#like the dreadlord fight

[renaultmograine]

Going from Varian to Anduin as a king must have been wild. Here's your loud, aggressive king, always ready to throw down. He will put himself on the front lines. You're not going to convince him to stay back and stay safe. He will personally fight this war.

And he dies heroically in battle, and his pacifist, peace loving son takes the throne. He's done some weapons training but isn't really inclined to it, he's more of a healer, he's taken to priesthood. That's fine, you'll do your duty and protect him regardless—honestly it'll probably be easier because he'll stay back and make sure to heal your wounds.

And then your king is attacked, and you rush to keep your king safe, but when you get there he's pinned a dreadlord to the wall himself and is like "no I'm fine! don't worry I'll take care of this" and then renders the dreadlord naught but ash.

[bedtimegiraffe]

Baldur, Aerin, and MC- Relationships with Violence

All three of these characters have really unique relationships with violence and physical force, which are very well put on display by the confrontation scene in Book 3, Chapter 5.

Baldur: Violence First

Baldur loooves violence. He makes that clear when you meet him, quickly using his size and strength to get his way. His preferred means of interacting with the world is physical- violence and sex.

But he isn't impulsively lashing out in all directions- most his violence is purposeful. Even if that purpose is incredibly selfish, it is a purpose. A conscious choice.

This isn't a person who just acts out without thinking about it. This is someone who has made a conscious choice to intimidate and injure others to meet good own ends. In the Deadwood, it's a public show of force to prove that he is in charge, not Aerin. Most of the time, it's choosing to physically hurt Aerin when they're alone to minimize any intervention. I think it's safe to assume that Aerin was Baldur's most common target, but not his only one.

For Baldur, violence is his primary method of problem solving- his first thought. In part because he enjoys asserting his own power and control over others through physical means.

That's why at the River of Seekers, Baldur isn't looking into the present like Mal's mom. He has no loved ones, he has no interest in the world without him in it. If Baldur isn't physically influencing others, he doesn't care. So he's doing his best Narcissus impression until he loses himself. His physical ability to dominate others is gone, leaving him with just fond memories of it.

(For those who didn't have the Greek mythology phase I did: Narcissus was a self-centered jerk who was cursed to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool, leading to his death.)

Aerin: Violence Last

Before spotting Baldur in the river, Aerin 'jokes' about killing him again. But I think this was more of an attempt to connect with Valax than anying else. Because even if Aerin reaches Baldur before you do, he doesn't attack him. In fact, Aerin never touches him at all. MC is the one who finally forces Baldur to pay attention. Aerin just... asks him questions before quickly giving up.

Because, barring a strong outside influence, Aerin doesn't solve his problems with violence. Even when he's fully Dreadlord corrupted, Aerin never strikes first. He doesn't attack Baldur until he physically grabs and verbally threatens him.

It also seems significant that he doesn't try to make Baldur suffer- he doesn't beat him or mock him, though based on what we see he absolutely could have in that moment. Aerin kills Baldur incredibly cleanly. Sure, he gloated about it a little, but it felt like Aerin celebrating finally 'winning,' not the violence itself.

Aerin, almost universally, tries to talk his way out of problems. I'd guess this is a combination of his generally more cerebral temperament and the fact that acting out physically never would have gotten him anywhere when he was younger (and probably still won't).

At the river, Baldur seems clearly uninterested in fighting back. But still, Aerin never takes a shot at him just because he can. And it isn't because he's afraid of Baldur in this moment- we see fear from Aerin in situations that mirror his brother's abuse. But this isn't one of them. Aerin is sad and angry.

But still, Aerin's emphasis is on words, not fighting. "You've got nothing to say?" Aerin just doesn't get satisfaction from physical violence like his brother does. Hitting him (or dismembering him, as Aerin hyperbolically says later) wouldn't have felt good to Aerin. He wanted to win on his terms, verbally getting through to Baldur that he lost and Aerin was right all along.

But unfortunately for Aerin, Baldur was never going to give him that satisfaction.

MC: Violence When Necessary

MC take a more moderate approach than either Valleros brother. To MC, violence is one of their many tools. Literally one third of their abilities are "combat." Violence isn't their favorite, not something they enjoy, but something occasionally necessary for the greater good. Even if they view the violence itself as "bad."

How MC gets Baldur's attention at the river is a great example. Because you have three options, all involving some degree of physical or magical force.

And it's a good thing they did. Because Baldur was never going to respond to words and Aerin was never going to try anything else. This problem, like many others, needs a flexible approach.

That flexibility and the willingness to learn may be MC's greatest strengths. MC builds the most diverse skillset of anyone in the party and is willing to apply whatever might work to the situation. And that well-rounded understanding and approach to problem solving is key to saving the day.

Screenshots are a combination of my own stockpiles and ones from Neckrone Shen on youtube, who has saved me untold hours of replaying.

[mikaila-orchard]

How to fix Shadowlands.

So awhile back, I made a post on how to fix BFA which I largely still stand by. I mentioned possibly doing a followup for Shadowlands as it was the culmination of all the bad decisions Blizz made in BFA prior and over two years later, I'm keeping that promise.

1. Fixing the setting.

The Shadowlands themselves are going to have to get perhaps the biggest overhaul. First and foremost, we're nixing everything to do with the First Ones. Zerith Mortus is fucking out. The idea that all the dieties are 3d printed robots? Also out. In their place, we're gonna have it that Titan traveled to the realm of death in an attempt to bring Order™ to the place Mortal Souls go. They created Oribos to organize the souls based on deeds and nature, Bastion where they put the souls to work upholding the grand vision, Revendreth to 'rehabilitate' discordant souls, and the Maw for those deemed too undesirable. And naturally, they left keepers here to oversee everything, including Kyrestia, Denathrius and Zovaal.

Also, yes. This means that Domination magic is Death magic + Titan magic, which is honestly very fitting.

What about Maldraxxus and Ardenweald, M'kay?

Well, we're nixing Maldraxxus because it's awful. But more importantly, Ardenweald is going to represent what the Shadowlands were before the Titans swooped in. It's a safe haven for mortal souls who don't prescribe to the Titans ideals, like the trolls and the Night elves. Loa, Wild Gods and Elune all have a presence there and are crucial in saving the Titan Realms from the mess they made for themselves.

2. Fixing Zovaal

This one's surprisingly easy. First, we stick with Zovaal's look in the concept art because it's way cooler and the Primus has been written out of this version anyway. This is what the Progenitor of the Lich King should look like.

Second, we fix his motivation. Rather than trying to reforge all of reality which is a goal the lore had to break itself in half to give him, we're gonna give him the same motivation as all the other cosmic forces. Dominion over Azeroth's world soul.

So everything from giving the Scourge to the Legion to disrupting the machine of death to pull all those souls into the Maw to the veil being shattered above Icecrown, all of it is done so that Zovaal has a clear shot to channel enough death magic through the Forge of Souls, straight to the core until Azeroth emerges as an entity of Death and Domination. This keeps the stakes ceiling on par with expansions like Legion rather than trying to one up it like a tryhard.

3. Fixing Sylvanas (MOST IMPORTANT)

Fortunately, since we already fixed BFA, most of the work has already been done for us in terms of characterization. We just have to tweak a few things.

Firstly, we're going to make her the hero of this expansion leading the fight against Zovaal while Bolvar is going to be his lackey, as was set up back in Legion. We keep the fight on Icecrown, we keep Sylvanas shattering the Helm. But this time, Bolvar is going to retreat to his master, having been long since been swayed by him. And Sylvanas is going to take the fight to the Maw rather than trying to run from it as she had been since Edge of Night.

To better focus on this task, she names Baine Warchief and names Nathanos regent of the Forsaken, trusting them to handle things on Azeroth while she wages war against the Jailer.

Also, to no one's surprise, the whole split soul thing is getting completely scrapped. I don't care if there was a clever way to do it. It's just not worth it as a story beat. The Sylvanas we've spent 22 years getting to know is the Sylvanas. Full stop.

And there we are. That's all you need to change to make the story work. Everything else, you can keep. Wanna keep Anduin becoming Zovaal's discord kitten? Go right ahead. Wanna keep Torghast? Sure. Wanna keep the Dreadlords being Denathrius' little bitches? Sure. Just stick to these three reworks and you'll have a good expac.

[lostworldss]

Blades 3 Crack Theory

Hear me out.

In Book 2 during one of Nia’s romance scenes, she mentions praying to Ellara, Nifara, and the Mother of Grey for MC to come back.

Now we saw the Mother of Grey/Ash Empress in Book 2, and we learned all the lore about her, Nifara, and the rest of the old gods. Nifara is likely to be the big enemy for Book 3.

But how much do we know about Ellara?

I am going to preface this by saying that I’m not good at remembering all the lore/history from the lore tablets or whichever, so please correct me if i’m wrong with any of this.

But I don’t remember learning much about Ellara specifically. With Nia’s context here, I thought to believe that Ellara was a deity. Perhaps a New God since the lore tablets spoke of all the Old Gods and she wasn’t included.

After checking Book 2 chapter 8, I verified that Ellara is in fact a New God.

This makes sense, considering that Nia prays to her and she has the Temple near Riverbend named after her that we explored.

Also, in the first chapter of the series, in the very beginning scene showing the battle against the Dreadlord thousands of years ago, we see a character named Ellara speaking with Xaius (Elven king/Other New God). Not much information is given about her in the scene, except for her seemingly being in a romantic relationship with Xaius. According the the choices wiki, she is a battle mage and Xaius second in command.

I’m not sure when exactly Ellara and Xaius became New Gods, was it before or after this battle? I’m not sure if they mentioned it before in Book 1. But either way, we can assume this character is The Ellara.

I’m really hoping Book 3 goes into the lore of the New Gods more, especially after learning about the Old Gods previously. Maybe the New Gods can assist us in fighting Nifara.

But back to the actual theory part. For a brief second, lets pivot to something else.

Who is the only character in the party whose family lineage/parents are unknown? (Kade could technically count maybe, but not him).

Who’s familial background is a complete shot in the dark?

Not MC, they have memories of their parents before the raid on their hometown. They were also given different deeper backgrounds based on their race in Book 2.

It’s Nia. She was adopted by the Church of Light as an infant, and she never knew anything about her actual family.

Now, maybe it’s just a funny coincidence, but does anyone else find it a bit interesting that her last name (Ellarious) sounds very similar to the name Ellara? Hmm.

But perhaps it’s a just simply a coincidence.

We could also assume that Ellara is a mage of light magic, since we know that she was a mage that would presumably be using light magic to counter the shadow magic of the Dreadlord. And we know this was after Nifara already separated the world into Light and Shadow realms, so the elves at this time probably didn’t know about True magic. And if Ellara is a god, she must be really good at it.

Hmm. Is there anyone else we know who’s naturally attuned to magic, maybe light magic specifically?

And just one more thing. What does Ellara look like in that screenshot? What colors is she wearing? She seemed to be dressed in a lot of white and gold, and wearing jewelry. Red hair. Hmm.

