#powerful casters are usually a threat

[astaroth1357]

Devildom "Marriage/Proposal"

Again. Probably not too Christian-coded in Hell.

Contents: Satanic themes, possessive behavior mentioned

~♡♡♡~

First off, there's a big difference between a demon bonding with another demon vs. binding to a human. There's a lot more equal ground in the former, but the power dynamics are inherently different in the latter.

Traditionally, a demon "marrying" a human is usually used as the highest form of reward to an incredibly loyal follower. It's basically a way for a demon to point them out and make it clear, "This one is my favorite!"

Demons binding themselves to humans out a genuine connection is not unheard of, of course, but it's frightfully rare. Only handful may every do this at a time and not even Solomon has managed to pull it off despite the number of pacts under his belt.

It's this rare because to reform the new pact, the demon has to give up their grimoire (the books that more or less act as substitute for a demon's heart and soul) to their partner. It's like handing away the essence of their very being to another.

When demons bind with each other, the grimoire exchange is mutual. However, since humans don't have grimoire, binding to a human is seen as an act of extreme sacrifice and humility on the demon's part. It's truly the only kind of pact they have where the risks lie mostly with them.

Possessing a demon's grimoire is like literally owning the blueprint to their bodies. All of their powers, history, thoughts, and fears are detailed out within them. Every single weakness or spell to control them hides inside as well...

Because of this, demons take this decision very, VERY seriously. If your relationship falls apart, you don't want something that important left in the hands of your ex. A vast majority of demons never even show their grimoires, much less give them away.

A demon will only ever have one grimoire to share, so they can only ever be bound to one individual at a time. A human can technically be bound to multiple demons and having a binding pact does not erase lesser pacts, but again, it would be rare.

When an individual is in possession of a demon's grimoire, they will always be able to materialize it with just a slight flick of the wrist. Having it on their person will also be enough for them to summon the owner at will, barely a whisper necessary.

A demon will already show up stronger than usual if they're summoned by their grimoire, but using any added enchantments inside will only increase their power tenfold. A good caster can turn their partner into supercharged war machine with minimal effort.

There's a certain oneness between the pair that comes from binding that goes far beyond your average pact. The demon and their partner get the heightened ability to "read" each other. It's not full on telepathy, but they gain a preternatural sense for just how the other is feeling. An entire conversation can be held in the span of seconds with merely few glances and a shrug between them.

Demons are also EXTREMELY protective of their bound partners, which kind of makes sense considering what they're carrying around. They're not very good at hiding it either. We're talking full fangs out and deep, guttural growls at even the most minor of threats.

The offer of the grimoire is technically seen as the "proposal" and acceptance commences the "marriage." It's a big deal with when high-ranking demons decide to do this, so it's often celebrated by a public wedding ceremony.

The Grimores

Lucifer's grimoire has a real gothic flare to it. The whole thing is jet black leather with blood red rubies fixed to the spine and fine layer of gold leaf pressed into the corners. No matter where it's being kept, cover will always feel a bit cold to the touch... The pages are thick and textured, with every word inside written inside done in a careful, nearly mechanical hand. Perfectly legible. Technically flawless. Though certain pages are written with some hesitation, particularly the ones that go over his past...

Mammon's grimoire is, arguably, the most beautiful of the bunch. It's snow white with brilliant gold accents on the spine and along the edges. His personal sigil, painted in shimmering light, takes up most of the front cover and mesmerizes any eye that catches its shine. It's a little on the slim side, though, due in part to how thin pages are inside. Reading it can be a bit messy because the caster can always see whatever words have been scrawled out on the back of the page...

Leviathan's grimoire looks like something straight out of a sunken treasure chest. The brownish-violet leather used to bind it feels real, and it is, though it couldn't have come from any mortal creature on land. The edges are worn down and cracking from neglect, giving the whole thing a certain fragility over the rest... The pages are yellowed and hard from water damaged, yet the words inside still survive... even if parts of them are a tad smudged.

Satan's grimoire could probably pass for 18th century notebook. It too is leather bound, but it doesn’t have the same flare as his older brothers'. If anything, it has a very DIY feel to it, where the cover has a little glue in places it shouldn't and the rough-feeling pages don't all fit quite right. It feels more like a field journal than a demonic tome, perhaps adding to the distinct aura of rebellion radiating off of it... The script inside seems to change from page to page with some part written neatly and other parts apparently scrawled out in a rage. Legibility may vary.

Asmodeus' grimoire looks more like a decorative art piece than a book at times... The wine red cover is smooth and shiny with polished gems affixed like a spider's web on the front. Asmo's grimore is unique in that it is the only one that comes with a lock on it, one that can only be lifted by a spell only he knows. The penmanship inside is naturally beautiful, though sometimes the added flare of loops and flourishes gets in the way keeping everything readable.

Beelzebub's grimoire is deceptively simple looking compared to the others. It looks like your standard leather-bound book and aside from its surprising thickness, not much stands out about it. Even the engraving of his sigil on the cover doesn't have any extra color or shadow to it. But when it's open, the most gorgeous words lie inside as if penned by a master calligrapher. Every bit of space is used appropriately and each letter is clean, clear, and fluidly handled. It's not only legible, it's breathtaking and obviously done with a lot of time and care.

Belphegor's grimoire looks like a void in the space around it. It goes beyond the jet black of Lucifer's cover to an almost true black from cover to pages. You wouldn't even know that it's made of leather unless you felt it because it reflects no light and it betrays no design. Running a hand across it, though, does reveal the ridges of Belphie's sigil craved into the front and back cover. The black pages all have words are written in a bright, silvery, and iridescent ink. Parts of the pages also look seem to contain spilled stardust ready to fly off into the air. The penmanship is a little simple, compared to the rest, but nothing that can't be skimmed at a glance if need be.

Diavolo's grimoire could kill a man from its weight alone. The book is far too big for any shelf and thick with heavily textured, papyrus-like paper. No matter who has it, it will always feel as if a supernatural force is trying to pull it from their hands... Seeing much past its burgundy, black, and gold cover is more or less impossible but what's there truly befits royalty. Every aspect of the design is flawless, with polished onyx as black as night embedded in the spine and ancient symbols peppered between golden spindle-like filigree. One can only imagine what exactly is so forbidden on the inside though...

Barbatos' (true) grimoire is an honest to god mystery... No one has ever seen it and Solomon theorizes that he keeps it in a particularly empty timeline. If asked what it looks like, Barbatos will share that it's simply "a green book," but not elaborate much farther before changing the subject... One has to assume, though, it's probably as thick as a tree trunk with all the history within those pages and for the cover...? He's had all of the time in the world to make it something truly special.

[gothtransandroid]

Contemplating: Lich Plundering and Sundering

A lich is rather difficult to deal with for the average scholar, more or less a seasoned group of powerful adventurers, but with patience and planning a lich can be managed as either a renewable source of academic knowledge lost to time or at the very least a burst of collected knowledge depending on how the matter is handled.

First, all liches are likely evil due to the dramatic level of sacrifice required to defy death to such a near infinite degree so the removal of a lich, no matter how congenial they seem to be, is rarely a social sin. The rare exception would be something like a divine revenant, kept by a god for their chores but such a creature will radiate its power as being much more than necrotic and its influence would be known instantly by anyone well educated enough in arcane matters.

From here we can discuss plundering methods. The first and most straightforward is waiting for someone else to do the job and kill the lich. Now if they only kill the vessel then this goves you a window of short order to enter the sanctum of the lich, pick over their academics and then escape before its corpse reforms by wherever the lich stored its phylactery. On average this process usually takes a day, giving what one would think is ample time to go over the knowledge, but traps and other such magical protections are likely still in place as the lich expects to return to the sanctum once enough force can be mustered to deal with said adventurers or other threats.

Now if the lich is destroyed, phylactery and all, then many of the safeguards around the lich's libraries might implode and deny their use spitefully to any tomb thieves. If this is the case then there are likely some explorable exploits in the structures the lich would use to hide more complex traps, either collapsing or exploding the space with ease. If you can manage to find these backrooms and disable their traps then when the lich is dealt with then what horde of information you can manage to locate beforehand.

