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mortish-writes · 1 month ago
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[Play Bride of Shadows for Free] [Patreon Edition] [Ko-Fi]
Step into the tragic and fleeting existence of a Vestal of Dawn—a priestess bound by sacred vows of purity and an unwavering devotion to scripture. But when the sun goddess abandons you, your faith shatters. In your darkest moment, a tempting offer arises. A new covenant. A second chance at life... but at a cost.
You have until winter's end to seduce a dangerous immortal and bear his child—or risk losing everything.
Bride of Shadows is an interactive dark fantasy romance novel. Female protagonist, MMF poly relationship, vampires, gods, story rich, 18+ because can you really know a man until he tells you to shut up and kneel? I've been to therapy, I promise.
Night V is now complete in The Nightborn Edition! Take a bath, steal a kiss, learn the true nature of reality, and possibly meet a unicorn! Night V comes with a total of five different endings, lots of lore, and no unbearable cliffhangers.
Night VI will be coming in a couple weeks, with the Zealot route releasing first, then the Heretic. It'll include our first unique feature for The Nightborn Edition, the ability to influence the conception of your god-baby. Chose male or female, paternity, and even opt for twins if you really want to see your partners lose their minds. Much more to come in The Nightborn Edition, be on the lookout for a new tendency poll this weekend and a Night VI excerpt! Also, next week I'll be adding alternate POV scene bonuses to the Darksinger tier. Each month we'll vote on which scene you want to see from either Valdricht or Serax's perspective!
Free players, I love you all, too! Night V will be available on Itch next week, along with a Night VI excerpt on my Itch blog. I'll occasionally post free alternate POV snippets, so be sure to follow me for notifications of new posts. I'm also always here to answer questions. You guys make me laugh so much, you have no idea. Thanks for all your support.
-Mortish
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limbobilbo · 1 year ago
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Sellsword characters
Version 1
For those whove missed it this is a character list for a hypothetical fighting game I am doing the lore and characters for. This post will include characters alongside their background. Not movesets yet as Im not equipped to do that.
This will also get reposted with more in future.
Ronan and Edmund
So these guys are separate characters but they are incredibly connected plot wise. Ronan and Edmund are both orphans, raised by a knight from the kingdom of Felmoore, which is on the western coast of Maskanier. Ronan and Edmund grew up as basically brothers, training to fight for most of their lives.
However, during a quest the two of them were on Edmund was temporarily possessed by a Kin named Apollyon. This Kin revealed to Edmund that he was in fact a relative to royal family of the empire of Aravas, and had been kidnapped as an infant to cause an uproar on Talkanier to stop a potential invasion. Edmund, now disillusioned with the kingdom he was raised to defend cast down his long sword and allowed Apollyon to continue possessing him.
Ronan took up Edmunds longsword as his own, now fighting with both swords as a personal oath to save his comrade.
Edmund meanwhile would, on the advice of apollyon, seek out the blade Darksinger, a collosal single edged sword located under the island kingdom of Torland. By retrieving it Edmund triggered the third cataclysm and Torland was destroyed. Edmund, now known using the title of the cataclysm knight wields the blade Darksinger as he works with the Kin posessing him to achieve an unknown goal.
Bjorn
When Torland was destroyed it was in the midst of a succession. Torlanders, priding themselves on their skills in battle, believe their king must be the greatest warrior in Torland. This was traditionally done by oathsworn, a group of warriors sworn to seek out the greatest warrior.
At the time of the cataclysm there was a single Oathsworn off the island, a man named Bjorn who had been getting the skull of the dead King Osmund prepared for its internment in the castle. After the cataclysm Bjorn was left the last true Torlander alive, now armed with his axe Foecutter and the skull of High King Osmund affixed to his belt Bjorn searches for a true succesor to the throne of Torland.
Louis Vangul
Louis Vangul. Full title the Marquis Louis of the house of Vangul, fourth heir to the grand duchy of Lorantia, is the fourth son of the current arch duke of Lorantia, which is a decently sized duchy in southern Maskanier. Louis is 16 and like most 16 year olds is impulsive. In order to prove himsef to both his father and his brothers Louis took up his bow, his his preferred weapon, and set out to help in repelling the Aravasian invasion of Maskanier.
Louis is now basically playing folk hero. Using both his arrows and the magic his family is known for in combat.
(Also for those who are interested Louis is also a trans man)
Captain Barnabus Scrimshaw
The Basin, the huge ocean spanning from the tip of western Maskanier all the way to eastern Sankanier is a hotbed of piracy. And one Pirate crew are known across the waters and islands that fill the basin, the crew of the Jolly Roger led by Barnabus Scrimshaw.
Scrimshaw was, in his youth, a studying philosopher in the republic of Orin in Sankanier however he grew tired of that life and purchased a ship, renaming himsef to Barnabus Scrimshaw and set out to find a pirate crew. Over his decade or so of Piracy Scrimshaw has ammased a loyal, if small, crew.
