#redfeathered

[historia-gloria]

Hellou! I just saw in your latest ask game you also play dnd (or write dnd characters? ). If you feel like it, I would love to hear about your characters! As in your favourite tidbits, favourite backstory detail or, if you play, funniest twist of story you didn't see coming... Anyway have a lovely day!

AAAAAHHH

Okay this is maybe one of the sweetest asks I've ever had, I love talking about my DND characters and will do so for forever Thank you So much for asking ❤️❤️

So I've been playing DnD for over 5 years now, started out as a DM (woof that learning curve!) and have since then both played and DMed a lot. I mostly play DnD 5e, but I've also played Pathfinder 2e, Shadow of the Demon Lord and Call of Cthulhu.

Currently, I have three active DnD characters and one Pathfinder character (and one retired who I will never not think about) so here's a bit about them!

Nym Silentshard, Drow Night Cleric: My beloved baby Nym is a cleric who never really meant to be a cleric? When I originally envisioned the character he was a warlock but then the party ended up without any healers or mages, so I switched him to a cleric. He's young, bright and full of anxiety. The DM for that campaign is so good and Nym's god is a voice in his head which is slowly developing into a proper god with his help. Poor Nym is somewhat doomed by the narrative and was sacrificed to bring his god into being, which means he's slowly becoming a Saint (a monstrous creature created when that person wishes a god into being) but he's trying his best and his god Osiris is so kind to him.

Pollux Azari, Kalashtar Oath of Hope Paladin/Shadow Soul Sorcerer/Barbarian: Oh Pollyyy. He's my Curse of Strahd PC and if you know anything about that game, it's that it really fucks up your characters. Pollux was originally a ray of sunshine type character, oath of hope paladin and CoS has just absolutely destroyed him, he's now full of rage! Genuinely a really fun character to play and my DM has been so good at helping him get worse ahaha

Nox Leukos, half elf Artillerist Artificer: Nox is a character I've had the great joy to be able to come back to, with the campaign restarting after a 3 year gap. He was originally an asshole, but ended up in a coma back when the campaign when on hiatus and woke up from that with a lot of realizations about maybe having a moral compass aha. The DM really pulled the rug out from under us and revealed that the fiance of another PC had cured Nox of his coma but also had published her research about that without telling him that he was the subject!!

Infernus Nyrin, Fire Genasi Lycanthrope Blood Hunter/Hearth Cleric: This is my retired PC (he is also my pfp aha), he was my first long term PC and we finished his four year long campaign last year and God that was such a fucking insane and incredible campaign. He was originally a blood hunter and mercenary who had a soft spot for the PCs and then he just never left. He was fiercely loyal but deeply untrusting and had an almost suicidal tendency to step in front of danger. He died twice and would go unconscious like at least once a combat honestly. The DM helped me multiclass into a hearth cleric, so he ended the campaign retiring with his husband to a small village where he was one of the most important clerics in his whole religion, a soft epilogue for a character who had spent his whole life fighting.

Magnus Zyryah, undine bard: Magnus is my pathfinder character! He's in a short campaign that takes a lot of inspiration from fairy tales, so I did too! He is basically the Little Mermaid. Magnus is a trans man with a curse that is slowly and painfully turning his body to seafoam, so he's an ambulatory wheelchair user with chronic pain (I also have chronic pain, so it was good to explore that myself) and he's trying to make the best of his life before it is cut short by the curse. My boyfriend is playing The Prince and his character and Magnus had a relationship before Magnus transitioned and the Prince is looking for Magnus, but doesn't know that he's now a man!! Also to add complications, that campaign is set in a timeloop so we're living the same day over and over.

Special shout out to Milosh Greywing my Shadow of the Demon Lord character who got lucky enough to be part of an insanely perfect party where accidentally every character was hiding something important about themselves from the others but also we needed each other to escape, that party was a special kind of magic with illegal mages and dhampirs and religious inquisitors who all couldn't trust each other but couldn't get out without the others!

