#divinity: blood

[dailyadventureprompts]

Thirsting Grail, Outergod of Wants and Wounds

Artsource

Adventure Hooks:

While travelling the party encounters a once famed surgeon who seeks their help in undertaking pilgrimage to the distant shrine of a death god. When pressed on her motivation, she reveals that through some curse or divine act of cruelty, those she operates on can never die, but also cannot heal. 

There is a tree that grows in the ruins of the old braon’s castle, said to have sprouted from the chopping block upon which he had his wife’s lovers executed. The tree grows no leaves, only flowers, and it’s said that if you make a tea from its blossoms, you will receive a vision of your one ture love.  Beings of woven thorn are said to guard the tree, but there are those who would pay desperately to drink of its boughs. 

A once peaceful kingdom dissolves into a generations long civil war, any hope of peace drowned beneath a tide of violence, ruination, and grievance that none can hope to escape.

Among the outergods there are none more eager to engage with mortals than the entity known as Thisting Grail. It is a thing of violence and appetite, and seems all too eager to lend its power to those most likely to misuse it, whether they sought it’s aid in the first place or not. 

Scholars and madmen have long debated the Grail’s motivations, what goal or ideology it is trying to achieve with the visions and often horrific miracles it bestows. In truth, Thirsting Grail has no goal beyond the pursuit of violence and longing, it is a means without an end, ready to lend itself to any cause that would make the world a bloodier, hungrier place. 

The god is formless, an ocean of boling blood that takes on the shape of whatever “vessel” its followers imagine for it, borrowing their cultural iconography and birthing itself anew each time. There are litanies of these avatars, hundreds more likely forgotten by history;  blood saints and baleful red stars and heart hungry blades. Perhaps because of blood’s ubiquity in ritual and occult practice the Grail’s influence can “seep” its way into the worship of other entities, divine or demonic, and it’s not unheard of for otherwise upstanding and dogmatic worshippers of banal gods to accidentally begin practising the grail’s bloody rites. 

Sanguimancy and other forms of blood magic are the most obvious of Thirsting Grail’s gifts, but it has other more esoteric offerings: smoke from sacrifices or incense mingled with the formless god’s essence can grant visions of desires made manifest, though often twisted through a disturbingly carnal (in both senses of the word) lens. All too often worshippers ( and the cult leaders that encourage them) see these visions as prophetic, leading to the outergod being sometimes called “the mother of truth”.  It can also manifest the objects of desire: succulent fruits, unearthly lovers, weapons of inordinate power, but there is something fundamentally wrong with these creations as they cannot grant true satisfaction, and often leave those that partake of them wanting more than when they started. 

Those who fall prey to Thirsting Grail’s influence can become warped as their own veins become polluted by the entity’s ichor: becoming feral creatures of endless cruelty and appetite, or having their wounds open wider and wider until there is nothing but wound remaining of their swollen flesh. Those so overtaken grow and warp and merge with others until new horrors are birthed from them, a permanent seedbed of 

Titles: Mother of truth, formless mother, font erubescent, the bloodstar.  Symbols: A red grail or fountain, cultural iconography stained with blood.  Signs:  Wounds that bleed but do not heal, plants overflowing or cracking open to expose their innards. Unsettling red dreams.  Worshippers: Those with bloodstained hands be they doctors, butchers, or murderers. Vampires, occultists, and other sanguiphiles. Instatiable gourmands and unfulfilled lovers.   

Inspiration:  I wear my influences on my sleeve with this one.  I’ve been turning the Elden Ring mythology over in my mind for some time partially because I think there’s a lot of fun ideas there but also because I felt like (in typical Fromsoft fashion) there wasn’t enough shown to really scratch my itch for discovery. 

The formless mother/bloodstar was chiefest among these elements: A killer aesthetic with lore that was a little too thin to use as inspiration. After a while that thinness turned into a feature, the idea of an eldritch entity of pain and violence that conformed to the needs of those who worshipped it, granting power to those who would go out and make the world more violent and painful.  I liked the idea that “mother of truth” was a misnomer, and that cultists would ascribe meaning and intent and iconography to a god that didn’t care one way or another. 

