#Collecting as many boons from as many gods as possible.

[linipik]

FAVORED AND ENVIED.

Cousin run (Feat. Grandma Demeter)

[monstersdownthepath]

Milestone Monster: Nocticula, Our Lady in Shadow

CR 30

Chaotic Evil Medium Outsider

Adventure Path: Wrath of the Righteous: The Midnight Isles, pg. 86=87 (image taken from Elena Kononenkos’ artstation; it’s officially used in the Wrath of the Righteous video game!)

I put off reviewing Nocticula for the longest time for one specific reason: it’s incredibly hard to find art of her that could potentially bypass Tumblr’s ban on things which could cost them advertising money. Now, with those restrictions.... ?somewhat? ?lifted?, I feel as though I can finally star her in an article while using the best possible piece of art to represent her. I feel like no other piece before this one does justice to the Queen of the Succubi; every other piece shows off her Succubus side, but only this one shows off the Queen; The infinitely scheming and domineering presence in the Abyss, apex of demonic power, and voted Most Likely To Be The Next Demon God for a millennium running due to her penchant for stealing power from everyone who makes the mistake of allying with her and thinking they’re going to survive her wrath if they disappoint her.

To anyone who got into Pathfinder via its 2nd Edition (or completed the WotR video game), it may come as no surprise to you to find out that Nocticula succeeded in her quest to shed her evil nature and ascend to divine status as she did so, but it may come as some surprise to find out just what kind of cocoon the Redeemer Queen emerged from, which is what we’ll be covering today; not what she is now, but the powerhouse she was.

While a great many Demon Lords can claim to have body counts exceeding three or four digits thanks to their actions, directly or indirectly, Nocticula not only has a considerable body count of mortals, but several DOZEN other Demon Lords. Her Abyssal realm, the Midnight Isles, is literally built on the corpses of every Demon Lord she seduced and betrayed, taking their power and their bank accounts for herself. You would think after the first three or four, people would get wise to it. Perhaps they would... if Nocticula’s wings weren’t covered, back to front and top to bottom, with the names of still-living allies she’s chosen to bless, each benefiting from her Profane Ascension, a boon she can grant to any willing creature she lays with (or just kisses). Not only do the recipients get a +6 to one ability score of their choice, +4 to a second, See in Darkness, and a constant telepathic connection with dear Nocty (across any distance, even interplanar), but at any time they can request any of her spell-likes and she can grant them the power to use them. With this attractive blessing the LEAST of the gifts she can grant anyone she deems worthy of her time, it perhaps comes as no surprise that everyone wants a piece of her empire for one reason or another.

That she can revoke her Ascension at will and strike the victim with an unavoidable, no-save-allowed 4d6 Charisma drain and 1d10+10 negative levels is of little consequence. Everyone believes they’ll be the ones to remain permanently on her good side by being perfect little servants, that they have something unique only they can offer her, and the especially bold think they’ll be the one to finally betray and overwhelm her. They rarely ever consider her thousands of years of practice, her intelligence and patience, and her raw, ego-crushing power, dismissing each as below their own practice, patience, and power.

And then they end up as another corpse in her collection. Yet another divinity made humble and reduced to pavement by one of the most powerful demigods in all of Pathfinder.

Let’s get the first and most important part of her kit out of the way before we talk about literally anything else: Noticula’s Seductive Presence. Every other Demon Lord has an aura of supernatural terror, sending their lessers fleeing before them and paralyzing some opponents with overwhelming fear... but not Nocty. Dear Nocty can activate her Seductive Presence by merely speaking, forcing everyone and everything within 180ft of her to make a DC 43 Fortitude save. Success sees the victim immune to the Succubus Queen’s presence for a full 24 hours, but failure is incredibly punishing: ALL immunity to mind-affecting effects, charm effects, and compulsion effects is ignored so long as they remain within 180ft of her. No matter what the source of the immunity is, be it magical, racial immunity, or immunity as granted by divinity, it no longer applies while Nocty is in the room.

Suddenly, everyone falling head over heels for her makes a little more sense. if she can seduce machines, plants, oozes, and demigods, what hope does an actual mortal humanoid have? Many demigod-level entities have full immunity to mind-affecting effects, meaning they may be caught by complete surprise when they find themselves hanging onto her every word without realizing it. Fun aside: With a save DC of 43, none of the other statted Demon Lords automatically succeed; the highest Fortitude save belongs to Xoveron, who has +38, meaning he fails if he rolls less than a 6. 

Failing the save against her Presence causes the victim to become fascinated for 5d4 rounds, which typically gives her enough time to decide how she wants to deal with a particular impediment. Equally skilled in diplomacy and violence, Nocticula can skip the middleman and basically use both with gaze alone: At will, as a standard action, Nocticula can simply Dominate a single creature she can see unless it succeeds a DC 43 Will save. The Dominate ability can act as either Dominate Creature or Dominate Person depending on if she’s aiming it at a Humanoid or not, and in the latter case? It becomes a swift action instead of a standard one, meaning she can do it twice a round against a party of Humanoids (or a party with at least one Humanoid). And remember that any hope of no-selling her mental powers is suppressed if you fail that single save you need to make before the fight even begins! This, ironically, means boosting your saves is more important than becoming outright immune to her tricks, as Seductive Presence has no effect on anything bolstering saving throws.

Provided her 3/day Quickened Mass Suggestion didn’t convince the whole party to willingly fail their save against her Presence and thus end the battle before it even started, an actual slugfest with her is so god damn difficult your party may wonder if working for her would be easier than working against her. Starting with the most obvious: Time Stop is a scary spell for a creature as powerful as Nocty, though she has no buffs to make it particularly worthwhile to do so... but what she does have is a 3/day Summon Demons, conjuring upwards to three CR 20 encounters to fight alongside her. While any party able to contend with the CR 30 demigoddess herself isn’t likely to be significantly inconvenienced by even the most powerful of demons, suddenly having to contend with thirty extra bodies between them and a ranged-attack specialist that can fly (not to mention Blasphemy and Chaos Hammer being thrown out with no fear of friendly fire) will, if nothing else, force the party to expend time and resources getting through them.

With the ability to both see in and create supernatural darkness (via at-will Deeper Darkness), Nocty can also use extra rounds of Time Stop to plunge the arena into pitch black she can easily navigate through. Whether it’s through summoning flankers or through the party not being able to see her (or both), Nocty has two separate ways to tack her +4d6 Sneak Attack damage to her dizzying array of damage dealing limbs, three if you count her Greater Feint letting her throw an opponent off-guard as a move action... and four if a DM feels clever, using either her at-will Shapechange or her ability to assume the form of any Humanoid as a free action to pose as a harmless pet, blend in with the crowd of summoned demons, or even hide among the party members. That last one is especially insidious, as who’d call foul about the party Cleric stepping over to slap a new buff onto someone in the middle of combat to counter the darkness or the demon swarm? Unfortunately, a single touch could potentially allow Nocty to get in for a debilitating kiss, her Energy Drain sapping 2 levels from anyone she kisses or caresses with no save... Unless, for whatever reason, they’re not Mythic, which means they take 1d6+4 negative levels instead. But, come on, if you’re fighting Nocticula, you’re gonna be Mythic, right? Or at least have Death Ward up, for god’s sake! NEVER grapple with a succubus without protection!

there i made the joke so no one else has to.

Anyway, I talked about her Sneak Attack before I talked about her regular attacks, didn’t I? She’s got quite the menagerie, and every attack but her two wings (1d6+4) inflicts a different debuff. Her two claws (1d8+12) inflict 1d4 Cha drain as she tears away the victim’s sense of self; her molten hooves deal 1d4+6 damage, 1d6 Fire damage, and set whoever they stomp on fire for 3d6 damage every round; and her trio of whipping, barbed tails deal 2d6+12 damage and afflict victims with a ferocious poison that deals 1d4 Wisdom drain and paralyzes the victim for 1 round if they fail the DC 44 Fortitude save. Failing two saves in a row inflicts permanent blindness, adding a fifth way for Nocty to reap the benefits of her Sneak Attack.

Something special about Nocty’s poison is that it has no cure save. It WILL last 6 full rounds and cannot be prematurely ended by making any number of saves; if you want it ended early, it needs to be via magic. This makes being exposed to repeat doses extremely dangerous, each one adding +2 to the save DC and +3 rounds of duration, but Nocty has no way to bypass poison immunity of any sort (except via Greater Dispel Magic versus magical means), so acquiring a means to stop her from driving you and your party insane should be top priority. Especially since we haven’t even covered something I alluded to three paragraphs ago: Her ranged prowess.

Her unique hand crossbow, Shadowkiss, is her comically undersized but disproportionately damaging weapon of choice--think the Noisy Cricket but without the dramatic recoil. Less of a kiss and more of a ‘hit you with my car’ type of deal going on. This +5 Unholy Hand Crossbow deals 1d4+20 damage and carries Nocty’s tenacious poison with every single shot, and if you’re wondering where that titanic flat damage is coming from: +5 from the enchantment, and +15 from Nocty’s Charisma modifier, as her Cruel Shots ability adds her Cha mod to all ranged weapon attack damage. Furthermore, each time Shadowkiss deals damage to a creature, it gains Bane against that creature’s type until it damages a different creature type, so that’s +2 to attack and damage rolls and +2d6 extra damage. Against a Good-aligned foe she’s already attacked, that means Shadowkiss is dealing 1d4+2d6+22 damage with every shot (+4d6 Sneak Attack if they’re impaired or tangled in melee), of which she can make five a round if she takes a Full-Attack thanks to her Rapid Shot feat. That’s not the only feat she has to empower her ranged attacks, either; she also has the standard Point-Blank and Precise Shot, as well as Flyby Attack because why wouldn’t she, but Rapid Shot is definitely the star player, giving her not only more damage (of course), but potentially giving Shadowkiss one extra chance each round to critically strike, which it does on a 17~20 (which lets her add Staggering Critical to deny your own Full-Attacks).

If all five shots from Shadowkiss land and each dose of poison is successfully delivered, that means the poor soul has to make a DC 54 save every round for 18 rounds to avoid taking drain and being paralyzed...  Y;know, if the 5d4+100 damage didn’t kill threaten their life enough. And obviously, between each Full-Attack, she’ll be burning her swift action firing off Dominate at every opportunity that arises just because she can, which your party will gradually become more and more vulnerable to because of her poison.

I like to think there’s a great many beings in the cosmos that breathed a sigh of relief when Nocticula shed her demonic heritage, but no greater a sigh was heaved than the one exhaled by the denizens of the Abyss itself, if only because now the Demon Lord that other Demon Lords feared was gone.

You can read more about her here.

[old-antecedent]

Mysteries of the Dwemer pt. 4 (Final): A Collection of Null Pointers

The result of the Dwemer's grand ambition is well-known. Absence in all senses of the word. Several nations' worth of empty cities, perpetually active in expectation of residents who will never again see them. All as efficient and well-oiled as they were eras ago, despite the lack of any maintenance. Every single inch of emptiness hinging on one moment of total uncertainty. Mortals know the disappearance of the Dwemer as one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of all time.

You have likely come across several possible explanations. The Dwemer achieved their dreams of becoming a giant automaton's skin. A Dragon Break somehow vanished them all. Every Dwemer zero-summed at once. Like Alduin, they were thrown into the future. They have found a realm of their own in some obscure pocket of reality where no one has thought to check.

These are all common answers to the question of the Dwemer vanishing. I have cataloged them countless times over the aeons, sometimes pure and sometimes mixed among themselves. This along with hundreds of other versions of that fateful day's events and aftermaths. I will not tell you which is true.

Instead, I offer you the prize you do not know you seek: uncertainty. If the mystery were resolved, of what interest would the Dwemer be? A sure end to their tale would close the book forever. It has remained open for more than three thousand years, and the endless speculation is far more interesting to you than a definite answer could ever be.

I do, however, realize that closing with this would be unsatisfying. It would drive many scholars to contact me again despite all I have shared here. So I will leave you with an interesting theory. It was offered to me by a Nord named Jens Vebjørn Hülpft, who summoned me on the 5th of First Seed in 3E 431 only to tell me what he had "discovered" about the dwemer. He sought no boon for his information. What follows is an exact transcription of his words on this subject.

"The Dwemer are, well, no, they were, but they weren't. They are a kind of ex post facto rewrite of the Dunmer née Chimer who were culpable for the activation of Numidium. History was, not rewritten, but recontextualized with this new dwarven race in mind. See, the switching-on of Numidium created a dragon-break, the Red Moment, just like the Warp in the West and at Rimmen. So there's a pressure on the gods to resolve it and return to linear time. But they can't resolve it when Numidium is on. The Dragon Breaks involving Numidium always include either it turning off or being destroyed, so it's probably the cause of them. I'm getting off track. There's a House Dwemer in the scant ancient writings we have about the time before the First Council and its War. That and the continued mention of a tribe unmourned, an unmourned house, and an oath-breaking house (which I believe are all separate entities) in all the Nerevarine prophecies leads me to believe that the dwarves were in the process of splitting off from the Chimer, just as the Chimer had done by following Veloth away from Aldmeri heritage. They weren't fully split away yet, but they were almost there. We can know this because of both their close dealings with the other dark elf great houses through the histories, and Yagrum Bagarn. I met him when I tried my hand at raiding the Corprusarium before Dagoth Ur became too much of an issue. His skin is discolored and covered in abscesses, but it is undeniably not gray. Compare that to the coloration shown by the ghosts in dwarven ruins — just as ashen as a dark elf! Bagarn was the only dwarf to escape their fate, so he was the only one not cursed by Azura as well, because they were Chimer. The curse, of course, happening before the dragon break ended. Numidium being the dwarf Tower is the lynchpin of this whole thing. The way to resolve the dragon break was to tie all the chimer/dunmer who had been moving towards reason and logic, away from Chimer beliefs to Numidium as a Tower, and then get rid of all the new kind of elf you just made so they can't keep Numidium turned on. But in this, Numidium being a Tower defining the new dwarves means they have to be in the history of the world — the Towers are part of the structure of The Wheel, so you can't reframe what they mean unless you want to collapse everything, and there's usually no need for that. So the dwarves have to have existed for them to have made the Brass Tower, so they were always dwarves even though they only became dwarves the moment they were all removed from existence."

During the course of our conversation, Jens also mentioned a few interesting "theories" on prophecy, Sithis, and my sphere. Since then he has contacted me at least once every twenty years. He is currently a lich living in a crypt, pretending to be dead when people approach.

[boleynqueenes]

17. What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic?

I weirdly find research stuff useful in scene or train-of-thought transitions, by means of segue, and/or by means to illustrate or set a scene. I do SO much of it but it really does come in handy during the flow when you're stuck on a scene in particular, just consult my notes to see how can I relate something here to this and it unlocks.

So like this:

No, he is resolved, resolved to allow the snowy wind to allay his temper, collecting resolution with every step, let the walk do likewise, deciding strategy as he rounds the fountain in the courtyard, frozen over like glass, crows landing and twirling like ice dancers upon the first frost fair upon the Thames, the one he was told of during his very first history lessons.

Beaulieu had an absolutely stunning courtyard, and the fountain has been mentioned in both Thurley's works on Tudor palaces and Julia Fox's biography of Jane Boleyn. Honestly, so many details from that one I've used already for my current and future Beaulieu scenes, that book is such a boon.

So, as oft happens in the process, I will remember an article I read (this one, the history of frost fairs on the Thames) and then find everything I possibly can about them to see if some pattern or detail can be found that will connect it to the character, their current obstacle, their own memory. This one was serendipitous in that regard:

lest he forget, it was the same winter that this impertinent woman was born, that carts and carriages crawled across the crystal palace of the Thames, from Lambeth to Westminster, the last time London Bridge was falling down)

Everything that reminds you of something has happened before, in some form, etc.

My A/N is honestly becoming so overloaded that I am starting to link rather than add quotes like here for the above, but this one was this:

In 1515, too, carriages passed over on the ice from Lambeth to Westminster. At this time it is said the frost and snow were so severe that five arches of London Bridge were "borne downe and carried away with the streame."

So, December 1515-February 1516 counts as 'same winter' according to other Tudor books and articles I read that referenced this, if it was actually January 1515, well...it serves too well. Magpied that.

