#there is only correlon

[helimir]

the impact of having abubakar, who I have hardly seen on screen outside of downfall, come in to do this scene with such incredible gravitasse, is that I feel like I’m in the presence of an actual god

[circlique]

JUST REALIZED I FORGOT TO CHANGE VINCENT’S BACKGROUND SO HE’S AN ACOLYTE

The most allergic to religion religious man.

[ludinusdaleth]

this is something ive had brewing in my mind for a while, but now that this aeor arc seems concluded, im really thinking on ludinus & other calamity survivors, and the idea of no perfect victim & moving forward.

ludinus & leylas are about the same age, have lived the same years. when we meet leylas, she is sending her soldiers to war in large part because she has seen the cycles of exandria unfold so consistently she cannot imagine peace until she defeats her enemy (quana still prays for it, and unity among everyone. but she holds her tongue). ludinus, on the opposite side of the mountains, knows the cycles too. and he thinks he must wage them to break them. leylas worships the luxon to free herself from the gods. ludinus despises the luxon for being seen as a god at all, that leylas as a survivor would dare worship it. both see the exact same thing but in opposite ways. but leylas gives a small smile of surprise when the m9 stop the war of ash & light. she is surprised, but happy to be wrong, in this one moment; her faith in these non dynasty folk paid off. all ludinus, one who hates cycles seeing a cycle caught short, sees, is a loss at taking more beacons, at destroying the "religious drivel" of the luxons religion. at least he can get to work on the big picture, the cycle he actually cares about, over any he enforces.

devexian & alyxian awaken the same year, devexian by the m9, in the ruins of his (and ludinus's) home. he can only laugh dryly at its fate, say it is a cruel joke of history. he picks up the pieces, tries to bring his people back to life. he wants them to start anew. he wants them to let go. if ludinus cant escape the day the city fell then it seems devexian wants nothing more than to leave it for tomorrow. alyxian has been caught in the hell of being a demigod of divinity & ruidis left to rot in half death. (depending on your netherdeep ending) he awakens to a new dawn, suddenly ancient & old in body, but.... free. freed by your party. he was torn asunder by avandra/correlon/sehanine & predathos within him, their powers festering in him as gruumsh destroyed him - and still he tries to be kind, and have faith, even if he is not the warrior he was, even if everything he ever knew was destroyed. he can see society flourish again, even after his & gruumsh's battle destroyed half of marquet. ludinus has seen society rebuild its entire course of time - and all he sees is a world never as brilliant as what it was before.

all of these calamity survivors are completely fucked. leylas is paranoid, losing her mind from living too long, and still haunted by lolth. quana is resigned to stay at her lovers side even as madness takes her when all she wants is unity with others. devexian is clearly so unwilling to face history repeating he wont tell other aeormatons their heritage. alyxian is broken & battered after an eon of nonstop torture.

but they had help from others, from kind souls, who reached a hand out. and they took that kindness and internalized it. and they have vowed to help their people any way they can. to spread that glimmer of hope. to rebuild.

ludinus hasnt. and i think there is deep tragedy in that. i dont know if he has much hope, ironically, beyond raging cleansing fire. in that broad big picture it is both incredibly real & also heartbreaking when recovery falls through the cracks so badly. to have so little of a support group of survivors around you that you smack the hand of those who came out of it differently, and not have known others who could show you it was okay to move on. you hurt other survivors in your refusal to breathe, and live too large to see the others choosing a small destiny. it is unfair to him to had to have suffered and unfair to inflict that on calamity survivors again for your own agenda.

i fixate on him not disagreeing with the bells finding a third option. deep down, he wants to have that hope the others share so fucking bad. we'll see if he ever finds it.

[stardustedknuckles]

It also feels like Correlon is talking way over their head about the other gods wanting and being willing to leave because like. It's one thing to have only ever known an existence where what comes after is a mystery. It's another for generations of people going back thousands of years to know more or less what happens and to have something of a say in it and for that to suddenly be thrown into uncertainty or even removed entirely.

Living your life with the knowledge you'll see your loved ones again is a strong enough belief in our world that it's the core tenet of more than one major religion. In a world where the only faith you need is the faith that things will stay the same so you'll get to see your people in the afterlife, removing that is STILL such a huge loss and a real possibility.

And what I'm saying is that looking at the wildmother and the way she asked orym for help, the way she showed him Will... those aren't the actions of someone who's in on this idea or who wants it to go down this way.

[vampvalerian]

22 & 25?

woah!!! that was quick :D

22 - Are you trying to avoid being kin with a specific character?

Hmm. There is one heart type that I’ve been dancing around due to being close with someone who identifies as that character, but if anything I will just avoid posting about said heart type. Many of my hearts get neglected anyways lol. Sorry Riddle sorry Link sorry Childe i have more important spiders to meditate about.

In terms of sources I’ve been trying to AVOID genshin impact because i already have two hearts from there and one link type and jesus christ where is the melanin. i feel terrible about identifying with such a vile center for cultural appropriation so i tend to neglect those hearts. yes yes involuntary i know but thinking about the real people who probably saw their culture but not themself in a game actively profiting off of their food, clothing, music, etc makes me ill. Autism strong sense of justice or something

25 - favorite image of kintype?

This one. The guy on top - that’s me.

This photo was also the inspiration for that one drawing i did. This is the only drawing/photo of me that I feel represents who I was. Especially in relation to Correlon. Silently lurking in the back, minding my own business, while he makes a spectacle of himself.

Also, this is one of like four options. No i’m not exaggerating. The very first image on google ISNT EVEN ME!!! IT’S A PRIEST OF ME!!!???? WAAAHHH.

