#augur

[wodeworm]

Augur putrescere

down in the mouth

[chimeride]

[zeburnay]

The Augur series Part III: Augur of Emptiness  You can find some of the originals from this series for sale on my online shop, along with zines and prints: https://zeburnay.bigcartel.com/

[squeakheart]

animal crossing blackbeard pirates 🏝️

[kxizoku-ou]

Hybrid Au — Blackbeard Pirates

Ah, hybrid headcanons... the thing I do in every fandom I write for, sooner or later. >3> I'd addressed the topic much more briefly here, but this is the first fully-written hybrid info post on this blog! I spent literal days researching these/typing them out, so I hope y'all enjoy the weird-ish xeno as much as I did... :`D

This character group is up first since they've been stuck in my brain for WEEKS now, and I expect there will be more to come soon! And ofc, requests/questions for this Au are very much encouraged!

((Warning for slight nsfw— specifically, discussion of hybrid genitalia in a biological/medical perspective.))

. . .

Marshall D. Teach — Hippopotamus 

Physical 

Small, rounded ears covered in a thin, sparse layer of fur. Highly mobile (can fold back almost flat to his skull) and tend to move or flick along with strong emotions. 

Short, thick tail with a flat-ish shape and a tuft of fur at the end. Small enough on him that it can easily go unnoticed.

Tusk-like teeth that are more widely spaced (especially in front) than a normal human’s. The upper and lower canines poke out a bit even when his mouth is closed. Special muscle structure allows his jaw to open disturbingly wide. 

Built thick and solid, with dense bones and more muscle than his pudgy-looking shape suggests.

Sheathed penis that stays almost entirely retracted when not erect. Testicles are closer to the body/less visible than on a normal human.

Behavioral

Naturally territorial, especially toward other males. Can turn aggressive with very little warning when what’s “his” is threatened.

Territorial tendencies lessen if he feels subordinate to someone else; a (often subconscious) hierarchy of dominance influences his behavior. Kneeling is an instinctive gesture of submission.

Keen sense of smell. Strong mental association between scents and the people, places, etc. that are connected to them. 

Plays into his species’ highly misleading reputation of being cute/silly, both so that people are more likely to underestimate him, and (less openly admitted) because he likes the attention. 

A sizable portion of his time is spent “resting”— unmoving, eyes closed, and lost in thought. This state is easily mistaken for proper sleep, but he’s still nowhere near unaware or slow to react.

Jesus Burgess — Giant River Otter 

Physical 

Long, sturdy tail covered in a layer of silky-textured brown fur. The tail itself is solid and powerful, and the fur on it, which looks darker when wet, is dense enough to be nearly waterproof.

Stronger teeth than a normal human, as well as a powerful jaw. Nails are sharp and claw-like, and his hands and feet are partially webbed.

Highly sensitive whiskers around his chin and nose. Different than normal human facial hair, they’re meant for gathering sensory input while underwater.

Capable of a wide variety of inhuman vocalizations, ranging from growls to whines. Most of them are instinctive (and somewhat involuntary), and he usually has little idea what the sounds mean.

Partially sheathed penis that emerges when erect. Close contact and roughhousing tend to get him excited... and his self-control only gets worse when he’s distracted by lust. 

Behavioral

Strong hunting instincts; he’s programmed to hunt, and a lack of entertainment quickly leads to aggression. High energy, and gets dangerously agitated when confined for too long. 

Matching the need to hunt, he’s excitable— when something gets him worked up, his self-control plummets. 

Naturally social, with an instinctive need for a hierarchy. While he’s prone to vying for dominance, if someone establishes themself as the leader, he’s surprisingly cooperative. Isolation and a lack of companionship do terrible things to his mental state. 

Prefers having a “den” to himself, and can be picky/territorial about the space he considers his own. The notable exception to this is for people he’s close to; if anything, he’d rather have them close.

When he does get attached to someone, he forms strong, long-lasting bonds. Within these bonds, he’s intensely loyal and annoyingly clingy.