What else, learned about how rain was seen as an ill omen (kind of feels like that's playing against the odds in England, but whatever) in early 16c England, particularly as it aligned with significant events, and interestingly enough there was an absolute downpour recorded at both the christening of Arthur Tudor and, specifically, COA's coronation procession, one so severe she had to take shelter in the eaves of (another omen portending her future power struggle with Wolsey...?) a tavern called The Cardinal's Hat (revised so she was indoors because it gave me more latitude to set the scene).

Although of course I used that last one, and many other details from researching their coronation day (bolded below) to be an absolute sadist:

There, the loamy scent of ale colliding against the acrid smell of lye, there, in the kitchens was where the owners of the tavern had allowed their new Queen to dry and take refuge from the deluge that had drowned her in the procession. There, where her ladies were patting and wringing out her hair with bathsheets and making futile noises of consolation, futile noises towards praise of her beauty, still unmatched, even in this, they insisted, even like this, she had sobbed and sobbed with an acutely felt humiliation, as she does now. For she was always much on her dignity, especially after years of living denied the same, those widowed years… The collapse of her canopy drenching her with rainwater in the midst of her procession had been too much for her then, the shock of cold had rendered her outrage, then mortification, as surely it would seem to all she were the punchline of God's own joke, this abatement of pride. But Henry had come then, and he had been ready to bear the weight of her injured dignity, ready and willing and eager to bend the darkness off her with his lightness; her ready knight with the ready halo. Then, he had cried out, what is wrong? in that modest threshold, himself draped in crimson velvet and ermine, blinding in his jacket of raised gold, twinkling with ballas rubies, then, he had sank to his knees next to the grand chair that her manservants placed upon the dingy floor, upon the carpet they rolled out beneath, then, he had gathered her in his arms. It is ruined, she insisted, sniffling, and he had laughed lightly, and shook his head, rested his hand upon her cheek and beamed like the sun that had disappeared on their day. He had called it baptism by rainfall, and japed that she was truly an English queen, now, who could doubt it, and how the crown hardly needed to affirm the same, and kissed her face all over, as if he would vanquish every single tear.

[gabagoogus]

Moi stoopid magic system

Magic, power systems, techniques, I personally find it the best part of an anime or book. Seeing all of the complex interactions is crazy. My magic system is called 

DIVINUM AUXILIUM

Of course, in universe, it goes by many names, such as Blessings, Divine Intervention, or simply, a Divine fortune or any other synonym. At its core, it is the act of a being from a higher plane granting boons or power to a being from a lower plane. This could be a god giving powers to a human, or even a vengeful spirit assisting a being with a similar goal. By definition, all power users in the verse fall under the classification of a “Warlock”, but it's not just guys in robes spamming eldritch blast, as it can vary greatly depending on the blesser and the user. The main granters of boons are as followed

- what would be considered a “god”. Most gods in the verse are more so personifications of a concept or universal law, apart from the original one, known simply as Yggdrasil, who upon spontaneous existence through fluctuating virtual particles, proceeded to personify the core concepts of physics and the world. Some notable gods include Aevum, goddess of time, and Vis, god of entropy and energy. This duo were the first beings created after Yggdrasil.

-Spirits. Anything from vengeful spirits not ready to rest, to spirits of powerful people persisting after death, to long lost guardians who have lost all trace of their time as a mortal. Any being with enough willpower can come back as a spirit to aid- or hinder- those still bound to the mortal coil.

- Fae. Fae are mysterious beings that travel between the branches of Yggdrasil and hop between planes. Most who know of them think they are all annoying and mischievous, but wise ones know that only the assholes actually show themselves to common folk. They give them a bad name. While not as powerful as gods, Fae give the most unique abilities to their hosts.

While there are some exceptions, these are the main granters of power. 

Inorder to obtain these powers from above, one must first die- or almost die. Being on the edge of death is like balancing a lightswitch. One slight nudge and you either live or lights out. This time is perfect for a deity to grant boons as you are as far into the higher realms as possible without passing through, so the connection is at its strongest. Keep in mind that only those with the highest “fate weight” are chosen. This value is either from what you're destined to do to the world as of now, or what you can possibly do if granted powers. This is like a betting game for the deities as they can only have one avatar at a time, so they must consider who to bless.

 If you are lucky, instead of dying, you will have a hazy and blurry dream of a silhouette of the deity coming up to you bringing you back to life. Once awakened, the avatar will have nothing but a vague memory of the situation, the basics on how to use their new powers, and an undying and deadly sense of motivation for something. That thing? Well, it's different for everyone. Some have a clear understanding of purpose, while others just get on with an “it is what it is” and the vague knowledge of whatever they do, they will achieve something.

Now you may ask, how do these powers work? Well it's simple… I'm just kidding, it's not simple at all. Divine aid is different for everyone, as every deity is different. You'll almost never get powers directly associated with your deity, but instead something adjacent to it, which you will soon learn was actually your deities power all along, just manifested in a different way. Example: Aevum’s avatar didn’t get time powers right away, instead he got ice powers, which was secretly just him slowing down time on atoms to subtract heat (as an atoms speed=heat), creating ice.

In Order to use any of your granted boons, you need what's known as primordial soup. After a blessing, an avatar starts to naturally collect primordial soup, and it is stored within the brain. Primordial soup is produced by beings known as sprites. Tiny spirits the size of a hamster that sit at the roots of Yggdrasil and feed off of it. They sit on the same plane as human souls, which is why it's easy for humans to gather it, although only avatars can actually gather enough for it to be useful. This is thanks to a strange region of the brain that grows after becoming an avatar known as the Phasma. This chunk of brain actually sits within the soul plane and attracts sprites. Primordial soup is this bright blue neon sludge that is full of universal energy. Even the gods need it to survive. It allows an avatar to have a clear connection to their deity, and henceforth draw from their power. It basically makes you have better spirit internet to facetime your deity, with your Phasma being the router.

 The two types of sprite are Magiums and Phages. Magiums are fat and round and give a decent and long stream of soup to the gatherer, letting them use their powers for a long time, but Phages are long and jagged. They quickly inject a ton of soup into the avatar and allow for quick and powerful bursts of power to come forth. Most users of divine fortune tend to stick to gathering one or the other, but you can choose what you want more of by changing hormone levels in the Phasma. It's good to have a mix of both.

Human souls are separate from bodies. They sit on the soul plane, which is one level above the mortal plane. They are still one being, but souls are slightly separate from the body, which is why some things only affect the soul. The only part of the physical body on the soul plane is the Phasma.

The following are two examples of Divinum avatars.

Omega is a strange and somewhat insane plague doctor who is the avatar of Aevum, goddess of time. Instead of getting time powers, he instead got the ability to manifest ice from the moisture in and around him (which is just him subconsciously slowing down time on the subatomic level) This pairs well with his alchemy, which is a completely different system in the universe that i will not be talking about right now. For other avatars, the only time they get to at least see their deity is in hazy visions and dreams, but Aevum instead shows up as a figment of Omegas imagination. She randomly shows up as a transparent veiled woman, and sometimes offers advice, although most of the time she just criticises him and asks way too many questions. Omega finds her really annoying and sometimes thinks she should've just left him to die. Only Omega can see Aevum, which makes him look extremely schizophrenic. After another death, the deity either cuts off their divine power, leaving the avatar to die, or gives more power. This phenomenon is known as a Deus Ex Machina, and allows them to use their “Magnum Opus”. Now at a direct connection with their deity, the avatar can now finally use the root power granted. Omega gained the power to slow down time by 99% and to use many new alchemical techniques, and most notably a technique known as “absolute zero”. This allows him to completely stop time and rapidly mess with time and age on an atomic scale, breaking down atoms and age things until they are naught but dust.

Hellflame is another avatar who instead gets his powers from Vis, god of entropy and energy. Omega and Hellflame are both part of a small squad of mercenaries, and are great friends. Hellflame, as you would imagine, has the ability to start and control fire, as well as go into a demon state, where he gets much better durability, and absorbs kinetic energy.

He utilises his powers well, by using the force of explosions to accelerate his limbs to speeds of mach 2. He also specialises in firearms, and replaces regular bullets with bullets made of superheated plasma, which he generates by chucking any random bit of metal into his guns and heating it up. He may not look like it, but he is just as smart as omega, and has a degree in engineering, (apparently). Upon receiving a Deus Ex Machina, Hellflame gains the ability to store kinetic energy. Upon storing enough kinetic energy, he goes into a state called

Kugelblitz, and becomes effectively indestructive for a few minutes, basically like Hakari’s jackpot from JJK. The aura around him is enough to vaporise glass, and he reaches speeds up to mach 3, enough to contend with the speeds of Omega while slowing down time. His magnum opus is called Oroboros, where he summons a giant snake made of pure universal energy and unbalanced nearby creatures and objects entropy, draining the life out of living things and causing inanimate things to be exploded to dust and even erased. (kinda like malevolent shrine)

Uhhhh yeah that's a bit about my magic system. It still has a few flaws. I'll go more in depth about characters and Alchemy in a separate post I guess, if people care.

I also need help coming up with the name of the mercenary gang Omega and Hellflame are in, but ill talk about that later.

Thanks for reading.

[pennywaltzy]

Life And Death Are Of No Importance To Us (13/?)

Many thanks to @mizjoely​ for pointing out a potentially confusing aspect with the Greek names. Sherlock is still Hades and Molly is still Persephone (or possibly Kore, but I’m not getting into that in the fic), but their roles are what are reversed. But please enjoy the new chapter! I’m thinking the next chapter might be the last, but we’ll see.

Life And Death Are Of No Importance To Us - Molly is a minor goddess who takes souls to the Underworld for their judgment. Sherlock is also a god with the same powers, unbeknownst to him. When Molly is told she has to collect Sherlock's soul, it's the beginning of the most interesting week of their lives.

READ CHAPTER 1 | READ CHAPTER 13

Lunch with John and Mary went better than the night at the opera, with Mary blissfully happy about the pregnancy and the two of them sharing all the information they had and all the plans they were making. Molly could see some of it was hard on Sherlock, knowing he would be going back to the Underworld in a few days' time, but he made the best of sharing their joy. It was during lunch that John mentioned potential names, and he said if he had a son he would name him William, after his friend. Sherlock blushed and Molly smiled at the fact there was still more to learn about her lover, even in this situation. As they left the lunch, arm in arm, she looked up at him. “Your name is William?” she asked, a smile still on her face.

“William Sherlock Scott Holmes,” he said sourly. “I’ve always preferred Sherlock.”

“I like William, but I prefer Hades more,” she said.

“I’ve wondered if I’m supposed to be called some variation of Persephone and you’re supposed to be called some variation of Hades,” he mused.

“No, I think it’s just our roles that will be switched, not our names. There’s been no one in the Underworld named Hades or Persephone for as long as I can remember. In our own place, I don’t think anyone will blink an eye at Persephone being the Goddess of the dead and Hades being the God of spring.” She was quiet for a moment. “It might take some explaining and such in the land of the living, though. The old stories have survived for a long time...it will take a long while for the change to be seen, if it is.”

“I wonder why now?”

“Well, isn’t spiritualism on the rise?” Molly ventured. “Perhaps that has something to do with it. Or maybe whatever caused our banishment is making peace with us by reuniting us. We’ll know more in a few days, I imagine.”

“I suppose we will,” he said. “Tell me more about your garden.”

Molly went into detail about the various plants and flowers that formed her own personal garden. She would be happy in her cottage just as she would be in a palace as long as there was a garden., she realized as she spoke. She knew having the god of spring by her side would be a boon to making the most luscious garden this side of his home in London.

By the time they arrived at his home, she was content with the idea that there would be life and love and laughter in her future. He had amused her with anecdotes on the way there and she knew that she would be happy with him by her side. The question that lingered in her brain was, would he? With a life above that he was going to leave behind, would he be happy with her in the Underworld? She wasn’t sure how to ask him, so she decided to wait until she could form the words. After a vigorous bout of lovemaking, when they were breathing heavily and curled into each other, recovery from the throes of passion just starting, she shut her eyes and placed her ear above his heart. The steady, reassuring sound reminded her of his life, that he was a living being, and so she spoke. “Will you be happy with me in the Underworld?”

“I will be happy with you anywhere,” he said, gathering her in his arms more.

“Then why do we need to go to the Underworld, aside from to make you a God again?” she asked. “Why can’t we stay in the world above, and you can be here when John and Mary have their child, and I can learn more about humanity?”

“Perhaps we can,” he said before kissing her temple. “But we won’t know until I’m in the Underworld. For all I know, I may forget my life above. I may want nothing more than to be with you and rule the dead by your side.”

She nodded, lapsing into silence. Perhaps that was what would happen, she thought. But she would remember his life. She would remember his friends and his brother and she would make sure they were treasured guests when they entered the realm of the dead. She knew he would appreciate it, even if he no longer remembered who they were to him. She could do that, and that thought gave her peace as she let her breathing even and fell asleep against Sherlock’s chest.

[mostthingskenobi]

Hi, i am just listening to your Whills episode and i think that i may understand what mr. Lukas had in mind with them.

The way i personally see it is that the World between Worlds is the key to understanding Whills and the Force. Basically, wbw is this place that connects different times and spaces through paths beyond the standard universe of gffa. This means that similarly to Gargantua in the Interatellar movie, this place canonically exists on some different level than the rest of the world - outside of the physical and outside of the time. That level is the Force.

Now the Force is often spoken of as having a will and intention on its own, sometimes dabbling into details by focusing on certain individuals by sending them random visions for example, but overal, the it has this tendency to keep itself in ballance. The part of the Force that has its own thinking in a sense are Whills. They or it or however many it is believed to exist, are basically the gods of the universe, the origin of the creative and destructive forces, the cause of change.

Now how do midichlorians fit into this.

There are 2 cases of things that posess Force abilities in the world that do not have midichlorians or any organic components to begin with. One of such are kyber crystals, the other are those sentient crystals from legends whose name i forgot. In both cases, they don't move and can't do anything much in their natural state, which is not good for the ballance restoriation purposes.

This is where midichlorians come in. They are said to be present in all life, be it in different concentrations. As life is highly dynamic and turbulent compared to rocks, it makes sense that Whills would see it as a tool to propagate their intent through the universe.

In order to communicate with living things, at some point, midichlorians came to be, functioning as a translator between the biology and the Force field in the same way how many real cell organels turn light into sugars or electric signals into muscle contractions. More midichlorians means more sensitivity to the Force field, and in the reverse order more midichlorians means stronger influence send outwards which we all know as various Force abilities. And just as you said, even if a person was born with a high concentration of midichlorians, they can always decide to ignore the vibe they get from the Force. The choice is theirs.

But intentionally or not, all life is a change and all change translates via midichlorians into the Force which is the way how Whills communicate with the euclidian timespace of the gffa. And so huge events in the universe can be felt through collectively generated ripples through the Force, such as the destruction of Alderaan. At the same time, once these ripples reach Whills, informing them about the change in the ballance, Whills may then send "random" Force answers. They may give their current favourites prophetic dreams, they may grant them unusual one time boons, or they may create situations just at the right moment at just the right place to lead them towards the path that has a potential to restore the ballance.

But because Whills are very much not mortal creatures, more likely something like a cosmic hive mind, and because they don't communicate through language or even within the standard time-space parameters, deciphering their messages is very much a spiritual thing. Are dreams they send a warning? Are they the future set in stone? One of possible futures? A reflection of events happening right now to soneone else in similar position? A long forgotten memory? Who knows? Luckily, there are proffesionals who specialize in interpreting these things, such as those at various jedi temples.

Lastly, my short take about force ghosts.

The Force as a field is very much a communal thing, generated by creatures as much as plants or microbes. Sith and other dark side users are self centered in its use and are thus incompatible with the idea of surrending themselves to it. The training for being able to astrally project may be a mid step to becoming a force ghost, after all, both project the will and senses outside of the body. Luke, Leia, Obi-Wan, and Yoda, all disappearing in their final moments, can be thus be interpreted as the last stage of the astral projection where the will of the force user becomes fully separated from the physical body and it fuses with the surrounding life Force. Quigon is a bit of a weirdo since we saw his dead body, but then again who knows what he was up to in his spare time. For all we know he may have been training to be able to astrally project, died before he fully grasped the ability, and only perfected it after his death.

