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tarnishedxknight · 3 months ago

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FFXII Week ~ Day 3 Prompt: Favorite Ship

{out of dalmasca} Disclaimer: This post may include canon-divergent interpretations of canon characters, info about OCs featured on this blog, and AUs that may not align with the canon plot/characters of FFXII and/or may contain triggering material.

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Oh, you can't ask me for my favorite ship in this game when there are sooo many good ones to choose from! So you're getting my top three instead, heh. Let's dive into these great ships! =)

1st Place OTP: Basch & Ashelia

Listen. I understand there's a significant age gap. I do. BUT. First of all, I will die on this hill and you can pry this ship from my cold dead fingers, haha. Second, this ship works so well in some ways, sadly enough, because it never happened. Third, it also works because of the kind of person Basch is. We all know he is a decent, moral, caring, honorable, protective, and completely non-creepy guy. Because we know he would never have any bad intentions with Ashe, the ship works despite the age gap.

I am such a sucker for the whole "knight & princess" shipping trope, so let's just get that out of the way. But I've also developed these two a lot, beyond what is shown in the game. Basch was around for Ashelia's whole life, and she grew up with him being a source of guidance, protecting, mentoring, and structure when her mother was dead, eventually all her brothers were too, her father was largely absent, and she didn't really have any friends. There was Rasler, but she saw him very infrequently. So Basch was a constant and a source of stability in her life, which is why his "betrayal" hurt her so badly. But I love the slow burn of this ship-that-never-was, with Ashe relying on Basch and growing to have feelings for him and Basch realizing after years that he felt more for her than just friendship.

In my interpretation of him, Basch first realized that he loved Ashelia beyond just a knight protecting his king's daughter when he saw her marry Rasler. He was surprised by an overwhelming feeling of loss and sadness that permeated the otherwise hopeful and joyous tone of the wedding. He was happy for her, to be sure, but a part of him felt he was losing something or someone he couldn't live without. That's when it occurred to him that he was in love with her, and he realized what he was feeling was the beginnings of a broken heart.

Now, in the FFXII main game (and in Revenant Wings, if you consider that canon, I do not), Basch never confesses his feelings to her, for a multitude of reasons. I'll list them (from his own point of view, so the truth of these may be biased in that way) to save space so I don't ramble on forever:

He's too old for her

He's not of Dalmascan blood

He's not of Dynast King lineage

He's half-Archadian, and Ashelia hates the Empire

He was a lesser noble in Landis and only a knight in Dalmasca, hardly fit for a princess

The timing to tell her was never appropriate

He could clearly see she loved Rasler, and developed a crush on Balthier

She needs to marry royalty, or at least someone more elevated than he

She needs to seriously choose carefully who is going to father her heirs

She's never shown any interest in him beyond a professional relationship and friendship

So for all these reasons, Basch never confessed his love to Ashelia. In canon, for most of us, he never ever did. If you take the storyboards for Fortress into account, Basch finally confesses that he loves her, ten years after the end of the FFXII main game, and Ashelia promptly says she doesn't feel the same. While it was good to get some loosely-canon-ish confirmation on Basch's end, there's a lot about Fortress that was problematic, and Ashelia's characterization (as well as Zargabaath's and Larsa's) was horrible in it, so... I take that with a grain of salt. But anyway, the upshot is that, for Basch, this ship never got past achingly pining away for a woman he believes he can never have... and maybe he's right.

For Ashelia, she didn't realize she had feelings for Basch beyond just valuing him as a former knight and a mentor to her... until it was already too late and he was in Archadia. Impersonating his brother, Basch was supposed to be dead. He also couldn't very well return to her when he had Larsa to protect. She found herself missing Basch, as Penelo wrote in her letter at the end of the game, and feeling a little jealous of Larsa for having Basch with him.

Just like Basch, Ashelia has a list of reasons why she can't be with him, though hers are from a bit different of a point of view. Whereas Basch's points are all about him falling short of what she deserves or needs, or about her not wanting to be with him, Ashelia's have to do more with the logistics and optics of how to be with Basch, given his duties in Archadia. Here are her reasons why she doesn't think she could ever be with him:

Usually royalty are arranged, and any choice of hers would have to be approved by her counsel

Her counsel will never approve a man convicted of killing her father to be her king consort

Basch is supposed to be dead

He's hated by a large portion of the Dalmascan public, so the optics of it would look very bad to her people

Even if Basch were to be accepted by Dalmascans again, he's half-Archadian, something they and her counsel will surely think is inappropriate for the production of future heirs

If Basch remained "Gabranth" and visited Ashelia, the optics of that would look even worse

And really, the logistics of him spending enough time in Dalmasca to be a husband to her, a father to any children that would have, and a partner to her both politically and emotionally... just doesn't work with him having to remain with Larsa in Archadia

And so, sadly enough, this is the greatest ship that will just never be, heh. But hey, there's always fics and rps, right? I've made it happen on my own blog in a few different ways, and there is always the idea of Basch maybe being free to return to Ashe at some point in the future, after the events of the main game... right? Just nod. XD

I love this ship, though. The dynamic they had with each other, the way he supported and wanted the best for her, the way they both care about Dalmasca, Ashe's home and Basch's adopted home... I think they could be such a power couple if life and they themselves could have just given them a chance.

Plus, they both deserve happiness, don't they? Basch has suffered so much and been so alone. I want to see him happy and loved, with cute babies. My version of Basch on this blog wants to be a father so badly, but doesn't think he's the sort of person who should be having kids or who would make a good father. Prove him wrong, Ashe! And on Ashe's side of things, her last marriage was decided for her for political reasons. I would love to see her fall in love organically, as she did with Basch with my versions of the characters, and choose her own king consort.

2nd Place OTP: Gabranth & Drace

I love these two so much, your honor. I also write these two character on this blog, and I've developed them far beyond the game. I won't go into a lot of it, because my Dark!Ivalice AU contains a lot of potentially triggering themes, but these two have a longstanding history of supporting each other and being close friends and lovers.

Drace was the one who first took notice of Noah, who helped him get into the military from living in Old Archades with his mother when he first arrived from Landis, and who pointed him out to Emperor Gramis. She later sponsored him for the rank of Judge Magister, a rank he would go on to achieve and break her record of "youngest person to attain the rank" by a few months. He has defended her against misogyny in their rank and elsewhere, supported her ideas politically, and valued her advice. She has helped comfort him through numerous traumas, loves and respects him, but also realizes that he's not to be held too tightly. They've kept grave secrets for each other, vouches for each other, and protected each other from various threats both domestic and foreign. Over the years, they have developed and unspoken understanding with each other, a deep love, and a emotional support system that has become critical to both of them.

This post said it perfectly, and it describes Gabranth's and Drace's dynamic so well. They could not be open with their relationship because of how it might come back to bite one or both of them in their cutthroat rank and political system. They had to be very careful, discreet, and restrained, which honestly for me only made their relationship more achingly sweet and poignant.

But... it also makes Gabranth being ordered to execute her even more painful, I realize, but... I am a glutton for angst, heh. But you better believe that not only Basch's betrayal, but losing Drace by his own hand, had Gabranth emotionally flailing at the Pharos and again on the Bahamut. Losing Basch broke a piece of him, and losing Drace broke an equally big piece. That combined with the nethicite poisoning screwing with his mind... and you have the emotionally volatile Gabranth we saw at the Pharos.

Another side note, combining some things from the manga and my own headcanons, Drace sought Basch out at the Battle of Nalbina Fortress in defense of Noah. Yes, there was an attempt to occupy the Dalmascan Knights to keep them away from the fortress, but Drace could have targeted anyone... and she chose Basch. Why? She's heard for years from Noah about the pain Basch's abandonment caused him and their mother. Being dedicated to both Noah and her own family, she could not let such injustice stand. Her emotional attacks against Basch were here undoing in that duel, however, and Basch was able to significantly injure her arm, causing her to need to retreat. She was just defending her man! =)

But anyway, I adore these two for their silent understanding and loving acceptance of each other just the way they are. They don't try to change each other, but rather work with what's already there to build something really special between them. I wish we had gotten to see more of them, particularly Drace. =(

3rd Place: Fran & Balthier

I don't write either of these characters myself, although I have dabbled a wee bit with Fran as a guest muse. But I just... *sigh* These two are completely adorable, totally bonkers, and an absolute hoot.