Scrimshaw is well dressed, well spoken, enjoys wine and is known for fighting with a rapier and pistol in either hand.
Zadkem
Zadkem, formerly Zadkemel, is an angel cast down from the high mountain, the home of God, the new divinities and the angels. What was Zadkem’s crime? They (angels all use they/them) looked upon the veiled face of The Architect. For their crime Zadkemel had their eyes removed and their wings cut.
Now Zadkem wanders the sphere, dressed in preachers robes and a blindfold as they attempt to find someway back to their home. Much like most angels Zadkem eschews traditional weaponry, instead using celestial magic. Zadkem is partial to using pieces of magic infused paper as well as traditional expressions of magic.
Marcia
Marcia is a pretty simple woman. Shes a worshipper of Hitham, the new divnity of peace, who has come to a very simple conclusion. It is her job to bring about peace in any way possible.
Marcia walks the sphere (but mainly Maskanier) fighting against anyone who she deems as standing in the way of peace.
Marcia utilises both magic and a metal tipped quarter staff carved with a symv of Hitham.
Thats its, shes a pretty simple woman.
Hugo Spellbound
In central Maskanier there is a small county carved out of the surrounding kingdom that was given to the grand college of the magical arts. This college is where many wizards learn their craft before going of to Sankanier where they can get work much easier.
However some trainees do not succeed, Hugo Spellbound is one of these unsuccessful wizards. Hugo was always a rebellious man, but he went too far when he took an ancient spellbook from the college’s archives, one which had coalesced during the first cataclysm and was full of unknownable power. Hugo was caught, but not before the book bound itself to his soul, marking it as Hugos for eternity.
Unable to take the book back but not wanting him or the danger he posed, the council of masters kicked Hugo out, but allowed him to keep the book.
Hugo really only knows a few basic spells, but if he allows the book to take hold of him he can summon up unimaginable power.
Now he works as a rather ineffective mercenary.
Horatio Peltan
Horatio Peltan, the first Aravasian character. Hailing from the smallest continent Horatio distinguished himself for crossing the basin and bringing the emperor of Aravas gifts from both the Basin and Sankanier. This was very impressive, as the waters around Talkanier have prevented most sailing vessels from passing easily.
Horatio crossed in Maskanier with the Aravasian forces but in search of treasure and glory over conquest.
He’s almost like an Aravasian captain Scrimshaw, but in a Tricorne and long coat and armed usually with twin flails.
Maris of Doranie
Maris of Doranie is a warrior of the Doranie peninsula, known for their hand to hand fighting skills and penchant for fighting covered in blue body paint. Maris was the greatest warrior in her village, however during the third cataclysm a strange man would attack the village wielding tamed Kin, he killed two thirds of the people, including Maris’ lover Beatrice.
Maris, now fuelled with vengance for her people has been hunting the man known as The Kinmaster in order to kill him.
The Kinmaster
The Kinmaster is weird. Dressed in a top hat and the clothes of a noble he looks very out of place for what he is. The Kinmaster’s past is a mystery although he speaks as if he’s from Sankanier. He gets his name for his particular form of magic he specialises in, summoning and controlling Kin, basically spirit demons created from strong emotions, for his own nefarious bidding.
Creegan
Creegan was born in far east Sankanier in a small area known as Moril bay, as a child his home was raided by Privateers from the Merchants confederation, a collection of island microstates in the Basin that act as dens of crime and vice. Creegan was sold to pit fighters on one of these islands and grew up fighting for money and fame in the arena.
Creegan is naturally larger and bulkier than most people, making him a renowned fighter.
He would eventually buy himself out of pit fighting and board a ship back to his homeland, finding the bay has grown into a small city Creegan came to the conclusion he could find his purpose in battle. So he took up his mace and became a mercenary.
Creegan is a big guy with a big two handed mace, he doesnt talk much.
Wyvern
In the kingdom of Felmoore there is a group spoken of in hushed tones, the blue hand. The kings personal group of assasins, infiltrators and spies. The leader of the blue hand is wyvern, known to get orders from the king directly. Some even say that Wyvern was once tasked with stealing a child of the Aravasian royals from the palace itself.
Wyvern herself is, despite her older age, one of the most acrobatic and athletic people in Felmoore. Her preffered fighting style is to rely on her guile and assasins tools.
So thats the first list. More will probably come in future so keep an eye out. I will also think about suggestions given to me. Hop you like them.
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cosmicdeity746 · 1 year ago
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"Call it a Home" - Astarion x Tav
Had a little inspiration one day to write up a sweet little AstarionxTav short story post-BG3 storyline - please enjoy!
Rated T - for mentions of sex, but no actual scenes.
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If there was one thing Tav Darksinger was not, it was pragmatic. A fact that many learned in traveling beside her over the past months. When her companions fretted and worries, whether about Gods, tadpoles, or nature spirits being curse and in a serious need of a talking to by an adult, Tav went about it with a stupid smile, and a shrug. 
