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sunflowersensei-blog · 8 years ago

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The long wait is over! Here’s part two of the Elder Vampire monsterpost extravaganza! Above is a portrait of the King of Night and his entourage, Srinivasa Githa and Vermeer. This time we’re going to go over the King, what he’s done to earn all of his fancy titles, as well as the backgrounds of his two retainers, which are quite interesting in and of themselves.

Let’s get into it!

About the King of Night:

-Vincent la Varr, The Immortal, Butcher of Malaket, Master of Darkness, Avatar of Primordial Dark, King of Night, Ruler of All Monsters, and the last living Elder Vampire was born the fifth child of nine, ensuring he would never see any wealth, fame, respect, or authority under normal circumstances. This fact never bothered Vincent, however, and he grew up a well-adjusted young man in a time of unprecedented peace under the rule of his grandfather, the first King of Night.

-For some time after the First Crusade, the Kingdom of Night was being rebuilt. Monsters starting families in new homesteads were rewarded, and there was great demand for adventurers to explore and take stock of the natural resources of the Kingdom. Wanting to get out of the castle and see the world, Vincent left to walk the land and take in its untamed beauty.

-Vincent journeyed the World of Dark for many years, exploring ancient tombs, investigating abandoned Lich towers, searching for the mythical Bright-Eyes, and retracing the footsteps of the four legendary monster heroes who awakened the Elder Vampires. Eventually, though, Vincent became homesick and returned home, to the newly finished Castle of Night. When he returned, however, he learned the news: the King was dead, slain by an ambush, and his father had taken up the mantle.

-The King’s subjects were not at all pleased by this development. The new King was considerably lesser than his predecessor, in stature, might, and the respect he garnered. The Devils, Vampires, Liches, and Lycanthropes all started bickering amongst themselves about who should be the next King should the current one fall in battle. Some even openly stated they were preparing to challenge the King in single combat and take the crown for themselves. This debate also extended to the Royal family, with Vincent’s older brothers and sisters challenging each other to duels to see who could take on their father and become the next King or Queen of Night.

-Vincent was quite disheartened by the state of the Kingdom, and the aloof attitude of his father didn't help. Fed up with his family’s constant infighting, Vincent left the castle once more, this time to journey the World of Light, a land that was totally alien to him. He left a note behind to announce where he had gone, found a waygate, and used it to jump between Worlds.

-Vincent spent many years in the World of Light, using shapeshifting to appear as a Human, and exploring the lands of his ancestors’ enemies. In his adventures, he collected rare artifacts, magical items, and defeated dangerous creatures. He gained quite a reputation among the desert tribes, and tales of his deeds even made it to the Kingdom of Light.

-In his travels, Vincent grew to understand Human society and culture and made a couple Human friends, coming to the realization that Humans were not exactly the violent murderers that he had thought they were. Humans were just as complex as Monsters, and were capable of good as well as ill, and perhaps there could be reconciliation between the two Worlds. Vincent began helping Humans in need, and brought water to a nomadic tribe that had been wracked by sandstorms and ran out of drinkable water, staying with them for a time.

-He became quite close with one of the daughters of the Chieftain, but his advances were put down by her guardian, the swordmistress Srinivasa Githa. Vincent lived and journeyed with the tribe for a few years and became well-liked among the tribespeople. One day, though, a messenger came for Vincent, and told Vincent he had been summoned to meet with the King of Light. Vincent immediately broke into a cold sweat, but agreed to meet with the King. So, he left with the messenger and walked across the desert to the Ringed City, the capitol of the Kingdom of Light.

-Vincent, still in disguise, was led to the Grand Castle to meet with the King. Vincent felt weakened, having been affected by the Heliosphere, but he kept his composure. He entered the audience chamber, knees shaking, and was relieved to see he was not alone. Thousands of adventurers from all over the World of Light had apparently been invited to hear a message from the King. At the far end of the hall, the King of Light and his entourage made their entrance.

-The King looked over the crowd and gave his speech. Each adventurer, warrior, scholar, sorcerer, and craftsman there were all storied heroes of Light and were to be given a lordship should they join the Army of Light and take up arms as Crusaders like their ancestors once did. Vincent’s heart dropped. There was going to be another Crusade. He had to get back home and warn everyone. The King finished his speech by giving everyone there one month to decide and that the Crusade would begin in a few years time, but that they needed to prepare as soon as possible.

-Vincent stumbled out of the audience chamber, weaving through the crowds of adventurers, and settled down in a shaded alleyway. He composed himself and made his way out of the Ringed City. Once he left the city, his powers and vitality returned, and he made his way back to the tribe he was living with. When he arrived, he found his love asleep in her tent. Not wanting to wake her, and not finding the strength to tell her what he was, Vincent wrote a letter to her, detailing where he came from, what he was, and why he had to leave. He left the letter by her bedroll, then disappeared.

-He returned to the World of Dark, hoping to warn the Kingdom of Night of the coming war. However, the bickering he left behind years ago had turned into deep resentments, splitting the Kingdom along racial lines. His family had long since separated, living apart in different manors. Anyone left in the castle was simply too weary to care about Vincent’s warnings. Even his father, the King of Night, could not believe that the Humans were willing to commit to a second Crusade after the Kingdom had been shown to be strong enough to repel such an invasion.

-Not knowing what to do or who to turn to, Vincent remembered the four Monster heroes of old and how they met with the Beast. Thus, he descended deep into the castle, below the dungeons, below the waste tunnels, even below the ancient temple that lay beneath the earth, and entered the Pit of the Beast. Vincent spoke to the Beast, begging it for assistance. It responded: to save your people, you must take the throne for yourself, for no other has it in them to do so.

-Vincent refused, at first, asking if his older siblings were better for the task, to which the Beast listed everything his brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews thought and believed. Everything they would do should they rule was revealed, and Vincent was shocked. Each one of them would wipe out one monster race or another, enslave some or privilege others, or would not have the strength to overcome the Crusaders. Each would fail in some way, destined by the flaws in their worldviews to commit one great mistake that would doom the Kingdom. Only Vincent, who had journeyed the Worlds of Light and Dark, who had seen and known they ways of its people, and who had overcome great obstacles could shoulder the burden of the whole World and not falter.

-To become King, the Beast commanded, Vincent must go to the manors of his family members and slay them one by one. The Beast revealed why this must be so: it saw beyond the veil of time, into the many possibilities of each event, and saw that Vincent was destined to die at the hands of another Elder Vampire, one who was related to him by blood. If Vincent was to remain King, there must not be another to challenge him. Vincent could not argue with God. If this was his fate, then so be it.

-Vincent agreed and the Beast allowed him to drink from its ancient shadow, to commune with Primordial Darkness, and be baptized in the river of the night sky. Vincent was one with darkness from then on, the Avatar of Primordial Dark. He left the Pit, returned to the castle, and begun hunting and killing his family. He left no stone unturned, invaded every manor, and spared nobody, even slaughtering his infant nephew. With each that fell, Vincent’s power grew. Some ran, others fought, and those who fell in combat planned to get revenge when they were reborn, but no rebirth came. The Beast was playing favorites this time, and those who died were dead for good.

-When every member of his family was dead by his hand, Vincent returned to the Castle of Night and challenged his father. The story goes that the King got off the throne, stood before his son, and prostrated himself. The moment his head touched the ground, he died of grief. Vincent didn't even have to lift a finger. Thus, Vincent la Varr became the third King of Night and immediately set out to reclaim the lands that the Kingdom had lost, build his army, and prepare for the coming invasion.

-The campaigns took years, but the Kingdom was almost finally complete. The Army of Darkness was over a million strong, though mostly undead, and the Kingdom was prepared for war. During this time, Vincent was wracked with grief over the death of his family and spent many nights drinking powerful spirits until he blacked out.

-One day, Vincent was alerted that two mysterious travelers had arrived seeking an audience with him. Vincent met them in private, where they revealed who they were: Vincent’s love, Olivia, and her guardian, Srinivasa. Olivia couldn't believe what was in that letter, but when Vincent never returned and the Kingdom of Light announced that a second Crusade was underway, she started to wrap her head around what was going on. Though it had been almost a decade, Olivia never forgot Vincent. When it came time for her to be married off to another tribe’s Chieftain, she begged Srinivasa to kidnap her and take her to see Vincent. Githa originally refused, but relented when she saw Olivia’s real fear and sadness.

-Srinivasa stole Olivia away during a sandstorm and took her to the nearest waygate. They journeyed to the World of Dark and disguised themselves to hide their Humanity. Not knowing where they needed to go or what they were doing, they tried asking around for help. They were set upon by vampires who could smell their Human blood, though Srinivasa slew two of them with her mysterious swordmastery. Before they could be overrun, they were saved by a tribe of Lycanthropes, who took them in and asked what they were doing. Olivia told them they were hoping they could meet with Vincent la Varr, to which the Lycans looked at each other in shock.