Anyway, this was my take on how i understand the Force and its in-universe logic. I love listening to your podcast while i am in work, because it always makes my geeky heart skip a little. Both of you have so much fun talking about the same thing i love and it's just such a joy. Love you and bye

Oh my goodness!!! Thank you for the lovely explanation!!!! This is remarkable. And just FYI, we read part of this as our listener comments on our latest episode 💜 Thank you, also, for the very kind words about our podcast 🥰

[shinymoonbird]

Murugan is known by numerous names in ancient and medieval texts of the Indian culture. Most common among these are Mahasena, Kartikeya, Kumara, Shanmukha, Skanda, and Subrahmanya . He is the Hindu god of war. He is a son of Parvati and Shiva, brother of Ganesha, and a god whose life story has many versions in Hinduism  

✨

Murugan – the Hindu God of Tamils

Murugan is hailed as ‘Thamizh kadavul’ — the Lord of Tamils by poets and Tamil cultural exponents who take pride in the uniqueness of Tamil culture. Murugan is a popular deity widely worshiped in Tamil Nadu and also in Kerala, Karnataka and Srilanka. Worship of Muruga is rather sporadic in other parts and linguistic segments of India.

The myriod Tamil names of Murugan

The word Murugan means one who is handsome. In India, naming children with popular names of God is very widely practiced. The name Murugan and his numerous other names like Murugaiyan, Sivamurugan, Velmurugan, Saravanan, Karthigeyan, Senthil, Arumugam, Subramaniyan, Subbaiah, Subbarayan, Swaminathan, Velan, Kadirvel, Shaktivel, Kandan (Skandan), Kandaswamy, Kadamban, Kumar, Kumaraswamy, Shivakumar, Shanmukham, Palani (it is actually the name of one of his abodes), Palaniswamy, Muthu Kumaran, Sakthi Kumar, Muthukumaraswamy, Dandapani, Dandayutapani, etc. are widely used in naming children; a vast majority in the above names are quite typical to Tamils.

The birth of Murugan

Murugan is Subramanya, the son of lord Shiva. According to mythology, Murugan was born out of the fire that emanated from Lord Shiva’s third eye — his eye at the middle of his forehead, when he opened it to burn Kamadeva, or Manmatha, the god of love and passion, who tried to disturb Shiva’s meditation and turn his mind towards romance. The very purpose of birth of Muruga was to annihilate the two demons Tarakasura and Surapadma. Elaborate details of this mythology can be obtained from “Skanda Puranam”. The tamil poetic version of this mythology is also available, known as “Kanda Puranam” written by the poet Kacchiappa Sivachariyar (1350-1420).

Puranas

The Skanda Purana narrates that Shiva first wed Dakshayani (also named Sati), the granddaughter of Brahma, and the daughter of Daksha. Daksha never liked Shiva, who, symbolizing destruction and detachment, begs for food, dances in a graveyard smeared with ashes, and has no possessions, not even good clothes for himself. Daksha publicly insulted Shiva in a Yagna ceremony, and Sati immolated Herself in anger over this treatment of Her husband. The Yagna was destroyed by the ganas of Shiva led by Virabhadra. Shiva withdrew himself from the universe and engaged himself in yogic meditation in the Himalayas. 

In the meanwhile, Surapadman (an asura) ravaged the earth and tormented its beings. Tarakasuran believed that, because Shiva is an ascetic and his earlier marriage was conducted with great difficulty, his remarriage was out of the question, hence his boon of being killed by Shiva's son alone would give him invincibility.

It was realized by the gods that only the son born of Shiva could lead the gods to victory over Tarakasuran, Surapadman and their companions. They plotted with Manmatha, also known as Kamadeva, the God of love, to shoot a flower arrow from his bow at Shiva, as he sat in meditation, so as to make him fall in love with Parvati (who was Dakshayani, reborn). When Kamadeva aimed his arrow, Shiva opened his third eye and incinerated him to ashes instantly.

Shiva handed over his effulgence of the third eye, used to destroy Manmatha, to Agni, as he alone was capable of handling it until it becomes the desired offspring. Even Agni, tortured by its heat, handed it over to Ganga, who in turn transported it into the Saravana Forest and deposited it in a pond of reeds called the Saravana Poigai (located at mouths of river Ganga) , where the sparks became six children. They were raised by the six Krittika or Kartika - the stars that make up the Pleiades, earning the name Karthikeya. Parvati combined these six babies into one with six faces, i.e. Shanmukha or Arumugan. Since he was born in the Saravana he was also called 'Saravanabhava'. 

Murugan became the supreme general of the demi-gods then escorted the devas and led the army of the devas to victory against the asuras. 

Murugan’s vehicle is peacock and his main weapon to destroy his enemies is “Vel” (lance). His army flag (“kodi“) carries the symbol of rooster (“seval“) and on account of it, he is also known as “Seval Kodiyon“. 

According to mythology, Lord Murugan is married to two wives, Devayani (daughter of Indra, the king of Devas) and Valli. Valli reportedly belongs to a Tamil tribal community.

Murugan and Gyana (Supreme Knowledge)

Mahavakyam -  "The Great Sayings" of the Upanishads:

प्रज्ञानम् ब्रह्म, Prajñānam Brahm,  Consciousness is God. ~ Aitareya Upanishad (Chapter 3, verse 3)

अहं ब्रह्मास्मि, Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi ~ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of the Shukla Yajur Veda

Aham (अहं) means “I”, Brahm (ब्रह्म) means all possibilities and Asmi (अस्मि) means “am”. 

तत्त्वमसि, Tát Túvam Asi ~ Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda

tát (तत्) means “That”, túvam means “You”, Asi “are”. Simply put, Thou art that.

🌺 ॐ 🌺

Realizing the highest truth of the Atman, and its oneness with the Brahman, is called gyana (true knowledge) in Hinduism. Attaining this knowledge is also known as the opening of the “third eye” in a person. Lord Murugan, who was born on account of the opening of the third eye of Lord Shiva is a knower of the supreme truth and is therefore referred to as “Gyana Panditan” (An exponent of Supreme knowledge).

The holy Hindu syllable “Om” is said to encapsulate the Supreme knowledge; one who knows the profoundest meaning of Om is indeed a Gyani who knows the Supreme Truth. According to mythology, Murugan, even as a little boy was aware of the meaning of Om.

On one occasion Murugan imparted a secret upadesa on pranava, the sound of Om, to Shiva and thus earned the title ‘Guru of Shiva’.

Since Murugan thus became a Guru (Swami) who taught to the very Lord (Natha) of the universe, he was called Swaminathan. In Tamil, he is hailed as “Thagappan Sami” – one who became a Guru to his own father.

✨

Ramana Maharshi as Skanda son of Shiva 

Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, the very embodiment of the beginningless infinite supreme Brahman, the Satchitananda (existence, consciousness, bliss), is considered by his ardent devotees to be an incarnation of Lord Muruga. Though he has not written any hymns about Muruga, his cryptic poems are a source of treasure which contains the essence of his philosophical teachings.

Maharshi Ramana has taught two principal paths as the main spiritual practices [sadhanas] for the attainment of Self-Knowledge, which is the state of eternal, perfect and unalloyed happiness. The first path He taught is the path of Self-Enquiry, that is, knowing oneself (one’s real nature) by enquiring ‘Who Am I?’, while the second path is the path of self-surrender, that is, surrendering oneself (the ego) completely to God. The former is the path of knowledge or gyana (jnana marga), and the latter is the path of devotion (bhakti marga).

Jane Adams Art - SACRED INDIA TAROT – RAMANA AS SKANDA SON OF SIVA

✨

The 6 great abodes of Murugan in Tamil Nadu

The six sites at which Karthikeya sojourned while leading his armies against Surapadman:

Swamimalai - Arulmigu Swaminatha Swamy Temple - A very famous temple of Swaminathan (i.e. Murugan), situated at Swamimalai (near Kumbakonam at Tamil Nadu, India), is treated as the most sacred place as where Lord Murugan preached the Pranav Mantra “OM” to His father Lord Shiva when He was a child.

The other 5 abodes are : Tiruttanikai, Tiruvavinankudi (Palani), PazhamudirSolai, Tirupparamkunram and Tiruchendur.

“Thirumurugatruppadai” is a famous and ancient Tamil literature written by poet Nakkirar of the Sangam period (circa the 3rd century AD), which contains the stories of the wondrous divine play of Lord Murugan in all these 6 main abodes.  

These six sites collectively came to be known as "Arupadai Veedu" (Lang:Tamil), it means the six battle camps of the Lord.

Worship  in Tamil Nadu

Thai Poosam during January-February month is celebrated as a 6-day festival. On Thai Poosam day, Kavadis and Palkudams are taken by devotees in procession around Chhedanagar. Special Abhishekams are performed to the Moolavar and Utsavar (festival deity's moorthi usually taken during temple festival processions; utsavar moorthi is generally made of metal, and Moolavar murthi is usually made of stone). Annadhanam (The Sacred Offering of Food) is provided to all devotees participating in the functions. In the night, Lord Muruga is taken in procession accompanied by Nadaswaram, Veda Parayanam around Chhedanagar.

Vaikasi Visakam day, during May-June month, Kavadis (a 'physical burden' made out of elaborate and decorated framework, lifted onto a person’s shoulders) and Palkudams (milk pots) are taken by devotees in procession around Chhedanagar.

Skanda Sashti during October-November month is celebrated as a 6-day festival. Spiritual discourses by learned scholars and/or music concerts by popular artists from South or from Mumbai are organized.

[stormbreaker101]

Idea: the wizard going to a fancy party and having someone announce their arrival and saying all of their titles and the groups they are affiliated with.

Ooh, this is an interesting idea!

I imagine the fancy party would be some international semi-diplomatic semi-celebratory party to recognize the boon that is the Wizard and all their heroism. Many worlds' leader figures have been directly SAVED by the Wizard (off the top of my head, it's Queen Elizabeth, Emperor Yoshihito, King Artorius and Queen Gwendolyn, King Pyat Mourningsword, Queen Sabina, Khan, King Casimir and Queen Margherita, and the Grand Nana who has since been demoted via the workers' union), so perhaps this party is their way of saying thank you.

God, Im now imagining this... luxurious party. Nobles from all over the Spiral are invited. The Wizard is in the robes of the Divine Paradox, since that outfit represents the utter totality of their reach. How their magic and heroism transcends what's mortally possible.

I feel like the Wizard's reactions to being announced with all their deeds would vary greatly, depending on WHO the Wizard is. Some Wiz OCs enjoy parties, some don't. Some hate being boiled down to a faceless collection of deeds, some enjoy having their actions recognized and praised.

Would be something to think about.

[seyaryminamoto]

my school works are piled up this past few weeks (graduating tingz) and i just started reading the deadlock novel it feels like i'm reading a sokkla fic every time Mcashe has a scene because they just give off the vibes skskskskksksks. BTW, what's your top5 fav scenes from the novel? PS: I'm smiling like an idiot while reading the novel ughh i hate myself

I KNOW, RIIIIIGHT?! *-* and don't hate yourself, my anon friend, I spent the whole novel smiling and laughing and losing my goddamn mind because I was having the time of my life xD enjoy this beautiful content as best you can!

I mean, frankly, Reunion already had all the Sokkla vibes I could've wanted/needed to ship these two like FedEx and I always knew I wasn't getting off this ride anytime soon. But gosh, this book... it gave me everything I wanted and MORE! Their dynamics are soooo similar to Sokkla team-up dynamics, two power couples kicking ass and taking names... oh, I just love it so much. I probably will end up reading the book a third time soon x'D

As for my favorite scenes, damn, this is tricky xD

KEYCHAIN! HE MADE HER KEYCHAIN!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!! God, it's just amazing how the book explains the "vintage" look for Ashe's hoverbike the way it does, and that they literally built it together *screams!!!*, but then he gives her that keychain for her birthday present, and the implications!! THE IMPLICATIONS!!! He gave her a keychain she's held onto for TWENTY YEARS?!?!?! Ships in the OW fandom have sailed far and wide with less than breadcrumbs: we literally have been granted a boon from the GODS with all this extra context for the little things in Reunion xD

Ashe going to hell and back to save her kidnapped BFF-for-whom-she-totally-doesn't-have-feelings-yeah-yeah-sure-Jan. I love the fact that McCree is, in a way, Ashe's damsel in distress and not the other way around xD Of course, it's what you'd expect from an Ashe-centric story, but it's still an amazing sequence, all around. Gotta highlight how she loves the way he smiles like a madman when they have that shootout at the end, and how he worries so much over Ashe's injury when he took an even worse one than she did (the Sokkla vibes in that particular situation were SO STRONG! I SWEAR!).

"Jesse McCree, are you trying to make me say you're handsome?" "Am I?" ... do I need to say more. That FLIRTING. These two were on fire already and they'd only known each other for like... weeks, at this point? x'D He has no sense of moderation, he's soooo into her and doesn't hide it at all. Ashe is so busy trying to plot all the crime and Jesse's practically like a shojo heroine, "oh I can feel it, this is how my love story begins!", basically xD

Finally I pick a not-McAshe scene... to bring up the one where Ashe picks up the Viper on her last moment in Lead Rose Manor. That moment was just... POWERFUL. The feeling of epicness in that scene just overwhelmed me when I was reading it xD

The ending of the book :'D the fully formed Deadlock Gang ready for business, down to the explanation for the Est. 1976 in the logo... *sobs* the fact that so much about the character design choices in these two characters is a shoutout to the past they share is just... *gross sobbing* oh, I just love it to pieces, I'm not even sorry.

Ashe's bike race to save B.O.B. x'D that whole situation was bonkers but I looooved how fierce she was about protecting her one and only buddy while growing up (AND THAT JESSE BLUSHED WHEN SHE TAUNTED HIM WAS JUST THE CHERRY ON TOP!). I appreciated learning more about the Omnic War and its consequences, how Ashe reflects on having escaped it practically untouched in virtue of her money and societal privilege while her new friends all faced many hardships to survive. But I can't help but also love that, however uneasy others could have been about the Best Omnic Butler, Ashe was so fiercely loyal to B.O.B. that she nearly broke Julian's nose herself over his ridiculousness x'D That's HER big omnic buddy and she's not about to lose him to anyone, not her shitty parents, not a bet in a race, NOTHING! (and it's so cute that B.O.B. is just as loyal to her, too *sobs*)

Ashe grabbing McCree's arm to explain things to him on their first heist and him being all "you gonna leave that there?" and only then does she realize her hand's still on him x'D what a McCree line, and he was absolutely enjoying the attention, he doesn't even pretend otherwise.

Everything poetic McCree says or does... meanwhile Ashe's like "um yeah I don't care about poetry I want money", right until his poet soul totally smashes her square in the heart with the KEYCHAIN!!! But damn, I swear I thought McCree would hold back a lot more, and yet there he was, saying things like Calamity was brilliant and mysterious... you could practically hear B.O.B., Julian and Frankie going "I can see what's happening..." in the background xD

The conversation about what they wanted to do once they were loaded with all the cash they could possibly want. That one was a real number on my heartstrings. It ties up to what I said earlier with Ashe finally being in touch with people who are completely removed from the ridiculous social circles of her parents and her school, people who really lost a lot in the war. But where Julian and Frankie seem to look at the past a lot, I loved that Jesse is basically just thinking about the future. The fact that he says he wants to chill out in a farm and that this is what he wants in life... many, MANY, shippy wheels have turned in my head since I read that <.< maaaany...

WHEN JESSE NEARLY FALLS AND ASHE CATCHES HIM!!! UNDERRRATED AS HECK!!! The fact that he's taunting her about fear of heights, then he nearly plummets to his death because ironies are beautiful xD and Ashe pulls him back to safety only to say that she's not afraid of heights but afraid of ~FALLING~??? I mean, okay, sure, maybe I'm reading too much into that line... or maybe I'm not <.< either way, the truth is I just love how absolutely broad of interpretation that scene and that DIALOGUE are :> ehehehe.

