#the tethered mage

[missbronto]

Crow Lord or something, idk

[nicholaes]

the tethered mage series is so good I feel like it should be more popular

[mruschdraws]

Coffee & Book Recommendations

It's not June, but it's always time for pride, and cozy books. Thought I'd share some favorites over the years.

"Legends and Lattes" -- A cozy cup of literary coffee. A retired adventurer Orc decides to open up her very own coffee shop! Slice of life, high fantasy with low stakes. Fantasy prose.

"The Prince and the Dressmaker" -- Historical fiction following a Prince and his dressmaker. Explores themes of identity, fashion, self-expression and relationships. Standalone graphic novel.

"Our Dreams at Dusk" -- A young man grapples with his feelings, and finds other members of the LGBT community in his town. Lesbian and Ace rep. Four volume manga series by the creator of Nabari No Ou.

"The Priory of the Orange Tree" -- High fantasy, Epic. Wyrms and Dragons oh my! If you'd like a longer fantasy read with tons of dragons along the vibes of Game of Thrones narratives across the continents, this could be a fit.

"The Tethered Mage" (trilogy) -- Alchemy meets elemental-wielding Warlocks. Female frendships. Bi rep. All set in a fantastical Venice-like setting with political intrigue.

"The Mighty Nein Origins: Yasha Nydoorin" -- TTRPG Fantasy, collection comic. A female warrior from the harsh badlands of Xhorhas finds love among harsher trials. Gorgeous artwork, short read.

[desperatecheesecubes]

Was just STRUCK with the memory of the Swords and Fire trilogy by Melissa Caruso and now have an overwhelming desire to reread it

[raayllum]

But how do I take a stand?

[asleepinawell]

twitter is full of art of scholars eating carbuncles now (dissipation) and everyone should go appreciate that

like this one

[housederiva]

so now that veilguard is out and digested, what would you say the best place for a complete newcomer to get into dragon age is? does origins still hold up as a fun opening game fifteen years later?

Dear listener my advice is to play Veilguard before the first 3 installments. I genuinely believe that it would be enjoyed more if you don't know what has been lost/what has been taken from you cut beforehand. The only thing from the first 3 installments that matter in Veilguard is one possible choice your Inquisitor makes, romancing Solas (If you don't have a previous inquisitor I highly recommend making her a Lavellan who was/is in love with him in Veilguard's cc, they have a beautiful story)

While Veilguard is a good RPG, it is not a good Dragon Age game. If you know what shoulders it's standing on, the luster will wear off very quickly. I love it for what it is and I will mourn it for what it is not - and that's okay in a sad, almost bitter way. Inquisition was game of the year for a reason and subsequently Veilguard wasn't mentioned at all for another

On the flip side though (and please keep in mind I'm saying this as someone who played origins in 2009) Origins, Awakening, 2, Inquisition, and most of their DLC's are a branching, beautiful story that will leave a permanent mark on your heart And you can choose what those marks are because your actions in origins ripple out into Inquisition (some more so than others). It will echo out through any other media you love in the future and depending on how old you are it will rewire bits of your brain because let me tell you playing Inquisition at 15 did something to me. Yes, the combat mechanics aren't the greatest in Origins and 2 is a little annoying to play on PC but their stories are wonderful...

What is it like to be thrust into a position of importance and did it stem from choice or survival? Is conscription liberating or a chain of resentment? What is it like to lose your home only to slowly build another that you love and cherish just to watch it crumble away? To know that no matter what you do, it was for nothing? What does it mean when you are suddenly a beacon of hope for a people that possibly are not even your own? What does it feel like to be held in such a regard that you are seen as the voice of a god and no longer a person? Are you afraid that your name will be erased - your culture will be erased, and you will just remain your title just like the one that came before you?

If you have no prior experience with Dragon Age play Veilguard first. That way you won't be upset about what has happened to [redacted's] character or the fact that tranquility is never mentioned and several other things that I don't need to go into here. But without playing the others first, you won't understand the severity of the Blight, your tether Varric won't be as strong, the injustice done to the elves and dalish will go unnoticed. You won't know what it means to be a mage in southern Thedas. You won't know what it means to be castless or saarebas, you won't know what vallaslin is.