If you haven’t guessed my theory that I’m hinting at, here it is:

What if Nia Ellarious is a descendent of/related to Ellara???

And I’ll be honest I remember the name being similar thing being a thought in my mind before but I didn’t put any connection to it in my mind I was just like “oh they both kinda sound similar that’s cool.”

But let me enlighten you on on more thing. The suffix “-ious” in the english language means “having/characterized by/to have characteristics of.”

Nia’s last name literally means “to have the characteristics of Ellara.”

ITS BEEN STARING US IN THE FACE THIS ENTIRE TIME.

Also worth pointing out that when we first met Nia in book 1 chapter 1, where were Scholar Vash and her heading to? The Temple of ELLARA

Like you can’t tell me All of this is a coincidence (it probably is).

[the-unconquered-queen]

You know, Blades of Light and Shadow gave us some really cool skills. Now that it's over, I have decided to rank my absolute favorites more-or-less definitively based on my playthrough and MC, so here goes.

Beastmaster - I know seduction and bows are the most popular among fans, but this one is simply too iconic to me. MC casually being a Disney Princess and busting out the animal speak? The complete lack of an explanation of how she knows how to fluently communicate with creatures she's never even encountered? Am I supposed to not recognize how impressive this is? Definitely the skill I missed the most in subsequent books.

Scythe - I will admit, this one snuck up on me. I love a bow and arrow, and with an elf MC, archery was even more perfect, so I always viewed that as my MC's signature weapon. But getting the scythe as the first skill in b3 and having the game mention that MC used to use those back in the farm made it all click for me—not only is it badass (being a scythe-wielder is so cunty, even just the visual of carrying it around), but it's a weapon she would have been better trained in than any of the others across books from all that farmwork growing up. So MC gets an aesthetically distinctive weapon AND it's a tie to her life in Riverbend, something I like to emphasize in my MC.

Bows - Here we go. I explained this one above. It's really straightforward—I just love a bow. Plus, Aerin's reaction to seeing MC with the premium bow in b1 suggests that it's very impressive, and I love that for my MC. It's definitely her second-most-used weapon.

Seduction - Y'all love it, and I love it. There's a badass energy that comes with seducing your enemies into defeat, plus it was just as amazing, if not more, to see the group (read: Mal) react to MC's seductions (shoutout to the Shadow Realm bug monster and also Xenia). Will forever owe this skill my life after it granted me the most iconic moment of the Aerin route ("All I want is to be with you" you will ALWAYS be famous).

Realmwalking - I feel like this one is not usually the first to come to mind when talking about cool skills since it's a default skill, but it is objectively so impressive that MC can do it. Also, it's great when it's there along with other skill-locked choices because it's the one skill everyone is guaranteed to have to get that xp.

Assorted, miscellaneous commentary on other skills (not rankings—I didn't feel like ranking all 42(?) skills):

Blades - Such a cool skill, doubly so once MC learns to enchant weapons to look extra badass like Tyril does. Or it would be. Because despite the series literally having "blades" in the name and how epic it would be for MC to focus on this kind of weapon after wielding the titular blades and defeating the Dreadlord, the actual blades skill is the second least relevant skill in all of book one (second to charisma, I think it was? The actual least relevant skill). And as someone who always goes for maximum XP in these books, I don't get to enjoy this skill because it's only called for near the very end of book one. I will also say that, given that it's "blades" and not "swords", there was more room to bond with Mal over daggers. Also, in book 2, at least, MC is shown to carry around a knife, so why am I not getting Mal and MC dual flipping their blades Loki-style together or tossing them between each other during fights?

Spellshot - I still don't barely know what this is

Alchemy - Makes MC come off as very smart, and it gives her something to bond over with Aerin? What more could I ask for? Just for that, I can forgive it for getting in the way of outfits.

Intimidate and dominate - This is the same skill twice. They were just running out of ideas. I realize that dominate is portrayed as somewhat magical (unlike intimidate), and don't get me wrong, it's a cool energy to intimidate/dominate enemies into submission, but again. Same skill twice. At least in use. Now, if this had at least had come up as an option in a sex scene... (I'm kidding. Maybe.)

Medicine and healing - Imo this is another case of essentially the same skill, not necessarily in nature but maybe in application. Don't get me wrong, I think there is a very clear difference between healing via magic versus using nonmagical resources (the latter of which may not always be available), but I feel there are instances in which MC could conceivably use them interchangeably but the game doesn't allow for that. Also a loss when you can no longer use these skills, because given how often MC and company get injured, it makes no sense in-universe for MC to not use them. Especially when all the healing gets relegated to Nia, who certainly is the best at doing it magically, but it's like. Y'all are leaving all this life-draining magic to the human person who is already well on track to have a tragically short lifespan when MC (who, in my pt, could easily live over 300 years) is perfectly capacitated to do the same, or, at the very least, concoct a salve or something? Do better.

Insight - I love that having common sense is a skill. Another one that makes my MC look smart.

Shadowsight - Cool skill, but I think it makes no sense that MC can just learn to see in the dark. I feel like instead of making this one a skill, it should have just been kept to race-exclusive dialogue/choices for elf MCs, who canonically have sharpened senses.

Light - Shoutout to this one. The bedrock of all magic skills. Many subsequent magic-related elite skills are just specific tricks, but this one is basically the branch of magic itself. And bonus points because it's MC's introduction to her own magic affinity.

Shatter - Remember how I mentioned when discussing Light that subsequent magic skills are generally specific tricks? This is one. I wish that it had been Valax teaching MC Shadow magic in general to parallel Nia teaching MC Light. Also wish MC could do more Shadow magic throughout the series period.

Divination - Super cool skill, but I don't think it makes any sense that it can be taught. I feel like it should be something you're either born with or you just don't have it. And ultimately, it ended up being fairly useless in the story.

Shapechange - AMAZING skill that I wish we'd gotten for longer, but just like divination, I think it makes no sense that someone can just learn it, especially since it's so easy. Literally all my MC did was listen to her friends' common-sense advice and will her body to change and it did. Like divination and several other super useful skills, it also makes no sense that only MC learns it, because you're telling me they're giving out free shapeshifting/clairvoyance lessons but everyone else just sits them out when it would come in incredibly handy on their quests to have everyone train to the best of their ability? At the end of the day, I definitely prefer MC being more powerful than less powerful, but this is almost absurd. That's it, that's the only reason I don't place it up on the proper rankings even though it's certainly more than good enough to earn its place.

The Blades writers really went "this is MC she's the hero of the realms (also potentially royalty) and she can walk between them at will and she can see the future and she can shapeshift and and she can see in the dark and talk to animals and wield at least nine weapons and and and-" like they may have overdone it because at this point she's a basically a goddess herself 😅.

I actually don't know/haven't thought out the extent to which the version of MC I imagine in my head has all these skills, because if she truly has the 42 skills simultaneously (which would be the case in-universe, only that for whatever reason she doesn't make use of all of them), it's comically unrealistic and borders on Mary Sueism. But again. Beats being underpowered, so.

[somerandomjewelleryonthefloor]

Through the Solace-Bolas-Verse .ೃ࿐

Chapter 1: Shining Light

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. · ───

Summary: "The beloved Bolas party find themselves between universes after finding out Solace entered a diamension entirely different to his own, thus a quest in finding him is fast-tracked"

Characters: Nia, Mal, Tyril, Imtura, Aerin, Valax, Solace + Alternate versions of characters seen/mentioned.

Word count: 4722 lol

Warnings?: this drabble was a bit rushed so it may be a little fast, have some editing mistakes, and might have ooc characters (soz). (This was made late at night, and I just wanted to push past it so I could get into the actual good stuff.)

Extra notes: THIS ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE PROFESSIONAL AND GOOD. IT'S SILLY. IT'S SILLY AND GOOFY. DON'T GO INTO THIS THINKING IT'S AMAZING PLS.

────────────────────────

It was... An experience.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-" was what Nia, Mal, Aerin, and Tyril screamed as they fell through webs of colour flashing lights.

"WHAT THE FUC-" Imtura cut off her relatable expression of shock, as everything went stable. Somehow?

Everyone, besides Solace, had fallen through a hole of space-time, and had ended up in the very in-between tethers of what connects every life of every realm of every diamension of their world.

They however, don't know this, so they are absolutely screaming as they suddenly come to a halt in their fall. Simply floating in mid-air.

"..." Valax however was simply stunned to silence, not screaming the entire time as she was frozen. Looking around her.

All around them lines of multiple colours were running like streams of water. Beyond that was black space, and these streams went high up above them and fell way down below. All around them was the sound of humming energy. Think of the hum of bees, mixed with crystals gently tapping together.

Nia had carefully moved her hands off her face, her hair Infront of her was floating above her forehead as she struggled to find words. What was she seeing?

Mal was upside down as looked at what was below him, his hand tightly holding onto Tyril's as they looked together.

Imtura was holding onto Valax by both her arms, though realising it was somewhat safe- she let Valax drift away from her.

"... What in all hells is this?"

Ah. See, this is-

"Who is that!?" Aerin looked around himself, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Where are we!?" Tyril questioned, his hand touching the hilt of his sword.

"WHY are we here?" Nia questioned, her hands clasped together tightly.

"How did we get here in the first place?!" After breaking from her silence, her arms filled with shadows as a fierce-yet-inquisitive look filled her eye.

"And where the hells is Solace!?" Imtura grabbed both her axes, her golden eyes burning as her knuckles went white. Ready to fight whoever was speaking.

To answer questions- 1. Well you can call me whatever. The universe is offensive here though, as 2. you're currently in-between universes. Think of like space between 2 books on a shelf, that sort of thing. For 3 & 4. You're here because a portal to this still area of time. 5. Solace is fine, he's just in another dimension.

"... WHAT." Mal screamed as he looked up, at nothing, "what do you mean!?"

Mal, should you honestly be this shocked? You've battled the ash empire and the Dreadlord, and you're heroes of Morella of all empires, I'm sure this is not that bad.

Everyone went silent at that. Honestly yeah, this shouldn't be too bad anymore. Not after what they've been through. They battled the Dreadlord, they battled the entire Ash Empire, they battled the literal gods of their world. Being in the middle of the threads that hold this bubble of universes together? It's fucking weird, but it's less intimidating in a way.

Looking around once more, their eyes widened as they fully took it in. They are in the middle of their world.

Valax looked up, remembering something the voice said.

"Solace is in another universe?"

Yes. And he has to find you guys to get back to YOUR original universe... The problem is that because he slipped through to another universe, he opened the portal to this area.

"... What are you saying exactly?" Nia asked.

I'm saying, that you guys need to go on another adventure. Diamension-hopping to be exact.

...

Once again, everything went silent. Imtura's hands on her axes loosened as she looked around again, along with everyone else.

Oh don't worry, I'll help. I love Solace, and I can see he's sad without you guys. And I can't let my greatest creation be sad.

"... What do you mean he's your greatest creation? Isn't he his parents' creation?"

