#lore: marzanna

[dualcastimpact]

All That Glitters is Blue + BLU Lore

I'll never level cap BLU, I said. I'm too nervous to do group content for spells, I said. Masked Carnivale is too hard, I said.

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS BLUE, BAYBEEEEE

Whoever it was that decided the thunder AoEs should have a random pattern better sleep with one eye open from now on, that's all I'm saying. The achievement wasn't even hard to get because I always forget to use Sprint anyhow, it was just a matter of using every element and not destroying the crystal �� the real challenge was beating him in the first place! Screw Goldor Rush, honestly.

Anyhow – beating Goldor and finishing the ShB BLU questline made me want to write a bit about how it really went in Raginmar's canon, so that'll be under the cut!

The first thing to note about the BLU questlines in Raginmar's canon is that they did not happen with Raginmar. The real BLU mage in this canon is Marzanna:

She's the one who heard rumours of a strange new magic in Limsa Lominsa and got roped into Martyn's shenanigans (and thus the BLU questline), becoming Azuro the Second. She easily gets exasperated by Martyn's shameless gil-grubbing and spineless kowtowing, but she genuinely respects and admires him for giving her a new direction in life when she felt she had nothing else to live for.

There are some deviations, obviously — in the Stormblood BLU questline, Marzanna is unfamiliar with Gyodo and Kageyama (because Raginmar was the one who met Gyodo in the Stormblood MSQ, and he was the one who drove off Kageyama from Kugane Castle) and in the Shadowbringers BLU questline, Latool Ja says some hero went and saved the star and Martyn gripes about how he could have helped.

Which brings me to this point about the Shadowbringers BLU questline: most of the new spells are from the First, right? So how in the world did Martyn know about them?

In the level 73 quest, we actually see him use Deep Clean on Trachtoum — a spell learned only from the Seeker of Solitude, a singularly unique individual on the First! There's no equivalent enemy in Eorzea, so 1) who added spells from the First to the blue magic spellbook? and 2) how did Martyn even learn them?

We can't answer the second question — maybe Martyn figured out how to get to the First, maybe he got whoever it was who added the spell to the spellbook to teach him, we don't really know. But from Martyn's statement, we can conclude that the adventurer responsible for adding those spells would be someone who's travelled so much that they've even gone to distant shards. There aren't a lot of people who can claim that, and fewer still who are blue mages.

In fact, there's only one person who fits both bills.

It's Raginmar.

But hang on, you say. Raginmar's not a BLU mage, you said, it's Marzanna. Well no. Raginmar isn't a BLU mage, meaning he's not the mage in the BLU questline, but he is very much a blue mage. Sometime in ARR, Martyn needed help with an issue or other and Marzanna introduced him to Raginmar, saying that he'd help for the low, low price of a BLU job stone and the most basic of instructions. Chaos ensued, but eventually they did get to the instructing part — when Martyn's Mamool Ja assistants summoned a Kraken for Raginmar to learn Water Cannon from, instead of the comedic beating the player character (i.e. Marzanna) got in the starter quest, Raginmar dodged the Kraken's attack and one-shotted the thing with a burst of lightning. He then turned around and fired off a Water Cannon at a nearby tree, snapping the trunk in half and sending it toppling to the ground. "Not bad," he said, then nodded to the dumbstruck Marzanna and Martyn, said his farewells and left.

Unlike Marzanna, Raginmar isn't a particularly dedicated blue mage. Marzanna actively goes around the realm searching for stronger enemies to fight and learn spells from; Raginmar only happens to pick up spells from enemies he happens to face. He never went back to the BLU guild — I'm not sure if he even knows Martyn ever set up a proper guild, but Raginmar does end up writing to Martyn every once in a while, detailing new enemies and attacks he'd learned from them. He's probably responsible for most of the spells listed in the spellbook, even.

"He say it is gift from adventurers who travel to far away lands. Maybe someday, you will see these lands too."

Ignoring the fact that it's Raginmar in the screenshot, this line ties in perfectly with the idea that Raginmar is the one who shared those spells from faraway lands that Marzanna had never seen. Raginmar's been to the First; Marzanna has not. Raginmar is the one who fought Titania and Innocence and learned devastating new spells from them, and shared them with Martyn to add to the blue magic spellbook. It all works out, and I personally love it.

Anyhow: the Shadowbringers BLU questline revolves around Martyn searching from a new nemesis for the acclaimed Azuro the Second, as the Celestium has begun losing viewers due to many finding the matches boring. Eventually it's revealed that Martyn himself is a very skilled and powerful mage; he demonstrates his prowess in a match against an Ishgardian dragoon and ends up playing Goldor, Azuro the Second's latest nemesis.

This is more or less what happens in Marzanna's BLU canon, save for one rather important change: in the original questline, they're looking for someone who can challenge the BLU mage who's also the Warrior of Light. In Marzanna's canon, the BLU mage is not the Warrior of Light. In other words, the Warrior of Light himself is a perfectly viable potential opponent for the great Azuro the Second!

Marzanna does tentatively suggest this to Martyn and Royse; level-wise this would be at the beginning of the questline, likely level 71. She explains that the Warrior of Light, the selfsame one who went and saved the star from certain destruction, is a member of her adventuring party. She's not certain he would agree to performing in the Celestium, but she thinks it wouldn't hurt to ask. Royse agrees and dispatches Martyn and Marzanna to find him.

When they do find him, Raginmar predictably refuses on the grounds that he's not interested in performing for coin, and also he takes combat too seriously to put on a show the likes of the Masked Carnivale (in that same vein he refuses to spar with anyone because he doesn't really know how to pull back enough to not kill his opponent; he just goes all out). Martyn takes the refusal graciously (and gratefully; someone as legendary as the Warrior of Light would be expensive to hire) and leaves, but Marzanna hangs back when Raginmar motions for her to. At first he questions why they're seeking someone like him when they have a powerful mage already, and when Marzanna expresses her confusion, he explains that through his sensitivity to aetheric signatures, he could tell that Martyn is a master of magic, possibly at the level of archmage. Marzanna is doubtful at first, but the arcanist she meets in the level 73 quest confirms it:

Addendum: this is also why Raginmar is exceptionally good at blue magic without much trying. Raginmar is a master of multiple schools of magic — black, white, and red that combines the two, in addition to advanced arcanima and ancient Nymian scholar arts and summoner magicks — which means like Martyn, he has the requisite knowledge to properly master the Whalaqee's blue magic.

Addendum #2: it's a little hypocritical for Martyn to be baffled by the Golden Goliath using different types of magicks simultaneously back in the Stormblood BLU questline; in the level 78 quest duel against Ser Alaimbert, he's shown to use multiple types of elemental spells: wind and earth (white magic), lightning (black magic) and gravity (Astrologian magic?). There's only one other person who's capable of that sort of feat — Raginmar.

But I digress. Point is, it was Raginmar who first pointed out to Marzanna how strong Martyn actually is, but it wasn't until the level 78 quest that Marzanna (and Royse) believed it.

And there you have it, the BLU questline as per Marzanna and Raginmar's canon! I'm really looking forward to Dawntrail and what it could mean for BLU; I don't particularly enjoy the Masked Carnivale (actually I don't enjoy it at all) but I do love the lore and I'm looking forward to possibly meeting the Whalaqee for ourselves!

