#cotl the death after life

[skyartworkzzz]

The Lambchops (pt 1)

Hi yes they got a redesign cuz this version looked more like their younger selves after a while I stopped to reflect on it 😭

SO YEAH heres Lamby's family now looking the age that they died as when Lambert was captured ure welcome 🤸

Also yes part 1 cuz more is to come <3

[p4r4n0rmal-exe]

YIPPE!!! OCS!!!!!!

a few funny tidbits abt them!

Sinboy1(Para)-

HES ME! hes me in honks cult.... when they stream.. and somehow i multipled. so thats why theres a 1 in his name. its because i fcking multiplied somehow, we love twitch overlays.

SINBOY IS FERAL AS FUCK!!! he doed not hesitate to shove the sinfulest things he can think of in ur face like "ooh u like them ? go screw em :3" or "cmoonnnnnn lets have a drink! one won't hurt you :33"

he is. the sin boy after all :)

Jaylyn!(Jay)-

hes MY yellow cat for leshy, expect to see some leshycat appearing round here :3

he was going to be a sacrifice to Heket actually, but the lamb obv saves them and hes been greatful eversince! hes currently a follower that gets revived after he dies.. not immortal, just a good follower to have around, plus, hes leshys caretaker, he kinda needs to stay around

SPEEDPAINT MUSIC- Mourning, and Everyday Life Continues- Miyashita Yuu on YOUTUBE! please listen go him....

[lamboficarus]

What if the rot is a part of ascension

[canadianno]

I absolutely love concepts of gods of life in cotl, especially yours, with the crows!!! I have one as well for one of my own aus, who was narinder's twin, a white moth named seta, also "feel no evil" because her heart was ripped out by narinder

I would love to hear more of the crow though, that is such a cool idea with them!!! /vpos

Ahhhhh!!! This means so much!!! :]]

The idea I have in my head is that the original crowns of life and death were made upon the first instance of their domains- Life (white crow/dove?) was the first to live, and Death (black crow) as the first to die. In turn, it created the crowns!

Also, a fun note, the reason the crown of Life is lost is because- like the crown of Death- it doesn't project an aura of opposite affect, instead projecting it's normal effect. And, yknow, who would deny life?

[bamsara]

COTL / TROD AU Reference Sheets and OC refs that I made a few months ago and have been using but forgot to post. The cloaks on Narinder and Lamb, and heights and clothing of the bishops are semi-outdated, but the OC height sheet is accurate.

+ Joon, Grekimar, and Jayen refs. There's character lore and relationship info for them under the cut, I'll get to the rest of them eventually:

Character lore, mainly for artfight purposes but putting it here too. Some of this character lore is already established in fic or on here, but may contain spoilers for Trod later on.

😺Joon (They/Them):

Born and raised in the Lamb's flock with little outside wordly experience, the Yellow Cat aka 'Joon' is the best farmer in the flock with an upbeat attitude and a easy-going, casual outlook on life. They're a hard worker and a harder napper, which lands them in a particular situation when a accidental nap inside a barn leads to them witnessing the Leader drag in a bloody, confused, volatile worm The Lamb shakily says was rescued from Darkwood, before reluctantly leaving them to the yellow cat's care. Which is fine, because if the leader says it's fine, then it's fine. Totally.

With their accidental involvement, Joon is assigned to be Leshy's 'caretaker', or really just a supervisor to make sure the worm doesn't do anything terrible and to report to the Lamb if he does anything weird, all without ever being truly told of the worm's true nature.

🐷Grekimar (He/Him):

Originally a heretic in Anura, Grekimar is a 'relatively' new cultist to the Lamb's Flock ('New' being a few years, but still not as long as other flock members.) Although the pig used to conduct violence and sacrifices in the God of Famine's name, he was welcomed to the Flock as a new member after he began to question the strength of the rule of dead god and was exiled. His arrival was met with scrutiny but was eventually welcomed as he's a hard worker, and surprisingly (due to his gruff demeanor), cares for his new home and it's peaceful rules over his prior home, including it's inhabitants.

When a three eyed cat arrives and threatens the saftey of his fellow flock, Grekimar becomes a dissenter and questions the Leader's decision, joining alliance with The Lamb's highest disciple, Tyren, to scheme and kill the cat in order to protect the flock.

🐻Jayen (He/Him):

A kindhearted and rather soft-spoken soul, Jayen is 'gentle giant' archtype character. Brought to the cult as a cub, Jayen is an anxious 'left-over' type, with no particular skills or qualities that are seemingly 'useful' to the flock or it's Leader, and he is very self-consious about this. Switching inbetween jobs and struggling to find his place among the cult's growing number, Jayen is decayed and killed by a furious Narinder in an attempt to pull him off of The Lamb when the cat's dramatic initial arrival happened. He is later revived, now traumatized and with a heightened fear of death.

Although his murderer walks free, the same cat had revived him as well, so Jayen holds no ill will and would rather simply leave it all behind and not think about it all. However, he is roped into a scheme to kill Narinder by Tyren and Grekimar, with the former using the bear's fears of death to pressure him into helping.

Tyren's, Grekimar's, and Jayen's relationships:

-While Tyren is a loyal disciple and Grekimar a regular dissenter, both found common ground in wanting to Kill Narinder, though their reasonings differ. Tyren wants to kill Narinder being an obstacle to the Lamb, while Grekimar wants to rid of him for concerns to protect the cult. While they can put aside their differences to achieve their goal, Tyren's methods will make Grekimar reconsider his alliance with the dog.