Van Augur — Spectral Bat

Physical 

Delicate, leathery wings, covered in a fine layer of reddish-brown fur, emerge from his shoulder blades. The thumbs at their upper tips have a recurved claw, and the membrane of skin between the fingers heals quickly if injured or torn. 

The wings are big enough to support short bursts of flight, but that same size puts a strain on his back and shoulders. Prone to aching muscles because of this.

Large, rounded ears that look similarly delicate to his wing membranes. They protrude forward and away from his head at a cute slightly awkward-looking angle. 

Sharp teeth with notably oversized canines. Even the molars farther back have sharper edges than human teeth should.

Penis is somewhat tapered (broader near the base, narrowing toward the tip) and has a flatter, less-defined head than a normal human’s. 

Behavioral

Prefers small, dark, enclosed spaces for sleeping in, to the point where feeling too exposed can make it impossible to sleep at all. 

Naturally nocturnal. Though he can force himself to keep a more daytime-based schedule when it’s needed, he’s nowhere near as alert or quick to react as he is after the sun is down.  

Capable of accurate echolocation through low-frequency sounds that normal humans are unable to hear. His vision is good enough that he doesn’t have to rely on it too often, but the skill comes in handy when there’s not enough light to see normally.

Though typically introverted and reserved, when he does get attached to someone, the bond runs deep. 

Usually keeps his wings tucked close to his body when not using them, both to keep them out of the way and as a sort of self-comfort. Also sleeps with his wings folded around himself.

Laffitte — Barn Owl 

Physical 

Has large, feathered wings with an impressive wingspan. The wing feathers are mostly white (or at least, a very light gray-brown), but marked with dark speckles and bands of pale gray.

More patches of feathers are scattered around his back (especially near the base of his wings), neck, and shoulders. 

Can make a variety of inhuman noises, ranging from a rather eerie-sounding screech to a cute, purr-like trill that he claims is a show of contentment. The sounds come out more frequently (and with greater variety) around people he’s attached to.

Extremely keen senses, especially sight and hearing. He’s sensitive to loud noises, and acutely aware of every movement around him. 

Cloaca instead of external penis and testicles, with a small bump near the upper edge that resembles a glans in appearance and sensitivity.

Behavioral

Naturally nocturnal, but can adapt to a daytime-based schedule if the need arises. He’s still functional like that, just not quite as alert. 

Molting makes him short-tempered and dangerously irritable. Between the danger that poses to others and his overall discomfort/dislike of being seen with patchy, unkept feathers, he’ll isolate himself as much as possible during the worst of the process. 

Though not particularly territorial towards others, he has an acute sense of what area is “his”, and a detailed mental map of that space.

Has a slight nesting habit, though he’ll usually suppress the urge unless his living situation is particularly secure. Enjoys snug, enclosed sleeping places that feel hidden from any passerby. 

Can be somewhat anxious about food supply; slight hoarding tendencies start when he’s particularly stressed. Prone to offering food as a gesture of affection to people he’s fond of. 

Doc Q — Sorraia Horse

Physical 

Small, tapered oval-shaped ears with fur that’s a dull shade of gray-brown. They’re positioned higher on his head than human ears would be and have a wide range of motion.

“Mane” of hair trailing from his nape down to around his shoulder blades. Most of it is the same pale blond as the rest of his hair, but the hue gets darker as it gets farther from his head. 

Long, thin tail that falls to a bit above his knees; the coarse hair that covers it nearly touches the ground when he’s standing, and is the same shade as the fur on his ears and mane.

His digestive system (suited only to small, spread-out meals) is unfortunately delicate. 

Partially sheathed penis that’s surprisingly large for his narrow build. Due to the amount of redirected blood, erections make him dizzy.

Behavioral

Perceptive and easy to startle, though his outwardly laid-back demeanor can somewhat conceal it. 

