#to whatever the dwarven kingdom was

[solasfenheral]

i thought I might’ve been misremembering the compassion route!companion quest but like. idk man this just rubs me the wrong way. What do you MEAN it’s no longer their time, they’re still alive, they’re still in pain and confused and trying to seek out their lost children and torn from their dreams what do you MEANNNNNNN!!!!!!

[dalishious]

Dragon Age: Origins is still great today, and you should give it a try

I want to preface this post with an important disclaimer: I am not about gatekeeping, and I think that ultimately, you should play or skip whatever Dragon Age games you want. If even after this post you feel like Dragon Age: Origins just isn’t for you, that’s fine! That doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the Dragon Age media you do want to consume, and it certainly doesn’t mean you’re any less valid a fan. But I personally adore Dragon Age: Origins to this day, and I would love to see more modern gamers give it a chance, despite it being from 2009.

It’s a great introduction to the world of Thedas

Dragon Age: Origins had the tall order of being the first in a potential franchise, yet it climbed those heights and beyond. It perfectly balances the need to explain the world setting and tell a story within that world at the same time, by organizing the plot into puzzle pieces. You, the protagonist, have to recruit different factions into your cause to save the kingdom of Ferelden, so each piece of the game has a different focus on those factions. It spoon-feeds the player information at an easy to understand and absorb pace.

Dragon Age: Origins also makes good use of codex entries for those of you who are big lore buffs and want even more information. Yet at the same time, it does not overly rely on the codex; all the most crucial parts of the lore that you need to know are included in your interactions with characters and plot.

The player gets to shape the story

The nature of those puzzle pieces also means that you have huge control over the story from start to finish, because the puzzle itself is shaped by you! The outcomes of each piece form the blueprint of the climax. The end of the game is reactive to the choices you make in the story throughout. (Mind you, a lot of those choices have been retconned in later games, but still, within the confines of Dragon Age: Origins itself, it’s still fun to see the outcomes of your decisions.)

The story itself is great

I would consider Dragon Age: Origins to have the most straightforward premise of all the Dragon Age games released thus far, with a strong identity linking the different main quests all together. You are a newly recruited Grey Warden, left to unite Ferelden against the big bad Blight after 99% of the Order within the nation is wiped out in a catastrophic battle. You may get caught up in dwarven politics, ancient curses, demonic possession, and plenty more along the way, but no matter where you find yourself, your motivation always falls back to that ultimate responsibility.

The characters are also great

Almost all the companions you’re able to collect along the way are very easy to love, or at least appreciate them for what they are.

Alistair is also a new grey warden. He is struggling with grief over the loss of his mentor, and the weight of having no control over his identity his whole life.

Morrigan is a witch who grew up isolated in the woods with no one but her abusive mother for company. Now she must learn to interact with others, and dependant on the player, perhaps even make a friend, lover… or enemy.

Leliana is a bard from Orlais, whose faith told her to assist the grey warden plight. But beneath the demure outward appearance, she has a much darker past she’s running away from.

Sten is a Qunari warrior who was taught that outside his culture, everything is backwards and nonsense, but he cannot return home until he has restored his soul by recovering his lost sword. Along the way, he may learn to appreciate or despise Ferelden.

Zevran was enslaved by the Antivan Crows as a child and made into an assassin. If the player can chip away at his nonchalant mask, they will find his past has left a lot more scars on him than he thought it safe to admit.

Wynne is a mage from the Circle who is struggling to deal with the nature of age, death, and life purpose.

Shale is a golem who was once under complete and total control by her former master, now learning what it’s like to be free, and wanting to uncover her forgotten past before losing that freedom.

Oghren is there too, unfortunately.

And the player character really feels like they are of your own creation. The choices you make, little and small, offer a lot to shape whatever kind of protagonist you want. Additionally, the benefit of starting the game with a different origin, and playing out that origin before getting recruited into the grey wardens, offers a lot of prompting to get into the roleplay!

The datedness can be easily upgraded with modding anyway

Do you find the combat clunky? There’s mods for that. Do you find the graphics too bland? There’s mods for that. Do you wish you could kiss Alistair as a man or Morrigan as a woman? There’s mods for that, too. Dragon Age: Origins is very easy to mod; most of them you just drop the files into your override folder and start playing. Otherwise, you use the DA Modder app for DAZIP files, which is also not that complicated.

A lot of people consider Skyrim to be dated without mods, too. I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with appreciating the ability to mod a game, as a positive point.

If you want to play, make sure you use LAA though!

Large Address Aware is a must-have on PC for Dragon Age: Origins.

For GoG or EA App/Origin users: You can just run LAA like normal!

For Steam users: You need THIS first

[acefaun]

Hello! If you’re up to it, may I please request a romantic drabble of Smaug finally finding his soulmate in quasi-human!fem!Reader (who is a kind and sweet person who also has a dragon form)?

Smaug~ Soulmates

Synopsis: Being half human and secretly half dragon means that you sometimes are faced with atypical situations. Being soulmates with a terrifying dragon that just destroyed a city is one of those situations.

🍃Masterlist🍃 Quasi-Human!Fem!Reader! A/n: I have such a soft spot for soulmates that have no choice but to love each other! I love hurting my favorite characters as much as I love forcing love and affection upon them. 🥰 And my favorite kind of MC’s are the hybrid/mixed species MCs. AND DRAGONS. DRAGONS. YES. AH. Everything about this just stole all of my attention the minute I laid eyes on it and my brain went “Plot? Location? Sweet romance that follows whatever mischief I stir up first?”  And, my brain alternatively went “Dragon loaf!” from a picture I saw on pinterest. I also didn’t edit any of this or reread it because I was in the emergency room when I wrote it; so, we’ll have to put up with my word-vomit for now. ✨ Enjoy!

–Word Count: 3,805–

The early morning in the forest of Mirkwood was cold as glowing, golden eyes peered through the oppressive darkness that smothered everything just before daylight would hit the above canopy. Wary creatures knew to stay their distance from the seeming human that possessed the nearly intangible inhuman aura. 

Despite how the golden glowing eyes pierced through the darkness, it wasn’t a harsh or sharp glow. These eyes were kind and warm, like the soft golden glow of a harmless firefly. Curious creatures would dare to venture closer for a look, but only a fool would approach the kind traveler maliciously.

At the way I moved like a shadow through the night, one could imagine I was similarly shady or suspicious in character. However, my life wasn’t as secretive as one would imagine for someone who was quasi-human. After all, it was rare for me to bring up my other half so casually. After all, what would be the point of bringing up something as taboo as a dragon…?

Maybe this was why I chose to live a lavish life in the comfort and riches provided in the city of Dale. It was a proud and prosperous city that sat just at the foot of a great mountain, Erebor, the home of the dwarves.

As a half-dragon, there was always that internal desire for treasure, for shiny and rare items. In all my time, I’ve never found more treasure than that which lies in Erebor. Though my constitution was only half dragon, simply living beneath the mountain nearly overflowed with gold, my desires were sated. After all, I was a mere human. How could I crave something I’d never truly experienced before? And I promise, I’d firsthand never experienced the mountains of gold that I was sure were in that mountain’s core.

I was sure that as long as I could keep this mountain for myself, my self-proclaimed treasure hoard within the mountain would be safe from the greedy hands of others. After all, the dwarven King within the mountain proved greedy enough not to want to part with even a single token—this was how I was assured that my treasure would remain untouched and unsullied by the mortals. My treasure had no chance of parting Erebor or being owned by anyone else.

These facts assured me of the security of my treasures, which is why I felt confident with each journey I took outside our Kingdom’s borders.

Perhaps I was a little too confident on this last trip outside… As I returned, there was something unexpected occurring. My trip back to Dale was filled with odd occurrences. As a quasi-human, my memory was sharper than most, as were my senses. That was why I recognized the faces of many of the Dwarves and Dale citizens who were fleeing away from Erebor. Many were carrying very little belongings and nearly all—if not all of them—were distressed, heartbroken, and grief-stricken.

While people leaving wouldn’t usually ring any alarms for me, the vast numbers told me something dreadful must have happened. Each step home struck me with more and more anxiety and concern. While I wished for it to be something simple—something with an easy solution—the flames and smoke that rose from my home were enough to clue me into what happened. 

I desperately wished to be wrong.

On my way toward the mountain, a man stopped me, his eyes solid and sharp as he warned, “I’d turn around, traveler. There’s nothing but despair left in the wake of the dragon… There’s nothing for anyone here.”

My eyes darkened in determination. So it was indeed another dragon who dared to destroy my home… my territory. My draconic instincts rarely flared up, but I couldn’t help it, as my home was left in such a state. All for my treasure.

While I was off on my journey, this dragon decided to come in and impose chaos and destruction unto my home. Glaring at the remains of my home, I decided, “I’m going into the mountain.” 

Setting off on my revenge trip to face the dragon invader, the man shouted, “W- Wait…!” His eyes followed me, shocked that I would disregard his warning and proceed toward the danger. “Turn around! I’m warning you! That monster Smaug will kill you before you can step foot into that mountain! It’s suicide-”

I cut off his frantic warnings with a single look, my draconic eyes flashing dangerously. Rather, I shared my own warning, “You’d best leave now. I’m returning to my home.” My voice had a slight gravel to it as I reached the end of my sentence. 

My draconic aura was shining dangerously strong as I walked through the fallen city of Dale, withholding my dragon form for the moment. My eyes flickered among the debris and the dead, recognizing familiar buildings that were still smoldering and streets where familiar sights were reduced to rubble. 

As I left the gates of Dale, heading toward the grand entrance of Erebor, the ground vibrated subtly under my feet. I paused, glancing down as these vibrations grew in intensity until a large figure emerged from the mountain, spreading its impressive wings before taking to the sky. 

Smaug.

The one who was the cause of such horrors—the reason dragons were taboo and monstrous among the weak little mortals.

Huge, intimidating, and destructive—the qualities of a dragon. 

Seeing this dragon soaring so possessively over my home, I growled. Darting forward with the desire to protect what I’d claimed as mine, I shifted into my dragon form, my limbs extending and wings spreading magnificently behind my huge form. As a half-dragon, I was less than the size of a true dragon, but at this moment, all I could feel was the sensation of a true dragon flowing through my blood. 

My species mattered little in this moment, where I charged forward with the intent to take back what was mine. I was kind-hearted, sure… but I loved my home enough that avenging my home was the least I could do in this situation. I wouldn’t let anyone take everything from me. 

For once in my life, I attacked without mercy, without any sympathy in my heart. And for a brief moment, my small size was irrelevant as I struck Smaug from behind, pinning the fire-breather against the side of the mountain where debris rose and scattered around us.

Smaug moved quickly and violently, disentangling himself from my hold. His chest glowed dangerously with the threat of his life-taking fire; however, unlike all those merciless times before… it never came forth. His attack stalled. His eyes were glued onto the dragon that struck him from the sky.

In turn, my eyes were likewise glued onto him. Our gazes were fixed on one another. 

Only one word was silently communicated between us like an unspoken link.

“Soulmate.”

I immediately stepped away from Smaug as we regarded one another from a short distance. Both dragons were searching for something. Dragons were rare creatures, so encountering each other at all was a significant occurrence—and this… soulmates… It couldn’t have been a coincidence.

My tail wavered behind me as I observed this dragon. I was sure he was having the same experience as me. Only, with what I observed from the city, I wasn’t sure this dragon was capable of feeling emotions necessary for a soulmate. 

Soulmate.

The word repeated in my head. My soulmate, the one I was destined to be with, was a dragon whom the people of my city and home considered a monster. Of course, I knew I wasn’t truly like the people I lived amongst, but it was my home nonetheless, and this dragon—my… soulmate—came and ruined everything I had. The thing that struck me the hardest was that dragons had soulmates at all. Wasn’t that supposed to be some kind of myth or legend? Yet, I was seeing it with my own two eyes… No—More than that. I felt it in my soul. 

“My soulmate,” I heard Smaug speak out loud for the first time. His voice sent shivers down my spine, yet his presence oddly comforted me. A hum of appraisal rumbled in his chest as he exhaled. “You are not a dragon.” 

My eyes narrowed. That was the first thing to leave my soulmate’s mouth? An insult? Well, I suppose it could have been worse… I suppose fire could have left his mouth first, as it did to Dale and Erebor. Still, it was difficult to judge where this conversation was heading. “I am a dragon,” I firmly replied. 

“Not fully,” he observed. Things fell silent between us for a tense moment. Well, it was tense for me. I had been around humans for so long that I’d long since lost the ability to read a dragon’s body language or expression. But then he spoke again, “My soulmate is a human in the skin of a dragon. You speak like them.”

I tilted my head, almost in genuine curiosity. “And you’ve spoken with many humans?”

“One.” He briefly glanced away. “My soulmate.”

Another quiet pause passed between us. I wasn’t entirely dragon, but he was. Despite being soulmates, I was still wary about this dragon, unsure of his intentions. 

As expected of a soulmate, or maybe it was his constitution as a dragon, he could sense my wariness around him. My stance could have also given me away with the way my head was lowered, appraising him for any movements or actions. Human or not though, I could see some sort of displeasure in his eyes. I was anxious to know what was going through his head, but he didn’t elaborate. 

Tilting his head, matching my curious movement, he broke the silence between us, “I am not fond of humans.” That singular sentence assured me of the fate of our soulmate bond …until he spoke again, half grumbling to himself as if convincing himself of this fact, “But this quasi-human… You are mine.”

It was very clear he disliked my human side regardless, though his eyes held his possessive nature. It was clear neither of us expected to meet the other here, so I had a single question to ask him. “Why did you come here to destroy my home?”

A scoff left his lips, sounding more like a withheld growl deep within his draconic chest than the sound a human would make. He didn’t outright answer my question as he turned his gaze back to Erebor. “Foolish soulmate. Do you know nothing of your own kin? To not know why a mighty dragon would wish to lay claim over a mountain such as this. You truly are a human in dragon skin.”

“The trove within Erebor…” I muttered, knowing his reason. Dragons were possessive of treasure, of gold. Significant quantities of it were said to attract such beasts and call destruction to any greedy soul who would dare amass such wealth—though only foolish souls, such as those tainted with dragon sickness, would make such a mistake. Though, spotting the missing scale on his left side, my eyes narrowed knowingly. “Was it worth it?”

He ignored my pointed gaze. “To not only stake my claim here… but also find something more valuable than any gold… Yes. It was worth every life and every crumbling stone and every billow of smoke that rose from my flames.” He raised his head proudly, raising his wings as if showing off. “I could not have been more fortunate.” He wouldn’t mention the thought that perhaps it wasn’t the gold in Erebor that attracted him here to this specific mountain of gold. Perhaps his sense as a dragon led him to his other half, his little treasure, the most important thing a dragon could find in their lifetime—the one precious rarity he would be sure to protect at all costs.

However, there was a thought that lingered for me as well… I had always been a resident of the city of Dale. I’d never admit it in so many words, but it was for the same reason Smaug had for coming here the way he did. The richness of this city attracted me and kept me here. While I never would have dared to try and take the mountain for myself, Smaug did take it for himself.

Despite all I lost in Dale, the dragon half of me resonated with Smaug. Morbid curiosity ate at me to know what it meant to have such extravagant treasure for myself—for us. Me… My soulmate… Us.

My eyes flickered up as I heard a rumbling laugh come from the throat of the dragon across from me. “Something’s amusing?”

If a dragon could hold a smug expression on their face, Smaug certainly did. Gazing down at me with all his draconic pride, he answered, “Nothing, to me, is more amusing than seeing my quasi-human of a soulmate struggle to accept the tug in their soul.”

I stepped forward, my claws grazing the stone beneath my feet, as I stood face to face with him. “If you’re questioning whether or not I’ve come to terms with being the soulmate of a pure-blooded dragon… I have.” My statement surprised him enough, leaving us in silence before I added, “Despite not being fully dragon, there’s a tug in my chest… an undeniable desire to be by your side. I have accepted the tug in my soul. Maybe it’s you who can’t accept my human side.”