[imthecleric]

ooc: im gonna be salty about dnd for a minute, so in one of my games i gave my character a hair cut (he's an elf so generally big deal long hair you know typical thing). I gave him the haircut because the game is at level 18 we are going to level 20, and the way the world is working atm and how the game will end my character is set to take the place of Correllon. This is his chance to not only reshape how this world sees elves (which in general has been negative as he has gotten the most negative comments out of the party especially under the breath comments, and differential treatment), but also stepping into a huge leadership role something he has been flirting with the entire campaign. so to prep for this i gave him a hair cut

a player who is newish to the campaign but not the game is in another campaign with the same dm, had their character in that campaign cut their hair and he says this every time to me specifically "But she cut her hair for a good reason cause she is like on the run and needs to hide." He has said this a few times to me, when I bring up haircuts, or when they are brought up because my character also had a haircut.

And i always just get quiet and like my character had a good reason it was a moment of growth for him. He's an elf that was literally one of the first created as he is the son of lolth of correlon who made deals for the better and worse, forgot his entire life, lost his entire first party because of someone mind controlling him, has lost three of his newer party whom he was close to, and the man he has been in love with since the dawn of time essentially is more or less dead, and he is trying to make things right from all that has happened to him, and him cutting his hair is just as meaningful as your on the run girl. Its him having a new view, a new look on life, and a time to grieve what he lost, it was symbolic.

And like he never lets me actually explain the reasoning, either he just shuts down the conversation after he says his piece. and it makes me feel like shit. but i stand behind my decision.

anyways i just wanted to rant about that for a hot minute

[protomun]

~CRITICAL ROLE ZODIACS~

Did some digging, and here's the best approximation I can come up with for anyone who is interested: Avandra: 1st Month / Horisar 1st - 29th: (Aquarius Equiv.) Kord: 2nd Month / Misuthar 1st - 30th: (Pisces Equiv.) Melora: 3rd Month / Dualahei 1st - 30th: (Aries Equiv.) Raei: 4th Month / Thunsheer 1st - 31st: (Taurus Equiv.) Moradin: 5th Month / Undilaar 1st - 28th: (Gemini Equiv.) Correlon: 6th Month / Brusendaar 1st - 31st: (Cancer Equiv.) Pelor: 7th Month / Sydenstar 1st - 32nd: (Leo Equiv.) Sehanine: 8th Month / Fessuran 1st - 29th: (Virgo Equiv.) Erathis: 9th Month / Quen'Pillar 1st - 27th: (Libra Equiv.) Raven Queen: 10th Month / Cuersaar 1st - 29th: (Scorpio Equiv.) Bahumet: 11th Month / Duscar 1st - 32nd: (Sagittarius Equiv.) Ioun: 12th Month (No longer existent): (Capricorn Equiv.) A couple of things to note:

- Matt's Exandrian calendar only has 11 months; to determine all of the above, I corresponded to the months of the Prime God's celebrated holy days, with the exception of:

Raei: Holy day has been forgotten. I basically filled the last gap (the 4th month) with the Everlight. Sehanine: Holy day is celebrated every ten years with the rise of the fullest moon. I placed Sehanine on the 8th month as she is the Goddess of the Autumn Season and this would coincide with Harvest's close. Ioun: HOLY DAY NO LONGER CELEBRATED. In the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, it states that Ioun's worship was shattered in the calamity. I'm theorizing that, if Exandria had a 12th month, it fell off with the shattering and 12th month babes pre-Calamity would fall under Ioun. (Currently, it would be impossible for a "modern" Exandrian/Wildemount character to have an Iounian zodiac, so congrats Capricorns, you are the forbidden zodiac).

- As the first holy day starts on the 1st of the 1st month (and for the sake of not killing myself trying to do more math than absolutely necessary), the months correspond to the Gods/Goddesses instead of running from mid-month (so basically Aquarius would be Jan 1st - Jan 31st, Pisces February 1st, etc.). You can read each God/Goddess as the patron of your month or I've put our zodiac equivalent in parenthesis beside each one. - I can't find any confirmed character birthdays (@ me if you do!), but if we're basing Veth's off of the birthday she celebrated with Caleb during Fessuran, then her zodiac would be Sehanine (Virgo equiv).

[walkingshcdow-a]

Title: A Pilgrim’s Prayer Verse: D&D Summary: Finnegan visits the temple of  Hanali Celanil to petition for favor in his own star-crossed love affair.  Tagging: @tinfoiltemplar, @professor-of-predators, @dirusso

Finnegan doesn’t believe even for a moment that the fountain outside the temple of Hanali Celanil possesses magical properties. He supposes he could cast a spell to know for sure, but as he beholds the temple, the flighty priests and priestesses, who chatter more than holy men and women in other orders, he thinks this is a place more of celebration and mortal devotion to the Elven goddess of love than a place where he might commune with her truly. It feels like a wasted trip, deep into the forested wilds where his elven brethren who eschew city life have settled. He looks in place here - handsome and finely dressed and poised - but his skin itches desperately. Goddesses, especially the capricious ones, do not answer the prayers of lapsed followers… if one could call Finnegan a follower of Hanali Celanil at all. He has always followed his father’s faith in Corellon Larethian and Sehanine Moobbw. His mother and even his aunt, his only living relative, were never open about religion whilst Finnegan’s father lived. Now, Edissa revealed some worship of both Sehanine Moonbow and the dragon goddess Kereska, from whence the Goldbow family claimed their legacy. He doesn’t believe he is descended from a dragon goddess. Some days, he scarcely believes he has draconic blood and that he is a sorcerer. He clings to his elven heritage. It’s familiar. It’s safe. And even if Hanali Celanil cannot help him, even if this temple of flighty, vain, gaudy priests, is nothing more than a way to con a few coins from desperate travelers, Finnegan is desperate. 

