#high priestess sariann

[mad-bird-writes]

The Order of the Pallid Mask - High Priestess Sariann

By the time Sariann was born, work had already begun on restoring the Sundered City to a livable state, with its former glory nothing more than a pipe dream in the minds of most, and a bittersweet memory in the hearts of the still-living few who had seen it.

Whether she was born within the Cloister of Saint Cassilda or simply given unto its care as a newborn, Sariann could not, and cannot say. All she knows for certain is this: the Elders of the Order apparently saw something in her, some unrealized potential that they could shape to fit their needs.

From her earliest memories of childhood, Sariann was being taught, trained, moulded to fill a specific, vital role - that of a High Priestess. Whether she was to replace a dead predecessor or the originator of the position, she does not know and there are no records to show, with too few hands to waste precious time and resources on admin.

As a girl, she learned the Order's scavenged Scripture by rote, taking the Utopian dream of a reclaimed Carcosa as humanity's birthright to heart. In her teens, she retained that fond wish, but shifted her attention to matters more practical, more earthbound. The King in Yellow may well return in the future, but that wouldn't feed the starving populace now, so she, along with the more green-fingered Acolytes, took to working the Cloister's gardens (though with precious few resources), so they would have at least a meagre supply of fresh food. Or else she'd volunteer to barter for dry goods at the city's Market of Remnants, or tend the sick, the children...any work that required little more than a pair of hands and the will to do it, she did.

In adulthood, this trend of helping wherever possible has continued, more often than not to the point of overwork, but as they're really no closer to their ultimate goal than they were a decade ago, she sees no reason to stop now. Of course, her role as High Priestess has given her a host of other responsibilities, but what time she has, she gives freely to the Order.

Headstrong and industrious, she is well-liked within the Order, but as the Elders begin the next, crucial phase of their strange machinations, there are some who eye her warily, doubtful as to her true role in proceedings.

[mad-bird-writes]

Introduction and Current WIPs

Hiya! My name is Echo (@tousled-birdmad-girl is my main for those who care about such things) and I'm a writer. I've been writing in some form or another since I was about ten years old, but only recently plucked up the gumption and drive to attempt anything original, much less put it out for the world to see. Time will tell how this goes...

I love horror, tho I wouldn't consider myself a "genre" author, as I think horror, surrealism, fantasy and magic can be found everywhere if you know where to look, and the presence of fantasy elements does not necessarily mean you're writing a "fantasy" book. So, we'll call what I do "fiction" and leave it at that for now :D

Inspiration-wise, I draw from the works of Stephen King, everything Mike Flanagan ever put to Netflix and beyond, Paul Shapera and his ever-growing Shaperaverse, Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Palahniuk, and the Cthulhu Mythos as a whole (with a particular liking for taking the worlds, entities and themes first created by Lovecraft and using them to create something that'd make him spin in his grave.)

Below the cut: a list of my current WIPs and some general housekeeping information. If you see something that sparks your interest, please come sit by my hearth and pour yourself a drink <3

Original Works:

The Lost Souls' Revival: After a series of personal crises, struggling creative Amari Walker stumbles across a flyer advertising a strange carnival, offering "a total restoration of spirit" for the cryptic asking price of "3Y". With nothing left to lose, she attends, quickly becoming enthralled by the Revival and its colourful cast of performers, in particular its eccentric, nameless ringmaster. When her night of fun and escapism is over, she finds herself wanting more, and embarks on a one-woman quest to follow the ever-moving carnival wherever it goes, a quest that will drive her to the edge of sanity, and possibly beyond the reach of reality itself. (vibes: steampunk, dark carnival, mythology/folklore mishmash, fantasy horror, the Fair Folk, whatever the goblins were selling in Rosetti's Goblin Market)

Better To Reign In Hell: It's 1897. The world is changing too fast. Pastor Nathaniel Lawrence is dying, for all that he's trying to hide it. His daughter, Susannah, too old for rebellion and too young for spinsterhood, is content to follow in her mother's footsteps as the town's herbalist, but a bombshell marriage proposal seems set to destroy those plans. A chance encounter with a badly wounded man may offer her the escape she seeks, but at a price: Merritt Caine is not all he appears to be, and his dark past has an unbreakable grip. (vibes: southern gothic HEAVY on the gothic, small town horror, witchcraft (fictitious and real), Satanism (fictitious and real), corruption but in a good way, religious horror, the cycle of abuse, eventual murder (of the good kind) )