If Veilguard is the first experience you have with Dragon Age then you won't know the teeth the series used to have, you'll only have what they're passing off as a growl and you'll be satisfied with that

Also yes, origin still does hold up 15 years later. It of course has the standard graphics of its time and the battle mechanics are a little clunky. But the story will wrap itself inside your mind and you will never be able to get it out

[vigilskeep]

do you actually have a ranking or like. rundown of each love interest's particular brand of insanity re: tranquil beloved...? or if that's too big an ask perhaps the highlights.. i am sitting so attentively reading all of the ones you've detailed thus far

in no particular order

zevran: cruel to the end to ask him to have his love’s blood on his hands again, but if he believed it was what they would have wanted, it would be the gentlest, tenderest, of assassinations

morrigan: what power does a templar possess that is beyond her ability to reverse? she will claw the answer from the far corners of the earth and the furthest reaches of the fade before she abandons what is hers

leliana: once, the chantry sunburst was a comfort, a sign of refuge in a world of darkness. now she can only see the one burned into their skin, the wondrous gifts the maker gave to them stolen in the maker’s name, the cruellest game he has played yet. could she keep her faith through such a test? would she even want to?

alistair: there is a hollow in his life that can’t be laughed around. a sick weight in the stomach, remembering flipping his runic token between his fingers in distraction through every chantry lecture where they promised this was necessary. he’s angry. he’s beginning to think he might be a very angry person, really. he’s beginning to think he’s got good reason

fenris: he wonders if, when the lyrium was touched to their forehead, it burned the way his does. he thinks better of asking. there was a time when magic felt like a curse on them both that he couldn’t break. he wants it back

anders: history always repeats itself. there are certain inevitabilities, foregone conclusions, lessons the circle teaches well. you escape, you get caught. you love something, they take it away. you destroy the last thread tethering a mage to humanity—you’re that brutal, that cruel, that stupid—and all you’ll have left is an abomination

merrill: she never understood tranquillity until it was this close; she could never really believe it was possible. it doesn’t matter. her love’s not quite here right now, even as she chatters away to them, but it doesn’t matter. you can fix anything, as long as you’re willing to pay the price

isabela: it’s her own fault, really. her own fault, for taking a chance on someone so targeted, so foolish, so—brave. her own fault for believing them, when they promised she wasn’t going to lose them. she should leave. there’s nothing left for her here. but it’s gotten so hard to run away

sebastian: this changes nothing. his love is as cold as the portraits that line the halls of the palace in starkhaven, as silent and empty as the chantry statues that offer no guidance for what will come. he still kisses their cheek, takes their hand, walks at their side. he is still a husband; he still has his vows, and one more to add to the rest—to find who blackened the maker’s name with this, and teach them what His judgement truly looks like

[inamindfarfaraway]

In the first episode of Season Six, “Startouched”, a white-haired girl in her late teens has emerged from a body of water onto a beach lit by the sun, and seen her not-actually-dead father who she lost two years ago restored to complete life with a dark magic spell that demands blood be spilled. She’s distraught after the intense trauma of killing another member of her family. Her father made peace with passing on, but she selfishly couldn’t bear losing him and acted to keep his spirit tethered to the mortal world, hurting him in the process. She stands, then falls. Someone she loves dearly, the male former high mage of Katolis with brown hair who has repeatedly used dark magic but solemnly sworn off it, embraces her and she returns it. But then he abandons her. She is unbalanced, despairing, directionless and lost.

In the last episode of Season Six, “Stardust”, a white-haired girl in her late teens has emerged from a body of water onto a beach lit by the moon, and is about to see her not-actually-dead father who she lost two years ago restored to complete life with a primal magic spell that demands blood be spilled. She’s relieved after the intense catharsis of enabling other members of her family to die. They made peace with passing on, and she selflessly accepted losing both of them and acted to heal and free their tethered spirits. She falls, then stands. Someone she loves dearly, the male high mage of Katolis with brown hair who has repeatedly used dark magic but solemnly sworn off it, embraces her and she returns it. He will never abandon her. She is mature, hopeful, purposeful and found.

[mysteryshoptls]

Grim Character Profile

Grade/Class: First Year (Class A, Seat 9)

Birthday: ???

Age: ???

Height: Approximately 70 cm

Dominant Hand: Front legs 

Homeland: ???

Club: Gastronomy Club

Best Subject: Animal Linguistics

Hobbies: Eating

Pet Peeves: Taking notes

Favorite Food: Canned tuna

Least Favorite Food: Nothing

Talent: Escaping from tethers

A monster that aspires to be a great mage. He and the main character have been allowed to enroll in the academy together as one student, and live with each other in Ramshackle Dormitory. He loves to eat whatever he can and he's easily carried away, which tends to get the main character wrapped up in his shenanigans.

Requested by Anonymous.

