#but Shamura is a different case to her

[cosmicheartz]

Runaway Narinder aus are a rlly fun concept but I’m surprised I haven’t seen one where Lamb just doesn’t particularly care that he’s gone.

Usually the Lamb is like obsessed with Narinder and doesn’t let him leave and when he does they try to find him again and bring him back to the cult ( and I’m not rlly any different bc with my other lamb Maveths main canon he is actively searching for Narinder after his escape )

[the-s1lly-corner]

SCRAMBLES IN-

Ive had Cotl Bishop relapse and stumbled across your one bed trope with them-

What if lamb catches on that something more might be brewing and lowkey ships it, so they just upgrade the already existing hut instead of building a new one.

And just a few headcanons as to how reader and bishops grow closer/realisation that their cult leader ships it?

(I think it would be funny if at dinner one time lamb just asks 'so when are you gonna ask them out?' and that sentence alone almost kills the bishops again /joke)

P.s would reader be allowed to be a cuddle bug?

P.s.s sorry if this a lot, feel free to pick and choose what parts of the idea you want to include or not. If you want to cut down on the amount of characters Shamura and Leshy would be preffered. ^^

Lambert playing matchmaker w/ you and the bishops

rubs my little hands- you guys ever make all your other followers to go sleep on holy day rituals but leave just 2 followers (that you ship together) alone so they can actually befriend each other and/or fall in love or is that just me notes: reader is gn, playing off of the one bed trope post , post game but not post final quest, short time jump so its at least within a few weeks of the respective bishop joining the cult, written on mobile cws: implied freaky stuff but like "lambert jokes about sending them and you to the mating tent to try to bring you two closer"

Leshy

He hardly needs the Lambe help to make his move on you, hes still got that god like arrogance... he sometimes pops out of the ground just to bug you while you're working... may attempt to drag you off to do something else

...it does sometimes take him a while to recognize the feelings as romantic, before he just loved how attentive you were to him.. it reminded him of how his followers used to fawn over him in godhood

Probably has the balls to scurry into your bed and ask to huddle up with you- it's too cold in this shelter, hes a bug! Hes cold blooded! Warm him up!! ..his moss.. leaves.. things... dont feel too bad.. and if it's too hot? The moss is cool to the touch! It's a win no matter the condition!

If he could glare at the lamb he would, the question of when hes going to ask you out doesnt make him falter... grumbles under his breath about the lamb being annoying and to go away... he cant see the smirk they're giving him

Finds himself working in the same areas as you- if you're chopping wood hes chopping wood.. and so on... not that hes actually going to do work, hes going to attempt to drag you off somewhere

Heket

Shes like her younger brother, shes confident enough to eventually make a move when she feels its right... she won't turn you down for a cuddle session even if shes not entirely a cuddler...

The lamb catches her beelining for wherever you're working to make sure you're not overworking yourself- and how she sometimes forcefully drags you to get some water or to take a break

She actually can glare, and the look she gives the lamb is enough to kill but they remain unphased and ask if she wants them to assign her to the same jobs as you

Super straight forward when she does ask you out, torn vocal cords make it hard to dance around topics- it may almost come off as a threat but that's just because of the growl and strain, her body language tells you shes trying to be tender

Kallamar

If he didnt feel humiliated from getting his ass beat twice by the lamb he would waste no time in trying to romance you- if he had met you later after hes been in the cult for longer, then itd be a different case...

Hes more subtle, testing the waters to see if you're receptive slowly getting bolder with time until hes basically flirting with you

Damn near inks himself when the lamb asks him when he plans on asking you out... would he like it if they sent the two of you to the mating tent to spend some time together? They say it jokingly but he nearly jumps on the offer... though he'd much rather the idea come from you

Subtly brags about his past accomplishments to try to win you over, regardless of if you know he was a bishop or not

Shamura

Slow slow burn, theyve never rushed into relationships so why start now? They want to know all there is to know about you before committing to you.... this leads to a lot of late night talks in your shared hut

Waits until you're both done with your work for the day before coming to you

To outsiders there doesnt seem to be any feelings on their end- but to their siblings and the lamb.. they can tell.. it also helps when at least one of those people can read minds

They don't give much of a reason to the lamb asking when they're going to ask you out- actually they answer honestly if theyve already decided when

Bonus they chirp/purr at you. Literally the only hint to you that they might have some attraction to you prior to asking you out- excluding them outright saying they think you're beautiful or a good companion to have or the longing gazes or how they guide your hands for a task or-

[neon-virus]

Now ramble shall be under the cut since this also touches on stuff that will be relevant for my fic so, spoilers maybe?? (Also i am no expert in making stuff sensical, so this is mostly shiet ive slapped together thats sitting in my brain)

also excuse any errors, english is hard :D

SO! the crowns.

I've made a lil sketch comic about Shamura and Nari talking briefly and Shamura referring to them as 'beasts'. I like to think that's what they are, parasitic like beasts.

They require strong willpower to withstand their influence. The crowns cannot do anything without someone to wield them, but if that person cannot resist the influence the crowns exert, then they will start to lose themselves to the crown.

The process depends. If the person is of weak mind, then they could become instantly consumed by it the moment it touches their brow. They would no longer be who they once were as the crown infects them in entirety and claims them for its own, eating their essence and making them effectively a shell for its own control.

Of course, these 'bodies' can still die, and once the crown no longer has its host, it becomes inactive.

But if you have a strong will, it comes down to a fierce endurance match, where the crown will try its damnest to break past your mental walls, to weasel its way in until you either give up or the crown submits.

Once submitted, it will effectively be 'inactive' in trying to influence the host, becoming a tool to be used and melded to its host's will. However, suppose that the host falls into a low point or has a grave vulnerability. In that case, the crowns will become active again, seeing their host is becoming weak and thus a perfect opportunity to influence and gain control.

For the bishops, this wasn't much of a problem outside of the initial wearing, at least until Nari started to question. Although Narinder is a very strong-willed person, the red crown still whispers to him, influencing his thoughts in the background and encouraging him until he ends up in his predicament of being imprisoned and leaving the bishops injured and vulnerable themselves.

Though the crowns can be given to others in smaller capacities or abilities granted to others, such as appointing them a vessel, they typically gain access to what is deemed necessary for use and not much else after that.

However, lamb was a bit different. Due to Nari knowing about the prophecy and the lamb showing absolute devotion, he gave her more access than she should have had and gave the crown room to sink its teeth in.

Granted, the crown quite likes lamb, almost imprinting onto her from her sheer strength of will and determination for revenge. It sought no reason to take control or try to as she did what it would have wanted her to do most of the time anyway.

So much so that it gave her a bit of help after Nari 'promised' her the prize she wanted, and the crown placed them into a pact. (That will be its own ramble later.)

and if she hadn't rejected Nari herself, the crown would have tried to make her reject him in her vulnerable state.

Now that he resides in the cult, the crown more or less is her's 100%, no shared control. And now that it has a new host, it no longer needs its old one, for what use is a gross chewed up toy to a beast when there's a fresh one to bite?

It still wants control—it's still a beast in a cage—but it's more willing to let her do as she pleases. It waited with Nari for over a thousand years, and it's waiting who knows how long more for the new host to eventually give in. It's very patient.

Also, when a host becomes infected with the crown's influence, their behavior tends to become strange.

Bursts of anger, erratic behavior, thoughts being replaced with what the crown wants you to think, and hallucinations, both visual and auditorial, are the general baseline for the start of an infection of the host, with other symptoms varying from host to host

[cconfusedkat]

Spooky month means spooky ideas and spooky ideas ??? Lead to AU's!! >:-D i was dwelling on it for a few months and wasn't really sure on how i wanted to create this up?? But nonetheless i managed :-]

"Vampyres of the Old Faith" is an AU centered around the sudden uprise of vampyr (which are the Bishops in this case) and the vampyre hunters intend to stop this revolt before it gets any worse !! This takes place in the eaaaarly 2000's ,,, so it's a modern au ,,, and is a little funny to consider that the vampyr are Old as hell and arent adapted well enough to modern society 😭😭

YIPPEE Now that i got that down here are the four main vampyres :-3c there is a Green Coven, Golden Coven, Blue Coven, and Purple Coven. Each vampyre is able to shapeshift into smaller forms—like how a vampyre can change into a bat—these four can turn into different animals !! Theyve all been alive for different amounts of time, yet 300 years ago they all managed to find eachother and create a pact of vampyr covens!!