“What happens, happens” she would utter, often knee deep in sludge and Absolute corpses.
It didn’t take a genius to see that it was a coping technique. A way to brush off the severity, and let’s face it, fucked up situation they had all founds themselves in.
Of course, Tav’s other coping method had been to shine the light on others’ problems instead of her own. Selflessness? Perhaps, but she’d meticulously browbeaten, bugged, nagged, and above all wheedled her little elf self into the hearts of what was arguably the most complicated mess of emotionally stunted, trauma ridden individuals in all the Sword Coast.
What was even worse, was that they couldn’t stay mad at her for doing so. Because in the end, she’d healed them. Gave them something they all needed more than anything. A friend.
Tav Darksinger was a force of nature. If anyone in that trauma band knew it more, it would be the vampire spawn she’d simultaneously charmed and infuriated in equal measure.
Astarion found his lover’s (and wasn’t that a phrase that still brought his undead heart to a standstill) propensity for acts of kindness, selflessness, and need to dig, utterly contemptible. And horribly sweet. Like candy.
It had been her to suggest that they stay in Baldur’s Gate for a while after the battle with the Elder Brain. To help the city rebuild (sounded exhausting to him) and take time to drink and be merry (that sounded more his speed). And it was she who after a day’s rest in the local inn, with curtains drawn tight to keep the sunlight far away from the sanctuary she’d given him, suggested picking a plot, fixing it up and making a home.
It was a word he’d so long thought of as a joke. “Home” to him had been akin to stone cold walls, chains, rats in the walls, blood on the floors. A word that felt raw when saying it out loud. Perhaps, he mused, throat tight with slight nausea, with her it may be easier to say. If nothing else, seeing the way her face lit up when he’d agreed had quelled that bit of fear he’d felt at the notion.
Her face had become the closest substitute to sunlight he would ever get again. There was little he would deny her to keep it shining.
She’d come close to testing that though.
A week after, standing outside what would only be described as ‘a dilapidated ruin of a house’, he began to once more question the sanity of his chosen bedfellow.
“A fair deal, and all that, “Tav stated, promptly ignoring the look of utter revulsion that showed on her partner’s face.
“The original structure is still standing. Which says a lot to the craftsmanship, considering a chunk of Illithid ship smashed through the center of it-“
Was that…why yes, that was blood coating the shutters. Not humanoid as far as Astarion could smell. It could only imagine how much worse the place looked in the light, considering it was hideous in the dark.
She continued, undeterred in the slightest, barreling through explanations as if she knew pausing would mean her lover could protest.
“It was a magistre’s home, but he’d converted it before the attack from the Absolute. Some kind of panic vault beneath to base of the structure. It survived, which means its fully capable of some renovation. And the two other plots, well they used to be adjourning houses, but they didn’t stand the fall so hopeless causes. It means we can expand below which would mean –“
“To the point, darling,” Astarion interrupted, well accustomed to the tirades and how to bypass them (Gods save him from another of Gale’s speeches).
Astarion observed the instant true worry crossed the wood elf’s face when her teeth began to chew oh so nervously as her bottom lip. He had half a mind to chastise her, as that was his job to wreck that beautiful mouth, not hers, but he could see thoughts spiraling behind those expressive eyes.
“If we buy this plot, and the two besides it, we can maybe build down. Make a full home below the surface…”
At her pause, Astarion nodded, and she began to speak again. Without a break, she began to describe her dream. A small house above ground, surrounded by gardens. A place for evening strolls, gatherings in the moonlight, guests, and entertainment. Underneath the surface, a sort of house, made of earth and natural stone. Not too large, but comfortable. Perhaps some underground plant life like the Underdark’s foliage. A place filled with art, lavish bedroom, spares for their guests. Describing earthen greens, and browns, blues, and purples. 
He noted her vision forgo the specifics of an extensive mansion like Cazador’s. No servants (he wasn’t opposed to a construct or two doing the laundry or dusting now and then), no dark spaces, red hues, or anything cold to think of. Warm hearths, cozy kitchen, modest, but artistic. Paintings of landscapes. Of them.
‘Home’ he began to realize for Tav, was akin to ‘warmth’. She was crafting the sunlight under the shadows.
He caught her face between his palm’s mid speech, turning her gaze to him. Selfless, self-sacrificing sentimental fool.
“Darling,” he hushed, unable to keep a thumb from stroking her cheek. “It’s sounds lovely.”
The sun streamed out under moonlight, and he was reminded again how well and truly whipped he was.
For the next few months, while they stayed in the inn (honored guests, the owner had said, gaining more from their popularity than their actual spending) Tav took to her project like a storm through the sea. 
During the day, while the world around them rebuilt itself, she spent her time planning, plotting. With a fire burning, and Scratch snuggled at her feet, she sketched, and researched. Furniture pieces, craftsmen, artists, builders. With her many connections established over their journey, and the gold they’d accumulated throughout, they could pay for it all and more.
