#xgiworks

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guys that stand in a big long row: hey

"""central""" cast lineup for 'ALBIAN UNDERNEATH' aka messed-up-potamia. "theoretical" comic, large-scale worldbuilding brainstorming cess pit.

(from left to right - Juris, The Vessel, Aethon, Hulios, Drapere, Edaen, Pherion, Neythos, Phobos, Levrus, Iris, Litho IV, The Sun-Robber(s))

[xenophorusrachid]

christening this account with stuff that's only seen the light of day in specific Communities. Here's Juris of-the-setting-moon as Nosferatu (specifically, cover art for the 1922 film), and engaging in some usual tormenting behavior.

[xenophorusrachid]

the year of the snake approaches… and the serpent begins to coil.

On a similar note, this world does not have a zodiac/astrology system, but depending upon the weather of the season the new year falls upon, a specific god (or its aspect) will be chosen as a patron, and a special series of offerings will be made to them during each of the 12 months.

The New Year’s Offering, or the Rite of Beginning, is typically marked by the ritual sacrifice of an ox calf and a drome, followed by a communal prayer and a large feast. The subsequent monthly offerings are similar, but less directly engaged with commonfolk.

Juris, the lunar god pictured above, has been excluded from the pantheon and has not been the subject of a new year’s ritual for centuries. Instead, the new year’s offerings seek to protect from her influences and the forces of the earth.

[xenophorusrachid]

Depthgate.

Hulios, self-appointed keeper of the underneath, awaits her most and least favorite subjects. She brandishes a punishing rod, fashioned with a poker. Rods like these were typically wielded by royalty, and are held by anthropomorphic gods in artwork.

cont.

Hulios is a high priest, though she does not appear in conventional attire, nor does she take up acolytes. Having lived beneath the ground her entire life, she has little patience in traditional accordance. She instead presides over a small community of stragglers, acting as a spiritual and social guide. She says she sources most of her underlings from those who wander aimlessly and hopelessly beneath the ground, but many surface-dwellers talk of people who’ve been stolen from the streets in the dead of night.

Her patron deity is also peculiar, as she worships the fallen god Juris as if she’d never left the heavens. She communes with her, offers sacrifice, and conducts typical rituals, though they are notably different from those of the current era.

It is unknown who raised Hulios and who initiated her as a true high priest. Her choices in attire and mannerisms are particularly old fashioned, and she displays a sort of indifference to most petty problems that not many can replicate. She was most likely taught and raised by an older woman in her community, but she never speaks of her predecessors.

[xenophorusrachid]

- Wandering the Labyrinth -

Aethon, ex-Prince of Albian, and Drapere, prisoner with a possible death sentence hung over his head, are cast underground, not necessarily by choice, and the rift between the two is widened ever farther.

comic framing test with not-so-savvy formatting. transcript & elaborations under the cut.

AETHON: I’ve never seen such old paintings…

DRAPERE: We aren’t here to look at all the pretty pictures.

AETHON: Sorry, I—

DRAPERE: So don’t.

AETHON: Oh…Okay.

- - -

I do not do too much talking about the ‘underneath’ part of Albian Underneath, but it is an increasingly important set piece. The entire city of Albian is built upon natural and man-carved caves and elaborate tunnel systems, functioning as a ritual space, a cemetery, a mineral mine, and a place of refuge, among other things. Beyond entries/exits and specific marked areas, the place is largely unmapped, and without a guide, many are doomed to walk the halls for eternity. Artwork on many of the tunnel walls spans multiple eras, and it is common to see early Albian artistic motifs placed next to their modern counterparts.

The status quo is essentially flipped in the underneath, too. If you aren’t careful, you can quickly be overtaken by an adept brigand who lives in the caverns, or be led astray by a mad priest who can see in the dark. Or, at least that’s what common children’s tales say.

In another similar folktale, Juris, banished goddess of the moon, (or, in this case, She-Who-Binds-The-Soul; Juris as “Soul-Binder”) is said to lurk in the deepest depths, whispering into the ears of those who dare delve downward. Once a person reaches her chamber, she pounces upon them, ripping their skin from their flesh and feeding upon what’s left of them. With her newly collected human skin, she gives life to terrible beasts with bodies that stretch and contort, feeding only rock and bone.

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inheritance, or Aethon’s dilemma

some fleeting comic/sequential tale of woe. aethon believes that, in addition to other people around him, the gods do not/will not hear his pleas.