The heady scent of incense - cinnamon, he thinks - mingles with the floral perfume of the brilliant outdoor garden. His senses are overwhelmed as Finnegan kneels before the statue of Lady Goldheart. She is carved to smile and it ignites a small flame of hope in his chest as he lights a candle. At her feet, Finnegan does not lay gold, but instead a silver ring his mother once wore, which he always admired. He has few things to remember her by - she died when he was so young, well over a hundred years ago - but he loved her fiercely. He places the ring at the statues feet and begins to pray as he has never prayed before to any god. 

“I love him,” he says simply, “even though everything says that I should not. Sir Victor Trevor. He’s a paladin - a chosen holy warrior and I’m…” 

He does not say “a monster” but he knows Henali can hear what is on his heart. As his sorcerous abilities grow, he feels further from goodly light - certainly from the law - and he wonders often if Victor will love him when he can sprout draconic wings and wield natural magic in ways even the most learned wizard never could. Chaos flows thought his veins and he fights it every step of the way, trying to be neutral so that he might inherit his father’s place among the traders of Waterdeep or Edissa’s place among the Lords of Waterdeep. He shuts his eyes, trembling. 

“... A sorcerer. And he isn’t an elf,” he confesses. “He’s… unique. A hexblood. But he is so good. The best man I have ever known. There is so much love and goodness in him and I wish I was good enough to deserve him. He thinks I am, but I’m…. I can be charming, but I’m not good. I know the difference, even if he doesn’t. And even if I was good enough for him, I’ll lose him one day. I never thought there was a person in the world I couldn’t bear to lose, but when his time is up or when the hags collect their due from him…. I will not survive it, not in any recognizable way. He is my sun by day; my stars by night. I can’t even tell him that he is the only direction I have in this world. Every time I try, my throat closes or I say the witty thing instead of the honest thing. I thought I didn’t want to love him but… I want to. I do and I want to and I will devote my praises to you if I can have him always. The only thing I don’t want is to lose him.”

Elves do not use that word “always”. Sex and love are separate things. Marriage and romance have little to do with each other in most cases. Finnegan imagines a life with Victor, his husband as he takes his place as a Lord of Waterdeep or else adventuring together and taking shelter in inns and taverns that pale in comparison to the grand home they never see. Too often he has imagined holding Victor’s lifeless body and he thanks Correlon that elves needn’t sleep or dream, because he can guess what nightmares would await him. Trancing as he does, Finnegan likes to watch Victor sleep while he rests and to hold him. He never feels safer than he does with Victor in his arms. 

“I can’t keep loving mortals who will die one day,” he begs Hanali Celanil. “I only want to love this one. Grant him to me and I will give you anything.”

He knows no language besides transaction and bribery and he doesn’t know what it means that he is crying. His cheeks are drenched and he thanks Hanali, Correlon, and whatever other god allowed him to make this pilgrimage alone. As he wipes his tears, he almost doesn’t see the statue nod. And even though he sees it, he is sure it is only a trick of the light. After all, a goddess known for secretiveness and delighting in the matches of star-crossed lovers has no reason to favor him. 

He leaves shortly after, knowing that Victor waits for him at the inn, as do the others, of course. Finnegan wants nothing more than to hold his lover. Victor will appreciate the affection and, maybe, that earns Hanali Celanil praise enough. What greater gift is there to love and be loved? 

[savingthrowvs]

Forgotten Folks: Adu’ja

Disclaimer: One article in, and I’m already changing the name of Forgotten Races to Forgotten Folks. Why? Two reasons. One, it alliterates, and I like that. Two, I find I like “folk” better than “race” as a term. If I ask people to pick their “race” that may not have a bad denotation, but it can carry a bad connotation. For most people, it won’t matter, but for the ones it does matter to, I don’t want it to get in the way of fun. So let’s continue with the Forgotten Folks.

Ancient, nearly forgotten, mysterious folks, who came from the plants instead of flesh. 

Dungeons & Dragons sure does like trying to give us more plant people, don’t they? This was an attempt in Third Edition, in Dragon Issue 317. The Xenophilia article introduced some weird playable folks (and we will get to the others, believe me), and the adu’ja are no exception. They are very much what a Lord of the Rings fan expects elves to be, but a little different. For one, they have a holistic view of the world, and expect things happen because of unrelated things - and that we have little control. This can lead to this ancient and powerful species being awfully naive.

Another thing, they ran away from the world (in their original fluff) because of the elves’ civil war (I assume this was when Lolth became Lolth). So they went into hiding, and only now come out because of goblin and orcish encroachment on the forests they live in. 

Not too shabby so far. Hidden, mystical plant men. Oh, and they taught the elves what magic was, not Correlon. So that’s neat. Also, the main art we have kind of gives me Yoda vibes. Lives in a misty forest, has a cane, super old, weird and green? 

Okay, now for the “weird biology” part of this. Much like everyone’s first OC back in middle school, their “hair” which is really leaves can change colors with their mood. Why pick a hair color, when you can pick ALL THE HAIR COLORS!? Their skin also changes color based on mood and season. 

They’re kind of photosynthetic, and only require a quarter as much food. That’s... fun?

Also, their noses aren’t sniffers, they’re sprayers. They are used to spray out smells to show their mood (which they stole from the dang saurials!).  Oh, they also have this “The Way of the Root” philosophy. They’re basically a species of druid monks. Which, druid monks could be a really fun idea. They believe everything has an innate balance, and that the world must STAY balanced, which is the only reason they leave.

