#vanara cover

[oni-gory]

Genshin boys in heat! PT. 1

ᡣ𐭩 characters: Tighnari x afab reader

ᡣ𐭩 cw: Minor writing smut, penetration, public sex, masturbation (kinda?), Switch Tighnari

ᡣ𐭩 notes: New series of oneshots! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) my posting schedule is so inconsistent omg yall im so sorry— 😭

Tighnari

You and Tighnari were nothing but coworkers, both of you were members of the Vanara that often bumped into each other. Well, that’s how you saw him at least. Tighnari on the other hand, found you quite attractive. He was interested in you, but knew better than to pursue his romantic ambitions. Especially with a coworker. So he just often caught himself staring at you.

One morning, while you were getting ready to go patrol with some other forest rangers, you bumped into Tighnari. But… he was acting strange. His face was very red and he seemed really fidgety. You tried to apologize nonetheless, “Oh- I’m sorry Tighnari! Uhm… are you alright.?” You asked, but Tighnari didn’t respond. He just quickly pushed past you and hurried away into the forest. That made you really worried. So instead of going on parol like you were assigned to, you went looking for Tighnari.

After searching most of the areas you knew he frequented, you ended up wandering around the forest by the Gandharva Ville. That was when you heard panting coming from a… tree? You approached quickly, worried that it was an injured animal. But when you peeked your head past the tree, you instead saw the Forest Watcher. He was leaning against the tree, sweating profusely while gripping a bulge in his pant. Your face flushed red and you quickly looked away, hoping to quietly sneak away and pretend it never happened. But all of a sudden Tighnari grabbed your hand.

His sense of smell was outstanding, and it seemed he noticed you. Tighnari looked up at you with a red face, a desperate look in his teary eyes. “I-I’m sorry.. plea—please help..” He begged you, pulling on your arm. Despite his appearance, Tighnari was shockingly strong. You struggled to find the words, not wanting to say yes… but he looked so desperate. Tighnari seemed like he needed you. So you feebly nodded, mumbling an embarrassed response, “Okay.. Uhm- What do you need.?” Tighnari looked around to make sure nobody could see him before leading your hand to the bulge in his pants. Just you touching him, even through his clothes made the Forest Watcher shiver.

Your face was red while you continued touching him through his clothes, listening to Tighnari’s whimpers. He moved from laying back against the tree to laying back against you. “Moree..” He whined, sweating while trying to make you remove his pants. You bit your bottom lip before removing his pants. This entire situation was so embarrassing… But for some reason Tighnari was to blinded by his lustful heat, which you were still oblivious to. His hard cock was poking out of his underwear, longing to be released. You let out a shaky breath when seeing it, surprised by how large your supervisors cock was. Your hands trembled, pulling his underwear down to his knees so you could get a better look at it. You felt so perverted as your fingers wrapped around his lengthy dick. Tighnari’s eyes rolled back into his head as he lifted his head, letting it rest on your shoulder. He was so sensitive..

You were standing in the middle of the forest jerking off the Tighnari of all people… This was insanity. But his sweet moans clouded your mind, distracting you from the thoughts running wild in your head. You got the chance to focus on just pleasuring him, swirling your fingers around his tip and watching as the green eyed man whimpered. He was getting a bit loud, and Tighnari noticed. He covered his mouth, muffling his moans just barely. He even started breathing heavier, and you could tell he was about to reach his edge.

Then, just as you thought, a rope of sticky white cream bursted out of Tighnari’a cock. He hyperventilated, tears trickling down his cheeks after the intense pleasure. Your hand was now a mess, and so were your panties. Your eyes were locked on his still hard cock while Tighnari tried to collect himself. “T—tha..Thank yuo…" He mumbled, leaning against a tree. His face was flushed with blush and a bit of tears and Tighnari didn’t notice that you had bent down onto your knees until you gripped his sensitive cock. The Forest Watcher let out a yelp, his ears drooping against his head. "W-what are you d— oh archons~..” He shivered, biting his bottom lip as you opened your mouth and began to suck on his cock. Tighnari’s legs trembled, feeling sensitive after his orgasm. But even still, He wanted more. Much more than only your mouth. He wanted to breed you.

It had been an hour since the two of you were gone, and none of the others forest rangers knew what was happening between the both of you. They had no idea that by now, Tighnari had you against a tree, ramming his cock inside of your cunt desperately. He was holding your legs up even after your protests against it, clearly determined to breed you. “Ti—Tighnariii~!! Too— too much~..” You moaned out, gripping the tree in an attempt to stabilize yourself. Tighnari had his face nuzzled in your shoulder, smelling your arousal, which only fueled his thrusts. You continued to moan until you heard his muffled voice, “You’re being too… loud.." Then you made an attempt to quiet down by covering your mouth with your hands. He was fucking you like a rabid dog, and honestly, he basically was one. Tighnari began to feel your pussy clenching around him, and he noticed your back was arching. So he decided to try pounding into you deeper, feeling his own orgasm reaching near. All of a sudden, you felt the Forest Watcher’s cum overflowing in your pussy, dripping onto the grass. As the high of your orgasm ended, you knew that the two of you wouldn’t just stay coworkers.

[blackknight-100]

RAMAYAN AU: LAKSHMANA DIES

Or, a 3+1 fic in which each part is progressively longer than the last. Written for my beloved Govind dada, a belated Happy Birthday to you! <3

1.

Rama bent over Lakshmana and brushed away a stray strand of hair from his fair face. He dared not look at the sky. The young night was playing runaway. Beside him, King Sugriva sat still as a flame, barely daring to breathe. Rama felt a prick of shame at his impatient rudeness, but it flickered out almost immediately.

Sushena was swaying back and forth, twirling a blade of grass with nimble fingers, frowning at the ever-darkening night. A low gong sounded. Nal sniffled, and Neel looked at his twin, alarmed. Rama wrapped his calloused hands around his brother’s pale, cooling body and clung to it like he clung to his hopes. The last prahar of the night had begun.

2.

Dawn came with the news of Hanuman’s return. Rama could see the darker parts of the encampment without even squinting. The sky had started to brighten significantly by the time Hanuman dumped the huge mountain on the shore with a bang.  A cloud of sand blew up like a desert-storm. Waving a hand in front of his face, Sushena rushed up the rocky slope astonishingly fast for someone his age. Rama covered Lakshmana’s face with the edge of his saffron angavastra, trying to shield him from the dust.

Ten minutes later, the old healer found the Sanjeevani and Hanuman flew Sushena down. Nal rushed to bring the mortar and pestle, but the Vaidya was already crushing the leaves with his bare hands. Rama kissed Lakshmana’s forehead and mumbled, “Just a while longer, brother. Hold on.”

He held Lakshmana’s lips open as Sushena squeezed the sap out of the leaves, drop by drop, into his brother’s mouth. Then he sat back, stared for a few infinitesimal seconds, expectant and waiting. Nothing happened. Lakshmana lay unnaturally silent and still. The sun climbed higher in the sky. Rama let out a bone-chilling howl.

“My Lord,” Sushena began, then stopped. Rama fell over his brother’s body and wept. Heads bowed, the Vanara army looked on.

3.

It hurt everywhere. Rama did not know who had brought him into the tent. He did not know what happened to Sushena, or to the mighty mountain a mere hundred feet from his tent. He knew nothing but silence and sorrow. Where did they even take Lakshmana? Rama did not think he had it in him to light the pyre.

Oh! Cursed fate! That his little brother should never leave this forest! That Urmila, the poor, poor girl (was she a woman now?) should never see her husband! What would he tell Mother Sumitra, who had put his baby brother in his arms so many years ago and told Lakshmana to consider him as his father and mother? And Lakshmana! Had he not followed those words to the last, ever so wedded to duty and devotion? Could his all-encompassing, fervent nature even be measured by paltry words?

Rama knew he was on suicide watch. Angad was sitting at the flap, unmoving like a statue. He was trying to be quiet, but ever so often, he would sniffle, then muffle it with his hands. How had Rama missed how close the monkey prince was to his brother? What else had he missed in Lakshmana’s life? Would he have ever known how besotted he was with Urmila if Sita did not point it out? Had he missed other things too? Lakshmana always hid his own problems. Had Rama helped him with that?

The flap of the tent rustled. From the heavy footfalls, he knew it was Hanuman. He did not turn. It was silly to blame the one person who tried the hardest, but Rama was not being rational right now.

“My Lord, the army is ready.”

What army? What war without Lakshmana? Rama wanted to ask. But then Hanuman added, “Indrajit has come to gloat.”

The hollow, empty feeling in his chest swelled. His stomach churned his misery into something sour. A spark lit under his ribs, conflagrating into unbridled rage. Rama rolled over wordlessly, picked his bow, and marched out.

+1

It was in times like this that Rama desired his brother’s counsel. Lakshmana’s rage might not have been righteous, but it was forever just. Sita stood before him, worn and thin, pale face determined in the orange light of the flames, lips pressed to a hard line. The entirety of his army – or what was left – crowded around them, and Rama had never been so alone.

When she lifted her foot to step in the fire Sita tiled her head at him, and spoke with a voice colder than Himalayan winds, “Know this, banished Prince, had he been here, my son would never have allowed this.”

It is not necessarily true, but the weight of the words made Rama’s head bow lower.

Later, when they fly over the clouds towards Ayodhya, with Sita beside him yet Yojanas away, Rama finally realized that he would soon need to confront his family about Lakshmana. He might have as well said it aloud, for Sita lifted her blood-shot eyes for the first time since the disastrous Agniparikhsha and murmured, “He’s truly gone, isn’t he?”

It was strange to think of a life without Lakshmana leaping out from behind a tree and startling them, or proudly dragging a muddied deer to their beautiful, crooked hut, or trying his hardest to help Sita in her little gardens without stepping on some herb or the other. Sita had loved him like her own son, perhaps in ways she did not even love Rama.

“What will we tell them?” she wailed, clutching at the ends of her long hair.

Rama placed a tentative palm between Sita’s shoulder blades.

“Janaki,” he began, but his throat clogged up.

Sita pressed the edge of her saffron angavastra to her eyes and sobbed.

Later, Sumitra would faint and Urmila would stand by her lost and weeping, and Ayodhya would stone Kaikeyi for their lost Prince. Bharat would give up his life out of misplaced guilt, and Shatrughan of misplaced sorrow. Sita’s sisters would leave for the comforts of their father’s home. Rama, intemperate with the loss of his family, would banish Sita for the whispers of a drunken washerman.

Ages later, word would pass from father to daughter and mother to son, of how the Sun brought down the Solar Dynasty, and how the death of one man destroyed an empire as great as Ayodhya.

But all that was yet to be. For now, Rama and Sita leant against each other, tired and lost. The Pushpak Vimana flew onwards, unrelenting.

[dailycharacteroption]

Roleplaying Races 15: Orang-Pendak

(art by young920 on DeviantArt)

And so we come to the final entry of the week, and it’s a First Edition ancestry that… well, I kinda thought was lame when I first saw it.

I don’t think I can be blamed though. After all, the orang-pendak are a species of sapient primates (already done with the vanara) that are based in part on folklore of ape-people living in the forest (also vanara) that are only really set apart by their small size with surprising strength and their unique aversion to riding on mounts or in vehicles. With only that bestiary entry to go off of, it’s easy to see why they’d be another bestiary-orphan ancestry.

But is there more to them? Certainly!

In the real world, orang-pendek (so glad to have validation that spelling it with an ‘e’ is ok) are beings from Indonesian folklore, specifically Sumatran, where the people have stories of the “short people of the forest”, which were similar to the orangutan, but different, more human-like. Certain accounts from islanders claim they are smart enough to use tools and could sometimes be territorial and violent.

Now, regardless of whether these tales are true or merely folklore based on misinterpreted sightings of orangutans or insular forest-dwelling societies, but the nature of the story has naturally attracted the attention of both legitimate biologists and cryptozoologists alike.

In any case, the Pathfinder version does not list a specific nation in the bestiary entry, but it can be assumed that they are from parts of Tian Xia. Additionally, they are described as a distant relation to sasquatches, and are just as shy and insular.

The orang-pendak are small humanoid apes covered in shaggy fur that ranges from brown to a rusty red-orange. As such, it’s easy to see how they could be mistaken for orangutans or gibbons from a distance. However, their proportions are more akin to a human’s or halflings, albeit with a hunched posture.

They are also semi-nomadic gatherers that only really hunt to round out their diet with protein, and spend most of the time subsisting on the world around them before moving on in order to minimize their impact on their surroundings. Beyond this, they are a close-knit people that are shy and distrustful of outsiders.

Surprisingly strong for their size, orang-pendaks are also empathetic and wise, but their lack of formal education hampers them somewhat.

Familiar as they are with forest terrain, they are adept at climbing and hiding within the foliage.

They also possess excellent night vision.

Orang-pendaks however, become easily unnerved and motion sick when being moved by forces other than their own autonomy, making riding mounts or in vehicles difficult and outright undesirable for them.

Their kinship with the other apes they share their territory with makes it easy for them to get along with other primates.

Their surprising upper body strength also makes them shockingly adept at destroying objects as well.

It’s nice to see a small ancestry that not only doesn’t have a strength penalty, but has a strength bonus, making those small barbarian or fighter builds much more viable. Their wisdom also lends itself well to rangers and druids, or even clerics. On the other hand, however, that intelligence penalty does make arcane magic builds somewhat limited, but the real kicker is their Own Two Feet weakness, which basically makes classes and archetypes with mounts, such as cavalier or samurai, difficult to play without using archetypes that remove and replace the mount with something more useful, to say nothing of the difficulties of overland travel in adventures where mounts or vehicles would be the superior way to travel. Like all weaknesses, however, they can be surmounted.

That does it for this week, and I hope you enjoyed it. This is the second to last time we’ll be able to do this for first edition ancestries, but fret not, I already have plans to continue into 2nd Edition, not to mention continuing to look at species from Starfinder!

[zenpookie]

The Chains that Bind Us

Chapter 2

"I'm here for you." Rhiannon's gaze met Astarion's eyes.

For Master Astarion? Stefan was perplexed.

"For me?" Astarion shifted his weight, a deadly and lazy smile creeped across his face. "Are you here to kill me?"

"Not today."

Astarion gave a cold laugh. "Well now you've piqued my curiosity. So, tell me then. What can I do for you?" His eyes were littered with malice.

"Did you get my letter?"

"I try not to read too much trash, darling. It ruins a perfectly good mind, you know."

Rhiannon studied Astarion's face, her face unmoved. Unsurprised. Stonefaced. "Can we talk in private?"

"And why would I do that?" Astarion gestured to his spawn around him. "You're powerless here, darling. I could have your throat ripped out in a heartbeat and I wouldn't even have to lift a finger."

"Astarion." Rhiannon stepped closer to him. Astarion's body tensed. She held his gaze. "You and I both know that you don't need your spawn to kill me. I'd be dead if you wanted me dead."

"Fine." Astarion said, after a pregnant pause. "Everyone, out."

"Is... it safe for you Master Astarion?" Vanara probed gently.