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false truths and valid lies

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drakendoodels . i like angelus. not too keen about the gleeful grinner though

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you held the key and i found it

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:P Commissions are open to my tumblr crowd for a little while... :)

but uh yea! dm me here or on instagram/twitter @ Xenophoe for further inquiries :)

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Sephiroth’s put his fan club in good hands - Kefka’s hands, that is.

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merry joker's trickmas and a very kefka new year

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scopophobia …nay, scopophilia

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banger robo-kys from twitter . cannot stand crossposting but im feeling dangerous

[xenophorusrachid]

Character intro blurbs can be found below.

I'll be using the same left-right organization as above.

Albian is the city-state where the events of 'ALBIAN UNDERNEATH' take place, for reference.

Juris, or "Juris of the Setting Moon". the fallen moon god in a humanoid form. She is said to be trapped somewhere on the mortal plane as punishment for killing her brother, the sun god, thousands of years ago. She is more commonly depicted as a shroud with a white face or a horned serpent. She is said to have the ability to change her shape, cause people to become ill, and can conjure nightmares. She was once a highly-regarded deity with aspects that were connected to fertility and rainstorms/inundation.

The Vessel is something you don't have to worry about right now. Nothing more than a boogeyman.

Aethon Ametrius is our protagonist and the prince of Albian. Upon being initiated into the official royal cult and political sphere, he uncovers a past that all endeavored to cover up. He takes it upon himself to bring these secrets to light, but this only brings him closer to a darker force and a predestined fate. He sees a black specter in the corner of his vision from time to time, though he does not believe it to be malevolent.

Hulios Juraea is a mysterious woman with a mysterious past. Currently, she works as a botanist, but may have served as a priest at one point. She lives deep underground in the tunnels below Albian. She takes in vagrants and other needy folk, but her hospitality may serve an alternative purpose.

Lorem "Drapere" Ipsum is a prisoner serving as an indentured servant. Despite his rank, he is often found congregating with those of the upper classes in the effort to cultivate gossip and talk his way into gambling schemes. He and Aethon cross paths coincidentally, and they cannot seem to get out of each other's business from that point onward.

Edaen Aphdras is an accomplished priestess of Aphaeleon, the creator god. She withholds many of the secrets that Aethon means to discover, though this is simply the code that priests adhere to. Despite her typically stoic demeanor, she struggles to maintain her vows of secrecy, her duty to her goddess, and her loose friendship with Aethon. She believes Aethon is destined to die, and she is not afraid to take the matters of his death into her own hands.

Pherion Eonys is a skilled craftsman and wannabe scholar. He is taken in by Hulios as he and his sister became lost in the tunnels. He is considered a missing person by those who live above-ground.

Neythos Eonys is a craftsman and hobbyist botanist. She is taken in by Hulios as she and her brother became lost in the tunnels. She is considered a missing person by those who live above-ground.

King Phobos Xerxerius Ametrius is the resident king of Albian, and Aethon's father. He is distant from his son, primarily because of his demeanor, and finds solace in his work. He is distrustful, but regarded as a kindly man. His past is also shrouded in a bit of mystery, as not many know the terms between his marriage to the deceased Queen of Albian, Levrus Audras.

Levrus Audras was once Queen of Albian and mother to Aethon. After her parents were both killed in a devastating accident, she married Phobos, prince of Aptian (a second city-state) to solidify her crumbling state. She was known to be benevolent and a bit headstrong, but in the last few years of her life, she became prone to delusion and claimed that the fallen-god was trying to convince her to do heinous acts.

Iris Sothis was a scribe, and Levrus' closest companion. Not much is known about her, as she was said to be involved with Levrus' death. She was executed for this crime, and soon after, her image and identity was scrubbed from all records.

King Litho Ametrius IV is Phobos' father, and was the ruler of Aptian. His record is also expunged, and Phobos does not speak highly of him if asked about who came before him. He is said to have evoked the fallen-god's wrath.

The Sun-Robber or Biting Ateornis is a composite creature found typically in architecture and statuary. It is normally protective, but composite creatures have a negative connotation in the current age, as they are said to have been created by the fallen-god. Don't worry about it.

guys that stand in a big long row: hey

"""central""" cast lineup for 'ALBIAN UNDERNEATH' aka messed-up-potamia. "theoretical" comic, large-scale worldbuilding brainstorming cess pit.

(from left to right - Juris, The Vessel, Aethon, Hulios, Drapere, Edaen, Pherion, Neythos, Phobos, Levrus, Iris, Litho IV, The Sun-Robber(s))