#and fane does too :D

[queen-scribbles]

#etain/vikkari#etain torren#otp: may i?#okay I finally have some time at a computer so I can SCREAM ABOUT THIS AAAAAAAAAHHHH#I love so much how gentle he is with her while also never treating her like she's fragile#and how she's at the temple asking for guidance and gets an answer in the form of the wooden bear in her pocket#👀 girl that's sarenrae playing matchmaker ((stormlord voice) where does your strength come from?)#AND THE KISS 🥰🥰🥰#ETAIN.EXE is not responding#self-doubt spiral cancelled on account of forehead kiss#SO GOOD what a perfect prompt for them I love everything about this

@haledamage yay, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I love writing our kids together, their dynamic is so great.(It makes me wish I had the know-how and resources to actually make Vikkari a companion in the game, and then get a little sad that I can’t xD) For all his worrywart tendencies, he knows and doesn’t discount people’s capabilities. So unless he’s in full mother hen mode(LANN WEAR A SHIR- wdym you don’t get sunburn???), he not likely to baby someone. And part of what attracts him to Etain in the first place is her skill, so the last thing he’s gonna do is devalue that and act like she’s helpless.🥰🥰

Sarerae’s matchmaking pretty hard there, yeah. Desna might be helping a bit too(Vikkari did have a reason he went to the chapel, but promptly forgot it when he saw Etain was there xD). I see this as being ~a week before the assault on the Midnight Fane, which is where the lock in for his romance would happen, so we’re very close to this being some level of official. :D 

I had to take advantage of the fact they’re sitting down--and thus basically the same height--to do a forehead kiss. 🥰 I was toying with having him kiss the scar right at the top edge of her mask, but went with forehead bc a) there’s a cheek kiss as part of his romance lock, so we can say that happens there, b) forehead kisses make me scream, and c) it felt like it fit the current stage of their relationship better. There’s definitely attraction on both sides, but neither’s taken the step to “do something” and make it more serious/official yet (but soon👀). There’s a gentleness and intimacy to a forehead kiss that--aside from making me screech internally--is less likely overstepping boundaries. And then he’s still worried he did that. the ETAIN.EXE not responding must have been showing on her face. xD He’s really truly smitten by this point and doesn’t wanna do anything that makes her uncomfortable. 

It really is a perfect prompt for them; they and AJ/Nate both went 👀👀 immediately and loudly, a couple other pairings eyed it from a distance, but these two started talking first in terms of plot and dialogue. Such a good fit for them.

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

Fourteen things I noted about CR2E88 “Unwanted Reunions” and the Talks Machina about it :

Laura is at the Video Game Awards for the beginning of the episode, but makes her grand entrance 40 minutes in, dressed up and looking BEAUTIFUL. I thought Travis' heart eyes at his wife were the greatest thing. Turns out, she just left the award show without waiting to see if she won her category, because she saw on Twitter than Sam was using her dice ! And she wanted to play D&D with her friends. ICONS ONLY. STAND-UP OVATION FOR MRS. LAURA BAILEY. Sam, 100% serious : "I think we all admire your priorities."

Jester, very cheerfully, about Trent : "We could just kill him, chop him up into little tiny pieces, and then we escape to Xhorhas and we never come back !!" Seems like a good plan, honestly. If anyone deserves that, it's Trent. Also love that Caleb flash-backed to the time where Jester just put an axe through a dude's head.

The Mighty Demands : 1) to not be forced to go anywhere on the spot 2) they will not go back to Xhorhas supervised 3) they will not go until they see the beacon the Assembly claims to have 4) they want to know what the Empire and the Cerberus Assembly actually want, because if they doin't want something, what does that mean ? what's the logic ?... this line is not a hard line actually it's a paragraph by Caduceus 5) a 1000 platinum 6) the Empire should cover their incidentals at the hotel, come on ! 7) chocolate 8) armements, not almond mints 9) the Empire should not be alone in charge of the fane under the Cathedral of Pelor 10) pastries !

Oooooh, how I like how Caleb is lying to the Martinet about the Mighty Nein's journey into Xhorhas ! The best lies have some truth in them, and that is absolutely what he's doing, he's just twisting some details.

The Mighty Nein finally have a good idea for the neutral territory in which to hold peace talks, and that is : in the middle of the ocean, on their boat ! The Martinus Ludin'eth Deleth : "What's it called ?" The Mighty Nein, immediately realizing their mistake : "... It's called The Balleater."

