#for featuring some of the rarest clans

[ryttu3k]

Playable clans by game, Justice and 'Bloodlines 2' update.

Current game total: 12 (Redemption, Bloodlines, Coteries of New York, Shadows of New York, Night Road, Parliament of Knives, Out for Blood, Sins of the Sires, Bloodhunt, Swansong, Justice, 'Bloodlines 2')

Ventrue: 8/12 (Bloodlines, Coteries of New York, Night Road, Parliament of Knives, Sins of the Sires, Bloodhunt, Swansong, 'Bloodlines 2')

Toreador: 6.5/12 (Bloodlines, Night Road, Out for Blood (ending only), Parliament of Knives, Coteries of New York, Bloodhunt, Swansong)

Brujah: 6/12 (Redemption, Bloodlines, Coteries of New York, Night Road, Bloodhunt, 'Bloodlines 2')

Tremere: 5/12 (Bloodlines, Night Road, Sins of the Sires, Bloodhunt, 'Bloodlines 2')

Malkavian: 4/12 (Bloodlines, Sins of the Sires, Parliament of Knives, Swansong) Nosferatu: 4/12 (Bloodlines, Night Road, Parliament of Knives, Bloodhunt) Banu Haqim: 4/12 (Night Road, Sins of the Sires, Justice, 'Bloodlines 2')

Lasombra: 3/12 (Shadows of New York, Night Road, Parliament of Knives)

Caitiff: 2/12 (Night Road as biological Caitiff, Sins of the Sires as ‘unknown clan’ Caitiff) Gangrel: 2/12 (Bloodlines, Night Road)

Thinblood: 1.5/12 (Out for Blood (ending only), Sins of the Sires)

Hecata: 1/12 (Night Road) Ministry: 1/12 (Night Road) Ravnos: 1/12 (Night Road)

Tzimisce: 0/12

Society has progressed past the need to play as a Ventrue let me play a Tzimisce.

[adndmonsteraday]

Merfolk (sing & pl; masc pl: mermen; fem pl: mermaids) were aquatic humanoids with upper body, arm and head of a human and legs resembling the tail of a fish.

A merfolk person had the upper body, arms, and head of a fair-featured human from the waist up and instead of legs they had a fish-like tail from the hips down. Also distinguishing them from humans were the gills slits along their necks, the slight webbing between their fingers, and their pupils exhibiting an ice blue or pale silver tone.

On average, mermen grew to be around 8 feet (2.4 meters) in length and had broader shoulders, while mermaids grew only slightly shorter. On average they weighed around 400 lb (180 kg) and it was unheard of for merfolk to become overweight, due to their active lifestyles, and possessed greater strength than their physiques would imply.

The coloration of their eyes, hair, and skin varied as much as those of humans, as did the coloration of their fins and scales — some colorations being more common in certain areas. Merfolk across Faerûn exhibited all the varied skin tones of the continent's humans. They tended towards pale pink or tan, though some around the Alamber Sea and Vilhon Reach had darker tones. The most common hair colors were light brown or blond, as these helped them to better blend in to their environment. The rarest of hair colors were blue and silver — those born with either were considered to have great destinies and so would be raised and watched over by their entire clan.

The coloration of merfolk fins and scales ranged from a deep kelly green to a brilliant silver, though some colorations outside of this could be found. Some Serôsian merfolk exhibited brighter colors and even scales that were striped or speckled. While some merfolk in the Alamber Sea or Vilhon Reach had scales that ranged from copper to golden. During winter seasons, merfolk tails shed their old scales.

Merfolk generally lived in isolated settlements within coral reefs or cliffs that were honeycombed with numerous passages and rooms. Some lived within underwater cities of their own design, built from coral, rocks, and shells. Such communities tended to have netted pens where fish were kept like livestock.

They trained aquatic animals, such as giant seahorses, to serve as their guardians or steeds. They were particularly known to train barracudas for this purpose, having three to eighteen protecting their communities.

Merfolk were capable of interacting with surface folk, as they could survive outside of the water as amphibious creatures. However, they rarely traveled more than a few feet away from the water's edge. In Serôs, many merfolk were allied with neighboring selkies. It was not unheard of for Sirines to mate with merfolk, producing children with joint characteristics of their parents, such as webbed fingers and scales.

Source: https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Merfolk

[lizard-legendarium]

Felbrassan Elves and How weird they are

So, when I was away, I got inspired. Mainly by reading the Hobbit, that holy grail of books, and, weirdly enough, Deer. Yes, those deer. I ended up with a relatively unique type of elf I've not really seen before, but I'm sure they'll have been created before. Still, this is how I decided to run them in Felbrass, so please, give it a read and tell me what you think. I should hopefully have stats later, meaning that, if you like the sound of these elves, you can run them within your own games. Which would mean the absolute world to me to know that something I created is being enjoyed in that way. Anyway. Without further ado, let's get on with the show.

Felbrassan Elves are very different to what’s typically seen in regards to Elves in the planes. For example, the near immortality usually associated with Elves isn’t present here, with individuals usually making it to around 450ish. Furthermore, Felbrassan Elves are more than just humans with pointy ears, instead possessing deer traits, as well as bark-like skin in select areas. The hind legs are digitigrade, like that of a deer, though their legs are usually thicker due to being bipedal. Their necks are quite thick to help support the crown of antlers on their heads. The bark like skin is often covered in fur of some kind, typically from the deer they resemble most. Elven hair is often long and unkempt, being a mixture of regular hair and leaves from the tree that particular elf takes from the most. The antlers are a permanent fixture all year round, with velvet occasionally developing around the winter months. Elven barbers often have tools to remove said velvet when it develops. Both sexes possess these antlers, with each elf often decorating their antlers in some way, whether that be ceremonial paint, ornaments hammered in, or things wrapped around them. In fact, it’s often a trial of passage to become an adult to get an ornament hammered into an elf’s antlers, similar to a tattoo in other cultures. Speaking of tattoos, Elves often find it hard to acquire them due to their bodies being patchworks of fur and bark, making keeping a cohesive pattern difficult. To remedy this, furs will often be dyed with various plant based dyes, the same stuff antlers are often decorated with. Finally, elf ears are extremely long, often being three or four times longer than a human’s. These ears are typically pointing straight up, though other positions exist, such as pointing to the sides. Elves also possess slightly clawed hands, allowing for a better grip on the trees from their home forests. The three main subraces of Elf are the Oakyew, the Ashwillow and the Alderthorn. The Oakyew are the most numerous type of elf, possessing decent sized antlers, as well as typically having a reddish hue to their areas of fur. They’re also the most likely to leave the groves and glens they call home, often to trade and find out news of the outside world. As such, most Oakyew Elves end up becoming wandering bards, selling tall tales and silly stories for information and supplies. Ashwillow are the most magically inclined of the elves, but as a trade off possess the smallest set of antlers. Their fur is more light blonde in colouration. Ashwillows are usually the Kells of the elven clans, their magic granting them an edge. Finally, Alderthorn are the largest, and rarest, of the elves. Often towering over the average elf, their bodies are often very powerful, featuring the largest antlers of any elf. They often becoming the wardens of the clans, meaning they aren’t very likely to leave the clans in search of adventure. Their fur is a dark gray, reminiscent of the great elks that live across Salix. This is also the subrace in which beards are most common. Hair Growth’s a bitch.

Half-elves are…weird. Elves and humans do breed true, creating an amalgam of elf and human. Half-elves typically don’t possess as extreme features, such as antlers that can be used as weapons, bark-like skin, as long ears (typically only 1.5 to 2 times longer than a human) or even how digitigrade the legs are. Half-elves make up for this via their sheer adaptability, a trait they acquired from their human side. Furthermore, they can possess some elven traits, such as their ability to climb or their speed. Half-elves are typically not treated poorly by elven clans, especially if they are the child of a kell. Indeed, some elven clans have Half-elf Kells leading them. Humans as well don’t typically treat Half-elfs poorly either, but, of course, some bullying can occur due to people being people. 

Elves have a deeply spiritual culture, with religious processions being led by Druids instead of clerics. They will revere multiple animals, with the stag and the snake being paramount among them. This is due to the cycle of regeneration that each represents. Other animals include the Boar, the Bear, the Eagle and the Salmon. Each of these animals are also represented by a God, with the Stag God and the Serpent Goddess being the joint rulers of the pantheon. 

Typically, you’ll see Barbarians, Rangers, Druids, Fighters and Bards amongst them, with Oakyews mainly being the bards. They generally don’t use super advanced technology, instead choosing to use what works. However, their Ruith Fluid infused runes are often considered works of art in their own right. 

The race is omnivorous, hunting and fishing most of their meat, and growing most of their crops. Hunting is typically done with spears, being an extremely important symbol of Elven culture. They’ll sometimes trade these foods for various exotic ingredients, which they will use to serve at their Clolfrec. It’s often a point of pride as to who can bring the most exotic and interesting dishes to the banquet.

The Clofrelc, which, when translated, is the “Festival of Antlers”, is a festival that serves as a way to honour life and This involves a feast in honour of the gods and the bounty they offer, unarmed combat, usually using antlers and fists, and finally, games of skill and chance. The festival ends with the burning of a great bonfire made of antlers, as a way to harken new growth into the world. They don’t often write, but when they do, it’s in Ogham, a script which shares roots with Druidic. This means your average elf, assuming they were raised in an elven clan, can actually read Druidic to a degree. 

They’ll commonly forgo any armour, instead relying on their bark-like hide, which can offer just as much protection as basic armour does. They’ll sometimes wear masks as well due to the shape and size of their antlers making wearing helmets impossible. 

Elvish relations with other races are relatively uncommon, not because of a superiority complex, but instead because of their isolationist nature. As mentioned, Oakyew elves do travel more than your average elf, but it’s still rare to see an elf outside of the great forest homes they dwell in. When an outsider is finally trusted by the tribe, the tribe will mark their head with a substance that is a mixture of berries unique to that area. This pattern will differ depending on the abilities of the anointed, with Oakyew markings being the most common. (Alderthorn for warriors, Ashwillow for Mages, Oakyew for everyone else). They will then be known as “Antler-Friend” to the Tribe, and be treated as one of the Tribe by the members of it. If they came to them requiring help, the Tribe would do everything within their power to help them. The process to become an “Antler-Friend” can be long and arduous, but once you’re accepted as such by the tribe, you’ll be one of them…unless you do something worthy of exile. 

The reason for this isolationist nature is the same reason as to why Alderthorn Elves are so rare. Up until around 400 or so years ago, Elves were hunted by wealthy nobles for sport. Due to their simpler lifestyle and their animalistic appearance, they were treated as simply animals, with their antlers being seen as great trophies to take and keep in a trophy room. Unfortunately, Alderthorns possessed extremely large antlers, similar in appearance to that of the aforementioned Great Elk. And since Salix was considered more dangerous then the home of the elves, nobles went there instead to hunt down a trophy. Around 400 years ago, passionate campaign work by Elves and “Antler-friend” alike turned the perception of elves around, instead being considered a full-fledged people. As a result, the crime of hunting an elf for sport was considered what it always had been, murder. And would be punished as such. Only relatively recently, around 20 years or so, has the Alderthorn population of elves recovered to even a fraction of what it was before. 

Multiple other types of elves exist throughout the world, seemingly based upon deer and other ungulates with a similar frame and stature. Some even don’t possess antlers, instead having different adaptations to survive the ecosystems they adapted in. One constant remains, their association with trees. 

Little incoherent maybe, but you get the jist of it. Like I said, should have some stats up soon, so you can bring these shy fey to your own world. Felbrassan Elf Stats:

Average sizes:

Oakyew

Height: 5’5-5’8

Weight: 65~KG

Ashwillow

Height: 5’1-5’4

Weight: 50~KG

Alderthorn

Height: 6’7-7’1 

Weight: 110~KG

Age: Elves can live up to around 450 years, with the oldest recorded Elf being around 500 years old. 

Size: Medium

Speed: 35ft

ABI: You have a +1 to Dexterity

Crown of Antlers: Your magnificent antlers grant you proficiency in your choice of Persuasion or Intimidation. Furthermore, your antlers can be used as a natural weapon.

Barkhide: Your Base AC is 12 + your Dexterity modifier

Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed.

Claws: Your clawed hands can act as natural weapons, which deal 1d4 slashing damage instead of the normal bludgeoning design. They also give you a climbing speed equal to your walking speed. 

Fleet of foot: Your walking speed is increased by 5ft. Languages: You can speak, write and read Common and Elvish. Subraces: The three major subraces of Elves are the Alderthorn, the Ashwillow and the Oakyew

Alderthorn (Irish Elk)

ABI: You have +1 to Constitution as well as a +1 to Strength

Antlers: Your antlers deal 1d8 piercing damage

Thornhide: As a reaction, when you're hit by a melee attack, you can deal 1d4 piercing damage to the source of damage. 

Vanguard Training: You have proficiency with Spears, Tridents, Shortbows and Shields.

Oakyew (Red Deer)

ABI: You have an additional +1 to Dexterity as well as a +1 to Charisma

Antlers:Your antlers deal 1d6 piercing damage Natural performer: You have proficiency in an instrument of your choice, as well as the Performance skill. Extra language: You can speak, read, and write one extra language of your choice.

Ashwillow (Whitetail Deer)

ABI: You have a +2 to your Wisdom

One with the woods: You know one cantrip of your choice from the Druid spell list. Your choice of Charisma, Wisdom or Intelligence as your spellcasting ability for it.

Antlers: Your antlers deal 1d4 piercing damage

Speech of Beast and Leaf. You have the ability to communicate in a limited manner with Beasts, Plants, and vegetation. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return. You have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them.

Here are the stats I had in mind for the three most common types of Felbrassan Elves. I hope these are to your liking. I'll likely make Half-Elves in a separate post, with other similar ancestries.

[apkfanda]

Last Day on Earth: Survival

Imagine you woke up to the apocalypse in the survival shooter Last Day on Earth. Feel the horror and adrenaline rush from the process of real surviving in a harsh environment! Meet the world where zombie hordes' instinct to murder you is as strong as thirst or hunger. Descend into the atmosphere of survival right now or start Last Day on Earth once you're done with reading this description, in which I'm going to tell you about some key features. ■ Create your character and look around: near your shelter, there are a lot of locations with different danger levels. From the resources collected here you can craft everything necessary for survival: from a house and clothes to weapons and an all-terrain vehicle. ■ As your level grows, hundreds of useful recipes and blueprints will become available to you. First off, build and enhance the walls of your house, learn new skills, modify weapons, and discover all the joys of the gaming process. ■ Pets are an islet of love and friendship in the world of the zombie apocalypse. Joyful huskies and smart shepherd dogs will be happy to accompany you in raids, and while you're about it, help you carry out loot from hard-to-reach places. ■ Assemble a fast Chopper, an ATV, or a motorboat and get access to remote locations on the map. You don't get the rarest resources for complex blueprints and unique quests for nothing. If there's a mechanic sleeping inside of you, it's just the time to wake him up! ■ If you like cooperative play, visit the city in the Crater. There you'll meet loyal companions and find out what you're worth in PvP. Join a clan, play with other players, feel the unity of a real pack! ■ Survivor (if you have read this far, I can call you that), an arsenal of cold weapons and firearms that would make even a seasoned hardcore player envy is at your service. Here are bats, miniguns, M16, good-old AK-47, Mortar, C4, and too much more to list, better see it for yourself. ■ Forests, Police Station, Spooky Farm, Port, and Bunkers packed with zombies, raiders, and other random characters. Always be ready to use force or flee. Anything goes, when it comes to survival! Now you are a survivor. No matter who you are, where you come from, and what you used to be before. Welcome to the cruel new world... Read the full article

[lubdubsworld]

Insatiable. ( Jungkook x OC)

Pairing : Jeon Jungkook x OC

Rating 18+

Genre : Vampire Au!!!! , DILF! Jungkook ! Bodyguard AU! Babysitter OC!   Age difference!!! [ bet you’ve never seen all of this in one fic before? ] 

[ Some notes : Born Vampires stop aging when they turn twenty five.  Turned vampires stop aging when they’re turned. ]

Summary : 

21 year old Hwang Sera is sick of being the only human in an entire clan of vampires. As an immortal human from one of the oldest bloodlines, she is a catch. The Vampire she marries would essentially be indestructible. 

Which makes her an easy target for greedy vampires everywhere. 

Determined to keep his precious daughter safe, her father hires an old friend , Jeon Jungkook as her full time bodyguard. 

Jungkook is 35 years old ( well technically 576 years old )  , father to an adorable five year old kid and he has zero tolerance for Sera and her teenage shenanigans. But , he needs the money and he knows his son would be safe in the  Hwang clan’s massive mansion.  

And suddenly, after years of despising vampires, all Sera can think about is getting into the gorgeous vampire’s bed and maybe into his heart. 

Chapter 1

“He’s so hot.” My sister sighed for the seventeenth time and I glared at her.

“He’s mine. Back the fuck off.” I bared my non existent fangs at her and she retaliated by showing off her own inch long fangs, eyes flashing ruby red in the confines of our huge sprawling bedroom. 

The man in question, my sparkling new bodyguard wasn’t here now. He was downstairs at the party, being introduced to the others as the latest addition to our clan.

My mouth watered when I remembered his gorgeous, handsome face. And that body , God. 

Sculpted by some higher being who wanted to show off, for sure. 