From here the only practical dangers are within the knowledge themselves, such as spells with hidden code that when used within the spell can backfire or corrupt the spell, causing irreparable harm to the caster. Always take time and care when dealing with someone's works that were made with all the time and care of an immortal scholar.

The only other concern to be had is the denatured necromancy the is prevalent in lich-work. Any necromancy from a lich will be coated across their work like a miasma, sometimes as a detriment to the lich themselves. Without proper academic knowledge in necromancy and how it rests without a living or dead focus for the works, the ambient magic left behind can infect a scholar and slowly convert them into a lesser undead with enough time. Best practice is to have a clergyman of the god of death to purify the documents but a more suspicious and untrusting academic can learn necromancy and bring a gravesoil golem to funnel and absorb the loose necromantic essence off the untreated documents.

[lunarsilkscreen]

The unexpected link between FF8 and FF9

I don't know if this is because eight and nine were developed simultaneously, or its just sheer coincidence; but they share an incredibly specific premise.

A group of magical blooded orphans' home is destroyed. Leaving a very small amount of their race left in the world.

If you're familiar with the Sorcerer class from D&D, then you know that this archetype gets their power from their bloodline. Usually from being connected to divinity or some magical beast; Dragons, Demons, or Gods.

In the world of Final Fantasy, that is effectively what a Summoner is. However; there are two types of Summoners. Those who are linked in some way to the beings they are summoning, and those who aren't.

Tho, there are often themes in both games about how one can eventually be corrupted and become a magical chimera hellbent on power.

*coughcoughTheNorgcoughQueenBrahncoughcough*

Those who are linked to the Summons they make pacts with in FF8 and FF9, the Summoner clan, of which Eiko and Garnet are both a part of. And the orphans at Balamb Garden, including Irvine and Selphie from Galbadia and Trabia respectively.

And, for some reason; Rinoa.

Why do I say this? Because despite not being affiliated with SeeD or the Gardens, Rinoa knows two things unique to this group.

How to Summon and Junction a GF, *AND* how to [Draw].

Think about; We only ever see Draw in FF8, a game about making a pact with magical creature in order to obtain more power.

And these People are *all* Orphans, taken from their home and forced into fighting a metaphysical threat.

Simultaneously, the Summoner tribe's homelands in FF9 were attacked and destroyed, leaving only Garnet and Eiko as the remnants of the summoner Tribe.

They were targeted specifically for their strength. And Garnet was adopted and effectively kept as a pet to Queen Brahn despite being her "daughter".

FF8 does something no other game in the series does. They explain the mechanics of being a Summoner in depth. That is what the [Draw and Junction] commands are.

Part of the Summoner's toolkit.

It is reused later by Yuna in FFX, where she communes with the divine statues in order to junction their power. And who is the sole heir of the Summoner bloodline.

There are no other summoners *except* for the dreamers laid waste in Zanarkand. Which may be the city of Insomnia, but that's another story for another time.

This same story is repeated for historical summoners with the summoner bloodline. Or, are themselves corrupted by magical beasts. Like Terra,

If FF7 was the weaponization of Casters and Black Magic. Then FF8 was the weaponization of Summoners or Sorcerers.

One is the attempted replication of the abilities found in the summoner people, and the other is using them as tools of war.

What I haven't quite figured out yet; is the connection between all that and [White Magic]. Garnet being separated from her summoner past seems to have influenced her abilities to come out as Holy magic, and she seems to be well versed in it, despite there not really being a rational reason given.

It's often Described that the [Black Mages] fought against the [White Mages] in a hellish war. And yet, while both may be derived from the Summoner Tribe's abilities. I think White Magic is still it's own thing.

--Not to be confused with Racial supremacy.--

[darkpoisonouslove]

👀👀

I hope you won't be disappointed if I do something a little different for one of those two emojis.

You know those "TV show/movie/characters being a comedy/comedic duo for x number of minutes" videos? I started making "Scream 3 being a comedy..." a couple weeks back but due to technical difficulties I haven't finished it yet:

And here's a rough draft of a scene from the Griffin x Faragonda enemies to lovers AU:

Sylvia just... looked bored. She may as well have been more intrigued by the tile patterns on the wall had Griffin's frame not obscured them from her gaze.

Griffin's body didn't feel her own, cold and distant like a corpse instead. She would have shivered if she could move, despite her best efforts.

"You're not half the witch your mother was. How do you think a horde of rogue paladins broke through the defense spells on your house?"

Her words lacked cruelty as if Griffin wasn't even worth that much. Any kind of emotion would become an acknowledgement of Griffin as an obstacle at the very least. To Sylvia she was nothing of the sort... nothing.

"What?" she choked out, her voice like glass shards she was forcing up her closing throat.

It wasn't right. The bitter taste on her tongue wasn't spite, familiar and invigorating. Her stomach was in a knot, the sick feeling trapped inside instead of becoming rising nausea. Her heart hammered so fast in her ears it was like she was plugged in the power grid, electricity crackling through her limbs. Her sight blurred. It was usually razor sharp, trained on the face in front of her to catch the furrowed brow, the twitch of the mouth, all while she gritted her teeth to keep her own insides from spilling to escape the burn.

Anticipation crawled across her ribs, prickling with every breath as if to make sure that she didn't inhale too much air, that there was still room inside her for the rest of Sylvia's point, hanging unspoken in the air. Now spite wouldn't have had the same weight, wouldn't have loomed just as threateningly over their heads, twisting Sylvia's arm into talking simply to get Griffin out of her office and take her desperation with her.

Sylvia tilted her head - a kind of acknowledgement that cut to the bone. Coupled with her voice piercing through Griffin, it released some of the tension stretching her taut.

"A paladin's power comes from devotion to a cause. The moment one goes rogue, it puts a dent in his magic that lets more and more of it seep away. It's by design. Either he's forsaken an integral part of his cause or he put his devotion into an imperfect representation of it. Either way the awareness of that remains in the back of their mind and corrodes their power.

"A doubly-enforced defense spell would never fail to a type of caster with a crack in their own belief system if the magic was distributed evenly across it. If you put weight on a rope braided from steel threads and wool ones, which ones do you think will give way first? Your magic was the weak link in that spell."

Her teeth sank into her tongue. Fire raced her nerves and the metallic tang of blood choked her. It was the only thing keeping her from spitting out what she knew, from showing her hand like a fool. She'd be dead on the floor before she could even entertain the notion of posing a threat to the family image Sylvia had cultivated so carefully over decades. Information was only leverage if it could reach its destination.

"Too bad your mother decided to stay home and devote her life to you instead of putting her superior powers to use," Sylvia poured more salt into the wound as if Griffin was some demon that would be chased away or destroyed by it.

"I don't see you parading around with your daughter."

There was no change in the witch's expression. She was talking to a statue made of pure self-interest and cold calculation.

"Faragonda might be a disappointment but she got you, didn't she?"

[dailycharacteroption]

Green Scourge (Druid Archetype)

(art by Jim “Dreadjim” Ling on Artstation)

It can sometimes be hard to remember with all the heroic and not-so-heroic violence of the game that divine casters, at their cores, are usually something of guides and protectors. Even an evil cleric protects their flock, even if it is only for selfish reasons of power or to sacrifice them later, to say nothing of a paladin’s goal as a protector first. Druids too are protectors, albeit mostly of nature itself.

However, every divine order has it’s exceptions that focus on destroying the foes of what they protect over directly protecting them, which may or may not lead to problems if their laser focus on that goal undermines the ultimate goal of protection or doing what is right by their estimation. We’ve seen this represented in archetypes before, and today, it’s a druidic one!

The so-called Green Scourges are the hunters of the unnatural, particularly aberrations. Whether they are mutants spawned from some corruption, alien lifeforms that disrupt the balance as any invasive species might, or an outright blight on nature itself, these scourges seek to destroy them and other similar blights such as undead, oozes born of foul magic such as actual blight oozes, and so on.

They might be encouraged to do so by more militant orders or by orders large enough to warrant having specialized subgroups within, or they might be loose cannons whose power is shaped by they ways they wish to use it, making their elders worry that they’ll go too far.

In any case, the result is a druid that is surprisingly deadly in direct combat without having to wild shape, though they still have access to that.

