#RPG hooks

[enddaysengine]

Tashtari Laser Wolves (Stars Beyond)

Laser wolves is just straight up a great sci-fi name for an animal, made all the better by the fact they can actually shoot lasers at you. Tashtari may be beasts, but it's best not to underestimate them - they are smarter than some humanoids and communicate through a unique bioluminescent language. So yeah, one more thing on Castrovel that is smart and will kill you in unexpected ways. 

There's no immediate planar connection for tashtari canonically, but there's some easy ones to draw. Nirvana’s petitioners take the forms of animals and beasts. Tashtari are surely found on Elysium, especially in the Amaranthine Forest, since it is the realm of Ketephys. While the Hunter's favoured animal is a hawk, he is also associated with hunting dogs. That canine connection could very well be associated with tashtari on Castrovel instead. Finally, tashtaris are resistant to fire damage, so the Planes of Fire won't be a comfortable location for them, but they can weather its heat better than other mortal beasts. 

Wolves are popular symbols for a reason and I wouldn't expect tashtari to be any less widespread on Castrovel. Lean into that to lend recognizable but distinct flavour to the world with laser wolves as heraldic beasts. Don't forget to get weird either. Perhaps a lycanthrope variant on Castrovel turns its victims into tashtari during solar storms or auroras? Tashtari are smart and lashunta are psychic - can laser wolves develop occult powers to compliment their dazzling abilities? Do hound archons associated with Castrovel take on the appearances and abilities of laser wolves? Or do they just specialize in laser-based firearms? There's lots of fun to be had here and I'm sure you can come up with some wild ideas I haven't even considered yet. 

When elves isolated themselves after the Gap, some communities took this farther than others, cutting themselves off from everyone including other elves. These reclusive communities have become hotspots for strange new religious movements and corporate research experiments. The hamlet of Tashtari's Howl is one such location, where elves and aiuvarins revere tashtari spirits as their ancestors. While this practice is uncommon on Castrovel, it isn't unheard of, but the citizens of the Howl take it a step further by ritually exposing themselves to wolves' radiation. After centuries of isolation, many of the elves has begun displaying strange phospholuminescent mutations reminiscent of their totemic patrons. Strangely enough, the local tashtari have also changed. Some grow to abnormal size, while others burrow underground, metastasizing into glowing flesh pits that extrude towering capillaries to collect the sun's light.

The CBO of Akasna Tech believes he is being haunted by a gigantic ghostly tashtari. No one else has seen the beast, but he insists that it is real and vindictive. Akasana has had a number of setbacks lately, usually involving property torn to shred by tooth and claw. Is a rival undermining Aksana or is someone within the corporation making clever use of drones to open up space for their promotion? Or worse yet, is the undead beast real, hunting down Akasana executives for their role in Castrovel's ecological and cultural degradation? 

Laser wolves are often mistaken for swamp gas at a distance — or will-’o-wisps. Devotees of the Lantern King recruit both into their fey bands, using their lights to distract, prank, and mislead the unwitting. Unfortunately, covens dedicated to Nhimbaloth utilize the same practice to much more malicious ends, which makes meeting a pack of wisps and wolves in the Drift a dicy prospect at best.

[akabaka-dev]

help i'm a victim

[theworldbrewery]

1d12 reasons to kill all the gods

because the gods put mortals in the untenable position of having to do their dirty work for them, either because of a cold-war-type pact of avoiding direct action against one another, or because they're too proud/think of mortals as disposable.

because the gods are merely ascended mortals who have amassed power that is rightfully dispersed throughout all peoples.

because the gods tried to kill you first.

because you lost something precious that can never be restored, and you hate the gods for not thinking it was important enough to intervene.

because the gods use children as their soldiers and oracles, and these children inevitably die horrible early deaths.

because you crave their power for yourself.

because the gods are parasites, sucking mortals dry of belief and faith and will to act.

because the gods were created by mortals, not the other way around, and the mortals who created the gods use them to enact a cruel cultural hegemony.

because you serve dark forces from the lower planes, and those dark forces aspire to overthrow the gods; you will be rewarded. You will.

because the people were in this universe before the gods arrived in it, and the gods are a colonial power you want to overthrow.

because the gods are the arbiters of good and of evil; you will cleanse the world of sin by destroying the judges.

For the Lulz.

[twinsyy]

(minor and brief spoilers of the protagonist if you haven’t started the game at all but plan to)

[very self-insert about wuthering waves. kinda combined with genshin, of course (its my main bitch)]

so i have thoughts about wuthering waves…

self aware thoughts…

——————————————————————————

i like the game so far!

at this time, ive been judging the controls, story, characters, and combat of wuwa and compare it genshin

there are things i like, and things i feel meh about (it hasnt been out for even a week yet so im cool with it for now)

however, i have been more raised eyebrow towards the characters and controls of the game. since they are the key things that make me stay besides a cool story

ive mainly noticed there are some quality of life features they miss compared to genshin. but also some that they have that genshin doesnt

i chant praises for the features and gameplay they have genshin doesnt. but get pretty frustrated about what they dont have

i always try to reason that its basically an infant at the moment, but gamer rage gets the best of me frequently

so (like with genshin sometimes), i roar my frustrations at my screen

“ugh, genshin has this! why dont you?”

“oh my god, you are so slow.”

“yeah, yeah, ive seen this all before. when do things get interesting?”

sighing, huffing, and palming my face in irritation

and they hear this, and are conflicted

but similarly to traveler in the beginning, i think rover would be the only one to be self aware at this point. the others still have to gain it

so besides their memory lost, theyre also dealing with an unknown and higher being that controls them. with no way to prevent it, or predict when the next time they do will happen

they are conflicted further when they realize theyre helping them get stronger and achieve the same goal as them

what does this mean? who is this? and why are they helping them if they sound like they hate them so much?

——————————————————————————

note: rushed. and i do actually like this game btw lmao. i just needed to get a part of my frustrations off my chest. overall, this game has a lot of potential i think! the graphics are amazing, and the combat is very interesting (i love combat so much)

i may also write for wuthering waves. if i feel strongly enough about it

since ive been into sagau for almost as long as ive been into canon genshin. yet i only write now (￣▽￣;)

[stormiebreaks]

Said I was gonna start posting here more often and what better way to start than with the Ghostbusters?

I sculpted this crew for the 40th anniversary, then just so happened to be in New York City back in April. Couldn’t pass up the chance to shoot them in front of Hook & Ladder No. 8, the Ghostbusters HQ.

Each figure was sculpted using a Heroclix as a base while Greenstuff made up their hair, jumpsuits, and all their gear. Each figure was made to be as accurate as possible based on their Real Ghostbusters designs and they came out great. Now to see about making the Extreme GBs…

[vgtrackbracket]

Video Game Track Bracket Round 3

Nasty Majesty from Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion

vs.

Another's Requiem/Elder Princess Shroob Battle from Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Propaganda under the cut. If you want your propaganda reblogged and added to future polls, please tag it as propaganda or otherwise indicate this!

Nasty Majesty:

so fucking good it drives me insane. thehorns. the vocals. the instrumentals. it has the feeling of attempting to sneak around a hostile enviroment down perfectly.

PUSSY YEAH PUSSY SUCK MY FUCKING PUSSY

PUSSY!!! PUSSY!!! MOTHERFUCKING PUSSY!!! 🔥🔥‼️‼️🗣️🗣️ All jokes aside this song actually slaps so hard

Another's Requiem/Elder Princess Shroob Battle:

This game is so surprisingly dramatic for a funny mario game where you fight aliens with babies and this final boss theme really shows that!!!! the world is ending go beat up that alien princess!!!

[hellfyre]

i love avowed its probably one of the few newer games ive hyperfixated on like this in a long time. doing my 2nd playthrough now :)

[haveyouplayedthisttrpg]

Have you played HOOK, LINE & CYB3R ?

By Satah / Wicked Glitch

hook, line, & cyb3r is a GMless, zero prep, pick-up-and-play cyberpunk one shot of blade-wielding bounty hunters and neon-tinged heists, powered by Go Fish. It leans on mechanics you've known like your entire life & a vast array of generative tables to slide you effortlessly into playing out the chaotic professional lives of shadowrunners, bounty hunters, or some other type of high tech dystopic gig economy adjacent freelance criminals for hire.

[thecreaturecodex]

What's your options on bugbears in Golorian being all serial killers or atleast obsessed with fear? I think that has room for, improvement. Definitely feels weird for them though.

I love it.

It's one of my favorite lore changes between D&D and Pathfinder. It makes bugbears feel less like "goblin, but giant". And Paizo has made it clear that some goblins mutate and just grow to Medium size, so you can have giant goblins if you want 'em.

@monstersdownthepath suggested that bugbears have a demonic taint to them. Despite their CE nature, I'd suggest sahkils instead. Bugbears are the Fear of Marauders, of Banditry, of Murder. Only they're mortal. But I bet a lot of their souls end up in Xilbaba when they die.

I imagine that small groups of bugbears are somewhere between bandit gangs and terrorist cells, roaming around and striking for maximum psychological impact as much as to get material goods. Larger communities would be like Halloweentown, only much less friendly. With running competitions for "most blood drained in a single evening". And adopting more terrible monsters into their numbers as Honorary Bugbears. Life's no fun without a good scare! If the Thing Hiding Under Your Stairs and The Shadow on the Moon At Night really wanted to kill you, and then looted your supplies and took over your village until the well runs dry or next year's crop doesn't plant itself. That's a bugbear clan.

I also love the implication in Ironfang Invasion, through characters like Scarvinious and Scabvistin (great naming convention too, IMO), that some, but not all, bugbears are envious of hobgoblins. They like the idea of civilization, of order and rigidity. And so they enlist. And because of their strength and power, they can succeed. If they "beat the bear" out, in Scabvistin's words.

So if you want to give bugbears another hook, here's my alternate, but not necessarily incompatible take. They're brood parasites. Because what's scarier than a baby that's not yours taking over your life?