Leshy is Def known as the cruelest and invasive one,, he does happen to be the only one to mess with the shaping and mirroring of reality,,,, which honestly is concerning the most 😭 throughout history people have claimed they've seen "a big tree creature walking and taking people's skin" ,,,, So the eldritch rumors are NOT very helpful for him-

Originally i wanted to give heket a hellhound form but i actually liked the snake form better :-] !! Deciding her outfit was a little complicated but ,,, i think it turned out well ? Hekets known for being the most angry and cold vampyre. Despite , yknow, using fire magick . HELP

Kallamar o kallamar !!! She is a siren and she stays only in the water :-) if her siblings needs to speak to her then they make sure to have a water circle in the middle of their meeting room so they can all talk with her there,,, kallamar is known for her manipulative tactics and ways of persuasion which help her catch and convert people into vampyrism

Lastly is our main coven leader Everyone knows that built up the ideas for a vampyre uprising would be none other thann Shamura 👍👍👍 known for their sadistic self and invincibility , using wind magick to get away with a variety of things in a literal snap of a finger ,,, because of being a vampyre longer than all of them they're uniquely the one with sensitivity to blood?? They can still take blood but they dont drink it as often as the other three do (minus the way leshy does it because he literally latches himself onto a victim's shoulder with his mouth ,,,, )

With all the vampyres in mind who are our hunters ???

Well here's the first three bigshots of the company >:-D Sozonius has been hunting and obtaining information about vampyr for years, narinder is fairly new to vampyr bounty hunting yet still exceeded the expectation of a regular bounty hunter (surprisingly the strongest 23 year old), and lamb only recently started researching the vampyr after they lost their mother to vampyrism,, they are mainly known for being a detective and trying to help people out with finding their lost family members or attempting to help revert a vampyr they found back into a mortal !!!!

The company (which im,,,, Honestly not sure of a name about still 😭 i dont know what to call it) has been a benefit to society more than they realize. The unmentioned references happen to be Forneus and Monch. The head scientist is Monch, and Forneus IS the founder of the company to hunt down vampyres! Shes lost her family to vampyrism all the same, especially her two sons (aym & baal) which were kidnapped by Shamura too since theyve stalked narinder and knew he had a fondness over those two kittens just as much as forneus did.

There are more roles within this universe,, ive also been trying to think of how many characters I could add into this,, BUT YEAH !!!! Something really silly and self indulgent over the past few days of making finalized refs for them :-D

Ive been kinda plotting out another secret story for Narinder on how *he* was the one who caused this sudden uprising,, how the betrayal of leaving his siblings caused them to rage in revolution,, but that can be for another time 🕺

[cat-mother-of-two]

"O what good are hearts if they cannot be given? I thought to keep mine to myself, once. Two kits I did have, true love found! And yet one lackadaisy summer day, my beautiful children were taken away… a gift, they said, for the one they loved most, the one that waits… I wept, I keened… But how can one say no to a God? Wherever they be, I hope they are as devoted and loving as I!"

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[Welcome to my new blog!! I'll warn you all in advance. It'll be a bit hard to get Forneus' exact way of talking from the game, so she will talk a bit differently from that!! I can't wait to play her with all of you!!]

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A new individual seems to be lurking around through the trees of Darkwood...

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TOWW, Aym, Baal: @ask-theredcrown

Leshy: @ask-thegreencrown

Heket: @askthe-yellowcrown

Kallamar: @ask-thebluecrown

Shamura: @ask-thepurplecrown

The Lamb: @askacultleader

Helob: @helob-the-spider

Sozo: @ask-sozo-the-ant

Clauneck: @terrorofthetarots

Kudaai: @ask-kudaai-the-weaponsmith

Headcanons (with the help of mod Coffee):

She is very caring to many of those who visit her shop

She goes by She/It and is pansexual

She is always happy to have a chance to chat with anyone

She used to be a follower of the one who waits when he had his own cult

She is similar to one of those sweet moms who are very Christian and use the name of God (or, in this case, TOWW) for everything

She has a loud laugh, and her house constantly has the smell of different candles

She knows just about everyone that can be found along the Lamb's crusades

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[I don't have much rules for this blog, though all I ask is that you don't be weird or overpowered in the asks, as well as not be mad if I do not answer your ask, or I take a while to respond!]

[hoy35]

Theories surrounding how the mushrooms in Anura are not the creation of Heket

In my comic series Fairy ring, I mentioned that the Menticide Mushrooms are not the creation of Heket, and the main storyline is associated to this setting. Although you could look at it as a feature in an alternative universe, I do believe that this may be how things unravel in the official game... (It may be disproven. After all, it's just a non-canon theory.)

Prof 1: The Serpent's Tablet

The Serpent is a key character that only appeared in the DLC in the form of "offering the truth to the Lamb". They are mentioned to be the greatest fanatics in the BGM and the comment of the Five Bishops, they worship and defend the Great Ones, which refers to the Gods who created the world in COTL, and tries to unearth their past.

In their fifth tablet, the Serpent documented that they discovered a place with a Godly skull, with small mushrooms that have spots like eyes around it.

(Shamura made their debut in the seventh tablet.)

This could be referring to Sozo's place in the realm of Anura, where there is a giant skull.

In the background, there are birch trees with red eyes.

This shape seems like the "all seeing eye", but there is one alteration: the line representing the eye crosses the lower eyelid by a great length. My friend adds that "this makes the eye resemble the shape of a mushroom".

(P.S. There are also different symbols of eyes in Kallamar and Leshy's realms, I also have theories surrounding them, but let's not get into it in this article.)

Although this shape is scattered across Anura, it seems that Heket may be trying to suppress it. Unlike Leshy, who directly mentioned that the chaotic flowers in his realm are not his creations, Heket did not mention whether she appears earlier or later than Menticide Mushrooms. But... since it already appeared by the time the Serpent is still alive, Heket probably should not be credited for the creation of these mushrooms.

Prof 2: backgrounds during the crusade

I don't know if the background assets would appear randomly and there are actually more backgrounds for one type of map, but let's assume that there are only one type of background for each type of room background.

In this case, there are actually changes in Anura for regular background and purged version. Last time I checked, Anchordeep seems to be the same in both forms. Darkwood may have changed a little. Please allow me to make further testing before reaching a final conclusion.

So, the first thing we see is the candles lit on small, white tree trunks. This may be Heket's attempt to suppress birch trees, which would be infested with mushrooms in the background.

If the trunks grow further, it would show signs of the same red eye-shapes. Furthermore, there are no complete birch trees in the game foreground. They are all chopped or suppressed.

Someone has to put the candles there. I don't think regular followers would dare to touch their beloved leaders' creations. Therefore, it may be the order of Heket towards diciples and followers to do so.

There is also a mushroom in the background with frog eggs atop. Other mushrooms do not have the same shape of red lines on it. The shape looks like an eye sewed together...

Next, let's look at one room that has changed in regular and purged versions ——the giant frog skull room.

First, let me ask you, have you seen giant spider, squid, or worm skulls in her siblings' realms? The answer is no, right? (There are giant skulls of other species, though)

Even if there are skulls or corpses of the same species of the Bishops, they are usually in simpler form.

But these giant frog skulls have exactly four eyes, something not even Heket's followers or disciples have.

It's as if the game is hinting at her demise, and Heket may be using these followers to predict how much time she had left due to the infection.

In addition, in the background, the purged version had visibly more birch trees and visibly more mushrooms grown out of these trees.(You may zoom-in to see the pictures above)

Due to her absence, no one is still suppressing the Great One. Therefore, the trees and mushrooms begin to grow wild.

The initial room for the crusade and the sacrificial room also changed. There are dense birch tree forest in the background in purged version of Anura. I forgot to take pictures, though. *cries

Prof 3: Heket's "tatoos"

The red eyes happened to grow around her wound, where it's assumed to be the weakest. Therefore, it would be more like an infection than fashion choice.

In addition, making tatoos around her wounds would be linked to painism. It's probably too painful.

The eye patterns also disappear when she is in purged form. Maybe the God no longer feels the need to infest and pester her because she is no longer in charge?

In purged form, the mushroom surrounding her statue also dies.

Also, her follower form seems to have healed from the infection. Or it may just be the creators being lazy and not adding details.

Prof 4: Heket never mentioned associations to Menticide Mushrooms in her conversations. The game let SOZO tell the lamb about it instead.