-Olivia and Githa were told of what had transpired, and that Vincent was now King. Githa was mortified and demanded that they return home, but Olivia was determined. She knew Vincent was good at heart and there must be some mistake. Seeing that they would not be persuaded, the Lycanthropes took the two travelers to meet with the King of Night. And so they did.

-Vincent was thrilled to see Olivia again, but had to keep her secret. If any challengers to the throne should learn of his Human love, they might use her to get to him. Olivia was fine with living in the castle in private, as long as she could be with Vincent. Srinivasa was not fine with this, and argued for Olivia to have a private manor with the amenities worthy of her high birth. Vincent was about to agree to the terms, but Olivia put her foot down. She wanted to be close to her love. The next day Vincent and Olivia were married in secret and Vincent stopped drinking.

-They lived in peace for some time until Olivia became pregnant. At first, she was happy, but as the months passed, she became weak. Their child was half Elder Vampire and half Human, and nobody knew what was going to happen. Vincent was worried that Olivia might be injured or worse. He tried to spend as much time as he could with her, but there were many Human incursions around the waygates. The Second Crusade was drawing close, and if any Celestials came through, Vincent was the only one who could best them in a fight.

-On the day the Crusade officially begun, the Army of Light stormed the waygates, hundreds of thousands of Crusaders marched across the Plains of Ugain, lead by four Celestial Paladins. Vincent had to leave his wife’s side. While he was away, Olivia gave birth to their daughter, with Srinivasa acting as wet nurse. Olivia named her child Helen Minerva, after the demigoddess of wisdom and clean water. Olivia was very weak, her essence had been drained by her daughter, and she died in her sleep. When Vincent returned from the battle, he found his wife’s body and his crying daughter. Then and there, Vincent vowed that he would do everything in his power to end this war and protect his daughter, the last memory of his wife, from the horrors of the World.

-Vincent fought in almost every battle from then on. He let loose his power and both Crusaders and Celestials knew his presence was death. Even with the King on the battlefield, many lives were lost, millions died, and the full might of the Sunlight Scripture was unleashed. The war raged for years until the last Crusader force was pushed back to a waygate. They retreated, but Vincent followed them through. He was blinded by bloodlust and fury. He slaughtered every man, woman, and child in the village of Malaket on the other side of the waygate. Once Malaket was butchered, Vincent singlehandedly cut a swath of violence, death, and destruction straight towards the Ringed City.

-The eldest Prince of Light, favorite son of the King, was gifted a holy artifact from the three-headed God of Light, the legendary Spirit Saber, whose blade could assume any form and take on any Concept. The Prince stood before the raging King of Night and fought to defend his people. The battle was long and both were severely wounded, but Vincent could fight on through any wound. Eventually, the valiant Prince was slain, skewered by his own shadow. Vincent took the Saber and continued his rampage.

-When the King of Night made it to the walls of the Ringed City, all three suns eclipsed by Vincent’s dark presence, his form grotesque and monstrous, he saw a figure standing alone on the wall. Vincent recognized the piercing gaze of the King of Light, standing arms-crossed, without weapons, glaring with equal fury to the Avatar of Dark. The two Kings met stares and an entire conversation of intents was carried out in a single glance. Vincent came to his senses, knowing he couldn’t murder the entirety of the Ringed City and deal with the King of Light while being weakened by the Heliosphere. Vincent merely held up the Spirit Saber, showing the trophy of his victory over the Prince, and disappeared into the dark, taking his great shadow with him. The Second Crusade was over.

About Srinivasa Githa:

-Srinivasa Githa, Githa for short, was born the daughter of a tribal blacksmith in the Great Desert of the World of Light. She was born blind, but her excellent senses of hearing, smell, and touch allowed her to grow into a successful young blacksmith in her own right. Like other tribesmen, she learned the blade and bow, though she preferred swords. Githa spent many years honing her sword skills, though she couldn’t read the books of philosophy and religion that the traveling pilgrims and adventurers would bring to the tribe.

-Wanting to know of the theories of the Scholars, she asked her friend, Olivia, to read the books to her. Olivia was delighted to. So, Olivia and Githa spent many hours together each day, reading increasingly esoteric tomes on Concepts, the nature of reality, the origin of the World, and the myriad correct ways to move and live one’s life. Eventually, they ran out of books, but Githa needed to know more to better understand the way of the sword that her Soul yearned for. One day, she bid her friend farewell and left to find herself in the wastes.

-Githa journeyed far, did battle with a Sphinx, witnessed a gathering of Sirens in a hidden magical lake, meditated with Lizardfolk under a waterfall, and discussed philosophy with a Dragon. Eventually, she came to understand that the sword at her waist was only a tool for cutting, but the intent of the action to cut was what her Soul yearned for. Hesitant, yet driven to grow, Githa unsheathed her blade and dropped it somewhere among the dunes. She returned to her tribe a true master of blades.

About Vermeer:

-Vermeer, the Gentleman, grew up in the Ringed City. His past is mostly shrouded in mystery, but he eventually joined a secret order of spies and assassins under the direct command of the King of Light. Vermeer carried out many missions, executing heretics, hunting Vampires and Devils, and infiltrating the World of Dark to rescue Royals who had been captured and made Thralls or Cattle.

-When he became a senior agent, he was given the dangerous mission to infiltrate the Castle of Night and spy on the Monster King, to learn their secrets and relay information that might aid the Crusade effort. However, he was caught and brought to kneel before the King of Night. Vincent took pity on the old man and gave him a choice. Dropping a knife before Vermeer, Vincent told him he could either kill himself or die by the King’s hand. However, Vincent would take his sweet time and savor the sadistic pleasure of slicing a filthy spy to ribbons over the course of months.

-Vermeer took the knife and cut his right eye out and handed it to the King, a symbol of enslavement. Vermeer was basically handing his life and freedom over to the King of Night in a desperate plea to serve, regardless of who it was. Taken aback by this bold show of desperation, Vincent took Vermeer as a slave and a prisoner of war and started him as a manservant.

-Eventually, Vermeer proved his worth and gained the trust of the King. He slowly made his way from manservant, to assistant butler, to head butler, all the way to Resident Headmaster. He commanded the respect of every maid and butler who worked in the Castle of Night, and made efforts to recruit more from the poorer Monster families. Under his efficient guidance, even the Homunculi entombed in the temple under the castle were awakened and put to work. Even while the Second Crusade raged, the Castle of Night was a comfortable, safe place where wounded Monsters could hide out and rest.

-Though he is quite old, Vermeer is a mysterious man who wields strange powers and is more than a match for all but the most powerful Monster. He generally keeps to himself, though he takes an interest in the goings-on of the castle and will appear to witness any duels that take place on castle grounds. He can put Sainted Silver daggers in the eyes of a Vampire at fifty paces in a heartbeat and every Monster who lives in the castle, the Princess included, all fear the Gentleman.

Vermeer and Zonder:

-Vermeer was not entirely happy in this predicament, however. He, too, had a wish. Since his childhood, Vermeer had a dark shadow over his Soul. He had compulsions to bind, torture, and kill others, and was sexually attracted to children, both boys and girls. These compulsions haunted him, and he constantly fought to control these urges, but he sometimes failed to contain his evil.

-His Soul was torn in half and he made two wishes: one part of him wanted to be free of this taint and live out his life in piety, while the other wanted to overthrow the King of Night and take the (at the time) young Princess Helen as his wife. The impossibility of these two wishes individually and their incompatibility allowed his Soul passage to Zonder.

-Where Helen was first, and Alles was second, Vermeer came shortly after. The fact that his Soul had made such a disgusting wish and that part of him was recognized by the Universe as valid disturbed him. He tried to hide his shame. While Alles and Helen journeyed for the shards of Magic, Vermeer explored the World of Dreams and aided the two. He dared not make a wish, lest the darkness in his Soul be released and realized. When the two fated Souls overcame Lord Death, Vermeer gladly left Zonder, never to return.

And that’s it for this installment! This one was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. That combined with having to deal with a lot of family stuff this week really set me back. I really wanted to make sure this one was done right, though, so I hope you like it. Next time, we’re finishing off the World of Dark, so watch out for that!

Anyway, hope you enjoy! See you next time!

#monster #elder vampire #world of dark #zonder

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sunflowersensei-blog · 8 years ago

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Here’s part one of this week’s monsterpost extravaganza on Elder Vampires! This time we’re taking a look at Helen Minerva la Varr, Heir Apparent to the Throne of Night, and Princess of All Monsters. We’ll go over what Elder Vampires are, their history, and their eventual fate. Then, we’ll talk about Helen, her past, how she met up with Alles, and how they saved the Universe together.

Let’s get into it!