Oh, their first encounter. The fact that it's so cute and fun, and that it's this low in the list tells you how GOOD this book was x'D "You've got an awful lot of grit for a rich girl," first words he spoke to the love of his life xD then how they talked and laughed together about the crazy stories he shared (she was crying of laughter for the first time in her life! precious girl!), and then how she sat in the car thinking about the strange feeling she was left with after meeting him... they seriously had a meetcute in prison, how can a ship get any better? xD

WHEN HE COMES BACK TO HER WHEN THEIR FIRST HEIST GOES WRONG!!! That Ashe expects him to just leave after she falls off their getaway vehicle, but Jesse saves her and goes "pfft that's just not my style", basically... *sobs* without realizing it she ends up picking up that particular philosophy of his, saving her friends no matter the cost...! Honestly, though, the fact that every time something like this happens it hits Ashe like a truck racing downhill with no brakes because she's NEVER been cared about by anyone but B.O.B. and she's completely new to friendships and bonding with people... and in the mean time, Jesse immediately is "ride or die" with her because that's how he rolls... beautiful relationship dynamics between characters who influence each other for the better are just beautiful :')

A silly one here: Jesse enjoying the good life in Lead Rose. That description of him looking like a marshmallow in the CHAISE LOUNGEEEEE!!! (the one he references in their in-game interactions *CRYING SO MANY TEARS*), was just too cute to bear x'D Ashe just jumping back into work mode... while he was just thrilled to be a marshmallow in a towel xD

... So, um, I went overboard because I love this book a little too much for my own good :> what can I say? When things I love are good, I go wild xD There's probably more scenes I loved, but these... thirteen? XD are the ones that came to mind.

I think one of my favorite things now is reexamining Reunion with all this extra context in mind. The first time I watched that cinematic I, of course, fell in love with these two outlaws because how could I not? But while subsequent rewatches revealed a lot of things I didn't pay enough attention to the first time around, the book has done even more than I could imagine possible for a short that was already as shippy as could be xD

Ooookay so, shippy ramblings about Reunion, coming up! (simply because I have to put these down SOMEWHERE XD and your ask was a good idea for that, anon!)

First off, Jesse very much staged the whole rodeo in Reunion. He sent the tip to Ashe, he wanted Echo's crate specifically. He thought they could work together, basically, despite knowing it was entirely possible that those hopes wouldn't pay off. This train, according to the wikia, was a government train, so Jesse is very much telling Ashe to give a finger to the government for all he cares, all he wants is one (1) crate.

Ergo, Jesse, for all his "nice guy bountyhunter" deal, doesn't disapprove of Deadlock's actions. If anything, he counts on them to be exactly what he needs in order to get what he wants. He practically trusts Ashe to pull off the train heist disaster perfectly and only steps up when it's time to collect Echo.

Then the wacky shoot-out happens, it's veeeery charged (the UST is so thick, I swear...), and Jesse wins. He ties up Ashe, floats her off on the payload with the rest of the gang, and he sets Echo free. He's helping her out very nicely and everything, but the context in question is... he received the recall notification thingy XD Winston called him back to Overwatch, and Jesse...

... Jesse doesn't want to go back.

Jesse says "they want me", and the displeased tone of his voice, paired with the look on his face when he says that line, speak for themselves.

That, in my humble opinion, isn't the sequence of expressions you'd expect from someone who intends to return to the group where he thrived, had the time of his life and found his true calling. To me, he actually looks irritated about the recall (the sequence of expressions during that line is much better when you watch the full thing x'D), as though he REALLY doesn't want to return. He's not against Overwatch, I'm not quite saying that, otherwise he wouldn't have set Echo free and told her to go back at all... but this isn't remorse. It's not "Oh, I'm not good enough for Overwatch anymore". Nope... this is "My time with them is over and I don't plan on going back unless I have no choice", as far as I can tell.

If OW2 does bring him back into the fold and he's a perfectly chill and happy guy about it, I'll seriously be surprised. I mean, he could have set Echo free and, once his business is over, returned to Overwatch with her, he could have been in the Paris cinematic if he'd done that...

But he's not there.

Which outright says he didn't do that :> oops.

Basically, I think Jesse's reaction in Retribution (where he's markedly the most morally correct one of the bunch, and he's the former outlaw :'D) tells you his displeasure with Overwatch ran very, very deep. And someone can very easily say he felt the same way about Deadlock and that's why he left them for Overwatch... but that's conjecture. His displeasure with Blackwatch (and, in consequence, Overwatch), however, is FACT. And the previous conjecture falls flat pretty quickly considering he's perfectly fine with Ashe's train heist, even sets it up himself, from what the story suggests, so... how ~appalled~ was he over her choices and actions? Not appalled at all, if you ask me, and after you read Deadlock Rebels, you actually understand why: Jesse trusts Ashe.

From the first moment she enters the same prison block he's in, he's drawn to her. He wants to impress her, he absolutely enjoys her company and making her laugh (just as much as she enjoyed laughing at his wacky stories), and he's plain thrilled that she comes back for him when she does. Ashe manages the gang with inexperience but she's always willing to improve, and you see Jesse sticking with her through thick and thin, supporting her at the best and worst times alike, always putting his faith on her and constantly watching out for her (he protected and shielded her from attacks with his own body sooooo many times *sobs*). Ashe starts out intending to keep most profits for herself, and Jesse doesn't care much at first... but then she starts to share profit equally between their team. She works on her own bike herself, her own ride, and she plans and solves problems as best she can, to a point of even going overboard with planning too much. She's wild, reckless and takes insane risks... and this guy loves every second of it. The matter of morality regarding the actions of a criminal gang is, of course, something to think about... but as far as the book goes, Ashe mainly targets her own family, their specific brand of bullshit, and in the process she ends up helping lots of people and even saving lives that might not have been saved otherwise. I'm not going to put my hand on the fire here and say Deadlock never ever did anything absolutely wrong to people who didn't deserve it... but for a criminal gang? They're honestly the most wholesome one the OW team could have come up with, if you ask me.

So where you see Jesse is very much antagonistic with Reaper/Reyes, where he loses his temper with the guy's choices, he doesn't ever do that with Ashe. Overwatch ARE supposed to be the good guys... so how weird that Jesse McCree, reformed outlaw, ends up so disappointed with these guys when he was actually thrilled with Ashe's managing of their gang, as far as we saw. So much so that, when it came down to it, Jesse McCree, 20 years later, still counts on Ashe to give him a hand (without her full awareness) with a little operation to help out an old friend of his. Also worth pointing out: he doesn't want to fight at all, while Ashe, of course, does. Deadlock for life, is what Jesse said... and he's not Deadlock anymore, hasn't been for who knows how long. Worse yet... his tattooed arm is gone. It's like all his ties to Deadlock have been severed.

And even so, he came to Ashe and hoped she wouldn't want a shootout with him. Even when he knows she might be beyond unforgiving because of the betrayal (he has seen directly how outraged she was about a certain someone betraying her in the book...), Jesse goes back anyway and hopes it won't come to this.

THE IMPLICATIONS, MAN!!!

Carrying on: Echo is surprised that Jesse shows no intentions of going back to Overwatch. She asks him what he's going to do... and what does Jesse say?

He puts his cowboy hat back on (the symbolism in this short, I swear...), and when she asks him what he's going to do, he tells her "I've got some business to attend to."

THE MUSIC PICKS UP.

AND THEN HE CLIMBS ON THE BIKE HE BUILT WITH ASHE.

YOU GET A DELIBERATE CLOSE-UP TO THE KEYCHAIN.

THEN THE CAMERA PANS UP TO FOCUS ON THE PICTURE, TORN AND TAPED BACK TOGETHER, THAT ASHE CARRIES ON THIS BIKE, A BIKE WHICH, LET'S BE REAL, IS BASICALLY A MCASHE BABY CHOPPER/HOVERBIKE HYBRID, AND AS SHE PUTS IT LATER, IS...

HER

BIKE!!!

When Jesse says he has business to attend to, he could pick up any bike he wants (since it'd stand to reason that the other guys Ashe came in with would have bikes of their own). He could escape on horseback for all we know xD so there are lots of options... but no. He takes HERS. Right after saying he has "business to attend to".

Look, I could be wrong. I could be dead wrong. I can absolutely be digging around and going INSANE because nothing I ship EVER gets this much content.

But we literally get a guy saying he has "business" to take care of, and the cinematic focuses exclusively on elements that, even BEFORE Deadlock Rebels, all point towards Ashe?! You could easily say that taking her bike is just the final nail on the coffin, his last trolling idea to mess with his one true love... but that picture is right there. That picture, with them in their youth. The picture, btw, was bigger than just them: B.O.B.'s hand is there. The top of the picture is uneven, suggesting Ashe probably tore it to shreds in a fit of rage... and then specifically put together THEIR PART. And then she taped that to her bike's dashboard. Meaning, she carries the goddamn memory of Jesse with her EVERYWHERE SHE GOES. And she does it WILLINGLY.

Which, in turn, answers why Jesse expects MAYBE Ashe wouldn't go full-on hostile when they meet: this trolling cowboy knows exactly what he means to Ashe. He's not surprised when he sees that picture on the bike. He doesn't toss it away, which he could have, if he were saying "we are history now, forget it gurl" (and let's be honest, what a dick move that would have been @_@), he doesn't flinch after noticing and then goes "yeah, no, I'm picking another bike".

NOPE. The familiarity with which they talk, the way he hopes she'll just let him walk away, the fact that she DIDN'T change the keychain and bike in all those years and he's not even SURPRISED...

Jesse knows how much she loves him, point-blank. He's completely aware of it... and he's very much okay with it.

So much so... that I'm something of a 90% sure that the business he intends to deal with is ASHE HERSELF.

And no, I don't mean he's going to go on another shootout with her... I mean, evidently, that Jesse wants to come home. That he's tried the life of Overwatch, and he's decided to leave it behind. He's turned bountyhunter now, vigilante, pretty much... but he comes back to Ashe all the same. He's come back for the first time in who knows how long (going by Ashe's expressions and sarcasm with the "you promised you'd write" line, it miiiiiiight be they haven't seen each other since he got recruited into Blackwatch), and he expected a peaceful encounter, no less.

A good question to ask here is... what did Jesse hope would happen, if the encounter HAD been peaceful? He would've released Echo, sent her away to her business, and stayed behind anyway because he had business to deal with. Which business? :'D why... the business that would've been standing right in front of him.

There's no other, logical reason why this cinematic would put Ashe and McCree's picture into focus right when McCree says what he does to Echo. There's no other reasonable choice why McCree would turn his back on Overwatch quite so firmly. We know he had two important ties in his life: Overwatch and Deadlock. And Overwatch stole him away from Deadlock for a VERY long time. Well over half the time Deadlock has been in operations, as far as I can tell. He picked Overwatch over Deadlock once before... and now, it seems he's picking Deadlock over Overwatch instead :')

The follow-up short, Roadtrip, doesn't do anything to change my mind. The trolling jerk, Jesse McCree, hovers past Ashe's payload, where she's just... complaining, as she hovers xD going by what I know of the game and that map, the payload may just be en route to the gang's hideout, so that, I'd say, could explain why she hasn't climbed off it or escaped in any way (which she reasonably would have, if Jesse was trying to, I don't know, send her and her people to the authorities).

My point here is, however, that Jesse is headed the same way the payload is. If his destination is the same one, he'll beat it there for sure. Maybe, yes, he'll go away and drive well past the hideout... but maybe that's exactly where he intended to go.

Maybe, in the end, Reunion is about a man who's finally coming home :D

In addition, goes without saying, Ashe's rant about how everyone falls to pieces over Jesse showing his "stupid mug" (uh-huh, stupid, ANGELIC mug, we know what you really think, girl xD) ends with her saying she should have "put a bullet in him the minute he showed up".

Which begs the question of why didn't she.

Then, of course, she says she hates McCree when he drives past her while listening to some really ridiculous honky-tonky-sounding music x'D I cannot even help but imagine him deliberately picking that radio station or whatever it was just to annoy Ashe when he drove beside her, and so that she can get extra pissed when she retrieves her beloved bike, turns on the music and it's just more honky-tonky stuff x'D but anyway, the thing is she shouts after him, tells him that's her bike and says she hates him. B.O.B. wordlessly speaks for us McAshe shippers by giving Ashe the most "sure, Jan" side-eye in the history of side-eyes, and Ashe notices and is outraged enough to knock B.O.B.'s little hat right off his head again.

Again... this is renowned outlaw Elizabeth Caledonia "Calamity" Ashe, sitting on a payload, groaning about the guy she once very much had feelings for (and that doesn't even begin to cut it, if you ask me x'D) and for whom she tooooootally doesn't anymore, that picture on her bike doesn't MEAN that, OBVIOUSLYYYY!!, and so, she sits up, complains and doesn't do much of anything to get out of her current situation, right? :>

So, summing up my current understanding of EVERYTHING, thanks to Deadlock Rebels and my obsessive rewatches of Reunion + Roadtrip:

Jesse deliberately sought out Ashe so she would indirectly, unknowingly, help him set Echo free from the government's clutches.

Jesse hoped for a peaceful encounter despite knowing he might not get one.

Jesse has no intentions of returning to Overwatch but was willing to perform one final act of service for them by releasing Echo so she'd go give Winston and co. a hand.

Jesse is NOT surprised to see that Ashe: 1. Didn't change bikes at some point in the twenty years since they built it. 2. Didn't swap the ignition key for a button, the way she says she thought to do it in the novel until he gives her the keychain. 3. KEPT THE POETIC AF KEYCHAIN, despite resenting Jesse for his betrayal. 4. KEEPS A PICTURE OF THEM IN THEIR YOUNGER YEARS PASTED ON HER BIKE'S DASHBOARD.

Jesse claims he has business to deal with: he doesn't clarify said business verbally, but every shot after he says those words focuses on elements related to Ashe... and then, along with the novel's context, it's elements related to their BOND. Everything in that shot, EVERYTHING, is connected to the two of them. Elements that weren't shown before or during their shootout, and that are only introduced in that final moment when McCree is off to deal with his "business".

Ashe doesn't climb off the payload or stops it (which, going by how McCree simply pressed a button, and Ashe isn't immobilized in the least, she easily could have done it too if she had wanted to). Suggesting that, wherever the payload is heading, it isn't anywhere dangerous for Ashe and her crew, ergo, she is 100% sure McCree isn't trying to screw her over by turning her in to the authorities or so (or, at worst, she's completely confident that, even if he is going to do this, she'll be able to get out of it easily).

Jesse drives in the same direction the payload is headed. Another hint that suggests he might intend to head to the Deadlock hideout and that, whatever business he has left to deal with, it involves them.

If his intent ISN'T to go to the hideout... Jesse is still guaranteeing that Ashe will come after him by stealing her bike, the 18th birthday gift he gave her, and the picture she keeps of them. That he takes that very bike practically serves as painting a target on his back for her to hunt down, and he KNOWS IT.

In short: Jesse will have plenty of business with the Deadlock Gang in his future, and going by how pleased he seems to be when riding the bike, he's perfectly happy to handle that business on his terms, whenever he wants to handle it.

Extra tidbit: there's nothing in Deadlock Rebels about Jesse's smoking habit, something he definitely did pick up at some point while in the gang because, hahaha, he IS smoking in the picture Ashe keeps of him :> Which makes me wonder why, of all pictures Ashe chooses to keep on her bike's dashboard, she picks one where he's smoking.

Then, it makes me wonder about the fact that Jesse deliberately starts smoking when he's standing right in front of her (and then he winks at her!). He tosses that cigar after things get kind of dangerous for him because B.O.B. does something, and then... then he goes back to smoking.

RIGHT WHEN HE'S CLIMBING ON THE BIKE.

Like... seriously...

*unintelligible fangirl screaming*

I could be looking too deeply into this. I know I could be. Maybe Blizzard just wants me to go CRAZY with little symbolism and hints charged with SO MUCH MEANING that maybe don't have as much meaning as I thought it did...

... But man, I've sailed into the depths of the shippiest oceans for many ships that have gotten actual breadcrumbs from canon. I've gone wild over ships that have zero opportunity to become a thing in canon continuity. I've written a nearly 3M words story based on a ship that is just UNEXPLORED AMAZING POTENTIAL and ngl, I love exploring it myself, so I don't even begrudge canon that much for not giving it to me anymore.

But the fact is, no ship in OW, as far as I've seen, has remotely as much content, hints and strong ties as McAshe does -- at least, no ships between heroes. We had a cinematic that was CHARGED with significance, with little gestures, with even the smallest facial expressions that carried soooo much more meaning than whole episodes or even seasons in TV shows. And then? We got a novel. A full novel depicting their origins and exploring their dynamics, how tight their friendship was, and how some strong feelings were certainly brewing there, even if neither one was ready to act on them yet (as far as we saw...).

Finally... I'll say I did start working on a Sokkla Western AU ages ago because the idea I had for one was pretty amusing. Then Reunion dropped, and I said "Why would I need to finish that story anymore when the Sokkla Western AU is RIGHT HERE?!"