"I am the vampire ascendant. I don't need protection from the likes of you. I TOLD YOU TO GET EVERYONE OUT." Astarion snarled.

A stiffness came across all the spawn as they firmly grabbed their guests and started to usher them out of the banquet hall.

"Not her, you idiot." Astarion flung Stefan across the room.

"Come." Astarion beckoned Rhiannon. She followed, obligingly to the grand master's room at the top of the stair.

"I thought you would have razed this palace to the ground." Rhiannon sat into a large cushioned seat.

"I thought about it." Astarion handed her a glass of wine. "But it's built into the city. It's hard to become a notable politician if you become a known arsonist."

"I suppose that's fair." Rhiannon undid her braided hair, allowing the fine silk of her white strands fall across her shoulders.

"So... when did you start going by Rhiannon?"

Rhiannon smiled at him. "It's just a cover I use. Although, it's been a while since anyone called me Tav."

"You know... Jaheira came here a few years ago looking for you. She was so sure I had you locked away one of those prison cells in the basement. That, or I had hand in your death."

"I'm sure you told her otherwise."

"Not that she was ever convinced, mind you. I'm sure she's... still in her little hovel plotting your prison break."

"It's only natural. Citizens do have a tendency of disappearing when they enter your doors." Tav took a deep drink from her goblet.

"True." Astarion admitted. "But that really begs the question. Where have you been?"

"Here and there." Tav didn't quite meet Astarion's eye. "I spent some time wandering with Arabella. Other times, I walked the world on my own as Rhiannon."

"And Waterdeep?"

Tav studied his face for a moment. "That's why I'm here. I need your help."

Astarion leaned back into a chair. "How interesting. And what is it you're asking from me?"

"It's Gale." Tav folded her arms across her chest. "You remember the Crown of Karsus?"

"You mean the reason we spent all that time getting eaten alive by insects with a tadpole in our brains fighting Illithids and the Absolute?" Astarion snorted, "How could I forget?"

"Mystra promised Gale that she would remove the orb if he gave her the Crown of Karsus."

"Well that seems like a bargain for Mystra at least."

"Gale found me at the end of the world. I don't know how how he managed he tracked me down. He told me had been trying to reforge the crown on his own, but that his orb was starting to grow out of control again." Tav ran her hands through her hair, intently at her boots. "He needed help. He begged me. The crown was at the bottom of the Chionthar."

"You helped him find the crown?"

Tav's gaze finally met Astarion's. "Yes."

She frowned at herself. Was there a touch of guilt in her eyes? "You should have seen him, Astarion. He was... gaunt." She paused, as if lost in the memory. "We got the crown, but the netherstones had been scattered by the waters."

"And you want me to help you find these netherstones for him, is that it?"

"In a sense." Tav took another sip from her glass. "We found two."

Astarion twirled his curled white hair in a single finger. He watched her face carefully, noting the tired lines in Tav's face, the faint dark circles under her eyes. Had they always been there? "And where exactly is the third netherstone?"

"I tracked it down to Athkala. There's a human noble I believe in possession of it."

"Well, there you have it. You just need coin. You don't need me."

"I'm not sure if it's for sale, if you catch my meaning. Getting the stone is... not the problem. How he is now... Gale would have no issue wresting the netherstone from their grasp. Or mine, for that matter."

"So you want to obtain the netherstone to keep it from Gale?" Astarion raised an eyebrow.

"It just seemed... As we got closer to our goal, he just wasn't himself. He grew much, much stronger. He became obsessive. I'm just worried he's ... not seeing clearly." Tav rubbed her forehead with her hands.

"He started talking about godhood!" Tav laughed bitterly. "If we can just get the third netherstone, maybe we can keep him from.... Maybe he'd just listen. Maybe we could talk some sense into him."

"Have you considered just beating him?" Astarion mimicked a swing of a club through the air.

"It has crossed my mind." Tav laughed. A real laugh. Astarion felt the hint of a smile creep across his lips. Tav shook her head sadly. "He's grown quite powerful with two Netherstones in his possession. I can't even get near him."

"Hmm. Yes." Astarion frowned. "Even, still I don't see what this has to do with me. If Gale wants to seek god-like power, who am I to stop him? He seems like a useful ally to have."

"Well for one... You have a demi-god in your back yard. " Tav looked at Astarion pointedly. "And two, you owe him this."

"Owe him?" Astarion sounded insulted, "What for?"

"I wasn't the only person to help you gain your freedom, Astarion." Tav said, sounding exasperated. "We were all there to help you. Even Jaheira."

Astarion clenched his jaw. She had a point. "What, so I'm indebted to each and every one of you? I'll never see the end of it."

"I leave you to decide what is fair payment for your freedom and newfound powers. But this is for Gale."

"I'm not sure he would see it that way."

"He may not." Tav knocked back her glass of wine and set it on the table in front of her.

"Fine. I suppose I can spare some of my spawn." Astarion sighed.

"No."

"No?"

"No, Astarion. I need you. I cannot face Gale with spawns who don't even know him. He has grown powerful, Astarion. I need... I need you."

"Well, I do love the sound of being needed." Astarion licked his lips. "The desperation is... delicious." He hesitated for a second. "You almost sound like... you care for Gale as something more." He cocked his head with an insincere curiosity.

Tav considered his mischievous smile for a second. "You need not be jealous of Gale, Astarion."

Astarion glowered at her, baring his fangs. "I am the vampire ascendant. I have no need to be jealous of that walking encyclopedia. Just to be clear, you and I are not bound to each other, and never will be again."

A silence fell between them. Astarion's red eyes fumed at Tav's silent, cold expression. After a while, it was Astarion who broke the silence.

"Who else is coming?"

[arjaandsimoni]

Bad Blood

The Peters Cartridge Company Building, Cincinnati Ohio

It had originally been an ammunition manufacturer founded in 1887 which supplied multiple countries with weaponry during both the first and second world war, but their fortunes had ended with the end of the second of those and the company folded. It fell into disrepair after 1968 but was soon put on the registry of historic buildings in the mid-80s. Today the building is home to a brewery and an apartment complex… at least on paper.

In private however, the old building is home to quite a bit more.

Nelen pulled up outside the building in the largest rental vehicle he could obtain on short notice… but the simple fact of the matter was not all of them could come. Drusilla would have taken up most of the back by herself, and then there would be the matter of Lupe and Natasha, as well as the changeling prince and princess, Tex, and their recently arrived Indian allies Arja and Simoni… so it was decided that Drusilla would have to remain behind to guard the Smith Household.

Tex stayed back as well, the only human of their party besides Nelen would have been an obvious target for their foes. Nicu and Lupe stayed as well, though Natasha had insisted on coming to see this prince who would encourage suicidal levels of exposure among the vampires herself.

As he found a secluded area to park in he looked behind him, Dawn sitting shotgun in the bus. “Alright, we all remember the plan? If we can expose Al for what he really is then its entirely possible the vampires will join us or run for the hills, either way that means we won’t have to deal with them.” he nodded firmly, the magus dressed in just a winter jacket over his jeans and teeshirt, with sturdy boots.

“Quite, few vampyr would be insane enough to willingly side with a being of Hell. Our souls are in a tenuous enough state as it is.” agreed Natasha. She had dressed as she often did, in gothic finery. Even going into a battle she would not demean herself by wearing different garb.

Stephy was dressed in the same outfit he wore to fight Clarence, the changeling princess checking their purse again. “Got a few nasty surprises. Some more of those sunflowers that I told you about, a few bellbomb peppers…” he nodded as Sammi checked the edge on his rapier.

“Well, we’ll just have to hope that this does not go against us Nelen…” murmured the princeling, “If all else fails I can open a path to the Hedge, but we will have to come out somewhere, and the Hedge around here is… well…” he looked around, “Lets just hope it is not needed...”

“We’ll take that chance when it comes… and Arja?” asked Nelen.

“Yuth?” she replied, her voice muffled.

Nelen frowned, “… aren’t you being just a bit melodramatic?”

Arja sat there bundled against the cold, the vanara girl wearing a sweater and a pair of jeans with long underwear under a jacket that was also under a winter coat, two scarves wrapped around her face, and a bobble hat pulled over her head, her hands covered in thick woolen mittens and her feet crammed into fur-lined snowboots.

“… nuh.” she replied, narrowing her eyes at the magus.

Sammi grinned, chuckling to himself, as the vanara glared at him. “Wut?” she growled.

“Oh, nothing… just remembering all those times when I commented on how unpleasant the weather was in New Orleans, or Texas, or India…” he whistled innocently as he sheathed his weapon.

Simoni sighed at her, the garuda girl wearing a pair of woolen leggings under a denim skirt and her own snowboots, along with a sleeveless green sweater under a thick winter coat. She had to find a good balance that would allow for talons and wings if needed and had taken Stephy’s advice on leggings. All her legs really did was change shape, and leggings had no feet, so they worked as far as her transformation went. “Arja, we’ll just have to deal as best we can… if we’re fighting against vampires they’ll need someone who can use fire.”

Finally however, the group had to get moving… Dawn went in first, scouting the way invisibly as Simoni and Stephy managed to talk Arja down into ditching the coat and mittens. As a vanara her fighting often relied on agility, and it would be extremely hard to be agile in such bulky winter-wear.

Dawn crept her way through the building, her yellow eyes occasionally shining in the gloom as she made her way further and further towards what Dusty had told them. There was a hidden basement, all she had to do was know where it was and she could teleport them all in at once… and after a bit her sensitive ears picked up the sound of a lot of voices below her.

The cheshire focused, then suddenly was a good fifty feet straight down, standing on the ceiling, and wincing in shock.

There were a LOT of people down there… at least a few dozen that she could see, and she could tell that not all of them were human. A good chunk of ghouls obviously, or just mortal cronies hoping to get in on their master’s good graces to get offered their blood… but on the stage…

She narrowed her eyes, hissing, “Gotcha… ‘Al.’” she frowned, teleporting back to the bus and appearing in the front passenger seat.

“He’s here, and I don’t see his backup dancers anywhere so far.” she nodded.

Nelen grinned, cracking his knuckles, “Alright kids, lets go.” he nodded, taking Dawn’s hand and holding his back towards the rest. The other five put their hands on his and in a swirl of magic they all vanished!

The Hidden Basement under the Cartridge Company Building

“Now… I hear there’s been some bitching about the new policies…” began Al, the vampire prince wearing the same suit as before, but now with several fancy rings on his fingers and a pendant around his neck. He wore a thick pair of sunglasses over his eyes and a fedora hat. The sunglasses he felt made him look impressive, and the hat went with the suit.

He’d found Archibald’s old jewelry box and had taken some choice items. His left hand had several solid gold rings set with large gemstones etched with the image of strange creatures on them. On his ring finger was one with a huge ruby showing a shape like some strange lizard, his middle finger had an emerald with a scorpion design, and so on. The pendant was a stylized dragon, a symbol of power among some circles of vampires. Even among the undead, some believed in the power of the ’Son of the Dragon,’ Vlad Dracul.

“… and I heard rumors that one of our big shots has been staked.” he added, “I checked with my advisors, and ain’t nobody fuckin’ told me that the Mill Creek Monster got taken out! So those rumors stop NOW!” he slammed his fist down. “The Rat can do what he fuckin’ wants! If he wants to go play hide ‘n seek I don’t give a shit.”

There were several murmurs among the crowd, including among one very confused coterie who had been sent to the old Paper Mill personally by Astaroth… he had lied to the Prince about Clarence’s death? They saw some pretty obvious proof that he was gone for good…

“But the main thing is there’s still little chicken shits out there who don’t want to live like TRUE vampires!” he snarled, “We ain’t human, so stop pretendin’ to be! We’re BETTER than human! They’re our goddamn FOOD! They’re LESS than us! They don’t fuckin’ MATTER anymore unless they prove they do!”

The ghouls in the crowd shared worried looks at that, as did their mortal counterparts… as if they were just now realizing that they were swimming with the proverbial sharks. They looked to the vampires they served, but the undead refused to meet their gaze.

“I got Walter out tonight, ‘n he’s dealing with another group that was planning to ice me… so if anyone gets any dumb ideas…” he began…

… and that’s when the door to the basement was blasted off its hinges.

Wood splinters and embers soared over the heads of the crowd as a cry of alarm went up among the assembled undead and their minions and into the room rushed Nelen, a silver tipped stake already in hand, alongside Dawn whose hat and glasses were gone to reveal her feline features.

Stephy and Sammi came next, the changeling princess generating a swirl of ice and snow around his hand as the prince drew his blade and held it ready. Alongside them strode Natasha, her cane already opened to reveal her own weapon should it be needed.

Finally Arja jumped over the group and landed before them in her vanara form, her tail thrashing behind her as flames flickered behind her monkey-like fangs. She hated how cold it was here and was quite eager to turn up the heat. Simoni landed next to her, the garuda shedding her wings and scales to return to her human form.

“That’s ENOUGH!” snapped Stephy, stepping forward as he reached into his purse, pulling out a fresh bellbomb pepper. “We know who you really are! Did we not beat you badly enough last year ‘Al?’”

The prince rose from behind the podium where he’d taken shelter when the door was blown apart, hearing the changeling’s declaration… though, his reaction may not be what Stephy expected.

“… the fuck are you talking about? Who the hell ARE you?” he asked.

Stephy glared back, “Don’t play dumb! I heard Astaroth say your name and there’s only one ‘Al’ we know who could cause this much trouble!” he retorted… until he felt Nelen’s hand on his shoulder.

“Stephy…” he frowned, raising his eyebrow at the prince. “… that’s… not Al.”

“What?!” asked Stephy as Sammi faltered, his sword lowering a bit as Dawn stared at him. Arja and Simoni looked over their shoulders as well. Even Natasha looked surprised at this, glancing between him and the prince.

“Uh… well, that is my name…” commented the Prince. He was able to hear them even in the back, the basement had very good acoustics, and vampires had excellent hearing. The crowd was stunned, not sure how to react yet at the sudden interruption by a gaggle of supernaturals.

Stephy shook his head, “That’s the new prince! That’s the one who took over! We saw him in Dusty’s vision! That’s gotta be Al!” he insisted.

Nelen sighed, “Yeah, well Cernunnos can sense demonic auras and he says this guy is just another bloodsucker… That’s NOT Al!”

“Yes he is!” insisted the changeling.

“Yes I am…” commented the increasingly confused prince.

Stephy looked at the prince, then back at Nelen, “But… But I heard Astaroth…” he started, Nelen held up a hand however.

“Stephy… Did this guy say ‘Al,’ or did he say ‘Agaliarept?’” asked the magus in a rather strained tone.

“… er… he said… ‘Al.’” replied the changeling, their cheeks coloring as they began to realize their error.

“Stephy… do you know how COMMON a name like that is?” grimaced Nelen, “He could have been talking about an Albert, or an Alan, or an Alberto, or… THERE’S A LOT OF DAMN NAMES THAT START WITH ‘A L!’”

Dawn coughed, looking around, “Well… this got awkward in a hurry…” she muttered, glancing back at Nelen, “So… uh… Nelen, should I just yoink us outta here or…”

However as soon as she said that there was an audible snapping sound.