-Tyren pressures Jayen into working with him and Grekimar under the guise that if they do not kill Narinder, then the cat will eventually kill him again. If that tactic does not work, Tyren will subtly imply that he will use his status in the cult to undermine Jayen, and possibly exile him for being 'useless.'

-Grekimar thinks Jayen a coward, and while he'll pressure the bear to do as he is told, the pig is conflicted about getting the bear involved.

[skyartworkzzz]

HOOOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHO WHAT THE FUCK THIS IS COOL AS SHIT!!!! AAAAAAAAA VERY FCKING CLEVER TOO CONSIDERING HOW THE GAME WORKS IF U DO BOW AYO 🌪

Rlly happy that u enjoyed my fic on ur trip!!! And that it inspired u to make ur own thing! 💜💜💜

HAVE A SAFE TRAVEL BTW!!! This was a very interesting read tysm for tagging me to see 😌

So I’m hour 2 into a 20ish hour international trip (pray for me) and @skyartworkzzz ‘s Death After Life au fucking gripped me by the throat and said “wanna see a magic trick 🙃” and gave me a new au

So here I am for the next 18ish hours about to inflict my own upon you all despite planning to write some more Shitten Shenanigans.

Time Loop AU - Over The Edge And Over Again

They bowed the first time. How could they not?

For their patron, their saviour, their god, how could they not have bowed to Death?

For Him, they had slayed gods, risen a cult, and bargained with immortals. What was giving Him their life in comparison to that?

And what a sweet painless Death it had been. Softly, their God had taken them up into His embrace and so gently had He taken what was His.

Lamb did not expect to awaken. They especially did not expect to awaken in chains, in rags, in pain.

They had thought this was just one more test of Faith. Their God was like that, ever patient yet ever challenging. He always demanded more but only what He knew could be done.

What did they know of Death and His Domain after all?

The axe hurt.

Appearing before Him was expected.

The total lack of recognition was not.

His smile was sharp and empty of all affection and He did not lower His hand to them as He used to.

Neither of his Disciples moved. Both used to at least acknowledge their presence.

They tried to ask, to understand the test before them and yet the words were caught in their throat as if they were pushed against some blockage. The only word they could say was Absolutely as they once again donned the crown of their God.

They only noticed that this was truly no test when coming upon the area where they had once found their first Follower, a completely different person was bound to the alter.

They did their duty once again. Slayed gods. Bargained with immortals. Raised a cult.

Gave their life to their God.

And once more rose in chains. In rags. In pain.

Again.

And again.

And Again.

Over and over Lamb awoke and did their duty.

They figured out that this was no test from their God nor was it purgatory. Only Clauneck would vaguely reference their situation with a melancholy look in his eye.

Over and over they tried different things to break the cycle.

Reigning as a benevolent Shepard who forbid all mention of indulgence and sin.

Slay Gods.

Ruling as an iron-fisted Tyrant who commanded their followers to commit deviancy in all parts of their life.

Bargain with immortals.

Allowing whimsy and impulse to guide their choices making them a fickle leader.

Raise a cult.

They killed and saved in equal measures. They abstained and sinned. They tried salvation and sacrifice.

Bow to Death.

Again.

And again.

And Again.

Finally after too many loops to count, the Lamb asked their God right before He took what was His.

“Would you have forgiven me? If I had said no? Or if their was another way for you to be free?”

“Have you changed your mind, Vessel?” Their God’s eyes narrowed.

“No! I just wish to know…if I had… if I had faltered in my duty or taken a different path, would you have forgiven me even if it took a lifetime?”

Their God, their Patron, their Saviour, was silent as He watched them, trailing a claw over their chest.

“Fear not, Vessel, for you have not once failed me. With this sacrifice, your duty is done and I will be free. But know this, had you faltered or taken a different path, so long as it led to my freedom, there would be no need for forgiveness for your loyalty and faith would have been proven true.”

They smiled widely at that and pressed a devoted kiss to His claw.

“Thank you, my Divine.”

‘And please forgive me.’

Their death was just as sweet and gentle as all of them had been.

In the next cycle, they did not bow to Death.

And awoke to a brand new dawn.

[amimuu]

VTA AU NARI + LAMB DESIGNS! (+ DOODLE DUMP!!!)

Ppl who were interested in the auuu pspspsppspspsps (Is this au like my official introduction to the cotl fandom?)

Golly, I think in the end I am gonna keep the name- Suhddhjejfjejd

By the way! The lamb wore something different before they gave the crown away :> maybe I’ll eventually post that one too

Smoll Doodle dump under the cut :]

Vows to ash au: In which Narinder decides to bring a definitely not complaint lamb back to life after they were sacrificed a second time to help him deal with his siblings apparently not being dead dead + cult duties + he missed them terribly and the crown is slowly driving him insane. However, things don’t go as planned for the god of death since a certain someone didn’t exactly want to be alive again and in fact, would much prefer to go back to being dead, thank you. Chaos, angst and a ridiculous amount of miscommunication ensure!

What will happen? Will they get along enough to deal with this mess? Also what’s up with whole “The crown is as much of a blessing as it is a curse” thing?