I had never given much thought to losing my virginity. It certainly wasn’t by design that I hadn’t had sex yet but looking at Jeon Jungkook in a fitted black suit, midnight black hair falling into his lovely red eyes and those delicious muscles.....

I kind of believed in fate now. 

This was why I’d always been repulsed by the vampires who courted me. 

Because Jeon Jungkook had been out there, waiting for me. 

And now fate had brought him here and he was going to be mine. 

I stumbled over a stray bra, nearly face planting onto the floor . 

 God, i hated how messy Somi was but I was also eternally grateful that she had skipped out on the party tonight, volunteering to help me with the kids. 

I ran a daycare in one of the larger cottages in the estate, keeping the little fanged devils in check while the parents went about their daily lives. On nights like this, when my father hosted guests from every clan in the country for one of his lavish parties, there was always a whole bunch of bite-happy toddlers in need of supervision. 

Enter me.

 I loved babies. I’d always loved them. They were adorable. And after three years of school , I was finally, officially qualified in caring for them. 

Oh and by the way did i tell you that Jungkook had a son? Jeon Joowon was possibly the cutest five year old I’d ever seen and yes I was a little biased but that was okay. I was going to be the kids step mom , after all. 

Listen, don’t look at me like that, I just really want to be with Jungkook okay?

I tripped over the same bra when turning back around and I swore.

Focus, Sera. You can day dream about hot vampire daddy later.

“ Why do you have to throw your shit all over the place like this? “ I whined, grabbing the offensive piece of fabric and tossing it at her. She caught is so fast I  went a little cross eyed. My sister never missed an opportunity to show off her super-saiyan, vampire powers. That made her a crowd favorite with the toddlers and younglings . 

“I still don’t think your choice of a career is smart. These fanged little beasts are impossible to control... ” She commented mildly, watching me stuff two whole cartons of baby wipes into the huge backpack I had propped against the bed. I’d forgotten to restock the day care with wet wipes and it was sheer luck that I had a pair of them lying around my room.

The very idea of entering a room full of babies and toddlers without baby wipes, made me shudder. 

“Listen, they’re absolute angels when you listen to what they’re saying. Just because babies can’t talk doesn’t mean they don’t have preferences. All you really need to do is find out what each kid likes and help them feel comfortable -”

“Please stop.” She rolled her eyes and I glared at her.

“I’m a little thirsty. Can i have a sip..” She said softly and I frowned.

“You haven’t drunk from me the entire day. Are you okay?” I held my wrist out.

She shrugged , grabbing my wrist and casually sinking her fangs into the vein . Pain bloomed, familiar and somehow comforting , replaced almost at once by the gentle numbing of her venom. She drank a little and pulled back soon after, linking the puncture wounds for good measure. I watched the skin knit itself together , whole and unmarred in no time. 

Perks of being immortal. 

The knock on the door made me jump. 

“Ms Hwang?” Jungkook’s soft, husky voice came floating through the door and I grinned, cheeks aching with how wide my smile was.

“You look like a maniac. Stop smiling.” My sister looked a little alarmed and I struggled to rearrange my features. Sticking my tongue out at her, I grabbed my sweatshirt, slipping it overhead quickly. I glanced at the mirror, grimacing a bit. 

Being with toddlers meant no make up or hair left free.... and so I had a messy top bun, and just lip gloss to look presentable. While the entire party teemed with gorgeous vampires in low cut gowns and blood red lips. 

Ugh. 

I grabbed the backpack and waved to Somi.

“Come as soon as you can alright?” I begged her and she waved me off.

I rushed to the door, throwing it open and smiling wide.

“Hi oppa.” I said cheerfully.

“I’m not your oppa.” Jungkook said automatically, barely glancing at me and instead reaching for the backpack. He directed me to the stairwell on the side, the one that led straight down to the ground floor and out into the gardens. He went in first and  I followed him,  climbing down carefully. 

I sighed, taking in the mouth watering width of his shoulders, encased in a perfectly fitted jacket. He looked so handsome I wanted to cry. And although he’d been here for a whole week month now, I hadn’t managed to get into his good graces. 

“What do I call you, then?” I made to hold his hand when we reached the end of the staircase  but he shook my arm off at once.

Did I tell you that he really can’t stand me for some reason? 

“As I’ve  mentioned a dozen times already, Mr. Jeon would suffice.” He said shortly. He held the door leading out into the gardens open and I walked through. 

“That makes you seem so old.” I grimaced, shaking my head and he gave me an amused look.

“I am 576 years old.” He deadpanned. The daycare cottage was just a five minute walk from the mansion and the pathway through the garden was absolutely beautiful, well lit and covered in the brightest flowers. 

I waved off his excuse about his age. 

“you don’t look a day over twenty five to me.” I said with a shrug. He shook his head, clearly too tired to carry the conversation on. We walked in silence and I felt incredibly content, just with him near.

 And he was going to be by my side for the rest of our lives, I thought softly. I would make sure of it. I’d never felt this way about anyone. Jungkook was a good man , evident in literally everything he did. He was kind, an amazing father and such a gentleman that he made me melt. 

Jungkook had been turned at the age of 35. And so he sailed through eternity with the gorgeous good looks of a mature , well kept man. His hair was thick, just a slight bit of grey peppering the edges and his features were sharp and well defined. 

“Is Joowon in the daycare already?” I asked with a smile and he nodded curtly. 

“He has Mr. Pepper with him. He refused to leave him behind. please just make sure he still has him with him when he leaves. He can’t fall asleep without the bunny “ He said softly and I felt my heart bloom ten sizes.

“Of course, I will -”

“Jungkook !!!” The shrill voice broke the stillness of the night like a hammer through a mirror. 

I turned around with a frown only to be greeted by the sight of a very pretty, very tall vampire in a blood red bodycon dress and a neckline that plunged all the way to her belly button. She had ruby red lips, and well made eyes. Eyes that now flashed red , dilating as they ran up and down his body. 

I felt myself clenching my fists. 

“I’m getting late....we need to go, I grabbed his arm trying to tug him along but he didn’t budge. i glanced at his face and felt my heart shatter at the small smile playing around his lips.

“Helena..... Surprise seeing you here....” He drawled, voice so much deeper than usual and I bit my lips. They knew each other? 

The vampire had reached us now and she gave me a disdainful smile.

“Who’s this?” She asked with a laugh, “ Are you babysitting now, Jeon?”

I bristled. To my utter chagrin, Jungkook laughed to.

“She’s the kid I’m watching. The Immortal human  of the Hwang clan.” He intoned dully. 

The lady’s brows went up in surprise.

“:The rumors are true, ....The Hwang clan’s hidden jewel.....with skin like the rarest pearl and eyes that steal souls. Fiercely guarded ...a beauty like no other.... I thought they were exaggerating, but I see they were not. . You’re exquisite.” She commented , seemingly genuine in the compliment as her eyes roved over my features. 

“ Um.. thanks?” I shrugged, not particularly flattered by the extravagant description.  

The poets in my clan tended to be a bit overdramatic at times. 

. She laughed.

“Are you unavailable for the night, then Jeon?” She turned her flashing eyes on him .

My jaw nearly dropped.

Did this bitch really just proposition-

“Afraid so.... Raincheck?” Jungkook smiled wide and he looked so beautiful that I had to bit my lips to stop from moaning. 

Helena waved softly, eyes shifting back to me.

“Be safe, little human. When the sun goes down, the ghouls come out to play.” She grinned wide, letting her fangs grow long, past her lower lip, eyes red and bloody. 

I stared right back. She laughed and waved before floating away into the night. 

Jungkook chuckled. 

“You’re not intimidated by us, then.” He said mildly as we began walking again.

“I spent the entirety of my childhood playing with vampires. Do you really think they didn’t spend every waking hour trying to scare me to death?” 

He gave me soft smile, and then went back to staring straight ahead. 

I relaxed when the familiar cottage came into view, the sound of laughing kids reaching me. 

I held my hand out for the backpack and Jungkook gave it to me.

“I’ll just check out the backyard and see if al the gates are secure and then I’ll be right outside the door, alright? Call out if you need me...” He said sharply 

“Will you come even if I call you oppa?” I bit my lips, grinning and he flicked my nose. 

“Behave.” He said shortly. I sighed.

“I’m not a kid, you know.” I said softly and he gave me a look.

“You are to me. Now get inside.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“There’s a monster behind the tree and I’m Hawkeye because I have the bow and arrow and Jieun is the princess.” Joowon said brightly, showing off the toy bow and arrow in his hand and I grinned, taking in his exquisite features. He looked strikingly like his father , except for the two adorable dimples that showed up everytime he smiled.

“That’s amazing... do you like fighting monsters?” I asked with a grin holding my arms out for him and he hugged me happily.

“Yes, I like fighting monsters and I like Mr. Pepper.” He waved the stuffed bunny in my face. 

“Make sure you keep him safe, alright? “ I stroked the soft skin of the 

“So what color does your daddy like?” I asked with a grin. I felt a sharp kick on my shin and I turned to my sister. 

“Don’t use the fucking kid for your sinful aims, you dingbat!” She hissed and I glared at her. 

“I did no such thing...I was just making conversation....” I hissed back.

“Dad likes black.” Joowon answered dutifully and I ruffled his hair. Jieun appeared then, having waited for her prince and gotten bored. She tugged on Joowon’s arm and I let him go, watching the two of them run off. 

“Its only been a month, Sera.... I think you should tone down the infatuation. You know dad would never approve.” My sister said gently and I frowned.

“No he won’t, Dad loves me , he wants me to be happy.” I said shortly. 

“Yes, but not with Jungkook. He’s a rogue vampire. He doesn’t have a clan. He has a kid ...”

“An angel of a kid...”

“he has a kid whose mother he had to kill because she was a bloodthirsty witch.” 

i stared at my sister feeling anger build inside me.

“What does any of that have to do with how I feel about him?” I demanded , moving to stop one of the littles from tripping over a stray rubik’s cube. 

“ You’re special. You’re being courted by some of the richest, most powerful  vampires in the country and you want to go after the rogue , broke vampire who’s only here because he needs the money and the safety of our clan?” 

“I’m not having this conversation with you.” I said firmly.

Somi sighed.

“I’m just saying. Don’t be so blatantly open about your feelings. You’ll be putting a target on Jungkook’s back.” 

I exhaled sharply. 

“If anyone tries to hurt him, they die.” I said softly.

Somi chuckled.

“I know.... but still, he’s not looking for trouble. Don’t bring it to his doorstep.” 

I didn’t reply, moving quickly to the other side of the room. 

the words left a bitter taste on my tongue.

Mostly because my sister was right. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i stared at the tall strapping vampire, trying to comprehend what I was hearing.

“What do you mean he isn’t here for the night?” I demanded. 

“He’s a little tired. He told me had a little too much to drink and he wants to sleep it off. I’ll be here instead ... Just for tonight.” He tried to smile reassuringly and I was momentarily distracted by very deep dimples  but I could feel myself fuming. 

“and he didn’t think of saying that to me himself? He had to run off while i was closing up the cottage?” I glared. 

The Vampire chuckled. 

“He told me you might protest.”

“Of course i protest, I feel safer with him...” I said sharply.

The Vampire gave me a deep sigh.

“I’ve been doing this for three centuries, Miss Hwang. You’re definitely safe with me.” He bowed his head.

“What’s your name?” I demanded. 

“Kim Namjoon.” 

“Fine , Kim Namjoon ssi.... Let’s go. “ 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giving Namjoon the slip was a lot easier than I thought. I waited for him to greet my great uncle, and slipped between two waiters carrying blood cocktails and weaved into the crowd easily. 

Jungkook’s bedroom was next to mine and it took me less than a minute to race up the stairs and to his room.

i banged on the door , determined to see for myself just how drunk he’d gotten. 

The door opened and i took a deep breath.

“How dare you leave me-” 

I froze when I realized that he was shirtless, fresh out of the shower. Water dripped down his torso , like little starbursts of liquid light and my mouth went dry. I swallowed, staring at the tightly packed abs, the dip of his v line as it disappeared into a fluffy white towel.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He growled angrily.

My eyes flew to meet his and then my gaze caught something red on his bed and I peered over his shoulder.

Pain lanced through my heart so sharp that I felt like I’d taken a fucking brick to my chest. 

The sight of Helena, naked except for a red bra, stretched out on his bed got burned into my brain and I choked.

“You-” I began but he grabbed my arm, so hard that I knew I would bruise. He yanked me away from the threshold of his room, dragging me to the middle of the hallway as he slammed the door to his room shut.

“Where the fuck is Namjoon?”

“You ditched me to get laid? “ I hissed in disbelief.

“I can’t fucking believe you’re doing this-”

“Is she your girlfriend-”

“Sera-” he shook me again but I refused to back down. I had to know.

“Are you in love with her?!!!” I demanded, my heart breaking .

Jungkook growled.

“It’s none of your damned business!!” He snapped angrily .

“It is !!” I said shrilly.

“Why on earth-”

“Because I’m in love with you!!” I shouted and he froze. 

He let go of me like he’d been burned and stepped back, staring at me wide eyed,. 

“What did you just say?” He demanded.

“I want you. I want you to court me-”

“Sera stop.” He said sharply 

“I’m not joking...I like you and-”

“Shut up.” He growled, his voice shaking. 

I swallowed.

“If you say something as asinine as that to me , ever again... I  will  make you regret it. ” He warned softly.

I felt my heart jerk in panic.

“Jungkook-”

“It’s Mr. Jeon to you!!!” He growled. 

I bit my lips, staring at my feet.

“I’m going to pretend this never happened. You’re going to go to your room and wait for Namjoon. If anything like this ever happens again, I’m telling your father.” 

I laughed bitterly.

“I’m not fucking twelve years old you son of a bitch. Stop talking to me like I’m your toy or something !” I snarled.

“If you were my toy I would fucking spank you till you cry and lock you in a damn room!” He hissed. 

I flinched.

He took a deep shaky breath. 

“This never happened.” He said sharply. “ I’m not one of your boytoys. I have no interest in fledgling humans who know nothing about life. That's not the kind of woman I’m looking for. You’re not the kind of woman I’m looking for because you aren’t even a woman yet.” 

“ Jungkook !!!” Namjoon’s voice rang through the hallway and I stepped back. 

“Have a good night with your whore, Mr. Jeon.” I snapped, before turning on my heel and leaving. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author’s Note : Hot DILF! Vampire Jungkook is hot.  This brings back fond memories of me panting after my husband as a nineteen year old brat . I was a devilish teenager smitten with a twenty seven year old man. Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed :D

[ramzawrites]

I've always liked the idea of eastern dragons, long bodied and often aquatic in nature. And ever since the movie Raya and the Last Dragon came out, I've only grown more enamored with them.

Then came the idea of the Sleepy Bois with a water dragon hybrid reader. I don't know, I just thought it'd be fun to see Phil freak out about a mystical dragon hybrid, Techno chilling out with another hybrid friend, and Tommy challenging this water dragon warrior to a fight. It could just be me, but I thought it would make a fun request.

And for fun, this water dragon hybrid wields a trident for a weapon, cuz you know, ocean n stuff.

A Dragon Friend - Reader and SBI

GN

Pairings: None

Characters included: Philza, Wilbur Soot, Technoblade, Tommyinnit

Warnings: none

Series: a request :)

Summary: Wilbur brings home a new friend so his family can meet them. To Phil’s shock it is a Dragon Hybrid, just one of the rarest kind of people out there that tend to stay away from society. No big deal really. Then again of course Wilbur managed to befriend them.

Words count:

Authors Note: I am not too knowledgeable on easter Dragons so I generalized it more into the Dragons I know of, I hope this is fine :0

Wilbur threw open the gate that led into the front yard of his home.

Philza was currently kneeling in the dirt as he took care of the growing vegetables and other plants. It was his little hobby to take care of these plants, though he isn’t the only one who took care of them. Technoblade, the oldest child of his, begun taking interest in this little hobby of his as well. Though right now Philza was working alone. His clothes covered in dirt but still wearing gloves that protected his hands from it.

As he looked up, curious why suddenly the gate crashed shut, he could see an incredibly happy looking Wilbur standing in front of another teen.

He had to do a double take as he realizes who was standing next to him. Blue scales were growing along their jawline, sneaking at times into the face and going down their throat and arms. Ending at their fingertips. Philza also managed to spot unmistakably gills at the side of their throat, now closed shut due to them being in the air.

Though the thing that was probably the biggest give away to their nature was the long, elegant tail behind their legs. Swishing around nervously in the air. It was mesmerizing to see the scales moving around and glinting in the sun.

On their back was a shining and sharp looking Trident. The bright and colorful shine alone gave him idea enough of how incredibly well enchanted the weapon must be.

Philza threw his gloves off and walked closer to Wilbur, his face contorted into a mix of shock and worry while Wilbur looked like he just had the best day in a long while. For some reason he couldn’t help but suspect that Wilbur must have done something.

“Hey, dad! I wanna show you my new friend!”

“Friend? What do you mean friend?”

He needed to know more. During his travels he has only met a few Dragon Hybrids since they liked to keep to themselves. It was rare to meet one and he was pretty sure it was near to impossible to get them to leave their clan to follow someone else around like this. Knowing Wilbur something must have happened, then again, he was quite charismatic and has surprised Philza before with his people skills.

Wilbur nodded enthusiastically “Yes! This is Y/N and they are my cool friend! We met a few weeks ago.”