Jester called Trent "Mr. Icky-Thong". POWER MOVE !!

WOOPS Nott tried to let the Beacon take her mind and grant her a re-roll, and Trent immediately guessed the Mighty Nein were familiar of how the beacon works. WOOPS. If he's intelligent (and he is many things but stupid is not one of them) I think he can now know what happened to the beacon lost in Zadash.

Love that the Mighty Nein are deflecting this line of questioning by being assholes about the tripod. Very MN behavior.

Obsessed, Obsessed I say ! with the way Jester is 1) aware of her cheerfull behavior and kindness 2) aware that she's not on the same level as "normal people" regarding said kindness and behavior 3) will USE KINDNESS AS A WEAPON or at least a means to an end. She really managed to distract the Martinet and Trent. i JUST !! love her so much. It takes courage, it takes spirit, it takes kindness and care to do that.

I love Caduceus, and I respect his "the truth will set you free" approach, and it has indeed worked very well with the Mighty Nein, because they were so used to being shifty motherfuckers, but ! In this instance, with the Assembly, inside of the political nest of vipes that is Rexxentrum, I trully think that proposing to tell the truth is a bad idea. The Mighty Nein needs to be shifty motherfuckers once again.

Did Marisha had the early idea for Laudna with this crazy cool shopkeeper character Matt put on ? I wouldn't bet money against it.

Fjord : "Well, if we're not going to Pride's Call, and we need to kill a few days in town... Should we enter a fighting tournament ?" Matt, forgetting his impartial role as the DM : "Yes !! FUCK YES !" Fjord : "Does such a thing exist in this town ?" Matt, still not impartial : "I can make one !" This is so rare too see of Matt that I laughed so much.

Dani : "This... mayb be the horniest episode of Talks Machina. And I've been keeping track !"

Sam trying to get answers out of Liam about Caleb and Eodwulf and Astrid's relationship is so fun. He tries and tries and tries but Liam wants the answers to fall naturally in the game.

[emerald-amidst-gold]

A chance to learn more about Fane and Solas?? 🌟 I'VE BEEN SUMMONED 🌟

What would they do if the other woke in a manic state after a nightmare?

Who would beg the other not to leave? Who has to leave to protect the other?

And because the first two questions are made of potential ouchie:

Whose the serious one when grocery shopping and who likes to toss random things in the cart?

*jumps up and down with glee* AH-HA! My summoning spell worked! >:D

Hello, friend! Allow me to give you a glimpse into the daily machinations of a stubborn wolf and a grumpy-ass dragon!

What would they do if the other woke in a manic state after a nightmare?

Now, this is a pretty simple question to answer since Fane does tend to become manic after one of his nightmares. There's one instance that I created in my head (during Haven's arc actually) where Solas catches Fane sleeping. Mainly, Fane couldn't stave off exhaustion anymore, and ends up passing out in his tent. That would be all well and good and necessary if deep bouts of slumber didn't make Fane's nightmares worse.

---

Solas froze at the entrance, his hand that was carefully peeling the tent flap back now gripping it with momentary surprise. His brows furrowed and his ears twitched as he heard the sound of...muttering? Yes, what he heard had to be muttering. It was quiet, but spastic in some intervals, as if someone were in a state of panic.

And that hysteria only seemed to grow as his ears picked up on what was being said by a voice he now knew all too well.

"What do you want...? What do you want...? What do you want?!" What sounded like a growling whimper followed those desperate pleas, "Just leave me alone already...! You took it all--my body, my mind, my choices. All that I had, you took... You fucking took... What more can you gain from haunting my motherfucking dreams..?!"

Solas felt his brow deepen the longer he listened, and the longer he was told, indirectly, a story he quite possibly wouldn't be privy to otherwise. It wasn't often that he found interest in eavesdropping, or wedging himself into the private affairs of another, but this was--it felt--he wasn't sure, truth be told. All he knew was that story was being told by someone that had thus far appeared unflappable and indifferent to every rising occurrence that had transpired in the few months they had known each other.

It was being told by Fane, and that made Solas' heart ache with a pain he couldn't properly identify...