My favorite moment of theirs was when Balthier was trying not to show just how concerned he was for Fran having been cracked on the head by falling debris on the Bahamut. He goes to pick her up, princess-style, and carry her out, and he'd just told Ashelia over the radio that he's, of course, "...the leading man." To which Fran replies, "I'd say you're in more of a... supporting role." Balthier simply deadpans with, "Fran, please." I love it so much. I love the way they tease each other, and the way they effortlessly play off of one another.

I also love how neither Fran nor Balthier ever places labels on their relationship beyond... "partner." Is that... a business partner? A partner in crime? A romantic partner? A sexual one? Any? All? We don't know, because they never tell us, because it's none of our damn business. And that's great, honestly. They're so secure in their relationship dynamic that they just let it be what it will and they don't need to explain it to anyone else.

Plus they're exciting, funny, daring, interesting, and they break a lot of traditional story tropes. Gotta love a ship that can do all that. =)

#{ out of dalmasca } ᵒᵒᶜ #FFXII Week 2024 #ashe x basch #gabranth x drace #fran x balthier

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playcaroplay · 1 year ago

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I just finished A Fire in the Flesh and have spoily thoughts

I really wanted to like this book. I want to like this series so badly, but the last four books in this universe have felt so rushed and poorly edited. It has felt like Sera’s story exists solely to retcon plot points to buttress Poppy’s plot inconsistencies. And Sera’s mirror image personality is explained away because of Sotorias soul, and family lineage. They’re the same personality type with different hair.

1) Dialogue - I find the same dialogue being recycled has fallen flat for me. Sera and Poppy’s “tempers” and “stubbornness” feel like an easy way to introduce conflict or tension but it doesn’t often advance the plot or character arc. There are so many stagnant beats where Sera/Poppy and any character have this type of conversation:

Character A: slightly controversial but logical opinion

Sera: NO that is Wrong.

Character A: Rationalizes point

Sera: Do you want me to stab you?

Character A: oh shit

Sera: I’m known for my temper

Character A: I’m impressed/insulted.

(And if it’s Nyktos then you follow up with)

Nyktos: Your anger makes me horny

Sera: Ew, but also same.

Nektas: you two are so funny with your arguing/mean girls mom beat - you guys ok? Want condoms?

Sera: *walks away feeling empowered because she spoke her mind*

I would hope an editor would catch on to these repetitive beats and try to either pare them back or vary them enough that there’s purpose behind it.

2) Secondary characters are just there to watch the scene. You’ll notice in many instances, Sera and Ash have a blow up, and the side characters are there purely to comment on what’s happening and narrate Sera’s character arc. If you took them all away the scene would remain the same.

Ex. Sera fighting Ash in the courtyard in book 2. The secondary characters provide nothing but audience commentary.

Or in FTIF when Rhain is speaking to Sera about her deal and freeing him, and then Ash wanders up and they have another “you don’t know the meaning of the word argue” argument and the side characters literally step away from them and they repeat the age old conversation beat I listed above.

What’s the point in introducing a huge cast of secondary characters if their only purpose is to bear witness alongside the reader. Instead you could have them take an active role in the plot, and have impactful relationships, opinions and action that drive the plot home. They’re just padding.

This entire series could take place in Ash’s bed and you wouldn’t notice the difference.

3) Weak conflict- Using Kolis as the example. We understand from book 2 that he’s a monster. But the stakes are significantly lowered when his and Sera’s opinions stay the same the whole way through FITF.

Consider what the story would have been like if he and Sera found moments of genuine empathy and understanding. What if they shared moments of humour or appreciation for each other? Think of how conflicted Sera would be about destroying him.

Is his kindness just manipulation? Or is there a deeper reason behind his actions that she doesn’t know yet? The fact that Sera is always aware of his tactics makes it hard to invest in her goal of becoming his weakness.

I care less about Kolis seducing Sera or vice versa because I know it won’t actually happen. We already know Sera is devoted to Ash and she’s revolted by Kolis. So her conflict about “becoming nothing” and fulfilling her duty is a nonissue.

4) Show, don’t tell. Seras discoveries while in captivity are quite passive. Either Kolis or Callum just straight up tell her the secrets. She’s in a cage so she has to rely on characters telling her what’s happened. It feels like the plot of the book happened outside the room, and we are just getting reports about it.

Consider Sera manipulating Kolis into giving her time out of the cage where she has opportunity to wheel and deal with other gods and discover secrets in more active ways. (Ex hunting down a revenant and having them talk through their transformation. Or talking to an Ascended about their blood lust and their fight for humanity.)

Even in the final chapters. Ash confesses to Sera that he had visions of her and removed his Kardia after he met her. He tells her that removing the Kardia was irrelevant in the end. Yet again another plot point that’s rendered useless and discussed in a passive manner. Such a let down after all that conflict in book 2. It almost felt like these scenes were drafts of the dream walking beats and JLA added in at the end because she liked them.

Consider those revelations happening at the lake as she’s trying to say goodbye to Ash. The anguish and betrayal she would feel about his decisions, but still clinging to their last moments together.

All in all, I feel like JLA was done dirty in the sense that pumping out these books every year hasn’t given her the time to dig into her own universe.

#fbaa series #a shadow in the ember #fire in the flesh #fitf #sera x nyktos #poppy balfour #poppy cas #from blood and ash #seraphena mierel #daddy nyktos

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rainbowolfe · 1 year ago

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Mystic Seller Decode V2

Okay, this version? This version I'm pretty confident on the meanings of the individual symbols, but less so on what they're trying to say as a whole. Each of these symbols represents a faction of gods.

[Left to Right] The Old Gods, The Mancers, The First Gods, The Great Ones, The Gods of Death

Old Gods So far three Old Gods have been referenced: Turua, Ithaqua, and the Revenant. They weren't the first, but they've been around quite some time and most likely were the original Old Faith, if not their benefactors.

Mancers The "Mancers" may not be their official name, but it's how I'll qualify them. So far only the Grand Mancer and the Necromancer have been mentioned, but they seem to have been early members (servants?) of the Old Faith.

First Gods If not the symbol for the First Gods, then it's the symbol for the descendants of the First Gods. So... the Second Gods, I guess XD Clauneck, Kuudai, and Chemach.

Great Ones Just hear me out on this one. See this analysis. Though they've strayed from it, The Old Faith was meant to serve the Great Ones. Alternatively, in the opposite direction, this is a symbol to represent their equivalent to The Devil.

The Gods of Death There are allusions to there being multiple gods of death that potentially existed at the same time. Which makes sense, it's a big job. People stay dying. They would have all been servants to the Death.

On context clues alone, I can assume with confidence, that whatever Mystic Seller is saying is related to why Lamb is unworthy of entering his realm. The meaning also has to fit into this string of dialogue:

God Tears remain. Do not allow complacency to take root. [Symbols]. Yet you have shown yourself to be a worthy deity.

That "yet" is key. Whatever it is, the problem lies in the creatures/deities of this realm. Most likely a trait they all share; or maybe there's a generalized (negative) opinion other realms have of the creatures from this one.

And so, let's try to interpret this beast.

Interpretation 1 - Lineage

There were five "Mancers" of importance, and Mystic Seller is describing their lineage. Perhaps the sin is the way they comingled with each other, or maybe they were just assholes and their presence means that the rest of the extended-god-universe doesn't want to deal with this realm.

Mancer A, the offspring of Wild Card (someone born from a First God and a Great One) and Death God.

Mancer B, the offspring of Mancer D and Wild Card. Death God, born from a Mancer and an Old God (likely Mancer B).

Mancer C, the offspring of a First God and an Old God.

Mancer D, born solely from First Gods.

I would suspect that means Mancer A is Narinder. The Kin of Turua tarot card implies that the Red Crownbearer is one of "his own", and it's Turua's influence taking over the Bishop's temples after all is said and done.

Making Mystic Seller's message a very long-winded way of saying that Narinder is an inbred hybrid and an affront to the Great Ones, so Lamb will never not be associated with that.

Pros: -it makes a lot of sense?? -gives Narinder a bio-family that he would reasonably want to separate himself from, gives a reason why this realm was abandoned by their higher power and the gods of it left to die out. At least biologically, it kinda has to end with Narinder. (or Lamb usurping him, which is probably what they were gambling on)

Cons: -Incest. But. Maybe that's why the Great Ones were like "no." to an entire realm and every god in it XD -Hard to turn into a coherent statement. -Mancer C's role in all of this left unclear

Interpretation 2 - Victims of Their Successors

Attempting to find more context clues from the dialogue itself. Here's something that happens to work. This sentence structure:

"I seek the newly appointed god, successor of their victims, last of their kind. Confer with me."