All of that shall wait for now- cuz woe side characters be upon ye

Boy the birdie was so hard to draw

ANYWAYS!! These three are kids (not really kids anymore) that were born in the cult and almost raised entirely by the lamb (Dipal was entirely raised by them), reason why they are very very loyal to them. They were also turned into disciples some time before the lamb gave the crown back. They are very close with each other and the Lamb trusts them a lot. (These three are actually my in-game disciples who were born and raised in the cult almost entirely by the lamb)

WELP! That’s all for now. More doodles coming soon tho. As always, any questions are welcome (and encouraged, I like talking!) Hopefully I’ll be able to post some lore dumps or things of the such. Until theeeeeen!

[acoraxia]

I may have just found your art (is so freaking pretttttyyyyy) and your cotl AU but I now desperately need to know everything about the AU because it looks so. cool.

THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME INDULGE IN TALKING ABOUT MY LITTLE AU AHEM AHEM

I’m going to ramble now if that’s ok-

WARNING:: long and messy ramblings about AU ideas, headcanons and body horror/gore mentions up ahead

My Lamb’s story is actually pretty simple: they were born as Aluhé (ahl-weh) to a family filled with traveling performers. They traveled throughout the land of the Old Faith, worshipping the gods (especially Shamura) and performed to earn money to maintain themselves. Life was good up until rumors of the prophecy foretold by the Bishops spread towards the little hers; when Aluhé came of age they learned of said prophecy and that that was the reason why their family “settled down” in a (supposedly) hidden village.

Eventually, heretics arrive and they kill the herd safe for Aluhé and they escape, meet a flock of goats and Jahel (goat co-op character) and then run away due to guilt only to be captured by heretics and be introduced to the bishops.

After meeting Narinder and obtaining the crown, Aluhé refused to do anything in his name — refused to start a cult or touch the crown or anything… for months

they met Koi when they were planning to simply kill the Bishops bare handed and instead save her from being sacrificed (haha me too!). They don’t run the cult per say — mostly due to the fact they don’t want to get attached to anyone but they feel a strong sense of… protectiveness when it comes to the flock, going as far as appointing disciples to ensure the cult is safe and beating the life out of heretics that get a little too close for comfort to the cult grounds.

THE CROWN TAKES SUCH A MASSIVE TOLL ON ALUHÉ HOWEVER — apart from the fact that Aluhé is “easily corrupted” being fueled by a blind sense of justice towards the culling of their species over a family’s spat and a selfish fucker’s decisions, the crown latches on to their body and often does so when Aluhé has their guard down. This allows for certain changes to occur — the lack of hunger, exhaustion and ability to “morph” their body being a few of them.

It doesn’t help that Aluhé refuses to use the crown to fight unless absolutely necessary (because they hate dying because it means hearing Narinder talk and because they’ll end up angry all over again—) and often wears the crown around their neck.

This causes certain personality changes as well: Aluhé is typically quiet and docile when engaging with the flock if only a bit intimidating. They don’t talk to the followers unless necessary and only exchange actual conversation with their disciples. Since no follower is allowed to go on crusades with Aluhé they’re omitted from the fact their benevolent leader is in fact very, very, very, violent

They’d often consume heretics during their final moments or force feed their remains to the few that tried to get away (and failed) so they’d choke and die — a brutality that spread towards the bishops and their own disciples (Narinder still remembers how vile it was to see a meek little lamb get up and tear Barbatos to shreds, only to then use one of the worms’ teeth to sink it into Leshy’s flesh. Charming, really). This only strengthens when they kill Narinder and are eventually crowned the new god of death… among other things… and their body eventually adapts to the changes but it takes a toll on their mental health (

Their behavior, however, can be traced back to Shamura…

Since the two had a very interesting conversation before Aluhé was sent to be sacrificed:

Smh Aluhé you should be grateful to be blessed with the presence of the War Bishop tssk tsk

When the Bishops are killed and, eventually, brought back to life per the Mystic Seller’s request, Aluhé refuses to heal them or allow for their bodies to heal until they repent or make a pact with them to ensure obedience as they join their flock. Goes about as well as you can imagine

A big little change I made was that I made the Bishops Embodiments of their titles rather than just gods worshipped for it.

So Narinder is the Embodiment of Death, Leshy is the Embodiment of Chaos, etc. despite having somewhat mortal bodies they are still connected to their godhood and this will not change due to the fact that the world still needs gods in order to maintain balance — it also means that Aluhé is not just the god of death but the god of other things; it also means they have.. a union with Narinder, so to speak

The Gods have vessels for the sole purpose of their finding their replacements (because the gods will exist, even if they are not the same person they once were years ago) or to gain more worship and strengthen their power. When the Old Faith started getting greedy (coughs, Narinder) it was harder to find willing vessels or the right type of vessels to take on the task of bringing the Siblings more worship. It took years to find the proper candidates for Leshy or Kallamar (because the fucker was so PICKY /j) and it also caused a bit of horror to the siblings to see Aluhé reject the Red Crown as though it were simple

Aside from the Siblings being somewhat “dormant” and Narinder not being within the cult and Shamura traveling with Jahel… there’s a lot of silly little lore I managed to put into the four of them because I thought it’d be fun to explore the capability of Vessels and Gods and “War/Death Incarnate” as a whole — there’s a lot of story lore I don’t want to spoil but you can have these as a treat:

And thats it for now

[the-artist-grimm]

Sooo, I kinda binge read all of your CoTL au, and forgive me if I missed anything, but do your lamb and Narinder ever make-up and work things out? Or more specifically, does Lamb ever forgive Narinder?

