthorn is "best suited to a warrior" and will only fully bond with its owner after surviving some sort of dangerous situation together. I chose this mainly for the symbolism. Regulus is imo a character who dies just as he's beginning to unlock his true potential. I like the idea that, if he had lived, he would have found himself capable of more than he expected before, having perhaps never realized just how much his wand was holding back.

Also, it looks at first glance like kind of a generic "bad guy" wand - the only blackthorn wand in canon is the one Ron took from a Snatcher - which fits with Regulus's conformity to his family and peers. But the bush it comes from is described as having both "wicked thorns" and sweet berries, and blackthorn wands don't exclusively choose Dark Wizards - so it also fits with his eventual change of heart.

Narcissa: cherry and dragon heartstring

Cherry is often dismissed as "frivolous or merely ornamental" but is in fact very powerful and potentially dangerous, especially with a dragon heartstring core. The combination is best paired with someone who has "exceptional self-control and strength of mind" - which I think is a good description of Narcissa. I hc her as a skilled occlumens, and even aside from that, she manages to hold herself together through quite a bit in the last few books.

Andromeda: larch and dragon heartstring

Larch "creates wands of hidden talents and unexpected effects, which likewise describes the master who deserves it." I kind of think Andromeda shocked everyone when she ran off with Ted, so I like the idea of a wand that hints at that. Larch is also supposed to be associated with "courage and confidence" - qualities I suspect Andromeda has quite a bit of.

Bellatrix: walnut and dragon heartstring

This one is canon. Walnut chooses the most intelligent witches and wizards, which suggests that Bellatrix was highly intelligent. There are hints of that in canon, but I think it must have been even more obvious pre-Azkaban. Walnut is also notable in that it won't refuse to do any sort of magic, unlike others that are difficult to use for the Dark Arts or take on aspects of their owner's moral code.

wandlore sources:

wand cores

wand woods

[dailycharacteroption]

Halcyon Druid (Druid Archetype)

(art by Zummeng on DeviantArt)

Easily one of my favorite goodly organizations in the Lost Omens setting is the Magaambya school of magic. Founded by the man who singlehandedly saved arcane magic for humanity, Oldmage Jatembe’s school of magic is the very picture of a place where the mystic arts are paired together with a righteous code of ethics and goodness.

But that isn’t the only thing that is combined there in that sacred institute, for the school is also famous for blending the arcane and divine, with many of it’s mages being able to cast druidic primal magics in addition to their arcane arts.

However, Magaambya does not merely teach the arcane arts with a smattering of the divine, they actually teach all manner of disciplines, so it only makes sense that there would also be druids that learn a bit of the arcane.

These so-called halcyon druids not only learn a few arcane spells, but they also do something very atypical for primal mages: they seek out contact with outsiders of the outer sphere, particularly celestials, and especially the animal-like agathions!

The only other druid archetype I can think of that deals with non-elemental outsiders regularly is the planar extremist, and that’s the ex-druid archetype representing those that have gone too far away from their roots and become servants of the planes rather than nature, so in order to truck with such beings while still being true druids, these mystics must be doing something very right compared to others.

As we will soon see, these mystics gain a mixture of powerful abilities from their primal, arcane, and divine sources.

Rather than form a bond to an aspect of nature or a companion, these druids instead bond with their mask, which then functions similar to a wizard’s bonded item, and can be similarly enchanted.

They are also trained diplomats, all the better to go between villages and nations to forge new bonds of cooperation and kinship.

In keeping with the blending of magical traditions, these mages can spontaneously cast spells associated with the cleric domain of Good instead of summoning allies.

They also learn a handful of spells exclusive to the arcane arts, diversifying their magecraft further.

As agents of good, these mages are especially resistant to the depredations of fiendish foes.

Finally, these mystics gain the ability to shapeshift into a form of celestial outsider based on their mask. While this is not a true outsider polymorph effect, it has the limited ability to mimic some of the iconic abilities of the major celestial types, such as the aura of menace seen in archons.

This archetype is interesting. It gets rid of wild shape and the nature bond, but replaces them with surprising spell versatility and their very own bonded item, as well as making them experts in social areas. These changes mean that you’re pretty much limited to being a back line spellcaster unless you utilize lots of buffs or use the celestial transformation from your mid-levels, but it still can be rewarding to play.