[sennikold]

since i’ve talked about my need for slavic representation, i’ve decided to add my girl baba jaga to the roster after all, as well as my slavic spirit oc (shapeshifting supreme ghost, patron of free will).

[legend-collection]

Death

Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul. Other beliefs hold that the Spectre of Death is only a psychopomp, a benevolent figure who serves to gently sever the last ties between the soul and the body, and to guide the deceased to the afterlife, without having any control over when or how the victim dies. Death is most often personified in male form, although in certain cultures Death is perceived as female (for instance, Marzanna in Slavic mythology, or Santa Muerte in Mexico). Death is also portrayed as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Death Le Mire and Oudry La Fontaine fable Death and the dying

Irish mythology features a similar creature known as a dullahan, whose head would be tucked under their arm (dullahans were not one, but an entire species). The head was said to have large eyes and a smile that could reach the head's ears. The dullahan would ride a black horse or a carriage pulled by black horses, and stop at the house of someone about to die, and call their name, and immediately the person would die. The dullahan did not like being watched, and it was believed that if a dullahan knew someone was watching them, they would lash that person's eyes with their whip, which was made from a spine; or they would toss a basin of blood on the person, which was a sign that the person was next to die.

Gaelic lore also involves a female spirit known as Banshee, who heralds the death of a person by shrieking or keening. The banshee is often described as wearing red or green, usually with long, disheveled hair. She can appear in a variety of forms, typically that of an ugly, frightful hag, but in some stories she chooses to appear young and beautiful. Some tales recount that the creature was actually a ghost, often of a specific murdered woman or a mother who died in childbirth. When several banshees appeared at once, it was said to indicate the death of someone great or holy. In Ireland and parts of Scotland, a traditional part of mourning is the keening woman (bean chaointe), who wails a lament – in Irish: Caoineadh, caoin meaning "to weep, to wail."

In Scottish folklore there was a belief that a black, dark green or white dog known as a Cù Sìth took dying souls to the afterlife. Comparable figures exist in Irish and Welsh stories.

In Welsh Folklore, Gwyn ap Nudd is the escort of the grave, the personification of Death and Winter who leads the Wild Hunt to collect wayward souls and escort them to the Otherworld, sometimes it is Maleagant, Arawn or Afallach in a similar position.

In Greek mythology, Thanatos, the personification of death, is one of the offspring of Nyx (Night). Like her, he is seldom portrayed directly. He sometimes appears in art as a winged and bearded man, and occasionally as a winged and beardless youth. When he appears together with his twin brother, Hypnos, the god of sleep, Thanatos generally represents a gentle death. Thanatos, led by Hermes psychopompos, takes the shade of the deceased to the near shore of the river Styx, whence the ferryman Charon, on payment of a small fee, conveys the shade to Hades, the realm of the dead. Homer's Iliad 16.681, and the Euphronios Krater's depiction of the same episode, have Apollo instruct the removal of the heroic, semi-divine Sarpedon's body from the battlefield by Hypnos and Thanatos, and conveyed thence to his homeland for proper funeral rites. Among the other children of Nyx are Thanatos' sisters, the Keres, blood-drinking, vengeant spirits of violent or untimely death, portrayed as fanged and taloned, with bloody garments.

In Scandinavia, Norse mythology personified death in the shape of Hel, the goddess of death and ruler over the realm of the same name, where she received a portion of the dead. In the times of the Black Plague, Death would often be depicted as an old woman known by the name of Pesta, meaning "plague hag", wearing a black hood. She would go into a town carrying either a rake or a broom. If she brought the rake, some people would survive the plague; if she brought the broom, however, everyone would die.

Scandinavians later adopted the Grim Reaper with a scythe and black robe. Today, Ingmar Bergman's 1957 film The Seventh Seal features one of the world's most famous representations of this personification of Death.

In Poland, Death – Śmierć or kostuch – has an appearance similar to the Grim Reaper, although its robe was traditionally white instead of black. Because the word śmierć is feminine in gender, death is frequently portrayed as a skeletal old woman, as depicted in 15th-century dialogue "Rozmowa Mistrza Polikarpa ze Śmiercią" (Latin: "Dialogus inter Mortem et Magistrum Polikarpum").

In Serbia and other South Slavic countries, the Grim Reaper is well known as Smrt ("Death") or Kosač ("Reaper"). Slavic people found this very similar to the Devil and other dark powers. One popular saying about death is: Smrt ne bira ni vreme, ni mesto, ni godinu ("Death does not choose a time, place or year" – which means death is destiny.)

Morana is a Slavic goddess of winter time, death and rebirth. A figurine of the same name is traditionally created at the end of winter/beginning of spring and symbolically taken away from villages to be set in fire and/or thrown into a river, that takes her away from the world of the living.

In the Czech Republic, the medieval Prague Astronomical Clock carries a depiction of Death striking the hour. A version first appeared in 1490.

In the Netherlands, and to a lesser extent in Belgium, the personification of Death is known as Magere Hein ("Thin Hein") or Pietje de Dood ("Peter the Death"). Historically, he was sometimes simply referred to as Hein or variations thereof such as Heintje, Heintjeman and Oom Hendrik ("Uncle Hendrik"). Related archaic terms are Beenderman ("Bone-man"), Scherminkel (very meager person, "skeleton") and Maaijeman ("mow-man", a reference to his scythe).

The concept of Magere Hein predates Christianity, but was Christianized and likely gained its modern name and features (scythe, skeleton, black robe etc.) during the Middle Ages. The designation "Meager" comes from its portrayal as a skeleton, which was largely influenced by the Christian "Dance of Death" theme that was prominent in Europe during the late Middle Ages. "Hein" was a Middle Dutch name originating as a short form of Heinric. Its use was possibly related to the comparable German concept of "Freund Hein." Notably, many of the names given to Death can also refer to the Devil; it is likely that fear of death led to Hein's character being merged with that of Satan.

In Belgium, this personification of Death is now commonly called Pietje de Dood "Little Pete, the Death." Like the other Dutch names, it can also refer to the Devil.

In Western Europe, Death has commonly been personified as an animated skeleton since the Middle Ages. This character, which is often depicted wielding a scythe, is said to collect the souls of the dying or recently dead. In English and German culture, Death is typically portrayed as male, but in French, Spanish, and Italian culture, it is not uncommon for Death to be female.

In England, the personified "Death" featured in medieval morality plays, later regularly appearing in traditional folk songs. The following is a verse of "Death and the Lady" (Roud 1031) as sung by Henry Burstow in the nineteenth century:

Fair lady, throw those costly robes aside, No longer may you glory in your pride. Take leave of all sour carnal vain delight I'm come to summon you away this night.

In the late 1800s, the character of Death became known as the Grim Reaper in English literature. The earliest appearance of the name "Grim Reaper" in English is in the 1847 book The Circle of Human Life:

All know full well that life cannot last above seventy, or at the most eighty years. If we reach that term without meeting the grim reaper with his scythe, there or there about, meet him we surely shall.

