#evil elf autumn

[pseudogirlie]

there's something else wrong with me

had to take a break from main game because i couldn't figure out who to romance.... so i made a 'good' dark urge druid until i decide<3

[meneatyoghurt]

Let's see how much I can remember of the longform from tonight before I go sleepy.

It was called Teddy Bears and Divorce (or the other way around?)

Sam was Santa and Luke an elf called Snowdrop. AJ was Mrs Claus who had cheated and was leaving to Barbados to be with her lover, Javier (naturally). There were some jokes about how the elves procrastinate in summer and early autumn then have to work hard later in the year, and how Luke had finally got tested for ADHD (congrats, Luke). The elves got their energy from eating the joy of Santa but he'd been sad for the past few months.

Tom was Krampus taking advantage of the instability at the north pole to ruin Christmas and do Krampusmas... I don't know if Tom actually said this word, possibly I made it up. He did some weird contortion shit, as he does. Luke was little krampus.

AJ as Mrs Claus was trying to fly to Barbados. Her passport was expired so she had to get new photos, and there were jokes about how it was a boring plot point. Tom appeared as Krampus in the photo booth, over AJ's shoulder (Mrs Claus didn't notice until the photos came out).

Luke and Sam as elves took Santa's sleigh to Barbados (Luke (Snowdrop) initially suggested they could fly by getting a passport via him sitting on Sam's shoulders and pretending to be a human - unfortunately that didn't happen but Sam got a handshake for his excellent idea instead).

In Barbados, the elves meet Javier (Tom). AJ comes in as Mrs Claus, there's talk of Krampus's evil deeds, plus Javier insists their relationship is casual.

Santa turns up. There was much chaos with Krampus tormenting everyone, Tom did an echoey mic thing a lot. There was a big fight/showdown but obviously the magic of Christmas won or something (I think... I'm a bit vague on the ending because I'm tired and had wine). Everyone sang All I Want For Christmas and it killed Krampus.

[ttrpg-smash-pass-vs]

DROW

VS ELADRIN

Next is the Drow, a cursed elf with magic to create light and patches of darkness. Most are cartoonishly evil to the point of parody, but that's not actually innate, their goddess just personally has the good ones killed and tries to manipulate/torment them to be even more evil. So there are actually nice ones, I mean they used Drizzt as thier only example photo and he's the poster child for that. Though most drow that survive to adulthood are going to be sadistic and dominant, since Lolth randomly sets even her priestesses on fire just to keep them on thier toes. Primed and ready if you're into manipulation and being used! Or someone with a hell of a lot of trauma.

Eladrin are whimsical magical fey! All of them, since as a PC race they are elves (not fey), are nearly identical, and change only when they want to for all sorts of reasons. Plus the only difference in ability is that autumn charms people when they teleport, winter frightens, summer damages, and spring can teleport other people. I guess the winter still tends to be more dour/gloomy, summer angry/confident, spring joyous/mischievous, and autumn peaceful/generous. But for the PC version here that's not really a requirement since they didn't want to force players into set personalities.

[shroomishthecuck]

Devlog #1

Rough Beginnings

Hey. Welcome to my first devlog. Stuff's been pretty slow, and unfortunately it'll only get slower because school :/. Thankfully, winter break is coming up so I'll hopefully get some more time to work on the game then.

Anyway, here's some gameplay footage. It's not much but it's something at least.

(the beginning is really laggy for some reason that's just the video tho the game runs fine)

Here's some screenshots of random stuff so anyone who's better at programming than me can tell me everything that's wrong with my code

Lastly, here's some unfinished spritesheets I have

Problems that I don't know how to fix

Whenever I change scenes in the editor or try to load the game an error pops up that says the name Animation_Component conflicts with something else. It's not a big deal and doesn't effect gameplay but it's really annoying.

Whenever you go from moving horizontally to moving diagonally Elliot twitches a little. It's weird lmao.

Any guidance on how to fix these (and how to make my code not suck ass) is appreciated :)

I guess I'll talk about the game's backstory now

It all started with a game jam. I'm pretty sure it was hosted by Firith Studios. It was an autumn themed one with a limited color pallet, and I thought of the idea of a Wario Land 3 esque platformer staring an elf trying to find the presents stolen by the evil king of Halloween. Each level would've had three hidden presents that would serve the exact same purpose as the treasures in Wario Land 3. Unfortunately, I don't have any of the project files for that old game anymore so I think it's lost media.

Anyway, I eventually picked up the concept again and decided it'd be better as an rpg. Thus began the age of me and my friend making random doodles and coming up with new characters in health class. This was basically the Renaissance.

And now, here I am, making this stupid ass game about a stupid ass elf for real. Crazy.

Other progress

I've also been working a lot on the game's soundtrack, and have been constantly thinking about the plot. Other than that, though, not much has really been done for this. Unfortunately, I'm very busy and also lazy :(

It'll get done eventually tho. I am NOT giving up on this shit

Plans for the future

I'm definitely gonna want to go through the Godot Docs more. I barely know anything about the engine and my code is probably horrible. I definitely want to start working on the battle system by the next devlog, and maybe even finish it. That'd be pretty cool. Other than that, a lot is still pretty uncertain. This is my first game and I'm kinda just winging it. Planning isn't my strong suit :/

See you next week :)

[oubliette-odette]

The Reluctance of Love Pt. 15

Orc Male x Half-Elf Male, Fated Mates, Forbidden Love, Slow Burn Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 Word Count: 2257 (average 17 min read) Content Warnings: mention of mating, homophobia, fantasy racisms. Steamy scenes will come to those who are patient. :) All orcish is from orcishdictionary.com, created by Matt Vancil.

I had found being safely tucked into a corner behind a pillar was the most comfortable place for me in the room. The shadows kept me from drawing attention and Doxxah stood only a few feet away making nice conversation with the people around them. They would occasionally glance my way, but never brought anyone’s attention to me. How Doxxah had ever managed to make friends with these people, I don’t believe I would ever know. I felt completely ostracized and alone in this place and I didn’t feel safe to speak with anyone.

My eyes were unfocused as I looked around the room and took in the crowd - the swarms - of people dancing and mingling. Some were holding votives of wine, others were admiring the space. I looked around too, but my head was too full to retain anything that I saw. I had been standing here for a long time, watching and weaving my eyes through the crowds to spot Altan, and everything felt different, slower, where I stood. 

I was brought out of my daze when there was a loud banging and everyone stilled  and looked up at the stairs at the top of the Grand Hall. 

“Presenting, Duke Taliesin Valdemir Hilmar and his son Altan Hithranri Hilmar.”

I jerked my attention to the center of the stairs and found him, standing stiffly and so uncomfortably next to his father, but I did not see an Altan I recognized. His face was dim, his eyes were downcast and he seemed like he was folding in on himself. He was dressed in black, a colour he should never be allowed to wear. I found that all breath had escaped me and I fell against the pillar as I gazed upon Altan. 

Where was his radiance? His glow? I found my hand pressed against my chest, holding the pounding of my heart in place inside me. I didn’t know what had come over me, but it was a painful sensation. 

“Good evening, my most honoured and welcomed guests.” The Duke announced. His voice had been magicked to amputate it and extend it across the entirety of the large space. No one would miss his commentary. “We once again come together with friends across many lands to celebrate the coming of the Autumn Season where our crops will again be gathered, prepared and stored for the coming winter. We in Berdusk feel fortunate to be hosting for so many of our neighbors to provide this celebration of life and renewal.”

“But there is something about this particular year’s celebration that makes it especially unique.” He turned and brought his aarm was around Altan and he pulled him up to his side. “It was 200 years ago that my ancestor Dafydd Hilmar defended this land - our beautiful land - from the dangers of the evil folk who lurked South of us. Since Dafydd’s time, the Hilmar name has continued to promise prosperity and protection for the people of Berdusk and I am pleased to present my son as my heir to continue that legacy. The Hilmar family will continue to protect and guide these people through years to come. When there are those who would bring danger and change to our land, I can promise you that the Hilmar name will be the first to defend our tradition, our way of life.”