Interestingly, this archetype mentions that some members of this order wear masks resembling fiends rather than celestials, though those that do are probably more akin to gargoyles, acting as representatives of what evil looks like rather than being evil themselves. However, there is always the possibility of perhaps some disgruntled ex-student actually making pacts with fiends.

Ogwe the Crocodile is especially daring among his kin, but that boldness has led to surprising alliances in the past. Now the druid seeks perhaps his most shocking diplomatic endeavor yet: delving into the earth beneath the region to meet with a mighty vault builder, one of the legendary xiomorns, to secure peaceful relations.

Though sometimes mistaken for a rakshasa, Veldikas is every bit a mystical dilletante and social navigator. However, his true loyalties always lie with the natural world, and the fanglord beastkin wears the face of the tiger both in and out of his sacred mask, especially when the time comes to act.

For generations, the angelic mask of her ancestor has watched over Kifi’s home, protecting it. Turns out this was more than superstition, for the day the mask was stolen, her village was attacked. Though she managed to get the mask back, she discovered a divine spirit dwelling within, one that urges her to seek out the mentor that trained their ancestor so long ago.

[eldritchelfwriter]

One Hundred Years of Anger

First chapter of the crossover work just released!

Starring my other bestie, Dame Aylin!

I decided to post the first chapter today, to celebrate the 3 month anniversary of starting to write Shadowheart Begins.

Here's a preview:

She must have died.

Returning to her body has the same sensation as always, as though she is speeding down a beam of light back into that celestial body. Rushing headfirst into what, she does not yet remember.

It is only when she re-enters that body, feels the slow knitting of itself back together that it starts to come back to her.

Ketheric Thorm. The father of her one, true love.

“Isobel,” Aylin whispers, the grief returning as strong as ever. She tries to rise to her feet, but she is still, ironically, mortally wounded, for all that her immortal regeneration is beginning the slow work of returning her to full health.

“Don’t you dare speak my daughter’s name,” a voice snarls.

Slap.

Her head snaps to the side, jarring her neck from the strength of the blow.

“Where – ?”

She sees the jagged rocks going on for eternity, feels the thick emptiness and darkness but for flashes of purple lightning, hears the constant, ominous rolls of thunder, and remembers.

She is in the Shadowfell. Someone is in trouble and needs her help! Only … that wasn’t true, was it? It was a trick, and the very person who led her into the Shadowfell to help, killed her.

Her vision, temporarily fuzzy from the blow, comes back into focus and she sees Ketheric Thorm smirking at her, triumphant. And then he ignores her as he lifts his eyes up in worship.

“I have done as you asked, Dark Lady,” he says reverently. “Accept this gift from your most loyal servant.”

Something hums in the dark of the Shadowfell, Shar herself speaking to her disciple, though Aylin cannot hear what she says. How did she not see that he had turned from her mother Selune to wicked Shar in his grief?

“What have you done, Ketheric!” Aylin demands, ignoring her injuries and rising to stride across and seize him by the neck to demand answers. She makes it no further than two steps before she is stopped, her arms stretching uselessly forward, blocked from advancing further by an invisible barrier. She searches for the source; sickly sigils glow beneath her, through a pool of blood on the ground that she knows is her own.

And she suddenly realises: she has no armour, no weapons. Her wounds leak freely into the tunic she wears beneath her armour. She, Dame Aylin, has been imprisoned in a cage built from dark magic.

But she is a celestial daughter of Selune, not a helpless mortal. She calls upon her power – the power of Selune, her blessed and most holy gift to wield. And …

… Nothing …

“It cannot be …” she murmurs, perturbed, but by no means disheartened. She reaches out for her mother and discovers, with a realisation that cuts into her very heart, her very soul, that their connection has been weakened to the thinnest of threads.

“Oh, I assure you, it can be,” an oily voice says. “And thank you, Aylin, for your fine donation to my collection. I’m sure it will be used well, in time.”

Balthazar.

She whips her head around and sees a hooded figure dragging away a pair of white angel’s wings, dripping with blood and leaving streaks of red across the ground.