The "Angel of the Lord" smites 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp (II Kings 19:35). When the Angel of Death passes through to smite the Egyptian first-born, God prevents "the destroyer" (shâchath) from entering houses with blood on the lintel and side posts (Exodus 12:23). The "destroying angel" (mal'ak ha-mashḥit) rages among the people in Jerusalem (II Sam. 24:16). In I Chronicles 21:15 the "angel of the Lord" is seen by King David standing "between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem." The biblical Book of Job (33:22) uses the general term "destroyers" (memitim), which tradition has identified with "destroying angels" (mal'ake Khabbalah), and Prov. 16:14 uses the term the "angels of death" (mal'ake ha-mavet). The angel Azra'il is sometimes referred as the Angel of Death as well.

Jewish tradition also refers to Death as the Angel of Dark and Light, a name which stems from Talmudic lore. There is also a reference to "Abaddon" (The Destroyer), an angel who is known as the "Angel of the Abyss". In Talmudic lore, he is characterized as archangel Michael.

In Hebrew scriptures, Death (Maweth/Mavet(h)) is sometimes personified as a devil or angel of death (e.g., Habakkuk 2:5; Job 18:13). In both the Book of Hosea and the Book of Jeremiah, Maweth/Mot is mentioned as a deity to whom God can turn over Judah as punishment for worshiping other gods. The memitim are a type of angel from biblical lore associated with the mediation over the lives of the dying. The name is derived from the Hebrew word mĕmītǐm ("executioners", "slayers", "destroyers") and refers to angels that brought about the destruction of those whom the guardian angels no longer protected. While there may be some debate among religious scholars regarding the exact nature of the memitim, it is generally accepted that, as described in the Book of Job 33:22, they are killers of some sort.

According to the Midrash, the Angel of Death was created by God on the first day. His dwelling is in heaven, whence he reaches earth in eight flights, whereas Pestilence reaches it in one. He has twelve wings. "Over all people have I surrendered thee the power," said God to the Angel of Death, "only not over this one [i.e. Moses] which has received freedom from death through the Law." It is said of the Angel of Death that he is full of eyes. In the hour of death, he stands at the head of the departing one with a drawn sword, to which clings a drop of gall. As soon as the dying man sees Death, he is seized with a convulsion and opens his mouth, whereupon Death throws the drop into it. This drop causes his death; he turns putrid, and his face becomes yellow. The expression "the taste of death" originated in the idea that death was caused by a drop of gall.

The soul escapes through the mouth, or, as is stated in another place, through the throat; therefore, the Angel of Death stands at the head of the patient (Adolf Jellinek, l.c. ii. 94, Midr. Teh. to Ps. xi.). When the soul forsakes the body, its voice goes from one end of the world to the other, but is not heard (Gen. R. vi. 7; Ex. R. v. 9; Pirḳe R. El. xxxiv.). The drawn sword of the Angel of Death, mentioned by the Chronicler (I. Chron. 21:15; comp. Job 15:22; Enoch 62:11), indicates that the Angel of Death was figured as a warrior who kills off the children of men. "Man, on the day of his death, falls down before the Angel of Death like a beast before the slaughterer" (Grünhut, "Liḳḳuṭim", v. 102a). R. Samuel's father (c. 200) said: "The Angel of Death said to me, 'Only for the sake of the honor of mankind do I not tear off their necks as is done to slaughtered beasts'" ('Ab. Zarah 20b). In later representations, the knife sometimes replaces the sword, and reference is also made to the cord of the Angel of Death, which indicates death by throttling. Moses says to God: "I fear the cord of the Angel of Death" (Grünhut, l.c. v. 103a et seq.). Of the four Jewish methods of execution, three are named in connection with the Angel of Death: Burning (by pouring hot lead down the victim's throat), slaughtering (by beheading), and throttling. The Angel of Death administers the particular punishment that God has ordained for the commission of sin.

A peculiar mantle ("idra" – according to Levy, "Neuhebr. Wörterb." i. 32, a sword) belongs to the equipment of the Angel of Death (Eccl. R. iv. 7). The Angel of Death takes on the particular form which will best serve his purpose; e.g., he appears to a scholar in the form of a beggar imploring pity (the beggar should receive Tzedakah)(M. Ḳ. 28a). "When pestilence rages in the town, walk not in the middle of the street, because the Angel of Death [i.e., pestilence] strides there; if peace reigns in the town, walk not on the edges of the road. When pestilence rages in the town, go not alone to the synagogue, because there the Angel of Death stores his tools. If the dogs howl, the Angel of Death has entered the city; if they make sport, the prophet Elijah has come" (B. Ḳ. 60b). The "destroyer" (saṭan ha-mashḥit) in the daily prayer is the Angel of Death (Ber. 16b). Midr. Ma'ase Torah (compare Jellinek, "B. H." ii. 98) says: "There are six Angels of Death: Gabriel over kings; Ḳapẓiel over youths; Mashbir over animals; Mashḥit over children; Af and Ḥemah over man and beast."

Samael is considered in Talmudic texts to be a member of the heavenly host with often grim and destructive duties. One of Samael's greatest roles in Jewish lore is that of the main angel of death and the head of satans.

Talmud teachers of the 4th century associate quite familiarly with him. When he appeared to one on the street, the teacher reproached him with rushing upon him as upon a beast, whereupon the angel called upon him at his house. To another, he granted a respite of thirty days, that he might put his knowledge in order before entering the next world. To a third, he had no access, because he could not interrupt the study of the Talmud. To a fourth, he showed a rod of fire, whereby he is recognized as the Angel of Death (M. K. 28a). He often entered the house of Bibi and conversed with him (Ḥag. 4b). Often, he resorts to strategy in order to interrupt and seize his victim (B. M. 86a; Mak. 10a).

The death of Joshua ben Levi in particular is surrounded with a web of fable. When the time came for him to die and the Angel of Death appeared to him, he demanded to be shown his place in paradise. When the angel had consented to this, he demanded the angel's knife, that the angel might not frighten him by the way. This request also was granted him, and Joshua sprang with the knife over the wall of paradise; the angel, who is not allowed to enter paradise, caught hold of the end of his garment. Joshua swore that he would not come out, and God declared that he should not leave paradise unless he had ever absolved himself of an oath; he had never absolved himself of an oath so he was allowed to remain. The Angel of Death then demanded back his knife, but Joshua refused. At this point, a heavenly voice (bat ḳol) rang out: "Give him back the knife, because the children of men have need of it will bring death." Hesitant, Joshua Ben Levi gives back the knife in exchange for the Angel of Death's name. To never forget the name, he carved Troke into his arm, the Angel of Death's chosen name. When the knife was returned to the Angel, Joshua's carving of the name faded, and he forgot. (Ket. 77b; Jellinek, l.c. ii. 48–51; Bacher, l.c. i. 192 et seq.).

The Rabbis found the Angel of Death mentioned in Psalm 89:48, where the Targum translates: "There is no man who lives and, seeing the Angel of Death, can deliver his soul from his hand." Eccl. 8:4 is thus explained in Midrash Rabbah to the passage: "One may not escape the Angel of Death, nor say to him, 'Wait until I put my affairs in order,' or 'There is my son, my slave: take him in my stead.'" Where the Angel of Death appears, there is no remedy, but his name (Talmud, Ned. 49a; Hul. 7b). If one who has sinned has confessed his fault, the Angel of Death may not touch him (Midrash Tanhuma, ed. Buber, 139). God protects from the Angel of Death (Midrash Genesis Rabbah lxviii.).