Well yes. BUT. I created and manipulated his life. From the way he was born, to how he would be raised, to what characteristics he'd have, to what he'd look like- that whole thing, and it took me centuries to form him perfectly. He's my magnum opus.

"Oh?" Tyril simply said in response to that, "does that mean you made... Us?"

Oh. No, no I didn't. See, while I made Solace and some others, there are other voices more powerful than me who have made you all and everything else. There's also voices whom I'm friends with, who are on my level as well- but that's all. I don't know much.

"That's... Oh... Kay..." Aerin rubbed his temples as he tried to deal with this again.

Right next to Mal, he curiously tapped the water-like stream of colour. Immediately after the interaction, the stream burst of light and a large window popped up.

Looking in, Mal could see a version of WhiteTower that was a city in the trees. Wooden platforms high above the ground as children walked with their parents, animals both fantastical & not lounged on branches in harmony. Markets existed in rows upon the bridges that suspended them, and houses were inside tree trunks. In the near distance, a tree of gigantic stature and being guarded by guards had sat imposing on it all. The castle.

The window then closed, and the stream went by as usual as the bright light dimmer. Leaving Mal speechless at the sight.

It's beautiful isn't it?

Upon the voice speaking, a portal popped up. It was bright, and no one could see what was on the other side.

I'll try and guide you to him whenever I can, but that's all I'll say. I think it's best we hurry along now.

The portal then started pulling at everyone, like small fish to a whirlpool, and screams of shock filled the still-air as everyone was pulled in abruptly.

The portal of bright white light closed as they made it through safely, their screams ending.

The voice, idk how, looked at you.

Are you genuinely going to continue reading this?

You nod.

Sigh. Well alright. You know what you were getting into anyway when you read the tags + summary anyway.

...

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. · ───

Everyone landed with a small thud as they hit soft grass. The portal above them closes up, leaving only them as evidence of jumping dimension.

They were currently in a field of thick tall grass, scratching their clothes and skin as dew stuck to them all. The sun was bright above them, as trees as big as palace walls laid in random parts of the meadow.

The sounds of hooves were around them, as neigh of horses could be heard. Some bucks, and some snorts. Obviously some animal was finding this intriguing. 6 random people just fell from a portal, in the middle of them eating.

One horse sniffed at Aerin's hair, digging its snout into his short black locks.

"Hrm?" Aerin looked up. Only seeing pale white skin and 2 big black eyes staring into his. He jerked back as everyone else was grabbing their bearings.

Getting on her feet, Valax stood as she looked around her. They were circled by horses. Pale white horses with silver hair, and... Long straight horns?

Nia could only gasp as she looked at them, whilst Mal and Tyril and Imtura were all rubbing their heads respectively. Disoriented, and still trying to understand what the fuck happened 5 minutes ago.

"Oh! Unicorns, were surrounded by unicorns!" Nia's eyes lit up with awe. In their universe, Unicorns were said to be extinct, so seeing so many in this universe was exciting.

"I can see that..." Valax simply looked behind the unicorns, and towards the distant city of WhiteTower.

Its walls were massive and covered in vines, runes, and gold detailing. It was glowing from the sun's light rays reflecting off the metallic surfaces. The palace's large torrents and sharp peaks holding the WhiteTower flag were barely visible.

Well, at least they know where to go for supplies.

As Mal got up, a unicorn bumped his forehead with its horn. His hair was ruffled and his face was covered in grass. It looked at him with its beady black eyes before it softly stomped its feet. A sound almost familiar to a laugh left its long snout.

"Oh, you think you're funny?" Mal rolled his eyes as he got the grass off his face, rubbing it off and onto his clothes instead.

The unicorn only whinnied, before shaking its head and snorting, backing away to eat the grass.

Mal ran his hands through his hair, fixing it up before he looked towards Tyril, who was just getting up.

"Well this is... A situation" Tyril could only whisper as a unicorn went towards him, sniffing him.

It was almost a nice gesture he figured, before the unicorn licked his messy hair back.

"Oh!" Tyril would have been disgusted, but knowing that unicorns are elegant creatures who usually have good intentions.

"Thank you?" He smiled a little, though it almost broke as he touched his house-licked back hair. Feeling the saliva.

Aerin was marveling in silence at seeing so many unicorns at once. He did see and ride one back at Deadwood with Solace as they got back from whimsywood, but still. Seeing so many alive and living their lives was stunning

Imtura simply stood up, arms crossed as she looked at everyone else. Though a unicorn foal had bumped its head into her leg, making her look back at it.

"Hm?" She felt its small bump on its forehead as he continued pushing its forehead into her calf.

The foals mother was right behind it, just watching.

"So, where should we go? Solace could be anywhere..." Mal questioned, "I mean that voice didn't give us anything, like a compass or anything..."

As if on cue, one unicorn neighed and started moving down towards the dirt path. It must've been a leader of sorts, as all the others walked with it.

Though it looked back and stopped when it saw that the group wasn't following. Looking at them.

The other unicorns looked back at them as well, as if questioning "are you following?".

Everyone looked at eachother for a moment. Aerin already had a leg forward to follow them, and Valax wanted to get to WhiteTower for supplies. It was a silent conversation, but with their eyes- they had agreed that following the unicorn group would have been their best bet.

As they walked with them, the walls of WhiteTower seemed to have grown taller and taller the closer they got. More detail such as lizards scaling the walls, and small chips in the wall grew more frequently as they got closer.

When they had gotten to the gates, the golden gates adorned with pearls and runes, they all stopped. It was massive, and they almost broke their necks looking up at it.

"Well, this is massively different from the gates I'm used to..." Aerin said, his eyes widening.

The WhiteTower they knew was steel gates of little detail, not such gorgeous architecture as this.

"Whom goes-" a guard, covered in gold armour covered in runes, with a crest on their breastplate of the WhiteTower flag. Though they stopped speaking as they saw the group of unicorns in front of the group.

"Oh, friends of Elypsus? Off you go, then"

The guard then went back and talked to the gate-master, who opened the large golden gates wide for them all to go in.

The unicorns strutted in WhiteTower casually, so Elypsus was presumably the leader unicorn that herded the group towards WhiteTower. Definitely of importance too if they were allowed in just because they were with this unicorn as well.

Inside was even more stunning.

Walls covered in runes, glowing bright blue, and streets made of yellow bricks, with buildings that tower high above. Everyone didn't seem phased that there were unicorns in their presence, only simply doing a small bow as they passed by. Everyone was wearing clothes made of either satin silks or leather and calico.

"It's so different..." Nia looked around, gawking at everything in sight.

Birds were resting on roofs, squawking, and WhiteTower seemed to have not a piece of trash on the floor.

If you looked at the main streets anyway.

Mal looked behind that, and saw the slums that rested behind the pristine buildings in a deep shadow. The slums looked almost identical as they did in their universe. Though they looked better in a way. The buildings didn't look broken or worn down and the stone that covered the floor wasn't chipped. Just full of graffiti. Though, you could still people with mangled hair and holding cups as they sat on curbs, and the occasional shapes in the shadows staring out.

"Yet still the same..." Mal sighed, looking towards them for a few more seconds before Nia's voice brought him back to the present.

"So, uhm, Elypsus... Are you guiding us? If so, could you point us in a direction please?" Nia asked the lead unicorn.

Elypsus simply snorted a bit, before his head moved and his horn pointed towards the Temple of Light.

Upon seeing where they had to go, Nia sighed. The temple of light wasnt the worst place to go, though the things that happened there still remained in her mind. Though this was a different universe, so maybe... Just maybe... It wouldn't be the same.

Nia nodded, letting Elypsus walk with his group of wild unicorns along the streets of WhiteTower.

"Let's hope Solace is at that temple to make it easy for us" Imtura rolled her shoulders back as she tried to relax.

The temple wasn't exactly the first place anyone wanted to go to, but if the unicorns guided them there, then there has to be something invaluable there.

Picking up their feet, everyone walked towards the Temple of Light. A temple adorned of white and gold, with a symbol of the light carved in gold and standing on top of the temple.

Walking in, it seemed almost completely empty.

Empty marble benches, pristine clean floors, and large windows that filled the entire room with light. On the walls there were portraits of figures of white and on tables there were candles A-plenty.

The entire room seemed empty, that was unless you looked at the figure in the middle of the room, back turned. They were covered in white silks and floor length cloth adorned with sparkles and tiny pearl beads. Because they were wearing white, they almost blended into the room.

"Excuse me?" Nia asked, her voice almost a whisper.

Turning their head, everyone saw an all-too familiar face. His eyes were droopy as he hummed, though he dropped the broom and let it fall out of his hand. It clattered to the ground as a charming bright smile filled his face, eyes widened and glimmering like jewels.

"Nia! Oh thank the light, you're okay!"

Solace turned around and ran to her. Almost putting her in a tackle as he hugged her tightly. Tyril had to hold his jaw from dropping.

As Solace backed up, they could see him clearly.

Long White robes covered his body, though underneath was an almost sheer maxi silver dress. It turned transparent at the collarbone and it all was a deep contrast to his black skin. Though his gold markings on his body complimented the robes well. He almost looked like a ghost, with the light from the windows hitting him and turning into a beacon of light, as if his beauty was radiating off of him.

They all could only stare, taking him in.

"Wow..." Imtura whispered, her gaze flicking from Solace's head to his boots. Twice.

Aerin could only look away, face flushed, faux-coughing awkwardly to try and seem casual.

Solace's white hair was in a long braid that fell to the floor, and was covered in a silk veil that lightly covered his gorgeous gold and purple eyes. His face was still sharp, though his gaze behind his long eyelashes was gentle and almost alluring. But something was off.

This wasn't THEIR Solace, though he looked identical to him. This Solace was dressed like a devout worshipper of The Light, and their Solace doesn't like any of the gods and goddesses to begin with, only appreciating the elements.

"Oh, my Nia. I'm so glad you're okay" Solace cradled Nia's face with his long fingers as he smiled, though his gaze flicked to everyone else.

"Who are they?"

"Oh, these are my friends, I wanted you to meet while I was... Gone?" Nia had to put on a fake smile, though it was dropping bit-by-bit every second she kept it on.

"... Nia, I know that's a lie, what's going on?" Solace's hands left Nia's face, his head tilted as he looked at everyone else. Not catching Aerin as Imtura's body covered him.

The action made Mal's eye twitch, it was adorable when he tilted his head and he had to restrain himself from saying something possibly stupid.

Nia sighed. She moved some of her hair behind her ear before she spoke up again.

"Listen, it's a lot to explain...-"

Exactly 3 minutes later, Nia had retold the events that preceded meeting him.

There was worry etched on his face, and his face was covered with a frown.

"Well, pray to the light that you find him... But I will admit that I'm sad it wasn't my Nia that came to me..." He admitted, looking down at the ground before shaking his head for a second and saying nothing more.

He fiddled with his hands as solemn silence overcame the group.

"What do you mean?" Valax asked.

She walked behind Nia and placed a hand on her shoulder as she looked at Solace, something about him saying His Nia didn't come up to him was strange.