I noticed the way Altan’s gaze lowered as his father continued. His hands were worrying and fidgeting with the hem of his sleeve. Even as people clapped and applauded his honour and position, I could see the way he shrunk at all of the attention.

“And not only will the Hilmar legacy continue through my heir, but there is a promise of prosperity in continuing the name onward. My son has agreed to be wed.”

Cheers erupted, but I heard none of it. I saw the Duke’s mouth moving - continuing his proclamation. I heard nothing he said, only the sharp ringing in my ears.

 I saw Altan, the way he stiffly stood as the Duke ushered a small, girlish looking woman to stand next to them. She smiled shyly at Altan and then to the crowd I ached as he smiled in return. The girl immediately clung to Altan’s side as they waved and bowed to the crowd. She looked like she couldn’t be older than seventeen or eighteen years old and she was petite, and blonde and pale. Everything about her looked smooth and glassy, like porcelain. She watched Altan with a nervous smile. The Duke stood behind the couple, his face pleased.

I could only lean against the pillar with my fingers clinging to the vial.

Celebration and congratulations were exclaimed, but my lips were tight. I caught Doxxah’s eyes on me, they didn’t say anything, but I saw the empathetic gaze in them and I looked away, blinking back the rage that was settling in me.

My hand was on the vial, my fingers playing with the stopper. 

Altan…I watched him as he descended the stairs to join the crowd and the way his smile didn’t quite meet his eyes. Was he mine to claim? With that vial, I could have him if I chose, force our bodies together and take him away from all of this. Lordhovid could fix all of this. 

But perhaps…this was for the best. This union between two people. She could give him comforts I never could. She looked good next to him, just the right size and disposition. Perhaps I was foolish for believing someone like me ever really had a chance to be loved.

Perhaps this was truly what made me broken all along, that I was only meant to love what I couldn’t have.

Yet, I would look at Altan and I would see the light gone from his eyes. He didn’t choose this, did he? He didn’t agree to this, did he?

I couldn’t bear to watch anymore as they wandered through the crowd. I kept my eyes down. 

“Not exactly the news we were hoping for, eh?” Doxxah sidled next to me and handed me a glass of wine. “Drink, it will help.”

“Not interested.” I responded. 

They pushed the glass into my hand. “I know what’s best right now for a broken heart, you thickhead, and right now you need a good smack of alcohol to help you forget the pain for a bit.”

I looked down at the red liquid, no different in shade than the liquid inside my vial. Either one could help with the pain…but I couldn’t bring myself to do either. 

I handed the glass back and shook my head. “I’m not interested in removing the pain.”

Doxxah rolled their eyes. “You romantic folk are always so melodramatic. More for me, I suppose.” They took the glass and downed it in one. 

I looked back up at where I last saw Altan and watched. I was doomed to never look away.

“Don’t trust for a minute that he chose this, Drunrag.” Doxxah said. “He’s not one to move on so quickly. This has the Duke’s scent all over it.”

I glanced again over to the crowd of nobles and noticed that indeed The Duke seemed to be the most exultant of the gathering and the one who continued to push Altan towards the girl. I was too far to tell, but I could have sworn I saw Altan’s eyes shifting and looking out, as if he were scanning the crowd, looking for someone. 

Possibly me? I could only hope. 

“Excuse me?” A voice broke through. 

Doxxah and I both turned to see a young boy - an adolescent, no more than fifteen - standing before us. I jerked back when I recognized that it was Altan’s younger brother.

“Selhar!” Doxxah exclaimed. “A pleasant surprise.” They lowered themselves to meet the boy’s height and said softly, “What can I do for you?”

Selhar darted their attention between Doxxah and myself and finally shuffled towards me. “Actually…I was hoping I could speak with you.” He looked up at me, eyes nervous and expectant.

I felt my own eyes widen in surprise and I quickly darted to Doxxah for guidance. But they were no help as they only shrugged and stepped back, letting the boy approach me.

I bent my knees and leaned down to the boys level. “How may I serve you?” I asked, formally.

His eyes were on me, taking in every detail of my face. It usually was uncomfortable for me to be so closely observed, but Selhar’s eyes were not so far from mine and I could read his reactions so carefully. His lips parted, a look of awe as he took in my rough skin, marred with scars from my childhood days, my tusks that protruded from my lower lip. I waited for the awe to transform into fear, but he took a step forward with a look of determination on his face. His hands were clutching each other tightly. ‘Are you the one my brother loves?”

I felt a shudder, a cool shudder run down my spine. It felt like a small little vibration that if it spoke would whisper yes, yes, yes, that is me at those words. I was stunned that he knew me.

I hesitated but finally gave the boy a slight nod. 

Selhar’s eyes widened and he broke into a nervous smile. His smile reminded me of Altan’s making me ache inside. “I knew it. I saw you from over there and I just knew it was you. You know, you’re all he talks about when he’s alone.”

Another trill of pleasure and affirmation coursed down my spine, “Really?” I asked.

He nodded and swiveled to look over to where his brother was, “He’s…I don’t…” He paused, collecting his words. “Don’t let him marry her. Please.”

I looked at this boy - so close to becoming a man - who looked so much like his brother in many ways but also possessed an array of qualities that made him totally different - and I beheld how courageous he was for coming here to speak with me.

I nodded, “I will do my best.”

He shook his head. “No, please. If you don’t take him away, my father will control him for the rest of his life. I don’t want that. My father doesn’t understand my brother, he won’t ever.” 

He appeared to be pleading at me and I wasn’t sure what to say, what to even do. If he only knew how badly I wanted to stop any wedding from happening for Altan. How close I was coming to downing the vial around my neck and letting my lordhovid control me and overtake us both and breaking everything in my path to get to him.

“I don’t know what to do.” I finally said.

His eyes fell and he nodded, “I understand what you mean.” We both gazed in Altan’s direction. “Can you at least promise me that you’re not going to hurt him or forget him? No matter what happens?”

I hadn’t pondered anything quite to this extreme when it came to Altan. I knew there was something pulling me to him. Something I desired in him. Even with lordhovid gone between us, I still felt a deeper, more deep pull that melded my soul to his. Something about it all scared me profoundly. But I also understood that part of that entailed my desire to never hurt him, to never lie to him. I could never forget him, not in all of the days I had left in this mortal life. I was doomed to remember him - only him. 

I nodded my head, “I promise, young lord.” 

I felt relief as he broke into a smile. “That will make him happy, thank you.”

Doxxah cleared their throat then, “Selhar, you best get back to your father. He appears to be looking for you.” 

Selhar’s back straightened and he gave me one last pressing stare before turning back and weaving through the crowd. I watched him sidle up to his father’s side and with nothing more than a few words was left alone by his father and everyone else. 

I somehow knew what it was like to be Selhar. I was neither the oldest or youngest, and I often found myself drifting between being too much in the way or completely invisible. But I saw the way Selhar’s eyes watched and took in everything around him. He was more aware of the reality of the situation than probably anyone realized. 

Altan reached for his brother and the two conversed for a moment and my heart stopped when I saw Selhar lift his hand to point towards me.

Altan’s eyes lifted and met mine. I felt the weight, the distance between us and knew he felt it too. In so little time we had found each other’s presence to be more desirable than any other person’s, but there was so much between us keeping us apart. I wished that things could have been simpler for us. Maybe if I had trusted our lordhovid I would have been better at keeping him near me. I wondered how our lives would be different if I had acted sooner.

I kept hoping to see his eyes brighten, but they only returned to me with a dim grief. 

“What do I do?” I breathed out and I looked to Doxxah. 