Well, that explained why he suddenly visited the ocean so often.

Y/N took a step forward and gave Phil a quick nod as a greeting “Hello, I hope this isn’t a bad time. Wilbur just told me so much about his family that I couldn’t help but be curious. He just wanted to help me satisfy my own curiosity towards people on the outside.”

And here was the explanation why they just followed Wilbur like this. They were curios and not afraid enough to follow up on it.

“Ah, okay. It’s, uh, fine. My name is Philza. Nice to meet you Y/N.”

It was obvious that Phil was still trying to wrap his head around this situation. It just kind of felt unreal and yet it just made sense. This family and the world were already so Ender damned weird, this might as well happen.

Wilbur didn’t seem to be bothered by his father’s clear confusion “Where are Techno and Tommy, by the way? Are they home?”

Phil slowly nodded “Yeah. Both should be in the house.”

“Thanks, Dad. Let’s go Y/N! You have to meet my brothers as well!”

He then grabbed Y/N’s hand and pulled them along towards the old but sturdy wooden door that led into their home.

Before Wilbur could open it though Phil yelled out one more thing towards Y/N “If any of my sons are too much or just generally annoying don’t hesitate to get me, I also give you full permission to just tell them off.”

Y/N couldn’t give him an answer though since Wilbur just opened up the door and dragged them in but at this point they were used to Wilbur and taking the charge like this at times so all they did was follow along.

“Your father seems nice, even if a bit sur-“ but Y/N couldn’t finish the sentence. Wilbur pressed his finger against his lips, giving them the sign to be quiet. They were confused but begun following Wilbur as he slowly opened up a door to what Y/N assumed to be the living room.

In the middle of a couch, with his back turned towards the door, sat another teenager with pink hair and pink ears poking out of it.

They might have never met him, but Y/N could immediately tell that this must be Technoblade. The older one between the twins. Even if only by two minutes according to Wil.

Now, Y/N was very interested in meeting Technoblade as well since he too was a Hybrid and they had only been in contact with fellow Dragon Hybrids.

Though right now, Y/N was just watching.

Watching Wilbur who was sneaking up on his brother. His hands out, obviously he planned on somehow scaring him by suddenly touching his shoulder. And just as he got close enough to slam his hands down, Techno loudly shut his book.

The next thing Y/N heard was a bang and saw that Wilbur sank down to the ground, holding his nose and crying out in pain. Techno’s hand with the book in the air.

He slammed the book into Wilbur’s face.

Y/N let out a chuckle but more out of surprise than anything. They knew from Wilbur that Techno was an incredible fighter and had amazing reflexes but somehow they didn’t expect this.

“What the hell, Y/N. Here I am on the ground dying and all you do is laugh?”

They just rolled their eyes and helped Wilbur back up. His nose was a bit red but nothing more, he probably reacted more out of shock than anything.

Technoblade stood up with a sigh and turned around “You really think I couldn’t hear you? I knew as soon as I heard your sneaking steps what you were planning, nerd.”

With Techno now turned around Y/N couldn’t help but be amazed by his Hybrid features. Two huge tusk decorated his face, bristle like fur growing along his arms and now they could see that the ears were definitely that of a pig.

As Y/N stared at him and Wilbur was still cursing his brother out, Techno noticed how Y/N’s gaze was transfixed on him in awe.

He raised one of his eyebrows “Uh, hi?”

Y/N’s eyes widened “Oh! Sorry! My name is Y/N! Wilbur was so nice to show me around since I usually stay with my own clan.”

His own gaze fell then onto his brother who just nodded to show that this was indeed the truth “Mhm, yeah. Pretty much, also, I was so quiet! How did you hear me?”

As an answer Techno just pointed at one of his animal ears “I have better hearing, remember?”

Wilbur scoffed “Yeah, yeah. You are so much better than us. Better hearing, better nose and even better eyes, but we non-Hybrids are pretty cool too.” He then looked at Y/N expectantly as if to wait for them to support his statement.

But Y/N just squinted their eyes and took a good second to stare Wilbur down “Are you- You know who you are talking to, right? I can breathe under water, my eyes are better as well and I have a Ender damned tail.”

“Okay, maybe I talked to the wrong person.” He admitted.

Techno chuckled and moved next to Y/N and held his hand up, palm towards them. It took them a small moment to understand but their own palm soon clapped together with Techno’s.

“Hybrid Buddies?” he asked.

“Hybrid Buddies.” Y/N confirmed.

They might only really know Techno now for about a minute, but they could tell he mostly did this to infuriate Wilbur even more.

Wilbur just sighed and cupped his hands around his mouth “Tommy? Get to the living room for a sec!”

“Oh, are you getting backup?” Techno mused.

At this point Wilbur just looked unamused, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he waited for the youngest brother to react.

The sudden sound of rumbling and loud steps from above seemed to be this answer.

“What do you want Wil! I was working on something! Wait, who is that?” Tommy begun yelling out as soon as he arrived at the stairs only to stop once he walked into the room properly to see Y/N who greeted him with a little wave.

“This is Y/N. I met them a while ago and wanted to show them where we live.” Wilbur put his arm around his younger brother as he begun explaining.

Tommy seemed to be incredibly confused but nonetheless intrigued. His eyes darting from Y/N to Wilbur and only for a split second jumping to Techno “Okay? Hello, Y/N. I’m Tommy.” He then squirmed away from beneath Wilbur’s arm, taking a closer look at them “Woah! What are you? You look awesome! Is that a trident? I thought they were super rare! It’s also enchanted! I mean… you seem to be alright, I guess.”

Y/N laughed, more at the reactions of both Wilbur and Techno who seemed to grow incredibly tired as Tommy went along with his usual spiel “Oh! I’m a Water Dragon Hybrid! Also, yeah, I got that trident from my parents as a way to protect myself. We primarily live in or close of water, so, tridents are incredibly useful to us. Also, they mean a lot to us as well.”

They then got the trident off their back to let Tommy have a better look at it. He looked awestruck. Not only at the revelation that Y/N was a Dragon Hybrid but that weapon seemed to really have enamored him somehow.

A dangerous glint appeared in his eyes as he looked back up “This is cool but nothing against me and my sword.”

Technoblade seemed to be bewildered at that “You just have an iron sword what are you talking about?”

But Wilbur put his hand on Techno’s shoulder “No, no. Let him. Let’s just watch.” It was clearly Wilbur’s chaos was getting the better of him and Techno was too tired to deal with that.

“Your sword? Are you sure? Even if you have an enchanted iron sword, I’m pretty sure it would be nothing against a trident, especially since I am very well trained with this weapon.” Y/N seemed almost smug.

Tommy puffed up his chest and placed his hands at his sides “But my father is the one and only Philza and he taught me everything! There is no way you even stand a chance against me! Fight me and I’ll prove it to you!”

Y/N rolled their shoulders “Okay, little one, let’s get outside and fight! I’ll show you.”

“Little one? Little one?!” Tommy repeated flabbergasted. How dare they call him little.

The sound of the closing front door rung out through the house which was soon followed by an annoyed groan “I swear by Ender. I leave you alone for a few minutes and I already hear Tommy screaming about wanting to fight our guest. Amazing first impression for Y/N.”

He appeared at the door, gloves still on this time. His expression pulled down into a strict frown as he looked around at the scene in front of him.

Both Tommy and Y/N were standing in the middle of the room, turned towards each other due to their bickering while Techno and Wilbur stood to the side. Techno had a skeptical look about him while Wilbur couldn’t help but smirk at the argument of the two.

He purposefully didn’t say it, but Y/N was being trained as a full-fledged warrior of their clan. It was their job to keep off mobs and unwanted guests away from their family. Tommy would have no chance against them, but he couldn’t help but still wanting to see it. Besides Y/N wouldn’t seriously hurt him.

Honestly if anything Wilbur really wanted to see Techno and Y/N fight. In Wilbur’s eyes Techno was definitely the best fighter he knew but Y/N was a close second and while he couldn’t understand it, he also knew that those two would probably bond over fighting each other.

Tommy pointed at Y/N “Well, they started it! Just strutting in here with a weapon! I have to protect our home!”

Philza shook his head, already done with his mischief “Is that right?” He directed that question towards the other teens.

Wilbur just continued smiling while Y/N and Techno just shook their heads.

“Alright. Tommy, stop lying and no fighting. How about you guys just help me make food, at least then I know what you guys are up to.”

This seemed to pull Wilbur back out of his chaotic loving thoughts “Oh! That reminds me! Can we make cookies? Y/N never had any.”

Even Techno, who acted calm and collected, looked shocked towards Y/N. They lived for this long with never eating any cookies? Now that just seemed wrong.

“Sure. Let’s make some cookies then. Is that alright Y/N?”

Y/N’s eyes widened “Oh? Uh, yes! I would love to! It seems to be a big thing that I never had any so I really want to try them!”

Excited Tommy threw his arms in the air “Cookies!”

Laughing at his little brothers’ antics, Wilbur joined in and cheered as well “Cookies!” He then followed said brother and his father out the living room and into the kitchen. Leaving Y/N and Techno behind.

While Y/N was excited as well they were still a bit overwhelmed with this sudden reaction right after being threatened by Tommy. Techno seemed to notice this and put one of his hands on their shoulder “Don’t worry too much about what Tommy said. He was seriously impressed by you, but he unfortunately has an incredibly huge ego with nothing to back it, hence the insults and threats. So don’t worry too much about it. Wilbur seems to really enjoy your company and I too think you are… interesting company. Yes, let’s say that. If you are really such a great fighter, we definitely have to spar at some point though. I rarely get the chance to test my skills against other people besides my family and mobs.”

“I would love that.”

“Nice. Let’s join the others. Seriously, you have never eaten any cookies? How is that possible?”

[a-world-in-grey]

Galahdian Braids - Types of Braids

Clan Braid

Every Galahdian wears a Clan braid and it is the only braid required to be worn. It marks the Galahdian as belonging to the Clans and is arguably the most important braid a Galahdian wears. It is the first braid a born Galahdian will wear, and is usually the first braid an adopted Galahdian will wear as well.

Each Clan has a style of braid unique to their Clan, allowing easy identification at a glance. Clan braids also feature a Clan bead in the Clan’s Primary or Secondary color, or a bead of both. If a Galahdian joins another Clan, it is common to wear their original Clan bead along with the Clan bead of their new Clan. In addition, Galahdians usually have a selection of personal beads they wear in the Clan braid.

The Clan braid designates the wearer’s current Clan. If they join or marry into a different Clan, their original Clan braid is replaced with the new Clan braid. The only exception to this is in the event of a marriage meant to ally two Clans, in which case the couple wears both their original Clan braid and the braid of their spouse.

A Chieftan braid is a variant of the Clan braid that represents the status of Clan Chief. Only Clan Chiefs are permitted to wear it, braiding a cord or ribbon into the braid in either gold or their Primary color. When the Chief steps down, the cord is removed and the braid becomes a regular Clan braid once more.

Marriage Braid

This braid denotes the wearer is married. The braid itself is a simple style universal to all the Clans and does not have any cords/ribbons woven into it. Instead, the braid features unique beads gifted to the wearer by their spouse. The first bead is always the bead their spouse proposed to them with. If the wearer was the one proposing, then the first bead is usually the bead their new spouse gifts them sometime shortly after that point. Beads after the initial wedding beads are typically gifted on significant anniversaries.

When a spouse dies, the wearer braids a brown cord/ribbon into the braid to signify that they are a widow/widower. Even if the Galahdian remarries, their first marriage braid is not removed. Instead, they wear a second marriage braid for their new spouse.

As divorce is not recognized in Galahdian culture, once a marriage braid is put in, it is worn for the rest of the Galahdian’s life.

Mourning Braid

A braid that signifies the wearer is grieving. There is a simple universal design that is worn when mourning someone from their own Clan. If mourning someone from another Clan, there is a variant of their Clan braid that is specifically for mourning. There is even a braid for when a Galahdian mourns an Outsider or Clanless, but it is rarely used.

The plain brown beads distinguish this braid from others, and some Galahdians weave a brown cord/ribbon into the braid as well. The number of beads can vary, some Galahdians choose to wear a bead for each person they mourn, while others opt for a single or a set of beads regardless of how many they grieve for.

This is not always a permanent braid. When a Galahdian feels they have healed from their grief, they can take the braid out. However, some Galahdians feel they will never heal, and may choose to weave a black and a brown cord into their braid to signify that they never intend to unbraid the mourning braid. These Galahdians are often closely watched by the Clan to ensure they do not slip into an unrecoverable depression.

This is one of the only braids an Outsider may wear, so long as they are on good terms with a Clan and receive specific permission beforehand.

Braid of the Last

Often worn side by side with a mourning braid, this braid denotes the wearer as the only living person of their Clan. A simple and universal design, this braid does not have any beads. Instead, an orange and a white cord/ribbon are woven into the braid.

If the Galahdian joins another Clan, either another branch of their current Clan or if they marry into a different one, they may choose to unbraid it. Some Galahdians choose to keep this braid as a memento of their fallen Clan.

Hero Braid

One of the rarest braids to see a Galahdian wear, it denotes the wearer has accomplished a great feat worthy of recognition. While called a Hero braid, it can be awarded for any major accomplishment. The braid can only be given by the Clan Chief and Elders and is usually braided into the Galahdian’s hair by the Clan Chief after the Chief and Elders gather to discuss it and argue over what it should look like. Once a Hero braid is granted, it cannot be revoked.

The braid itself is again a simple design universal to all the Clans, meant to be identifiable at a glance no matter what Clan the Galahdian is from. The braid is woven with a cord that denotes the Primary color of the achievement, based on a variant of the Galahdian Color Code specific to Hero braids. The first bead in the Hero braid is the Clan bead of the Clan awarding the braid, and the beads after that are in the Secondary colors of the achievement.

It is possible - if highly unlikely - for a Galahdian to earn more than one Hero braid in their life. In that event, the second Hero braid is added in the section of the braid after the first, the Clan bead marking the beginning of the new achievement. Only if there is no more room in the initial braid is another braid woven.

Like mourning braids, an Outsider can be granted the right to wear a Hero braid. Only ever in exceptional circumstances, and often the Clan will offer to adopt the individual. 

Revenge Braid

This braid is similar in style to the mourning braid. However, it has no beads - only a pink and a brown cord are woven into the braid. It is a declaration of revenge for the loss they have suffered at another’s hands. A specific revenge, and so while other Galahdians may be wary of anyone wearing this braid, it is an acceptable braid to wear, and there are many Galahdians will even aid the individual.

However, this is a braid not worn lightly. Once a declaration of revenge is made, the braid must be worn until the Galahdian has completed their revenge. Only then will they be allowed to unbraid it. 

Debt Braid

The rarest braid a Galahdian can wear. This is worn to signify the wearer owes a debt that cannot be repaid - if it could, they’d have paid it already. It’s a declaration that the wearer owes their life to another, to someone of another Clan or even an Outsider, and because of the debt they owe they will follow that individual over their own Chief.

This braid can only be worn of a Galahdian’s own volition. It does not matter how large a debt they owe, or if another Galahdian with the same or smaller debt would declare a Life Debt. No one can force a Galahdian to wear a Debt braid, and it is taboo to even ask.

This is because a Debt braid is permanent. Once a Galahdian chooses to wear it, they must wear it for the rest of their life. The decision to wear the braid is never made lightly, because it is that big of a decision.

Debt braids have a simple universal design. It is woven with a purple cord/ribbon to signify their loyalty to the person they owe the debt. The braid only has two beads, one blue and one brown, to represent the sorrow they protected the wearer from.

[therealvagabird]

The Days of Clay - Pt. 2: Beasts, Peoples, and Class Concepts

Part 2 of my paleo/neolithic RPG setting concept. Here are the concept overviews for the more “living” aspects of the world.

You can read the full setting rundown all at once on my WordPress.

Feel free to a leave a comment, and share!

Saurians

Found throughout the tropical and otherwise hot regions of the world, from searing deserts to sweltering jungles, saurians are a common form of fauna across the equatorial continents. Though most saurians are quite similar to all other animals – skittish, of varying size, and uninclined to hunt humans save under ideal circumstances – the great Thunder Lizards are well feared, and stories of them are known the world over in tales of dragons and other great wyrms. Saurians are cold blooded and include such species as the tyrannosaur, the carnotaur, velociraptor, and oviraptor as prominent therosaurs. There are also the mighty thagosaurs, the ceratops, brachiosaurs, and diplodosaurs as among the grandest of the Thunder Lizards. The hunting of these beasts outstrips even the danger of hunting Great Mammals like the mammoth, though that has not stopped some of the most fearsome warrior-tribes from attempting and succeeded at such feats. Tales of the taming of Thunder Lizards are also common, though even less substantiated. Not that factuality matter more than a good story to most shamans and their listeners.

Ape-Men

Ape-Men comprise all those varieties of bipedal or mostly-bipedal humanoid creatures who straddle the line between ape or monkey and man. Those who live in areas where there are no ape-men to be found might think that the distinction between an ape-man and a monkey, or an ape-man and a rather blunt and hairy person might be indistinguishable. Those who have ever seen an ape-man know the uncanny appearance by which those creatures can be identified. Though some believe that the ape-men are just as intelligent as humans, they have no language, no writing, and use but the most primitive of technologies. Some are quite small, while larger breeds can also be found, even in high altitudes and frigid environs. Most ape-men tend to cluster in basic den formations, and though they will not craft tools or shelters, they are sometimes smart enough to set up basic lean-tos, making use of existing caves or other helpful geography, and may pick up and utilize bones and rocks as basic weapons and the like. Though not very violent by nature, ape-men tend to compete for similar habitats as humans, and so often come into conflict with them. Ape-men clans who have lost great numbers to humans before tend to avoid all future confrontations even generations later.