---

So this is just a foundation blurb. Mainly just showing that this is generally how Fane wakes up in the mornings after a nightmare. He mutters and mumbles, finding it difficult to differentiate reality from imaginary. This is mild, however. Fane's episodes can involve a lot more...violence than this. *sweats* But basically, Solas approaches these episodes with unwavering patience. He doesn't attempt to pull from Fane directly from his spiral, but instead ushers him back gently and slowly with straightforward questioning. The best thing to do when someone is in the midst of a panic or anxiety attack is to make them feel safe, and Solas tries to do that by showing Fane that he's awake, he's alive, and that his father is nowhere in sight.

As for Fane comforting Solas, he would more or less do the same exact thing. Fane learns through being shown, and basically he'll imitate what Solas does for him in the hopes that it'll help. Normally, it does, but if it doesn't then Fane wastes no time in attempting something else. My son is tenacity and devotion made flesh; he doesn't back down when the person he loves is in distress. :3

Who would beg the other not to leave? Who has to leave to protect the other?

This might come as a shock, but Solas would be the one to try and persuade Fane not to leave.

And he does just that Pre-Trespasser.

There's a lot I'm still working on in regards to this, but basically, Fane finds out about something regarding himself, something he can't ignore. Flemeth is actually the one to 'tease' it towards Fane when he and Solas go to the meet with her after Corypheus is slain. It's something that pertains to Fane's overall identity and origin, but it is extremely, extremely dangerous information; it puts him and Solas in harm's way. Fane, as he does, makes the decision to get to the bottom of everything, spurred on by finally perhaps getting answers, but more importantly, because Solas and his cause would potentially suffer if he didn't.

Solas...he doesn't agree with the decision. Mainly because it takes Fane somewhere that many people, mortal and immortal, fear--The Void. Let that percolate, would you? *sips tea*

Whose the serious one when grocery shopping and who likes to toss random things in the cart?

Solas is the serious one. Without a fucking doubt. I could see that man couponing and bargain shopping. Ohh, could I see it! Fane isn't generally one to focus on money; he gives no shits about it. XD So, he would be the one to see a fifteen dollar tub of gourmet ice cream and be like, "Is that chocolate? Ohh, yeah! *yoinks it*"

...Solas would proceed to give Fane 'the stare' until he puts it back and grabs the off-brand ice cream that's just as good, but a whole lot cheaper. X'D

---

And there we have it! Those first ones were ouchies, but the last one balanced it out! Thank you, my friend! *throws flowers in the air*

[rikysbookreviews]

Aurora Sky - Nikki Jefford

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Aurora Sky - Vampire Hunter #1

I wasn't expecting much from this book, but I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. I'm busy trying not to go into the whole plot here, but I'll try to keep it up :-D

I really liked the plot... As you probably already knew (either from the title or the annotation), it's a story with vampires. Not that we're short on them :-D But I personally haven't read anything with that particular theme yet. Of course I've read about vampires, but to have the government involved in this way? To create their own hunters by injecting them with vampire blood with all sorts of diseases? I'm kind of intrigued. How does an author come up with something like that... but I like it. I like the way the plot develops, too. How Aurora loses her best friend because she got into college while her friend hasn't... It could have been explained better - more - but it was still enough. Then how Aurora meets new friends... and not just a few..... I also liked the mentor idea and the author's choice of Dante (my favorite). I don't quite understand what exactly Aurora sees in Fane.... well, according to the description he's supposed to have a pretty nice body, but somehow I can't imagine what he looks like.... he's described in quite a bit of detail, but I don't know... my imagination just refuses to work when I try to picture him.... but as far as character goes, he's not bad either... I mean, a dude with his personality would be worth a sin :-)

Quite surprising to me was how the author involved Aurora's mother in the story... that she was the one who signed Aurora up to the government (with the good intention of saving her life), and then knew basically everything.... about her missions (not the details, of course)... and sacrificed a lot for Aurora... since Aurora had a phobia of driving (and kind of cars in general) after the accident, she drove her everywhere...

But now for the not-so-nice part.... at times it felt very amateurish and kind of half-baked.... the way the agents explain to Aurora what happened to her... I understand that it was supposed to be cool (government agents aren't very warm after all), but still... you don't give someone who's come out of a coma after a serious accident all the facts and basically no facts... I don't know... in my opinion, the author could have squeezed in maybe an extra week or some kind of paramedic to give Aurora more insight into what happened to her.... but that's my opinion..... I also felt like the author kind of misjudged Aurora's age... she's eighteen in the book, but most of the time I felt like she acted like she was fifteen or sixteen....

