#cosmic fiend

[duhragonball]

Chainsaw Man Ch. 67-70

Oops.

"Last time, Germany's Santa Claus sacrificed three children to send Chainsaw Man to Hell in exchange for a chance to eat the flesh of the Darkness Devil so that he could make a new body out of his army of zombie-doll creatures."

That is a sentence that probably should not exist, and yet it is brings us up to speed anyway. The upshot here is that Santa Claus is now some sort of eldritch horror who can convert any human he touches into doll creatures, and now the Darkness power has made him even stronger, and he plans to kill Makima this way. But she brought back everyone from hell, and Chainsaw Man seems to be in good shape, so he starts fighting Santa.

Meanwhile, two side characters kind of talk about it. Kishibe, the guy who trained Denji and Power a while back, had tried to bring Quanxi in on his secret plot to kill Makima, but that doesn't seem to be going anywhere. This other dude casually observes that this whole battle never had anything to do with protecting or killing Denji. Instead, Santa and Makima are fighting over some other objective, and Denji seems to be a pawn in their game. He also deduces that Makima can spy on everyone because she has the power to hear through various lower forms of like, like mice and birds.

So yeah, uh, Germany's Santa Claus, everybody! She's single, fellas!

It's unclear what happened to the other characters who got sent to hell. Makima and Denji made it back, and so did Quanxi... but she didn't return in one piece. Two of her fiend girlfriends were in hell with her, and apparently they're just dead. So a third fiend girlfriend finds Quanxi's head and pulls some sort of spearhead from under her eyepatch, and this somehow activates...

... uh, whatever this is. I guess Quanxi has the same kind of power Chainsaw Man has, but with knives or something. Also she's butt-ass naked in this form. She offers to team up with Denji, even though she was sent her by the Chinese government to kill him. She wants Santa dead more, because he's responsible for killing two of her skanks.

Their attacks damage Santa, but with her new darkness power, she can regenerate pretty quickly. I think it only works when she's in shadow, though. Anyway, Santa manages to stymie Denji pretty well by sending dolls after him who seem much more human than the dolls we've seen up to this point. They scream and beg for mercy, and Denji balks because he doesn't want to murder them. Quanxi assures him that they're not really sentient anymore, and they're just mindless automatons like the other dolls. How would she know, though?

Quanxi doesn't really answer that question. Her point is that they have to kill these dolls to defeat Santa, and thinking of them as beyond saving makes it easier to kill them. It's more of a coping mechanism than intel.

As the battle wears on, night falls, and Santa's darkness powers get stronger. She redesigns her body again and yikes.

Also, Santa seems to have figured out how to turn corpses into dolls, and she converts the two dead minions Quanxi was trying to avenge. They take the third one hostage and stab Quanxi. Santa considers turning Quanxi into a doll, but she forgot one thing...

Chainsaws can be set on fire. Wait, no, that's not badass, that's stupid as hell! I retract my earlier statement. Germany's Santa Claus did not forget one thing. No one would ever consider this possibility in the first place, much less forget about it in the heat of battle.

Basically, Denji's idea here is that if he attacks while he's surrounded by fire, then he can offset Santa's ability to regenerate in darkness. I'm not clear how her powers work, but Makima warned that attacks in darkness would be ineffective, and one could argue that cutting attacks are sort of hidden inside the thing you're cutting, so there's not much light to work with. But if Denji's chainsaws are a light source in and of themselves, that solves everything.

Also he remembers the trick with the chains from the Reze arc. Chainsaw Man wraps her up good and pulls her closer to the flames, while she sends in dolls to try to protect her. But she's no match for the mighty Chainsaw Man.

Soon, Germany's Santa Claus begins to despair, and wonders what the hell is wrong with Chainsaw Man that he just won't keel over and die. But the answer is the same as always. Denji wants something frivolous, and he can't have it unless he destroys his enemy, so that's all there is to it.

Happy Boxing Day, you weird-ass bowl full of jelly.

So Denji's won, right? Not quite. He defeated Santa's main body, but Santa still has a contract with the Doll Devil, which affords her control over all the dolls she's made, and they can make many more with a mere touch. Santa expects to continue evolving with the power of darkness and she can just come back with a new doll body and and send dolls to stalk and attack Denji again and again, indefinitely. Denji isn't too worried about this, but he gets his head cut off on the next page, so I guess this isn't his problem anymore.

Qwanxi confronts the burning remains of Santa and wants revenge for her dead skanks. To that end, she employs the fourth one, who we haven't seen much lately. She's the one who can only say Halloween, and on Qwanxi's orders she does a Kamehameha, but Halloween themed. Cute.

What the hell does this accomplish? Well, Santa finds herself in a vast library with this fiend, who introduces herself as the Cosmic Fiend. We're inside her mind, I think, and she can speak normally here. Santa isn't too impressed, because she thinks she can withstand a psychic assault, but tha'ts not what this is.

The Cosmic Fiend has cosmic awareness, for lack of a better term, and she can share that knowledge of everything with others, like Santa Claus. And once they receive this vast storehouse of knowledge and wisdom and enlightment...

You can only think of Halloween until you die. 🎃👻 💀🦇

I... I don't know how to react to that. I guess it explains Cosmic Fiend's appearance. I thought she was just supposed to look like some "cute" zombie, but I guess the real reason her brain is hanging out of her head is because she possesses such incomprehensible knowledge of the universe that her poor skull couldn't contain it.

Anyway, this neatly solves the problem of Santa Claus's doll slaves, because they're still alive, but now they're incapable of doing anything but shouting "Halloween" over and over again. I hope that deactivated the thing where they can turn other people into dolls by touching them, though.

Quanxi seems to have won here, since she decapitated Denji and defeated Santa Claus, but there's one more force to be reckoned with, and it's Makima. Kishibe and the other guy put on their blindfolds, because Public Safety has a rule that you're not allowed to see Makima use her power.

Quanxi immediately surrenders. I don't know if she just realizes she's outmatched, or she's that desperate to end the fight. She pleads for Makima to spare her two minions. But Makima won't accept any terms.

Quanxi and her entourage are suddenly decapitated, in a fashion that reminds me a lot of the way the Darkness Devil fought in hell. Maybe I'm reading too much into that. It's more likely that the comic is just depicting the effects of Makima's secret power without giving away the cause. It's also possible that Makima has one of her people nearby attacking these women on her behalf, like the way Angel Devil took out Reze from the rooftop.

One last loose end. Remember the Immortal Bros. from America? Remember how Aldo was the only one left, and he spent the whole arc trying to work up the courage to carry out his assignment? Well, he must have gotten turned into a doll at some point, because here he is chanting Halloween like all the other dolls in Santa Claus' hive mind.

So Makima has won. With Santa and Quanxi defeated, it's unlikely that the other nations would dare send anyone else into Japan to go after her or Denji. So everyone can take of their blindfolds now, but Kishibe leaves his own, because he knew Quanxi for a lot of years, and he has no great desire to see her dead body on the ground. Also, everything else that's happened is pretty fucked up too.

There's a two-page comic after Chapter 70 that shows the past relationship between Kishibe and Quanxi. She was the legendary "First Devil Hunter" and she had once been partnered up with Kishibe, who would hit on her and get punched in the face for his trouble. After about nine years of this, he finally admitted that he loved her, and she realized she was gay. It adds a nice touch to his refusing to take off his blindfold when she's killed.