A prey animal at heart, he prefers to avoid unnecessary conflicts. He’d rather leave things up to luck and spare himself the stress... especially because said stress has highly unpleasant effects on his health. 

Between his perpetual sickness and his body’s finicky dietary needs, he struggles to maintain much body weight. 

Feels more comfortable with a “herd” to stick close to, and suffers psychologically if he’s on his own for too long. Isolation is instinctively anxiety-inducing, even when there’s a rational cause. 

Prone to nervous habits, like nail biting, pacing, and picking at clothing seams. They get more frequent (and more self-damaging) when he’s especially bored, stressed, or physically uncomfortable. 

Shiryuu — Doberman Pinscher

Physical 

Triangular, black-furred ears that stand upright (cropped many, many years ago). The fur on their insides is a lighter, brighter shade of brown, and they tend to be sore from hours spent squashed down under his ever-present hat. 

Short, thick nub of a tail (docked at the same time his ears were cropped), usually hidden under thick layers of clothing.

Stronger, sharper teeth and nails than a human. Those teeth come with a strong jaw and powerful bite force; impressive enough to have led to the occasional muzzling for “safety”. 

Thicker, coarser body hair than a normal human, especially around his lower limbs and the base of his tail. 

Sheathed penis that emerges fully when aroused. The part that’s exposed only when erect is vivid, flushed red, and a knot swells low on the shaft during/after ejaculation.

Behavioral

Needs purpose, rules, and routine to function properly. When he’s bored and unoccupied for too long, all the pent-up mental energy starts slipping out in unpleasant ways (for example, violence). 

Having something to chew on serves as a sort of self-comfort; his cigar is an acceptably dignified way to satisfy that urge. 

Wary of unfamiliar people and places to an intensity that borders on paranoia. Too much time caged in isolation left his natural guard-dog tendencies with no other outlet.

Easily trainable, in the sense that once he forms a habit, it sticks. His famously bloodthirsty behavior is one such result.

When he’s attached to someone, he can be surprisingly clingy. His loyalty is hard-earned, but an instinctive protective streak will eventually start to surface.  

Catarina Devon — Spotted Hyena

Physical 

Small, rounded ears that sit higher on her head than a normal human’s would. The fur on them is short, fluffy, and a light shade of sandy brown, with a surprisingly coarse texture. 

Short, fluffy tail covered in matching sandy fur that darkens dramatically near the tip. 

Claw-like (though relatively blunt) nails and sharp, durable teeth with pronounced canines and a powerful jaw behind them. Enough bite force to crack bone with relative ease. 

Functions best on a meat-based diet. Although she can digest even bones with no ill effects, she finds such “scraps” beneath her. 

Clitoris is enlarged to a psuedophallus, which becomes erect with arousal. There are small, rough spines around its tip.

Behavioral

Inclined to a hierarchy-based perception of social relationships, and is dramatically more aggressive toward those who she views as submissive to her in that sense. 

Highly territorial, both over space and possessions. Can easily get violent over perceived territory offenses.

Denning tendencies; her sleeping space is of great personal importance, and she’ll go out of her way to make sure it’s safe and comfortable. Somewhat prone to hiding/hoarding food in her room as well, most frequently when she’s stressed. 

The posture of her ears and tail indicates emotion— for example, flattened ears and a tucked-in tail show fear. 

Though she tries to keep the sounds contained, inhuman vocalizations slip out from time to time. These can range from growls, yips, and whines to the famous hyena “laughter”. 

Avalo Pizarro — Pallas Cat

Physical 

Small, pointed ears covered in fluffy fur. The fur is blueish gray on the backsides, with a darker-colored rim, and white in front/inside. 

Long, thick tail with a dense, plush layer of fur; most of it is the same blueish gray as his ears, save for a black tip, a few rings of black above that, and some sparse, scattered flecks of white. This fur is incredibly thick and serves as excellent insulation against cold. 

Thicker, more visible body hair than a normal human, with notable patches on his chest, stomach, lower limbs, and along his spine near the base of his tail. 