[the-trinket-witch]

Finally! I've finally got to work on all the Overblot Overhaul designs!

For a refresher, my 400 follower raffle was to pick 4 folks to have an OC of theirs Monster-Blot-ified (They are both the mage AND phantom of their overblot). They are all sketched and moderately rendered (per what I had time for/thought appropriate)

To kick off Spooky Season, Here they are!!

@kimikitti 's 'Obi' Oberon! Cycle after cycle. Page after page. One chapter after the next. Am I only here to document other characters? The pen is in my hand; I think some revisions are in order. (Neat little tidbit: the zalgofied text is an excerpt from Midsummer Night's Dream ;D )

@transriddlerosehearts 's Ruby It's difficult to heal a broken heart, especially one so thoroughly shattered. The thought of you still lingers in the wreckage that is their ribcage. After such betrayal, it's only natural that one might put up defenses to ensure such pain never happens again. Anemones only allow The Right One to get close enough to what nests inside.

@althea-and-alcestris 's Alcestris Rage may be blind, but tis rage nonetheless. Let it not be a surprise when the Garden's snake comes to aggress.

@the-rini-rush 's Ryuuni (I hope I got it across the ♾ symbolism in the tethers. As well, the one hand is actually grabbing their string to take control back ;D) Over and over I fuck myself over And under and under I do it again Morning and evening I felt I was grieving Until I said fuck you And never again - Rio Romero "Over and Over"

And Lastly: Albert.

"I know exactly what the time is I do not need no fucking clocks I hear the footsteps of death behind me They sound like ticking, they never stop Every second I am not working I feel I’m wasting my finite time The clocks are ticking, the clocks are talking I almost hear them in my mind" -Tardigrade Inferno "Tick Tock"

TAGLIST:

@ceruleancattail @squidwen @thecosmicjackalope @vaporvipermedia@writing-heiress

@oya-oya-okay @k-looking-glass-house @thehollowwriter @rainesol @cyn-write

@heartscrypt @honey-milk-depresso @br3adtoasty @jackiecronefield @ruggiethethuggie

@hoboyherewego @achy-boo @oreoskys @oseathepebble @oathofoaks

@tunabesimpin @hamstergal @fumikomiyasaki@valse-a-mille-temps

@hallowed-delights @kimikitti @plutos-hell @thetwstwildcard @atwstedstory

@comingyourlugubriousness @ice-cweam-sod4 @twst-the-night-away @nammanarin @scint1llat3

[nicholaes]

melissa caruso may be my new favourite author

not that i really had one before but i read her first trilogy last month and im reading her second one set in the same world (currently on the second book) and theyre just so damn good. the characters are amazing and i love the world shes created, the way magic works is so interesting im constantly thinking i love this its got everything its perfect and then some new element gets introduced that makes it even better ???

anyway this is a propaganda post for the swords and fire and rooks and ruin trilogy by melissa caruso go read the tethered mage and the obsidian tower

[laurenwalshart]

Druids, Shamans, Monks, and Naturalists: The Distinction of Nature Magic Users in Warcraft

As a Druid roleplayer I run into this question a lot “why can’t my mage be a druid?” “Why can’t x be a druid?” To be honest I get it. The distinction between nature magic users in the universe of Warcraft (Naturalists/Green Mages, Shamans, Monks, and Druids) can be extremely confusing especially when they also have a lot of overlap and no clear canon guides like most TTRPGs do. It can feel like you are getting a “No” with a confusing explanation behind it. As you dive into each of these versions of Nature magic users there is a clear distinction between them. Once broken down it comes down to two things 1)How you get your power and 2) what goal your character has/what goal they serve.

Shamans The main goal of Shamans is to bring harmony to the elements and to serve as spiritual leaders in their communities. This is done through the use of totems and the elements of Spirit or Decay to commune with the Elements or bind them to servitude and access the Elemental Plane. It’s likely through this bond with Spirit that they are able to transform into a ghost wolf and access other planes of existence to commune with their ancestors.

Their distinct traits are the following:  Goal: Creating harmony or disharmony with the Elements and Spirits Source of Power: Using totems or Spirit/Decay to commune with or bind the Elements and tap into the Elemental Planes, or commune with the spirits of the land or their ancestors.

Monks Monks are the masters of Chi or their inner Spirit and the self, making their journey a very personal one outside the bounds of say protecting Pandaria. Receiving boons from the August Celestials, which are Wild Gods and bound to the Dream, may give them some access to the flowing spirit of the Emerald Dream and lead to the appearance of their magic being a Jade/Emerald color. There is some evidence to support that the Dream is “near’ in Pandaria based on the Faerie Dragon Sprites in the Jade Forest which are a clear sign of the Dream being “near” and the rare encounter Nuoberon in the 10.2 Dream patch where a Pandaren child dreams up wild things into existence in the Dream.