We know that in Pathfinder canon, goblins and hobgoblins are both communal breeders (thanks to nursery locations in both Rise of the Runelords and Jade Regent). A mother bugbear sneaks into a goblin creche and leaves her baby behind, after killing one of the young and either eating it themselves or feeding it to Junior. The somewhat addlepated and mutation-prone goblins won't notice or mind a slightly hairier infant, right? And then the bugbear baby takes more than its fair share of resources, maybe knocks off a few of the other kids, and then either leaves the goblin colony at a young age in order to find more bugbears, or stays and muscles his way into a leadership position.

Doing the same to a hobgoblin community is riskier. The hobgoblins are much more in tune and observant. But in this case, it becomes more of a mutualistic relationship that could tip into parasitism on either end. Maybe the bugbear can get along in the hobgoblin village by learning discipline, or be content with the role of scavenger or brute. Or the bugbear could try to take over, if the hobgoblins are weak. And if the bugbear doesn't have the resources to survive and thrive, the hobgoblins send them off on a suicide mission.

And even though they only rely on other goblinoids for raising their young...most of the time, there are rumors that they do this to other peoples. Even if it happens once in a hundred years, everyone will know the story of how the Munson boy got very hairy and very big very quickly, and then slaughtered and spit-roasted the family dog when he was only 4? That kind of fear keeps the bugbears powerful. And makes the bugbears very happy.

[fassylovergallery]

c o l i n

[arvale-artist]

ARVALE: Beylord 🧛‍♂️

A character who haunts the series in the background. Some characters and their ancestors/descendants make reappearances throughout the series, Rufus being a prime example.

But this one stands out.

You like Vampires? Ghosts? Friendships that end in Tragedy? RPGs? Lost Media?

If so, this Tale might interest you...

ARVALE: Journey of Illusion [🌿🗡️]

First game of the series.

You arrive at the Kytar continent, Blue Harbor.

After dispatching a group of thieves, you walk around town talking to the people. Most conversations are about the ongoing plague of thieves giving you a pretty good hint what your next main quest will be about, but there is one more NPC that speaks about a different topic...

[Man] »I’ve heard stories about a vampire somewhere on this continent! Can you believe that?« [Duncan] »Yeah, I’ve seen some pretty unbelievable stuff myself… a vampire doesn’t seem too odd after seeing Dragons.«

Exploring Kytar north-west, you come across a giant old ruin. Entering, you find yourself in »Beylord Castle«. It has seen better days.

It seems to be an optional monster camp, full of hostile creatures for Duncan to slay everywhere.

There is a staircase leading deeper into the castle. Following it, Duncan enters a giant cellar. Walls decorated with torches and lots of bookshelves with probably Arvale’s dustiest literature.

These monster camps always have a boss somewhere, and judging by the surplus amount of skulls littered across the floor, Duncan seems to have found where the boss resides.

At the very end of the room, Duncan finds a coffin.

Duncan being Duncan, proceeds to open it and interrogate the person inside.

[Beylord] »Who disturbs Beylord, master of this castle?« [Duncan] »Hello, my name is Duncan. I couldn’t help but notice you are sleeping inside a coffin… isn’t that midly uncomfortable?« [Beylord] »It is customary for someone with my affliction to sleep in one. But, it is true, it does sort of cramp my back. How can I help you?« [Duncan] »Affliction? Are you sick?« [Beylord] »That is one way to put it. I am a vampire.« [Duncan] »A vampire?! You mean… sucking blood and all that?« [Beylord] »Yes.«

You have two dialogue options. Hear him out, or skip straight to the fight.

[Duncan] »Does that mean I have to fight you now? / How did that happen?«

[Duncan] »How did that happen?« [Beylord] »You’re a very curious person, you know that? I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who would dare open a coffin in a deserted castle and then interrogate the owner. *sigh* A long while back, Sorcynth was still a relatively small company. Many of their potions were still untested and they needed test subjects. I was one of them. Knowing the danger that was present, testers were paid extremely well.« [Duncan] »Danger?« [Beylord] »There were many, many deaths of testers from trying the potions. I was one of the lucky few who survived working for Sorcynth for about 100 years.« [Duncan] »100 years? How is that possible?« [Beylord] »Sorcynth Youth Potions. Many of them. Very effective for keeping people alive… however...« [Duncan] »It turns you into a vampire?« [Beylord] »No. Sorcynth Youth Potions have a terrible side effect of making people go insane. Especially weak-minded… or stupid people.« [Duncan] »Then how DID you turn into a vampire?« [Beylord] »I’m getting to that. I accumulated quite a bit of wealth and bought this castle, servants, the whole package, and lived quite well, as you can imagine.« [Duncan] »And?« [Beylord] »You’re curious, yet impatient… that’s funny. Sorcynth had been working on a potion for curing undead, zombies, etc. And… well, they never perfected it, and I am the result.« [Duncan] That’s a pretty boring story… I was hoping for some adventure, or mythological creatures, and battles with passion and lust… [Beylord] »Sorry to disappoint. I must say that I made all of my servants leave, and mostly feed on monsters… I do not wish to take a human life… even if the hunger for human blood burns in my veins more than anything else. And now that you know the story… and you are apparently a Hero of some sorts… Do you wish to fight me?«

You have two dialogue options. Spare him, or fight him. No matter what you choose, a battle is inevitable, as his hunger overcomes him.

[Duncan] »No, thanks, you seem like a nice vampire, I’ll leave you alone. / Yes, it is my duty to fight you, I am the hero type… and you seem like the monster type… as you said… it is customary.« [Duncan] »No, thanks, you seem like a nice vampire, I’ll leave you alone.« [Beylord] »As you wish. Take care, Duncan.«

Duncan starts to walk away.

[Beylord] »However….. It has been some time …. Since a human has visited the castle. And… I … am… hungry!«

If you proceed to go with the other dialogue option, he’ll say »It has been eons since I have had human blood…. And I am hungry! As you wish, human!«

Exploring south-east of Kytar, you come across another monster camp: Maestyl.

It seemed to have been a town eons ago… all that’s left are destroyed, overgrown ruins of houses overrun with monsters. There is not a lot left of what once was, nature reclaiming what remains. Everything is eerily quiet. It’s not like this usually. Even in spooky areas, music is playing.

Not here.

Clearing out the monsters, Duncan makes his way inside a house up north. A skeleton in armor with two glowing orbs inside the eye sockets resembling pupils stands inside. He does not attack Duncan. Instead, he speaks.

[Warrior Spirit] »Have you come to remove the curse?« [Duncan] »What curse?« [Warrior Spirit] »A curse was placed upon this town eons ago. I was a brave and powerful warrior in my time… undefeated in battle, unparalleled in skill… One day, I was tricked into defeating a witch, whom in return, placed a curse upon me and the entire town. Since then, all the townspeople, including myself, have their souls trapped here… none of us are free to go to the next world, until the curse has been lifted« [Duncan] »That’ rough. So… how can I break this curse for you?« [Warrior Spirit] You must defeat me in combat, if you are brave enough. Will you break the curse for us?

You can fight the Warrior Spirit, or come back later. Once defeated, you get a Maestyl Liquid (which boosts your defence when used) and this message is displayed:

»Ahhhh, thank you, brave warrior. The curse has finally been lifted…. After all of these years. Now we can finally rest. As a token of gratitude, please take what is in the chest, it is now unlocked. Take care, brave warrior« (there’s just a regular magic combat item in the chest, a Tide Scepter)

Now, why did I just tell you about Maestyl? It seems to have no connection to Beylord whatsoever. And during this time in development for the Arvale Series, it probably had none. Yet.

ARVALE 2 : Ocean of Time [🏹⏳]

Second game of the series.

OOT takes place 1000 years prior JOI. When you use the ship in OOT, you are actually able to steer it across the oceans of Arvale. If you steer near the part of Kytar where Maestyl is, you see the small town and how it has not been destroyed yet. Unfortunately, you cannot visit it in OOT.

Arriving in Kytar City, there’s lots of NPCs to talk to. One stands out…

Sadly I cannot show you the entire conversation, I don’t have it saved anywhere.

But I do recall two things about The Occult Woman, she makes money by dabbling both in fake magic (scamming people) and real magic… having foresight abilities, being able to see the future to some extent. Like a Fortune Teller. Knowing who DeMenchev is before he steps into her home, and able to tell him where he has to go next on his quest to get an artifact he’s after.

And where he has to go next at this point in the game is Dividion Castle. Deep below, there is a temple with the artifact, guarded by a boss of course.

You solve the puzzle to be able to enter the final room of the temple with the artifact and boss inside. So far, everytime DeMenchev does this, it goes like this:

Go inside the final temple room, pick up the artifact, boss spawns, defeat boss.

What you don’t expect is entering the final room of the temple, and suddenly, dialogue appears on your screen.

The entity speaking has custom sprites, not one assembled out of the various assets of the game they usually build NPC out of. Meaning this one’s special. Imagine my massive surprise when the first word I read was a familiar name. And imagine my even BIGGER surprise finding out these two used to know eachother, were friends, even...

Here’s a video of The Beylord Encounter in OOT.

Context regarding the dialogue: At this point in the game, DeMenchev is currently in a messed up alternate timeline where Arvale is war ridden and a lot of people lived completely different lives. They never met in this timeline, hence why Beylord doesn’t recognize him.

The Beylord Encounter in OOT is very different and special compared to all the other bosses. Not just because of it’s introduction, but also during the battle and what happens afterward.

Beylord is a really tough boss if you are not prepared well or have some ultra rare overpowered weapon in your arsenal. First time I encountered him I had to use the Silver Sword, which is ironic, since vampires are weak against silver… anyway, as you can see, aside from having a ton of health, Beylord has no weaknesses and is the only boss in Arvale to have that quality.

I am glad they made a custom sprite for him even for the battle instead of re-using the normal fighter enemy sprite like in JOI.