“You misunderstand, treasure,” he mumbled the term of endearment as he leaned challengingly closer, our noses a few breaths apart. “Perhaps you are part human… But I am a dragon. And I readily accept every treasure that comes into my possession. You are a welcome, however unexpected, gift.”

“Possession?” I repeated, my nose almost scrunched up in offense. “Excuse me…?”

“Don’t be surprised,” Smaug attempted to sound assuring, but from a human perspective, he really sounded full of himself. “You should consider it a compliment to be held in such high regards by one such as I.”

“You call being a possession a compliment?”

He hummed curiously at my complaint, though posed a question himself. “Do humans not have similar concepts of ownership?” He elaborated, “To belong to their soulmate in such a way that they are treasured above all else… placing their life above all other.” Seeing the concept begin to connect in my mind, he added thoughtfully, “Humans are considerably greedy when it comes to their gold. Do you mean to tell me they do not feel similar in regards to their mates?”

My gaze hardened as I looked away from him. I hated how he was making valid points from a human perspective. How did he even have a human perspective? Maybe he was more sympathetic that I imagined for a dragon to be. Though, that may have been inconsiderate of me, considering I, myself, was a dragon with a human side. Maybe I was the one being close-minded here.

“I- That…” I trailed off. Perhaps it would just take time for me to understand the meanings in his words. After all, it seemed that dragons might not be entirely different from humans. After all, we’re both just living creatures that experience different desires and have different necessities. But we’re both alive, and all living things were prone to some form of possession. Huffing in disgruntlement, I decided, “You word things oddly.”

His deep chuckle sounded far more amused this time as he managed to confound me with his surprising ability to understand. “Perhaps I do,” he agreed without much reluctance. It wasn’t like he often had conversation with others. “However, I feel that you’ll come to understand a dragon’s form of endearment in time. Being part of my hoard is not a thing of offense, nor is it bad. If you cannot understand my words, trust my actions. I will keep you safe and I will provide for you, my treasure.”

It was beyond evident in my words and actions that I had never before embraced my dragon side. My movements were unsteady and faltering, not unsimilar to a hatchling learning to walk. In order to blend into human society, I had never acknowledged my dragon form, neglecting it as if it were a burden to my existence. Which, it may have been, had Smaug not shown up to change that. 

I raised my head, retreating from his sudden approach. Though, Smaug’s movements were more graceful than mine as he moved beside me, using his wing to usher me beside him. “Come. I will show you what you have yet to experience as a human. There’s much for you to learn.”

Part of me wondered if he knew the human phrase ‘to take someone under your wing’ as a form of teaching. It was strictly a human thing, of course, so I doubted he would understand it—aside from perhaps taking it literally. I was literally under his wing, after all as he guided me into the mountain that I’d only ever looked at from afar. 

This mountain was like a physical representation of my draconic blood. It was something that I acknowledged as existing. It was something I owned and accepted as my own without saying it outloud or having anyone else know of. But now I was in my dragon form, entering the mountain that I had long-since claimed as my own. My soulmate stood strongly beside me, guiding me each step toward my predestined fate. He could show me what dragon life could be like.

That much was proven as he took me into an illuminated great hall, filled to the brim with gold and treasures stretching from wall to wall, corridor to corridor. The lot of it put together was far greater than the entire mass of Smaug himself—and me included. It stirred something… possessive in me—a feeling I couldn’t quite put into words. It was a desire to have complete dominion over this space of treasure. 

“That’s how it feels to… desire…” I murmured almost imperceptably. 

I curiously watched as Smaug bypassed me, settling down within the piles of gold. The sound of shifting coins was pleasant to hear and it was even more pleasant to physically feel the texture of the cold metals and stones beneath my claws. I was sure if I were in my human form, I’d likely drown in this sea of gold and treasure. Indeed… the dwarf king under the mountain was a greedy soul—a soul that now consumed my heart. 

I couldn’t resist the stimulating textures beneath my form as I joined Smaug, settling atop the gold, just to worm my way further into the cold comforts of the material wealth. 

His eyes remained affixed to me, observing my every action and reaction to the environment around me. After all, he was more than curious to see how I was going to settle into my inevitable draconic desires. It was going exactly as he expected it to go and his chest practically swelled with pride and affection for his soulmate.

Though, despite my internal frolicing in my dragon form as I curiously explored my surroundings, I had a thought as I glanced at Smaug and pointed out, “You’re going to show me how to be a dragon and show me how to embrace that natural side of myself.” I curiously inquired, “But that’s not all I am. I’m also a human… Do you accept that side of me as well? Or just the dragon…?”

Pausing, he lifted his head to get a better look at my slightly human eyes. He wasn’t as disgusted as he imagined he would be. Had anyone told him beforehand that his soulmate was half human, he would have scoffed and never entertained the idea. But seeing me with his own two eyes… He quietly mused, “Huamns and similarly small species are fragile and easily broken creatures. Yet, you are mine. So, let me word it in this way… You, a dragon, I will possess. Conversely… You, a human, I will protect.” He would do everything for his soulmate and he hoped he could communicate that well enough.

“That’s… one way to put it,” I considered, my tail wrapping around my loafed form. “And, not exactly wrong.” At least he had some idea on what it meant for me to have a human side. And at least he understood that humans were extremely fragile compared to dragons. That reassured me that I’d be safe in my human form around Smaug as well, considering his magnificent size. “Thank you,” I mumbled quietly, leaning closer to him, his warmth radiating onto me. “I used to think being a dragon meant that all my dragon side was good for was being territorial and desiring a hoard of treasure…” I paused. “I wasn’t entirely wrong either. But… I’ve still got things to learn. So… Maybe I can teach you more about the smaller life too?”

He let out a soft exhale through his nose that was slightly audible in the silence of the room. But he didn’t reject the idea. Instead, he reluctantly accepted my quiet wish, “If that is what my soulmate desires… I’ll endevor to learn more of the smaller life and to tolerate your humanity.”It seemed like it might have been a hassle to consider. A dragon needing to accommodate the needs of a quasi-human… It really seemed unrealistic. Until it came down to it, and a dragon really is quite willing to do anything for their treasure.

[autisticlalna]

"You Were Right" (and a behind the scenes on how we got here)

initially i was gonna make a post going over all of Anathra's lore so far but then i realized i do not quite have the spoons for it, and also i'd like to break it up into easier to cover parts anyway. so let's jump straight into the most recent mystery!

i've already talked before about the hidden messages in Rubyco's videos, and about the split-second easter eggs in Viking's. encrypted messages aren't exactly new to Skyblock Kingdoms.

but, okay, let's rewind a little. it's 1 am, a couple days before Anathra's episode 8 premieres. i'm winding down for bed, see the premiere on my homepage, and go: hey! i wonder what Anathra's doing next episode!

hey what the fuck is that. why is there elder furthark

a bit of backstory on me: i love translating things. you probably know this by now. i also knew a guy who was big into norse mythology stuff, and that included him knowing elder furthark. so i immediately peg that as "oh, shit, that's elder furthark" and track down a translation tool.

("why are you going into backstory" we'll get to that. lol lmao.)

anyway, its 1 am, i run it through the first tool i find, and get:

someþiŋ ' weird ' happened

...or "something weird happened".

COOL. THAT'S OMINOUS.

i go to bed. when i wake up, Moxi has shared something from Anathra's discord:

...but i can't figure out what it translates to.

timeskip to the premiere.

Anathra gets a delivery from the End Kingdom after helping Josh out with villager stuff. he goes to place the shulker down, it's suddenly nighttime, and...

hey, what

iou were right

...okay, here's where we loop back to that backstory bit, and also i pull back the curtain to showcase how hilariously bad this went for the dnerds.

i recognized the alphabet as elder furthark

(and yet my dyslexic ass doesnt realize theres two rs in it until now. it has been 5 years.)

trying to translate the box name gave me gibberish ("io nht tuil")

i also knew from the "something weird happened" message that elder furthark isnt 1:1 with the english alphabet

oops there are two translator tools. oops they use different runes for "y"

due to [gestures at cherry and doak], there is a minor scuffle about if it says "you" or if it actually IS supposed to say "iou"

we still cant translate the box

still cant translate the discord message either. this is about to be really funny

people in the sbkcd are also translating it, so we compare notes

anathra steps in to save us:

THANK YOU ANATHRA <3

i am immediately embarrassed because, oops, turns out Angerthas (dwarven runs from Lord of the Rings) has alphabet overlap with elder furthark, so that's where the confusion came from. seeing as it's a post-filming decision, that does mean that the episode description and chat message were translated correctly, but the box is in Angerthas and, despite having the same runes, they do not correspond to the same english letters.

i spend a bit alternating between bonking myself for my mistake and bonking my very tired head against Angerthas for a bit until WhiteQry suggests that maybe what Anathra said in chat is the same thing. later, Aquelon is able to translate it as "IU WER RAIT". or,

YOU WERE RIGHT

...right about what?

skipping back to the events of the episode: Anathra realizes that he's lost time. he says he's only felt this "once before", doesn't know what the writing is, and is generally thrown off by... whatever just happened.

i need to rewatch Anathra's pov before i can dig into what i think the message means-- my initial guess is that it has something to do with his ?nightmare? from episode 5, although im not sure past that. considering his pov plays with the concept of the fourth wall a bit as-is, the message also might not be for Anathra (and he can't read it with glasses on either way).

Anathra's in the middle of something. there's a lot going on with him, inside and outside, and i really want to do more overviews of his lore because it's very fun. until then, keep an eye out for more strange messages i guess.

-

"hey leo you didn't translate the furthark in the 'glasses off' message, what gives" WELL, YOU SEE. I WAS TOO BUSY BEING EMBARRASSED AT THE TIME TO PROCESS IT. AND IT WASNT UNTIL WRITING THIS POST AND GETTING THAT SCREENSHOT THAT I SAW IT AND WENT "wait. hold on" AND RAN IT THROUGH THE TRANSLATOR.

AND THEN REALIZED, AFTER FOUR DAYS, THAT ITS THE URL OF THE SITE IM USING TO TRANSLATE THIS AND IT JUST GOT KINDA MANGLED BECAUSE OF THE "NOT 1:1 WITH ENGLISH ALPHABET" THING.

im in hysterics. how did this happen. please dont ever think im professional. all of these super cool in-depth explainer posts are the end result of so much clownery but i needed to show you guys just how much of a MESS this is lmao

[gatheringfiki]

The following ficlet was written by @lazysaturdayonthebeach based on this photoset.

Fili/Kili, T

You might also be able to read this story on AO3.

If you’ve enjoyed this story, please leave a comment either in replies or on AO3.

The Yule King

—

Just before Fili’s one hundred and twenty-fifth birthday, Thorin came to him with a request.  Of all the hobbitish traditions that the dwarves of Erebor had adopted from Bilbo Baggins, the giving of, instead of receiving, gifts on one’s birthday was perhaps their favorite.  But whatever Fili had planned to give, he could never have anticipated what Thorin wanted.

“I want to abdicate and take Bilbo back to the Shire for his remaining years,” the king said.  He knew this was a difficult thing to ask of his sister-son, but he felt it was the lesser of bad options.  He could remain king and be distracted by Bilbo’s last years and take the chance of descending into grief and neglect of his duties.  Or, he could pass the crown to his eldest sister-son and know that the kingdom was in good and capable hands for several centuries.  Fili was so young to have this weight thrust upon him, but he had good advisors in the company and, of course, he had Kili.

Fili was not surprised by Thorin’s wish to spend more quality time with Bilbo, but he never anticipated that Thorin would give up Erebor for him.  Despite being the Crown Prince for more than forty years, Fili expected another hundred or so before having to shoulder the responsibilities of ruling.  He was glad they were already seated.  “May I have a few days to consider?” he asked.  They both knew he meant that he needed time to break it to Kili gently.

“Of course,” Thorin replied, “I know it is much to ask.”

Surprisingly, Kili took it better than Fili had.  He was naked, basking in the sun under the glass paneling of the rooftop solarium when Fili found him.  They had no idea why one of their dwarven ancestors had built the elaborate, exposed cupola.  But having been raised outside, they claimed the observatory as their sanctuary from the moment they found it.  From there, they could see the sky day and night, the countryside, and not feel so completely enclosed inside the mountain.  

The brunet brother supported Thorin’s plan wholeheartedly.  After a few reassuring touches and kisses, he sent his blond king-to-be back to give Thorin a yes answer as his birthday gift and enable Thorin’s quick departure as their joint Yule gift.  His one request was that they be given time to go on a hunt together as princes, unencumbered by royal protocol, to just be together. 

The following night, they lay together, bundled in their doubled bedrolls as always.  Unlike their younger days when they lay atop a rough blanket on the ground, now they slept on a fur rug and under a soft down-filled cover.  They had to bring a pack pony along to carry those luxuries, and the two baskets of provisions that Bilbo insisted on making for them.

A crescent moon appeared to set on an icy lake nearby while they talked.

“What do you want for Yule?” Fili asked, cuddling close.

“You to be happy.  That’s all I ever want,” Kili answered.  He nibbled a gingerbread dwarf, getting crumbs in the fur.

“I want to take you and run,” Fili replied, “Go somewhere where no one knows us.  Where we can live a simple life together.”

“Anyone can be anything, but you can be everything,” Kili admonished, “You can make our world better for all dwarves, not just me and you.”

“Whatever I am, let it be enough.”  Fili sighed, giving in to his fate.  “But I want you by my side at my coronation.”

“Always,” Kili looked at him quizzically.

“I want you as my spouse, my consort, not my brother or lover or heir.” Fili clarified.

That wish he was granted as Thorin bound their hands before passing the crown to Fili on the second night of Yule.  It was as if the Oak King himself blessed the event.  A fire deer appeared on the mountainside, heralding a bright future.

[dalliansss]

“Arda is vast,” Maglor reasons. “We have other opportunities, surely,”

“Yes, and do you not think Fingon sees this not?” Maedhros trails his gaze over all of his brothers. “Fingolfin might be dumb in certain aspects, but his eldest son is not. We are fortunate enough that Argon perished in Lammoth, for if he survived, Fingon and Argon will be another formidable battle brewing in our horizons, and already we are half-spent trying to outmaneuver Finrod.”

“Not half-spent,” Caranthir corrects. “I’d say a quarter spent. He has the greater gold reserves than us, but economics does not flow and work with gold alone. We still hold the bigger number of craftspeople and tradespeople. We can prevail if push comes to shove, but for the East; all eyes now turn to the wildlands of Eastern Beleriand. Finrod will already be planning as to how he will be the first to push east, this I can guarantee you.”

“Amon Ereb will be the prize,” Maedhros says. “As will be Thargelion, so close to the dwarven kingdoms of Nogrod and Belegost. We have to get there first.”

“Why don’t we just abscond now?” Celegorm speaks. “Take all our people, establish a new Noldorin capital east?”

“Because, you mutt,” says Curufin, in a soft snarl. “We need to anchor Fingolfin down here, make sure he can’t and won’t follow us, and so also keep Fingon rooted here, whether he likes it or not. We can negotiate with Finrod. Nevermind Angrod, that git; whatever prattle he makes, if Finrod doesn’t give a care for his ideas, he will overrule him and that will be the end of it. Aegnor is useless, no brains beneath those curls. Galadriel is shut up and also useless in Doriath. We have to keep Fingon at bay.”

“Nelyo?” Maglor asks, ever indecisive in such great matters.

Maedhros keeps flexing his gold-and-mithril hand. “I will abdicate.”

As he expects, there is outrage. Curufin is the first to stand in anger, going purple in the face. Maglor and Celegorm follow, aghast. The twins also express their shock. Only Caranthir remains calmly seated, looking at him, waiting in silence.