[akiymgc]

[celestie0]

i’ve sent u like 200 anon asks abt ihm i might as well be a regular here 😥

LOOOL my love i just answered n queued a bunch of em im not sure if you are all of those asks but they all had me giggling n reeling 🤣🤣 much love from me 💗

[theoutcastrogue]

That said, the D&D 3.5 Paladin was bad. It was badly designed, it had bad rules, and in conjunction with the other notoriously bad rule, alignment, it could cause havoc.

Now personally, I never had ANY problems with it in my tabletop games. I played paladins and loved it, and I loved it when other people played paladins, and it was great. But that's because, collectively as a group, we took ONE look at that terrible rule where the paladin's code of conduct prevents them from associating with Evil characters or "someone who consistently offends her moral code", and immediately went, "that's stupid, we ain't doing that, it would ruin the game".

We also didn't love the concept of alignment as a cosmic force, and didn't care for Usually Evil Goblins and Always Evil anything. And when a class's signature ability fully depends on whether creatures are capital E Evil, well that affects storytelling, doesn't it? But we all saw it the same way, and we were happily able to change it without any disagreements. In the end we had a Paladin… similar to 5e now that I think of it: completely ignore the Code's association clause, tailor the Code to personal stance or a specific Order, Detect only fiends and undead and the like, Smite anything you want, Fall only if you really fuck up, and never presume that just because you haven't Fallen yet everything you've ever done is justified and correct and anyone who disagrees with you is objectively wrong.

Basically, there were 2 options in 3.5. You either houseruled and/or handwaved things, and in matters of alignment interpretations erred on the side of "what makes the game go",

OR, you played with Rules As Written, and filled the forums with questions like "should the paladin fall?" (one such thread per week, conservatively), "we got into a fight over the Paladin, what to do?", "is it Evil to pick pockets? because we have a Paladin in the party", "the Assassin uses poison, shouldn't that offend my moral code?", and shit like that. Just... pointless strife, all the time. Again, never happened to me, but I was appalled to read about it, over and over and over.

People got intense with 3.5 Paladins (both pro and against) because it was BADLY DESIGNED and had BAD RULES. Its mechanics forced narrative choices on the entire table, and the only way to make it frictionless was having a party where no one wishes to explore a character's bad side ever, no one does things that aren't bad but WotC branded Evil™ in this or that splatbook, and everyone magically agrees all the time on "what is right and what is wrong" and "what is Lawful and what is Chaotic", which is simply impossible. The most subjective thing in the world (ethics!) was presented as an objective cosmic force, and how you interpreted it would determine how much damage the Paladin deals in combat, and whether the Paladin could keep associating with the party, and if the Paladin is still a Paladin. And all that in a game, let's not forget, whose basic, fundamental premise is "kill things and take their stuff". I'm sorry, this is tremendously stupid. It's the WORST design.

I know that for some people it worked as written, and good for them, but for the many many people it didn't work, well it's obvious why.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Deity: Dispater, Lord of those Below

No Kings Beyond Death

A god of riches and horrors beneath the earth, protector and jailer of the departed souls, grim Dispater rules many realms with a stern hand and an iron will. Often cursed and seldom praised by mortals, it is this god's cosmic lot to keep order in the underworld, where the caverns of the mortal plane intersect with the labyrinths of the underdark and the shadowed halls of the dead.

While his worship overlaps with many other gods of death, few pray to Dispater as his heart is thought to be as cold and unmoving as stone, hardened by the grim work of keeping the domains to which psycopomps and other terminal forces deliver souls, ensuring that they neither have the chance to escape nor that they are picked off by fiends or other malign spirits.

Judges and other arbiters sometimes swear by him, especially when handling matters of life and death, as do miners, bankers, and others who work in precious metals or stones, as Dispater has a connection to caverns and other buried places. His clergy collects tribute in the form of those soft, perishable things that cannot be found below the earth: grain and livestock, flowers and wine. Their sacrifices of these things are said to pass on to the dead themselves, after their lord has taken his due tithe.

Adventure Hooks:

A monstrous bat haunts the countryside, endlessly harrying a graverobber who pilfered from a cemetery consecrated in Dispater's name. The exhausted scoundrel just so happens to have taken refuge in the same country inn as the party, passing himself off as a peddler who was shaken down by bandits. When the bat attacks that night (as he knows it will) he hopes to use the chaos to shift some of his plunder into the heroes' packs, diverting the creature and the divine wrath it represents.

Rumour is, if you find a trail of archaic coins scattered along the road, following it will lead you to one of the mysterious grey merchants, traders from the underworld who deal in memories and mementos cast off by the dead. Woe to anyone who attempts to harry or cheat the merchant though, as they travel under the protection of the lord below.

Shortly after a resurrection of a partymember (that may or may not have gone wrong), the heroes are approached by a dour devil in clerk's garb who insists that they need to follow her into the underworld to help clear up some post-mortality paperwork, or else their friend's soul might be held in litigation for a literal eternity. "Clearing up" in this case involves helping to clear out a field office somewhere in the shadowfell overtaken by the unquiet dead, fending off hostile spirits while the devil and the deceased do a lightninground of signatures on the relevant forms.

Behind the scenes: Hades has fascinated me since I started learning a mythology, and that fascination has only grown as I've traced the idea of him through history and popculture.

Like all the other Greek gods, Hades gets a roman makeover in Pluto; god of earth, the underworld, and wealth. One of his titles "Dis Pater" literally means " Father of Riches", as the earth contains both mineral wealth and the wealth of good harvests.

Because of his association with the underworld Pluto/Dis Pater starts to get adapted into emerging Christian Mythology as the devil, as his realm of of Tartarus (and its punishments reserved for the most wicked) likewise becomes Hell (which exists to torture anyone who sins and doesn't believe).

Fast forward about a millennia and a half and you have the creators of d&d making all the different names for the devil into a rogue's gallery of different fiends. With Dispater's connection to greek mythology completely forgotten he gets sectioned off as the extra schemey member of hell's boyband, at once brilliantly adept at making plans and driven mad with his own paranoia. While this makes him a little more interesting than some of the other devils, it just wasn't enough for me in the end, so a revamp had to ensue.

I wanted to take things full circle and use Dispater's name to bring my own Hades analog into my game's mythology, a god not of death but specifically the underworld, fully drawing on the connotations of both afterlife and underground. Playing with motifs of kingship and a "death and taxes" sort of legalism also makes for unique themes when it comes to the subjectmatter of mortality: Dispater as death is owed tribute by natural and divine law, but that relationship also grants protections to the tributary. Imagine a paladin of Dispater saving someone's life from unlawful execution because they are owed a righteous death.

Thanks as always to @5ecardaday for the monster stats

Artsource

[grenade-maid]

Signalis, Authority, and History

There's a level of nuance to how Signalis presents the violence of the authority of the nation that doesn't call attention to itself but which I really appreciate. Which is basically just, all the officers and cops and spies who make life hell for people like the Gestalt mine workers, Ariane, and the Itou family--we get little glimpses into who they are in Adler and Kolibri's diaries and despite the propaganda and the authoritative tone they take in official communications, for the most part they don't seem to actually be particularly invested in the hard line of national ideology. They uphold it though, viciously, both because things were worse under imperial rule (we don't get hard details on what it was like but it's mentioned in passing enough that I believe it) and because they're scared that if they don't they will be decommissioned and easily replaced. They are literally stamped out of a production line after all. There's a subtext of well, if I don't do it my replacement will anyway and I'm not trying to die so what's the point of rocking the boat?