“No! NO!”

“Shall we?” Balthazar says to Ketheric, ignoring Aylin completely.

And now the terror is real. She is trapped in the Shadowfell without power, without sword, without her wings. Her beautiful wings – gone. Cut away.

She, a daughter of Selune, has been tricked like a common mortal. Ketheric has no idea of the enemy he has made and the vengeance she will shower upon him and his disgusting pet wizard.

“Release me!” she demands. “I swear upon my oath –”

“Yes, yes,” Ketheric interrupts. “I’ve heard it all before. All that quaint paladin nonsense. But don’t forget, Aylin, you stole from me first, and now you will pay the price. Forever.”

“This is not over Ketheric! I will hunt you down and tear you limb from limb! I will smash your head in until your skull is nothing more than shards like glitter –”

She rages at them, even as they walk through a portal Balthazar has created, and then they are gone.

Alone in the Shadowfell, she screams, and screams.

Only Shar hears her.

Shar loves the sound of her of screams.

And so she stops. And paces her new cage, panicked and frightened.

READ MORE:

[lilacartsmadsion]

Lore of the Future

(Tinkerer Cookie’s POV)

Testing testing…

Looks like the System’s Processing Data well…

Beginning Notes.

Order of The Five: Custard Cookie III.

King of the Vanilla Kingdom, Heir to Pure Vanilla Cookie, Successor to White Lily Cookie and Fifth Member of the Order of the Five.

Youngest of the Five, Custard Cookie III is the last remaining active member of The Order post-separation.

He resides in the Floating Island of the Vanilla Kingdom. Being its King as he is the only higher up next to Pure Vanilla, as Pure Vanilla’s right hand was his Grandfather.

His only family resides in the Creme Republic in the Noble House of House Custard, renamed House Scones. With the Head of the House being Clotted Cream Cookie and the Next in Line being Clotted Cream’s Daughter Vanilla Cream Scone Cookie. (That’s a Mouthful, no wonder he shortens it) though Custard Cookie III strongly states that he saw Pure Vanilla and White Lily as family as well as the Former members of the Order, including Gingerbrave.

As the Youngest, he was the Last to Join the Order of the Five, joining when it was once The Order of the Four. Though his role in the Order was unknown, it is speculated that Custard Cookie III handled religious events and matters as well as Charity Events.

There is also Theories that suggest that since his Light was the Light of Unity, Custard Cookie III handled the alliances between the Kingdoms. When the Cookie Kingdom disappeared, the Kingdoms fell into chaos and only Custard Cookie III was able to put an end to the neverending destruction.

Custard Cookie III’s Light is the Light of Unity, derived from White Lily’s Light: The Light of Freedom. Although it is unknown whether there are individual effects from this…

Custard Cookie III explains that when he was in power with the Soul Jam, the Vanilla Kingdom was able to increase in size, and go down from the sky as much as he used the Soul Jam as technology. Subsequently, Custard Cookie III has explained that he never directly used his Soul Jam, only using it as a Power Source for his kingdom.

Which is probably how Gingerbrave got a hold of the power first.

The Kingdom remains a floating Island since then as it was stolen when an attack had occurred within the Kingdom.

The Soul Jam of Unity acted as a Power Source and a Control System for Custard Cookie III alone, security measures were locked tight, to the point that only the Order knew how it works. The only brief explanation I got is that the Soul Jam could power electricity for the Vanilla Kingdom and could also improve technology. How it works is being kept hushed by Custard Cookie III.

Unlike Statue depictions of him, Custard Cookie III does not wear a symbol on his chest that indicates that he placed his Soul Jam as a clasp for his cape, rather he explained that he embedded the Soul Jam into his staff first, but since he never really used his Soul Jam directly later on, people suspected that he used his Soul Jam as a Clasp.

Other than that, Custard Cookie III is well adapt in Light Magic and Plant Magic. As well as his Restoration abilities having rumored to be able to bring a cookie back to life. Even without his Soul Jam, Custard Cookie III remains a formidable foe and is one of Earthbread’s most Powerful Healer and Mage next to Wizard Cookie.

He mostly remains in his kingdom though, he’s actually very sweet.