“I will abdicate,” Maedhros says. “Because the moment we landed at Drengist, Haru Finwë’s crown has become nothing but a useless piece of ornamentation and dead weight on whomever bears it. I will abdicate, as a smokescreen, to make a show for the irate majority of the Noldor. With this gesture, I shall also make a show of payment of reparation and damages to all those who crossed the Ice. With this gesture, we shall attempt to heal the quarrels between the factions in the Noldor, or make bridges sturdy enough for economy to flourish, and lay the foundations of our realms and our future strength to besiege Morgoth. I will abdicate, to anchor Fingolfin here in Hithlum, and incapacitate Fingon for as long as he can be incapacitated, and we and our people shall be free to outrace Finrod to the East.”

[the foundations of power / AO3]

[promptthebear]

I'm really sorry to hear about your mum, and your headcold! I hope you start feeling better soon, drink lots of tea! Would it be possible if I could please make a request for #25 “I can’t smile at you, I’m mad.” with Tryion? (also sorry I dont have emojis to send the bunny haha)

Thank you sweet anon! I mentioned a little about this in another post, but we ended up being able to do "Easter" dinner at the end of April so that was nice! I'm starting to get sick again though, so I will take your advice and have lots and lots of tea!

Easter Askbox Event- Tyrion x Reader

CW- Swearing, bc it's Tyrion. F!Reader, Reader is also implied to be a former Bolton or related to them. 2nd person, so reader is referred to as "you". Reader has long hair, but hair colour, eye colour, skin colour and body type are not mentioned.

The song Tyrion sings is this one, it's another old folk song from my choir days even though this is a more modern cover. Enjoy!

Tyrion was in deep shit, and he knew it.

He hadn’t meant to miss dinner again. He’d had every intention of leaving the hand’s office at a reasonable hour, but as always one thing lead to another and suddenly he was sitting in a dark office with the moon peeping through his window and his candles burnt down to stubs.

It wasn’t his fault that Joffery ruled the kingdom with all the skill and tact of a blind, inbred pig that had fallen into a barrel of ale. It also wasn’t his fault that the Small Council expected him to pull miracles out of his shapely arse on a daily basis, but he also knew that after dining alone for what was to be the fifteenth night in a row, you weren’t going to be in a forgiving mood.

When he arrived at your shared chambers,the only thing that greeted Tyrion was a cold fireplace and an eerie, oppressive silence. The dining table had long since been cleared, without even a plate of cold meats or bread waiting for him. He knew this meant you were mere moments away from giving into your Bolton roots and flaying off every bit of his sorry hide to make yourself a dwarven hearth rug.

With all the enthusiasm of a man going to the gallows, Tyrion approached the door to your bedroom. It was shut fast, the carved lions seeming to judge him from their wooden faces. As much as he wanted to turn tail and make for the farthest inn at the edge of the city, he knew prolonging things would only make matters worse. Taking a deep breath, Tyrion gently knocked on the door and prayed to whatever gods were listening that you’d at least make his demise a quick one.

When no answer came, he knocked again, a little louder this time. He knew you were there, and that you were listening. He could see a shadow cutting through the candlelight that shone out from beneath the door.

“Darling?”

Again, he was met with a bitter silence. Somehow, that stung worse than a biting word or scolding ever could. With a sigh, Tyrion reached for the door handle and was surprised to find it stayed stiff in his grasp. Not only were you refusing to speak to him, you’d locked him out.

“Dearest? Please, open the door. I know I’m horribly late, but how am I meant to make it up to you if you’re hiding from me?”

You didn’t want Tyrion to make it up to you. In fact, the only thing you seemed to want was for Tyrion to starve to death in front of this bastard door, as a reminder to your next idiot husband about what would happen if he crossed you.

All too quickly, Tyrion’s guilt gave way to frustration. He was tired. He was hungry, he’d walked up all those fucking stairs on his stunted legs and damn your stubborn hide, this was his tower! He had paid for the bed you were keeping him from and gave you the key for the door you’d shut in his face. If the blasted thing didn’t lock from the inside, he would’ve long since gone in there and made you see sense.

But that wasn’t going to happen, not anymore than the likelihood of Tyrion growing to the size of the Hound and putting his foot through the wood like it was wet paper. No, he was going to remain stuck out here until you had a change of heart or until the Seven Hells froze over, and at this moment the odds certainly seemed better on that second thing.

Cursing, Tyrion struck the door as hard as he could with his fist. It felt good, so he did it again. And again, punctuating each strike with “shit!” or “bugger!” or “fuck” in increasingly creative combinations. If you weren’t going to forgive him, at the very least he could annoy you into submission.

“Tyrion Lannister, you stop that this instant!”

“Let me in and I will!” Gods, did he ever sound petulant, no better than a child throwing a fit. Couldn’t you see what you’d reduced him to?

“Absolutely not. Your sorry arse can sleep in the stables for all I care.”

“If you don’t open this fucking door-” his voice had taken on a shrill whine that was a little too alike to Joffery for his tastes, but he didn’t give a shit. This was your fault.

“What? What exactly are you going to do from out there? Make some more dents? Wonderful, the woodcarvers guild will be so pleased”

“Fuck!”

In a fit of passion, he took off his boot and threw it against the nearest wall. It hit with a hollow thud, before sliding down and landing uselessly on the floor. Tyrion stood, shoulders squared and breathing hard. Then he heard it. A soft sound from behind the door, one that nearly shattered his sorry, shrivelled heart into a thousand pieces.

You were crying.

Immediately, the fight left him. He hobbled over, collected his boot and resumed his post at the door with his head hanging in shame. He had really done it this time, and if the first thing you did tomorrow morning was chuck him off the castle walls, he wouldn’t blame you. A simple apology wasn’t going to be enough tonight. If he had a prayer in Hell of getting back into your good graces, there was only one thing that he could try.

He always felt that his voice wasn’t much when it came to songs, but you loved it. He’d sung to you, the first time you’d met just after your betrothal. It was a song that made you love him then, so perhaps if he was lucky, it would work again.

“The water is wide. I cannot cross o’er. And neither do I have wings to fly. Give me a boat, that will carry two, and both shall row, my love and I”

His voice was shaking slightly, and he knew he was off key, but a poor offering was better than none at all.

“There is a ship and it sails on the sea. Loaded deep as deep can be But not as deep as the love I'm in. I know not if I sink or swim.”

No sooner had he stopped singing the last note, than he heard the sound of tumblers clicking in the lock. He all but sobbed with relief when you opened the door, falling to his knees and ready to beg for all he was worth.

Much to his surprise, you joined him on the floor, throwing your arms about his neck and burying your face into his shoulder. He held you tight, with a hand around your waist and one in your hair. You were crying still, but you were with him now, and that was all that mattered.

When your tears subsided, he pulled back slightly, trying to see your face. You ducked your head to the side, refusing to meet his eye.

“Beloved, look at me, please?”

“No.” your hair was loose and hung around your cheeks like a curtain. Your voice sounded thick and tight from tears, but with none of the anger from before.

“Why?”

“Because if I look at you, I’ll smile. I can’t smile at you, I’m mad.”

Tyrion chuckled softly and shook his head. He was by no means out of trouble yet, but hearing you jest meant he’d be married to you and alive for at least one more day.

“Well, how about this. We can talk about what an idiot I am, and once you’ve had your fill of that, I’ll write a thousand page sonnet about what a wonderful wife you are, and then if you find you’re still upset with me, I’ll kiss you until you’re happy again.”

“…what if it takes a lot of kisses for that to happen?”

Tyrion placed a quick kiss against your temple, then nuzzled his face against your own. Your familiar scent made him feel like he’d finally been let back into paradise.

“Then we better get started, shouldn’t we?”

[nodawnesperia]

Current Situation Report (map status)

The map has undergone some changes but since I am not great at art, let's take a look at the map piece by piece and go over how things changed from canon.

Ranhorn

Previously: The capital city of the Lightbearer Empire and its surroundings, the heart of the Empire and conglomerate of the Lightbearer nobility. Currently: The base of operations for the current progress of the invasion, includes the domains of Mortas, Leofric, and Olgath.

Bastion of the Elements

Previously: The place where all the elements converge and are balanced, built on top of the Solaran Furnace, it hosts a temple for the Wilder sages. Currently: In ruins, the balance overturned and Solaran furnace shattered, includes the domains of Maetria and Kane.

Yggdrasil

Previously: The sacred tree of the Wilders, its root system spreads through the entirety of the Dark Forest, it's said it also helps provide the magical barrier around the Forest that protects the Wilders. Currently: Yggdrasil has been burnt down, its roots corrupted and turned into a spy network spanning the entirety of the Forest, the magical barrier has transformed from a protective feature to a cage, includes the domains of Framton and Lavatune.

Tomb of the Ancients

Previously: A sacred burial ground of the Wilders and the final place of many spiritual journeys, a sacred land untouched by evil. Currently: A mysterious tomb of an imprisoned goddess, surrounded by misty wastelands, includes domains of Vyloris and Mask Currator.

Desert Sanctuary

Previously: An oasis given to the Maulers by the goddess Dura as their refuge in the desert, Temple of Seers and the center of the Maulers' religious activities Currently: A refuge for those displaced by the war and a hospital for those still willing to fight, with the Celestials on the decline, the temple has been converted into a training and recovery ground.

The Scorched City

Previously: A rough region in the former Bellvale after it was leveled, and a base for bandits and Quicksand Claws trying to ambush traveling caravans, and occasionally a battlefront for the Lightbearer-Mauler conflict. Currently: The front of the war, ravaged by the conflict between the Hypogeans and the Maulers, a land soaked in blood.

Maldan

Previously: The former dwarven capital, abandoned after Alna ushered in the first winter and made it uninhabitable, under Lightbearer control. Currently: The mountain passes have grown even colder and more inhospitable than in the past, most living beings are unable to even pass through, under Graveborn control.

Bantus

Previously: Once a prosperous kingdom founded by the Lenu people, fallen and revived with its last king, Thoran, it is a land of darkness and suffering where the undead work tirelessly on studies of necromancy. Currently: A bustling hub of commerce between the Hypogeans and Graveborn where one can buy whatever they might want from texts to people, under Graveborn control.

The Abandoned Port

Previously: The base of operations for the Graveborn navy, once a beautiful port city, it was overrun by the Graveborn when Thoran returned to rule. Currently: The joint base of operations for both the Graveborn and the Hypogean navies and the planning center of the Isle of the Banished invasion, the residence of Mezoth and Lucretia.

Isle of the Banished

Previously: The last bastion of hope for the undead hoping to just quietly disappear from the world, escaped prisoners of war, and those who see their undeath as a curse. Currently: While the unique natural conditions as well as tireless defenders work to protect the Isle's peace, the relentless attacks by the Hypogean-Graveborn alliance left the island scarred and slowly weakening. It hasn't fallen yet but it is only a matter of time.

Mire Town

Previously: After the brutal Fight of the Black Woods, the landscape turned into a putrid marsh, toxic to all living beings and dissolving even the undead. Currently: After the Barred Gate broke, Mire Town was one of the first locations taken over by the Hypogeans and quickly filled with torture and prison camps, holding those the Hypogeans hated the most, domain of Conrad and Morass Diabolus.

The Ancient Ruins

Previously: Once a glorious temple to the gods, it fell into disrepair after the first Hypogean war and Dura's death despite having been said to be Dura's birthplace Currently: The temple was repurposed by the Hypogean supporters and Sin-bearers to perform grand terrible rituals to bolster the forces of the Hypogeans as well as study the arcane arts for their own purposes, in the private, most sacred rooms of the temple, the god of death himself resides.

The Old Mine

Previously: Mines filled with magical ore, often frequented by dwarves as well as Lightbearer slavers with their Wilder slaves in search of rare and magical metals. Currently: The magical ore has been mostly mined out but the mines remain in use, as the last destination for prisoners of war deemed unbreakable by conventional methods, in the mines, Graveborn and Hypogean jailors subject the prisoners to relentless physical and psychological torture, working them to the bone, domain of Kalthin.

Hoarfrost Ridge

Previously: Before the rise of Altor from the sea, it was known as "The Edge of the World" both due to being the southernmost edge of Hathor and for how many ships found their gruesome end in the icy western winds of the area. Currently: The already inhospitable icy land proved perfect for many of the Hypogeans who sought to remove themselves from the war, it became an area of tense peace – or rather cold indifference, the domain of Respen.

Abandonment

Previously: A mysterious land of permanent frost, it hides a doorway protected by an ancient megalith and powerful enchantments that repel those who attempt to breach it. Currently: After the Hypogeans found the megalith and toppled it, the enchantment wore off quickly, once the seal was broken, there was little of interest left for the rampaging Hypogean army, Abandonment eventually became an end-of-the-line area for worshippers who had lost their purpose and were no longer of use, domain of Khazard.

The White Woods

Previously: The crystals mined in these mountains offer unparalleled hardness. sturdiness, and beauty, coupled with its strategic location, it is an important stronghold to keep for anyone interested in gaining the upper hand in ongoing conflicts. Currently: After the Burning Woods incident, Kane's first focus became claiming the mountain pass and after a swift assault, he managed to secure it for the Hypogeans, earning them an easy advantage in the ensuing war, the domain of Mehira.

Esperance

Previously: An autonomous island off the coast of Hathor, open to all outsiders regardless of their faith or loyalty, including practices frowned upon on the mainland. Currently: Having taken advantage of the natives' kind nature, the Hypogean invasion was quick and devastating, catching the city by surprise and subjugating the countryside within weeks, the domain of Lavatune.

Monastery

Previously: An area said to determine the loyalty and devotion of Dura's chosen, never breached fully by a mortal, carrying silent bones of heroes of days past in its bowels. Currently: After the Celestials lost their divinity, their seals placed upon the Monastery weakened significantly. Unable to withstand the influx of refugees, the celestial guardians began slaughtering the innocents indiscriminately. In the chaos of resentment and pain, the place was tainted, becoming a breeding ground for the Hypogeans until its eventual fall. The domain of Lucretia.

Sanctum

Previously: The glorious castle of the gods, a safe sanctum far removed from mortal strife, beautiful and pure, housing the gods' workshops, training grounds, and the center of their social lives. Currently: After the fall of the Monastery, the Sanctum closed its gates, and most of the gods withdrew to the deepest reaches of the fortress, a large part of the beautiful Sanctum now lies in ruins, leaving the gods trapped or scattered across Esperia.

Barred Gate

Previously: Dura placed a mighty seal on the Barred Gate to keep the Hypogeans at bay but due to the Celestials slacking on their duties as well as the Hypogeans outside of the Gate working to weaken Dura's seal, it slowly grew faint over time. Currently: The Gate broke open, spilling Hypogeans back into Esperia, its strange rift in time and space leading some to believe its power can yet be used to save the day and turn the tides of war, the domain of Zolrath.

Altor

Previously: After rising from the sea, the mysterious continent was colonized by the dwarves, its savage brutal natives trying and failing to stop the encroach of civilizations, its northern regions hiding many a tribal secret and eldritch horrors beyond the mortals' wildest dreams. Currently: Reclaiming his lands, Uemiss started rebuilding his kingdom, slowly but surely wearing down the curse placed on his people and ushering in a new era of prosperity, built on the blood and bones of those who would oppose them.

[erenspussy420]

WIP Neige and Alhaitham

So I basically disappeared off the face of the earth on most of my socials. I haven't been the best of mind space in a while and adjusting myself over and over.

writing had to take a back seat for a while, but thank you for your patience.

currently writing out old asks in my inbox, an Ace and Deuce fic, the title name and some personal fanfictions of mine for my oc's.

the Al-haitham one is for a trade between me and a dear friend of mine.

Neige is an old WIP of Two Face Pretty Boy:

In the world of acting, one must always be in character to succeed. That was the first lesson.

No one really knows where Neige has come from. One day he just appeared at the orphanage alone and drowning in a sweater too big for him 

From a poor boy who cleaned homes with his seven brothers, no matter if he was human and they from dwarven blood, he worked himself to the bone washing filthy floor boards and defiling rotting gardens. His clothes were always tattered and drowning him in excess fabrics, and hunger gnawing at his belly. But as long as Grum cheeks were full, where Dominic didn't have to scurry for tape when his old glasses fell apart, or worry where Shelpie fell asleep at— whatever it took, no job was too much for him. 