They do make up eventually! They just gotta work out other issues first.

The first few months the Lamb basically ignores Narinder and leaves him in the care of an elderly follower who typically takes on ‘troubled’ newbies. Anthea’s tired, they’re confused, they’re grieving Aym and Baal since during their time as vessel they essentially became like a second parent to them, and they’re hurt because for the first time in their life Anthea wanted something. They wanted to tell Narinder their feelings, they wanted to maybe start some sort of life together, like the lamb had never considered having a future out of the guilt of being the survivor, so finally letting themselves indulge that selfish wish just for it to crumble? Did he think so little of them, that an out of context conversation was enough to push him away? Forget him not respecting their privacy deal by listening in-that stung the most. Anthea puts their grief in a box and throws themselves into cult-leader/new god stuff to try and not have time to dwell outside of nightly visits to the graveyard to cry over their family and the twins’ graves. 

Meanwhile Narinder immediately regrets everything after the two of them have a massive argument that first moment he appeared on the indoctrination stone-he realizes he jumped the gun, is now down two children and the person he’d fallen in love with now refuses to so much as look at him. Nona, the elderly deer woman he’d been placed into the care of alongside the Knucklebones Gang as Anthea's parental figures quickly figure out the whole situation is just miscommunication and are trying to get him to just tell the lamb plainly ‘You were doing the exact same thing my siblings did before they betrayed me, I'm sorry I was scared-’, but its kinda hard to do when the lamb just avoids him. Plus he’s thinking he’s earned what he’s got. 

Aym and Baal getting revived is what kickstarts them slowly talking again. When Anthea gets the necklaces from the seller the lamb has no clue how to use them, so they go to Narinder with basically ‘We’re both at fault for their deaths, you’re at the graves as much as me mourning, I’ll put aside everything just please HELP ME’. And he does. Perfectly. Its been 4 months and Anthea’s having a really hard time justifying their anger since he’s been behaving the whole time, and when it comes to the twins only speaks in regards to resurrecting them, works on things/loses sleep preparing the ritual when the lamb has cult things to do, and when an old failsafe left by Shamura activates during the ritual itself he runs to the lambs side to help keep them steady as they break through it. They’re still hurt, but they do realize that they’re being a bit of a jerk ignoring him like this.

The twins also don’t come back mentally ok. Their deaths/the resurrection leaves both with pretty bad PTSD and separation anxiety (they’re like 11-12 they’re too young for all of this), and especially at night the twins alternate between needing Anthea, Narinder, or both nearby to sleep since despite Narinder’s denial he’s their dad 100%, and the Lamb is basically the twins’ maternal parent. It was Anthea being so good with the kits that got them to become friends at first, and it's the kits that slowly help them to be that again. 

It still takes time for them both to be ready to sit down and just explain where their heads were at that day. As Anthea frees the bishops and gets their sides of the story they realize just how much their behavior mirrored the bishops’ prior to their betrayal of Narinder and how much of their behavior in a way mirrors Shamura themself, the ‘oldest sibling’ giving pieces away till nothing was left and they snapped (Anthea never reached that point, but Shamura did with jumping the gun on imprisoning Narinder. Lives of the many over the one with potential to be a risk), and Narinder needs to come to terms with how his imprisonment came to be/make amends with his siblings.

They DO make up after a little over a year, and after everything kinda falls back into place. Things are different sure, but they love each other too much to hold back anymore.

(Love how this AU has become half miscommunication since this pantheon has no clue how to talk to each other, and the other half is the Lamb accidentally adopts two kittens with Narinder before they suddenly have a weird gotta share the kids despite the divorce arc)

[thewisaaaaad]

OK I KNOW PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY TIRED OF THIS BUT

I present more Cotl angst.

So, game goes like normal. EXEPT, Narinder has the emotional maturity to realize that they care about the lamb, and that the lamb cares about him in turn.

He's not mature enough to admit it, because his siblings (Shamura) traumatized him into always wearing the mask of the god of death.

So, at the end, he springs the request for the lambs life. This is because the only way he sees himself getting freedom is one of two options:

To have the lamb give him their crown and their life to give Narinder the power he needs to break free, but he loses the lamb in turn.

Or he convinces the lamb that he is a foul, despicable being, and thus Narinder would find freedom in death.

Naturally, the lamb chooses a third option, and spares him out of spite.

So now Narinder has to live with the lamb that he loves hating him with the entirety of their being, and he doesn't know how to apologize for such a cataclysmic fumble.

Bonus points if shortly after, he finds out about another path that could have been taken, if he had just waited.

[al0m]

cotl stardew au lamb after just having been rescued by ratau from their decapitation

give them some rest ☹️

The escape plan came quick.

Overwhelmingly quick. So quick that Lambert hadn’t even been able to lose a second thought about their kin, their family, their siblings. Not that there was much left to save. If they even had been thinking by then, they wouldn’t have been able to recall.