By acts of benevolence, the anger of the Angel of Death is overcome; when one fails to perform such acts the Angel of Death will make his appearance (Derek Ereẓ Zuṭa, viii.). The Angel of Death receives his orders from God (Ber. 62b). As soon as he has received permission to destroy, however, he makes no distinction between good and bad (B. Ḳ. 60a). In the city of Luz, the Angel of Death has no power, and, when the aged inhabitants are ready to die, they go outside the city (Soṭah 46b; compare Sanh. 97a). A legend to the same effect existed in Ireland in the Middle Ages (Jew. Quart. Rev. vi. 336).

Death is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse portrayed in the Book of Revelation, in Revelation 6:7–8.

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

— 

He is also known as the Pale Horseman whose name is Thanatos, the same as that of the ancient Greek personification of death, and the only one of the horsemen to be named.

Paul addresses a personified death in 1 Corinthians 15:55.

"O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"

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In some versions, both arms of this verse are addressed to death.

The Christian scriptures contain the first known depiction of Abaddon as an individual entity instead of a place.

A king, the angel of the bottomless pit; whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon; in Latin Exterminans.

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In Hebrews 2:14 the devil "holds the power of death."

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

— 

Conversely, the early Christian writer Origen believed the destroying angel of Exodus 12:23 to be Satan. The Grim Reaper, is stated to be destroyed by the Lake of Fire that burns with sulfur.

Death and Hell were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death.

— 

The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

— 

In Islam, Archangel Azrael is the Malak al-Maut (angel of death). He and his many subordinates pull the souls out of the bodies, and guide them through the journey of the afterlife. Their appearance depends on the person's deed and actions, with those that did good seeing a beautiful being, and those that did wrong seeing a horrific monster.

Islamic tradition discusses elaborately as to what exactly happens before, during, and after the death. The angel of death appears to the dying to take out their souls. The sinners' souls are extracted in a most painful way while the righteous are treated easily. After the burial, two angels – Munkar and Nakir – come to question the dead in order to test their faith. The righteous believers answer correctly and live in peace and comfort while the sinners and disbelievers fail and punishments ensue. The time period or stage between death and resurrection is called barzakh (the interregnum).

Death is a significant event in Islamic life and theology. It is seen not as the termination of life, rather the continuation of life in another form. In Islamic belief, God has made this worldly life as a test and a preparation ground for the afterlife; and with death, this worldly life comes to an end. Thus, every person has only one chance to prepare themselves for the life to come where God will resurrect and judge every individual and will entitle them to rewards or punishment, based on their good or bad deeds. And death is seen as the gateway to and beginning of the afterlife. In Islamic belief, death is predetermined by God, and the exact time of a person's death is known only to God.

As is the case in many Romance languages (including French, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian), the Spanish word for death, muerte, is a feminine noun. As such, it is common in Spanish-speaking cultures to personify death as a female figure.

In Aztec mythology, Mictecacihuatl is the "Queen of Mictlan" (the Aztec underworld), ruling over the afterlife with her husband Mictlantecuhtli. Other epithets for her include "Lady of the Dead," as her role includes keeping watch over the bones of the dead. Mictecacihuatl was represented with a fleshless body and with jaw agape to swallow the stars during the day. She presided over the ancient festivals of the dead, which evolved from Aztec traditions into the modern Day of the Dead after synthesis with Spanish cultural traditions. Mictlāntēcutli, is the Aztec god of the dead and the king of Mictlan, depicted as a skeleton or a person wearing a toothy skull. He is one of the principal gods of the Aztecs and is the most prominent of several gods and goddesses of death and the underworld. His headdress was shown decorated with owl feathers and paper banners and he wore a necklace of human eyeballs, while his earspools were made from human bones. He was not the only Aztec god to be depicted in this fashion, as numerous other deities had skulls for heads or else wore clothing or decorations that incorporated bones and skulls. In the Aztec world, skeletal imagery was a symbol of fertility, health and abundance, alluding to the close symbolic links between life and death. There was also the goddess of suicide, Ixtab. She was a minor goddess in the scale of Maya mythology. She was also known as The Hangwoman as she came to help along those who had killed themselves.

Our Lady of the Holy Death (Santa Muerte) is a female deity or folk saint of Mexican folk religion, whose popularity has been growing in Mexico and the United States in recent years. Since the pre-Columbian era, Mexican culture has maintained a certain reverence towards death, as seen in the widespread commemoration of the Day of the Dead. La Calavera Catrina, a character symbolizing death, is also an icon of the Mexican Day of the Dead.

San La Muerte (Saint Death) is a skeletal folk saint venerated in Paraguay, northeast Argentina. As the result of internal migration in Argentina since the 1960s, the veneration of San La Muerte has been extended to Greater Buenos Aires and the national prison system as well. Saint Death is depicted as a male skeleton figure usually holding a scythe. Although the Catholic Church in Mexico has attacked the devotion of Saint Death as a tradition that mixes paganism with Christianity and is contrary to the Christian belief of Christ defeating death, many devotees consider the veneration of San La Muerte as being part of their Catholic faith. The rituals connected and powers ascribed to San La Muerte are very similar to those of Santa Muerte; the resemblance between their names, however, is coincidental.

In Guatemala, San Pascualito is a skeletal folk saint venerated as "King of the Graveyard." He is depicted as a skeletal figure with a scythe, sometimes wearing a cape and crown. He is associated with death and the curing of diseases.

In the African-Brazilian religion Umbanda, the orixá Omolu personifies sickness and death as well as healing. The image of the death is also associated with Exu, lord of the crossroads, who rules cemeteries and the hour of midnight.

In Haitian Vodou, the Gede are a family of spirits that embody death and fertility. The most well-known of these spirits is Baron Samedi.

Yama was introduced to Chinese mythology through Buddhism. In Chinese, he is known as King Yan or Yanluo, ruling the ten gods of the underworld Diyu. He is normally depicted wearing a Chinese judge's cap and traditional Chinese robes and appears on most forms of hell money offered in ancestor worship. From China, Yama spread to Japan as the Great King Enma; Korea as the Great King Yeomra, ruler of Jiok; and Vietnam as Diêm La Vương, ruler of Địa Ngục or Âm Phủ.

Separately, in Korean mythology, death's principal figure is the "Netherworld Emissary" Jeoseungsaja. He is depicted as a stern and ruthless bureaucrat in Yeomna's service. A psychopomp, he escorts all – good or evil – from the land of the living to the netherworld when the time comes. One of the representative names is Ganglim, the Saja who guides the soul to the entrance of the underworld. According to legend, he always carries Jeokpaeji, the list with the names of the dead written on a red cloth. When he calls the name on Jeokpaeji three times, the soul leaves the body and follows him inevitably.

The Kojiki relates that the Japanese goddess Izanami was burnt to death giving birth to the fire god Hinokagutsuchi. She then entered a realm of perpetual night called Yomi-no-Kuni. Her husband Izanagi pursued her there but discovered his wife was no longer as beautiful as before. After an argument, she promised she would take a thousand lives every day, becoming a goddess of death, as well as giving birth to the gods, Raijin and Fūjin, while dead. There are also death gods called shinigami, which are closer to the Western tradition of the Grim Reaper; while common in modern Japanese arts and fiction, they were essentially absent in traditional mythology.