And that's it, I will stop rambling now because this got insanely long x'D but thank you very very much for giving me this chance to go WILD on everything I can see, within all those canon hints, with these two *-*

[airashisakura]

Late submission for @fantasysasusaku SasuSaku Fantasy Week Day 6 - Soulmate/ Prophecy/ Reincarnation

Title: Embodiment of his Fate

Pairing: Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke

A/N: A mythology from my country had inspired me to write this piece. This was supposed to be posted during the event, but it got unusually long and took a lot of time than I expected. Also this first AU written by me.

FFN AO3

****

Part I

Sasuke — the lone wanderer — didn’t expect again to see the embodiment of his fate in green and pink. Even the gods were sometimes astonished, and Sasuke, the god of catastrophe, felt his world shaking when a pair of tired yet cheerful eyes smiled at him.

“Sakura?” he asked, every syllable carrying disbelief. He bit his tongue as the forbidden name left his mouth, because the Sakura he knew and loved had died long ago.

The owner of shining jade eyes and rosy coloured hair nodded at him. “I’ve been waiting for you, Sasuke.”

Her words echoed more than the thunderstorms he created. He had heard those words before rolling out from a certain pinkette's mouth. He recognised the ‌same words and her loving tone, but only in memories of a time long ago.

Was she the Sakura he knew? Was it an illusion borne out of his longing? Or was she a reincarnation?

****

Sasuke had always been alone — without any roots and attachments. He didn’t know his family or when and where he was born. He grew up in the darkness of the Ryuchi caves, his only companions being snakes. They were neither his friends nor his enemies, but he polished his basic instincts by observing and mimicking them.

Over time, Sasuke became an invincible warrior — one who rivaled Naruto. Over time, he earned the dignity of a God alongside Naruto.

Sasuke’s sole purpose was to destroy the imperfections and illusions, paving the way for beneficial change. His kind of destruction wasn’t arbitrary but constructive. He was thus seen both as good and evil and regarded as one who combines contradictory elements.

Naruto, unlike Sasuke, had a peaceful demeanor — being praised as God of Preservation — and nourished the world and its being. They worked in sync and ran the cycle of life — destroying the life which was futile and restoring a better life from the ashes.

Their ideologies were different, but they created a perfect balance. Naruto thrived on building bonds and made judgments with compassion, always forgiving and guiding misled souls. Sasuke, on the other hand, was more extreme — he always took an eye for an eye and a hand for a hand, but he wasn’t cruel. He wasn’t forgiving like Naruto either, and he claimed that his sense of judgement was always clearer. Sasuke despised Naruto’s philosophy. In his perspective, being enslaved to mere emotions would bring no good to the world.

Sasuke was pure consciousness, completely without pretension, never repetitive, always spontaneous, forever inventive, ceaselessly creative, and passionate about his actions.

One day, when Naruto and Sasuke were settling their arguments with a battle, Kakashi, a wise and mischievous messenger between Gods of Heaven and Kings of Earth, noticed how passionately Sasuke wielded his sword. The more Kakashi saw of Sasuke, the more he was in awe of him. His cunning mind bore a wish. He wanted to see how passionately this man could build bonds.

Kakashi knew Sasuke would be enraged if he approached him. Instead, he plotted a conspiracy. He went to The Creator himself — the one who created the world and appointed the protector and the destroyer. Hagoromo himself was amused by Kakashi’s proposal, but he watched Sasuke and saw the stillness surrounding him — the pain that Sasuke was unable to see himself. Hagoromo took pity and advised Kakashi to go to The Land of Fire.

Konohagakure, the capital of the Land of Fire, was prosperous and mighty, ruled by Queen Tsunade. The queen was strong willed and stubborn and feared no catastrophe. She had always been the one who harshly criticized Sasuke’s way of living and his actions.

Kakashi was a shrewd diplomat and knew he could never succeed in convincing the Queen to do what Hagoromo suggested, so he tricked her. He told her that The Creator himself wanted her beautiful kingdom to prosper more and had decided to present a gift to her. Tsunade was thrilled to know that, and the wise lady was unable to see behind Kakashi’s conspiracy.

A holy fire always burned at the heart of The Land of Fire. This fire was regarded pious because it had been burning since the beginning of civilization. The strongest of rains and harshest of winds were never able to extinguish the holy fire. The high raging flames were Tsunade’s pride and she believed no one, even The Gods themselves could demolish her Kingdom.

As promised, a beautiful adolescent girl emerged from that fire. As the girl descended from the altar, the mere touch of her soles made the earth more fertile, and her smile brought serenity.

People called her The New Goddess, and she was named Sakura. Her beauty was ethereal and her voice sweeter than honey. The shade of her eyes rivaled emerald and her hair was as graceful as cherry blossoms. Her laugh jingled with air as melodious as an angel's song. She possessed a heart brimming with compassion and love that melted even the coldest of hearts.

Tsunade, a fierce and strong tempered woman, developed a motherly instinct towards her. Sakura churned out love from the depths of the heart of the warrior queen. Tsunade found peace in Sakura’s presence and loved doing mundane things with her. Tsunade treated Sakura like her own daughter and doted on her.

As years passed by, Sakura bloomed, and she mastered everything Tsunade had taught her. Tsunade was elated and boasted that she would make her a warrior and queen like herself.

Tsunade didn’t trust many people around Sakura. She considered Sakura a precious entity and kept her hidden from the eyes of the unknown and evil. However, Kakashi was neither unknown nor evil, and thus he met Sakura routinely and helped her with her growing loneliness.

“What does freedom feel like?” she had asked Kakashi one day while her eyes drifted out from her windows, trying to see the boundaries of the Konoha.

Kakashi knew what she was talking about, but he remained silent, finding the best possible way to introduce her to the character for whom he had conspired everything.

“I want to see what’s outside those big gates.”

Sakura looked towards Kakashi, expecting an answer, and added, her voice fading, “And know more people.”

Tsunade had told her that she was destined to be the queen of this land, and so she couldn’t befriend anybody she wanted.

Kakashi silently mocked the situation. A goddess boon for a kingdom, bane for herself.

“Do you want to meet someone who can show you the real essence of freedom?”

Sakura nodded, her green eyes sparkling with eagerness.

Kakashi’s eyes crinkled at her innocence — how prophecy was working in the background, without her knowledge.

“There’s one problem though.” Kakashi rubbed his chin, squinting his eyes.

Sakura gave him a questioning look, and Kakashi said in a hushed, secretive voice, “He doesn’t like meeting anybody.”

“Huh? But why?” Sakura demanded, her voice two octaves higher than Kakashi’s.

Kakashi laughed at her innocence again.

“Oh! Tell me, where can I meet him? And would mother allow me?” she asked hopefully, fidgeting with the laces of her gown.

Kakashi’s relaxed face became serious. However, he knew how to outsmart the legendary Queen herself.

“Well, you have to go to Shikkotsu Forest.”

Sakura looked bewildered, as she had never heard of the place before.

“You don’t know where it is, do you?” Kakashi asked, and Sakura shook her head with a frown.

“Don’t worry. I’ll escort you there.” Kakashi smiled softly to her, but before Sakura could run down to tell Tsunade about her adventure, Kakashi interrupted. “However, don’t tell The Queen that you are going to meet someone. You know right? The Queen doesn’t like that.”

Sakura nodded again, saddened by the fact that she had to lie, but the thrill of the impending adventure washed away her guilt.

Kakashi then convinced Tsunade to follow his plan by pointing out that Katsuyu, the slug from Shikkotsu forest, had always served the Queen and for Sakura to succeed her throne in the future, she must know Katsuyu and Shikkotsu woods. Tsunade was convinced and, although unwillingly, gave her permission.

Dressed in the attire of a warrior and saddled upon a horse, she waved goodbye to her mother and the kingdom. The horse kicked the ground and started running at full speed, and Sakura wondered why she hadn’t thought of exploring outside the high walls of the palace before. She had always thought Konoha was a paradise, but as she crossed mile after mile, she realised the world outside Konoha was much more chaotic and beautiful.

Sometimes they slowed down, and the horses lazily strolled while she and Kakashi chatted. Kakashi would tell her about the magical slug Katsuyu and how she would be going to live in the wilderness. She also learned a little more about the man she was going to meet.

He is the embodiment of stillness and energy both, she had remembered Kakashi saying. His face carried a calm and stoic expression while inside he was chaotic and frightful. He remained still and unmoving when he reflected on his purpose, and yet he moved with a lightning speed when he executed his actions.

His stillness and energy both intrigued Sakura more. She had never felt so lively before, and as she reached closer to Shikkotsu forest, she couldn’t wait more to taste how it felt — how freedom looked like.

Almost a year passed, and Sakura had accepted Shikkotsu woods as her new home. Her silky hair grew longer and unruly, and she tied it up in a messy knot. The dresses she had brought with herself were old and torn, and she learned how to sew them. She spent hours after hours collecting food and grew more petite. What didn’t change was her radiant beauty and the mesmerizing smile that never left her lips.

She remembered her mother’s command clearly:

Learn healing magic from Katsuyu. When you become The Queen, it will benefit the people of the Kingdom.

Sakura never strayed from her routine with Katsuyu, gaining knowledge about the secrets of magical power that the slug possessed.

After that, she spent most of her time sitting on the wooden branches of a tree, looking towards the entrance of the forest. Sometimes she swung her legs in impatience, sometimes disappointment took over, and sometimes she mulled over her decision to leave the kingdom. She had waited for almost two years now and sadness took over her face when she realised the day wasn’t far when her mother would send an army to escort her back.

Although a goddess who could do wonders waited for a man and her destiny.

When Kakashi had informed him that a certain intruder had invaded Shikkostu woods, Sasuke had scoffed when he found a frail lady roaming through the forest.

“What possible harm could she cause?” he’d said.

Kakashi chuckled under his breath.

Unless cold-blooded God knew, she had the capability to destroy his ultimate defense of indifference.

Sasuke became curious and went to Shikkotsu forest to know what a princess was doing there. When he arrived, he found no trace of her and thought she had left. He was about to leave, when he heard a rustling sound behind him. He turned, sighing that the intruder hadn’t left. Before he could say anything, the same fragile lady had already released an arrow from the bow.

He hadn’t expected much, but even less had he expected to meet her in the middle of Shikkotsu forest with blood dripping out from his chest where her arrow had pierced him. A pair of perplexed green eyes pierced his onyx while he struggled to stand straight but failed and stumbled to the ground.

Sakura didn’t realise she had shot the man she had been waiting for instead of some intruder until she took a minute to tally the features that Kakashi had supplied her with. Chiseled jawline, one visible onyx eye and another hidden under his raven locks, a face that was sharp as blade, and an expression hard as rock. The visible anger in his eye and the scowl that marred his face was undeniably attractive.

Sakura rushed towards him, bracing him in her arms. She could feel his ragged breathing tickling on her shoulders as he mumbled, “Sakura?”

Her eyes widened, but before she could brace herself for the next blow, she spoke out, “I’ve been waiting for you, Sasuke.”

She was bewildered, and he was unconscious. She stayed still, contemplating the situation. They were meeting for the first time. They’d never known each other, and they didn't know each other’s name, yet how smoothly their names rolled out of each other tongues.

When Sasuke gained consciousness, he saw a mop of messy pink hair. Although he felt his blood boiling because never in his whole life had he been knocked unconscious, but the presence of the woman whose back he could see pacified him. He didn’t know how, but it did. His throat was dry and his lips felt chapped, and he coughed, notifying his intruder that he was awake.

Sakura turned towards her intruder, getting off from her place where she was crushing and mixing some herbs with a mortar and pestle. She offered him water and apologised for earlier. Sasuke’s sour expression told her that her apology wasn’t accepted. She sighed, berating herself for the mistake. She had shot the man she had been waiting for.

How was she supposed to fix this?

Her fingers trembled as she layered herbs on his wound. She could feel his heart beating, and it felt oddly familiar — like she was well versed with the rhythm.

“How do you know my name?” She broke the silence.

Sasuke gave her a confused look, and then it dawned upon him that he had never met her before. He was speechless, somewhat unable to explain and somewhat lost in her eyes. What was happening to him? Whenever he looked into those deep green abysses, he felt he was losing, and for the first time ever, it felt good.

One day while Sakura was nursing him, she shared with him the prophecy she’d been told, ignoring his gruff and uninterested look. Sasuke walked away from her, stating he had been alone since birth and intended to be that way. He tried to sneak out, but Sakura demanded that he should stay until he was healed. He didn’t want to comply because he never had to anyone, but somehow the concern in her face made him. It felt good — someone worried for him — someone taking care of him.

He later regretted his decision when Sakura became too comfortable with him.

He was on his side trying to get some sleep when Sakura asked him out of nowhere, “What does freedom feel like?”

He glared at her, irritated she had interrupted his sweet sleep.

Next when she was coaxing him to eat something, and Sasuke sat there looking outside at the falling rain without responding to her tantrums, Sakura huffed in anger, “Why don’t you at least talk?”

He couldn’t explain what he had felt when he saw her sleeping face under the moonlight. It felt like anesthesia — lulling his senses — sending him to a deeper state of peacefulness. All the years of fighting, slaying and punishing wrong-doers started to feel futile. He snuck out of the forest that night because he knew he would be destroyed if he stayed with her any longer.

Prophecy was working in the background, and something unexpected happened. He found himself again at Shikkotsu forest with, finding way back to Sakura.

“Welcome back.”

When he found Sakura smiling back at him — smiling for him — he felt he had made the right decision to return

He was fishing for lunch while Sakura sat beside him, gazing at the floating clouds. She asked, breaking the silence, “Does freedom feel like this? Being you and doing all you want.”

He turned towards her, and noticed a wistful smile playing on her lips and offered, “I will show you, if you come with me.”

Every god and demigod was astonished. They have never seen Sasuke, the lone wanderer, indulging in life, bonds, or attachments. Kakashi sipped wine while watching Sasuke fall passionately in love.

The news spread like fire, and it didn’t take much time to reach Tsunade’s ears. She was infuriated and commanded her army to drag Sakura back. Before Sakura could explain the unexplainable bond that had developed between them, Tsunade lashed out at her. She criticized both Sakura’s decision and the man who she had given her heart. Sakura was put under watch, locked up in a room as punishment for her actions.

Perhaps punishing her for the fate that she carried from the day when she was born.

The decision was hers — to be caged and become The Queen or to flee and embrace freedom.

She chose the latter. Chose the path that the prophecy had led her to. Chose the stranger who had tugged the strings of her heart.

In the darkness of night as the horse galloped, Sakura looked back for the last time, and the kingdom disappeared on the horizon with a new life waiting for her.

She had everything, yet she had felt empty. When she abandoned everything, she felt complete.

When Sakura stepped into their new abode, she found piles of snow and chilly winds blowing around. She had spent part of her life under warm sunshine and the royal ceiling. For a princess, it was difficult to adjust, but alongside all adversities, there was unadulterated love — love that had lifted the weight of expectations of royal duties from her shoulders. She felt like home, the feeling Konoha couldn’t give her.

Now she spent her days carelessly. Some days she would rest her head on his shoulder and look at the horizon as far as her eyes would allow. Some days they would travel, disguising themselves as commoners. And at those moments, she took liberty of her newfound freedom — forgetting she was a goddess — and mingled with people of unknown places.

And Sasuke let her be random and spontaneous — like him.

Perhaps this was the freedom she yearned for and had searched all over these years. Sasuke didn’t teach her how to live. Instead, his presence influenced her. She would sit silently and watch with awe when he stayed still and meditated or practiced with his sword.

The one who never knew the meaning of home had made a home at the top of The Three Wolves Mountain. Sasuke, who hadn’t known feelings, started feeling multitudes of emotions. Love and companionship were the words he had despised, but now he could understand why his counterpart, Naruto, bragged about them. Sakura made his existence meaningful, showing him beauty in the things he had often dismissed.

Her presence never became a chain for him, and she never overstepped her boundaries or meddled with Sasuke’s work. He still had a clear view of judgement, with a pinch of compassion that he had learned from her. He hadn’t shed his furious demeanor, but he reconsidered his motives before acting.

Sasuke as the world knew him had untamed passion, which led him to be extreme in behaviour. Sometimes he was an ascetic — abstaining from worldly pleasure. At others he was a hedonist — indulging every bit in marital bliss.

Living with Sakura brought him balance.