While most druids are able to expend spells meant for other magic to conjure allies from the natural world, green scourges instead do so to arm themselves, either turning a simple wooden weapon into a deadly implement, on conjuring forth a sword-like projection of fire. While this is all simple druidic fare, where this gets interesting is their ability to expend higher magic to get even more powerful weaponry, adding base enhancement and magical abilities to these supernatural weapons to fit the situation. What’s more, if they add an enchantment that adds elemental damage to a flame blade, the blade itself becomes that damage type, allowing them to wield blades of frost or lightning. However, there is a baseline cost in the spell level increase, so don’t expect to become too powerful too quickly. Also, note that the list of possible enchantments, while effective, is a bit limited, with aberration bane being the only option, and the list being a bit short overall.

They also train in recognizing aberrations and their signs of their passing, to better combat their foe.

Though they specialize in fighting aberrations, sometimes it is good to be hidden from a variety of foes. As such, these druids learn how to suppress their own scent, hiding it from foes that might detect them.

Just as other druids are resistant to plants and the fey, these mystic warriors tune their resistance to be against their hated aberrant foes.

This archetype is interesting. While it is clearly focused on aberrant foes, it is not so specialized as to be unusable against everything else. Moreover, this archetype begs for you to create a melee druid build that can do so not just with wild shape, but in their true form as well. With that in mind, your feats should dive into that as much as you can, while your daily spells should probably be a mix of support for that as well as variety for the challenges of the day, including combat spells that help inhibit foes before wading into combat. Also consider whether you want a domain that can buff you further, or a companion to flank with.

There are plenty of reasons to want aberrations dead, seeing them as a threat to the natural order, personal tales of revenge, and so on, but something to remember is that not all aberrations are necessarily unnatural or harmful, such as flumphs. Does your character make that distinction? Might that be part of their character development?

Despite their serpentine forms, nagas are considered aberrant creatures, which marks them for purging by the druidic guardians of Velshaka Rainforest. As such, any naga venturing into the jungle from their empire is sure to bring strong nagaji bodyguards with them in case of ambush.

When reports surface of a humanoid mole-like creature, Gevos of the Circle of the Scourge arrives seeking to destroy whatever unnatural mutant has crawled forth, but what he fails to realize is the creature is a muldnal, an agathion from the upper planes. Can the benevolent celestial convince the druidic assassin of his good intentions, or will he need help from goodly allies?

When the outlanders came from across the sea, they brought with them their faith, one that gave reverence to beings from beyond the starts, which they called upon to aid them with their many eyes and mouths. However, the indigenous people of the land have a response, orders of wise ones who command nature and bring it’s wrath down on upon the invaders and their monstrous bedfellows

[definitely-not-an-edgelord]

Paris Grail War Servant Roster: Updated

Saber: Little Red Riding Hood, the main character of one of the most well-known fairy tales. Due to her story’s popularity and the oddities within the Grail War itself, she was summoned as a Saber with the parameters of a typical one. The Big Bad Wolf has been turned into an animal companion for her who helps her in fights, and in her own words, she’s ‘helping him become a nicer wolf’. If asked why she is a Saber, she’ll say that ‘all the cool adults have swords, so I need one too’. Lancer: Renaud du Montauban, one of the main protagonists of Quatre Fils Aymon, one of the longest chanson de gest, or ‘story of heroic deeds’ in old French. While depicted as a man with a sword in the story itself, she was summoned as a woman primarily using a lance. She is summoned with the magical horse Bayard, who could expand his back to fit herself and her three siblings in myths, and her lance which shares the name of the myth’s sword, Flamberge. She killed Charlemange’s nephew in a brawl, and a war ensued which was only ended after she was pardoned in exchange for fighting in a Crusade and surrendering Bayard.

Archer: The Friends of the ABC, appearing in the famous novel Les Misérables. While their members had a wide variety of political viewpoints, they were united in attempting to take down the Orléanist goverment in the June Rebellion. Instead of a single powerful entity, this Servant manifests as multiple individuals. While unremarkable on their own, together they are able to create strong barricades made of whatever they can find and take down threats much greater than themselves. The members of this group of entities aren’t all Friends of the ABC in Les Misérables, most notably Éponine.

Rider: Cendrillon, better known as Cinderella, from the fairy tale sharing her name. A naturally hard worker who had been treated poorly by her stepmother and stepsisters, before marrying into royalty. She has the ability to talk to animals and recreate the Fairy Godmother’s aid with her Noble Phantasm.

Caster: Michael, the Biblical archangel. He is regarded as being a Divine Spirit, and thus needs a human vessel to take form as a Servant. He is known for defeating Lucifer when he rebelled against heaven and its authority, and for enacting the Last Judgement with the one he defeated.

Assassin: Death, a universal concept known by anything that lives. Despite his True Name, Death is quite kind, and almost appears to be shy around most people. He is aware of the reputation his name has, and does his best to try and make up for the pain he has brought people.

Berserker: The Sun King, better known as Louis XIV. One of the most famous kings in French history, a natural fit for a Servant... albeit, with some erratic tendencies, considering his Berserker class. He has an obsession with anything he considers to be adequately elegant, usually things made of gold, rare crystals, or both. A mostly self-centric eccentric with a tendency to spoil his Master (or, as he calls them, ‘his trusted advisor’) and good leadership skills, despite the class and his personality.

[cilly-the-writer]

SHADOWS OF SORCERY | Part 17 | “Shadow of Thread” | 1,642 words

Suggested music listening for the vibes: Darkside by Neoni because Elora has entered her villain era and she’s using her mind control ability

      News of Kaden Brush's near death experience—and his stolen magic core—swept through the school quickly. It was one of the biggest threats a sorcerer could imagine. Having their magic taken from them. The vulnerability was frightening.

     Somehow, the Regents Academy of Magic managed to convince the Power Authority to give him a spare magic core—taken from someone undeserving of magic. It was rare for them to redistribute magic.

     Usually, they just destroyed it. 

     A one-time exception was made. Perhaps to maintain the school's reputation and reduce hysteria. It was an immense grace. But Kaden Brush wasn't exactly immensely grateful.

     "This is so dumb…" Kaden said under his breath, while he stood in one of the school’s magic practice rooms. He breathed in and out before he waved and a purple light flashed through the air like a child had waved a sparkler.

     It wasn't supposed to be so static.

"Why couldn't they at least give me developer magic? Why do I have to start all over?"

     Suddenly, a knock came at the door and Kaden stopped in place.

"This room's taken!" Kaden yelled. But that didn't stop the knocker from entering.

     Elora Spade stepped into the training room with her firelights, Imogene following beside her.

     "We heard you're a caster now." Elora said. "We thought you could use some help training."

     Kaden made a face.

     "I don't need your help."

     "Well, do you think you can help me?" Imogene asked. "I don't really know how to use my casting magic…"

     Kaden blinked. What the hell? Is she stupid? I just got my magic. She should know how to use hers.

     Imogene refrained from letting her friendly smile crack too much… Some people's thoughts were certainly harder to read than others. Imogene simply moved her hand and demonstrated what she meant—her purple light sparking up in static just like his.

     "Fine."

     Elora closed the door and then moved in toward Kaden.

     "Well, I'm pretty good at casting," Elora set her hands on his shoulder as she began to position his arm for him, despite the reluctance on his face. "The key is just finding the right flow to control it.”

     But her touch sparked something in Kaden's eyes and he jumped back. His memories had all come rushing back to him: targeting Elora on the bike path outside of school grounds and being mind controlled after he scared off her firelights. 

     "You're—!"

     "Yes." Elora said, gesturing to control his movement so he couldn't escape. "And you're going to tell me everything you know about the person who sent you."

     Kaden tensed at the way his body froze in place. He couldn't move.

     "I swear—I don't know who he is—." Kaden said.

     "What did he ask you to do?"

     "Just—just to get you. He said he wanted rare and exceptional abilities. He had a list of people… but he wanted you the most."

     "Who else was on the list?"

     "I don't know… but he told me not to bother Charlotte Gallison."

      Elora traded uneasy looks with Imogene. Then Elora proceeded to cast her energy magic around Kaden, seizing him in pain. Her firelights even flew back to hide behind Elora.

     "Where is he keeping all the magic cores?"