The group looked up, as did the assembled undead and their minions.

The prince’s face was an enraged grimace, his hand gripping the podium so hard he’d broken a chunk of it away, crushing it in his hand with his vampiric strength. “What… did you say his name was?” he asked.

Nelen frowned, stepping forward and looking straight at the prince’s face. “Its Nelen Fullmoon. Whats it to you Dracula?” he asked.

The prince stepped down from the podium, grinning at them… and it was a very nasty grin indeed. “Oh this is TOO fucking perfect! I’ve been waiting years for this!” he snarled, taking off his glasses and tossing his hat to the side.

Nelen squinted at his face, then his eyes widened, “You…” he glared back, “YOU MURDEROUS SON OF A BITCH!” he spat in fury as the rest of the group looked at the prince.

“Wait, Nelen… YOU know him?!” asked Stephy in shock.

“Oh I fucking know THIS piece of shit!” he growled, “He’s the reason I wound up saddled with a demon for a fucking decade!”

The vampire prince slowed to a halt, flexing his hands, “The little fag had it coming Fullmoon.” he retorted.

“SHUT YOUR GODSDAMN MOUTH MURDER!” he snapped, striding forward as if he’d forgotten all about the other undead in the room. “He’d never done anything to you, you wouldn’t have even known his fucking name if you hadn’t heard about him coming out… and what did you do?!”

Simoni stared, the pieces clicking together in her head, “Oh shit…”

“You and your rich asshole friends CHAINED HIM TO THE BACK OF YOUR TRUCK AND DRAGGED HIM UNTIL HIS BODY FELL APART!” he spat, every line in his face showing nothing but blind fury. “Yeah, I know exactly who this fucker is…” he growled, “Alfred Ludsthorp… heir to one of the local political dynasties… and someone who should be trapped in the quarantine ward at St. Elizabeth for the rest of his pathetic life.”

There was silence all around. Nelen’s allies knew his story now, about how his friend had come out as gay in the days before it was even remotely safe to do so, how the wrong people had heard about it, and how he had been tortured to death by a group of their well-to-do classmates.

How, when one of them went to his father to protect them, he was able to get away without even so much as being arrested because his father put pressure on the police to ignore the crime. How this drove Nelen to seek revenge in the worst way possible. He could have simply beaten them to a pulp with his own inborn Fullmoon strength… but instead he’d gone with something much darker.

He wanted those who had tortured his friend to death to suffer for what they’d done… and he made a deal with something awful to do it.

Standing before them was the man who had committed the murder that had sent Nelen down the road that led to him making a pact with Merihim, Demon of the Court of Wrath.

One Year Ago…

Francis Ludsthorp was a broken man. He had spent every cent he had to try to cure his son, to no avail. Antibiotics were useless, gene therapy was a lost cause, they’d even tried experimental radiation therapy without success.

He was running out of money. His political career was in shambles. About four years after his son wound up hospitalized his personal financial records had been stolen and leaked onto the internet showing how he’d been embezzling funds from the local government to line his own pockets. How he’d been using them to pay off investigators… there were even videos of the more recent meetings (god only knew how! The video looked like it was recorded from the ceiling!) A recall vote came shortly after, and when the dust settled nobody would trust him to run a gas station nevermind hold public office.

Then, one day, he got a call from the hospital. That year, just near the tail end of February, his son’s disease had just… stopped. It’d just vanished, all trace of it in his body. The virus cells were just suddenly gone.

He’d almost called it a miracle, until the hospital told him the rest of the story. The virus was gone, but the damage had been done. His son’s body was a disaster. The disease was akin to leprosy with a nasty grudge against its host and ten times more destructive than any strain they’d ever seen. Alfred would likely never walk again, his arms were atrophied to the point of uselessness, he was almost totally blind, it was a miracle he was alive at all…

Desperation took him. He wanted something, ANYTHING, that could help his son… and after weeks of searching, he found his chance.

The more superstitious doctors had commented that this disease almost seemed more like being cursed than sick with how little effect medicine had on it… and why not replace one curse with another. He was in politics, he always knew that there were some extreme ways to get power in the Greater Cincinnati Area… well, maybe that could save his son.

Thus, in the dead of night, he brought his son to a secluded warehouse, and met a man he would only ever know as William.

He didn’t stay to watch the deed get done, he couldn’t stand to see such a thing happen. Once it was over he insisted on taking his son home with him, despite William's warnings not to.

That next evening he went into his son’s bedroom to find him sitting up in bed, looking straight at him.

Francis ran forward to embrace his boy… and found out why William had tried to convince him to leave his son with him instead.

When Alfred finished with his father, and facing the horror of what he had done, William was waiting for him… and that was where his life as a human being had ended.

The Cartridge Company Basement, Present Day

The room was deathly silent, Nelen and Alfred staring each other down… then suddenly there was a small snicker.

“Wait… his name was Alfred all this time?” asked Dawn, “Like… Batman’s butler?” she snorted as Sammi put a hand to his mouth, trying to hide his grin as he held his rapier ready. Even Arja had to let out a small chuckle at that.

The prince’s eye twitched, his vampiric hearing able to pick out several stifled chuckles from the crowd as a few others made the connection themselves.

Nelen ignored her though, “How the hells did a worthless sack of crap like you wind up as the Prince?” he demanded.

Alfred sneered, “Like I’d tell you Fullmoon… but you’re right, I am in charge here… EVERYONE!” he snapped his fingers, “This is an order from your Boss! KILL ‘EM!” he shouted!

Nelen blinked, then remembered he was surrounded by the prince’s allies. “Fuck.” he whispered, then an instant later he vanished and reappeared behind the others as Stephy and Simoni ran forward and tore the stems off a pair of bellbomb peppers.

“BOMBS AWAY!” shouted Simoni, throwing her’s to the right as Stephy threw his to the left, the plants landing amid the crowd of vampires and their minions.

“Hope you guys like it spicy!” laughed Stephy as the peppers exploded into a massive cloud of capuchin and glamour, cries of pain erupting from within the mob as Arja moved forward, took a deep breath, and exhaled a huge cone of flame directly at Alfred!

The prince’s eyes widened as he grimaced, a wall of fire racing directly towards him! “SHIT!” he cried out, covering his face with his hands, and the flames hit home, blasting out around his form and scorching anyone too close to flee in time!

Several ghouls and a couple vampires went down, the latter screaming in terror as the flames ate away at their undead flesh… and then the flames died to reveal the prince crouching defensively… but totally unhurt.

Alfred looked up, clearly every bit as surprised as Arja was, a strange glow fading from the ruby ring he wore. “… uh… yeah… totally knew that’d happen…” he coughed, standing up, “WELL? DON’T JUST STAND THERE! GET THEM DAMMIT!” he shouted.

At this point the mob was quite likely to agree with them, several of them half blind and in pain from the peppery goblin fruit, the others recognizing that whoever they were they were definitely their enemies! All around them they could hear the cock of handguns, the sound of knives being drawn from boots or belt sheathes, and see the vampires assembled readying their own attacks.

“Dammit! DAWN!” yelled Nelen, “PLAN FIFTY THREE!”

Dawn nodded, then the group huddled together as she focused, and with a loud thunderclap they vanished from the room.

Plan Fifty Three: RUN LIKE HELL!

The group reappeared on the ground level outside, next to where Nelen had hidden their vehicle. “GO GO GO! GET INSIDE NOW!” he shouted, running towards the driver’s side as he fumbled with the keys, the rest of the group frantically rushing into their seats and bracing themselves.

Nelen stomped the gas hard and the van lurched forward, then he spun it around and gunned the engine as hard as it would let him go as the doors to the building burst open and after a few minutes several cars raced out of the parking lot after them!

Dawn glanced at the mirror and let out a low whining meow, “Neleeeeeeeeen! They’re coming!” she warned.

“Yeah! I noticed!” snapped the magus, pushing the engine until it cried as he tried to gain distance… but this vehicle had been built for hauling, not speed! “Shit, can SOMEONE slow them down?!” he asked.

Simoni whined, looking outside, but trying to fly in that chill would be borderline impossible! She’d be an ice cube before they got halfway above them...

For Stephy however… “Dawn! Get me and Sammi onto the roof!” he nodded, shrugging off his jacket and kicking off his boots. The cheshire nodded and grabbed both their hands, then teleported them up ontop of the van before warping herself quickly back inside as Stephy transformed, spreading his wings and trying to hold onto the swerving vehicle with his talons as Nelen fought with the icy roads below.

Sammi took his sibling’s purse, then climbed atop his back and nodded to him, the changeling princess letting out a loud birdlike cry as they took to the air!

Stephy yelped in surprise as the cars shot past below them, then whistled up a sharp tailwind and shot forward after them as Sammi dug through his purse. “Moving too fast to freeze the roads under them… bellbombs are worthless, they’ll have the windows up… no… not this one either… AHA!” he nodded, pulling out what looked like a strange straw doll, but made from a thorny vine rather than straw. “Stephy! Get ahead of them if you can!” he nodded.

Stephy focused, then let out another cry as they shot forward, the princess glancing below, then Sammi nodded and took the doll, gritting his teeth as he intentionally drew a thorn over his finger. “A little red water to help you grow m’dear…” he whispered, then tossed it down infront of the cars. It missed the first two, landed right infront of a second pair, and by the time the two following them reached that spot the drivers found a rather nasty surprise! The road was suddenly covered with a huge mass of razor sharp, unnaturally strong, and four-inch-long thorns! There were several loud bangs and their cars spun out of control as their tires were shredded to ribbons!

“Nice throw!” grinned Stephy, then he shrieked as several loud bangs came from below them. Their pursuers had realized they had enemies above, and they’d come prepared for a fight! Bullets whizzed by them as Stephy flapped to slow down, narrowly dodging a hail of lead… but this meant the windows were open now.

“Sammi! Get ready!” he nodded, shooting forward in the sky and angling downwards. They drew nearly level with the ground as Sammi pulled a bellbomb pepper out of his purse, biting the stem off… and as soon as they got close enough to one of the cars he threw it in through the passenger window and Stephy immediately flapped as hard as he could to regain altitude!

They were close long enough to hear, ‘is that a fucking pepper?’ before there was a massive splattery sound and the windows were covered in pulp and spices, screams coming from inside as the car swerved out of control before crashing into a ditch!

The changeling princess yelped as another spray of bullets shot up from below… then they looked forward to see the backdoor of the van opening.

Dawn was there, holding onto a handle built into the back of the van, and she was holding something… She grinned, then opened a cardboard box and poured out what looked like a bunch of shining metal objects, and another car went spinning out of control before slamming headlong into a tree!

That still left two though, and they were close enough to get a clear shot now! Several gunshots rang out, but the shadows under the door suddenly stretched down and hardened, and the bullets bounced off the barrier of darkness it created!

Of course… all this chaos couldn’t go unnoticed forever… and Sammi looked out across the snowy landscape to see something else on a nearby road. Several vehicles were approaching at speed, with flashing red and blue lights. “Oh oak and ash… someone called the police!” he swore, “Stephy!”

“I know I know… dammit what are we gonna do…” he whined, looking around. It’d be foolish to assume that the local vampire courts wouldn’t have agents in law enforcement. They could easily arrange for an ‘accident’ to occur in custody, it happened often enough already!

Then they saw ahead of them, a large bridge, a covered bridge to be specific. “Sammi… I know its dangerous around here… but we don’t really have any other choice!”

Sammi frowned, “I fear you’re right… blast it all, we’ll just have to take the risk!” he nodded as the two focused on the archway the bridge made and drew upon their own connection to the Wyrd.

Inside the van Nelen’s knuckles were almost white as he raced towards the bridge, bullets whizzing past on both sides of the vehicle as Arja and Simoni held on for dear life.

Suddenly, the space infront of him seemed to distort, the magus frowning. “What the… OH SHIT!” he swore as he realized what he was seeing, the view of the bridge shifting to reveal a pathway of thorn covered trees in a moonlit forest. “KIDS! HANG ON TIGHT!” he shouted as the van barreled over the bridge, the two cars behind it swerving to a halt as they saw the strange display… just in time for Sammi and Stephy to shoot past above them through the gateway, the portal slamming shut as the bridge returned to normal.

“The fuck was that…” asked one of the drivers as they got out of the car, staring at where the van had disappeared.

“Man I got no damn clue… c’mon, lets head back.” replied the other as they got back in their cars.

Soon the police arrived and took stock of the carnage along the roadside and the four wrecked vehicles… but of the van there was no sign.

Somewhere else…

Nelen slumped over the steering wheel of the van, the front end totaled from where it’d hit one of the trees. He raised his head with a groan, then looked around…

He’d grown up around here, he knew most of the area, but this was well beyond the fields he knew.

Stephy and Sammi had saved them from their pursuers and local law enforcement by sending them into the depths of the Hedge.

Next Story

Previous Story

[reflection-s-of-stars]

My cover of Prayer to the Moon, from Vanara, by Eva Noblezada!

[yourplayersaidwhat]

I'm not sticking my arm in there. I like my arms that's where my hands live.

So i was playing a war campaign in pathfinder with my friends I was playing a female half-elf monk who secretly wanted to be the best ninja to ever ninja. our part consisted of me, a female vanara monk, a dwarf paladin, an ironborn cleric, a male dhampir fighter/duelist, a  male ifrit mage, and a female teifling rogue. and we had a two helpful npcs a male human thief who we coerced into joining us after he stole the dhampir’s sword and our commander a male human fighter/duelist. 

we where in the sewers looking for a strange alchemical monstrosity kidnapping people. out of all the party the two monks me and my self proclaimed mentor where the fastest and had managed to follow the thing to a strange door covered in a strange purple goo we didn’t manage to get inside before it closed us out however. there was a hole in the wall next to the door and it was oozing that purple goo everywhere.

Me: well that’s just great… now how are we getting in?

Vanara monk: let me just… *she tires to use her hooked staff to open the door and it doesn’t budge* well it knows how to operate a lock that’s much is sure.

Me: what kind of idiot doesn’t lock the door behind them when they are being chased?

Vanara monk: fair point…

we look around and find the hold in the wall.

Vanara monk: maybe that’s a way in?

Me: yeah no i’m not sticking my hand in there with our luck something will bite it off.

Vanara monk: *chuckles* we are in a sewer i know it’s a bit unpleasant but i don’t think it’s that dangerous.

Me: I’m still not sticking my arm in there. I like my arms that’s where my hands live. you can do it. or we could you know be smart about this and - *sees her go to stick hand in the hole* What are you doing?!

Vanara monk:  *ignoring me sticks her hand into the purple ooze* i’m sticking my hand in to the hole to find a switch.

DM: Roll Will and Constitution saves.

Me ooc: i told you not to stick your hand in there! the only holes that exist in walls are murder holes!

the other members of the party and the DM crack up at that.

Vanara monk ooc: Fuck. makes rolls and rolls a 2 for both. she almost nat1’d

DM: hoo… you take severe poison damage and are paralyzed and confused. roll for damage.

vanara monk ooc: FUCK! 