The god, who they replaced, their label, who they bargained with. Following that structure, we get:

The Mancers, successor of the First God empowered by the Great Ones; the last of the Gods of Death. The Mancer empowered by the Old Gods conferred with them.

The First Gods empowered by the Mancers, successor of the First Gods empowered by the Great Ones; the last of the Gods of Death. The Mancer empowered by the Old Gods conferred with them.

The First Gods empowered by the Old Gods, successor of the Mancers. The last of the First Gods.

This gives us three factions among the First Gods before they all died out. Those who served the Great Ones, those who served the Old Gods, and those who served the Mancers. It would seem that, for whatever reason, the First Gods lost whatever "blessing" the Great Ones had been giving them for generations and began to rely on the godly beings they were stuck with. This may be related to The Beguiler and the Oath of the Crown.

Ultimately, the Old Gods won that power struggle. The Mancers were tricked/ betrayed by one of their own and devoured as a result. The absence of the Mancers means the First Gods depending on them would be left powerless, and be destroyed as well. So there go all the gods of death. If the last of the First Gods were the beneficiaries of the Old Gods, then it would make sense that their descendants would continue that tradition.

That's where our bird trio (Clauneck, Chemach, Kudaai) comes in.

So basically, Mystic Seller is saying "The Mancers and the First Gods that served them were destroyed by the Old God's puppet(s), and those that remained now serve the Old Gods."

And maybe.. Maybe. That is the problem. The Great Ones no longer have control of this realm, so they abandoned it. And severed it from the rest so that the Old Gods couldn't continue to grow in power.

Because something powerful aided the Bishops in sealing Narinder away. Willingly or not. And something else manufactured a millennia-long scheme that warped the fabric of the universe to their will to have him freed.

Cons: -I absolutely picked a random sentence with zero reason -Mystic Seller doesn't seem to recognize the bird trio as gods

Pros: -A series of sentences that make sense -Able to assign fitting characters to the symbols

#cotl #cult of the lamb #cotl theory #cotl bishops #cotl narinder #cotl the one who waits

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jaigeye · 1 year ago

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jedi master bernie and his padawan girls - leonie & chava

#bernardeau namya #leonie luroon #chava #bernie and his DAUGHTERS really #jaigeye ocs #jaigeye art #revenant lineage

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miirshroom · 8 months ago

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Loki as inspiration for Radagon

I have seen it many times where people are able to interpret Marika as having attributes connected to Odin - trickster, hung on a tree and stabbed with a spear, dropped an eye (scarseal) down a well - but less often do I see identified Marika/Radagon's thematic ties to other Norse gods and especially Loki.

From review of the literature Radagon alone is something of an amalgamation of many myths and stories: Loki, Illmarinen/Kullervo, Orion, Xolotl, Gollum/Smeagol, the Rebis and/or a literal interpretation of man and woman becoming "one flesh" as described in Genesis in Christian bibles (and a handful of others). All under the combined names of gods Ra and Dagon. It may even be appropriate to think of him as a mimic on a meta level, given all of these inspirations pulled together.

And of all of those inspiration one stands out as especially synergistic with a mimic character - Loki the Trickster and shapeshifter. Maybe it's a pop culture recency bias of people getting hung up on the hair colour, since the Marvel black hair version of Loki is its own thing while most scholarship on the matter has Loki as either red-haired or (more likely) blonde. But specifically the version of Loki that appears in Wagner's Ring Cycle in the mid-1800's is red haired because Loki is conflated with the fire giant 'Logi' for that production. And on the other hand it also makes some sense to associate Radagon with the explicitly red-haired Thor who wields a hammer (more on that later).

Anyways, the main point is the characteristics of Loki that apply directly and indirectly around Radagon:

Half giant heritage. Radagon hates his hair the colour of fire giants - this one is clear.

Shapeshifter who has had children in male and female form. Radagon has fathered children and Marika has been mother to children. The 8-legged horse Sleipnir does not make an appearance but perhaps a spiritual analogue does: the Royal Revenants are 8-limbed. Godfrey is described as "scion of the Golden Bough" and a scion is a limb taken from a tree, so perhaps it is meant to be that in the empty space of the narrative Marika was mother to 8 children of the Golden Lineage.

Had three children with a giantess: Hela the queen of the underworld who is half dead and half alive (Ranni), Jormungandr the World Serpent (Rykard), and Fenris Wolf who has the most convoluted mythology of the 3 but is most known for having a voracious appetite (Radahn eats corpses and howls at the sky). The twist on the classic here is that none of the three were born into these roles and instead all grew into them.

Loki wagered his head in a bet with a craftsman who forged 3 treasures: a ring for Odin that generates 8 copies of itself every 9 days, a golden boar for Freyr, and Thor's hammer Mjolnir. Again, two of the treasures have direct parallels in the Elden Ring and Marika's Hammer. The third is less obvious but there are indeed boars in the Lands Between. And now a man riding boar in the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer. When he lost the bet the craftsman had planned to behead him, but Loki pointed out that he had not wagered his neck, so instead the craftsman sewed his mouth shut. My main point is that the Preceptor's Mask associated with Radagon's journey to Liurnia has the mouth "sewn shut", and Glintstone crowns in general have associations with beheading.

Was imprisoned for his role in tricking Hodr - the blind Norse god of darkness - into killing Baldr - Norse god of light. Parallel to the death of Godwyn. This has led as least some people to match up Ranni to Loki, which itself is not incorrect because this is an original story and not a 1:1 recreation of myth. But to the theory that Marika/Radagon orchestrated the Night of Black Knives, this is a point in favour.

Is credited in the Prose Edda with inventing the fishing net (same pattern as Radagon's rune). This also connects to an incident just before Loki was caught where he takes the form of a salmon and the gods use his own net to help catch him (Radagon's rune blocking entry to the Erdtree). However, there is another connection to Ranni here as it is said in the more reliable Poetic Edda that Loki actually borrowed the net from Rán, goddess of the sea.

Obtained from craftsmen a wig of golden hair for Sif - wife of Thor - to replace the hair he cut off for a trick by shaving her bald. This one is not explicitly invoked - aside from the tendency for demigods to be shorn of their hair and have it included in their helms. It is more an exercise of extrapolation after identifying a pattern with other Loki stories and also drawing upon that imagery of Radagon wielding Thor's hammer. Imagine Radagon divesting himself of his red hair and replacing it with golden hair as part of becoming Marika as a preferred identity. Sif also was known to wear a veil in the time before receiving new hair - and Marika wears a veil in her church statues. The statue of a bald monk appears to be symbolic of the beginning of Marika's Age of the Erdtree.

Altogether, the point is that there are many ways to understand what it means that Radagon and Marika are the same person. Mythology is one of those ways - so often in myths identities are fluid because they represent a set of stories that drifted in retellings and were later brought back and merged into a single entity by selectively choosing the new canon. The two aspects of a single god are interpreted as two different gods due to language barriers, wander apart for a bit as the stories diverge when told by different storytellers, and merge back together or get subsumed into the identity of another god entirely.

Edit: As pointed out in the reblog, scholarship speculates that Loki originated as a disguise of Odin as Trickster God. However - to nip in the bud a conclusion that could be made from this - I would not say that this indicates that Marika started as a genderswapped Odin who diverged to become a Radagon Loki. Because FromSoft has stated explicitly who most embodies Odin: Gideon Ofnir. Ófnir is a name meaning "Inciter" and attributed to Odin by Snorri. Gideon synergizes well as a Tarnished version of Radagon - representing a previous version of him from a certain point in time. If you like, consider Gideon to be a companion who joined Radagon on the campaign to Raya Lucaria - he had to make an acquaintance of Seluvis at some point after all. Gideon claims to know that Marika wishes the Tarnished to struggle forever, which places him on the same line of thought as Radagon's eternal agonized hammering of the ring (and Gideon's weapon is a type of hammer as well). Radagon has been noted to use only incantations in his fight despite having spent time learning sorcery at Raya Lucaria. These traits of combining incantations and sorcery are instead displayed by Gideon who gives payoff to the characterization of Odin as wizard.