     "I don't know!" Kaden cried out in pain. "He showed me the room, but it was like a pocket dimension or something. He only let Devin know how to get in. Not me."

     "Where did you meet him before that?"

     "He always met me at the edge of campus, by the school nature trail." 

     "Well, maybe you can lure him out there for me. So I can take care of this once and for all."

     "No! Please, he'll kill me!"

     Elora fell silent as she released him from her mind control. He dropped to his hands and knees and coughed as he caught his breath.

     Imogene sensed his fear and regret while Elora's silence lingered. She glanced over at Elora with a sorry look in her eyes, not wanting to lure him to his potential death. Even if he had tried killing Elora. It just felt too cruel…

     Elora exhaled.

     "Well then, what about Devin? Where did he go?"

     Kaden lowered his brows at her condescending tone.

     "I don't know. He didn't tell me anything. All I know is that the extractor guy gave him a new magic core.”

     “Hmm.” Elora shifted her weight onto one leg and mulled it over. The magic cores had to be coming from somewhere. “Alright.” She stepped toward Kaden and he sprang backwards.

     “Wait—what are you—.”

    But she controlled him before he got any further away. 

    “You’re a loose thread. You’re going to forget this conversation.” She set her hands on the sides of his head and looked coldly into his panicked eyes. “And you won’t do anything to help the extractor anymore.”

     Elora let go and fell back, watching as Kaden shut his eyes and instinctively held his head at the surge of numbness and pain. She had messed with his head. The effects were still settling into place. It wasn’t just instant. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes in a dazed state.

     “What just happened?”

     “Are you okay?” Elora asked. “You just took a hit to the head. You said you could block it.” 

     Kaden rubbed his head, not remembering anything after Elora had begun to give him pointers.

    “Yeah, I guess…” 

     Imogene’s brows fell as guilt sank in.

     “Why don’t you try to hit me instead?” Imogene said. Suddenly forming a very small energy field in front of herself.

     Kaden sighed and shook his head to clear his thoughts. He positioned himself to wave an energy blast at her. He had the right spirit in the whisk of his hand, but the blast separated into static energy clouds that thinned and dissipated before they even reached her energy field. He was still thinking like it was developer magic. Like objects to be conjured.

     Elora realized exactly what Imogene was doing. They were supposed to leave after she interrogated him, but Imogene didn’t want to leave him defenseless. Elora exhaled.

    “Casting magic is fluid. Think of it like water.” Elora did a demonstration and pushed and pulled a blob of purple light around in the air in front of them. Her firelights hovered excitedly in awe as they gleaned a look.

     Kaden didn’t say anything. He simply looked down at his hands and tried to form something similar, on a much smaller scale. It came out more fluid this time. But not perfect. He concentrated on it, and the longer he did, the more it deteriorated.

     This was going to take a while.

     They practiced well into the morning, past noon. 

     Imogene even invited him to grab a bite to eat with them later on, but he declined. The two girls left from there and headed to the campus library, where they checked into a study room. Elora walked right up to a podium with a purple tinted glass pane covering the top and set her palm over it, a magic seal lighting up across it.

     “Articles about magic cases near Region: Redwood Sparrow Rivers.”

     In a moment, a newspaper lit up and appeared under the glass. Elora glossed it over and pressed her palm to the glass again. A flashy purple light replaced it with a different newspaper. She kept pressing her hand to the glass to reveal the next one in the library’s records.

     “So you do remember Kaden tried to kill me, right?” Elora glanced back at Imogene before she resumed browsing.

     “I know…” Imogene said guiltily. “But when I read his thoughts… he didn’t understand why he felt so much… I don’t know… apathy for you before? Don’t get me wrong. His thoughts are very… apathetic. And they threatened to take his magic. So there’s that. But what if they have an emotion influencing ability and they used it on him?”

     Elora made a squinting face, deep in thought.

    “Maybe. But influencing abilities just change your mood. They don’t make you do things you’d never do. Like kill people.”

     “You’re right…” Imogene said. “But…”

     Elora sighed.

     “But what?”

     “He just wanted a materialization ability.” Imogene’s voice got sad.

     “That’s literally the most common dreamer magic there is… He could have at least tried to kill me for something cool like teleporting. That’s so stupid.”

     Imogene fell silent. She stood behind the room's study table and waved her hand over a single spot, conjuring a glass of orange juice alongside a sandwich on a plate. She raised the glass and before she took a sip, she said:

     “Is it?” she raised a brow.

     “Oh.”

     “Anyway, he thought it would change his family’s life. They’re all realists. They don’t have any dreamer magic.”

     “What do you want me to do? Adopt him?” 

     “No, of course not,” Imogene said. “But do you think you can mind control him one more time?” 

     Elora raised her brow this time. But before Imogene could elaborate, Elora stopped and stared at the newspaper that came up next. She pressed her hand over the glass and the glass vanished for her to take it. 

     “Hey… I think these people used to work for Jaelin’s grandfather.”

     Elora held the paper out for Imogene to see. It was titled: EMPLOYEES OF CORE MAGIC SYSTEMS SENT POISON CORES. 

     They took it down to Jaelin's room and knocked at the door, waiting for him to respond. He opened the door, saw who it was, and cut them both off; rattling off a question:

      “Hey—are you starting to think that the person who took Kaden's magic might be the same person we’re looking for? Because I am.” Jaelin stepped aside, revealing all the newspaper articles that covered the corkboard now. They were all about missing sorcerers and missing magic cores.

     Jaelin had certainly been busy.

Next >>

[empires-au-ideas]

Withered Witch AU!

So evil Sausage is back and visited the Evermoore, how did Gem and Sausage react? Did they finally appear to Shubble again so they can discourage her from going with him? Did Evil Sausage know something was up?

Also, how upset Gem and Sausage is at S2 Sausage for using dark magic again and the Bubbles that freed Evil Sausage (I think that's what happened-)

I feel like I need to reinstate the idea of how really really bad Shelby is at text book magic. She can't tell you the difference of enchantment and illusions or transmutation... over all she's bad. She's very very powerful don't get me wrong... it's just she can't put it to words, nor can she recognize a magical effect when it hits her in the face.

So my point is Shelby doesn't know whats wrong with her, and she absolutely cannot pin what happened to Sausage. But just because she doesn't know whats going on doesn't mean it's not affecting her, so Shelby in her lonely and irritable corruption cling to evil Sausage like a life line.

Gem and Sausage also don't really know what happened, but they're assuming the worse. Sweet innocent s2 Sausage has been taken as a prisoner- either in his mind or in another world- and evil Sausage took the opportunity to weasel himself to center stage. They do not know what Sausage was doing with the Vigil.

Evil Sausage? Can see the ghosts. Like one hundred percent oh my gosh. When he mentioned s1 Shrub and Joey he looked directly where those two were. He sneaks them looks, between glares and grins, and especially gets to s1 Sausage about his evilness, something the ghost regrets.

Sausage was complete deer in headlights when evil Sausage was visiting. Evil Sausage saw this and played to it, making all his extra comments of eating souls, his want to kill, all said while looking directly at s1 Sausage.

Gem was also given a line or two directed at her, but she didn't yield. She held her ground, glaring at the sorcerer as he befriended the witch. She couldn't do anything while he was there, he could see her and hear if she told Shelby what bad news he was, so she had to simmer, control her expression and movement. Ghosts can't cry, but they can still get really really sad.

There is one threat evil Sausage gives to the ghosts... not a WORD of what he is, what he's up to, and he won't shoot them- including Shelby in that- with dark magic. Simple.

So all Gem and Sausage can do now is dance around the problem, as they try and get Shelby away from evil Sausage (once he leaves, of course. He can see the ghosts and wouldn't take kindly to them telling her to be careful). But Shelby isn't listening. To her, nothing is wrong, it's just Gem being overbearing and thinking she's right all the time, it's Sausage just jumping to conclusions. And they've been absent, only showing up to scold her... she can show them that they're not her only options of magic casters to hang out with.

(Also: the "I like you! I won't murder you yet!" Line was definetly said while staring directly at s1 Gem and Sausage. He knows them... the best way to get them around his finger is by something they care about. And even if they're more stand off-ish than usual, the ghosts still deeply care for Shelby.)