The Sanskrit word for death is mrityu (cognate with Latin mors and Lithuanian mirtis), which is often personified in Dharmic religions.

In Hindu scriptures, the lord of death is called King Yama. He is also known as the King of Karmic Justice (Dharmaraja) as one's karma at death was considered to lead to a just rebirth. Yama rides a black buffalo and carries a rope lasso to lead the soul back to his home, called Naraka, pathalloka, or Yamaloka. There are many forms of reapers, although some say there is only one who disguises himself as a small child. His agents, the Yamadutas, carry souls back to Yamalok. There, all the accounts of a person's good and bad deeds are stored and maintained by Chitragupta. The balance of these deeds allows Yama to decide where the soul should reside in its next life, following the theory of reincarnation. Yama is also mentioned in the Mahabharata as a great philosopher and devotee of the Supreme Brahman.

The canaan of the 12th- and 13th-century BC Levant personified death as the god Mot ( "Death"). He was considered a son of the king of the gods, El. His contest with the storm god Baʿal forms part of the myth cycle from the Ugaritic texts. The Phoenicians also worshipped death under the name Mot and a version of Mot later became Maweth, the devil or angel of death in Judaism.

Latvians named Death Veļu māte, but for Lithuanians it was Giltinė, deriving from the word gelti ("to sting"). Giltinė was viewed as an old, ugly woman with a long blue nose and a deadly poisonous tongue. The legend tells that Giltinė was young, pretty, and communicative until she was trapped in a coffin for seven years. Her sister was the goddess of life and destiny, Laima, symbolizing the relationship between beginning and end.

Like the Scandinavians, Lithuanians and Latvians later began using Grim Reaper imagery for death.

In Breton folklore, a spectral figure called the Ankou (or Angau in Welsh) portends death. Usually, the Ankou is the spirit of the last person that died within the community and appears as a tall, haggard figure with a wide hat and long white hair or a skeleton with a revolving head. The Ankou drives a deathly wagon or cart with a creaking axle. The cart or wagon is piled high with corpses and a stop at a cabin means instant death for those inside.

[thecraftwitchrachel]

Image Credit: Duchess of Lore

Marzanna or Morana was a Slavic goddess portrayed as a figure representing death, winter, and disease. The figure is braided from straw into the shape of a human and dressed in traditional local women's clothing. The tradition started by burning the straw doll and drowned it in the river afterward.

Personal Practice:

Once learning about the Drowning of Marzanna in Poland, I had an instinct of feeling how disrespectful that practice was, and I felt very connected to the duality of her spirit and always loved winter and felt more as peace during the cold.

I changed up the purpose of the drowning to my personal practice to be more of a ritual of letting Marzanna know that her work has been completed and she can rest. So I make her a cup of sleepy time tea and offering of dead plants. Then in the Autumn, I 'wake her up' with coffee to let her know that the world needs her attention.

I found her based on how she looks. I did a YouTube mediation to find your inner witch and I visualized walking down stairs into the woods and there stood a pretty but mysterious woman with dark straight hair in the woods. I later read that Marzanna and Baba Yaga could be connection through the Mother, Maidan, Crone archetype and the two represent similar powers.

[lottieurl]

gonna interpret the likes as curiosity about the name SO! her name is marzanna. now for those unaware marzanna in polish is the name of a slavic goddess of... death. there was a legend in which her death brings spring and there's a tradition of drowning a marzanna doll (basically a straw puppet) to chase away winter. i remember at the very start of primary school going to a lake with one of those dolls, other kids and our teacher and putting it in the water. so you might be wondering okay what the fuck why would you name your dog that. and well! my dog was adopted from an animal shelter on the first day of spring and the woman working in the shelter was like you should call her marzanna. so she's been marzanna (or marzka usually) ever since. and you all actually needed to know this lore to appreciate how funny i'm being in the tag:

(she succumbed to nominative determinism)

who wants to know what my dog's name is

[guardsbian]

Seekers: Part 1

Two Gaoler Seekers stationed in the Wasteland begin their day. (Written as in-canon human/“beastly” forms.)

As Lumina comes to, she can feel the lips meeting her cheek softening into a smile. She keeps her eyes shut as she holds back a smile of her own, but the calloused hand moving the hair out of her face isn't helping the facade. 

"Luminita... Luminiiita..."

The hand is nearing her jaw, and those lips are nearing her ear. She can't believe that she feels almost herself blushing at something that small. It's been years by now, after all. 

"It's morning, Luminita..."

The Gaoler rolls over to face her partner, smile in full form. Marzanna has their own sort of sleepy charm at the moment, but they don't look nearly as tired as Lumina imagines she does, late as it must actually be. The shifting of the clouds makes the sun beat against the outside of their tent like rain, and those moments of translucence that the brilliant, late-morning sunlight grants the fabric is more than enough to make Lumina grateful for the night's long-gone cover. And, more than enough to embarrass her when Marz pulls their bodies together, still smiling into their kisses. The Scarred Wasteland possesses none of the supervisors or higher-ranking uppities that once so loved to separate training Seekers- but there's an impulsive fear present that makes Lumina quietly laugh and wrap a leg around Marz anyways. Pity she's such a terrible listener, so rebellious, so feeling, they'd say, because she's awfully skilled at what she does.

But, for a few moments, Lumina can't think about much of anything as Marz works on her neck. They're not quite smiling anymore, but she can't imagine it'd be easy to keep up. Still smiling herself, though, she brushes her fingers through her partner's messy, morning hair as the words discreetly escape her mouth. "How long have you been awake, hm?"

"Since sunrise," they mutter with that smile, still playful, as they break their affection. Nestling their chin on Lumina's chest, their arms weave their way around the larger Gaoler's hips. Adoring red eyes gaze into their lover's gentle yellow, and Marz knows, if they were draconic at that very moment, there'd be little to stop themself from purring. Not as long as those fingers grace their hair.

"Sunrise?" Lumina weakly whispers, almost with genuine surprise. "You let me sleep so long, love. I thought you'd just overslept too." She laughs again, louder and freely, and can't see Marz's pure ecstasy at the expression. It's a true shame, though, because she'd have loved to. Regardless, her voice still carries ambrosial remnants of that laughter as she continues on. "Oh, well, you do always scold me for doing the same." Her thumb brushes against Marz's cheek, and she has to restrain another laugh as she can just about feel Marz melting into that touch. "So I'd say we're even now."

They stay like that for far longer than either would like to admit. But they've no targets here, no clues. They have time. To sleep in, to stay put, to admire how that wavering sunlight frames the other's features so impeccably, tempting their lips and tempting their hands. It's Lumina who breaks the stasis, though, speaking up again. "Have you checked the traps?"

Marz pauses, as if recalling the greater world. "I- no, not yet. I know you like the walk there. And, even if we've lost breakfast that way, we still have food in store."

"I think we should go check, then. We'll gather what we can, have our late breakfast- and then get to work. I doubt we'll move camp today, but we could always start packing up." She shifts a little, debating whether to so swiftly push her partner away. "Wouldn't hurt."