Sharp, pointed teeth with prominent canines (both upper and lower). Claw-like nails that grow in a slight recurved hook. 

Penis has short, dull-ish spines most highly concentrated around and just below the glans. The spines are sensitive to pressure. 

Behavioral

Naturally solitary, and prone to territorial impulses. This preference is only overlooked for the sake of (properly worshipful) attention from others... and even then, his moods can be fickle. 

Spends a lot of time napping, with energy levels that peak around dawn and dusk. Notably more awake and alert at night. 

His fur requires a lot of time and effort to maintain. The fur on his tail (where it’s thickest) is the most high-maintenance, and he’s quite particular about keeping it groomed. He’ll often pester others to do the work of brushing it for him. 

Can purr, but doesn’t do it often. The sound only comes out when he’s feeling particularly relaxed, safe, and/or content. 

Denning tendencies; needs somewhere familiar and safe to hide away and sleep. Despite his massively fluffy, cold-resistant fur, he’ll hoard bedding just for extra comfort. 

Vasco Shot — Red Wattle Hog

Physical 

Floppy, triangular-shaped ears covered in a fine layer of reddish, russet-brown fur. Both ears have a number of notches along their edges, and slight scarring along some of those old tears.

Short, curl-shaped tail with matching russet fur and a thicker, darker tuft of hair at the end. There’s some visible scarring along the length of it, and the curl has grown slightly crooked. 

Two small “wattles” of skin just below his jaw, with one on each side. They also grow fur, but less than his ears or tail. 

His lower canines are long enough to poke out even when his mouth is closed. They grow slowly, but continuously, and need to be worn down to prevent their length from becoming unmanageable.

Penis has a slight curved shape, a tapered tip with a less defined glans, and a small, semi-functional sheath around the base.

Behavioral

Highly social, with a reliance on scent and physical closeness to stay emotionally stable. Isolation does terrible things to his mental state, and he gets lonely easily.

Not particularly territorial (or at least, not naturally). Gets more aggressive toward others when living conditions are poor. When he’s comfortable and not anticipating sudden threats, a lot of his usual violent behavior vanishes. 

Easily bored, and prone to impulsive, destructive choices when it gets bad enough. Having something in his mouth to mess with (whether food or the rim of a booze bottle) is a favored solution.

Inhuman vocalizations are common, especially short, oinking grunts that can indicate a surprisingly wide variety of meanings.

When he’s especially relaxed around someone, lightly bumping his nose against them is an instinctive show of affection.

Sanjuan Wolf — Burmese Python

Physical 

Snake tail in addition to human legs. The tail is long (nearly his total height over again), thick, and strong; its scales are tan, with a pattern of darker reddish-brown blotches outlined in cream.

Scattered patches of scales across his body. The largest one starts at the base of his tail, spreading upward to cover his groin and most of his lower back. Other notable patches include ones on his throat, stomach, shoulders, and upper limbs. 

The scales along the anterior body side, joints, and inner legs/arms are lighter-colored and softer than the main patterned ones.

Slightly forked tongue and sharp teeth, with prominent, fang-like canines. Fangs lack venom. 

Two-part hemipenes that emerge from a horizontal slit low on his pelvis when aroused. No external/visible testicles.

Behavioral

Despite his massive size and the strength that comes with it, he’s generally docile (nearly timid, even) unless provoked, and easygoing enough not to mind being handled or ordered around.

Cold-blooded, and drawn to heat because of it. His sheer size helps keep him warm to some degree, however. 

His tail often tries to wrap around nearby objects. It’s a subconscious reflex (and something of a self-soothing method) that gets harder to control when he’s distressed.

His scales (both the ones on his tail and in patches elsewhere) shed from time to time, and the process isn’t pleasant. Without enough humidity and suitable surfaces to rub the scales against, he’ll spend a few days in miserable discomfort trying to get the shed off. 

Poor eyesight, but acute sense of smell and heat make up for it. Aware of even much smaller living things due to the warmth they emit.