[paperanddice]

Finding a few older Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale stat blocks I converted way, way back, before doing the full dive into that book. These never got 13th Age conversions because of that, so while I'm doing a delve into my very early 5e conversions let's let them find their way to the Dragon Empire.

Ragewinds are undead amalgamations of many different souls lost in a great battle. They form a brutal whirlwind of weapons, collecting up more as they traverse the battlefield that spawned them, then gathering those that are brought in by new visitors. These spirits hate the living, as undead often do, and are driven by unending rage to slaughter any who comes across their resting place, but only very rarely do they ever travel away. A ragewind that leaves the battlefield where it was born often goes mad, rampaging without stop in random directions until it either finds its way back home by pure chance, or is destroyed. Even when destroyed it lashes out one last time, the spirits that make it up attempting to possess everything nearby for one last chance at killing a creature before they move on.

Warped mages are what's left of those who delved deeper into some form of forbidden knowledge beyond their skill to handle. Particular vaults of knowledge will blast the intruder with powers from beyond the world, an assault on body and mind both that usually obliterates the victim without any trace left behind. Some survive this however, and are changed permanently for it. Bodies warped, often with tentacles sprouting from somewhere on their form (replacing arms is common, but they may burst from the chest or back, or in one recorded case even replace the head), and minds are twisted. Personalities are completely different, or even replaced with a new one entirely, rendering the person unrecognizable to their old friends. Thus far it's unknown if it's possible to return a warped mage to their former self, as the transformation has resisted all ritual attempts to reverse it.

The ragewind and warped mage both came from the 4th Edition Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

Ragewind  Triple-strength 6th level wrecker [undead]  Initiative: +13 Bladestorm +11 vs. AC (1d6 attacks, can target nearby enemies when the ragewind is staggered) - 20 damage. All Around Defense: The ragewind doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks. Death’s Rage: When the ragewind is reduced to 0 hp, it makes the following attack against all nearby creatures: [Special Trigger] Death’s Rage +11 vs. MD - The target is confused until the end of its next turn. Flight. Parry: 1/turn, as an interrupt action when an enemy targets it with a weapon attack, the ragewind can give itself resist damage 18+ against that attack. AC 23 PD 19 MD 16 HP 250

Warped Mage  Double-strength 5th level caster [aberration]  Initiative: +9 Shadow Tentacle +9 vs. PD (up to 3 attacks, each against a different nearby enemy) - 14 damage. Natural Even Hit: The target is hampered until the end of its next turn. R: Fire Shot +10 vs. PD (one nearby or far away enemy) - 30 fire damage. R: Psychic Assault +10 vs. MD (one nearby or far away enemy) - 20 ongoing psychic damage and the target is dazed (save ends). Natural 14+: The target is weakened instead of dazed (save ends). Natural 18+: The target is stunned instead of dazed (save ends). Limited Use: 1/battle, recharges if no enemy is taking ongoing damage from this attack. Arcane Release: When the warped mage is reduced to 0 hit points its body explodes in a random mixture of elemental energy. Each creature engaged with it takes 10 damage, and each nearby creature takes 5 damage. Randomly determine the damage type from acid, cold, fire, lightning, and thunder. Flight. Resist Psychic 14+. AC 20 PD 16 MD 18 HP 146

[votestaynight2]

9th Day - Mydear, straydead (Scene 2)

"――――――――" …I bite my lips to bear the uneasiness. I'll have to bear it. If Kuzuki-Sensei turns out to be innocent, I'll just have to remove the "curse" on him with all my power.

"I'm shooting now――――!" She takes a small breath. And right after that, a black bullet is released.

"――――――――" She must have made a sound on purpose. It is slow, and the black haze goes for Kuzuki like a pitcher's changeup.

"――――――――" A wind of disease that will cause him to be sick in bed for two days. But two days of inaction is fatal for a Master. There has to be some kind of a reaction if Kuzuki-Sensei is a Master.

"Crap――――!" Tohsaka jumps. …Kuzuki does not react at all. Tohsaka's Gandr shot mercilessly hits Kuzuki Souichirou's head―――― ――――But, right before that. It is nullified by a robe that suddenly appears in the sky.

"――――Oh." The man that was supposed to get hit by the Gandr shot looks at us. …As if saying he knew we were here all along.

"Tohsaka…!" I quickly take the wooden sword out of my bag and put magical energy into it. There's no time to be screwing up the "strengthening" magic.

The robe that appeared in front of Kuzuki now takes form. Female limbs appear from the bluish purple robe. ―――Teleportation. A complete teleportation is considered to be a sorcery even in this modern world. Caster has easily performed such a thing to appear in front of us.

"I have warned you, Souichirou. I told you to stay at the Ryudou Temple because such things can happen." She must think nothing of us, as she calmly talks to her master―――Kuzuki. "That is not true. We did catch a target."

"Yes. The fish aren't that large, but it makes no difference since this is quite a haul. Come out now, you foolish magus."

"――――――――" I guess running away would be hard now. No, if Caster and her Master are here, all we have to do is fight them, even if this is in the middle of the town. But before that――――

"You're not coming out? That's too bad. I at least wanted to see what you looked like." "Damn that fox. She should know who we are already―――"

Tohsaka grumbles from her hiding spot. Caster must hear it… "I will give you three seconds. I will do the same attack to you after that." …Since she says so and points her hand in our direction.

―――I recall what happened at the Ryudou Temple. She won't hold back. Knowing her, I bet she would destroy this whole area along with the wall we're hiding behind.

"Emiya-kun, jump out when I give the signal. Saber, are you ready?" I sense her nodding behind me. ――――But. There's something I need to confirm before that.

"―――Sorry. Do that later, Tohsaka." "Huh?" I don't wait for her reply. I go out into the intersection with my wooden sword.

"Hey, Shirou――――!" …Tohsaka must not want to let me go alone, as she comes out as well.

"Oh, this is unexpected. Do you understand your position more now, boy?" Caster watches us with composure. …Kuzuki is standing next to her. We're about ten meters apart. No matter how I think about it, Caster's finger would be much faster than me running into them.

"――――――――" But I showed myself in spite of that. I have to do something before I fight. That is――――

"Tohsaka and Emiya, huh? So you two are Masters as well, like Matou? Fate has an odd way of doing things." …To check the true identity of Kuzuki Souichirou, the one Caster is protecting.

"So? You have something you want to ask me?" He says so in his usual manner. I don't feel a presence as a magus from Kuzuki. No, I don't even feel his desire to win the Holy Grail War. Then――――

"Kuzuki. Are you controlled by Caster?" It's possible that Kuzuki is controlled by Caster like Archer said. I can't fight against Kuzuki until I get this cleared up.

"――――" Caster emits an intent to kill. That alone tells me the question is off-limits for her.

"―――What an annoying boy. I should kill you." Her words are not a threat. But… "Hold on. Why are you asking that, Emiya?" Kuzuki stops her in his usual manner.

"There should be reasoning behind your question. Tell me." "――――――――" …My throat is dry. It must be Caster's intent to kill. The robed figure tells me I'll be killed if I say something bad. I bear it and…

"―――I don't know how you became a Master. But you're an honest human, right? Then you shouldn't be overlooking what Caster's doing. But since it seems you are overlooking it, I thought you just might not know about it." I say so while glaring at Caster.

"What Caster is doing?" "…Yeah. She's putting up her fort at the Ryudou Temple and collecting magical energy from the people in this town. All the coma incidents happening recently are her doing."

"――――" "There will be more victims. I'm sure someone will die as long as Caster keeps draining magical energy. …She said everyone in town is her sacrifice. It won't be long before it's too late."

"I see. A normal human being would not be able to let her be. So you thought I might be controlled since I am letting her do as she wishes."

"…Yeah. But if you're overlooking her deeds knowing what she's doing, then you're just a killer. We won't hold back on you. But it's a different story if you're controlled. We'll just defeat Caster." "No. This is the first time I heard about this."

Kuzuki declares so firmly. I don't think it's a lie. Kuzuki Souichirou is straight-forward like when he is teaching.