Me: WHY DID YOU STICK YOU HAND INTO THE MURDER HOLE?!

Duelist from a few bends down hears me scream: Wait what? who the hell stuck their hand into a hole in the wall?

Cleric ooc: guys can you stop being stupid for like 5 minutes?!

Cleric:  *also hearing my scream* *sigh* looks like I need to run faster.

[sinceseptemberband]

Jacob Oliver Fowler

Jacob Oliver Fowler is a singer-songwriter originally from Nottingham, East Midlands, London and was born on March 2, 2000 (His height is 5'9'' -175cm-), He’s a Pisces and because he loves bathing, his bandmates say he is literally a fish.

From a very young age he is a musical theatre star. Jacob’s mum is his biggest critic and pretends she’s his manager, meanwhile his Dad - who has always sang around the house - is his biggest inspiration. Uploaded a video of himself in Year 7 singing Make You Feel My Love by Adele onto YouTube because he wanted to be noticed by a girl he fancied, and suddenly his fellow students saw he could sing!

He attended Trinity School Aspley and went on to graduate with a degree in Musical Theatre from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London.

Musical theatre experience

Top Hat (at the school)

Life is a Cabaret, old chum (2019)

Catfish the musical (2020) (Soundtrack, Composer: Willy Mukendi, Joseph Purdue)

Kings of Broadway (2020)

Disappear from The Burnt Part (2021)

In Pieces (August 2021)

Roles we'll never play (August 2021)

Vanara (September 2021)

Heathers Musical (December 2021)

His dream role in the theater would be the ‘Phantom’ of Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s success, The Phantom of the Opera. He’s  a super fan of Adele and Sam Smith.

His voice is distinctive and full of soul, captivating his listener through his relatable lyrics and memorable melody. He has released some singles:

Do You Ever (2019)

No Warning (2019)

Between the Lines (2020)

Know Where You Go (2020)

Covers

Burning (Sam Smith Cover)

Someone You Love (Lewis Capaldi Cover)

Falling (Harry Styles Cover)

Before You Go (Lewis Capaldi Cover)

In his audition for Little Mix: The Search he sang Bruises by Lewis Capaldi.

In the band, Fowler sings and is responsible for the keyboards.

Solo gigs and live concerts

Airwaves Festival at home

Jacob with Scott Alan at The Crazy Coqs

[rasenkaikyo]

Risks

previously

with @cogflox and @sylvan-rain

The rakshasa locks its glassy, dead eyes with Hinako's and charges forth with reckless abandon.

Hinako slips a little against the ground and is caught offguard by the beast's ferocity, as it knocks her to the side.

“Oof!” Hinako staggers back up to her feet and readies her counterattack, Masakaki firmly in hand. "Fuu!" she sends forth a fierce gust of wind at the rakshasa, a beast in the appearance of a ghastly, oversized vanara, but it leaps to the side and rebounds off the nearest rock-face. “?!” The corrupted vanara flies with all its force at Hinako! She parries and quickly leaps back to a safe distance from her assailant. Hinako then senses another soul somewhere near her flank. This one is not so corrupt but she's not quite able to read it as a civilian. "Who goes there?!"

Yue had been walking to Namai when she heard sounds of battle. She drew her lance and made her way to the sounds, spotting a priestess locked in combat with a ferocious beast. She leaps into action without a word, falling atop the monster from above with her lance.

After impacting, she falls back to the woman's side. "Are you hurt?!"

"Ah?!" Hinako looks with a measure of surprise. "--I’m fine. Just a little scoffed up. This one's proving to be quite tricky."  The rakshasa utters another inhuman scream, taken back by the new arrival to the fray. "Ahh... Well, then, let me help you dispatch it!" She stands in front of the stranger as the beast charges again, dancing around its teeth and claws. She strikes with all the precision of an Ishgardian-trained Dragoon, piercing its hide. The beast steps back a bit at Yue's strike before lunging again at her with its maw open in an attempt to clamp down. Yue twirls out of the way, now displaying some of her Far Eastern spearfighting, though she lacked her naginata. She lunges forward at the beast again, intent on striking it in the throat.The strike lands in its neck, causing it to reel and flail aggressively, and in attempt to get Yue to back off. Hinako, meanwhile, regains her focus and twirls her staff.

This felt like the place. The Madou energy radiated a bit to the east, growing stronger with every beat of Ginga's wings. "Hurry, Ginga! We've got duties to carry out."

"Chi!" Hinako calls out, and a path of stone after stone rises up from the ground to meet with the rakshasa. It is knocked briefly upward by the sharp force as the very earth shot up below it. It tries to regain its footing to ready its next attack.

"Hm..?" Below Sylvan was a girl doing battle with whatever this creature was that gave off a Madou signature. Instead of instructing Ginga to descend she shakes her head, waits and observes. "Pretty impressive for a random adventurer. "That other one.." she mumbles to herself, seeing Yue. "Is that..?"

"Huh...?" Something nearly gave Hinako pause before the rakshasa opened its maw once more, and a sphere of aether gathered therein. It let it loose as a rapid, erratic beam of energy that ripped through the ground toward Hinako and Yue. "Ah! Look out!" Yue stood in front of the stranger to take the hit, but it misses. "Oh..." Instead, she takes to the air, coming down hard once again on the rakshasa. The rakshasa pushes back to knock Yue away while Hinako, having stepped to its side, casts another rush of sharp wind at the beast. The rakshasa howls out as it is taken with the violent gust, while Sylvan lands at the side of its opponents. Yue Dustdreamer's eyes grow wide with awe upon seeing Sylvan Rain. Hinako looks to the second newcomer. "Hey, wait.. do I..." Sylvan Rain disagrees with Hinako Daigo.

"Ah!! I know you! You are... Woodland Showers!" She smiles. It has been so long, hasn't it? "Ah.. Close.. Sylvan Rain.." she says, chuckling. Her attention quickly returns to the creature before them. This feeling it gave off, it was familiar. Something she'd felt with the Makai. Why was it here? "Seems you have a bit of a problem on your hands." Yue turns her attention back to the rakshasa. "Oh, yes... just a little." The rakshasa growled at the presence of Sylvan, taking a defensive stance. "It is a bit of a rough job,” Hinako says. Sure wasn't sure what to make of the energies Sylvan emanated, although they were somewhat familiar in a way.

Unsure of what this thing could do, Sylvan decides to test it from a distance. She takes a sharp breath inward and suddenly, there is a sudden surge in power that courses through her body. She brings her right fist down, the glowing metal gauntlet that covers it cracking through the ground beneath them and bringing forward a streak of energy that would shoot along the ground toward the beast.  It jumps to the side and trembles violently, before bounding at the group, claw poised to swipe at Sylvan! The rakshasa reaches to attack her and instead of stepping off to the side she dashes forward. Sylvan calls out, her voice echoing unnaturally as the aether filled her body again. With a grunt and what could be described as a growl, she stops the attack with her gauntlets crossed one over the other.

"Now, someone kill this damned thing!"

The rakshasa is dumbstruck, shaking and struggling to push down on Sylvan but being met with fierce resistance.

Yue glances back at the stranger. "Go on! It was yours, was it not?" Hinako nods, before gathering energies from within as the air kicked up around her. Sylvan burns with aether visibly, like it's seeping from her very body. Another gutteral sound wells up from within her as she keeps the rakshasa from moving, the ground around her feet cracking.

Instead, the Rakshasa suddenly breaks its attack from Sylvan and recedes a bit, before leaping ahead in an upward arch. The rakshasa lands behind them and whips its tail at Hinako! "Tch.. nimble thing..", Sylvan utters. Hinako swoops around and jumps away in all possible swiftness. "Confound it..."

Seeing the spell miss, Yue leaps to the air for one final jump attack. The rakshasa takes the aerial strike in the shoulder as Yue lands on it, and an inky blackness sprays forth from ensuing wound. It screams and writhes and in its haste emits twin beams of lightning aether in a conal at Sylvan and Hinako. Sylvan runs in front of Hinako and throws a punch wrapped in aether at the beam, splitting it in two around them. Yue attempts to keep it pinned down so one of the others could finish it off.

"!!" Hinako tries hard to concentrate.

As the rakshasa struggles to Yue's actions, Hinako readies her spell once more… "Mabatake!!" Hinako calls out as she twirls her shakujo and emits a purifying blast of pure white aether. The rakshasa is brought onto its hind legs, prompting Yue to jump off, but then is... frozen in place, like a statue. It is an open target for Sylvan's final strike. Yue leaps back so they can finish it!

There's some time so Sylvan smirks to herself, and takes in a deep breath. Energy from the ground, trees and the very air around them fills Sylvan and she begins to glow once again. "Now then.. You've been here long enough. Back to where you come from, and take that Madou with you!" She keeps it simple and channels all of that aether into her right fist, sending it forward and plunging into the rakshasa's face.

The beast is sent flying back as if with great force, scraping hard against the ground, howling once more in pain before it tumbles to a stop... Broken, it struggles in vain before truly collapsing, dissipating into aether and returning to whence it came.

"Well then.." Sylvan Rain looks around. Yue Dustdreamer celebrates victory. Hinako sighs and returns Masakaki to her back.

"That monster was quite difficult! I am glad we all came together to stop it." Yue looks to Sylvan. "I'd heard you were lost here in Doma... Well, I am glad I found you! I can guide you back home." Yue Dustdreamer motions joyfully to Sylvan Rain.

The aether of the creature disappears leaving Sylvan momentarily puzzled. Did she imagine that feeling of Madou? She looks over her shoulder to the others and she smiles, knowing there was no point in worrying. "To put it simply, yes I was lost after the fall of Doma Castle. For a time, anyway. "I've already seen Ashelia and some of the others. Not to worry."

"Oh! Well, at least they know. But if you really need help getting home I can point you in the right direction." Yue nods to herself, satisfied with Sylvan's safety even though she apparently lacks any sense of direction, and then turns to the stranger.

Hinako shrugs gently and approaches the two. Hinako Daigo performs an Eastern bow. "Both of you, I thank you for your help. It seems... you two are acquainted?"

Sylvan Rain performs an Eastern bow before Hinako Daigo. Yue Dustdreamer performs an Eastern bow before Hinako Daigo.

"You did well to hold up against such a creature!” Sylvan replies. “And yes we belong to the same Free Company, though I've had my attention.. Elsewhere."

Yue follows up. "We are members of the same company, actually! It is quite the coincidence that we crossed paths here. "I am here to help with the reconstruction effort, you see." Sylvan Rain nods to Yue Dustdreamer. "Ah! I've helped with the restoration as well! Heavy lifting." Sylvan smiles at Hinako.

Hinako smiles back. "I see! A blessing, indeed, to see you two meet under such circumstances. As you can see, as is, there is no such shortage of work to do." She looks to Sylvan. "I thought I might have seen you around. I too have been regularly visiting the Enclave. "Pray forgive-- Hinako Daigo. It is a pleasure." She bows courteously.

"Sylvan Rain." Sylvan Rain bows courteously to Hinako Daigo. "Oh! Nice to meet you, Hinako. I am called Yue!" Yue Dustdreamer bows courteously to Hinako Daigo.

Hinako nods to Yue. "Well met."

"Do you live here in Doma?" Yue asks.

"Here, and there. I hailed from Iwa-no-Sato, to the north. At least until the Empire encroached. I have no permanent settlement here now, but I no less call Doma home."

"Ohh... so you have been hurt by the Empire too. I am sorry. I... have come to know how that feels."

"You displayed impressive power back there,” Sylvan says. “It seems you're experienced with such creatures."

Hinako nods. "Iwa had a beautiful shrine, and we priests not only took to honor its upkeep, but worked abroad to assess other spiritual dangers. You could say that fiend we encountered was all in due course."

Yue stiffens at her words. "Shrine? Priests...?" "Yes? Are you alright, Miss Yue?" She wouldn't convey it, but now that the dust had settled Hinako could certainly sense that something was slightly amiss.

Yue Dustdreamer disagrees vehemently with Hinako Daigo.

"Oh, yes, I am quite well! It's just, um, I had a run-in with a shrine maiden some time ago who made some frightful claims about me… "But she most certainly had me mistaken for someone else."

Sylvan smiles with a certain understanding of Hinako she was saying. It sounded similar to the order of the Makai Priests and Priestesses. "As strong as you may be it may be wise not to take on such dangers alone."

"I see..." Hinako simpers at Yue and looks back to Sylvan, conceding. "Yes, I suppose I got in a little too deep. At the least I might have wound up with a little more to show than dirt on my robes." “It is quite fortunate we all crossed paths, then," Yue said. "You show much promise." The smile Sylvan gave was warm, friendly. Like they'd been friends for a long time. And her words, she spoke as if they were fact. "One day you will be greater than you realize." Hinako smiles weakly at Sylvan Rain.

"Ooh, you've never said such things about me, Sylvan!" Yue exclaims.

"You have a whole company to train with and nurture your ability!" Sylvan Rain questions Yue Dustdreamer.

Yue smiles. "Ah! Yes, I do! Hinako, do you?" Yue smiles at Hinako with wide eyes which blink far less often than a normal person's, which is just enough to make some people uncomfortable.

Hinako, undeterred by Yue's peculiarities, mulled her question over for a second. "...Not anymore. I recently parted ways with my last employer on good terms."

"Then why don't you come with us?" Yue asked. "Oh, only if you promise not to call me Nodoka like that last shrine maiden did! It was quite strange. "That is, if you'd like some new friends. Or a place to go. Or someone to help you reconstruct Doma. But I must warn you, it's quite far. So it is very understandable that Sylvan got so lost."

"I was not lost." Sylvan rebuffed so promptly. "It's.. complicated. I will explain another time." Sylvan Rain shrugs at Yue Dustdreamer. Yue Dustdreamer shrugs at Sylvan Rain.

"Nodoka..." Why did that ring a bell to Hinako? "...If you insist. I would pray ask something, then.

"You mentioned an Ashelia. Would that be an Ashelia... Riot?"

Yue Dustdreamer looks at Hinako Daigo in surprise. "Ah! Do you know Lady Ashelia?" Sylvan quirks an eyebrow, wondering how it is she knows Ashelia.

"I might be familiar with the name. That would mean, then, that you two are Riskbreakers!" Yue Dustdreamer motions joyfully to Hinako Daigo. Sylvan Rain nods to Hinako Daigo.

"Yes, we are!" Yue says. "Wow... I never thought I would be famous..." Yue Dustdreamer seems lost in thought.

Hinako Daigo looks surprised!

"What an auspicious encounter, indeed! It is as the kami conspired to arrange it. If you invite me to yours then I would gladly accompany you." Hinako Daigo is positively beaming. Yue Dustdreamer shows Hinako Daigo her uncontainable jubilation!

"It should be possible for me to transfer you with me through the aether should you not have the ability to travel over long distances in such a way," Sylvan proceeds to explain.

Yue Dustdreamer's eyes grow wide with awe upon seeing Sylvan Rain. "Wow, so you really were not lost… Amazing!”