He doesn’t know the motive as to why Gingerbrave betrayed them all, he just hopes to see him again for an explanation as well as hope that they will reunite and make amends…

I know he feels responsible somewhat…Gingerbrave was pretty much like a brother to him…

I must find out why this catastrophe happened…maybe then I can go home…

[illwilledomen]

How does the magic system work?

I talked about it here a while ago, but some of it isn’t accurate anymore. Magic is powered by life and death — creation & destruction. It is a force of nature inherent to the world as gravity or temperature. It’s always there. Soul Energy (EXP), and Souls, are what give things life. In the most basic sense (though there are variables here) the more complex a being, the more EXP they have. If you squash a beetle, you’ll get a little. If you kill a rabbit, you’ll get more. If you kill a person, you’ll get a lot. It goes the other way, too. Sex and birth produce EXP as well. When reproductive sex occurs, the one bearing the child will receive an extra amount of experience. Producing a child releases a small amount of energy into the world, as well as imbuing some into the child itself (because otherwise it’ll be stillborn). Every living creature has some amount of EXP upon conception. Without EXP in your body, you are dead. Even the undead have EXP (they just don’t have the souls that go with it anymore). (more under cut)

So, we’ve established that death and life produce and require Experience, and that experience is the fuel for magic. What does this imply about performing magic yourself? That you must kill. Now, I said organisms have a base amount of EXP upon conception, dependent on their complexity, but this can change over time. You can obviously accrue and lose EXP through your life. For example, if you were a staunch vegetarian and your neighbour was an avid hunter and carnivore, your neighbour would fare better in the arcane arts than you because they would have far more experience in their body to power it. And if your neighbour three houses over was a serial killer/cop, they’d be a magic whiz. To become a wizard, you have to abandon your morals.

This is why villagers, staunch pacifists, have outlawed most forms of magic unless it is necessary, natural or does not require excessive murder. Clerics have to be very touchy about what magic they use. Villagers eat a bit of meat at some times of the year, and accrue experience from killing and eating fish and livestock, so they use this experience for potion brewing and golem construction, relatively low-energy intensive magic forms because they are dependent on other energy sources like redstone and chemical energy. (Enchanting is a little more contentious among villagers)

Illagers, as you may know, were historically descended from villagers who got the boot for doing the darker kinds of magic that DO contradict villager theology. Aka, one’s that require killing. This is why illagers are huge fans of the old ultra-violence [clockwork orange theme plays] because it powers magic and magic means power. Totems of undying are sort of EXP banks where a good deal of the energy accrued from raids is sucked into them for later use/resurrection of its owner. Lapis is an EXP conduit, hence why it’s used for enchanting, and as stated in a previous post, gives anyone imbedded with it (like a vindicator) extreme bloodlust.

[sorenphelps]

PIRATE AU! Marauders

I decided to revisit and expand my take on the magical pirate au concept I had for last year's @siriusblackfest. This will be an unreasonably long description of my ideas, so if you don't feel like reading it, I absolutely understand. (I'm an artist first anyway.) I’d really really appreciate if you further expand or actually write these ideas into a proper fic, I mean, YES PLEASE!

I will definitely do more art for this concept, so stay tuned! My other pirate au works are here, here and here, or refer to my pirate au tag.

🌊🏴‍☠️⚓pirate AU concept ideas⚓🏴‍☠️🌊

About the lore:

Wizards and witches are all descendants of the lost empires Atlantis, Lemuria and Mu:

The Atlantean mages were once the world's most powerful leaders, who could predict the future with their magical stones, created great underground palaces, conquered the entire world with their gilded ships, commanded sea monsters such as the Kraken, the Leviathan, sirens, hydras and other sea demons. They possessed an extremely high level of technical and spiritual knowledge, which they could use to rule over life and death.

The Lemurians were tall, noble wizards, who were able to turn invisible or into an animal whenever they wanted. They were talented in alchemy, they knew a lot about the magical properties of precious stones and metals, which was the basis of their magic. They were very friendly with non-magical people, who often took advantage of their hospitality and stole their treasure which got scattered all around the world.