Their distinct traits are the following:  Goal: Creating harmony and balance with your inner spirit and mastering the self. Source of Power: Chi, the mastery of the self and inner spirit, the August Celestials/Wild Gods/Loa, and possibly the Emerald Dream (see Jade Forest).

Naturalists/Nature Magic Users Some of our best examples of Naturalists come from the Valewalkers, Naturalists in Suramar, the High Botanist Tel’arn, and Shen’dralar Milicent Serene and her Naturalist experiments. From the High Botantist Tel’arn we learn that his power is achieved through the use of Arcane, Light, and Nature which also lines up with what we’ve learned in Palawltar’s Codex of Dimensional Structure that magics anchored to one or more magic types makes them more stable. Everything done by Naturalists seems to be through standard mage/arcane means through their more Orderly understanding of magic.

Their distinct traits are the following:  Goal: Entirely up to the user. In some cases it is mastery of the art, seeking knowledge, or experimentation. Source of Power: Everything is through Knowledge of Order magic/Arcane and tethering one or more magic types like Light and Arcane.

Druids These shapeshifters are caretakers of the wilds. They have strong bonds with the Wild Gods/Loa, Nature, and the Dream. All of the cultures that practice Druidism are bound to the Wild Gods in some way through worship or curses. One of their main tenets is to maintain the balance, a delicate equilibrium of the cycle of life and death. All of the current races that can play as them have extremely close ties with the Earth, the Dream, or the Wild Gods/Loa. Even the Drust, which at first seems to be an outlier, are connected to the Dream and Thros, the Blighted Lands. Much like how the afflicted of Gilneas were able to learn how to become Druids because of their previous knowledge of “the Old Ways” after essentially being bound to the Wild God, Goldrinn, and there by the Dream via the Worgen curse, so too are the Kul Tiran Thornspeakers through their same Gilnean understanding of the Old Ways and their bloodline connection to the Drust and Thros. Their distinct traits are the following: Goal: Maintaining the balance of nature and the cycle of life. Source of Power: Connections to the Wild Gods/Loa, the Emerald Dream, and the Spirit of the land (see previous posts on Spirit magic in nature).

Overlap and Distinctions As we can see many of these classes have some overlap in a few areas. 

Connections to the Dream and Wild Gods Both Monks and Druids have varying degrees of connections to Wild Gods and the Dream. While a Monk is not as directly tied to the Wild Gods and the Dream like Druids, they are present forces in one way or another in Pandaria. The distinction between these two classes then is in how they access their power and their goals.

A Monk while possibly influenced by or receiving boons from an August Celestial (Wild God/Loa) and the Dream does not directly gain their power from them like a Druid, rather it is from the harmony and balance of their own spirit. Another example of this is the Zandalari; their racial allows for boons/buffs from the Loa, but this does not make all of them Druids. The goals of Monks reflect this as they appear to be personal ones or aiding the personal goals of their people or others. In contrast the goals of Druids is specifically in maintaining the balance of nature and the cycle of life. 

Shapeshifting Ability Both Shaman and Druids have some sort of shapeshifting ability in game, however, one is incorporeal and the other physical. The Shaman ability then might be a transformation of their body into pure Spirit as is not bound to any specific Wild God, more of a manifestation of one’s spirit like with Wild Shape in Ardenweald. Whereas Druids after being bound to a specific Wild God/Loa are able to take on the physical form of spirit they are bound to or hold a totem or relic of. 

Use of Arcane and Light Druids and Mages both use forms of Nature, Arcane, and Light magic. As discussed before, Mages approach to Nature magic is through the lens of Order magic and the Arcane. Druids still use the Arcane in some Balance spec spells, but it is distinctly named “Astral magic” which is defined as a combination of Nature and Arcane. We can assume then that Druids are accessing Arcane magic through the pathways of Nature, similar to how Sunwalkers (tauren paladins) access the Light through their devotion to An’she.

Connections to Spirit and Decay Druids, Monks, and Shamans all share a connection with the element of Spirit and their “darker” counterparts inversely with Decay.

The easiest way to think about these connections to the element of Spirit and Decay is based on the class - Monks are in tune with their own inner Spirit or Decay, Shamans are in tune with the Spirit and Decay linked to the Elements, and Druids are in tune with the Spirit and Decay linked to nature and wildlife. 