This is waaaaay longer than I expected but I just love DnD so much and I love being able to talk about my characters so much

[cindernet-exploded]

Had to pose this silly ask.

[ft. @lizzy-calaxio's Lizzy and @hazelkjt's Hazel]

[marvelousbelladonna]

It’s giving Laudna and Pate vibes

[ididntknowwhattocallthis]

Ok I wanna talk about Ethari's clothing/design over all. His clothes and tattoos are different from every other Moonshadow elf we've seen, and he's one of the few that doesn't wear braids. Like:

The recurring elements are intricate patterning; over layers and under layers; multiple colors in the same garment (or at least same outfit); wraparound construction, color contrast between mediums, lights, and darks; and the dominant color is always the medium, never the lightest or darkest color (usually navy, true black is very rare outside of the assassins). Even arc 2 Rayla follows most of these rules and she's been away from her culture for two years!

But then we have Ethari:

He doesn't have an outer layer, he wears almost solid navy, none of those clothes are wraparound, he has no light color, there's not a lot of contrast, and his dark color is true black despite not being an assassin. He bends all the rules, though he only breaks one completely. He still has that patterning, but it's minimal compared to the others. He has plenty of accent colors, more than anyone else actually, but they show up on him far less. He does have light, medium, and dark colors, but his whole pallet is darker than everyone else's. The only rule he 100% breaks is the wraparound construction

A lot of this probably derives from the fact that he's a metalsmith:

For the most part his clothes quite are practical;

Black/navy hides coal dust/soot very well. It gets everywhere, on your pants and face especially, and is highly visible on just about every other color.

Forging is hot work & you do it next to a fire that needs to be at least 1000° celsius, I never wear more than one layer either.

those sleeves, while a bit looser than I'd be comfortable with, probably aren't going to get in the way. Plus I heard somewhere that they're spelled to repel heat (couldn't find if that's actually canon tho), so if that's true they're much better than my gloves.

The crop top isn't great but he's got that belt to stop most embers. Besides he's probably not the type to yelp every time one lands on him like I am.

if he pulls the scarf over his mouth & nose it'll help delay him getting lung cancer in the death trap of a smithy Wonderstorm designed for him (my problems with it are a post all on their own. I have nothing against the artists, its pretty, but by all rights he should be dead)

There might also be a cultural aspect to his clothing:

I think the navy blue, the arm bands, the boot decorations, and his belt & tabard could all be symbols that mean "I am a metalsmith" in Moonshadow culture. (Quick side note, he's not technically a blacksmith. historically blacksmith means specifically iron workers. If anything he's a whitesmith since he usually works with silver.) We see it with the assassins, why not metalsmiths too?

Plus if you take a look at his forge in the art book, there's a design carved on it that looks almost exactly like the one on his tabard. Elements of it also appear on other parts of his clothing:

I suspect that this is some sort of symbol for metal working or fire protection. If he's in a guild it could be their symbol, or it could just be a wider cultural symbol. Either way it has a meaning that relates to the forge specifically. I couldn't find it anywhere else in the room.

I just realized that I never even brought up the metal hems on his sleeves. Then again what is there to say? It's metal, he's a metalsmith. It's pretty, he likes pretty things.

But what about the rule he completely breaks?

As I said, every moonshadow garment has some sort of wrap-and-secure construction to it-- except Ethari's clothes. I seriously doubt this is a metalsmith thing. Basic garment construction isn't a sensible way to differentiate your group within one culture. I fully believe Ethari is doing this on purpose. But why? That why gets even bigger when you realize that no other moonshadow elves we've met have brown eyes or periwinkle blue tattoos.

Put a pin in all that, I need to explain my interpretation of Moonshadow culture for this to make sense.

"Moon Primal creatures can be private and secretive, and are keenly aware of the power of appearances." - from the official website

"Moonshadow Elves obey a rather rigid, honor-driven culture." - from the wiki

To me this paints a picture of a fairly collectivist culture. They place a heavy emphasis on community and duty, two things that are usually more peaceful/simpler when you have cohesion within the group. Cohesion creates less conflict, less conflict makes your community more peaceful and your duty to it easier to complete.