An adu’ja comes back from a journey to the Realms of Man. Adu’ja Chief: You’re back early. Adu’ja Envoy: Going back out. World’s unbalanced. Chief: What? Envoy: *cocks staff like a gun, a single beetle flying off like a shotgun shell* World’s unbalanced.

Can your campaign take advantage of the adu’ja? Do you want a folk whose history runs perpendicular to the elves and their beliefs? Do you want a bunch of asexual Groot-Aang-Yodas? Maybe you don’t want elves at all, and need someone else to fill the forest niche? 

To put them in 5e, I’d do the following - 

+1 Con, +2 Wis. (I know the original was +2 Wis, +2 Cha, -2 Str, but that doesn’t feel in line with PHB races for me.)

Advantage on Stealth checks in forests and wooded areas. (The Woodland Stride ability is now an 8th level ability and I didn’t want to give a character an 8th level power right out of the gate.)

Photosynthesis. As long as an adu'ja can access at least 4 hours of direct sunlight, it only requires 1/4th the normal rations. (It’s a ribbon ability, I took it whole cloth from 3e, it’ll work just as well here)

Photoregeneration. An adu'ja that rests whilst in sunlight and with access to at least a gallon of water can regrow severed arms or legs by doing nothing but rest and perform light activity; it takes 1 month to regrow a limb, half that if the adu'ja engages in complete bed rest. (Technically it’s free regeneration, but compare casting times of 1 minutes, or 10 combat rounds, and 14 days, or 210,600 combat rounds. You want to use this, you better have a backup character so we don’t have to wait.)

Skill Proficiency. You have proficiency in one of the following skills Nature, Persuasion, or Survival. (This is just condensing the weird amount of skill bonuses they have. You get one.)

Darkvision. (Why not?) 

Vulnerability to Fire. When you take fire damage, you take double damage. You have disadvtange on saves against Fire spells and abilities. (Sucks being wood, doesn’t it?)

Speak with Plants. Once per day, you may cast speak with plants as the spell. (I know, a 3rd level spell at 1st level? It’s only one, and its the reason I added fire vulnerability back in)

Enjoy playing your plant people. 

[ventrue-rosary]

❛❛ Everything hurts. Being with you is the only good thing in the world anymore. ❜❜ For Amaranthe?

Thanks anon! Have some platonic familial hurt/comfort

Amaranthe holds the letter in her hands, reading its contents over and over again as though she could change its contents through sheer willpower alone. But they stubbornly remain, unchanging as the mountains.

‘Leave us.’ The words come out stoic like the mask she forces her face in to.

As soon as the doors softly close behind her, she collapses to the floor, the damned letter fluttering to the ground besides her, cursing her with its dark words.

She tries to remain silent, tries not to let her weakness show but her breath audibly hitches in her throat.

Balthazar kneels besides her, one comforting hand on her shoulder, another beneath her elbow. Gently he guides her to a seat close to the fire.

He stays kneeled before her, running his fingers gently down her arms, patiently waiting as she sits in stunned silence.

‘We have to go to them,’ he urges gently, his voice thick with suppressed emotion.

‘No…’

‘Amara—‘

She fixes her gaze on him, and see her own heartbreak reflected in his handsome features. She raises a hand to caress the side of his face.

‘There must always be a royal in the palace…’ Amaranthe trails off, glancing at the family portrait adorning the western wall. The pair of them, softly smiling with pride as the stand with their children, the embodiment of youth, innocence, perfecton. ‘Do you remember the night they came into this world?’

A soft smile forms on his features. ‘Yes. A blizzard took hold for the whole night.’

‘It was pain, pain like I never felt before,’ she whispers, still observing the sweet, innocence preserved in paint. ‘I thought I was going to die…’

‘And you did.’

‘And I did. As the healer pulled Autumn out of me. But when he put them into my arms...I would’ve died a thousand times to keep them both safe.

‘That pain doesn’t measure the pain I feel tonight.’ The words break her voice.

‘Yet still not as painful as dealing with the council and politics alone,’ Balthazar sighs.

Amaranthe laughs despite herself. Short-lived and bittersweet, but a laugh nonetheless. The moment it dies on her lips the harsh reality confronting her settles back in.

‘Bring her home,’ Balthazar pleads. ‘Bring them both home.’

The temple of Correlon stands silent as a grave. The hooded priests part and bow as she walks forward, eventually stopping when she finally comes face to face with an odd ensemble of adventures, Autumn stood on the middle.

She was still a child when she left. Yet here she stands, a woman grown.

So beautiful...Amaranthe thinks as she beholds her. A perfectly sculpted face with delicate, feminine features. Long hair, smooth and soft like spun silver. Azure coloured eyes framed by thick, and wet, lashes. Her lavender wings, drooping for them weight of grief are given life as their eyes meet. 

They stare at each for moments, estranged mother and daughter bound by grief.

Then Amaranthe looks to the open casket. She walks slowly and deliberately towards it, aware of who it holds, and wanting so desperately to delay the inevitable.

The priests whisper to her the same tired condolences she would hear for months to follow. But the words fade to obscure background noise as she beholds her dead son. Older than when they parted, taller and stronger, and so handsome it broke her heart.

Amaranthe smoothes a hand down his dark hair streaked with teal. He always had the most striking features…

‘Leave us,’ she says softly, staring down at her firstborn child, her beloved son.

‘M-my lady?’

‘Leave us,’ she repeats firmly.

‘My lady, I must insist—‘

‘GET OUT!’ The words explode out from her in a scream of feral anger she wasn’t even aware she held, festering inside of her ever since those dark wings brought her those dark words.