I want to applaud the person who did the combat sprite work for Beylord, because you can tell this one was specifically made for DeMenchev.

When Beylord attacks, their sprites fit together like puzzle pieces. Beylord grabbing his shoulders and plunging his fangs into his neck while DeMenchev winces in pain, no matter what weapon DeMenchev is equipped with. I’m sure those neck bites come with extra emotional damage, man…

I was mildly surprised to see Beylord speak after battle. Because ususally, an enemy and most bosses are elimated after battle and are just… gone. Maybe followed by some commentary from DeMenchev. Major bosses do remain for a bit to give their dying speech, but what really caught me by surprise is that Beylord… actually survives. And is the only enemy to do so.

Because DeMenchev spares him.

This isn’t a case like in JOI where the final boss chickens out during the first battle with Duncan, and Duncan then has to chase him down, no, DeMenchev does not chase after him when Beylord escapes.

He let’s him go.

He couldn’t bring himself to kill him, even if Beylord just tried to do that to him. He pities him instead »Poor Beylord… «

How sweet! Surely, DeMenchev’s mercy for Beylord will never backfire in the future...

Other than pointing DeMenchev in the right direction to get the artifact, and subsequently Beylord, The Occult Woman seems to have no connection to anyone else… but I have a theory who exactly she could be. A character we will meet in the next installment of the Arvale series. Or at least, what character she inspired, probably.

Now, you might have noticed some pretty striking irregularties story-wise with Beylord. A bit of a change in character, that there is no way he could have been a potion tester for longer than a human lifetime, that he works for Dividion (evil royal family/king in Kytar)… You can just write these irregularities off because the Beylord in OOT is one from an alternate timeline.

But here I want to inform you it is actually the case that a lot of the information we get from Beylord and possibly Maestyl in JOI might actually no longer be canon and have been retconned. Unless Beylord is straight up lying to Duncan, but he has no reason to do so. 🤖Jaybot7 took Beylord into a VERY different direction in the third installment of the series, the one with the most recent portrayal of Beylord.

ARVALE: Short Tales [☀️🌙]

Third game of the series.

Where Beylord finally becomes a playable character. There are some steps that have to be done first to unlock him, though. Sadly, ST is only playable on Pocket PC, having become abandonware. … So uh… unless you are... insane… and... buy an ancient Pocket PC from some random guy on the web… and download the game from some shady place… you’re not going to be able to play this one. Which is a gigantic shame, it really is…

Anyway, let me tell you about ARVALE: Short Tales! SO…

ST takes place years after OOT, but still approximately 1000 years prior JOI, within DeMenchev's lifetime. When you first start playing ST after completing the other two Arvale games, you might encounter many »WAIT A MOMENT, HOLD UP-« moments throughout the game. (At least for me).

You start in the beautiful and thriving town of… Maestyl. Amazing really, playing through this game I felt awarded for having paid close attention in the previous Arvale games and knowing all the lore, understanding easily how everything is connected and all the references, recognizing names… but also that no matter how the intro to the first 4 playable characters starts, ultimately, I knew this story will end in tragedy. ST takes place around 1000 years before Arvale JOI, where Maestyl is a cursed monster camp with only ruins remaining of what once was…

It becomes very apparent very quickly that Beylord plays a big role in this game. His presence haunts this game, his character is referenced multiple times, even before ever seeing him. And the game is not being subtle about this. Near Maestyl is a region literally called Beylord Lake. There’s an NPC relaxing, and she has this to say:

»I like this place… It’s so relaxing. I mean, aside from the big, dark, foreboding haunted castle right there.« I think we both can guess who this castle belongs to…

But the lady is right about Beylord Lake being a relaxing place. It is one of the very few placed in ST that is safe during day AND night, even offering a neverending healing opportunity for the characters to heal up after battle. (Healing water).

There’s a simple tune playing in the background. It sounds peaceful. I will talk more about this particular tune later, but let me quickly talk about music in ST a bit because 🤖Jaybot7 went CRAZY with it.

ST has many regions/biomes you can visit and each of these has their unique music and battle music! And it even changes during the nighttime, turning more into ambience. Did I mention this game has a Day and Night cycle? Pretty cool. (Being able to switch between light theme (which resembles OOT’s title screen colors) and dark theme (JOI title screen colors) on my blog (at least on PC) is a reference to ST’s day and night cycle hehe).

Maestyl has SO much music in it! It has its own theme, and when you enter character’s houses, their theme starts to seamlessly flow into Maestyl’s theme… and it makes the silence when you enter the eons old ruins of the town in JOI feel all the more eerie and wrong.

Something that becomes more obvious over time is that no one seems to know who Beylord is… or remember him… I got this from a promotional post about ST on the defunct PDAmill website:

4 characters are available to play when starting ST. The 5th one with a bat symbol is locked, that one being Beylord himself.

While paying the other 4 characters, there is one optional side quest for each where you end up with a strange item as a reward.

Beylord Ring, Beylord Rib, Beylord Eyes, and Beylord Heart.

On a small island on Beylord Lake, there’s a … small temple. It looks like a ritualistic place. A coffin, surrounded by 4 vases. »One who wishes to unleash the seal, must place the 4 lost objects within the vases during the night.« Once one of the 4 objects is placed into a vase, it catches on fire. On the vase is written: Replace the ancient Ring in here. / Replace the broken Rib in here / Replace the wandering Eye in here / Replace the cold Heart in here. Once placed: A glowing Ring/Rib/Eye/Heart rets inside the flaming vase.

If you place all 4 ones into their respective vases, you’ve unlocked Beylord as a playable character.

In case it wasn’t obvious enough from all the ominous hints we collected about Beylord before unlocking him, he’s a certified villain.

I must admit. It wasn’t obvious to me… I still had that outdated version of Beylord from JOI in mind where he’s a humane and nice vampire, and it was once I started playing the guy himself did I notice that. Oh. That can no longer be canon. At all.

Let me introduce to you… bastard with Arvale’s BIGGEST anger issues imaginable.

[Narrator] »You have completed the tales of the four main characters… However, there is one more story that must be told… Beylord, The cursed Vampire. Beylord became a vampire by some strange circumstances during his years as a Sorcynth Potion Tester many years ago. After becoming a vampire, Beylord lost control with his immense powers and began terrorizing all the areas on the continent. Until one day, an adventurer only remembered by the of name John gathered the strongest men in Meastyl to attack his castle and scatter pieces of Beylord to put him in an eternal slumber. He was supposed to stay in this slumber until a proven way to dispose of The Vampire was found. Then the pieces of Beylord would be put back together to reawaken him and destroy his condition forever. However, Beylord’s powers were strong enough to influence other people’s actions, even while he slept. As the years passed, people seemed to forget about the incidents with Beylord entirely. And eventually, four adventureres brought his pieces back together, unbeknownst to them the terror they were unlocking.«

Alright, so let’s dissect this.

He became a vampire during his years as a Sorcynth Potion Tester. This explains where he got some, if not all his powers.

The character you are most likely to pick to play first is Varju, the Druid. The antagonists of Varju’s story is Sorcynth. Varju, as a Druid, is able to morph into animals and also talk with them. The final boss in Varju’s story is a high ranking Sorcynth officer who uses Highly Experimental Potions to morph into different creatures. On top of that, the officer becomes ultra fast as well. Just like Beylord. (During combat, Beylord can be observed moving so fast he becomes a blur before slashing the enemy with his claws and has a really low attack cooldown). The first creature the officer transforms into is a zombie, the rest are animals.

»A Druid, indeed? Well, I can easily match that with the power of Sorcynth! Highly Experimental Potions only available to high ranking officers, such as myself! And you are about to see why! Come and get me, Mister druid, hee. Hee, hee! Pit your powers against the superhuman strength of a Sorcynth Zombie! Hahahahah!«

Superhuman strength is another quality The Vampire Beylord possesses… additionally, when the officer turns into a zombie, the game uses a modified version of Beylord’s talking sprite for him. A connection can be made... Sorcynth specializes in bottling various kinds of magic and other magic items and then selling it. Potions that let you heal or boost some of your stats like strength, defence, magic, magical resistance, dexterity or offensive magic like Fire, Earth and Water magic. Beylord has insane regenerative abilities and is able to preform Fire, Water and possibly Earth magic. Excelling in the other stats like magical resistance and defense might explain his lack of weaknesses in OOT. It seems we have a pretty good idea now where most of his ‘vampire‘ powers come from. He seems like the perfect Sorcynth Mutant, which is an actual enemy you encounter in JOI. They have red glowing eyes... and zombies have pale blue skin in Arvale… Visual characteristics The Vampire Beylord also posseses. So he might actually be an Undead Sorcynth Mutant. Also, the sprite they use for the Sorcynth Mutants is the Leech sprite, and vampires are also kinda leeches... but this might be stretching it a bit.

And perhaps those potions didn’t only give him powers, but weaknesses too. Drinking Highly Experimental Potions probably leads to some… odd side effects. Like maybe developing an allergy to garlic or silver, or not being able to completely morph back into a human and being stuck with more animalistic features like pointy ears, claws and fangs. Maybe.

An adventurer only remembered by the name of John, huh? Hehe, I got so giddy when I read the name, because I knew immediately who this was referring too. You can actually encounter John DeMenchev briefly while playing the other 4 characters, wearing Arvale’s silliest disguise.

Come on man… At least his disguises have gotten better in Treasure of Memories.

After The Narrator ends their little speech, Beylord explodes out of the coffin, flames, burning vases, and debris surrounding him, while Boss music starts playing. Wow.

[Beylord] »Ah… So good to be awake again! Now... what was I doing? Ah yes! Revenge! The cretins who put me into that slumber must pay! Let’s visit my Manor first… it should be just across the lake. It’s been a few decades… but I can already feel my power returning! Indeed, let’s give morphing a try!«

Here we are introduced to one of his first abilities: Morphing, like into a bat. Later he’ll be able to transform into a rat as well… we don’t know just how many animals he can transform into.