About Elder Vampire History:

-Elder Vampires, also known as Shadow Vampires, Shadow Faeries, Dark Ones, or Dark Celestials, are a race of humanoid monsters that were once considered a myth. A legend told among the Great Monster races in times of old tells of the First Monsters, the progenitors of all life in the World of Dark, who had made a pact with The Beast, the Primordial Darkness that sleeps at the heart of the World. In exchange for their souls and eternal servitude, they were given the power to shape the World in their image, immortality, and mastery over everything the Light did not touch. From them, the legend says, all natural monster races were born. They forged the World from shadow, dredged mountains from below the Dark Sea, and hammered the Plains of Ugain flat. They spoke with the syllables of Royalty and their words became Law. They sang the song of Life and from their lips sprang the animals and nature spirits. With their last command, they gave the monster races Essence. When they saw that their work was done, they retreated into Heart of the World, the Pit of The Beast, to sleep and wait. When the balance of the Universe is threatened, they will be reborn to protect their creations and lead Monsterkind to salvation.

-Most thought the legend was a pretty little tale to tuck children in bed and wish them sweet dreams. However, when the armies of the First Crusade marched on the World of Dark, slaughtering hundreds of millions with cruel efficiency and holy purpose, it was thought monsters would be exterminated. Some turned to religion, others to despair, while some relied on the old legends as a kind of prophecy. When things were at their worst, four monster Heroes journeyed to the Heart of the World to find help. The Matriarch of the Lycanthrope tribe, the Sorcerer King of the Liches, a wandering Vampire swordmaster, and the Empress of the Devils each put aside their differences and set out for the Heart.

-They journeyed far into the northern mountains, fighting against the mindless monsters that lived there, and found the entrance to the Beast’s lair. Within, they found a deep complex of temples and, eventually, the Pit. They met the Beast and begged It for help against the invaders. The Beast agreed to help in exchange for their souls. Seeing no other alternative, the Heroes agreed. They were told that the First Monsters still lived within the temple complex and the Beast would send the most powerful among them, the Avatar of Primordial Darkness, to aid them. They were introduced and the Avatar, having learned of the situation, proposed an alliance among monsters, under the Avatar as a regent or King.

-Emerging from the Heart of the World with the Avatar, the four Heroes went to their tribes and tried to convince them to form this new Kingdom, but only the Vampire and Lycanthrope tribes agreed. Under the new King of Night, the newly formed Kingdom of Night set out to reign in the other monster races and capture their lands, if only to have a foothold and sizable army against the Crusaders. The Devil Empress was overthrown and the Liches’ towers were seized, holding their Soul Jewels as ransom. With the combined forces of Vampires, Devils, Lycanthropes, Demons, Undead, and the newly awoken First Monsters, the Army of Darkness pushed back the Crusaders and survived.

-The other monster races, learning of the existence of these “First Monsters”, asked much of them, but they knew nothing other than their subservience to the Primordial Darkness and their right to Rule. It was known that the First Monsters were much like Vampires and had fangs. Thus, they were (incorrectly) called “Elder Vampires”, and the name stuck ever since.

About Elder Vampires:

-Elder Vampires are the race of monster from which some other monster races are descended from, and thus share many of the same powers and abilities. They can move and fly like Vampires, faster than the eye can see, though Elder Vampires are even faster and can teleport as far as they can see, rather than just short distances. They have superhuman strength and toughness and can regenerate like Vampires, Demons, and Lycanthropes. However, their regeneration has no limit. They must be completely vaporized to be truly killed.

-Like most other monsters, Elder Vampires are living creatures and procreate through sexual reproduction. Their powerful genes are considered dominant, which allows them to have Elder Vampire children with other monster races, though this has happened very rarely. There has even been one child born of an Elder Vampire father and a Human mother.

-Unlike other monsters, though, Elder Vampires cast a terrible Shadow, which they can control as an extension of their body. With their mastery over darkness, they can control others through their shadow, summon familiars, create small items, weapons, and clothing, form walls and barriers, create elaborate illusions, hide inside their shadow or the shadows of others, and move from any place with a shadow to any other place in the World where darkness exists.

-Elder Vampires, by their very nature, have a connection with the Primordial Darkness at the Heart of the World. This connection is all they need for sustenance and thus have no need for food, drink, blood, or essence, though they have the power to consume these things like other monsters can and do on occasion. They can also draw out their oneness with the Beast and use one of Its aspects. This can take the form of shape-shifting, impervious dark fur, and the power to eclipse light and swallow it, among other powers, though the most common aspect they call upon is the Beast’s own natural weapons: the Claws of Madness.

-A Claw of Madness is a conceptual weapon, formed as the intersection of the concepts of 「Chaos」, 「Darkness」, and 「Cutting」and taking the shape of a cruel, bestial claw. The claw, being an aspect of the Beast, contains one of Its eyes, and is covered in Its indestructible fur. While this eye may seem like a weakpoint, it is actually the most resilient part of the claw and can absorb any and all energy that it touches, making the claw an excellent shield as well as a weapon.

-While the nature of conceptual weapons is shrouded in mystery and esoterica, they can be understood at a very basic level. A conceptual weapon is made of ideas, or 「Concepts」, much like how a mundane sword is made of iron. Since the iron sword is made of mundane materials, it can cut mundane things. However, if that sword is imbued with the very idea of「Cutting」, it is permitted to cut anything, since that is its nature. This allows conceptual weapons to influence immaterial things, like “Law” or “Space”, since concepts can interact with other concepts. In a sense, they are the most powerful form of weaponry, but require a certain level of understanding of the imbued concept for the weapon to have full effect. If two conceptual weapons were to clash, the more pivotal concept to the nature of reality always wins. If the concepts are equal and opposite or the same, the wielder with more understanding wins. If both concepts and wielders are equal, it is not known what might happen. Some scholars theorize that the Universe might shatter, others say the Universe might make it so the event never occurred by rewriting time, though this is just idle speculation since such a thing has never happened.

-Since the Claw of Madness is imbued with the concept of 「Cutting」, it can cut through anything. Obviously, this makes the claw extremely deadly as a weapon, since it ignores armor, shields, or natural and magical defenses. Especially skilled and understanding wielders of the Claw may even cut through ideas like Time, Space, or other immaterial things, though this, mysteriously, has never happened.

-Besides these powers and abilities, Elder Vampires live to be over 1000 years old. Theoretically, they are immortal, though this has, so far, not been confirmed since they haven’t been around long enough to check. Should an Elder Vampire ever actually be killed, they can be reincarnated in the Pit of the Beast, at the discretion of the Primordial Darkness. It typically takes one week for an Elder Vampire to be reborn after they are vaporized, though this may vary if the Beast decides to make modifications to their Essence or keep them for later rebirth.

-Taking all of these things together make Elder Vampires out to be beings of terrifying power and it makes sense that they have always been the Rulers of Monsterkind since the First Crusade. Humans or Celestials who cannot wield Concepts or cannot wield conceptual weapons are advised to RUN AWAY.

The Fate of the Elder Vampires:

-Since the end of the First Crusade, there had been continual infighting among the Royal Family of Elder Vampires. In the centuries that the King reigned, the old covenant with the Beast had been forgotten and the ways of the First Monsters were mostly lost, but some shreds of the old ways remained. By the Pact of Blood Moon, monsters were forbidden from killing each other, though there was an exception: monsters could kill each other in official duels. By this rule, it was decided that whoever wanted to be King of Night could claim the Throne by issuing a challenge to the Ruling King and striking them down in single combat.

-Thus, many monsters challenged the Crown, but the Avatar of Primordial Darkness always won. That is, until he was finally slain by four Celestials each wielding Fused Light swords. In his hubris, the first King of Night never had bodyguards or scouts to watch out for potential assassins. The four Paladins skewered the King, hacked him to pieces, and severed his head. Remembering how Elder Vampires could return from the dead endlessly if they were slain, the angels took the King’s head and sealed it in a box forged of Fused Light. When the King’s entourage caught up, the Celestials had disappeared, head and all.

-Thus, the first King’s oldest child became King. The second King of Night was not as splendid or powerful as his predecessor, garnering scorn for his weakness. The second King reigned for a scant 50 years, all the while tensions between the great monster races flared and threats of revolt and revolution were openly considered. Seeing the cracks in the Kingdom spreading and fearing another Crusade, the middle child of the Second King of Night, Vincent, went to commune with the Beast.

-He met with the Primordial Darkness and made a new pact, drinking from the Ancient Shadow and becoming the new Avatar of Primordial Darkness. The Beast told Vincent that to be King, he would need to slay his brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Once his whole family was dead by his hand, then Vincent must challenge the King to a duel and win. Vincent accepted the terms, with great sorrow in his heart. Vincent returned to the castle and set about murdering his whole family, which was no small feat. Then, he challenged his grieving father to a duel. The broken King only fell at his son’s mercy and died on the spot. Thus, Vincent became the third King of Night and the last living Elder Vampire.

About Helen

-Helen Minerva la Varr is the only child of Vincent and Olivia la Varr, making her half Elder Vampire and half Human. She is the only child of the King of Night, making her the Heir Apparent to the Throne of Night and a Princess of All Monsters. Helen was born on the first day of the Second Crusade, 18 years ago. Shortly after she was born, her mother died of complications due to childbirth, a fact which still weighs heavily on her.