I stick to my original assessment of what it means that "Radagon is Marika" and Radagon is both Marika's other self and yet to become her. Marika is a persona constructed by Radagon in imitation of someone else, and an identity assumed through shapeshifting. He tried to disappear completely behind the persona of Marika to cover his flaws but could not do so because she was a hollow imitation and repressing the core issues instead of confronting them only caused them to fester. It's like the theme of God of War Ragnarok (2022) as in the Detail Diatribe by Overly Sarcastic Productions: generational trauma is the Hidden Hand of Fate. When those festering doubts resurface Radagon as Loki as an offshoot of Odin tries to solve the problem like an Odin: by tortuously hanging on a tree for knowledge, plucking out eyes to drop down wells, and so on. That's the generational trauma bit - it's a cycle of pain. It's why it was important for Ranni to shed her bloodline connection to Radagon in the context of the narrative. And then slay the Hidden Hand of Fate (I.e. Manus Celes). It frees her from the cycle and from continuing the mess of complexes that was Radagon/Marika. She is the queen of the underworld that is represented by the Lands Between and she is doing it on her own terms.

#Elden ring #Elden ring lore #Literary analysis #I guess my choice to write an essay about Loki in highschool is paying dividends #I want to mention how the Raptor's Feathers cloak may point to the story of Loki borrowing Freya's cloak of falcon feathers #But I think that is better addressed in discussing other noted Trickster characters Patches and Domhnall of Zena

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parchmentleaves · 10 months ago

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Lady Essiala Ariathia ban Vor'cle

No game this week, so a brief entry about Lady Essiala instead. Who is the lady behind this journal? Linked above or copy-pasted below.

Lady Essiala Ariathia Sorjiik den Morgenstern ban Vor’cle is the Navigator Primaris of the void-ship Gloriosa Lux Misericordiae Imperialis, a role she has held for just over a standard decade. She is a bookish and reserved woman who prefers the solitude of her library to the hubbub of human interactions, and uses her noble bearing as a mask to conceal her terrors and inner loneliness.

Child of Vor’cle

Essiala is a scion of House Vor’cle, an ancient and vaunted House of the Navis Nobilite that eschews sector and planetary politics in favour of broad-ranging interests and connections throughout the Imperium of Man, including at the very heights of power. Vor’cle Navigators guide ships of nobility, adepta of the mighty Adeptus Terra, Rogue Traders, and even the dreaded Inquisition. The House maintains its own fleet of void-clippers – fast courier voidcraft that crisscross Sectors, Segmenta and even the Imperium itself bearing information too dense, complex or secure to risk astropathic communication, as well as individuals wishing swift and unobtrusive transport across the stars.

She was born on one of these void-clippers, the lean and ancient Morgenstern, and is a child of an esteemed and stable gene-lineage that has been free of genomic instability for over a millenium. Children of the Sorjiik lineage tend to a greater height, leanness of build and paleness of skin than even most void-born, with many also possessing entirely black eyes well-suited to finding even the fainest of lights in the darkness of the void. Essiala shows all these traits and, like many children of her line, prefers her quarters set to lower local gravity and dimmer lumination than ship standard.

House Vor’cle is less hidebound than many great magisterial Houses of the Navis Nobilite who might rely on their breeding and connections to secure contracts of navigation. The Vor’cle instead educate their scions and inculcate a deep curiosity about the universe into them. They in turn record everything that they encounter on their long-ranging travels across and beyond the Imperium and send their reports back to the House archives, where they may be used to further the obectives of the House and its allies. This cavalier disregard for the virtue of ignorance has led to multiple long term feuds between the House and factions of the Ecclesiarchy.

Dark Apprenticeship

Decades of scholarship and apprenticeship taught Essiala well the lessons of her House. She served as a Navigatrix Tertius and learned the practicalities of navigation aboard multiple ships with distinction and no issue save for a short-lived daliance with a bright-eyed void-mistress that ended when Essiala ascended to the rank of Navigatrix Secundus and was assigned to the void-ship Revenance.

Her years aboard the Revenance took her into the Halo Stars beyond the frontiers of the Imperium. She saw strange aetheric phenomena and curious alien ruins, decimated remnants of fallen civilisations far older than that of Man, and steered the ship through terrible warp storms to find safe refuge in the light of the Astronomicon once more. An incident occured on one voyage where she had the honour of steering the ship while the Navigator Primaris was recovering from injuries following a skirmish with Orkish pirates. The ship’s Gellar field, likely suffering some minor damage in the prior engagement, fluctuated during a turbulent ana-surge within the Immaterium and something attempted to coalesce through the cracks into the Navis spire.

A shapeless darkness with a voice of ash and burning violet eyes appeared on before Essiala and begged for her to open disable the safeties on the Aciens Horrens, the heavily warded portal through which the Navigator views the Immaterium, and allow it inside. It offered power, knowledge, all the sweet temptations fit to lure her into obeying its pleas. She refused and, in a moment of righteous anger, tried to turn the power of her Third Eye on the blasphemous thing. The entity simply laughed in amusement and departed, leaving her with words.

“Such fire you have. And such fires you will see Beyond. Three and three and all will burn as bright as you. May they consume you by delightful degrees.”

Essiala found herself marked and shaken by this dreadful encounter. All food tastes of ash in her mouth and her dreams echo with the three-eyed entities mocking laughter. In response she threw herself into studying all she could find about such blasphemous foes, so that she might face and destroy the entity if she encountered it once more. And to this day she takes great care to maintain a personal shrine to the Emperor in her quarters, praying to Him on Earth and all His Saints each morning after a night of fitful, restless sleep.

Navigator of the Gloriosa Lux

The incident on the Revenance earned Essiala her elevation to the rank of full Navigatrix, after sufficient psychoexamination and deep testing to ensure that the entity had left no taint upon her soul. She was assigned to fulfil House Vor’cle’s contract of navigation with the Void-ghast Dynasty, an ancient rogue trader family now fallen from the heights of their past glories, and she assumed the duties of Navigator Primaris aboard the Void-ghast’s only true void-ship, the Sword-class frigate Gloriosa Lux Misericordiae Imperialis.

Lady Essiala worked well with the Gloriosa Lux and her Lord-Captain Eleazar Void-ghast, steering the vessel on nearly a dozen expeditions into into the wild space of the Koronus Expanse and bringing her home safely each time. Each voyage brought new wonders and new terrors, and always the subtlest hints of some meaning behind the words and the sinister laughter haunting her nightmares.

Lord Eleazar’s sudden and unexpected death upended everything. Gloriosa Lux was forced to return to anchorage, spending nearly a year in limbo waiting for the heir to the Dynasty, the Writ of Trade, and the Lord-Captaincy to be found. Essiala spent the time reading, writing notes for future memoirs, and attempting to make sense of her dreams. She could feel a pattern forming, though it was still too diffuse and subtle to fully grasp.

Finally, after interminable politics and delays of transit, Lazarus Void-ghast was declared Lord of the Dynasty and the Gloriosa Lux Misericordiae Imperialis has set sail once more into the Koronus Expanse…

#rogue trader #rogue trader ttrpg #ttrpg character #navigator #warhammer 40k

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cravencur · 10 months ago

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this is for @rei-inari because i have no chill and kamijo is my pandora's box. :)

albums i recommend: Oscar (his most recent), Symphony of the Vampire (debut album)

singles i recommend (solo): Louis ~Enketsu no La Vie en Rose~, Royal Blood, Nosferatu, Vampire Rock Star, Persona Grata, Yamiyo no Lion, Eye of Providence

singles i recommend (versailles): God Palace, Masquerade, VOGUE, Shout & Bites, Philia, Aristocrat's Symphony, zombie

singles i recommend (lareine): Metamorphose, Kyokuto no Koibito, Grand Pain, Aisareta Hibi ~Ever Love~, gypsy, Fuyu Tokyo

special shout-out for his collaboration with Mana and Matenrou/D/MM to create the supergroup JVM and producing Concerto ~Aesthetic Bloodline~

the setlist for his concert this past July i went to, for shits and giggles: Castrato Conspiracy Yamiyo no Lion Vampire Rock Star Louis ~Enketsu no La Vie en Rose~ Eye of Providence Madameoiselle Moulin Rouge Avec Toi ~Kimi to Tomo ni~ Theme of Sang Nosferatu Symphony of the Vampire Lineage Masquerade Ascendead Master Shout & Bites Wrath of Thunder zombie Serenade Prince VOGUE Love from a Dead Orchestra Katate ni Yume wo Motsu Shoujou The Revenant Choir Symphony of the Revenant Choir La Musique

other bands/artists i recommend: Versailles and Lareine (duh), Matenrou Opera, D, Malice Mizer, lynch., ZeRa, Magistina Saga, Unlucky Morpheus, Angel's Temptation, Megamasso, ZOMBIE, Dezert, and MUCC

thank u

#music #kamijo

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mudaship39 · 1 year ago

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Character bio of the Afro Asian Native Fae Elvish, Giant Kin, and Goblinoid Spellcaster, Gunslinger, & Swordfighter Part 3:

Hero:

Disciple of the Obscure (They have spent their time worshiping a deity who's not very well known. They act as an intermediary between the realm of their deity and the mortal world. They perform sacred rites and offer sacrifices in order to please their deity. They are helping a demigod ascend into a goddess. They are worshiping them in private. Their deity wants them to do heroic, virtuous, & lawful acts in their name. Though the demigoddess is true good alignment, not a neutral good alignment like her disciple who swore an oath of vengeance and oath of devotion to her. She speaks directly to them sometimes. Other times it's through messengers such as angels).