****

Part II

“Don’t you understand? You’re the future Queen. You can’t fall in love with someone who has nothing and is a lunatic murderer.”

Tsunade’s blood had been boiling with anger when she learned about the prophecy that had been crafted right under her nose. She had believed that her daughter was innocent, and it was just a filthy trick that Kakashi was playing on her until she had heard Sakura pleading.

“Please let me go.”

Honey-colored eyes filled with anger and hurt glanced towards Sakura.

Sakura spoke again, albeit afraid of Tsunade. After that, Tsunade didn't lock Sakura away. She wanted to test Sakura’s resolve — test her loyalty and love towards her and Konoha.

The next morning she was greeted with the news that the princess had eloped.

If she wanted to, she could have hunted her down, but Tsunade clearly remembered Sakura’s final words from their last conversation.

“I want to live with Sasuke… I don’t want to live here anymore.”

Although she allowed Sakura to become part of Sasuke’s life, she never accepted them, and she could never forget the sting of Sakura’s words. She hated Sasuke more for taking Sakura away from her.

After some years had passed, Tsunade decided to hold a festival in the honor of the good harvest that had sprouted from the Land of Fire. She invited every god and demigod, every lord across the nation, even the commoners and beggars. She wanted to share the happiness that she had lost after she had last seen her daughter. She couldn’t lie to herself that she still loved Sakura dearly, although she had disowned her from her heart and cared less about her whereabouts.

That’s the price Sakura would pay, she thought, because everyone was welcomed, except Sasuke and Sakura.

While Sakura and Sasuke were enjoying their routine of sitting together in silence, Sakura noticed a lot of traffic — the finest of chariots, all the lords, gods and goddesses going somewhere dressed immaculately.

Sasuke noticed she was distracted by the commotion. He knew exactly what was happening and where all of them were going, but he said nothing.

Sakura couldn’t hold back her curiosity and she asked, “What is this? Where is everyone going?”

“It doesn’t matter. We don’t need to go where they are going,” Sasuke replied, ignoring her.

Sakura knew the roads the others traveled led towards her old home. She became more restless, and she asked Sasuke again, “It seems like everyone is going to Konoha. Is something happening there?”

“Don’t bother yourself. We are fine here,” Sasuke replied curtly.

Seeing Sakura disappointed, he finally let out his biggest insecurity, “Are you unhappy here?”

“No, I’m happy here,” Sakura smiled, giving up on her curiosity.

The next day when she saw the same, she didn’t pester Sasuke again. Instead she stopped one of the chariots and asked them, “Where are you all going?”

They replied, “Don’t you know? There’s a big festival in Konoha, and your mother has invited all of us. Are you not coming?”

She felt totally lost when she came to know that she and her husband had not been invited. She felt disgraced and humiliated. She thought it wasn’t fair to her and Sasuke.

She was deeply bothered by this and decided, “I am going to my mother. Why did she do this?”

Sasuke said, “It doesn’t matter to me. Why are you getting worked up? We are fine here. Why should we go to the festival?”

Sakura was so insulted that she wasn’t invited that she didn’t want to listen to anything. Although she knew she had fled from the Kingdom without her mother's permission, she was sure Tsunade still loved her like she loved Tsunade.

She argued, “No, I have to go. There must be some kind of mistake. Maybe the invitation was lost. How can she not invite you and me? I am her daughter.”

Sasuke reasoned, “You left her for me. I don’t see anything unusual in not inviting you.”

Sakura stomped out of their abode infuriated, “My mother isn’t like that. I am sure she wouldn’t do this.”

Sasuke knew there was no point in arguing so he sent his most faithful snake Aoda as escort and pleaded with her not to provoke any incident.

When Sakura reached the huge gates of Konoha, she didn’t find any resistance, but the old familiar people were cold and inhospitable. She ordered Aoda to stay outside, and she walked towards the palace. She was trying to respond to the odd vibes that people were giving her by smiling at everyone while she made her way to her mother. The place and the people seemed to be changed, or was she changed? Perhaps Sasuke was right, but she was too stubborn to accept that. She ignored all the cold glares and mocking tones and went into the palace, still believing that there was some kind of a mistake.

“Mother,” Sakura greeted and bowed when she found Tsunade.

“Mother?” Tsunade spat back. Tsunade was furious. She never thought Sakura would have the audacity to show her face again and to call her mother.

“My daughter died the day when she turned her back on the Kingdom.”

Sakura was on the verge of crying out, because Tsunade made it clear that Sasuke’s words were the truth. She wanted to leave, but she didn’t. She wanted to know why Tsunade had always despised Sasuke. Why he himself, being a God, was not acknowledged by The Queen.

She asked Tsunade, holding back her tears, “How can you not invite Sasuke?”

Tsunade abused Sasuke in every possible way, and she added, “I will never have him step into my Kingdom.”

She could swallow her own pride and could take more insults, but she couldn’t stand more to her mother dishonoring Sasuke. Soon they were in the midst of a heated argument, and every passing moment made it clearer to Sakura that her mother was entirely incapable of appreciating the many excellent qualities that her husband possessed. She was consumed by rage against her mother and loathed her mentality.

The realization then came to her that this abuse was being heaped on Sasuke more only because he had wed her. She was the cause of dishonor to her husband. She was so crestfallen that her love had brought more hatred for Sasuke. Sasuke gave her love, yet she had brought him disgrace.

She was shaking with raw anger, tears welling out of her green eyes. She wanted others to acknowledge Sasuke like she did — pure and gentle behind his facade. She thought with her life she could show that to the world.

She didn’t want to be there, but neither did she want to go back to The Three Wolves Mountain. She walked towards the fire from where she was born. She didn’t want to live a life where her love bore hatred to Sasuke. Calling up a prayer, that in future birth, to be born in a house where Sasuke was respected, Sakura invoked divine powers and burned herself.

If she had to die and take birth again to restore his honor, she would die million times.

When Aoda came back and told him about what had happened in Konoha, Sasuke sat still for a certain period. He felt all the happiness, all the colors that Sakura brought with her fading — he felt his sanity leaving. How could he let Sakura go? How dare she do such a thing?

Sakura had given him love and a home — things that were unknown to him. How dare she leave for such an insignificant reason? She was his pride and honor, and he didn’t need any appreciation from others. How could she have misunderstood that? He didn’t need the pride which took her away from him. Thus he shed his sanity that was straining him to wreak havoc — he became fire. For the first time, he became disillusioned and decided to take revenge on the innocents.

Burning with incomparable rage, he used the mighty powers of his eyes and burned the whole kingdom using Amaterasu. They had provoked her to burn herself, hence he watched everyone and everything that had snatched his wife from him burn.

When the flames inside him and of Amaterasu had subsided, he realised how ungodly he had acted. He let his emotions rule over his actions, but hadn’t he given in to his emotions since he had met Sakura? Maybe he had always despised emotions, because he was afraid he would get drowned in them and could never manage to reach the shore again.

His work was to destroy the elements that couldn't be fixed. He was broken and his emotions were far from repairable. After the throes of romance, death and grief, he decided to destroy the emotions that had been born in him because of Sakura.

He had loved Sakura more than any and would never love after her.

He had allowed himself the luxury once and when it was over, he came out of it and went into an indifferent state again. He went into meditation for many years, deeply upset over the death of his wife, ignoring all his duties.

****

Every destruction acted as a progenitor. Within the barren and burned hectares of the Land of Fire, a small village was born after many years. The village was always covered in spring blossoms, and the people were merry, carefree, and had a profound belief in Gods and their power. They revered Sasuke most, considering him the progenitor of beginning that had given a chance to sow over barren land and produce bountifully. They were hard workers, but humble enough to believe in the grace of Gods.

Sasuke, unaware of the fact, still meditated, grieving for his wife. Still unaware that his beloved had already taken birth again...

Sakura was reborn as a human — the daughter of Kizashi, the leader of Haruno tribe and his wife, Mebuki. This time, Sakura, as she had wished, was born to a family where Sasuke was worshiped ardently.

Sakura, unaware of her past, the prophecy, and the tragedy grew into a beautiful woman. Many lords asked her for marriage, but she always denied them. She always had an innate feeling that someone already had taken her heart, but she didn’t know who.

When Kakashi came to know that the goddess had lost the memories of her previous birth, he appeared in front of her parents. Regretting the path he had taken last time, he confronted her parents about her previous birth, the prophecy, and the fate that linked Sasuke and their daughter.

Kizashi and Mebuki were overwhelmed with joy after knowing this. However, Sakura was skeptical about it and questioned Kakashi.

“Go to Shikkotsu Forest. The answers to all your questions lie there,” Kakashi advised.

Sakura, with her parents’ permission, went to Shikkotsu forest, and as she spent days under the canopy where she had found her freedom once, she learned from Katsuyu to whom her heart belonged.

The moment when she remembered all about her past, she grew restless. At once she left for The Three Wolves Mountain — Sasuke’s home — their home. When she reached there, she found Sasuke lost in meditation.

Years passed, but she waited for Sasuke to open his eyes and to look at her and realize that she was there — as promised.

But Sasuke was deeply lost.

Although a human this time, Sakura was still stubborn.

She sat there in spite of the bitter chilly winds that rattled her bones. She didn’t move an inch to gather food even though her stomach hurt from hunger. She didn’t blink her eyes in spite of how much they threatened to close because of exhaustion.

Perhaps love was invincible — the strongest force that again moved the coldest heart.

Sasuke opened his eyes after many uncountable years. Something that he couldn’t pinpoint had stirred him out of his deep state. He rose in fury. How could anyone dare do that? Wasn’t tricking him once enough?

He swore he would see the death of the person who had disturbed him. He walked outside to see a lady whose head and shoulders were covered with snow, shivering.

His brows knitted in irritation because no one had stepped in The Three Wolves Mountain except Sakura.

The lady straightened herself, feeling his presence. Sasuke wasn’t ready to listen to any of her justifications.

Because no had stepped in their abode except Sakura, and no one would.

****

Although he was elated to see her again, what Sakura has done was unforgivable. Sasuke was bewildered. All these years of abandoning his emotions fell away when he felt a surge of love and hatred, fear and longing, hurt and comfort coursed through him.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to live with regrets and guilt earlier,” Sakura confessed to him, filling up the details of the past.

He realised the diamond mark on her forehead was gone. She was still beautiful and the smile he had longed to see was still graceful. Undoubtedly, she was Sakura, his wife. She was no longer a goddess though. She had sacrificed her divine powers for him.

He was scared to lose her again. He didn’t want to believe in the prophecy that had once taken Sakura away from her, but he listened peacefully to everything.

“This time will be different. Trust me, I'm not leaving you anywhere,” Sakura smiled, and assured Sasuke.

Who was Sasuke to defy her plea? Their love was weaved in the form of prophecy which defied cycles of lifes and deaths. No matter how far they go, they are bound to be together at the end.

[sacklerscumrag]

Part III of III: Stay With Me Series

Clyde Logan X Female Reader

Summary: A Halloween party at Duck Tape and meeting Clyde’s family? This was going to be one hell of a night.

Warnings: fluff, smut, PIV sex, vaginal fingering, oral sex

Word Count: 2.2K

Part I Part II ao3

      Halloween was tomorrow and Boone County certainly seemed to look the part. The streets were decorated with dense foliage in stunning colors of crimson red and burnt orange with pumpkins on every corner. Your mind was still buzzing with memories from your date with Clyde the other night when all of a sudden, your phone buzzed, snapping you out of it. It was him.

     “Hey Clyde” your stomach jumped when you answered the phone.

     “Hey Darlin, how’s yer day goin?” the sounds of glasses being set down could be heard on the other side of the phone.

     “Not so bad, bookstores been busy with Halloween being so close”

     “That’s actually what I was callin bout. Wanna come to a Halloween party were throwin here at the bar tomorrow? We do it every year, it’s a lotta fun and everybody gets real dressed up n all” you could hear him clear his throat, it warmed your heart knowing he still got himself worked up over you.

     “That sounds fun, what time?”

     “Well I gotta be there earlier to set up n all that but ya can come around 10 if ya want. Is that alright?”

     “Of course, I’ll see you tomorrow then” you smirked while fiddling with the pages in your book.

     “See ya tomorrow beautiful” you hung up the phone when it hit you. You had less than one day to put together a costume. Shit.

                                Clydes POV

     Clyde let out a deep breath as he hung up the phone and continued drying empty whiskey glasses. No matter how many times he spoke to you, it never failed to make him nervous. He continued wiping down the bar, losing himself in his thoughts about you. He was sure you had the most beautiful smile he had ever seen and the way you crinkled your nose when you laughed just a little too hard, well that just about made him melt on the spot. And you smelled so good, god how did you smell so fucking delicious all the time, that was beyond him. His thoughts lingered before memories of the other night flooded his mind. The way it felt to have your body enveloped in his, the warmth of your skin under his palm, having you squirm in his lap while making those beautiful sounds was enough to make him cum in his pants.

     Clyde could feel himself getting hard in his jeans, quickly reaching down to adjust himself, thinking to himself dammit Clyde ya gotta get yer head on straight before Earl comes back in here n sees you. Quickly he grabbed a crate of decorations and headed to the entrance, a smile playing on his face at the thought of seeing you again tomorrow. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

                                    Readers POV

     Scrambling around your house, you finally figured out your costume for tonight. Putting together a red halter top, red shorts, some fishnet stockings, your favorite heel ankle boots along with some horns for your Devil costume. You grabbed your phone, laid out your outfit on your bed, and snapped a picture to send to Clyde.

Decided on a Devil for tomorrow night, too much?

Yer gonna be wearin that tomorrow? Jesus Darlin, ya tryin to give me a heart attack

Just wanted to make sure you liked it, but I guess I got my answer haha

Can’t wait to see it on ya. I’m gonna have to try to keep ma hands to myself, won’t make any promises though ;)

I hope you don’t :) see you tomorrow, goodnight Clyde

Goodnight beautiful ------------------------------------------------------------

     It seemed like everyone in Boone County was at Duck Tape tonight. As you walked into the bar, your eyes immediately found Clyde’s. He ducked under the side of the bar and walked over to you, cupping your face with both hands and bringing you into a searing kiss. He tasted like bourbon and burnt bacon, your favorite. “Hey baby, you look amazin” he said as he kept his forehead pressed against yours, your noses brushing against each other. You wrapped your arms around his neck and looked up at him.

“Hey, handsome”

          Clyde quickly released you as he saw more patrons making their way inside. He kissed your forehead before stepping away and into the bar. You sat on one end, watching as he moved so flawlessly along the bar, making everyone’s drink, greeting all the regulars, never missing a beat.

          “Well well well ya must be Clyde’s new little lady” startling you, a man sat down next to you.

          “Now Jimmy don’t go scarin the poor girl. Hi sweetie, I’m Mellie, Clyde’s sister and this here’s my idiot brother Jimmy” she reached out her hand to shake yours. Clyde being as busy as he was made his way to your corner of the bar.

          “There he is the man of the hour. When were ya gonna introduce us to yer new girl here?” Jimmy gestured to you with his beer bottle, teasing Clyde. You looked over at Clyde who was giving Jimmy a death stare if there ever was one. Placing your hand over his, you brought his attention back to you.

          “Can I get a drink baby?” you said trying to diffuse the situation. Clyde let out a breath, smiled, and nodded before walking over to where the bottles were sitting to make you your drink. You could hear Mellie and Jimmy giggling behind you, it was going to be a long night.

------------------------------------------------------------

          You spent hours sitting with Mellie and Jimmy, laughing at all of their nonsense, hearing stories about Clyde when they were younger, the Logan siblings making you feel right at home. After all those stories and one too many beers, they decided to call it a night and head out. Even the regulars started to make their way home as the night dwindled. You and Clyde had been making eyes at each other all night, spacing out while Mellie told you her wild stories to look at Clyde. Watching him bartend was getting you more worked up than you cared to admit. Having to adjust yourself in your seat every so often, you could feel your arousal forming. Clyde thanked Earl for the help, and he waved to you as he left. Clyde put the last of the glasses away in the storage closet and made his way back out to you. You were standing facing the bar when you felt Clyde’s hands wrap around your waist.

          “Hey Darlin, you ready to head out?” he whispered in your ear as you turned in his arms and placed your hands on his chest. He looked down at you, eyes scanning your face with a smile.      “Not quite” you said as you cupped his face in your hands and brought your lips to his.

          “Darlin, are ya sure? Now?” you nodded, biting your lower lip, tiptoeing to bring your face closer to his.