Sylvan realizes she hasn't discussed the new extent of her abilities with anyone, but continues on. "It would be fastest. Should you wish to travel in such a way, I mean."

"I should make it clear that that is not something all Riskbreakers can do, just so you know..." Yue says. "I can teleport quite far, but with help."

"Travel by tenkonto, yes?” Hinako inquires. “It might be for the best, considering the traditional alternatives." Sylvan Rain nods to Hinako Daigo.

"Have you ever been to Eorzea?" Yue asks Hinako.

"Quite. I have spent moons and then some there, following Doma's fall, and I have seen much of its ... unique splendor."

“"Well, that is perfect!”

"If you'll both hold onto me I will get us there,” Sylvan says.

"Very well," Hinako replies as she reaches out to Sylvan. Yue does the same.

Again, Sylvan centers herself and this time ensures that the build of aether is slow. She combines her own aether with the aether of the planet, and to the two others with her. Soon the aether of the planet would 'grab' onto theirs and whisk them away to Eorzea, through the very energy of the planet itself.

[strings2book]

👉𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊:- 📚ⓉⒾⓉⓁⒺ:- Like the Radiant Sun 🖋️ⒶⓊⓉⒽⓄⓇ:- Anu kay 🗞️ⓅⓊⒷⓁⒾⓈⒽⒺⓇ:- The Write Place Publication 🔤ⓁⒶⓃⒼⓊⒶⒼⒺ:- English 📖ⒻⓄⓇⓂⒶⓉ:- Ebook 👉𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒:- This is the story of Rohan Sharma who is an archaeologist & he is in Vanaras to renovate an ancient Shiv temple. He then found an old manuscript of Marma kala which seemed to be an interesting one for him. When he started entering into its depth many suspicious events started taking place in his life. . He marked an old lady is behind him like his shadow & following him. Not only that but number of deaths also started taking place which somehow linked with this manuscript. . To know more what happened next grab the book & give it a try. 👉𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐒 :- 🙂 Cover of the book is ok ok. I eventually don't like this perticular one because I think there is enough room to create an eye catchy cover the present one is a shuttle simple one that not justifying the intensity of storyline. 🙂 Writing style of the book is quite perfect. It's nicely blend with the mythological aspect author wants to portray in the book in a most intriguing manner. 🙂 Language used in the book is quite nice & easily understandable. It beautifully blend with the real emotion of the book that helps you a lot to understand the book more perfectly. 🙂 Mythological fiction books are hard to write. As you have to be accurate & factually correct what you are writing otherwise it can easily become a controversial one. But author nicely penned down the book. 🙂 The narration of the book is good too. Author kept it little bit diversified with mix approach of the storyline which eventually connects with you while reading it. 🙂 The use of Sanskrit shlokas in between along with there meanings add an extra crunch to the reading experience. 🙂 Pace of the book is moderate. It's not that fast nor that slow either. Some parts author nicely maintained the pace giving justification to the plot line but some parts author described it in such a detailed manner it eventually dragged the storyline & ruined the reading intrest. 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑:-🌟🌟🌟🌟 (at ITER) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbtwbKarrqO/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thegooseme]

The GOOSE Shoe

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[7h1ef0fr05e]

Get a room you 4

So last time, the tunnel started collapsing, fortunately, everyone in the party has a method of teleportation. The problem is that an entire chunk of the mountain collapsing is that it attracts unwanted attention, like a bunch of wyverns.

Combat ensues, 3 wyverns, including a beefed up, fire breathing chonker wyvern VS the party - 1 + Bulirn. It is long, Bulirn takes a fire blast point blank, Acchak 1v1 a wyvern and manages to not get hit once, Zephyr thinks it’s a good idea to fireball a fire breathing dragon.

Eventually they kill them all and finally finally get out of Mount Calzarath, arriving at a charming little beach with an empty looking and unfinished castle.

They decide to camp behind a hill away from the beach and figure out how to deal with Bulirn. The next day, the twins have disappeared, construction noise can be heard from the castle and Talirn is still a Bulette, so tough shit. One crowley summoning and scouting later, they find out that someone fitting the description of Vanara, Talirn’s last sibling, is inside the finished tower, but before they deal with that, they need to do something about Bulirn, Mug and Acchak eventually team up to pelt it with spells till he dies, which takes a while. Gooey, naked and covered in blood, Talirn emerges from the entrails of the Bulette, remembering everything that happened. 

All the comossion attracts the attention of the morx workers who notify the owner of the castle, Heidra Von Henerach, Talirn’s father, who proceeds to be a stereotypical member of the bourgeoisie and talk down on everyone in the party, they also learn that Gelern and Loeta got caught and are being scolded and sent back to the continent.

While this is happening, a flying and invisible Zero goes to free Vanara, which goes poorly because she doesn’t want to be saved, they spend the rest of the day bickering. After a brief talk with Talirn, Vanara goes back to her tower, failing to notice the Mork standing away from the group, hands on his eyes.

His name is Ajax the lesser, soft spoken mama’s boy and the famed groom.

[templesinindia]

Amazing Seashore Temples of India

We always see a temple or any religious place in terms of spirituality and religiosity. It is not just that, if seen in a traveller's perspective you can find interesting aspects about the place. The list of famous temples caters to every kind, the devotees, the photography fanatics, the history buffs, and the experience seekers as well.

Shree Somnath Temple-Prabhas Patan, Veraval, Gujarat, India 

The site of Somnath has been a pilgrimage site from ancient times on account of being a triveni sangam (the confluence of three rivers: Kapila, Hiran and the mythical Sarasvati). Soma, the Moon god, is believed to have lost his lustre due to a curse, and he bathed in the Sarasvati River at this site to regain it. To read more click the below link

Shree Somnath Temple

Sri Murudeshwara Temple-Bhatkal, Uttara Kannada (Karwar), Karnataka, India 

Ravana lost Atma-Linga to Sri Vinayaka and decided to destroy it. Finally he threw the cloth covering the Atma-Linga to a place called Mrideshwar and the temple is said to be built around that piece of linga. To read more click the below link

Sri Murudeshwara Temple

Shree Koteshwar Mahadev Temple-Narayan Sarovar, Kutch, Gujarat, India 

Ravana, in his arrogant haste, accidentally dropped and it fell to earth at Koteshwar. To punish Ravana for his carelessness, the linga turned into a thousand identical ones. Unable to distinguish the original, Ravana grabbed one and departed, leaving the original one here. To read more click the below link

Shree Koteshwar Mahadev Temple

Shree Bhadreshwar Jain Temple Bhadreshwar, Mandvi, Gujarat, India

Built in the line of Dilwara Temples, the temple complex has 53 shrines, a major central temple and 52 minor shrines around it, one of which reputedly holds the original Parshwanath idol from 500 B.C. To read more click the below link

Shree Bhadreshwar Jain Temple

Shri Benth Dwarkadhish Temple-Beyt Dwarka, Okhamandal, Gujarat, India 

Bet Dwarka is believed to have been the actual residential place of Lord Krishna during his ruling years at Dwarka. In Mahabharata we often come across the reference of Bet Dwarka known by the name of ‘Antardvipa’ to which people of the Yadava clan needed to travel by boat. To read more click the below link

Shri Benth Dwarkadish Temple

Mul Dwarka Temple-Visavada, Porbandar, Gujarat, India

It is believed when Lord Krishna travelled from Mathura to Dwaraka he first established himself in Mool Dwarka and a stone slab commemorating his arrival here. To read more click the below link

Mul Dwaraka Temple

Mukti Dwaraka Temple-Prabhas Patan, Veraval, Gujarat, India

It was from this place Lord Sri Krishna vanished and climbed to Srivaikuntam according to the solicitation of the devas. Krishna, reclining under a pipal tree was shot in the foot by a Bhil huntsman named Jara called Dehotsarg. To read more click the below

Mukti Dwaraka Temple

Shri Chandrabhaga Shakti Peeth Temple-Prabhas Patan, Junagadh, Gujarat, India

It is the place where Sati’s Udara (Stomach) fell and the idol of Devi Sati is worshipped as Maa Chandrabhaga (the moon goddess) and Lord Shiva as Vakratunda (one with a curved body). To read more click the below link

Shri Chandrabhaga Shakti Peeth Temple

Nishkalank Mahadev Temple-Koliyak, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India

The temple is believed to be built by the Pandavas after the Kurukshetra War and has 5 swayambhu Shiva lingams with Nandi statues facing them. This temple is submerged during high tides in the sea and emerges during low tides to reveal itself majestically twice a day. To read more click the below link

Nishkalank Mahadev Temple

Sri Janardhana Swamy Temple-Varkala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

Lord Brahma came to the earth to perform a Yaga here, immersed in doing that he forgot his job of creation. Lord Vishnu came to Varkala to remind Lord Brahma about it in the form of a very old man. To read more click the below link

Sri janardhana Swamy Temple

Shri Bhagavathi Amman Temple-Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu, India

Kanyakumari Temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. It is believed that the back spine area of Sati’s corpse fell here creating the presence of Kundalini Shakti in the region. To read more click the below link

Shri Bhagavathi Amman Temple

Tiruchendur Subramanya Swamy Temple-Tiruchendur, Thoothukudi, Tamilnadu, India

Muruga came here for the conquest along with his army, he found it to be very small and ordered the celestial architect Viswakarma to expand it and is believed to be the place where Muruga conquered the demon Surapadma. To read more click the below link

Tiruchendur Subramanya Swamy Temple

Sri RamanathaSwamy Temple-Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram, Tamilnadu, India

Rama, the seventh avatar of the god Vishnu, built from sand and prayed to this Linga of Shiva to absolve him of the sin committed during his war against the king Ravana in Sri Lanka. To read more click the below link

Sri Ramanatha Swamy Temple

Sri Kodandaramar Temple-Rameswaram, Tamilnadu, India

The temple is believed to be the place where Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana, asked Rama and his vanara (ape men) army for refuge and is the only historical structure to survive the 1964 cyclone that washed away Dhanushkodi. To read more click the below link

Sri Kodandaramar Temple

Sri Vedaranyeswarar Temple-Vedaranyam, Nagapattinam, Tamilnadu, India

The Vedas worshipped Lord Shiva in this place, giving the name "Vedaranyam" to the place. Rama, the seventh avatar of god Vishnu, is believed to have visited Vedaranyam to absolve himself from the sins committed in the war against the Illangai King Ravana. To read more click the below link

Sri Vedaranyeswarar Temple

Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple-Chennai, Tamilnadu, India

The temple measures 65 ft in length and 45 ft in breadth with three stories and are depicted on a multi-tier complex in such a way that visitors can visit all the shrines without stepping over any of the sanctums. To read more click the below link

Sri Asthalakshmi Temple

Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple-Antarvedi, Andhra Pradesh, India

This is an architectural creation initiated by King Narasimhavarman II in mid 7th century starting with the Cave temples and the monolithic Rathas as seen in the Atiranachanda cave, the Pidari rathas and the Tiger cave. To read more click the below link

Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple

Sri Somalingeswara Swamy Temple-Appikonda, Narsipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

Kapila Maharshi instituted the idol of Sri Someswara Swamy on a hill and the temple was built in 1070 by King Kulottunga I of the Chola dynasty, and referred to as the Chola Monument. To read more click the below link

Sri Somalingeswara Swamy Temple

Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple-Venkateswara Konda, Vizag, Andhra Pradesh, India

It is believed to have been built by a European Captain Blackmoor in 1866 with a small steeply pyramidal entrance gopura. , according to the Telugu inscriptions. To read more click the below link

Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple

Sri Bala Tripura Sundari Sametha Saptha Rushiswara Temple-Rushikonda, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

Lord Siva killed a demon called Tripurasura with goddess Sri Bala Tripura Sundari Devi at this place in Krita Yuga. There is a cave in this temple which starts from this temple and ends at Srisailam temple where many Sages and saints had performed penance here. To read more click the below link

Sri Bala Tripura Sundari Samethe Saptha Rushiswara Temple

Chakra Tirtha Temple-Badasirei, Puri, Odisha, India Inteodpu003) The temple has an idol of Lord Jagannath known as Chakranarayan and the wheel which is carved out of black granite and is always found to be under water. To read more click the below link

Chakra Tirtha Temple

Sri Mahabaleshwar Temple-Kumta, Gokarna, Karnataka, India

The temple deifies the Pranalinga ("the reality of God which can be captured by the mind") also called Atmalinga or Shiva Linga . In legend, it is said that the deity of the temple will bestow immense blessings to devotees, even to those who only glimpse it. To read more click the below link

Sri Mahabaleshwar Temple

Shree Ganpatipule Mandir-Ganpatipule, Maharashtra, India

Hindu god Ganapati, taking umbrage at a remark made by a native lady, moved to Pulé from his original abode of Gulé. This 400-year-old Ganpati idol at Ganpatipule is said to have sprung up from the soil. To read more click the below link

Shree Ganapatipule Mandir

Kunkeshwar Temple-Devgarh, Maharashtra, India

This temple has alluring architecture reminiscent of South Indian style of temple architecture. Yadav Kings built this temple in 1100 A. D. and is also famous as Kashi of South Konkan. To read more click the below link

Kunkeshwar Temple

Harihareshwar Temple-Harihareshwar, Maharashtra, India

River Savitri that originates at Mahabaleshwar merges with the Arabian Sea at Harihareshwar, is also known as ‘Devghar’ or ‘House of God.’ Inside the ancient temple, there is linga from the medieval period. To read more click the below link

Harihareshwar Temple

Azhimala Siva Temple-Vizhinjam,Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

The granite cave encloses a one-celled shrine with a loose sculpture of Vinadhara Dakshinamurti. The outer wall of the cave depicts unfinished reliefs of Shiva as "Tripurantaka" on the left and as "Nataraja" with Parvati on the right. To read more click the below link

Azhimala Siva Temple

Shore Temple-Mahabalipuram, Tamilnadu, India

This is an architectural creation initiated by King Narasimhavarman II in mid 7th century starting with the Cave temples and the monolithic Rathas as seen in the Atiranachanda cave, the Pidari rathas and the Tiger cave. To read more click below link

Shore Temple

[arjaandsimoni]

The Big Easy

Rajesh Manor, the morning after the manticore’s attack

Nelen sighed, the coffee table in the rec room covered in every bestiary he could dig out of his messenger bag. From ancient tomes of forgotten lore to a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons monster manual. There were some among the supernatural community who wondered if Gary Gygax knew more than he was letting on… (it’d explain a few things for sure.)

He rubbed his eyes, draining the last of his can of soda before dropping it in the bag with several other empty cans. He had never been a coffee drinker and had been shotgunning Coke a Cola to the point of absurdity while he did an all-night research session, hoping to find something that they could use against the manticore.

He looked at his phone, bleary eyed, and frowned. “Seven in the bloody morning…” he grumbled. “For fuck’s sake…” he sighed, pinching his nose.

There was a yawn as someone descended the steps, Arja walking into view wearing a white tank top and red cotton pajama bottoms, “Mornin’…” she muttered, “Any luck?” she asked. The vanara girl looked like she’d slept poorly herself, but after an encounter like that most of their group had. Natasha had checked in with him shortly before sunrise, having kept watch during the night, but she said there was no sign of their foe.