-Helen’s childhood was mostly peaceful, playing among the Court and frolicking like a child. That is, until she turned 5 years old. On her fifth birthday, Helen was taken to the dungeons where she lived out the next five years of her life. Her father would routinely come to beat her, torture her, and starve her in an extreme form of “stress training”. Her Elder Vampire powers eventually came to her, regenerating her wounds and warding off her hunger, but that only gave her father permission to use even more outrageous and disturbing forms of punishment. She was mutilated, flayed, and burned alive. Her joints were pried apart with iron rods and her skeleton was wired into a torture chair. She regenerated every time.

-When she was 10 years old, Helen found the strength to tear herself from her chair, joint by joint, bone by agonizing bone until she was free. When she left the dungeon, emaciated, insane, and rabid, she had only one thought in her head: kill Vincent la Varr. Naked and insane, Helen was found by Rahovart, who cared for her and nursed her broken mind back to sanity. Since then, Helen’s only goal in life has been to kill her father and get revenge for her ruined childhood.

-In her quest to kill her father, she had learned the powers of Elder Vampires and had found no way to actually force her father to stay dead, should she ever actually kill him. This wish, for something considered impossible by the Universe, was strong enough to grant her Soul passage to Zonder, the World of Dreams.

-Once she returned from the World of Dreams, Helen made many friends among members of the Court. Many regard her as a true heir to the Throne and she is well respected. After growing up some, and taking inspiration from Rahovart. Helen became much more kind-hearted and compassionate towards her fellow monster, leading her to act as an arbiter in disputes and caring for members of the Court when they are feeling down, which has solidified her as universally loved amongst monsters.

-Besides her deep-seated hatred for her father, Helen has quite a few hobbies. She has become enamored with machines and technology from the World of Light, as well as learning about their culture, music, philosophy, and legends. She had begged travelers to the World of Light to bring her back something new so often, many just send her any new books, trinkets, or machine parts they come across as a routine. Helen spends most of her time reading books, tinkering with machines, or sparring with her friends and honing her Elder Vampire powers.

Helen and Zonder:

-A World of Light, a World of Dark, and in the void between lay a World of Dreams, Zonder. Here was sealed the power of Magic, shattered into eight pieces and defended by eight protectors. Before Helen and Alles set foot in this mythical World, the Universe was devoid of Magic and, unknown by all, was slowly dying. The two fated Souls both arrived in Zonder when they were 10 years old, only eight years ago.

-Helen came first, with her wish to kill the Immortal. Alles came second, with his wish to undo the destruction of his homeland. Both impossible, but could be done with the power of True Magic, the promise of any whose Soul wanders into the Dream World and masters it. Their story is long and complicated, with ups and downs, horror and revelations, and even the blossoming of young love.

-In short, Helen and Alles met with Death, the Lord of Zonder, and learned of their task: conquer Zonder, bring the eight pieces of Magic before Lord Death, and make their wish. So, the two went their separate ways, Alles journeying high and Helen journeying low. Alles fought the four Guardians: a Celestial Paladin, a Homunculus tinkerer, a Kitsune swordswoman from another Universe, and a Human soldier from a far-flung future. For you see, Zonder exists in the void, outside time and space, where anything is possible. Alles was not a fighter, but he knew how to explore and use his wisdom to talk his way through conflict. He made friends with the Guardians and learned to master the power of Magic.

-Helen, instead, fought the four Horrors: Slayer, Ouroboros, Yeg the Defiler, and It. Helen was not wise, nor did she care for magic or learning. She butchered them and was stained black with their corrupt blood. Helen took her four shards of Magic, mad with corruption, and made her way to Lord Death. There, the two learned only one wish could be granted and Lord Death pit the two children in a fight to the death. Alles rejected this and fought the insane Helen until she regained her sanity. He then convinced her to join forces, put their shards of Magic together, and defeat Death itself.

-The battle was difficult and hard fought, but the two fated Souls, one of Light and one of Dark, overcame Death itself. With the power of Magic, they left Zonder to return to their bodies, promising that one day they would meet again. With the power of Magic reunited and freed, it spilled from Zonder and poured throughout time and space. Thus, Magic had always existed in the Universe and only Alles and Helen knew otherwise.

And that’s it for this installment! I’m going to have to postpone the next post for a day or so while I deal with real-life issues, but I’ll have ‘em up, so don’t worry!

Next time we’re talking about the King of Night, Vincent la Varr! Whoo, I’m excited to write that!

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

#elder vampire #monster girl #monster #monsters #world of dark #zonder

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sunflowersensei-blog · 8 years ago

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Here’s this week’s monsterpost, Liches! Warning, spooky alert.

A few facts about them:

-Liches are considered monsters, though they are not born from the World normally. They are (usually) Human sorcerers whose quest for the Truth of the World has led them to the conclusion that they must forgo their flesh in order to complete their study. Thus, they undergo a series of rituals in order to become undead.

-The Universe which contains the Worlds of Light and Dark is governed by three divine axes of Essence which exist as continuums: Light to Dark, Order to Chaos, and Life to Death. Everything which exists in this Universe lies somewhere in the matrix of these three scales of Essence.

-The Essence of Humans lies in the middle of the axis of Order and Chaos and the middle of the axis of Light and Dark, though, being living creatures, are high in Life Essence and thus low in Death Essence.

-Therefore, to become a Lich, a sorcerer must first tear their Soul from their body and place it safely in a jewel or some kind of holding jar. Then, they painstakingly and agonizingly turn the Life in their body into Death. This process takes many days of unbearable pain, requiring the mage meditate and take breaks regularly. Once the last shred of Life has soured into a thick ink of unblinking void, the undead mage will methodically peel their bloated, rotten flesh from their immortal bones and be born anew: an unholy slight against God whose eyes eternally burn with a hatred for Life itself.

-Humans who wish to become Liches typically make their pilgrimage to the World of Dark, in order to perform their transformation away from the prying eyes of Gods and Celestials. Once they become undead, they will go about building their towers or fortresses and raising an army of skeletons, ghouls, and other servants to aid them.

-The Lich’s tower is the symbol of their power over Life, as well as their house of study and worship of the darker aspects of reality. It also serves as a bastion against those who would see them destroyed, and their headquarters and places of business with those they ally themselves with. Other monsters typically don’t regard Liches with any more worry than your average monster, though Vampires don’t seem to mind them and Lycanthropes detest them.

-Because the Lich’s Soul exists outside their body, physically destroying them will only force them to possess another viable body. Any body nearby their Soul’s container, living or dead, will do. Should they possess a living host and dominate their will, the body will slowly decay and rot from the intrusion of such a dark being, until the host is killed. Then the Lich will “clean” themselves and carry on. Destruction of the Lich’s Soul vessel is the only means of true purification of the creature from the World.

-In ancient times, before the First Crusade, Liches were regarded as Great Monsters, along with Vampires, Lycanthropes, and Devils. These four races fought continuously over territory, resources, and the right to rule. It wasn't until the Crusade and the emergence of the Elder Vampires from their slumber that Liches were forced to bend to the King of Night. Now, with their towers seized by the crown, their armies pressed into service, and their magics stymied, Liches are a shadow of their former glory. Should one visit the Castle of Night, you might find a pair of Lich brothers working as head librarians in the Royal Library. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

-However, some say they bide their time, their plans and desires festering in the dark. Being the only truly immortal creatures outside of Godhood, they have all the time in the World to let these and other injustices against them crumble to dust and fade away, the fate of all that which clings desperately to the weakness of Life.

That’s it for this week! Next week is an Elder Vampire extravaganza! I’ve got three posts planned for that one, so watch out for it. We’re almost done with the World of Dark, and I can’t wait to get to the World of Light next!

I want to thank those of you who have been sticking around for these posts, even if you might not like them. If you do like what I’m doing, though, make sure to leave some feedback or any questions you might have, so I know how you all feel about my work.

Hope you enjoy!

#lich #undead #skeleton #monster #world of dark #zonder #monsters #spooky

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sunflowersensei-blog · 8 years ago

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Here’s part 3 of this week’s monsterpost on Vampires and Slimes! Above is a portrait of Violet, the Duchess of Ghet, and the representative of the Slime monster race to the Court of Night.

Let’s get into it!

About Slimes:

-Slimes, in general, are a race of monsters whose bodies are made of a thick, viscous goop, high in magical density, with a singular core that acts as the brain or central processing center of the organism. They usually have eyes, nostrils, and antennae, which they use to detect liquid and motion nearby. Slimes are the most diverse race of monsters in the World of Dark and have no single habitat, instead being found everywhere in the World where there is an ample supply of liquid.

-Slimes of all types need liquid to survive, which they slurp into themselves through the semi-permeable membrane which makes up their skin. After they drink the liquid of their environment, they process it into the goo that makes up their bodies, by unknown means.

-Different environments make different types of Slimes, whose appearance, personality, intelligence, and level of magical potential depends on where they are found. Because of this, monsters generally differentiate Slimes by their color, which also informs the monster where that Slime may have come from.