Considering how little he knew about the subject, Astarion enjoyed the time he got to rest. Put his feet up, read some new books. Drink the sweetest wines, and feed on the rarest of vintages.
She did consult him. Often. He still couldn’t get used to the idea of being asked what his opinion was. Especially not on rugs, or the color wallpaper, whether they should invest in oak or birch cabinets for the bedroom sets.
Their other companions visited, happy to provide their own feedback for the project. Tav noted it all down, no matter the extent. There was to be a library, Gale’s fervent suggestion, and he would be happy to reach out and provide tomes and books to fill those shelves. A training room, with dummies and walls of weapons, of which Laezel was happy to acquire the inventory of. An indoor grove that extended out towards the gardens, with flowers and shrubs (Halsin reiterated that he desired to tend to such gardens often when he came to see them – though Astarion joked they often left little time for puttering about when he did visit).
Shadowheart had his favorite suggestion of an indoor pool. Astarion always did appreciate the way they thought in terms of taste, and he couldn’t fault the logic behind perhaps seeing if he did remember how to swim after all. And naked swim time sounded delightful. He’d said as such, smirking with Shadowheart, both for the sheer pleasure of seeing Tav’s delicious blood flood her cheeks. The simplest of flirts still brought a blush to her face, despite, he added, having been in much more embarrassing positions before. Halsin has only nodded sagely in agreement. Which sent everyone in hysterics when Tav blushed even further at the reminder. 
All in all, it was remarkably different to be considered in opinions and choices. Even if they didn’t matter in the long haul. 
It was on one early morning, when they were sleeping away the night’s activities, he lay watching Tav sleep. Even with shutters drawn tight, and Scratch asleep at the end of the bed (he’d given up complaining about the mutt on the delicate sheets when he found how much he secretly enjoyed the feeling of the slobbering mass warming his cold feet), Astarion found that his mediation eluded him. Instead of fighting it, he instead took the calm peace of the morning to watch her.
She was truly beautiful. Not in the usual way he would muse often, like the ladies of court he’d used to charm, or the whores in the brothels. She was beautiful in the way she smiled or frowned. Whether covered in guts, or fresh as a daffodil.
Even her anger was beautiful, though often rare. He’d seen her true anger when he’d been suspended in the air, hanging by a thread. She’d spat his former master’s name, vowing to string out his guts, eyes filled with that same fire as the magic she wielded. And so full of love and sadness when he’d managed to crawl himself away from the wreckage of his vengeance.
He wondered in that moment, glancing at the nearby desk covered in sketches and building plans, if she realized she was still trying to save him. Gently, to not break her trance, he slipped from the warm covers to wander over to the contents on that desk.
He admitted to himself that he’d kept a degree of separation from the logistics of her project. Who needed to know the little details when someone else could take care of it for you. But Tav was ruthlessly hands on about everything as he could attest. 
No doubt she’d wheedled her way into the design phase of the project. He was not at all surprised to find he had been correct in his assumption, noting that the usual design work usually given to the master carpenter sitting amongst the sketches. 
The little notes scrawled on the parchments were hardly the plots of a master craftsman, lines such as “white wood sounds nicer to say” or “is it sturdy enough for Minsc to headbutt?”. “Floor to ceiling, Gale, really?” They had him chuckling. How his lover’s mind worked. He we shifted the documents he noticed the designs for the master suite. Notes still scrawled the edges here, more numerous, more questions. 
All of them, he realized, were regarding him.
“Mirror in bedroom?” Crossed out, then scribbled back in, with “ask Astarion, above ceiling”. Or “wardrobe too big? No Astarion likes clothes, need space”. 
The little comments he’d peppered her way when prompted, without thought. A mirror was fine, he’d said, so long as it didn’t overtake the room. No, he had said, a wine cabinet in the bedroom was tacky. A clock, he had mentioned, would make noise all day long, and would drive them both mad. A bathtub of copper would be better, fireplaces made of marble were last century.
Everything he’d thrown her way, just to play it off, she’d considered, contemplated. Even things he hadn’t thought relevant at all. Tav had noticed. 
Touched beyond belief, Astarion could only stare at those designs. It hit him all at once, full force that while he had been playing along with the idea for her sake, she’d been determined to bring him into every aspect. 
Determined, she always was. Optimistic certainly, almost overly so. But when surrounded by idealistic notions, practical people, it had helped he imagined having a little bit of sunshine leading the way.
Finding himself almost fighting back tears (sentimental fool), Astarion turned away from that expression of love to partake in the sight of his sun once again. Snoring away, with just the tiniest bit of drool escaping those beautiful lips. 
Gods he would do anything for her. It was a fact that both confused and frightened him. 
He’d been a slave for hundreds of years to a man who’d beaten him, degraded him, and controlled him mind, body, and soul. And while he was free of that now, he realized that once more he was in a position of belonging to another. 