“Well… I searched all through every book on magical beasts and monsters I have… and here’s what I got. Unless one is protected from any and all toxins like me, the sting is one hundred percent lethal. Even if they are, the barbs are powerful enough to destroy a heart or collapse a lung if he gets in a lucky shot and can even pierce bone so a headshot can do serious damage too.” he said, checking his notes.

“Their hides are so thick that they can repel even the strongest of swords and arrows, so we can probably assume bulletproof too. They have superhuman strength, but we saw what he did to that one police cruiser. Steel frame torn right in half and all. They’re also fiercely intelligent and cunning, so we have to assume he can work out how to counter most of our abilities.” he nodded.

“So… we’re screwed?” asked Arja.

Nelen sighed and nodded, “One hundred percent fucked.” he frowned, dropping his book on the table in frustration. “Merihim can keep me alive if he tries to poison me, but he can’t stop the manticore from biting my head off, and I can’t spread his protection to you guys. It only works for me since I’m his host. Lupe is probably the only one of us who could survive it, and even then I can’t be certain that being a werewolf would make her immune to it. It might just be that she regenerates too fast to actually die so… yeah… at that point the mercy stroke from a silver knife would be best.” he frowned. “If only we had SOME way of blocking its venom!” he snarled, slamming his fist down into the countertop.

Inside the guest quarters however, Tex was fast asleep…

The Texan boy had stayed as it was still a weekend and he was still excused from school, and as he turned in his sleep he found himself dreaming of a vast jungle, but with strange thorns growing on all the trees.

The boy turned this way and that, but all around him were the briars… and as he stood there he slowly became aware that he was not alone.

“Ah… my prince has come for me…” came a soft voice.

Tex turned, suddenly very aware that he was just in a pair of pajama bottoms, to find a gorgeous young girl walking towards him. Her long white gown glowed like moonlight, her long blonde hair fanned out behind her, and her eyes were so blue that the sky seemed dull in comparison. As she drew closer snow began to fall, the briars frosting over.

“Um… h-howdy ma’am…” he said, his mouth suddenly dry at the sight.

The girl giggled happily, then slid her arms around his shoulders. They felt cool to the touch, refreshingly so. “Give me this, my prince…” she whispered, a faint icy fog coming from between her lips.

He shivered, her voice honeysweet in his ears, and could only nod as she leaned in, and her cool lips pressed to his warm ones…

… and his eyes opened in his bed at a sudden weight atop him.

Stephy giggled down at him, the changeling ‘princess’ wearing a long white silk dress with his blonde hair tied in a loose braid. “Hi Tex!” he smiled brightly.

Tex blinked slowly, “Uh… huh… um… that dream…” he began.

Stephy flopped down next to him and grinned, “Sammi showed me how. Something about…” he paused, putting his finger to his chin thoughtfully, “…how the connection between you and me creates a connection between the Hedge and Earth something something… bleh who cares, I just wanted a new excuse to kiss you!” he giggled, snuggling up into the boy.

Tex nodded, “Right… well… ain’t gonna complain about that bit…” he chuckled, “Uh, where is Sam anyways?” he asked.

At that he heard a knocking from the closet in the room, and the door opened to reveal the Prince of the Icebound Heart, walking out from amid the spare clothes Tex had brought with him. “Right here, as always attached to my dear sibling by pledge.” he sighed, “Our librarian is trying to find a way to safely decouple us, but the Wyrd is rather picky about such matters.”

Tex snorted, “Actually, it might be a good thing ya’ll are here… we had a lil’ incident in the jungle earlier ‘n… well… ya’ll know anythin’ about ‘manticores?’” he asked.

Both the fae looked at him in surprise, “Not from personal experience no…” replied Sammi, “But, well… I do know of them. Mainly I know that if you encounter one the best course of action is to turn around and run for your bloody life. Failing that ask politely if it can kill you quickly.”

Tex nodded, “Yeah, well… we gots a situation…” he said, sitting up. “Nelen is in th’ rec room, ya’ll should go ask him ta fill ya’ll in while I get dressed.”

Sammi nodded at that, pursing his lips, “Well this sounds devilishly exciting, so I suppose it would be worth looking into. Coming, brother dear?” he asked.

Stephy giggled, sitting on the edge of the bed, “In a minute…” he replied.

Tex blushed, “Darlin’ I’m gonna get dressed…” he replied.

Stephy grinned in such a way that even Dawn would have been impressed, “I know.”

Tex’s blush deepened by several shades, “… lil’ filly…” he muttered.

Stephy sighed dramatically, “Fiiiiiiiiiine… I get it… my prince is still shy about his body…” he pouted, then got up and kissed Tex’s cheek, swishing his way out of the room.

Tex watched him go, his eyebrow raised. “… six months ago th’ idea of ya’ll bein’ in th’ room with me naked woulda had ya’ll blushin’ fit to burst…” he murmured.

Out in the rec room Nelen looked up as the two fae boys entered. “Hi everyone! We’re back!” grinned Stephy, swishing his way to the couch and flopping down next to his cousin, looking over the tomes, “Tex said you had a problem with a really nasty monster?” he asked.

Nelen raised his eyebrow at the fae boy, then nodded, “Yeah, manticore attack… and apparently something is commanding it.” he frowned.

Sammi leaned over the back of the couch, frowning himself, “A manticore with a master? Only one of the Gentry could normally hope to command such a monster, and even then the most we could do is just keep it in the hedge on a VERY sturdy leash and hope it didn’t break free.”

Nelen sighed, “Yeah, I know…” he frowned, leaning back and taking off his ballcap, rubbing his temples as he did. “At least I know its sting can’t immediately kill me, though depending on where it hits it could still fuck me up good… but everyone else…” he sighed.

Sammi nodded, “Indeed, quite the conundrum… even the greatest of faerie knights would hesitate to do battle with such a foe.” he frowned. “To do that you would need some way to cheat death itself, repeatedly if needed.”

Nelen nodded slowly… then looked up, “Cheat death…” he muttered, then glanced at his kindle tablet. “Alexa! Whats the current time in New York City?” he asked aloud.

The tablet blinked, then a mechanical voice replied, “It is currently 9:30 PM in New York, New York, USA.” the computer replied.

“Bit late, but dammit this is as good a chance as we’re getting!” he nodded, grabbing his smartphone, and dialing a number.

He put it on speaker, and after a few minutes the phone picked up and a young woman’s voice came out.

“Nelen! Whats goin’ on my man?” it asked, the woman’s voice still holding a faint hint of her Louisiana roots.

“Aisha, we got a real problem here and this is going to sound nuts but… your family practices vodou. Would ANY of them be willing to come to Jaipur to help us out?” he asked. Aisha De Lane, model to the mundanes, heir to the line of Sir Moraen of Aglovale, Knight of the Round Table of Camelot… whose family also ran a honfur in New Orleans Louisiana.

“… what kinda problem?” she asked, sounding suspicious about it.

“Look… we have a manticore, and the only way we’re beating that thing and driving it away is if it can’t kill us.” he replied.

Aisha hesitated, “Noooo… I mean, Terri has a pact with Kalfu, but that just means she won’t die if he doesn’t allow it. He can’t stop something from killin’ anyone else.”

Nelen swore, the warlock grumbling, “Dammit… well… thanks anyw-…” he started.

“Hang on… Nelen, ya’ll need help here. I can tell… and I owe that woman for the sword on Inishmore…” she sighed, “Dammit… I hoped I wouldn’t have to do this… but… Look… I’ve got an important get together tonight. Meet me in the Wulfshead tomorrow around… say… nine at night New York time. We’ll figure out somethin’.” she offered.

Nelen sighed, “Aisha, really… thank you. I mean it.” he replied.

“Yeah yeah, just remember how big a favor I’m doin’ ya’ll, Mister Wizard.” she said, though she sounded like she was grinning. “Lata!” she finished, then the line went dead.

The Wulfshead Club, the following evening… or morning, by Jaipur time.

Nelen walked into the pub, Dawn following him in with a grin, then smacked his side, “You go talk to Aisha, you know what I’m gonna do.” she cackled, running up to the stage.

Nelen smirked at her, then found the table Aisha was seated at and pulled up a chair next to her. “Hey.” he nodded.

Aisha smirked back at him, the woman dressed in a deep red silk top and designer jeans, along with strappy red sandals, her hair tied into cornrows with colorful beads at the ends of each. “Hey yourself Mr. Magic.” she grinned, taking a pull from her cigarette. At her hip, in a leather sheath, rested Claiomh Solais, the sword of light gifted to her by none other than Morrigan, Irish Goddess of War and patron of Clan Fullmoon.

“So…” he cleared his throat, looking at her expectantly, “You… said you had an idea?” he asked.

She frowned a bit, “… look. I called home, but none of my family can leave right now. Some spooky shit’s going down back home. But…” she sighed, “Ya’ll helped me save Terri. I owe you ‘n your friends… so… I talked to my mom… ‘n… well… truth is, I had almost completed the rituals I’d needed to become a mambo myself before I left home for New York.” she sighed.

Nelen tilted his head as, behind him, Dawn began to belt out Love Tyger by the Eurometal band Edguy into the microphone, much to the delight of the crowd. The Cheshire was a favorite at the pub, their own feline Hanna Montana without the Disney bullshit or the clear damage they’d inflicted on her.

“Aisha, you said you don’t want to become a mambo. You told me, and Dawn, personally, several times, that you’d rather be raked over hot coals and fuck an alligator while stone cold sober than actually join the family business.” he replied.

Aisha sighed long, then frowned, “Yeah yeah I know what I said… but… shit’s been gettin’ CRAZY ever since that mess in Ireland, Fullmoon!” she replied, “New York has been bonkers lately. It wasn’t just a buncha monsters that escaped. I got some mage buddies who said that the overall background magic of the whole goddamn world has increased, a lot! They got their hands full just puttin’ out fires now! Ghostbusters ‘re goin’ out every damn night wranglin’ some sorta spooks, had to go inta the sewers myself a few times lately... I mean I'm decent with a sword and I know a few tricks but…” she sighed, “I know when I’m outgunned. I need somethin’ better.”

Nelen nodded, “Yeah, looks like smashing gramps’ sword had a lot more consequences than we realized…” he replied, “You’re sure you wanna do this?” he asked.

Aisha nodded, “Yeah, I am… wouldn’t mind some… yanno… moral support though.” she grinned.

Nelen smirked, then nodded, “Yeah, I getcha… we can’t exactly fight that damn thing anyways, but it seems like whoever is holding its leash has other plans… as long as we’re fast.” he nodded, standing up, “I’m going to call Jeannie, see if I can’t get some of Clan Fullmoon running interference in India. After all that, they definitely owe Arja’s family a lot too so I doubt they’ll say no… so… where should we meet you?” he asked.

Aisha took a deep pull on her cigarette, then leaned back in her chair. “… We got a big house over in at Aiger’s Point. I'll text ya’ll the address…” she sighed, “Now, how ‘bout ya’ll share a few drinks with me and we see if we can’t numb how awkward this is gonna fuckin’ be?” she asked.

Nelen smirked, “Yeah, going back to see family is always a bit… rough.” he nodded.

Aisha blew out the smoke in a big burst, “… ain’t them I’m worried about…” she frowned.

New Orleans Louisiana, the following evening

Arja yawned as the group exited the Wulfshead, rubbing her eyes. “Blech… Jet lag is even worse when its instantaneous… I mean this part of America is on the opposite end of the planet from Jaipur!” she huffed.

Simoni nodded sleepily to her, “Yeah, but look at the fun side. I’ve never gotten a chance to actually see Louisiana.” she smiled, patting Arja’s shoulder.

Nelen looked around, adjusting his glasses as Dawn padded out behind him. “Oh its AWESOME guys! Best seafood on the gulf coast!” she grinned widely, “SO. MUCH. FISH!” she cackled, her jeans shaking as her tail shook under them.

Arja smirked, “What is it with you and fish?” she asked.

Dawn looked at her, cocking her head, then pointed to herself. “I. Am. A. Cat.” she replied, “What do you THINK it is?” she asked in response.

Arja nodded, “Riiiight, easy to forget sometimes.” she muttered.

Dawn shrugged, “Eh, fair ‘nuff. I mean I’d spend more time on four legs, but there’s just so much stuff I can’t do without thumbs!” she huffed.

Natasha looked around with a smile, “Hmm… so this is the New Orleans… I knew of the one in France, though I do admit I’ve never been. Travel is difficult normally when one is… well… prone to dying horribly in the daytime.” she nodded as, next to her, a large golden furred ‘dog’ padded out. Around its neck was a shiny red leather collar, Natasha holding the leash on it. Nelen had explained that America was big on leash laws, so if Lupe was going to pose as Natasha’s pet, they’d have to keep up the appearance.

Oddly enough, the werewolf seemed to rather like her collar.

It was just as well too, New Orleans was a major vampire city. So many tourists every year, so much of the culture of the city being wrapped up in vodou and magic… a real mecca for the undead, tourists came every year, they didn’t always leave.

“Ugh… hot again… at least its not as abhorrent as Texas was…” huffed a voice as Sammi emerged behind them, Stephy and Tex following. Tex was eager to get back to the States, at least for a little bit, and Stephy refused to leave his side now that they were back together… to which Tex was beginning to grow worried about just how much.

The fae ‘princess’ clung to his arm, grinning widely as he looked around. To Tex he looked the same as always, even Simoni and Arja mostly saw him as he normally was (though to their eyes something about that image seemed a little… off…) but to Sammi and any fae who may be nearby Stephy was a golden child. Long flowing hair like spun gold, eyes so blue they hurt to look at, and a dress glittering like a snowfield. He’d always worn glasses before, but sometime during the year he’d replaced his old ones with ones made of blued silver for frames with oval shaped lenses… though to Sammi it was obvious that rather than glass or plastic the lenses were, in fact, formed of nevermelting ice.

“I always wanted to see New Orleans!” he giggled, “The dresses that the deep south is known for are so gorgeous! Tex, let’s go find a boutique! I wanna see how I look as a real Southern Belle!” he squealed, his head darting around.

Tex coughed, “Now just hold yer horses darlin’. We’re here for a reason. I’m sure ya’ll have time ta have fun later, but we need ta focus on the task at hand…” he replied.

Stephy pouted at him, “But I wanna do it now Tex!” he whimpered, looking up at him as his eyes seemed to get a bit bigger and watery.

Tex glanced up at Nelen who shrugged, “We already got a hotel lined up and its not like we all need to be at Aisha’s… you guys can go hit the town. It should be fine.” he replied.

Stephy squealed with delight as Sammi chuckled in a knowing way, grinning at his sibling… Tex frowned at the fae princeling, but didn’t comment as the three of them set off into the city.

Nelen nodded to the rest… “Okay, so the hotel is nearby. We’ll go get settled in, then go meet up with Aisha and the rest of the DeLane family in about an hour.” he said.