The only thing that kept ringing in their head was the highly tuned thud of sharp, bloody iron hitting stone. Slicing sensitive skin in the same swift movement. Skin they had been cradling their arms around so often they never counted it. Always taken for granted. Oh how they wished they hadn’t taken it for granted.

A damp, quieter noise of skin and horn hitting drenched, cold stone flooring.

They would never be able to lay their arms around their mothers neck again, hug her. The realization only came long after they absentmindedly watched an all too familiar head roll away from its owner on the pentagram floor.

Even though they knew this face… they had never seen it like this.

From desperation, shouting, crying… to straight up nothing. An emptied, blank expression, swiped of all past emotions. Still, the horrors were engraved in every single one of her features.

Lambert had known this face, looked up to it all their life. They knew what their mother looked like.

However, they weren’t sure if they’d be able to remember it truthfully after seeing her blood being mixed on the ground with the ones of their siblings, prior spilled just as brutally. If they were able to recall it at all.

They wished to join. Join and get to be near their kin only once more, their blood mixing and therefore becoming inseparable for all eternity. Be remembered as nothing. Be nothing more than gore, slowly oozing into every cravis of the pentagram that signed the stone floor.

Maybe they’d seep so deep, they’d see death itself in the underworld.

If only there was one. Lambert didn’t know better back then. They wouldn’t know better for a while.

[skyartworkzzz]

DAL fic spoilers

Just some minor possible changes I came up with

About Lambert's secret hideout/Sanctuary:

I think Ill actually make it inside of a crypt instead of below ground in the Temple cuz- Itd probably be much easier for their Disciples to build LOL

Itd also add to the angst of it being a tomb for their lost memories and deceased family since thats the entire point of why this place exists in the first place

The Crowns woulda still been placed inside of it too because, since it is a secret place, only Lambert would be the one able to enter + their Disciples likely since theyre the ones who wouldve built it

The Followers wouldve probably questioned what it was for or who wouldve been stored in there, but I think it was eventually accepted as a "cult mystery" since neither Lamb nor the Disciples would say what it was and nobody other than them are able to enter

About Chemach and Haro:

Canonically Id say that instead of her having stolen Haros powers, I think it was actually Clauneck and Kudaai's

Ill keep the chapters I wrote about it the same but I MIGHT switch it further in

WHY I THINK THIS MIGHT BE IT For the actual game: Kudaai has swords sunk into his back, and I do not think ma guy wouldve done this to himself, maybe it is a product of a fight and I do believe Chemach mightve been the one responsible

Chemach likely had a Crown of her own, but was driven insane in order to steal her brothers', at least thats the interpretation I shall roll with futurely

[amurih]

Fuck it ima put it out anyway.

COTL AU where instead of staying in the cult Narinder leaves and builds his own little plot of land that becomes a rare occurrence you find while crusading through the different biomes post game.

Like it starts off when the lamb like spares Narinder and he’s like sent to the cult. And is in such a state of shock and bewilderment of what just happened that he doesn’t really know that the lamb is setting up their wedding until he’s at the alter. And he just SNAPS. To trade one prison for another? And to be stuck with the same being that not only took your crown, but your title as the god of death as your jailer? No thank you. Proceeds to walk out while the service is still going.

(I’m not the kind of person to think that he would be murdering or plotting to kill the lamb at every turn or possibly. No I would think that Narinder is smart enough to realize that he cannot fight the lamb in the condition that he is reduced to.)

Anyway, I want Narinder to experience life post-godhood by himself outside the cult. Maybe progressing over time you see how his plot of land develops into a pretty nice home for himself complete with a garden and an actual building/house. Not a hut, but an actual house.

All the while the lamb is going through it. It’s normal game play like one would post Narinder fight. Lore, upgrades, reviving the bishops, mystic seller, etc. All the while experiencing the highs and lows of ascension. I think the lamb would ask the other bishops once they get indoctrinated of how they went through their ascensions went. Only they would tell them that each went through theirs differently, so in the end it wasn’t really helpful.

So going through a process that you have no idea how to get through and the only person who does has fuck off into the land and hates your guts. Really fucking sucks man. So they try to “catch” Narinder while out crusading. Only they don’t find him physically, they find his place of residence while he is away.

I thought of a way to incorporate the quests that Narinder gives you when he is usually established in the cult. Could still be used: like there’s a book left on a table where you could peak in and see what’s going on with the cat that is currently away from his house.

“ I should head to Darkwoods and see if I can find more materials to build that fence and make more paper. Moving materials from one abandon home stead to this place has been challenging enough. My arms hurt after years of being bound to one position for so long...I wonder if camellias still bloom there now that Leshy is gone? If not I’ll have to develop a new alternative for this persistent strain and sharp pains I keep having. Got to get these walls up before it starts raining.”

“Bah! There’s not enough food at the last abandoned settlement let alone seeds. It’ll take long of a walk all the way to smuggler’s cove just to see if that sea louse got any thing. And it hasn’t been that long since the depletion of fish at pilgrim’s passage. I would have just stuck to what vegetables and berries I’ve got growing, but some animal or heratic keeps getting into my garden and stealing my food!when I find the person or thing that is stealing from me I’m going to make them into my fertilizer. In the meantime I should look into Anura and see if those foul mushrooms are still there. If I remember they are just as foul as Hecket when she would screamed about being hungry during dinner…Those should hold me over until I get this unwanted pest under control.”