“You fight for him,” Doxxah answered, their eyes holding me in their gaze. “You fight for him no matter the odds.”

[dimalink]

Autumn provinces – to the autumn country

Pixel art for today based on videogame Quest for Glory 1: so you want to be a hero for computer system Ibm Pc MsDos. It is very colorful and, so, artistic inspiring game. From legends of those times Sierra. They do a Kings Quest, Space Quest. For example. It is a very lucky time for a quest games fans and adventure games fans too. I, also, like a beautiful colorful game screens from this kind of games. So, autumn - it is very beautiful there.

And, this is my drawing based on. It is autumn forest, which you like a lot to have a walk every day. Your friend elf and druid today not come to this place. Because of they are preparing for a big adventure. In a land of autumn. To the autumn country. Just, yesterday, you have a conversation with small red dragon. And he will fly there too.

Now, it is your turn to pack your things and go to autumn country. You will meet your friends at the autumn crossroads. It is not far from here. And you will go to search for orange crystal. Which was stolen from mage tower. Just, a week ago. Without this crystal, magical sorcery autumn will come to the end and it will begins a endless freezing winter. While it not happens, you need to hurry. And in autumn land, it will to be such crystals, more of them. Maybe, you will need to ask a master of autumn, to get to know, what happened.

Someone saw figure in black. Or dark blue. It was evil sorcerer in a hood. He is, straight, walk out of portal and steal orange crystal. And, from a portal, it was a cold wind to go. Looks like, for him, all these cold – it is a normal state and autumn makes him not comfortable. It is, also, good to find out. Has this sorcerer evil thing in his head about your autumn place. Or, maybe, he just come with a random way to this place, while he was in his route in a portal corridor. It is nice to bring back orange crystal.

Fluffy gremlin runs to you and gives you amulet. Dark blue color. Strange symbol. It is, bay a case, was left by sorcerer.  Symbol is very cold. He gives it to you, and you will need to get more information about this symbol.

Drawing about pixel quests. Something interesting fantasy tale. Some place unusual, as it was in quests for MsDos. Very not fast idea. To walk the screens.  And interact with items. To see visual. Retro. It is picture by now! Only picture.

Dima Link is making retro videogames, apps, a little of music, write stories, and some retro more.

WEBSITE: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/home_eng.html ITCHIO: https://dimalink.itch.io/

TUMBLR: https://dimalink.tumblr.com/ BLOGGER: https://dimalinkeng.blogspot.com/ MASTODON: https://mastodon.social/@DimaLink

[boghermit]

Tagged by @ineed-to-sleep. Thank you for the tag!

Name: Salem Rekaviðrsson

Nickname(s): "The Dark Urge” before Wyll shortened it to “Durge” or “Dirge.” Now that he’s remembered his name, everyone just calls him "Salem."

Pronouns: He / him

Star sign: Scorpio

Height: Between 5’5” and 5’7”? Maybe shorter? He’s shorter than Astarion, but I keep hearing mixed answers on Astarion’s height. The Githyanki in-game says he's 5'11", but I think an official source said he's 5'9"? T'is a mystery.

Orientation: Bi

Race: Half-elf (wood elf)

Romancing: Astarion

Favorite fruit: Astarion He likes berries and apples a lot.

Favorite season: Autumn and winter. Whichever smells the most like dead leaves.

Favorite flower: Henbane, due to its real life hallucinogenic “berserking” effects; lavender, because he likes the smell; and honeysuckle, because he likes the smell and taste, and thinks it looks pretty.

Favorite scent: Sea spray, dirt, decaying leaves, cloves, Astarion’s weird cologne.

Coffee, tea or hot chocolate: Coffee

Average sleep hours: Oof. About three hours? His sleep SOMEWHAT improves after the end of the main game.

Dogs or cats: Both!

Dream trip: The Moonshae Isles

Amount of blankets: One very thin and fluffy blanket. His temperature runs a bit hot due to health and stress problems.

Random fact(s):

He was already going blind in his left eye when he gave it to Auntie Ethel.

He has lots of tattoos, most of which are related to the Cult of Bhaal, but he also has a lot of tattoos, scars, and brands meant as protective wards against (ironically) evil. Most of them are in the style of Icelandic galdrastafir. These include the ones on his face. (I don’t think the in-game scarring CANONICALLY means anything, but it appears to be at least inspired by galdrastafir.)

He wears his hair long and in a loose braid, but there’s nothing that really fits that in BG3. His mustache is also not nearly as thick as it is in the game. That being said, his in-game look has really grown on me.

He is 100% named after the cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Rekaviðr is old Norse for “driftwood.”

He’s both a bard and a druid, but I haven’t really been able to make a bard/druid multiclass viable in the game. :[ Maybe on explorer mode?

He was originally a stand in for the player avatar in MGSV. Then, he was an OC for The Arcana, then after that, the protagonist for an original world I was working on. But because the original world’s storyline centered around a plague, war, and political upheaval, and the 2020s exist, I shelved that story for the most part.

[elfydrell]

Autumn had covered the land of the White Elves with its mantle of leaves. The princess was 9 months old today. A banquet had been held at court to celebrate the birth and survival of my dear Elerinna. In those few months, I had caught a glimpse of her baby face and her radiant smile. King Lomion had expressly forbidden me to approach his offspring. His words were clear: "See to it that the half-blood stays away from my daughter". Ugh… What a nutcase! Yet one day, that didn't stop Lady Amarië from breaking that rule and introducing me to Elerinna on a clear night. She was sleeping peacefully in her cradle. I touched her sweet face. How beautiful she was! It was a sweet revenge I treasured in my heart.

The party was in full swing and the guests were enjoying an exceptional feast. Humans and elves mingled with interest. The humans saw it as a way of consolidating their exchanges with the elves, and conversely, the elves as a way of monitoring the extent of human power. Politics… Not for me! I was perfectly content with my position, but knowing that Elerinna was being paraded around like a trophy by her father only accentuated the gulf between us! What's more, she was the heiress of a constellationist by birth. Their blood was the envy of the whole kingdom, and an alliance with the Elves guaranteed the survival of the central lands.

Evil took advantage of this evening of opportunity to strike. My body, on the lookout, alarmed me of imminent danger. I might only be half-blood but I was half-elf after all. Intruders had infiltrated the domain of the king and queen and I could only see the shadow of their august thoughts. They struck in the darkness without a sound with speed and agility. A smell of smoke presaged a fire starting, leaving strategic points abandoned by the guards busy putting out the fire. In the tumult, soldiers and servants joined the world of the dead without even seeing the reaper descend on their existence. The party in honor of the princess turned into a bloodbath.

[lodichi]

(Lodi's) Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden - A Primer

The year is 1497 DR on the continent of Faerûn. Approximately three years ago, a group of adventurers called The Dawnbringers unwittingly unleashed a group of evil beings called The Dark Powers, who had been previously trapped in a series of pocket dimensions called Domains of Dread.

Shortly thereafter, thousands of miles to the north, the Icewind Dale became ensnared in an endless winter, caused by the goddess Auril the Frostmaiden for reasons yet unknown. Though the Dawnbringers were able to defeat the Dark Powers and bring relative peace to southern Faerûn, Icewind Dale remained trapped in the dark, cold embrace of Auril's winter...

Party members below the cut! All character art is courtesy of the lovely and talented Lydia, who plays Maydene.

The Party

Dahlia Tidesong: a half-elf cleric and sister to Kairos, Dahlia has lived in Ten Towns all her life. Originally from the town of Lonelywood, she and Kairos moved to the much larger city of Bryn Shander after the death of their parents. While there, she encountered a group of traveling worshippers of Lliira, the goddess of joy. She quickly became a convert. As her day job, she works at a tavern called The Northlook.