But let's recap.... the plot is great and if you like YA books with vampire themes, I think you'll like if not love this book... but I have to warn you that it's a simpler read. If you're more into intellectual titles, you probably won't get too excited... but it's up to you if you give it a chance. Anyway, I'll be glad for any feedback you have if you do decide to read this book :-)

[venndaai]

I’ve been playing more of DOS2 and I finally got out of Fort Joy (after ten hours...) 

So far I’m really enjoying it. I said that POE did a great job replicating the D&D experience but DOS2 takes it to another level with the sheer variety of options open at all times and the way the party feels like a real party of pcs rather than one pc and their followers. However this can get annoying and overwhelming at times, like I spent ten hours in Fort Joy because I felt like I had to do everything, and often I would look up guides or save scum to try and achieve that. This might just be an issue of adjusting my playstyle though. 

I love the party members, and it was painful having to leave two of them behind. I’m playing Beast, and I ended up taking Ifan, the Red Prince, and Sebille. Ifan because I’m already in love with him, Sebille because I love the corpse eater mechanic, and the Red Prince because I’m intrigued by the potential dynamic between this arrogant entitled prince and Beast, the royal bastard turned revolutionary. Fane was obnoxious enough that I didn’t feel too sad leaving him but I do miss Lohse a lot; gotta do another playthrough and romance her as Sebille. 

I managed to keep the damn cat alive long enough to get the familiar but then it vanished, probably exploded somewhere in the woods. Oh well. Speaking of animals, the talking to animals perk is like the best thing ever, holy shit. That really does feel like a DM having fun improv-ing. 

[a-tear-in-the-veil]

Writing Rant

I. just. want. To. Write.

Well I want to write for a specific character at the moment.

I can't seem to settle on what to write. I have my one project for Fe3h, but I'm all into my Tiefling character at the moment who started as my BG3 character and then I decided that she would fit better with the DOS2 Chaos Crew (specifically a Sitri x Fane dynamic). SO, I was trying to devise a way to meld D&D Universe with Rivellon (DOS2 Universe) because Sitri (my tiefling) is from the Faewyld which is my homebrew version of the Feywild, based in D&D concepts. I also wanted to add more races to the world, but that gets complicated with the story in DOS2 because the gods are so heavily involved.

THEN, I started playing POE2 and the character dynamics with Sitri and the companions would also be super good (Sitri x Aloth). The world is super cool and would meld with D&D stuff much better, but, again, the gods/religion make it complicated. Again, I would want to implement some version of the Forgotten Realms/Exandria (CR) pantheon but that puts some facts of the world at odds. ALSO, I don't know how much I like the POE storylines so that would also need to be adjusted (For a couple years now I've been like, I'm gonna write a novelization of a game for context).

Here are the themes I like in both games/worlds:

Souls/Source (Souls and Reincarnation are more of a POE thing but source has something to do with souls. Larian leaves it pretty ambiguous)

Ships are involved

Companion Dynamics

Interactions with the gods

Ancient, advanced civilizations that disappeared

Possible Solutions (My complicated, crackpot ideas)

Explaining discrepancies with the different planes of existence:

So, in D&D land and many fantasy RPGs for that matter have different planes of existence. Generally there's

plane of origin for fiends

plane of origin for celestials

plane of origin for elementals

place for deities

a way of getting from one plane to another

a way for spells and monsters that use the Astral Plane and Ethereal Plane to function

(Dungeon Master's Guide Book, p. I don't know)

I am interested in the concepts of The Far Realm, The Outlands and Sigil, and Transitive Planes (Ethereal and Astral Planes)

SO~ I was thinking that if the Feywild is a reflection of the Prime Material realm it could be an in-between space between different realities. Within the Faewyld (spelling Faewyld is for my homebrew bullshit) there are different islands of varying sizes and each island is connected to different martial realms (different universes). So you could theoretically sail to different lands in the Faewyld and end up in, for example Mystara (D&D Universe) if you go to the correct island and find the correct gateway (which are various colored pools of water like the D&D Astral Pools). With that logic I guess that makes the Faewyld, and consequently the Shadowfell, Transitive Planes. The Ethereal and Astral Planes would still exist too (I think Ethereal Plane would be a literal overlapping of worlds. A place where you can see into all the realms at once).