“The wind and rain coming in through the holes on the side of the house that I use to see if any heretics come to kill me, has gotten too much. I’m tired of having to clean up the puddles of water that enters the home. And the curtains don’t do much in terms of trying to block both of these elements.That stupid squid Kallamar doesn’t need his crystals now that he’s gone. It didn’t help him when trying to hide from me. I’ll go to Anchordeep tomorrow and get some to make crystal windows. They sure would make it more beautiful than their temple…”

“Finally the loom is ready. It’s been a such a long time since I had decent robes. It’s easy to find cotton, but what I really want is a nice, soft, silk robe. One that doesn’t rub against these scars preferably. I miss the old one Shamura they made with their silk. But, that one got destroyed in the fight with that damn vessel. Maybe there is some in Silk Cradle. ”

(I’ll come back to this when I flesh it out more via work time daydreams)

[eliza-forget]

Questions: Why did you give the bishop crown back? Since I've seen so many cotl artists around with bishop with no crowns.

Oh, thanks for the question!

First of all, this concept is my loose representation of the sequel after the final quest with the bishops. I wasn't too fond of how their story was skimpily ended halfway through. Actually that's why I introduced this sequel after their redemption for the past. In my AU, the bishops had lived long enough as mortals to realize the gravity of their decisions, the mistakes after them. And had no hope of regaining their divinity at all. So when the opportunity arose, not all of them agreed to change their habitual lives.

In another way, developing the idea of Lamb as the last deity, it meant a great burden for the young lamb. The lands of the old bishops are falling apart, their followers infiltrating as spies to either reclaim their masters or plot to undermine the trust of the Scarlet Crown. Lamb, in doing so, besides fulfilling his leadership duties, needed to do all the same work Narinder did before him, circulate life and death through Limbo.

So the random finding of crowns in the temples of each of the bishops, forced a change in the essence of the usual things. To let the bishops show their good side. I might say this was the beginning of the creation of a new religion? Like the Old Faith of Shamura, but now led by Lamb.

And so, in sum, all of this explains why I came up with this idea, why both Lamb and the bishops look similar, so and yet cooperate with each other.

[miasudare]

THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT!

This is one of my delusional cotl theories, I worked about a few days for it so don't wait too much. It's very long, just so you know

Today, our subject is the bishops. Though in cult of the lamb wiki's story segment states a few events, no evidence and connection is shown. And considering that wiki pages are written by people, it's not a %100 correct.

Death of bishops

Ever wondered why Narinder is the only bishop you can make a follower before Mystic Sellers appearance? Or why don't the bishops end up with Narinder when they die? Let me tell you.

When we kill a bishop, they don't end in the death realm but end up with Mystic. That's why we can only get them back after being introduced to the seller. They own them.

And Narinder? He already lives in the death realm and if you notice, you don't entirely defeat him until the option segment, his life bar still having a bit of hp. You only hurt with him until he can't fight. When you choose to kill him, he then gets sent to Mystic for us to claim him later on.

Mystic's thoughts

"I recall Leshy. Prior to yourself, he was the last to bargain with me. Adept as he was, he rose quickly to the challenges of Godhood, aided by his siblings. Many were drawn to his chaotic ways."

Mystic Seller seems to observe and know everything that had gone through Leshy's godhood even moments of help from his siblings. Tho, not the first godhood.

"I am not inclined to emotion, the way your kind are. Though if I were, Heket would certainly inspire amusement. She was perhaps the most vicious of them. Wicked beast."

No matter how badly the Mystic Seller spoke of Heket's actions, they seem to find sadistic inspiration in her actions. They do not have characteristics such as emotion, but observation expands their world. Which is weird, because that's probably a look you'd wait for Leshy.

"It did not matter to Kallamar that his ears were lost, for he was never inclined to listen. Foolish though he may have seemed, he wielded the power of his Crown without discrimination."

We all know Kallamar's cowardice. But Mystic does not see this as cowardice and even interprets this fear, which has become a self-protection mechanism, as a strategy. Cause Mystic has no emotions and can't understand fear.

"Shamura and I did not barter much. In truth, they need little from me. Truly, 'twas shame what became of them."

Mystic and Shamura seem to actually talk and have a conversation unlike the other siblings Mystic talks about. And Shamura is the only bishop that Mystic sees higher, thinking that Shamura didn't need them at all.

"A toy for you. Benefactor, comrade, malignant foe... redemption or punishment, 'tis yours to confer as you see fit." Gifts you Narinder as a Follower in his exclusive Follower Form. (Without the immortal trait)

This section is important because Mystic doesn't say anything about Narinder's past. While they normally talk about an event that happened in his siblings' own lives, Narinder doesn't seem to mean much to them. They neither belittle him nor exalt him. Narinder is very unimportant to them.

Now, I'd like to think that Mystic were there. Before the whole argument, it wasn't only the 5 bishops. Mystic saw it, Mystic heard it. Maybe even lived with them. Raised them, even. Mystic Seller, is the creator of them. Yeah. I said it. God of gods. How else can you explain him just replace the very gods you killed and put them back in their purged realms? Or idk, carry the ex god of death by their little tiny winy legs? Literally posses the body of the new god??? Tho, it seems like they are not the same realms anymore as if those places were... Altered.