Folk Hero. Legendary Lineage. Divine Seeker. Auspicious Birth. Divine Disciple. Fated. Fallen Hero. Dark Hero. Wronged Hero. Local Hero. Celebrity. Divine Champion. Herald of the Gods. Defyer of Fate. Wielder of the Old One (Titan Slayer a sentient Sword forged by giant kin, blessed by primordial beings, & heated and cooled by elemental dragons).

Warrior of a Lost Age. From the Past. Elysium Knight. Ancient King/Queen. Eternal One. Sealed One. Ancient One (Blessed and given purpose by a benevolent being. Gained immortality for better or worse). Time Frozen (Frozen by a deity of time to protect them from calamity). Revenant. Lost Civilization (Person from legendary world filled with magic and technology where citizens used artifacts and relics many consider impossible).

Isekai. Otherworlder. Returned. Primogenitor (They were the first. They started a bloodline with a famous and rich history. An entire bloodline was born from their blood and an illustrious future was born from their actions. It has been many generations. They have lost track. They are recognized by their current family. They were a famous alchemist and renowned wizard who sired children. They, as an innovative inventor, engineer, & scientist, were the creator of some great process or invention that is renowned by many in the past and now is a commonplace sight. They were sealed away in a deep sleep only to have recently awoken. In the modern ages they are living alongside their progeny somehow despite being written out of history ages ago. The means of how they are currently here is sinister). Reborn Soul.

Monstrous Presence. Survivor of the Cataclysm. An S rank calamity. An S rank dungeon. Millions of F rank to S rank adventurers were displaced to an S rank dungeon that was a giant supercontinent. With many environments of islands, jungles, forests, swamps, grasslands, deserts, mountains, arctic tundras, & volcanic mountains. The adventurers were displaced randomly throughout these environments. Terrains home to A to S rank beasts, creatures, & monsters. Environments home to B to S rank humanoid enemies. They were displaced there in the dungeon for a century. Time exists differently in the cataclysm. A century there was a decade in the real world. Of the millions displaced as the decade ended only several hundred thousand C rank to S rank adventurers survived.

Beast, Monster, Creature Tamer:

Dungeon Master of S ranked Monster Dungeon filled with slimes all the way to dragons for an S ranked Adventurers Guild for Training of B Class to S ranked guild members.

Minions:

Slime folk minions with boss summons of humanoid slimes. Undead minions: skeleton soldiers, zombies, ghouls, mummies. Special undead summons: death knights, mummy lords, dullahan. Undead boss summon: a lich. Goblinoid minions: imps, goblins, & boss summons hobgoblins. Special summons, orc, high orc, troll, & high troll. Giant kin summons: ogre, oni, kijin, goliath, giants, & boss summon titans. Avian summons: tengu, kenku, owlin, and boss summons: Aarakocra. Werecreature minions and boss summon pureblood alpha werewolves. Serpent folk summons: gorgon, lamia, naga, yuan ti abominations, yuan ti half bloods, & boss summon yuan ti pureblood. Vampire summons and boss summon vampire lord. Dragon kin summons: kobolds, dragon newt, drake, wyvern, dragon born, half dragons, & boss summons dragons.

Magic User Level:

Circle 10 Magic User specializing in tier 0 to tier 10 magic. 10 magical cores or stars.

Magic Skills:

Skilled in the schools of magic, magical subjects, & magical skills of. Especially absorption, alchemy, amulets, animancy, animation, animism, apparition, arithmancy, artificing, astrology, augmentation, banishment, bestowal, cartomancy, charms, clairvoyance, conjuration, conversion, creation, crystals, curses, dark arts, demonology, disintegration, divination, elements, enchantment, entropy, evocation, familiar bonding, feng shui, geomancy, grimoires, healing, herbology, hexes, hoodoo, hypnosis, illusions, incantations, inscriptions, invocations, mediums, mysticism, necrology, negation, necromancy, nonverbal spellcasting, numerology,

occultism, onmyodo, potions, precognition, psionics, psychometry, reanimation, rituals, runes, runology, scrying, sealing, sensing, shamanism, shapeshifting, sorcery, sourcing, summoning, spellcasting, spiritual projection, talismans, talismongering, tarot cards, technomancy, teleportation, transfiguration, transmogrification, transmutation, voodoo, wandless spellcasting, warding and wards, white arts, witchcraft, & wuxing.

Skilled in the types of magic. Especially aether magic, astral magic, aura magic, barrier magic, battle magic, blessing magic, blood magic, combat magic, conceptual magic, cosmic magic, creation magic, dark magic, dark arts magic, death magic, demonic magic, destiny magic, destruction magic, defensive magic, dimension magic, divine magic, dragon magic, dream magic, druid magic,

eldritch magic, elemental magic, emotional magic, energy magic, environmental magic, evolutionary magic, explosion magic, faith magic, fairy magic, forensic magic, forge magic, holy magic, home magic, hope magic, ink magic, life magic, light magic, love magic, luck magic, lunar magic, medical magic, memory magic, mirror magic, motion magic, momentum magic, music magic, mythic magic, nature magic, nether magic, neutral magic, object magic, order magic,

paper magic, peace magic, planetary magic, plasma magic, poison magic, portal magic, possession magic, psionic magic, psychic magic, purification magic, quantum magic, raw magic, reality magic, reinforcement magic, ritual magic, rural magic, sacrificial magic, sealing magic, sentient magic, shadow magic, sigil magic, solar magic, solid magic, sound magic, space magic, space time magic, spirit magic, stellar magic, strength magic, symbol magic, time magic, techno magic, teleportation magic, transcendent magic, twilight magic, underground magic, urban magic, vector magic, void magic, war magic, warp magic, wild magic, & white arts magic.

Magic User Rank:

Imperial alchemist, master enchanter, journeyman animist, arch mage, grand magician, greater necromancer, lesser psionic, imperial arcanist, great channeler, supreme witch, greater summoner, master conjurer, grand sorcerer, great warlock, apprentice healer, lesser seer, great elementalist, greater illusionist, novice invoker, arch magus, supreme mystic, master transmuter, neophyte diviner, imperial mentalist, & master wizard.

Titles: Strongest S Rank Adventurer. Undefeatable Arcane Swordsman. Most Skilled Spellcaster. Deadeye Esoteric Sharpshooter.

Magic Circles:

A magic circle is a circle of space marked out by practitioners of some branches of magic. They generally believe it will contain energy and form a sacred space. They believe it will also provide them a form of magical protection. Special powers that rely on the power of traced shapes and diagrams to function.

Almost always a circular design. Comes with additional shapes of varying complexity inside the circle. Sometimes only required for a special ceremony. Sometimes necessary for anything and everything remotely magical. It is a form of hermetic magic.

Geometric magic usually sets itself up as a type of functional magic. It is frequently paired with ritual magic. Its instant runes when the magic seems to spawn the shapes rather than the other way around. Instant runes are generally involved anyway as the activation of the shape may cause writing to appear. Magic using wands, mage sticks, scepters, & broomsticks summon magic circles that are geometric magic.

More complicated geometric magic designs are required for more complicated forms of magic. They are called arrays. The more detailed the array and the more stable the magic. The bigger the magic circle the more powerful the magic effect is. There are different geometric shapes depending on the class of magic the caster is using. There are several known variations. Some correspond to the major schools of magic and some to magical specialization. Combining geometric shapes leads to more complex forms of magic. The most powerful of spells use sacred geometry. His/her/their magic circles radiate or shine cardinal, sapphire, obsidian, opal, amethyst, emerald, gold, or silver.

Status: Alive

Died several times as a S rank adventurer.

They were revived and resurrected several times.

Died when a monster stampede of a thunder of hundred chromatic evil dragons attacked the kingdom. Burned by a fire dragon and electrocuted by a lightning dragon. The dragons came when they were attracted by an ancient draconic relic hidden in the kingdom.