All the priests scramble to leave, leaving Amaranthe alone with her children. She remains with Winter, the three years of estrangement hanging silently acknowledged in the air. Autumn shuffles awkwardly behind her.

‘Come.’ Amaranthe silently stretches one arm out.

Her daughter timidly approaches, joining her at the coffin after a small eternity. Amaranthe wraps her arms around her shoulders, drawing her close to her.

Tears fall from Autumn’s eyes in increasing volume as they share the sight together. Amaranthe wipes away her tears, her own falling unattended.

Autumn’s breath hitches as she struggles to regain control. Eventually, her breathing evens out.

‘What are you doing here, mama?’

‘They sent word to me. I had to come.’ Amaranthe presses the tips of his fingers to her lips, then places them on her sons brow. He looks peaceful. One could easily be fooled into thinking he’s sleeping. What Amaranthe would give to see his beautiful golden eyes open, just one more time…

‘Mama?’

Her grip had tightened on Autumn’s shoulder to the point of discomfort. She relaxes her fingers with an apologetic smile.

‘Forgive me, my little leaf.’

‘No, I’m the one who should be asking for forgiveness. If I hadn’t left...Winter would never have come here. He would still be alive. I—‘

Amaranthe silences her with a tight hug. ‘Hush now little leaf. I will not hear anymore of this. It is not your fault, do you understand?’

‘You’re...you’re not angry with me?’ The disbelief in her voice nearly sunders her heart in two.

‘Of course not. You are blameless. And my firstborn daughter. I love you. And I want you to come home.’

Autumn slackens in her arms in silent defeat. ‘I can’t.’

‘Why not, my little leaf?’

‘I must avenge him. How can I return home and face father without avenging his son?’

The two women pull away to face each other. The sadness has fled her daughter. In its place, purpose and strength.

‘Autumn, you don’t have to…’

‘No. But I need to.’

This city claimed her son's life. And staring down at her young fierce daughter, she is terrified it might take her too. Amaranthe recalls leaving home for the first time, parting from her weeping mother as she set off into the great unknown. Now, decades later, she finally understands that fear.

‘I know that look. I had that same look when I first left home. I could not be talked out of it. So I shan’t try.’ Amaranthe feels the warm trickle of a single tear falling down her cheek. ‘The moment I read that letter...when I saw your brother…

‘Everything hurts. But being with you, seeing you for the first time in years feels like the only good thing in my life anymore. So you will return home safe. You must.’

They embrace once again, Amaranthe painfully aware it might be the last time. At least this time there would be nothing left unspoken.

‘I will return home. And I will return with the head of his murderer.’

Looking into her eyes full of vindication, Amaranthe feels the pride swell in her chest. She may have lost a child, but she also got one back.

[lunacanis99]

Mantle of Flames NPCs

Yes I know I said it's be on thursdays and Monday's but I feel like it's important to get some base info out there. Warning this one will be long. And expect another one today or tomorrow explaining the lore of the world and the plot so far.

So here is a list of a good bit of the NPC's in MoF. Or at least most of the important ones.

-Bao Moonclaw: High Elf Emperor of the city their centered in (called Alamoa) and leader of the council. Very overworked and the party constantly almost ending the world does not help.

-Anastasia Moonclaw: Human wife of Bao. A sweet girl who enjoys flowers and is very protective of her daughter.

-Grendel Moonclaw: Tiny half elf child. Like 8-10 (I'm not very good at remembering ages) who loves befriending everyone.

-Inari Belladonna: Human sorceress. Council's Master of Magic. Chaos aunt to the group and also the first council member the group met and befriended. Also a disaster lesbian.

-Kythor: Teifling rouge. Council's master of secrets. Very elegant but not afraid to kick ass. Interacts with the party the least.

-Toxan Bacrath: Black dragonborn barbarian. Council's general. The large friend that gets strong so he can hug all his friends really well. Once threw Canary 20 feet.

-Carric Hilahila: Highelf cleric of Correlon. Council's master of religion. Sweetness incarnate. Currently dating Mairon after helping resurrect her, forming the perfect diabetes couple. Used to be named Carric Vax.

-Warryn: Gnome bard. Council's master of Import/Export. Happy Scottish party boy who loves talking to the party. However, they forgot about him for 27 sessions, until Jet berated them. Now is a favorite council member.

-Raven: Human(?) Shadowmancer. Council's master of public relations. Took over the council position after Zeanna turned traitor. Edgy boy who is actually a living rift to the shadowfell barely held together by the magic of a fiend. Constantly at risk of basically exploding and opening a giant rift.

-Erabus Nerezza: Woodelf monk. Council's master of the mines. Took over the council position after Vistra's death. Used to be an adventurer till her whole party was killed fighting the tarrasque. Now is a Proxy (a person that can come back after death but loses a part of them each time, like Althaea) and trying to help the party.

-Buck: Human bard. Leader of the high guard of Alamoa. Full name is Buckamire Archibald Kingsley. Currently dating Canary and took full responsibility for anything the party does in the eyes of Bao.

-Kyofushin: Aracanalolth wizard/archivist. Kyo for short. Was supposed to be a one off shop keep character but the party instantly adored him so he became a major NPC. Died about a year ago giving his life to save Canary then the party went to hell to rescue him. Basically the mom to the party. Everyone's favorite NPC.

-Mordred La'Fae: Human fighter. Buck's apprentice and head high guard in training. Somehow Neutral Good despite being incredibly Lawful and focused on Justice. Hates Alistair with a burning passion because he knows how evil Alistair actually is. (The DM calls him a Cassandra). One of the DM's favorite NPC's.

-Ressa: Cloud dragon. Yup. The group befriended a cloud dragon. She's very old (described as beyond ancient) and mute and a sweet girl. Basically the grandma of the group.