Solace couldn't bear looking at Nia anymore, tears pricked his eyes as he turned around, trying to sound as dignified as possible.

"... A few days ago, my Nia disappeared and I don't know where she's gone. It may be related to the whole Dimension-hopping thing you told me about... But I'm just grasping at straws to keep my own mind at peace..."

He then walked back to where he was. Kneeling down and grabbing the broom off the floor, he went back to sweeping the floors.

"Please though, make yourself comfortable... This isn't exactly a fun predicament to be in, so take time to relax..." He said, before everyone was silent. Again.

Whilst Mal and everyone else took a seat on the marble benches, Nia gazed longingly at Solace as he swept. Back turned to everyone else. She couldn't see him, but she could see that he was crying as his body lightly trembled and the way one of his hands kept coming to his face.

It was honestly horrible. This wasn't her Solace, her best friend, but it still was Solace. Seeing him hurt like this tugged at her heart.

Imtura saw how she was looking at him, and she frowned.

"Priestess? You doing okay?"

"No... I want Solace to be okay, but I don't know how to go up to him and comfort him without making him even more upset..."

Imtura was silent, looking back at Solace and then Nia again.

"Because you can't. It's gonna be emotional anyway..." She shrugged, "I guess the best you could do is just... Make sure he doesn't lose hope in finding His Nia..."

Nia perked up at that. Yeah, that could be it. Make sure he doesn't lose hope in finding His Nia. A small smile appeared on her lips. That was the best she could do if she wanted to comfort this Solace.

She wrapped her arms around Imtura, to Imtura's surprise.

"Uhm. What's this for?"

"Because you're amazing, that's why..."

Nia then let Imtura go, standing up and walking over to Solace. As that happened, Imtura watched her walk over before turning her head to see Mal and Tyril observing the portraits of light on the wall.

Behind her, Aerin was sitting on the same bench as Valax, both sitting on opposite sides of the bench. Valax had her arms in her lap as she gazed around the temple, and Aerin was looking at the floor with his arms crossed.

As Solace wiped a few tears from his eye, Nia appeared by his side. He didn't she was there until she waved a hand in front of his face. Turning to look at her, his face was flushed with silver stars as tears streamed down his cheeks and soaking the neck of his robes.

He tried to wipe them quickly, but Nia put a gentle hand on his arm.

"Solace..." The words almost got stuck in her throat, but she pushed through and asked him, "I know you miss Nia... Your Nia from this universe... But... Could I maybe ask you about her? I'm curious about myself, and..."

A small sheepish smile formed on her lips as she looked at him.

"I just want to try and make you feel better. What better way then telling stories? You do it all the time..."

"O-oh... Uhm..." Solace let out a chuckle, fanning down his face with his hand, "I mean... I can try... Though the other priests don't exactly approve of my storytelling... Uhm..."

Hearing that made her heart clench. Of course, the priests wouldn't want him to tell stories of anything. Though him being a priest in training, he must barely have any stories to share as there is nowhere to go besides stay at the temple and keep in WhiteTower strictly unless he traveled like she did, around the kingdom with Scholar Vash.

"It's alright..." She grabbed his arm and put her 2 hands around his palm, holding it gently, "Even a telling of how you and Nia met would be nice..."

Solace looked at her for a good minute, before he started smiling, a new flood of tears coming out of his eyes.

"Wow... I guess you aren't any different from her after all... Just appearance..." He pulled her in for a small hug, "How nice... You're still my sister"

He whispered as he hugged her tightly. He leaned down, putting his head on top of hers. Some tears dropping on her blazing ginger hair.

Her eyes widened as he called her that, tears of her own rolling down her cheeks as she patted his back. She didn't know why, but being called his "sister" meant so much...

They were close, insanely close. The closest of best friends in all of Morella, like twin flames. To have confirmation that he sees her like that, it made her happy. Happier than she had ever been these past few hours.

Yes... She was his sister, and he was her brother. Like how he and Kade are family, she was a part of his and he was a part of hers too.

...

After the moment, they released eachother.

"C'mon, this floor is as shiny as it can get, let's go sit down, you can tell me then" Nia said, grabbing a hold of his hand.

"Oh fine, you're right..." Solace's grip on her hand was tight as well.

The kindred spirits walked over to the marble benches, their boots both made a satisfying click sound as they walked.

Now sitting down next to eachother on a marble bench, 2 benches away from everyone else, Solace lit up a minute orb of light in his hand from his fingertips.

In the air, it shined a dazzling gold and looked like a blob of light plucked from the rays of the sun. Solace pointed at it.

"Pretend that's me, right?... Well, I was recently taken from being found in a forest area. Apparently The priests were traveling around Morella to find a convention for all the priests of The Light, and coming back they found me sparking magic from my hands."

Solace's voice was smooth, like he wasn't crying a few moments ago. As he continued on, his voice echoed throughout the temple and eased the thought of mind of anyone who listened. Using the orb to show the story in real time, he split it into two separate orbs and pointed to the other one.

"While I was waiting in a hallway, you peeked out the door and looked at me. You said you heard of another person your age coming here from the other acolytes, and you wanted to see me..."

As he continued, Nia smiled as she listened to this story. Knowing that she wasn't growing up almost alone with no other person in this world, that she grew up with Solace and they both were family ever since they were infants, and knowing that their bond was as strong as hers with her Solace.

She was glad.

"And then a priest told off us for getting into a fruit bowl in the kitchens, but that's besides the point-"

His storytelling was cut short as they felt a strong hum of energy behind them. Turning to look, a bright white portal full of light opened at the temples closed doors.

Solace was mesmerised at the sight, though he looked toward everyone and Nia and frowned.

"Is that the portal that brought you here?"

"Yes... It is... And I'm guessing that our time is up"

"Oh."

Getting up, Solace held up a finger and mouthed "wait" before he dashed off to a hallway in the temple.

Everyone got up, looking at the portal. It wasn't pulling them in like it did the last time, so that was nice. Though, because the portal was here, the voice must've found another way to a different universe for them to try their luck.

Nia looked towards it, sadness filling her heart. She didn't want to leave this Solace, but she knew that she had to find Her Solace. Her twin flame along with everyone else, as he was loved by the others as well.

As she dusted off her pants, the others called to Nia.

"Nia, are you coming?" Mal called out to her.

She held up a finger, telling him to wait for a second or two as she looked towards the hallway that Solace disappeared.

It wasn't long until Solace came back into the room, though he held a mesh little pouch in his hand.

Walking over to Nia, he grabbed her hand and placed the bag in her palm. Inside, Nia could see 7 large pearls resting together.

"I want to make sure you all stay safe... So, here's some enchanted pearls for all of your party to take. It keeps Ill-intentioned people away, if I did the spell right..."

Solace chuckled and smiled at himself, backing up a bit as he let Nia observe the pearls. A smile on her face as she looked at them shimmering.

"Thank you, Solace..."

"I'll pray to the light that you find your brother, and safe travels..."

Solace walked up to her and gave one last reciprocated hug, before standing by and watching as she turned around with a wave and walked down the aisle to the portal.

Nia kept looking at the pearls in the mesh bag, looking at hem fondly as she walked towards the portal with everyone else.

Mal looked back at Solace, sighing.

"Honestly, if him looking beautiful like that is a possible indicator for what the other Solace's we may see will look like, I think I'll be dead."

"It is Solace, love, he will always be beautiful" Tyril looped his arm around Mal's arm, pushing him forward.

"Well, let's hope he's not drop-dead beautiful like you, or my heart won't take it." Mal leaned his head on Tyril's shoulder.

"Please, he could be in tattered clothes and you'd still drool" Aerin whispered, which made Mal flick his forehead.

"You're one to talk, Princeling"

"Now now ladies, can we hurry up and get on with this?" Imtura walked into the portal, along with Valax and Aerin.

Tyril and Mal followed through after them, leaving only Nia.

She looked back at Solace, who only smiled at her and waved one last time.

Shooting him a smile, she turned away and entered the portal, it closing immediately after her form succumbed to the pulsing light.

✯¸.•´*¨`*•✿ ♡ ✿•*`¨*`•.¸✯

[Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8]

[normal-thoughts-official]

my absolute favorite part of book 2 is definitely the way they're addressing the whole good/evil dichotomy and how great historical myths like the fight against the dreadlord are used to manipulate people into believing supremacist bullshit. tyril is being extremely annoying this chapter but i am enjoying the way they are talking about it and questioning this whole nodtalgia for the elven empire, and how even supposedly progressive people (like tyril) can have some shockingly gross beliefs if they don't question this stuff. idk i just think it's neat that they're showing the cracks in the whole wrapped up good versus evil narrative of book 1, and bringing up some important subjects about how nationalist mythology is fundamentally self serving and manipulative

[rosesnink]

Orc Has a Heart-to-Heart with Orc

Author's Notes

Guess what's back by popular demand! More Blades MCs interacting in honour to the new Blades book! This time, I had the honour to write Brienne with @rjschoicesstuff 's iconic MC Rex, who was such a delight to write! Consider this a thank you for everything that you do for the fandom, and enjoy this highly anticipated fic!

If you think YOUR MC would vibe with mine, let me know!

English isn't my first language, so please forgive any typos/grammar mistakes

Next on the list: Maiele Nightbloom, Raine Parnassus and Autumn Nightbloom ( @lilyoffandoms @thosehallowedhalls & @dutifullynuttywitch 's MCs)

If you wish to be added to my Blades tag, tell me!

Likes are nice, but reblogs keeps a post alive and reaches more people

Summary: On the celebration of her victory over the Dreadlord, Brienne encounters an orc that she can relate to... in every single way.

Word Count: 1.1k

Category: Platonic friendship, LGBT+, fluff, comfort

Pairing: F!Orc!MC x Bigender!Orc!MC

Rating: G

Book: Blades of Light and Shadow II

As Brienne left behind the dancing bodies of the party in the Temple of Ellara, she sat on the stairs, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, the warm wind warming her bones and playing with her purple skirt, feeling a bit lighter after all that socializing.

Then, her subconscious told her that she was being watched. Opening her eyes, she scanned the party, people either getting drunk, talking and laughing or dancing wildly. Until her eyes set on a shy orc, glancing at her, his hair in a mullet and a small armor in her tall, strong body. She smiled at him, and she blushed. Feeling that he must be shy, Brienne approached the ogling orc “Copper for your thoughts?”

The orc’s eyes shoot up and started sputtering “Oh, uh—well, um, that is to say… you—you look beautiful. Purple is, it suits you.”

Brienne chortled fondly and extended her hand “Brienne.”

“Uh, R-Rex. My name is, yes, Rex.” She blinked and took a deep breath and shook Brienne’s hand nervously, and Brienne decided not to tease the flushing orc about his sweaty hands.

Brienne was usually taller than the average Morellan, but being a bit shorter definitely was a relief. She smiled brightly at her “What brings you here, Rex? You’re far away from Flotilla, don’t you think?”