Now… as dark as Beylord’s storyline can get, Arvale was always advertised in being humorous, and the Beylord’s storyline is not spared from that.

In front of Beylord’s Castle:

[Beylord] »Urgh! The door appears to be repelling me! There is some sort of Magical Seal on the door!« [Narrator] »A picture of the magical Seal is painted on the door? Like, the aquatic animal?« [Beylord] »Not a magic *seal*, my idiot narrator, a Magic seal! Those who defeated me, must have placed a curse upon my manor! I must get… revenge! Off to Maestyl!«

Beylord will continuously have beef with The Narrator throughout his story. Lmao.

Arriving in Maestyl, the first house Beylord wishes to enter is that of a really powerful Mage… The Fortune Teller Lankha.

The only town you are able to visit in ST is Maestyl. So each of the Town’s NPCs is given a lot more depth than what you are usually used to. All of them have their own little intricate stories, and you are able to learn more about them through the individual characters you are able to play over the many hours you spent time in this game.

Such as Fortune Teller Lankha, or Mistress Lankha, who is so much more than a simple Fortune Teller. But, true to her title, she does have very impressive foresight abilities. Often knowing who the person entering her home for the first time is, and what they need.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? I wonder of she could be the Occult Woman from OOT… Both seem to have an affinity with cats too, heh. The Occult Woman owning a cat and Lankha being the one to teach Varju the Cat Morph. EDIT: Hi, this is me from the future. I was playing through Treasure of Memories again and it looks like I was onto something here (skip to minute 50:00):

When Beylord enters her house, this conversation takes place:

[Lankha] »Master Beylord. What a surprise. Do you wish to fight me?«

Do not say yes. If you do, you are completely and utterly screwed. All lights go out, it starts thundering and raining, and she transforms into a undefeatable giant beast boss monster with a ridiculous amount of HP and kills you in one bite.

[Beylord] »No.« [Lankha] »A wise decision. And what is it that you would need from me?« [Beylord] »My manor is locked. I am simply requesting information on how one would solve this problem.« [Lankha] »I see. Certainly a dilemma. The lock is so strong, that even someone with your powers cannot force themselves in?« [Beylord] »I’ve tried all of my powers. There appears to be some strong magic sealing the door. And since you are the strongest magic user in the area…« [Lankha] »I had nothing to do with the attack on your manor, your burial, nor the scattering of your powers. If you remember correctly, the attack was led by a man named John. The strongest men from Maestyl also accompanied him. If I can recall correctly, they were Armorer Jinn, Captain Flint, Ermes, and someone else, I cannot recall precisely, it’s been such a long time… Perhaps they possess some artifacts related to the seal on your manor.« [Beylord] »I see. And what of this man named John? Where can I find that cretin?« [Lankha] »I do not know his whereabouts. He basically disappeared after he defeated you. But I believe… you may find the answers in your manor. Is there anything else I can help you with?« [Beylord] »I’m going to destroy the town, you know…« [Lankha] »Yes, I have foreseen that. But thank you for the warning. I believe I may have to move my business to a new location. I would wish you luck on your quest, but I don’t think you’ll need it. Goodbye, Beylord.«

When you play the other 4 characters, you usually head to the item shop or armory to upgrade your gear. With Beylord, you acquire any upgrades through Lankha putting spells on him.

[Beylord] »Well, it has been a few decades… do you have any Items of interest for me?« [Lankha] »Perhaps. If you have gold of interest for me. What did you have in mind?« [Beylord] »An armor upgrade would be nice« [Lankha] »With your vampire regeneration abilities, I can’t see why, but… I suppose I could add some protective spells to your cloak. But it will cost you…« [Beylord] »A weapon upgrade would be nice.« [Lankha] »For you? Don’t joke! Your powers and teeth are strong enough! Hahaha! Well, I can cast an attack boosting spell on your ‘weapon‘. But it will cost you…«

Here are the different items descriptions for the upgraded armor/weapons:

Dirty Cloak: Sitting in a state of suspended animation will make your cloak all dirty. Clean Cloak: Ahh, much better. Now it’s clean, but full of holes! Patched Cloak: It’s clean, it’s patched up, and it’s starting to look sexy again! Pressed Cloak: Now that we’ve gotten rid of all those wrinkles, I’m starting to look like a real vampire! Sleek Cloak: My cloak is shiny and glittery again, looking good Beylord! Ultiven Cloak: Now we’re talking, my cloak is almost as powerful as I am! Dirty nails: My nails haven’t been cleaned in several decades. Clean Nails: Cleaner nails, but still a little too dull to do some real damage. Sharp Nails: Ah, there we go, much sharper, and cleaner. Almost like old times! Vampire Nails: Sharp, clean, hardened, and neatly trimmed. Just as a true vampire’s nails should be! Bloody Nails: Just a little bit of blood goes a long way toward strengthening my nails! Ultiven Nails: It could just be me, but it feels like my nails are just as strong as an Ultiven weapon now!

The people Lankha spoke of earlier are Armorer Jinn, Captain Flint, Shop Owner Ermes, and Charles the Innkeep. Those names mean nothing to you, but they mean a lot to someone who played through ST. Any of the names of the townspeople of Maestyl would. At this point, I spent around 30 hours getting to know every NPC in that town…

And Beylord is about to destroy them all.

With the exception of Lankha, of course.

What an emotional gut punch! But in a really good way. This game really made me feel things… auugh…

Even though I knew from the very beginning of the game, the moment I read the name Maestyl, that this story no matter what, will end in tragedy… oh, it still manged to really catch me by surprise.

There are 11 houses in Maestyl, Lankha’s included. It does not matter in which order Beylord will ‘visit‘ these houses, but we will start with the ones he’ll straight up destroy without even entering first. Here we see Beylord’s next abilities: Elemental Magic. Fire, Water and... Earth(?) Maybe?

Beylord approaches a small red house. It belongs to the single mother Kiva and her child Garion. [Beylord] »Hmm, no one is home. Too bad, they won’t feel the flames!« Beylord sets the house ablaze.

Beylord approaches Captain Flint’s home. He’s not home. Beylord sets it ablaze without a thought.

Beylord approaches a small brown house. It belongs to the merchant Demetrius. [Beylord] »Anyone who has no windows on their house is hiding something.« [Narrator] »But you don’t even know him!« [Beylord] »Hold on, let me check if I care…« Beylord sets the house ablaze. [Beylord] »Nope.«

Beylord approaches a big blue house. It belongs to the couple Azar and Laphid with their kids Kift and Walf. [Beylord] »Hmm, I smell lots of fresh blood in there.« [Narrator] »You wouldn’t!« [Beylord] »Tell you what…« Beylord ultra freezes the entire house, it’s covered in snow and ice. [Beylord] »If they can survive that, I’ll leave them alone.« [Narrator] »You monster!«

Beylord approaches a small red house with a garden next to it. It is the home of the scholar Fekre. [Beylord] »Such a cute little house. I almost feel bad for destroying it. Almost.« [Narrator] »But that place is home to a Scholar! It’s full of ancient artifacts and books, rare objects and information that are extremely hard to find!« [Beylord] »And now, they will be even more rare!« Beylord destroys the house and turns it into rubble, and sets the garden left to it ablaze. This might be a mixture of both Earth and Fire magic. Or he’s just using superhuman strength and Fire magic.

Beylord approaches a brown, run down house standing on top of a hill. It belongs to Koden the Warrior, one of the playable characters. [Beylord] »Looks like this house is about to fall apart anyway.« Beylord destroys the home, lots of rubble and debris everywhere with a bit of fire. Might be Earth magic, or superhuman strength. I cannot tell for sure.

Beylord approaches Rekatys’s Wheelbarrow Shop, because of course, of course there’s a wheelbarrow shop. This is Arvale we’re talking about here, there will always be wheelbarrow nonsense. [Beylord] »A shop dedicated to selling Wheelbarrows? How gauche! This place deserves to burn! [Narrator] »No arguments there.« Beylord sets the house and wheelbarrows ablaze.

Beylord enters Jinn’s Armory. He does not attack Beylord. He stands there by the anvil, diligently doing his work. Despite his intimidating profession, forging weapons and armor, Jinn is by far the most friendly and optimistic character in town. Only when Beylord’s sprite touches Jinn does the battle start. Beylord behaves a bit like your typical monster enemy in Arvale here in a way… approaching and immediately instigating a battle. Jinn is defending himself with a sword. Beylord kills him. After battle, a wet, ugly noise can be heard. All that’s left of him are giant puddles of blood splattered across the floor. [Beylord] »It’s only fair of course. And what’s this?« You took Jinn’s Seal: One of the four magic seals that unlock Beylord Manor. When Beylord leaves the house, he turns around and sets it ablaze.

Beylord enters Ermes’ Item Shop. His Items Clerk, Quip, cannot be found. He either does not live in Maestyl or has his room in the back of the shop. But Ermes is there. Ermes is quite a friendly guy too. But while playing the character Tabys the Assassin, we learn they used to know eachother. Probably back during their days living alongside the Konjia, Ermes maybe even being a Konjia himself. A race so stealthy (and quite militaristic thanks to their horrible emperors), that the rest of Arvale think them to be extinct. He settled for a quiet and peaceful life in Maestyl, leaving his old life behind and running a »mostly respectable« business now. »Mostly« because he secretly supplies more dubious customers in the night, like assassins. He knows things, he has tricks up his sleeve… and when Beylord enters his items Shop, Ermes immediately sprints at him at full speed. Clocking him instantly as danger. Maybe he remembers now who and what Beylord is after seeing him. Ermes fights like a magician. Again, after battle, a wet, ugly noise can be heard. All that’s left of him are giant puddles of blood splattered across the floor. [Beylord] »Uhhu. And I can only assume that this is…« You took Ermes Seal: One of the four magic seals that unlock Beylord Manor. When Beylord leaves the house, he turns around and sets it ablaze.