In addition, Heket got mad when the lamb handed her mushrooms after the indoctrination. Although we usually interpret it as her getting angry because lamb is being pitiful to her, it might also be that she hates these mushrooms? Maybe that still makes sense?

The game seems keen on making little word-plays. Like how Forneus mentioned "how can you say no to a God". Before the DLC, we just assumed that she ment Narinder. But eventually Shamura confessed that they were the one who took away the kittens. So the "God" was actually referring to them.

This may be the same for Heket's case?

I believe that prior to Narinder's betrayal, Heket was doing a good job suppressing the God under the instruction of Shamura. But … due to her injusry, she slowly faded and by the time Lamb appears, Anura is in such a worse state. Also, despite Kallamar and Leshy are also suppressing Gods in their realm, the madness in Anura does not mean that Heket is weak or anything. This God is the most active one, and has begun to be active long before Shamura was even born. It might be the hardest chore for the siblings, and healthy Heket was handling it just fine. So... bad kitty!!! Bad!!

Also, if this theory were to be true, then Narinder would be doing her a favor by killing her prior to her death from the fungus infection. Good job, kitty!

Ok that concludes my theory. If you have anything to prove or disprove it, feel free to tell me!!!

[askdennycotl]

Welcome!

This is an art/text ask blog for my Cult of the Lamb OC.

Rules/Warnings

This is a must-read for everyone!

This blog is not recommended for minors. The blog's age restriction is 16+. This blog may contain graphic and textual images of violence, images of blood, cult themes, suggestive and NSFW content, obscene language. Posts intended for adults will be marked as 18+.

Now you are warned. I'm not responsible for people who ignore warnings and age restrictions.

Everything that happens on the blog is fictional and has nothing to do with reality.

I don't run 18+ rp with people under 18.

I have the full right to control the fate of my character the way I want.

Show basic respect when communicating with the mod.

You can't hurt Denny unless I want you to.

Not all questions will be answered. I usually don't answer questions if they've already lost their meaning in the plot or if I don't know how to answer them. Sometimes I need time to think about the answer, so it takes a while.

Besides this blog, I have my own real life, responsibilities, and other hobbies, so I don't always have time to respond to you.

English is not my native language, so there may be grammatical and spelling errors. Most of the time I use a translator, which sometimes translates incorrectly what I'm trying to say.

About Denny

She was found by the Lamb in the Darkwood.

Denny is an ordinary cultist. She's mainly engaged in farming and prayers at the shrine.

Traits:

Zealous

Pettable

Ascetic

Some facts about Denny

Denny's diary

Denny's diary

oct 30

nov 11

"Denny speaks like this."

"The Shadow/Demon speaks like this."

The actions look like this.

(Mod speaks like this) or like this.

Relationships

The Lamb - The Leader of the cult. Denny deeply respects them.

The Goat - Denny doesn't see them as a Leader and treats them neutrally.

*Jade - Denny's beloved. Currently dating.

*Lopina - Denny's daughter. Despite the fact that Lopina is not her biological daughter, Denny loves her with all her heart.

*Spellcaster - a close friend and mentor in magic.

*Lola - a friend.

Dotty, Briar, Jhon, Nox, Obscurus, Keni, Candy - they can't be called friends yet, but Denny definitely thinks well of them and cares about them too.

Narinder, Sean - neither friends nor enemies.

Silas - neither friends nor enemies. Denny had too little interaction with him to have any opinion.

Flowey - ENEMY. Denny would definitely try to burn that damn flower the next time they met.

'*' - the ones Denny cares about the most. Your relationship with these characters will affect your relationship with Denny.

Lola

Lola is a minor character in this ask blog. She will rarely answer questions and even less often take part in role-playing.

"Lola speaks like this."

About the Shadow

She/They/It

Name: ???

Age: ???

After Denny was cursed by anon, the Shadow settled in her mind and didn't disappear even after her death.

At the moment, the Shadow cannot take control of Denny's body. But Denny almost always hears their voice in her head, sees them in the shadows and in the reflection.

There are three ways the Shadow can take control of Denny's body. And under different conditions, they will behave differently.

Denny will voluntarily give up control for some reason.

Denny will experience critically negative emotions that she will not be able to keep control.

Sacrifice or take Denny's soul.

The third case is the most critical and should be avoided.

Remember that when control of the body belongs to the Shadow, Denny still feels, sees and hears everything.

The shadow is a powerful and dangerous creature. There is only one way to kill them.

Others

@askacultleader as The Lamb

@no-less-than-a-lambgod as the Ascended Lamb

@ask-thepurplecrownbearer as The Goat, unholy Ally

@ask-theredcrown as The One Who Waits

@ask-thegreencrown as Leshy, Bishop of Chaos

@askthe-yellowcrown as Heket, Bishop of Famine

@ask-thebluecrown as Kallamar, Bishop of Pestilence

@ask-thepurplecrown as Shamura, Bishop of War

@disciplesofthelamb as Briar, Dotty and Silas

@askobscurusnahual as Obscurus

@spellcaster-dude as Spellcaster

@pbam0ney as Sean

@ask-follower-jade as Jade

@thepersonaking56 as Lopina

@nox-the-cat as Nox

@jhon-the-cat-follower as Jhon

Hi! I'm Jey. This is my first ask blog on tumblr.

You can also check out my main art blog: @jeyk2117

And my another blog for reblogs and anything else: @jeyirl-21

My second Cotl OC ask blog: @ask-followers-of-the-lamb

Gallery

Art 1

Art 2

Art 3

Art 4

Art 5

Art 6

Art 7

Art 8

Art 9

Sketch 1

Sketch 2

Sketch 3

Sketch 4

Sketch 5

Sketch6

The Shadow 1

The Shadow 2

Denny humanization

Denny from my playthrough

Broken soul

Yandere Denny

Halloween art

Heathers cosplay

Bunny suit

Christmas bunny suit

Suit

Snow

Ice skating

Half Life AU

Circus AU

Goddess AU

Harry Potter AU

Meme

Denny and Jade

Slime Rancher

[oneofthosenightbees]

did the lamb give the golden skull necklace to Heket (or any of the other former bishop) because i don't think they married her just to let her die of old age

I’ve actually been contemplating this for a while for all the bishops and I like to think that each of them accepted it for different reasons:

Leshy - Took it out of spite, he didn’t like being pitied, but taking it would give him more reason to annoy the lamb. He thought the lamb was foolish for even it giving to him in the first place.

Heket - Took it at first after realizing her younger sibling got one and didn’t want to leave him behind. Especially not with the lamb. And knowing her other siblings, she believed it was best to keep it on her just in case anything happened to them.

Kallamar - His time in limbo has made him even more terrified at the mere thought of death. He took it without a second thought the moment the lamb presented it to him.

Shamura - They are the only one that is still deciding on wether or not they want to keep the golden skull necklace. On one hand, they believe that living a mortal life would be a fitting and deserving punishment for them, that and there might be someone on the mind thats making such a life worth living but asides that, on the other, they really want to make amends with their family, especially with Narinder. There’s a lot of unspoken apologies, anger, and sadness thats left between all of them, and to leave their family behind in such a state, they would probably would never forgive themselves for it. It’s just a lot on the mind right now, so they keep the lambs offer on the table, trying to wait for the day where they can either confidently wear it, or hand it back to the lamb.

[rainbowolfe]

Bishop Relics III

Overview | Leshy | Kallamar | Shamura | Narinder

Heket

I think Heket's Relic has the second-most-interesting implications. The first being Kallamar's.

Heket and Shamura share the same rune and effect. It's a bit difficult to show in an image (lol) but I call it the roulette effect. It rapidly flashes through a couple different colors and "chooses" one. Heket's will flash yellow, black, pink, and white (not in that order).

Now... I haven't actually been able to find this rune in the files. And that's probably because it's not a single image, it's a mash of pre-existing assets.

The outer ring is what surrounds any Weapon/Curse Podium you encounter in the game. I think the idea here is that it's made in the image of these podiums.

The core part of this Relic's rune being the sigil that surrounds weapons seems to suggest that either Heket herself was a weapon, or that she wielded a weapon of note related to the Death Crown(s). Aka, one of the weapon's Lamb now has access to. Mayhaps both?

Little note, though. Mild concern. The podiums, uh, break. When you take the weapon/curse. It also deactivates the sigil. Kudaai's Blessing also seems relevant to this. In that case you can take a weapon without breaking the podium.

Relic Podiums don't break when you take the item. So why do Weapon Podiums?