-Haeldriia: Drow wizard. Was the big enemy of the first arc as she used to be a drider, but the party cured her and now she's a sweet girl who is in love with Inari but to guilt filled to make a move.

-Morgana: Human fighter. A high up member of the high guard. Took over as head when Buck was temporarily kidnapped. Also was Alistair's mistress for a while. That didn't end well.

-Lilith Wardein: Human Paladin. Eldest Daughter of Alistair and Maev. Seemed to be following in her father's footsteps but now, with a budding crush on Mordred, might be dragged towards the light of good.

-Sam Altava: Hybrid Gunslinger. Used to be a skyrate (Sky pirate) but ran away as a child and then was raised by Kyo. Invented guns and then started dating Raven. Really hates his sister but would still die for her. Honorary member of the party.

-Tazd Nightwind/Shepard: Drow elf Rouge/gunslinger/cleric of Paelor. Oh boy has he been through a lot. A teenager member of the cult that was originally tortured by the party for information before he escaped and returned later to fight the party. They failed to kill him and he left the cult to become Sam's apprentice where the cult poisoned him for turning traitor and the party had to save him. Became a sweet boy adopted by Canary who just wants to pet horses but keeps getting dragged into the party's drama. Basically, this boy has been through too much, let him rest.

-Kovu Nightwind: Drow rouge. Older brother to Tazd. Very very edgy and refuses to accept his adoption from Canary but lives on her farm anyways to be with his brother. Would sell any of them out for a corn chip and they know it.

-Maev: Human witch. Insainly powerful witch. Don't mess with her. Or cheat on her. Alistair.

-Zeanna: Gnome hard. Used to be a member of the council but turned traitor to help the cult. Now seems to be working with the big bads of the whole campaign. The party really really hate her to an insane degree despite only meeting her like 3 times. But she got away, so she must die.

-Lynn Altava: Hybrid Fighter. Captain of the skyrate ship the DawnRunner. Sam's little sister. Bit of a chaos bitch but has never actually wronged the party despite threatening to multiple times.

-Neer Altava: Half angel Fighter. Lynn's first mate. Chaos boy who will die to protect his friends and gets himself into trouble a lot. Got captured by rival skyrates once. Once jumped off a cliff showing off only to clip his wing so Jet had to save him. Currently training Jet to be a better half angel.

-Aiden: Head angel of Bane. Father of Neer and has a very complex sympathetic background, asks tough to hide it but just loves his son.

-Shadow: Head angel of the Raven Queen. Mother of Jet. Stoic and quiet and fiercely loyal to the Matron. Try's not to show how much she cares for her son.

-Zephyr: Winter wolf. A winter wolf that was guarding a dungeon and they befriended and brought back to town. Now has a whole pack including his pup, 2 winged wolves, a wolf dragon hybrid, a Druid, a dire wolf, a giant owl, and the cloud dragon. Is a tired dad that doesn't know how he ended up leader of this mishmash pack.

-JewlClaw: Green dragon. A new addition to the story. A beyond ancient green dragoness loyal to Tiamat that killed the cousin of Mairon before making a deal with her so help free her from her mother in exchange for any redeemable favor. (With some minimum restrictions)

Bonus guest characters, aka other players that came in for a few sessions:

-Valefar: Drow warlock. Absolutely ridiculous drunkard and betrayed the party twice to help the cult. Was part of the big bad fight of the first arc.

-Titus: Aquabant monk. Tired skyrate who didn't want to be responsible for this ridiculous party. But they kept dragging him along. Also really wanted to punch a dragon but kept rolling horribly.

-Shadow Dragon: Dragon of growth wizard. A quiet girl with a confusing name. Just there for the chaos but ever one of the rare lines she uttered was absolutely scathing.

Mantle Party, feel free to add any I forgot!

[kalianos]

Alright, Tried to do this early in the morning but that failed.  ANYWAY.

So lets use Forgotten Realms as a backdrop for this.  

At first there was Correlon. Who was being a powerful demiurge of godly being shapeshifting at will.   Then some stuff happened. He bled other Elves into existence.  They could also shapeshift.  This was good.  Correlon hates not being able to change. These Elves became the other gods.  Then stuff happened and other elves came into being after that.   Boom. Eladrin. Midly demigod like for...reasons. With me so far? No. You’re not because then one of Correlon’s daughter sister self came out wanting ~MORE~ power.  Possibly. THere are too many conflicting stories. Forget what is correct. 

This was Lolth.  She was popular.  Oh wait. *she* was popular. See...she convinced elvenkind in general way back to stop shapeshifting because. This MAde Correlon very angry. And further on down He kicked all the Elves except his direct children out of the Elven heaven. Feywild times!

Around here though, give or take a couple deca-millenia the Elves cursed the followers of Lolth and their relations. Elves are very free love and change genders at will.  They are also very tolatarion. So they casted a high magic curse (Look into why Humans got everyone except elves banned from casting 10th level and up spells. Goddess of magic be *PISSED*)

Wait. Where did these other elves come from? OH well......Some stuff happened and the elves decided to leave the wonderful Feywild for the material plane.  They became all the other elves.

So. Drow.  Let’s talk about them real quick.  So they all got cursed by other elves in a *HIGH MAGIC RITUAL* which is one of the few feats of magic only Elves can do.  They basically cursed them to never walk in the light of their diety. Oopsies, Thats basically ALL FORMS OF LIGHT BECAUSE DICKS.  They quite literally turned the sunlight itself into a deadly lazer for Drow. Darkened their skin. Red eyes. The whole Drow Shebang.