I think Kolibri stands out to me most clearly on this because in communications from the block warden regarding Ariane there is emphasis put on how it is unacceptable and suspicious that she should be so interested and invested in art and literature that does not serve the purpose of furthering the goals of the nation. But we know that Kolibris themselves are bookworms, Adlers are fiends for stimulating experiences, and both get miserable FAST when deprived of art and puzzles and entertainment and hobbies. Y'know, just like anyone. Far be it from being a paragon of The Nation only interested in productive labor, we are reminded that the block warden, too, hates this shitty town and wants to transfer but is denied. They're hypocrites, but not monsters, nor brainwashed puppets of the state.

The monstrousness at play is not contained within any particular subset of evil individuals, or even an inherent universal force of evil contained in the broad notion of The Nation. There is no cosmic evil force that makes them all do these things to each other. The monstrousness is within the social systems, the mechanisms of how authority perpetuates on a structural procedural level, held in place by fear and tangible threats of violence, each link in the chain restraining the next through those threats out of fear that if they don't, then they'll be next. Regardless how many, if any, of those people in this chain are true dogmatic hardliners, they must act as such because failing to do so opens them up to danger.

Here then I think of the quote that is so prominent, "Great holes secretly are digged where earth’s pores ought to suffice, and things have learnt to walk that ought to crawl", from Lovecraft's The Festival. This is not just a chilling abstract visual that conveniently evokes a mineshaft-- in Lovecraft's story, this line refers to worms which ate the decomposing bodies of wizards whose wretched souls had remained after death, complete with the terrible powers they gained through contracts with demons. Those worms inherited both their power, and also the evil. The Nation, despite having overthrown the Empire, is built on imperial technology, in particular Replikas and bioresonance. So too, then, we can imply that The Nation inherited with those things some of the monstrousness of The Empire as well. There is no end of history, nor clean break with the past, no matter how violently it may seem to be rejected. That which remains from the past--and something inevitably always does--creates the present.

This is a game that is not shy about evoking East Germany. And I think all of this provides a sophisticated picture of repressive authority that we rarely see in fiction of the English speaking world, especially in games. The year the S23 incident takes place is notably 84, but, frankly, I find this to be more compelling and illustrative than 1984 (and I'm a librarian and have taught English classes so I get to say that). Orwell, let's be honest, presents a fairly one dimensional picture of authority, where people seize power and wield it against others out of seeming mustache twirling evil or malice.

Here though we get a more humanistic view. Authority did not come from nowhere and is not wielded arbitrarily out of gleeful cruelty or mindless brainwashed allegiance. People aren't "just following orders". Individuals have rich inner lives. They make decisions, and those decisions are based in the context they're in. Even the decision to carry repressive tools of the past into the present is a decision that was made strategically with the big picture in mind. Nobody woke up and decided to be evil that day. Everyone operates on self interest, and, we must assume, an earnest desire for things to get better. Even the [spoiler] program which served as an inspirational demonstration of The Nation's power, you can imagine the chain of officers and bureaucrats who genuinely wanted the people of the nation to believe in the future, to confidently trust that everyone was working together towards something great and beautiful. And, through a long chain of those people who couldn't say "No" without being decommissioned, we ended up with something unbelievably cruel.

We get to know Adler and Kolibri and the other officers not to say well they're human too, maybe it wasn't so bad that they condemned all those people to agonizing suffering, but to remember that if we keep looking for true monsters we will not find them. There are no monsters and there are no demons. There are only people making decisions. A better world is possible. A better world, where Adler is just a paper pusher who does puzzles after work instead of signing papers to authorize torture, where Kolibris are librarians instead of spies and cops, where EULEs can gossip and play piano and ARARs can do maintenance on facilities that don't contain torture rooms, is one that would not have led to the Ariane and Elster's tragic cycle and ultimate end.

Authority and its attendant cruelty is not contained, radiating forth from The Great Revolutionary and Her Daughter, it is within the social systems of control. When those two women die, that cruelty will continue so long as those social systems continue. Like Lovecraft's worms, no matter how long dead the evil of the past is, so long as it continues to be fed upon, that evil will not only remain, but evolve into something new in the present. A better world can't be achieved through the death of the old world alone, even if violent overthrow is warranted. There is no end of history. There is no clean break from the past.

"Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living."

Karl Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte

[moonselune]

aasimar tav despite trying everything, failing to save her beloved tiefling karlach and has to watch her die. despite begging to her gods she will do whatever they want, sacrifice anything of herself. whatever it takes. just save the one person who she ever felt true love and a true connection for. only to receive their silence. a loayl servant asking once once for this one little selfish deed. and even that is too much apparently... and so karlach. in the hells. just chilling and fighting finds out who the newest member to join the realm being a certain familiar, cute and wonderful face has fallen into the hells.. and then they kick ass together.

yes yes yes so did a little informal drabble for this lmaooo enjoy

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

In the searing depths of the Hells, where the air was thick with the acrid scent of brimstone and the distant screams of tormented souls echoed through the cavernous landscapes, Karlach fought with the ferocity of one who had nothing left to lose. Her movements were fluid and precise, her dual blades slicing through the ranks of fiends with deadly accuracy.

Amidst the chaos of battle, a ripple of energy coursed through the infernal realm, drawing Karlach's attention. Through the haze of smoke and fire, she saw a figure materialize — a familiar figure that she had thought lost forever.

"Y/N?" Karlach breathed, disbelief mingling with hope as she recognized the radiant aura of her beloved Aasimar amidst the darkness.

You stood tall and resolute, your celestial wings shimmering with divine light as they surveyed the battlefield with determination. Despite the anguish and desperation that had brought you here, you now radiated a sense of purpose and resolve.

"It's me," You replied, your voice filled with a mix of relief and determination. "I've come for you, Karlach."

A surge of emotion welled up within Karlach as she realized the enormity of what you had done. They had traversed through realms and faced untold dangers to find her, defying the very cosmic order itself to reunite with the one you loved.

Without hesitation, Karlach fought alongside you, your blades moving in perfect harmony as you battled the fiendish hordes. Together, you carved a path through the infernal legions, your bond stronger than ever amidst the chaos of the Nine Hells.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

[jaybirdie421]

What are the skeletons opinions on horror games

ooooo!! First ask, hi!! I'll go down the VERY long line LMAO

Classic: Thinks they're neat, doesn't play them often though. He's just kind of busy all the time with the machine and lowkey taking care of like. 14 idiots in his house, but he does think they're cool I feel like he would like One Night At Flumpty's if you know what that is!! or JR's!! Not really a horror game, but i think he'd like "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes"

Papyrus: Think's they're super interesting but can't play them LOL. He'll watch Youtubers play them and loves watching the other skeleton's play them, but if he feels like a jumps scare is coming, he's defiantly covering everything but the youtuber's face-cam or just watching whoever's reaction. I think he'd like.. Indigo Park and Security Breach. I feel like he'd appreciate the bright colors and minimum scare-ies :)))

Blue: LOVES them but is very quiet about it!! He definitely would've liked JR's and Poppy Playtime, probably Indigo Park, too. Not a big fan of gore tho!

Stretch: can't handle horror games at all LOL. Loves horror movies and books, because he can detach himself and laugh at their stupid choices, but when it's HIM?? ..NAH. but!! again, not really a horror game, but i think he'd also like "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes"

Helvetica: Generally just doesn't horror games scary?? He just doesn't find them worth his time for the most part. He works a LOT and gets plenty thrill from night rides on his bike, so horror games are just kinda. eh. i feel like he would like that one game where your a 911 dispatcher though

Malvery: ALSO LOVES HORROR. Def a big Puppet Combo guy, defiantly likes creepypasta, also?? FNAF?? for sure. I feel like he liked 3 and sister the most, maybe 6 too! Doesn't find horror scary at all.