Monks very clearly have a link to Spirit through their use of Chi. The inverse of this and their manifestation of Decay may be the Sha which has ties to the Old Gods and possibly madness (see my previous post on The Nature of Memory Magic). Shamans are easy as well since Spirit is one of the elements and Shamans may use it to commune with the elements and access the Elemental Planes and Dark Shamans use Decay to bind and enslave them. Druids also have access to the element of Spirit through its flow through nature and the Emerald Dream (see my previous post on The Nature of Memory Magic). Obviously for life to be in balance Druids must walk a fine line between Spirit and Decay, but out of control Decay in Druidism presents as the Nightmare and Thros/the Drust. You could also make the argument that the Druids of the Flame is Spirit out of control, but that’s for another paper on another day.

A quick little fun addon after my exploration of teleportation, memory, and Spirit in my previous post on The Nature of Memory Magic, this connection to this element of Spirit may explain how Monks are able to cast Zen Pilgrimage, Shamans are able to Astral Recall, and Druids are able to cast Dreamwalking.

All of this lines up with what we recently found in Palawltar’s Codex of Dimensional Structure. Each one of these classes have their connection to Spirit, Decay, and Nature magic, but they are all from different pathways to access that power. Once again proving that it’s how the magic is acquired that makes you one of these classes in a similar way to Clerics, Sorcerers, Wizards, and Warlocks in D&D 5e.

I hope this exploration of how these four nature magic users are distinct and how they intersect is helpful to you. Aside from the workload of making a bunch of new assets for Druids to be available to all races it seems to me that there is a need for a culture to have some sort of deep connection to the Dream or Wild Gods/Loa for them to access that ability. I do find it interesting that Druidism only seems to occur on Azeroth. We do see Shamanism on both Draenor and Argus, but curiously no form of Druidism. It seems that only the native races of Azeroth (Tauren, Trolls, and subsequently Night Elves) and those cursed to be bound to the Dream or Wild Gods (the Drust and Gilneans) have access to this ability. Races that are alien to Azeroth, descendants from Titan constructs afflicted by the “curse of flesh,” or those that were altered by Order (the High Elves and Nightborne) all lack this ability or pathway to Druidism. I’m interested to see if Blizzard ever explores this, perhaps in future patches with Elun’ahir and the Harronir. If and when they do I’ll be fervently exploring the topic. The Nature of Memory Magic As always my intention is never to police the roleplay of others, but rather to provide more canon centered explanations for those interested

[scripts4dreamers]

Leave a light on pt. 1

AN: Running off into the sunset together sounds fun, until you remember that you're now living with your ex from a decade ago who also happens to be The Devil from The Bible. Characters: Solas, Mythal, Felassan, Female!Lavellan

Part Two, Part Three, Part Four

The moment her feet hit solid ground, before she could even look around and see where they had ended up, Amala Lavellan felt Solas crumple. It was as though the strings that had been holding him up had suddenly been cut and, without a moment’s hesitation, she felt herself lunge to catch him. There was no intention behind the movement, it was pure instinct, but the second her arms connected she knew she had made a terrible mistake. The weight of him, the warmth, the familiarity of it all, even under the layers of sweat and grime and blight…it was overwhelming. Just that brief touch snapped her out of the haze of battle, of blood and gods and death and terror and made everything real. He was real. She was real. Solas was in her arms again after a decade of loneliness and regret. He was there and he was…bleeding?

“Andraste’s tits,” she swore, feeling the cold hand of panic clamp down on her as Solas’ blood started to seep between her fingers, “Solas, Solas can you hear me? I need to know where we are. Is there somewhere I can take you? You’re bleeding.”

“Lighthouse,” he said, his eyes fluttering, “Infirmary’s-” he winced, trying to make himself smaller, trying to put less of his weight on her even though he could barely keep himself conscious, “there’s an infirmary…up the stairs.”

Amala nodded, tightening her grip as they started the agonizing walk up three flights of stairs. She wanted to look around. Her instincts, honed from years and years of battles and ambushes, urged her to assess the landscape for entryways, exits, windows and choke points, but it was all dulled by Solas’ choked gasps and the persistent drip of his blood hitting the floor.

Could a god bleed out?

She pushed the thought away, blinking back tears. Of course they couldn’t.

Except he did, that nagging little voice in her head insisted. In the hell-future Amala and Dorian had been forced into, thanks to Alexius’ meddling, Solas and Iron Bull had sacrificed themselves to buy Dorian time. It had happened over a decade ago now, but every agonizing second was still seared into her mind like a brand.

