#scion of abjuration

[solarisart]

“Tengo miedo. El pequeño dejó de llorar en cuanto lo pusimos en brazos de aquella mujer de mimbre como si de su madre se tratara. A veces pienso que hay algo vivo en ese mimbre. A veces parece mecerlo en la oscuridad.”

Lo he vuelto a hacer.

Fanart del único enemigo en Blasphemous que nunca me ha matado: Expósito, hijo de la Abjuración.

~~~

"The little one stopped crying as soon as we placed him in the arms of that wicker woman, as if it were his mother. Sometimes I can't help but think there's something living in that wicker. Sometimes it seems to be rocking him in the darkness."

Oops, I did it again, 

Fanart based on Expósito, Scion of Abjuration (Blasphemous). 

It’s the only boss who can’t killed me. 

[minespatchart]

New Soulfumos. I plan on doing lore videos on the Exile soldiers and Exposito from Blasphemous so I wanted to tackle these before trying more DS1 characters.

[sharlayandropout]

It's been a long time since I've posted here, but I come bearing gifts!

'Abjuration' is my ongoing visual novel series taking place post-5.3. As G'raha struggles with his identity, Zefiris is forced to confront the fact that their relationship may never be the same.

Following the events of Shadowbringers, the Scions have been safely returned to the Source. Zefiris has successfully awakened G'raha with his memories intact, and they resume the relationship they began on the First.

At home in the comfort of the Rising Stones, surrounded by family; for the first time in a long time, all seems truly well to Zefiris, who dares at last to count herself happy.

For G'raha, however, things are not quite so simple - plagued by nightmares and intrusive memories, his initial joy and relief at finding himself alive and whole on the Source wavers under the weight of a hundred years of trauma and pain...

Read it on ao3 here!

[prestigious-subclasses]

Prestige Classes

In D&D 3.5, there are almost 300 prestige classes. Shouldn't they all be converted to D&D 5e subclasses? No. No they should not. And yet, here we are. Some prestige classes are ... weird and so might be converted to something other than a subclass, if at all.

A breakdown is below the cut.

Core Subclasses

Arcane Archer

Arcane Trickster

Archmage

Assassin

Blackguard

Dragon Disciple

Duelist

Dwarven Defender

Eldritch Knight

Hierophant

Horizon Walker

Loremaster

Mystic Theurge

Red Wizard

Shadowdancer

Thaumaturgist

Psionic

Cerebremancer

Elocater

Fist of Zuoken

Illithid Slayer

Metamind

Psion Uncarnate

Pyrokineticist

Thrallherd

War Mind

Complete Champion

Fist of the Forest

Forest Reeve

Holt Warden

Mythic Exemplar

Ordained Champion

Paragnostic Apostle

Paragnostic Initiate

Sanctified One

Shadowspy

Shadowstriker

Squire of Legend

Complete Mage

Abjurant Champion

Eldritch Disciple

Eldritch Theurge

Enlightened Spirit

Holy Scourge

Lyric Thaumaturge

Master Specialist

Nightmare Spinner

Ultimate Magus

Unseen Seer

Wild Soul

Complete Psionic

Anarchic Initiate

Ebon Saint

Ectopic Adept

Flayerspawn Psychic

Illumine Soul

Soulbow

Storm Disciple

Zerth Cenobite

Complete Scoundrel

Avenging Executioner

Battle Trickster

Cloaked Dancer

Combat Trapsmith

Fortune's Friend

Gray Guard

Magical Trickster

Malconvoker

Master of Masks

Mountebank

Psibond Agent

Spellwarp Sniper

Uncanny Trickster

Complete Warrior

Bear Warrior

Bladesinger

Cavalier

Dark Hunter

Darkwood Stalker

Dervish

Drunken Master

Exotic Weapon Master

Eye of Gruumsh

Frenzied Berserker

Gnome Giant-Slayer

Halfling Outrider

Hulking Hurler

Hunter of the Dead

Invisible Blade

Justiciar

Kensai

Knight of the Chalice

Knight Protector

Master of the Unseen Hand

Master Thrower

Mindspy

Nature’s Warrior

Occult Slayer

Order of the Bow Initiate