[buttercup-illustrations]

An attack for @thespectralkitsune and also at the same time a gift for her birthday ^^ ♡

[swordsandspectacles]

[negreabsolut]

El de la visió daurada, per Faviq8. [font]

[shyheracule]

[wyldmaidn-illustrations]

"Augur of Imps" - me (wyldmaidn-illustrations)

Medium: Digtal - Krita art program with Wacom pen tablet

This one I created for the 'Out of the Shadows' art contest by Universal Studios a while back. I hadn't entered into a contest in a very long time before that, so it was fun to create a monster I never thought I would draw. I used the symmetry tool and really went for the wrinkly details to add an unsettling factor. This really helped me practice shadows and lighting, along with getting out of my comfort zone.

I didn't have much of a story for him, but I came up with the idea that he's basically a fortune teller for the lower imps that scuttle around hell. He himself is an Imp, but gave up his normal, physical sight to a demon lord for the eyes on his head, which only see future outcomes, none ever pretty.

[lairofdragonagelore]

DLC: Jaws of Hakkon - Frostback Basin, Stone-Bear Hold Avvars - Part 1

Although it is often referred to as a single entity, the Avvar are actually groups of small tribes who share their beliefs and culture but otherwise operate independently of each other. They were part of the tribes of the Alamarri who crossed the Frostback Mountains in -1222 TE [more than a thousand years before the creation of the Tevinter Imperium] to escape what legend says it was a "shadow goddess".

In this post, the following topics inside the DLC are treated

Avvar mages and spirits

Avvar and their dead

[This is part of the series “Playing DA like an archaeologist”]

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore ]

Avvar mages and spirits

As we explore the basin, we find a woman whose task was to fish but ended up losing the track of time by climbing the cliffs of the Swamp. She says she was going to ofer meat to spirits. The Lady of the Skies takes the offering via her birds, while Korth Mountain-Father, with his wolves and bears. After helping her with some enemies, she asks the inquisitor to accompany her in her ritual.   

Curiously, a spirit presents and blesses the Inquisitor as well. This is even surprising for Solas who says that spirits rarely answer from non-mages [meaning the woman we have just met]. On the other hand, it could have been merely a consequence of the Anchor; we know that spirits see it like a blaze, and probably this spirit was curious about it.

We visit the Augur when we reach the Bear-stone Hold. His house shows Veilfire braziers and an oculara.

What we learn when talking to the Augur is the following:

Augur is a leadership role among the Avvar, similar [but not the same] to a Keeper among the Dalish but their relationship with spirits is even deeper than the Dalish: the spirits are all the time talking to the Augur.

Only mages can fill the position of Augur. The augur gives counsel to other mages in the hold or to leaders. The Augur also shares the counsel of the gods/spirits, it is like an ambassador of local spirits, their voice in the Waking World.  [The Avvar make little difference between spirits and gods, since spirits reflect what they want them to be. If we think about this, this looks like exactly what Solas repeats all the time about the nature of the spirits and their reflective properties: the more you reinforces the purpose of a spirit, the stronger it gets. If you force them to do something against their original purpose, they corrupt. The Augur and Avvar keep reinforcing the original purpose of these spirits, so they are not corrupted and they become strong. In exchange, they have protection of violent spirits plus counsel from creatures out of the Waking World. I personally think this is a beautiful interaction.]

Avvars see spirits as gods, because the spirits have been with them, observing them, even before they came from the North [original migration, from around Tevinter]. The spirits took shape of the Avvar gods so they would be loved by the Avvar.

Spirits are called "gods and gods of ancestors"

The Avvar live and coexist with spirits. It’s clearly implied that these spirits are “good” or calm. In exchange for being acknowledged by the Avvar, they protect the holds preventing the approach of more violent spirits [rage or gloom] to the places where the Avvar live.

