#galdur arc

[mpc-unofficial]

Frick.

I had no idea something like that was possible. In hindsight, it makes sense but still…

Gosh that feels so weird… why does it actually ache?!

I fear to imagine what would happen if it breaks entirely.

I should probably be more careful in the future.

[mpc-unofficial]

Apologies but might I ask who you are and why there’s a body count?!

Hey um. @mpc-unofficial i have a question about whether I need to update my body count?

[eclipsecrowned]

What The Fuck Is Wrong With Tief Hel: (Grand)Parental Pacts, Patrons, and Pain. or, Why Hel Looks Like That Instead Of Like The Rest of Her People.

TW for body horror, health discussion. Long post, consider reading on blog rather than dash.

PT. 1: WHAT’S THE DAMAGE

For those not in the loop/who are being introduced to this muse on this blog rather than her old solo venture, we’re dealing with an AU version of my mythological Hel muse. In Norse mythos, Hel is a goddess of the dead, and has a vision that represents the limbo in which she serves. A living entity who rules over a realm of death, to one side she is a legendary beauty – and on the other, a horrifying corpse woman. Think Two-Face but substantially more Goth/Upsetting.

This is a deformity I carry into all of her verses, because disability in the divine is kind of an awesome concept actually, but the whole ‘half dead’ thing sometimes doesn’t translate very well into different verses. Sometimes, she instead has severe life-altering burns over half of her body, sometimes she just has a skin/muscle/nerve condition that largely effects one side, and sometimes it’s just a form of partial mummification in terms of look. One side of her will always, however, be affected by a chronic condition involving skin/muscle/veins/nerves. I’ll dig deeper into what this means for her mobility and health later. For now, we’re speaking strictly on what her actual appearance is.

In the verse in question – Galdur’s Bait 3 – I follow the schema of ‘disfiguring skin condition with underlying issues beneath said skin.’ That is to say, her left side is looking rather withered, skin drawn tight against her bones, looking fragile and rather spent. It isn’t a perfectly even 50/50 spread, but does appear to ebb and flow more to the right or only taking up a small fraction of her left side. It runs from her brow down to her feet themselves, though she dresses to obscure this fact and make it appear it’s only her face affected. It’s actually a key part of her early romance arc that she exposes her condition to the PC in full.

The impression this gives is… Unsettling. I’ll also go more into depth with this in a later point, but most common folk prefer not to look at Hel, and it’s often assumed she’s under the effect of some curse or an Undead. The point is, she barely looks like a natural Tiefling… Which is not an incorrect assumption, actually. Hel wasn’t created by cavorting with Cambions or trueborn tieflings having trysts. She’s not of Asmodeus, Mephistopheles, or Z*riel’s loins, metaphorically or otherwise.

Hel’s infernal lineage was a gift, you see. An Infernal gift, of course, but not from any of the usual suspects. She doesn’t owe her race or appearance to a Demon.

She owes it to a Dragon.

PT. 2: DAMAGE GETS DONE

Hel is not a first generation adventurer. She’s not even second generation. Lifetimes ago, there was a band of adventurers traipsing through the North. Two of these will be important to this meta moving forward – Farbauti Sudden-Striker, a Reghed Barbarian, and Laufey Liesmith, an Ill*skan of N*therese descent. As stated, Farbauti was a melee build, while Laufey supported he and their companions with magics. That should come as no surprise, given her heritage as one of the diaspora of that doomed empire, nor should her prodigious talent with the Weave.

Pivotal to this story, however, is the fact Laufey was an ambitious woman, and one who sought to supplement her already great powers with something more. The much touted Sorlock who built upon her inborn Sorcerer capabilities with a Warlock Pact, she worked tirelessly to hide that fact from others. Such an attempt to hide her deal only highlighted its nature: Infernal.

And there was plenty of reason to hide that fact. Not only was the North none too kind to such meddling, but she had not settled for more minor Patrons. Between her alarming natural power and her excellent breeding, she would serve only the best and darkest – or the most colorful, as the case might be. All of this pride led her to the altar of a then-Archdevil. With mutual aims towards power and control, and the agreement that Laufey would tirelessly serve her lady’s aims for domination and treasure both, Laufey signed herself to Tiam*t during her reign over Avernus.