Marz answers with action, quietly unfurling their arms and propping themself up. Lumina has to stretch a little more, but finds herself in the same position soon. They don't talk as they put on their armor or slip on their boots, and, just as well, leave the tent with that same silence. The clouds are more sparse now, and the wind which fueled them is hot and suffocating once one is the midst of it. Lumina simply pulls the collar of her jacket in front of her nose and mouth, a few muffled coughs escaping, as Marz tolerates it. But, once they properly adjust the hatchet at their hip, they silently reach out a calloused hand to their lover.

Just as well, Lumina takes it with the same silence.

[abi-sain]

Marzanna

Marzanna is the Grand Prince of Nightmares and a Subordinate of Marowit. His domain within the Dreamlands is a blighted wasteland, where all fear, doubt, and darkness reside. Contrary to his position and domain, Marzanna is actually a kind and benevolent ruler, as opposed to his hedonistic sister Marena.

[balkanradfem]

The closest thing to Easter I can think of would be burning/drowning the effigy of Marzanna. It symbolises winter leaving and welcoming spring ie. rebirth of nature. There isn't really a direct link to any stereotypical Easter traditions I don't think (I never heard of bonfires being a thing for Easter, it's definitely something I'll look into as there might be a link between the traditions there).

I did a bit of research on easter eggs a few years back (I say research, it was just intensive googling) hoping to find something about holidays predating Easter (in slavic countries). Sadly, haven't had much luck. Every site says they originate from pagan practices with no additional info.

I tried collecting as many rebirth/spring equinox slavic celebrations/traditions in hopes I could somehow connect them. Sadly, not much luck here either. It's like every other tradition somewhat correlates apart from spring traditions.

I do wonder if the burning of Marzanna and the burning of Pust are related. They aren't celebrated at such close dates, but the tradition and symbolism is very similar, though I suppose the dates today are probably a bit different than how they used to be - especially since I believe neither of these had a fixed date in the past. But I still don't know how easter eggs fit into this (and slavic easter egg traditions feel far to elaborate to be a variation of something imported from another culture, so I definitely agree with those articles about it being a pre-christian thing).

Some sources list Vesna (at least in Croatia) as a spring counterpart to the winter Morana/Marzanna. My guess would be that easter egg and related traditions were performed after the burning of Marzanna as a celebration of the coming spring. (But then here it also gets confusing because the celebration of st. George is also said to celebrate the coming of a spring god, expect here it's not Vesna, which I would say is just different slavic cultures having variations of gods, but st. George celebrations are also of big importance in Croatia - but I'll stop now or I'll be writting about this all day).

Tl;dr I don't know any specific holiday that correlates to Easter in this areas, but there might be some related traditions

And about Easter practices in the place where I live: just colouring Easter eggs, eating traditional food and going to church

Sorry for going on a bit of a tangent (especially if this is stuff you already know). Prechristian slavic traditions are just something I'm really interested in. It's a shame we don't know more about them.

Hey that's some really interesting lore, thank you so much! I was also researching easter eggs today by the method of googling obsessively, but I find different info on every source; croatian wikipedia says they came from iranian spring holiday, Norvuz, I check on the english wiki, and it says the oldest colored eggs were found in Africa, and additionally that it was started as a nobility thing, they were seen as a luxury for nobles to gift to each others at parties.

So I feel like maybe colored eggs were around in multiple cultures and christianity just decided to appropriate all of it for their own causes?

I love both Vesna and Morana as slavic goddesses and I'm so excited to hear someone else speak of them! I'm also very interested in prechirstian slavic traditions and would love to revive them, even in small measures. We had more traditions, like Flower day, when we started the day washing our faces in water filled with flowers, mostly violets, and we'd say good wishes during the washing! Christians also tried to spin it as a 'jesus torture related tradition' and I haven't seen it done in recent years at all.

We also carried a little olive branch to the church to get it blessed to bless our homes with it, and it was used as a protection against storm and bad weather. I wonder what the origin of that was!

If you find out more please let me know! Traditional celebrations make so much more sense to me and I feel that building new culture on that foundation would be very valuable for a meaningful life.

[conoscenze]

mute:

In Japanese folklore, Gashadokuro, also known as Odokuro, are giant skeletons, fifteen times taller than an average person, and are constructed from the bones of people who have died from starvation. Their bones are collected into this giant skeleton creature which is filled with intense anger and a thirst for human blood. He wanders around at night, grinding his teeth and making a “gachi gachi” sound. The giant skeleton towers so high above the ground and walks so quietly that he can be almost invisible. The only warning you get when the giant skeleton is near is a strange and inexplicable ringing in your ears.

If the Gashadokuro finds you, he will reach down with his bony hand and snatch you off the ground. Then he will pluck your head off and suck the blood out of your headless body until his thirst is quenched.

[slavicafire]

Does Death wear white in Slavic folklore? I read somewhere that she does, but I'm not sure if I believe that so I figured I'd ask you

to be fully honest, "Death" as a figure in slavic folklore is not concise or even popular enough to have any universal lore -- the beliefs in what exactly happens when you die and what or who comes for you have changed many times throughout centuries and groups.

often, Death just wasn't really accounted for -- the beings that caused it, yes, and all the rituals and journeys happening as and after you die, but oftentimes there was no personification of Death itself.

sometimes, the Death would be Marzanna -- and she could appear in a variety of ways that we have, unfortunately, few accounts of. she could have skeletal elements or white robes, yes, but that was not universal throughout slavic folklore either. her association with winter would bring in the white element, too, but then again we can ask ourselves if we should even call Marzanna "Death" as such.

then, as the Christianity moulded itself with the bits of old beliefs, you could have the typical imagery of Death in black. you could have angels coming, too, and they would appear in white. then the entire vanitas imagery started seeping into the folklore as well, producing dark and heavy imagery with a lot of black, red, skulls and dying flowers.

but it is a common and quite lore-correct association: white and death.

first, the many spirits and undead beings from Slavic folklore would often wear white -- as they were created from, for example, young girls who died tragically or women who died in labour, and both these groups were very likely to wear white at the time of their death. the garments you'd wear under the everyday clothes would be white or off-white as well, and many spirits would still be wearing their nightgowns or shirts as they haunted the living.

then, all the funerary customs: the shroud you'd be wrapped in would most likely be white, and the sheets used to cover the windows or mirrors around the time of your death would be white as well. and of course, the very bones that would be later uncovered (should one not be burned) were whitish, and that stark contrast would be associated with corpses and death.

and then, again, for many Eastern cultures white itself was (and is) the colour of mourning -- and we do have some reasons to believe it might have been the case for old Slavs as well, thus making this death-white connection stronger.

white is a powerful colour in folk beliefs -- so many magically and fundamentally crucial things are white, after all: the skies, snow, milk and semen, salt, smoke.

so yes, there might be absolutely some slavic tales and bits of beliefs that would imagine /Death/ as wearing white, but the figure itself is not consistent enough (or we don't have enough accounts) to sum it up with this statement as a whole.

[dualcastimpact]

It's probably funnier to me because it's nearly midnight and I'm exhausted but like. I have three (3) characters who are exclusively MNKs. They don't have any other jobs, just lorewise they're all some variant of CQC fighter — Marzanna is the "can incapacitate you with one strategic hit to a pressure point" martial artist type, Niko is the pugilist brawler type, and Bos was modeled after the Landlady from Kung Fu Hustle — so mechanically they're all MNKs in different lore flavours.