Ebony hair, skin white as snow and eyes like roasted chestnuts.

The day Florian's Wonder Talent Agency recruited him was the day Neige could finally breathe. Taking him and his brothers to a clean apartment, where the fridge is full and he can sleep easier at night.

Before he gets tossed to the wolves.

"I'm gonna treat you like a whore." The sweet voice mutters. It sends sparks running down your spine as Neige sucks down on your neck , leaving his marks for anyone to see. He’s greedy, he wants everyone to know that you were his. Walking around printed on by his lips, his adoration comes covered under the night. As much as he would love your marks on him in turn, his agency would throw a fit at any blemishes on his skin.

.

.

.

..

.

Taking in the beauty of such a realm, far away from the familiar rolling hills of Sumeru. It's been months now that he found himself here in this strange kingdom. A realm, literal worlds away from home— a land where time has mingled with past, present and future. Where those of the highest of nobles, kings and queens and down to society's lowest orphans, had gathered to fight for something beyond skirmishes of land. Even the gods fight by their sides— something he could only dream of.

Side by side, as if they were equals.

Almost. He clicks his tongue behind his teeth, watching the dragons fly freely into the open skies. The glinting eyes of the dark dragon's wings cut through the thickest of clouds, the faint sunlight catches the amethyst scales that marked several eyes leering at him menacingly. Its body ate the sun briefly. The world went dark when he breathed, the dragon known as Grima, dives under the clouds and the world is painted once more. The great dragon disappears with the younger dragons chasing its tail. They dive beneath the clouds in one swoop. Al-haitham loses sight of them. 

‘A realm of possibilities,’ Al-haitham had thought of it. 

[porphyriosao3]

Day 11 - Poet

Bilbo loved the Feast of Sunreturn; he always had, even as a faunt.  The winter cold was beginning to set in, yes, but it was still new enough and cellars were still full enough that it was exciting rather than worrisome.  The evergreens hung on all available surfaces made everything look festive and bright, and the candles and bonfires to welcome back the newborn sun in the darkest night were a joyful presence. 

Needless to say, the dwarves had their own take on the festival - living beneath the mountains, the seasons were not as relevant and it was always light in the kingdoms below with their seemingly infinite lamps.

What made the dwarven version of the feast worthy was that for the only time in the year, Thorin (and even more joyfully, Bilbo) didn't have to wear crowns and robes, all the regalia and pomp of their position getting in the way of any normal interaction.... no, for the three days of the feast, they were just treated as normal people, and it was so terribly pleasant the hobbit could barely wait each year.  They were still protected, of course; wouldn't do to have royalty subjected to the common brawling, for example, but even so!  Free to wear regular clothes outside the royal quarters!  Being able to serve himself his food!  Being able to go visiting like a normal person!  Oh, it was everything he had never thought to value and didn't realize how much he would miss, all at once!  Thorin gave amazing and deeply thoughtful gifts, but if Bilbo was being honest, he found the freedom to just be a plain hobbit for a bit to be the most joyous of all.

Which made Thorin's behavior as they entered the Great Feasting Hall that much more unusual when they walked in and Thorin immediately grabbed his arm and tried to turn him around.

"What... Thorin!  Let go!  What has gotten into you?" Bilbo said crossly, snatching back his arm.  A suspicion crossed his mind, but... "Is Dain here?"

"No," Thorin groaned, "worse."  This was news to Bilbo.  Fairly alarming news, at that.  Worse?  Dain was capable - more than - of causing chaos up to and including setting fire to the dining hall, so Bilbo had to take this seriously.

"Tell me," he sighed.  "What's going on?"  A roar erupted from the hall in whose doorway they stood, and for the first time Bilbo saw an unfamiliar dwarf waving a tankard the size of a hobbit's entire head over his enormous set of unkempt, greying braids.  This dwarf looked, quite frankly, like trouble.  He was larger than Dwalin, even, and twice as disreputable.  Broken teeth, crooked nose, the scars of many battles (and brawls, looking at his knuckles), his mouth gaped in a grin with his eyes shut like some sort of parody of the concept of drunken comedy.  "Oh.  Who's that?  Is he the problem?"

"Yes," Thorin said, scowling.  "It's the Poet."  As he said that, the dwarf stood with the tremendous solemnity only the deeply drunk can muster.  Grinning at a dwarf standing near the stage, he placed his hand over his heart, swigged the remainder of whatever was in that giant tankard and paused for a moment while the crowd seemed to hold its breath.  A torrent of Khuzdul poured from his lips, sounding (as always) to Bilbo as though the dwarf was gargling with a mouthful of pebbles, but the roar of the crowd's approval was so loud it was almost a physical presence.  The dwarf he'd been gazing at seemed to try to laugh along, though he was glowing crimson and soon slunk away.  Thorin snorted and grinned in spite of himself, Bilbo could tell, because he immediately scowled and looked quite cross.

"The... Poet," Bilbo repeated slowly.  "Right.  What sort of poetry does he write, then?  I mean, I rather like poems myself, although..." A dubious look cast towards the stage finished the sentence for him.  Just as well, he supposed, because the dwarf had looked over and seen them framed in the door.

"The King!  And his wee Kinglet!" came an astonishingly stentorian voice ringing over the crowd.  A slightly uncomfortable silence fell, and Bilbo wondered if this was going to be considered a bridge too far, even for the period of faux-normality.  Dwarves had a very constrained concept of lèse-majesté, he had found, but when it was crossed... Bilbo saw the guards look up from where they stood and hoped something terrible wasn't about to happen. Instead, another rumbling, rattling stream of words followed as the enormous dwarf smiled beatifically, belched, and tried to bow, ending up falling on his nose.  The crowd's roar was the loudest yet, though Bilbo barely noticed as a flaming-cheeked Thorin physically dragged him back out of the room and down the hall.

It took Bilbo substantially more than three days to get a translation of what had been said.  By the second day, he assumed it must be quite scurrilous, but every attempt was thwarted.  Finally, by deploying the secret weapon of threats AND biscuits, he got the weakest member of the family to crack - Kili, of course.  That night as they prepared for bed, Bilbo glanced up at Thorin where he was removing his breeches.  "So, tell me Thorin," he said guilelessly, "how exactly did the Poet know how 'oversized' you were?  Something you need to confess?"  It is with the greatest regret that the scribe must inform his readers that history does not record the remainder of this conversation.

[enchantingkryptoniteheart-blog]

~The Best Of Intentions~

Chapter 13

This chapter is still a little bit too rough for my personal taste, but I am at a loss as to what else I can do with it. THis entire fic is a roough draft, and i plan to flesh it out once I've finished. I am planning on making this a trilogy of sorts. The ideas and direction i want to take are just too much for one book length fic.

Any constructive critisism is most welcome.

*Another important author note! I realize the approach I'm taking with Arda historical events/family ties is not exact according to canon. I have done alot of reading and research and I am weaving my OC and her people in. The timeline on certain events may speed up due to certain *changes* that occur. The dwarven history is so rich and fascinating and i have really enjoyed adding my own little twists.

Hope you enjoy! Happy trails.

****************

Chapter 12

The next week passed in a dreamlike blur. Mistlynn found herself swept up in a whirlwind of erratic emotions, the first being excitement and wonder in her newly established relationship with the formidable King Under the Mountain.

She was scared to label it as love and felt it unfair to brand it as such when she couldn't even understand what that kind of love was. This was obviously different from the love she felt for her father, Argos, and even Valinn. Not the same as the love she held for Luna.

This feeling she felt for him came from deep within her. It was fire, all-consuming. Heated. The desire and need to see and be with him was growing stronger with each passing day, she couldn't deny that even if she tried. It was the kind of emotion that made her heart ache, yearning for his presence when she could not see him throughout the day.

This struggle of not knowing led perfectly into the second emotion of an all-encompassing fear. She was not as naïve to think that she was going to live life as she always had. Besides the obvious changes in her living situation, sturdy rock walls and roof, unmovable and sturdy over her head; she was expected to be something that she never had to prove to be before.

A lady. And not just any lady, but a lady about to become a Queen to a living legend of a King, in the mightiest Dwarven Kingdom in all Arda.

If that wasn't a sobering realization, she didn't know what else could be. She had not been prepared for a role of leadership in her kingdom. She had been allowed to pursue her desire to be an in formidable warrior. She would have eventually married another warrior within her kingdom, but no one that held a position of power. She felt woefully unprepared to this life that was suddenly thrust upon her. But she couldn't bring herself to turn back now, she was in too deep with Thorin. Whatever it was she felt for him, she knew she could not walk away from him. She just knew she would fade, like a fire slowly losing the air that encouraged it to burn. She had to push ahead, and just hope that she wouldn't lose herself in the process.

Which is why she found herself in her current situation. She was wearing another breathtaking gown of Durin's blue perfectly form fitted to her body, her hair a cascade of platinum curls running down her back in tamed waves, and her face enhanced with rouge, eyelash tint, and lip oil. She was holding onto Thorin's arm tightly as she shifted nervously from one foot to another.

"This is just an announcement, M'eudail. There is no need to be nervous." Thorin leaned down to whisper in her ear, sensing her nervousness. His low timbre would have had its normal calming affect if it had been any other occasion.

"The King of Mirkwood and Dale are currently awaiting with all of Erebor to hear of our engagement Thorin, not an update on the weather or your recent trade agreement with Rohan." Mistlynn's smile was forced through clenched teeth as she stared resolutely at the door that would lead them out to the Hall of Kings.

Thorin looked down at her, his expression not hiding his concern. His other hand came to rest on top of hers. He was about to speak as Dis, Fili, Kili, Dwalin and Balin walked up behind them.

"Ready?" Balin smiled.

"As ready as I can be." Mistlynn groused, shifting again. Her tone made guilt jab Thorin in the gut. He was about to ask if she would like to be excused from accompanying him when a loud clatter of metal hitting the ground captured everyone's attention.

Thorin caught the slight twitch of her lips as she let a curse slip out under her breath. He raised an eyebrow. "What was that?" His tone had slight amusement coloring it.

She cleared her throat before crouching down and removing one of her daggers from underneath her skirts. Fili and Kili standing behind them concealed their laughs poorly, their shoulders shaking as they fought the urge to laugh out loud.

"Mistlynn! What on Mahal's green earth! Where did you get that?!" Dis gasped as she took the dagger from Mistlynn's hand before shooting her sons an accusing glare.

"It's difficult to properly attach a sheath on one's leg when wearing a fully cinched corset I'll have you know." Mistlynn huffed, trying to not make eye contact with any of her companions. Thorin started shaking his head as he started to chuckle.

“What are ye thinkin ya need a dagger for lass?" Dwalin couldn't disguise the humor in his voice, talking over the pained gasps of Fili and Kili who were losing the fight to not laugh.

"It never hurts to be prepared, Master Dwalin. Dinners and events have plenty of opportunity for enemies to take advantage of one's guard being down." She gestured emphatically, in turn making Thorin bite his bottom lip to fight the smile threatening to take over his face.

“Sounds like my kind of dinner." Dwalin groused as he shot Thorin an amused look.

"I don't know what kind of events you've experienced, my dear, but I assure you such measures are not needed." Balin chuckled, shaking his head his head at his brother's remark.

Dis gave her sons a stern look. Kili was wiping his eyes as tears of mirth rolled down his cheeks as Fili rubbed his face as he fought to get his snickering under control. She held out her hand to Mistlynn. "I know you Mist!" she growled. "Hand them over. Now."

Mistlynn's eyes widened before narrowing as she put her hands on her hips. "I should be allowed at least one weapon on my person!"

"Oh, I know for a fact you have more than one! Now hand them over." Dis stepped closer, her tone and expression giving no room for argument.

The two dams glared at each other challengingly, before Mistlynn rolled her eyes and growled in defeat. "Fine!" She lifted her skirts, making Balin and Dwalin turn away swiftly in surprise, Dwalin sputtering in shock as Balin just chortled as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "She is Thorin's One, are you truly surprised?" he asked aloud.

At his comment, Fili and Kili lost the fight and burst out in breathless laughter while Thorin's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as he watched, dagger after dagger emerge from underneath her skirts. Mist shoved each one, along with their sheaths into Dis's waiting arms.

By the time Mistlynn was done, Dis was holding six daggers and sheathes in her arms, her look full of sarcasm and resignation. "What? No war mount? I'm almost disappointed." Dis drawled, as she turned and handed the weapons to a shocked guard.

Mistlynn straightened out her skirts with sharp, jerky movements. "That would be in my wedding gown." She replied dryly.

Thorin snorted loudly and covered his mouth with his hand, as his nephews continued to die from laughter behind him. They were now leaning against each other, as Dwalin surprisingly gave in and joined in on the laughter.

Balin ran his hands down his beard as he fought to tame his chuckles. "Alright, now that's done. We don't want to keep our guests waiting." He shot a reprimanding look over his shoulder at the princes and his brother, but the sternness was lost as he watched them fight to control their mirth.

Thorin was still standing next to the disgruntled warrior princess, his hands crossed over his chest as he looked up towards the ceiling, trying to get his expression under control. "Six? Were six truly necessary?"

Mistlynn huffed. "If I am to be expected to wear these death traps on a daily basis, I need to ascertain the best way to carry my weapons on my person and how to move in them without tripping myself."

“It appears you can retire now Dwalin." Kili snickered, prompting a harmless glare from the fierce warrior. "Mist can protect us poor, defenseless nobles."

"Utter nonsense, Mist. As future queen, it is unseemly to carry such weaponry within your own kingdom. One dagger perhaps. Not the whole armory!" Dis scolded, as her keen eyes scanned her friends figure suspiciously.

Mistlynn raised her chin defiantly as she wrapped her arm through Thorin's arm. Dis stepped in front of her and snapped her fingers and held her hand out demandingly. "Hand it over."

"Dis! She gave you everything!" Thorin protested, eager to move on with their evening.

“No, she didn't. Last one Mist, I mean it!" Dis stood resolute, authority seeping from her.

Mistlynn rolled her eyes while letting out a frustrated growl. Thorin watched in shock along with everyone else as his fiancé sucked in a deep breath and reached down in between her breasts. After a moment of adjusting herself, she pulled out a long, thin lethal looking dagger with a very lithe sheath over its deadly blade.

Dwalin threw his head back and laughed uproariously, slamming his hand on Thorin's back who was still staring, his jaw agape in shock. The princes joined in on the laughter anew, their laughs becoming pained gasps as they clutched their aching stomachs. "She puts you to shame brother!" Kili gasped between bouts of laughter.

Thorin was now sharing an incredulous look with his sister. "M'eudail, I'm starting to get the impression you think I am incapable of protecting you in my own kingdom."

"You and every male in this kingdom gets to walk around with their weapons at their side. Why am I not allowed the same privilege? Instead, I am made to wear these cumbersome gowns and these infernal shoes that make it nearly impossible to walk, let alone run!" Mistlynn's voice hid none of her frustration.

"It is the duty of Dwarrow's to protect their women. All dams are precious and are to be protected at all costs. Dam's may be trained in self-defense with a weapon but to have you fully armed would be seen as an insult to Thorin's ability to care and protect you." Balin explained patiently, not at all surprised that Mistlynn was struggling with this matter.

The fire in Mistlynn's eyes diminished slightly. "That was not my intention. I just feel defenseless and that I'm good for nothing but a trophy." Her tone was bitter, and she didn't recognize her error until it was too late to take back. The snickering from Fili and Kili stopped abruptly. Dwalin and Balin looked away uncomfortably. Thorin breathed in deeply and glanced at Dis with an apology evident in his eyes. Dis held her hand up, signaling that she would handle the situation.