Purple Dragon Knight

Rage Mage

Ravager

Reaping Mauler

Ronin

Spellsword

Stonelord

Tattooed Monk

Thayan Knight

War Chanter

Warshaper

Cityscape

Ebonmar Infiltrator

Crimson Scourge

Urban Savant

Dungeonscape

Beast Heart Adept

Dungeon Lord

Trapsmith

Sandstorm

Ashworm Dragoon

Lord of Tides

Sand Shaper

Scion of Tem-Et-Nu

Scorpion Heritor

Walker in the Waste

Drow of the Underdark

Arachnomancer

Cavestalker

Demonbinder

Dread Fang of Lolth

Eye of Lolth

Insidious Corrupter

Kinslayer

Fiendish Codex II

Hellbreaker

Hellfire Warlock

Hellreaver

Soulguard

Book of Exalted Deeds

Anointed Knight

Apostle of Peace

Beloved of Valarian

Celestial Mystic

Champion of Gwynharwyf

Defender of Sealtiel

Emissary of Barachiel

Exalted Arcanist

Fist of Raziel

Initiate of Pistis Sophia

Lion of Talisid

Prophet of Erathaol

Risen Martyr

Sentinel of Bharrai

Skylord

Slayer of Domiel

Stalker of Kharash

Swanmay

Sword of Righteousness

Troubadour of Stars

Vassal of Bahamut

Wonderworker

Dragon Magic

Diamond Dragon

Dragon Descendant

Dragon Lord

Hand of the Winged Masters

Pact-bound Adept

Swift Wing

Wyrm Wizard

Miniatures Handbook

Bonded Summoner

Dragon Samurai

Havoc Mage

Skullclan Hunter

Tactical Soldier

War Hulk

Warchief

Tome of Battle

Bloodclaw Master

Bloodstorm Blade

Deepstone Sentinel

Eternal Blade

Jade Phoenix Mage

Master of Nine

Ruby Knight Vindicator

Shadow Sun Ninja

Underdark

Arachnomancer

Cavelord

Deep Diviner

Drow Judicator

Illithid Body Tamer

Imaskari Vengeance Taker

Inquisitor of the Drowning Goddess

Prime Underdark Guide

Sea Mother Whip

Shadowcrafter

Vermin Keeper

Yathchol Webrider

Epic

Agent Retriever

Cosmic Descryer

Divine Emissary

Epic Infiltrator

Guardian Paramount

High Proselytizer

Legendary Dreadnought

Perfect Wight

Union Sentinel

[kahin]

as soon as i fought Expósito, Scion of Abjuration i was like "You can't be doing that White Baby."

[tinsil]

what if blasphemous line stamps

[infirmux]

telling my sister about philemon and baucis the whole we dont want to see each other die so they get turned into trees instead thing and shes like why didnt the gods just make them blind. IM LIVING WITH A SERIAL KILLER

[kimkkuru]

Be careful when you catch Penitent One :3

참회자를 잡을때는 찔리지 않게 주의할것.

[skxrbrand]

Young Bloodthirsters, be they freshly forged by Khorne himself using tiny slivers of his own essence or uplifted from the ranks of Exalted Bloodletters, spawn with long tails that can be used to tell them apart from more middling and ancient Bloodthirsters. These fall off, or more often are cut off, when the Bloodthirster ages. Bloodthirster tails are chock full of raw magic and particularly useful in the creation of spells or objects abjuration. When a Young Bloodthirster proves themselves, an older one will sever his tail. Often, the tail is eaten, incinerated, or otherwise destroyed so that those who dabble in magic cannot make use of them.

Skarbrand was born tailless. He is the Scion of Khorne, having emerged directly from Khorne’s body in much the same way Athena, goddess of warfare, emerged from Zeus, King of the Greek Gods.

[skeletalsepulchre]

dont care didnt ask besides youre not even exposito the scion of abjuration. bitch.

[the-punforgiven]

Yknow one thing I really like about Blasphemous is that damn near any of the bosses' titles could be used as names for a death metal band

Like 'yo dude did you hear the new album by Scion of Abjuration? Shit fuckin slaps'

Or 'Damn that Exhumed Archbishop CD was way different than I was expecting'

'Have you seen Wrapped Agony in concert? They're way better live'

[rainwolfheart]

a while back, I made a post about a Thedas!M9 AU and so here’s an Exandria!DAII AU because I love the Kirkwall crew. Or Port Damali crew now.