Anywho, the particle effect you gain is found exclusively on the ~Little Guys~ attached to this enemy exclusive to Anura. There's always only ever three.

This enemy with only one eye gouged out by something beyond me, wrapped in a golden chain, completely decked out in red and dark red. You have to kill it before you can even damage the three attached to it.

...

I'd like to draw everyone's attention to the fact that Leshy makes reference to a "Chained One". And it's super weird for him to refer to Narinder that way because no one else ever calls him that or something similar ever again. Maybe Leshy's actually referring to this poor, unfortunate soul instead*.

*The actual entity this creature is made in the image of. Same thing as the Summoner and the Healer.

Onto the Relic's power!

"Increases attack damage for 10 seconds." I actually don't think the power itself matters all that much. The important part here is Kudaai's Blessing.

There are two triangles. One that points up, and one that points down. Heket has an opposite. At least, she had an opposite. In Pilgrim there are two recurring "characters" that seem to be following along on the adventure. A worm (that's usually shown crawling out of the eye of a skull, a v common motif in this game) and a strange bug-critter marked with two triangles.

That worm relates to Leshy, so this bug can only relate to Heket. It's even got the same style of pupils. A... bug that's two shades of red. And has only one eye. A bug that looks weirdly similar to the Chained Enemy. Call me crazy, but it DOES. Its eye also matches the one on the tentacle Kallamar is holding in Purgatory, isn't that weird?

Kudaai's Blessing only works in the entrance room. And whatever that place is, the Bishops can access them if they find it. Even if the stone breaking/cracking doesn't mean anything, the fact that you can only pick one or the other does.

Outside of the entrance room, I mean.

Add that with the portal imagery and the interpretation that Heket herself is a "weapon" ((Or curse. Most likely a curse)), it sounds like Heket and her other half can't coexist in one way or another.

And, uh, its looking like Leshy killed them.

Not many ways to interpret a shape impaled on a sword/dagger. This symbol is all over Darkwood. It even marks the forehead of certain worms after you kill Leshy. When the enemies have become stronger.

While I don't see any Curses that have obvious connections to Heket, there are two corrupted Relics. The first I'm less certain about because the wording isn't the same, but its the Knuckle of the Tachach. "Ancient and crumbling and thrumming with power." Increased weapon damage in exchange for lower movement speed for 5 seconds.

The ~power wisps~ for this one are pink. And this particular sword design ties back to Kudaai. A Tachash is a mythical animal who's skin was used to make cloaks for "holy vessels" to use during their travels, and in the creation of a Mishkan—aka a Tabernacle. Its descriptions vary, but the one consistent detail is that it's multi-colored. Hm.

The other Corrupted Relic would be the Pouch of the Kephomite; "From which something precious was once taken." Gain half a Blue Heart, but lose 50 coins. What a coincidence that that's the cost of using Kudaai's Blessing. I've yet to get this Relic, so I don't know what the effect looks like unfortunately.

There's one relic that specifically gives half a Blue Heart. Blessed Clauneck's Mirror; "Borrow from tomorrow's fortune."

Alright. Enough notes. In Summary... Heket and her other half were someone's weapons, literally and metaphorically. But there was a caveat. Only one of them could exist at once. Maybe they shared a body. Maybe one got sent to a little pocket dimension/an alternate realm while the other was "in use". Maybe one just got locked in a box lmao.

This might explain the injuries and weapon symbols on her arms (which become mere daggers in her Punished form). Those hands are rated E for everyone! And it would actually connect her to the Slash Curses after all.

Next time you're playing, pause the game mid-attack and go into photo mode. You'll notice that, when using a Slash Curse, Lamb isn't holding the weapon. It's just an extension of their arm. They have visible little hands when holding the normal axes or swords.

There's a high chance Heket is Death's Sweep—or like, one step removed from it. The sword this Curse manifests is half red, half orange. There are no yellow Death Gods (yet), but there might be an orange one. Orange is Heket's (and Anura's) secondary color.

Could be an alliance of some sort. Maybe an unholy one—but maybe a holy one—between red and yellow. :3c

Jumping back to the triangle duo. Their owner was the God the chained enemy is made in the image of. Heket was one those Three Little Guys. This reminds me of Heket's 2nd song in her Top 5 list, "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac. It's related to Cult (the Cultists?).

A song about being stuck in a relationship with a group of people, drifting apart, but being unable to go their separate ways because of pre-existing responsibilities forcing them to stay.

There's a high possibility that Heket's opposite was the Tachach. But whoever it was, they were slain. I said Leshy earlier, but I'm realizing that Leshy has too many horns to be that effigy. Based on appearance, the likely candidates are Barbatos or Baalzebub.

Oh, how it interests me that Baalzebub is covered in what looks like fallen leaves.

Alternatively, it's entirely possible that Heket is what the Chained Enemy represents. She's the one in the center, after all. Her leaving that inner circle (wink wink, nudge nudge) would cause... someone to be harmed. For 50 coins she can be freed... if someone else takes her place. A pretty shit deal if you ask me.

Who are you going to convince to take your place if not someone who cares about you—and that you care for back?

Heket talks a lot about injustice. About how life isn't fair. She says she wouldn't allow herself to be forgiven either if you choose not to let her cleanse her relic. She says she misses......

Someone? Something?

[Edit 2/5/25: Slight revision, turns out its the Little Guys that are invincible until you kill the chained enemy. Lesson learned, don't trust the wiki lol.]

[starsfic]

First Lamb Hug in Years

Summary: A goddess and a mortal embrace, missing their loved ones. A request from @mukankei08

She chose the form without a thought.

It had been a nice day in Darkwood before the lesson, with the sun shining bright and the scent of camellias fresh in the air. The Lamb had made breakfast, with grief reduced in their eyes. The harp playing spell was working, providing gentle background music to help her focus. It had been a good day, in Kashe’s opinion.

They had begun their lessons after breakfast and this one had been one she had been looking forward to. “Shapeshifting is one of the most versatile magics in our world,” she said, watching as the Lamb wrote that out in their notes. They were a careful notetaker, apparently due to the hours of paperwork required to run a cult. Kashe had to admit that she missed her followers, but she did not miss the paperwork. “With it, you can take the form of anyone and anything. Can you think of any uses shapeshifting can have?”

“Well,” the Lamb said, tapping the feather of their quill against their lips. “You can use it to spy on someone,” She nodded. “Or to hide or just a quick disguise in case you need it. I know there were times I wanted to slip away without anyone noticing.”

Kashe clapped her hands, beaming with pride, both for her disciple and her good sense for who to make her disciple. “Very good!” She pulled out her spellbook and turned it to the correct page. “In the beginning, you will need the circle in order to fully transform,” she said, angling the book so the Lamb could write it down. She set the book next to them. “But, over time, you will be able to do it as easily as putting on a cloak!” The clothes will change and everything.

She snapped her fingers and allowed her form to shift and change as she spun, unable to help the little drama queen in her heart. It was an awkward feeling, with bones shifting in and out of place and her horns snapping and popping to become new. It was different from placing a glamor, that came with the faint sensation of something soft and delicate, like spiderweb, draping across the form. This was substantial.

She chose the form without a thought.

When Kashe opened her eyes, the Lamb stared at her. Their face was pale and eyes haunted, like she was a ghost. She looked down, confused at the reaction, and felt her own face pale.

She knew this form, this body. Soft white wool, matching her fur color, with strong legs that came from climbing up and down ladders. The cloak that replaced her dress had touches of her soft teal, but were mostly black, teal-colored eyes winking at her as she gripped the fabric. Her head had a new weight from it, from the horns she knew without a doubt curled there.

To the Lamb, she had transformed into the first lamb they had seen in years. To her, she had transformed into her son.

She did not know how to react. An old ache demanded attention in her chest now, the same ache that burst to life when her son gave Shamura, barely older than a teenager, a prophecy and they had decided to flay him alive. The ache had died over time, replaced with fresh ones like the loss of her crown, the loss of her followers, the loss of her friends and family, and the general ache of aging when you were an immortal goddess.

“...Can I hug you?” The Lamb’s soft voice interrupted her spiral. The panic had faded, replaced by a look she recognized. It was grief. “It’s been a while since…since I’ve… since I’ve seen a la…”

Kashe opened her arms.

The Lamb fell into her embrace.

The spell reacted to her emotions, and the music became softer, sadder, as she gave into her grief and held a lamb again.