Red: Oooo he liked horror games, even if he doesn't play them often. He doesn't care for real loud or gorey games (other than Dead by Daylight, he fucking LOVES that game. i feel like he would like res evil too, but i havent played it so idk) but i feel like he would LOVE games that just.. put you on edge. Like. Phsycological horror. Little Nightmares type shit. He def loves LN. Also likes Puppet Combo.

Edge: Genuinely just doesn't play them, but I think he would like "We Harvest Shadows" and 'Doors.'

Lust: Likes them fine, but really just likes the character designs more than the actual games. Security Breach and Sister location are probably some of his favorites just because he likes drawing them outfits. Loves the lore ab Dress to Impress though LOL

Dezi: Doesn't like horror. Doesn't really have a tolerance for it, doesn't enjoy it. He will make outfits and cosplays though for fans and he enjoys it. I feel like he'd like DDLC though

Dust: Also a Puppet Combo fiend, tries to get Dyrus to play with him. Also a big creepypasta fan, really fucks w the Slenderman and Siren Head games

Dyrus: Terrified of Siren Head specifically do not even play with him, he will haunt the shit out of you. Doesn't really like horror, but likes watching the others play. Liked Indigo Park, i feel :)))

Hop: Nah. not his thing. thought Sister Location was cool tho

Tango: Also a nah, but he really likes dating sims and will play the spooky ones.

Cosmic: Not technically horror but i feel like he'd like subnautica and lost in space games. The ocean is something that's just kind of.. incomprehensible to him, and the stars remind him of home sooo

Orion: likes mechanical games!! Help Wanted's vent repair and animatronic matnience would be RIGHT up his ally! Also subnautica and space games for the same reason as his brother

Mars: yes and no. some can trigger him really bad so he usually avoids them, but he likes FNAF

Jupiter: honestly really likes farming games. he doesn't care much for horror but sees it as a challenge!! Probably would like We Harvest Shadows and Pumpkin Panic

Keigo: Oh, horror FIEND. Played and loved every single fnaf game, loved Little nightmares, liked poppy playtime and indigo park. They will get him a little jumpy though!! cares a lot about audio!! the music in JR's and LN is what MADE it for him

Apollo: he thinks they're really fun but certain sound design can REALLY set him off. Like little nightmares' sounds are SO good but would trigger the shit out of him.

i think thats all!! wow that was a lot LOL

[kumerish]

Hiya! Longtime listener, first time caller. I was flicking through my wide and beautiful comic strip collection whilst lounging in a giant armchair, puffing on one of those pipes that makes soap bubbles, wearing a monocle, dressing gown, pink puffy slippers. As one does. When I noticed something strange and beautiful:

Is the great Lula Alexandria Hannah Lopez in some way an homage to Alice Otterloop's Halloween costume? Or do great minds simply think alike when it comes to loathsome night fiends ?

As one does, indeed!

this is incredibly funny and cool.

in general, I'm absolutely floored by the quality of Thompson's cartooning - an undeniable and under-appreciated great - but I'm ashamed to admit I've read under a couple of dozen strips. Alas, the first collection sits on my bookshelf so I could easily remedy this.

So it's just a very very very fun coincidence.

However, bizarrely and undeniably, that drawing most certainly is Lula. Yet it's not Lula through any direct reference. Spiritually, in the heart of Lula, that drawing exists. I'm pained to admit I've never drawn a Lula so Lula-y. Perhaps, it is Lula through some cosmic or spiritual interference. One wonders - maybe there is no such thing as coincidence and this creature has taken many forms?? Perhaps it has and will continue to express itself through the greats and decently-alright-cartoonists throughout the ages??

[theaudiofiend]

Writeblr Introduction

Hello everyone! This is a bit of a different Writerblr introduction. I wanted to join this wonderful community and chronicle some of my writing projects that I plan to one day turn into an audio roleplay series, maybe even a book, who knows. I'm a Voice Actor and you can call me Fiend. I very much enjoy creating supernatural worlds and am inspired by podcasts like Welcome To Nightvale and The Magnus Archives.

About The Writer

Bisexual with nonbinary tendencies

He/They Pronouns

Three and a half cats in a trenchcoat, actually

I enjoy puzzles and tactical games

I'm Autistic (creating magic systems is one of my special interests, actually)

A world history and mythology nerd

Lover of videogames (RPGs, horror, souls-like)

I could talk for hours about Dark Souls. Days and months even, if you ask me about Bloodborne. Tread carefully.

I enjoy writing about supernatural mysteries, mythology, gay monsters, GNC characters, philosophy, unique magic systems, character-driven narratives and also building complex worlds.

About The Projects

I have created a multilayered Universe for my projects, in which I write different character-driven narratives that affect a world consumed by mystery and the supernatural. These are meant to be interactive stories, so each character interacts with the listener and will be voiced by me in my upcoming audio series!

Beast Beneath The Moonlight: A story about Gabriel, an idealistic intern at a hospital whose life goal is to save as many people as he can. He is turned into a werewolf and is then forced to confront his inner beast, contemplate mortality and understand the true meaning of strength.

Written in Blood: Killian, a very old vampire from a bygone era, struggling to cope with the death of his lover centuries before, trying his best to live his remaining days in peace until his very bloody past starts to catch up to him.

Fiends With Benefits: Levi, a half-demon caught between the Mortal and Supernatural world, expected to be the best by both worlds while not being accepted by either. He lives under his predecessor's shadow until a plot that could unravel Fiend Society is brought to light.

There will be more stories within this world, so stay tuned.

General Aesthetics and Tropes

Urban Fantasy, Hidden World, Supernatural Creatures Are Among Us & They Are Incredibly Hot, Magic is Real, Angst, LGBT+ themes, Bi Vampires, Dark Romance, Sexual Themes, Monsterfucking, Understanding the Nature of Humanity despite not being Human, The Struggle between Logic and Emotion, Found Family, Actually Horrifying Vampires as Well as Stupidly Sexy Vampires, Lesbian Victorian Ghosts, Werewolves but Not Always Wolves. Wait, there's more... Fate Doesn't Exist, God Isn't Real but The Devil Is, Interconnected World where Magic and the Mundane meet, Cosmic Horror, Religious Horror, Body Horror, Death and What Comes After, Interpersonal Drama, Introspection, Tarot-based Characters, Slight Anime Vibes (Gasp), Paranormal Mystery, Hidden Worlds within the Hidden Worlds, Mythology is Real, Man is the real Monster, Dark is Not Always Evil and Light is Not Always Good.

[ac3-76]

Kai Smith Headcannons

warnings: none😊

General

Idc what anyone says he can cook

like him and Nya were on their own for most of their childhood and bc Kai is the oldest he insisted on cooking

also because he grew up poor he gets really creative in the kitchen

his body temperature is constantly at 102° Fahrenheit

he does well in colder climates and doesn't struggle with feeling cold or freezing, but in hotter climates he gets heat exhaustion fast

He pretty much refuses on taking rest days

like he has to work out every single day or else he gets really insecure

He has the largest social media following out of all the ninjas(if you don't include Lloyd's graffiti account that no one knows he runs)

his body insecurity stems from growing up skinny and underweight

He LOVES Supernatural and sees a lot of himself in Dean Winchester

He has 3 tiktok accounts, one for fashion, one for thirst traps, and one where he just talks, rants, or does vlogs

he also has a YouTube channel that does really well, it's mostly vlogs, pranking the ninjas, doing challenges, trying things

his YouTube channel is kind of a mix of Jake Webbers channel, Kalogeras sisters, and the Sturniolo Triplets

He only has 1 Instagram and he mostly posts pictures of him and the other ninjas hanging out and having fun