-Unlike most other monsters, Slimes procreate asexually. When a Slime becomes sufficiently old and consumes enough liquid, they will split themselves into two blobs, with their core staying in one blob, leaving them unchanged. The leftover, coreless blob may have a chance of forming its own core, given enough time, and will be “born” a new Slime of the color of its parent. If the left-behind blob does not form a core, it will eventually dissolve, dry up, or be consumed by another Slime as food.

-Because of their asexual nature and amorphous body, Slimes have no preferred form or gender, instead choosing what they want to look like on a whim. This also allows them certain abilities unique to their physiology. Slimes can shape-shift into any form they desire, if their mass can accommodate it, and can alter the density of individual portions of their body at will, allowing for punishing physical attacks, crushing moves, and movements which can confuse or surprise an enemy. However, a Slime’s preferred method of dealing with prey is to consume their whole body, slurp out their bodily fluids through their various orifices, and leave the dry corpse behind.

-Slimes are also immune to physical attacks. Slicing, cutting, piercing, crushing, or bludgeoning all have no effect, since the Slime can reform through any damage their form might take. Slimes do have one weakness, though; their cores are very fragile. If a Slime’s core is destroyed, they will die. A slightly damaged core will result in imperfections in the Slime’s shape-shift ability and quirks in behavior until the core can eventually regenerate.

About Slime Cores:

-Slime cores are a naturally occurring form of “dimensional tesseract”, a potent magical object which contains within itself a small sub-universe, a pocket dimension, if you will. These pocket universes range in size from not much larger than the actual volume of the tesseract, to roughly the volume of a galaxy. With this internal space, Slimes can store their mana reserves and any excess goop that they aren't using to constitute their forms at the moment. This allows for older Slimes to contain massive amounts of mana and potential mass within a small body.

-Because of this unique trait, Slime cores are valuable commodities when found intact and are worth obscene amounts of money. Slime cores can be fused with mundane objects to create magical objects that have this “dimensional” quality, like bags which can hold a seemingly limitless amount of stuff, or rooms or tents which are larger on the inside than they are on the outside.

-As Slimes age, their cores become more and more complex in shape and increase in internal size. At their formation, cores start as donut-shaped lumps, then gain edges and greater geometry as the Slime grows older and consumes more liquids.

-Slimes don’t live forever. Their lifespan generally depends on the type of Slime, with some living for only a few years and others living for over a thousand years. When a Slime dies, its body will dry up and evaporate, leaving behind its precious core. Some adventurers make a nice profit by exploring near bodies of water, looking for cores left behind.

About Colors of Slimes:

-Green Slimes are found in swamps. They are typically quite shy and spend most of their time hiding in the bog. They are of average intelligence, though they are unable to speak.

-Blue Slimes are found in and around lakes and bodies of fresh water. They are more friendly and curious then the other Slimes, however they are also the least intelligent.

-Red Slimes are found near active volcanoes and deep in the lava tunnels of Ghennum, where they survive by consuming molten rock. They are the most aggressive of the Slimes, though they are known to speak, if only to threaten intruders with a broken language.

-Yellow Slimes used to be found on the sea floor, though the arrival of the Deep Ones and the poisoning of the Dark Sea has basically left them extinct in all habitats save for small saltwater lakes. Not much is known about their intelligence, though the Ondine reported to have seen them use tools and complex problem solving.

-White Slimes can sometimes form from dew on the Plains of Ugain, though they are very short-lived for some reason. Most Slime cores which are collected and sold are the remains of White Slimes.

About Black Slimes:

-Black Slimes are very special, being the most intelligent, longest-lived, and most magically adept. They hail from the ancient labyrinth of Ghet, an imposing stone structure filled with twisting corridors, deadly traps, and inhabited by dozens of different types of specially-evolved monster species, not seen anywhere outside the labyrinth. Not much is known about Ghet, its creation, or what is hidden within. Its existence predates written record and most who set out to explore it never return.

-Black Slimes are the longest lived of the Slimes, with the current Duchess of Ghet, Violet, being over 1500 years old, making her perhaps the oldest living monster. In addition to their lifespan, Black Slimes can consume liquid of any type and can even digest any solid matter into a liquid state, which they then drink. This makes finding food in the labyrinth easy as any left behind shields, weapons, armor, camping supplies, or even long-dead explorers can be turned into a satisfying meal for a lucky Black Slime.

-Though they are intelligent, they prefer to stay within the confines of the labyrinth, refusing to come out and integrate into modern monster society. When the first King of Night annexed Ghet, he entered, expecting to find some sentient monster to deliver his edict to. However, he only found apathetic Slimes unwilling to listen to his demands. The only Slime that listened to him was Violet, who insisted that she leave the labyrinth with the King to see the outside world.

About Violet:

-After the annexation of Ghet, Violet was made both Duke and Duchess of Ghet, since she was the only one to agree to leave. Though she is extremely old, she keeps a youthful, curious air about her, always wandering the castle, talking to different monsters and learning of the World at large.

-Violet, being a Slime, has no prescribed gender, though most have taken to describing her as feminine due to her preferred form. Since the concept of sex has no meaning to Slimes, Violet let others make up their minds on what to call her. What was once a somewhat perplexing topic of debate has become sort of an in-joke for members of the Court.

-Though she is a Duchess, her governed territory serves almost no governmental purpose, merely being a region that the Kingdom saw was easy to annex. Thus, she has no real duties and spends most of her time in conversation, at the Royal Libraries studying, or playing with the children of the members of the Court and overall doing whatever she pleases.

And that’s it for this time! Next time were doing Liches, so stay tuned!

Hope you enjoy!

#monsters #monster girl #slime girl #world of dark #zonder

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sunflowersensei-blog · 8 years ago

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Here’s part 2 of this week’s monsterpost on Vampires and Slimes. Above is a family portrait of House Vericose.

Back row, from left to right: Claude, Julius, and Aleister

Middle row, left to right: Vivian and Orchid

Front row, left to right: Lillim and Lily

This time around, I’m going to cover Vampire Houses, Politics, a little bit of History, and some extra bits and pieces of trivia. Let’s get to it!

About Vampire Houses:

-As was stated last post, the Vericose are the most politically powerful and influential Vampire House in Jegra, though they are also one of the smallest, consisting of one family of seven Vampires. Because of their small size and young nature, many Houses of varying influence seek to marry into House Vericose and either increase its size, spread its influence around several Houses, or absorb the small House into themselves. Julius, being quite the shrewd politician, knows of these schemes and uses his leverage to gain resources, land, and cattle in exchange for political favors or for his children’s hands in political marriages.

-There are hundreds of Houses of varying size, influence, and wealth. Besides the Vericose, the most important Houses are House Gram, the oldest House and the one with most cattle, land, and access to waygates; House Shatra, a moderately young House whose secret rituals, strict codes of conduct, and high price for marriage provide the most powerful and magically skilled Vampires in the World; House Fritta, another old House whose elaborate trade and information networks ensure they are the wealthiest, in terms of money, and the most well-informed House; and House Boreaux, a family of skilled hunters whose collection of cattle, while not the largest, contains members of aristocracy and royalty from the Kingdom of Light, whose blood is considered priceless and the greatest in all the Worlds, for the blood of Light royalty has both exquisite taste and the power to protect the drinker from the Kingdom’s Heliosphere, which robs any monster of their power and slowly kills them.

-House Vericose holds authority over these Great Houses for the simple fact that they are the closest to the Kingdom of Night’s Royal Family, have the ear of the King, and their members hold the titles of Duke and Duchess of Jegra, effectively making Julius the governor of Jegra and giving him the last word on any decisions made in the Highlands. As one can image, this fact infuriates the other Houses, though they rage in impotence. Assassinating Julius would be treason against the crown and his wife, Vivian, was a member of House Shatra and considered a beloved hero among Vampires. This also means Vivian’s children share her Shatra genealogy, an extremely valuable bloodline, rarely seen outside the secretive family. Thus, their children are sought after for marriage, a fact Julius knows well and uses to his advantage.

About Vampire politics:

-Each House generally tends to take care of itself, though many Houses choose to side with one of four factions, each headed and controlled by one the the four Great Houses: Gram, Shatra, Fritta, or Boreaux. House Vericose is considered an independent House, though they have deep ties with House Gram.

-Members of each political faction tend to take after the head family of that faction, working for the Great House to gain favors, money, or cattle. Members of the Gram faction tend to work as land surveyors and adventurers, scouting land that had once been the territory of other monster races, but has since become free after the genocide of the Second Crusade. Members of the Fritta faction work as merchants, mercenaries, spies, or muscle for caravans and are paid in gems, conveniently the currency of both the World of Dark and the World of Light, with which they buy land, cattle, weapons, or other resources. Members of the Boreaux faction work as hunters, scouts, and assassins, capturing targets of particular value for ransom or to be made into cattle. Some Boreaux hunters even make money as assassins and fighters in the World of Light, if their employer doesn't know (or doesn't care) about their Vampire background. The Shatra faction is special. Members of this faction must undergo intense training and study in magic, religion, history, and art, and pass rigorous examinations by Shatra sages in order to be considered for entry into the family. Failures or drop-outs can still get by, making art, writing literature and poetry, and can become bards in service of the Great Houses, or become independent mages.