[theshepherdshound]

You've been wonderful about asking about my au but now I'm curious is there anything you'd like to talk about yours that hasn't come up yet on your blog/is going to be featured/focused on in your fic?

Also got any little incidental hcs about narinder or the lamb that aren't important but you think are neat?

yayayay!! i am so fascinated in hear how other folks are interpreting things because this is 100% a new process to me- so like woah?? everyone has so many thoughts??? it's v cool

i am currently kind of obsessed with thinking about the ducks and the implication of old gods/what even are they? i remain eternally confused by the fact they are ducks are all design wise but i do kind of respect the fact that they're not owls for some reason. i talk more about them behind the wall in case folks are like eww too spoilery

the lamb is very good at juggling- there's like a nomadic period for sheep that some stay on forever where they travel and that when they learned. there's a lot of sheep culture stuff that is likely never going to be openly described because the lamb hates the idea of sharing. but it's also how they got through a lot of being on the run and how they got so good at getting everyone to like them; it's a lot easier to survive if folks like you

narinder is very good at cooking which annoys the lamb because he didn't spend much time eating or preparing food- but since he's been alive so long he's just kind of good at hand skills? i like their exchange about it a lot

he's also good at floral arranging- that one is both important and not important?

there's an ongoing thread coming out of continuum? there's kind of a hierarchy of the non-mortals which Narinder is currently keeping from the lamb because tbh he doesn't like to think about it and is just kind of pretending (up until the chapter from last week) he can ignore it

the ducks are kind of like constructs? things that don't need crowns to be powerful and represent unGodly concepts- the fact the Chemach has a crown is what made her mad in that wearing one and not being a mortal who could ascend to Godhood meant she couldn't like... hold two positions at once? her relationship with Narinder is the most complicated as they were... coworkers? how to describe it while it is still something i am chewing on is just like ???- he's upset she put on a crown but also not super surprised

it's still kind of fuzzy in my mind but unlike where someone like Shamura represented the ideal of knowledge, Clauneck is Fate and thus reality kind of bends around him like a blackhole. He's both the thing that is happening and the idea/concept of the thing that is happening. So in the scene where the lamb draws cards from him and Narinder says it'll only be true once Clauneck sees it he's right; Fate is only real once you perceive it

editing this in but IT MAKES WHAT HE SAYS TO NARINDER REALLY MEAN- like genuinely he's like UMM actually everyone has always hated you stfu and leave me alone, sharing my secrets

and then the mystic seller is just the universe personified and is kind of hanging out fucking around and laughing at everyone. it tries to keep things relatively on track but will also wildly throw something off course if it thinks it'll be more interesting. running to the mystic seller is kind of the last resort a God has and it can backfire horribly if it doesn't feel like playing nicely. an unGodly thing can't barter with it as they are themselves concepts, they can make reality wiggly though- just not outright change it. not entirely sure how much i will explore the difference between Gods and Old Gods cause like EHhHHEKFNS but mainly;

mortal => Gods => unGodly things => super god aka the mystic seller

the world was a lot more complicated when Narinder was a God and unchained- lots of stuff happened, and then he has a huge knowledge gap of what the Old Faith was like without him around.

his being defensive on a lot of stuff is more him just not knowing things and not wanting to appear weak, really he just wants to nap and ignore everything but thinks he's supposed to try and get his crown back because it's what he was told he wanted before

[midnightanxietytm]

Lurking one

a/n: Meet my other disciples, I love them.

Summary: Shamura arrives in the cult, Izebel, their guardian, is having some fun with it, surprisingly.

Nested in the middle of the village there is a shared shelter, and the Lamb often finds themselves going there to meet a certain fox.

“What would I even do without you, Izebel?” They jest as she hands them the paper with the schedules.

“You would do just fine, a bit messier, but fine.” She says with the undying patience she’s had for centuries now. “I’ve been meaning to ask about the procedures for your last crusade, my leader.” The Lamb sighs, the papers on their hands disappear into the Red crown.

“I fear Shamura will be the hardest to adapt, so let’s make sure the pillory is empty in case containment is needed, other than that, they will stay with the- with their siblings in the separate cabin.” The fox simply nodded and dipped her pen in ink to make the needed scheduling. 

“I’m assuming the scribing will be pushed forward for about a week then?” She asks.

“Yes, thank you. The battle record can be archived later, and the integration takes priority. Can I ask you to look after Shamura yourself?”

It’s in the dead of the night when Izebel and the other on-duty disciples reunite on the stairs of the crossroads to wait for their leader to return. 

Izebel turns to them with a quizzical look, when Lameniel looks into her mind he almost gets dizzy with the speed her thoughts are going, not that it isn’t like this any other time. “Of course, my leader.” It’s all she says.

“You think Shamura will really be a handful?” Ygrin asks, his yellow fur all on edge and ears turning at each small noise.

“That’s my burden to deal with, friend.” Says Izebel. “You have your worm of chaos.”

“There’s no need for too much anticipation.” Says Yequon, ever so calmly.

“Yeah, Grinny, we know the worm’s been keeping you busy.” Cain teases, reaching behind Izebel to poke the cat on the ribs.

“You’re jealous because Heket won’t give you the time of day!” The yellow cat hisses at the deer.

Cain snorts; “I’ll have you know that she and I have very different tastes in-” He gets interrupted by Yequon clearing his throat and gesturing to the teleportation circle ahead as it starts to emit a red glow.

The Lamb is approached by their disciples as soon as they materialize in the stone circle, and they greet them with a smile. “We have much to do!” They announce as a bag, likely full of resources, materializes in their hand. “Yequon, Cain, please store those properly.” They hand the bag to Cain and the two quickly move to follow the orders. “Ygrin, please wake up Narinder and tell him to wait for me at the temple.” The yellow cat also disappears quickly, the Lamb finally turns to Izebel and wordlessly gestures to her to follow them.

Together, they descend the stairs and approach the indoctrination circle, they stand in front of it and it lights up on command, portal opening and spitting out a very angry spider.

Izebel feels Shamura’s anger before she even sees them, and she just happens to be the closest one when the spider raises their sight and lunges forward.

She figured this would happen, but she still ends up in the ground with a — very tall — spider on top of her, mouth inches from her face and dripping venom. She stops the bite by placing her forearm against their throat, a single drop of hot green liquid drips on her cheek and sticks to her fur before she deftly rolls out from underneath the spider and uses her legs to force them face-down on the floor, two of their three pairs of arms stuck against their body by her legs and the remaining pair pinned by her hands behind their back.

Shamura trashes and hisses in protest, two pairs of eyes red with the mark of dissent. Lameniel looked down at the scene with an amused smile. “As you can see, Shamura, my disciples are highly trained, I advise you to not attack them.”

Taking Shamura to the pillory isn’t that hard of a task compared to the following reunion in the temple; it lasts until sunrise, arrangements are made, things are changed, boundaries set.

When morning comes, she skips the sermon to prepare a bowl of food, and takes it with her to the pillory.

At this point, Narinder hasn’t really spoken to any of his siblings, and Izebel won’t judge him for it; he tells her what to expect from Shamura, and she listens eagerly, and reassures him that she can rearrange their schedules so he doesn’t need to see them.

Shamura looks, for lack of a better word, pathetic. Izebel feels something thugh at her guts; an unpleasant feeling akin to pity that she dismisses with a sigh as she sits in front of the spider. “Hello, I’m Izebel, I’ll be watching over you from now on.” There is only silence on the spider’s end, so she keeps talking. “I’ll make sure you are properly fed, then move you into a cell, once we’re sure you pose no immediate threat, you will be given a temporary shelter.”

“My siblings?” Shamura asks, it’s more of a demand.

“They haven’t been notified of your arrival yet, but they will be right after the sermon, and they’ll be given permission to visit you as long as I’m supervising.”

Izebel looks around her new living quarters with mild annoyance. She really liked her shared room with Tybre and Julese, and she fears that without her there, their bickering might lead to more serious fights. But then again, Shamura is also a potential source of trouble…

Shamura nods to the best of their abilities and accepts the food.

She figures Saleos can deal with them for some time in her place, just until Shamura is no longer a problem… She had just finished tidying up her work space when the spider in question pushes the entrance curtain aside and stops on the doorway, simply staring at her.

The fox offers a tentative smile. “Hello again… You have quite the plunge, you know?”

“It was supposed to kill you.” They answer, taking the final step inside and letting the curtain fall closed behind them. Now she can see there's quite the height difference between them; the spider is over a head taller than her. “You were supposed to have at least a concussion upon impact, then die in minutes from internal bleeding.” There’s frustration in their words. Izebel likes it a little too much.