The thought should rightfully make him angry. Instead, he felt nothing but relief. The difference, he’d come to understand was that individual also belonged to him. She had changed him. Again, the similarity of that with Cazador should have confounded him.
He was bound to her now, as he had been with Cazador, but this time it had been his choice. And she in turn had bound herself to him. Forsaken a life in the sun to live in the shadows with him. Cazador had destroyed the man he’d once been all those years ago. Twisted him into an image he wished. Tav in her own way had destroyed the man Cazador had created, but she’d done so by giving him the space to change himself. Untwisting the knows and in a way, bringing back the man he once was. Well, perhaps not exactly the man he was, but someone who cared. 
And wasn’t that a funny thing to say.
Astarion cared. Not just about Tav. But the people he could almost call his family. Halsin, Shadowheart, the blasted dog, hells even Gale. 
He had a family. One he chose to acknowledge.
He would have a home. A home with her.
The word didn’t stick when he whispered it out loud, letting it settle in the air. It brought a certain fear, that was for sure, but not one that kept him from accepting its meaning. Home. 
Gently, Astarion crawled back beneath the covers, shushing Scratch lightly when he’d roused enough to look at him and sunk into the soft mattress. Face close to hers, he breathed in her scent. So bright, and strong. Not only her blood, which he would always crave, forevermore, but the sweet scent that made him think of candy.
Tav Darksinger, he mused. Eclectic, strong, capable, a tempest, a wheedler, and most importantly, his.
He shut his eyes to her scent and let himself imagine the next coming years living in their home together.
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nathalerias-danudiel · 2 years ago
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Nyterias Darksinger
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Art of my Shal'dorei character, Nyterias! Complete with a process video.
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derosnec · 3 years ago
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THIS FRIDAY! I got a fresh single being released for Bandcamp Friday, which is a dark and intense cover of one of my favourite Garbage songs that I did with @davoodfaramarzii - go pre-save it and have a listen when it comes out tomorrow! 🖤 #newmusicfridays #darkpop #femalesingers #darksingers #dramaticcoversong #garbage #queerartists #queer #90scoversongs #90smusic #coversongs #bigvocals #epicsinger #gothic (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYZZr7uJpNc/?utm_medium=tumblr
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saintcranky · 4 years ago
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There are so many things about this I love.
Jeva challenging him to pick on someone his own size, meaning her and she only comes up to his belly button.
The fact he probably didn’t mean cubs but actual adult bears.
and that he is basically wearing Norn Crocs.
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scornfluke-archive · 4 years ago
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artemisia absinthium and a charles darksinger-dreadful for @hautefunebre (really some of the ocs of ever)
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shannaraisles · 2 years ago
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@poteto-go-zoom Bojangles' Darksingers? :D
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She regrets nothing.
Please check out Crow Time for more immaculate bird vibes.
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gracefuldissonance-blog · 8 years ago
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Orphan Mother
((I was sent a prompt by @ilansar and this is the original, and my VERY wordy reply...))
Original Prompt:
The heart of an orphan was...special. It learned to long for something that wasn't there. It learned to grip tightly on to whatever it could, small as it may be. And most of all, it learned how to trick itself into acting normal. Onilwyn's heart was particularly good at that. Today, as it poured rain in Dalaran, her heart was having trouble fooling itself. She knew that she could find comfort in her beloved, or maybe in her friends, but today she knew that she wanted something else. She was a priestess, after all. A firm believer that helping others could in time, heal one's soul. And so, on a day where the streets were empty and the many denizens of the magical city hid from the rain she made her way over to the orphanage. She had been there before, however, not for many years. She wondered which of her little friends wouldn't be there anymore, a bitter-sweet musing, but sweet nonehteless. Unfortunately, this day would bring her no sweetness at all.
The woman she had taken to calling 'mother' just out of sentiment and respect was nowhere to be found, or at least that's what it looked like on the surface. In fact, almost no one was at the orphanage. Should Onilwyn venture further she would find the children huddled together in the back room, eyes full of fear. In other rooms she would find the remainders of toys, seared green and smelling of brimstone. Eventually, she would find her 'mother', although the horns and fel pocked skin would hardly make her seem like the sweet Quel'dorei she had once been. The heart was good at tricking itself, but sometimes...sometimes it just didn't want to keep going. And the 'mother's heart was full of bitterness and hatred, as vile as the fel fire that now pumped through her veins.
Prompt Reply:
The priestess stood in the doorway to the back room, the room where she had spent hours helping the little ones in the orphanage with their studies. Her white eyes were trained on who...no, what...used to be mother. Now, all she saw was death and destruction. All she saw was that bitter, snarling thing watching her right back. She did not move, didn't make a sound for quite some time. All she did was breathe, albeit a shallow inhalation to avoid breathing in that felfire and brimstone smell. The fetid odor made her stomach roil with nausea, but she remained stoic. So was the woman's nature. When she finally spoke her voice was calm and as cultured as it always was. "So, I see the legion has ruined another heart that was once full of light." She moved then, lifting her skirts just slightly to keep them clean of the debris and ash. "What have you done, Mother? What were you thinking?"