Kairos Tidesong: a tiefling ranger and brother to Dahlia, Kairos has likewise grown up in Ten Towns. He is Dahlia's younger sibling. Rather than take up a traditional job like his sister, Kairos became a ranger, traveling from town to town doing odd jobs, though he always knew he had a home in Bryn Shander. During one of his more recent hunting trips, he came across a strange egg half-buried in the snow, which hatched into the large lizard-like creature he named Thorn.

Nevarth Elverquisst IV: an astral elf mage who fell into Icewind Dale after the moon was destroyed due to actions caused by the fight between the Dawnbringers and the Dark Powers, Nevarth is VERY proud of his lineage. Refined and more than a little entitled, Nevarth detests the poor living conditions in Ten Towns, and he quickly ran out of the (sizeable sum of) money he had on his person when he was displaced from the moon. He runs a magical curios "shop" in Bryn Shander. A little less than a year ago, he encountered Maydene on the verge of death in the snow, and took her into his care. She now works as his "assistant".

Maydene: a Drow mage who stumbled into Icewind Dale after leaving the Underdark. Before she could freeze to death, Nevarth happened to find her, and she now "works" for him. Quiet and reserved, the only person who knows much about May is Nevarth, and even he doesn't know much. The other creature who knows May well is Luna, the small black cat who is Nevarth's familiar. Though she has not revealed this to the party, May appears to be plagued by some kind of strange visions.

Lorelei Longuemare: an Eladrin gunslinger fighter who fell into the Icewind Dale through mysterious circumstances. We know that she came from The Feywild, the parallel plane that sits above the Material Plane, and that something had been chasing her when it happened. Though she is one of the older members of the party, she is strikingly naive about the social mores of the Material Plane. Even worse, ever since falling into the Material Plane, she has struggled to keep her season in check, and has been flipping wildly between spring, summer, autumn, and winter forms.

In addition to the player characters, two other people are currently traveling with the party.

Vee: a mysterious man that the party found trapped in an iceberg. He was still alive after they unthawed him, but he had no memory of who he was, how he got there, or even what his name was. He was also completely naked save for a necklace around his neck, which had a charm with an intricate magical rune etched into it. Without anyone else to turn to, he decided to travel with the party. After a short time, he came to believe that his name must started with the sound "V", and the party has been calling him that ever since.

Cain: a nomadic warrior who encountered the party when they visited a Reghed Tribe's camp. Apparently, Cain used to be a member of the Wolf Tribe, but he has since been outcast. He originally joined the party only temporarily in order to help neutralize the threat of a raging Yeti, but was tricked into staying with the group when Lorelei asked if he was too chicken to explore a mysterious ruin. For some reason, he just hasn't left yet.

[knightlight0800]

AND NOW, THE MOMENT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.......

IT'S FINALLY TIME TO MEET THE MEMBERS OF THE STARLING SAVIORS!!!!!!!!!

(so so sorry for not posting this on the 20th, Tumblr ate the post so i couldn't get it out in time 😭😭😭😭)

so, without further ado...

MEET HELIOS, THE LEADER OF THE TEAM!!!!!!!!!!

being the leader, he's very cocky and brave. he rarely shows weakness in front of his comrades, but he will at his lowest. besides being a cocky bitchass sometimes, he's kind and will do anything to protect his friends.

MEET ORTHUS THE ORC!!!!!!!!

as you can see, he's the biggest and tankest one out of the team. he's mostly serious half the time, but when he isn't, he's a gentle giant and respectful to the environment around him. he'll also help the goblin of the team as a great duo for attacks.

MEET ILLYDIA THE ELF!!!!!!!!!!!

she's simply a sweetheart. she's kind, graceful, and she can play music on her harp to make enemies fatigued. she's never really been in battles before, but she tries her best for the team. plus, she can slow dance really well. who doesn't love that!?

MEET QUILL THE HUMAN!!!!!!

one of the eldest of the team, they don't show emotion or even talk due to something terrible that happened in their past. no, their white hair doesn't mean their old - it's actually because of their cleric abilities. they can use said abilities by commanding swarms of white butterflies and moths to heal people!!!!!!

MEET LEYVN THE FAIRY!!!!!!!!!

i know i showed him already, but i'm showing him again for the sake of the roll call. anyways, he's a bit of nervous wreck at points but he is a sweet boy nonetheless. being the youngest member, his witchcraft abilities are admirable. he's shown to be quite useful during battles, so nothing scares him! ... well, almost.

MEET EXAGORA THE TEIFLING!!!!!!!!!!!!

despite drawing her main power from the chilly autumn season, she's tough and a girlboss respectively. when helios isn't around, she'll do the work for him by making sure everyone gets the job done. she means BUSINESS. but she is chill nonetheless.

MEET SHYFT THE CHANGLING!!!!!!!!!!!

by being a changeling and a rogue, you can guess stealing loot is super easy. but thieves like him also have morals, and that's only stealing from enemies that have been defeated, and unguarded treasure! if he is feeling mischievous, he'll probably steal a few coins from members for a laugh, then return them.

MEET TALISAEN THE ROBOT!!!!!!!!!!!!

modeled after a half-elf, it's unknown where they came from, and their purpose. but they know their true purpose is to stop evil and make some strange concoctions. they can literally make potions from nothing, the bag belt around their waist makes them able to mix ingredients together on the go, so it's super easy if quill needs a little help healing the team.

and finally...

MEET BELCK THE GOBLIN!!!!!!!!!!!

belck is...well, belck. in short, it's the comic relief the team needs. it's always on high energy, even in low moments, so a couple terrible jokes and being gross (mainly belching in the teams faces, hence it's name) can make everyone laugh and smile real easy. but even on stealth missions, it can try to stop moving, but the chaotic nature can't be tamed!!!!!!!!

phew!!!!!! that's everyone!!!!!

i hope you guys like them........

[druidx]

Seven Snippets, Seven People

Thanks for the tag @eli-writes-sometimes <3

Tagging back: @aalinaaaaaa @thewriteflame @wildswrites @aquadestinyswriting @artdecosupernova-writing @autumnalwalker @blind-the-winds @eli-writes-sometimes @hannahcbrown @oh-no-another-idea @rhikasa @swordsoulwrites @winglesswriter @andromeda-grace @writingmaidenwarrior @wispstalk @late-to-the-fandom @athenswrites

Rules: post seven snippets and tag seven people.

Once again, all these are from Alexis Dalliance vs the Evil of Titan, in my unending quest to edit the damn thing.

One

The other elf… Now he was a conundrum. He stood, ramrod straight, directly in front of the Captain's desk. He'd yet to change into any issued armour, and still wore what amounted to peasant rags – a tatty, oversized, undyed shirt and brown woolen trousers darned to an inch of their life, the whole ensemble held together with rope suspenders. Alexis squinted, sniffing suspiciously. Yes, there was also a faint miasma of animal dung from his direction. An elven farmer was a distinctly unusual thing. One to keep an eye on, that was for sure…

Two

On her way to the mess hall Alexis ran into Ithanor and Richard. It was Ithanor who heard her yelling to wait, where Richard would have sleep-walked on. Richard's limbs drooped, reminding her of a weeping willow, but Ithanor was as bright and alert as a holly tree in Autumn. As they made their way to the mess hall, Alexis told them about Captain Hengar. "I don't think he's fit for duty," she said. "But the townsfolk need organising to start work on repairs. I think I can convince him to eat and sleep. Richard, after last night you'll have their respect. You should coordinate the people." "Me!" Richard stopped coming alert as if he'd been slapped. "But… I don't know how. I wouldn't know what to do or what to say or-" "I'll do it," Ithanor said, holding up a hand to slow Richard's panic. "It's fine. They saw the three of us together, so if they respect and trust Richard, it should carry over. We'll get you to do a little speech and then I can take over giving the orders." "Good plan. If you see Yazty, send him my way?" Ithanor nodded. "Right then lads, let's get it done."