According to their belief, the wizards of Mu are the direct descendants of god-like creatures coming from the Sirius constellation. In Mu, wizards were excellent architects and sailors who lived in luxurious homes. Their magic was based on starlight and they had exceptional knowledge of astronomy. With the help of their advanced magical rituals, they could achieve anything. Hence the exact way of performing such rituals was kept as a secret, which was passed down from generation to generation only to those who were deemed worthy of it.

As the power of the "sea wizards" was feared among ordinary people, the wizarding world was forced into hiding, and the islands were swallowed up by the sea, seemingly forever… until a powerful dark wizard named Voldemort began searching for hidden treasures (horcruxes) to bring Atlantis and their superior magical capabilities back to the surface.

According to the legends, each of the Four Founders and the Peverell brothers created a horcrux (seven in total) to perform the most powerful magic known to wizardkind, which managed to sink and forever hide the Islands. They had poured all their power into their respective horcrux, giving up their magic forever. To release the power from a horcrux, a dark, forbidden ritual must be performed: the one who performs it will gather their power in exchange of a piece of their soul. Each horcrux is unique in shape and nature, and the rituals to release their binding requires immerse energy which is the easiest sourced by slaying mythical creatures and sacrificing innocent lives. The one who gathers and releases all seven horcruxes, will break the magic sealing the Islands to the bottom of the oceans and ascend to become a new immortal being with infinite power. However, their soul will be lost forever, never to be repaired, stuck in limbo for all eternity.

The horcruxes made by the Founders are Gryffindor’s Sword, Slytherin’s locket, Hufflepuff’s Cup and Ravenclaw’s Diadem. The Peverell Brother's horcruxes are:

Antioch’s Astrolabe: made from metals as shiny as the stars, could predict the future. If used incorrectly, it could give its user a false sense of assurance of potential events happening, making them too reckless. Most users died young as the results were misinterpreted easily. It belongs to Mu.

Cadmus’ Coat of Arms: a gold ring inset with the Resurrection Stone, engraved with the power to recall people from death. It belongs to Atlantis.

Ignotus’ Crown of Invisibility, an invisible crown-like object resembling peryton antlers. It belongs to Lemuria.

About the characters:

James - The Captain. He is a fun, mischievous and charismatic wizard of Lemurian origins. He is always up to no good but has the necessary natural leadership skills to make the most critical decisions quickly even in the tensest situations. He owns the ship ‘The Marauder’, which can turn invisible upon his command. His ancestors had a strong connection to perytons (large stag-bird hybrids), could call them at will, and because these beasts had the shadow of a man, people thought they were shapeshifters. The antlers can be forged to the strongest of metals possessing great power and their fur and wings are said to be the key to achieve true invisibility able to conceal its wearers so absolutely that even death itself could not find them. As perytons were prophesied to lead to the downfall of Atlantis, they were hunted to extinction supposedly. According to legends, a wizard of James’ lineage will be able to summon them again. He originally started his journey to find and secure these mythical creatures. When conveying his magic, his aura slightly changes to resemble antler motifs, prompting his nickname as “Prongs”.

Sirius - The Navigator. He is the firstborn son of an ancient wizarding family from Mu, therefore he has very powerful magical abilities, expertise in the art of combat and superior astronomical knowledge. Even though he is James’ closest and most trusted mate, who clearly possesses the necessary skills to be Quartermaster or Master Gunner, the Crew voted him unfit for those positions because of his rebellious nature, recklessness, and short temper. (Before they started sailing together as a Crew, during a full moon he decided to settle his personal disagreement with Snape by locking him in the underwater cabin they prepared for Remus. James intervened, earning him his position as the Captain.) He is very skilled in map reading and excellent at calculating the exact latitude of the ship just by observing the stars, making him the perfect Sailing Master responsible for navigating and sailing the ship flawlessly. He also has several magical tattoos to further enhance his navigation prowess. He enjoys music and pranking his fellow crew members, who like him nevertheless as he is fiercely loyal and protective of them.