But they know that this cohesion is- to an extent- only an act, so each person has a sub community where they don't have to act. Your inner self is for family and friends close enough to be family. (I honestly think they might have some sort of ritual to formally adopt friends as family) To everyone else you're supposed to put up a front that makes you seem more like everyone else.

OK back to the pin

Even without his clothes, Ethari is already visually different from everyone else. No other Moonshadow elves we've seen have tattoos or eyes the same color as his. It's a subtle difference but it is noticeable, and in a culture so focused on appearances people would notice. Most people's instinct would be to try to hide or downplay it, to prop up that front as much as they can. Yet Ethari doesn't put up a front, not to the extent that most people seem to. He's even accentuating his differences by dressing in a different style than them- and he's respected.

In my comm class the other day we were talking about groups, and one of the things that came up was that cohesion fosters sameness and diversity fosters innovation. Ethari is an innovator, it's literally his job. He invents the wingalings in bloodmoon huntress, Runaan and Rayla's weapons, and probably a bunch more stuff we haven't seen. Maybe for all they value appearances and fitting in, moonshadow culture still recognizes that people like him are important and they aren't as effective when they have to fit in. They can't be too out there (remember, Ethari only bends the rules rather than breaking them) but as long as they stay within a certain radius of the norm they can gain a lot of respect. I think this is what Ethari has done. The fact that his family (Runaan, Tiadrin, Lain) are all pretty traditional probably helped a lot. They keep him from pushing too hard on the edge of the box and he keeps them flexible.

That they aren't there anymore has probably exacerbated the rift between him and the rest of the silvegrove caused by Rayla's ghosting and whatever news has reached them from the storm spire.

I am so excited to see him in S6. I thought about adding some speculation about what his new design might look like, but I honestly don't think he'll have changed that drastically aside from his hair. My biggest question is honestly whether or not he's still in The Silvergrove.

Bonus:

I bet that some of Ethari's relative weirdness rubbed off on Rayla. She didn't have many friends as a kid so, when she wasn't in school or with the assassins, it makes sense that hung out with Ethari a lot. Since he's less strict than Runaan she was probably only comfortable completely unmasking with him. He heard about all her crushes, fears, and insecurities that Runaan didn't. Which goes a long way to explaining why Ethari was the only one who could see she wouldn't be a good assassin; she was hiding those traits from everyone but him.

This also explains some of why he was so willing to believe that she ran away. Ethari saw all of her vulnerability, but he didn't see all of her strength. While she was out training and facing her fears with Runaan, Ethari was in the smithy and only heard about their exploits after the fact. Neither of them saw all of who Rayla is, but both of them thought they did and had to find out that they were wrong in just about the most heartbreaking way imaginable.

[briar-ffxiv]

[raylasrightbraid]

guys ive come to the conclusion that rayla NEEDS a girl bsf her age

im hoping that in season 6 my girl Astrid can clutch up BC RAYLA NEEDS GIRL TIME LIKE NOWWW

[nhaneh]

crocodile big, but catte stronk! with @cindernet-explorer's U'nia Redfeather

[hazieash]

Redfeather from the latest TDP Reflections story

[sparrowsong-7]

Ayami found a warm place to nap

(ft. @cindernet-explorer's U'nia)

[selnyam]

The Buff Babes Book Club in Tuliyollal! While Pameka uses U'Nia's height to help her reach things on the top shelves (and not need to get her ladder) Flidais and Hazel look through books. Hazel looking for things little Percy might enjoy, Flidais looking for books about family and interacting with them. featuring @hazelkjt and @cindernet-explorer

[cindernet-exploded]

[Subject Report: Redfeather] Single-handedly dispatched an entire platoon of 6th Legion troops. Highly Dangerous. Do not engage.

U'nia had fallen into a grief-driven rage sparked by Ysayle's murder. Woe be to any who dared bear the standard of her killer.