Three

Between the three of them, they managed to wrangle Hengar into bed, get the townspeople motivated, and begin work on the town’s reconstruction. Soon the air was filled with the sounds of workmen calling, rubble being shifted and sawing as seasoned timbers were brought out of storage. Once Hengar was deeply asleep, thanks to some concoction from Yaztromo, Alexis took any spare hands from the militia buildings to help with the town's efforts. Of Victor and Bastet there was no sign. But it didn't matter; Alexis knew that now Zagor was dead, they had some loose ends of their own to tie off.

Four

Following the Quartermaster's directions brought Alexis to a long room, filled end-to-end with bunk beds. A human with black hair and lieutenant's stripes held a slate, marking off filled bunks as he directed the recruits to their new sleeping places. Alexis froze in the doorway – there were so many people, so many sounds, so many smells. Talking and laughing, the tang of metal polish and reek of bodies. "Next! You there, don't dawdle." Alexis looked up at the lieutenant, eyes wide. "Not seen anything of the like before, eh?" he asked. Alexis nodded. "You'll get used to it, lass. Sixth on the right, against the wall." He squinted down at her. "Lower bunk." "Yessir," Alexis squeaked, and made her way to the assigned bunk.

Five

A half-elf followed shortly after, arriving as Alexis was trying to figure out which chest was hers. "You're my bunkmate, huh?" he asked. "Yeah. Alexis Dalliance." She held out a hand. He shook. "Holger Brodanic. I think that one is your chest," he added, pointing at the one against the wall. "Ta." "So how come they let a kid in? You lie about your age?" Brodanic asked as he put his own equipment away. "I'm not a child, I'm a full-grown adult." "You're awful short. You got some kinda sickness?" Alexis balled her hands, then released them slowly. "No. I'm an eshen. I'm actually tall for my kind." "Huh." Brodanic perched on the edge of the lower bunk with a lopsided smile. "My mother used to tell me stories about your lot. Mostly that if I didn't stay close to the village, an eshen would turn me into a tree." Alexis gave a puckish smile and wiggled her fingers. "Who's to say I won't?" For a split second Brodanic's face dropped, then he gave a tittering laugh. Alexis winked. "Nah, that's not something we can do." Brodanic stood, chucking her on the shoulder before bouncing up to his own bunk. "We're gonna make great bunkmates, Dalliance."

Six

Alexis smirked as she finished putting away her gear. Her ears twitched, making her stop and listen. Through the general hubbub of the barracks came the sound of angry, raised voices. Ensuring she could remember which bed was hers, she left, following the sounds of conflict back outside. In front of the the awning where the human had been taking in the recruits, an elf and the half-orc officer argued. The human – she’d overheard some of the other militia say he was the Captain of this outfit, a man called Hengar – sat back in the chair watching the kerfuffle. Also joining in on the argument was another human, tall and broad, and another elf. Abruptly the Captain stood up. "Enough." He laid his hands flat on the table. "I won’t have dissent in the ranks before we’ve even gotten anywhere. Vrog, take over. You three come with me." With that he left the half-orc standing there, striding towards the entrance. Alexis tried to back away, not wanting to be in trouble already, but she wasn’t fast enough. "You there," Hengar pointed at her as he approached. "How much of that did you hear?" "Nothing, sir. You stopped as I arrived." Hengar grunted. "Where were you before?" "In the barracks, sir." An eyebrow raised. "Good ears on you, eh? You too then, come along." Alexis gulped, but dutifulled trailed along after the group, as Hengar lead the way to his office.

Seven

The end of the sewer pipe lead into a small alcove filled with long brushes and leather gauntlets and aprons. Quietly, they used these tools to remove the effluent from their legs. "I should scout ahead," Alexis said. "No offense but I’m less likely to make a lot of noise while doing so, and I suspect my senses are more keen than yours." Ithanor glanced at their companions. No one disagreed. "Very well," he said. "We shall await your return. If you run into difficulties, holler, and we will come." Alexis nodded, her mouth set in a grim line. In a moment she was gone.

[kaesaaurelia]

Made little Hero Forge guys out of every single character I've ever played at least one session of in a TTRPG. (The ones with closeups I've played for more than one session.) Details under the cut.

Top Row:

Literally Just Terezi Pyrope, Pathfinder; half-orc Investigator Made for a Pathfinder oneshot wherein my friend was playing a Vriska-inspired character. I feel the need to disclaim that we did not kill or maim anyone out-of-game. I don't even remember if we killed anyone in-game because I remember it being pretty puzzle/trap-focused?

????; Ryuutama; Crafter/Autumn Sorceress I'm kicking myself that I don't remember her name. She was a seamstress, and in the specific world we were playing in we were the descendants of space colonists, so I decided her ancestors would be from a culture with really pretty fabric patterns.

Ylva Truehand, D&D 5E; half-orc monk. A herbo if ever there was one. Accidentally became the figurehead of a coup d'etat at home and had to Leave Right Now Immediately. We only got to the part where we all met at an inn before outside circumstances meant the campaign fell apart.

2nd Row:

Katja, 3.5E D&D; human cleric prestige class (maybe a Radiant Servant of Pelor?) My very first TTRPG character! I played her in a high school friend's historical-fantasy-inspired homebrew setting campaign he ran one summer in college. She was meant to be an army doctor for Fantasy Imperial Russia and we were doing an escort mission across a desert that was, iirc, disputed territory between three superpowers? Mostly I remember killing a lot of ninjas and then stumbling across a magical oasis where the water was magically pacifying, finding the mineral that was responsible for this effect, grinding a bunch of it into powder, and then making our GM's life a living hell by slipping it into NPCs' drinks whenever we wanted something from them.

3rd Row:

Safira, Stewpot; Paladin/Artisan. This one's pretty obviously an expy of my angel OC Vehuel. Stewpot is a game about retiring from adventuring so the character concept for her was "Holy warrior chosen by prophecy to kill a great evil with a magic sword; accidentally fell in love with the great evil. Eventually killed it anyway. Deeply traumatized."

Yarrow Tunneler, Mausritter; Acorn sign wireworker. Yarrow came out so cute here! A lot of stuff in Mausritter is randomly assigned and I think her class was one of those things, but I liked the wireworker thing (basically she's a mouse electrician) and one of her starting bits of equipment was a spool of wire. There weren't any good wire spools on Hero Forge, but I managed to make a battery-looking thing for her to carry around on her back.

Esca Glowfin, Ocean Tides; mermaid. Yeah so the game wanted me to choose whether she was going to be a mermaid or pirate but I wanted to be both so I made it work. The actual character concept I had in my head does not look much like this but turns out one of Hero Forge's weaknesses is deep sea benthic horrors with needle teeth. So I just made her hot. Sorry, Esca, you probably deserved better.

4rd Row:

Minu Darzi, Shadowrun 5E/Definitely Not Shadowrun At All; elf face. This one's an expy of my demon OC Nisroc, but like, a very very tiny sliver of Nisroc's whole schtick. I tend to describe her as "what if Grendel's mother was a shitty grifter who wanted to be an influencer?" but she shoots a lot of people so I feel like her sphere of influence is powerful but limited to like. Influencing people to die.

5th Row:

Royse, 5E D&D; Aasimar rogue. Another Vehuel expy, this one much younger and less traumatized. Royse was made for a West Marches group I didn't really vibe with. The one session I played was great but the out-of-game downtime stuff felt like a part-time accounting job and I don't have any interest in accounting. Anyway Royse was fun and she was gonna be a Swashbuckler.