He has a public and a private Twitter

the only thing he posts on his public account is i❤️my partner type stuff and dates for things

He definitely did a tweet about how exited he was for A Good Girls Guide To Murder TV show to be released

His private account has tweets for literally everything he does and thinks

"ate a fire cookie🔥🔥"

"just took a narly nap"

"you guys"(with absolutely no rhyme or reason, everyone was responding to that one really confused)

"just watched Teen Wolf, Chris Argent is such a dilf"

The crazy thing is his private account has over 4 million followers, he accepts literally everyone that requests to follow it

He's extremely good at math, put any math problem in front of him and he can solve it in his head in 15 seconds

He's also very financially literate, he's got all of his money related things in order and is a millionaire by season 10 bc he got into investing and stocks

No one knows abt him being a millionaire tho bc he doesn't buy things that look expensive and he doesn't flex his money

He totally buys expensive things tho

it's mostly high end clothing

he has a huge shoe collection that costs at least $2,813

He's an absolute fiend for cosmic brownies

He's a huge car guy

His favorite car brand is Koenigsegg and he owns a black Jesko Attack

He also owns 2 motorcycles

Dating

He's hispanic and fluent in Spanish

If his S/O doesn't speak spanish he'll tell them things in Spanish and won't tell them what if means

He does this all the time

It's bc Spanish is his first language and it's easier for him to say things in his mother tounge

(Yk in Modern Family when Gloria says that no one knows how smart she is in spanish, yea Kai totally feels that)

(he's also a chronic Modern family watcher and he relates to Gloria and Hailey so hard)

If his s/o speaks Spanish he prefers talking to them in Spanish

(he also loves if they speak it bc its also Nya's first language which means they can talk to Nya better)

He absolutely adores physical touch and cuddling

Hugs from behind.

Neck kisses.

he loves his hair being played with

if his S/O wants their hair braided, he can do it

French, Dutch, typical 3 strand, box, godess, cornrows, triangle box, twist, micro braids, fulani, Havana

whatever you want and whatever ur hairtype, he can do it

He can also do any hairstyle on any hair type like it's the easiest thing ever

He def does a soft launch at first

once your relationship is public, he post you all. the. time.

he just loves showing off his lover

However, he makes sure that while ur relationship is known, it's private

he's not gonna post any fights or issues that you 2 have, he works those out in private

he let's you steal any of his clothes(as long as you give them back)

He's the right amount of jealous and possesive

if someone else if flirting with you he'll just walk up and put his arm around ur shoulders or waist

he pretty much never introduces himself when someone else if flirting with you, he let's you do that

He's very secure in his relationship, he wouldn't cheat on you and he knows you wouldn't cheat on him

BUT, as mentioned above he struggles a lot with body insecurity so you'll have to reasure him that you love his body

He's been cutting meat for people his whole life(first Nya then Lloyd) so if you don't wanna cut your meat he'll totally cut it for you

He's so they fell first, he fell harder coded

also unexpected love trope, but it's unexpected for you two, everyone else knew the second you guys met that you were gonna be together

Nya and Lloyd had a bet on how long it would take for you two to get together(Nya won)

[dailycharacteroption]

Planar Tour Guide: The Negative Energy Plane part 1

(art by REYKAT on DeviantArt)

Last time, we looked at the light and the infinite genesis of new life and energy… and now we look at the counterpoint, the darkness, the void.

When the positive energy plane was created by concentrating the ambient potential for life into a single point to spark the creation of that eternal cosmic star, the energy required for the concentration had to come from somewhere, an area of emptiness that yearns to be filled once more but never can be because of the way that planar boundaries work. This was the negative energy plane.

Sometimes called the Void, the Nothing, Entropy’s Heart, or the Final End, the sheer absence that defines the plane is an all-consuming thing, devouring life and most matter that enters it. It is the cold end, the heat-death of the universe as applied to matters of the soul.

However, the Void is far from simply a leftover from the creation of the cosmos, far from it. The plane serves multiple functions. Firstly, it’s yawning hunger serves as the cosmic pull that keeps the River of Souls flowing, like how it is the gravity of worlds and stars that allow orbits to be possible. Secondly, the existence of the plane defines negative energy and the concept of entropy. With it, mortals grow old and die, civilizations crumble, and even the most perfect machines lose integrity and break down. That may seem like a bad thing, but that finality drives mortals to actually live their lives, chasing their goals and reveling in the experience of existence before it ends and what was gives way to what will be.

However, negative energy is an ultimately consumptive force, and must be treated with caution. Whether it be by necromancer’s design, strong negative emotion after death, or even a tragic infusion of the very same energies, this entropic force can be twisted into the role of animation, creating undead as a grim parody of life defined by consumption and destruction. Heck, on the negative energy plane, those consumed by the hungry dark tend to rise as wraiths, but not the familiar kind that we think of. Instead, such undead are more like negative echoes, reverse imprints where a soul once was after being utterly destroyed. Meanwhile, more powerful undead can linger for much longer, including the worst and most terrible undead creatures: the nightshades, or darvakka, which are the shadows left behind by powerful fiends that venture into the darkest depths of the plane and are consumed utterly, their foolish bid for power turning them into something with monstrous hunger and no loyalty to their former wicked cause.

However, for all it’s emptiness, the plane does have it’s own non-undead denizens, such as the jealous and hateful sceanduinar and their kin, as well as the all-consuming oblivion oozes. Meanwhile, rare structures do also exist, such as crystalline structures of compressed entropy, as well as matter brough in from the material plane, ranging from small bits of earth to the keeps of powerful liches and even entire planets, all slowly eroding away save for whatever magical protection can be mustered.

With even the act of entering without protection being certain death and worse, not to mention the antipathy of most denizens, it can be hard to imagine why any being would visit such a plane willingly, but we’ll see over the course of the week exactly what Entropy’s Heart has to offer.

[topazadine]

🐎OC Smash or Pass Tag 🎯

Thanks for the tag @mysticstarlightduck! I would totally befriend Dylan <3

In preparation for Pride Before a Fall, which features Uileac Korviridi being an idiot, let's take a look at this horrible creature so you can decide whether you want to bang him or not.

Art by Feddefar

Uileac is the MC in 9 Years Yearning and features in every story in the Eirenic Verses except for part 4. So unfortunately you are stuck with him.

Older brother of Cerie Korviridi, Uileac is married to Orrinir Relickim, fellow soldier. His parents were killed in a Sinan raid when he was 11, and he was sent off to the War Academy at age 12 to begin training after his distant relatives could no longer care for him. He and Cerie both started training for their respective professions - soldier and poet - very young, and it is all he has ever known.

Somewhere in the cosmic workshop, they custom-designed this bastard to become a devastating cavalryman: he is short and svelte with long legs, excellent aim, and keen eyesight. Uileac's delicate, almost effeminate face with big green eyes, long eyelashes, and soft leafy hair make him quite the alluring figure.

It's no wonder he found himself with a carousel of boyfriends while Orrinir was being a tsundere and pretending he wasn't utterly besotted.

But his lithe figure belies his strength. Don't get it twisted; Uileac is one of the best mounted archers in Breme, mostly because he practices like a fiend whenever he's not off drinking at the Bow and Bridle, getting some cardio in with Orrinir, or making sure his little sister isn't getting in trouble. He takes great pride in his physique and trains relentlessly to keep himself in excellent shape.

Personality-wise, Uileac embodies "still waters run deep." On the surface, he is calm, composed, a little distant, with a dry sense of humor. However, he is fiercely protective of his family, remembering all too well what it felt like to see his parents die in front of him. His palomino mare, Erix, is the light of his life, and he chose to be Rear Cavalry mostly so that she would be further away from the battle, where she's less likely to get hurt.