Lizardmen

Similar to ape-men, lizardmen are the various breeds of bipedal, dexterous lizards who can sometimes be found in the territories of other saurian species. Little is known about how they differ from other scaled creatures save for their intelligence. Like ape-men, despite not having any known language or culture, the lizardmen have shown some ability to use tools, and tend to cluster in social groupings. Many of these dens are found in places most humans know as “Shatterlands” – angular rock formations common in deserts and some jungles, which various lizardmen of different species seem to all gravitate towards as ideal homesteads, even displacing other saurians in the process. Lizardmen range from the great crocolids and saurids to the more diminutive skinks and kobolds. They are uncommon outside of their usual ranges, and some say they are even dying off little by little.

Great Mammals

Found throughout the world, though most of all within the great tundra of northern lands like Batyr, Siral’ik, or Dziil, there are those creatures known as the Great Mammals. Also known as Great Beasts or Great Hairy Ones, these are the mammalian creatures who nonetheless rival the largest saurians in size and power. Mammoths, shellbacks, giant sloths, sabercats, dire wolves and dire bears – these are a source of both great danger and great plenty to those tribes who share their lands. Some Great Mammals may be found in southern reaches, such as with the giant ape-kin, or the elephants, giraffes, and the like which wander the savannahs of Noba Rugna. It is uncommon for saurians and Great Mammals to share habitats, though the bloodletting when the two come into contact can be significant and godlike.

Great Coldbloods

Separate from the saurians, Great Coldbloods is a catch-all term for creatures such as the giant snakes, colossal toads, and other creatures which do not share the same general markers of “true saurians” like the therosaurs, brachiosaurs, or ceratops. Though the distinction is rather vague, it is important to tribal peoples who live in southern lands, as Great Coldbloods tend to not be as aggressive and predatory as saurians – they are no less dangerous, but they prefer to stick to their well-defined hunting and ambushing grounds. Some Great Coldbloods are significant enough to take on and fell saurians in their own right, and command just as much fear as any other terrifying predator.

Great Shellhides

Perhaps the broadest category by which the human tribes of the world define the largest types of various animals, Great Shellhides comprise all those cold-blooded, hard-skinned, and boneless creatures which crawl beneath the earth. Though most “bugs” are insignificant things perhaps defined by powerful poisons to compensate for their size at the deadliest, Great Shellhides are monstrosities able to go claw-to-claw against other Thunder Beasts and Great Fauna. Hellspinners, elephant beetles, stoneborers, sand-devils – though some can be quite docile despite their size, most pose significant threats to any humans who dare to trifle with them. Within the seas there are also the giant crabs, temple clams, and devil-lobsters, among others. Though most hunters would not dare attempt to assault any Great Shellhide due to their impervious armor and the terrible ways they are capable of killing, the promise of tender blue-meat and a rich supply of chitin for crafting means that to many, the risk is worth the reward.

Leviathans

Encompassing all those beings which make sailors quail at the mere mention of their names, there are the seabound leviathans. Leviathans are not a single species, nor even a clade, but rather a term for any aquatic monster which is defined by its immense size. Whales are often considered leviathans, along with the great sharks such as the megalodon. More terrible are the leviasaurs – mosasaurs and ichthyosaurs and the like. Kraken, or the god-squids, are another class much feared by all who know of them, as well as the sea-serpents and dragon-turtles. Despite their fearsome reputation, most leviathans pose no great threat to humans, confined as they are to the abyssal sea. It is more common for even the bravest of seafaring tribes to meet their end by exposure or storms than by the direct attack of a leviathan, though that is seldom comforting to most sailors. The hunting of leviathans is considered by many to be the penultimate feat of prowess – to slay something as large and terrible as a Thunder Lizard, yet within their own element.

Giants

Sometimes conflated with ape-men, giants are among the rarest of all the near-human species. Defined as massive humanoids, tending to display blunted manlike features and standing anywhere from over two to five times the height of an adult human. Giants are usually found in reclusive dens, or solo, in the wilder areas of wherever humans might be found. The very largest are confined to the north and far east, in the most remote reaches of lands like Fjallgarth and Siral’ik. Little is known of giants, save for their prodigious size, ferocity when challenged, and rather hideous appearances. Much like ape-men, lizardmen, or parcies, they seem to have no higher culture, yet maintain a level of intelligence above most base animals. They may use fallen trees or great stones as makeshift tools, and some have even been said to herd Great Mammals, though it is unknown if there are any truth to these stories, or if the giants merely hunt such beasts. Most giants prefer to avoid humans when they can, unless in a desperate or vengeful position, as it is a common feat of strength for warriors of the northern lands to seek out and slay giants when they can.

Parcies

Pronounced “park-ees” and often referred to as “little folk”, “sprites”, “gremlins”, and numerous other regional names. Parcies are a strange class of creatures believed to be offshoots of humans or ape-men. Though there are many different breeds of parcie, they are often defined by short stature, and intelligence somewhere between humans and beasts. Humans born with conditions such as dwarfism may be confused with or referred to as parcies, but it is known to most who have encountered the little folk that they comprise their own group of species altogether. Most parcies are shrouded in mystery, living far away from humans, and maybe engaging in clandestine theft if they need to. Kidnappings, misfortunes, and other ills are sometimes attributed to parcies, though good luck and positive happenstances may also be called the work of parcies. While most are reclusive and nonviolent, they have been known to attack humans if threatened. Taking inspiration from certain parcie stories, some humans have even “tamed” parcies as servants or pets when they can. Notable breeds of parcies include brownies, gremlins, tomtens, dzedka, memegwesi, memegwaans, and nimerigar, A singular parcie can also be called a parca.

Humans:

Wisewalkers

Most humans throughout the world are of the breed known as “wisewalkers”. Though there are just the most minimal of differences between the different human subtypes – beyond even more tertiary traits such as skin color, cultural inclinations, or habitat – some distinct traits can be identified. Wisewalkers tend towards being the least hirsute of the human breeds, and the most inventive. The grander settlements of human make have oft been the work of wisewalkers, and the technologies they have pioneered are impressive. Though not so strong or swift as their cousins, the mental acuity of the wisewalker breeds has seen them become the most prolific of all humans.

Hobblehands

Smaller than wisewalkers, hobblehands are known for their great agility and cleverness. Though they are not quite as inventive as their larger cousins, they are quick learners and were the first creators of many basic tools that the wisewalkers would later improve. Standing about three to four feet tall on average, hobblehands are named for their dexterous skills, making for great ambush-hunters and adept crafters of small implements. They tend towards darker or ruddy skin tones depending on region, with curly hair, and round-featured faces that some have said look halfway between an adult and a child – though not in the same way an adolescent’s does. Hobblehands can be distinguished from dwarves or parcies by their proportions, looking rather like full-grown humans of a smaller size. Most hobblehands tend to live within their own tribal communities, and though they are not often leaders of mixed societies, they are much appreciated as crafters by the wisewalker shamans.

Neanders

Large, muscled, and brutish in appearance, the neaders are the human breed most known as warriors and hunters. Stereotypes of their low intellects and blunt affect obscure a significant truth, however – that the neanders are just as sharp and clever as any human strain. Most often found in the north, neanders stand about the same height as wisewalkers, though tend to hunch and have an overall more apelike physique. Besides these differences in build, they are the closest to the wisewalkers in terms of overall appearance. They possess greater strength than wisewalkers, and significant stamina. However, though they have displayed no less cleverness than their cousins, they seem to lack a certain degree of inventive spark. Neander tribes – perhaps due to their skill at hunting – tend to eschew higher technologies if they feel they have no need of them. Sometimes battling their wisewalker neighbors, many neander tribes have been brought into the fold of larger wisewalker gatherings for their might and skill.

Wildlings

A class of humans who straddle the line between true humans and ape-men, wildlings far exceed the strength of the neanders and the agility of the hobblehands – yet unlike those two sub-species, they are marked by a noticeable lack of higher cleverness. Though still capable of tool crafting and the basics of human civilization, wildlings are not very inventive, and prone towards blunt solutions even when it might not be in their best interests. They prefer the wilds from which they take their name, eschewing large gatherings in favor of tight-knit tribes. The most physically adept of all humankind, they tend to be feared and mocked by their cousins, though like the neanders they may be contracted as formidable warriors. As they are so skilled at survival, most wildlings are content in their primitive ways, wanting for nothing more than the bounty their own two hands can bring them. They are often hunched and quite hairy, with apelike visages, though otherwise human in appearance. Their most common roaming grounds are in the southern grasslands and forests, though they may also be found anywhere in the deep wilds that they have staked out for hunting and foraging, from the frozen north to the burning south.

Class Concepts:

Magic is nonexistent in the known world, but that does not mean that mysticism and superstition are absent. Neither does it mean that these belief systems are without merit or use. Shamans, witch doctors, prophets – these are individuals who act as storytellers, leaders, and the glue which holds entire tribes and even emerging states together. Many possess skills of great importance, not bound to one cultural context, such as knowledge of herbs and natural substances, knowledge of crafting and building, or an uncanny memory for the behaviors of animals or the patterns in the weather. For some, belief is a powerful force in and of itself, with warriors and magicians able to work themselves into states of mania which help them endure beyond typical limits. A human can only do so much with their body, even at the strongest, but knowledge and faith are what set humanity apart from the other beasts.

Warrior

A versatile hunter of both men and beasts, able to specialize in various types of weaponry and combat-craft. Warriors, depending on tribal background or personal preference, may choose to focus heavily in certain talents, or diversify for the sake of adaptation. In some places, like the city-states of Sakha, warriors are free to spend more time mastering the arts of combat, given that they do not have to worry as much about base survival. Wilder types may not be as refined in their martial talents, but know the arts of hunting and foraging, or even translate knowledge of poisons and clever crafts into effective fighting supplements.

Shaman

The cornerstone of most tribes is the clan shaman – the priest, the healer, and the storyteller. Shamans, much like warriors, are as varied as the flowers of the field, or the birds of the sky. They blend concrete knowledge and skills with a flair for the dramatic, able to command great respect for their wisdom. Shaman may specialize in many fields, such as healing, inspiring their allies, lore of the wilds, and afflicting their foes with terror or poisons. Some shaman may hold combat knowledge, but for the most part these figures are noted for the stories they tell and the knowledge they keep rather than any outstanding physical abilities. Memorized lore of humans, beasts, plants, seasons, and more can all be utilized by a shaman in order to achieve their ends, whether that be leading their flock to prosperity, or leading their enemies to their doom. Though many think the skills of the shaman to be magic, most of the time trained wisdom and a perceptive nature is just as good.

Skinchanger

One art renowned and feared across the wide world is that of the skinchanger. Shamans who specialize in channeling the spirits of beasts, skinchangers may hone a number of abilities based upon their chosen spirit-animals. Skinchanging requires two physical components – a hide, and a mask. These shamans undergo extensive training in their youths to assume the mind of a given beast, studying their quarry for months and even years so as to learn what it is to be that animal. Then, they must slay that given beast and take its hide, as well as craft a mask from its remains. By donning these, the skinchanger enters a unique mania granting them the power of that beast. Though no real change comes over the individual, they are not to be trifled with. The pelt of a bear or a saurian is still a great armor, and when the person wearing it is bearing a set of claw-gloves and has worked themselves into a frenzy, even great warriors can succumb to terror. Other skinchangers may pursue less “direct” approaches, such as by donning armor made from the carapaces of creatures like the Hellspinners, stalking the high treetops, besides others. Skinchangers learn much by studying their given animals – of which they may have several, should they choose to carry several costumes – such as techniques for climbing, digging, using poisons, foraging, and hunting.

Berserker

Similar to the skinchanger is the berserker, who trains themself to enter a blood-frenzy during battle so as to shrug off injuries which would incapacitate other humans. Berserkers are defined by their great martial skill, and the means by which they enter their blood-frenzy. Some channel simple rage, while others call upon totem spirits or other shades to empower their bodies, and some make use of more literal bloodlust or even strange herbal concoctions. These warriors tend towards a very direct style of combat, favoring brute strength over more diverse or subtle means, yet berserkers tend to also be noted for the various skills they accrue in training their blood-frenzy. Berserkers may be quite knowledgeable in techniques of survival, or hunting, or herbalism as dependent on their backgrounds. For one to rely on strength alone is not enough, however mighty, and so berserkers tend to hide greater wisdom than meets the eye.

Boxer

Somewhere between a healer and a fighter, boxers are set apart from more typical warriors by their deep and intimate knowledge of the human body. Boxers are fighters who have received a degree of training as bonesetters, spiritual healers, or even chirurgeons. A boxer may in combat leverage this knowledge to target their enemy’s pressure points or vital organs, while out of combat they may apply the same techniques to their allies to alleviate pains or fix physical ailments. Boxers pay for their very specialized skillset by struggling in circumstances outside their training. They do not fare well against beasts lest they have knowledge of their anatomy and are not as able as dedicated healers to treat diverse illnesses. They do not do well in armor and may only competently use a set number of specific weapons. Still, the arts of the boxer are much respected by those who know of their reputations.

Beastmaster

The taming of wild animals is not an uncommon calling among certain tribes. Many warriors may hew closer to the path of the hunter, appreciating the company of a loyal hound or boar. Certain shamans may keep birds or other noble creatures as pets, believing them to grant good fortune, or training them to perform useful tasks. Skinchangers go a step further, and attempt to emulate and become as beasts. Beastmasters focus first and foremost on breaking the wills or otherwise earning the trust of wild animals of all stripes, allying themselves to the might of nature. These individuals are much more skilled at taming a larger variety of creatures than a typical hunter might, though even when they choose to simply use a dependable hunting-wolf, it is likely that their wolves will be better trained, and they will be able to command more of them at once. Some beastmasters end up taming great and fearsome beasts like saurians, great mammals, shellhides, and the like. They may even use such massive creatures as mounts. Others could specialize in directing much greater groups of smaller beasts. This could range from a small pack of hunting dogs, to entire swarms of vermin. If a beastmaster is able to safely forage and care for something like a wasps’ nest or a rodent warren-queen, they may even tame a whole horde of tiny pets.

Crafter

Creating things such as tools and shelter is a must-know skill for any human in the wide world, but for some it is more than a simple necessity. Some pursue the knowledge of material things the same way shamans pursue stories, or beastmasters and skinchangers pursue animal lore. Crafters specialize in creating items of exceptional make and identifying the uses of various materials. Bone, stone, wood, hide – even rare metals such as copper – all of these can be put to a multitude of uses by crafters, such as the making of weapons, tools, talismans, and more. Other crafters may specialize in larger projects, such as masonry, forestry, or boatbuilding. The downside is that crafters do not often make for good warriors or hunters and cannot be expected to do much more in combat than level their tools against the foe – though those tools are bound to be of exceptional make. Yet many bands of tribals do well to have one or more dedicated crafters among them, as just as they can put rare materials to good use, they are also quite adept at dismantling things. This can range from skinning a beast to chiseling a hole in the weak portion of a stone-brick fort. Likewise, groups with crafters always tend to accrue more loot, as crafters are skilled at pulling every last thing that could be of use from a fallen beast or a resource-rich area.

[toxicdogars]

Clair + D&D! Excited to see what comes of this. :)

Tumblr Meets D&D - Your Muse as a D&D Character

Clair

Ah yes, Clair. The final gym leader you fight before reaching the League for the first time in all Johto games. And that’s generally all we really get of her in those games, aside from her rivalry with Lance and how much of a haughty sore loser she is. Though this is not the Clair we are looking at today, today we approach @draconscious​ and their interpretation of Clair, who I firmly believe has developed more into her own person and away from the second-place ruthless girl of old. Let’s start with a few goals. The obvious one is this- Dragons. It’s Clair’s type specialty and we need to put some of that into her D&D counterpart. Let’s also draw some focus toward her ruthless battling style and get some physical damage sources as well. On that same note, we should also make sure that she’s durable. This girl can take Pokemon attacks with ease. That’s gotta mean she’s got high hit points or defenses, right? Once again, we’ll be using Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition and all books and articles related to it.

Ability Scores

These ventures will use standard array, a set of numbers given as a sort of average stat pool. Feel free to roll for stats if you wanted to use this character, just treat this arrangement as a general order for what stats are most important. Make sure to keep some multiclassing minimums in mind but it shouldn’t be that difficult. Personally? I think Clair needs higher stats than what I have available here. So definitely consider rollling.