This sets them apart from the three (3) RDMs in my cast of characters — Raginmar, Lunamara and Valeria — who have jobs other than RDM; Raginmar is primarily an RDM and is the most skilled at it compared to the other two, since RDM is a secondary or even tertiary job for them.

Anyway, I'm rambling — my point here is that I have three (3) MNK characters and not a single one of them can wear the Common Makai Manhandler's Jerkin because none of them fit the aesthetic. I was trying it on Kirika and thought it looked really cute on her, so I thought about getting it for my actual MNK characters but alas! None of them suit the top! Marzanna is way too buff for that sleek overcoat look and she's the more elegant type anyway. Niko's the outgoing sporty type so outfits like the Diadochos and Vanguard striking sets suit her the best. Bos... I haven't nailed down her style yet, but it's DEFINITELY not the jerkin.

And that struck me as kinda funny because how can I have three (3) separate MNK characters and yet not a single one of them have that cool goth(?) aesthetic! Hell, I don't think I have ANY goths in my roster! Is that something I need? Do I need to change that? I was thinking about the dark eye makeup and lips I saw on someone from the leveling roulette and I thought they were really beautiful but I racked my brain and not a single character I have would suit that look! Why! Why do I not have any goths in my roster!

I'm... gonna go to sleep now.

[jadedragons]

value me and quiet me :3c

I decided to make this as gay as possible

Value Me

It was days like this, days where the secrets and the past suffocated her too much to breath. It was days like this where sleep was smoke and the breeze, slipping away between her claws. It was days like this where she rolled over, and just looked.

“You don’t know what you mean to me,” Azami breathed down at Yannis’ sleeping face. “You don’t know how beautiful you are, how just your face can keep me going, how just your laugh battles my monsters more fiercely than I could ever dream of. How knowing I have your love in return...”

Words did not come to her then, just like the sleep and the smoke and the breeze. She clenched her jaw, slowly, painfully, for if she could do nothing else right, should she not be able to do this?

A hand was on her arm, then, and beautiful eyes stared right up into hers. “You don’t know what you mean to me,” Yannis said.

Quiet Me

Mahli’s fist slid off Marzanna’s shoulder like water rushing over rock. She barely felt it, as worry had clenched her heart in a death grip, squeezing every other feeling from her body.

“Mahli,” Marzanna gasped, and her voice shook. “My love, wake up.”

Mahli’s breath was shallow and rasping and she thrashed in her sleep. Her red eyes snapped open and desperately, she stared into Marzanna’s eyes.

“Marzanna,” she choked out. “Can’t...breathe.”

It hadn’t been this bad. Not in almost longer than Marzanna could remember. She was used to seeing Mahli’s pain, but this... this --

She grasped Mahli’s hand and squeezed it tight. She brought it to her chest and clutched it there like it was life itself. “Breathe with me,” she ordered, and pretended not to hear the quiver in her own voice.

For a moment, she thought Mahli wouldn’t. For a moment, Marzanna thought she couldn’t. And then, Mahli’s hand flexed weakly against her and her love breathed.

Later, when Marzanna was curled up by Mahli’s side and Mahli couldn’t look her in the eye as she tried to thank her, Marzanna refused her gratitude and sealed Mahli’s mouth with a kiss.

[camelliagwerm]

some notes on valerius’ family:

house dragavei are a noble family who have held titles since before the whispering tyrant’s reign and became one of the prominent political players after it became the immortal principality of ustalav.

like other ustalavic families, the sorcererous bloodline that flows through the veins of house dragavei stemmed from the shining crusades. one particular ancestor seeked to strengthen the bloodline, and thus began the practice of mating with vampires. it was around the same time that the family slipped away from worshipping pharasma and instead chose to pray to the pallid princess and became a matriarchal family to emulate her clerical structure.  they also began to consider any dhampir children to be a blessing from their goddess.

house dragavei are known for their hedonism and excess; after all, urgathoa requires of her followers to enjoy the taste of exquisite dishes, the touch of a lover’s caress. they host large, hedonistic parties at their homes in caliphas’ laurelight district, and are shown favour by countess carmilla caliphvaso, who is currently scheming to place her nephew on the throne.

they claim that there is a curse upon the family where the mortal partners in house dragavei are prone to dying. those well-versed in religious lore note that these deaths often happen in such a way that are similar to rituals described in urgathoa’s unholy texts.

the current head of the house is countess rozalia dragavei; she is a dhampir herself, boasting a sacred-born ancestry and patronage from urgathoa as a witch.  she has taken two mates since becoming the head of the house. a moroi vampire, casamir tudorescu, who has been her lover for nearly five decades; and a human husband, laurentin, who passed away in the as noted circumstances.

from laurentin, rozalia had two daughters: marzanna (currently twenty-nine) and levia (twenty-five). from casamir, she has a single son, valerius (currently thirty-five). marzanna is the heir, though not undisputed if levia proves to be the more powerful sorceress out of rozalia’s two daughters. valerius is not in line to inherit, despite being the eldest, as a member of the urgathoan clergy.

[muns-fr]

Lair review for @Safarirising

@safrising

Marzanna

I LOVE her. I really like her outfit, and how it makes her look more royal.

I really want to know more about what her work is like, because it must be hard digging stuff out of ice, or does she just search for digging sites? From ehat I can see in her bio and on her outfir, I imagine she's a very fancy, but practical person.

Lore

His quote reminded me of jack sparrow somehow, like, “Nobody move! I think I dropped my scrolls brain somewhere here!” I love that lol! I also really like how his genes look with his outfit (He makes clown POP!)

I feel like he tries to be organized but he mostly fails.

Cosmos

She looks AMAZING. I really like how her accent fades into her wings and that the glitter in her apparel is nearly the same as on her accent! Also what does she actually do for the shadowbinder? Like is she a spy or what? I would love to know!

Valentin

I just couldn't not notice thuis bright ball of pink! His whole outfir makes him look like an badass dork! Lorewise I feel like even though he's a battlemage, he's a pacefist that hates fighting and would rather avoid it.

Sorrow

That is one of the most depressing dragons I have seen. Like wow, I fell bad for him. He needs friends, please give him some friends. On a sidenote I relly like his outfit. He looks like a victorian era gentleman mixed with an classy undertaker!!

Tunturi

Her outfit is amazing and I love her colours! I never thought chocolate could look this good (bc I tend to avoid xyy’s) Her lore is very interesting, but I have to ask, wasn't she sad to have ended her relationship with Routa? Or was she more happy that she could now step in as a official leader?

BONUS:

Unnamed Spiral

What’s there not to love about this kid? He’s pink, he’s shiny and he has faceted eyes!!! (My favourite type!!) 

I saw that he is now the seer of the Arcanist and I just want to ask what that means lore-wise for him because I am interested.

Overall:

This page is a lovable mess of every kind of dragon. I love that almost all of them have either made lore or lore snippets in their bio. And also the fact that their outfits show what kind of dragons they are.