Beylord stands in front of the door of the Inn/Pub. [Beylord] »Heheheheheh. Fish in a barrel!« [Narrator] »No, don’t!« [Beylord] »I’ve had enough of you! If I hear one more complaint, you’re NEXT!« [Narrator] »*gulp*« Beylord enters the Inn/Pub. Every NPC, no matter how far away, has turned towards him and stands completely frozen in place. When you play any other character, they’re moving, doing their thing, ... Right now everyone is frozen while looking at Beylord. Maybe they remember now. The Pub’s music keeps playing like normal. No one expected this. They all run away from Beylord when he approaches them. When he catches up to them, they scream, there’s this ugly wet noise again and all that’s left of the person is puddles of blood splattered across the floor.

Captain Flint can be found here. He does not run away but he also does not approach Beylord. Beylord has to actively attack him. Captain Flint attacks with a spear. All that’s left after battle is a giant pile of blood splattered across the floor. It makes an ugly wet noise. Like a wet bite. [Beylord] »Aha… What’s this?« You took Flint’s Seal: One of the four magic seals that unlock Beylord Manor. Innkeep Charles cannot be seen, so Beylord enters the Pub’s/Inn’s basement, where he can be found. Charles rushes him when he is near, maybe he remembers who he is, maybe he heard the screams from upstairs, and attacks with a spear. Once again, ugly wet noise after battle and puddles of blood across the floor. [Beylord] »Mmmhmm, and I’ll take this, thank you very much!« You took Charles Seal: One of the four magic seals that unlock Beylord Manor. When Beylord leaves the Inn/Pub, he turns around and sets it ablaze.

BTW, there’s a few human NPCs outside Maestyl. Beylord just kills them as well without a thought. They scream, wet noise, and there’s blood. Like always. Another detail I like is that Beylord only enters the houses that are open to the public, shops, pubs… In some stories vampires need to be invited in order to physically enter a house, but since these are public houses everyone is already kinda invited… I don't think Beylord has to abide be these rules, but it’s a neat detail/reference.

Once all seals are collected, he has this to say:

[Beylord] »These seals should break the uhm, seal on my castle. Let’s head to Beylord Lake and go inside!«

You head to Beylord Lake, where Beylord’s castle is.

Now… As said earlier, Beylord Lake is a complete safe zone, during day and night, for all playable characters. Except Beylord.

There’s a final boss in Beylord’s storyline, but there’s also a secret, much more powerful boss. When you walk around Beylord Lake as The Vampire Beylord, there’s a really low chance that this secret boss spawns. It does not attack anyone else, only The Vampire.

The Beylord Spirit.

By far the toughest boss in the entire game (We’re going to ignore Lankha here).

Once defeated, he drops … the objects of power?? (That’s how DeMenchev refers to them anyway) The Ring, Rib, Eye and Heart… Did The Beylord Spirit use these objects to boost his strength? Did The Beylord Spirit take them away, so The Vampire could no longer be resurrected once defeated? We don’t know. But he is antagonistic towards The Vampire and no one else, making him seem like a force of good...

But once defeated, The Beylord Spirit will just. Keep. Coming. Back.

Defeating The Beylord Spirit once does not make the lake a safe zone. He will just keep reappearing for another battle if The Vampire continuous to wander around the lake. But it make sense, right? You can’t kill a ghost.

Aside from carrying body parts, The Beylord Spirit also carries some pretty huge implications for The Vampire. We know from the Warrior Spirit (which I think is supposed to be Koden or the inspiration for Koden… a lot of the things the Warrior Spirit says don’t make sense anymore after playing through Koden’s tale, and probably also have been retconned) in JOI that Spirits and Souls are the same thing.

You know how vampires don’t have shadows? Or reflections? I’m not a vampire expert (even though my friends would digress) but from what I know it’s because traditionally they are soulless.

And, at least to me, the fact that The Vampire has to battle his own Soul, indicates that Beylord The Vampire, is soulless. Which might explain the really terrible behaviour and lack of ethics.

If we continue with my theory that The Vampire is soulless, it implies that we are not even… playing the true Beylord. Because that would be the soul, right? That would be the actual person he was in life, the one that DeMenchev called a friend. And we, as the player, are just piloting a … body, corpse, monster... thing.

Now, back to the storyline. You make your way in front of the castle’s door.

[Narrator] »The magic seal disappears.« [Beylord] »It’s about time! Home sweet home! Now I can restore all of my powers, if I can just find my coffin… it should be near the end of my manor.«

Entering the manor, you hear a familiar tune. It’s the music that plays at Beylord Lake during the daytime, but now a lot slower, spookier and a bit sadder. Maybe these notes could be Beylord’s theme?

Here’s what it sounds like:

I must say that Beylord Manor is quite a pretty place, a big glowup to what we see in JOI. What I really like is how prominent the colors dark blue and red are, the ones that are the most striking in The Vampire’s design himself.

Some things are intractable in the manor. Sometimes for humor’s sake, sometimes to show just how much of a bastard The Vampire is. You know, if him destroying an entire town wasn’t enough.

The Vampire stands in front of a pile of rubble. [Beylord] »When I get all my strength back, I should really think about getting this place cleaned up.« [Narrator] »Vampires do housework?« [Beylord] »Of course not! Don’t be vulgar! I will hire a young, virgin, Klumetian Maid to do the job of course. She will, heheh, do the housework, and prepare the dinner!« [Narrator] »Prepare?« [Beylord] »If by prepare, I mean, be a fine meal! Heheheh.«

The Vampire stands before a book. [Beylord] »A list of all the previous reservations and guest names for those whom have checked into my hotel.« [Narrator] »Hotel?« [Beylord] »Indeed, I used to run a very respectable business here… Staying a few nights in a vampire’s manor and living to tell about it was very popular. And everyone adored the baroque ambience of the manor.«

The Vampire stands before two red coffins. [Beylord] »Ahh… my old coffins. Memories, good times…«

The Vampire stands before a book, again. [Beylord] »A list of previous applicants for maidens who wanted to be seduced and sacrificed by a vampire.« [Narrator] »Wanted to?« [Beylord] »Sure! There are many women who would gladly give their lives for one night with a vampire, you have no idea! I had to literally start an application and interviewing process, just to keep the numbers down, and the traffic away from my hotel.« (What the hell, this guy has Presence as an ability or something...)

The Vampire stands before a painting. [Beylord] »That was an old picture of me anyway… I never liked the flesh colored skin look.«

The Vampire stands before two chains hanging on the wall. One of them has a boney arm in it. [Beylord] »Ahh, memories…«

While The Vampire didn’t manage to make his way into his manor at first, lots of other creatures have. Undeads (like zombies), wolves, giant bats, multiple cerebuses, skeletons named »Vengeance« (maybe his rage was so enormous that it ended up reanimating dead bodies in his manor or something??) and… no wait, that’s so out of place… Robots?!

Oh… they’re called »DM Bots«. It seems our dear John DeMenchev build and placed them here as an extra measure. To keep The Vampire away from reaching that room at the end of the manor, probably.

I read the name of this enemy and it was just further confirmation for me what, or rather who, was coming... Hehhehheh

There are lots of things blocking The Vampire’s way to reach that room. From a gameplay perspective, I totally understand turning The Vampire’s manor into a dungeon. It keeps it consistent with the other characters having to visit various dungeons and solving puzzles as well, but it also makes you think… did someone else place these obstacles here to keep The Vampire from reaching that room, or does he just have Arvale’s craziest floorplan to keep people from reaching that room? Both?

While inside the manor, The Vampire showcases multiple abilities: Fire Magic, Ice magic, superhuman strength, morphing into a bat, morphing into a rat, and being able to turn into smoke. That’s new! But it’s also a somewhat common power associated with vampires, like being able to shapeshift into animals. He becomes invincible while turning into smoke but is also unable to interact with anything. Aside from making commentary, of course.

You reach his terrible, terrible room. The skulls you found in JOI are nothing compared to this.🤖Jaybot7 really wanted to hammer in that he’s a villain, alright.

The Vampire approaches the throne. What a nice callback to the one you could find in JOI …

[Beylord] Finally! »And now… to restore all my powers!«

The Great DeMenchev enters the room. But he looks a bit different than the version we got to know in OOT... it looks like he went through a really rough time. He looks pissed, he has a beard now (which reminds me of the time he got hounded by the Konjia and had bigger worries than shaving, anyway) and… wears an eye patch now. (which reminds me of the time he got hounded by the Konjia again, with a scar across his eye. But that situation was in an alternate timeline that got erased so, uh, this didn’t happen to this version of DeMenchev)

Here's my interpretation of him:

[DeMenchev] »Hold it right there, Beylord!« [Beylord] »De-- DeMenchev?!« [DeMenchev] »I don’t know how you awoke from the state we put you in, but I will not allow you to do any more harm! To others, OR to yourself!»« [Beylord] »It was YOU then! You destroyed me and placed me in that box… separating all of my--- this cannot be forgiven!« [DeMenchev] »I did it for you own good! I have no idea how you came to be what you are, but I am searching for a way to cure it! And I was fairly close…!« [Beylord] »I’d believe you, if you weren’t lying. I’m inclined to think that you are just jealous of my powers.« [DeMenchev] »You don’t have to believe me. We used to go on adventures together, back when you were human! After we parted, you disappeared for some years, and from what I gather, you started working for Sorcynth. Years later, I hear that a Vampire has been terrorizing everybody on the continent!« [Beylord] »Terrorizing is such a harsh word. I prefer human resources life allocation.« [DeMenchev] »Grrr… And then I come to investigate and find it’s my old friend, Beylord! I had to put a stop to it, but I couldn’t bring myself to kill my old friend!« [Beylord] »Or more likely, you don’t know *how* to kill a Vampire, as it is impossible.« [DeMenchev] »On the contrary, I have several solutions to ending a vampire's existence in my pocket. But I will only use them as a last resort. Because you are my friend. Some brave men from Maestyl helped me put you in a state where I could methodically remove your objects of power… Until the day I found a permanent cure for your condition!« [Beylord] »But you underestimated how powerful I am, and how far apart you should have scattered the pieces!« [DeMenchev] »Apparently! A mistake, I do not wish to repeat. Now, if you’d be so kind, I believe we must battle now. En garde!«

I tried to recreate their fight with the game art.