Strength: 13 (She’s pretty strong, but we just need other stats more) Dexterity: 14 (Will be needed for our armor and attacks) Constitution: 12 (A positive modifier is always good) Intelligence: 15 (A core stat) Wisdom: 10 (Definitely not the best at insight checks but I wouldn’t dump it) Charisma: 8 (She’s attractive, but not the best with people)

Race

In a surprise will be change of pace, I’m going to make Clair an Elf. She’s haughty, comes from a long line of respected warriors, and just look at her. She practically screams elven princess. On that note, let’s push further on that royalty aspect and make her a High Elf. High Elves get the typical 30 feet of movement and get +2 to their Dexterity and +1 to their Intelligence, bringing our core stats up to 16 each. She’d also get Darkvision and free proficiency in Perception to see well in the low light of the Dragon Den. Her Fey Ancestry would also give her advantage on charm saves and she wouldn’t be able to be put to sleep by magic, which is good, since elves don’t sleep anyway. Instead she has a Trance, which gives her the benefits of a long rest over four hours instead of eight. More time for training, right? As a High Elf, Clair would also have free proficiency in the longsword, shortsword,shortbow, and longbow, as well as an addition language of her choice in addition to the Common and Elvish she’d already know. Take Draconic, perhaps? And lastly, High Elves get a free cantrip to start that relies on Intelligence, which is going to be your casting modifier anyway so that’s excellent. Here’s a solid choice:

Green-Flame Blade: An evocation cantrip that uses a weapon attack to strike a foe, causing green flames to leap to another nearby foe. Cantrips scale by character level, not class level, so it will eventually grow stronger, adding extra fire damage to the initial strike. A bit of a substitute for Dragon Breath if you ask me.

Class and Background

Some might be expecting me to go Sorcerer again and take the Draconic Soul, but I wanted to highlight more than just her draconic connection and focus on her personality, what she would do if she was actually growing up in a fantasy world with magical creatures and teens traveling the world fighting monsters. Oh, wait, she does live in a world like that. Well, make it more medieval and then you’d get... a Fighter! Yes, I would say that Clair has plenty of martial experience. But I also think that she has plenty of focus on study and research- especially after realizing the errors of her ways. So we also will stack in a couple levels of Wizard For now, let’s start with some Fighter levels..

Fighters start with a d10 hit die (excellent), proficiency in Strength and Constitution saving throws, simple weapons, martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, shields, and two skills from a short list. Of the options listed, Acrobatics and Athletics will reflect her athletic ability pretty darn well. Gonna need both if she’s running around ancient caverns looking for the rarest of Dragon Pokemon. Toss on some light armor, I’d recommend studded leather. As for what weapons to focus on, I’d suggest any Finesse weapon to pair well with her Dexterity. Could be a dagger or a rapier, but I personally think a whip is the most appropriate for her character.

As for her background, let’s focus on training with the Blackthorn Dragon Clan and call her a Noble. Let’s adapt the background a bit and give her History and Intimidation instead of Persuasion, another language of her choice, and a gaming set of her choice. My bet is chess, she’s probably challenged the Elder to many games to get in his favor.

We’ll start with some early Fighter levels and then proceed to her levels in Wizard, and then go back to Fighter to round off the build. At Fighter 1, Clair can pick a Fighting Style. She’s got some options, but what I would recommend is:

Dueling:  When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

This means that whip of hers deals 1d4 + 3 (from Dexterity) + 2, which is already the maximum damage of a whip in the hands of someone with 20 Dexterity. This should make up for the lower damage of the whip pretty well. Fighter 1 also nets her a recovery ability in the form of the following feature, which will help when she’s taking those Pokemon attacks:

Second Wind: On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your fighter level. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

At Fighter 2, she gets a nifty feature called Action Surge:

Action Surge: On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

By the way, this is the second reason we’re starting Fighter. The first is getting proficiency in Constitution saving throws to make her concentration saves to maintain her wizard spells really damn good. Speaking of magic, let’s get some more. Spamming that Green-Flame Blade can’t be all ya wanna do, right?

At Fighter 3, Clair can pick a martial archetype, and we’re going to get that magic going with Eldritch Knight. Eldritch Knights gain the ability to cast wizard spells, relying on their Intelligence modifier just like her cantrip from High Elf. This means her Intelligence modifier is added to the attack rolls of spells and the difficulty check of saving throws her spells require. She gains two cantrips from the wizard list and three first spells, two of which must be evocation or abjuration with the third being free of that restriction. In case someone doesn’t know the difference, cantrips are simple magical tricks you can pull off at will, while leveled spells require expending one of your spell slots of a level equal to or higher than the spell’s level. Here’s some options:

Fire Bolt: An evocation cantrip that deals fire damage from a distance- a pretty solid Ember attack, if you ask me. Her Salamence likely knew it when it was a Bagon after all. Lightning Lure: An evocation cantrip that forces a Strength saving throw lest the target be drawn up to 10 feet closer, and deals lightning damage if the target is pulled within 5 feet of her. A handy Thundershock if you ask me. Earth Tremor: A first level evocation spell that forces a Dexterity save by shaking up the ground in a localized quake, dealing bludgeoning damage if they fail the save. A solid Bulldoze. Shield: A first level abjuration spell that increases your armor class by 5 for a round of combat as a reaction. Pretty good use of Protect if you ask me. Feather Fall: A first level transmutation spell that basically saves people from a falling damage up to a point. Rather handy if she falls off a dragon.

Additionally, she gets a nice ribbon ability from the EK, which can be applied to her whip so that she always has access to a weapon:

Weapon Bond: Over the course of 1 hour short rest, you can bond a weapon to you. Once bonded, you cannot be disarmed unless you are incapacitated and if the weapon is on the same plane of existence, you can summon it to your hand as a bonus action. You can bond up to two weapons at once.

At Fighter 4, Calir gets her first Ability Score Improvement (ASI) and let’s dump the +2 into Dexterity to make her weapon attacks all the better. She also gets another spell from the wizard list, which must also be either evocation or abjuration. Here’s a good choice:

Burning Hands: A first level evocation spell that releases a gout of flame, burning a line of foes if they fail a Dexterity saving throw. A solid Flamethrower if you ask me.

At Fighter 5 she gains a simple level that gives you the most useful skill a martial character can have, the ability to hit more times with her weapon:

Extra Attack: You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

It should be noted that this wouldn’t stack with Green-Flame Blade, as casting the spell is not taking the attack action. However, we will gain a way around that restriction soon. But first, let’s lean in to Clair’s dragon research with some levels in Wizard.

At Fighter 5/Wizard 1, Calir gains some buffs to her spellcasting. Since we’re multiclassing two separate casters, it’s worth mentioning that the spell slots Clair has will be modified a bit, since wizard is a full caster and eldritch knights are 1/3 casters, she’ll have a slightly higher amount and level of spell slots. Just look up the effects of this online or in the player’s handbook. The modified spell slots do not change what each of her classes could learn normally, so we will proceed as if she only had the slots of her respective classes. Wizards, unlike Eldritch Knights, can use a spellcasting focus to ignore material components- let’s make that a Dragon Fang or Dragon Scale- as well as cast spells tagged as rituals without using a spell slot as long as she takes extra time doing so. With the caveat that those spells have to be within the Spellbook, a tome of knowledge that the wizard has filled out with their magical secrets. The Dragon Pokedex, perhaps? Wizards can prepare a number of spells from their spell book equal to their Intelligence modifier plus their wizard levels, which will cap out for her at seven. She starts with six of these spells and can add more to her book if she finds them and has the time and money to do so. For every additional level in Wizard she takes, she also gets two more added. Since all these spells will be first level, use it to hold the spells she can’t grab due to the restrictions on Eldritch Knight. Here’s six solid options to add to her book:

Comprehend Languages: A first level divination ritual spell that lets the caster understand any spoken or written language while it’s in effect. Pretty handy when investigating old sites. Find Familiar: A first level conjuration ritual spell that, to reduce the massive amount of rules around familiars to a few sentences, basically allows the summoning a special pet that can do a number of things for her in and out of battle. Use this to summon a snake, perhaps, and make a baby Dratini! Absorb Elements: A first level abjuration spell that uses a reaction to deflect elemental damage that you take and apply it to your next attack. Handy for adding some extra damage to her whip, I’d say. Fog Cloud: A first level conjuration spell that requires concentration to throw up a cloud of mist, which can be used to hide from enemies. Handy. Ice Knife: A first level conjuration spell that deals cold damage by hurling icy shards, almost like the move Ice Shard. It also has the fun side effect of forcing a Dexterity save for extra piercing damage in an as the knife explodes. Detect Magic: A first level divination ritual spell that does what it says on the tin, requires concentration to sense magical auras. Could be useful in locating all manners of old relics and the like.

Clair also gains a nifty Wizard feature at this level that helps with the brunt of the spell slots she’ll be spending when casting leveled spells so frequently:

Arcane Recovery: Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.

At Fighter 5/Wizard 2, Clair gains an Arcane Tradition, and I don’t know if she as trained in folk music as a kid, but we’re giving her the Bladesong tradition anyway to make her martial skills even more magical. The Training in War and Song feature nets her proficiency in light armor, a one handed weapon of her choice, and in the Performance skill. Two of those things she’s already got, but that’s not why we dipped wizard. This is:

Bladesong: You can invoke a secret elven magic called the Bladesong, provided that you aren't wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield. You can use a bonus action to start the Bladesong, which lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are incapacitated, if you don medium or heavy armor or a shield, or if you use two hands to make an attack with a single weapon. You can also dismiss the Bladesong at any time you choose. While your Bladesong is active, you gain the following benefits: -You gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1). -Your walking speed increases by 10 feet. -You have advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks. -You gain a bonus to any Constitution saving throw you make to maintain your concentration on a spell. The bonus equals your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1).

You can use this feature twice. You regain these uses each time you complete a short or long rest.

She’d also gain two more first level wizard spells to toss into her book, and really any of those first level spells have some use. Especially if it’s a ritual spell.

At Fighter 6/Wizard 2 she gets another ASI, cap her Dexterity at 20 for +7 additional damage every time she strikes with her d4 whip.

At Fighter 7/Wizard 2 Clair unlocks second level spells, and gains a feature that finally lets her cast a spell like Green-Flame Blade and also strike with her whip in the same turn without having to rely on Action Surge. Let’s also take a second level spell:

War Magic: You can use your action to cast a cantrip and make one weapon attack as a bonus action. Chromatic Orb: A first level evocation spell that hurls a ball of elemental energy for big damage. Nice because she can choose the type of energy from a small list of acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, or thunder. 

At Fighter 8/Wizard 2 she gets another ASI, use it to bring up her Intelligence to 18, which as a reminder will let her prepare more wizard spells and enhance her spells’ power. The spell she learns at this level can come from any school, so I suggest one that finally gets us some real dragon representation:

Dragon’s Breath: A second level transmutation spell that is actually Dragon Pulse, not Dragon Breath. A creature she touches, say, herself or her Familiar, can release blasts of elemental force (acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage) from their mouths for the spell’s duration. Pretty damn awesome if ya ask me.

At Fighter 9/Wizard 2 she gains a feature that helps with her durability, making her insanely hard to take down. She also gets another spell:

Indomitable: You can reroll a saving throw that you fail. If you do so, you must use the new roll, and you can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest. 

At Fighter 10/Wizard 2 she gains a handy ability that will make decimating her foes all the easier as well as another spell. 

Eldritch Strike: Any creature you hit with a weapon attack has disadvantage on its next save it makes against a spell you cast before the end of your next turn. Scorching Ray: A second level evocation spell that launches off a multitude of rays of fiery energy, which can strike one or multiple targets. A solid spell and a great interpretation of Flame Burst or other Fire moves.

At Fighter 11/Wizard 2 she gains another attack as a part of her Extra Attack feature, bringing her total attack when she takes the attack action up to three, dealing 24 damage minimum. Not the best with the d4 whip, but definitely pretty terrifying, especially if she’s got other boosts up. Or uses Action Surge for another three attacks, bringing her total up to a minimum of 48, and very likely over 50 damage in one turn. Not better than others with stronger weapons, but pretty darn good for a whip. And let’s pick another spell:

Gust of Wind: A second level evocation spell that can force a Strength save on her foes to push them around with lines of wind. Seems like a good representation of her Dragonite’s Hurricane, I’d say.

At Fighter 12/Wizard 2 she gets another ASI, use that to cap her Intelligence for the best spell saves and attacks possible and some handy bonuses from her Bladesong.

At Fighter 13/Wizard 2 Clair gains another use of Indomitable, now able to use it twice before a long rest. She also unlocks third level spells, let’s take a classic one, one that every madlad wizard takes:

Fireball: A third level evocation spell that deals insane fire damage in an area. It’s stupidly strong, and forcing a foe to make the save at disadvantage through her Eldritch Strike feature is pretty terrifying. Sounds like a good representation of her Pokemons’ Fire Blast move, no? 

At Fighter 14/Wizard 2 she gains another ASI (Fighters get a ton of these) but her stats look pretty good, so let’s exchange that for a Feat that will make her hit point pool pretty damn crazy. Her spell this level can come from any school, and there’s some pretty dang good stuff in there, but she should take:

Tough: Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to twice your level when you gain this feat. Whenever you gain a level thereafter, your hit point maximum increases by an additional 2 hit points. Haste: A third level transmutation spell that offers a whole slew of bonuses including an additional +2 to AC, advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and the ability to use an additional action for another attack, dash, disengage, hide, or use an object actions. It’s concentration for one minute, but that’s still ten rounds of combat if it lasts the whole duration. When the spell ends, the target can’t move or take actions until after its next turn as a wave of lethargy sweeps over them. This stacks really well with Bladesong, but it should be mentioned that you can only have one concentration spell going at a time. Choose carefully. 

At Fighter 15/Wizard 2 Clair gains the rather inaccurate ability to be incredibly scary and teleport right in front of her foes. While it doesn’t really fit her, it certainly fits the dark presence she’s got:

Arcane Charge: You can teleport up to 30 feet to a space you can see when using your Action Surge. The teleport can take place before or after the Action Surge.

At Fighter 16/Wizard 2 she gets the last ASI of the build, and lets drop that into Constitution to further buffen-up our girl. Increasing Constitution buffs hit points retroactively, so she’ll actually gain 16 hit points this level instead of an additional one. She also gains her last spell: 

Lightning Bolt: A third level evocation spell that is the Fireball of the lightning damage type, blasting foes in a straight line with electrical power for massive damage if they fail a Dexterity saving throw. A terrifying Thunderbolt attack. It also pairs extremely well with her Eldritch Strike, since she wouldn’t be in the blast radius like she’d likely be with Fireball. 

At Fighter 17/Wizard 2 she gains a third use of Indomitable. Should be mentioned that this feature can be used to reroll death saves, which is incredibly handy. Though with her beef, she might not need it.

Fighter 18/Wizard 2 is our capstone, a feature that pairs well with the number of spells she’s got, especially like Fireball and Haste.

Improved War Magic: You can make one weapon attack as a bonus action whenever you use your action to cast a spell.

Final Thoughts

Clair is terrifying. I feel like that needs to be said. Fighters are really good, with their ridiculous physical damage potential and the ungodly amount of ASIs, it was easy to load her up with all the stats she needed. If you rolled well, it might even be possible to cap her Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence at 20, instead of only two of them. Then we have that Bladesong to make her even harder to hit and make it easier to maintain her concentration spells. Add in all the damage types she has access to with her spells and the versatility she has in when she can cast them, and you have a recipe for an absolutely terrifying foe. Probably my favorite build so far. Can we talk hit points for a second? Fighters start with 10 base hit points from their d10 hit die, and if we take the average for every level, she’d get 6 x 17. Even with the wizard levels giving her two d6 hit dice that yield a 4 x 2 bonus to hit points, that’s still 110 hit points before we even add in Constitution or the Tough feat. Adding Constitution at a modifier of +2 for every level bumps it to 150 and adding Tough gives a +40 bonus bumping her to 190 hit points. If you rolled well on the hit dice, it’s entirely possible- actually, very probable- that she’d have over 200 hit points. That’s really freaking good. And how about AC? Studded leather + dexterity mod gives her a base AC of 17, Bladesong bumps that to 22, Haste brings it to 24, and Shield would temporarily kick it to 29. You do realize that that is really hard to hit, right? Even if a foe had a +12 bonus to their attack, they would still need to roll a 17 or higher on the d20 if they wanted to actually hit. That’s terrifying.

There’s not many cons. I mean... spell slots are a limited resource, I guess? While you can get a second level spell back during a short rest thanks to wizard’s Arcane Recovery, the wizard dip might not have been all that handy. Dropping the wizard levels would give her more hit points and another ASI as well as the option to attack four times in one turn. It would make her a terrifying martial powerhouse if we dropped the wizard levels entirely.

Just. I do not want to run into this Clair in a dark alley. She’d obliterate everything in her past for sure. And if anything dared to stand up after the blasting, she can just smash them harder. 

I hope you enjoyed this. Feel free to tell me how wrong I am with my choices

[the-truth-will-light-the-sky]

Part Two A: The Culture of The Citadel and other city states and settlements across Ancient Eos

Facts about Ancient Eos during Ardyn and Somnus’ time based on my fanfic series titled ‘Bound by Blood’

Culture as a Society

The Citadel

The Citadel is very strict, and the society is very much tight-lipped, almost bordering on prudent.

Rules are strictly implemented and those who do not follow know well enough to bow down to the punishment or face being banished out of the Citadel.

Despite the immovable stoicism of the rules, the people of the Citadel are an amiable lot. They welcome travellers and new-comers with hospitality and curiosity — it is a given that whenever something new arrives in the walls of the Citadel, the citizens are already clamouring for new things to learn.

They are a loyal bunch; once friendship is made, it is unbreakable. Hence, those who turn their backs against their friends, allies and families are considered ruthless.