“You’ve lost strength, from what I’ve gathered, It’s perfectly normal. Your siblings all went through similar situations.” Shamura hisses in response, but Izebel is above flinching.

“Wretched little thing, you’re nothing but the Lamb’s lapdog, yet you bark at me?”

Silence hangs in the air for a second, the fox sits down on her desk. “As we stand, Shamura, there is more divinity running through my veins then through yours.” She speaks flatly; “Ease your anger, you should know no enlightenment will come from it.”

Shamura blinks at her once, twice, before straightening their posture and leaving the shelter with measured steps.

She still has a book on her hands even as she sits with her companions on the barstools.

Izebel turns to her desk, opens her notebook, dips her pen in ink and writes in fluid letters on a blank page; ‘Shamura; -needs outlet for anger; - needs silence.’

“We’re running low on bones, I’ll need to set an expedition soon.” Says Julese nonchalantly. 

“Hm, I’ll look it over tomorrow and send you to everyone who is free.” She answers calmly. Cain places a wine glass in front of her;

“How is your spider problem? Heket told me Shamura is silent, even for her.” She lets out a small chuckle and raises her eyes from her book to take the glass and sip it.

“They seem to like the silence, I’m not opposed to it. They aren’t dissenting, nor encouraging others to, so I don’t see much reason to interfere.”

“Yeah but they sure watch you a lot.” Ygrin interjects, she turns to look at him and sees his flushed cheeks and distant look with amusement. Somewhere behind her, she does feel Shamura’s presence; lurking and stalking like a researcher taking notes on a test subject.

“Hm, Nari used to stalk the leader just like this…” Julese muses and elbows her with a smirk. Izebel hums dismissively and looks back to her book as she sips her wine.

The silent stalking goes on for a few days, then it evolves to watching the entire cult move from the shadows. Izebel doesn’t need mind reading to see the gears turning on their head; Shamura is observant and diligent, they analyze their new environment coldly.

“That's so?” She says. 

It's her who sneaks up on them after some time; “Accompany me to the Disciple’s Garden?” She asks while smiling politely.

“Is that place not only for disciples?” They question.

“Technically. Yet you’ve been there before.” They don’t seem surprised that she knows. They look down at her, squinting at her as if she’s the last piece of a puzzle they can’t solve. Izebel turns around and starts walking, seconds later, Shamura catches up to her and they walk side by side.

The disciple’s garden is one of her favorite places; hidden just behind Faithful’s hall by tall bushes and twisting vines, the offering bowls, statues and the pond decorated prettily with candles and surrounded with tree stumps for sitting. Shamura follows her as she sits by the pond, and they sit by her side.

“Tell me your woes, spider, no one will bother us here.” She says softly, Shamura stares at her intensely.

“Narinder refuses to see me.” They say after a long moment of silence.

“Why wouldn’t he?” Shamura feels as if this darned fox wants them to kill her, and they almost taste their own venom, itching to sink underneath her skin.

“I do want to apologize to him.” They say, defensively.

The fox hums. “His imprisonment is not all he resents you for, not anymore.” She suggests.

Shamura rattles their brain trying to find meaning in those words, curse their brain, curse this feeble memory, curse the days they can barely string a sentence together, curse the days they can feel nothing but this constant piercing headache. The silence drags, the evening sun casts shadows in Izebel’s eyes and Shamura sometimes fears she does have more divinity in her they’d like to admit.

“The Lamb took Narinder as a spouse about seventy years ago.” She says, nonchalantly, dipping her toes in the pond in front of them. “It was a very merry day indeed, I’ve never felt devotion so strong, theirs for each other and us for them…” She finally looks up at Shamura, they stare at her and again fight the urge to bite her.

“We are all happy our lamb and their husband can have a family again.”

Shamura leaves the disciple's hall first, and they don’t set foot in there for a long time.

a/n: there we go, all of my sillies properly introduced. Plz ask me about them i want to talk abt them so bad

[resquices-of-godhood]

Chapter XII: Ignorance is a blessing sometimes

First << Previous <- Next ->

As the two gods come out and Allocer enters Shamura's room, they are met with not just Gayne, who has been waiting for them to go home, but Kallamar and Heket as well, who are just returning to their rooms themselves, accompanied by their witnesses.

"Has something happened to Shamura?" Kallamar asks apprehensively, getting the attention of the three crown bearers.

"No, they are fine." Wolfgang replies, letting the Lamb and the Goat decide if it's worth telling about the prophecy to them.

"More important, we have a new prophecy to deal with." Leoda adds as they brush their wool. "Which everything points to involving the five of you."

Astaroth translates what is being spoken to signal language to Kallamar, as he is still using sound cancelling ear covers to help him during his adjustment period. Meanwhile, Heket signals her own question.

"What do you mean involve the five of us?" Bathin voices her gestures, just in case.

"From what we manage to decipher from the cryptic language, new bearers will arise from the legacy you left behind to claim the crowns. If they are like Gayne or will all be former members of the Old Faith is still anybody's guess." Wolfgang informs. "All we can be sure of is that they will have some relation to each one of you, one way to another."

"I doubt Gayne is not one of the bearers, given they were the one to receive the prophecy." The Lamb points out.

"Yes, but I'm not from this timeline. Even I can't ignore that possibility." Gayne responds with a shrug. "Though there are some difference between how the crowns looked, and the silhouettes underneath."

"Gayne, you don't need to do it again." Leoda tells them, trying to keep them calm.

"I don't need to access the vision again. I remember that part." The Goat replies as they rub the base of their horns with a hand. "And the order they appeared as well. The Red sat upon the head of a sheep, then the Purple sat on that of a goat. Then came the Green and the Blue, both farther from their silhouettes, which I couldn't quite figure out the species. Lastly, the Yellow was also away from their silhouette, but I could discern out the form of a cow."

"Wait, wouldn't that mean that both the Red and the Purple already have their bearers?" Kallamar asks as he catches up with the conversation. "There are no other sheep, or goats for that matter, still alive."

Wolfgang shifts his position at the comment, as if he knew that information wasn't true, but doesn't actually say anything at the moment.

"I suppose..." Leoda replies. "But then we can't tell who would receive the Green and Blue, but the Yellow already has its bearer, somehow?"

"That assumes that having a defined silhouette means the bearer has the crown." Gayne replies. "I think it just means that, whoever is destined to receive the crown is either already in the cult, or present in the region, which means the other two still have to arrive or join us. How close to their head is more likely an indication of it being in the bearer's possession, or at least having a bearer currently."

"Too many variables to account for, really." Narinder offers as he approaches with Leshy. "Only time will tell how things will develop, as was the case with the schism."

"How long have you been there, Narinder?" Asks Heket, verbalized once again by Bathin.

"For a little bit. Enough to know we have the sequel to the Old Faith coming, or something like that." Leshy replies.

"And that's about as much as we know as well. I'll have to go crusading to talk with Clauneck for more details." Leoda says as they shake their head. "Which means we will need to prepare the cult for that, so we better be going." They gesture with their head towards the exit.

"About that, My Lamb. I pretend to spend the night here, if it's not too much of an issue." Narinder replies, before looking to Wolfgang.

"So long as there's no repeat from earlier today, I don't see why not." The Wolf replies, leaving Leoda to decide if that's an issue on their end or not and the other formed gods and disciples looking at each other in confusion.

"Narinder, what did you do?" Asks Kallamar in apprehension of what that might mean to the possible alliance that is being negotiated.

"Whatever it is, doesn't seem to be that big of an issue right now." Leshy retorts with a shrug.

Meanwhile, Leoda approaches the panther. "Are you sure about that, Nari?" They ask while the former bishops talk among themselves.

"There's something I need to know, and he is the one most likely to know about it." Narinder confides to the Lamb. "Regarding the Red Crown. It's our best chance to know more about it."

Leoda nods, before caressing Narinder's chin. "Be careful, then. As patient as he may have been so far, we don't know for how long this will be the case, or what he is capable of yet."

Narinder leans against the caress for a moment. "Don't worry, I will." He reassures the Lamb. "I will come back as soon as I find what I'm looking for."

"I'll be waiting for you, then." They reply, before looking at Gayne. "We better return, then." They call the Goat.

As the two godlings regroup to take their leave, Wolfgang calls them. "There's a transport airship waiting for you on the civilian runway to your right, after leaving the hospital."