The creature curled it's lips back in a semblence of a smile, though to anyone else it was a baring of teeth that looked more a snarl. A laugh escaped it's mouth, the sound full of vitriol and scorn. Even her voice was different, the once sweet and clear sound was now dissonant and grating to the ears. "I have done nothing you would not have done, Onilwyn. I can offer you the power to raze cities and set ablaze everyone who comes against..."
Onilwyn didn't even let her finish the sentence, she held up a hand that ebbed and flowed with holy light. "ENOUGH! I need not hear anymore of your babbling, you foul creature. You have brought fear and hatred into the lives of these poor children. You will pay for it, even if I am not the one who brings the wrath of the light into your veins." She raised her voice to call for guards. She was only able to squeak out one word before a clawed hand closed around her throat and squeezed. Her eyes went wide, fingernails clawing at that pocked skin as if she could peel it away. Her vision dimmed for a heartbeat of time, the edge of unconciousness slipping toward her.
Her head lolled to the side and then she snapped back as her her spine and the back of her head cracked against the wall. She dug her fingers into the arm that held her captive, pushing that holy fire into each digit, willing it to burrow and slip through the creature's body. Onilwyn's eyes shed tears that tracked down her cheeks in warm rivulets, glowing a gold with the reflection of the power she could wield with ferocious power. "Let. Me. Go." She groaned out the words, not wanting to take a life. She was finally let loose, gasping for breath as she leaned heavily against the wall.
In that moment she made the decision. It was the woman she once called mother who would not take another breath, who would not walk away from this. She could not make a sacrifice of her own life and the innocence that huddled together in the rooms outside this one. A burst of holy energy knocked the creature back away from her as a halo of light gathered at the Priestess' middle, expanding outward. The 'thing' that had been the mother, fell to her knees and grabbed for the priestess' robes. She caught the skirt of it in her fel singed fingertips, and dragged them downward. It left the bottom of her robes in tatters, but as she stood there trying to pull herself back together...it didn't matter. She knelt down to press her hand to the creature's back, feeling for the small spark of light of life. It slowly flickered out even as her palm pressed down gently.
Onilwyn stood and took a deep breath, letting it out on a sigh. It would be a long time before the children of the orphanage would trust again.  It would be quite some time before she would trust anyone else to be here with the children again. So, she would speak to the Kirin Tor and Khadgar, offer her services as orphanage mother until they found another. But, for now, it would be her one and only duty to soothe the nerves and fears of those small children in the other rooms. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and steeled herself, stepping over the corpse of the creature she had once called mother.
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aldridge-asset · 8 years ago
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3 and 4 for Rook, 17 and 18 for Root, 15 for Dark!
Rook:
3. Scars or painful spots - The plating found at her neck is removable and quite heavy for someone with a willowy frame. They tend to make knots in her shoulders from causing them to slope at a slight angle and the artificial muscle of her neck “feels” stiff after a while. There are some scars found around her Vitalus tanks from the operations needed to install them but they are otherwise painless and very hard to see given her ashen complexion. 
4. Best places to kiss on their body - She likes her neck, chest and belly kissed. Lips of course are a given but in more intimate situations, the previous three might as well be buttons to get her into the mood. 
Roottap: 
17. Regrets - Not looking for his sister as much as he now feels he could have. He wasn’t aware that she survived Arboria’s assaults by the Dominion and thought that he was alone. They were recently reunited but he feels immense guilt for not trying more, though it should be known he had no indication she survived at all. 
18. Things they’ll never admit - Roottap makes no effort to really ask for it but he does like being picked up to be held and cuddled. If you’re lucky enough to do either without startling him, you’re trusted enough to do so. Just be prepared to have the lilac cat stick with you for a long while. 
Darksinger:
15. What it takes to make them cry - If any of the myriad of those known to her are upset or hurt, Darksinger becomes visibly distressed. She’s a pretty happy-go-lucky and confident young woman but she is quick to take on the emotion of others like her brother, Roottap. It’s not entirely known if either sibling are empaths, though given their reactions to the emotions of others, it’s certainly not off the table of possibilities. 
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mortish-writes · 2 months ago
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[Play Bride of Shadows for Free] [Patreon Edition]
The Patreon for Bride of Shadows is live! All that whinging yesterday and it only took a few hours for them to approve it.
What's in The Nightborn Edition?
Right now, not a lot of extra stuff apart from Night V of the Zealot route. When I started writing Bride of Shadows, my aim was to avoid paywalling the story. I know from experience that there's no better time for romantic escapism than when you don't have money. So instead of clipping Bound/Unbound modes from the free version or stopping it after x amount of nights, I opted to make a version with early releases and fan-chosen extras. Each month, we're going to have polls on things like additional tendencies, story branches, and features that will be exclusive to The Nightborn Edition. Your version will have a lot of extra choices and even a few unique story lines.