Higher Learning is a prize in this society. They value teachings of philosophy, Higher Sciences such as Astronomy and Evolution, Literature and Poetry, Music and above all, Military Tactics.

Military might is important for this society because of their constant battles with invaders some decades ago. They became a city state that boasts of safety and sanctuary because of their military prowess and they intend to keep it that way.

However, the only ones who are able to enlist themselves under military training are those of noble birth. Others can be conscripted as soldiers with a certain limited knowledge while their upper brethren are able to learn tactics and weaponry.

Fathers and mothers both play an active role in raising their children. There is no hierarchy between the spouses; whoever is able to uphold a certain role can do so. However, the father is almost always the one who has the last say in things, but not without consulting his wife beforehand.

When it comes to their children’s relationship with their siblings, there is reverence of the elder children by the younger ones, always respecting their decisions and their contribution to the family household. The youngest are expected to learn from their elder siblings.

The Citadel is able to accept the settlers from various clans. As a state who is innately curious and has a fondness for learning new things, the novelty that the settlers brought with them became irresistible. In time, most of the learnings brought about by those people were incorporated into their society such as herb lore and the charting of the stars, of weaving and metal gilding, to name a few.

In return, the Citadel taught these people about a systematic set of rules and innovations to housing and techniques in building things of higher quality with stronger materials and metals such as ore and iron.

Some of those settlers were able to marry into the native household, though this is not a common occurrence.

The Citadel values the contributions of these settlers and the immigrants were able to live in peace.

However, this amiable and harmonious relationship with the settlers or immigrants had changed ever since the attack of one of the army skirmishes against Tonitrus Izunia’s travelling caravan. This travelling caravan was carrying the Lord Protector himself and his family, along with some of his trusted retainers when they tried to form a diplomatic relationship with those of the Vannath Coast.

The army from the west hailing from the state of the Disc of Cauthess was able to penetrate the defences of clans surrounding Leide and was slowly moving towards the Weaverwilds.

Tonitrus’ caravan was caught in the crossfire and his youngest son, Somnus, was taken hostage.

One of the leaders of the clan of Cauthess has physically abused the young boy and demanded that Tonitrus surrender the Citadel to them or he will kill the child. Tonitrus was able to annihilate the man and held his child in his arms before decimating the second regiment of the Cauthess Army. But Somnus Izunia was traumatised by this event and carried hatred in his heart even until his adulthood.

Somnus Izunia began calling those who lived outside the Citadel as ‘Outsiders’, a term of intense hate and disgust. Others followed suit in the name-calling.

This sets the events of ‘Bound by Blood’ into motion alongside the outbreak of the Scourge.

The rest of the clans

The Deserts of the Weaverwilds and Longwythe Peak

The clans from the deserts of Leide are what one would call free-spirited, but they most certainly are fearsome warriors as they are a hunter-gatherer kind of clan.

They are a sturdy bunch, withstanding desert storms and cold airy winters in their tents and makeshift stone houses.

They thrive on their terrain for food and clothing. Their clothing cover most of their bodies such as robes and headgears to protect them from the sand. Veils are an important garb for both men and women to show a certain anonymity. In summer time however, their clothing will shift to a more lighter fabric but the way they dress it upon themselves are similar to what was mentioned earlier.

These people are artisans of weaponry. They are believed to be the ones who invented the crossbows which they used for hunting.

They value medicine and Star-reading (which is the art of knowing what can happen in the skies next, from storms to eclipses among other such things).

People from these clans are considered grumpy upon first meeting, as they carry themselves with an air of caution and curt tactfulness. But once one has shown no signs of enmity, these people are considered one of the most hospitable clans in the continent. Tea is served almost immediately upon entering their homes and sweets were given to revitalise the visitor’s energy.

The Coasts of Vannath, Caem, Cygillan,  Cape Shawe, Upper Styrian Swells, Allural Deep and Lucinia Sound

Vannath Coast

The coast of Vannath are home to friendly tribes of fishermen.

But most of all, this tribe is known for their wisdom on ship building and thus were able to travel from one continent to the next. 

Their territory stretches to the coasts that face the ocean on the eastern side below the Citadel. It is a fact that they are also related to those who lived by the Shore of Caem. 

Those from the Vannath Coast are adventurous and often times stubborn to a fault. 

They face many storms in one year, thus making them a resilient bunch. 

They wear clothes that are mainly light as they never encounter winters. 

They are almost always barefoot and could never stay at one place at a time. 

Their family system is similar to that of the Citadel, but children have equal statuses amongst each other and are free to live independently if they are able to do so.

The Shore of Caem

Those who were from Caem were famous for their herbs, embroidery and their salted fish. 

They are known to use shells in their clothing as well as with their way of relaying messages to their brethren at Vannath Coast without being intercepted. 

Families from the clan living by the Shore of Caem are solitary people. They keep to themselves most of the time, tending to their herbs and healing crafts as well as to their embroidery and rarely go to other tribes in the continent. 

Despite their solitary nature, they are well-known for their hospitality. Expect a warm meal and a place to rest even if their household is small if one ever comes to visit. 

Their family system is matriarchal; the women will tend to most things related in the household even the income. The father is expected to provide protection to his family as well as offering advice to his children should they wish to ask for it. Learning is provided by both the parents as well as the grandparents. 

Their clothing is considered to be ‘loose’ in terms of style, as they do not have a distinct way of clothing themselves. 

Instead, the prominent feature of their clothing style is their pattern of embroidery which is very distinct to their clan, as well as their incorporation of shells in their adornment.

Lucinia Sound

There are little known facts about those who live near the Lucinia Sound. 

The settlements along the coast are not permanent and barely a decade would pass before the clan will leave the place in search for another stead. 

The climate and the harsh seas are thought to be hindrances for any sort of settlements to take place in this area. 

There are traces of settlements from clans coming from Galadh, Cavaugh and the Weaverwilds staying at one point along the coast, but there are not a lot of evidences to dictate that people stayed here for a long time.

Shores of the Cygillan Ocean, Cape Shawe, Upper Styrian Swells, Allural Deep

The shores of the Cygillan Ocean house mostly the scattered settlers from both Vannath and Caem. These people have settled in the shores only for some time and such residencies only last a couple of months due to severe weather conditions in the areas.

The same could be said of both Cape Shawe and the Upper Styrian Swells. These two shores are the nearest to the Rock of Ravatogh and most of the ash that fell during one of its eruptions some centuries ago had produced shorelines that prove to be uninhabitable due to the toxicity of the chemicals that came from the volcano. However, these sites today have been a focus of biologists due to the rare specimens of fish and crustaceans, as well as new types of Marlboros and Sahagins. 

Allural Deep, being situated beyond the highest mountains of Leide, prove to be one of the hardest of shorelines to visit in the continent. The turquoise waters are home to the rarest of fish species ever to be found in Eos. Seafarers from Vannath and even from different continents dared to sail their ships here, only to find themselves scurrying back home. Legend has it that the twin of the Adamantoise turtle still lives beneath the waves, and its cries could be heard, although some argue that it is actually a giant serpent, the so-called Father of Midgarsommrs, dwell in beneath the ocean floor. These two, if awakened, would cause havoc that even the Astrals would have a hard time fighting. So, such legends also prevent any sort of settlements in these areas, though there are some brave souls who dare venture out into these beautiful but dangerous waters to show their might...and to catch the biggest prize of all, the Allural Carp. Unusual home for a carp, yes. But one of the rarest species of carp in Eos, even until today’s standards.

Duscae

The City State of Cauthess

The city state of Cauthess is a smaller state compared to the Citadel, but these people are considered to be one of the biggest in terms of territories. 

Its territories include the Mencemoor, Kelbass Grasslands and Rydielle Ley.

Their strategy of claiming lands from all across the continent proved efficient and beneficial to their conquest of taking the whole of the land mass for themselves.

People from this state are considered proud and quick-witted. 

The heat of the meteor allowed them to craft weaponry that would give them more advantage in the battlefield against the other clans. 

Their clothing consists of long flowing robes made of fine silk; do not be fooled as these materials are light on the body and their ingenuity in crafts enabled them to create a fabric that seals in both the cold and heat. 

The family system is patriarchal; the father is in charge of all things but the mother is required to provide the education of their children. 

Food consists mostly of meat as the abundance of beasts in the area made this possible. However, lack of a sea water fish diet caused a certain anomaly in their eyes — their eyes would have bright blue specks around the irises, a distinctive feature of those coming from this clan. 

This state is known to be involved in slave trade, taking people from lands they have invaded and sells them off to other city states who would engage in such an illicit activity.

Alstor Slough Settlement

Clans around Alstor Slough are considered to be the most vibrant of all the settlers around the continent. 

They are always up for a smile or a laugh, even if life in the area can be tough due to storms and draught, as well as harsh winters and even wars. 

Their resilience and hardships under such circumstances make them a compassionate and sympathetic bunch. 

Their hospitality is among the ones revered in the continent. They allow other clans to living amongst them, asking nothing in return but the assurance of peace. 

Food is plentiful in this area and so a huge array of cuisine is available, though their main dish will always be vegetables and fish is their main source of meat. 

These clans live harmoniously with one another. Their dialect is harder to understand, however. Nevertheless, language has never been a hindrance to them creating alliances with other settlers and nomadic tribes. 

Education is given by mentors in the settlement and parents are required to send their children to classes in order to learn how to read and write in their language as well as other practical skills.

Clans and settlements that did not retain any traces of their residencies

Kettier Highlands

Those who live in the Kettier Highlands are artisans and builders. 

Most of their houses have been destroyed because of wars, but their legacy of architecture and village mapping can still be seen all throughout Duscae. 

Not much is known about these settlers since records of their residence in the highlands had been destroyed when the city state of Cauthess has invaded the settlement. 

The settlers from this area had moved to the Citadel for sanctuary however, and some of their cultural contributions exist even today in the Citadel.

Causcherry Plains

Living near the city state of Cauthess, these people suffered the most of this state’s attacks thus leaving them with no trace to leave behind as war ravaged their homes. 

In the time of the Scourge, Causcherry Plains was home to gentle folk who valued farming about all. The Saxham Outpost became one of the modern places that featured independent farming families thriving in the area. This is partly due to the efforts of the settlers here two millennia ago who tilled the soil and nourished it with tireless dedication.

The abundance of lush greeneries and forests provided the settlers with as much food as they could gather. 

They are known for their fondness of preserving their fruit with sugar (presently known as jam), as well as salting their meat for future use.

Settlers from this area are also known to be one of the friendliest people in the continent, always offering shelter to those who need it as well as giving a basket full of Duscaen oranges for their visitors.

However, this clan were never able to have education and never had any sort of written documents, nor were there any traces that could prove that they had an education system.

Despite this, the oral tradition of this clan survives until this day. Their songs are famous all across the continent, being sung as people worked hard in their labors.

Risorath Basin

The clan that settled within the swampy area of the Vesperpool are considered the most mysterious of settlers in the continent.

These people are isolated from the rest of the continent and not all of them are used to seeing people of diversity. 

The only connection they have with the rest of the world is Lestallum where they would buy ingredients and medicine that are not readily available in their terrain.

The thunderstorms that ravage the area had pushed them to create houses that are made of stones, rivalling the building techniques of those in the Kettier Highlands.

However, it is a mystery as to why these people suddenly disappeared from history. The near proximity of their settlements near the ancient ruin of Solheim pushes historians to come up with connections between the two.

What was known of this ancient people, thankfully from sources in Lestallum, is that they are the best when it comes to herb lore. 

They do not heal however. What they do with herbs have got to do with magic. The people of Lestallum once feared this people’s herb that restored vitality to those who lost them, something that they call an herb that is surrounded by flames, only, it looks more like a feather. This so-called herb is in fact a feather and it is presently known as the rather expensive but life-saving ‘Phoenix Feathers’. 

Their language is also very much unknown. It is said that they speak almost as if in a haze or akin to a whisper, and that one has to strain his or her ears just to hear them. 

[hallpiner]

Dinghy walker last oasis

#Dinghy walker last oasis portable#

Follow the tutorial quest in game, it grants massive exp early.They’ve just gotten their hands on some of the rarest and most sought-after resources – enough to make their entire crew rich and powerful.This is the fastest way to establish a base while being able to hide all of your resources off-map. If the hunters succeed, they’ll have a reason to tap a few barrels of fermented cacti. Entering its territory underprepared will mean certain death. In order to defeat the worm, experienced nomadic hunters must band together. Once the beast focuses on a walker, it loses sight of everything else. It’s all about your skill: some struggle to climb the smallest rocks, while others swing through forests outspeeding the fastest Walkers.ĭubbed " The Long Ones", these roaming creatures are the biggest threats nomads will face. Every Nomad owns a grappling hook it’s a tool that can be adapted to almost any playstyle. Enemy clans will challenge your control and threaten to take away everything you’ve built. Make alliances to protect your income, because war is always around the corner. Control a region and get rewarded with a supply of local resources gathered there by roaming nomads. Grow your clan into a political and economic power. While solo play will always be a viable playstyle, social features like voice chat make it easy to meet new friends and team up to kill some of the largest creatures. Clans might control territories and lead the economy, but cunning traders, skilled mercenaries, agile hunters and pirates will find niches that better suit solo play. Individuals and small groups of players have as many opportunities as clans to prosper. Stone walls offer superior defense, while lighter wooden structures are able to be packed on large walkers and relocated.

#Dinghy walker last oasis portable#

Specialize in one or become a more versatile fighter by trying to master them all.Ĭonstruct portable bases or more permanent fortifications to protect yourself from hostile nomads and wildlife. If you prefer ranged combat, you can customize your walker with weapons like ballistas, scattershot guns, repeaters, or even giant slingshots. Nomads can choose their weapon from a wide range of both one and two-handed swords, maces, axes, and quarterstaves. Last Oasis features dynamic, skill-based directional melee combat. It can be used to travel to adjacent oases, or as a place to hide your walker and safely log off with all your belongings. The Wasteland is a safe, open stretch of desert that sits between the last livable oases on Earth. Others will settle for some time, but ultimately everyone will pick up and voyage east to escape the encroaching sun. Some nomads may pitstop to refill their water. Explore them to reveal new and unique biomes while plundering their limited resources. Potentially thousands of oases exist simultaneously – the number automatically adjusts to accommodate the size of the playerbase. The large, open world is made up of many interconnected oases that are over 100km2 each. Threaten another clan’s operation, and you may become their next target. It’s always wise to consider potential competitors first, though. Other nomads may opt to produce or hunt down rare and highly localized resources. In this global, player-driven economy, smart and quick traders can take advantage of supply and demand to make huge profits. There are trade networks that stretch between the discovered oases. Claw your way from a ragged nomadic trader to the heights of a mercenary king, fleet commander, or a legendarily-rich merchant. Build autonomous machines to harness the power of the wind. Survive by exploiting what’s left of the world: find a source of water, hunt ferocious creatures, fend off pirates, brew mind-bending Vitamins, and uncover hidden walker technologies. In order to keep moving, the remnants of humanity have built nomadic machines, and a walking city called the Flotilla. This region moves as the planet orbits around the sun, and all living creatures must migrate with it to survive. Only a narrow region between the burning and freezing halves of the planet can support life. In order to stay ahead of the obliterating sun, nomads must explore new territories that slowly emerge on the eastern horizon, where the Earth has long been frozen in impenetrable ice.Īfter a cataclysmic event halted the Earth’s rotation, the planet was split into two extreme and deadly environments. The sun burns the land in the west, turning it to dust. Personalize your walker to fit your needs with a multitude of structures, attachments, and upgrades! Walkers are mobile bases that can be adapted for travel, transportation, harvesting, and combat. Traverse the world on your walker: a wooden, wind-powered machine inspired by Theo Jansen’s amazing strandbeests. Earth has stopped rotating, and the last human survivors need to outrun the scorching Sun in a massive Open World.

[recentanimenews]

Princess Connect! Re: Dive Holiday Festivities Continue with Free Daily 10-Draws!

  Heyas, Knights! It’s getting so cold, isn’t it? Hopefully, every Knight is staying warm every night, feeling the holiday vibes, and enjoying the special in-game story event! The holiday festivities just keep continuing, including the brand-new guaranteed 3★ Premium Gacha, so let’s dive into the deets! 

  Ayane (Holiday) is here, and ready to provide the season’s beatings! Pukichi is also dressed for the occasion, and together they’ll provide a punchy present across the battlefield. With skills that deal massive physical damage, mess with the opponent’s positioning, and buffs to her own attack skills, Ayane (Holiday) will show snow mercy as she gets ready to sleigh her foes.

  Like the Chika (Holiday) Focus Gacha beforehand, Ayane (Holiday) is a limited character, which means that she won’t be added into the main Premium Gacha rotation after the Focus Gacha ends. That means you won’t want to miss this opportunity to obtain Ayane (Holiday). She’ll also be available for redemption via character points, in case your draws snowball into that avenue.

  The Ayane (Holiday) Focus Gacha will run for 15 days, from 12/7, 23:00 UTC to 12/20, 22:59 UTC. Get ready to deck the halls (and some enemies). 

    Here’s some other exciting news - the guaranteed 3★ Premium Gacha is here! This is a one-time opportunity to spend 1500 Premium Jewels to guarantee obtaining a 3★ character in this special 10-draw. The tenth character is guaranteed to be a 3★ character from the Premium Gacha including any of the limited characters included in the current period. These high-rarity characters can normally be a challenge to obtain, so here’s a fantastic chance to find a guaranteed high-class character! 