He'd do anything for those he loves, whether that's betraying his purpose as a soldier or switching sides in the endless war between Breme and Sina. His fury is terrifying when he finally lets loose; he has no problem beating a man to death with his bare hands if he feels it's necessary. That combination of control and utter monstrosity makes for a very dangerous enemy.

(And if you were his lover, you'd get the full force of his protection! Wink wink.)

Uileac is also extremely ambitious; his sole goal in life is to become Cavalry General and make his late parents proud of him. In small doses, this is admirable, but it can also lead him to become arrogant, stubborn, and dismissive of those he feels aren't working hard enough. He pushes himself to the limit and expects others to be just as competitive.

So overall:

Pros

Very handsome (duh)

Loyal

Caring

Athletic

Ambitious

Protective

Controlled

Composed

Methodical

Hardworking

Quick-witted

Cons

Prideful

Stubborn

Dismissive

Possessive

Overly critical

Close-minded

Sharp-tongued

Hard to get to know

Aggressive when set off

Let's assume you met The Man before he fell in love with his husband. You taking a bite?

Be sure to leave your comments why in reblogs!

Tumblr tag list: @kuebiko-writing, @ryns-ramblings, @cain-e-brookman, @halfbit, @macabremoons,

@theverumproject, @aquadestinyswriting, @urlocalwitch555, @sarahswriting, @drchenquill,

@davycoquette, @aalinaaaaaa, @gioiaalbanoart, @theaistired,

@somethingclevermahogony, @wyked-ao3, @avaseofpeonies, @physalian

[rychlostthespacewizard]

Yk what its late so yall know what that means

Time to make title chains recognized by the Pendragon Empire for the 3 most important historical figures of recored historyyyyuu

Woop woppp

These titles were given by the Pendragon Empire by King Arthur to himself and his original party members bcs he can't forget the homies when he is already giving titles amr

King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot

His Imperial Majesty, King Arthur Pendragon of Camelor, The Dawn Guardian, Slayer of All Fiends, Wielder of The One True Excalibur, Tamer of Belors, The Death of Tarrasque, Unconquered Champion of Armies, Unifier of the Veiled Lands, Harbinger of Peace, Duque of Change, Supreme Commander of the Grand Pendragonian Army, First among Warriors, Founder of The Round Table, One True King of Camelot and Pendragonian Lord of The First House

Merlin of the Stars

His Arcane Radiance, Lord Merlin of the Stars, Archmage of Camelot, Slayer of All Firnds, Member of the Arcane Council of The Great Pendragon Empire, Architect of Artifacts, Voyager of the Cosmos, Lead Planewalker, Sage of Endless Discoveries, Creator of Spells, Formal Height of Wizardry, Survivor of Over-Deities, Emrys of The Druids, Blessed by Cosmic Dreamers, Enlightener of the Arcane World, Scholar of Ages, Writer of Libraries, Founder of the 100 Scholars, Father of Inventions, Doctor in Arcane Studies, Master in Historical Artifacts, Magical Theorist, Mathematical Pioneer, Archsage of Ravenden and Archmind of The Spellfather

Ivo of the Druids

His Verdant Grace, Master Ivo of the Druids, Archdruid Fighter of the Rebellion, Liberator from Oppression, Slayer of All Fiends, Champion of the World Tree, Undefeated Dragonslayer of Greatwyrms, Protector of the Green, Voyager of Druidic Realms, Green Knight of the Wild Hunt, Conqueror of the Veilshroud Seas, Healer of Worlds, Founder of the Revolutionary Militia, Organizer of the Unchained, Master of The Wild, True Beheader, Devourer of Nobles and Tamer of Beasts

[azuremliam]

Mentioned before that Liam's eyes glow in the dark even more when they get older- well, they also intensify a lot in their glowing when riled up! Also, Scarab's so clearly seen because that's Liam vision (they're looking right at him debating if they should call him over) vs Scarab vision in the dark heh Another fact about Liam, is that they can sort of sense when a Beast is nearby- not accurately, but just enough to know that's something is VERY dangerous in the the area they're in. And a vague sense of the size of the Beast.

It is like a magnet though, the closer they get to one, the more intense the feeling of anxiousness they get. Until they're right next to it and the anxiousness changes into something else. (Depending on the size of the Beast- it's usually pure fear when its the massive ones) What Liam slayed was a very young Beast that was trying to hunt them down; but they turned the tables on it. A tidbit of story underneath the readmore this time! :) (Heads up it does go into detail of how Liam hunts and slays the Beast)

The moment they all started setting up camp for the night is when Liam felt it.

An intense sense of unease.

That familiar cold shiver up their spine. The way the hair on the back of their neck stood on end. And that irritating, strange, nonstop tickle in the back of their head.

...

Just like that time when that Beast took Chiron and Vale away from them.

Liam clenched their eyes shut and bit at the inside of their cheek. 'This isn't the time to be thinking about that.'

Besides, the feeling was bad- but it wasn't as anxiety inducing as the energy that colossus had them feel. Even that bird Beast that snapped up Scarab couldn't compare. This one was even less than that foul feathered fiend. Which meant-

It was a small one.

They stopped fixing up their sleeping bag and stood up straight and tense, scanning their surroundings and watching for any sudden movement in the dense clovers.

All they saw were their brothers and Scarab leaning against the roots branching off the flower they were sheltering under.

Finn and Jake were completely unware of the odd energy they felt in the air. Much to Liam's relief. Their little brothers were already settled in for sleep. Finn tucked away in his sleeping bag, snoring the night away. Jake was nestled right beside him, ever the faithful guardian to his little brother.

The two wouldn't notice them slipping away into the dark- they wouldn't- couldn't follow them on this lil trek they were planning.

That just left Scarab.

Liam gnawed at the inside of their cheek again when they turned to look at him.

The God Auditor was staring right at them, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

His usual pose for analyzing a situation, or person, they've come to recognize.

He had already noticed how they tensed up, how they gazed wirily at the foliage surrounding them. As if anything could jump out at any moment. For a moment, Liam wondered if he could sense the foreboding energy as well. He was a Cosmic Being after all.

Them glancing at him spurred his questioning. "Is something the matter? You look nervous."

Excuse! They needed to think up an excuse! "I just-" Liam's eyes darted back to the cloves. "I-" Their face heated up as they thought of a decent excuse. It was embarrassing, but it was one Scarab would probably believe. Them almost always being flustered under his gaze helped too, much to their dismay.

"I was looking for a spot where it wouldn't be in your eyesight for me to use the restroom."

They weren't looking at him, but they heard him make a rapid clicking noise and the sound of shuffling. He had turned around they realized.

"Go on then." Scarab waved his hand at them, as if shooing them away, "I'll keep an eye on your brothers."

Liam felt bad for lying, and just knew they'd get an earful for it later. But they feared he might not let them hunt it down if he knew.

They've done this before, before he was even journeying with them. They'd be fine.

"Thanks, I'll try to make it quick."

-

They, in fact, did not make it quick.

Liam frowned. 'By now Scarab must be suspicious.' From what they'd learned of him from their recent travels together, was that he'd be on their trail without a doubt by now.

He stuck by them like pine resin to an unfortunate burrower.

It'd still take him a while though, with the pace they were going.

Liam had swiftly wandered far from their makeshift camp, following the sensation of growing anxiety grating at their brain.

When it was nearly overpowering they slowed their pace.

It was close.

The sense of unease slowly ebbed away, like a calm settling in before the storm.