"Right, thanks for having us today." Leoda replies as they move to the elevator.

"Yeah, thanks of the help." Gayne adds, somewhat ashamed of being the cause of such a drastic change of plans for everyone.

With the godlings leaving, as well as each of the former Bishops and their disciples going to the rooms, save for Agares who would be arriving a lot later, Wolfgang and Narinder started to make their way to the library.

"So, what exactly you want to learn about the Red Crown that you wouldn't already know?" Wolfgang asks as they ride the elevator to the exit of the hospital.

"You heard us?" Narinder asks, less so out of surprise than for confirmation, which the Wolf gives in the form of a nod. "Well, I imagine you are the most likely person to know about the origin of the crowns."

Wolfgang hums at that, scratching his chin as he thinks. "The relic creator is the one that created it, but her mind is too far gone to be able to tell anymore. Not without spreading her madness, at the very least."

"So I heard as well, but where the materials to create something of such power would come from?" Narinder insists as they arrive at the ground floor, implying the look for something deeper.

Wolfgang look at the panther with all six of his eyes at that revelation, before stepping outside of the elevator. "This is not the kind of knowledge one should search for carelessly."

"I understand, but you yourself admitted that it's also dangerous to deal with the crown itself without a way to control it." The panther follows the Wolf towards the exit of the hospital.

"No, you don't understand." Wolfgang adds as they both keep walking. "This is the kind of knowledge that can unravel the minds of mortals and drive gods to madness." He continues, before stopping for a moment to look at the panther again. "To say you are putting yourself at risk for learning this is an understatement. Nevermind what the crown might try when it realizes what kind of knowledge about it you were seeking, you are opening yourself to things so ancient that it would be regarded as legends even for someone as old as Shamura."

Narinder stops and listens, closing his eyes as he ponders for a moment, despite already knowing what his answer would be regardless. "If it means to keep Leoda safe, then I am more than willing to risk it."

Wolfgang sighs and shakes his head. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He knew better than to try to dissuade someone wanting to protect a loved one. "Just know that, were you a regular mortal, I wouldn't even consider allowing you access to it."

They both continue in silence through the temple room, then the balcony, where a platform is called. It doesn't take long for one to come at that time of the day, and soon enough they are crossing the library on it, before moving down to a secluded part of the bottom floor, where several metal doors are present, all in similar state of lack of use and with a pad at the side.

As the platform stops, Wolfgang inputs a password on the pad, before it shows a display with six dots, arranged in a grid three dots high and two wide. As the middle right light up, the Wolf moves so the build in scanner of the pad scan the corresponding eye, before the door finally opens up and the platform's rail guard lowers.

"Do excuse the extra security measures, but this section is restricted for a reason." Wolfgang says as the two enter the dark room, which quick whirs to live as he throws the switch by the door, revealing a room sized computer, taking most of the walls of the room.

He then approaches the command console, talking in his native language to command it, which sounds more like a series of growls than actual speech. The machine responds in the same language, a synthetic recording, before it speaks in the common language of Phemura. "Command accepted, translating for Old Faith Standard Language. Time until return to default language: ten minutes." It emits, before a timer appears on the screen and starts counting down.

"There's your chance to get the knowledge you seek." Wolfgang instructs to Narinder. "It will accept prompts on your language for the duration, and any data you select will be translated too. Do keep in mind that it will all be coded back to my native dialect after fifteen minutes of inactivity on the files."

Narinder looks at the Wolf, then at the console. He approaches it cautiously, before looking again at the host, who just gestures for him to try. "I require information on the creation of the Red Crown." He finally speaks.

The machine whirrs into action as it looks for the requested information, before showing a few prompts on the screen.

"Creation method of the crowns ◆︎♋︎❒︎♓︎⬧︎, god of Death and Judgement Observations of the Red Crown's behaviors"

Narinder squints as he tries to read the name of the deity, unable to decipher what the symbols mean. "What is written on that second one?" He asks.

"The name of the ancient god used to create the Red Crown, kept encrypted on its natural dead language on purpose because, when dealing with gods, specially ones this ancient, names have power." Wolfgang replies, using the keyboard of the console to select that middle option. "And that is exactly the information you are looking for." He adds, before confirming the selection. Soon after, the computer pushes out from a port a tablet, which he takes, inputting some commands to it before handing it to Narinder. "There, I changed the name into a placeholder to make it easier to read."

Narinder takes the tablet, before looking at the other two options still on the console's display. "What about the other two?"

"The latter is basically my predecessor's observations on how the crown influenced you. The former... Is what I suspect sent both them and the relic creator into madness irreparably. I never dared accessing that in the Akashic Records." Wolfgang responds cautiously. "And given how similar the behaviors of the ancient gods and the crowns that came from them are, it's not something anyone else ever needs to know."

Narinder nods, reasoning that, if a god obsessed with knowledge says something is so dangerous to know that they themself wouldn't touch it, then it's better left buried.

While the Wolf resets everything to assure no one else can access that computer once he is out of the room, Narinder climbs onto the platform and reads the title of the file.

Red, god of Death and Judgement

A bit on the nose, but ultimately something that makes sense, as whoever that god was before, they ended up becoming the Red Crown. Or so the computer and Wolfgang would lead him to believe.

As the Wolf steps outside, he opens the switch, turning off the energy on the room, with the door closing right behind him. "Lets move to my private study. No one will try to get there uninvited unless they have something very important, or a death wish." He says as he inputs the destination on the platform's control.

"Is it proper for me to be there, then?" Narinder asks, as he himself also had some rooms in his temple only he and a select few followers had access to.

"You are being invited there. As a former god, you would know that my word takes precedence over the usual structure of the cult." The Wolf says as he watches the floors move by as the platform ascends on the rail system.

"Of course, but having someone from outside the cult invited into an inner sanctum is a rare thing." The panther replies, before starting to read from the tablet as they remember the time limit for inactivity.

"I'd argue having a former god trying to save their replacement from their crown is rarer still." Wolfgang responds as he looks back to Narinder. "But I'm more worried about those files ending up in one of my follower's hands. I may welcome any wanting to learn, but I refuse to condemn someone to insanity with irrestrict access to information they are not ready for."

Narinder looks up from the tablet to meet Wolfgang's gaze. "Then you are wiser than many of the old gods." He responds, before his focus return to the tablet as the platform moves to the highest study room.

We may have a few chapters of exposition to lower the energy a bit, because there's a lot of things happening all at once for these goobers, but that doesn't mean the readers have to go through unending action.

As always, separator made by @lambouillet

[cconfusedkat]

Ok it's hard to keep my thoughts to myself but i DID wanna share this one thing going off in my mind on how i take the bishop role more seriously compared to Just Making Them Gods because That is not how Actual bishops Work,

These are NOT final designs rather just me needing to put my thoughts down Anyway ,,,

The only true god here is truthfully the mystic seller because they come from inanis ("nation" i made up for them alongside meliora and palumbus pacis) which is already a considerably small place of more gods walking around without being praised for their statuses ,, Godhood is normal in Inanis since their small place is just known for trades and potential mystery

Paloma and Archangelo are bishops recognized by god ,, They are powerful like a god but Theyre not gods

This is a similiar case for shamura and leshy for example ,, the crowns are technically smaller gods but they become bishops because of being recognized by the crowns

Shamura has a title of war and wisdom of course but theyre mainly of Conquest ,, leshy has a title of freedom and war but theyre still of chaos ,

Heket is of famine and loss ,, kallamar is of pestillence and instructre ,,, narinder wasnt deemed a bishop til after she betrayed her siblings THEN she was reckoned as a bishop of death and acceptance while locked away in Below

^ which is how allure gets her title death and acceptance as well !!

Potentially the bishops redesigns will probably have more desaturated colors with neon highlights (even as followers) to show their original benefactor(s) ,, Despite wanting to be treated normally like followers each of them theyll still have that remnant on their bodies ,, Its not too easy to pave off a symbol youve had for 3 millenia

What im just trying to do here is elaborate on their final refs further .... Its still tough to word in my head but i Do know how i want mystic pursuit to be rewritten a Bit .... Different ministries of four -- yes four rather than five -- bishops all directed by the leading god mystic themself

It all bounces back from mystic causing a lamb genocide out of jealousy, then the four bishops bouncing with it and continuing that lamb genocide because theyre required to + a certain spider being scared of lambs to begin with , aanndd then thats the basis of mystic pursuit with a lot of religious cults and an au within an au YAP YAP YAP I have a lot of thoughts about mystic pursuit recently💭💭HELP,

I would not trust any of (my) bishop followers to run a current ministry within the death and wisdom cult ESPECIALLY SHAMURA .... They got reckoned as a bishop of conquest for burning down their ministry by "accident" 😒 reduced to mortician </3

[digimonlover09]

Bishop Swap AU

(Can’t remember if I ever posted it to Tumblr, but I guess I will now just in case. It was just the normal Lamb in this AU before the Goat was revealed. Does not extend into post-game story yet.)