Anders was born in Tal’Dorei, but came to Wildemount as a child and was quickly scouted by Trent Ikithon for his potential. Anders proved to be ill-suited to being a Volstrucker, and eventually escaped the order, but not without significant trauma and amnesia. In his flight, he encountered an ethereal celestial who called itself Justice and nurtured his hatred of the Cerberus Assembly. Anders allowed Justice to possess him, but together they formed something more akin to Vengeance. He wound up in Port Damali, where he worked as a healer, hiding from the Volstrucker and planning to take down the Assembly. Human wizard (school of abjuration), Volstrucker agent background.

Aveline also hails from Tal’Dorei, originally a soldier in the Aegis Regiment of Fort Daxio. She fled to Wildemount during the Chroma Conclave’s occupation, losing her husband Wesley along the way. She managed to get a job with the Zhelezho of Port Damali and eventually rose to the rank of captain, cracking down on Myriad activity and piracy in the city. She eventually remarried to another Zhelezho, Donnic. Human fighter (battle master), soldier background.

Bethany fled Westruun with Aveline and her sibling (see Hawke below). If she is taken on the expedition to the Underdark, she dies, or is rescued by a small group from the Claret Orders, who save her with a blood hunter mutagen and take her to train with them in the Greying Wildlands. If left in Port Damali, she is imprisoned by mage-hunters. Human sorcerer (wild magic)/blood hunter (order of the mutant), or sorcerer/wizard (school of conjuration), folk hero background.

Carver fled Westruun with Aveline and his sibling (see Hawke below). Like Bethany, he can die or become a blood hunter, otherwise he becomes a mage-hunter. Human fighter (champion)/blood hunter (order of the mutant), or fighter/paladin (oath of the watchers), folk hero background.

Fenris was kept as a slave by a Draconian nobleman named Danarius, the only elf in his “collection.” Danarius was a power-hungry dunamancer with connections in the Dynasty. He experimented on Fenris with residuum. Fenris fled during the fall of Draconia, but Danarius survived and continued to hunt him throughout Wildemount—though slavery was abolished with the fall of Draconia, there are still Draconians who keep slaves, and Danarius did not want to lose his prized possession. Fenris harbours a hatred of arcane magic for what it did to him. High elf fighter (echo knight), soldier background.

Hawke fled Westruun with Aveline and their sibling, aided by a mysterious Ashari druid (who was actually Raishan). They joined the many refugees in Port Damali. While there, a group claiming to be Krynn defectors arrives, shipwrecked, and the Marquis allows them sanctuary in the docks. The Marquis, however, is paranoid about magic, particularly the strange kind practiced by the Krynn defectors, and defies the rest of the Clovis Concord by outlawing arcane magic in the city, policed by specially-trained mage-hunters. Hawke has to choose a side. Hawke is a human of any class, folk hero background.

Isabela is, unsurprisingly, a pirate captain on the Menagerie Coast, of Ki’Nau heritage. She is a member of the Revelry, with all the excitement and tension that brings. She steals and then loses a Luxon beacon, hastening tensions between the Empire and the Dynasty. Human rogue (swashbuckler), sailor (Revelry pirate) background.

Merrill hails from the Pallid Grove, a community of elves who were thought lost during the Calamity but have recently made themselves known again. Two of her clanmates fell mortally ill from an elven mirror, tainted by Torog before the Calamity, that was uncovered in the Cyrios Mountains. Determined to reclaim the artifact, Merrill turned to blood magic to fix it, and was turned away by her clan for it. Pallid elf sorcerer (wild magic), outlander background.

Sebastian is the scion of a noble family in Deastok, related to the Darringtons. Originally a wild child, his parents sent him off to become an acolyte at the Chantry of the Dawn in Rexxentrum. He ran away, but eventually renewed his faith and became a priest. Lady Harimann, his family’s longtime ally from Port Damali, hired assassins to kill the Vaels while under the influence of a demon, forcing Sebastian to avenge them. Human paladin (oath of devotion), acolyte background, or rogue (scout) if you prefer he doesn’t have spells.

Tallis is a non-drow elf from the Krynn Dynasty, operating as a spy and assassin for the Krynn on the Menagerie Coast. She enlists the help of Hawke and friends to stop another spy from selling secrets that could tip the balance of the War of Ash and Light. “Tallis” is a codename. High elf rogue (assassin), spy background.