“I, um, live here. Grew up here, in Riverbend, I meant, n-not the temple.”

Brienne beamed. On her trip, she had found many elves and humans, many whom she remembered fondly, but seeing an orc who had grown up like her… it was such a relief. She beamed “Oh my Gods, me too! I grew up in a farm near the pond, with Dr. Kerrigan and his wife after he took me in after the raids in which my mother…”

Rex softened and placed a meaty hand on her shoulder “My mother died on the raids outside too. I was taken too by a kind farmer.”

Brienne felt a warmth in her heart that she hadn’t felt in a while. She had met many orcs that called her ‘landrat’ and were weary of her because she had been raised by humans, but to find someone she shared this with… it was like she was seen for the first time.

“Tell me about him.” She then extended her arm and Rex took it, both walking away from the party, allowing themselves some privacy as Rex started telling her tales of his foster father.

“He was gruff, and didn’t talk much, but he taught me everything I knew then and gave a home and a family. What about you?”

“Eugene wasn’t much of a talker either. He was in fact austere and a man of few words, but he taught me how to fight, heal and charm people as well as he taught me how to sew my own clothes, take care of myself and took me to the library where I could read after helping him in his job. I wasn’t cutting patients, mostly grunt work he couldn’t do due to his age, but it was work, and always defended my name and was the closest thing I ever got to a father.”

Rex nodded, actively listening to Brienne “I didn’t visit him much, but he always seemed like an honest and simple man. I’m glad you were taken care of.”

They smiled to one another and breathed into the beautiful field of lilies and primroses until Brienne asked “I wonder if you’ve ever felt… like an intruder. Like… deep down, this isn’t where you shouldn’t be. You’re in the way of everyone and one day the people will turn you in and… sell you to a noble or kick you out?”

Rex sighed “Yes. I do. I mean, most orcs have been nice, but… they all seem to know so much of their own race and I…”

“Don’t?” Brienne finished. Then, she sighed “I feel like I am between two words. Not human enough for the humans, but not orcish enough for the orcs. Always on the fence, both sides not wanting me… it just stings. It’s completely humiliating, that neither of your heritages seem to want you…”

Rex tentatively put a hand on Brienne’s and smiled shyly “We can be an unwanted clan. I-If you’d like.”

Brienne smirked teasingly “I wouldn’t mind forming a clan of unwanted orcs with your handsome self.”

Rex blushed deep and coughed “That’s, um, nice.”

“Are you always so eloquent when a girl flirts with you?”

Rex covered his face with her hands and sighed “I’m… not used to someone as pretty as you to flirt with… me.”

Brienne batted her eyelashes “You think I’m pretty?”

Rex looked for a moment at Brienne. She was wearing a summer purple dress with an accentuated bosom that remarked her strikingly bulging breasts, her hair black and curly down, carefully brushed, and smelled like fresh pine trees and lavender. Brienne leaned closer, and Rex looked away. “No need to be shy, beauty. I do not bite. Unless you’re into it.”

Brienne saw Rex gulp and then turned to look at her again “I’m… I…”

“May I kiss you, Rex?”

Rex took a deep breath, and nodded. Brienne approached carefully, seeing if Rex was comfortable, and he was. Then, she planted a soft kiss on her lips, and allowed Rex to take command. It was short and sweet, and Rex smiled despite being all flushed.

They laid on the grass, staring at the clear blue sky, hands brushing as they observed the scenery in silence.

“I think I needed this,” Brienne murmured.

“Need what?”

“To be understood. Seen. Relate to someone.”

Rex smiled “Me too. It is a shame that we have to part ways…”

Brienne sighed “I know… But for now, I shall stall as much as I can.”

“Your friends may be wondering where you are.”

Brienne smirked “Let them miss me a little.”

Both orcs laughed, allowing the sunlight to kiss their green skins, the sunset coming at any minute. In a few hours, she’d be off to the next rift. Anything could happen. But for now, she cared nothing for it. It was her, Rex and the orange sun slowly setting on the horizon.

Both orcs looked at one another, and pulled the other into a tender hug. They gave each other a comforting smile “Will I see you again?”

“Of course. And we’ll have a good ale and many things to tell the other, I’m sure.”

Rex was about to say something when a deep, feminine voice called “Oi, Rex!”

Nia’s voice called “Brienne!”

Chuckling, they got up “See you soon.”

“Until next time, Rex.”

[cursedbanalities]

A (Short) Monologue of Strahd von Zarovich

***Spoilers for The Curse of Strahd Fifth Edition D&D Module

[[I wrote this after the party infiltrated Castle Ravenloft to save their NPC companion, Ireena Kolyana (Or Tatyana, according to Strahd), from the clutches of Vampire Lord Strahd von Zarovich. I've been playing Strahd as a sort of incel version of Astarion from BG3, preferring to play with his food and ducking out once any form of trouble emerges. The party climbed to the top of the highest tower and destroyed Strahd's "Heart of Sorrow" in the process. Not only did this weaken The Dreadlord Strahd, but it allowed the party access to Ireena-- Strahd's bride to be. The fight with the Heart of Sorrow greatly weakened the party, causing the Paladin to use his remaining spell slots and charges of his vampire-slaying magical items.

[[They found their way to the castle's chapel and, not knowing exactly where they are, decided to break open the boarded-up stained glass windows. After ten-to-fifteen minutes of work, and with a loud crash of breaking glass, the party begins climbing out of the window, when...]]

"Leaving so soon?" you hear a snide, booming voice echo through the chapel. The bats that once hung from the ceiling all wake up, flying about the room like a black storm of wings, fur, and fangs. Amidst the chaos, a silhouette of a man begins to form in front of you. As suddenly as it began, it ends. There's a deathly silence in Castle Ravenloft's Chapel as Strahd von Zarovich gazes upon you all, with a slight scowl on his face. "So, I see you've found Tatyana," he begins, forcing a smile. "And you've found the Heart of Sorrows, have you? Do you think that this will change any of your fates?" He takes a step towards you, ''I can always get another glass heart to restore me. I have nothing but time and power in this world, and that is merely an annoyance. However, you are all finally and truly becoming a thorn in my side!" He whips his cape up, and points a gnarled, clawed hand at you. His face contorts as he bears his fangs. Yet, with a cool voice he says, "You may be walking away with my bride, but I know you'll be back soon. I know your desires to slay me and steal my land out from under me! However, I won't let you leave with Tatyana… not without taking one of you for my own! Now… will one of you give yourself up? Or will I have to choose one to purge from Barovia?"

[[I wrote this expecting them to fight back, but they immediately let one of their NPCs (a wereraven I made on the spot named "Cleetus") sacrifice his life, believing that Strahd would let them leave the castle. However, after tearing out the throat of Cleetus, Strahd gave a bloody grin and began his assault on the party anyways. This was a fantastic session that lead to the party barely scraping by with their lives. Strahd may have let them escape for now... but who knows what'll happen now that the party has left...?]]

[calebly]

Reyna right after fighting her way back to the Light Realm✨

@bladesrc

We all know who I am, you know I had to start with angst🙈 I also decided to go a little extra and wrote a mini fic for this edit!

At first, she was blinded by the bright lights reflecting in the marble chamber and stunned as her head hit the ground. Then, all she heard was buzzing in her ears and some commotion in the distance. Someone was approaching, she deduced from the rhythmic thumping on the ground, and soon she felt the touch of so well-known hands on her cheek. Groaning, she forced herself to a sitting position, but immediately regretted that, feeling as if a wave of nausea was about to hit. 

She remembered saying something to him, and then vomiting, but after that she lost contact with reality, not unconscious but not able to take care of herself either, and that's when Kade took over, just as she'd done for him many times before.

When she came to, she was lying in bed in a familiar chamber with Kade holding her hand to his lips. There were two guards stationed by the door and she immediately tensed.

“Kade,” she whispered. “Am I in trouble?”

“Reya, thank the stars,” he mumbled, opening his eyes immediately at the sound of her voice, and he rushed to close his sister in a bear hug. She enveloped him too, although without as much force.

“You're hurting me.”

“Sorry, sorry, I am just so happy to see you again.”

Kade pulled away, but his hands remained on her shoulders, holding her in place as he took in the sight of her with glassy eyes and a big smile on his face. Reyna smiled back at him, but her brows furrowed.

“Why are you acting like this?”

“Like what?”

“Like you haven't seen me in so long. It was just a couple of days, I know it must’ve been stressful but—”

“Reya, you’ve been gone for a year.”

“Impossible,” she whispered, shaking her head. Only then she remembered that the last time she saw her brother his face was covered in bruises, while now there was not a single trace of them. Her face fell. “Where’s Tyril?”

Kade bit his lip, his hand now squeezed Reyna’s in a poor attempt to calm her down. “Don’t get nervous, you should be resting.”

“Did something happen to him?”

“No! No, he’s alright, it’s just… He’s in Undermount. Pretty much everyone left the castle by now, only Threep and Loola are here.”

They left. She swallowed slowly, trying to calm her nerves and to sort out her thoughts. “He left?”

“We combed through the Royal Archives together for months, but at last we reached the conclusion that perhaps the elves have the answers we were looking for, so he went back to work from there. He’s still looking, he didn’t leave you,” Kade reassured. “I’ll call a chambermaid for you and—”

"No, don’t. I’m alright, I can still take care of myself,” she stopped him and smiled weakly. 

“Are you sure?”

“I am," she nodded lazily. "I just want to take the bubbliest bath in history, my whole body hurts." 

Kade gently squeezed his sister's hand and sent her a reassuring smile. "Alright, you deserve it. I'll send for a physician in an hour, and then—"

"Send for Tyril, please."

As she caught a sight of her broken body in the mirror, she was glad the room was only illuminated by several candles. Her feet brought her closer to the reflective surface, her lip quivered unwillingly. 

Her fingers touched the protruding clavicles, then ribs, only to finally slide down to her hip bones, covered in multicoloured bruises. She lost weight. Her split lip started bleeding again, and she watched as the blood drops slid down her chin and then down her chest.

“Oh.”

A battleground. The first chance she had to see herself in a mirror was right before she entered the tub, inviting with the warm scent of lavender. Her body was a battleground. 

She swore under her breath, taking in every little bruise and cut, touching it just a bit too roughly, which caused additional waves of pain. Her body looked worse than after the battle with the Dreadlord.

Reyna shuddered at the thought of another scientist's hands touching her broken body, being exposed to another stranger. She felt lonely, her skin was cold. She wanted Tyril to hold her, to kiss every bruise and cut, to massage healing ointments into her skin as tenderly as only his hands could. But what if he didn't wait for her? What if it proved too much for him, and he found someone better in his homeland? What if her friends didn't look for her any more? 

Sighing heavily, Reyna carefully took off her underwear, cringing with every move, and threw it on the floor, intending to dispose of it the second she leaves the bathroom. 