Solas had gone down first. Bull had roared with defiant rage seeing his ally fall. That rage had given him six and a half extra minutes of fighting. Leliana never faltered either. She recited hymns and fragments of the Chant with practiced ease, her arrow finding purchase every single time. Dorian had been frantically reading notes, drawing intricate patterns in the air that Amala couldn’t follow. She had been tethered to his side, unable to rush in and help because Dorian needed her strength to supplement his own and power the spell. She gave it willingly. The forces of the Elder One had flooded through the castle. There had been screaming and burning and guttural bellowing mingling with Leliana’s recitation. It had been chaos. So easy then, to miss one elven mage dying quietly in the corner. So easy to miss the gurgling sound he made as he choked on his own blood. Too easy to overlook how big the puddle of blood around him was growing, how his skin turned ashen and the light in his eyes just…slipped away.

But Amala hadn’t missed it. Not a second of it. Not one.

“Stop,” she whispered to herself, forcing one foot in front of the other, pushing the memories back as far as she could manage, “stop it right now.”

“I haven’t done anything yet,” Solas replied with just a hint of his old humor, “but for you I will do my best.”

Amala, without meaning to, snorted, “Shut up, Wolf. You absolutely have done something.”

“Pray, tell me what,” he asked, “so that I might better follow your instructions.”

“You’re bleeding out,” she explained, trying her best to sound matter-of-fact even as her voice cracked with pent up emotion, “you’re bleeding out and we have already lost too many damn people today.”

He was silent for longer than she would have liked, only because it made her worry that he was slipping out of consciousness, but eventually he replied, his voice barely above a whisper, “As you wish, Inquisitor. I will devote all of my remaining strength to not dying in your arms today.”

All of your remaining strength is currently leaking out through the cracks in your armor, she thought to herself, but they continued on in silence.

Mercifully, the infirmary door was already open. Amala sighed with relief, gingerly lowering Solas into the nearest bed and immediately beginning the arduous process of unbuckling each piece of his armor. As she worked she spoke aimlessly, explaining that the tightness of his breastplate, where it had been compressed by the archdemon’s attack, may have actually been helping to staunch the bleeding but could also be cutting off circulation. She talked apologetically about how she may need to cut away parts of the fabric of his undershirt, how it would likely hurt because the heat of the dragon fire had made everything fuse together. It was all things they both already knew. They were no green recruits, shaky after their first taste of real combat. No, she and Solas were seasoned veterans. They had both seen worse. Still, there was comfort in explaining her steps. It steadied her, gave her something to focus on. While she spoke, she could pretend that it wasn’t Solas, it was just another inquisition soldier she had found in the rubble. It wasn’t Solas who may bleed out under her care. It wasn’t the man she had spent all these years chasing. They weren’t alone in the Fade, facing an unexpected future. She hadn’t abandoned the Inquisition, all her friends, the world, to run away with an elven god. There was no Solas, no Amala, no Fen’Harel. There was just a body with wounds and a pair of hands with the skill to heal them.

Solas’ wounds were extensive, but remarkable considering what he had been through. There were punctures on either side of his abdomen and on his right leg - deep ones - but they didn’t seem to have poked holes in anything life threatening. His whole left side, from shoulder to ankle, was badly burned, but it seemed to have begun to heal on its own. Perhaps with the help of a healing spell. He was badly bruised, his right shoulder was dislocated and it seemed as though several of his ribs and a collar bone were broken, but all of his organs were still inside his body and his arteries were whole and unpunctured which Amala considered a minor miracle.

She rummaged through the infirmary for supplies. There was elfroot, clean bandages and plenty of disinfectant, as well as a few pain tonics and materials to make a loose sling. Pleased with her findings, Amala began the process of cleaning and dressing the wounds and setting Solas’ shoulder. It was the kind of work that one had to do slowly, but that also required consistent focus. With the adrenaline of confronting Solas, battling Elgar’nan and escaping into the fade behind her, and the heavy weight of fatigue setting in, it was only years of practice that kept her going.

“I expected worse,” she eventually said, with an exhausted sigh, “you’ve lost a dangerous amount of blood, and some of this is going to take a very long time to heal but-” she trailed off.

“But I will live to scheme another day?” he suggested, “I did promise, Inquisitor.”

Amala huffed, brushing her hair out of her eyes without much care for the blood she was surely streaking through it.