  Be sure to log in once between 12/5, 23:00 UTC and 12/12, 22:59 UTC, and you’ll be able to draw this 3★ Premium Gacha once for 1500 Premium Jewels.

    If that wasn’t enough, we’re also bringing back the Daily Free 10-Draw Campaign! This campaign only happens on the rarest of occasions, so what better time than now to bring it back and increase the holiday cheer?

  During the campaign, you’ll be able to perform a Daily Free 10-Draw on the current Focus Gacha. That’s a 1,500 Jewel value for free, every single day - how crazy is that? This is the perfect opportunity to bolster your ranks, find some of the characters you’re missing, or grab some more Divine Amulets for converting into Memory Shards for your other characters.

  The Daily Free 10-Draw Campaign lasts for 13 days, from 12/11, 13:00 UTC to 12/24, 12:59 UTC. That’s a mind-boggling 19,500 Jewel value - definitely don’t miss out on this holiday gift! And yes, you’ll be able to use these free 10-draws on the next Gacha after Ayane (Holiday)’s Focus Gacha ends on the 20th. 

    I hope you’ve geared up your heroines - it’s time for another limited-time challenge, as the Tower of Luna opens its doors once again for challengers to climb! The supercharged Dungeon is back once again and it has prepared yet another new set of 20 floors complete with unique monsters, Shadows, and a new set of bosses to beat, with plentiful rewards for your troubles. Don’t worry, your progress from the last Tower of Luna event is carried over and you can continue the ascent from the floor you left off. Remember, your party of characters can carry over between floors (assuming none of them hit 0 HP), and you can reset your characters to full HP once a day. Can you make your way up to the 150th floor and complete the EX mission?

  The Tower of Luna reopens its doors for five days, from 12/7, 13:00 UTC to 12/12, 15:59 UTC. If you haven’t done so already, you'll need to finish Main Story Quest 9-1 in order to access the Tower. We wish you luck, adventurers!

    It’s time to gather your parties again, Knights - get ready for Clan Battle! Work with the aid of your fellow clan members to take on monsters too powerful for adventurers to handle alone. The December Clan Battle features a gauntlet of five bosses, and you’ll be able to do up to three clashes a day on whatever boss your clan’s currently on, earning a clash for every 300 stamina spent. After the event is over, you’ll earn precious Memory Shards, Clan Coins, and Jewels, depending on how well your clan did! The reward structure is the same as before, but you’ll earn Makoto Memory Shards this time around.

  The December Clan Battle will run from 12/15, 13:00 UTC to 12/20, 7:59 UTC.

    December brings about new main content drops as well! Continue blazing a trail through Phaethon Fields (South), featuring new enemies, new challenges, and new rewards for your troubles. Here, you'll find new equipment that can raise your characters to a maximum of 3 equips at rank 12, as well as new hard stage nodes for Misaki, Mahiru, and Djeeta. Brushing aside the wilderness on your way through Area 19 will also unlock up to Episode 4 of Chapter 10 of the Main Story. 

  We'll also be increasing the level cap from 115 to 118. You’ll want to make sure you’re stocked up on Mana and EXP potions to help bring your heroines up to new heights! In addition, new BGM will be added to the Memorial Jukebox for further customization.

  The November content drop lands on 12/6 at 13:00 UTC. 

    We have previously had some blue, white, and brown furniture. Now we’re on to the real exciting stuff - introducing red and green furniture. Deck the halls in festive colors to celebrate the holidays! Spruce up the place with presents, sleighs, sofas, and more. The perfect gift for any heroine on your list. This set will only be here for a limited time, so make sure to wrap it up before it disappears!

  This limited-time furniture set will be available starting from 12/7, 23:00 UTC, so get ready to set up your own cozy cabin. It will only be available until 1/6, 22:59 UTC, so make sure to join in the festivities before time runs out! The full list of holiday-themed furniture is as follows:

  Festive Pop-up Book

Lima Santa Costume

Star-Topped Holiday Tree

Festive Fireplace

Festive Dinner Table 1

Festive Dinner Table 2

Holiday Tree Bookshelf

Magical Sleigh

Odd-Antler Reindeer Plushie

Green-Fur Reindeer Plushie

Reindeer Chair

Yule Log Stool

Festive Loveseat

Festive Armchair

Sled Bed

Festive Wall

Festive Rug Flooring

    With all the gifts coming your way, you’ll be sure to want to have your heroines in top form. There’s no better time than during Normal Quest Double Drop Campaign to stock up on double equipment, Mana, and other items when completing Normal Quests during the campaign period. 

  The Normal Quest Double Drop Campaign runs for six days, from 12/12, 13:00 UTC to 12/16, 12:59 UTC.

  Double Drops then make their way into the Hard Quest stages. It’s time to drop right into the Hard Quest Double Drop Campaign, where you’ll be able to get twice the amount of Memory Shards, equipment, and Mana while completing Hard Quests. Twice the number of item drops without twice the difficulty. Truly a holiday miracle!

  The Hard Quest Double Drop Campaign also lasts for six days, from 12/16, 13:00 UTC to 12/21, 12:59 UTC.

    For easy reading and accessibility, included below is a summarized version of all the updates announced today. Thank you for all your support, and we hope you continue to enjoy Princess Connect! Re: Dive! 

  See you in Astraea, Knights!

— Crunchyroll Games

*Note: All event details may be subject to change. Please check the in-game notifications at the start of the events for the full details.

  Ayane (Holiday) Focus Gacha (12/7 23:00 UTC to 12/20 22:59 UTC)

Boosted rate-up for Ayane (Holiday), also available for redemption via character exchange points.

Ayane (Holiday) is a limited unit and will only be available during the Focus Gacha period.

3★ Guaranteed Premium Gacha (12/5 23:00 UTC to 12/12 22:59 UTC)

Focus Gacha Daily Free 10-Draw Campaign (12/11 13:00 UTC to 12/24 12:59 UTC)

Tower of Luna (12/7 13:00 UTC to 12/12 15:59 UTC)

Unlocked after completion of Main Story Quest 9-1.

Complete each floor for rewards.

Reset your teams back to full health daily.

Progress made during this month will carry over towards future Tower of Luna events.

Floors 131-150 and EX Floor 150 Unlocked.

December Clan Battle (12/15 13:00 UTC to 12/20 07:59 UTC)

December Content Update (12/6 13:00 UTC)

Main Quest Area 19 unlocked.

Level cap increased from 115 to 118.

Character equipment cap increased from 11-5 to 12-3

Chapter 10 of the Main Story unlocked, up to Episode 4.

New BGM added to the Memorial Jukebox.

Guildhouse Updates 

New limited-time furniture added to the Guildhouse Shop (12/7 23:00 UTC to 1/6  22:59 UTC)

Normal Quest Double Drop Campaign (12/12 13:00 UTC to 12/16 12:59 UTC)

Hard Quest Double Drop Campaign (12/16 13:00 UTC to 12/21 12:59 UTC)

  By: Guest Author

[aniseandspearmint]

@princesssarcastia, here are some of the things I’m reading right now! I took a quick look at your listed fandoms and tried to keep it to those, though I added a few really good ones from others.)

WIP I’m currently reading off the top of my head (various fandoms)

Lightsword by Esama (Star Wars/ff7) Cloud reincarnates as Obi-wan Kenobi. Composed of one word prompt sections. Very well done and I really can’t wait to see where the author goes with it. Gen so far (well, hinted Zack/Aerith?)

Survival is a Talent by Shanastoryteller (Harry Potter) Soulmate AU fic. This kind of AU is one I really enjoy when it’s done well (and so long as the fic isn’t one of those colorblind until you meet your soulmate ones those irritate me so much) and this is done well. It’s Harry/Draco, starting in second year. And the best part? There’s no bashing of either Ron or Hermione. I could have cried in relief when they weren’t distorted out of character. They stay Harry’s besties throughout everything. The issues of Harry and Draco realizing they’re soulmates is handled extremely well. Draco doesn’t just change, nor does Harry. They have to work at being friends, and as of the current chapters there’s only friendship. The endgame pairing is Harry/Draco, but Shanastoryteller has clearly remembered that the boys in question are 12/13 and there is no romance yet. Draco’s very real issues with the knowledge that his father is not a good person (for all that he clearly loves Draco) makes my heart ache for him. Draco loves his father, Lucius loves Draco, but Draco is coming to realize that he doesn’t want anyone to die, not even muggles or muggleborns.

Resident Project by Kryal (Resident Evil/Tatterdemalion Verse) The Tatterdemalion Verse is a sci-fi/horror AU of Bleach and Saiyuki created by Vathara, that I cannot rec enough, even to people who aren’t into either Bleach or Saiyuki. In my opinion, they read fairly well even if you don’t know who all the characters are, since it’s such an extreme AU from the original series’, and the Bleach fics are actually set way pre-series and feature few of the main cast (as they have not been born yet). A quick google of the names will get you general appearance, and you can read from there.

Kryal, author of The Dragon King's Temple, THE best Avatar/Stargate crossover, was apparently chatting with Vathara one day about how well the Resident Evil verse would mix with Tatterdemalion, and this fic was born. I may have screamed a little in joy when I saw the notification in my inbox. And I don’t even know more than the bare bones about Resident Evil. Fic is Gen, no pairings, people are too busy trying not to die for romance.

Friends Across Borders Series by MueraRashaye (Heralds of Valdemar) Dunno if you know this book series or not, but I’ll toss this in too. FAB is on it’s 10th story in the series (long series is long btw, currently over 300k) , and is honestly one of the best Valdemar fanfics I have ever read. The characters are OCs, but fully fleshed out and beautifully rendered. I had absolutely no problem getting into them, and had the odd but hilarious experience of idly wondering what Kir and Anur were up to during the canon book series the last time I read it, only to remember mid thought that the were OCs, not Mercedes Lackey’s characters. Ace and Aro characters!

Triumphant, The Dreamer by Shadowblayze (Harry Potter) This is a lovely OC reincarnated as a Harry Potter character fic. The character is Heather, a twin to Harry. EPIC worldbuilding and amazingly well done characters. No character bashing, but also pulls no punches regarding certain stupid moves made by canon characters. Gen so far.

Find Your Way By Moonlight by Blackkat (Naruto, Vampire AU) I usually don’t really go for AUs that take away the whole magic ninja aspect of Naruto, but damn this is a good story. Totally an exception to my usual preferences! 

It focuses on Hunter Kakashi and Vampire Obito, and there are a whole host of twisty vampire and other supernatural creature politics, and currently there are a lot of people enacting epic plans without checking to see if maybe anyone else is currently enacting their own epic plans, and it’s promising to be a glorious train-wreck of tangled up coup/rescue/assassination attempts. Very much not Gen. Main pairing is Kakashi/Obito, with a ton of crack pairings on the side.

Karmic Balance by Sanjuno (khr/Naruto) Epic reincarnation of kakashi and Obito. They think the mafia is adorable, but ultimately dumb as rocks. The mafia does not see them coming. Epic worldbuilding (there is a theme there. I do love my epic worldbuilding *G*) This story is excellently spun, manages to treat the khr world seriously danger wise, but still retain the humor rainbow colored fire mafioso deserve. Kakashi/Obito main pairing (they’re kinda scarily co-dependant) gen for everyone else so far.

Star-Queen by TheBetterAngelsOfOurNature (Guardians of the Galaxy) Pre-movie AU, what if Meredith Quill had been able to chase after Peter? There’s endgame Meredith/Yondu, but it’s very slow burn. I really love how this author is filling in Meredith’s personality, and fleshing out other characters that the movies never did. There are a whole host of transplanted comic characters, and OCs to fill voids, but they’re very well done. Updates are kinda sporadic now, since the author just moved to an area with no internet and only gets to town once or twice a month, but it’s worth the wait.

Damaged Defenders by Sherza (MCU) Incredibly long and plotty re-imagining of how things would have gone if Thor had noticed Loki’s eyes were the wrong color. Features multiple crossovers with other Marvel works. Canon relationships only, and little focus on those. This is primarily a ‘gather the forces in preparation for a major alien invasion’ fic.

Harnessing Starfire by Sherza (Star trek AOS) A fic that actually lets the Enterprise crew be the BAMF individuals they truly are. AU after the first movie. Spock Prime gets his Kirk back! Takes the characters canon backstories into account, so Jim was on Tarsus. Takes a good analytical look at what it really means for Vulcans that Vulcan was destroyed, and what it means for the Klingons to have had most of their fleet gutted by Nero, and what it means for the Romulans to have had a Romulan do all of these things, time traveling nutjpb or not. Pairing is endgame AOS!Spock/AOS!Jim and TOS!Spock/TOS!Jim. The is Spock/Uhura at the beginning, but they amicably end things. No bashing.

Weirdness is Genetic by Sherza (BtVS/Sentinel/Stargate) This is the rarest of rarities, a GEN sentinel fic. Features a sentinel/guide bond between Xander and Clone!Jack that is handled beautifully. Also a sekret!father fic, wherein Jim Ellison is Xander’s biological father. The three fandoms are meshed well, and there’s not bashing of characters. Fic is totally gen apart from some canon barely there pairings.

Jason Todd: The Not-So-Outlaw by GoAwayOlivia (DCU Batman) A lovely fic that features Jason coming back to Gotham after deciding to take a break from the Outlaws. There’s some excellent exploration of family dynamics in the bat clan, and of what being resurrected with the Lazerus Pit’s really does to someones mind. I really love the developing relationship between the now much saner Jason and his adopted siblings in this, plus GoAwayOlivia’s Alfred is fantastic. Jason does therapy through home renovation, it’s great. Genfic. (*blinks* Huh, and apparently this is complete now? I never got that notification!)

[dofuskamas011]

We've ranked some good looking mounts in WoW Classic

Every WoW Classic player wants to get those rarest mounts, not only because they can greatly increase your moving speed, but more importantly, they represent your wealth and strength. Obtaining epic mounts is very difficult. Many players are in the process of struggle. The most basic condition is that you need to prepare 1000 WOW Classic Gold to buy epic mounts. Of course, there are many ways to obtain rare mounts in addition to the standard mounts of this race. Keep reading this guide to get a basic understanding of them.

Swift White Steed In some fantasy legends, heroes always ride fast white horses, such as Artax and Shadowfax in the Lord of the Rings. And in WoW Classic, you also have a chance to become a hero. However, it is worth noting that only members of the Alliance faction can purchase this level 60 epic mount. If you want a more realistic role-playing experience, you can create a Mage character and name it Gandorf, and this horse will prove to be your white-robed wizard. Human races can purchase the mount directly, as long as you have prepared 1000 Classic WOW Gold in advance, you can go to the logging site of Elwynn Forest and talk to the trainer. You'll get a mission to help the trainer find the lost horse, and you can pick one from his inventory to buy, including Swift White Steed. If you are a dwarf, a dwarf, or a night elf, you need to increase your reputation in Stormwind and make it exalted. After you meet the requirements, you can buy white horses in the same place.

Frostwolf Howler This mount is for those patient PvP players. It has a very nice appearance, but only tribal players can get it. As an epic mount, it does not require you to learn any riding, which is very rare. Most players who love PvP will choose it. In order to save the WoW Classic Gold cost when buying a mount, you need to put in a lot of effort. To put it simply, you need to continue to participate in the Alterac Valley battlefield until your reputation in Frostwolf Clan is Exalted. Even so, you still need to pay 640 gold to get it. But it is well worth it, you will find this white wolf with smooth fur. Not only that, their biggest feature is that they can adapt to the size of the rider. If you are a tauren, then when you sit on the back of Frostwolf Howler, it will be enlarged into a giant wolf. Don't worry, if you need a lot of WoW Classic Gold in short time, you can ask for help from MMOWTS.

[fancypoloevent-blog]

RELEASE

EZLO The Million Dollar Vintage Polo Collection These are the Warhol prints of our generation

Welcome to the vintage Polo collection. A collection of the most rare and sought after items by America’s greatest artist - Ralph Lauren. Featuring 100 of the most important fashion art pieces ever created. A collection so iconic, it created a culture.

This collection and these items were the beginning of the original fashion culture. Before the Supremee’s were were getting chased by the Ape, before the Sneakerheads were camping out on the street and re-selling on the internet, before every long line at at Nike, A Bathing Ape, Kith, Palace, or any streetwear brand, there was Lo. Polo is a brand that organically developed a fanbase without even trying. For every store with a line to get into, for every online forum focusing on a fashion brand, for every fashion label with a sub-culture, for every designer making “Streetwear”, thank Ralph Lauren and the Lo Life Polo collectors who created this platform.      

These are the 100 rarest vintage Polo Ralph Lauren items from the 1987-1994 Collection. This showcase is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Polo Ralph Lauren, and a 25th anniversary of the highly coveted 1992 collection. This archive has taken over 20 years to build. The Polo collectors within this culture refer to themselves as Lo Lifes or Lo Heads. Today we meet Ezra Wine, an OG Polo collector and we review his collection.