She slowly submerged in the steaming water, and a sigh of relief left her lips when she lied comfortably in the tub. The bubbles happily burst against her skin, tickling her in the most delicate way, reminding her that one's touch can be gentle. If not for the burning in his eyes, she wouldn’t realise she was crying. She had no reason to—she didn’t even know what happened, after all. She didn’t remember. The wounds would heal and she would be brand new. She would find her friends, and they would be together again. All would be well. So why was she weeping, unable to catch a breath?

When she left the bathtub, the mirror was fogged, concealing her reflection from her eyes. It was better that way, she preferred not to see herself. 

Reyna looked around the well-known room, inspecting it for any changes, any traces of Tyril's recent activity, and at last her own belongings. 

They had spent the whole week between returning from the Shadow Realm and her kidnapping in this room, mostly in bed or in the bathtub. Naturally, she gripped his pillow, searching for his scent or a letter left on the sheets, only to find herself disappointed. She was conflicted, confused, a bit disappointed, still hoping Kade was playing a trick on her, and she was in fact gone for a few days. The weather was just as she remembered, trees lazily shedding their colourful leaves and chilly rainy nights. 

She had Kade dismiss the physician’s help, claiming she was fine. She would take care of it. She just needed to sleep it off.

Kade wrapped his arms as gently as he could around his bruised sister, lovingly caressing the back of her head as she cried into his shirt for what felt like hours on end. He shed a tear as well, although he tried his best to conceal it—Reyna needed him to be the strong one now. Once she cried out all her tears, she asked Kade to sing her a lullaby, as he often did throughout their life in Riverbend.

"And please don't leave me alone tonight," she pleaded, tugging on his wrist. 

"Of course, I'll stay and watch over you," he assured and tucked her frail body in before pressing a kiss to the top of her head, in the same way she always did when he was sick and afraid he wouldn't pull through. 

[plethoraworldatlas]

Basics of WoT: 4th Age

This is the starting information/overview of the state of the world in the grand scale for the Fourth Age project I worked on.

The setting takes place 25-35 years after the very end of the series (Most likely 1035 NE; A new Calendar has been proposed amongst all Dragon Peace nations, but only some have decided to start phasing it in, using two calendars until 1100 NE/65 PD "Post Dragon Reborn")

The Industrial Revolution has taken swing, the new Printing Press in particular igniting a thousand different fires of revolution and repression

Powers and abilities from Ages past creep back into the world, and new Powers never seen appear as well

The "Peace" of the Lands

The Dragon Peace unites all of the Westlands (also called Marhol) not occupied by the Seanchan, as well as the Aiel Three-fold Lands under a order of peace, with the Aiel taking the role of the primary Peacekeepers

The Griffin Truce, named for the Seanchan Raven and the Lion of Andor as the signing took place in Caemlyn, has formalized non-aggression between the Dragon Peace United nations and the Seanchan occupation and its Imperial Dominions

The Seanchan Empire under Empress Fortuona rules its Dominions, yet under the the Viewings of the Doomseer, they have yet to return in force to their fractured home Continent to reform the Empire as a whole

Republicanism has become a fire sweeping through a world of Monarchies, splitting the young Empire of the Sun and the founding member of the Republic's League, the Rivers Republic

The White Tower is rocked by scandal after the greatest journalistic reporting of the century reveals to the world a major secret of the Hall, as well as the different directions the Ajahs move

The Black Tower raises in prominence, yet the world still distrusts male channelers

The great Empire of Shara has collapsed to the joy of those they subjugated for centuries, only for the "Restoration Peacekeeping" to lead to strife as outsiders try to decide the fates of entire peoples

the Aiel balance their role as peacekeepers with the reckoning coming towards them; Fueds with the Seanchan, the uncertain future of the Three-fold Lands, New visions of possible futures guiding their choices as peacekeepers yet still each choice made to prevent one dark future seems to cause another. The Clans united under the Dragon Reborn, but what of the new holds in the Wetlands? What of the remnant Free Shaido? What of the Warrior society's without wars?

The Atha'an Meire have formed their Empire of All Seas in reaction to the new age of imperialism, Traveling and Gateways, and industrial trading

The Shadow's Corruption has diminished from the Blight, yet monsters and Trollocs and Darkfriends and Turned remain; With the Dark One sealed away, however, the now Free Trolloc are said to have turned from the chains their old master put on their minds, and collaboration between the White and Black Towers lead many to believe those forcibly Turned to the Shadow may yet be saved. Ancient hate does not die easily, and the Broderlanders and the world at large itch to take the new frontiers of the Wild North, to Crusade against what is seen as the last vestiges of the Dark

The Borderland Bloc has formed to unite the weary borderlanders among the Dragon Peace and rebuild greater and with more prominence; In 2 years, the First Premier Imperator's 12 year term shall end and a new ruler of the Bloc must be elected, with nearly every choice leading the Bloc into one grand conflict or another

Everloyal Darkfriends scheme still, and those forced to serve the Dark fight to survive a world where there is little mercy for those so much as touched once by the Shadow. Dreadlords attempt to carve out realms of their own

This and more is the state of the world.

Will the peace hard fought for stand strong, or is such a thing a fantasy during the rising Age of Empires and Industry? Will the world become one where all peoples and perhaps even all species exist together, or is domination inevitable? In a new age, called the Fourth Age by some, will the times to come be known as a Great Ending, or a Great Beginning?

Notes:

I ramped up on some of the poetical wordings for this. Also, my notes are harder to read than I remember. Marhol is directly from @highladyluck from Tumblr, I was working on this long enough to see them post their idea for the name of the Continent and I always liked it better than Westlands. Obviously, Rand wanted the Dragon Peace to bring, well, peace, but it's still basically just a Renaissance version of the EU; These are nations that have fought since their founding, facing a changing world, an empire occupying their Continent's western coast, and strung together under an agreement they were forced to sign with peacekeepers they don't understand as a culture who also aren't honestly the best option. The Aiel got flanderized in the last books by Sanderson, but there are serious issues with them being last minute made into basically the nationality of Peacekeepers. The Seafolk Empire is interesting in that it forms to protect their trading culture as well as the ports they were granted yet remains a brutal empire. The Borderland Bloc is similar, the borderlanders basically thanklessly fighting the Shadow for centuries while many thought the Trollocs they fought fairy-tales, being the most devastated nations after the Last Battle, unifying to rebuild each other and make sure the rest of the Dragon Peace remembers them; Still, every choice for the future leader is an iffy one. Don't worry, Malkier has been reformed, it has an interesting place in this mess. Everyone admits Shara was a mess, so I decided to try and fix it; Shara is the name of the Continent, but also the Empire that ruled it, and the other nations they oppressed and erased are "free" with its fall. This being the beginning of the age of imperialism, though, how "free" they are under "reconstruction" is soon to be decided. That's it for this one, go ahead and ask questions about the summary, keep in mind I will be doing posts for basically every nation and faction I have so asking things like "what's up in Andor?" will be answered later or have a special post to ask under. Please share if you like, this is basically my first big attempt at a project like this.

[bedtimegiraffe]

MC is a super supportive to the party most of time. But sometimes, they underestimate a party member in a really interesting way. (This may be a writing quirk for the sake of drama, but I stubbornly insist on trying to make things make sense in-universe.)

It happens during the battle with the Ash Empress when MC tells Nia she has to stay back and be protected.

Nia was right! She destroys that ogre singlehanded and uses Shadow with Light to get it done. This is the woman who trapped the Dreadlord and got him killed. And so much of Nia's arc in this book is her frustration at being infantilized.

But still, MC can't help but tell her, 'No, I need to protect you.'

And it's happening again here with Aerin. To me (and I'd bet Aerin), MC trying to hold him back while saying this:

Is a little too close to this:

It's coming from a place of genuine care and concern this time, which is great! But it's still MC telling Aerin that he not strong enough to protect himself or anyone else. That they don't trust him to fight. Even though he's basically barbarian raging to take down enemies. And it's working.

So why isn't MC supportive in these cases, when they are so many other times? My pet theory is that as much as MC is an advocate for the responsible use of Shadow, corruption still makes them nervous.

One of the things Nia and Aerin have in common, in addition to being humans and relatively smaller than the rest of the party, is that they have been corrupted.

MC is worried about Nia's corruption coming out during the battle, they say that pretty explicitly.

And Aerin is use a lot of Shadow (in a place that looks very much like the Shadow Realm, where Nia couldn't control her corruption). I think MC is scared that Aerin might become corrupted again. Sure, magic seems to work differently here, without the same drawbacks. And Aerin swears that his corruption is gone.

But what if he's wrong? How upsetting that would be for everyone involved.

Screenshots are a combination of mine and from Neckrone Shen on youtube.

[sarenyaschild]

What do we know about corruption?

I really didn't know what to think about Aerin's corruption situation, but I saw this post yesterday and I've being thinking about it ever since.

What does it mean to be corrupted? Essentially, in book one, it could be understood as being turned into the evilest version of oneself under the influence of the Shadow Court, those who have succumbed to their darkest desires. It's often portrayed in black and white terms: light is good, and shadow is bad (i mean the magic itself, we know what happened with Solerm). If someone allows the influence of the Shadow Court to dominate them, it determines whether they belong to the light or shadow, whether they are good or bad.

However, remember how Aerin mentioned that corruption is more complex than what MC knows or thinks. We also have those two intriguing members of the Shadow Court from the last chapter. I understand that we sort of paid to get their help, but the fact that they were willing to abandon the Shadow Realm (despite the fact the Ash Empire wants them dead) and expressed that they were tired of war and fighting, just wanting to lead a quiet life. And this perspective comes from the very first elves who were corrupted and have been so for a long time (as Nyra stated, they've committed plenty of bad deeds).

I think corruption has more to do with magic. Yes, it influences the darker aspects in people, in some way, amplifying those negative desires. But it's not the whole story. Mainly, corruption is about bestowing people with a power they didn't possess Shadow magic. This also raises questions about who is capable of bestowing someone with Shadow magic. Is it something one can willingly acquire just by being in the Shadow Realm? Because from what we've seen so far, the Dreadlord was the one granting power through the shards, what is it source? We know magic just exist, and you need to affinity in other to use it, and you trade your own life of it, but what do you give in exchangefor Shadow magic? Can someone actually bestow light magic to someone else?(but that's for another time).

As I was saying, based on what we've observed, with Nia, the recent member of the Shadow Court, as well as all the corrupted characters in book one, reversing corruption doesn't appear to be possible.

So, Aerin is most likely using the Nerada stone. He is still corrupted but has overcome the negative influence of the Shadow magic on his desires (as he seems to regret what he did in book 1), but can't of the Shadows (much like Nyra and Isador).

Anyways, can you imagine fighting against Vallax, and Nia and Aerin UNLEASHING THEIR SHADOW MAGIC AGAINST THEM? Now I HAVE TO SEE THIS!

[iviarellereads]

The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 22 - The Price of the Ring

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Flame icon) In which we get a scene that echoes back to another that came before.