Another strong influence is the Grail from Cultist Simulator/Book of hours ( SERIOUSLY, play book of hours you fools), an eldritch entity/aspect of reality that presides over hungers and births be they literal or figurative.  The Blood + Mother connection was obvious here, but the Grail provided some more texture and esoteric aspects to fill out my version’s storytelling potential.

[dairyofateenagegirl]

black women as vampires

[zephyrbug]

Temple of wires and veins🩸🏛️📺

Lil gift piece to @leidensygdom of their warforged/aasimar character Argyros!! Kinda an experimental piece cause I thought it would be fun to make the divine robot a marble statue in a temple? idk I had a vision and just had fun with it haha

[oathbreakerapologist]

…and you have never spoken an unclear word, and I’ll never betray your blood promise.

[pinkishhue22]

The Divine Machine and the Mortal Flesh,,,

[anetherealpoetess]

tbh characters like galadriel are more important now than ever. there's morfydd clark saying that every time she's played a human woman, shame has been at the heart of the character, but there is no shame in galadriel.

galadriel turning her back on the ethereal light of elven heaven to hunt down and savage a demigod with her dead brother's dagger, only to accidentally fall in love with that demigod isn't the fragile, guilt-laden journey we're used to seeing women undertake.

it's unapologetic. it's defiant. it's staring into the storm and deciding you have the right to step forward into that tempest. (a decision men have made time and time again in story and in song while women are rarely given the opportunity.) she's not watching the rings of power from a distance. she's the heart of the show, her delirious appetite to kill sauron the only reason the story even exists in the first place. and yes, for those knowingly or unknowingly anxious about women, it's a hard watch. that's exactly why they should watch it.

i love galadriel. i hope she never takes her hand off the hilt of her sword. i hope she never learns shame.

[stormbornwitch]

Now is the time of change; of storms; of destruction; of breaking down barriers and old ways of doing things.

To make it through this time, you must be like water and change as well.

Like streams, rivers, the ocean, rain, hail, sleet, snow, or ice, you must change your form to suit your conditions.

Do not hold on to material things, status, or position. These things will be dashed against the rocky shore like crashing waves.

I feel this in my bones and in my blood. I hear it in the screaming wind as the storm rages outside.

It is going to get worse before it gets better. You must adapt and try to help as many people as you can.

[carabiner-pansy]

sorry this fella is a lil graphic but i had some vents to art out :’)

[gravedigg]

A pearl, prized from the flesh, greedy fingers digging at the pit.

Something was stolen from you, and you are left hollow.

Jean-Baptiste Julien Royer from Divine the Blood, for @nullshocked

[sleepypocketsock]

wake up

[bluebirds-stuff]

Tang bo return au inspired by ge's and azu1as Tangchung arranged marriage au

Something Something happens and chung myung ends up needing to be (faked) married for a short awhile so the tang family offers the hand of a distant tang cousin who's been making waves in the cultivation world and getting stronger during the last 3 years (*note that this is after cm is 21 ) who seems to REALLY hate the demonic cult and the great sects who won't meet each other until the wedding day

Now on the outsider pov we have people up and down making sure everything is doing good on said wedding night , and it is ..... except for the fact that said wedding grooms seem to be late for THEIR OWN WEDDING

Thankfully the mount hua disciplines see their youngest coming, not so Thankfully he's coming covered in blood dragging a (dead or unconscious ? ) demonic cult member and all of you are worrying about the poor groom who doesn't deserve to be tied down to this heart attack inducing menace ,except the groom ALSO Shows up covered in blood dragging a (also dead or unconscious ?! ) body without a care in the world, then all of you see your youngest FREEZE at the site of him as if he saw the dead coming back to life he did

And the tang groom freezes too and whispers in awe and confusion " taoist hyung-nime!? "

The crazy bastards proceed to drop the bodies and launch at each other with desperation

And all of you are hit with a horrible gut feeling that this isn't going to be a "fake" wedding after all .