-Members of different factions generally don’t get along well with each other, though it never really comes to blows. Different factions merely offer different life choices and methods to move up in Vampire society and some families prefer to live “traditionally”, building their castles on free land, hunting for their own cattle, and making trades or working as independent agents to make money. Some even prefer to live in the World of Light, taking the form of a normal Human, not having a home or cattle, and just living off the blood of their victims, disappearing into the shadows like a ghost at the slightest sign of trouble.

-There is a growing number of Vampires who are dissatisfied with the “tyranny” of the upstart Vericose, working with sympathizers of each faction in order to plot against and subvert the control that Julius has on the Jegra Highlands. Nothing has come of it yet, but rumors say Julius is not long for this World and not even the King can protect him.

About the Vericose Family:

-Julius was born into House Gram as a middle child in one of the tertiary families, far away from political influence and destined to inherit nothing. Growing up, he wasn't particularly attractive, strong, fast, or magically inclined. However, he had his wits and soon learned to manipulate others into getting what he wanted. During the First Crusade, he enlisted in the Army of Darkness as a scout and surveyed many battles, from little skirmishes between Human Crusaders and small monster forces, to legendary, decisive battles between beings that wielded the power of gods. In his career, he saw Rahovart the Undying slay 50 men with a single swing of his halberd; he witnessed the Rout of Ceren Canyon, where three Celestial Paladins slaughtered thousands of monsters with their dark-slaying Fused Light swords; and he trembled at the majesty of the first King of Night when a Primordial Darkness was drawn across the Plains of Ugain, snuffing out the lives of over a hundred-thousand men in an instant. Julius also saw the hero of Jegra, Vivian Shatra, fighting desperately to secure a retreat from the advancing Celestial forces. He saw her grit, determination, and he was enamored by the mysterious power she wielded. He did not forget her.

-Eventually, the First Crusade had drawn to a close, the invaders retreated to the waygates, and those who served were heroes among their peers, including Julius, whose direct line of communication to the generals of the Army about the state of current battles led to life-saving retreats, reinforcements, and victory where it counted. Though not as highly decorated as the others, his connection to the generals and higher-ups of the fledgling Kingdom of Night gave him ample opportunity to get close to the King. Using his influence, he began carving out a name for himself in the acquisition of newly-freed land for House Gram, earning himself a large fortune, which he hoarded, waiting for the perfect time to spend it. In time, the first King of Night fell in battle. Without a challenge to the throne, his son became the second King. Julius consoled and advised the young King, growing closer still to the crown and the Royal family, become like an uncle of sorts. With his influence, he began buying large portions of land, procuring resources to build a hamlet for his newly purchased Boreaux cattle, materials for a grand castle to rival the Great Houses, and looking for a woman of high pedigree to bear his children so he could see his dream become reality: to build a Vampire House greater than all others.

-His wish was very close to coming true when he caught the attention of Charlotte la Varr, an Elder Vampire and Princess of All Monsters, who agreed to be his wife. Before they could consummate the marriage, however, Charlotte was murdered during the bloody coup of Vincent la Varr, middle child of the Royal Family, who rose to power by killing every other member of his family and challenging his father to a duel. Vincent defeated his father in combat, taking the crown and becoming the new King of Night and last living Elder Vampire. Enraged at his dream being snatched from him at the last minute, Julius confronted Vincent, demanding reparations for his loss at the hands of the King. Surprisingly, Vincent agreed, feeling deep guilt at the death of his sister, and made a deal with House Shatra to make an exception to their strict rules of marriage and offer an eligible bachelorette to Julius as an apology.

-House Shatra reluctantly agreed to the King’s demand, but they had two conditions: one, the bachelorette had to agree to be married, the family would not force the woman to break the sacred laws of their House, and two, whoever agreed to be married to Julius would be disowned from House Shatra, losing their claim to any inheritance, property, or privileges that they would otherwise have. Even with these stipulations, many eligible Shatra women were quick to offer their hands in marriage to Julius, knowing of his vast fortune, great castle, exquisite selection of cattle, and mounting political influence. Julius courted many, but one caught his eye: the hero, Vivian Shatra. Julius knew of her power, her beauty, and her accomplishments during the Crusade. They were married soon after their first meeting and had quite a few children since then.

-Vivian was born into House Shatra, the second daughter of the primary family, giving her a vast amount of wealth, privilege, and magical power. Growing up as a Shatra is, nonetheless, hard, a child of the primary family moreso. A strict diet of a small amount of high-quality blood is upheld, along with daily religious rituals, meditations, fasting, rigorous study in almost every subject, both arcane and mundane, magic training under the eye of the sages, and many other required practices. Children of the Shatra primary family also undergo “stress training”, where they are subjected to beatings, stabbings, mutilations, torture, and mental anguish at the hands of the sages. Being Vampires, they can regenerate from this violence, but the stress of being hungry for blood in addition to this training causes their innate powers to develop at an accelerated rate.

-Vivian spent much her her time starving for blood. Vampires who go without human blood for large periods of time become very pale, almost porcelain in skin tone, and grow colder in temperature in relation to their maximum magical power. This is how the sages can measure the growth of their pupils. If one can freeze a glass of water by touching it, they can be considered to have a sufficiently large mana pool. Vivian, on the other hand, could freeze the walls, floors, and even the air of any room she walked through. Living her life in constant cold crystallized the very Concept of “Cold” within her Soul. She was considered a prodigy and an example for other Shatra children to strive for.

-She grew into a fine young woman, having taken her stress training and academic study in stride, even becoming an extremely skilled sorcerer and wise scholar. Unable to continue her training within the confines of Castle Shatra, the House permitted her to join the newly formed Army of Darkness to combat the Crusaders, seeing her as a valuable asset. During her career, she fought in many battles, turning the tides each time, but suffering wounds, loss, and seeing the horrors of war.

-Her time in battle further stressed her mind and body, honing her Soul and pushing her beyond her already impressive limits. This evolution in her spirit came to a head when her platoon was caught off-guard by a Crusader ambush, including two Celestials. The battle raged and Vivian eventually ran out of mana. Desperate to let her wounded comrades retreat in safety, she stood alone against the holy warriors. She pleaded herself for more power, dipped deep within herself, sinking even further down until she touched something beyond her Soul. A connection to something greater was there, only hinted at in the religious texts she had studied. Ignoring her fight and the world around her, time seemed to slow down as she grasped at this “beyond” with her Soul.

-She could feel her connection the Universe growing, feel the pulsing of the Primordial Dark beneath her feet, feel the painful radiance of Primordial Light somewhere beyond the veil of space, and she could feel a sensation of presence and non-presence at once. A singular existence which permeated all things. Her fragile mind, body, and Soul could not contain this sensation. As she grew closer to this presence, she reached out to it, trying to grab on to something, anything, but her grasp slipped. She could not contain what she did not understand. Trying again, she managed to grab hold of one small fragment of the greater whole, a fragment which she had in her all along. A fragment which she immediately recognized as part of herself. She hadn't grabbed something from beyond as much as she realized part of herself existed as part of the Universe as well. She realized she and the Universe were One, though she could only hold onto one tiny fragment of the Greater Whole. The tiny fragment she Realized was the Concept of “Cold”.

-When she came to, time had only progressed a second, but the Celestials were at her throat. Luckily, they didn't seem to be important enough to have Fused Light swords, leaving her monster powers intact. She decided to see if what she experienced was true. Raising a hand to one Celestial, she froze her solid in an instant, without expending mana. Surprised, the other Celestial used her impressive speed to circle around Vivian, going for a flanking backstab. However, Vivian could feel her presence. Focusing on it, she mentally commanded the Celestial to be frozen, and she was. Her comrades had retreated, and Vivian became a hero overnight. “The Slayer of Celestials”, “Bringer of Ice”, they called her. When the Crusade was done, she went back to her home at Castle Shatra, looking to explore her new powers, but she learned that she was expected to become a sage and raise the next generation of Shatra children.

-Soon, Vivian heard of an interesting development. One of the wealthiest Vampires in Jegra, Julius Gram, was looking for a wife. House Shatra announced their agreement with the King, as well as their conditions, to all eligible Shatra women. Vivian jumped at the chance to leave her restrictive House, join a new one, and raise a family the way she wanted to. Soon, she and Julius were married, founding their new House, taking the name “Vericose”, and begun having children.

-After the birth of their last children, extremely rare twins Lily and Lillim, Vivian began feeling weakened. Having left House Shatra and their strict rules, she had begun feeding on as much blood as she cared for, but her skin remained porcelain white. In addition, her pregnancy had taken a great toll on her strength when it wasn't supposed to, and her wounds weren't healing right. Soon, she began feeling great pains throughout her body. Having many Vampire sages examine her, none could determine what was the matter. Some said she was cursed, other said she had been wounded by Celestial’s holy magic. Regardless, none could determine a cause and, thus, a treatment.