They crept cautiously amongst the undergrowth in the moonless night. Mindful of any breeze, any sound, any movement that felt off. Their mom and Gramps had taught them how to hunt, and how it felt to be hunted.

Caution, vigilance, how to wait for the right moment to strike and defend. So when Liam heard leaves crunching underneath the weight of something, they froze.

And listened.

The heavy steps were coming just a little ways to the left of them, walking away from where they were.

Heading towards the camp they realized.

Liam held back an angry hiss, instead focusing on kneeling down and practically crawled their way towards the noise.

It didn't take them long to spot it.

Its four golden eyes glowed in the dark, tongue flicking out and tasting the air in the direction of where their brothers and Scarab were. The lizard Beast was indeed small, slightly smaller than them- but still large enough to cause serious damage to a resting group.

Liam unsheathed not their sword, but their hunting knife, quietly, as practiced hundreds of times before when training with Gramps.

The Beast wasn't paying attention to its surroundings.

'Too focused on the hunt,' Liam thought to themself as they crept closer and closer, hilt of the blade between their teeth. 'Too fixated on the other's scent to realize I'm here.'

Their feeling of unease was replaced with something akin to hunger.

A sign they could take this Beast on. A sign they'd win.

They didn't know why their body reacted like this when in the presence of a Beast, but it was useful sometimes. Especially now. Liam was close enough that they could reach out and touch its tail now if they wanted to.

But they waited.

...

The Beast had paused in its march to the camp, taking another moment to smell the air.

It turned its head left, one flick of the tongue. Right, two flicks. Left again, three flicks.

Its eyes all blinked together as it raised its front up in the air, just barely noticing an extra scent.

They carefully positioned their knife in their hand- watching- holding their breath-

It flicked its tongue one last time, refocusing in the direction of the camp. The same scent was coming from there. Confused, but not disturbed, the Beast lazily lowered itself back to the ground.

...

And that's when Liam pounced. (It's very brief but skip past this part till you get to the other - marks if reading of details of stabbing makes you feel uneasy)

- - - - - -

The screech it let loose when they landed on its back made their ears ring. But they paid no mind to the discomfort- they had to do this fast!

Their legs and arm not holding the blade wrapped tightly around Beast's neck-

It screeched again bucking its horned head back- Liam hissing as some horns grazed across their cheek and hand. Its eyes were frantically looking in every direction, tail thrashing against the ground and limbs tensing to rear back up-

Liam bit down at the back of the screeching Beast's head and drove their hunting knife into the hide of its neck.

Another garbled screech and loud snap of teeth on nothing but air. Like how Vera taught them- they twisted the knife and pulled it out before plunging it back in- once, twice more!

...

It twitched and then stilled, but Liam still hung on tightly as it began to slump over. Their breathing was heavy, their eyes wide and their body shook from the brief but intense hunt.

They removed their blade one last time, and flicked the golden blood off the knife.

- - - - - -

Liam released their hold finally, ignoring the metallic taste in their mouth as they hefted themself up and away from the fallen Beast.

They didn't feel that foreboding feeling anymore.

'Good.' They thought, 'That means this was the only one.' Had there been more...Liam shook their head.

Best not to think about that either.

Taking a deep breath, recomposing themself, they looked down at the creature before them.

…It was a waste to leave good meat behind. The Beast would be good trade material too, for the next Hive they were going to visit.

It'd take them a while, but they'd drag this back to camp and properly prepare it. Without further ado, Liam wrapped their arms around its neck again, and with a grunt began to drag it back.

-

Finally nearing the vicinity of their small camp, Liam wasn't surprised when they saw a familiar flash of red in the dark.

Scarab had been certainly looking for them.

They bit the inside of their cheek again, nervous now for a different reason. He was just a little ways from where they stood past the bushes, and Liam heard him calling out their name.

For a moment they debated just sneaking by him, but in the long run that'd make him more upset. Liam winced, time to face the music. "Over here."

Scarab turned to them instantly, "What are you doing out so la-" He was interrupted by his own surprise at the sight of them. And what they were hauling with them.

Before he could question them further, Liam was quick to answer, hefting the creature's head up, "There was a Beast nearby." They dragged it over to him, "I've hunted small ones like this a lot already- before you were with our group- so I knew I could handle myself."

Liam was staring down at the beast in their arms, speaking quickly, and not noticing how Scarab was looking them over. "It was heading to the camp- I had to deal with it- small ones like this can be more tenacious than the big ones when it comes to hunting- so I-"

Their ramble was cut short when his hand grabbed their face and made them look right at him. His red eyes were trained on the cut on their cheek, "You lied about your reason for leaving."

Right to the point. Liam swallowed dryly.

"I thought you would stop me if you knew... Sorry."

"I would've." His thumb wiped off the dribble of blood on their cheek. Liam blinked- a bit stunned. This wasn't the reaction they were expecting from him at all.

They had expected shouting like how he screeched at and threatened the mantid brothers when the two almost stole their supplies. He was clearly upset still, they could tell that much.

"You can be very reckless. It makes more work for me," Scarab grumbled and his eyes narrowing back to slits, "and sometimes its very tiring to work with you." Liam was about to retort when he released his hold on them, and surprised them by snatching the Beast from their grasp.

"So next time you hunt one down-" He slung the Beast over his shoulder and turned back towards the camp, "I'm going with you."

[monstersdownthepath]

Lord of Heresy and Despair: Sifkesh, the Sacred Whore

CR 28

Chaotic Evil Medium Outsider

Adventure Path: Wrath of the Righteous: Demon's Heresy, pg. 86-87

WARNING: In addition to despair and heresy, Sifkesh is also the Demon Lord of Suicide. I bring this up because it is reflected in her kit, her lore, and especially in her Divine Obedience and Boons. It is impossible to discuss her stats without mentioning this part of her portfolio. Do not read into her if you are especially sensitive to such subjects.

Among the strangest and most enigmatic of all Demon Lords, it's believed that Sifkesh was once a powerful Erinyes Devil that turned her back on Hell and became one of of the first of the devils to betray Asmodeus. Her two largest lore blocks (in the Complete Book of the Damned and the above-mentioned pages in WotR) are frustratingly vague thanks to the complexity of both her statblock and her Boons taking up the majority of each source, but it paints a gruesome enough picture of this fiend: A great many Demon Lords are gluttonous, or greedy, or heretical, but Sifkesh is on an entirely different level. She does not just embrace heresy, she is heresy in every aspect of her being, so thoroughly that she's heretical to cosmic order... and even the game's mechanics.

I say 'heretical to the cosmic order' because the Sacred Whore isn't just a Demon Lord in her behavior; she destroys like a demon and especially prizes destroying faiths and places of worship (regardless of alignment), but she plots and corrupts like a devil, misleading mortals and poisoning their faith and hope though lies and false guidance with the ultimate goal of weakening the faith's standing in the eyes of the public, if not destroying it entirely. She can spend patient years molding powerful and influential men and women of the cloth into perfect servants of hers, weaving heresies and blasphemies into their beliefs until something--typically another person of equal standing in the same faith--causes the scales to fall from their eyes. By then, though, it's far too late; their souls are too stained to join the god they believed they were serving in the afterlife, and in horrified despair they're driven to take their own lives... at which point Sifkesh seizes their soul and consumes it, denying their soul to any afterlife, even her own.

Demon, devil, daemon--destroyer, corruptor, devourer. Sifkesh plays as all three in equal measure... making her and her minions a very flexible BBEG in a campaign where religious horror and corruption is the main threat. Direct worship of Sifkesh is noted to be 'incredibly personal' for reasons only grimly alluded to, and as such her "cults" tend to consist of 2 or 3 individuals infiltrating larger cults and withering them from within... even other evil cults. The Sacred Whore doesn't play favorites, and even her fellow Demon Lords aren't immune to her antics.