Varric grew up in Hupperdook, but when his family fell from grace, they relocated to Port Damali. While his father and Bartrand build a successful career as merchants, Varric preferred the life of a storyteller and Grinner. During an expedition to the Underdark, Bartrand left him to die and made off with a dangerous artifact, an idol of Zehir. Hill dwarf bard (college of lore), Grinner background, or rogue (mastermind) if you prefer he doesn’t have spells.

(might do a DAO or DAI version eventually, stay tuned)

EDIT: Added Tallis and corrected Merrill’s race (don’t know why I wrote wood elf when I meant for her to be a pallid elf)

[dicebox]

Updated Character / Game Lists

It’s been awhile since a list was provided of what games the Dice Box crew play, and since there’s going to be a lot of new content upcoming (mostly reblogs from personal Tumblrs), it felt like time for a comprehensive list.

The Cupcake Coterie

Our regular fortnightly homebrew-world Dungeons and Dragons campaign. This one has the most players, rather than being largely populated by the Dice Box core group, but is no less loved for that: Mostly lives on @cupcakecoterie but brief summary of characters:

Hazel Hearthheart: Half-elven Life Domain Cleric of Pelor

Darvin Taylor: Human College of Valor Bard / Divine Soul Sorcerer

Froseth of Rimehook: Silver dragonborn Way of the Four Elements Monk

Clarity Meloreth: Tiefling Arcane Trickster Rogue / School of Evocation Wizard / Pact of the Archfey Warlock

Remi Crestwind: Human Paladin of Tritherion / Pact of the Celestial Warlock

Ava Vanedar: Human Monster Slayer Ranger

Barnabus Stumplefink: Minotaur Echo Knight Fighter

Alisaie Featherfall: Protector aasimar Path of the Storm Herald Barbarian / College of Swords Bard

Port Knowhere

A Star Wars: The Old Republic homebrew, originally played on the MMO itself, moved to Roll20 when most of the players stopped actually playing the MMO - the characters and story were too good to lose. While there are only four players counting the ones played by the person running it, there are a lot of characters because we all have alt-itis to one degree or another:

Nyomi Adastra: Human Jedi Master. War veteran, with the scars and moderate cybernetics to prove it.

Rilus Harridin: Human doctor; specialises in battlefield surgery and general medicine.

X’antho Verex: Zabrak smuggler. Still a little new at the Huge Heroics thing.

Maelana Greystorm: Sith Pureblood Jedi Knight. No, not a contradiction in terms. Former Marine.

Altaierna Greystorm: Human smuggler / pirate / bounty hunter / mad inventor

Ahrianna Greystorm: Human Jedi Master; a Shadow, specialises in hunting the Dark Side.

Aranar’aliit Atin: Human Mandalorian warrior. Sometimes bounty hunter, mostly regular hunter.

Jallira Greystorm-Harridin: Miraluka Jedi Master; specialises in Alter, particularly Force-healing (also a more standard medic). Strong empathy powers.

Mychae Qiin: Human smuggler / spy / underworld negotiator / technician. Avoids ‘mad inventor’ by inches. Also mildly Force-sensitive.

Telyt’srina’idash (Srina): Chiss spy / security circum / technician. Also kind of runs a Mandalorian clan now.

Tombstone Blues

A Deadlands homebrew made out of the useful bits of 5e so that the core Dice Box group didn’t have to learn an entirely new rule set.

Jillian Cain: “Gunslinger of God” (Paladin / Gunslinger hybrid homebrew)

Aloy O’Toole: Mad scientist (homebrew based on Arcanist)

Reba Stalks-the-Crossroads: Shaman (homebrew based on Druid)

Caleb Tarleton: Spirit hunter (homebrew based on Plane Walker Ranger; on potentially permanent hiatus)

Dunwall by Night

As we started homebrewing things, Dishonoured was a thing that we as a group wanted to explore, so I threw together some interesting variations on Warlock to give the group what of the Dishonoured experience I could with 5e.

Jerrica Reder: More of the Corvo style of Marked; former whaler

Delphine Crigh: Druid-themed animal-friend Marked; former rat-catcher

Viola deVere: Illusionist Marked; former artist

The Fixers

After that, we went a little esoteric. I put together a situation that was sort of a mash-up of The Old Guard and Scion, with a 5e rule set and a “heal very bloody fast and don’t die” mechanic to approximate the Old Guard thing.