I took the liberty of adding one much-requested feature to the new edition, and that is a brand new Bound Mode which has an MFM-poly story line and an optional Valdricht only route*. In this mode, Valdricht and Serax will have a platonic maker/progeny relationship. Starting in Night VI or VII (depending on your route) Bound mode players will be able to choose whether to try to juggle the passions of both ROs, or go deep down the Valdricht rabbit hole. Or you can make two save games and do both.
This Sunday we'll have our first poll relating to some baby stuff and I'll be posting an excerpt. Apart from that, I'll be pretty hands-off for the next few days as I focus on finishing the Heretic Night V route. As soon as that is done and edited, it'll be added to The Nightborn Edition as an early release. Then we'll have some polls that will let you shape Night VI and the upcoming NSFW content. I'm dying to write the NSFW Zealot scenes.
The extra content aside, the Patreon will go a long way toward helping me to write Bride of Shadows full-time, which means more content, more quickly, for everyone.
What if I can't/don't want to subscribe to Patreon?
The Nightborn Edition will be available on Steam once the Bride of Shadows IF is complete. I don't have a date on that, it will be dependent on whether I'll be able to write full-time this year. If there is a subscription service similar to Patreon that works in your country, let me know and I'll see about setting up an account.
For everyone else, the free Bride of Shadows updates will be one week after each Patreon update. They'll still have all the content I'd initially planned, including the NSFW stuff!
I donated on Ko-Fi, can I have a free month?
You sure can! In fact, I've already sent messages to everyone who gave a Ko-Fi donation. You should have a link waiting for you that will give you one or more free months of Darksinger membership, depending on how much you donated. If the value of your free months doesn't meet or exceed the amount of your Ko-Fi donation, let me know because I may have sent you the wrong link. Likewise, if you didn't get a message, let me know. I might still use Ko-Fi in the future, either for alternate memberships or goal funding, but for the time being Patreon isn't as temperamental with payments and NSFW content so I'll be focusing on that.
I am one of the two people who donated on Itch.
First of all, you're wonderful. Second, feel free to message me for a link to a free month of the Patreon or the March Nightborn password if you aren't able to do Patreon.
The Patreon page looks so boring and plain.
I KNOW! But I'm not allowed to make it look pretty until I finish Heretic Night V and the new Elovyr map. It's a rule I made because I know I'll sink at least a full day into making it look fancy. Also, The Nightborn Edition store page is basically identical to the regular game. It's driving me insane, too, but that's gotta wait. Writing always comes first.
Final Note
Please remember that the new edition is a work-in-progress and that the extra content will be added as patrons begin voting on it. Right now, it's very similar to the free version, with only the new Zealot night and some hidden variables. The Heretic route is under construction to make some updates for the new Bound mode and will not be playable until the Heretic Night V update next week.
Thanks for reading and supporting my writing. Even if you aren't able to subscribe to Patreon, I appreciate you just following me, chatting about the story, and sharing it with others who might enjoy it. I am grateful every day to be able to write and share Bride of Shadows with you.
-Mortish
*I hear you barking. I know you want a Serax-only route. Maybe it can be a thing later. I kind of have an idea of how we can make it work. Give me some time to think it through. I don't want to promise any story routes until I know 100% that they'll work in the context of the broader plot and that they'll be satisfying.
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mortish-writes · 1 month ago
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You said one is more possessive and the other one is more jealous. How does it show? Let’s say someone tries to flirt with MC. How do they react? Does it change from the beginning (Night V) of the relationship to later on?
If it's just some random guy on the street trying to flirt with the MC, Serax would probably find it amusing, unless the MC flirted back, in which case he'd get prickly real fast. Valdricht would put his hand on your MC's shoulder, gently leading her away, possibly pointing out something in a storefront that would interest her, while silently planting some horrific darksinger song in the guy's mind.
This would all come post-Night V, once you have a decently developed bond with them, but before they know you're pregnant. After that, they're both just complete psychos. Your MC is also quite jealous. I can't recall if I mentioned this in another post, but I'm thinking of adding possessive or jealous as a tendency. It really comes naturally to her, though. She's lived her whole first life being denied possessions and relationships. She's going to become a bit of a hoarder once she starts being able to buy things and she will not take well to others flirting with her guys.
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mortish-writes · 15 days ago
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I don't think Zealot's wish for marriage is petty or silly given how the world she lives in treats women and unprotected "fallen" women in particular. I do see it as a desperate bid for some amount of control and compromise: she's spent the only week of her new life being coerced and pressured into sex and pregnancy with men she barely knows long before she's ready on pain of both a supposed tyrannical god invasion and Nythara taking back her gifts (the greatest of which is, y'know, her life).
(And really, Nythara's demand is essentially the same as a pimp's: "Have sex with these men I tell you to or I'll kill you.")