ANYWAYS~ my Faewyld would connect to Rivellon and some more tradition D&D universe which I thought would be the Forgotten Realms (Toril) but it might be a meld of Forgotten Realms and Eora. Or maybe I'll mix Rivellon and Eora. Fuck if I know. Point being, my Faewyld connects to two different Material Planes. Still having trouble with the exact structure of the cosmetology, and deciding what that means for Gods and the nine hells, etc. I am probably way over-thinking this but I'm hype fixated on it so I need to know before I can really start writing. Still I get hung up on the Gods. Does each Material Plane have a different set of gods? Does each plane have its own Nine Hells? Is there a relationship between "Gods," in both material planes? I have also decided that the Far Realm is the equivalent of DOS2's Void.

[xellandria]

Zmija Yilan was a temporary character I played towards the end of our Tomb of Annihilation campaign after my boy Alexus got petrified by a beholder somewhere deep in the bowels of the tomb itself.  We were able to “salvage” both him and Amara (who had also gotten petrified in the same fight) by shoving them into the Bag of Holding, but short of having the two of us sit on the bench while the remaining two party members waddled back to town, we had to roll some new characters.

I spent most of the week between the petrification and the new characters appearing being mad at myself for not remembering I had Inspiration I could have used to reroll either of my failed dex saves and not being able to do much beyond that, but with less than 72 hours left until she had to debut, I finally pulled an idea out of my butt, ran it by the DM because it involved Shenanigans™, got the OK and started designing her. Thus was born Zmija Yilan, whose appearance was based partly on an old photo that was semi-viral on Tumblr several years prior and partly on Xelloss from Slayers because when I’m in a pinch, that’s always who I fall back on, and have been doing so for like, 20+ years at this point lmao.  Personality-wise, there was a post floating around Tumblr that week about proverbs in various languages that, when translated literally or without context, made very little sense so she got a lot of that (and associated misunderstandings based on language mix-ups) mixed in with—again—Xelloss from Slayers, because I am a hack.  I would probably never play her again because she was so firmly entrenched in that campaign and also there’s some parts of how I designed/played her that I look back on and am like “ehhh I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the optics of this,” but I enjoyed playing her a lot more than I expected, and I look back on the end of our Tomb campaign very fondly because of it.

I haven’t been able to talk about her in public both for a lack of reason to do so and because I didn’t want to “spoil” my group in case they found my various social media posts, but as it’s nearly a year since she was introduced and nine months since the campaign ended, I’m gonna absolutely wall of text the shit outta this bitch, rofl (that said there’s baby’s first nekkid pin-up under here so assuming Tumblr lets me actually post it, fair warning for that under the cut)

Zmija Yilan - level 8-10 Human* Warlock (Great Old Ones/Pact of the Tome) (usually this is where my D&D character posts put stats but I don’t actually have access to her character sheet anymore, so let’s just pretend she had something ridiculous like maxed Charisma because I remember my spell DC being ridiculously high)

Zmija Yilan is a traveler from the far-off land of Zemlya, and a disciple of Matrymriy, one of the "family" of five gods in the pantheon of that region.  Matrymriy came to Zmija in a dream one night and told her to travel across the seas because She had a task for her, and that she would learn more once she reached her destination.  She's been traveling around Faerun for seven or so years—reaching one place, being given hints to go to a specific location, and upon reaching it, being told to travel on without seeming to do much more than just Be There.  Upon reaching Chult sometime within the last few months, her patron's hints indicated that she should travel to a place called Shilku Bay; she hired a guide (named Salida) and a bodyguard (a Fort Belurian mook) with what little locally-acceptable currency she had; they got separated after being attacked by a band of undead, and after failing to reunite with them, she was wandering around lost, trusting that Matrymriy will guide her where She desires her to go.

Part of her wandering had her end up in the Tomb of the Nine Gods itself, where she encountered our adventuring party (down two player characters) desperately trying to find their way out of the tomb in the hopes of returning to Port Nyanzaru to depetrify their friends.  Our barbarian’s player immediately distrusted her because I’d drawn her tabletop token with her back to the camera, which was an awkward feeling almost immediately returned in-game because both the barbarian and paladin aren’t hardcore RPers but they had to carry all the RP weight as they were introduced to this new character and explain that they were there to destroy a lich (both because it was the source of all the bad undead in the area, and because they’d been promised a reward—a motivation Zmija understood, as “a hungry bear will not dance.”)  Beyond the usual RP awkwardness there was an additional layer of awkwardness between the characters IC as at the time, Thokk was barely wearing more than a breastplate and loincloth, while Zmija was covered neck-to-ankle despite the heat and humidity of the region.  She claimed that in the culture of Zemlya, having strangers see your skin was a mark of great shame and that modesty was of paramount importance, so seeing so much of him was very off-putting and threw her off-balance for much of their initial interactions. 