PERSPECTIVE: Egg is only a short way from Verin's rooms when Sheriam finds her and says it's time for her Accepted test. She leads her down to the room with the three arches, and gives her the same speech she gave Nyn last book. Egg undresses to go through, and Alanna, there to represent the Green Ajah, says there's some kind of resonance or echo in the arches, she can't identify from where. Sheriam asks if it's a problem, and Alanna says no, she's just never heard of that happening before.(1)

The first time is for what was, the way will come but once. Egg raises her head to Rand talking about a peddler with strange news. She's rocking a cradle with a child... her daughter, Joiya. She asks Rand to tell his strange news, and he says the rest of the world seems to be caught up in a war with some funny folk, calling themselves the Sanchan or something. Egg almost remembers.

Rand's getting headaches, and strange things happen when he does. He has another now, but as Egg moves to soothe him, the silver arch appears. She takes a step toward it, then cries out that no, this is what she wants, why can't she have this, too? Rand gets up to ask her what she's talking about, but he falls to the ground, his headache worse than ever before.(2) It's the hardest thing Egg's ever had to do to keep walking toward the arch.

The second time is for what is. Egg is in a dusty silk dress, in the Royal Palace of Andor. The whole city of Caemlyn is in ruins. Trollocs, Darkfriends, and Myrddraal prowl, searching for "him". She runs through the rubble and finds Rand pinned by a beam. It's all he can do to hold the madness at bay, if he gives an inch it will take him over. He gestures at a dagger, and tells her to kill him. She can't! He says the Myrddraal and Dreadlords will turn him to the dark, he can't fight them if he's mad. She looks over her shoulder and sees the arch. She has to refuse him and walk toward it, though he cries out for her.

As Sheriam guides her to the next arch, Egg mentions that "he" said Myrddraal and Dreadlords could turn him to the Shadow. Sheriam almost stumbles, and says that the custom is not to speak of what happens inside the ter'angreal. Egg asks if it's true, and Sheriam says it's not a widely known fact, and she shouldn't ever have to learn it, but yes, it takes thirteen Darkfriends who can channel - the Dreadlords - and thirteen Myrddraal. But it hasn't been done since the Trolloc Wars. Egg comments that with Liandrin and the others, they make thirteen. Sheriam says she should forget that.(3)

The third time is for what will be. Egg stares into the mirror, surprised at the ageless smoothness of her face, and by the striped stole around her shoulders. She's the Amyrlin Seat here. Her Keeper, Beldeine, comes up behind her, her stole green, meaning that must be what Ajah Egg chose before the raising. The "way back will come but once" whisper gets cut off, for a new whisper: Thirteen Darkfriends.(4)

The Keeper leads Egg to a great hall, scared to her toenails. It's the Hall of the Tower, with all the Sitters, representatives of the Ajahs. Elaida is one, and calls for "him" to be brought in. Rand is in chains and Elaida calls for the pronouncement that he should be gentled, as can only happen here. Egg hesitates, and Elaida cues a coup.(5) Egg gets knocked in the head, but awakens before they cut her off from the Source. She counts thirteen Aes Sedai, and thirteen Myrddraal, and loses her shit, killing the Myrddraal and knocking out the Dreadlords.

She finds Beldeine, who says the Dreadlords stilled her, forced her to betray Egg. But what can Egg do now? She says she never held the Oath Rod,(6) and goes on a Mission(tm) to find and save Rand. As she's getting to the open Traitor's Court, planning to use balefire, whatever that is, to distract them, the "way back will come" message comes back, startling her, and she turns to see the arch, wavering in and out of reality, and she can hear the Aes Sedai on the other side fighting to keep it open. With a scream of rage that she once again can't save Rand, she throws herself at it.

Light plucked her apart fiber by fiber, sliced the fibers to hairs, split the hairs to wisps of nothing. All drifted apart on the light. Forever.(7)

=====

(1) What's different about this? Only that Egwene is carrying that little stone ring ter'angreal… but surely that shouldn't affect the arches? Then again, for all the Aes Sedai confidence in these rituals, there's obviously a lot they don't know about. They didn't know what most of the ter'angreal the Black Ajah defectors with Liandrin took could do, and if nobody's seen the stone ring in almost five hundred years, why would anyone have tested it in the room with the arches, which are only used to raise novices to Accepted? What do you think these objects could have in common? (2) Rand here, in this AU, is beginning to channel involuntarily, and his wilder sickness seems to be playing out as we saw it develop in book 1. (3) And Sheriam's right, isn't she, from her own perspective? Egg ought to keep her focus on her studies and the Tower, not on her old flame and the world at large and the defection of thirteen women who almost incriminated the Wondergirls by default. (4) Curious. Nynaeve also got some deviance in what she was led to expect. Do you think most of the arch journeys are different from what the ritual explanations provide, or are the Wondergirls just that special? (5) Do you think Elaida is Black Ajah in the waking world, too? Do you think her ambitions could lead her to participate in such a horrifying breach of protocol, if the motivation were right? Do the answers to those two questions depend on each other to be true, in your opinion? (6) Shouldn't that be impossible? How would Egg have managed it? It's funny enough that her "what is yet to come" shows her being Amyrlin, after it's been said a half dozen times that she could be someday, but this seems like a stretch, doesn't it? Even in the dream of the arches, she's not sure how she managed it. (7) I sure hope she made it or we've just wasted an awful lot of POV chapters. Well, not wasted, if she dies now we HAVE learned quite a bit through her perspective… but surely there were other ways to convey that information instead of using a character who was about to die?

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Great Hunt! Chapter 7: Blood Calls Blood

Spoiler warning: This post has spoilers for the entirety of The Wheel of Time. Beginning to end. Don't keep reading if that's a problem.

“But quite interesting,” Verin said. She had been the fourth Aes Sedai the Amyrlin had chosen for the work. “It is too bad we do not have the dagger so the Healing could be complete. For all we did tonight, he will not live long. Months, perhaps, at best.”

You could say it's bad luck for Siuan and Moiraine that this happened. Almost like they're around a ta'veren who manipulates probability like some kind of demented Homestuck character. Almost like they were making shit plans that necessitated bad luck so better things could happen.

He has been linked to the dagger a long time, however, as a thing like that must be reckoned. And he will be linked longer yet, whether it is found or not. He may already be changed beyond the reach of full Healing, even if no longer enough to contaminate others.

And yet - he's not! Lucky break.

Moiraine gave the Brown sister a wry look. Another danger confronts us, and she sounds as if it is a puzzle in a book. Light, the Browns truly are not aware of the world at all.

Verin: We can calculate exactly how existential the threat the remnants of Shadar Logoth are.

Moiraine: Give me your fucking lunch money, nerd! *shoves Verin into a locker ter'angreal*

Why is this Darkfriend important enough for them to risk what they did to rescue him? Much easier for them just to steal the Horn. Still risky as a winter gale in the Sea of Storms, coming into the very keep like that, but they compounded their risk to free this Darkfriend.

Poor Siuan doesn't even know the whole story about Fain being a Dragon Detector.

“What was written on the walls in the dungeon. There were few problems with translation. Most was the usual—blasphemy and boasting; Trollocs seem to know little else—but there was one part done in a better hand. An educated Darkfriend, or perhaps a Myrddraal. It could be only taunting, yet it has the form of poetry, or song, and the sound of prophecy. We know little of prophecies from the Shadow, Mother.”

We still know little! The Shadow somehow has prophecies made by isolated men and women, but we don't know how they gathered them or how they got secrecy to the point that basically only Moridin would know them by the end. Is Foretelling rare because the Shadow's better at finding people with the Talent before the Tower can (not hard since they're not looking)? Can it be induced in some traumatic way related to isolation? Do Dreadlords with Foretelling get put into seclusion to encourage Foretellings? So many questions.

Daughter of the Night, she walks again. The ancient war, she yet fights. Her new lover she seeks, who shall serve her and die, yet serve still. Who shall stand against her coming? The Shining Walls shall kneel.

I'll break this prophecy down stanza by stanza less the repetitive blood stuff (which means "The battle's never over, Rand al'Thor"). This one is about Lanfear, her return to the battle, and her attempts to win Rand over, but... that service stuff is hard to square. I'm going to say it's about how he tries to help her in this book, metaphorically dies during Veins of Gold and then tries to turn her back to the Light in the final book, working for her well-being in ways that she despises. Likewise, since Lanfear never actually gets to fuck with Tar Valon direclty, the kneeling is probably more about Moiraine bowing to the inevitable and taking her out to her own detriment.

The man who channels stands alone. He gives his friends for sacrifice. Two roads before him, one to death beyond dying, one to life eternal. Which will he choose? Which will he choose? What hand shelters? What hand slays?

Rand isn't alone yet, but by The Gathering Storm he'll have pushed everyone aside. He'll view his friends - particularly Lan - as pieces on the board to be sacrificed. The Shadow probably thinks the two roads before him are continuing the cycle or serving the Dark One respectively, but it's actually the case that the two roads are destroying existence or continuing the cycle. The hand imagery is harder to parse, though I'll suggest it's about Rand's metaphysical confusion during this process.

The Watchers wait on Toman’s Head. The seed of the Hammer burns the ancient tree. Death shall sow, and summer burn, before the Great Lord comes. Death shall reap, and bodies fail, before the Great Lord comes. Again the seed slays ancient wrong, before the Great Lord comes.

Skipping verse 3 (it's about Slayer and is painfully obvious). This is about the Seanchan coming to Falme, descendants of Luthair the Hammer. Summer does indeed burn before the Last Battle and there's lots of death and weird evil bubbles, but the last line doesn't come true thanks to Jordan wanting to do the Outriggers: at no point do the Seanchan slay any ancient wrong, let alone their own use of the a'dam. They don't even manage to kill a Forsaken.

“That would be something to worry us, Daughter,” the Amyrlin Seat said, “if it were true. But the Forsaken are still bound.” She glanced at Moiraine, looking troubled for an instant before she schooled her features. “Even if the seals are weakening, the Forsaken are still bound.”

Being locked out of the loop does come with some advantages if you're literally incapable of lying though. Good job on that, Moiraine.

Speaking of being incapable of doing stuff, it's fun that this doesn't count as betrayal on Verin's part. Like yeah, it was there for everyone to see so doing the translation isn't a problem, but interpreting is okay? She does keep herself to the obvious though.

Only one thing for certain was known of Lanfear beside the name: before she went over to the Shadow, before Lews Therin Telamon met Ilyena, Lanfear had been his lover. A complication we do not need.

You should have been counting on this, Moiraine. Even if the Last Battle coming didn't make you think that the Forsaken might get loose again, you just met Aginor and Balthamel a month ago. You should have assumed Lanfear would show up eventually.

“I don’t know, Mother. I doubt it, though. We know nothing at all of those lands Artur Hawkwing set out to conquer. It’s too bad the Sea Folk refuse to cross the Aryth Ocean. They say the Islands of the Dead lie on the other side. I wish I knew what they meant by that, but that accursed Sea Folk closemouthedness. . . .”

Maybe Verin's lying a little here. If she were the other Aes Sedai at the Social, she might well know about the Seanchan coming. But she might be legitimately be unaware, and I'm going to say that she is and wasn't at the Social anyway for reasons I'm getting to.