Was resurrected by a head clergy of a church in a large city. After members of their party performed a task for the priest to prove their fallen comrade's worth to them. Also had the paladin and cleric of the party take up oaths of the god the head priest and saintess served.

Died when a devil lord killed them for revenge when he/she/they killed devil lords and ladies for vengeance. The devils turned a city into a human sacrifice and turned the citizens into imps, lesser demons, and arch demons. The demons used this to turn themselves into greater demons, demon nobles, & demon royalty.

The guild adventuring party ventured into the underworld to take back the soul of their dead party member themselves.

Died when fighting alongside a metallic dragon against a lich king and their zombie dragon. Lich King amassed an army of two million undead using the dead of a kingdom in a resurrection spell to attack the capital city. The undead army of mummies, vampires, ghosts, skeleton soldiers, banshees, ghasts, jiangshi, wraiths, revenants, zombies, & ghouls was commanded by undead commanders of death knights, pureblood vampire lords, necromancers, undead fighters, undead spellcasters, & mummy lords.

Divine intervention resurrection. He/she/they were resurrected by a different goddess than the one they served. The deity asks that the party promise to perform a favor in exchange for their friend's life. She asked that they become an avatar for her when they were revived to do deeds in her name as her champion.

Was petrified by a fire basilisk. Was un petrified.

He/she/they when he/she/they died were chosen to become a god/goddess/deity as a human with fae elvish, giant kin, and goblinoid ancestry. He/she/they were chosen to become the fae elvish god goddess of magic, the giant kin god goddess of technology, and goblinoid god goddess of smithing including (god smithing weapons meant to kill gods and devils).

Occupation:

Retired:

Military Navy Fleet Admiral

Magical Marine Corp General

Magical Air Force General

Magical Space Navy Captain

Sky Pirate General

Sea Pirate Fleet Admiral

Thief’s Guild Grandmaster

Assassins Guild Grandmaster

Slayer. (Gov. Sanctioned Association of Slayers. Witch Hunter. Mage Hunter. Demon Hunter. Monster Hunter. Slayer of the Undead. Dragon Slayer.)

Elven Royal Advisor

Icon

Active:

High King/High Queen

Paramount Chieftain/Warchief

High End Bar Owner

Five Star Restaurant Owner

Seelie Court Lord/Lady

Merchant Guild Grandmaster

Merchant Navy Fleet Admiral

Knight Order High Elder

God Smith

Paladin Order Elder

Magical School Superintendent/Chancellor

Pathfinder. Wayfinder. Horizon Walker. Outrider. Master Inquisitor. Trailblazer.

Wand Carver.

Magical Amulet and Talisman Carver.

Magical Witch’s Broomstick Carver.

Magical University Dean

High Elder of a Circle of Magi

High Priestess of a Witch Coven

Magic Tower Grandmaster

Mercenary Company Commander

Lord Commander of the City Guard

Lord Commander of the City Watch

Guild Grandmaster (Adventurer’s Guild leader).

Place of Residence: When in magical human federation land he/she/they live at the Norwood Manor on the Norwood Estate. While in Indigenous magical human land he/she/they live in a dome shaped oblong, rounded, undulatory, & sinuous home. It has peaks and spires. It is rib vaulted. It has catenary arches. It is made out of gemstones and magical metals. It is filled with magiteck for accessibility.

Citizenship: Tirione Kingdom, Human Federation of Magical Human Kingdoms and Indigenous Magical Human Nations, Alliance or Coalition, Federation of Aehinara, Continent of Aehinara, Contingent Landmass of Eisio, Giant Planet of Kaishi

Affiliation:

Human Federation of Magical Human Kingdoms and Indigenous Magical Human Nations.

Alliance or Coalition. Confederacy of Indigenous Goblinoid and Giantkin Nations.

Federation of Aehinara

Sword and Shield Knight Order

Paragon Paladin Order

Vanguard Guild Order and Adventuring Guild

Cerberus Mercenary Company

Magic Council

Arcane Order

Education:

High School graduate.

High School Diploma.

He/she/they were part of the magical go, magical shogi, & magical chess club.

U-13 (or under 13), U-15 (or under 15) Magical Dueling first place champion, second place runner up, & third place finalist who took part in magical duels with a rapier, short sword and shield, & long sword.

U-18 or under 18, U-21 or under 21, & 21 and over Magical Dueling first place champion, second place runner up, third place finalist who took part in magical duels with dual wielding short swords, one handed long sword and shield, and two handed great sword.

U-13 or under 13, U-15 or under 15 Magical Archery first place champion, second place runner up, & third place finalist who took part in magical archery with a magical traditional bow and arrow, a magical crossbow, & a magical modern compound bow.

U-18 (or under 18), U-21 (or under 21), & 21 and over Magical Sharpshooting first place champion, second place runner up, third place finalist who took part in magical gunslinging using a magical flintlock pistol, magical revolver revolver, magical semi automatic pistol, magical flintlock rifle, magical ten shot lever action repeating rifle, & magical carbine.

U-13 (or under 13) and U-15 (or under 15) Magical Spellcasting first place champion, second place runner up, & third place finalist who took part in magical duels with a wand, magical baton, & grimoire.

U-18 (or under 18), U-21 (or under 21), & 21 and over Magical Spellcasting first place champion, second place runner up, third place finalist who took part in magical duels with a mage stick, broomstick, & scepter.

He/she/they/they took drama and theater where they met the Night Elf Bard.

He/she/they were the treasurer, vice president, & later student body president.

He/she/they took honors classes and AP classes. He/she/they in high school were on the principal’s honor roll and was valedictorian.

College graduate.

Associates Degree in Arithmancy

Masters Degree in Language.

Dual Major in Goblinoid and Giantkin

Minor in Common and Elvish

Master’s Degree in Military History.

History Major in Elvish History

With emphasis in Dark Elven History

Minor in Draenei History

PHD in Magical Philosophy.

Doctorate in Demonology and Necrology.

He/she/they taught as a professor at the magical four year university.

This is the magical four year university that they were alumni of where they were an English major that received their associate’s degree in Common (English).

They graduated cum laude as someone who graduated in the top twenty percent of their class.

They were a Common (English) major that received their bachelor’s degree of the arts with a dual major in Goblin, Troll, Giantish, and Orcish.

Club member of the Divination, Numerology, Astrology, & Astronomy Club

He/she/they were club president of the Indigenous magical students association. He/she/they were vice president of the magical human students association.

At the magical four year university they were the star-player of the magical sports team.

He/she/they taught magical philosophy as a magical philosopher at a magical Ivy League School.

This is the magical Ivy League School that they were alumni of where they were a Philosophy and Ethics major that received their doctorate degree in magical philosophy.

He/she/they graduated magna cum laude as someone who graduated in the top ten percent of their class.

He/she/they were part of the men’s and women’s magical basketball, baseball, softball, ice hockey, field hockey, soccer, volleyball, track and field, & rugby magical collegiate sports teams.

He/she/they were part of the magical fencing club sport team as Lysander. This is where they met the High Elf Cleric and Paladin.

He/she/they were part of the magical kendo, sai, kobudo, spear, kalaripayattu, stick fighting, bo staff, silat, & nunchucks melee martial art club sport team.

He/she/they were part of the magical mixed martial arts (imagine karate, capoeira, krav maga, savate, muay thai, jiu jitsu, kickboxing, hapkido, judo, aikido, taekwondo, etc.) club sport team.

He/she/they were part of the magical monk class martial arts (imagine bak mei, wushu, changquan, hung gar, xingyiquan, shuai jiao, wing chun, san da, choy li fut, shaolin kung fu, & wuzuquan) martial arts club sport team.

He/she/they were part of the archery crossbow, traditional composite bow, & modern compound bow kyudo club sport team as Luciana. This is where they met the Wood Elf Druid and Ranger.

As an equestrian that was part of the equestrian sports club they were a rider of magical mounts of alicorns, unicorns, & pegasi.

He/she/they were an instructor at a magical military academy as a gun witch, battle wizard, & war mage.

He/she/they at the magical military academy fought other fighters in tourneys with magical two handed greatswords, spears, two handed warhammers, & two handed battle axes.

At the magical military academy they were the star player of the magical mount riding team as a rider of a drake and wyvern.

He/she/they were part of the magical military martial arts competitive sports clubs at the magical military academy.

He/she/they graduated from the military academy as a second lieutenant.

He/she/they graduated summa cum laude as someone who graduated top one percent of their class.

He/she/they graduated from the military academy with a master's degree in History with a major in Elvish military history with an emphasis on Dark Elf history.