She served with grace and discretion, collecting gold and land in service of her dark lady. Driven but lawful, many would be put off by such loyalties. Farbauti, for his part, was drawn into that gravity. Beautiful, brilliant, and with a distinct danger about her, Laufey was a lady worth fighting for, someone whose wit could help his own ambitions come to fruition. Theirs was a perfectly balanced union that produced two sons.

That is where it all falls apart. Despite being Humans both, the pairs first son was born wrong, possessing his father’s crimson hair, his mother’s pale complexion, and both a tail and the first hint of future horns. Laufey’s pact came back to haunt her during a lull in her adventuring, but the boy – Loki -- bore no outwards signs of her Lady’s favor besides the difference in race. The family left the North, finding it inhospitable for their son, and seemed like they might have made it.

A second son was the death of Laufey. The loss of Laufey was not the end of Tiam*t’s stain on the family.

Loki, for his part, took up his parents adventuring ways as he came of age. His lifestyle eventually led him to the Storm Horns, where he fell in with a Goliath clan and made something of a more permanent life with its leader. Each of their children were, per the rules of the setting, Tiefs like their father. The first son was about as normal as the offspring of such a union could be, reflecting more of a Goliath’s height and build as he grew. The second son had a strange way of growing scales rather than the natural ridges of his people, but was otherwise to standard.

And then there was his only daughter. Hel, who was born horrific, with disfigurements that could not be solved by magic and failing health that eventually saw her sent away from the mountain as an act of mercy. Her apparently degenerative, accursed appearance was much speculated about, but ultimately chalked up to divine mischief: Her father was an agent and acolyte of Mask, and his daughter’s conception lined up eerily with the end of a conflict against the Church of Cyr*c.

Those who look closely enough, however, will notice a few traits that point instead to her grandmother’s Patron, and perhaps even a sort of ‘blessing’ from the Chromatic Dragon.

PT. 3: SYMPTOMS AND SOCIETAL SIDE-EFFECTS

Maybe you’re saying to yourself, ‘Wow, Kadi, what interesting backstory lore you cooked up for your playthrough!’ More likely you’re saying, ‘Why the fuck did this bitch make me read that entire wall of text???’ Either way, I’m sure you’re at the conclusion of ‘What the shit does that have to do with your thesis statement?’ And I’m here to answer that question, with sources.

First, let’s get a little more in-depth with Hel’s appearance: The grey-tinted skin of her Goliath heritage, the slightly above average height that is also a gift from her mother, the back-swept horns and the prehensile tail and the vibrant eyes swimming in pools of black sclera that are so common among Tiefls. But the first thing anyone will notice about this woman is aforementioned textural/disfigurements from part one.

That isn’t just for show, by the way. It’s far more than skin deep. Per a past meta I wrote on the subject:

“For the most part, these aforementioned malformations outwardly exhibit themselves in neurological damage to her sensory and motor capabilities. This damage is commonly expressed in loss of sensation, reduced range of motion, and muscle weakness, as well as occasional fits of twitching or shaking in her extremities, digits, or facial muscles. More rarely, she might deal with temporary bouts of pain and partial paralysis through her rotted half, both of which can be quite debilitating and interrupt her routines, or even leave her bedridden in especially severe cases. Besides these neurological issues, there’s also the matter of reduced blood flow and vein problems running through half of her body. There is an underlying heart issue at play here, which poses a much more sizable risk than her constant but stabilized nerve problems. Coldness of extremities might be the most obvious that many will see – or in this case, feel. – but it’s just the first of many underlying problems. Lethargy and fatigue can also put Hel out of commission for a time, and can be especially worrisome when coupled with the aforementioned, infrequent periods of nerve pain. The moment where these two issues really wreak havoc on each other is when swelling of extremities puts further strain on Hel’s already damaged nerves.”

So what we have is Hel, who was born with debilitating but far from fatal chronic pain, which cannot be healed by any means. She also has visible malformations that only make her life more difficult-- this is not an invisible struggle on her part. It has been quoted in past editions that Tiam*t, dubbed the Undying Queen, is not fond of healing magics, and all but demands her faithful embrace pain to come out the other side of it stronger. It’s not an immediate tell of her heritage/the cause of recent Infernal twists on the family tree, and indeed no one is likely to cotton on to this side of Tiam*t’s doctrine in line with Laufey’s only granddaughter, but from a Meta perspective it can be inferred that Hel has suffered for all 35 years as a counterbalance or even as a sign of favor for her grandmother’s loyal service.