The Augur confirms that the inquisitor's hand looks like a blaze due to the mark for everyone beyond the Veil.[I suppose spirits see the Inquisitor similar to how we see Elthina in the Fade? Is this a hint to understand Elthina’s nature?]

Spirits can see through time: They are aware of the inquisitor having travelled in time to prevent the destruction of the Veil at the hands of Corypheus in Red Cliff.

At a young age, mages are "possessed" by gentle spirits, so their learning is not threatened by demons.  The mage grows and learns about magic guided by these spirits, until they release them in a ritual of thanks-giving.

If the mage is too weak, and can't depart from the spirit, mage and spirit remain inhabiting the same body, observed by the other spirits, seeing if their are not corrupted. If any of them shows signs of corruption, the possessed mage is killed in their sleep. [Since other spirits watch this coexistence, it seems to imply that it is the spirits who kill the abomination during a dream. So probably this would mean that spirits know how to kill in the Fade and not produce a tranquil, as it was said during Feynriel‘s quest in DA2. Another possibility, as Ammocharis pointed out, is that the spirits may inform the augur that things went bad, and it's the augur who handles the killing in a merciful way.]

We can find an exiled mage avvar called Sigrid Gulsdotten in the Basin that will not speak to us. However, the Augur will explain in detail her situation: this young mage decided to coexist with her spirit-teacher inside because she didn't want to feel lonely. Both human and spirit agreed. Even though she doesn’t represent a danger for the hold, she opted to be exiled more out of shame. 

With Sigrid, the game shows us what the Augur has already told us: The avvar mages are  possessed by gentle and kind spirits since they are children [I assume it’s at the first manifestation of magic]. These spirits, by the way she describes them, may be spirits of Patience or Kindness, who teach them magic in a safer way until they are prepared. When she is recruited to the inquisition, it's shown that she has a tremendous power that surprises circle mages and even a Tevinter magister Verixsus. This shows that possession and coexistence with spirits is also a source of tremendous power. We saw this with Wynne, who despite having passed away, she still could fight and have a tremendous healing power, thanks to the Faith spirit that kept her alive even when the spirit was using a lot of its power for this [she always said that she felt the spirit weakening inside her in order to keep her alive, yet she always show a lot of healing power]. Maybe Flemeth can also be considered a creature like this case, Flemeth and Mythal both joined under the same goal: vengeance after betrayal. Anders started in a similar way; the union was under the same goal: justice. However, Anders is the example of when this case goes wrong; Anders has been containing Justice’s purpose during a lot of time in order to save his own life [he could not afford direct confrontation with each templar that committed injustices] so the spirit, unable to perform its original purpose, slowly twisted into Vengeance and ended up in some kind of battle over Anders’ body.

We also learn that the Augur can write using veilfire. This is not new, since we know that any mage can do it after a lot of practice [Codex found in Hinterlands: The Lost Art of Veilfire], but I think that Avvar can do it simply because they their magic from the spirits. The Veilfire symbols we find in the Hold use mostly the same one we usually find in elven ruins, instead of the other symbol that we see in some places of Ferelden like Fallow Mire or in Tevinter buildings, which is implied to have been made by Tevinters or modern mages.

In the Swamp we find some artefacts that seem to be used to maintain a blood magic spell. To understand these objects, the Augur makes us read three velfire runes along the Hold to understand the nature of the spirits.

The Veilfire runes trigger three codices: The Death, The Mourning, and The Return.  In them, we can see a pattern and a repetition of an explanation that Solas already shared with us in his personal quest: In The Death, we learn that a spirit, joining the war among mortals, can die in protecting these mortals. In The Mourning, we are informed how the Avvar mourn for this spirit. In The Return, we find a reiterative component of DA lore: a song.  Many mortals, singing for too long, make the spirit that was killed return once more. It has the same name, but it's not the same. This process can be related to Solas’ personal quest, when his friend dies and he explains the Inquisitor about how the spirit may return. If the sentiment it embodies is strong, or the spirits around it were shaped by them, the dead spirit will return, similar, but not the same, and they will likely forget their previous existence [Solas: “[when a spirit dies] is not the same as for mortals. The energy of the spirit returns to the Fade. If the idea giving the spirit form is strong, or if the memory has shaped other spirits, it may someday rise again. [It will not come back], a spirit’s natural state is peaceful semi-existence. It’s rare to be able to reflect reality. Something similar may reform one day, but it might have a different personality. It would likely not remember me. It will not be the friend I knew”] 