So. Turns out. This is a Curse.  There is a ritual that can actually undo this curse turning a drow into a regular elf again.  Which leads to a lot of complicated questions because let’s get into even more crazy elf shit that I for some reason delved too long and too deep like the damn dwarf I am into lore.

So when Elves die, All elves die. (except Drow. They were cursed to no longer be allowed to enter elf heaven.) Their souls go back to this collective elf heaven with their main godly super daddy. They get to enjoy the everything that was lost to them from breaking away and becoming just one shape. Eventually they become too smelly for their main diety who sends them back to be reborn again.   While they are in this realm they are aware of all their past lives and experiences.  I imagine the celestial campfire stories would be amazing.

Now.  Thats the thing a lot of people don’t know about Elves.  When they Trance. They are not doing it for the fun of it.  They are actually for the first hundred or so years going through getting glimpses of all their past lives and what it was like to be in the Super Heaven Elves get to Experience.  This fades as they grow older in the Material realm hence why a lot of older elves do not talk with the young ones since its like being reminded of a long forgotten dream someone else had that you shared but you will never get to experience again untill after you passed from this mortal coil.  This is also how elves in Forgotten Realms setting determine Adolescence.  When these types of Trance Memories begin to fade.  You are not considered an Adult untill you lose access to these past life glimpses and super heaven.  Once you have, when an Elf trances they only get to see their own memories. 

Sidenote on this, When an elf is pregnant and she Trances, She is also passing on her experiences on Living and how to survive to her offspring.  Why are elves so smart? Because they are going to school while in the Womb.  

Elves also have this mild community driven emotional Telepathy but only with other elves.  Half-elves not so much but its kinda there? An elf in a community never really feels alone because they have their communal love and compassion for each other always around them.   A reason Elves consider being humans, dwraves, gnomes, halflings etc kind of terrifying finding out we are just by ourselves in our own heads.   Probably also doesn’t make communicating easier. Like tying an italian person’s hands behind their back while having a conversation.  Yeah, you can definitely communicate but you are losing a lot of extra subtext that now has to be spent on more words.  Fricken Elves.  They also have an innate connection to the Weave which is very fun way of saying they have an innate connection to magic.  This is where their nightvision comes from.  They are not so much heat visioning or taking in light. They are actually seeing everything in a myriad backdrop of magic surrounding everything for lack of better terms.  

Fun Fact for D&D by the way!  If you stick an elf into an Anti-magic field. They lose all their elfish gifts.  This will also drive an Elf completely insane after a while!

So how about Drow?  They got kicked out of heaven by other Elves.  Let me hammer that home here.  THEY GOT CURSED BY THEIR OTHER FELLOW ELVES NOT BY THEIR GODS. 

Drow See NOTHING when they Trance.  No experiences of an afterlife.  No memories. No well wishes from star crossed lovers as you slip back into the mortal plane.   Just Void.  Which given everything I just said earlier should show how very important trances are. 

They also do not get access to this emotional telepathy. That just doesn’t exists.   (Try not to think too hard on how Elves essentially cursed Drow to become less elf)  

This also leads to the oddness of where the Drow Souls come from?  Because Lolth their primary diety (They have more yeah.  One of her Daughters is trying to redeem everyone but well. HA) is essentially eating their souls for power. Or turning them into horrific Drider out of her priestess that fail.  And there are a lot of failures to her eyes.  Or even more interesting, potentially where Yochlol’s  come from.   Even though they look like some horrific slime eye pillar from Juubilex’s imagination.  

This is all a round-a-bout way to say.  Technically all Elves are the same gestalt soul split into many pieces that constantly go through a reincarnation cycle. Except for a small group of elves that got cursed to become Drow. 

This was all heavily summarised and I have to make Spaghetti squash and Salmon.  

Good day to everyone and this was my random unasked for Lore Dump.

Are different races of elves (drows, blood elves, Christmas elves, etc) different species or are they arbitrary classifications like human races?

[thephoenixfields]

Session 20: A Light in the Dark

« SESSION 19 RECAP

Sariel goes through her mother’s study in an attempt to find information on the goddess that visited her in Correlon’s temple. She doesn’t find anyone that looks like her from the Seldarine pantheon. She prays to Corellon and is rewarded with a gust of wind from outside the window.

Belanor, Sariel’s brother seems to catch on that something is going on between Sariel and Julian. He gives her a good eyebrow waggle when he mentions her fellow adventurer.

In Sariel’s farewell to her mother, Senaya tells her daughter: “You may be confused about what exactly you are now. And that’s okay, because I know exactly what you are. You’re my daughter.”

The party gathers their things and heads out into the Southern Wilds to track the twins, whom they find after a few hours of searching. Neither Drow sibling enjoys being in the sun very much, and the party finds the duo hiding in the shade of a concealed glade near the edge of the forest.

“Nice of you to finally show up,” Malice, the female Drow twin, tuts.

The twins explain what happened to them in the week prior that forced them to seek Alanar’s aid. They are the children of Araxes Duskrun, the principate at the Inverted Tower, who taught every gifted Drow child the arcane arts, or connected them to mentors in their field. The best Drow wizards, paladins, artificers, arcane tricksters, and the like were trained at the Tower. These are the same Drow that powered the Felian Wall from below. Malice learned from her father, but Nyx was more self-taught, pouring through the Drow libraries on his own.

Something happened three weeks ago: one minute, the twins were studying in the Inverted Tower, the next, they had woken up on the outskirts of Kinteroth, bloodied and bruised. They raced back to the Tower, of course, to find that its usual signs of life and magic had gone quiet. The doors had been sealed shut.

Concerned more about their younger sister, Ash, than their father, the twins sought assistance in getting inside and figuring out what happened.