[alibonbonn]

The Grief of Thetis (For our zine Sing, O Muse's sketches giveaway)

[melljam]

ptj has been loving platinum blonde recently

[jewelsli]

DC X DP X Captain Marvel/Shazam (Part 2)

Before I continue, here’s a real quick Headcannon for this, so when Danny became the ghost prince, it was a pretty big deal, but since he didn’t want to deal with all the fame stuff he made sure only the people who needed to know were informed(this includes the champion of magic and the lords or order and chaos(they don’t know exactly who he is just that there’s a new ghost prince)). Sam is the new fright knight (the old one is training her), Danielle and Dan are also royals, Tuck and jazz are helping in different areas too (tuck is a kinda judge and jazz is helping new ghosts and getting everyone some therapy). The Champion of magic and Ruler of the Infinite realms interact a lot and are two of the greatest forces in the universe, they also help each other to stop entire universes from dying(Infinite realms is the stuff between universes and the Rock of Eternity connects every universe and supplies it w/ magic), anyway with that out of the way…

here’s the next part! (Once again I am not the greatest writer so don’t expect anything to amazing)(also I mostly know about billy through fanfics and have yet to read the original comics)

(oh also Danny looks his normal age here, he lets a bit of his eldritch form leak into him so he looks older at the JL)

Danny glanced around the room that the meeting was taking place in, it was different from most of the infinite realms, in a way that it just felt more… it felt like how pop rocks taste, sweet but sharp. It was different from the spiky citrusy(or maybe metal?) feeing that most of the realms had. Clockwork had told him it was because they were in a pocket dimension between the infinite realms and some place called the Rock of Eternity(wait hadn’t marvel mentioned something like that?), so there was more magic here then usual. The sound of a door opening caught his attention and he swiftly turned to see the door opposite to the one he had come from open as a small figure stepped through.

A small figure with a very familiar aura(I can’t remember the word I want to use so whatever) stood in the doorway.

After the door closed and the harsh backlighting disappeared he could see more of the kid(who looks his age), they were wearing golden sandals with what looked like wings on the sides, a robe? Thing??? Whatever they called those back then, which was white with golden edges(think how cap’s cape looks), he also wore one of the golden leaf crown thingamajigs around his head. The kid was holding a lightning staff that was taller then they were and had a matching lighting bolt amulet. Overall they looked like some sort of Greek or Roman royal, or at least how he would imagine them.

The champion seemed to be surveying him in the same way, from his crown of black fire and ectoplasm, to his cape of stars, why yes he was extremely fashionable, thank you for noticing! He cleared his throat before holding out his hand to the kid, “Danny Phantom, prince of the Infinite Realms.” He introduced, the kids eyes widened for a moment before they reached forwards and shook his hand, he saw the Lichtenberg figures tracing along his arms, similar to his own scars from the portal, but while his were an ectoplasmic green, the other’s looked like they were inlaid with gold. “Marvel, champion of magic,” he finally introduced.

wait-

They both stared at each other for a few moments, finally the other kid spoke up. “I knew you felt different from a normal ghost!” He exclaimed with a smile, letting go of his hand as Danny paused for a moment longer. “So THATS how you knew there was a new prince!” He said with the same smile as he put the pieces together, he had thought it was strange for a random leaguer who was only supposed to be mildly magical to know. Said kid laughed as he nodded, “Nice to have another kid on the league then, assuming you aren’t actually an immortal who just looks like a kid at least.” Marvel commented. Danny was struck by inspiration and(before his brain remembered that he was supposed to be acting all princely or whatever) quickly said, “We’re just like that Spider-Man meme!!!” And thankfully didn’t have to immediately regret it when Marvel seemed to agree. A noise if someone clearing their throat startled the boys.

“I’m glad to see that you two get along with one another,” Clockwork said with a sigh of exasperation, “But in case you forgot you are here to discuss the fact that a recent use of magic by the Sorcerer Supreme In Earth M-A73 has destabilized the universe and nearby realms.” Marvel looked surprised by his appearance but by now Danny was used to it. “Yes Clockwork we know.” He said in as annoying of a polite tone as he could manage, the entity sighed and faded away, he turned to the Champion ready to discuss the problem-

“WAS THAT CRONOS?!?!” He asked… maybe Earth M-A73 could wait for a bit.

[sethdomain]

The only man i love

[samualcheese]

redraw of that thing from august bc i changed how i draw him drastically

(no one gaf)

(^q^)