"――――――Phew." I sigh with relief, while keeping watch on Caster. Kuzuki-Sensei is a victim if he's controlled by Caster. Then all that's left is to defeat Caster――――

"But Emiya. Is Caster's doing so bad?" ―――But still. Kuzuki Souichirou plainly says so.

"Wh… at…?"

"It does not concern me how many strangers die. And besides, Caster has not taken anyone's life. …But I must say, you aren't very thorough, Caster. You should have drained all of their energy if that is the case."

"――――――――!" He's not any different from usual. Kuzuki Souichirou gives his honest opinion.

"―――Kuzuki, are you going to involve innocent people in this!!!!?" "I do not care about anyone. …Well, you correctly guessed my nature. I am not a magus. I am just a killer that has rotted away."

Kuzuki takes a step back. He watches us from behind Caster.

"You are right that I am Caster's puppet. I do not care about the Holy Grail War. If Caster and you two are going to kill each other, I will just observe. But―――"

"I value my own life. I do not care what Caster is scheming. I only kill those that are attacking me. ―――Do as you wish, Caster. You can kill them or not."

Caster is standing in front of us with an expression of victory.

"―――Geez, they're both big foxes…!" Tohsaka complains, but she doesn't move. No, she cannot move. In terms of skills as magi, we have no chance of beating Caster. Masters are magi, so we cannot match an excellent magus like Caster――――

"―――I see. Then you do not mind dying here, Caster's Master?"

"…Huh?" I hear a voice from behind me. Before I can turn around… The Servant of the sword, Saber, charges forward.

"――――Saber!?" Even my voice won't catch up to her. Saber is already armed and charges at Kuzuki like the wind.

"―――Stop, Saber!"

Caster confronts Saber with her casting. She uses five verses for her spell. If Saber is a wind for charging ten meters in a flash, Caster is a lightning for finishing her spell even faster. It's a raging thunder at that. She shoots off five bullets of light in under a second, and the bullets pierce Saber like fatal thorns――――! "Magic resistance…! No, I don't know a knight that can defend against my magic…!"

Caster screams. Even Archer had to evade Caster's spell, but Saber is nullifying it just by glaring at it.

Saber's not looking at Caster. Her target… The one she has to slash is Caster's Master, Kuzuki Souichirou…!

Saber slashes Kuzuki without hesitation. "Souichirou――――sama." …The intersection becomes silent again. Saber stops after slashing her sword. Everyone here thinks that the battle is over due to the incredible speed.

―――Yes. Everyone except Kuzuki Souichirou, who is standing there calmly.

Interval 9-1

Charge. Stop. Slash. Having repelled all of Caster's spells, Saber settled the match without giving anybody a chance to stop her. The charging speed, her footwork, and her attack were perfect. Her invisible sword slashed the enemy Master. A surprise attack at the perfect moment. Saber's powerful slash splits Kuzuki Souichirou in two.

No―――it should have split him in two.

"Wha―――――――" Bewilderment causes her to gasp. What is going on? Saber, still in the posture of having swung the sword, stares at the enemy in front of her with blank amazement.

"―――――――No… way." Even Saber does not understand what is going on. A perfect strike that was slashed horizontally. The attack is stopped. The sword has stopped before slashing the enemy's body, being caught between something.

"――――Leg… and arm?" Can such a miracle occur? Her sword has been stopped by her enemy, Kuzuki Souichirou. Knee and elbow… Her sword has been stopped, caught between his elbow and knee.

"――――――――" Saber does not know, of course… That there is a technique to stop an enemy's blade with bare hands, and that there are experts today who actually use it. But still, she would not have stood there in astonishment if this were a normal fight.

But this is the battle of a Servant. And the enemy is a mere human. For him to stop an invisible sword with his bare body… he must be insane…!

"―――You underestimated me, Saber." His voice is deep as if coming down from the ground. "……!!!!" Saber's body moves. She tries to pull back her sword with all her might.

At that instant… "Gah――――!?" An unknown impact strikes her head from the back.

"Hah――――!?" She does not understand at all. It is her first time fighting a man that can stop a sword bare-handed. Then could this be an attack with his bare hands? She was punched? The back of her head was hit from such close range…?

"――――!" She evades it, still not knowing what it is. "Ha――――!" Something goes past her temple. Saber understands it is a fist "strengthened" by some magic, and she jumps.

As she has a long weapon, she is at a disadvantage at close range against an unarmed opponent. Saber retreats to short range, the range where she can make use of her sword.

Of course, she keeps facing her enemy while she does so. She is moving to get out of the range advantageous to her enemy. It is an established rule to pursue a retreating enemy. But the enemy does not pursue her. Caster's Master, the man who will be defeated if he stays there, does not move, and… He pierces her through her solar plexus.

"――――!?" She breathes out. She only feels the impact. The attack is stopped by her armor and only the impact comes to her.

"Ha, ah――――!" The impacts continue. The things aimed accurately at her vital points are human fists.

"――――――――" Did she even have time to gasp? By the time she realizes that his mountain-like fingers are the cause of the impact, the match has already been decided. The fists shower down on her. The man's fists are fired in rapid succession with heaviness and intensity as if they are made of iron.

How should it be expressed? His arms are flexible like a whip, but they move in right angles. If his arms are shot out like a flash, his forearms that move from there are like the technique of a fierce god.

"Ha――――gu――――!?" The almost-invisible attacks are all attacking her in her weak spots. He allows no counterattack. Even her arms are targeted, and the pain reaches her core even through her armor.

The attacks all come from the outside to the inside. The swinging arms change direction using the elbow as the fulcrum, and they beat Saber from impossible directions.

"Haa――――ku――――!" They are sharp and dull. It is not an instant kill, but they contain poison that will lead to death. That is all that is contained in these attacks. Even though the fists cannot be avoided, they aren't that heavy. But―――the pain numbs her mind every time she receives a blow. Taking that small opening, the fist goes for the back of her head like Death's scythe.

"……!" She avoids it instinctively. ―――Attacks going for her arms and body are fine. But the head――――the back of the head would prove fatal for her. Therefore, Saber concentrates on that one attack. A monster that can stop a sword with his bare hands… Facing these strange attacks that she's experiencing for the first time, the only thing she trusts are her own instincts.

"―――You are dodging well. And you are still confused, too." The enemy's arms stop moving. His stance is like his arms, steady like a rock.

"―――I see. It is not your eyes that are exceptional, but your intuitions." "――――!" The man moves. What is different about the attack? Saber, who was avoiding all the fatal blows, could not dodge his attack.

"Ah――――" Her mind fades. The impact landing on the back of her head shakes her brain. "Kuh――――!" But she still manages to raise her hands. The man's attacks cannot penetrate through her armor. Then―――the man will go for her bared head.

Saber raises her arms to protect her face. "Gah――――!" The impact comes through the arms. It is like a snake crawling through a thick forest. The enemy's fists easily make their way through.

"Ka――――kuh…!" Her mind fades away. The body of the "snake", his left elbow, smashes into her collarbone.

Saber avoids it by retreating a bit and grips her sword. The course of the fist after that. She readies herself for the blow that will go for the back of her head from the left side. ―――She cannot make light of him anymore. If the enemy is to take her consciousness, she will let him. But she will cut down his arms as compensation. She opens her eyes wide and… …She is astonished at the change.

"――――――――" With the elbow as the fulcrum, the blow comes straight down from above. The circular orbit of his attacks changed to a straight line…!

"――――Haa……!!!!" She instantly moves her neck to avoid the blow going for her head. "Guh…!" The impact lands on her shoulder. She glares at her enemy with her left shoulder destroyed… and her spine freezes up the instant she does so.

The man moves back half of his body. His right hand that has not been used yet… The hand that has been placed at the height of her throat is released like a cannon.

"――――――――" Unlike the previous attacks that followed a line, this attack is executed as a point. A thrusting fist aimed at the person in front of him. With his force and precise accuracy, he should be able to pierce through her. With his charged attack, it should be easy to pierce Saber's throat, break her bone, and smash her head to pieces――――!

"――――!!!!!!" But it misses. A surprise attack is useless on her, as she has instincts bordering on precognition. The snake-like fist grazes past her neck. Seeing that, she tries to step in to attack, but at that moment… Bam! An unbelievable sound comes from right beside her neck.