Dis pulled herself to her full height, as she looked down at Mistlynn with feigned patience. "We are so much more than a 'trophy' as you so eloquently put it." She stated emotionlessly. "We support our men, and our kingdom by fighting with our wits, with our carefully chosen words. We are not rash, we think before we act, before we speak." She scolded coolly, making Mistlynn's face flush in shame. "You may be an accomplished fighter, and more capable defending yourself physically than any dam here in Erebor. But remember that you are not in your kingdom, and that you are indeed a stranger here. A stranger that needs to learn our customs and our social decorum; and accept the fact that things are done differently here, and that they are in place for good reason. You are to become Erebor's Queen, and more importantly, a wife to my brother and you must humble yourself and accept that you are no longer free to act without reaping the consequences of such childish actions."

"Dis." Thorin broke the awkward silence, "She didn't mean it as insult to you."

Dis sighed. "I know, but better she hears it from me than somebody else with a sharper tongue who only wants to see her fail." She grabbed Mistlynn's chin, who had been looking at her feet to hide her flaming face and forced her to look up. "Never bow your head. You take the criticism, and you learn from it. In front of our people, we must never show weakness, this I know you can do well. We will finish this discussion later."

Mistlynn swallowed thickly and nodded, keeping her eyes adverted from meeting anyone's gaze. She could feel Fili and Kili's sympathetic looks from behind her as they fell into place by Dis, behind her and Thorin.

"Let's proceed Balin." Thorin nodded towards the door as he took Mistlynn's hand and placed it through the crook of his arm. He squeezed her hand comfortingly as he led her after Balin. She couldn't bring herself to squeeze back, as the doors opened, and a deafening roar of cheering and clapping flooded her ears. She forced a smile onto her face as she stepped out on her One's arm.

*********************

She navigated the evening in a distant haze. She had always had the tendency to drift, to detach herself from situations and people in moments of duress. She knew she was safe, and she knew that she was surrounded by friends and those who cared for her. She just couldn't help the feeling of mortification that had swallowed her after Dis's thorough tongue lashing. She knew she deserved it, without question. She had behaved abhorrently due to this desperation she found herself fighting in her moments alone.

She couldn't associate a reason to it, other than the simple fact that she found herself being pulled into a new orbit, away from what she knew. She knew it was for the better, that she chose this path for herself. She didn't want to live a lie any longer, and the world was so vast and full of wonder. Full of promises for a good life. She was now living a good life, with Thorin, with her new friends and this beautiful city that had arisen from the ashes like a victorious phoenix. It was poetic, really. She had arisen from near death, after losing all that had mattered to her in a world that no longer held anything for her; and had been given a new life, full of the promises of love and beauty.

So why was she fighting it? Why was she so scared of it?

She smiled and nodded to all their well-wishers, her hand holding onto Thorin's muscular forearm tightly. Her cheeks were aching, feeling as if her smile was permanently etched onto her face. She had the perfect answers for each question, showing off her quick wit and gift for effortless, well natured banter.

King Bard accompanied by his beautiful daughters had been a pleasure to meet. His well wishes had been heartfelt, and she found herself thankful they were such close neighbors and allies.

She had spotted King Thranduil across the room as he made his way towards them accompanied by Tauriel and another tall male elf with the same platinum hair as the king. They were impossible to miss, how they seemingly floated across the floor effortlessly.

Besides Tauriel, they were the only pure elves she had ever met. It was startling to see they had the same color hair as hers. Her family were the only ones in the White Kingdom to have the platinum blonde hair, and it had been viewed it as a sign of their royal lineage. She knew that pure elves were immortal, and that there was a strong possibility Thranduil had personally known or knew of her ancestors.

Panic seized her. Was he a distant relative of the slain king? Was he going to seek revenge for the assassination of Thingol and the resulting downfall of Menegroth? She knew her ancestors in Belegost bore none of Nogrod's dispute over the Nauglamir, and since the priceless necklace was forever lost to the sea amidst the ruins of Beleriand, their innocence was not easy to prove. They were just as blood guilty in the eyes of all elves, this she knew. It had been ingrained in her from her teachings on her grandfather's lap. Thorin still didn't know the details of her ancestors and their story. The possibility that her association as Thorin's betrothed could ruin all alliances with Mirkwood if Thranduil knew or suspected her lineage. She couldn't let that happen.

Dain, who had been standing next to her and Thorin with Sindri on his arm, noticed Mistlynn's face was paler than usual and looked to see who was approaching. "Och now lass, pay the pretty tree shagger no mind, eh? He's harmless, too afraid to muck up his pretty hair." He whispered over to her conspiringly.

Sindri smacked his arm in admonition. "They can probably hear, ya great lummox." She seethed, as she shared a long-suffering look with Thorin.

"Just trying to assist the poor lass, she looks like she's seen a ghost." Dain grumbled.

Mistlynn couldn't even bring herself to smile at his attempt of humor as she watched them approach. The events of the day were beginning to weigh on her heavily, and this rather abrupt reminder of her family and kingdom unsettled her greatly. Thorin found her hand and squeezed it, drawing her eyes from the Elf King to him. "Are you alright?" he whispered, thankful that she was once again meeting his gaze. She had been avoiding looking at anyone directly since her exchange with Dis. She nodded stiffly, her jaw tense. What worried him most was how haunted her eyes now appeared.

Thorin turned, smiling politely as Thranduil and Legolas reached them with tame smiles on their faces. Tauriel shot a brief look of concern at Mistlynn from where she stood behind her king before bowing gently before Thorin.

"I'm glad to see you were able to join us." He nodded amicably towards the elves. "May I introduce my betrothed, Mistlynn."

Thranduil nodded graciously. "We were honored to receive an invitation to join you in celebrating this happy occasion. I was eager to meet the woman who managed to steal the heart of the King Under the Mountain. It is a pleasure to meet you, my Lady Mistlynn." His bright grey eyes landed on Mistlynn, and she found herself squeezing Thorin's hand tightly. It was hard to read him, and his very presence was imposing. She was told stories of the dynamic presence of elves, but she felt those stories were sorely lacking significant details. It was as if he was seeing right through her, peering into her past of her ancestors and their transgressions. She couldn't help but tremble.

Remembering herself, she curtsied and bowed her head gracefully. She could not allow herself to be cowed. "It is an honor to meet you, King Thranduil."

"I must say, rumors do not do your exquisite beauty justice. Very seldom have I had the pleasure of meeting a dwarrowdam, let alone one of your stunning features. What kingdom is it that you hail from?" He was looking at her, obviously intrigued yet not surprised that her hair color was a near match to his and his son's. It felt like her heart was hammering in the back of her throat. He knew something, there was no question of that.

"A small settlement farther North." Was her edgy reply.

"Interesting. I've heard stories that you ride a Dire-Wolf, my lady. It has been many centuries since I have seen or heard of a Dire Wolf rider, not since the Wars of Beleriand. I believe it was Azaghal of Belegost who rode a white Dire-Wolf when he defeated Glaurung, the Father of dragons."

Her smile was pained as she felt her mask cracking at the mention the famous dwarf warrior king who gave his life to defeat Glaurung. It was his blood that ran through her very veins. She had to change the topic and quickly. "I raised Luna from a pup, and since horses were so hard to come by it was just a natural solution to train her as a mount. Hardly a story of legend."

Thranduil cocked a lofty brow. "Most interesting." His smile was coy, "And you traveled all this way on your own? No kin?"

"No, just me. Last of my kin sadly." She pulled her hand out of Thorin's and stepped off to the side. "I hope you don't mind; I must excuse myself. I am absolutely parched and must seek refreshment."

Thorin looked at her, trying to contain his surprise. "I can have someone fetch you some…"

"I thank you, My King, but I truly don't mind. I could use a brisk walk anyways; this standing is making my feet ache." She hoped fervently that desperation wasn't bleeding through her words, as her eyes implored Thorin to understand her need to leave.

“I could use a drink too, Let me walk with you my dear." Sindri smiled winningly as she stepped behind Thorin to the other side of Mistlynn, linking her arm through hers. Thorin nodded begrudgingly. "Of course. I'll find you later."

Mistlynn tried to not exhale in relief. "It was a pleasure, King Thranduil." She nodded quickly before turning and practically dragging Sindri alongside in her haste.

"The pleasure was mine." Thranduil called after her as they watched her walk off and quickly disappear into the crowd.

The muscle in Thorin's jaw ticked as he stared off in the direction his fiancé disappeared. "I take it you are aware of Mistlynn's true origins. I'm surprised you know so much of dwarven history," His words were tense, still not quite grasping why she had lied to Thranduil. Of all the guests to lie to, honestly.

The Elf King chuckled, much to Thorin's surprise. It was a rare thing for Thranduil to chuckle, let alone while talking with a dwarf. "Belegost and Nogrod were allies to my distant kin in Menegroth. They fought side by side in the Wars of Beleriand and formed the Union of Maedhros. Due to my ties with Beleriand I became curious and made my own inquiries about this mysterious 'White Kingdom' and their origins. I gather she is nervous about me knowing about her rather unique lineage. It isn't hard to deduce that we share common … attributes. Certain characteristics that are not found in your kin, but rather mine."

Thorin swallowed thickly. "You would be correct in that assumption." He crossed his arms over his chest, turning his full attention to Thranduil, eyes flashing with an unspoken challenge.

"Legolas, Tauriel. Would you mind giving us a moment?" They both bowed promptly and left. Thorin turned to his left to see that Dain had managed to quietly wander off without him noticing, probably in search of company that didn't make him so uncomfortable.

"I understand her initial response of withholding such information to a stranger. I will not hold it against her. And after learning about her supposed … lineage and seeing her in person, It lays to rest some of my initial concerns regarding your request to consider a union between your youngest nephew and of my…Emissary."

Thorin raised his eyebrow as a smirk teased the side of his mouth. "That is good to hear. My nephew will be most pleased, as will Tauriel I'm sure."

Thranduil nodded. "We now live in the most interesting of times. And I do share your sentiment that we are stronger together than we are apart, especially with the darkness that is starting to rear its ugly head so close to our borders. My forests are becoming more overrun with this evil each passing day," He paused, and his face became somber. "And I do believe that some of that darkness is heading your way as well. In my search for information, I came across some disturbing stories regarding this White Kingdom. I am not accusing your intended of anything nefarious. But they are not mere nomads. They are a mixed race, all of them, And they possess the unrivaled skillset of both our races, and if my suspicions are correct her line is not to be trifled with."

Thorin cleared his throat, not liking the route this conversation was going. "What are your concerns exactly about her kingdom? She left of her own accord, due to a family tragedy."

Thranduil stepped closer to him. "I could not get a direct answer of their standing number. They are guarding their numbers fiercely. I have heard how skilled your intended is in the art of fighting, and I fear their numbers could easily outnumber ours if they choose to do so. Especially if they are as skilled as her."

"What makes you think they would want to leave their lands to invade ours? What are you not telling me?" Thorin tried to keep his temper level.

"The King of this White Kingdom is said to have one of the last seven rings of your race. And with the evil I know is awakening in our lands, they will not be immune to the influence of that ring if that evil chooses to sway them. You know the power that ring holds." Thranduil watched an old seeded fear flash through the dwarf king's eyes. "Just be aware. Her ancestors that escaped Belegost may have not had any part of Nogrod's treachery, but they lost their kingdom due to the turmoil that followed. They have lost their elven elders due to their fading; we can only speculate what they have been taught regarding our history. There are strong bloodlines of both our races that run strong in her kingdom. We cannot ignore that."

Thorin nodded in understanding, his mind racing with this information. "Thank you for sharing what you have learned. I haven't been able to uncover much, and Mistlynn is very reluctant to share such information."

"Knowing how long her Kingdom has stayed hidden from us, I am not surprised, I am sure she will reveal all to you as time passes. Finding your One is the greatest blessing the Valar has bestowed upon all of us, you both were meant to find one another in this life."

Thorin's smile was faint. The Elf King's words were still racing through his mind. Mistlynn's odd behavior wasn't helping his unease either.

"You said you had your suspicions of her lineage …" he let the statement hang in the air, not quite able to bring himself to ask the question.

Thranduil gave him a knowing look. "That is for your Lady to bestow upon you. After all, it is merely a suspicion of mine."

[basingstokemercury]

Can someone who's played more 5e than me advise me on a class for a character (trying to decide between cleric, druid, and paladin, any official subclass is allowed as far as I know)?

Backstory:

I've pitched her in-depth previously, but here's the rundown. Abby, a dwarven woman in her fifties with adult children, is the owner of a prosperous timber farm, and has made enemies through her dedication to environmental preservation over supplying more wood. One day, Abby's children are kidnapped, apparently being held in the far-off kingdom she grew up in. With no choice, she leaves the farm in the hands of a capable employee and sets out. Being highly religious, she prays fervently before leaving, and for the first time receives a clear answer: her quest is more important than she knows, and she is granted divine power to help her follow it.

Personality:

The most important thing to Abby is her children, and she'd sacrifice almost anything for them. Her land, certainly. Her principles? Let's hope she never has to find out. Caring for the land and maintaining its natural balance while fulfilling her own needs is another core value, and her life's work as a farmer and landowner. She intimately knows, understands, and loves the landscape of her homeland. Religion, of course - she follows her deity's precepts not just because she thinks they're good rules, but because she has faith in the deity's wisdom and benevolence. As for the rest, there's the standard good-aligned moral code - help those in need, put others first, don't stand by and watch evil triumph even if you're not the target. She's used to wielding a lot of political power/influence on her home turf, and acts like someone who expects to swing a lot of weight even among strangers. Obviously, this doesn't always lead to positive interactions. With younger people, though, at least those who aren't enemies, she tends to take a more maternal approach - gentle, reassuring, advice given firmly but kindly. And, already having combat experience in defence of her land and family, she knows how to take care of herself and others in battle. In general I'm looking for a good mix of Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma skill proficiences, to whatever extent possible.

Playstyle:

I strongly prefer spellcasting over physical combat. Admittedly I haven't played much with the latter, but it feels like a more interesting toolset than different ways to stab/shoot/squish things. I also feel a bit weird not having healing spells - having the ability to quickly fix someone up just adds an extra layer of security, and it's going to be weird getting used to my current sorcerer character. And when it does come to weapon-fighting, I very much prefer ranged to having to get in there and navigate between melee enemies but honestly haven't tried the latter very much. I like having a good range of spell options beyond just damage and healing - Hold Person came in very handy in our first campaign's climax, and if all I wanted to do was hurt things I'd probably go for a martial-only class.

[echantedtoon]

Demon Bride Ch9 All In A Name P2

(WARNING: Mentioning of death/implied death, mentioning of wounds on Kyogai's back and reader's fractured leg.)

Two weeks. You were going to have to wait here for at least one week just to wait for a doctor to come see your leg, and then another week to wait until January was over just so these monsters wouldn't try to hunt you down for a desperate marriage! You wanted to cry out in frustration but at the same time had major trouble being able to wrap your head around this entire new reality you found yourself trapped in. Kyogai didn't say anything else after sending the woman away, leaving the two of you to just sit in the silence shared alone, and not speaking to one another. Meanwhile he continued to write away on something you still couldn't see, not wanting to move from your spot and staring at the room you were both in. It looked just like one of the rooms you saw last night snooping around. A mostly empty room with a few shelves, a table where Kyogai sat at, and a single lantern swinging above them. The silence continued on for around three minutes by this point, until you looked back to him and spoke up.

"So...Mr. Kyogai?" He hummed in response to your voice but didn't look up from ..whatever he was doing. "Would you please tell me where I am? I mean...I know I'm in your home, but exactly where is this place located?"

You thought that was a reasonable enough question. If he was in your situation, he would've probably asked the same things you would've. His movements stopped for a good solid silent second, before he again looked over his shoulder at you seemingly surprised.

"You....really do not know where you are?"

You shrugged. "I know I'm still on the East Mountain, but I've never been here before and I've gotten lost. Remember?" He still stared at you. "...What?"