This is it, the final boss of The Vampire’s Tale and also the final boss of ARVALE: Short Tales. And he is pathetically easy. And I think that is on purpose. You can very quickly feel just how powerful The Vampire is when you start playing him. He levels up a lot quicker than any of the other playable characters, and his speed allows him to strike superfast and super often. DeMenchev’s sword does pitiful damage, and he is defeated with a few slashes of The Vampire’s talons. But he does not turn into a puddle of blood after battle.

His expression changes into something sadder.

[DeMenchev] »Ugh…« [Beylord] »That is what you get for playing with fire, my friend.« [DeMenchev] »Beylord…« [Beylord] »And now… for a taste!« [DeMenchev] »………«

Looks like this is the end for him. Except of course not! He’s The Great DeMenchev after all.

A few very recognizable notes of his theme start playing on a flute, there’s a smack sound, and The Vampire turned into his smoke form somehow. DeMenchev looks angry/determined again.

[DeMenchev] »HaH!« [Beylord] »My body?! Urgh!« [DeMenchev] »See you around Beylord! This won’t be our last meeting, I guarantee it!« DeMenchev escapes through the door. [Beylord] »Agh, I can’t move!«

The Vampire shifts quickly through his various forms before turning into his humanoid form again.

[Beylord] »Ah! Finally! DeMenchev will PAY for that!«

We cut to outside the Manor. The Vampire can be seen searching for DeMenchev.

[Beylord] »Where in Arvale did he go?! That geezer is fast!«

He turns into a bat.

[Beylord] »But he will get tired eventually! And I WILL find him! After all, he is… only human!«

He flies off.

A painting of his manor appears on screen, and text starts to slowly scroll up. It’s probably The Narrator speaking:

»Beylord was so enraged from his encounter with DeMenchev, that he completely forgot about his lust for regaining all of his vampire powers and continued his vengeful pursuit of DeMenchev for years. Every time Beylord caught up with him, DeMenchev was barely able to escape with his life. During their final encounter on a remote island, DeMenchev was cornered by Beylord with no exit in sight. At the last moment, just as Beylord was about to finish him off, DeMenchev warned him that he could still travel somewhere that even Beylord could not follow. Beylord scoffed at the preposterous remark and asked him where. »Through Time!« DeMenchev replied, and in an instant, DeMenchev disappeared in a bright flash. Beylord wouldn't believe the old fool at first, and continued searching for several decades. When it was apparent that DeMenchev should have been dead from old age and Beylord was not able to find any traces of his body, Beylord conceded that perhaps DeMenchev was telling the truth. And so, still bent only on revenge, Beylord returned to his manor to wait until the day he felt DeMenchev's presence again. Until then, he slept... For centuries.«

The End.

This guy has no chill. Here's a funny and chaotic doodle page I made of him.

Now… let’s dissect this and then start theorizing for a bit.

We now know how he probably ends up in Treasure of Memories / time travelling again. He uses time travel to escape from The Vampire, which shouldn't be possible... Because DeMenchev destroyed all the time pieces at the end of OOT. But he has canonically crazy smarts, he might have figured out a way to make his own. But perhaps they're not perfect, or became faulty, and thus can't control where he is sent to anymore like he says in Treasure of Memories. »I don't have control over when I am sent to anymore«.

And this might be how he becomes aware of The Cedar, 'God' of The Future, (main big bad guy in OOT) and that he’s planning something once again. When you time travel without a Stabilizer Idol at least, The Time 'Gods' become aware of you messing with time, and you might end up in their vortex. Which is kinda like their own pocket dimension. And DeMenchev might have not used a Stabilizer Idol because, why would he need to? He defeated the gods in OOT, except uh oh. The Cedar is still around after all. Anyway...

DeMenchev is by no means a stranger when it comes to making friends. Alex, Topf, Talynn, Tarsche, The Diver in Soneros, and probably many more people we don’t know of.

DeMenchev is a very busy person. If he’s not on a research adventure, he’s probably at home writing books about the topic he was researching. And if he’s not writing books at home, he’s probably spending time with the people in Queous like Anna and Alex. Probably only visiting friends during his travels.

But Beylord was special, in the same way Petya was special. They actually travelled together, significantly spending a lot more time with eachother.

A lot of things imply that this was a friend DeMenchev held very dear. In OOT, we start to get hints.

The way DeMenchev is immediately able to recognise him despite the newfound nonhuman visual qualities and having not seen him for a long time.

The way he talks to him: »Beylord! It is you. Of course, you know me… we used to travel together and go on expeditions...« The way he exclaims his name, the way he confirms it’s him, the way he trails of when he recalls their past…

The way he thinks about him »Poor Beylord… looks like his destiny is even worse than mine in this reality. What ever that means.« Pitying this someone that just tried to kill him without any negative feelings towards him. The fact he spared him, refusing to kill him. Something he’ll always do, no matter what. (»looks like his destiny is even worse than mine in this reality.« Augh aghk auogh you have no idea what’s coming, DeMenchev)

No matter what… Not even when The Vampire is terrorizing an entire continent, not even when The Vampire is about to kill him.

»l have several solutions to ending a vampire’s existence in my pocket. But I will only use them as a last resort. Because you are my friend.« I don’t think DeMenchev is lying. Yet, despite having several solutions in his pocket, he did not do it after Maestyl was destroyed, he did not do it after his life has been repeatedly threatened and barely escapes with his life. He rather dooms himself to time travel again, than kill The Vampire. He never uses it as a last resort. He couldn’t do it.

»I had to put a stop to it, but I couldn’t bring myself to kill my old friend!« This line is interesting, because it implies he knew how to kill The Vampire even before putting The Vampire in that slumber.

If you think about it… ironically, DeMenchev refusing to kill his 'friend'… ends up with him having blood on his hands. (Indirectly).

Letting The Vampire live puts a lot of people’s lives at risk. The most recent example being Maestyl. But even before that, The Vampire was terrorizing all of Kytar. That’s a whole continent!

And none of Kytar’s major powers were able to do anything about it. The Vampire we play in ST is a weakened version. Who knows what The Vampire was capable of at full power.

DeMenchev rather goes through with some really elaborate plan, where he methodically removes parts of The Vampire to put him into a slumber, so he can research a cure for him to turn human again (which might not be possible, I’ll get to that later) than kill him.

Which is admirable, but… in the end it was the wrong thing to do. Many people died, and DeMenchev never finds a cure.

On top of that, this path DeMenchev takes ends up being selfdestructive. He gets hunted viciously across the ENTIRE PLANET for years, has many close calls with death, and ends up having to time travel again. And according to what we learn in Treasure of Memories, he wants to return home, but does not control when he is sent to anymore. That sucks. A lot. He could have ended the nightmare and killed The Vampire at any time, return home, before doing time travelling again, but he didn’t.

And who knows what trail of blood The Vampire left behind while hunting him! In ST The Vampire does not think twice when killing the NPCs. And a vampire has to eat too... the blood of the people... RIP to anyone who crosses paths with that thing.

I can’t blame DeMenchev for trying to find a cure though. If I managed to save a loved one AND the world once through time travelling and defeating false gods, trying to find a cure for vampirism doesn’t seem so impossible now.

That, and he might also be motivated by grief, not wanting to loose someone again, possibly. We know Anna will die a death too soon, unless people got their history facts wrong in Treasure of Memories about DeMenchev. The good ending in OOT 'only' makes her live longer. And I know what you might be thinking. Did The Vampire kill Anna? I don't think so. Because if he did, I'm 99% sure that DeMenchev wouldn't hesitate anymore and he'd kill him. And then there's his friendship with Petya that got erased after The Time 'Gods' reset time and thus overwriting/ changing the timeline, with only strange dreams remaining as memories of the long time they spent together.

According to Cyper from Treasure of Memories: »DeMenchev... If I recall, he, I mean, *you* disappeared after the loss of his, sorry, *your* wife passed away... And was never found again!«

From OOT: [Petya] »Hello sir DeMenchev. I don't recall ever properly meeting you. But I feel as though I have known you for a long time. It is an honor to meet you. Now I know where those visions come from«. [DeMenchev] »Yes. Thank you, Petya. Thank you again for all of your help, even if neither of us remember it all. Take care«. [Petya] »Goodbye and good luck on your journeys DeMenchev.«

But I have theories about how turning The Vampire human again is impossible.

»I have no idea how you came to be what you are, but I am searching for a way to cure it! And I was fairly close…!« this bit is interesting, because it confirms that DeMenchev has no idea how The Vampire came to be, and it could maybe imply, that there was something that halted his progress, something that he couldn’t figure out. Something he didn't know. I have multiple theories what this could be.

Back in JOI, there’s this guy named Rinald in Nikal. He has this to say: »I am so close to figuring out the secret to the Sorcynth recipe for a heal potion! There seems to be one ingredient I just cannot put my finger on… I just need a little more research!« We later learn in JOI that this secret ingredient is dragon magic. DeMenchev does not know this. And when he does learn, he is already stuck time travelling again. Sorcynth's sins are exposed after it's collapse in the future as we can see in Treasure of Memories, which takes place not too long after JOI.

It could also be that DeMenchev does not know that The Vampire might (heavily implied but not confirmed) be soulless. And you can’t cure a lack of soul without the soul.

The fact that The Vampire might be soulless kinda makes the entire exchange in the manor and the whole situation a lot more tragic.