[airris-fr]

What is dreampeak and the hellfire inn? I haven't heard of your lore before and they sound interesting :o

The Dreampeak: The general name of floating city! It is perched upon floating arcane rocks and is honestly pretty sketchy despite its name. It is a trading hub and general gathering point. The closest aesthetic I can think to attribute to it is Vampyr!

The Empire: The Empire, run by Empress Marzanna, is the government of the Dreampeak. It’s honestly a bit of a mess of political intrigue right now due to Marzanna’s coronation and a complete lack of respect from the general populace.

The Underside: Shady, shady!! If you’re looking for stuff that you shouldn’t be, it’s the place to go. It’s literally the underside of the island, haha. When standing on the ground below (in the forest), gazing up at the Dreampeak, it mimics the stars with its fires. In the day time it’s just a mess of scaffolding and smoke, to be honest.

The Forest: The ground below the Dreampeak is heavily affected by the magic from the floating arcane rocks. Things lurk there. It’s not safe. Do not go into the forest.

The Hellbender Inn: Owned by Symund and run by Oren, the barkeep, The Hellbender Inn is a cozy little place with fireplaces and furs aplenty. Need a room? A drink? Some information? Hang around and someone will surely come by with what you need. It is a frequent haunt for information brokers and mercs.

The Rusted Crown: Underground fight club!! Brothel!! Loud! Run by Astraeus. Its name suits it. Lots of dragons waste their lives away down there. You should probably leave while you still can… but his voice is so catching, isn’t it?

[guardsbian]

Seekers: Part 2

(< Part 1) Two Gaoler Seekers stationed in the Wasteland begin their day. (Written as in-canon human/“beastly” forms.)

Marz leads the way, having placed the traps initially. It's just practice on a small scale, after all. Best tracker among the training Seekers of that age group, they said; an invaluable skill that had Marz selected for their assignments early. All that they'd needed was someone beside them, with the mastery of magic which Marz lacked. They hadn't known what to make of the Light Gaoler they'd been partnered up with initially, other than that she'd been known as something of an unruly sort, and that she made the tracker's heart race something awful.

She still does, and she's far too skilled at it.

But, for now, she follows Marz, hand in hand, swinging their united grips with her usual playfulness. Once they slow down, it doesn't take long for Marz to pull their lover's hand close, kiss it, and let it go with a palpable reluctance. "The first is just by the brambles. I'll set it up again- as long as you watch my back, Luminita."

Lumina chuckles out an "of course," and stands watch as Marz bends down to fix the clearly empty and, unfortunately, broken snare. But, with the cord they've kept right beside their hatchet, they get to work fixing it. They peek back for a moment. "Something stepped on it, instead of through it- probably some Mirror, honestly. Just... Give me a second..."

"Take your time, today's not looking too productive anyways. Might as well revel in it," Lumina offers. Of course, the wind isn't exactly inviting to stand around in, but it's nothing new. She stands, arms crossed, glancing down at Marz occasionally, and bites her lip behind her jacket's masking collar. Marz grunts under their breath as something snaps. The Light Gaoler still keeps watch, but speaks up again. "Uh, Marz, this really is out of nowhere, but I've been thinking... Are we mates? I know we're... together, however you'd want to put that, but-"

"Mates?"

"-Yeah, mates. As in, if... If we ever had to stop being Seekers, if they told us we had to stay at the Fortress of Ends for good, could we honestly tell them we're in this for life?"

Marz stops fixing the snare, just fumbling with the compenents instead. It's not as if Lumina's looking. "Lots of dragons call themselves 'mates' just to bunk together. They're barely ever in love-"

"I'm in love with you."

"-Or can barely even trust each other-"

"I trust you with my life."

"I would hope you do," Marz turns to say, an odd sharpness to their voice. "We're assigned to each other- the bare minimum would be trusting each other like that. But mates... They're more than that, you know?"

"I..." she sighs. "No, I don't know. That's why I asked. I just want to know where we are."

Marz stays still for a moment, before picking up their cord and rising. "This is a bad spot for this. Too much traffic."

Even with half of her face covered, Marz can read Lumina's (in all honesty, expected) lack of a smile. They awkwardly reattach the cord at their hip. "The snare, I mean." The wind dies down for a moment, letting the heat sink in. "The next one shouldn't be too far."

"Well," Lumina begins, half sighing, before grabbing Marz's hand herself (good sign, Marz thinks, good sign), "You know the way."

The grip is tighter this time, albeit less active. They're looking at the path below their worn boots, even if there's nothing to see, the smashed bones and fleshy lichen coating the ground being perfectly ordinary. It takes too long without anything from Lumina- no small talk, no accidental laughter, no humming- for Marz to speak up. "It just doesn't seem all that important to me. Not when other dragons just waste the title of... mate..." Their hand slips free of Lumina's grasp and finds its way to her lower back. "What does it matter, if we're just out here? You know I love you." Their pace slows now, Marz clearly forgetting their lead. "I don't think we need some label to show that."

"Maybe not," she says. "But I still want to know where we are." Her armor makes it difficult to feel the movement of Marz's hand behind her, but it's enough to sense her partner's slight trepidation. Still, she doesn't falter as she slides her own arm over Marz's shoulder. "I'm content with how we are, though, no matter what you want to call it. I just want to know for certain whether it'll last." Marz's anxious brow doesn't reveal anything very clear, but it's nothing to stop Lumina. "So... It's alright if you don't know what to say. I'm not happy about it, really, but I'm not going to rush you."

Marz finally slows to a halt, standing quietly as Lumina looks back. "...Thanks." The slight squint to Lumina's eyes reveals a small, hidden smile, but it's more than enough to inspire some action in the Plague Gaoler, as they move into the inviting crook of Lumina's arm and usher her along with that open palm on her back. "I, uh, guess we still need breakfast, then. There's just a few more traps to visit. Let's hope they're more successful, eh?"

This time, Lumina is the one to respond with a silent acceptance, trying to read whatever she can on her partner's face. It's a task far easier said than done, and, unfortunately, Lumina knows that all too well. Perhaps Marz will take what she said to heart, though, and consider it in time for another discussion about the matter. 

She can't help but think about it, though. Mates. It really was such a loaded thing to say, but it wasn't like it would ever come up organically. Though, it was certainly something Lumina had begun to think about organically. 

It was always certain mornings, when Marz carried that sort of lingering affection, and made Lumina long for that attention for the rest of her life. She's no stranger to getting lovesick, but it really is just Marz doing that to her. The stoic and work-minded Gaoler softening up to her is enough to make her ascend, knowing she's been the catalyst in her love's life- but it always feels like an affair to be in love with Marz, like she's betraying some trusted power by letting the Gaoler be vulnerable. No matter how it feels, though, Lumina knows she can't bear to lose what they have. And, perhaps, that's why it matters so much.

Not that Marz has heard any of that- nor might they anytime soon, Lumina realizes, almost painfully, so it's a bit much to expect them to understand. Oh well.

Lumina quietly hums to fill their trek's silence, boots crunching along that graveyard of a ground, wind gradually picking up, Marz securing a grip on their lover's waist. She almost swears she can hear them whisper, under their breath, and hidden by the wind, "You know I love you." But, perhaps, it's just a soft refrain echoing in her mind. 

Either way, she's hoping the next traps are farther away than Marz has let on.