"How could you not know what this place is- Are you serious!? All humans know of this place! We used to rule the entirety of the mountains and half the valleys surrounding it! Even if you've never been here, you must've at least heard about it!"

"I've heard of legends of demons and monsters who were driven away hundreds of years ago but I never knew they were real!" His brows shot up in an annoyed look. "I mean-...Look at it from my perspective. If you heard that there were fairies living underground but you never saw them, wouldn't you be a little skeptical of it?"

"Well of course! That's ridiculous!" You nodded- "The fae people live three forests over, the dwarven people are the ones with an underground kingdom. My Master quite enjoys the wine they produce."

You stared back at him opening your mouth-...Before just shaking your head. "I-..Well you get my point. All I want to know is where I am."

"The Forest of Yokai, on the other of of the Mountains," he finally answered making you blink. "We used to own the entire eastern side of the mountains as well, but that was taken from us years ago."

You nodded. "Yes, I know. Two thousand years ago. When the warrior drove you all from that side of the mountain. Since then it's been a marriage tradition for grooms from the villages to retrieve their waiting brides from the mountain on their wedding day." Well, for your village it was just a little ways up the mountain by a stream, but it was still a tradition that was around well before you were even born.

He seemed surprised you knew that much at least because he slowly nodded. "Yes. That much is correct. I'm glad you know that much at least." He sighed and turned back around. "Since then we have lost reign over that side of the mountains, but other than that ONE spot, we still own all of our original territory. Even more so now that my Master has gained the equivalent of six provinces worth of land over the years!"

Your eyes widened. "Your Master is the ruler of six provinces worth of land?"

"Yes. He's worked extremely hard to keep it that way as well. Through years of-"...Intimidation? Fear? Harsh laws? "...Hard work and careful planning." He decided on instead since that technically wasn't a lie. "He is a very wise ruler."

''If that's the case, how come I've never heard of a giant part of the land being ruled over by demons?"

He might've answered you but before he could, the sliding door opened back up and two figures entered making you look over. The purple skinned monster woman, who Kyogai referred to as Nagi, returned with another monster woman, but this one looked totally different. She had a much shorter haircut that was just above her shoulders and it reminded you of the haircut your old village Elder had. She looked normal too! ...Well normal-ish. Raven black hair with fair skin and she wore a pink and white kimono. She looked like any other normal person, except-...She had four arms and four eyes on her forehead that instantly made you stare at the strange features. Both women bowed instantly to the bigger demon who still didn't look up from the papers he worked furiously on, the feint scribbling noises continued.

Scribble. Scribble. Scribble.

"Lord Kyogai, I have fetched Eri and everything you requested as promised," Nagi spoke from her bow.

"Very good." A hand pointed behind himself at you making you blink. "This human will be staying with us for upmost a week, maybe longer. Eri, I am appointing you her carrier for the time being."

Eri must've been the name of the four armed/eyed woman because she only nodded happily. "Of course, My Lord. But I was told I have been fetched to also tend to your wounds as well. Have you changed your mind on the matter?"

His head nodded. "Yes. But before you touch me, take care of the human."

Eri blinked. "Sir?"

"I have been told by Lord Enmu that her leg is either broken or fractured. Until he can arrive, she is to stay off the injured leg and not move it around so much. Have you brought the cold water I asked for?"

"It's being sent for as we speak."

"Good. Soak her leg within the cold water once you get her settled in. I was told the swelling will go down that way." 

Both again bowed. "Of course, Lord Kyogai." "Whatever you say, Sir."

Nagi, the one with no eyes, came shuffling over to you and lowered herself to her knees before you, again bowing her head. "Pardon me in advance." Before you could ask what she meant about that you felt something touch your body, and you yelped as her arms were shoved under your body. One securely on your back, and the other just under your knees before she lifted you up. A small gasp escaped your lips as your hands instinctively grabbed hold of her, as she lifted you high with inhuman like strength. "We shall make sure she is most comfortable, Sir." Beside her Eri nodded and was about to turn with you in tow-

"Wait!" Your shout startled the two women as they suddenly looked at you, and your arm pointed right at Kyogai's back or more specifically the wounds still across it. "Help him first!'' Both woman looked at you, and with a sudden pause, Kyogai also looked around once again surprised at you. "His wounds are open and exposed and they've been that way for hours now! That's bad! I may have cleaned them up but they need actual medical attention to avoid infection and anything else from happening to him! My leg can wait! It's not as serious as what I'm looking at right now. And..." Your look softened, arm returning to your body, "He sustained those wounds saving my life. I'd never forgive myself if he got hurt because of me, so take care of him first. I owe him that much at least."

Both women demons stared at you surprised before turning their heads to Kyogai for his order on the subject. He continued to stare wide eyed for ten more seconds before his face relaxed and he turned away. The faint sounds of a quill's scribbling continued afterwards.

"Do what the human asks," he said a hand waving them off, "Just make sure her needs are met and all my previous orders are carried out."

"Yes, Lord Kyogai," Eri said suddenly holding up a small wooden box she pulled from the folds of her Kimono. "Please allow me to take care of you." He softly grunted but gave no other response as she went to kneel down to face his injured back. "Will there be anything else?"

"...Yes. Where is Mayla with those unfinished documents like I asked?!"

"She'll be here any moment, Sir. Nagi, why don't you just care for the human while I tend to his lordship?"

Nagi only nodded her head before turning with you still in her arms just as Eri opened the wooden box and reached a hand inside to pull out a ball of bandages and container of medical ointment from within. Your view ended when Nagi carried you away from the doorway and down the hallway from the room they were in.

Nagi ended up carrying you down the hallway which looked very similar to the ones you saw last night when you were snooping around last night, she remained silent as she walked and you gave a glance to her face. You couldn't understand how she could know where she was going as she had no eyes, but you could tell she was in a good mood from the small smile she wore on her face, and she seemed to not have any qualms with carrying you at all. Although you couldn't help but feel bad having her be made to carry you...so you spoke up.

"Um..Nagi?" That was her name right? She hummed indicating she was listening but otherwise didn't stop walking. "I'm sorry you all have to go through so much trouble because of me. I shouldn't have broken in last night, and because of that your Master's hurt and you're being made to help a total stranger. I also put everyone in danger last night. ...If I could I'd bow but just know I am really sorry."

She hummed again, but in a more thoughtful way as if she was thinking of her response, before smiling wider. "Do not apologize."

You blinked. "...What?"

"You heard me correct. You do not have to apologize," she happily and eerily casually replied, "This would not be the first time someone has broken into Lord Kyogai's domain and I doubt it would be the last.''

That through your brain for a loop because you only stared at her. "W-Wha- Wait! So this has happened before?!"

She sighed with a small frown. "Unfortunately yes. It happens once every so years when some of the courters become desperate. Also unfortunately it never usually ends very well for them once Lord Kyogai catches them. Normally Lord Kaigaku, or if we're lucky Lord Akaza, would ensure there wasn't any incidents like this but it seems both are very busy breaking up various fights this year's season."

"Does this happen every January?"

Nagi nodded. "It's one of the reasons the Master assigns Lords Kaigaku and Akaza to keep our kind in check, especially if some of them try to go to the human settlements to court a human woman such as yourself. But usually it is Lord Kokushibo who does that as he is the main ambassador between the human and demon affairs when Master is not present to handle them himself."

"I-...I have a hard time understanding all of this hiarchy talk."

"Would you like me to explain it to you when we get you situated?"

"I'd like that very much!" Maybe it'd help explain what the heck was going on! "But where are you taking me if I might ask?"

"The women's bath. You smell of many demons and the outside. It might attract some others here if they were to come by. If you're cleaned of them and are instead covered in the scents here, it'll be less likely to attract hostile courters to you. It'd ensure all of our safety." ..Oh. Well that made sense. "You are also very filthy. It would be better to clean up before anyone treats your wounds."

Ouch. That stung....But also fair enough. Your kimono was also covered in dirt and you didn't doubt that also applied to you. For a while the only sounds that echoed throughout the halls were Nagi's footsteps against the polished wooden floors passing by familiar hallways and rooms, but soon there was other sounds. Faintly at first but then you heard it, voices, murmuring to one another. And footsteps, and some objects being moved around. It made your head perk up as Nagi continued to walk forward towards the noise. Two left turns and a hallway later, and you saw them. Demons! LOTS of other demons. Most of the demons were women at your first glance. All wearing some kind of brightly colored kimono and running around from room to room with some kind of object in their arms or were on their hands and knees with thickly-bristled scrub brushes and buckets, cleaning what looked to be red liquid from the floors and walls. It made you involuntarily wince from the memories of last night and it was then that you realized where you were. This was the place where that monster with the rope like tongue chased you from that weird dining room! The wooden splintering noise you heard was actually a broken door the thing knocked down and you saw three larger demons working on removing the broken sliding door. These three were men. Some of the only male servants you've seen so far and each one looked as strange and un-human as the women demons. They were using some strange tools or pulling on pieces of the shattered and splintered door to remove it to presumably replace it with a new one later. But despite being male or female, all of them stopped what they were doing and turned to look as Nagi approached. Wide eyed, and surprised looks mostly, but a few gave some dirty or annoyed ones mostly likely because of the mess that had to be cleaned-...Oh. ..OH! They weren't staring at Nagi. They were staring at Nagi carrying you. The realization immediately made you embarrassed and guilty and you looked away from their eyes when they watched Nagi carry you past them, not even stopping as she stepped over and weaved past them all expertly without even a second glance back at them all. You didn't particularly blame them for being annoyed at yourself, after all this mess was caused because you broke into their home and made others follow you in here, so of course some might harbor some annoyance at the situation.

Nagi eventually went past them all and weaved down a few other halls you've seen until she moved onto halls you weren't familiar with. More demons were walking around, some stopped to stare at the two figures walking past, while others couldn't be bothered just walking around doing whatever they were tasked with that day. All looked nothing like a human with horns and multiple eyes and limbs and being different colors even. All playing their part like it was a normal day under their lord's orders. There was different rooms now that met the f/c eyes looking around. There was two giant storage rooms?? They were filled to the brim with wooden crates and other random pieces of furniture from what glimpses you were able to see as Nagi swiftly walked past. Perhaps that's where they store the furniture while they clean the rooms? There was one giant sliding door which you were sure lead to a giant kitchen, it radiated heat from the other side of the door and you could smell some kind of food from the other side, some kind of meat with spices. Perhaps pork with rosemary and basil? The new parts of the giant mansion made you look around and at one point you saw one room with a small sign pinned to the front of it, which was strange as it was the only room with literally any sign on it.

"Why does that door have a sign on it?"

"Oh. That is Lord Kaigaku's courters. As he's often working the forest line in this area, Lord Kyogai has set a room aside for him to use whenever he wishes to stay here which is quite often. You might meet him while you stay with us.." She also hummed with a small frown. "But I would advise avoiding him if he is in a bad mood."

"Why? Is he dangerous?"

"No. He just gets angry a lot of the time and he'd rather not be bothered. It's best to leave him alone unless he asks something of us and let Lord Kyogai handle him."

Yeesh. He sounded like a nice ball of sunshine. Not. Eventually The demons thinned out until there was only one or two every so often and their wasn't very many doors. Just one or two per hallway. Until eventually Nagi stopped in front of one particular door and you yelped as she shifted her weight just a bit to allow herself access to slide open the door which lead to a slightly cooler room.

"We're here. Your leg is still injured so we must be careful."

Thirty minutes later and you were situated in a room away from the baths. In fact it was the room right across from 'Lord Kaigaku's' room, whoever he was. You just hoped you wouldn't run into him, whoever he was, he sounded unpleasant to be around. Nagi had been kind enough to make sure you didn't drown in the giant pool that was deeper than it appeared, and so you didn't harm yourself further. Lending you a spare plain kimono that was lying around before whisking you away to this room here. Wasn't really anything special. It was just a plain room with a window overlooking the forest outside and was devoid of any furniture except for one plain futon in one corner, not that you were complaining of course, you didn't have any right too. A chair was taken from somewhere in the mansion and placed into the room for you to sit on and wait until Eri was done with tending to Kyogai so she could tend to you instead, which wasn't that long a wait. She arrived just five minutes after Nagi sat you down in the chair with a large bucket of water in two of her arms and carrying that wooden box with the other. She apologized to you for taking so long before placing the bucket at your feet and gently grabbed your swollen leg, you hissed a little bit as pain throbbed through, and Eri slowly lowered it into the bucket where you gave a small surprised jolt at how cold it was. It was freezing! Which wouldn't be too bad if you were just drinking it, but having half your lower leg dunked into it wasn't very fun.

"Is something wrong?," Eri asked noticing your expression.

"I-It's cold!"

"Of course! It's supposed to help with the swelling, and it's the best we can do until a better doctor can look at it. Until then, we will do what was commanded by Lord Kyogai." She then opened up the wooden box and reached a hand inside only to pull out a small metal container. "Hold still please."

You pointed to the small container and asked, "What's that?"

"It's a herbal ointment," she replied opening it and immediately your nose wrinkled up. That thing smelt! It was like burnt rotten vegetables! Eri chuckled at your reaction from the foil smelling scent punching your nose. "I know. It doesn't smell very good, but it's very good for cuts and bruises, and the smell fades the longer it's exposed to air." She turned back to your body. "Now please remain still. This shouldn't take too long."

You did as she asked and watched with a wrinkled nose as a hand of her just dipped into the small container and Eri began working on smearing the foul smelling paste on the various cuts, scrapes, and bruises covering your body. By the time she was done, your body was covered in random splotches of light green paste like some kind of spotted monster and you smelt of burnt, rotten veggies. You didn't like it, and your expression told Eri as much but if she took offense to it, she didn't show it as she just packed everything back into her small wooden box she carried around, and stood.

"It's not pleasant, but you should be healed within a few days time. Except for your leg." Her eyes gave your submerged leg a concerned look. "I'm afraid I'm unsure about that."

"What are you planning on doing until that 'doctor' arrives?"

"We'll keep your foot in cold water until the swelling subsides, and keep your leg as still as possible for the time being. It'd be best if you stayed off it."

"Oh swell," you grumbled leaning back against your chair with a frown. "Well what am I supposed to do with myself until then?"

"Lord Kyogai told me to assist you until Lord Enmu's arrival. So I will keep you company until he arrives and assist you with anything you need," Eri said with a small bow.

"Don't bow to me," you said holding up a hand to the spider like woman who blinked. "It's my fault you all got into this mess, it's bad enough you're being made to baby me after it all."

"Oh, it's not a bother at all," she insisted, "If it's Lord Kyogai's orders, then I'm happy to follow them. And I've never taken cared of a human before." All four of her eyes lit up. "This could be a worthwhile experience!"

...You gave a small huff. "Well...I've never been taken cared of by a demon before, so it might be an interesting experience too." It was then that your stomach made a noise that allowed both women to look at you and your cheeks lit up a pink in embarrassment. "Um...Excuse me?"

"Oh. Have you not eaten yet?"

"Uh. Not exactly. I sort of lost whatever food I had left when someone else ate it." When that one blue eyed demon ate them in exchange for leaving you alone. 

"Oh. Well then I should go to the cooks and get you something." Nagi turned to the door but you blinked and held up a hand.

"N-No! It's ok. Really! Y-You don't have to do that!"

"With you unable to walk?" ...Oh. Well when she put it like that- Nagi was already turning her head of cinnamon brown hair to you and grabbing the door to slide it open carefully. "I'll return with something I'm sure a human would be able to digest! You just wait here."

Your voice thanked Nagi as she stepped out and the door slid back shut behind her, leaving both yourself and Eri standing there in silence listening to Nagi's footfalls until they too disappeared. And there you sat for a moment awkwardly, with the feeling of one leg half submerged in cold water (slowly going numb) and Eri fiddling around with the innards of her box while one pair of eyes scanned your body, most likely looking over her handy work with the paste slathered all the little injuries your body sustained from the previous night. The awkward silence continued onwards for a while longer as you sat there staring at the door as to not make things more awkward by staring rudely at her, but eventually you looked over at her when the silence became too much to bare.