The Northdark is an underground domain ruled by the Drow, imbued with magic so thick you could cut through the air with a knife and have it spark against your blade. The many tunnels that burrow through the Northdark have lives of their own: twisting and turning with magic, sometimes even changing direction entirely. It is said that many Drow get lost in the tunnels, never to be seen or heard from again. Thus the Drow tend to gather at their central cities: Inveleon, Maeralyn, and Kinteroth. Inveleon is the epicenter of the Drow’s martial power, whereas Maeralyn is truly focused on trade and the mercantile arts/banditry. The Inverted Tower is the epicenter of Kinteroth, and it’s also the city where Malice and Nyx are from. The Felian Wall lies at the edge of Kinteroth.

If the Drow do travel, they travel in groups to avoid getting lost. Malice and Nyx took a risk and left on their own from Kinteroth. It fucking sucked, basically. “Duregar, giant centipedes, lizards, night hunters, and of course, more variants of spiderkind than you can imagine.”

The party continues their trek through the Southern Wilds to the edge of the Grey Marsh where the entrance to the Northdark is embedded into the earth. For most of the group, this is the farthest from home they’ve ever been. On the edge of the entrance, a massive swarm of spiders come bursting out of the Northdark into the forest around the party. They don’t seem to be attacking anyone—in fact, they avoid Fen entirely. They instead appear to be running from something.

Very strange.

It’s impossible to see in the Northdark without Darkvision, so the party does their best to pair seeing and blind members: Rowan and Nemo hold hands, Julian and Sariel walk together, and Aeleyn and Fen are in tandem step. Rowan especially is nervous because in heading below the earth, she will be the farthest from the sun and Pelor than she’s ever been. Her connection with her god already tenuous, she is perhaps the most nervous of the group. The twins lead as best they can. The first passage ends in a steep drop that the party traverses downwards. Julian loses his footing and falls on top of Sariel, causing a loud noise to echo through the cavern around the party.

The party is surprised by a massive behir and proceed to fight it as a team. Rowan is swallowed whole but manages to deliver the final blow from the inside. Broken and battered, the group seeks out a safe place to camp for the evening.

A crossroads appears before the group: three roads stand before them. Through a series of deductions, the party manages to figure out that the right-hand path is the correct one. Rowan is so relieved that she starts to glow as part of her Lightborn trait. The party is attacked by a group of oversized bats in response, which they dispatch quickly.

Coming across a beautiful, phosphorescent room that glows with a green light, the party decides to make camp for the day. Testing the environment, Fen figures out that the glowing pools that surround them are filled with corrosive acid.

Sariel and Nyx take the first watch together. She asks him about how he came to be a Runepriest for Eilistraee. Nyx tells her that Eilistraee came to him and showed him his first Rune in a dream. From there he hit the ground running, but he found himself at odds with most of his fellows, who hold values incongruous with his own. Malice, his sister, recognized Nyx’s kind nature from the start and, while she is far more pragmatic than him, she still went through hell and high water not only to protect him but also to make sure that no one else saw his true nature as a devoted servant of a divine entity that was so antithetical as a Chaotic Good aligned goddess. Her teachings include kindness, love, sending hopeful visions about a better life. Dance. Silver radiance.

Nyx offers Sariel his notes on Eilistraee that he has composed over the years, and Sariel leans that Eilistraee is the daughter of Corellon and Araushnee the Weaver, later on known as Lolth. In her youth, a host of evil gods assaulted Arvandor, her home. Her own mother’s treachery nearly made her slay her own father. Guilty and horrified at nearly bringing down Correlon, Eilistraee exiled herself with her mother because she knew there would be Drow that would be drawn to goodness and light in the times to come. Over the years, Eilistraee has fought to try and bring the Drow back towards the lands of the light, free from her mother’s tyranny. She was weak, however, in comparison to the other gods of the Dark Seldarine. Eilistraee never gave up. She was last seen by the Drow two centuries ago, after a massive clash with the Dark Seldarine that seemingly killed her for good. Eilistraee has not been heard from since.

Until now.

Sariel leaves an offering to Eilistraee that includes a behir tooth and some of her own blood before taking her rest.

The second part of the watch is held by Aeleyn and Malice.

Aelyen insights that Malice is hiding something about their story. Malice, tears in her eyes, looks at Aeleyn and admits there is something else she isn’t telling them.

“I’m afraid you will judge my actions. I know I judge them myself.”

Malice tells Aeleyn that the twins entered the Inverted Tower that day to find that their father, Araxes, was in the process of sacrificing their little sister, Ash, to some kind of dark ritual. The twins attempted to fight him and save Ash but Araxes was too strong and slit Ash’s throat in front of their faces. Nye…broke. His mind shattered in the agony of losing his little sister. A blast of magic threw them from the Tower and landed them on the edge of Kinteroth, and there, well.

“Please, you have to understand. I did what I had to do.”

There, at the edge of Kinteroth, Malice took Nyx into her arms and hummed a sweet lullaby: modifying Nyx’s memory so that he did not remember Ash’s death, so that he could function and move forward.

(Art by our amazing druid, Jade! Reblog Jade’s art here!)

“Please don’t tell anyone,” she whispers to Aeleyn in the dark. “Not yet.”

SESSION 21 RECAP »

[reversalsun]

Jinx as The Hierophant Tarot card, based on my current D&D character

Jinx, a Tiefling, was taken to a monastery of Correlon at a young age to combat fears of his infernal heritage taking over. He became the high priest, but the aforementioned monastery was attacked and burned to the ground - with all it’s occupants inside. Jinx only survived to be a sacrifice by the cult responsible, but was saved by the main party.