The snake's fang pierces her. The instant it is dodged, the attack that passed her uses its fingers to dig into her neck with a sound. "Anchor…!" The shock passes through her as a shudder. Yes. A hand is originally something used to grab, not punch. It must be supported by Caster's magic as the enemy's fingers easily squeeze off her neck…!

"Guh――――aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh……!!!!" Saber's sword is raised. Her sword moves to cut off the enemy's arm before her neck is crushed.

But she is unable to finish her attack. Before the sword is swung, her body itself is swung like a sword. ―――She feels her body fly through the air. An overswing like a pitcher. The man holds on to Saber's neck, and he throws her with one arm.

A fastball with a human as the ball. There is no way she can land safely from it. Her neck is scraped off, and she is smashed into a concrete wall at a speed of two hundred kilometers per hour. "Ah……[line12]" Her body is forced to stop its action.

"――――――――" Everyone watches it in astonishment. Not just me and Tohsaka. Even Caster, who should be overwhelmed with victory, watches her master in astonishment.

Saber's quick charge to Kuzuki's counter-attacks… From the nightmare-like neck grab, to the perfect throw that fascinated even us.

"――――――――" Saber doesn't move. She was thrown by her neck and smashed back first into the wall. The wound on her neck should be fatal. Even worse, she hit the wall with such speed.

―――I don't think it killed her, but I'm sure she won't be able to move. At the very least, Saber will stay on the ground until the wounds on her neck and body heal.

"No… way…" I murmur without realizing. Even though his fists are strengthened using Caster's magic, Kuzuki is only human. Who could possibly think that he would be able to overwhelm a Servant in hand-to-hand combat?

"It is fine to assume that the Master's role is to support the battle from the back." The lean figure turns. "But there are always exceptions. There are Masters who can only fight head on."

He just proved that to us. So… Their roles as the one to fight and one to support are reversed…!

"What are you doing, Caster? I told you earlier. If you are to support me, you are to eliminate the enemy's projectile weapons."

The enemy―――Kuzuki stares at Tohsaka. A threat to him would not be Saber, but Tohsaka, who is able to attack from a distance. That's why he won't attack us. He fully knows that letting a magus fight a magus would be the most sure way to a kill.

"What's wrong, Caster? I told you that you can do as you wish." "―――No, I will take care of Saber. Souichirou, please take care of the Masters." "―――――――"

Kuzuki silently nods and walks toward us. Caster faces Saber behind him.

"―――Fine. Saber was taken aback, but I already know his attacks. We just have to beat him before he gets close to us."

Tohsaka slowly retreats while glaring at Kuzuki. ―――A battle between a magus and a fighter is a fight for distance. Even though Kuzuki has monstrous fighting techniques, he has no magic resistance.

Therefore, we can win if we cast something. We win if we manage to cast a spell before he reaches us.

"――――――――" Kuzuki faces Tohsaka and does not move. Caster is walking towards the wall where Saber is smashed.

…That action is a mistake. That's an opening I can take advantage of, so now――――

[chaserainbows]

Which fantasy occupation do you have?

Fairy Whisperer

Fairy Whisperers can speak with friendly spirits, and often recruit them for help. They can also heal their allies and attack enemies with their own magic. The faeries they recruit help strengthen their spells, allowing them to become more powerful.

Fairy Whisperers are kind and loving, but often come across as sporadic, crazy, weird, and annoying. They live in their own villages in the woods, and have a variety of jobs.

Ability List:

Fairy Call: Summons nearby faeries. Your magic is more potent, lasting, and effective the more faeries assist you.

Fairy Speech: Allows you to speak with Faeries.

Tickle: Uses allied faeries to disarm an opponent.

Innocent Trick: Turn invisible for a short amount of time with the help of your faeries.

Friendly Medicine: Heals an ally.

Elemental Pixie: Use your faeries to attack an enemy with elemental magic.

Smiling Whisper: Quells an enemies urge to fight.

Pacify: Lull an enemy (Or ally) to sleep.

Tactical Mage

Tactical mages can use telepathy to communicate with allies at long distances. They can also sense the location of enemies, allies, traps, and any threats. They are not great at fighting, but can lend there power to others to strengthen them. Tactical Mages can even manipulate the environment and create barriers to aid there allies both near and far.

Tactical Mages often function as generals or commanders. Tactical Mages are natural leaders, and are usually willing to sacrifice others for the sake of many. They are often cold and calculating, with a sharp sense of wit.

Ability list:

Multitask: Enables the usage of multiple abilities at once.

Spreadcast: Enables supportive magic to affect multiple allies

Message of Minds: Speak directly into the mind of others.

Barrier: Summon a barrier to protect allies.

Element Snap: A weak magical attack. It changes depending on the casters element.

Lend Power: Uses magic to physically strengthen an ally.

Lend Spirit: Uses magic to strengthen an allies magic.

Lend Soul: Uses magic to slowly heal an allies wounds.

Mind Games: Allows you to have incredibly weak mind reading abilities, but it fails against most magic users.

Dagger of Emergency: Allows you to summon small handheld daggers from your element, but is suprisingly tiring and not very powerful.

Cunning Trick: Enables you to slightly influence the weather. Works better if you have a connected element. (Earth element helps with sandstorms, Ice with blizzards, lightning with thunderstorms, darkness for cloud cover, etc.)

[thewolfisawake]

"I am a bit out of practice so I do apologize."

"Works for me, guess this'll be a warm up for us both."

Arsene Fontaine: A former heir to a clan of mages, magic users that study to manipulate the threads of magic. He was a dueling caster, making him able to cast without verbal components and able to cast quickly. His specialization of magic is conjuring. This is him taking the power and force from other places, beings or things. So the more well-traveled and knowledgeable about things, the better he is. It also allows for his spells to continue on without his direction.

As a fighter, Arsene is fairly good. He prefers using a cane that he can use a sword as well as a whip. He usually infuses them with some energy to make them more of a threat. He prefers sleep or poison so that it isn't lethal to those he deals with. He uses the whip for primarily defensive capability to give himself distance from an opponent while he is casting. While he is receiving some lessons from Donovan, Arsene has been avoiding them and lessons in general besides magic since he left his clan decades ago.

Niamh: A former gentry of the Seelie Court. She was of the nobles that was interested in combat and wanted to go into the guard for the Court. As such she has proficiency with swordplay, particularly with a sabre. While she was able to take control of a platoon, Niamh also has left the Seelie altogether for almost 200 years and as such considered 'rusty.'

Niamh's nature as a fae is a hummingbird. And that made her an extremely swift striker. Able to do overlapping slashes or multitude of stabs. She also can switch momentum mid attack, making her feints more tricky to counter. She takes advantage of her nimbleness and typically smaller frame to get in close and be able to duck under normal striking height. Her nature also allows her to dodge very well and escape on just her speed alone.

[miqojak]

💭💭 Two Bubbles for two very special bois.

Saerno

"Freakishly tall..." This, almost to herself, before there's a slight shake of her head, "He seems to have his shit together, at first impression; he seems...like a professional, which would actually be a nice change of pace after last year - but fuck, I hope he's not stuffy and uptight. Or secretly another obsessive lunatic fuckboy of a Keeper. I wouldn't even work with a Keeper, I don't think, if it weren't literally the best option I've come across for the knowledge I want. I just hope he's capable of putting up with me long enough for me to actually learn something useful. He mentioned not actually engaging in anything illegal, though...which is, admittedly, a bit disappointing. Hopefully the fact that the knowledge I seek is intended for illegal purposes doesn't make him squeamish."

Luo

"That kid... I've seen more than a few like him come through our doors - young, naive, hopeful, optimistic - I'll spare you where they've ended up, for the most part." An ear flicks, and a gilded claw taps at the tabletop, "Not that I haven't tried to open their eyes, and I'm sure I'll get my claws in this one, too. But he's a disaster waiting to happen - too naive for his own good, I know that much already. So many of them are. I wonder - and I imagine he is - if he's the type to stubbornly cling to his optimism, even when the ugly, gritty taste of reality is still on his tongue? I hope not. Things hurt worse, that way." That tapping claw is lifted, to scratch behind an orange-stained ear rife with piercings, "Not that I care if he gets hurt. That first night, I just...maybe I was reminded of myself, maybe a bit of my brother, when we were on the streets. So thin, and hungry, barely thinking past your next meal...compassion and empathy aren't my thing, though. I'll help him adapt to a harsh world, when he's ready, however. It's not as though I wasn't once much like him, after all."