-Absolutely desperate, she heard of the return of the Princess some years ago from some faraway land called “Zonder”, and heard of the wonders that lay there. Vivian contacted the Princess, urging her to help her find a cure for her illness. Helen used a waygate to travel to Zonder, returning with some strange, box-headed aliens. Bringing the aliens to the newly build Castle Vericose, the aliens examined her and told her she had “Regeneration Sickness”, which would kill her if they didn't perform “surgery” immediately. Not knowing what this entailed, she agreed and the Blockheads went to work, removing large portions of excess bones, organs, cartilage, and tumors from her body. The Blockheads monitored her condition, performing more surgeries when her wounds didn't heal correctly, and continue to treat her to this day. Not wanting to attract suspicion, Vivian and Julius had Princess Helen promise to never tell anyone about Vivian’s sickness or about the existence of the Blockheads in Jegra. Helen agreed and left the Blockheads in the care of the Vericose.

-Aleister Vericose is the oldest child of Julius and Vivian Vericose. Growing up, his mother was doting and very loving, if cold to the touch, and his father was strict. Wanting his heir to be strong and successful, Julius hired the best tutors for every subject under the moon and the most prolific Vampire instructors in combat. Aleister took his studies well, learning the blade, and favoring religion and philosophy. When he turned 16 and became a man, his father enlisted him in the Army of Darkness, which was currently fighting the Second Crusade. Aleister was a great soldier, using his Vampire powers well, but he was terrible with other monsters, staying silent, working alone, and not making many friends. With his good looks, fighting prowess, and wealthy upbringing, he received many gifts from young ladies during each Ceremony of Favors, though he generally didn't have much to say about it. Aleister’s studies and training gave him a vast insight into strategy and tactics, preferring to use his mind over his blade on the battlefield. This got him the nickname “Scholar of the Battlefield”, which was originally meant to be an insult, but, ironically, caught the attention of the generals of the Army. Aleister was asked if he would like to study to become a general, to which he agreed. After the Second Crusade ended, Aleister’s studies were concluded and he received the title of general from the King of Night.

-Aleister lives in the Castle of Night, at Court, with his sister Orchid, whom he acts as a silent protector. Rarely do the two siblings interact, though, because of Aleister’s shyness and solitary attitude, and Orchid’s insistence to “hang out with girls her age”. Many young women (and some men) have fallen for Aleister, being handsome, and being an important general, but his shyness constantly puts off potential suitors, leaving him single. Aleister’s greatest rival is Lemus, the Duke of Ghennum, who he sees as giving a bad name to monsterkind, shaming the honor of his title with his scheming to overthrow the King, and his seduction of many young Duchesses, including Orchid.

-Orchid Vericose is the second child of Julius and Vivian. You know her story. If you don’t, you should have really read the post before this one.

-Claude Vericose is the third child of Julius and Vivian. Being the young age of 12 years old, he is not yet a man. Like his brother, he is tutored in many subjects, though instead of learning the blade, Claude has professed to prefer studying sorcery and using magic to fight, to which his mother was very thrilled.

-In his spare time, Claude voraciously reads texts and manuals from the World of Light, learning “science” and the art of flux-powered machinery. Sharing this passion with the Princess, he regularly writes her letters, asking about different books she’s read, what machine parts and devices she tinkers with and so on. Helen even sends him her old books and pieces of machines she’s given up on.

-From his hobby and his letters from the Princess, Claude has learned much of the World of Light, its Kingdom’s culture and technology, and its heroes. In particular is Alles de Lemurios, the Scholar of Light, the Supreme Sorcerer, and the master of Cosmic Magic. Claude loves the stories of Alles’ travels throughout the Spaceways of the Void, his trials, and his struggle. Knowing that Helen is friends with Alles, and that his hero visits the Castle of Night often, fills Claude with excitement, jealousy, and determination. His dream is to meet Alles, become his apprentice in Cosmic Magic, and explore the Void. Claude has even styled his hair like his hero, hoping to flatter him when they finally meet.

-Lilly and Lillim are the last children of Julius and Vivian. Being twins makes their existence extremely rare among Vampires, with the last pair of twins being born over 100 years ago. This gives the twins an extra ability that normal Vampires lack: telepathy. Right now, the two can only speak short sentences to each other, though they have spoken to their mother with their thoughts as well. When they grow up, this power is to be explored, but for now they prefer to just play and learn to feed with their new fangs.

Well, that’s it for this installment! Sorry for the length, but I needed to cover some more stuff before the next monster race we get to. Up next is Slimes, then Liches, then Elder Vampires! We’re almost done with the World of Dark (at least the main monster races that make up the Kingdom). Once were done with these and some generalized world-building, we’re moving over to the World of Light. I’m pretty hyped.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

#vampire #world of dark #zonder #Monster

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sunflowersensei-blog · 8 years ago

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Here’s part 1 of this week’s monsterpost on Vampires and Slimes! I’ll be posting these one day at a time to give myself a little more time to finish writing and stuff. Here’s a portrait of the Duchess of the Jegra Highlands, Orchid Vericose.

Let’s get into it!

About Vampires:

-Vampires are a race of humanoid monsters that hail from the Jegra Highlands, a hilly, mountainous region that sports rolling grassy knolls punctuated with jagged rocky cliffs. Scattered among the rocks are grand, lavish castles, some with modest hamlets and villages each populated by Vampires or their “cattle”.

-Like Devils, Vampires must hunt other living beings to survive. Unlike Devils, however, Vampires consume the blood of their victims, using specialized organs to process the blood and siphon the life essence from it, using the processed blood for body fluids. Their preferred prey are Humans from the World of Light, which they capture and enslave, turning them into mindless “cattle”, Humans who exist solely to serve their Vampire masters and give their blood freely to them. Most of the animosity between Devils and Vampires exists because of this competition for prey. Unlike Devils’ warm, fiery essence and erotic, sexual culture, Vampires are cold to the touch, solitary, quiet, contemplative, and often philosophical. Where you might find a Devil in the throes of lust in a brothel, a Vampire might steal away for a few hours in a library or museum.

-Vampires, in this universe, are not undead and are instead living creatures. Though they are immune to most diseases and age very slowly, they are not immortal and will eventually die of old age. The average lifespan of a Vampire is approximately 400 years, making them the second-longest living monster race after Black Slimes and Elder Vampires who are tied for longest living.

-Vampires procreate like any other living thing, giving live birth to usually only one child per pregnancy, though twins are an extremely rare possibility. Vampire children start as baby Vampires, with no fangs or any means to feed. They require their mother to feed them. Something a little gross here, but pregnant Vampire women lactate unprocessed blood from their nipples, rich in life essence and ready to feed their newborn children. This only lasts about a year or so before the children develop small baby fangs, allowing them to learn to feed on rodents and small animals and monsters. If they drink fresh blood regularly, Vampire children age like Human children do, reaching a puberty-like state where their permanent adult fangs grow in and they can start hunting on their own.

-Once a Vampire reaches the age of 16, they are considered an adult. What this means depends on the House they are from. Some Houses prefer to have their young adults go into the World of Light and hunt for their own cattle, while other Houses give a small number of starter cattle as a sign of their rights as an adult. It’s merely up to preference on the House’s part. An adult Vampire may choose to start their own House, but most stay in the safety and comfort of their birth House and learn the intricacies of Vampire politics there.

-Families and genealogy are very important to Vampires and their internal politics, with each family, or House, vying for land, resources, cattle, or in more recent times, closeness to the King. Generally, the oldest Houses are the most powerful and have the most resources, though recently Vampire politics has taken a shift as the most powerful House, House Vericose, is also the newest one. This mostly has to do with its founder, Julius Vericose, being born in the ancient House Gram, the second-most powerful House, having a deep connection to the Kingdom, and being granted many favors by the King. Many other Houses contest that, having been around for only a scant 25 years, House Vericose is doomed to fall into obscurity if their connection to the crown ever falters, but it is yet to be seen if this is only idle speculation or not.

-Vampires possess many powers and abilities which make them terrifying foes on the battlefield, and excellent predators of mankind. Vampires can fly at will, without the need for wings, by manipulation of the magic flux around them. They can teleport short distances, move faster than the eye can see, and possess incredible strength and toughness. Like Lycanthropes, Elder Vampires, and Demons, Vampires can regenerate any wound almost instantly. Vampires also possess the same illusion magic and mind manipulation that Devils do, allowing them to move about among Humans unrecognized. They can also abuse their thirst for blood and drain an opponent dry in minutes, killing them. Vampires don’t have any natural weapons and must rely on Human-made weapons to cut, pierce, or slice, but their studious nature, combined with their strength and agility, make them deadly fighters and swordsmen.