“An hour?” came a deep voice behind them, “Yeah sounds good I guess… but we should get food first.”

Nelen turned and looked up and standing behind them was Drusilla. “Drus… you should really stay in Jaipur until the baby is b-…” he started, then bent almost double as her hand slammed down onto his shoulder.

“NOPE! Not this time Nelen!” she grinned, “I had to miss all that fun with that Owl guy, and then that road trip where you got ambushed by all those things, AND that huge lion monster! You’re not having me sit out THIS one!” she retorted, “I’m not going back to Jaipur until YOU do, I don’t care WHAT happens!”

Nelen coughed, then straightened up, “Fine… fine…” he sighed, but smiled a bit, shrugging. “I guess it can’t hurt anything. I mean, whats the worst that could happen?” he replied.

Dawn looked at him, “… Nelen. Jeez. C’mon.” she frowned.

Nelen sighed, “I know I know. That’s like the grim reaper’s ring tone.” he sighed.

Dawn grinned, “Well, maybe he lost his phone.” she taunted.

Meanwhile, several blocks over…

There were no stores that catered specifically to people wanting to look the part of a traditional southern belle, such costumes had to be custom made due to the lack of demand these days, but Stephy was having quite the time anyways. The faerie boy posed before a mirror, wearing a long blue satin prom dress and matching gloves, blowing kisses to himself and giggling excitedly as Tex and Sammi watched, one with greater concern than the other.

Tex sighed, “Ain’t sayin’ I don’t like seein’ him enjoyin’ himself… but… a drastic change like this makes me worry…” he said.

“Hmm? Worry about what Prince Cowboy?” teased Sammi, smirking at him, “Look at him. Your ‘little filly’ is having the time of their life. Would you truly deny them such pleasure?” he asked.

“If that’s all it was … but…” he frowned, looking at Sammi, “Ya’ll ‘re doin’ somethin’ to Stephy. Every time he goes back ta Fairyland with ya…”

“Oh my dear boy no… I’m not doing it. Your dear Stephy is just embracing the freedom and power the Wyrd has granted him.” he replied.

Tex narrowed his eyes, but said nothing as Stephy pouted, then shook his head, “Hmmmm… no no this won’t do. Its just too… something. Tex! Sammi! Help me pick another one!” he giggled.

“Darlin’, its late. The store’ll be closing soon…” he said.

Stephy pouted at that, “What? But I’m not done yet!” he shook his head, “No that simply won’t do! They’ll just have to stay open. I’m sure I can convince them.” he huffed, moving to go to the front desk. Tex however intercepted him.

“Stephy, c’mon, its gettin’ late. Lets let these nice people close up th’ shop ‘n maybe we can go get some food, eh?” he asked, “Just a nice date?” he tried.

Stephy pouted, “Hmmnnn…” he frowned, and for a moment his eyes seemed to flash a bit, the whites turning the dangerous gray of the sky before a blizzard breaks out, but then he smiled and shrugged, “Oh well, for you, dear prince.” he giggled.

The boy gave a relieved sigh and waited for Stephy to change back into the clothes he came in, the three leaving… but as they did Stephy giggled mischievously and gestured to the cars in the parking lot.

When the person working the boutique finished locking up they were surprised to find that their car wouldn’t start… but that was nothing compared to their reaction to seeing what the engine had turned into.

An hour later, a group arrived at the DeLane estate. Nelen and Dawn walked in first, Drusilla close behind, with Arja and Simoni as well. Natasha had opted to remain at the hotel, not wanting to worry the DeLanes due to her predatory nature.

They were greeted by a familiar face in a bright red dress. “Hey! Ya’ll made it!” grinned Terri DeLane, “Momma! They’re here!” she called.

At that a matronly looking woman walked in wearing a long purple dress with her hair tied up in a colorful scarf. She smiled widely at them all, “Ah, you must be Aisha’s friends… heard ya’ll are th’ ones I have ta thank for returnin’ my baby girl to me.” she smiled, “Millie DeLane, it is a great pleasure to finally meet ya’ll.”

Nelen nodded, shaking her hand, “Nelen Fullmoon Miss, pleasure’s mine.” he replied, gesturing to the others and introducing them in turn. “There’re a few others with us, but they’re out and about currently.”

Millie nodded, “Mmm, well I’m sure we’ll see them eventually, we’re not really set up for a big dinner party or nothin’ anyhow… things been rather wild lately.” she frowned.

“Yeah, Aisha told us… where is she?” he asked.

Millie nodded, “Oh she’s out back gettin’ ready. We got a tent set up. She’ll be petitionin’ Kalfu for th’ keys, its his call ‘n all seein’ as how he watches the crossroads.” she replied. “We all ‘bout ready to start… ‘n Aisha wanted ya’ll to be there for it anyway. C’mon now, right this way.”

Millie led them out through the building, a stately old house that had once been a plantation until the DeLanes had ‘seen to' the former owner. Nobody knew what had happened to him, but the will clearly showed that the house was left to the DeLane family, as was all his fortune, and nobody was willing to contest it.

A few tried over the years however… some were men in suits who left disappointed and more than a little disturbed. Others were the kind who wore long flowing robes and pointed hoods, and they left running and screaming… or they didn’t leave at all. That had stopped in recent years, but the DeLanes kept their eyes open... just incase.

The DeLane family had protected the downtrodden of New Orleans for generations, and they weren’t subtle about it. Wear a white hood in this part of the city and all that’d be left would be that hood, nailed to a tree and bloodstained. Not just a white hood in the literal sense either. They kept watch for any troublemakers in New Orleans, and they dealt with them no matter whether they did it openly or on the sly.

Out in their backyard was a large tent… and inside it was a tall central pole made of sturdy wood, painted red and black. On the floor around it was an elaborate looking circle, the main features being a pair of stylized keys crossed in an X, the pole coming up from the center of that X. Several other members of the DeLane family were seated around the area, waiting for it to begin, and infront of the pole was Aisha. She wore a long white robe and rather than cornrows her hair was tied into a tight bun under a white cap… and she looked very anxious.

“Hey Nelen…” she nodded to him, giving a nervous grin, “Thanks for comin’ ya’ll. Here’s hopin’ Kalfu don’t hold a grudge eh?” she chuckled.

She sighed, then knelt down before the circle and several of the DeLane family began to beat on small drums, building up a rhythm. Next to her, on either side of the circle, were large bowls of gunpowder with embers burning in them to let the powder burn without combusting.

As the ceremony began a middle-aged man, likely an uncle or cousin of her’s, walked out wearing only a pair of slacks. He handed her a young pig, its legs bound and its eyes fearful, and a machete, and nodded silently, then stood before the pole.

Aisha took a breath, then slashed the pig’s throat with the machete. The pig squealed in pain and fear, then went silent as its blood poured out onto the floor, flowing around the pole. “Come to me, Kalfu!” she called out in a firm clear voice, “I petition you for entrance to your domain!”

The drumming picked up in tempo, and several of the DeLanes began to chant as well… and Dawn blinked as her hair began to stand on end. Arja and Simoni looked around, the girls thinking ‘did the shadows just get darker and bigger?’

Even Drusilla looked uneasy, something about this worried the cyclops in a way she couldn’t explain.

Then, the man who handed the pig to her suddenly went rigid, and his eyes rolled back…

“Come to me, Kalfu.” spoke Aisha again. “Lets talk, you and I.”

The man’s eyes were all whites now… and slowly, he began to grin, a wide rictus grin, and he snapped up suddenly, leaning in with his hands on his hips.

“Not tonight, girlie.” he spoke, his voice coming out nasal, as if something was plugging his nose.

Aisha showed no hesitation, but Terri and Millie shared a sudden worried look. Nelen frowned, then whispered to Millie, “… that’s not Kalfu, is it?” he asked.

“No… no it ain’t…” she replied.

The possessed man continued, “Me ‘n the others, we done had a lil’ chit chat, ‘n we decided I’LL be runnin’ this show tonight!” he cackled, the air suddenly stinking of wet dirt and the faint sickly sweet aroma of a fruiting corpse. The man frowned, then held out his hand at his side, “Hmm… jes’ a second though… HAH!” he flexed, and the air seemed to flicker, then his hand held a black silk top hat with a deep red band around the base. He stuffed it onto his head, then flexed his other hand as a long cane topped with a silver skull-like knob appeared in it, the man slamming it down on the floor before Aisha and resting his hands on it. “There! Always feel fuckin’ naked without my hat…” he nodded, grinning so widely that they could see all his teeth.

Aisha frowned, but stood firm, “… Baron Samedi…” she said, “This ain’t ya’ll domain, Baron. I seek the one who holds the keys to the Loa. You and I have no business together… yet.” she nodded firmly, though Nelen could tell she was scared. The tent had gone cold despite the balmy New Orleans evening.

Baron Samedi. Contrary to the imagery most were familiar with of the cheerful dancing skeleton, the Baron was one of the most powerful of the Loa. The leader of the Guede, the Loa of death and fertility. He held the powers of both life and death in his hands…

One of Aisha’s relatives slipped out of the tent, running quickly back to the house, as the possessed DeLane continued, the Baron speaking through him. “Oh… but we do got business Lil’ Miss New York. I speak for Kalfu ‘n th’ others tonight girlie, ‘n we gots this to say…” he grinned, then slammed the cane down again, the impact echoing like a nail being driven into pine wood.

“WHY SHOULD WE OFFER A COWARDLY LITTLE BITCH LIKE YA’LL ANY POWER?!” he demanded, “Ya’ll ran off! Turned ya’ll back on us!” he shouted, spit flying from his lips. “Now things be gettin’ nasty up in… New York City…” he sneered, “… and ya think ya can just come back ‘n say…” he paused, pitching his voice into a falsetto, “‘Oh I’m so fuckin’ sorry Mr. Loa! Please help me!’” he shook his head, “Naaaaaaaw… ya’ll want OUR help, ya��ll gotta earn it now Miss New York. Ya’ll want th’ power of the Loa, ya gotta do somethin’ fer us FIRST!”

Aisha frowned at that as the relative who left earlier quickly came back in carrying a tray with a bottle of spiced rum and a rather expensive Cuban cigar, along with a silver lighter. He placed them on a table near the ritual area, hoping to placate the baron.

Aisha nodded, “What is it you require then, Baron?” she asked, standing with her hands clasped behind her, meeting his gaze without hesitation.

The possessed man grinned, taking the cigar and biting the tip off it, then spitting it at Aisha as it bounced off her cheek. She flinched, but only a bit. The Baron’s host used the lighter to light the cigar, taking a deep pull, and exhaling a cloud of thick smoke into her face. He then took the rum bottle and drained half of it in one go, belching loudly.

“Good! Ya’ll still got some spine at least! Maybe ya’ll can prove ya ain’t a fuckin’ coward yet!” he sneered, “Anyhoo, down ta business… MY business infact…” he grinned. “Sure ya’ll momma told ya, but someone in Nawleans is fuckin’ around in my domain.” he scowled, gripping the cane’s head tightly, the fury evident on his face. “I dunno who the FUCK they think they are… either some rogue houngan who knows his shit, or mebbe he got some buddies o’ his own… but either way he’s got a big fuckin’ pair of brass balls ta be pissin’ me off…” he grinned again, “That or one hell of a death wish.” he reached up, taking a pull from his cigar, then reached out and flicked the ash off onto Aisha’s head as she frowned, rubbing it out of her hair.

“Point is, he’s fuckin’ with th’ dead of Nawleans… ‘n I ain’t gonna put up with that SHIT!” he shouted, turning and stalking towards the pole, “The dead be MY domain!” he snarled, waving the cane, “Now this sonbitch thinks he can just waltz in ‘n steal their souls ‘n bodies for whatever BULLSHIT he wants?!” he snarled, then suddenly he spun, the cane snapping out and the tip pressing into Aisha’s chest.

The shadows were deep now, the tent only lit by the glow from the burning gunpowder, and in that glow the man’s face seemed downright skeletal. His eye sockets were black gaping holes, his chin pronounced but his cheeks hidden in shadow…

“HERE’S YA’LL TASK YA COWARDLY LITTLE BITCH!” shouted Baron Samedi, “FIND HIM! Rogue honfor, necromancer, sin eater, I don’t give a FUCK who or what they are!” he snarled, “Ya’ll find ‘em ‘n ya’ll stop ‘em! Loudly! Messily! ALL OVER TH’ GODSDAMN PLACE!” he commanded, then smirked, “ ‘n ya’ll gonna do it… ‘cause I know why ya’ll really here… yer buddies from India goin’ up against a big ol’ nasty pussycat… ‘n I can protect ‘em from it.”

Arja and Simoni gasped, even Nelen looked shocked. The manticore attack happened halfway across the planet, and yet… the Baron knew of it, and knew that they needed the Loa’s aid to stop it?

“I’m th’ Loa of Death. Nobody die until I say they damn well good ‘n ready to. I can keep ya’ll safe from pussy’s nasty ol’ tail, even the ones who don’t have… other means.” he smirked, giving a meaningful glance in Nelen’s direction.

Aisha took a deep breath, “Right, got it. Where’s this guy been doin’ this?” she asked, “Ya’ll said he’s messin’ with the dead of New Orleans… but there’s a shitload of graveyards in th’ city.”

The baron stood, one hand on his cane, and snapped his fingers. A folded up and battered tourist map of New Orleans appeared in his grasp. “I marked th’ ones he hit so far… bodies be missin’ from each of ‘em.” he nodded, “Getcher ass out there, find whoever be doin’ it, ‘n fuck ‘em up good and HARD.” he nodded, “If ya’ll want, go ahead ‘n kill ‘im. I know I’d like ta have a few very loud ‘n angry words with this one…” he grinned, then paused, “Eh?” he looked up, glancing towards the wall of the tent. The DeLanes along that row seemed to lean away from his gaze as he did.

“Hm… seems our little necromancer is up to it again…” he frowned, unfolding the map and concentrating, then shaking some cigar smoke off onto it and using it to draw a crude circle… then raising an eyebrow, “Well now… THIS ain’t no fuckin’ graveyard. Looks like ya’ll better hurry, our boy is gettin’… experimental.”

He held the map where Aisha could see it, and her eyes widened. The others were circled in red ink, or at least she hoped it was ink, but the one in cigar ash wasn’t a graveyard… it was a school building!

Aisha frowned, “A school… why…” she muttered, then looked back at Nelen and the others, “Mom! Give them the keys to one of the cars, we need to hurry!” she shouted, then turned to look at the possessed man, “When I do this, our business is done!” she nodded firmly.

Baron Samedi grinned, “Yeah, when ya’ll do…” he chuckled, “Better getcher ass in gear, it ain’t just my fuckin’ patience ya’ll gotta worry about!” he glanced towards Nelen, “Ya’ll check the news on dat fancy ass toy ya’ll call a phone?” he grinned.

Nelen took a step back from the Baron, then nodded, “… yeah…” he replied.

The Baron’s grin widened, the shadows under his hat brim darkening, “… check it lately?” he asked.