Getting off on the “wrong” foot with the party and pushing as hard as I could into Zmija’s quirks (the weird proverbs, sprinkling in her Zemlyan vocabulary and making a point of her being from Very Far Away with Very Different Customs) meant I went a little too hard on them at the beginning, which is partly what I’d do differently and partly why the whole thing ended up working, so it’s a weird retrospective balance.  If my partymates had ever shoved (almost) any of the names or places Zmija mentioned into google, they probably would have twigged to the scheme pretty dang fast.

In reality, Zmija is not a human traveler from Zemlya, because surprise! she's actually Zsaksatyi, a Chultian Yuan-Ti Pureblood under the command of Fenthaza.  She worked as a bit of a double agent/interrogator within the Fane prior to her current assignment (hence her spell list's focus on information gathering, silent communication, and manipulation); she's been fleshing out her alternate persona for years and would occasionally pretend to be a captive and be thrown in one of those cells the party was in to get relevant information from the other prisoners, or assist others that were interrogating prisoners by more direct means (via Detect Thoughts).  In-universe, the language she pretends to speak is mostly made up, and something she's been working on for years at this point—it's not a fully-fleshed conlang and she only has a couple hundred words and phrases but it's enough to be consistent and believable when she sprinkles it into regular speech.  Since there's no real risk of running into anyone else from Zemlya (because it doesn't actually exist), it mostly didn't matter, and since there's actual meaning behind the words she does have, in theory it would have held up to a spell like Comprehend Languages as well. Out of universe, the language she speaks is an amalgamation of my own conlang stuff (which, like the in-universe version, is very limited and not complete) and various words and phrases pulled mostly from real-world Slavic languages (russian, croatian, hungarian, etc) with a little bit of Turkish thrown in when my English-only ear felt that it fit or when I had already used a word and needed another word for the same thing.  Zsaksatyi (pronounced dzahk sot-YEE) is the only name/word in the whole mess that doesn’t actually mean something somewhere, and was a combination of syllables from an online Yuan-Ti name generator that I kinda liked together. If she had ever been outed, I would probably have come up with something a little less cumbersome for me and my (almost certainly wholly monolingual) D&D group to say... but she didn’t, so Zsaksatyi it stays!

She very much looks up to Fenthaza and almost idolizes and worships her—if she ever had to choose between Fenthaza or Dendar, things might have gotten a little bit rough for her (possibly no matter which way she ultimately jumped, though I imagine Dendar's vengeance would be more immediate, if Dendar's a hands-on sort of patron).  Thankfully (for her), there was very little risk of that given that the party had left Fenthaza on reasonably neutral terms (having already helped her oust Ras Nsi from his position of power in the Fane and the party having essentially marked that dungeon as “cleared”). Fenthaza had sent her to scout the Tomb of the Nine Gods and locate (or steal) an artifact known as the Black Opal Crown, which will allow the Night Mother to emerge into the world.  The group actually came across the crown pretty soon after Zmija (and our other new character, a firbolg druid named Mei Ren who replaced our cleric, Amara) joined them, but the party couldn’t figure out how to get it out of the room it was in and Zsaksatyi was content that it would be safe from both our group and other adventurers there while she found her way back to the Fane (though she Sent the location to Fenthaza in case she wasn’t able to make it back).  That was actually like, halfway through the session right after she’d been introduced so having her sneak off that fast would have been absolutely wild, so I kept playing her as Zmija and while there were myriad opportunities for her to be discovered—including a hallway where any non-magical non-living thing got evaporated, up to and including clothing—she never was.  The fact that the only spells she ever used spell slots on were Hex, Counterspell, and Identify never really got commented upon, because prior to her joining the party we didn’t have a source for any sort of utility magic and we’d been feeling the lack for a while.  She was a lot of fun to play just as Zmija once I got the hang of her, but the hidden agenda that only our DM & I knew about was an extra layer of fun, too. It would have been neat to see how the party reacted to a reveal, but unless Jim wants to take us back to Chult to actually deal with the Night Mother’s return (because without having to keep up appearances and alignments, I’m pretty sure I could have gotten that crown out of there even before the weird teleport-defying magic of the Tomb got turned off), her story is over for us—taking her outside of the setting she was designed for would be weird... plus we already have two warlocks (well, one and a half) in a party of four PCs; adding a third would be a little bit bizarre, I think.