Pandora (& Scylax), Worlds Without Number; mage (Necromancer/Beastmaster). For the oneshot group I'm part of we've started doing a test combat session at the end of Session Zero to make sure our characters aren't going to die immediately, and after that our GM decided we should be using the Heroic rules. In the combat trial, Pandora used her one (1) spell slot to mind-control one of the wolves that were attacking us and it killed a bunch of the rest of them, so given the opportunity to add another 1/2 mage specialization I picked Beastmaster and gave her a wolf. I really liked some of the lore for this game but oof, it's super unforgiving. (I think it might be a good starting point if you wanted to play a Locked Tomb campaign, though?)

Zamira the Magnificent, Blades in the Dark; slide. This character was a disgraced stage magician who accidentally killed her assistant (maybe sawed them in half?) and I liked the concept but our Blades in the Dark party really didn't end up doing much RP, even though we are a very RP-heavy group; I kind of wish the game had facilitated it more.

6th Row:

????; Tempus Diducit; Weird Scientist. Tempus Diducit is a no-prep chaotic game about a time travel crisis where a lot of things are randomized; mostly I remember there being superintelligent octopi and making strong acids, and also me having a lot of very annoying ideas involving my specialized knowledge of both cephalopods and chemistry.

????; Subway Runners. I remember very little about my Subway Runners character but basically this is a no-prep game where your character sheet is entirely randomized and every character is probably at least a little Done With This Shit because every Subway Runners PC is a gig economy worker whose shitty gig job is fixing an urban fantasy public transit system full of extremely weird shit. I think by the end of the session all our characters had cat ears.

Miriam; You Awaken in a Strange Place; marine biologist. Once more my specialized cephalopod knowledge comes back to bite me in the ass! (Also, this is the second Miriam on the list; 'Zamira the Magnificent' was a stage name.) YAiaSP is another no-prep chaotic game; you also get to make up all the skills your characters have, and Miriam was good at Identifying Marine Animals but bad at Working Under Pressure, which was great because they were in a locked submarine murder mystery and identifying marine animals was basically of no use whatsoever. I think in the end she failed a Using Scientific Equipment roll and then bluffed that she had actually gotten the DNA results to get the murderer to confess. This is unethical if you're in law enforcement; if you're a professional marine animal identifier it's still unethical but I think it's also kind of impressive. Only I forget if it actually worked, so maybe it wasn't.

7th Row:

Heshky, Pathfinder 2E; half-orc investigator. I have literally only ever played half-orc investigators in Pathfinder, which is very funny to me. [Edit: This is no longer true! I have a dwarf ranger now.] Heshky here is not much like the Terezi expy, though. He is an expy, but of one of my OCs rather than someone else's and his backstory is that he's a former mob accountant whose boss died in circumstances that were technically not his fault, so he had to leave town for a while. I would absolutely love to play him somewhere else; he was made for my one-shot group but we ended up stretching that Pathfinder one-shot out to like 5? 6? sessions and I got very attached. (If I played him again I miiight not start him out as an investigator though, because he almost died like 3 times.)

8th Row:

Zirane, I'm Sorry, Did You Say Street Magic, baker. ISDYSSM is a cooperative worldbuilding game so I kind of forgot there was a character I played in it, but apparently I did! This guy lives in a fantasy city and works at a cafe owned by some mystery person (possibly a vampire?) but he's not worried about that. He is good at baking, but likes experimenting with weird combinations of flavors, which sometimes means his extremely well-made baked goods taste regrettable.

Kjersti, Session Zero; war-witch deserter. Session Zero is a character creation/development game without character classes; it can actually be played solo as a writing exercise too! So I just kind of went wild here. I really like the concept I ended up with and keep meaning to post what I wrote up for her; over the course of the game she went from annoyed arcane college student to spoiled rich girl to army deserter trying to survive a magical war crimes-induced apocalypse and daydreaming about overthrowing her own government in no time at all.

Edie, Genesys; dwarf mad alchemist. The setting we decided on for the Genesys one-shot was cyberpunk fantasy, a bit like Shadowrun but if magic had always been in the world, so I decided to pull out one of my old, old LJRP characters (Ed Espis) and repurpose her. Edie grew up a third- or fourth-generation corporate citizen and very privileged, but when her parents died under mysterious circumstances and she was fired shortly thereafter, the company decided she had to pay off all the resources they had invested in her entire family so now she's broke and has to do crimes (petty) instead of crimes (war) to live. She ended this session by shooting a guy in the head but listen, he extremely deserved it.

[lorenfinch]

Hi Hello! Please answer at your convenience. :3 I was curious if there were any fantasy races (like Elves, Dwarves, Orcs) within Everdark (or in a different part of your world?) . You mentioned that Erevan was an Unseelie Elf, how are they different from regular elves? Are they more like Fae? - @worldofthraeia

Hi!! Thank you for sending @worldofthraeia! I've been looking for an opportunity to infodump about the elves!

Are there any fantasy races?

Yes there are! There are elves, merfolk, demons, and angels living on the mortal realm. They mostly have their own lands but can live in the human kingdoms as well. Elves are the most common non-human sight; merfolk can shapeshift legs to walk on land but only ever live near or in water, demons tend to prefer warmer climates, and angels are an INCREDIBLY rare sight outside of the cloud cities.

Styx and Verida are both demons! Demons are mortal and aren't inherently evil, being more of an elemental sort. Though I'm sure there are other fire-based beings that are less mortal. There aren't any major merfolk or angel characters but they will appear at some point later in the series.

(Fun fact: Verida is actually half-human, half-demon! She takes after her demonic father for the most part but she has her human mother's eyes)

Vampirism and lycanthropy are curses that can affect any people; Styx is a demonic vampire and there are several elven vampires in the series.

Then there's the Fae. The Fae are the Fae. Best not to refer to them by name, else you might end up summoning them. Most people in universe call them the Fair Folk. They tend to live in their own realm but sometimes cross into the mortal realm for their own purposes.

So what's the deal with elves anyway?

Unlike the other peoples, elves are the mortal descendants of fae. Long ago, many swaths of fae creatures looked upon the mortal peoples and decided they wanted to see what being mortal was like, so they willed themselves to be mortal, and thus the elves were created! They didn't end up imitating humans perfectly--their lifespans are still much longer than the average mortal and their appearances very much reflect nature.

Seelie Elves are the descendants of Seelie Court fae, and Unseelie Elves are the descendants of Unseelie Court fae. Seelie Elves come in four varieties: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter; each with appearances that reflect their seasons; while Unseelie Elves tend to look like the night sky.

(Seelie Elves were inspired by eladrin and Unseelie Elves were inspired by drow from dnd)

Unseelie Elves live in the Everdark and really aren't seen much of anywhere else, while Seelie Elves have their own lands. The kingdoms of the Autumn and Winter Elves both border the Everdark on the east.

There really is not much difference between Seelie and Unseelie Elves besides appearance and where they live, but there is superstition amongst humans regarding Unseelie Elves given their association with Unseelie Fae.

Aramour and Norwyn of the Night Terrors are Seelie Elves (summer and winter respectively) and Erevan is an Unseelie Elf.

Half-elves also exist! Many once-human vampires are able to pass themselves off as half-human, half-elves if they wish to.

[detectivereads]

Recap part 1 Getting into the Dreamscape

Faewild part 1 with Wittr and Sage story getting to the dream scape

Hi everyone,

Ok I haven’t been keeping up with this I got so wrapped up with actual playing I forgot to take notes. So, this will be a summary of what has happened up till this point we (Sage and Wittr) are at.

Sage and Wittr are collected by Elendor and taken to the Autumn court to greet the queen and get their assignment to stop Selena.

The girls when walking up to the castle of the Autumn court they see a familiar face a satyr man, they both rush past Elendor and tackle Palenor (or Princey as the campaign has started calling him) He looked healthy. I liked to think that a Half Elf and a Tiefling deck out in armor just come rushing up to and left in the air spinning around and hugging him.  The girls also see a weird Harlequin person, his name is Zep. (Keep in mind the pets have met Zep the girls haven’t)

After being brief on the Selena situation, Eliza Queen of Autumn (and Princey’s mom) tells the girls they need to get to the dreamscape. Much like Bog in the material plane there is a force field keeping people out of the Dream Grove, where Selena is holding up shop there doing whatever she is doing.