“You know, you call me Inquisitor so often that sometimes I think you’ve forgotten my name.” she joked

Solas chuckled and immediately winced as the motion strained his broken ribs, “As though I could ever forget, Amala Lavellan.”

Her eyes flicked to his, just for a moment, and the softness there broke her carefully maintained air of control. It wasn’t fair how powerfully he could still affect her, how a single shred of intimacy made her feel like she was drowning. His voice sent shivers down her spine, almost painful in their intensity and, instinctively, she stood and stepped away.

“You need water,” she said, breaking the contact, “you need to replenish your blood volume. I’ll-” she cleared her throat, “Is there a water source around here somewhere?”

“Amala,” Solas started, his voice soft and dripping with feeling.

“Don’t-” she interrupted, raising a hand as though to physically ward off his words, “I-we’ll talk later, I know there’s still much we need to discuss I just-” she cleared her throat again, “I need a moment.”

Solas looked down, resigned, and a muscle in his jaw twitched, “Of course. There should be a number of wells, and working faucets in each of the buildings. I-” he took a breath, clearly fighting the pull of sleep, “I do not know how much has changed in the months I have been away, but there are also an abundance of bed chambers, please make use of one, Inquisitor. You have fought your own battle today.”

Against her better judgment, Amala felt a smile pull at the corners of her mouth, “I wasn’t used as a chew toy by an archdemon, Solas.”

He chuckled, “Not a pleasant experience, but a novel one at least.”

She hummed in agreement, letting the silence stretch just long enough to tell Solas that she was comfortable before moving gingerly towards the door.

“Rest now,” she said, wincing at the protest from her stiff muscles, “I’ll bring you some water.”

“And then you’ll rest?”

She waved off his concern, “I’m fine, Solas.”

“Promise me, Inquisitor.” he insisted, his eyes clear as they bore into her.

Amala pressed her lips together, “After I do a perimeter search, I will rest.”

Solas raised his eyebrows, still waiting.

She sighed, “I promise.”

Solas nodded, satisfied, and slumped back down on the bed. Amala was certain that he’d be out before she even returned with the water.

The lighthouse was, undoubtedly, a marvel. If it had been any other day, if she hadn’t spent the last few hours stitching and mending the wounds in the man she loved, if a god hadn’t died and a city hadn’t nearly been drowned in blight, Amala would have loved nothing more than losing herself in it. As it was, she barely made it through her perimeter check, to a nearby well and back to the infirmary without her legs collapsing from under her but, to her relief, she saw she had been right. Fen’Harel was fast asleep.

She placed the two large jugs she had found in the dining hall and filled with water on the table beside him and took the opportunity to just look. She just watched him breathe, feeling her heart pinch and ache in her chest. He had always looked younger when he slept, more carefree, though he was a restless sleeper. He was prone to twisting and turning in the night and often called out and woke himself, beset by nightmares.

There had been a time when Amala wouldn’t have hesitated. She would have kicked off her boots and crawled into the too small infirmary bed, right beside him, tangling their legs together, but those days were a decade past now. She was different. He was different. Everything was different.

But the tug in her heart was the same.

With a sigh, she gave in and leaned forward, ghosting her fingers along the undamaged portion of Solas’ cheekbone. His skin felt the same as it always had and, as though in response to her touch, he hummed in his sleep.

“Thank you for not dying,” she whispered.

She waited with him for a moment longer, soaking in the simple miracle of being in the same physical space as Solas for the first time in years, and then slipped away. She chose a room near to the infirmary, but not right beside it. There was a giant winding spiral staircase she longed to climb, but the ache of her body let her know that it was coming up on the end of its stamina. There was just enough left in her reserves to allow her to undress, remove her prosthetic, clean the worst of the blood and grime from her skin and collapse in a heap in the comfortable looking bed. The last thing she saw before sleep took her, was a symbol of the Mourn Watchers scratched into the stone. She thought of Emmerich, and then of Rook, and she smiled.

[dnd-shows-have-my-soul]

Bells Hells Level 14

It is very likely that after the three-episode special that is Downfall, we are going to see the Hells level up to 14 (considering that Sam is joining with a level 14 character.)

Because of that, I figured that I would post this update now as a taste for what lies ahead. 

All in all, Level 14 is a kind of a mixed bag in terms of what people get. To start with our non-multiclassers, 3 out 4 of them get subclass-based features, two of which we are completely aware of. 

Imogen, as a level 14 Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, gets the Revelation in Flesh feature. Basically, as a bonus action, she can spend a sorcery point to receive one of the following features. 

Can see any invisible creature within 60 feet of her, provided it isn't behind total cover.