Nelen felt a chill along his spine as he fished out his smartphone, then opened the news app and brought up Jaipur. As he read, his face went pale, “WHAT?!” he shouted.

The Baron cackled, “HAHAHA! Tick tock tick tock!  Better get ya’lls asses in gear boys ‘n girls!” he laughed, then sucked down the last of the cigar and threw it on to the gunpowder where it went up with a loud WHOOMPH and a bright flash, his host collapsing in a heap as the Loa departed.

Simoni looked up at him, “Nelen, whats wrong? What happened?” she asked as the group ran towards the driveway where a large pickup waited for them, Millie knew that nothing else could hold someone as big as Drusilla.

The warlock’s expression was grim as he scanned the headlines, “Family found butchered in jungle, tracks hint at some sort of unknown breed of large cat… families on social media demanding an investigation… possible military intervention!” he snarled, “Those idiots! They’re going to send mundane soldiers into the jungle to try to find the manticore!” he shouted.

Arja stared up at him, “THEY’RE WHAT?! Nelen they’ll be slaughtered!” she shouted.

“I KNOW THAT!” he snapped, the warlock yanking the door of the car open as Aisha got into the driver’s seat, the rest climbing into the back as the engine started, “Godsdammit! They may as well cover themselves in fucking barbecue sauce first!” he snarled, bringing up the call list on his phone and dialing a number on it, “Jeannie! We have an emergency! The mundanes found out something is in the jungle near Jaipur and the mundane military could get involved! We need some containment! NOW!” he shouted.

Simoni glanced between them as the truck set off, “This is bad… one clear picture on a smartphone…” she warned as the truck sped through the streets of New Orleans, coming to a stop outside of a large building after about ten blocks.

Aisha looked up, then cursed under her breath. “Ah hells… this is gettin’ really messy…” she frowned.

It was a school, but not just any school. This was a really fancy building. Big brick wall all around the outside and a metal gate out front. A private school, a sign reading it was established some hundred or so years ago. The gate was wide open though, and they could see smoke billowing up from inside the grounds.

“Shit…” muttered Nelen as the truck pulled into the parking lot, “Dawn, get on four legs and go see what you can find out.” he called into the backseat as Dawn gave a thumbs up and suddenly she was a normal looking cat sitting on a pile of clothes, then she was nothing at all. A moment later the grass on the lawn seemed to part as if a small breeze was blowing through it.

Nelen watched her go, then cursed as he saw a cop coming their way, the warlock getting out of the truck.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” asked the man. He was a tall muscular man with a blonde crew cut, looking like he could be ex-military or just a big fan of the look.

“Oh, we saw the smoke from the road and we were wondering what had happened.” he replied.

The cop frowned at him, looking him over, “… the fuck is wrong with your hands boy?” he asked.

Nelen made a mental note of that comment, then replied, “My hands? Industrial accident… I really don’t like talking about it honestly.”

As Nelen ran interference, Dawn made her way unseen to the scene of the incident, sniffing at the air. “Hmm… smoke… burnt flesh…” she frowned, “But… not recent? It smells old… too old… too…” she froze, her eyes going wide.

“That…” she sniffed around deeper, “No… no way, it couldn’t be him…” she looked around, her tail puffed out… she couldn’t smell it now, but for a moment the air had smelled faintly of two very distinct things… things she hadn’t smelled in the same place in several years.

Dawn hesitated, then teleported back to the others.

By now the cop had decided he had more important things to do than chase off people who wanted likes on Twitter and gone back to the rest of the squad to continue investigating the arson. Nelen waited by the truck, then his head raised a bit as he felt a weight suddenly appear on his shoulders.

“Whatcha get?” he asked in a low voice.

Dawn stretched out, closing her eyes and appearing to just be a cat having a nap on her owner’s shoulders. “… smells like burnt flesh, but like really old flesh too… I dunno… but…” she shivered, “Nelen, I smelled something else.” she said.

“Hm, what?” he asked.

“Velvet and brimstone.” she warned.

Nelen’s eyes went huge, and at his side his hand suddenly clenched into a fist.

“It… it could be another…” he whispered.

Dawn nodded, “It… could be…” she replied.

Nelen took a deep breath, then looked up as the others walked back, “Anything?” he asked.

They shook their heads, Drusilla shrugging as Aisha frowned, folding her arms over her chest.

“Well shit…” he sighed, then blinked, “… I wonder…” he muttered, taking out his phone and bringing up an app, a very specific app that you had to download from a very specific site… and a moment later he grinned. “We may have an in.” he replied.

Aisha blinked, then she snapped her fingers. “Waaaaaaait… did they…” she asked with a grin.

Nelen grinned back, holding up his phone, and on the screen was the Wulfshead BBS app with a new request… from a very specific school in New Orleans. He nodded, and his thumb hit ‘accept.’ “Simoni, how’d you like to see what your big brother used to do for a living tomorrow?” he asked.

Simoni looked up at the school, then back at him, then grinned. “I have to admit, I was curious all those years…” she nodded.

Next Story

“Right, Aisha… you go check out the graveyards tomorrow. I’ll take care of this. Something tells me this one might be… different.” he nodded.

Dawn frowned, “It is. My tail is doing the thing.” she nodded, though she really hoped her hunch was wrong.

Previous Story

[liveindiatimes]

HT Brunch Cover Story: 5 stories from the Ramayana you haven’t heard before - brunch feature

http://www.liveindiatimes.com/ht-brunch-cover-story%e2%80%895-stories-from-the-ramayana-you-havent-heard-before-brunch-feature/

Valmiki composed the Ramayana a long time ago. We don’t know when. Archaeologists place the Vedic period to roughly 1000 BCE in the Gangetic valley. But the Sanskrit documents retelling the story are only 2,000 years old, suggesting a long period of oral storytelling. Fifteen hundred years ago, the Sanskrit epic came to be associated with kingship and we find the royal retellings such as Ramakien and Ramakirti as far as South East Asia where the story travelled with sea merchants.

“Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana is based on the Awadhi retelling by Tulsidas, but it is not the ‘National’ Ramayana ”

The composition of the Ramayana in regional languages began about 1,000 years ago with a Tamil retelling by Kamban. Since then we have had retellings in Telugu, Odiya, Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam and various Hindi dialects. These established Ram as an icon for bhakti and Ram as form of God. The extremely popular Ramayana of the 20th century on TV made by Ramanand Sagar is based primarily on the Awadhi Ramayana of Tulsidas, but it is not the ‘national’ Ramayana, just as Hindi is not the ‘national’ language, politics notwithstanding.

Most Indians, hear the Ramayana in local tongues, based on regional epics ( Parth Garg )

Here are five episodes from the Ramayana that you may have never heard before, from the many versions of the epic found in Odiya literature between the 15th and 18th centuries. Remember, most Indians, hear the Ramayana in local tongues, based on regional epics. They remind us of the vast expanse of Ram in Indian art and culture, unrestrained by ideology.

The heron, the crane and the rooster

How the rooster acquired its comb

The abduction of Sita as shown in the Odisha shadow puppetry known as Rabana Chaya

When a rooster cleared the air about The abduction of Sita by Ravana, Ram offered him a golden crown 

When Ram returned from the deer hunt and found his house empty, he feared the worst and began to cry. A heron said that perhaps, tired of forest life, Sita had run away with someone. Angry, Ram caught its neck fiercely, which is why the heron’s neck is bent. A crane then informed him that Sita had been abducted by Ravana. That her tears fell on the crane’s body, which is why the bird is white in colour. Relieved to hear this, Ram said that during the rains, the crane can relax and his wife will feed him with the fish she catches. The crane did not like the idea. He said he cannot eat his wife’s jhoota, to which Ram retorted, ‘You have no problem kissing her but you have a problem eating her jhoota. Why so?’ The crane apologised for this thoughtlessness. A rooster also confirmed that Ravana indeed was the culprit. So Ram offered him a golden crown. The rooster refused, saying that men already chased him for his meat; he did not want them to chase him for his golden crown. And so Ram gave him a red crown of flesh instead, known as the rooster’s comb.

From Odiya folktales and Ramalila by Ananga Narendra (18th century)

Sampati’s Wings and the sighting of Sita

Sampati lost his son who spotted Sita in Lanka but regained his wings in the process

Sampati’s son seen with vanaras during the Puri Sahi Jatra

By helping the monkeys locate Sita with the help of his son, Sampati’s wings started to grow again

In Odisha, during the Puri temple’s carnival known as Sahi Jatra, we find the image of a giant bird with eight monkeys (ashta-malla, or eight warriors) on its wings. This bird is identified as Sampati’s son carrying the vanaras (monkeys), including Hanuman, high up in the sky to show them Lanka. Sampati was Jatayu’s elder brother who had burnt his wings while protecting Jatayu from the sun’s fiery rays. He lived on the southern seashore, feeding on dead bodies. He found the vanaras there, looking disappointed and intent on starving to death rather than returning home as failures – for they had failed to find Sita’s location. When he overheard the monkeys refer to Ram and Jatayu, he was excited. A sage had told him that his wings would be restored if he helped Ram find Sita. Sampati told his son to carry the monkeys on his wings high into the sky until they could see Lanka in the middle of the sea. Sampati’s son did as he was told, and the monkeys, seated on his wings, did see Lanka. But only Sampati’s son could see Sita there for birds have better eyesight than monkeys. By helping the monkeys locate Sita with the help of his son, Sampati’s wings started to grow again.

From Sri Rama Bilasa by Dhananjaya Bhanja (17th century)

Sabari’s mangoes on the quest for Sita

When Lord Ram reformed the rules of casteism

Wooden art from Jagannath chariot depicting Ram shooting an arrow

Ram eats the mango with bite marks, and not the one without bite marks, thus rejecting caste purity rules

The story of Ram eating the jhoota ber (tasted berries) of Sabari is found not in Valmiki’s or Tulsi’s Ramayana but in Bhakti-ras-bodhini by Priyadas, a collection of stories of Vaishnava saints, written in Braj-bhasa in the 18th century. However, 200 years before that, we find a story in an Odiya Ramayana that may have inspired it. While searching for Sita, Ram meets a tribal man (Sabara) and a tribal woman (Sabari) who wash his feet and offer him a mango. Ram notices she has several mangoes, all with bite marks. But she offers him a ‘Sundari’ mango without a tooth mark. Ram says, ‘How do you know this one is as good as the others? You have not tasted it. Give me the one you know is tasty.’ Thus Ram eats the mango with bite marks, and not the one without bite marks, thus rejecting caste purity rules.

From Dandi Ramayana by ‘Matta’ Balarama Dasa (15th century)

What if Ravana repents?

Lord Ram keeps his word as well as his promise

Lakshman and the bears preparing Ram’s arrows as seen in an Odisha mural

“If Ravana returns Sita,” Ram says, “I’ll still keep my promise and make Vibhishana king, but not of Ayodhya instead of Lanka” 

When Ravana learns that Ram has reached the shores of the sea, he arrogantly claims that Ram will be so frustrated by the sea that he will surely commit suicide. Vibhishana tries to reason with his brother, but Ravana kicks him out instead. So Vibhishana travels across the sea and becomes Ram’s ally. Ram declares his intention (sankalpa): ‘I will kill Ravana and make Vibhishana the king of Lanka!’ But the ever-insecure Sugriva says, ‘What if Ravana repents, returns Sita and falls at your feet? What will you do then?’ Ram replies, ‘I’ll still keep my promise and make Vibhishana king, but of Ayodhya instead of Lanka. And then I will retire to the forest.’ Thus he reminds us all that Ram always keeps his word.

From Raghaba Bilasa by ‘Utkala-Ghanta’ Jadumani Mahapatra (18th century)

Jellyfish and Ravana’s Umbrella…

….and the origin of mushrooms on earth!

Ram shooting down Ravana’s umbrella as seen in Odisha Temple art

Even today, Odiya fishermen refer to jelly fish as Rabana-chatta, or Ravana’s umbrellas

On reaching Lanka, Ram and Sugreeva climb up Suvala mountain to see the city. Ravana too rises up in the sky on his pushpak viman to see Ram and his army. Ravana looks grand with hundreds of royal umbrellas adorning his flying throne. Ram raises his bow and shoots an arrow, bringing down Ravana’s royal umbrellas that fall on earth and sea. The ones that fall on earth become mushrooms. The ones that fall in the sea become jelly fish. This episode is called ‘Chattra-katta,’ or the cuttingof the umbrellas. Even today, Odiya fishermen refer to jelly fish as Rabana-chatta, or Ravana’s umbrellas.

From oral folk traditions of Odisha’s fisherfolk

Join the conversation using #RamayanaRevisited

From HT Brunch, May 24, 2020

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Hanu-Naga

Whereas ha-nagas I wrote about recently are among the mightiest of their kind, hanu-nagas are easily among the least at a mere CR 4. That doesn’t make them any less interesting – far from it! Hanu-nagas have a tie to monkeys and apes, a power of influence and control.  These serpentine beings are able to command any simian (monkeys and apes but not lemurs or tarsiers; that technically includes humans in a cladistic sense, though not here), something I might make a little more powerful to let them compel attacks or just allow the hanu-naga to rely on influence to guide their minions to violent ends. Even in death, the simians will answer their master’s call, with a sinuous serpentine dance calling up ghoul monkeys. Non-human primates fascinate many, so close to humans in looks and even actions but not, and threatening or comical in their otherness. (Ones under the influence of hanu-nagas are generally not exemplars of the better traits of humanity, naturally.) Whether out in the rainforest or lurking in overgrown ruins, these nagas make great adversaries and even villains for whole adventures, sometimes even using their mystical power over monkeys to draw in nearby tribes.

Any vanara that visits the realm of Igora always finds themselves feared, though whether that fear manifests as mewling tributes or drawn weapons varies between communities. The reason is they are taken as the emissaries of the hanu-nagas whose cabals influence and rule over the locals under the threat of the ever-present monkeys. The hanu-nagas themselves view vanaras as obviously inferior but possibly worthy servants, attempting to snare the monkeyfolk in their coils to force them onto bended knee.

The famed City of Monkeys named for the many monkeys that live in the ruined metropolis, swarming over the rubble and lurking in the trees that have thrust up in what were once sacred squares and holy temples. The dark secret at the city’s heart is the rival sects of hanu-nagas that lair in separate ruins, each claiming its own slice of territory.  The “madness” that sweeps the native simians is their masters’ bidding, with ghoul monkeys scavenging the corpses of their fellows. By informal compact, the hanu-nagas rarely turn the ghouls on each other but their restraint doesn’t extend to any adventurer who dares to visit.

Pretending to be a far more subdued and restrained figure, the hanu-naga Jurakresi has joined a traveling circus. She performs bizarre feats of telekinesis to entertain tourists.  During the day, at any rate. This all part of her cover – secretly compelling the monkeys kept for their prowess in animal shows to commit strange thefts at night, when the rest of the circus is asleep. Jurakresi is collecting unusual relics and other minor baubles, sending her simian servants after anything she finds interesting. The hanu-naga has a particular interest in icons or divine items left behind by the gods who died in the Heavenly Schism.

- Tome of Horrors 4 168