But enough about the havoc she wreaks in the mortal world, let's see what she can do once you pull back the curtains and engage her directly...

In contrast to the other feminine demons we've seen stated out so far, Sifkesh isn't a seductive manipulator who seeks to avoid combat and, if combat is inevitable, becomes an obnoxious ranged/DoT fighter! Instead she's an overt manipulator, using Suggestion at-will to command everyone around her to make her job easier. She's even got the Quickened version 3/day to gently convince people to throw their weapons and shields inside so she can more easily peel them apart with her hideous razor and sharpened claws, and if she's especially impatient, there's Quickened Dominate Person at 3/day to simply seize control of anyone who fails a DC 28 Will save.

These aren't the only notables among her spell-likes, though; Symbol of Strife is unlikely to work on players powerful enough to encounter her but does wonders for turning their summons on their masters and twisting lower-level NPCs to madness, and though she has it only 1/day the DM can easily handwave multiple onto her chosen battlefield if she's seen the players coming (and she likely will, given how subtle her work usually is; it gives her plenty of time to know who's interrupting her plots). Once active, the Symbol will radiate waves of hatred out until their duration expires or they've affected a combined total 150 HP of creatures, meaning that anyone who's dropped below that threshold by, say, Sifkesh's Full-Attack, becomes vulnerable to turning on their friends.

Which typically means "after one round of attacks."

While the aforementioned lady demons weren't as powerful in melee as they were at a range, Sifkesh shows them up by being equally strong in both. Her weapon of choice, a +5 Unholy Speed War Razor, deals 1d4+27 damage (+2d6 vs Good targets) with every strike (5 a round thanks to the Speed enchantment), and during a Full-Attack she can also choose to swipe once with her sword-length claws for 4d6+27 damage as well. Her claws also cause hideous, rending scars in the victim's body and soul, forcing them to make a DC 41 Will save or become afflicted by 1d4 Charisma drain. Even success on the save causes sickness for 1 round, but failing enough times in a row has an even worse punishment: being reduced to 3 or less Charisma curses the victim with self-destructive depression, which causes them to automatically fail ALL saves against Sifkesh's spell-like AND supernatural abilities until the drain is healed. Suddenly, her Quickened Dominate Person goes from threatening to battle-warping, and her 1/day Weird goes from a nuisance to a party wipe.

How's it a party wipe, you may ask? Because she can use Whirlwind Attack to slash the entire party at once with her claw and then see who's the most miserable afterwards and focus them down until they're rendered catatonic by the damage or the drain. She's resilient enough to be patient and make sure she can get everyone who's a major threat with a single casting. "But wait," I hear you say, "she's Medium! She has a 5ft reach, so all we need to do is--"

Be 40 or more feet away. You may notice that Sifkesh's limbs aren't actually sticking to her! Her Detached Limbs simply float near her body for the sake of convenience, and while this makes her immune to any effect that would sever her limbs or head, the more important part is that she can launch her limbs out and rapidly retract them as she attacks, giving her a 30 foot melee reach. Heretical to the game's rules, remember? She has an enormous threat radius for a Medium creature and she can easily take advantage of the fact the players might not realize just how far she can slap them from by using Combat Expertise for extra AoOs, draining Charisma from people trying to get into position or cast spells even when it's not her turn and using Whirlwind Attack to deliver a single massive cleaving claw attack when it is. Her claw's massive damage, reach, and Charisma drain also makes her Spring Attack more obnoxious, though with her 120ft fly speed, a DM wanting to up her potential annoyance factor could swap Spring Attack for Flyby Attack.

Despite using a lightweight finesse weapon Sifkesh has no Sneak Attack damage, so she doesn't get as much use as, say, Shax and Nocticula do from Time Stop + Summon Demons, and she's certainly no Shamira or Kostchtchie when it comes to setting up shenanigans during stopped time, typically delegating it to either an escape or an engage tool, plopping herself in the middle of a party so her whirlwind of limbs can peel them apart. Despite her leather duds, Sifkesh is significantly harder to hurt than almost any other demigod of similar status; she not only has the Demigod Suite of immunities (death, charm/compulsion, petrification, energy drain), but one very special and specific immunity that is likely to make at least one person in the party froth at the mouth with rage: Complete immunity to slashing weapons.

Her body breaks open and folds around any incoming slashing weapons, negating their damage AND abilities entirely. No swords, no axes, no sickles and scythes, and certainly no using her own weapons against her. And adding onto the 'heretical vs game rules' is the second half of her protection against weapons: Sifkesh absorbs critical hits from any source, be it a weapon or spell. Her Critical Healing restores HP equal to the extra damage she would have taken from any critical hit, so the higher your weapons' crit modifier, the more healing she gets from this ability. Maybe it's a good thing that scythes can't critically hit her...? Slashing weapons don't work at all, and piercing weapons tend to rely on their critical ratio/modifier, which means you can end up healing her more than hurting her... which just leaves the humble bludgeoning instruments. Greatclub gang rise up! Provided that bludgeoning weapon can bypass her DR 20/Cold Iron, Epic, and Good.

The good news is that at least Sneak Attack still works on her!

But here's more bad news: the indirect resilience granted to her by her Despairing Cry making her even more infuriating to harm! This is a swift action she can take once ever 1d4 rounds to fill everyone within 60ft with unrelenting despair. Any creature that succeeds a DC 38 Will save is sickened for 1d4 rounds, but anyone who fails is slapped with 24 entire hours of hopelessness, instilling a -6 penalty to attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, ability checks, AND skill checks. Anyone under the effects of the Despairing Cry has any immunity to fear suppressed (making them vulnerable to, among other things, her Frightful Presence and Weird) can also be convinced via Suggestion, Charm effects, or Dominate effects to take suicidal actions without penalty or the ability to resist the impulse, potentially saving her time by convincing party members to do themselves in for her.

There is, of course, even further heresy against the rules of the game, but before we cover that final part of her kit, her literally Heretical nature bolsters her Spell Resistance from 39 to 41 whenever she's targeted by Divine magic, and boosts her saves from 30/33/30 to 32/35/32 against such spells as well. Any Divine caster that touches her (like literally any one of them trying to use a powerful Domain ability or touch spell) also risks becoming nauseated, leaving them open for her retaliatory Full-Attack, shutting off yet another common angle of attack.

One of the most resilient of all Demon Lords, Sifkesh has counters for almost every vector an average party can come up with, necessitating some extremely specific weapons, spells, and playstyles. Have you ever tried fighting an enemy you didn't want to critically strike? But do you want to know the most frustrating part about all of it? You might have to do it all twice, because once per day as an immediate action, Sifkesh can drop all her defenses against an incoming attack or spell, becoming flat-footed and losing her profane bonus to her AC. Her Spell Resistance drops to 0, and she automatically fails any saving throw she makes against that attack or spell.

As you may be able to guess, it's a trick. But it's one you have no choice but to walk into, because she can trigger this ritualistic Suicide as an immediate action against anything she has reason to believe may be able to kill her. If the attack DOES kill her, not only does she unleash an empowered version of her Despairing Cry (which stuns anyone who fails the save for 1d4 rounds), but one round later she's brought back to life at full health, making her the only Demon Lord that has to be killed three times in one year to make her death stick. Perhaps this is why, despite her behavior flaunting the very rules of reality and with her gleefully corrupting even the cults of other Demon Lords, she has yet to be ousted as the Lord of Heresy.

You can read more about her here.