[marvelousbelladonna]

Ava just has a bunch of birds now

[random-fandom-ramble]

Is Redfeather Etharis mother?

I just read the new short story about Rayla in Scumport, where we were introduced to this wonderful new MILF character, Redfeather:

Some things we learned about her:

She’s a moonshadow elf

She has matted messy hair

She has pale markings and likely has a darker complexion (“like shining leather”)

She was ghosted about 15+ years ago

She doesn’t regret the thing(s) she was ghosted for

Now 15+ years ago doesn’t place her at any important events that we know of yet. Rayla would’ve been 0-2 years old at the time, so it probably doesn’t connect to her. The whole ordeal with Sarai getting killed by Avizandum happened about 10-12 years prior, so it couldn’t be connected to that.

But you know who would’ve been in a very interesting age back then?

Ethari and Runaan

Ethari and Runaan were once referred to as “uncle-ish” age, which the show runners have clarified means somewhere between 30-35 years old. That means Ethari and Runaan would’ve been 15-20 years old at the time when Redfeather got ghosted by her village. And as we all know, 15-20 is the perfect age for fictional characters to get traumatized✨

One theory I had was that she was somehow involved with the assassins (target? Former assassin? Who knows) and that her crime, which somehow affected a younger Runaan, got her ghosted. But that is a theory for another time.

What caught my attention first was the specifics of her description.

Pale markings and “leather colored”(darker) skin

When it comes to the colors of markings, moonshadow elves tend to have very deep or even dark blue/purple markings. Ethari is the only moonshadow elf we’ve encountered till now who has significantly lighter, or paler, lavender colored markings amongst moonshadow elves.

This means that Redfeather having specifically PALE markings would be significant, if the paleness is referring to the color.

Another point is the eyes

While Redfeathers and Etharis face’s aren’t THAT similar, the eyes very much ARE

Look at that shape! Look at the lashes! Look at the curved lower lids! If this doesn’t mean anything, then this would be one heck of a coincidence for eyes to be drawn THAT similarly.

Another reason I like this theory isn’t just because of looks and appearances, but also because it could explain a bit about Etharis behavior regarding ghosting family members and strong feelings about abandonment.

See, when Rayla first comes back to the Silvergrove, one of the first things he says to is:

“They’re gone Rayla. He’s gone. Because you abandoned them.”

And later on, when he briefly lifted the ghosting spell to talk to Rayla, he says again:

“But I don’t understand, how could you abandon them like that?”

On a similar note, in the novel the bloodmoon huntress, when Runaan realizes that Kim’Dael is out there, there isn’t even a question about wether or not Ethari is coming along; he said right away “I’m coming with you”. He was NOT gonna stay- or be left behind. It’s like he has some very deep rooted issues surrounding abandonment, and being left behind. Maybe because his mother had to leave him when he was young? Or maybe pertaining to the crime she committed, where she left someone behind and surrendered them to their doom? Who knows…

And yet, for someone who has such strong feelings about someone being left behind, he was very quick to ghost Rayla. Yes he regrets it, and yes it was a decision made with feelings and grief and not his sound and sensible mind. But regardless of how much he regrets it now, he still ghosted her for “abandoning her team (and Runaan)”, and he seemed very sure of that choice at first.

If we looked at him as a regular person, a godfather who loved and cherished his goddaughter, and had raised her since the age of 8, this behavior doesn’t make any sense!

But if we look at him as someone who’s had to do it before, someone who had to learn long ago that family ties don’t excuse crimes, and that sometimes you need to cut out and ghost those closest to you - like say, your own mother-, well then it makes sense why he was able to do that to his goddaughter, even if he regretted it later…

——

And a final point close this whole theory off, though it is more of a meta textual point:

Ethari rarely gets talked about by the creators of the show. He was maybe mentioned here and there in the past, and on Twitter Aaron Ehazs promised that they hadn’t forgotten about Ruthari. So any mention of him that actually includes his name and something other than „he’s Runaans husband/Raylas substitute dad“ is pretty special and rare to find outside of the graphic novel Bloodmoon huntress . But in this new short story, he wasn’t just mentioned by name; he was specifically described along with his profession, his crafting.