He/she/they graduated from the military academy with a minor in geography.

He/she/they as a grand magister who is a multi class magician graduated from a magical academy with certificates in metaplanes studies, astral studies, conceptual magic, quantum magic, magic theory, and theoretical magic.

Researcher and archiver at the magical library at the magical Ivy League university.

Studied college classes in Alchemy, Animal Care, Apparition, Arcane archaeology, Artificing, Arcane Architecture, Arcane Calligraphy, Astral Studies, Attunement, Botany, Centering, Charm Creation, Cleansing, Comparative Anatomy, Comparative Magical Studies, Counter Spellcasting, Curse Casting, Divination, Extra-dimensional Spaces, Fae Relations, Feng Shui, Forensic Magic, Geomancy, Historiography of Magic, Illusionology, Interdimensional law Interspecies Relations, Invisible Writings Studies, Ley Line Studies, Life Gardening, Magical Creature Morphology, Magic Infusion, Magical law, Metaphysics, Metaplanar Studies, Monster Recognition, Mystical Gemology, Mythical Forging Techniques, Necrotic Civil Rights Studies, Occult Studies, Planar Geography, Potions, Political Sorcery, Practical Conjuration, Psychometry, Recent Runes, Somatics, Shamanistic Studies, Spellcasting Styles, Spell Composition, Talismongering, Theoretical Magic, Transmutive Chemistry, War Wizardry, Ward Creation

Base of Operations:

Castle inside a fortress as the High Elder of a Guardian Guild, a Knight Order and Paladin Order. Small buildings populate the grounds as dwellings for workers of the fortress. There are structures outside the bastion that offer a safe home to all those in need. A handful of waterfalls flow into various small rivers and provide the precious farm fields of farmers outside the castle with needed water. Lush fields of crops surround the castle walls and provide the inhabitants with food all year round. Various large houses are scattered outside the castle gates. Surprisingly the rich and middle class are comfortable with living outside the gates as well.

The walls of the bastion have openings for artillery, archers, & anti-siege weaponry. Trees grow close to the castle gates and provide it with valuable wood for all sorts of purposes. Stylish grand windows are scattered here and there around the walls of the castle in seemingly perfect symmetrical patterns. Fifteen thin square towers are a decoration aspect of this elegant castle. The castle is defended by towering four colossal round outposts made out of granite that form a protective barrier all around the castle. The outposts of this citadel are surrounded by eight guard posts made of obsidian. The guard posts have been built on various tactical spots for an ideal defense. The guard posts of this castle are each surrounded by fifteen guard towers. The guard towers dominate the skyline of these guard posts and are connected by tall thick walls made of basalt and stone. The fortress itself is defended by ten forts.

Huge statues of heroes of the past decorate the castle inside. They are memories of glories of the past. The castle is built into a mountain surrounded by a forest. The forest was defended by magical creatures. The guard posts, guard towers, forts, & outposts that protect the castle are built into plains, hills, valleys, and fields. Huge dragon bones litter the forests and small wyvern and drake carcasses litter the fields and hills outside the castle. This castle has clearly been around for at least a thousand years. But it doesn't seem like it will collapse any time soon.

This castle has clearly stood the test of time. This castle has been improved and improved over the ages. Some parts of the castle are clearly newer than others. The inhabitants are determined to keep their castle as modern as possible. This castle shows signs of expansion as some parts are clearly built more recently than others. The inhabitants are already working on another part and hope to keep expanding.

The fortress has a huge gate with a vast gate with huge metal doors connected to a draw bridge built over a moat filled with aquatic magical animals that protects the bastion. These strong defenses give a safe place to rest in this forest stronghold. It's the only easy way in for any other side would be futile. Six strong square towers form a protective barrier all around the fortress. They are connected by towering, thin walls made of obsidian. Wide windows are scattered here and there across the fortress walls in an asymmetric pattern along with symmetric holes for archers, anti-siege weapons, and artillery. A sizable gate with giant metal doors, a regular bridge and various artillery equipment guards the last stronghold along this shoreline that the fortress is built into.

But it's not the only way in when you know the fortress’s secret passages. Remnants of broken siege engines litter the area outside the fortress. Bodies, broken swords and shields, & dead mounts litter the fields outside. As a painful reminder of a past war. This fortress is relatively new but so far it stood its ground with ease and it'll likely do so for ages to come.

Vanguard Guild Hall as the Guild Grandmaster of Vanguard an S rank Adventuring Guild and Guild Order. The Vanguard Guild had an emblem of swords and rifles in front of a sigil of a shield. This guild is designed expressly for those who battle monsters, hunt treasure in dungeons, and go on quests. The guild’s members were trained at a university founded by the guild. This guild will be dynamic. They are always looking for new opportunities. It may be willing to back more risky ventures in return for a share of the profits. It may even sponsor adventuring parties.

The guild hall of the guild included a reception desk, a meeting room, training room, meeting room for guild leaders and VIP like royalty and other important people, treasury, market, dorms for apprentices and trainees, trading hall with traders, trophy room, war room, an arena, a library, workbenches, a brothel, barracks, chemistry lab for alchemists, offices for guild staff, magical lab for scientists, workshop, amphitheater, common room, forge for blacksmiths and artificers, furnace, conference room for guild staff, emporium with merchants, auction room, a quest board, a bank, a notice board, hospital, pub for associates who aren’t members of the guild, mount stable, aviary, game room, archive room, mess hall, rooms with private wardrobes, storage room, warehouse, a tavern bar, kitchen, an armory, shrine for warlocks, chapel for clerics, & a dungeon for temporary prisoners.

The guild had a grand hall. In the grand hall of the guild was a charter which is essentially a list of rules or values outlining the guild’s purpose and mission. The guild had a code of ethics. This addressed the overall behavior of a member, business practices, & product quality. In the reception hall of the guild was a list of requirements for admission and initiation.

The guild’s standing and reputation in the community was excellent. The guild hall was a place where the guild showed off its accumulated power and wealth. The guild building had lodging and work areas for guild members and adventurers. It had a grand hall with ornate architecture and high ceilings. It was an obvious way for a powerful organization to quietly brag to all those who witnessed it. Tapestries hung on the walls in the color of the guild. The guild hall was three stories tall. The skylights at the top let light filter in the guild grand hall giving dramatic ambiance at any time of day. The guild had an underground room for secret meetings.

The guild is led by a single president and overseen by a group of board members. An adventurers guild is an excellent spot for members to relax, share tales of their exploits, pick up rumors of missions within the city, hear gossip of loot in dungeons, and meet with prospective employers. Many people looking to hire adventurers come to an adventurers guild first. People can easily acquire adventuring hirelings or cohorts through the guild or hire freelance mercenaries through a mercenary company. The guild keeps track of its members' abilities. They often direct potential employers to the guild member or adventurer party that best fits their needs.

Members must keep the guild apprised of their abilities and notify the guild when they are undertaking an adventure or quest. They are not required to accept any job offers the guild might point their way, but constant refusal of employment might eventually upset the guild grandmasters. Finally, members must be willing, if asked, to embark on a quest to rescue missing guild members. Finally, all members are expected to pay the guild 10% of the value of any treasure or goods they find on their adventures. In addition to the regular monthly dues. A guild is an organization formed to protect the interests and pursuits of people involved in the same general trade or activity. Within that broad definition a guild can appear in countless different forms. Such as large or small, weak or powerful, & public or secretive. Joining a guild is a simple enough prospect.

One simply approaches it and petitions for membership. There you can find other information about the guild, such as its general membership requirements, operating procedures, and so on. A more covert association, such as a thieves or assassins guild, might require more investigation. Some secret societies are so well hidden that the party must seek out clues through investigation and adventuring. It is also possible that if someone has obtained fame that the relevant guild might approach them directly themselves through a representative. This is a relatively rare occurrence. Some guilds have additional requirements such as passing initiation rites or being a certain rank. Most guilds gain the bulk of their income through entry fees and membership dues. Most guilds provide a standard set of benefits available to all members. While they might vary slightly in specifics. They are generally the same from one guild to the next.

A guild subsidizes the cost of goods, supplies, and services related to its chosen field. Thereby reducing the price to a member by 10 to 15%. A guild can provide monetary loans to members who have fallen on hard times. Should they fail to meet the deadline. Then they are suspended or on probation at the very least or at the most expelled from the guild. The most obvious drawback to guild membership is the monthly dues. While most adventurers should have little problem earning this much money, a slow month can cause problems. A member in good standing might be given one month's leeway, but if they fail to pay their dues including back-dues by then they are suspended and put on probation. A member in bad standing after failing to pay back dues several times is expelled. Additionally, many guilds have enemies or rivals among the other guilds of the city.