Ketti Odinson: Literal son of Odin by a mortal woman; skald from the 400s AD. Built on a base of College of Lore Bard

Suyin Zhong: Former pirate queen from around about the 15th century. Built on a base of Swashbuckler Rogue

Raiford ‘Raif’ Ellison: Former farmer-turned-revolutionary from the early-19th century. Built on a base of Way of the Kensei Monk

Kyung-Soon ‘Kim’ Kyeong: Former secretary-of-sorts; recently activated. Built on a base of School of Abjuration Wizard

There are a couple of others that may or may not return, and more being planned, but these are the core of the Dice Box experience.

Coming up? A lot of writing and Q&A about a fair few of these characters, dragged from other souces for ease of reference and the entertainment of others.

[in-maidjan]

Alossin - General Lore

Regional Map

Notable Locations

West Adak:

Capital: Crohetep

Cities: Crohetep, Ces’va, Nereen

Towns: Aesmill, Everwich, Veronmire

Garrisons: Westcliff Fort, Blackridge Garrison, Cragshore Garrison, Simmerstone Garrison

East Edak:

Capital: Dama Dhazi

Cities: Dama Dhazi, Dama Druzna, Dama Diosha, Basiira, Mahaaj (Ostmoor Island)

Towns: Waqar, Imityaz (Ostmoor Island)

Garrisons: Eastcliff Fort, Crowscrest Garrison

Amaran:

Capital: Dumaark

Cities: Dumaark, Haaraq

Towns: Rhesek, Rahat, Snowsden (Mirswell Island), Wistshore (Mirswell Island)

The Metropolis of Adak:

The Adak Conservatoire.

The Illuminated Archive

The Academy of Arcane Arts.

The Adak Agora.

The Magisterium.

The Copperhand Exchange.

The Ghathen Trading Company.

The Faithful of the Ancients Temple.

Government

Magocracy. The governing body is composed of spellcasters who rule directly as oligarchs or feudal lords, or participate in a democracy or bureaucracy.

Oligarchy. A small number of absolute rulers share power, possibly dividing the land into districts or provinces under their control, or jointly ruling together.

Meritocracy. The most intelligent and educated people oversee the society, often with a bureaucracy to handle the day-to-day work of government.

The continent of Alossin is made up of three regions, East and West Adak, and Amaran, under the rule of an oligarchy comprised of powerful mages which takes its seat in the capital of continent, the Metropolis of Adak. Mages are appointed to this council based on academic and political merit.

The Magisterium, the official government and senior magical academy of Alossin, has a tiered hierarchy with two main factions for magical and non-magical affairs.

The first tier consists of the Arch-Magus, who is the formal ruler of Alossin and presides over both councils for magical and non-magical affairs. The Arch-Magus is considered in absolute control of their magic and has advanced their study beyond ordinary limits. Below the Arch-Magus is the Scion, the chosen candidate who has proven their skill and worth to become the successor to the Arch-Magus.

The second tier consists of the Arch-Magus’ fellow councillors who are considered masters of a particular form of magic. There is the Arch-Abjurer, the Arch-Conjurer, the Arch-Diviner, the Arch-Enchanter, the Arch-Evoker, the Arch-Illusionist, the Arch-Necromancer, and the Arch-Transmuter. Each has a pupil under their wing by a similar title as a Prefect who serves as an assistant to their appointed master.

The third and fourth tiers consist of Primus Magi and Secundus Magi, who are often referred to as Primus and Secundus respectively. They are the highest educators of the Alossin magical hierarchy, often the most skilled in their field second only to the Arch-Magi. All Primus and Secundus Magi have one or more appointed Adjutors who serve as both a student of the Magisterium and as professional assistants.

Primus Magi are also appointed as overseers, who routinely check the actions of the Arch-Magi and their appointed prefects and scions to maintain the rule of law within the council.

The fifth tier consists of Magisters, a title bestowed on lower councillors entrusted with the magical academies of Alossin.

There are nine seats on Alossin’s Magocracy council, with two Arch-Magi overseeing the regions of East Adak, West Adak, and Amaran, though Arch-Magi frequently change seats to serve the needs of each region. Traditionally, the Arch-Diviner and the Arch-Necromancer both are appointed in service to the great temples in the Metropolis of Adak, where the Arch-Magus also holds the seat of power.

The sixth and final tier of the government encompasses a range of bureaucrats and other political officials who maintain the standard rule of all across Alossin, though all report to a relevant Magi within the Magisterium.