And the first time that Ethari gets mentioned again outside of the bloodmoon huntress is when a new Moonshadow elf with eyes almost identical to his gets introduced.

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

✨Thanks for reading!✨

Feel free to add your own thoughts to this theory in the comments or in reblogs!

@beautifulterriblequeen @sunstone-nerding @hoothalcyon @legend-of-the-fandoms @anybody-else-who-wants-to-join-the-fun

[briar-ffxiv]

FFXIV Write #01 - Steer

FFXIV Write 2024 Master Post

Prompt #1 - Steer

Briar frowned in a mixture of concentration and concern as he watched Jack circle his little herd of sheep. The slim half-Elezen squeezed his fingers around the comforting, smooth wood of his staff and sighed. The bobtailed merle sheepdog was barking now and then while occasionally taking a small charge toward a sheep to get them back in line. For less than a year old, Jack was doing quite well. At least Briar thought so.

The problem came that his sheep had lived in the woods for years and dealt with more than a few predators. So at least some of them were not interested in listening to the barking pup, especially after having known him since he was barely ankle-high. In particular, Imogen, the old matriarch of the herd, and Ajax, the small but stocky ram who made it his personal quest to chase away anything he considered a threat to his herd. The rest of the ewes, at least, were either timid enough or easy-going enough to allow Jack to guide them, if a bit clumsily where Briar directed him.

Imogen, on the other hand, was not dignifying such nonsense. Instead, she stood with her nose up and eyes hard as she watched Jack. She occasionally stomped a hoof at him but refused to budge, no matter how close Jack got to her. This wasn't helped by the fact that any time the sheepdog was too close, Ajax was more than happy to charge at him. While he wasn't a big ram, his horns were impressive, heavy spirals and he'd managed to almost catch Jack a few times.

Briar huffed in frustration as it happened again. Ajax charged, bleating angrily as he swung his horns at Jack. The dog twisted agilely out of the way, facing the ram and ruffling his fur up.

"Lie down!" Briar called, a hint of worry in his voice.

Jack froze and glanced between Briar and the ram before obediently lowering his belly to the grass.

Ajax snorted and stomped, giving Jack a dismissive look as he turned back to the small herd. Ajax won that battle, at least in the sheep's mind. Jack gave a restless whine, giving Briar a puzzled look.

"You are not aiding him, Erdene," said a calm, accented voice.

Briar blinked and turned to look at Tokhtai, the Mol warrior who had made it his business to follow the half-Elezen. Briar had never quite understood why. When asked Tokhtai's response to the question was a calm smile and the reassurance that 'the old gods wish it so'. After a time, Briar had stopped asking. "What do you mean?" he said, tilting his head and lifting a hand to brush strawberry-blond hair out of his eyes.

"If the sheep do not respect the dog, the dog is useless," Tokhtai said serenely. "You must let your Jack show the sheep he is not weak or to be ignored."

Briar grimaced a bit. "But I don't want the sheep to get hurt…or Jack to be hurt either! Ajax is strong."

Tokhtai laughed. "Jack is a fine guardian. He will not harm the sheep. If he has not done so yet, he shall not now. He is frustrated and not once set teeth to them." He turned deep blue eyes to Ajax, lips twitching in a small smile. "Although he is a poor breeder, he is a tough sheep, but he will not catch the dog if you let Jack follow his instincts."

Briar stared a moment, biting his lip nervously. He would admit that he was still learning and, if nothing else, he was grateful to the Mol for teaching him. Books could only give him so much knowledge and there were no finer shepherds on the Azim Steppes than the Mol. And he had certainly never trained a dog for anything, let alone herding. Fortunately, it was in Jack's blood and he seemed to often know just what to do.

"You're s-sure?" Briar asked quietly, a hint of stutter displaying his worry.

"I am sure," Tokhtai nodded. "Let the dog follow his instincts. Encourage him. He knows what must be done."