So, the girls must go to the dreamscape since the grove and the scape are intertwin in their uses. After getting supplies (sending stones, health potions etc.) The girls set off to the dreamscape.

Getting there the girls are greeted by Eliza, an agent, and a warlock pirate named Neil (this is one of the DM characters that he played in another campaign.) The girls greeted them and introduced themselves and gave Neil one of the sending stones.

The group turns toward the portal that leads to the dreamscape and steps through.

The see floating island and purple swirl voids and a pathway that leads to a small town, with no other option but to go forward the group head to the town. They come across sleeping people, Sage goes over and starts shaking people and then resorts to slapping them, but they wouldn’t wake up.

The group runs into a WarForge made of wood named Kogsworth, he introduces this place as “Bog”.

Recap:

In the Material Plane when Sage and Wittr were gathering intel on Pesta and the missing kids, there was an area where the librarian could scry into. So, we found out what happened. Selena took Bog out of the Material Plane and put it into the Dreamscape. But to what end?

End of Recap

Kogsworth has been looking after the sleeping people of Bog, keeping them safe and protected.

The girls ask if he knew Selena (since her MO is to set up a shop in towns and nabs kids and stuff) Kogworth leads the group to a familiar building: the Night’s Hook.

After running into some traps, the groups find the secret basement where it looks like Selena had been doing some evil biz in here.

Sage takes a bunch of herbs and useful meds with her.  The group part ways after Wittr asks Kogsworth about anything sketchy. Kogworth mentions a big white gator that patrols the outskirts of the town limits.

So, Neil and Wittr went to investigate, that while Sage and Kogsworth stay at the Night’s hook. After Wittr and Niel take care of the gator the 3 out of towners try leaving Bog, before that Sage gives Kogworth one of the sending stones in case something was to happen, once they leave, they discover that there is no road leading out of the town.

So, they went back to town and looked for Kogworth, thinking that maybe he could help, the heroes find him Selena’s basements on the alter sleeping. Kogworth’s has performed the ritual that put the town to sleep.

The heroes did find the spell that was used and got the idea of performing the spell on themselves and see if they could get any more information.

Niel performed a magic defense circle, and the girl gave him some silver to beef up the spell for a longer duration. They all lay down and go to sleep.

The group finds themselves in a familiar room (familiar to the girls) and see a familiar man at the top of some steps.

The heroes are back at Ironhold in the room where they beat Cassin and Karthos. But at the top of the stairs stood Harbormaster Ben.

(end Session)

Player Notes:

Both Wittr’s player and I were happy that we got to play our girls again, if felt years since we last played them. But the big thing was we had to remember how we were playing so we did struggle abit. We were so happy to see Princey.

We were also shocked at the end to see that the three of us Niel, Wittr and Sage were in Ironhold.

Our DM is really good and throwing us for a loop.

[uncensored-aj]

Illness: A Lord of the Rings Oneshot

-/-

Characters: Pre/Mid Corruption Sméagol, Gollum, Half Elf OC

Synopsis: While traversing the mountains and Hills of Middle Earth on her first Big Outing alone, a Half Elven Adventurer stumbles upon the cave of Sméagol, a humble fisherman with a terrible illness, and an evil, golden secret.

(A/N: I know I know ‘What the FUCK AJ’ but I PROMISE YOU ITS NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. It works MARGINALLY better than anyone would ever think just TRUST ME HERE GUYS IM NOT INSANE. Also this fic is officially dedicated to @the-eyes-of-andyserkis because you just fucking GET IT and I love that.)

-/-

Autumn in the Hills and Mountains of Middle Earth was one of the most Breathtaking sights this realm had to offer. It brought lovely temperatures, Harvest festivities, and for some Young Adventurers it marked the beginning of their Adult lives.

Yes, Autumn was the season where young Elven, Mannish, and even a few Hobbit and Halfling races left home for the first time!

One of these Haflings was young Clementine, whose Mother was an Elven Diplomat, and had named her for she and her father’s shared wild, bright orange hair.

Clementine was now coming across a small Mountain range, the setting sun urging her to find shelter for a fire before the temperature dropped for the night. She gathered wood as she hiked, soon amassing a small pile in her arms.

If she remembered correctly…aha! Yes! There was a cave system here! That would make decent shelter for the night! She could start a cozy fire, and roast some of the fish she’d caught earlier…

As Clementine walked into the Cave, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She felt like there was something watching her… but that was why she had her Daggers.

She made sure her sharpest Dagger was tight at her hip as she made her fire. Maybe it was just the anxiety of the first night away from home…

As the fire caught, blazing to life, the Cave was illuminated pretty well.

And that’s when she saw a pair of eyes peering at her from one of the few shadows the fire cast.

Large, watery, and untrusting. An animal maybe? But what animal in a cave had such large, blue eyes?

“Hello? I didn’t know there was anyone else in here! I’m so sorry. Are… you alright?” She asked.

A sickly looking man stepped warily from the shadows. He was an utter wreck. His hair was shaggy, and unkempt, his skin was almost gray he was so pale, and he didn’t seem all there quite frankly. His robes hung off of him loosely, making him seem small.

He closed his eyes for a second, his face contorting before shaking his head. A hand rubbed at his throat absently as he cleared it.

“You shouldn’t be here.” He croaked, his voice hoarse as if he’d been screaming.

“Oh Dear! Oh you don’t sound like you feel well at all, mate. I was just going to make a Fish Stew and sleep for the night… would you like the company? It may help you feel better…” Clementine rambled, trying to seem friendly, “I could go, if you insist… but it’s getting dark and I’m… a long way from home.”

“You could say that. A Cold of sorts I suppose. But you Elflings all have good immune systems I hear. Better than most Halflings…” The man’s untrusting demeanor faded a little as he accompanied his unexpected intruder slash guest.

“I’m Clementine. How did you know I was Half Elf? Most can’t tell.” She smiled. “Most just assume I’m human…”

“Sméagol.” He said, extending his hand to grab hers in a frantic shake. “And I can tell because you don’t have the immortal shine of an Elf, but you don’t have the dark eyes of Men. You’re a bit of both and a bit of Neither.”

“Right!” Clementine smiled, pulling a small Cauldron from their large backpack, along with the still cold fish she’d caught earlier and some vegetables she’d brought from her Garden back home.

She sat the Cauldron up over the fire, pouring one of her thermoses of water in to boil. She diced fish, onions, garlic, and potatoes, along with several other green herbs and tossed them into the pot with expert precision. The concoction glowed, and she looked satisfied.

Her new camping buddy, Sméagol she now knew, tilted his head in curiosity.

“I’m a bit of a Kitchen Witch. Something about the Elves’ magic and the Humans’ talent for gluttony have given me some talents. I’ll have you feeling better in no time!”

Sméagol looked distant for a moment, a small frown scrunching his features.

“There is no helping me…”

“What do you mean, Sméagol? A friend and a nice hot stew couldn’t hurt!” Clementine Countered.

“No, No, It’s not that kind of illness, unfortunately…”

Suddenly he couldn’t quite sit still. He became anxious, wringing his hands.

“What do you mean? Please, I feel so horrible that you’re out here all alone with no one to care for you. You’ll die out here alone.”

Clementine slid closer to her companion, putting a hand on his reassuringly.

“No one deserves to be alone. Especially in illness.”

“I do.” Sméagol’s voice was sad, and defeated. This was something he told himself often. “It’s my fault I’m like this. And it’s only going to get worse. Much, Much worse. Curses aren’t broken by Stew, Halfling.”