 Universities

Alossin is the world’s forerunner when it comes to historical and magical research. The Metropolis of Adak itself has five distinct universities.

The Adak Conservatoire, the university of general science, history, literature, mathematics, and arts. This university is open to all citizens and foreign visitors.

The Illuminated Archive, the university dedicated to both the cataloguing and studying historical texts and documenting history as it unfolds. This is a more secure university as it holds highly sensitive or historical documents.

The Academy of Arcane Arts, the general university of magical study in Alossin. It covers all modes of magical study, except for divine magics, which is strictly overseen by the temples.

The Academy of Arcane Arts has a number of facilities to cater to the different variations and methods by which magic can be summoned. There is a traditional academy campus for wizards, and separate campuses for warlocks, sorcerers, bard, and clerics to oversee more particular magical capabilities. There are also two specialist campuses, one for those with unique magical capabilities, and one for those seeking to master multiple forms of magical ability.

All students must receive and maintain a permit for magic upon entering the university until they cease magical activity or surrender their magic.

The Adak Agora, the centre of magical research and debate where advanced practitioner’s conduct magical study, both theoretical and practical. This university also funds and conducts excavational digs of potentially magical or historical sights, often with the aid of the Illuminated Archive and the Magisterium.

The Magisterium, the official training academy for those attempting to prove themselves in order to enter the government formally. It is the smallest academy but by far one of the largest organisations in Alossin.

 Environment and Climate

The Alossin continent is a diverse region with rich coastal regions, lush and snow-capped mountains, and even deserts.

The region of West Adak is a tropical terrain, ranging from lush forests to dense jungles and wide expanses of grassland and marshes. East Adak is generally warmer, with vast deserts and rocky, arid regions. The northern region of Amaran is a verdant area with steep mountain ranges with snow-capped peaks. The oceans to the north are frozen over entirely in the colder parts of the year.

The central region, where lies the heart of the continent at Adak’s Metropolis, is a lush region of fertile jungle that has been trimmed and cut back for the sake of the city’s existence. The underground Drow city of Ces’va maintains a cool environment beneath the surface.

A number of beasts roam the dense forests and jungles of the land, and rumour has it that dragons roost in the mountains in the north. Ces’va has faced many incursions from creatures beneath the earth, but the might of the Drow city and the aid from the surface cities has allowed it to thrive.

 General Culture

The Alossin continent prides itself on its history, acknowledging the bloody past and seeking to learn of what came before. There is a strong push for education in the region, especially towards the understanding of history and of magical essences. Adak’s many universities are the epitome of this, and the vast majority of children within cities obtain some measure of an education, even those who dwell in the slums. All mages of the continent, either naturally born, exposed to magic, or visiting foreigners, are vetted and must obtain a magical permit relevant to their capabilities as a spellcaster.

Though the vetting process is highly secretive, it is well known that a sample of blood is taken for storage.

Permits take the form of a small crystal embedded into the skin, either: between the index and middle fingers, at the knuckle; on the palm; or under the heel of one’s palm at the wrist. It can barely be felt when moving one’s hand, but it is warm to the touch. The colour of a permit crystal is often relative to a caster’s innate ability. Removing a permit crystal is one of the highest offences within the Magocracy.

Magic is both feared and awed in the land, but the strict laws regarding the use of magic and the effectiveness of the Order of Witnesses give comfort to those born without the innate ability. The worship of the deity Vhoq is prominent in the land because of this, in both gratitude from magi and from those who seek protection against magic.

The cities of Alossin are expansive and icons of civilisation with high stretching towers and colourful banners and tapestries hung from every other rooftop. The Metropolis of Adak is a city of smooth sandstone with murals carved into its walls. The city lies upon a cliff overlooking the ocean bay, and lanterns are carved into the city walls to make it a beacon at night.

The climate varies depending on the region, but generally throughout the seasons it is comfortably warm. This changes depending on the area, but loose and tight silks and linens are the general fashion, becoming heavier and fur-lined in the north to combat the cold, and looser and more akin to the style of the Atapity Isles in the warmer south.

The Alossin continent celebrate the annual First Celestials celebration, and a number of other festivals in honour of the gods. There is a day of remembrance to mark the end of the Alossin civil war called the Waking Day. There is also a ritual that is undertaken by most magi called the Arcane Consecration. Those born with an innate magical ability make a pilgrimage to the closest temple of Vhoq, where they have a short ceremony with other magi to receive a blessing of Vhoq. It is mostly superficial, but some hope that it will enhance or stabilise their power.