There’s more to it than wounds that will not heal/physical pain builds character, however. There’s physical tells unrelated to her malformations that also act as a walking advertisement of a Pact made generations before.

As has been pointed out to me by a friend, there is one aspect of Tiam*t that has endured through all editions and depictions. It’s a subtle thing, but the shape of her tail is singular. While Hel does not have a 1:1 ‘recreation’ of this aspect, she sure doesn’t have the standard spade or smooth tapering end that many Tiefs possess a their tips. It much more resembles a stinger, though the cartilage is neither hard/sharp enough to actually be used as a weapon, and this ‘stinger’ lacks the venomous capabilities of Tiam*t’s own tail. There is also the fact Hel’s ridges are scale-like in texture, which is something she shares in common with a brother.

Of course, the average person is not going to look at Hel and put together ‘Ah, Tiam*t influence.’ They are going to look at her and ask if she’s dying, planning on leaving anytime soon because she’s frightening the children and a fair few adults, or just draw weapons on what they take for an Undead. Too few people want to look at her long enough or have a deep enough understanding of the Chromatic Dragon’s aesthetics/doctrine to draw the correct conclusion. Even if they did and passed a perception check to recognize her for what she is, it’s just another mark against her, another reason to drive her out or draw blades.

That’s not likely to happen, however. Not even Hel’s own family can put the pieces together about her connection to the grandmother she so favors, as the family’s bet is actually on the fact her father pissed off Cyr*c before riding home to sire her.

PT. 4: LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

So that’s how we got here. What does it mean for Hel moving forward?

Well… not a lot. She’s not particularly invested in the Infernal, and already sold herself off to K*lemvor as a Cleric decades ago. Her grandmother is long dead and buried, so learning the truth from Laufey is a non-starter. Hel has a perfectly serviceable answer for why she is ‘like this’ in the assumption about Loki’s past activities she’s been made aware of. The strangeness has thus far gone no further than her, as in both endgames where she has kids they’re far more baseline as Tiefs go.

She’ll still have that wound that will not heal in her physical capabilities, but then, she’d have that even if there was a less fantastical reason for their existence. Even if someone were to come forward tomorrow and out all of this to her the day after the epilogue, there’s not much she can do with the information.

It can, however, open the door for several adventure hooks. I’ve even toyed with loose ends tying party lore together in Laufey’s cult was the seed from which grew the attempted attack on the Gate that another companion thwarted. That both have something to lay to rest while dragging their mutual friends along for the ride. That in any ending that leads the party to Avernus, there’s either roses or scorn thrown at one who reeks of the Chromatic Dragon. That the shades of the past start reaching out for Hel, drawn either to her resemblance to Laufey or her future friction with her chosen God. And then there is always the long-shot possibility someone recognizes Hel for these ‘tells’ of a past pact with Tiam*t and comes to collect a pound of flesh or incorrectly assess she’s caught up in worship of the Dragon in question.

[mpc-unofficial]

Crossroads exploration log

Entry 2

We weren’t planning on starting a new entry till our next exploration but… well… shit happened so…

Ok, let’s just get on with the report.

First of all, the name of the shadow nest we have been exploring was apparently Crossroads, and Ordell is but the first area of it.

Theory is that a new area will open every time we complete an existing one, which is why Galdur is now open to us now that we’ve reached the end of Ordell.

Ordell consists of 15 floors total from start to finish, with each floor changing its shape every time it is re-entered.

According to initial scans of the newly formed gate, Galdur is likely to be similar in function to Ordell. That being said, it appears to be way bigger than Ordell is, and initial scans show its interior looking vastly different from that of Ordell’s.

In fact, according to the data I’ve been sorting through, it is likely that Crossroads is made up of a series of connected pocket dimensions that formed a cluster system.

Or… uh… in slightly less scientific terms, Crossroads is basically a couple of half-formed universes that decided to group themselves together.

Not much is known about why Crossroads is reacting in such ways, but it’s expansion only serves to show that there are still countless mysteries about the place we have yet to discover.

Another thing worthy of note (that Kalani had just brought up) is the distinct lack of shadow attacks on the center ever since Ordell came into existence. Could it be possible that the shadows simply stayed in Crossroads now that they had a place to go? More research is needed on this matter.