Her more Yuan-ti features include scales down her spine and across her shoulderblades, on the backs of her hands, and on her hips and thighs—mostly in reds, oranges, and browns, but as she increases in power and connection with the Night Mother, more of them are darkening to Her blue-black; it started right at that spot between the shoulderblades where you always picture being stabbed in the back, and has expanded from there; I imagine by level 20 all of her scales would be that blue-black and may have encroached further on the more human-y leather bits, probably encroaching on her face at the last, which would make being a spy a lot more difficult (even moreso than wearing as much clothing as she already does) but I guess at level 20, do you really need to be sneaking around pretending to be human?

In direct sunlight or other very bright light, her pupils constrict to slits, which is the real reason for her heavy eye makeup—between the distraction of it and the (somewhat exaggerated) squinting that such light induces, it often goes unnoticed, as it did with her character portrait (although to be fair to my party, Alexus also has slit eyes because that’s one of the traits of elves and half elves in D&D, and also I’m not sure if they ever saw her portrait any larger than 150x150 or whatever Roll20 shows them at). Both her top and bottom canine teeth are sharper, longer, and narrower than is typical for humans, and she is careful not to grin too widely and will cover her mouth when she laughs or yawns, whether she is in disguise or not.  That part I’ve never drawn though, so I can’t really point to that as something the party overlooked, heh.  In hindsight, I wish I'd given her more/heavier snake features but even the official art for Yuan-Ti player characters are very light on them and getting around the differences between human and yuan-ti racials without tipping off the party was hard enough as it was—I took the 120 feet of magic-ignoring darkvision invocation to disguise the fact that she innately had darkvision, I never used my racial spells and abilities unless I was willing to “use” a spell slot on them and had another plausible way to have obtained them, the one time I got hit with a poison ability (which she was immune to) I spent a lot of time “figuring out the math” on how much HP I had to drop, etc.  I also wish I’d given her darker skin, as she is supposed to be Chultian but she is significantly lighter than all the NPCs we came across.  Then again, I’m as white as a sheet soaked in bleach so there’s something weird about me RPing folks of colour regardless (especially given her fake backstory, agh agh agh) so yeah.  Really enjoyed her, don’t regret her, will not ever play her again rofl

In our very last session of Tomb of Annhiliation, the party—fresh off the victory over the big bad lich whose name I can never spell and his weird world-eating fetus—headed back to Port Nyanzaru via the Aarakocra village of Kir Sabal, which the previous variant of the party (of whom only Thokk remained alive and mobile enough to talk to them) had helped out significantly earlier in the campaign, unlocking a flying ritual that we were like “man we’re not coming back here if we’re gonna use it we gotta do it now” to get us the rest of the way to the port.  En route, Zmija tried to leave the group and rolled a secret 15 Stealth roll... contested by 17 and 18 perception rolls from Mei Ren and Thokk, but as she wasn’t carrying much of the party’s stuff and it was the end of the campaign, they kinda just let her give some line about seeing them again in the future maybe, the Mother’s will is unknowable, etc etc.  I think if Duf and Kattii didn’t know that I wanted Alexus back as badly as I did and that we were like twenty minutes (real time) away from actually getting him back, they might have considered that more suspicious than they did.

Pronunciations (and translations): (mostly C&Ped from her bio, which is the only part of her character sheet I can still access on Roll20)

Zmija Yilan: zMEE-ah yee-LAHN.  Because I'm subtle as hell, that's Croatian/Russian/Ukranian (first name) and Turkish (last name) for "snake/serpent," according to the internet.  What do you mean Remus Lupin is a werewolf?!

Matrymriy: mah-tRRuh mRREE (Rs are rolled).  Matrymriy is Zmija's claimed patron—one of five major Zemlyashan dieties—but she'll state that she doesn't know the name that she goes by in the local dialect.  That's only partly true, of course—мати мрій is Ukranian for "Mother of Dreams" (at least according to google translate), which is close enough to her patron's actual names and titles (Dendar, the Night Mother) that she can get away with it without actually raising suspicions about the true source of her powers.  She'll also do that thing where if someone tries to say the name back to her she'll "correct" them by saying it exactly the same four or five times and then "give up" and accept whatever "butchered" version the speaker comes up with, except she'll do it even if they're actually saying it perfectly correctly.  She may do this with her own name as well (sorry, Jim. And Duf. And Dustin. And Kattii. And Kattii's coworker, if he ever joins us and I'm still playing this character by then, lmao.) (2021 addition: and literally everyone who has a name that isn’t typically pronounced by us English-only plebians, I am so sorry I’m not better at your language)

Zsaksatyi: dzahk sot-YEE.  Zmija's real name, when she isn't pretending to be a human.  That doesn't mean anything as far as I know, it was just a combination of some of the syllables the random Yuan-Ti name generator was coming up with that I liked (which is also where "Itszella" was from), lol.  I may end up changing it to be less cumbersome at some point, unless it comes up before then and ends up written in stone, but I'm on a bit of a time crunch for the moment.