-However, their power is not without limit; if a Vampire takes too much damage, they can run out of blood, fail to regenerate, and die. This regenerative power also comes with it a potential fault: a rare genetic disease known as “Regeneration Sickness”, which causes the carrier to regenerate incorrectly, resulting in extreme pain as bones and organs grow in the wrong place. This condition requires constant surgery to treat, and most who have the condition die before they reach 200 years old. Vampires are also weak to fire magic and must make certain to stay far away from the Kingdom of Light when they hunt for cattle, lest they attract the attention of the Sunlight Scripture and their Celestial Paladins.

About Orchid:

-Orchid Vericose is the second-oldest child of Julius and Vivian Vericose, and at 18 years old, she is, in all rights, an adult Vampire. However, her body is stunted into a childish form due to her inability to drink Human blood. This is a penalty imposed upon her for her crime against her House: destruction of property.

-When Orchid was 10 years old, her father gave her one of his own cattle, a desert tribeswoman from the World of Light, for her to learn to feed on Humans, giving her the ultimatum that if Orchid killed her, she would be forbidden from drinking Human blood until she was mature enough to have learned her lesson. Being young, hungry, and oblivious to how the world worked, Orchid satisfied her voracious thirst, accidentally drinking all of the cattle’s blood, killing the defenseless woman. Not knowing what she did, she tried desperately to revive the dead tribeswoman, but remained unsuccessful.

-When her father returned, he saw what Orchid had done, and punished her. This also marked when Orchid became the Duchess of Jegra, taking her mother’s title, as Vivian suffered from Regeneration Sickness and was too weak to leave their castle in the highlands. When the King of Night agreed to award the titles of Duke and Duchess to House Vericose, Julius saw this as an opportunity to teach his young, ill-mannered child the way of the world while keeping her punishment intact at the same time.

-By decree of the King of Night, Dukes and Duchesses must live at Court and are unable to leave the castle without special permission. This is how Julius saw to keep his daughter from drinking Human blood. As a young Duchess of 10 living at Court, Orchid’s life was hard. She needed to drink blood to survive, but had no cattle and was forbidden from drinking the blood of her fellow monsters, not that she even had the strength to do so. She eventually found her way to the waste tunnels beneath the dungeons, desperately searching for something, anything, to drink. She found rats. She fed on the rats. She cried.

-Growing up this way made her cold to others, snappy and sarcastic, with a cruel streak that led her to play pranks, spread rumors, and bully smaller monsters and animals. Around this time, a young Princess took interest in Orchid, following her, hiding in her shadow, and learning of her wounded and lonely heart. So, Helen reached out to Orchid and befriended her. After the two started playing and growing close, Orchid’s cruel streak dried up and her personality became less pointed, though she never lost her dark, sarcastic sense of humor.

-As they grew up, Helen and Orchid became like sisters. Helen’s warm affection made Orchid’s punishment seem less difficult. Eventually, other girls their age became Duchesses and moved into Court, giving Orchid the chance to interact with other monsters on her own, gaining new friends and enemies, and overall growing as a person.

-Now, Helen, Orchid, Aiwa, and Luna (the Lycanthrope Duchess) form a group of friends who support each other and help pass the time as they grow into young women within the confines of the Court of Night, though Aiwa and Orchid have a longstanding rivalry and somewhat mutual distrust of each other, especially considering Orchid has a crush on Lemus, Aiwa’s brother.

Well, that’s part 1. Part 2 will be tomorrow (hopefully) and I’ll cover Vampire families, politics, and the mysterious “Concepts”! Hope you enjoy!

#Monster #monster girl #vampire #world of dark #zonder

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sunflowersensei-blog · 8 years ago

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Unfortunately, I’ll have to postpone my regularly-scheduled monsterpost to next weekend. My shipment of pen nibs got lost in the mail and I just ran out. Sometimes these things happen. So, for next time, I’ll give you a double monsterpost special, featuring everything you want to know about vampires AND slimes. In the meantime, here’s a little portrait I was working on for the vampire duchess, Orchid Vericose.

#sorry #life happens

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sunflowersensei-blog · 8 years ago

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Super Star is born

I felt like it’s time I did another Star vs. fanart, especially after that incredible movie. I’m really excited to see the rest of the season!

Hope you enjoy!

#star butterfly #star vs the forces of evil #svtfoe #super star #battle for mewni

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sunflowersensei-blog · 8 years ago

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Here’s the monsterpost for this week: Demons! Pictured above is a scene of Helen Minerva la Varr, Princess of All Monsters (an Elder Vampire, not a Demon) giving a token of her favor to her champion, the Grand General of the Army of Darkness, Rahovart (the Demon).

About this scene:

-Every 5 years, the Kingdom of Night holds an event called the “Ceremony of Favors” where every young woman in the Kingdom is encouraged to choose a champion and present them with a token of their favor, usually an article of clothing, jewelry, or special knick-knack.

-This ceremony is very old and dates back to the founding of the Kingdom, when the number of monsters were becoming precariously low as the genocide of the First Crusade dragged on. Women, or asexual monsters who could bear children were restricted from leaving the safety of the castle. This ceremony allowed for male monsters or asexual monsters who couldn't bear children to fight in the war knowing they had a family or lover to return home to.

-Nowadays, this ceremony still exists, but young women of the Kingdom use it to confess their feelings to someone they hold dear, either as a lover, or as close friends. Here, Helen is providing Rahovart with one of her ribbons as a symbol of their close friendship, as Rahovart was the only person to listen to her troubles and help her through a very dark point in her life, when she was a little girl.

About Demons:

-As stated in the previous monsterpost, Demons come from Ghennum, the same hellish underdark that Devils hail from. As such, they are immune to heat and lava and bathe in molten rock to clean themselves and to relax.

-Demons and Devils are unrelated beings, however. When the first monster tribes were forming, the proto-Devils moved into Ghennum and found the Demons already living there. Demons emerge from the core of the World, fully formed, and swim to the surface, through magma, to reach Ghennum. When they emerge, they cannot speak, possess no powers or magic, and have no purpose or sense of direction. The Devils taught them to speak, clothed them, and used them as subservient laborers and warriors.

-Because Devils live so close to the “birthplace” of Demons, they have taken up the task of caring for newborn Demons, and have formed an elite sect of Caretakers to receive them. Among Devils, being a Caretaker is a very desirable job, though Caretakers are not allowed to leave Ghennum for any reason and thus cannot take any thralls to feed on. However, Caretakers are treated well, and every need is taken care of. Caretakers don’t know when a new Demon will be born, so they spend their time playing games, gambling, practicing magic, or pleasuring each other (Devils are very erotic and sexual by nature).

-Demons are classified as “Nature Spirits”, and their terrifying appearance reflects the Primordial Darkness that sleeps at the heart of the World. Being Nature Spirits, they draw power and mana from the planet itself, and act as stewards of the land. They tend to dying plants and trees, give mercy and salvation to wounded or lost animals or monsters, and pledge their unbreakable loyalty to monsters they deem worthy to serve. Because of their unique means of creation, Demons cannot procreate (although they do have genitals, the phrase “hung like a Demon” is commonly used jokingly between friends) and every one of them appears to be male. Scholars have hypothesized that this is because the World of Dark and World of Light may have once been one World, as the Nature Spirits of the World of Light are all female.

-Although Elder Vampires are considered by many to be the most powerful monster race, Demons are, in fact, the most powerful. Though Elder Vampires draw their power from their connection to the Primordial Dark, Demons draw power from the the whole planet, and thus can wield an immense amount of mana and have access to an even greater power than magic: Concepts.

-Like Vampires and Elder Vampires, Demons can regenerate any wound, no matter how dire. Decapitation is only an annoyance. However, their true strength lies in their toughness. Demons can shrug off attacks that would outright kill any other creature, and their bones can only be broken with the most powerful weapons in existence. Likewise, they are almost immune to magic. A fight against a Demon is almost certain death to all but the most experienced Paladins and Crusaders.

-Rahovart gained notoriety among the Court of Night when he wandered out of the forest, into a battle that was being waged between Elder Vampires and Celestials during the First Crusade. Rahovart picked up a halberd from a fallen monster and fought two Celestial Paladins at once, defeating them both and forcing a retreat of the Crusader force. The surviving monsters brought him back to the Castle, and he was given a Lordship and pressed into the Army of Darkness. He fought in many battles, turning the tides each time and forcing the Crusaders back. Adventurers and Warriors from the World of Light still tell stories about the “Demon Who Would Not Die”. It’s a cautionary tale about the unholy power of monsters.

-Rahovart fought for years until the Crusaders were pushed back to the waygates and forced to retreat back to the World of Light. During his long career as a soldier, he learned tactics, technique, and strategy. When he returned, he was a war hero, and was granted a generalship by the King. A position which lasted through three generations of Kings, a bloody revolt, a second crusade, and up until the modern day. When Vincent la Varr, the current King of Night, gained the Throne, he gave Rahovart the title of Grand General, as befitting of his impressive resume.

That’s it for this week’s monsterpost! Stay tuned for next week’s topic: Vampires!

Now we’re getting to the good stuff! Hope you enjoy!

#monster #demon #elder vampire #world of dark #zonder

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