The whole conversation with the Augur has a unique emphasis on the “death of a spirit”. He says "mountains crack, forest burn, gods/spirits change and die", meaning literally that a spirit changes and dies. And in the The Return, we learn that the  spirit comes back a bit different, changed. There is a cycle followed by the spirits.

The Augur also explains us that the use of blood magic has a different goal than the one we know: blood magic is used to isolate spirits, because in this way the hakkonites could trap Hakkon without the other spirits knowing it. It implies that the abandoned spirits by The hakkonite can take revenge against them, specially when they see this forced “abomination” of Hakkon inside a mortal dragon. I imagine the spirits would want to kill it, as they do with the avvar mages turned into abomination. So, in order to prevent this, the hakkonites have masked Hakkon’s presence with blood magic.

The topic of killing a spirit/god can be brought to the Thane, who shows how natural this process is for the Avvar: she doesn’t mind if the Inquisition kills Hakkon, because it’s not a “real” death. Spirits can’t be killed, truly. They just die to reborn later. [This brings to my mind the ideas we have been gathering about the nature of the Elves before the Veil: they shared a spirit-like nature, and therefore, Solas’ words in trespasser about the Evanuris being hard to kill, would be confirmed with this idea reinforced by the Thane: spirits can’t be killed, they can be trapped into mortal form, isolated by blood magic; when they are killed, they just reborn afterwards, a bit changed.]

Avvar and their dead

The dead are prepared in a special cave in Stone-Bear Hold, where Gyda Myrdotten treats their bodies. We see the massive table she uses, with a lot of skeletons carved bellow it. I think only the Monument of the Hero of Ferelden in Red Cliff village has this base. It was not used many times in the game. As I said in other posts, the bodies of the dead used in all DAI lack of any lore information. They are the same everywhere, we can find this exact same skeleton wearing the same armour in an elven crypt as well as in an Avvar hold. This object is a mere asset without any value, so I will always overlook them, giving them the only meaning: there is a dead body there.

Avvar usually prepare their "common" [aka non-returning] dead by dismembering their bodies and exposing them onto the cliffs so the birds can eat them, and piece by piece, make it disappear. They believe these birds are messengers of The Lady of the Skies.

Their "uncommon" dead, those who are destined to return, need a special treatment to avoid being severed form the cycle. They are identified at birth by the Augur of the hold, and when they die, an offering to Korth is made and buried beneath the body, allowing a piece of their soul to remain in this world so they can come back. [Once more we have this elvhen concept of pieces of soul left in places so the individual can return, as Flemeth does]

Those who are destined to return need to have this offering made by their descendants, otherwise they are unable to continue the cycle. When their family can't do it, their descendants lose their family relationship, meaning that their second name [*name_of_parent*-sen for men and *name_of_parent*-dotten for women] is lost.

[oldfacesnewdawnoffical]

ooooo what happened with sagewhisker and goosefang??

Blame @goobiestar for my love of SageGoose

Augurs are, effectively, nuns. They devote themselves entirely to their deities, their duties, their communities. They are also the only cats allowed* to use magic within the fealty, and faction cats aren’t exactly keen on magic use in the first place, so they’d rather not let it spread through bloodlines. So in the case of an augur having kittens, it’s treated as something huge.