          “I want you, Clyde Logan. Right here. Right now.” You whispered to him. That was all the encouragement he needed before his lips were on yours again. His hands moved to your waist, pulling you closer to him and you could already feel his erection pressing up against your thigh. He moved to take off your tank top disposing of it on the floor. The kiss grew hungrier as he walked you back towards the bar. Clyde cupped your ass, moving his hands under your thighs to hoist you up onto the bar top.

          Wrapping your legs around his waist, you moved to undo the buttons on his shirt, tearing it open, wanting to feel as much of him as possible. You were glad he decided not to wear an undershirt tonight as you ran your hands all over his sculpted chest down to the waistband of his jeans, working to undo his belt. Clyde placed hot, wet kisses on your neck, working his way to your shoulder. He hooked his thumbs on your shorts, sliding them down along with your fishnets. Reaching your hand around, you unclasped your bra, throwing it to the side while he continued his kisses.

          “Ya looked so fuckin hot tonight. I had to stop looking at ya to stop ma self from getting hard at the bar. Fuck you’re so beautiful” he said in between placing kisses on each breast, pinching one nipple between his fingers while taking his time nipping and biting the other one. His hand made its way down ghosting over your panties, feeling the wet spot that had already formed.

  “Mmm you’re dripping all over my bar baby” you moaned as he removed your underwear. Clyde swiped two fingers along your folds, collecting your slick, teasing you. The sensation making you shiver, your aching clit begging for attention.

     “Ya like that don’t you Darlin? Had ya cumin all over em the other night” you nod, trying your best to hold back your moans.

          “Please Clyde”

          “Tell me what ya need baby girl, ya gotta use yer words” continuing to run his fingers along your cunt, not quite touching where you needed it most.

     “Please Clyde I-I need you” you whimpered as he pushed two thick fingers inside, before pulling them back out.

“Gotta taste ya first baby” he motioned you to lay back, keeping one hand flat on your stomach and throwing your legs over his shoulder before burying his face in between your thighs.

You ran your hands through his hair, guiding him further into your core until you felt his nose press deliciously on your clit. The pressure making you buck your hips towards him. Clyde’s movements started to speed up as he focused on that sensitive bundle of nerves. His tongue working, teasing you while keeping his steady rhythm. Making you moan louder than you have before.

“Ya taste so good. So fuckin good baby girl”

          Your grip on his hair tightened when your orgasm crashed over you. Clyde lapped up all of your juices, taking his time until you came down from your high. You felt him pull away and step back to slide his jeans and briefs off in one move. His lips and beard glistening with your slick.

     “I have a condom in ma pocket”

     “Don’t bother. I’m on the pill” he smiled, kicking his pants and briefs to the side.

          His throbbing cock sprang free from the confines of his briefs, the tip slick with pre-cum. The size alone had you drooling at the sight. You immediately felt your cunt clench on nothing from just looking at him as Clyde made his way back to you. Placing your hand on his chest, you stopped him.

          “Lay down on the bar” you whispered in his ear, sending a shiver down Clyde’s spine, all the way to his cock. He looked at you, before climbing on the bar and laying down. You followed and straddled Clyde, your heated cunt grazing over his cock making it twitch. His eyes darkened, full of lust as he watched you coat him in your wetness before sinking on him slowly.

          Clyde’s mechanical hand rested on one of your thighs while his other hand cupped your ass as he watched you take all of him. The feeling of him filling you up, stretching you like never before almost being enough to bring you to your second orgasm of the night. You started to gyrate your hips, finding your rhythm, his cock hitting all sorts of new angles making you both cry out. His hands held on tight to your hips, guiding you as you rode him on the bar.

     “Clyde I’m so close. Fuck, you feel so good” you moaned when you felt him slide his thumb between both of your bodies to rub your throbbing clit.

          “C’mon baby. Gotta cum one more time fer me” he applied more pressure as you picked your pace. Both sensations sending you over the edge as you came hard on Clyde’s cock. Your cunt fluttering and pulsating squeezing him around him, squeezing him so tight. Panting your body fell flush on Clyde’s chest. He placed his hands under your thighs, pushing you slightly forward just enough for him to plant his feet on the bar top before he started pounding into you. The sounds of skin slapping filling the bar as he mercilessly fucked you at an agonizing pace. Clyde couldn’t take his eyes off of you, the way you were writhing in pleasure as your breasts bouncing with every thrust. He plunged into you one last time as far as he could go before reaching his own orgasm and filling you to the brim with his cum. He held you close, panting until he came down from his orgasm.

     Clyde caressed your hair, his chest rising and falling, covered in sweat while you both laid there, bodies satisfied and spent. You put your chin on Clyde’s chest looking up at him, his eyes dazed with pleasure and a goofy grin across his face as he looked back at you.

     “I love you Clyde, and I know it may be too early for that and now might not be the best time. And it’s okay if you don’t feel it too, I just had to say it before it drove me crazy”

     “I love you too Darlin. Have fer a while now, just didn’t want to scare ya off and say it too soon. But I do, I love you” you didn’t think twice before pushing yourself up to kiss him. Leaning your elbows on either side of his head, letting your fingers run through his hair as you kissed him deeply. You wanted to stay in this moment forever.

[monstersdownthepath]

A Collection of Daemon Harbingers

Made a handful of them since there’s a lot of yet-explored design space for “embodiments of unfair death.” Some already-existing Harbingers are unusually specific, so I don’t feel bad about making my own deities of extremely specific calamities!

This article has been in the works for some time (apparently since early 2020, if the articles surrounding it in my drafts are any indication), but it wasn’t until someone directed me to Petty Gods: Revised and Expanded Edition that I got the steam and inspiration to actually complete this, since my own original four didn’t really feel like enough to justify posting it. There was a lot of material in there to work with, some of which I’ve taken inspiration from to shape into Daemon Harbingers. I took steps to avoid making direct copies or ports, but if you read Petty Gods and then immediately read this article, it’ll be very easy to point out the connections and inspirations.

Reminder that each Daemon Harbinger Boon grants a spell-like ability usable twice per day!

TW for the following: Living burial, drowning, parasites, unsanitary themes, and themes of self-harm.

Fortunato, the Buried Vintner

Neutral Evil Daemon Harbinger of Entombment, Isolation, and Wine A man once whimsical, betrayed by another he considered to be his friend and left to wither behind a stone wall until he could no longer draw a single breath. His once fanciful clothing is stained with dirt and blood, his every movement accompanied by the sound of dragging chains and bones straining to the point of snapping. He never speaks, for any time he tries he simply gasps for breath. His mind is so far gone that he does not realize that he’s already gotten his revenge, the man who took his life already sealed within one of the many tomb-towns Fortunato has erected in his wake. 

He serves both Charon and Trelmarixian, but bows to no one else and allies with no other Harbingers, seeing himself as above them through some remnant of his past life as a noble. He prefers to work alone, and he has a penchant for sealing living victims within vast magical constructions so that their souls become trapped within, aging like a fine wine he deeply savors. He has shared this soul wine with an exclusive list of less than six other creatures (two of which are the Horsemen he serves), and many other Harbingers would do quite literally anything for a taste, but thus far attempts to raid the Buried Vintner’s cellars have almost always ended with the thief-to-be entombed.

Domains: Death, Earth, Evil, Nobility Subdomains: Murder, Daemon, Aristocracy, Hubris Favored Weapons: Spiked chain Symbol: A stack of bricks with a single one in the center missing, through which fearful eyes peer. Sacred Animals: Grave worms. Sacred Colors: Red, white

Obedience: Dig a hole in the soil, at least deep enough for you to fit a finger inside, and fill it to the edge with wine. Hold your breath as long as possible as it drains away. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus to Escape Artist and Sense Motive checks.

Boon 1: Tears to Wine Boon 2: Acid Pit Boon 3: Enlarged Wall of Stone

-----

Giselei, the Broken Stride

Neutral Evil Daemon Harbinger of Drowning, Loneliness, and Tragic Slips This sagging, corpselike creature sodden with ice cold water was once a simple courier, but a single terrifying accident changed her forever. She was in the middle of a delivery when a meager sprinkling of rain turned into a torrential downpour she could barely see through, and didn’t notice a loose cobblestone beneath her feet until it shot out from under her. Striking her spine on further sharpened stones that had been loosed by the rain, Giselei couldn’t call for help, and could barely move as the water became higher and higher around her, a process that took many painful, fearful hours. Twisted in death by the rage at her helplessness and how such an inconsequential fall could end her, she rejected the judgement of the Boneyard and now longs to inflict the same helpless horror on as many innocents as she can.

She primarily serves Charon in his Drowning Court, but her work ethic for the Horseman of Death pales in comparison to the plans she concocts in the lair of Zyphus. The words of the Grim Harvestman about the unfairness of the world and how little the gods must care for their flocks rang true in the ears of the drowned maiden, fueling her growing hatred for all that is fair and good in the world and until it burned away the innocent woman she used to be. 

Domains: Evil, Travel, Water, Weather Subdomains: Isolation*, Daemon, Flowing, Monsoon Favored Weapons: Light Hammer Symbol: A rain-slicked, shattered cobblestone. Sacred Animals: None Sacred Colors: Black, blue *Followers of Giselei can use the Isolation Subdomain to alter the Evil and Water Domains.

Obedience: Drown a living creature after crippling one or more of its limbs. Once it is dead, spend the remainder of the hour mocking the corpse, explaining what it could have done to avert this fate. Benefit: Gain a +4 bonus on saving throws against drowning or asphyxiation, and to saves against spells with the Cold descriptor.

Boon 1: Ice Slick Boon 2: Crushing Despair Boon 3: Extended Suffocation

-----

Maiakaarn, the Shattered Sadist

Neutral Evil Daemon Harbinger of Petrification, Agony, and Polymorphing Crumbling, cracking, and bleeding, this agonized figure was an adventurer slain by a powerful curse that turned her to stone. Slowly. From the inside. The agony of her death and the terrible circumstances around it transformed her into a patron of death by petrification, polymorphing, or otherwise dying in a form besides your own, a fate she inflicts gleefully upon victims captured from other planes. Not content with decorating her lair with simple statues of her former victims, Maiakaarn inflicts numerous torments upon them: some, she allows to retain their minds even in their new state, so that time’s passage becomes its own torture. Some she breaks to pieces, assembling them into ghoulish amalgams that she animates for her amusement. Some, she magically reshapes before restoring them to flesh for a brief and horrifying time, often just long enough for them to beg to be returned to stone. Often, she combines these torments.

Maiakaarn serves Charon and Zyphus, though only really on paper. In practice, she doesn’t directly serve any of the Horsemen; it is only Charon and, on occasion, Szuriel who come to her to consult her and her collection of petrified casters. Maiakaarn collects mages who specialize in Transmutation and Necromancy magic to learn ever more depraved ways to twist and warp her enemies, and in exchange for their “services” she grants them control over their own stone bodies as a form of immortality she can rescind with a thought. Ironically, Maiakaarn despises the Medusa and their ilk, for a sadistic member of their species was responsible for her death in the first place, and she inflicts an especially ghoulish fate on ones she manages to capture: Trapping them as statues aware of their status as they’re slowly lowered into the River Styx and painfully eroded away body, mind, and soul.

Domains: Destruction, Evil, Earth, Magic Subdomains: Torture, Daemon, Petrification, Arcane Favored Weapons: Warhammer Symbol: A stony, cracked hand clenched into a tight fist. Blood leaks from the cracks. Sacred Animals: Basilisks Sacred Colors: Gray, red

Obedience: Over the course of an hour, carve into a stone the names of all you’d love to watch suffer. At the end of the hour, smash this stone to pieces with a warhammer. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus to saves against Transmutation and Necromancy spells and effects.

Boon 1: Soften Earth and Stone Boon 2: Calcific Touch Boon 3: Flesh to Stone

-----

Voda, the Unseen Bite

Neutral Evil Daemon Harbinger of Parasites, Infectious Vectors, and Contamination In life, Voda was a powerful Hound Archon Inquisitor, proud and loyal to Heaven and its forces. However, the bite of a single flea changed that forever, an infection filling his body with a leprous and vile disease that resisted all forms of treatment and saw him exiled from Heaven to keep it from spreading through the ranks of the angels. His quest to cure it drove him to madness as his body broke to pieces and, feeling as though he were abandoned by the Gods, his final act was to spite every one of them before swearing fealty to Zyphus, whose hatred of the world’s unfairness matched his own, and to the Horseman of Plague, the only creature to ever bring him relief.

... But in truth, agents of Apollyon slew, misdirected, or otherwise thwarted all attempts from outside parties to cure Voda’s infection and, on the rare occasions some relief managed to sneak through, another subtle bite from a fluttering insect reintroduced the custom-tailored infection. These facts are hidden from Voda, who still believes that it was a single bite which sealed his fate and nothing could alleviate it, and now seeks to inflict the same terrible end on other innocents. Appearing as a monstrously large and diseased dog, stomach bloated with swarming parasites, Voda prides himself on inflicting others with their diseases as subtly as possible; the painless bite of an insect, the prick of a needle, or a single drop of infected blood across a meal, and stealthily works to make every death as maddeningly unfair and damning as his own.

Domains: Animal, Death, Evil, Trickery Subdomains: Fur, Insect, Plague, Daemon Favored Weapons: Blowgun Symbol: A dog’s skull covered in maggots or worms Sacred Animals: Dogs Sacred Colors: Green

Obedience: Take steps to cause sickness in at least one creature in as subtle a way as you can manage, such as pricking them with a filth-slicked needle, mixing contamination into their food, or releasing infected parasites near them. Benefit: Once within the next 24 hours, you may touch another creature and immediately expose them to Filth Fever (Fortitude DC 12 negates, as the normal disease). This infection is subtle; no form of detection senses this ability nor the disease itself until its onset period passes and symptoms manifest. This is a disease effect. Using this ability does not count towards fulfilling your Obedience.

Boon 1: Virulent Miasma Boon 2: Plague Carrier Boon 3: Greater Contagion

----- 

Oulmulthil, the Worm of Sieges

Neutral Evil Daemon Harbinger of Corner-Cutting, Shoddy Construction, and Collapse Often appearing as the dwarven foreman it was in life, the true body of Oulmulthil is a gargantuan maggot who at first appears to be covered in long, slimy hair. However, this ‘hair’ is made up of thousands upon thousands of worms that creep out from its flesh and burrow into the surrounding area, rapidly spreading and multiplying like a hideous fungus to weaken the world around it before dissolving and leaving no trace of their presence but the destruction they’ve caused. Oulmulthil embodies death through the collapse of bridges, sudden cave-ins in buildings and mines, and even one’s own home falling in on them. It is primarily served by engineers and construction workers who use unfit materials and ignore safe practices for the sake of speed or greed, and its will manifests via the sudden appearance of worms, termites, and mold settling into a building’s walls. From a simple wooden house to an entire kingdom, Oulmulthil can cause anything to fall in time.

The Worm of Sieges serves Charon, Szuriel, and Zyphus in various campaigns, but rarely directly. Instead, the great beast often simply plants its bulk in some advantageous, difficult-to-reach position as its minions and thralls--creatures infested by its worms--spread corruption outwards from the ‘nest.’ When not on such missions, Oulmulthil is content to coil within the throne room of Zyphus like a loyal pet, though many (including perhaps Zyphus himself) believe it to be waiting for a weakness in the Grim Harvestman’s defenses to exploit and claim the god’s power for itself.

Domains: Artifice, Destruction, Earth, Evil Subdomains: Catastrophe, Caves, Corruption, Daemon Favored Weapons: Heavy pick Symbol: A cluster of worms emerging from a wooden object. Sacred Animals: Worms, termites Sacred Colors: White, gold

Obedience: Spend one hour slightly weakening structures other people frequent, such as by prying out nails, sawing at pillars, releasing termites, or exposing metal to oxidizing agents. If a structure you have sabotaged collapses within 7 days of your last Obedience, you count as having performed your Obedience for the next 1d4 weeks. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus to Disable Device and Knowledge (Engineering) checks.