"So...Eri?"

"Yes?," she cheerfully asked, her top pair of eyes switching from your arm to your face. 

"You work for Mr. Kyogai?"

"My Lord? Absolutely! I've been with him every since I was sixty three!"

"Sixty three!?" Your jaw dropped and your eyes practically popped from your head from how much they widened, and before you could stop yourself, you said, "But you don't look a day past twenty four!"

"Aw.~ Thank you!" She smiled brightly a hand coming to pat her cheek proudly. "I always soak in a herbal bath twice a week. It's excellent for bright skin. I'm glad someone's finally noticed!"

You wanted to smack yourself for such a rude comment, but at least she didn't seem to take it as an insult and seemed rather pleased, so you rolled with it. "Er...Yeah. It must be one good recipe! Your skin's glowing!" She again huffed proudly nose held high. You cleared your throat and changed the subject quickly. "*ahem* So...How did you come to work for him?"

"...Oh." Eri's eyes slowly blinked at you before her face suddenly turned into a frown. Oops. Was that too personal? Did you insult her by accident? "Oh that...That's not a very happy story."

"Oh. I'm sorry if I was rude."

One of her four arms waved you off with a huff. "No. It's not you that annoys me. It's the very reason why I'm here that annoys me really." Her four eyes narrowed off at nothing and she gritted her fangs with a growl that made you flinch. Uh oh. She was getting angry. Maybe making small talk with a demon wasn't the best idea- "I was sent here by my parents to seduce his lordship."

Silence.

As if someone had shattered a glass window, you heard the sound in your mind. A thousand pieces of that shattered window playing in your mind as you stared at her. ".....What?"

She nodded. "I KNOW!! THAT'S WHAT I ASKED WHEN I WAS TOLD THAT!!" She shouted throwing two of her four arms up into the air, a third pointing at you. "I wanted to study medicine but NOO!! 'Eri!" She imitated a bad impression of a man's deep voice. "You're going to bring our family honor and marry a lord! No one wants a woman who couldn't keep house and raise future children. So stop with this ridiculous rebellious phase and let your mother ready you!' UGH!!!" Two hands curled her claws inwards as if she wanted to smash something as she snarled her fangs. "Nevermind Lord Kyogai HATES it when people try to court him anyways!"

"Uh-" You held up a hand opening your mouth-

"ALSO NEVERMIND I'M ALREADY ENGAGED TO SOMEONE!!!" ...You slowly closed your mouth and lowered your arm slowly to avoid her snapping at any sudden movement. You'd...rather not have anymore demons ire directed at you today. Eri continued her ranting. "Wow, Mother! I wonder WHY his Lordship turned down your proposal for the seventieth time! And I don't know, Father! I can't fathom WHY he wouldn't accept your offer for the hundredth time after ALL THE OTHER TIMES HE SAID NO!! HMM!! I WONDER WHY HE DIDN'T CHANGE HIS MIND AFTER ALL THE 'NO'S THE GAVE THE FIRST FEW TIMES!! OH!! SORRY!! WAS IT THE LACK OF COMMON SENSE OR MAYBE THE FACT YOU TWO ARE BOTH GREEDY DIRTBAGS THAT MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE!?"

At the end of her rant she was breathing heavily, open mouthed, and looked about ready to lunge herself at the nearest object, which you were afraid might be you as you leaned back wide eyed and unsure of what to make of the situation. 

"Um...Your fiancé must me very nice?"

".....OH! He is!" Like a complete switch, she snapped to you and clasped her hands together against her cheek lovingly, a sudden loving smile replacing her snarl earlier making you blink at the sudden change in tone. "He is just the sweetest, most gentlest man in the world!~ He's so smart, and cute, and he always makes sure to give me the juiciest parts of the prey he hunts whenever I see him.~"

"Oh! That's very...loving of him.''

She chuckled. "It is isn't it. *sigh* He's waiting for my service to Lord Kyogai is over. Once I'm free to leave his servitude, we're getting married."....She then sighed sadly. "But sadly that won't be until next year and he lives in the swamps which is a little ways from here so I don't get to see him often. I'm extremely lucky he's been so patient waiting for me."

You looked at her for a long moment before sighing yourself. "Well that just means he loves you very much. I wish I was that lucky." Now THOSE words caught Eri's interest as she rose a brow and looked at your own sudden frown. Oh yes. You could relate to that. You were almost married off to someone who would've been a terrible husband after all. "I'd be extremely lucky to have someone who loved me enough to return back to him someday."

She slowly rose her brow higher with a hum. "Oh really?" You nodded and she slowly lowered her hands. "Did your parents try to marry you off too?"

Your head shook. "No, but my parents owed a lot of money to someone before they died leaving me with it." You clarified with a deep frown on your face. "In order to pay back the debt I was almost married to a man with a very bad temper." You explained without going into a lot of detail. "So I ran away."

"But...Wouldn't that be dishonorable?"

"I left them enough money to easily cover the debt but I still left. I didn't want to risk anyone making me marry someone I didn't love, and the only way I could do that was to run."....You shifted your numb leg with a wince then you felt a small throb from your ankle again. "But it doesn't seem fate really hasn't taken a liking to me." You made your point by gesturing to your leg. "Because my luck seems to keep going from bad to worst to down right hell."

"I wouldn't say all your luck is terrible. You were lucky enough to land in Lord Kyogai's good graces! Out of all the Lords, he's the most merciful and kind other than Lord Akaza! He'll make sure no harms come to you while you remain with us! Have no worry!"

"Yeah...I guess so...But you still haven't told me how you came to work for him."

"Oh! Didn't I tell you?" You shook your head. No. You literally ranted but you didn't say that out loud. "Lord Kyogai was interested in my knowledge of medicine. ..Or I should say my kind's medical practices." Her frown came back. "I don't actually know that much about humans or their bodies, so I don't have any knowledge of how to treat you."

Your brows rose in surprise. "So..You're saying he chose to hire you based on your skills?"

She nodded. "Of course. He said it was better to have a healer on hand in case anything ever happened. I'm sure glad he did, because I'm very sure my parents would've tried offering me to become one of Lord Douma's concubine's instead." She shivered. "But they were happy to just accept his offer of hiring me for a time."

"They were really alright with that?"

She nodded and with a very serious voice spoke eerily calm. "It brings a demon's family great honor if they should enter the servitude of a Lord Kizuki or the Master himself, much more if they enter the family of one. I'm very lucky."

"That's another thing..." You leaned forward a little bit and asked, "I was wondering something. Would it be ok if I ask you about it?"

"Ask and I'll answer you to the best of my abilities!''

Well..She did agree. "I've noticed everyone mentioning lords or masters around here. Isn't Kyogai the master of this house?"

THUD!!

The wooden box fell to the floor, making your body jump and F/c eyes blinked at the neat box. Like time slowed, the lid popped open and out tumbled many things. A roll of bandages bounced along the floor like a ball until it hit a wall. A few viles clinked with pretty glass sounds against one another, the gods granting their wish of not breaking. It was a waterfall of objects scattered around the polished floors. It was almost a pretty sight watching them all scatter across the floor until they all eventually rolled to a stop in various places across the wooden floor. It was then that silence echoed throughout the small room as you continued to stare at the objects in surprise at what just happened, until f/c eyes slowly trailed upwards to Eri to ask why she did that, but stopped when you saw her face. 

Her terrified. Horror stricken. Down right scared face.

All four eyes were blown wide open in horror as she stared at you, as if she had just seen death itself reach it's menacing claws to claim her soul. Her mouth also wide open in what you could only think of as a silent scream without any sound. The horrified expression she suddenly shifted too caught you really off guard as you silently stared back at her in your own brand of shock. The tense pregnant silence continuing more until you eventually gained enough sense to ask.

"Are you..alright?"

"D-D-Don't say that that!," Eri's stuttering voice cried out and you leaned back on impact from the tone she had. It was as terrified as her face looked. She fussed head suddenly snapping around the empty room looking for-...for-...Something. Something you didn't know. "You mustn't say that! Y-Y-You mustn't let anyone hear you say that!" 

...Your f/c eyes also slowly scanned the room the longer her four eyes dizzily looked about like a paranoid chicken, even swiveling your head around for the thing that wasn't there she was looking for. No one was in here besides yourself and herself, so you weren't sure what or who she was worried about. Your head was just looking behind yourself, at the plain futon which was again empty as again no one else was in the room with the two of you there, until two clawed hands suddenly slapped-grabbed your cheeks in a way that made you jump and your neck almost popped as Eri forced you to snap back around to her very serious-scared face, her other two hands grabbing your shoulders with enough force to keep you from running even if you tried, not that you could still being injured and judging by her strength, she was still very much stronger than yourself despite being about the same size and height. 

"Listen to me very carefully," she hissed through her fangs in a hushed tone almost a whisper to your ears. "I know you have not been here long and you're not planning on staying here for longer than you must, but you must never, e v e r. Refer to Lord Kyogai or any other demon as Master." Her grip on your cheeks and shoulders increased. "You must not imply it, say it, or even think it. Lord Kyogai is that. Lord Kyogai. Lord of this home. Refer to him as anything. Owner. Lord. Boss. My one true love if you so wish! Only The Master is allowed to be called Master. He is the only Master above us all, no other matches his position. So I plead you. For everyone's safety including your own, NEVER say that word unless you're referring to our one and only Master."

Silence.

Eri lungs heaved now, each breath blowing over your own wide eyed face as she continued to pant and pant..until her bottom pair of eyes happened to glance down at her hands practically wrangling your face, and immediately let go with shaking hands.

"Ah...M-My apologies."

"Ouch." Your own hands reached up to rub your now sore cheeks. "That's...quite a reaction." You settled on saying. 

"It's was the appropriate reaction!," she insisted frowning, "It's law no one calls anyone Master except to refer to The Master himself!"

"Who even IS your Master? I don't understand that. That's what I'm asking about. I'm not understanding."

"I just told you! The Master is the supreme ruler of all demons. What he says is obsolete." So...'The Master' was actually THE Master of all demons? "Under himself is the Twelve Kizuki, which includes Lord Kyogai himself."

"Twelve Kizuki?...Who're they?"

By now Eri had leaned down to pick her box back up and slowly collect her belongings, but one pair of eyes still stared at you as she spoke. "You mean you don't know? I thought everyone knew about our twelve lords." But she answered you anyways. "The Twelve Kizuki are the twelve lords right under the Master himself in terms of rank and status. They're all hand picked by the Master himself to help him with whatever he needs of them. Lord Kyogai is one of them, thus he takes his duties very seriously."

"So...It's like an emperor and his closest generals." Ok...That made a bit more sense to you. 

"In a way. Humans wouldn't understand our society unless you chose to live under the Master's rule like so many already do, but it's better to heed my warnings while you're a guest here. It'll be safer for all involved."

You slowly nodded. "I understand. Thank you."

You didn't have the chance to ask Eri anything else because at that moment the sliding door opened again and Nagi stepped back in having returned with some kind of pork soup. Didn't matter to you, you were thankful for the distraction, and for the food for your empty stomach which rumbled at the smell of it. Eri didn't bring up anything you had discussed to Nagi and you figured it would be best to let sleeping dogs lie. You wouldn't be staying here long anyways, so you didn't need to stick your nose into things that didn't concern you. The sooner you left the better, and the less you knew the better you were as well. The rest of that day passed by as normal as you could be. Nagi and Eri kept you company and every few hours one of them would go get another big bucket of ice cold water for your ankle or get you more food. By the end of the day you could barely feel your leg from how long it had been dunked in the water. The warm blanket of the futon was very welcoming when they helped you move into it before leaving. Letting you close your eyes to the darkening skies hoping that above all else tomorrow that it would all just be a bad dream and you'd awaken to finish traveling your new found freedom.

Unfortunately fate still didn't seem to favor you because the next day was exactly the same. You woke hopeful but a throb of pain from your ankle followed by Eri opening the door cheerfully with another bowl of that pork soup stuff for breakfast and another giant bucket of that very cold well water. Screw your life. Rinse and repeat the cycle of everything the day before had, minus that Nagi was there. When you pointed that out to Eri she didn't seem bothered. 

"Oh! She has other duties to attend to so she won't be back unless Lord Kyogai also commands her to assist me in taking care of you, which I need no further help as it's easy!"

"How is he anyways? Those cuts looked pretty deep."

"Oh don't worry about him," she assured you, "The lords are all powerful demons. They're regeneration abilities are greater than us below them. He should be fully healed by the end of today and be able to return the drum to his back!"

"....Drum?"

She nodded. "Yes. He has them all over his body. They are a part of his power."

Is that what those weird lumps sticking out of his body were!? DRUMS!? "Uh...I-I see. ...Where is he now?"

"He is in one of his studies working on documents the Master has sent him. By now someone must've brought him lunch. Why?"

"Have you treated his wounds today? Or changed his bandages?"

Eri seemed surprised at your questions but shook her head no. "No. I treated them yesterday, and he should be fully healed at the end of today anyways-"

"That's no excuse!" Your snap caught the lady demon off guard because he leaned back as you scowled. "Even if he's going to be like nothing happened in a few hours, it's still your duty to clean his wounds and take care of him UNTIL HE DOES GET BETTER!! You're his healer! You're supposed to help him!"

"My apologies." She slowly blinked. "But my lord has ordered me to care for you as you heal. I'm only simply following his orders."

A smack sound echoed throughout the mostly empty room as your facepalmed yourself. "Does everyone here lack common sense- You know what!?" Your arms reached down from your face to the sides of the chair as you pushed up against it. "Fine! I'll do it myself-OOF!" 

Just as quickly you were forced back down by the stronger force of Eri, whom's hands were holding you back sitting in the chair by your shoulders. "Uh...Are you a fan of pain or all humans this insane? You can't walk! You're supposed to stay off your leg remember? It's healing still!"

"And are all demons this stubborn or is it just him?! He's going to hurt himself if he keeps this up!"

"Considering he's still alive, I highly doubt that-" She pushed you down again as you attempted to stand up, the cold water from bucket sloshing around and threatening to spill everywhere. "Will you remain still!?"

"UUUUUGGH!!! FINE!!" A hand was held up and pointed at her face making all four eyes go cross eyed at it. "Then we'll make a deal. You go change his bandages and treat his wounds and I'll stay here off my legs."

"I can't just leave you by yourself! What if something happens to you while I'm gone?"

You deadpanned. "What am I going to do? Magically fly out the window? I can't even walk! Where would I go? I doubt anyone's going to try anything anyways with your boss telling everyone not to. I'm going to remain here until you get back. I promise." She didn't look convinced. "You're going to have to leave me here alone anyways to get me lunch aren't you?"

She hummed. "I guess that's true...But I still don't like the thought of this-" You tried to get up again and she forcibly pushed you back in the chair. "Are you trying to get hurt!? Ok, ok! I'll do it! But if I get in trouble, this'll all be on you!"

"I'll accept whatever trouble I'll get in! Now heal him or I'll hop on one leg to him to do it myself!"

Eri huffed and released your shoulders, you crossed your arms in defiance looking back at her with the same expression. "You know, you are very stubborn."

"So are you. Now heal on, Healer."

"Fine. But don't say I didn't tell you so when we get in trouble."

You remained in that position arms crossed as Eri rolled her eyes, grabbed her wooden box, and then exited the room you both were in. What was seriously going through these demons' minds!? Did they not think to take care of themselves what so ever?! Besides. It's not as if you were going to go anywhere. You couldn't even crawl let alone walk with the pain your leg had. Nothing bad was going to happen from waiting here for a little while as Eri tended to her lord one last time. What's the worse that could happen?

....Oh you really weren't prepared for what trouble was currently heading your way with blue eyes and a violent temper to match it. 

*************************************************************************************

Scribble. Scribble. Scribble.