Gain a flying speed equal to her walking speed (30 ft)

Gain a swim speed equal to twice her walking speed (60ft), and she can breathe underwater

Move through any space as narrow as 1 inch without squeezing, and is able to spend 5 feet of movement to escape from nonmagical restraints or being grappled.

Each feature lasts for 10 minutes, but there is no limit to how many times she can do this or how many features she can have active at once. So long as she has the available sorcery points, Imogen can do this. 

Dorian also gets a new College of Swords feature, Master's Flourish. Now, whenever he uses one of his Blade Flourishes, he can roll a d6 and use it instead of expending a Bardic Inspiration die (currently a d10). The overall roll might be lower, but he can use bardic inspiration without having to worry about his flourishes. 

Finally, Ashton receives his 14th-level subclass feature, but because it is a homebrew we don’t know exactly what it is. What we do know from CR cooldown, is that 14th level is “Where everything goes crazy.” So that’s fun. In all seriousness, if I had to guess, the feature could be similar to the Wild Magic’s Barb 14th level feature, where instead of simply rolling for a specific build, Tal could instead roll two d4 and choose which one he wants. But knowing Tal, its probably something far more complicated. 

Orym, as our final non-multiclasser, gets another ASI with this level up. There are a lot of roads for him to choose from. Choosing to boast his Con is a likely option, but they are also a number of feats that are very much on the table. Sentinel, Mage Slayer, Bountiful Luck, Martial Adept are all feats I could see Orym going for. Hell, I could even see him mutliclassing depending on what Downfall shows us. 

Speaking of multiclassers, let's look at the final three Hells. Two of the remaining folks, I am pretty certain I know their direction. 

To start, Fearne has a very simple level-up. She will likely be grabbing another druid level, bringing her to level 11, and granting her access to 6th level spells. To note, because of her Arcane Trickster multiclass, Fearne spell slots are kinda weird. Before she already had access to her 6th level spell slot, but could not prepare 6th level spells until now. This doesn’t affect this level up, but in the future it will be something to be aware of. Some notable druid spells Fearne can now prepare are: Heal, Heroes’ Feast, Sunbeam, Transport via Plants, and Wind Walk.

Chetney is another very easy one. Likely grabbing another level in Blood Hunter, Chetney will get his Brand of Tethering feature. When using his Brand of Castigation, branded creatures are now unable to take the Dash action, and if they attempt to teleport or to leave their current plane, the creature will take 4d6 psychic damage and must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the attempt to teleport or leave the plane fails. Additionally, with this level up, Chetney can use his Blood Maledict three times between rests and he learns another Blood Curse.

And finally, on the biggest variable, Laudna. Before the sword incident, I was very certain that Laudna would be sticking with Sorcerer throughout level-ups. Mechanically, choosing Sorcerer would be the better option, as it would grant her 6th-level spells and a 6th-level spell slot (notable spells include: Arcane Gate, Circle of Death, Disintegrate, Globe of Invulnerability, Mass Suggestion, and Scatter.) But storywise, I could very much see Marisha leaning back into Warlock for narrative reasons. If she chooses this, Laudna would gain her 4th level in Warlock, granting her an ASI or New Feat. Based on her stats, Launda would likely choose a Feat. In that, I could see her grabbing War Caster, Mystic Conflux, Metamagic Adept, or even Skill Expert. Personally, I want to see her take another level in Sorcerer, but either way, I’m excited.

Anyway, thanks for listening to me ramble, and see yall soon!

[raayllum]

me rolling in with my TDP 'stoic' big hearted warrior and goofy sometimes temperamental mage otp like "oh, you want only one bed trope? got it. stargazing together? uh there's multiple scenes, which one? artist drawing his gf? giving her his scarf and weaving her jewelry? yeah, got that too. lovingly watching each other sleep? that's happened like four times. her pulling him in by the scarf? yeah that was just three seasons in. uhh everyone ships it, even the villains who use them against each other? got a punch and battle couple vibes watching each other's backs. your best friend/lover being your core tether to the world, love confessions/affirmations when you think you're about to die, and then even when you're not? him doing everything he can to ensure she gets her family back when she struggles to do things for herself. her doing everything she can to keep him safe, from using her badassery to her big heart. running to each other for reunion hugs and kisses. devotion to the point of destroying yourself and others? 'it was always you'? mmhm yeah. enemies to friends to lovers who are then forced to be enemies again because of possession and getting through to each other? 11+ kisses? yeah. forehead touches too. do you want anything else while i'm out?"