Shamura. Wanna talk?

Shamura is both refered to as the god of war and god of might, which are quite the opposite of each other.

War, is something that grows from misunderstandings, greed and not thinking straight, which isn't very fit for god of might. And well, that made me think... I think... The bishops didn't/was supposed to have these roles before their fight with Narinder.

"I am not what I once was. Though no longer wise, I am no fool."

Shamura is aware that they are no longer the god of might, yet something another.

So this might mean, before the betrayal, the bishops had opposite godhoods. Or were supposed to have these godhoods.

Kallamar = God of health

Heket = Goddess of abundance

Leshy = God of peace

This makes sense when you consider the people that follow them. Why would someone follow a god who just means nothing but trouble? Even in our cult, we teach people about death and after life, reassure them or teach them. We make sense.

"I introduced him to ideas of change; for my domain is knowledge, and it is ever evolving. An organic state of being for myself, but for him… most unnatural. Death cannot flow backward." -Shamura

This. That green? Yeah that one. That's when Narinder's betrayal happened. Shamura, showed Narinder that there was a way to change things, which Narinder ended up doing so. And what did he do? Death cannot flow backward, he tried to give life. Narinder, the only member in the family that probably ended up with such negative thing as being the god of death, tried to make life.

"Bonds of familial duty, turned instead to chains. Most voracious of appetites, curbed and contained. Most infectious of ideas cut off and cauterised before given chance to rot and spread. Cruel, verily. Alas, what other recourse was given? How does one kill Death? ... Alas. One cannot." -Haro

Haro also seems to confirm this. The infectious ideas said there are, or rather is, Narinder's wish to change. Narinder's idea to change his own godhood. Tho, why would the bishops be so against it?

Notice how Haro has a "fallen" crown? Haro, probably back in the day, was the owner/god of Darkwood at some point. His unused animation also looks a lot like Leshy's transformation animation.

Haro, is possibly the first god that tried to change their godhood. In return, he got punished by loosing his crown and getting expelled from his godhood. This would explain why Leshy is the youngest, because he was a replacement.

"But as millennia wore on, he grew discontent with his role. He began to question. He was gluttonous in his ambition. And in my imprudence I loved him. For it, I lost my mind. For it, he lost his freedom. Can you fathom such betrayal, Lamb?"

Shamura knew what happened to Haro. After showing Narinder that there was a way to change things, they regretted it. Shamura genuinely loved their brother, no matter if it was by blood or by creator. The idea of Narinder might end up like Haro was what made Shamura loose their mind. Killing Narinder wasn't a punishment, it was a way to protect him and the remaining ones. The betrayal Shamura say is not Narinder's hostile acts but rather the way he thinks even tho Shamura had warned him.

Now, i know. I said that Mystic knew it and saw it and blah blah. But Mystic were there after Leshy lost his eye, Heket lost her throat and until Narinder's imprisonment. We can understand this from their dialog of witnessing Leshy and Heket's godhood and them saying "It's a shame what become of them" for Shamura is their disappointment of knowing someone like Shamura have ended up like this (Explained at timeline section)

Haro what do you have to say?

"Eons agone, these lands were rife with gods and their adherents. What befell this pantheon? Alas. 'Tis the nature of beasts to forget, and of Gods to be forgotten. Mayhap they left. Mayhap they slept. Mayhap they devoured and were devoured in turn. Those few who remained spread roots, spun webs, molded this world to meet them and theirs. 'Twere a land of many Gods once. Hundreds. Now..."

(the ones below are theories I can't really prove)

1-Haro, was probably the oldest, along with Shamura, god. He might be one of Mystic's first creation.

2-Haro seems to be talking about fox. Or kinda refers to him. The fox is known for taking Ratau, eating him. So this also makes the fox, or people like the fox known and been around.

3-Hundreds of gods, he says. Currently, we only have 10 (At the bottom) So, there was a class fight.

A little thing about Narinder and the twins. Heaven and hell, does in fact exist in the cotl universe. You can see it in the ascension and sacrifice rituals. Going above and going below. Fly to heaven and dragged to hell.

Which means dead souls are being sorted. Considering the fact that Narinder is restricted to move anywhere, that job ends up with the twins. Baal, obviously with his kind and respectful attitude, works in heaven. Aym, on the other hand, is very aggressive and intimidating so works in hell.

Timeline

A hundred gods, roamed on realms. For various reasons, they died of or how I like to refer, ended up in Mystic's hands.

Mystic created Shamura, Haro, Kallamar and Narinder. Understood them, talked with them.

Allocer and Astaroth were given to Shamura then to Kallamar, to encourage them into godhood and cult culture.

Heket was created, tho wasn't crowned.

Haro lost his godhood by disobeying, altering. This lead to the creation of Leshy.

After creation of Leshy, Mystic was not there to attend and see Leshy and Heket stepping into godhood.

Shamura took care of his siblings and helped them into godhood. Tho it's questionable on how good they managed that.

Agares and Bathin was given by Shamura to Heket and Leshy, to teach them about the same culture.

Shamura introduced Narinder to idea of change. Narinder refused his role as god of death and tried to be god of life.

Shamura knew what would happen to Narinder if the crown giver, Mystic Seller, learned about this. This caused an argument, most likely because Narinder believed that Haro was judged unfairly. So, there it came "see no evil, say no evil, hear no evil, think no evil"

The siblings lost their original godhoods. "If that's my destiny, you're coming down with me" kind of stuff.