Guild members have certain responsibilities which they must perform in order to maintain their standing. In some cases these are fairly minor. Such as keeping the guild apprised of certain topics. In others, this responsibility might involve donating a percentage of earnings as membership dues. Other times it is seeking guild permission to undertake certain actions. An individual who fails to pay their dues or perform their duties for more than two consecutive months is expelled from the guild. Similarly, a member who compromises the guild in some manner is also expelled. Expulsion results in the immediate loss of all benefits gained from the guild.

Guilds have a lot of power and influence. Guild membership can be an attractive prospect. Though most small guilds appeal only to characters who stand to gain from belonging, rather than the adventuring party as a whole. Small and weak guilds often do little more than provide members with a place to belong and perhaps a bit of financial support).

Influential and powerful guilds control entire economic markets and might even guide the course of their local government. The municipal government cannot afford to alienate the guild giving it substantial leverage to make demands. A guild that becomes this powerful often fixes prices, drafts legislation favorable to it, or dominates markets otherwise unrelated to its pursuits.

They played an integral part in magical society. They play a big part in the economies of the cities, counties, & countries that they inhabit. Guilds can provide so much more than a healthy economy and a prosperous working class. Guilds have had an enormous impact on the economy of the territory it covered. These are the organizations that can offer experience and resources. They can be a benevolent ally, a training ground, or a client. A guild is a corporation, a union, & a cartel. This guild has a bureaucratic setup. The best way to hide a glyph of protection is by sheer scale. This is done through facets of a planned city such as walls, streets, lights, sewers, & buildings.

This glyph of protection goes through the entire country. This glyph of protection protects the town, city, & kingdom that the Guild Order is inside of. The symbol passes unnoticed to all but only to a select few of powerful magic users who are grand magisters. It is later forgotten completely by the general public. It is discovered in blueprints and through birds eye view of airships, planes, or flying mounts. It is geometric magic that is hidden in plain sight that is a protection spell for the location. Built alongside the glyph of protection is a giant magic circle that channels energy for the magic users of the guild and adventuring guild.

Hidden away beyond the mountains in a kingdom in the clouds held up by magic is his/her/their own personal magic tower as a grand magister of the circle of magi, magical society, and the magic council. A Circle of Magi consists primarily of spellcasters, but occasionally boasts non-casting members such as alchemists. Magicians, wizards, sorcerers, witches, necromancers, & warlocks make up most of the members. These magical councils offer comfortable and well-stocked libraries for research, and laboratories for experimentation. Perhaps more important is that they offer an environment where casters can exchange ideas and theories. Or simply a place where they can interact with those who actually understand them.

The Circle of Magi is a magocracy and faction. A magocracy is a form of government where only those with ability in magic could wield power and influence. The magocracy of the Circle of Magi is a bureaucratic organization that touches nearly every corner of the Federation of Aehinara of the Alliance and the Legion. It is essentially a government in a government. Its citizens are the billions of users of magic in the Federation.

Arcane councils are also valuable as political leverage in cities where governments or common folk love magic as magical humans, homo magi, & Indigenous magical humans make up a magical society. The circle of magi is a faction of an esoteric society of arcane spellcasters governed by a magical council. The magical council easily rivals the rulers. The Circle of Magi is the main ruling body of the entire magical world of Homo Magi, magical humans, & Indigenous magical humans. The Circle of Magi is the primary governing body of many of the kingdoms, empires, & nations of the Federation of Aehinara.

The Circle of Magi magical council acts as a leading government. The magical council is governed by a magical parliament and magical congress of a house of representatives and senate. The magical parliament consists of a house of commons of a council of elders and a house of lords of a council of high elders. This magical government is led by an executive branch of a Grand Magister.

These 11 high elders are elites that specialize within the schools of magic. Such as abjuration, alteration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, transfiguration, and transmutation. The 11 high elders are indifferent to the thoughts and concerns of non magicals. The magical council's laws are made to suit the powerful and magical. They enforce a powerful monopoly on key aspects of magical society. The nobility of Aehinara often have magical or sorcerous bloodlines. Many of the past and present 11 of the magical council high elders have come from the bickering magical noble families.

Many elders who are council members are looking for ways to increase their power, influence, control, & supremacy over the 11 high elder members of the Magical Council. The 11 high elders gained their positions of the magical council through various means. Some through the lineage of well known magical ancestors. Some through being an apprentice of an old master. Others were valedictorians of magical academies. Others were heroes in wars as magical users.

The magical council became an arm of the rulers’ of the magical human kingdoms and leaders of the Indigenous magical human nations power base as a separate branch of the military. They provide intelligence, security, and act as a branch of the military as magical soldiers. The Circle of Magi is a governing body of the magical community. They are responsible for regulating and enforcing laws for the magical community. They are responsible for keeping the magical community safe from the non magical community.

On the ground it has several bastions that protect it from invasion. The forts themselves are protected by outposts, guard posts, & guard towers. The magical tower has an unique design and layout tailored to his/her/their personality. It has an observatory for astronomy. It has a saloon and tavern to socialize. The magical tower has an alchemist laboratory where alchemists can brew potions, concoctions, potions, & elixirs. It has a workshop for artificers. The magic tower comes with a personal study for wizards. It has a witch cauldron for a witch coven to brew and concoct elixirs, potions, antidotes, brews, & concoctions. It has a large collection of magical lore.

It has a bestiary full of mounted monster heads, especially a fire basilisk (with its eyes removed), a manticore, a cerberus, a chimera, & a hydra. It has an archive of magical artifacts. It has a large library of scrolls, manuscripts, parchments, tomes, & books. It has an arena for duels between magic users. It has a stable for mounts such as griffins, hippogriffs, hippocampi (sea unicorns), alicorns, unicorns, pegasi, wyverns, & drakes. It has an arena for duels between fighters.

It has a training arena for apprentices. It has an astronomy tower with an observatory. It has apartments and homes for workers. It has a herbology garden with dozens of pots to grow small, medium, to even large magical plants. It has a maze with stone, rock, & metal golem guards. It has secret passages. It has a workshop for carving wands and talismans/amulets.

It has a vivarium for caring for magical beasts, animals, & creatures such as shadow cats, evolved slimes, cerberus puppy, alicorn colt, micro griffon, kitsune nine tailed foxes, flying snakes, astral lynx, cub, guard drakes, shadow ravens, ghost pets, pseudo dragons, phoenixes, wyverns, displacer beast cub, thunderbirds, & hellhounds.

It has a trophy room with the awards, deeds, & accolades they won as a swordfighter, gunslinger, & spellcaster and awards, certificates, & degrees they received at magical: elementary school, junior high, high school, community college, four year college, and military academy.

It has a garden protected by a wood elemental, stone elemental, & nature elementals. It has a tailor famous for weaving clothes with dragon hide leather and giant spider silk. It has a crafting lab to craft, repair, customize, and upgrade equipment. It has an armory with weapons, armor, & shields.

It has a treasure room with loot that he/she/they found from inside dungeons as an adventurer and quests as a guild member. It has a factory to create automatons. It has a viewing room magic mirror to scry on others. It has a room with a table with a crystal ball and tarot cards for cartomancy and divination for fortune telling. It has a summoning and banishing room for his/her/their patron as a warlock.

It is even bigger on the inside because of spatial magic. It is interconnected with other spires that connect to other magical towers. The magic tower is hidden away by illusions. The only way to reach it is by a portal network system. When an intruder attempts to access the portal when they aren’t supposed to it seals access from the portal network off. The magical tower is built on a magical leyline.

It is built with a defense matrix. The magic tower is full of traps that deal with intruders. The magic tower has a room with magically bound guard monsters. The magic tower is defended against magic users with anti magic fields. The magical tower itself is protected by wards and charms and attacks intruders with hexes and curses.

High King/High Queen of the Alliance and Coalition and leader of the Federation of Ahinara. The Alliance or Coalition represents everything good, lawful, tolerant, and progressive in the world. Self-proclaimed or otherwise. This is both an alliance between species and a coalition between nations. The ideals of the alliance are freedom, prosperity, and the security of its people. The alliance was organized by the heroic and righteous High King of the magical humans and Indigenous magical humans and the wise Dark Elven Empress of the Elven Empire. Who gets to define who’s good, lawful, and civilized in the world is an entirely different matter as history written by the victors and truth is defined by the powerful.

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