Additionally, the Alossin continent engages in a fast once a year. This is called the Fast of the Seventeen. The fast occurs from sunrise to sunset, after which there are nightly festivals to feast which end in mass prayer or offerings. Each day is in thanks to a specific god and there are various activities during the festive time. The final day ends with a sacrifice to the gods.

[clarissaexplainingitall]

Blasphemous Bosses

I wanted to do boss rankings again, so here we go. Presented in order of relative difficulty, particularly for someone (i.e. me) with one fully-functional hand.

First, shoutout to the devs for incredibly useful button-mapping, particularly for a platformer. I really love the fact that jump and attack are mapped to the same thumb, so I can just do both those things. Made a lot of the platforming components so much easier, particularly since my right hand is limited to one and a half fingers (reliably). And, the fact that they later patched the game so buttons could be remapped, should people need to, and went on to make sure that button prompts in-game matched any remapped buttons (which not a lot of devs think to check).

Having finished it, I gotta say, wow. What a game. Again, everyone’s difficulty mileage varies, and the context of the fight is definitely important here (cough Our Lady of the Charred Visage cough). I’m splitting the popes into two, because really, they’re two different fights.

12) Warden of the Silent Sorrow

Understandably coming in last, but the Warden is a pretty solid tutorial boss. What’s really interesting to me is that the Warden is the first enemy you encounter in the game, so this is the fight where you learn to time attacks and implement dodges in combat. He’s got two basic attacks, hits hard but you have healing, and does not require you to have learned timing for parries yet, so all in all, fun and exciting, but probably the least challenging for many, despite being thrown into the deep end.

11) Ten Piedad

This dude has serious style, and a killer OST. Ten Piedad is also quite early, and a boss that serves to teach the player arena management, as his vine echoes linger longer and extend farther with each phase of the fight, so you have to be more careful about your positioning (vs. the Warden). He’s a bit more complex, using projectiles that do contact damage until destroyed, but he can also be parried, with very visual tells that make for good practice as players get used to the combat system. Viridania can be summoned for him, which makes what might be the main challenge for quite a few people less so, as she offsets the low healing pool you have at the beginning of the game.

10) Perpetva of the Anointed Legion

She has a boss achievement and she deserves to be counted because of it. Perpetva is interesting specifically because you get no do-overs. It’s a one-shot battle, but she shows up as part of a two-on-one in the final phase of Esdras’ fight, so you may have very little time to learn a moveset that will be important later. Where Perpetva ekes out as more difficult than Piedad, in my opinion (despite dying to Piedad a couple times), is that she’s just simply so much faster. You can heal, but you have to choose windows carefully, and not only does she speed around the arena, but she’s a spellcaster as well. Her OST is probably my favorite of the series, so I’d be remiss not to mention it.

9) His Holiness Escribar

Okay, I know he’s just a prelude to the Last Son battle, but he’s a different beast entirely from that, so we’re ranking him separately. Where Escribar beats Perpetva, in my opinion, is the sheer quantity of spells he casts, which all demand different reactions from the player (dodging, careful movements, jumps, parries, etc), and his occasional invulnerability windows. 

8) Expositio, Scion of Abjuration

Expositio is a favorite fight for many, and a troublesome one too. I was lucky in that I knew the tell for the one-shot grab (the circle that grows around your feet as the baby cries, which requires a dodge-out) and I had Expositio’s rosary bead, which (along with the moss one) seriously mitigates the centipede’s poison damage down to a near pittance. It’s sort of a puzzle fight, in that you need to look up or learn by experience one specific tell, and outside of that, with proper equipment, it isn’t incredibly challenging to execute. Very fun and creepy, though.

7) Tres Angustias

The first platforming boss makes its appearance! All of their attacks, bar the beams, are pretty easily dodged or tanked (they luckily have low damage). The problem with this boss for many is the upward climb and proper positioning for the magic beam attacks, which can just destroy you if you’re not careful. I used Viridania for this one, given the lack of time to heal while running around watching where my feet were. But all in all, not too bad other than the combat-platforming. Which, with one working hand, is not my strong suit.