Boon 1: Warp Wood Boon 2: Rusting Grasp Boon 3: Delayed Transmute Rock to Mud

-----

Viqmarque, the Frayed Knot

Neutral Evil Daemon Harbinger of Sabotage, Cut Ropes, and Damaged Gear So thin that one could reasonably mistake him for a coiled rope himself when at rest, Viqmarque was once an industrial saboteur, sneaking into workrooms and factories and rigging their equipment and products to break down at the worst of times. He gained a special, unhealthy form of joy from any act of sabotage that involved the weakening or severing of ropes, loving little more than the SNAP of them breaking beneath a weight they should have bore, to say nothing of the chaos following the collapse. Fittingly enough, he met his end in the gallows when he was finally caught red-handed, his soul so twisted and stained that he proudly confessed... and even offered to weave the noose himself, an act that almost immediately catapulted him into the ranks of the Harbingers.

The Frayed Knot serves in Szuriel’s campaigns not as a warrior, but as an infiltrator. While ropes are his specialty, his touch rots cloth, leather, and fibers of all sorts easily, his sabotage all but impossible to spot until it’s too late and things rapidly start to break, misfire, or otherwise become useless. This isn’t even getting into the havoc he can wreak on ships, whose rigging he takes a special joy in tampering with, assuring countless innocent sailors suffer injury and death as hand- or footholds give way beneath them. In his spare time, he enjoys finding mountaineers or other climbers and severing their lifelines, basking in the sound of them falling screaming to their deaths.

Domains: Artifice, Evil, Luck, Trickery Subdomains: Trap, Daemon, Curse, Ambush Favored Weapons: Dagger Symbol: A rope being cut in half by a bladed instrument Sacred Animals: Rats and moths Sacred Colors: Brown, black

Obedience: Ritualistically coil at least 10ft of rope around your arm. Then, using a dagger, cut the rope away from your arm in such a way that the dagger cuts into your skin enough to draw blood in an act that deals 1d4 damage to you. Discard each piece of the bloodstained rope in a separate direction. Benefit: You gain a +2 profane bonus on damage rolls against objects and Constructs. 

Boon 1: Eroding Ray Boon 2: Rune of Ruin Boon 3: Artificer’s Curse

-----

Krake Skriff, the Scab-Picker

Neutral Evil Daemon Harbinger of Itching, Scars, and Infected Wounds Also known as Old Scratch, this itching fiend was once a mortal in service to Apollyon, breeding new strains of skin disease. He had invented dozens of new plagues to unleash upon hapless souls, from infections that caused eruptive blisters to form across their entire bodies, to parasites that caused wounds that never closed, to infections that caused one’s skin to peel off and animate as sickening, smothering sheets. He met his end at his own hand, unleashing a new infection with himself at its epicenter to spite a group of heroes that had come to stop him, taking them down with him as they all spiraled into madness via his newest magnum opus: a disease which caused an itch so maddening that even tearing clumps of themselves away with their own hands didn’t bring relief.

He serves Apollyon even now, but creates bioweapons for Szuriel’s crusades as well. Old Scratch is easy to see as a pathetic figure, meekly hunched over or even laying prone on the floor in his tattered clothing, whimpering as he ceaselessly rakes at his own bleeding wounds... but he is anything but pitiable, his pathetic persona an act. Touching even a single drop of his blood opens one to an endless variety of infections, and being struck by his filth-crusted talons is a death sentence for any creature vulnerable to disease.

Domains: Healing, Evil, Madness, Strength Subdomains: Medicine, Plague, Daemon, Insanity Favored Weapons: Spiked gauntlet Symbol: Five bloody parallel lines, representing five raking fingers.  Sacred Animals: Fleas, bedbugs, mosquitos Sacred Colors: Purple, green, red

Obedience: Ritualistically gouge yourself with your nails/claws and drag downwards, dealing 1 damage to yourself and leaving lengthy, bleeding scars along your chest, shoulder or shoulderblades, neck, or face. Then, spend the remainder of the hour scratching yourself along your body as you pray to Old Scratch. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus to Heal checks and to saving throws against disease. The scars caused by your Obedience may be used as an unholy symbol so long as they are prominently displayed.

Boon 1: Pox Pustules Boon 2: Touch of Slime Boon 3: Bouncing Slough

------

Molvulia, the Curdled Princess

Neutral Evil Daemon Harbinger of Pest Insects, Mold, and Food Poisoning Among the most loathsome of daemons to behold, Molvulia looks like an elegant princess from afar, but up close is revealed to be an amalgamation of rotting matter crawling with insects and cloaked in mold. The Curdled Princess was once a mortal adventurer who would sabotage the food of her peers and blame it on unseen enemies or foul luck, watching with glee as they all began to starve and turn on one another. Only when they were weak with hunger would she strike, ending them and making off with their collected loot, off to start the cycle anew with a new group lured in by her wealth and false tales. Her death via food poisoning is, perhaps, the greatest of all ironies, though now she has gone from a pest to a menace. Her daemonic influence is felt through mold on breads, beetles and flies upon cheeses, and unexpected moisture infiltrating preserves and meats, slowly starving adventurers and travelers relying on such preserved rations and driving them to extreme lengths to feed themselves.

Molvulia serves each of the Four Horsemen in equal measure, though she is far more enamored with the Lysogenic Prince and the domain of Famine. Whether she is truly smitten with him or merely covets his position among the Four is something only guessed at, but all who work with her hold her at arms length nonetheless, wary of betrayal. When not tasked with specific missions by her superiors, the Curdled Princess will hold disgusting “banquets” of spoiled food, forcing imprisoned souls to consume it lest they starve, and sometimes she will take human guise to seek out guilds in the Material Plane and indulge in old habits.

Domains: Death, Evil, Water, Trickery Subdomains: Corruption, Daemon, Decay*, Thievery Favored Weapons: Rapier Symbol: Mold overtaking a piece of bread, cheese, or cured meat. Sacred Animals: Weevils and rats Sacred Colors: Brown, black *Followers of Molvulia may use the Decay Subdomain to modify the Water or Death Domains.

Obedience: Work to contaminate and spoil food, such as by introducing vermin to a storeroom, leaking moisture into dried rations, or smearing food with poison or filth. Benefit: You may consume and draw sustenance from spoiled, rotted, or otherwise befouled food with no consequence. Once within the next 24 hours, you may cast Putrefy Food and Drink as a spell-like ability.

Boon 1: Feast of Ashes Boon 2: Blight Boon 3: Swarm Skin

[partytilfajr]

Salam sir, you are missed! Is it foolish of me to pray that I accomplish something huge in my life? I was raised to believe that praying for something like that is bad because "fame" corrupts the heart and a Muslim should never. But I can't see myself living a normal life. I want my life to have meaning and touch many lives (in a good way). I know something like that comes with the good as well as the bad, but I crave the excitement and stimulation that the out-of-the-ordinary-life presents. I'm afraid of praying for it because of what I was raised to believe. Am I making any sense?

Wa alykum as-salaam,

You are too kind, thank you.

Realize that you will be rewarded based on your intentions. If you are doing things so that people will praise you, so that you get a statute, so that people will put you in a history book, God will give you what you desire. If the reason you are being kind to someone is so they will speak well of you, to praise you, and to trust you, God will give you what you desire. So when people ask why did God not grant Heaven to those who do not believe in Him, even if they did good things, we should ask ourselves: why and for who did they do good?

No one says you need to do anything ordinary, or anything boring, but you must be aware of the challenges that you will face. If your parents are worried about you pursuing non-traditional routes in life, remember that they are parents who want you to be safe, and being a lawyer or something is safer than pursuing a career as a movie director, for example. So keep that in mind, they’re worried for you, that’s all.

But you have to remember that when you do things for people, people can be wrong. The people can believe horrible things. I believe in democracy and think that rule by consensus is a bedrock of our religion (see: Surah Al-Shura); however, sometimes the people can believe terrible things. Like in America, where most people supported segregation, that was rightly struck down.

So you shouldn’t guide yourself by what the people want, because that is corrupting, that is why fame is corrupting--you are beholden to people. They are the ones who determine whether you are popular or not, whether you have fame or not, and you will be beholden to them. If you were a famous musician, the quality of your work matters very little in comparison to its popularity, that is what will determine your fame. If you betray your principles for fame, this is where corruption emerges.

We must remember that God has Dominion over everything, and that this life is simply a test of what we will do with what God has given us. You are talented, masha Allah, now what will you use that talent for? To simply get rich, okay, Uthman ibn Affan was rich (and he gave his money all away), now what will you do with it? Will you heed The Qur’an which warns us:

"You are obsessed by greed for more and more until you go down to your graves. Nay, in time you will come to understand! ... and on that Day you will most surely be called to account for [what you did with] the boon of life! [102:1-3, 8]

The meaning of your life will be determined the most by those who are closest to you. You may get prayers from people who saw some facade of who you are, but they didn’t know the real you. So seek to do good, instead of simply to please people, because there are many people in history who were hated in their times, but turned to be great, and many who were loved in their times, but turned out to be terrible--seek to do the righteous thing, seek to follow God.

Why?

Because when you seek people’s approval, you will be enslaved to their whims. Not to what is best. We must strike a balance between respecting the consensus of people, while ensuring that if we are given a place of trust, of leadership, that we must do so in the best possible way, not simply the most pleasing way, otherwise that is not leadership, it is cowardice.

In the collection of Imam Muslim, The Prophet said:

“He who is asked to do something, is assisted in it; and he who asks for something becomes obsessed with it.”

So, I suggest that you put God as your center. Ask God for help in achieving your goals, ask for God to keep your heart on the straight path, and pray that God guides you to what is best for you. If you make a mistake, repent, and reset. If you make another, repent again. Never give up. If you want to do something, do it, but remember that you and I will face God for what we have done, and those actions will be determined by our intentions, not by what people think of us.

(Just remember me when you hit it big, insha Allah)

[dailyadventureprompts]

Dungeon: The Old God’s Cauldron. 

Adventure Hooks: 

The Party hears of an old pothole-cave deep in the hinterlands, once used for pagan rite. Rumors about such ruins collect as they gather dust

The icon of an old, primordial god stands watch over the site, glouring and stern in its gaze even centuries after its name has been forgotten. In some stories, the icon is said to speak, perhaps even come to life, though these stories are often in conflict as to whether it dispenses helpful riddles or devours would be intruders alive. 

There’s said to be a doorway under the statue’s feet. Conflicting reports say it may lead to the burial chamber of some forgotten thane, a temple vault full of treasure, or perhaps the underworld itself. 

Even if the door does not prove fruitful ( for many over the ages have tried to enter and the few that claimed to succeed could hardly be believed), there is still a sprawling cave system connected to the pothole, the lair of some rare and exotic species of monster. A site surely of interest to a party looking for rare components, and possessing some sturdy sets of boots. 

Backgorund

If the party does their research, they’ll find that the pothole is infact a holy site dedicated to the ancient deity Orcus (Yes I know there’s a demonlord by that name, but the mythological/my version is cooler), a cthonic god of primal strength in who’s name the ancients made their oaths. knowing that Orcus was keeper of the underworld, those that violated their oaths would incur his wrath, and would be forever barred from their final rest. Worship of orcus faded at some point in the pre-recorded past, as folktales suggest the oath-god somehow died, and was no longer able to fulfill his duties as caretaker or bargain keeper. 

Setup

Exploring the cavern reveals it to be your average cave-dungeon. Echoing vaults, flooded and concealed chambers, a panoply of lurking monsters and lingering undead for the party to clash against in lantern light. 

The real fun begins when the party discovers a ritual site, well maintained and only vacated i the past few years. Apparently those with an interest in witchcraft had resurrected an old ritual that properly completed, would allow them to invoke an echo of Orcus and receive a boon. The party is free to leave without engaging in the ritual, but where would be the adventure in that? 

Challenges and Complications. 

The ritual is simple, though daring. The party must forgo all magic ( items included), and proceed through the cavern by the light of a ritually prepared lantern of green fire. The light of this lantern will reveal hidden signs that will guide and instruct the party, along with secret chambers and passages that were not previously there.  Should the party use magic, or the lantern go out, the ritual is failed, and the party will have to try again, often facing different challenges as the cavern shifts. 

Some challenges include: 

Sending one party to search for an object in a dark pool, while the rest fend off waves of skeletons. 

Ferry the light across a windy chasm with a rushing stream at the bottom. 

Finally, defeat a cave beast such as a direbear or troll, anoint the party with its blood, and then offer its heart to Orcus as proof of your victory. 

Rewards and Outcomes

In addition to the plunder gained from delving the cave itself, The Old God’s Cauldron has many rewards for a group willing to take a chance on primeval magic. 

Those that began the ritual anew apparently discovered that transforming into an animal before the ritual began didn’t count against the “no magic” rule, and had developed a formula for potions that could turn them into bats or wolves. The research notes suggest that a bear would also be possible. 

Speaking in an echoing voice, as if speaking from deep undergorund or far in the past, the icon of Orcus will inquire about what boon he might bestow. Arms sacrificed to him by ancient warriors, blessed by their time in his keeping, the lore of the dead and the divine, coins and gems representing the mineral wealth of the earth, or even passage into the underworld, such as he can manage. 

Further complications arise if any of the party happens to be an oathbreaker; having deceived or bore false witness against a friend, a kinsman, or a liege. In such a case, the statue of Orcus will animate, and the party will have to fight one last duel ( magic is allowed this time) to prove their ally’s honor. 

[dailycharacteroption]

Wild Soul (Ranger Archetype)

Art by ViciousCircle

 Not to be confused with the similarly named archetype we covered yesterday, today we are looking at the wild soul (two words) ranger!

To those living far and away from advanced civilization, the innovations and weapons of one’s wall-building neighbors can be unnerving or outright threatening. However, even superior tech has it’s weaknesses. Rule number one of guerilla warfare is learning those weaknesses so that the tide can be turned, taking down superior foes on limited resources.

The wild soul ranger does just that, coming to civilized lands to learn as much about the tactics and power of neighbors so that when the time comes, they can defeat their advantages with ease.

While some of these rangers may be anti-tech and anti-arcane magic for it’s own sake, it’s much more likely that this archetype appears in lands that are encroached upon by invaders and expansionists with superior development in weaponry and magic, advantages that, without people like the wild souls, would surely roll over them eventually.

 Having learned about all these wonders of civilization, these rangers reject them entirely, similar to a superstitious barbarian that refuses the aid of magic, though they only limit their magical taboo to arcane magic, but include alchemy and firearms instead, as well as any technology that is considered “advanced”.

Rather than favor foes based on creature type, wild souls train themselves to be superior combatants, both off and on the battlefield, against foes that use the magic and weapons they consider taboo.

Additionally, they know how best to avoid and resist such powers as well, being harder to strike down with guns, alchemy, and magic alike.

Disrupting magic, ruining extracts, or breaking confidence, these guerilla warriors know exactly where to strike to rob arcane casters, alchemists, and even gunslingers of their most powerful assets when they strike. Successfully doing so bolsters the ranger’s resolve to keep fighting.

Near the zenith of their power, they can disrupt their foes so much they lose focus and cannot use their iconic abilities for a minute unless they can collect themselves.

At their most powerful, wild souls become master assassins of mages, alchemists, and gunslingers, able to slay many in one strike, or simply knock them out.

An interesting archetype that targets class abilities rather than creature type. Spellcasters and ranged opponents alike can range from an annoyance to a serious threat, so having a character that prioritizes and disrupts them can be a big boon. If you’re going for any sort of ranged ranger, the Overwatch Style feat line is good for setting up punishing shots in response to enemy action, while melee characters will want feats that keep them in melee with their foes as much as possible to deliver attacks of opportunity as regularly as possible, such as the Step Up feat line.

 This archetype lends itself to the idea of similar rangers that train against other sorts of technologies and powersets, such as perhaps rangers that hunt divine casters out of an aversion to the influence of the gods, or perhaps against heavily armored foes, all depending on the reasons why they consider them their enemy.

  The Arroki people have no trust for arcane magic, their elders still remember when a brilliant but reckless wizard, Manok Curse-His-Name-Six-Times, accidentally summoned a devourer that ravaged the very souls of their people before it could be put down, and so now they train their hunters where to strike to keep spellcasters from working their accursed magic.

 With the collapse of a bridge, the party, as well as warriors from opposing sides, have fallen into a deep chasm, the only way out a four-day hike through darkness and monsters. They will have to mediate between the rest of the survivors if they are to survive, including a caligni wild soul, and his sworn enemy, an ifrit gunslinger.

 The Steelblood Legion marches from one shore to the other, bent on raiding and conquering all in their path. In order to stop them, the party will need to recruit experts in fighting their alchemical and gunpowder-based arsenal.