The sounds of a quill scratching against parchment was the only sounds that filled the air during this time other than the occasional footsteps that walked past his doorway, and the small clink of the chopsticks in his other hand. The smells of meats and the savory comfort of seasoned steak was one of the few luxuries he enjoyed during this stressful time of recounting yet another death certificate being sure to fill out all the important details of the man found dead and how his death played out. Another insect battling over a female this season. Gyutaro's work of course. Anyone approaching his sister was immediately eliminated. There were many foolish insects who dared to approach Upper Moon Six and demand partnership with her despite her brother's notorious protective streak. But it was the same thing every year. Sigh. But ironically that wasn't what made him both confused and angry. 

Someone had gotten into a fight over a female. 

That shouldn't have surprised him. There was millions of demons going through courtships right now during the season, and it wasn't uncommon for men to get into fights over a woman they liked enough and even kill each other over her (Stupid if you asked him), and he's seen plenty of death certificates in which that happened. And he would go through the same cycle as usual.

Get the news of someone's death. Fill out their certificate for the records. And then send a message to notify any next of kin in case none had heard of their loved ones' death.

But what confused him about this death was that it wasn't just any demon who killed this man. This man was killed by a Twelve Kizuki. 

Now this shouldn't have surprised or confused him. It wasn't new or particularly unheard of for the Uppermoons to cause death. Gyutaro and his sister cause so many every January. Sometimes Akaza would kill a man defending a woman. Even he himself has had the occasional death by his own hands, he had ended two intruders lives not too long ago.  But this particular Uppermoon was one he wasn't expecting to see as a cause of death.

"Kaigaku. What have you been doing?" 

Kaigaku had gotten into a fight with another demon and ended up killing him in their scuffle. Getting into a fight wasn't anything new to the youngest Kizuki, he got into them quite frequently. But his job was to keep the eastern border safe and keep any dangers OUT. Not to get into fights with random demons! ...He made a mental note to report to Kokushibo about his student's actions later. He hated to admit this...but he couldn't help but think that somehow this incident and the human was connected. Somehow that human was able to get lost within these woods without him knowing allegedly? There was no way Kaigaku didn't know about the human. He smelt his scent on her and he had given himself away very clearly.

"You have the human?"

Now why would he ask him if he had 'the human' if he wasn't looking for her or at the very least if he wasn't looking for her? Something didn't sit right with him but it's not like he could just ask Kaigaku about it, not unless he wanted to make the young idiot suspicious and the last thing he needed to deal with was this tempered brat on top of worrying about Enmu's eventual visit and an injured human to take care of ON TOP of all his work! So for now he'd let it go. He'll ask Kaigaku about this situation after the human was somewhere safely away, and when he wasn't swamped with work.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

He didn't even bother to look up at the knocks on the door. "Come in but make it quick."

He still didn't look up as the door slid open and he felt the presence of someone walk into the room behind him. "Master Kyogai."

Scribble. Scrib-

He paused. Quill and chopsticks pausing in their motions. He turned to look over his shoulder. And was met with the sight of Eri bowing to him, various objects in her many arms. 

"Eri? ..What are you doing here?" He frowned at her. "I gave you specific instructions to watch over the human."

A nervous expression immediately crossed over her still bowed face. "I-...Y-Y-You d-did, Sir. I didn't mishear you or disobey you I swear!"

"Then why are you here instead of taking care of the human? Is she causing trouble?"

She shook her head. "N-No, Sir! No trouble at all...But..s-s-she is very stubborn." He hummed as an indication for her to explain and two of her arms held out a small bowl of warmed water. "S-S-She insisted I come here to tend your wounds a second time or else she would come here and treat you herself. She started thrashing around when I held her down, so I had no choice but to agree to get her to stay! Please forgive me! I promise I shall not let this happen again with her I swear to you!"

Silence.

There was silence as he stood there waiting for the slow slap of reality to fully scrap across his face as he just continued to stare at her. ".....She what?"

"Y-Yes. I'm sorry. She seemed very concerned you were still hurt! I tried explaining to her you'll be perfectly fine, but she wouldn't listen. Please don't be too angry."

And again more silence. He stared at Eri wide eyed and flabbergasted. The human..insisted he be treated? Again? Despite the fact that he'd literally be fine even before this day was over? He opened his mouth-...Before closing it and turning back to his papers and food. 

"I see...If it'll appease the human then do so, but do it quickly and get back to her. I don't want her unattended for too long." He didn't want to open this headache right now. He already had enough to worry about.

A sigh of relief faded from Eri's lips. "Y-Yes, Sir. I-I won't be long."

He let out a grunt in response and just continued on with his work, but he could hear and feel Eri work behind him. She settled herself behind him, right where the bandages that was placed on himself yesterday were, and it wasn't too long when he felt her hands tug at those bandages before with a firm fist, they were simply cut through by her claws and pulled from his body to be discarded later. Exposing his mostly healed slashes to her now. Like they both knew, they were indeed almost fully healed now. Nothing but mere thin cuts just along his back. They'll be fully gone within a few more hours, not even scars left behind. It really was nothing to worry about, but he wouldn't blame a human's simple mind for not understanding that. It was almost cute how she insisted he be treated...Almost. He was still annoyed his work was interrupted like this. The small sounds of water being disturbed reached the ears of the demon, and a moment later something warm, wet, and gentle was placed against the wounds and guided across them back and forth to clean them off before she redressed them. He gave a small grunt at her working on him but other than that, showed no signs of pain at her work. It was just sore now instead of throbbing pain like a day ago. Eri made quick work of cleaning them and drying them off before a terrible stench reached his nose. Eck! That ointment of hers. He wouldn't fight against her putting that foul smelling stuff on him but he always turned his nose up at how terrible it smelt. 

He just turned his head the other direction just so it wouldn't have to smell it head on. Ah. One draw back to his incredible sense of smell. You had smelt it stronger than most other people. So he tried to focus his mind on other scents besides the foul smelling ointment Eri was now slathering all over his wounds. He focused hard on the other smells in the room. Eri, the food he had been previously eating, the ink still in it's ink stone waiting to be used, the goose in which his quill came from, the scents that wafted into the room now from the wide open door-

He froze up.

His muscles locked up. Rigid. As something faint. Something ...Bad entered here, and registered in his mind upon impact. Eri noticed it right away, pausing in her movements and looking up in question at her lord. Whom stared at the door.

"My lord?"

She gasped and fell backwards in shock when the lumbering form of the demon stood up, making his form appear a lot more menacing as he stared at the door.

"Kaigaku."

You leaned back in the chair blissfully unaware of the approaching footsteps stomping their way towards your room. It had been a little while since Eri had left and left you just sitting there with nothing to do but keep your hurt leg submerged in the cold bucket of water. There was literally nothing you could do to keep yourself entertained other than to day dream of everything you wanted to do once you got out of here with your newfound freedom. Maybe that's why you didn't hear the stomping coming straight towards your room-

STOMP. STOMP. STOMP. STOMP-

Or the door being grabbed hard enough to leave claw indents in them.

SLAM!!

Making you gasp and whip your head to the thundering storm looming in the doorway only to meet blue eyes.

"It's about dam time I fucking found you."

[dragon411keeper]

spookiest thing in my world?

This is in order of height.

The edge - You look back and see everything, you look forward and see nothing.

Outer fringe border

The fringe - Where people go to be left alone, but some keep going.

Inner fringe border

Outer borderlands

Borderlands - Where the game series exists.

Inner borderlands

Outer Rim - Someplace from star wars.

Void realm

Interstellar space - Between galaxies.

Intersolar space - Between solar systems.

Interplanetary space - Between planets.

The Karman line - The border between space and home.

Exosphere - Or where the Skyhighlands are located.

Thermosphere - Where Skylands is located.

Mesosphere

Stratosphere

upper ground layer - Sky elves and stuff like it.

Troposphere

ground layer - Your home surface, or is it farther down?

cave systems - Where the deep dark of Minecraft resides.

Nidavellir - Norse dwarven home.

The Underdark

Outer Bedrock layer - Where most minecrafters stop mining.

The Thalassosphere - A sickeningly thick black sludge of currently unknown composition makes up this layer, although there are passages that lead up to the surface that look as if it was carved out of the way.

The Deeprock layer - This layer has had thousands of years worth of research poured into finding it, it was called "Deeprock" by the ill-informed.

The Nycto - After managing to pierce the "Deeprock" layer we found ourselves hanging in the middle of a all devouring void of black, apparently whatever is making up the black ink in the Thalassosphere is actively pulling us back from this void, as if it is scared of what lurks farther down...

"And, that is all the layers I can provide to you as of right now class, if you want to know what other layers reside below our feet, you will be needing grade 3 permission from thirteen different kingdoms including and not denying; Rail Flower, old kingdom heresy, The Adeptus Mechanicus (good luck with that one), and lastly с̶̢̣̲̫̌̏̑̌т̸̡̜̘̀̒͗̋͜а̶͔̌́̕р̸͖̻͉̇͂ѐ̶̢̨̨͇̏̈͝й̷̲͚͉͊ш̶̣̙̦̽̒͗̆͜͜͠а̴̢̳̹̙̬̟͑̊̕͠͝я̷̘̺̣̱͔̲͑̃̊͗͝ ̸̫̱͒͋̚͜и̸̜̝̃͊͜м̶̖̿п̴̘͔̗̬̖̎̒̾̒̅е̶̫͚̇̌̃̒̂͝р̸͉̿͂̇и̶̛͉́̎я̴̞̖̠̫̒̃ ̴̨̛̥̟́͂̄̎Б̷̺͐̄̉̉е̶̠̦̾̐͘з̸̥͍͓̦̃͝д̷̗̤̣̻̔͐н̶̮̼̼͉̖̞̒ы̴͙̂̅̈̀." *stare* "Class is over for today"

The teacher finally states before continuing with: "Now if you need me, I'll be teaching some of the second years on why you should avoid angering the Adeptus Mechanicus." he picks up a shovel as he leaves.

uncursed font: старейшая империя Бездны.

translates from Russian to: eldest voidland empire.

[cagemasterfantasy]

Dwarf (Overview)

Kingdoms rich in ancient grandeur, halls carved into the roots of mountains the echoing of picks and hammers in deep mines and blazing forges a commitment to clan and tradition and a burning hatred of goblins and orcs these common threads unite all dwarves. Bold and hardy Dwarves are known as skilled warriors miners and workers of stone and metal. Though they stand well under 5 feet dwarves are so broad and compact that they can weigh as much as a human standing nearly 2 feet taller. Their courage and endurance can also easily a match any of the larger folk. Dwarven skin ranges from deep brown to a paler hue tinged with red but the most common shades are light brown or deep tan like certain tones of earth their hair worn long but in simple styles is usually Black gray or brown though paler dwarves often have red hair. Male Dwarves value their beards highly and groom them carefully. Dwarves live to be about 350 on average so the oldest living dwarves often remember a very different world. For example some of the oldest dwarves living in Citadel Felbarr can recall the day more than 3 centuries ago when orcs conquered the fortress and drove them into exile that lasted 250 years. This longevity grants them a perspective on the world that shorter lived races such as humans and halflings lack. Dwarves are solid and enduring like the mountains they love weathering the passage of centuries with stoic endurance and little change. They respect the traditions of their clans tracing their ancestry back to the founding of their most ancient strongholds in the youth of the world and don't abandon those traditions lightly. Part of those traditions is devotion to the gods of the dwarves, who upload the dwarven ideals of industrious labor skill in battle and devotion to the forge. Individual dwarves are determined and loyal true to their word and decisive in action sometimes to the point of stubbornness. Many dwarves have a strong sense of justice and they are slow to forget wrongs they have suffered. A wrong done to one dwarf is a wrong done to the dwarfs entire clan so what begins as one dwarf's hunt for vengeance can become a full-blown clan feud. Dwarven kingdoms stretch deep beneath the mountains where the dwarves mine gems and precious metals and forge items of wonder. They love the beauty and artisty of precious metals and fine jewelry and in some dwarves this love festers into avarice. Whatever wealth they can't find in their mountains they gain through trade. They dislike boats so enterprising humans and halflings frequently handle trade in dwarven goods along water routes. Trustworthy members of other races are welcome in dwarf settlements though some areas are off limits even to them. The chief unit of dwarven society society is the clan and dwarvs highly value social standing. Even dwarves who live far from their own kingdoms cherish their clan identities and affiliations recognize related dwarves and invoke their ancestors names in oathes and curses. To be clanless is the worst fate that can befall a dwarf. Dwarves in other lands are typically artisans especially weaponsmiths armorers and jewelers. Some become mercenaries or bodyguards highly sought after for their courage and loyalty. Dwarves who take up the adventuring life might be motivated by a desire for treasure for its own sake for a specific purpose or even out of an altruistic desire to help others. Other dwarves are driven by the command or inspiration of a deiry a direct calling or simply a desire to bring glory to one of the dwarf gods. Clan and ancestry are also important motivators. A dwarf might seek to restore a clan's lost honor avent an ancient wrong the clan suffered or earn a new place within the clan after having been exiled. Or a dwarf might search for the axe weilded by a mighty ancestor lost on the field of battle centuries ago

Traits

Your constituiton score increases by 2 Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans but they're considered young until they reach the age of 50 on average they live to be 350 Most dwarves are lawful believing firmly in the benefits of a well ordered society they tend toward good as well with a strong sense of fair play and a belief that everyone deserves to share in the benefits of a just order. Dwarves average 4 1/2 feet and average 150 pounds. Your size is medium Your base walking speed is 25 feet your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.

Darkvision: Accustomed to life underground you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were birght light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. you can't discern color in darkness only shades of gray.

Dwarven Resilience: You have advantage on saving throws against poison and you have resistance to poison damage (meaning that damage is halved)

Dwarven Combat Training: You have proficiency with the battleaxe handaxe light hammer and warhammer

Tool Proficiency: You gain proficieny with the artisan's tools of your choice: Smith's tools, brewers supplies or mason's tools.

Stonecunning: Whenever you make a History check related to the origins of stonework you are considered proficient in the history skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

You can speak read and write common and dwarvish. Dwarvish is full of Hard consonants and gutturul sounds and those characteristics spill over into whatever other language a dwarf might speak.

Subrace: Pick between hill dwarf or Mountain dwarf when picking this race.

Source: Players handbook

[lady-of-the-spirit]

You've been isekai'd to the fictional world of what you last played, read or watched (whatever was the most recent option)…what was it, would you survive and what would you do in it?

I was reading Lord of the Rings...

The boring answer is, I'll probably just end up living in whatever place I'm closest to. If it's a human civilization, let's hope they don't see me dressed in weird clothes and not knowing anything about the world and think I'm some dark being from Mordor or something. Chances are I'll probably just be living as good a life as I can, just trying to figure out how to survive in Middle Age-esque times. If it's a dwarven kingdom I feel like I'd only survive the way Bilbo does with the dwarves - being hopeless at anything practical but endear them to me with my personality. Elves? They've already adopted one weird human (Aragorn) what's another? Hobbits? They'd probably give me directions to Bree and send me off with a wave, don't want any Big Folk Funny Business in the Shire, do we?

BUT if consider the possibility that a general rule is "We found an abandoned person who doesn't know anybody or anything, let's bring them to the palace, they'll know what to do with them", there's a possibility I'll end up living a royal lifestyle and ideally having some sort of courtly romance (minus the Shire because as stated they're not dealing with me). And luckily, every option has either a character I'd happily hook up with or the possibility of a good hook up. Or be best friends with, or both, but only time will tell. Imminent war and destruction is constantly looming overhead so who knows what'll happen to be then.

If I'm living a true isekai story life, though, no matter what happens, I'll end up in the Fellowship in one way or another, and then my chances of survival will go down. Or increase, because story rules means I'll survive if there's not a narrative purpose for me to die. And because they've already agreed to deal with Hobbits, one more kinda useless person on the team isn't THAT much to deal with. Boromir, teach me to use a sword, please.