Remus - The Quartermaster. He is not a wizard, but a sea monster. His mother was a selkie, who gave up her sea life willingly for her lover. Fenrir Greyback, an evil maniac obsessed with sea monsters and driven mad by siren songs, attacked and stole the seal-skin of Remus’ mother. Remus’ father, in a desperate attempt at helping his lover, offered her the skin of their son. The ritual backfired, and Remus became a selkie himself, who transforms into a sea monster every full moon. His mother never recovered and eventually disappeared. Remus has joined James’ pirate crew to find his mother and seal-skin to reunite his family, but ended up finding a new one. He’s elected as the Quartermaster of ‘The Marauder’, responsible for coordinating the ship’s day-to-day operations and discipline, dividing the shares fairly, settling disputes and acting as a representative for the Crew members when presenting their wishes to the Captain. He is very intelligent and practical, enjoys researching and is quite skilled in map reading/drawing. He is fascinated by Sirius’ expertise in navigation.

Peter - The Cook & Cooper. He is a seemingly weak and clumsy man with no magical talent. He claims he lost his right hand in an accident; others suspect it was cut off because he was caught stealing, but the truth is that he willingly sacrificed it during a ritual to gain the ability to turn into a rat. He is very resourceful, always listening to whispers and gathering all information. He serves as the Cook and the Cooper on ‘The Marauder’, spending most of his time onboard in the kitchen and food chambers, taking care of the provisions, preparing meals and making and maintaining barrels. He never fights, even when teased with being a coward. He knows every secret on the ship, making him possibly one of the most dangerous crew members, yet he maintains his helpless façade so perfectly, no one really suspects anything about him.

Lily - The Surgeon. She is a curious young lady with a passion for medical science, which she could develop while observing her father during work. Her father was a doctor, who often visited an orphanage nearby to help the monks. She met and befriended Severus there, they collected herbs and other ingredients for fun. She discovered she had magical abilities when the potions she had brewed all somehow possessed healing properties. (Severus’ potions on the other hand usually turned out to be poisonous.) Lily joined ‘The Marauder’ as the Surgeon, after James’ multiple unsuccessful attempts at recruiting her. (He made his crew to stage very elaborate emergency scenarios, which theoretically required immediate medical assistance... until one time it was not theoretical anymore.)

Severus - The Boatswain. He is an intelligent and perceptive young man, with an extraordinary talent for alchemy. His father married his mother hoping the woman could make him the richest man alive as she was the descendant of known Alchemists. However, Severus’ mother only held the Book of Magick Moste Evile as a family heirloom which couldn’t turn anything to gold. Severus was sent to an orphanage after his father killed his mother, where he met with Lily. He had learned every bit of potion making and dark magic from his mother’s book in an attempt at impressing the girl, but the better he became, the more she estranged from him. He eventually ran away from the orphanage, and lived by his wits and magic. He served as a Powder Monkey and a Cabin Boy of famous pirate captains, where he gathered remarkable sailing experience too. On ‘The Marauder’, he was appointed as the Boatswain, responsible for the general maintenance of the ship and making sure all the supplies (including gunpowder, medicine, magical ingredients) were in order. The Crew somewhat respects his abilities but dislikes him as he has a grumpy and unpleasant personality and is scarily skilled in dark magic.

Marlene - The Master Gunner. She is a no-nonsense witch of Lemurian descent, in charge of the cannons, the gunpowder, the shots and weapons of ‘The Marauder’. She is the foremost expert in the art of combat and war strategy onboard. Her family was tasked to guard the Sword of Gryffindor for centuries, unaware that it was a horcrux. The sword was forged from pure silver and is inset with rubies, said to ignite great courage in the hearts of everyone wielding it and capable to defeat all enemies. Marlene wears a necklace decorated with a large and shiny ruby, representing her brave and combative personality. The stone also enhances her fighting abilities.

Dorcas - The Carpenter. She is an easygoing girl with ancestors from Mu. Despite being loosely related to Sirius, her magic differs a lot from his. She is a fortune teller (uses cards and not the stars to predict the possibility of events), and has a natural affinity for working with wood. (A magical tree is the symbol of the eastern side of Mu, which is also tattooed on Sirius’ neck.) She works as the Carpenter, responsible for the ship's maintenance and damage control, even during battle. Her job is to reconstruct entire sections of the ship and the sails. She designed and built the underwater cabin for Remus’ transformations. She also enjoys music and is in a relationship with Marlene.