The Order of The Pallid Mask: In the corpse of a city at the centre of a dying world, a benevolent cult is working to restore their world to its fabled former glory by appealing to its retreated god, The King in Yellow. Sariann, the cult's High Priestess, is willing to sacrifice whatever she must to ensure a brighter future for the city's refugees; her body, her soul, her mind. Virgil, a lower-ranking member of the Order, her confidant, attendant and trusted friend, is willing to defy the Order and his faith to keep her alive. And the Yellow King has plans and desires of his own... (vibes: Cosmic horror, Lovecraftian but make it romantic, the beauty of the unknown, rituals, creating a religion from the ashes of an old world, post-apocalypse, ancient civilization (not of Earth), Eldritch love triangle) ***

Fan Works/Other:

As far as fanfics go, I don't have any long-form WIPs on the stove, more like a series of short (well, short-ish) form drabbles, headcanons and other assorted bits, which I might as well post here when I have them as proof that I do have a creative output that extends beyond Spotify playlists and Pinterest boards.

Fandoms include:

Fallout (mainly New Vegas and the Prime series so far, but encompassing this universe as a whole)

Red Dead Redemption (particularly the second game as I haven't played the first one yet, £35 for a port of a PS2 game my *ass*)

the Flanaverse (Hill House, Bly Manor, TFOTHOU, Midnight Mass... basically everything bar The Midnight Club, which I have not watched)

the Cthulhu Mythos (if you can call that a fandom :D I was working on a queer retelling of Dreams in the Witch-House at one point, if I can *find* the notes I wrote I might bring that one out of retirement...)

plus one or two fandoms the content crucibles of which I would not subject myself to if you held me at gunpoint (iykyk)

I've also amassed a small collection of OCs from various TTRPGs I've been part of, a couple of whom still haunt my mind and may or may not be written about from time to time... (no DnD tho, I think it's safe to say we've reached saturation point with DnD-centric/derivative works) ;)

***

General housekeeping + other info: I am an adult and this is an adult writing blog by default. I will be writing smut/other sexual content and dealing with mature and dark themes throughout these listed works (and anything else I may write to post here.) I will tag for "main" triggers and give general content warnings where applicable, but I cannot guarantee to cover every single trigger a person may have, therefore, you read and interact here at your own risk. If requested, I will add more trigger warnings, but again, I can't fully guarantee to get everything.

I kindly ask that you refrain from reposting anything from this blog: excerpts, character profiles, moodboards (if I make them) etc. I also ask that you do not take anything for your personal use under any circumstances.

My inbox is open, so send me an ask if you have any questions or simply want to chat! But for now, I've rambled for quite long enough, so I'm gonna wrap this post here. See you! <3

(tagging @coffeexafterxmidnight and @dominaarts )

[mad-bird-writes]

The Order of the Pallid Mask - Acolyte Virgil

Virgil grew up as one of the many orphaned and dispossessed children of the Sundered City. Whether his mother died or simply abandoned him, he never knew, and nowadays does not care. The earliest days of his childhood have since been forgotten, but somebody must have looked after him, else he wouldn't have lived long enough to reach double digits, let alone adulthood.

For as long as he cares to remember, he lived hand-to-mouth in the Sundered City's hardscrabble outskirts, competing with the other urchins for food and water, shelter and territory. Here, he learned most of the skills that carried him; how to steal, how to fight, how to go unseen. Whether it was by these skills or by sheer luck, he only came to grief in his mid-twenties, when he ran afoul of a particularly vicious-tempered stall owner in the Market of Remnants. Purloined piece of rough-grain bread still in hand, he was dragged to the centre of the market and "dealt with" by a scattered handful of unscrupulous traders who were sick and tired of urchins and outlaws like Virgil.

Law and order have not existed in the Sundered City for as long as anyone can recall. If the people want justice, they must deal it out themselves.

Once the beating was over and a small crowd had gathered and dispersed, Virgil was left to live or die, however the fates saw fit. Somehow, the fates were on his side, and a well-meaning passerby picked him up and took him to the Cloister of Saint Cassilda.

Here, safe for the first time in his life, he recovered from his injuries and heard the teachings of the Order. Though skeptical at first, he soon found himself enchanted by promises of a better world. By promises of Lost Carcosa and its King in Yellow.

And, of course, by the hopeful words and kind heart of the Order's High Priestess, Sariann.

She, in turn, was drawn to this unlucky stranger in their midst, and took him under her wing, overseeing as much of his education and slow indoctrination as she had time for. Over time, a bond of mutual trust, respect, and friendship formed between priestess and acolyte; in time, she appointed him as her personal attendant.

Nowadays, he is equally devoted to his "mistress" and the faith they share, but he can't help but hold some wariness towards the Masked Elders and their cryptic machinations, especially as time passes and the effects on Sariann become more and more obvious, obvious to none but him.