Also, I would love to know what happened to the Sea Folk that made them refuse to ever try to reach the Seanchan continent again. Based on the new map, I would expect that the "Isles of the Dead" are those not depicted at all on the old map, east of Seanchan's southeastern reaches and southwest of the most isolated Sea Folk isles.

“Then you believe it is not prophecy, Daughter?” “Now, ‘the ancient tree,’ ” Verin said, immersed in her own thoughts.

This is definitely Verin pretending to be dumb, avoiding answering a question that might betray her affiliation and idly speculating on what she doesn't know about so that she's not explicitly betraying shit.

“And of course,” Verin said calmly, “the man who channels must be one of the three young men traveling with you, Moiraine.”

Damn Verin, you do not fuck around.

Yes. Yes, I suppose I should. I hadn’t thought of that. But then, if I did, you would be stilled, Moiraine, and you, Mother, and the man gentled.

Sure Verin, you definitely didn't think about telling the other sisters. It was totally a theoretical exercise and you're just so good at your little thought experiments that as soon as Moiraine gave you new data about what you should be doing you deduced immediately what would happen and have a long screed about why that would suck for you personally.

If the other Ajahs didn't look down so much on the Brown they would have realized she was Black right there.

“It is unlikely,” Verin began, “that anyone who hasn’t studied the old records thoroughly would notice anything except that you were behaving oddly. Forgive me, Mother. It was nearly twenty years ago, with Tar Valon besieged, that I had my first clue, and that was only. . . .

"Basically I figured you bitches out the second Gitara died and I just was much too busy reading a really good ancient tome about how the unequal war damage to parts of the nation of Jaramide led to Abayan's comparative strength and forced Guaire Amalasan to focus his war efforts southward to give a shit about your nonsense and an infant messiah."

Perrin grimaced when he thought of that. Mat lay still, eyes closed, hands unmoving atop his blankets. He looked exhausted. Not sick really, but as if he had worked three days in the fields and only now laid down to rest. He smelled . . . wrong, though. It was nothing Perrin could put a name to. Just wrong.

Cool to know that wolf noses can scent metaphysics.

Serving women had found him sitting there in the dark, and one of the Lady Amalisa’s attendants, the Lady Timora. As soon as they came upon him, Timora sent one of the others running, and he had heard her say, “Find Liandrin Sedai! Quickly!”

Subtlety just doesn't exist in this universe, does it? And here Rand thinks that the alarm bells were all bad: better Mat suffer an unimportant injury than Perrin get dragged off by Liandrin and locked away in the Tower.

Perrin cleared his throat. Half the time he did not understand what women meant when they said things. Not like Rand. He always knows what to say to the girls.

She means that instead of using your broad shoulders, you should be using your hips. I mean... She's telling you not to fuck with Mat's recovery. Jeez Perrin.

The pause made his hackles rise. She was lying, somehow. Aes Sedai never lied, but they did not always tell the truth, either.

You'd think the Keeper of the Chronicles would be better at lying on the spot, but I guess healthcare related lies are really more something former members of the Yellow Ajah would be skilled in.

“They’re the only eyes I ever had,” he growled. He felt a little abashed, speaking to an Aes Sedai in that tone, but he was as surprised as she when he took her gently by the arms and lifted her to one side, setting her down again out of his way. As they stared at each other, he wondered if his eyes were as wide with shock as hers.

Perrin is out First Oathing an actual First Oather

Leane liked this moment a lot and I'm not judging her at all

He could not rid himself of the feeling that he should take the chance Moiraine had given him and leave immediately. The urge had been with him all night. Three times he had risen to go. Twice he had gone as far as opening the door. The halls had been empty except for a few servants doing late chores; the way had been clear. But he had to know.

Really just another bit of luck for all concerned that Mat got taken down by Fain. Again, if Rand had left Fal Dara and gotten outside of the general protection of an entire fortress city, he would have been kidnapped by Lanfear in seconds.

Suddenly Perrin scowled at the floor. “If you’re so interested, why haven’t you gone to see him yourself? I thought you were not interested in us anymore. You said you weren’t.”

I love it when people don't remember they're fighting until halfway through a conversation. Good on Perrin for calling Rand out.

Perrin did not answer. He just shucked off his coat and pulled his shirt off over his head. Rand studied his friend’s back for a moment...

*whistles innocently*

“If you want to make jokes with Aes Sedai,” Perrin broke in, “that’s up to you. My Lord.” He began stuffing his shirttail into his breeches. “I don’t spend much time being—witty; is that the word?—witty with Aes Sedai. But then, I’m only a clumsy blacksmith, and I might be in somebody’s way. My Lord.” Snatching his coat from the floor, he started for the door.

Perrin's really incredibly jealous that Rand is talking about how Leane was directly flirty with him and meanwhile of course if Rand had heard that he'd held her - even just in the context of pulling her out of the way - he'd have been incredibly jealous himself.

He paused, looking at Rand sideways. “You didn’t mean all that? We will leave here together? You, and me, and Mat?” “I can’t, Perrin. I can’t tell you why, but I really do have to go by myse—Perrin, wait!” The door slammed behind his friend.

Rand, think about it from Perrin's perspective. Something weird is up with him and he's not even comfortable talking about it. It's just one in a long series of traumatic events. Since then, you've been ducking out on everyone, constantly threatening to leave, and following Lan around like you've imprinted on him (because you have). Now you're just gonna up and ditch everyone and it kinda looks to Perrin like you're afraid of being around him because he doesn't know he should be afraid of being around you. Of course he's gonna be pissed at you for being a dick.

“You should have done that last night.” The Warder tossed a white silk shirt onto the bed. “No one refuses an audience with the Amyrlin Seat, sheepherder. Not the Lord Captain Commander of the Whitecloaks himself. Pedron Niall might spend the trip planning how to kill her, if he could do it and get away, but he would come.”

That would be a hilarious and fluffy fanfic.

“I know how, I think. I saw how the Queen’s Guards knelt to Queen Morgase.” The ghost of a smile touched the Warder’s lips. “Yes, you do it just as they did. That will give them something to think about.”

This is probably either immensely disrespectful or carries such an incorrect connotation as to be bizarre. You know what, I take what I said up there about imprinting back. It's the other way around; Lan's imprinted on Rand.

Rand frowned. “Why are you telling me this, Lan? You’re a Warder. You’re acting as if you are on my side.” “I am on your side, sheepherder. A little. Enough to help you a bit.”

If Rand had a good reason to ask it of him, Lan would slaughter everyone currently in Fal Dara without even to need to know the specifics.

“But why all this? What does it mean? Why do I put my hand over my heart if the Amyrlin Seat stands up? Why refuse anything but water—not that I want to eat a meal with her—then dribble some on the floor and say ‘The land thirsts’? And if she asks how old I am, why tell her how long it is since I was given the sword? I don’t understand half of what you’ve told me.”

I would also like to know these things. The first is clearly some kind of reference to the American pledge and the third clearly originated in the Trolloc Wars, but... why? What does it mean? Who wants to help me conduct a seance to haunt Robert Jordan beyond the grave and get some answers to these utterly trivial concerns?

From his pocket the Warder produced a long length of wide, fringed golden cord and tied it around Rand’s left arm in a complicated knot. On the knot he fastened a red-enameled pin, an eagle with its wings spread. “I had that made to give you, and now is as good a time as any. That will make them think.”

Lan really is a complete sweetheart of a man. Either he's using up his paltry Warder allowance for this or he totally leaned into the whole Malkier thing despite not liking it at all to get a favor. It's a shame he didn't try to get Moiraine to see Rand like he did, might have saved her a world of grief.

[somerandomjewelleryonthefloor]

Worms in my brain: so I see you're watching Karlach edits.

Me: yes... I am... Why?

Worms in my brain: wouldnt it be funny if we added one more person to the bolas party?

Me: ... It would...

Me: no. Don't you dare-

Worms in my brain: give Solace another tall scary woman to pin after-

Me: FUCK OFF-

So I didn't win the battle with the worms in my brain.

Here's a 5th bolas oc, Chimera.

(from THIS piccrew)

Chimera, named after the mythical animal, is a gal full of pure rage.

She's a tiefling like Mavros, but she was cursed with having her body be fuelled by an eternal-burning fire instead of shapeshifting. She was often ostracized due to the fact she was a tiefling born in a family full of humans, and she was given away to the streets of Port Parnassus.

Being found by people influenced by the shadow court as a child, she was taken to the shadow realm and grew up there among the shadow court-ers.

She holds a lot of hate for the light realm‚ and it's what fuels the burning blue fire that goes through her body. She is found during the last few chapters of Bolas 1, and she tag teams with Mavros as they both fight Solace during the fight against the Dreadlord.

In Bolas 2, she stays behind in the shadow realm and escaping the wrath of the Bolas Party, finding herself in an alliance with Valax. Valax wants Solace's blood, she wants to beat him in a fight and see him defeated, perfect.

Because of this alliance, she's Valax's right-hand woman. Which means that she usually is accompanying Valax.

When Valax got stuck with the group, she also was. Being chained to Valax as well (so if any of them did anything to hurt Solace or the group, they'd be going through hells), and the entire time she was butting heads with him and 1 step close to grabbing him and throwing him across the entire shadow realm.

The only time she felt something was during that mini fight the bolas party had at that Ashen nobleman's house w/ the empress & Valax.

As she and solace were having a 1v1 with eachother, as they fought- she found herself getting round house kicked, her equilibrium getting knocked over for a moment. Smiling darkly, she rushed him and tackled him to the ground. While on top of him, she was about to use shadow magic as an extra kick to the punch she was about to use on his face.

But she saw the absolute hatred in his eyes, the way he looked at her with a dark expression, eyes full of absolute hatred as he caught his breath. And she went "oh..."

Because of this though, she waited a second too long and he ended up tossing her off him and wrecking her shit.

Whilst they don't become a thing (yet), in the battle of Morella she does admit that she finds his anger really attractive as she 1v1's him.

They're pretty complicated, severely even. But I love complicated ships that can work out of you give them the time.

.·:*¨༺ ─────────────── ༻¨*:·.

Her favourite weapon to use is dark shadow magic, but if she doesn't has it then she loves using her fists and metal chains to lasso around her enemies and pull them close.

Her favourite colours are black and silver, her favourite animals are Hound Dogs, and her biggest pet peeve is jokes in serious situations.

Her strength is her ability to not be knocked off from her goal and will/can do whatever it takes to achieve it, but her weakness is the fact that she's so stubborn that she can't see anything OTHER then her goal at times. Which often gets her shit wrecked (for eg: if she's trying to get to Solace, but an animal is charging her. She won't see it as she only sees Solace in her sights to fight)

Won't know where she'd fit in bolas 3, but she probably would be a recruitable person to the bolas party by then and solace can slyly and subtly flirt/insult her as they have their quarrels.

She can only chill with Valax and Shadow Nia, she is closed off from everyone else (currently anyway.)