Magic is viewed as dangerous and foreign, something that the fealty cats are firmly rooted against just via their culture and very way of life - if they can get by without magic, then they will. No questions asked. Why risk their safety with something so unknown, so powerful, when they can just go about doing things the way they’ve always done? If it’s not broken don’t fix it, sort of deal. That’s how they view magic, and augurs are… an interesting and sole exception. Once more and more creatures began developing magic, the fealty decided to allow one augur per faction, so long as the augur in question swore to use their abilities solely for the good of their faction rather than personal gain. And while this didn’t always work, Goosefang in particular was a pretty good example of a decent augur.

With the ability to see and commune with the ghosts on the spectral plane (the space that exists between the world of the living and the world of the dead), he also had access to countless ages of history and the wisdom of many past leaders. He was viewed as incredibly valuable in many ways - but Goosefang himself hated his position as an augur.

He wanted to be treated normally, have the chance to grow up and live without the weight of the entire fealty’s expectations on his shoulders. In retaliation, he tried to break as many of the unspoken augur rules as possible: he slept around, he started fights, he learned to hunt, etc etc. As he grew older, he mellowed out, even if he never stopped rebelling as much as he physically could. And then… trespassing into Fenland territory, he was almost swept away in a flash mudslide before he was rescued by Sagewhisker; he was immediately smitten with her, in a way he had never felt before. And while Sagewhisker was hesitant to accept his courting advances, she ultimately gave in, because she, in turn, was just as taken by Goosefang as he was with her. They courted and were officially partnered in secret (Featherwhisker officiated). And, shortly after, Goosefang wound up pregnant.

The only cats who knew about it (Sagewhisker, Goosefang, Featherwhisker and Chanterellefang*) all panicked. Augur-born kits were rare, but almost always killed or otherwise abandoned due to the fealty’s beliefs of magic. They planned and planned for all the moons of Goosefang’s pregnancy, for various futures or reactions in order to keep Goosefang, Sagewhisker and their unborn litter safe. None of them expected for the Woodruff’s orator, Pineheart, to accept the lone-born kitten as soon as Goosefang gave birth, and wouldn’t allow any of his cats to get a word in edgewise. But, even with their orator’s support, cats still talked… Goosefang was banned from Gatherings, and the kit (ultimately named Brindleface) was somewhat of an outcast most of their kithood, all up until they became a ward under Blizzardtail; only when Brindled reached six moons did their faction truly start to accept them.

In their early training days, Blizzardtail was strict, harsh, and borderline cruel, impossible to please and loud about his disdain for the young Brindled for their parentage and the status of their birth. Even under him, though, Brindled tentatively grew closer to both of their parents, learned to stand up for themself a bit more, and made fast friends with those of their generation. It all came to a boiling over point, however, when Brindled, on the cusp of their full name, beat his granddaughter Laurel in a fight, and slashed them across the face. While in recovery, Blizzardtail and Goosefang killed each other in a blind rage, teetering into the Darkpath Stretch, their bodies found with their claws in one another’s throats.

Brindled was reassigned to Speckledclaw, who nurtured them in a way they needed - though after the incident between the tom training them and their father, they became a bit more subdued, and significantly more eager to perform as any average cat would… alongside taking a habit to avoid Laurelstorm, even though the two both knew what transpired between them wasn’t either of their own faults.

[zeburnay]

The Augur series Part II: Augur of Anger  You can find some of the originals from this series for sale on my online shop, along with zines and prints: https://zeburnay.bigcartel.com/

[squeakheart]

happy birthday augur!!!!!!

[spacerangerprince]

Baby Yoda inside my Coffee Vintage Canvas Knapsack 🎒🤓 💚 🤎 💚 🤎 💚 🤎 #grogu #thechild #babyyoda #starwars #themandalorian #starwarsthemandalorian #coinpouch #augur #brown #coffee #vintage #canvas #knapsack (at Toys"R"Us Canada) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl939sMLnh_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jelajade]

So happy that I got to illustrate "Toronto Isn't Real and Other Metropolitan Anomalies" written by A.D. Sui for Augur Magazine’s 5.2 Issue.

This story is so so good, and as always the rest of the issue is amazing. Go get it if you're not already subscribed!!