6) Last Son of the Miracle

Okay, qualifier - I got obscenely lucky here, I think, in beating him first try. It was a combination of sword-heart (damage buff at low health) and the absolutely unholy children of moonlight miracle that made hitting the sword and his face a cakewalk. Pope 2.0 is really a revamped Our Lady fight, except now you have more healing, know how the deflect works, and have no ridiculous 2x dual-lasers to contend with. We’re now getting into some of the puzzle fights, but if you know the trick (three hits to the sword, and time the last with the appearance of a really good platform appearance OR him charging a nasty attack you want to cancel him out of), it’s much simpler. And while it’s a platforming fight, the platforming prolongs the battle (limiting your damage windows) instead of serving as an additional source of danger. Which I appreciate.

5) Melquiades, the Exhumed Archbishop

Grandpa’s got style, and oh man, he’s fast with his mace. Melquiades’ difficulty stems from his speed, the difficulty and care of timing your knockdown for a usable window of face-damage time, plus the massive quantity of things that will be happening on on your screen (sort of like the Last Son). Except where the Last Son has two things to focus on (your positioning and the magic projectiles), Melquiades has three - the mace attacks, the hand slaps, and the lasers, which all can be happening at once (and on top of that, your positioning!). It’s made much easier with a vertical damage miracle or liberal use of dodge-thrust attacks (or blood range attacks, I’m also told), but without that this fight can drag on for ages. And it also has a trick to it, like Last Son, in that more hands removed from the coffin = fewer slaps, just to add on to everything that’s going on.

4) Quirce, Returned by the Flames

Quirce’s difficulty stemmed, for me, from the fact that he’s the first boss on this list that can reliably stunlock. Those drop attacks and the fire tornadoes are no joke. Add this to the fact that he’s got burn chip damage from his dashes, the sheer range of things he does, and the overall massive quantities of damage he can dish out, Quirce is definitely challenging. Luckily, he’s vulnerable when on the roof to the wall-routing miracle (or any that hit in vertical lines, probably), and he attacks in very strict patterns that he doesn’t deviate from, which makes him incredibly easy to punish - it’s just that if you fuck up, he’s pretty unforgivingly relentless until his combo is over. However, what Quirce does have going for him is that he’s got some really nice healing windows, and his dashes can be parried. 

3) Crisanta of the Wrapped Agony

Speaking of bosses with almost no fucking healing windows whatsoever, we’ve got Crisanta. She’s fast, she’s furious, and she’s going to erase our name from under the heavens. And kiss your flasks goodbye (at least until one specific attack from phase 2), because she’s not going to let you touch them. She’s the game’s penultimate true boss and final parry test, and unlike Esdras (or Perpetva, who she rings as a far more close spiritual successor for, given the dash attacks), she’s not forgiving of mistakes due to the lack of healing windows. But still, Crisanta is a lot of fun, and serves to test the player’s skills in melee combat (instead of arena positioning and projectile dodging, which the Last Son has covered).

2) Our Lady of the Charred Visage

Okay, it seems a decent chunk of reddit is feeling me on this one. Our Lady, for an early-game boss (I made the mistake of heading to her second, before tres angustias), with very limited resources, is absolutely fucking unrelenting. There’s lasers, there’s projectiles, and you’re supposed to know that instead of dodging them, you actually should be aiming to deflect them back towards her face-wound. Yep, like Melquiades, you can only damage her in one specific spot. The projectiles, if deflected, must be aimed to do any real damage, the screen is just covered in various attacks constantly, and phase two adds a second hand to the mix, for twice the dual lasers and projectiles. Extremely challenging.

1) Esdras of the Anointed Legion 

I know most people find Our Lady harder, but wow, I really struggled with Esdras. What got me, I think, is that there are so many tricks you need to uncover to making him manageable, either online or through brute force until you realize what’s working and how his movement patterns can be cheesed, plus his tells. His AI will counter if you try to push for a full combo, so you have to be ready to dodge out of the ‘ping’ attack, there’s tells on the lightning (if you realize that), and he always ends in the opposite corner after a spin for punishment, which is great, once you realize this. He’s the first real parry test, too, because the fight relies on whittling down his health with ripostes, especially in phases two and three, because he also acquires projectiles, which have to be jumped (instead of dodged, or positioned around, or parried), and then Perpetva, who will fucking fly around doing dash attacks, distracting you from watching the now three types of lightning pillars, the lightning projectiles, and Esdras himself, who is still chasing you down like a man on a mission. Unlike Crisanta, there are pretty generous windows in phases one and two to heal, but damn this boy has a lot going on. But, like Perpetva, he’s got the best goddamn OST in the game, so really, it’s worth it for the fun factor.

[of-sin-forever]

“Despacito, Scion of Abjuration.”