And it's especially brutal if Zealot loses faith in Elodine and doesn't automatically replace her with Nythara. She's been cut loose from a life line with no tether or security, she doesn't trust the person she's taking orders from, and it's supremely easy to feel like Valdricht is only making this offer for transactional purposes because he wants blood and cunny. Marriage, in this instance, isn't a meaningless distinction or a legal certification before she can comfortably fuck: it's a clause on the contract that no one but MC wants. She has to have protection and mentoring because Nythara made her a darksinger with divine blood; she has to stay with Valdricht and Serax no matter her wishes on the matter because she'll face consequences from Nythara if she doesn't. Her request for marriage is something that she's asking for purely for herself and there's meaning in that.
(This isn't really in response to any one person in particular; it's just that I've seen some jokes and comments with the tone of "Haha, bless Zealot's heart: she thinks getting married will matter" since the excerpts on Patreon went up. And I'm just like, "Yeah, it does." Just maybe not for the reasons people are thinking.)
I'm being tongue-in-cheek when I joke about the Zealot wanting marriage. I'm a marriage enjoyer. I told my now-husband on the first date that I wasn't interested in dating him if he wasn't going to marry me. For anyone who wants to get married, you're allowed to do that and it's a great way to weed out f-boys. You can also say you want kids. Don't let a pretty face or loneliness compromise your values. The More You Know‧₊˚✩彡
I agree that between Val and Nythara, the MC is essentially backed into a corner. That's the main reason I labeled the story with dub-con, because you can make the argument that she's not acting of her own free will. Or, at the least, she has to convince herself that she is, which is kind of sad. Marriage is her way of asserting her own desires into a world that seems determined to dictate her path. That said, iirc you're on the unaligned Zealot route. No spoilers, but I can almost promise you'll like your MC's version of Night VI.
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mortish-writes · 12 days ago
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I thought that the weaver had serax and Valdricht meet to buy time. since her plans had been turned upside down with mc's mother who had run away.maybe I thought the weaver much more powerful than she is. she is truly a goddess failure☠️
The Weaver (mostly) got lucky with Serax. Obviously when a soul sinks into her domain during the change into a darksinger, she can pull some strings. Sorry to anyone hasn’t read the Heretic standard night, skip this if you would rather learn it later.
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The MC was essentially her perfect specimen meant to be the mate of a yet-unnamed god and produce the divine child who would defeat the adversary. When she died, The Weaver had to resort to using her half-brother, but because of too much human blood, it took several generations of re-breeding to arrive at the body of the MC, which is now primed to produce the divine child.
As convoluted as it sounds, it will make sense later, especially once we start learning about who these people and gods are. The Week One update will also have a family tree in the codex to visualize it :)
Tbh The Weaver is pretty powerful, but her power is limited. She has a lot less control over what’s happening topside than she’d like the MC to know, but down in Yndral she controls a lot.
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mortish-writes · 12 days ago
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"sithrak don't know our women can't breed" but this one does 😭
like, can't believe i'm coming to the disgusting sithrak's defense, but he wasn't wrong about mc being able to reproduce... just, thank god the boys came to her rescue, because this is what we call dramatic irony 😭 are the boys realize going to realize somewhere down the line their mc is even more vulnerable than the typical female darksingers, because i can see them totally being reasonable about this when finding out (not)
Yeah, it would have been awful if they hadn't found her. In one of my earlier drafts of the IF if your MC didn't follow your first order the sithrak would, um, get ya. I figured it was too dark of a start, although it would be a good way to hammer home the point that actions have consequences in a dark fantasy world. Sometimes I worry I'm making the story a bit too safe. I might add some more danger in the Week One update.
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mortish-writes · 13 days ago
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So I know we’re all falling deeper in love with Val tonight (god I cannot resist repressed feral men) and gleefully giddy about antagonism with Serax (or is that just me, I looove an enemies to lovers)
But I did have a question!! So I had a suspicion that without your maker’s blood you would eventually die, and that it was what’s happening with Val, and the POV confirmed that but it has me wondering. That means Serax drinks Val’s blood right? Maybe not regularly, but he has to sometimes right, so if MC and Val have the same maker then why did Serax go crazy from MC’s blood? Is MC’s blood more divine because of the body’s history being so divine?
Oh goodness, I love all these questions and I wanna answer but it's a spoiler minefield. One thing I can say is that young darksingers tend to be unstable without a steady flow of their makers blood, but they can survive. I'm cringing as I write this because I take the plot twists probably too seriously, but Valdricht's slips are related to the lack of his maker's blood, but not for any reason that will be obvious yet. There's still a lot of darksinger/god lore to be unpacked. Yes, the MC's blood is extremely potent. The blood of Valdricht's maker Adonir was just the icing on the proverbial cake. Her body was never mortal, she's got more human in her than The Weaver would like, but her blood is like a pantheon of gods.
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