Now, on our second topic, it appears that persona users (and people with aura abilities) have the capabilities to control their movements in Multispace. This is especially fascinating, as normal human beings can only float in the void and perhaps attempt to “swim” their way around with little to no control over their movements in Multispace. However, persona users are able to walk in the void that is Multispace, and the level of control is pretty immense considering how one could “climb” and “descend” in the void just by willing it to happen.

Given how having an aura ability apparently has the same effect, it is likely that gaining a persona is related to our soul and life force in some way. Kalani has agreed with this statement, stating getting a new persona to be like “opening one’s soul to more possibilities”. More research is needed on this matter as well, but I believe it to be of some merit.

[mpc-unofficial]

What are social links even for?

Like, seriously.

Minus the whole “making relationships with others thing”, which could be done even without a link in place, I’ve yet to see a single benefit from having them so far.

[mpc-unofficial]

Ah, so you could be…

Would you happen to know how they’re doing?

Apologies if I’m… overstepping, you can choose not to reply if you don’t want to.

You’re… the field leader of SEES…? Might I ask what that entails?

Oh, it means that during missions, I call the shots. I don't outrank Mitsuru-senpai or Akihiko-senpai outside of missions, but during them, I give orders.

[mpc-unofficial]

A video is attached.

[It shows a very dark area, illuminated by a single glowing door in the distance. Kalani is shown riding Cielo, with Asif and Irene on Byte.

“This place is strange.” Irene finally says something. “I don’t get how it’s managed to survive for so long. Given its nature, it should have dissolved back into the sea of souls by now.

“Perhaps something is keeping it here.” Kalani replies, they appear to be deep in thought.

Cielo and Byte slow their speed as the door got closer.

“Do you feel that, Irene? Asif?” Kalani breathes, voice barely louder than a whisper.

“If you’re talking about the power behind that door, then yes.” Irene was already measuring the readings being given out by the biome on her device.

“Definitely.” Asif chimes in. “I’ve never seen anything like it…” he appeared deep in contemplation as well.

“No, I mean… it is powerful, that’s for sure. However, I’m taking about the pull, like… there’s something familiar. It’s weird, it feels like an old friend I’ve yet to meet.” Kalani dismounts Cielo to move closer.

“There’s a statue on it.” Asif remarks as Irene takes a photo and types something furiously into her tablet.

“I wonder what it could be?” She squints a little as she looks to the statue.

Asif looks again, hand above his eyes. “It looks to be a crafted in the shape of a human.”

Kalani rests a hand on the door The door glows brighter. They jump back with a yelp. A shout sounds from the two people behind them and Cielo bleats in concern as the statue dissolves into light, giving birth to a blue butterfly that flew in swirls as its altitude fell, lower and lower, until it finally touches the ground.

Another burst of light erupts from the butterfly’s contact with the ground. A familiar, soothing song plays as the burst of blue and yellow light dissolved into floating blobs of light, revealing a sleeping, blue-haired boy lying on the ground.

Kalani’s eyes widened. They rush over to the boy, checking for a pulse.

“He’s alive.”

Irene was by their side in a second. She checks on the boy as well, a look of bewilderment crossing their features.

“He’s… how?” Asif turns back to the door. “He must have been stuck in that door for ages.”

“I don’t know, but we can’t just leave him here.” Kalani insists.

“I agree, but we’re out of mounts. Byte can only take two at most and Cielo isn’t exactly able to…” Asif pauses.

“Wait a second… we technically have one more mount.”

Everyone was silent for a moment.

“But…” Kalani starts. “Borb’s a…”

“A pelipper, but we don’t exactly have much of a choice right now. Besides…” Irene pauses, suddenly hesitant. “There’s technically no form of travel faster than…”

“Pelipper mail?!” Kalani nearly exclaims.

“We don’t have much of a choice! Pelipper mail would make the journey a lot shorter. I’m… not too excited about this myself, but we did bring Brob with us for a reason.” Irene admits. “I’ll ride with the guy in the Borb’s beak… Just in case anything happens. Besides, we have no idea what he’s been through. The sooner we check on his vitals, the better, and I’m the most certified out of the 3 of us when it comes to medical stuffs.”

“It’s probably our best bet.” Asif agrees reluctantly, though it was clear that they didn’t see it to be a good idea either.

“I guess… I didn’t want to do this but I guess we’ll have to. Let’s make this quick.” Kalani takes in a deep breath, before grabbing a pokeball from their pocket and throwing it into the air.