Ezra collects vintage Polo Ralph Lauren items from the 1987-1994 period. He started collecting when he was 15 in 1995 and has been obsessed from day one. His collection consists of the 100 most rare, most exclusive, most limited, most elite Polo power pieces. The collection is kept at his showroom in SoHo, where he was born and raised. Just like Ralph, his father is a painter, and he was immediately drawn to the artistic styles of the pieces in this collection. Each one of the pieces has a story, of why they’re important as a design and why they’re important to the community of fellow collectors. After 20 years in the game, it’s time to retire. Today, he’s selling his collection. No trades, no deals, no size swaps. Items will not be sold separately. This 100 piece collection is for sale, for a cool million.

The story of the vintage Polo culture started in the late 1980’s when lower income youth from Brooklyn became obsessed with the Polo style and status and literally stole the image. Polo was the aspirational, All-American, high end designer brand that was never going to market themselves to urban communities, and that’s why they wanted it. Their desire and risk gave birth to the culture we know today. These are people that are obsessed with all things Polo Ralph Lauren. The name Lo, comes from Polo, and for the last twenty five years this subculture has been changing the face of Hip Hop fashion.

Today they are buyers, collectors, sellers and addicts of vintage Ralph Lauren clothing. The movement has spread around the world and reached a diverse collective of collectors, but it all began in Brooklyn New York. The story of the Lo Culture starts in the late 1980’s in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.

The Lo Lifes were a gang, formed by African-American and Hispanic teens from low income housing projects. The gangs robbed residents and sold drugs, but they were most interested in stealing from clothing stores like Macy’s, Bloomingdales and B. Altman’s. The gangs started with the names ‘Ralphie’s Kids’ from St. Johns Projects, and ‘Polo U.S.A.’ (United Shoplifter’s Association) from Marcus Garvey Village projects, then they joined forces to form the “Lo Lifes”. They became obsessed with designer labels. Coming from poor communities, they aspired to have the status of a Gucci jacket or a Fendi bag. But the brand they most looked up to was Polo Ralph Lauren. To these kids nothing was more of a status symbol than the iconic Polo horse from Ralph’s brand. Lauren had spent 20 years establishing his company as the ultimate in preppy attire for the country club and private school community. These minority adolescents saw this and wanted to represent the elite lifestyle that Polo stood for. They did not desire the educated lives and Wall Street careers that the horse represented, but they wanted the image. They came from low income families lacking the resources to buy designer labels. This was their chance to look like the wealthy prep school kids they rode the train with, while staying true to their communities as gang members that stole anything they wanted.

In 1987 the group of teens would organize shoplifting adventures they called the “Million Man Rush.” These ‘kleptomaniacs’ would walk into Macy’s with 50 kids, grabbing all the Polo leather jackets and sweaters they could carry and run out. Security could not stop them and workers feared them. They pulled stunts like this at Bloomingdales, and many other stores in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The “Lo” pieces were then taken to Brooklyn where they were sold and traded amongst their community. Examples of the culture are heard in Hip Hop as Rapper Jay Z mentions this in his song Where I’m From, stating “I'm from where the beef is inevitable, summertime's unforgettable, Boosters in abundance, buy a half-price sweater new.”

The gang would also rob individuals who had clothing labels they desired. Rapper Thirstin Howl the 3rd was a founding member of the gang, proclaiming to have stolen thousands of “Lo” pieces from stores and reselling the designer goods to Brooklyn friends, or giving them away to their girlfriends, or as they called them “Lo wives.” Examples of the risk of the culture could also be heard in Jay Z’s BK Anthem, “It wasn't safe on the A train, D, G or the F, Decepticons, Lo-Lifes snatch the polo off your chest”

From a style perspective this subculture was engaging in the classic battle between the lower classes desire to have the status of the wealthier class. Prior to ’87 Polo was mostly known for their small embroidered horse icon on the left breast of tennis shirts. This image stood for aspiration, however the 1987 collection marked the 20th anniversary of Ralph Lauren (1967-1987). To celebrate, Polo released a large collection of anniversary novelty designs that were loud with lettering and imagery showcasing the lifestyle that had only been seen in their advertising and in the concept of the horse logo. Now Polo was being seen for making bright and colorful boating shirts with Yachting imagery on the back, cross flags sweatshirts showing the anniversary year and ski jackets with actual skier cartoons on the items. It is unclear how the general fashion community reacted to these new styles from Polo, but it was obvious that the “Lo Lifes” had taken a strong liking to the artistic designs.

As the 1990’s began the “Lo” subculture had expended all over New York. The term “Lo heads” developed to mean non-original gang members who were still involved in the subculture. Members became diverse as New York City with the influx of Asians and Caucasians getting involved in this black market system. It became common knowledge for New York City high school kids to either steal from Polo stores themselves, or attempt to purchase/trade items from other “Lo heads.” High schools in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens had become hotbeds for the Lo subculture. Common language developed among the members in terms of shirt names, and codes like “eats” meaning holes, “beat” for damaged shirts, “Lizzy tags” for store security sensors. As the pieces changed hands and the popularity increased, the values went up. What had begun as high priced stolen merchandise, being sold for half price, had turned into highly collectible timeless apparel that was now selling for above the original retail price. “Lo heads” began preferring to trade items as opposed to buying and selling, because amongst the community cash was not desired. In order to get the pieces one wanted, one had to trade an item of equal rarity and value.

In Hip Hop media artists like Grand Puba from Brand Nubian were wearing and rapping about “Lo” in his song, That’s how we move it, stating “It's time to switch it up so I'll breeze back to the rest, put on some Polo gear and a baggy pair of Guess.”

Artists like Wu Tang Clan were dropping lines in songs like C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) “My life got no better, same damn 'Lo sweater, Times is rough and tough like leather.”

Other hip hop groups such as “Another Bad Creation” went one step further in music videos and popularized the style of wearing store security sensors on the clothing. This was a bragging right displaying that one had style and status, but proving that one stole it. This concept is similar to hunters in medieval times that would wear the skin of a bird they had shot down prior, as a way to visually brag about their hunting skill.

As the subculture evolved members became heavily involved in trading with one another. Much like their youth trading baseball cards years earlier, these high schoolers developed connections with members via phone calls and street meetings. Common meeting places were downtown Manhattan shopping destinations like EMS on Broadway, The Atrium on Bleecker Street and Tent and Trails on Park Place. Specific pieces began to develop common names and understood values based on original retail price, design, rarity and desirability. Members were still robbing other members and from stores. One notable piece was a ski jacket that developed the “street name” the “suicide ski” or “sui” referring to the fact that wearing this specific jacket was the equivalent of suicide, as so many youths were getting robbed and slashed with knives from people trying to rob them for that specific jacket.

Once again the 1992 collection marked the first Olympic sponsorship for Mr. Lauren and the 25th anniversary of Polo and once again celebrated with a flashy group of styles that was highly sought after and stolen from stores. From a marketing side Polo developed a new sub brand called Polo Sport, which became the label for “Lo heads.” They also hired their first African American model, named Tyson Beckford, which was a shock to the fashion world as Polo had previously only used Caucasian models to represent their brand. Tyson was a muscular tattooed teen who had been discovered by a Polo marketing representative. In hip hop media, artist Raekwon states in the Wu Tang Clan song, ‘Still Strugglin’ “A young youth, yo rockin' the gold tooth, 'Lo goose, only way I began to G off was drug loot.” He also became famous for wearing the “Polo Snow Beach” jacket in the ‘Can it be so simple’ music video.

In the 2000’s “Lo heads” and the original “Lo Lifes” were heavily involved in the subculture as the growth of the Internet spread their story. Vintage clothing sites like ebay.com became the go to source for buying and selling “Lo”, and prices had skyrocketed due to the notoriety of the items. Members of the sub-culture were popping up in major fashion cities like Chicago, Atlanta, Las Vegas, New Jersey, California, Tokyo, Paris, Munich, etc. What began as an underground Brooklyn culture of stealing from department stores and wearing those items as a badge of honor, had become an international culture.

Hip Hop clothing stores such as Flight Club New York and Fruition Las Vegas, began to sell vintage Polo on their racks alongside brand new hip hop apparel from Nike, Jordan and Adidas. In hip hop media, artists such as Kanye West and Fabolous were wearing “Lo” in all of their music videos further promoting the clothing. As the items got older members became more like collectors. Being neurotic about cleanliness of the items, carefully hand washing their collections and proper storage of their antiques. “Lo heads” would spend entire evenings in their homes working on complex trades with other members in order to obtain the most sought after articles of the collection. Members had been known to bring garment bags with 50 items to do a trade in another member’s home.

Today the “Lo head” community is going strong, countless articles in Hip Hop magazines, worldwide membership and the Internet helping to promote this subculture and the collector’s items that members are still obsessing over. The current success of the culture is a mix of nostalgia for vintage clothing and the appreciation of Polo as an elite status brand name.

What makes this subculture so ironic is the true story of Ralph Lauren, who was born in the Bronx NY in 1939 to poor Russian-Jewish parents. His father Frank Lifshitz used the last name “Lauren”, due to anti-Semitism, to get house painting jobs in the Bronx. When Ralph started his clothing line in 1967 he used the name “Lauren” and the brand name “Polo” to signify the all American old money lifestyle that the company would come to represent. He was an immigrant who wanted the image of elite wealthy status. The irony is 20 years into the brand, “The Lo Lifes” sought the same image and aspired to obtain the status that was part of the Polo name.

Mr. Wine is selling his collection because it's a museum style collection that belongs in a museum. These are the Warhol prints and Basquiat paintings of his generation. It took him over 20 years to build and he wants to see this collection at the Whitney, The Smithsonian or at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

As a high school student Ezra understood the really important special pieces from Polo were not going to be available at Macy's and the Atrium, they were only going to be available on this black market, sold by individuals and fellow collectors that had them. He started connecting with collectors spending all his money meeting other members of the culture on lower Broadway, at Wendy’s, in front of EMS, Brooklyn train stations, doing trades, or buying pieces directly from the community.

The Polo Black market had a value system like no other, where vintage pieces, had retail prices that might have been lower when these items came out years before, but as they get older and more popular, and more collectors are involved in the culture, the prices keep going up. Some of these prices are way beyond their original retail cost. Mr. Wine is an artist and an art and fashion collector. His mom is from the south side of Chicago, and his father from North side. His parents came to New York in the ‘60s, his mom worked in the garment center for 40 years, and his father is an artist and a math teacher.

This is a community of people that really prefer to trade, because anybody can get cash. Cash has no value, other pieces have value. This is a community in a culture where if you don't have the pieces, nobody wants to do deals with you. People never want to sell a white summer hat, they want to trade a white summer hat, because they want the red summer hat.

Back in 2003 Mr. Wine was selling items to celebrities, rappers and people that work in hip-hop. Doing deals with Kanye West, Fabolous and Just Blaze. He wanted to put these pieces back on the fashion map. He wanted Kanye and Fabolous to wear these items that Grand Puba and Wu-Tang had worn previously. He was doing it to keep the culture alive and on the front page of the hip-hop media. When Fabolous wanted the gray cashmere bear sweater for the ‘Baby’ music video, it wasn't for sale, but it was rented to Fab for a one-day shoot, he wore the sweater in the video and got a lot of online hype with Polo collectors talking about the bear sweater online, and Ezra still owns that actual bear sweater that Fab wore in the video. He’s never worn it since, and it is part of this immaculate collection.

When Kanye wanted pieces for his College Dropout tour, they came to Ezra. And when Just Blaze wanted pieces for some photo shoots, he came to Ezra. And then years later when Chris Brown wanted to wear the Snow Beach Raekwon jacket on the NBC Today Show concert, they came to Ezra.

Eventually Mr. Wine became so obsessed with the sport graphics and the unique funky imagery in these Polo items that he decided to create his own clothing line based on that vintage Polo look and feel. In 2004 he started making graphic tees and button ups with sports characters, bright colors and often times using actual vintage Ralph Lauren fabrics to make custom pieces. His clothing designs are an homage to vintage Polo. He thinks of vintage Polo as an inspiration for the items that he’s made, thinking not only about the high-quality unique designs, but also about this incredible community and culture that formed around those pieces.

This collection is for sale for a million dollars, and it’s worth a million dollars. The values go up every day. It’s priceless. If it doesn’t sell, he’s happy to keep it. This collection is 20 years of labor. For some of these pieces, he spent 10 years just asking collectors about them, only to get a lead on who owned it, only to hear that they’re keeping it.

This movement is so strong that in the fall of 2017 Polo will launch a limited edition capsule collection of retro 1992 Stadium P-Wing pieces. These remakes have led to additional hype within the Polo collector community, as this is the first time that Polo is releasing retro versions of these collectors items, following the success of the retro Nike Air Jordan collection that began in 1994. Ralph is actually listening to the collectors that he seemed to ignore for the last 25 years. These retro items will allow older collectors to re-buy items from their past, and open up the culture to a new younger generation of buyers. These remakes will be a nice reminder of the ‘92 collection. However the original antiques will always be the OGs.  

This is one person’s chance to own the collection that created a culture. To own the most important pieces of hip-hop fashion history.

[carvedfromlivingstone]

Gargoyles: an Introduction

A scholarly article written by Professor Goliath Telassar, Manhattan University. 1984.

Introduction

In light of the recent discussions revolving around Rights for Magickal Creatures classified as Sentient Beings, it is prudent to understand more about the very beings that are at the center of these heated debates. In this paper, I will give a brief introduction of the Ecclesiahalitans Gargate, more commonly known as a gargoyle; their mannerisms and customs, and what defines them as having an advanced intelligence.

Physiology

The species Ecclesiahalitans Gargate consists of two broader families, commonly known as gargoyles and gargoyle beasts. Gargoyle beasts are quadrupedal gargates, usually characterized by their lack of wings and their more animal intelligence. In the past they have been likened to the canine family in manner and intelligence, but this is an inaccurate equivalence. The creatures who most know as gargoyles, however, are in many ways more complex than gargoyle beasts - one could compare their relation to each other as similar to humans and apes. Gargoyles are characterized primarily by their large wings and more humanlike appearance. Gargoyles are bipedal gargates that typically possess six limbs (not including their tails) with four digits per limb. Their tails are remarkably flexible, and appear to have many uses besides their primary function to provide stability in flight. Their lower bodies below the waist is usually analogous between human and quadrupedal lower limbs (allowing a gargoyle to drop down on all fours and run quicker that way) in that they stand on their toes, making a Gargoyle appear taller than they actually are.

One key trait to note of all Ecclesiahalitans Gargate is their tremendous visual variety. Even gargoyles within the same clan can possess any number of visual markers to distinct them from their fellow clanmates. For example, some have hair and some don't. Most gargoyles have crests on their foreheads in addition to horns, but some gargoyles lack one, the other, or sometimes even both. Some have relatively round, humanoid faces; some have more animalistic snouts, whilst there are those bearing features that are near-human. Many of these features are believed to be a result of convergent evolution. Even their wings can be vastly different. Many gargoyles possess remarkably flexible mammalian wings similar to a bat’s, with a thin membrane of skin bridging between the digits and a “thumb”-like claw. But there are recorded sightings of gargoyles with avion wings, which more closely resembled varying species of birds. The rarest wing variation on record is of wings that do not extend from the back, but instead closely resemble the “wings” of a flying squirrel; a membrane of skin that stretches along both sides of the body. Whether or not a gargoyle with such a wing configuration is capable of flight similar to their brethren is unknown.

A History

Gargoyles are believed to have reached evolutionary maturity during the Pleistocene to the early Holocene epoch, around when wooly mammoths would have roamed the Earth. Evidence of gargoyle nests, called “rookeries”, have been found in nearly every corner of the known world. It’s believed that they lived separate from their human neighbors, choosing to stay near to the rookery to protect the eggs within. When the Iron Age of Man came, so did a mass purging of gargoyles, as man could now fight the physically stronger and more resilient creatures on even terms. The species was nearly hunted to extinction.

No one knows who the first clan was to ally themselves with a human settlement, but soon keeps and castles were being built atop any accessible rookery, the human and gargoyle residents working together to protect each other from various threats. A clan of fully-grown gargoyles could repel an invading force of human ten times the clan’s size. This was also around the time that carving fake gargoyles out of stone to place around castles became a popular practice; the inhabitants hoping to fool their enemies. This symbiotic peace lasted for several generations, but as weapons became more advanced and the art of war more complex, there was no need anymore for gargoyle guardians. Men slowly began to hunt clans again, and what gargoyles survived retreated into hiding. Only in recent years have we discovered any surviving clans.

Clans

Gargoyle society organizes itself in family groups known as clans. It is hard to exactly explain their hierarchy, seeing as it has only been in the last four hundred years or so that many gargoyles have begun to use names at all. (The only named gargoyles on record before this period were usually given their names by a human leader or high official, such as a member of nobility.) There is usually a single leader, who is the head of the clan and makes many of the final decisions. The role is passed from generation to generation, typically after several years of apprenticeship and training as the second-in-command. Under the leader, the rest of the clan operates on the same social level, with no true distinction of further ranks or positions. Work is shared evenly amongst the clan, trading the roles that require less dedicated training amongst the clan.

Gargoyles are oviparous mammals, who have very limited fertility cycles that occur once every twenty years. It is believed that this long birth cycle, including the ten years that it takes for an egg to properly germinate and hatch, is one of the driving factors towards the rapid disappearance of the gargoyles. Once the eggs are hatched, the younglings are raised by the whole clan as opposed to individual parenting. A complex series of scent markers unique to gargoyles helps them to identify each other, along with their various bloodlines, which some believe is the reason gargoyles forwent individual names for so long.