Clementine squeezed his hand.

“You haven’t tried mine yet.” She grinned.

On his other hand was a golden band, which caught the light from the fire and therefore Clementine’s attention.

“Are you Married?” She asked, reaching out to touch it.

Suddenly the calm atmosphere dissapeared as Sméagol snatched his hand away.

“No!”

In a flash he was on the other side of the cave, huddled in a corner. He cradled his hand as if the ring were an injury, muttering softly.

Clementine realized he was speaking to himself. His eyes were wide, flicking around to see things that were not there.

“She can’t take it… it’s too precious… it’s mine. It’s ours. Arrogant, pushy little Halfling…” he rambled.

“I’m not going to take anything from you! Please settle down, you’re getting all worked up over nothing!” Clementine pleaded.

The man before her was almost devolving right before her eyes, crouching in on himself in anguish. Large streams of tears flowed down his face, his hands clutching his head as if it were going to explode.

“No. NO! NO!” Sméagol cried, doing his best to beat the other voices from his head.

Finally, he screamed himself even more hoarse, sitting in a pathetic heap against the cave wall, trembling.

Clementine’s heart broke for him. She stepped forward, the hyperventilating river-hobbit looking up at her with unfocused eyes.

She cradled his head to keep him from hitting himself again, a hold that her father had used for her Unruly siblings.

“Shh… settle down, settle down. Calm your mind, calm your spirit, calm your body.” She cooed, Sméagol’s tears soaking her shoulder.

Then, unexpectedly, the hobbitish mess of a man in her arms tore the ring from his finger, whimpering as skin came with it. This ring clearly did not want to be taken off.

“Take it. Please. Take this awful, Evil thing and get it far away from me.” He shoved it into Clementine’s hand and distanced himself from them both. “Get rid of it. Don’t tell me what you did with it. Just… take it away.”

Clementine was in a state of shock, feeling the bloody ring’s weight in her palm like a brick. She hesitated for a moment.

A moment too late.

Sméagol was no longer a sniveling mess, crumpled and sobbing on the cave floor. No, not now.

Now he was barely even a humanoid… his eyes bulged, his face contorting into a murderous sneer.

“Give it back.” He ordered. “Give it back! Thief!”

Clementine turned to bolt, a large hand snatching her by the hair. She was thrown to the ground harshly, her former acquaintance crouched over her like some sort of animal.

Clementine no longer felt the weight of the ring in her palm. It’d flown out of her hand and down a crevace in the rocky earth. But all Clementine knew was that she no longer had it.

“GIVE IT BACK!” Sméagol demanded, wrestling her wrists free and prying each hand open for his precious gold band.

“I don’t have it! I Swear! It flew out of my hand!” Clementine blurted.

Smeagol paused his prying for a moment, a look of amusement in his eyes.

“You want to play games, halfling? I’ll play along. But at least give me a hint!” He snickered childishly. “Is it… in one of your pockets?”

He felt around Clementine’s pockets, and she couldn’t stop her face from growing hot. She’d never even been this close to a man like this before.

“I don’t have it!” Clementine insisted, wriggling out of Sméagol’s grasp.

She bolted for the door again, but was once again caught. Hands wrapped around her torso, pulling her back against him in a death grip.

“I thought we were friends… why are you lying to me?” His voice was softer, more pleading. Clementine’s heart skipped a beat. “Tell me where it is, please! I’d do anything to be rid of this pain….Anything…”

“Please… Rid me of this…” he said again. It was a plea. A prayer. Said with the reverence of A sinner asking a saint to purify them. “Please don’t leave me like this…”

His grip on the halfling shifted, burying his face in the crook of her neck from behind. He breathed pleas into her ear that would have made even the immortals go red in the face.

A string of Elvish profanities and stitched together spells slipped from Clementine’s tongue, her head fuzzy. The arms around her released her, spinning her and pushing her against the wall of cold rock.

“Say that again… cast your Elvish spells…. Purify us……”

“You’re ill…” Clementine confirmed.

“Then make me well…”

……

The next morning came, and the first thing Clementine noticed was an ache deep in her muscles. Like she’d had a good, hard, but satisfying workout.

The arms that wrapped tighter around her in sleep brought back the memories of just what exactly that workout had been, and suddenly, Clementine’s naked skin felt hot and sticky.

She found herself carefully peeling sticky skin from other sticky skin, praying her sleeping companion would stay asleep. She dressed quickly, silently zipping her sleeping back more snugly around him.

The Stew, formerly forgotten about, filled the Cave with a hardy aroma that made Clementine’s stomach roar.

She sat by Smeagol, taking in his sleeping form more closely. She could swear there was a rosy sheen to his cheeks now. A more peaceful and relaxed cadence to his breathing.

“Sméagol…” she whispered.

His eyes shot open, and he bolted upright as if he’d been shocked awake.

“It’s just me!” Clementine whispered louder.

Sméagol relaxed, a hand on his heaving chest.

“You scared me to death!” He grinned.

His voice sounded perfectly normal. No hint of hoarseness, and most certainly none of the strangled sounding speech he had been ailed with previously.

“Soup’s done. But first, we gotta get outside. We gotta get you in a river, you smell like you crawled out of a Volcano!” Clementine grinned back.

She briefly wondered what would have become of her new friend if she hadn’t come along with her very strange magic…. He couldn’t have become much worse… right? She was glad she’d never have to know.

[heartsandwishes]

𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄'𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐓

{Basics}

Name: Xion

Alias: Xi, No. XIV, Poppet (do not), No. i (cast aside)

Gender: nonbinary

Age: 24-ish (technically ageless)

Species: replica; living memories; Beast (dragon)

Zodiac: aquarius / aries / cancer / capricorn / gemini / leo / libra / pisces / sagittarius / scorpio / taurus / virgo / unknown

Abilities/Talents: swordfighting, magic, communicating with some beasts (heartless), various levels of transformation, changing physical appearances/builds and, as a result, fighting style, using peoples scents to find them through the darkness. secret abilities: seeing particularly strong memories, changing appearances based off said memories.

{Personal}

Alignment: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / neutral / evil / true

Religion: n/a

Sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath

Virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility / justice / kindness / patience

Languages: japanese & english

Family: n/a.

Friends: Roxas, Axel, Vanitas, Organization XIII, Riku, Sora

Sexual Orientation: heterosexual / bisexual / pansexual / homosexual / demisexual  / asexual / unsure / questioning / other

Relationship status: single / dating/married / widowed / open relationship / other

Libido: sex god / very high / high / average / low / very low / non-existent

{Physical}

Build: twig / bony / slender / average / athletic / curvy / chubby / obese

Hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other:

Eyes: brown / blue / green / black / other: yellow, sometimes

Skin: pale / fair / olive  / light brown / brown / very brown / other:

Height: under 3 foot / 3-4 foot / 4-5 foot / 5-6 foot / 6-7 foot/ above 7 foot

Weight: under 100 pounds / 100-150 pounds / 150-200 pounds / 200-250 pounds / above 250 pounds

Scars: one on right brow, a few here and there all over. occupational hazard

Facial Features: pointed canines, sometimes sharper Other teeth. usually smiling! often faceless with hood up around strangers. ears pointed more than a canon nort's, but not elf-ish if that makes sense.

Tattoos: n/a

{Choose}

Dogs or Cats? dogs

Birds or Hamsters? birds

Red or Blue? blue

Yellow or Green? green

Black or White? black

Coffee or Tea? tea

Ice Cream or Cake? cake

Fruits or Vegetables? fruits

Sandwich or Soup? sandwich

Magic or Melee? magic (but can wield both fairly expertly)

Sword or Bow? sword

Summer or Winter? summer

Spring or Autumn? autumn

The Past or The Future? future

tagged by: stole it from @z0mburger  tagging: be gay do crime (steal it)