The basics are Ratau swaps with Shamura, Sozo with Kallamar, Helob with Heket, Leshy with Midas, and The Fox with The One Who Waits. The wounds are also shuffled. Bishop Ratau is the blind one, Bishop Helob is the deaf one, Bishop Sozo is the one with brain damage, and Bishop Midas is the mute one.

I also gave The Fox Who Waits the alternate name of Raveni, based on the arg.

The not-Bishops are still siblings, a little adopted family Elder Vessel Shamura put together back in their Cult Leader days. 

Elder Shamura was devoted. They did everything TFWW asked with no hesitation. They were loyal, and so were the family they put together. Their cult was thriving, and so were they. Everyone was happy, everything was perfect

Until, of course, Narinder tried to take their god’s crown. After that, things just fell apart. Their family left and went their separate ways, they got lonely and tired, they became less active, the cult slowly withered away, and eventually the Fox grew disappointed and took the crown back.

Cryptid Narinder wants to be a god, and he’s become something different. Not a Bishop or a god, but not quite mortal anymore either. He’s something in-between mortal and immortal. He requests sacrifices from the Goat, starting small with a simple fish, and working up to requesting the life of his estranged elder sibling, Shamura. He still holds a grudge against them for denying him the power he desired all those years ago.

If they get sacrificed to Cryptid Narinder, Elder Shamura leaves a letter about how they miss their family, how they still love Narinder even after what he did, and how Goat fills the hole in their heart left by their family falling apart.

Cryptid Narinder’s also noticeably envious of the Goat if encountered after they defeat The Fox Who Waits. He might even request the Fox’s life instead of Elder Shamura’s, though he will ask for Shamura if denied. 

If Goat gives him Raveni, Cryptid Narinder will go on a tangent about the Goat accomplishing what he could only hope to, and then grants a Divine Inspiration or God Tear on top of the usual reward.

Shroom Kallamar isn’t infected by any parasitic mushrooms, he’s just addicted. He tries to run from his past and his pain by drowning his sorrows in menticide mushrooms, to the point where he’s never really sober anymore. 

He doesn’t want to remember how his brother betrayed them and ruined everything, how everything just fell apart, how that fleeting time where everything was perfect ended. So he takes any menticide he can get his hands on and drowns himself in the high and the good memories.

Sometimes he talks about them, about his siblings. Sometimes he talks about his time in the cult Elder Shamura ran. If he’s still alive when Cryptid Narinder appears at Spore Grotto, he’ll come out and greet him, say how he misses how things used to be, and then wander back into his usual room.

Cryptid Narinder will be silent for a moment, looking sad, and make a comment about how pitiful his brother has become, before returning to his usual behavior.

This interaction doesn’t happen if Shroom Kallamar already overdosed. Also the swapped Mushroom Sculpture looks very different, is called the Mushroom Shrine, and has references to all five of the not-Bishops.

Unlike canon Helob, Cannibal Heket is very aware that most people don’t eat live people like she does. She also knows that Goat is based in the lands her elder sibling once led a cult in. She sells Followers to the Goat for reasons of nostalgia.

Heket is the only sibling still in contact with everyone. She still talks to Elder Shamura every once in awhile, and sometimes plays Knucklebone with them. She still visits to Mushroom Kallamar, though he’s usually too high to understand what’s happening. She occasionally visits Collector Leshy and gifts him some of her prey. She even encounters Cryptid Narinder in the middle of the night once every great while, though they usually just glare at eachother. 

She’s a bit arrogant and rude when she talks to the Goat, and insults them if they don’t buy whoever she’s offering. She becomes sad after Kallamar dies, and she completely disappears if the Goat gives Shamura to Narinder.

Collector Leshy isn’t obsessed with money, he’s obsessed with people. He traps people in gold so they can’t ever leave him. He’s got a pact with the Gods of Gold for that power, so he still sells things for exorbitant prices to satisfy them.

Cannibal Heket only visits him on rare occasions, because he’s genuinely the most unstable in the family. She’s always very cautious when interacting with the worm, because she’s not sure he won’t try to trap her like his other victims.

Bishop Ratau does actively pity the Goat. But The Fox Who Waits, cannot be allowed to be set free. His pity wanes with every Bishop that dies, and the time the Goat reaches swapped Silk Cradle, he’s just tired. He wants this whole thing to be over and done with so he can mourn in peace.

Bishop Helob doesn’t cast famine, they just steal some of Goat’s Followers and feed them to their own cultists. Naturally, they eat the first one themself. All Followers recruited from swapped Anura come with the Cannibal trait, because of something Bishop Helob did to them.

Bishop Midas is a very hands off Bishop, mostly lets his Followers run wild while he laughs at the chaos. He can be bribed with shiny things, though. Most of his sacrifices get decked out in extra shiny jewelry and the fanciest clothes Plimbo can smuggle. Plimbo and Collector Leshy make the most gold off of Bishop Midas’s Followers, because fancier sacrifices mean better blessings.

[kikorikoiko]

Gods don't grieve - small cotl oneshot

This takes places way back before the imprisonment of Narinder. All five bishops have already their crowns, but they are way younger. For context, Narinder is 15 and the middle child.

- This is so stupid...- Narinder muttered to himself as he walked in the forest around the main temple of war.

For some reason, his younger brother thought that bringing his pet squirrel to visit his sibling was a good idea. Obviusly he managed to lose it, and right now the few disciple that accompained Lezhy were busy looking for it, as the god of chaos was in the temple with his siblings.

Narinder took the opportunity as soon as he could to walk around in the forest; lately he didn't get much time to just take a walk and his duties were more of assistamce to the old people about to pass away and holding sermons. He almost missed when he had just a small cult and a lot of free time.

Still, finding that squirrel was actually an improtant task. If that thing disappeared or died, problably his brother's followers would had to face a lot of natural disasters. This was why at first he wasn't a fun of the idea of giving that little kid a crown; overly emotional, great powers that go haywire, ect. But Shamura reminded him that he too was a kid, exactly like Heket, and so the argument reached an ending.

- I am way more mature than Leshy, though- Narinder pouted to himself, before finally finding the squirrel.

- Oh- the cat murmured, as he crouched down next to the dead animal. He was sure that it was the squirrel, since it had that dumb bow Leshy gave it on its tail, and it didn't had any injuries, or signs that it eated something dangerous.

He remebered that the squirrel wasn't sick (if that was the case, Leshy would had problably demanded Kallamar to fix it), so, only one option remained: old age. Not surprising, since that critter was already old when the little god found it.

For a second, Narinder considered taking its bow and finding another squirrel. He quickly dismissed the idea, since not only Leshy would had been able to immediatly tell the difference, but it just wasn't right.

He gently took the little creature in his hands, and stared at it.

He really didn't want to see Leshy cry.

- Where is her?! Why is no one finding her!-

- Leshy, control yourself- Shamura scolded him calmly - It's not suitable for a god having such a reaction for a critter.-

- Shamura, with all respect, this isn't a good way to calm him down- Kallamar pointed out, while Heket shaked her head - 'Mura's right, though. I mean, it's problably dead.-

Leshy kept sobbing, angrily. Around him, some vines were sprouting from the ground, ruining the temple's floor.

Narinder finally entered the room, holding the squirrel between his hands.

Leshy quickly run towards Naridner, hands outstretched. - Peanut!- he basically demanded.

Naridner hesitated, before handing him the critter.

Peanut quickly adjusted itself into the Chaos's hand, looking around with widened eyes, breathing sharply, its heart beating irregularly.

- She looks terrified! What happened?!- Leshya sked, worried, as he hugged the critter.

- I found her like this- Narinder shrugged his shoulders - You're welcome. But I swear, next time you lose her I let Heket eat it.-

Leshy didn't respond, too busy cuddling the animal.

Narinder lifted his gaze, and met Shamura's eyes staring at him. He quickly looked away, as War once again looked to the abomination that their youngest brother was holding.