“We need your help Borb!”

The pelipper emerges with a cry, features immediately growing concerned as soon as he spotted the unconscious boy. The pokemon sends Kalani an anxious look, opening his mouth wide.

“Let’s do this.” Irene starts lifting the unconscious boy. Kalani and Asif rush over as well to help load the boy into the pelipper’s mouth. Irene climbs in right after, before typing something into her tablet.

“Be careful, ok?” Kalani looks to Borb and Irene. Borb gives a sound of confirmation while Irene nods.

“Take good care of Byte for me, I’ll see the two of you at the center soon.”

Asif nods wordlessly as Irene sends in the command. A portal opens. Borb instinctively flies in before it closes, leaving Kalani, Asif and the rest of the pokemon behind.

“Shall we get going back to the center?” Asif asks as soon as the portal closes.

“Let’s.” Kalani was already climbing onto Cielo.

Asif nods, getting onto Byte.

The two then race off into Multispace, back in the direction of the center.]

The video ends there.

… … … ######

[mpc-unofficial]

It’s a good thing that we decided not to go into Galdur today, because we’ve got a surprise visitor!

Asif is currently wondering why I’m talking to a “cat”.

…we may have to go into Ordell for this.

[mpc-unofficial]

Good morning rotomblr! We were going to go to the stables today to look for mounts but our plans just got derailed once more.

We’re now going into Ordell to catch a shadow, because if Team Express has Ren for the reasons I think it does, we’ll be trying to break him out of there using the laws of equivalent exchange.

I… should have thought about this earlier. Why didn’t I think about this earlier?!?

[mpc-unofficial]

Firck fric firck grick I beed fi gi back

pelipper mail: A dream of a corpse. You walk down the aisle slowly. It’s an open casket funeral. His eyes are shut, face arranged in an almost peaceful smile.

“Want to see a magic trick?” The corpse of Makoto asks. He curls his fingers around the lid of the casket, pulling it down over himself, and when you open it—

He is gone. Only flowers remain. You are not at a funeral. You are just standing in an empty church, looking at an empty casket, and outside, the world is ending.

Was

Really hopiomg for the muktiverse dreams

Not

Not thst

Fuck I csn't stopp crying

[mpc-unofficial]

A video is attached.

[It shows Kalani riding Cielo. Galdur’s gate could be seen behind them.

Asif could be seen sitting on top of a levitating Byte, who had shape-shifted themself into a bigger form of themself, big enough to carry two.

“You know, you’re surprising good at riding... probably even better than myself.” Irene’s voice could be heard from somewhere behind the camera.

“I used to ride a lot.” Kalani brings Cielo to a stop. “And it’s pretty clear that Cielo is also used to being ridden…”

The gogoat bleats in response, Kalani starts unconsciously petting his head, in a surprisingly specific spot behind his left horn.

Cielo bleats again gently. Kalani pauses, before realising what they were doing.

“Ah! Apologies!” They settle back into basic head pats.

Asif looks on at everything that’s happening. His eyes held recognition, even while he chooses not to comment.]

The video ends there.

[mpc-unofficial]

A picture is attached:

Hmm… I should take pictures more often.

[mpc-unofficial]

A gogantic blue and ehile burd with an eyepatcj just walkrd into the rokm

It’s hunming genty?

(OOC text: A gigantic blue and white bird with an eyepatch just walked into the room. It’s humming gently?)

[mpc-unofficial]

…what is this?

[mpc-unofficial]

hey, I got your first round of weapon prototypes done, just waiting on the beta tests. Should take a couple weeks at most, then I’ll send them your way, kay? Make sure you take good notes on the shadows <3

@team-express

Oh, ok…

Thanks for the update. As for the notes just continue to check the exploration log. All notable details would be added into it.

[mpc-unofficial]

Just how many persona users are there up here? I was under the impression that they were relatively rare…

Ren makes sense, since he knows some version of me.

Kotone probably has one, but she’s likely another alternate version of me.

I also think Kalani and Irene have personas? Which… is honestly quite concerning given all that I’ve learnt about this center of late. I should probably ask them how they got theirs…

But the fact that there appears to be other persona users besides that…

Sometimes I wonder what happens in worlds similar to my own after I leave… then again maybe this is yet another one of those “alternate version of something related to the Iwadotai 2009 happenings.”