»I don’t know how you awoke from the state we put you in, but I will not allow you to do any more harm! To others, OR to yourself!« »I did it for you own good!« »We used to go on adventures together, back when you were human!« Trying to get through to someone, trying to remind someone, trying to reason with someone, who might not even be the person you think you are talking to. Which might not even be a person. Just a monstrous husk wearing your friend’s face. Metaphorical or possibly literal.

A small detail in the exchange after the battle I really like is the fact that DeMenchev falls completely silent. To a normal person, this is just there for normal dramatic effect and nothing else. If you are a detail freak like me, this silence might feel familiar. The only time we see DeMenchev fall into long silence like this is when he gets his heart broken by messed up versions of his girlfriend from alternate timelines after she says something really upsetting to him. And this situation is really similar. A messed up version of someone he held dear saying something really upsetting. »And now… for a taste!« The Vampire, his ‘friend‘, just told DeMenchev he's going to eat him... Or drink his blood at least. That’s gotta hurt, especially after everything.

Now… there’s the mystery of The Beylord Spirit. How did he lose his body? How does one end up soulless? Or rather, how does one separate the soul from the body? Well, I know one way! Dying. And vampires in a lot of stories tend to do that a lot before becoming vampires.

While a lot of the things we learn about Beylord in JOI are probably not canon anymore, some things do remain the same throughout all his iterations. Like the fact that he was a Sorcynth Potion Tester.

So let’s take the information we learn from the JOI Beylord encounter that don’t cause any inconsistencies, add my own theories into the mix, and speculate a narrative!~ ✎﹏

Long ago, a young researcher whose name will be remembered throughout Arvale history went on many adventures and expeditions with his friend Beylord by his side.

Until one day, Beylord had a terrible accident. We don’t know what this accident was, but Beylord stopped accompanying his friend afterwards. Maybe it happened during an expedition, which deterred him to continue travelling with his friend? Who knows.

Or perhaps the riches promised by Sorcynth were too tempting? Maybe both?

»During this time Sorcynth was still a relatively small company. Many of their potions were still untested, and they needed test subjects.« »Knowing the danger that was present, testers were paid extremely well.« Beylord accepted the offer and became one of them, leaving his friend behind. His friend will not hear from him for a long time...

Beylord »accumulated quite a bit of wealth and bought this castle, servants, the whole package«. »There were many, many deaths of testers from trying the potions.« He »was one of the lucky few who survived working for Sorcynth« for quite a while.

While he worked for Sorcynth, the Highly Experimental Potions started to change him in odd ways. They gave him powers. Like superhuman strength, speed, fire magic, water magic, being able to morph into animals. But the potions were not perfect yet so they came with odd side effects. Not being able to fully morph back into a human after turning into an animal, and getting stuck with some animalistic features like pointy ears, fangs, claws and turning nocturnal, perhaps. Developing odd weakneses like an allergy to garlic, silver, specific types of wood, wolfsbane, salt. You know, typical vampire weaknesses.

But maybe, one day, he didn’t get so lucky.

There are 2 ways I can think of how turning in a vampire one day working for Sorcynth could have occurred. (That's the gameover screen BTW.)

1). He turned into something like a Sorcynth Zombie like That Sorcynth Officer from Varju’s tale. »Sorcynth had been working on a potion for curing undead, zombies, etc. And… well, they never perfected it.« And The Vampire is the result. Somehow, his soul got separated from his body during that process, which could explain the change in character from good to ultra evil, and »after becoming a vampire, Beylord lost control with his immense powers and began terrorizing all the areas on the continent.« At least we can assume that during his human days Beylord used to be nice, DeMenchev would otherwise not have been his friend. Problem: That Sorcynth Officer does not show any hints of loosing his soul upon turning into a zombie. Maybe he just uses a different version of the potion though that doesn’t cause soullessness as a side effect though. That Sorcynth Officer does show a critical lack of ethics like The Vampire, but that’s just being a high ranking Sorcynth Officer. The Beylord Spirit cannot rest and move on to the next world because his body is currently terrorizing all of Kytar, or still 'alive', maybe both, hence why he’s still around.

2). »There were many, many deaths of testers from trying the potions.« What if one day he just straight up… died. Sorcynth proceeded to further experiment on his dead body, maybe trying to cure death itself, and The Vampire being the result, which proceeded to go turbo crazy on Kytar. Now… I don’t have anything to base this of. This is just speculation. But. If I was in the afterlife after I died and hoards of fellow souls blame me for their deaths and a bunch of terrible things back in the mortal world that I know I didn’t do… because I’m dead… Dude, you could not stop me with 10 inches of reinforced concrete, I would somehow find my way back to the mortal world to find out what the hell is going on and try to stop it.

No matter which of the 2 explanation we use here, the result is the same. We have an ultraviolent vampire on the loose in Kytar with The Beylord Spirit being present.

Also, unbeknownst to DeMenchev, he is trying to cure (un)death. Just like Sorcynth, which is kinda one those things that are impossible for mortals to do. Attempting this usually results in, well, undead creatures. Like… zombies… or vampires.

The Vampire reigns over Kytar, possibly with Mistress Lankha by his side. Since they seemed to know eachother judging by the exchange between them in ST. She calls him »Master Beylord« So maybe she worked for him. If it wasn't just part of The Vampire's powers/doing himself, maybe she is the one responsible for making everyone »forget about the incidents with Beylord entirely.« She seems powerful enough when it comes to magic to do so. And it would benefit her, she can open up her Fortune Telling business, without people associating her with Kytar’s Peril himself and shunning her.

As one would expect, the news of this vampire terrorizing the entire continent of Kytar spread to other places in Arvale. Eventually reaching DeMenchev.

»Years later, I hear that a vampire has been terrorizing everybody on the continent!«

DeMenchev hears of these news and decides to investigate. At this point, it seems our researcher has started become quite known. Being now recognizable and having to travel in disguise. Or perhaps he starts to wear a disguise later once he finds out who this monster is and wants The Vampire to not recognize him.

»And then I come to investigate and find it’s my old friend, Beylord! I had to put a stop to it, but I couldn’t bring myself to kill my old friend!«

That must have been quite a terrible revelation, to see that infamous monster wear such a familiar face... It seems DeMenchev has found a way, or multiple ways to end The Vampire’s existence. He might be the only person in Arvale with that knowledge. But he just couldn’t go through with it. So, he comes up with a new plan. Somehow put The Vampire into some sort of torpor so he may not hurt others and DeMenchev can work on a way to cure Beylord and turn him human again.

Which might not be possible, but hey, can’t blame the guy who defeated gods and saved the world and a loved one once for trying, right? If he managed to do that, surely he can find a way to cure vampirism, right…? Plus, he might not want to loose someone he holds dear, again.

DeMenchev figures out that in order to put The Vampire into that slumber, he needs to somehow remove his objects of power. Ring, Rib, Eyes and Heart. And he can’t do it alone.

So he assembles 4 brave men from Maestyl to help him, while he stays in disguise and only goes by his first name, John. Those being Captain Flint, Shopkeeper Ermes, Armorer Jinn, and Innkeep Charles.

With John as the leader, the resistance of Maestyl proceed to attack the beasts’ lair, the manor, and lure him out. Somehow, they manage to take The Vampire apart and proceed with the burial, but perhaps not unscathed.

Charles has a scar across his right eye, Flint might too (although it could just be part of his face tattoo, if that is a tattoo), Jinn has a scar on his left eye, only Ermes seems to not carry any lingering scars. Not that surprising, with his Konjian background he might have picked up some stealthy skills to avoid damage.

But DeMenchev seemed to have lost a whole eye. Claws could very well be capable of creating cuts like that, and DeMenchev as the leader could have gotten the worst from it.

When you play The Vampire in ST, he attacks with a really nasty uppercut with his claws, and when you fight DeMenchev in ST, you see how the claws strike his face and blood starts to spill around the area of his head. So… maybe that’s how he lost his eye. He got it clawed out The Vampire.

With The Vampire put into a slumber, DeMenchev begins searching for a way to cure him. He gets close, maybe almost finding ways to reverse a Sorcynth Potion’s effect but… there’s something he can’t figure out. Something that keeps him from finding a cure. Perhaps not being able to find out Sorcynth's secret usage of dragon magic, or the possible soullessness of The Vampire. But he keeps searching for years. For extra measure, a seal is put on the manor’s door, so The Vampire can’t enter, and robots built by DeMenchev hostile to The Vampire roam the halls in case something goes wrong when The Vampire is supposed to be awakened again and tries to enter the manor. The Vampire stays in this slumber until DeMenchev finds a cure. A cure for (un)death itself.. doesn’t sound exactly possible.

»Then the pieces of Beylord would be put back together to reawaken him and destroy his condition forever. However, Beylord’s powers were strong enough to influence other people’s actions, even while he slept. As the years passed, people seemed to forget about the incidents with Beylord entirely. And eventually, four adventurers brought his pieces back together, unbeknownst to them the terror they were unlocking.« Varju the Druid, Tabys the Assassin, Koden the Warrior and Lotus the Mage.

And a terror they did unlock. Unable to enter his manor at first, The Vampire makes his way to Maestyl, destroys all houses and kills everyone in it, except for Lankha and her home. He collects the seals from Jinn, Ermes, Flint and Charles to break the seal on his manor and enters. On a side note, while playing as Tabys the Assassin, you will get a quest where you have to retrieve an object for Fekre, the scholar.

[Fekre] »Well, you look like one of the more well traveled citizens around here, and I need someone who can find access to cross Beylord Lake. You see, I’m studying the origins of Beylord Lake and I’m looking for a certain artifact that is supposed to be near the temple across the lake. If my information is correct, there should be a Khonsti Spear nearby the temple. If you find a Spear in that area, please bring it to me, and I will make it worth your while.« (Next to the temple where Beylord is burried) [Narrator] »You catch a hint of metal glinting behind the rubble. Upon further examination…« You took Khonsti Spear: A deadly looking spear, suposedly used by the famous General Khonsti. (back in Maestyl) [Fekre] »This is… yes! This is exactly it! General Khonsti’s Spear! If this is true, then the rumors about him and Beylord might prove to be true as well! Thank you very much for this!«

We don't get any more information about what this General has to do with The Vampire , but... it gives us a clue how DeMenchev managed to find a way to not end up forgetting about The Peril of Kytar as well, like everyone else except Lankha. The reason Fekre seems to at least know something about The Vampire/Beylord despite probably having his memories decayed as well, is because he still has texts about him to read. And what does our dear researcher DeMenchev do? Diligently write in his journal... It should not be too difficult at all for DeMenchev to piece together what happened and maybe even find a way to get his memories back completely.