((She does want to know more about Sae, but a deep paranoia and keen awareness of the power casters have might mean she moves slow in that regard... though it's a different story for Luo - she will, no doubt, be eager to 'help' him learn and adapt to his new circumstances...))

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Xiao

CR 2

Chaotic Neutral Tiny Magical Beast

Bestiary 5, pg. 284

Inquisitive, friendly, and flighty, the Xiao are winged monkeys found in Chinese myth on Earth and at the forests surrounding the base of mountains on Golarion. When one thinks ‘flying monkeys with fire powers,’ one can usually land on one of two scenarios: mischievous pyromaniacs, or terrors of the skies that can pick whole villages of people down to the bone. Realistically, any ape or ape-adjacent creature should be treated with completely justifiable caution by people who want to keep all their limbs attached (especially on Golarion, where even seemingly mundane apes can be the herald of something else), but in this extremely specific case, overt caution can slide and anxieties can be put to rest.

Scarcely ever more than a foot tall, Xiao are omnivorous little beasties that nibble on whatever nuts and berries they can get ahold of, but they’re no stranger to catching and eating smaller animals, even catching fish, crabs, and digging up shellfish if needed. However, as Magical Beasts, they possess a bit more intelligence than a common ape, up to and including crafting and using tools to feed themselves, build shelters, and make fire. I find it charming that the book states Xiao are motivated by a love of cuisine and a drive to taste the exotic, being adventurous eaters who rarely ever eat their meals raw, using their 3/day Spark to create small fires to cook their foods over and creating brand new dishes. Endlessly experimental and adorably willing to learn, human civilizations bordering Xiao territory may find the tiny creatures alighting on their windows, watching them cook and learning from them as they do. They can even understand Common!

Infinitely curious of the human creations of flour and sugar, many pantries in forest towns can find themselves raided by the dexterous little apes, their +8 to Disable Device checks usually making short work of whatever locks are in place as they run off with whatever flour sacks and sugar boxes they can carry. I have the image in my head of the little creatures attempting to bake little loaves of bread and sweetened pancakes to varying degrees of success, which is what made me want to introduce everyone to them in the first place. These little buggers are good atmospheric monsters, rather than threats... but don’t think they can’t be threatening. While their CCB attack won’t likely kill anything but a Commoner that’s already been knocked out (their bite deals 1d4-3 damage, their claws 1d3-3), they have Burning Hands 3/day to deal 3d4 Fire damage to everything in a 15ft cone, which can be startling for anyone who sees this tiny pixie-like monkey and expects only painful bites or flung dung.

Don’t forget, however, that Xiao can use tools. This includes weapons if needed; whether created from wood or stone or stolen from homes, Xiao can use their Weapon Finesse feat to give them a shot with whatever they can get their hands on. They have +1d6 Sneak Attack, meaning if they manage to get the drop on someone (like from above), they can do a surprising amount of damage for such a small creature! ... for like, one round anyway. Strike fast to send a message, then fly away.

Xiao aren’t especially dangerous in direct combat, even with their tool use and flaming spell-likes, but those very same fires make them extremely dangerous if offended. With an Int of 7 and a noted tendency to hold grudges, Xiao that are offended, attacked, or who witness members of their colony being mistreated may use their ability to start fires and dart away on their colorful wings (30ft Fly speed!) to cause outbreaks of arson against the offenders and steal away things far more valuable than just food. 

Live in peace with them, and they will with you. Some Xiao, in fact, can form close bonds with people who respect them (and share their food) in a manner akin to friends or even siblings. If that person happens to be a caster of 7th level or higher, they can even mystically bond with them to become a Familiar! And suddenly, the world has to be on the lookout of a tiny, highly-intelligent flying monkey with access to scrolls, wands, magic weapons, and Thieves Tools.

You can read more about them here.

[rperboni]

PATHFINDERS - The Kobold Animist

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* UPDATE September 3rd 2023 *

So... there's been some news regarding the Shaman class in Pathfinder 2E since I posted this little lady. On September 1st, 2023, a playtest for two new classes in the game was released. One of them is the Animist, which would be the closest to what the Shaman was in 1E. As such, I've decided to drop the Shaman from my listing of classes in this series of drawings, replacing them with the Animist, and updating the description of each one. Luckily, I've only posted the Kobold Shaman so far, so it won't be that difficult hehe

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Kobolds, in classic D&D, are scrawny, cunning reptilian humanoids who serve as "annoying pests" and - in most cases - are only a bigger threat when attacking in groups or confronted in their lairs, and which are usually they associate with chromatic dragons as minions because they believe they are part of their lineage, since their main language is Draconic. In Pathfinder, especially in Second Edition, Kobolds are not only believed to be heirs of dragons as they actually manifest some abilities of these creatures, such as resistance to particular elements and elemental breath attacks depending on the color of their scales, as well as being masters of survival, cautious and shrewd, being valuable allies to anyone who wants to be by their side.

Giving the necessary corrections here, I decided to bring this lady as a Kobold Animist, divine casters linked to spiritual entities known as apparitions, which grant them their powers and access to magic. An apparition interacts with the physical world in a variety of ways, known as attunements, which can be linked to either a specific location or a specific person. I chose for her to be a Channeler Animist, more loosely connected to various apparitions and acting as conduits for their spiritual energies.

Apparitions, like Eidolons for Summoners, also follow various types of "edicts" so to speak. Originally, as this drawing represented a Shaman and her Spiritual Guide in the form of an animal, I decided to transform the little feathered mouse as a "Custodian of the Woods and Gardens", averse to conflicts and connected to nature, pursuing study and reflection, which seems perfect for what I saw as a character that would be mainly support/heal to her party.

[siriwesen]

Ethersea EP 37 theories

Okay so here are my current thoughts on ep37 and the mysteryyyy Spoilers under the cut!

as for Guidance’s murder. We have currently three prime suspects. Orlean - the suspect with the abilities, a maybe motive and he will probably have a fool-proof alibi for his whereabouts for when the murder took place Seldom - was last seen with Guidance. Could have slipped poison into her office... we don’t know if Seldom can do magic and how powerful he is. Maybe motive because of shared history things / resentment towards church etc The Orb - Some Magic shit went down. Theories: 1)

The Suspect gave Guidance reason to call them / or they call her. Guidance had reason to be in contact with the suspect. The suspect dominated Guidance through the shellphone and made her commit suicide, after they solved the whisp/orb. The Orb contained a message and deactivated/deleted all information after the initial reading. Basic decryption stuff. Things that speak against this: We have had it established in a recent episode, that Devo can not cast magic through the shell phone. Magic is not transmitted via shell phone signal (or Devo is not powerful enough to do so).  However, with the way magic works in DnD, usually spells and casters usually can only operate within a certain proximity and are bound to certain distances. 2)

I suspect Guidance got her shell phone to call Orlean (or somebody else) in order to ask them about the whisp and help decipher the orb. Or she HAD already deciphered it and wanted to call Orlean (or somebody else e.g. Seldom) to let them know that she had cracked the code!! However - The orb itself is probably shit fuck magic. It could be, that the data within the orb was either encrypted incorrectly or that the information within the orb also contained a sort of self-destruct spell // curse. So the magic within that device is powerful enough to dominate Guidance, after Guidance deciphering the information / or part of it. Guidance gets dominated to write down the (possibly false) information of Hominine being gone. Either she has had the poison already within her office for some reason, the parish has a stash of poison OR the poison vial was STORED WITHIN the ORB!

So whoever reads out the information on illegitimate terms gets mind controlled into passing on false information about its contents and to kill themselves. The information then gets deleted from the device. Why do I doubt the information that Hominine is gone?  a) false information in those types of letters are narratively cool  b) you might want people to believe that your civilisation/people do not pose a threat to anyone, especially when that person possibly decrypts the device without authorisation / is not the receipeant of the actual information those two are the main theories for me, 1 is more what the players have possibly put together by now. 2 is my personal spin on it.