Briar sighed again and looked at Jack, still lying in the grass, but his mismatched eyes were fastened on the sheep. The poor sheepdog's merle coat practically shivered with the desire to work and Briar felt a touch of guilt. Ajax was still between Jack and the herd, giving the sheepdog a hard look. It was clear that to get to the herd, Jack would have to go through Ajax.

"Okay then," Briar murmured to himself. He straightened, squeezing the staff to help settle his nerves. "Jack," he said, waiting a moment for the sheepdog to look at him. "Walk up."

Jack rose immediately, although he kept his stance low, stalking toward the sheep. Ajax gave an angry meep and dug his hooves in, lowering his head at the dog. He held that position even as Jack came closer and closer. "Steady," Briar called when Jack gave a glance at him to make sure he was not about to be called away like before.

Jack walked forward until he was nearly nose-to-nose with the ram, who pawed and grunted with irritation, shaking his horns. For a few long moments, the sheepdog and ram stared at each other, unmoving. Briar frowned, half-hoping Ajax would take a step back, but the stubborn ram was not budging. Briar glanced at Tokhtai, who nodded with a slightly amused smile.

Briar set his jaw and took a breath before giving the command. "Push." Jack's ears shot up and he glanced at his master if he hadn't heard the half-Elezen right. Briar nodded and called again. "Push, Jack!"

Jack's eyes hardened and he glared at Ajax, hackles rising just a bit. Ajax snorted, but for the first time, a hint of worry showed in the nervous flick of his ears. The ram grunted and swung his head back and forth again in a threat. Instead of backing off as he had before, Jack darted forward, jaws opened. Sharp teeth snapped shut an ilm before the ram's face as Jack gave a surprisingly loud growl for a half-grown pup.

Ajax snorted in surprise and jerked back, head tipping to stare at Jack. Stomping his foot, the ram gave an offended bleat. Ajax tensed and started a charge, only to give a loud baa as Jack snapped at him again. He spun away, heading a few steps toward the herd before turning again. Jack stood tall, nub of a tail wagging wildly as he looked at Briar for confirmation.

"Well done!" Briar said, gesturing toward the herd. "Push, Jack!"

There was no hesitation this time as Jack darted forward, a few more snaps enough to break Ajax's nerve finally. The annoyed ram snorted and trotted toward the herd. He refused to bolt, but the wary glance he gave to the dog displayed a newfound caution in the ram. As they passed Imogen, Jack headed for her as well, eyes intent. Without the backing of Ajax, the old ewe gave an offended meep but also jogged to join the others.

"Come-by," Briar said, giving a little smile as Jack circled the herd, getting the sheep in a tighter group. He opened the gate finally and called to Jack again. "Walk-up!"

Jack slowed to a more sedate pace, occasionally darting to catch a sheep trying to slip away, steering the herd toward the gate and then through. Once they were out into the new grazing area, Briar shut the gate and smiled. "That'll do, Jack!"

With an excited yip, Jack raced to Briar, standing up on his hind legs to put his white paws on the half-Elezen's thigh. Briar was happy to ruffle his ears and scratch his back, leaning to hug him. "Well done! Good boy. What a good lad, you are!" He beamed as Tokhtai happily, ignoring the fact the Mol looked just a little smug.

It wasn't only Jack who needed a little reassurance and guidance to gain confidence.

[ariaofsasha]

What started as Flidais inviting U'nia and Shura to a beach training session at Costa Del Sol eventually turned into what many passerby described as "the most destructively high-speed beach footrace I'd ever seen."

Alas, a winner was never crowned. By the time the three had reached the midpoint of Costa del Sol - the unofficial finish line - they were stopped by Wheiskaet, fearing that the sheer speed of the three would cause residual damage to the buildings and patrons in the area - or at least kick up a nasty dust storm.

Another time, perhaps...

(feat. @selnyam 's Flidais Oakclamber and @cindernet-explorer 's U'nia Redfeather!)

[shadesofblades]

Thank you so much for hosting @humblemooncat!! Your house was beautiful and I had a lot of fun!!