Remember The Warrior Spirit from JOI?

He tells us he »was tricked into defeating a witch, whom in return, placed a curse upon me and the entire town.«

The Warrior Spirit tells us he was a skilled warrior in his time. Sounds a lot like the Ex-General, Koden the Warrior to me. Except.. It can’t be him because a lot of the things he says just couldn’t have happened. Ex-General Koden is busy being king of the continent of Lanthys, he has no reason to be in Kytar. I do believe the Warrior Spirit probably served as the inspiration for Koden, but again, a lot of the things we learn in JOI are probably retconned.

A witch placing a curse on the entire town… would explain how the once dead townspeople roam the ruins of Maestyl as monsters in the future. And I can only think of one character who would be powerful enough and present at this moment in time to place this curse upon Maestyl: Lankha.

But why would she do that? Does she believe this a better fate for the people than being dead?

Well, Lankha is … a morally dubious character. She has capabilities for kindness, tutoring Lotus and teaching Varju the cat morph, but she also does things that are very selfish. Like tasking an assassin to steal a magical item from someone for her, or not warning the people that The Vampire has come to destroy them and the town. »I’m going to destroy the town, you know…« »Yes, I have foreseen that. But thank you for the warning. I believe I may have to move my business to a new location.«

She even allies with The Vampire, like she may have done in the past. Right now mostly for gold and probably for not wanting to get on his bad side. Even though she is capable of destroying The Vampire by turning into a giant undefeatable beast, she chooses not to. Perhaps there are consequences for turning into that form, and that’s why she’d rather not do it if given a choice.

Eventually, The Vampire heads to his manor.

We know DeMenchev is somewhere in the region, since he can be found while you play the other 4 characters during daytime. Most of the houses in Maestyl have been set ablaze. I wonder if he saw the glow of the fire and the smoke rising and decided to investigate, only to stumble upon the destruction of Maestyl. Aside from the raging fire, there would be no sound. No one would answer if he called out, and searching through the burning rubble he’d find no one left alive. He’d notice the one house left untouched. Heading inside he finds Lankha. Who probably foresaw his arrival, and similar to that one messed up timeline in OOT with The Occult Woman (who might be Lankha), directs him where The Vampire is. Or at least tells him it was The Vampire and not her who destroyed the town. And that’s how he figures where he has to head next, quickly.

I imagine, whatever interaction they had, it probably wasn’t pretty. Perhaps resulting with the town getting cursed by Lankha. Lankha foresaw what would happen, and did nothing to prevent it, as if the future is pre-determined. Which it isn't, anymore, thanks to DeMenchev literally defeating the entity in OOT who enforced determinism on the world. Maybe he begged her, maybe he demanded from her, maybe he threatened her, maybe he forced her to do something. Anything, to help the people of Maestyl. And she obliged. In her own way.

DeMenchev quickly makes is way through the manor, to that one room, busting in like the legend he is and interrupts The Vampire just before he tried to regain all of his powers.

They battle, DeMenchev looses, pulls a trick to escape and is now hunted across all of Arvale for years.

»Beylord was so enraged from his encounter with DeMenchev, that he completely forgot about his lust for regaining all of his vampire powers and continued his vengeful pursuit of DeMenchev for years. Every time Beylord caught up with him, DeMenchev was barely able to escape with his life. During their final encounter on a remote island, DeMenchev was cornered by Beylord with no exit in sight. At the last moment, just as Beylord was about to finish him off, DeMenchev warned him that he could still travel somewhere that even Beylord could not follow. Beylord scoffed at the preposterous remark and asked him where. »Through Time!« DeMenchev replied, and in an instant, DeMenchev disappeared in a bright flash.«

Disappearing like that instead of killing The Vampire, you know, »last resort« and all, is a… incredibly dangerous move for everyone else. With DeMenchev disappearing like that, he might no longer be in The Vampire’s focus and nothing is now stopping The Vampire from regaining all of his powers and terrorize people again.

When the most selfish and self destructive thing you’ve ever done is refusing to kill your ‘friend‘… That is so rough.

Thankfully, due to the sheer astronomical levels of rage and pettiness radiating from The Vampire, he does not end up doing that.

Instead, »Beylord wouldn't believe the old fool at first, and continued searching for several decades. When it was apparent that DeMenchev should have been dead from old age and Beylord was not able to find any traces of his body, Beylord conceded that perhaps DeMenchev was telling the truth. And so, still bent only on revenge, Beylord returned to his manor to wait until the day he felt DeMenchev's presence again. Until then, he slept... For centuries. «

This ending implies DeMenchev never makes it home, since The Vampire for centuries is not able to feel his presence (and subsequently The Beylord Spirit can never rest. Not until the day The Vampire is destroyed).

However… While playing Treasure of Memories, which takes place roughly 1000 years in the future from DeMenchev’s perspective, there’s this NPC who tells the tale of a once Great Library in Queous, DeMenchev’s hometown. I don’t remember DeMenchev’s exact reaction to this tale, but I recall him being very intrigued…

And it made me think, if anyone, it would be him, Arvale’s most famous researcher, trying to create this library, or play some role in its creation.

I know for a fact at the end of Treasure of Memories, he tries to head back home, somehow. Maybe he succeeds without getting The Vampire’s attention. Maybe.

I can't say for certain what will happen to The Vampire or The Beylord Spirit. Maybe Duncan still stumbles upon The Vampire in the future and destroys him for good, and The Beylord Spirit can finally rest. I can merely speculate. Remember those thieves from the very beginning? They're invisible to everyone, except Duncan, thanks to a certain Dragon infusing him with magic. Maybe that's why he can see certain spirits as well. Maybe The Beylord Spirit tasked him with destroying The Vampire.

Who knows for certain…

Except 🤖Jaybot7.

[enddaysengine]

Yamaraj (Psychopomp, Paths Beyond)

Paizo loves to draw on real-world myth and religion to flesh out the Age of Lost Omens and these psychopomps are no exception. Yamaraj is one of the names of the Hindu God of Death, who also shows up in many, many other Asian religions and mythologies. While Yamarajes are largely created whole-cloth for Pathfinder as best as I can tell, they share their role as the afterlife's supreme judges with their namesake. 

When dealing with psychopomps in general, and yamarajes specifically, it’s critical to remember that, while they have hierarchies, these are not devils. The bureaucracy of the Boneyard is considerably more laissez-faire than that of Hell. Psychopomps follow their hierarchy because if they don’t someone further up, the chain of command might bury them under so much busy work they’d wish they could die. A psychopomp may all be the spirit of the law one day, then the letter of the law of the next, simply because it is convenient. If it gets them the results they believed to be correct, they may not have any qualms about breaking the law entirely.  

All this means the yamarajes get a high degree of latitude to deal with problems as they see fit. They are the penultimate step on the org chart, second only to the Ushers and the gods themselves. They are smart, cunning, corvid-dragons of death who heal from lightning and have the scarab swarms from The Mummy ‘99 as their breath attack. You try telling them they’re doing their job wrong. It can be tough to find inspiration for outsiders acting this way, but luckily one series does exist. Daily Bestiary recommended Garth Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom to me a while back and while it’s not a perfect fit for psychopomps (he suggested it re: rilmani), the denizens of the House are a good starting point for getting in the mindset of neutral outsiders.  

Rajit the Wayward stubbornly insists that he is not, although the nickname has stuck amongst mortals and his erstwhile colleagues. The yamaraj hasn’t set foot in the Boneyard for nearly 3000 years, proclaiming to anyone who will listen that she has merely taken a short sabbatical and will return to his courtroom soon enough. Even his fellow immortals are skeptical, but Pharasma has made no move to censure him, so the other Yamarajes put up with his truancy. Meanwhile, Rajit serves as one of the few points of stability within the First World realm of Nighthold, dispensing legal advice to those in need. Rajit is just as curious about the fey as they are about the psychopomp, which helps him endure both their shenanigans and treachery. He is one of the easier psychopomps for mortals to approach — if they can make it through the remnants of Count Ranalc’s kingdom.  

Like any body of water in the Universe, the River of Souls has its own weather. Shah Jamshid rules over the largest of these storms, riding it up and down the River as he incinerates soul thieves with lightning bolts. The yamaraj's storm doesn't usually disturb the departed, but every few years he must recruit adventurous to track down souls who get blown stray. While irritating, Jamshid justifies these minor interruptions to the River's flow as the price for ensuring daemons and powerful undead don't do worse damage. 

Lucius Census-Taker has always been fascinated by swarms. He revels in his breath attack and spends his downtime as an amateur entomologist. Not that he has much downtime - Lucius has taken it upon himself to process the souls slain in the final battles with the closure of the Worldwound. His fascination with all things swarm extends to the dead demon lord Deskari. Lucius is an invaluable resource for parties seeking information on the fallen demigod, but between the bureaucracy of the Boneyard and his dangerous sojourns into the Outer Rifts, he is hard to track down.

[underleveledjosh]

I'm theorycrafting a team and I just realized that this is is Team Underworld.

I might replace Sampo with Pela since the only person in this team that can impair enemies is Luka.

And, yes. The team is Damage Over Time centered and the only character here who actually needs crit rate and crit damage is Hook.

[rizwans-pigeon-coop]

Today I learned about enemy prioritizing and the punishment for not doing that in Darkest Dungeon.

[another-rpg-sideblog]

Tavern Encounters by dndspeak on instagram