Leshy and Heket stepped into godhood by the help of Shamura and Kallamar to be able to protect themselves. (Their rapid transition to godhood explains why they were defeated more easily than Kallamar and Shamura. They are inexperienced gods. If you notice, after the battle of Heket, Kallamar's battle is actually surprisingly difficult and fast.)

Witnesses hid in respective realms.

Mystic Seller came back. Narinder was not present yet what he left behind was. He saw the other bishops. Mystic Seller knew Heket and Leshy as the gods they were know. Not as what they were supposed to be. 

"Five points to a pentagram, five portents of doom, five siblings stood abreast, five gods and one tomb..." Shamura's summarizing of the whole story. Their family and how it doomed. How the remaining bishops and Mystic had to kill Narinder and trap him in after life, the gateway being his tomb.

Shamura learned about the prophecy after a few centuries or more. That lead to the geno¢ide of sheep.

The gateway/tomb of Narinder before defeating bishops. 5 chains, gray ones belonging to bishops and golden one belonging to Mystic Seller.

A basic classification of the types of deities that we have in cotl:

Mystic Seller: Creator, above gods

Mystic Seller's guards: Deities that exist out time and space and work along Mystic Seller, above gods

Narinder: God of death

Shamura: God of war (formerly god of might)

Kallamar: God of pestilence (formerly health)

Heket: Goddess of famine (formerly abundance)

Leshy: God of chaos (formerly peace)

Aym: Disciple of Narinder, demigod (guider of sinners)

Baal: Disciple of Narinder, demigod (guider of winners)

Haro: Ex god, currently a messenger

Chemach: Eldritch Goddess, One of the oldest remaining Goddess. [She (yes Chemach is a girl) has an Eldritch crown and the crown has eyes. Just like the bishops'. This makes her a god considering her ability to turn living into power, essence and remnant to be used for something else afterwards. (relics)]

Clauneck and Kudaii: Gifted with immortality possibly by their sister, or are gods.

Midas: Golden touch asshole king

The fox: Most likely a demon/god from underworld, considering his soul deals and Haro's dialog.

Ratoo: I can't class him but considering he is living without a whole ass organ and still stays alive, he isn't mortal

Nah, it's just what I think of course also, please check my witness theory and Possession too!

If you want to add to this theory, you can by doing a reblog. I'm preparing a crown theory too, so this is kind of a part one! If this gets popular, I might make a video for it, who knows ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[bamsara]

Some side characters/cult members for The Rehabilitation of Death. This originally was just supposed to be some light sketches but now they're all fully lined up and colored oops

Info about all of them under the cut:

All followers were designed based off of the actaul follower forms in game. Characters in order:

Bremar 🦊 (He/Him): Boy that often gets peer pressured into doing dangerous or scary things by his friends/bullies. Good heart, not a lot of spine yet.

Finor 🐰 (She/They): Elderly follower.  A devoted follower, but much too in the habit of behaving like an overbearing grandmother to those who aren’t even her kits. Comes from bearing so many in life before losing them to heretics in the wilds. Lambert found her already aged out in the forest after her husband and family were slaughtered, and she has been caring for others ever since her rescue. Stern and not a big fan of PDA, but good heart.

Cow Nurse 🐄 (No Name yet, She/Her): A nurse that works in the healing bay; takes care of the injured and sick while the lamb is gone. Stern and easily frustrated but it comes from a place of concern.

The Shrew and The Otter (No names yet) 🐁🦦 (Both She/Her): Lovers that often leave their work posts to be affectionate with each other in secret (even though everyone already knows). Eventually asks the Lamb to officiate their wedding.

Joon 😺 (Any/They/Them) (Otherwise known as 'the yellow cat' from that one COTL short): The best farmer the cult has, wasn't born until long after the bishop's defeats, and is a part of the generation that is blissfully unaware of Bishops prior tyranny. Bright but a little nervous at times, the Lamb asks them to watch over a certain 'new arrival' as their own hands are full, and Joon becomes the unaware caretaker for a certain God of Chaos.

Paazi 🐸 and her parents🦅🦇: (She/Her for Paazi, Unnamed: Eagle is He/Him, Bat is They/Them): Paazi is a orphan rescue from Anura found as young as a tadpole, later adopted by this older couple. She is the frog that fell from the cliffside and was later saved by Narinder, in which gains him her parent's appreciation.

Grekimar 🐷 (He/Him): A lumber worker who was exiled from his village in Anura, and taken in by the cult as 'all past sins are forgiven here'. Very critical of Narinder's presence, and is one spit away from dissension

Jayen 🐻 (He/Him): One of the two followers Narinder killed during his dramatic arrival to the cult grounds when Jayen was just trying to protect his leader, later resurrected by Narinder and Lambert in Chapter 2. Conflicted about Narinder's presence: grateful to be resurrected (Lamb told Jayen that Narinder helped) but still traumatized from the murder. Feels tingly in his hand and arm often. Sweet but nervous.

Tyren 🐶 (He/Him): One of the stone miners. Rescued from Darkwood. The very 'golden lab retriever' personality makes him one of the more friendlier types; this dog has a big crush on the Lamb that goes past prophet idolization.