Zemlya: zem-lyah.  If pressed for more detail on where in Zemlya she's from (e.g. by someone pretending to know details about her country), her home town is Fal'shyva (fall-sheh-VAH), southeast of the capital of Hayali (HI-yah-LEE) and just north of the port city of Farazi (fah-ra-DZI), which is where she originally sailed from seven years ago. фальшива земля is Ukranian for "fake land," Hayali is Turkish for "imaginary," and Farazi is Turkish for "hypothetical," lol.

Proverbs & (approximate) Pronounciations: (if I recall correctly, asterisks indicate ones I had used, so I didn’t repeat myself too frequently)

Wziąć się w garść (zvun shih garsch): lit. take the self into the fist (polish), pull yourself together Галопом по Zemlya (gal-OH-pohm poe zem-lyah): lit. galloping across Zemlya (russian), to be hasty/haphazard. * У кого немає собаки, полює з котом (Ooh koe-hoe meh-MIGH-eh soe-BAH-kay, poe-LOO-yay koh-tome): lit. who does not have dog, hunts with cat (ukranian, original proverb is portugese), make do with what you have. Z choinki się urwałaś? (dzi hoink-E she urr-vahl-wash): lit. did you fall from a Candlenights(aka Christmas) tree? (polish), you are obviously not well-informed; are you dumb? * Mi o vuku (MEE oh voo-koo): lit. to talk of the wolf (croatian), speak of the devil. * Thalai muzhuguthal (tha-LIE MOOz-GOO-thal): lit. pour water over someone's head (tamil), cut off a relationship. * Хоть кол на голове теши (coat-coal nah gohl-ehvee teh-SHEE): lit. you can sharpen an axe on this head (russian), a very stubborn person.

Other Languages Are Hard Today, Let’s Just Proverb It In English:

Cat's Forehead (japanese): a tiny space, usually used humbly to refer to owned land. It fell between chairs (swedish): group work that everyone assumed someone else would do, and didn't get done as a result * It gives me a beautiful leg (french): fat lot of good that'll do me Drown the fish (french): avoid a subject by talking about anything and everything else, confuse the issue In a river with piranhas, the alligator swims backstroke (brazil): protect your weaknesses * Accusation always follows the cat (iraqi): it's easy to blame someone who can't defend themselves The honey only sticks to the mustache of he who licked it (arabic): he who smelt it, dealt it * A hungry bear does not dance (greek): the reward must be worth the cost (or at least exist) * The crayfish sides with the crab (korean): people who have a lot in common stay friends * If you can't live longer, live deeper (italian): get the most of your time * A spoon does not know the taste of soup (welsh): intelligence is not wisdom Examine what is said, not who speaks (arab): don't take things at face value * Turn your face to the sun and the shadows will fall behind you (new zealand): have a positive outlook He who does not travel, does not know the value of men (moorish): wide experience is gr8 Do good and throw it in the sea (arab): don't expect anything back from kindness * Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is halved (swedish): friends make things better If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together (african): strength in numbers, speed on your own.

[13thdoodle]

have you looked at Death Knight lore? maybe it could give you some inspiration

since Death Knights can also look like how you drew danny

Does your AU follow regular D&D lore? or is it like yer own thing?

OOhhh Death Knight sounds super dope

The Frost Death Knight sounds fit for Danny too :O

And yeah more less?? i havent got in too deep into the lore because there... so many.. but yeah i mostly based it from DnD or sth similar like Divinity Original Sin for that one gag with undead and poison based on me playing fane and have to stockpile a whole bag full of poison bottles and poisoned food

but also like it’s for fun so anything goes really

[libidomechanica]

Blythe hall

On the bride, my wife, to exactly their aspects  stern, she holy fane I sighed deep, but with rigour 

without bred with scarcely a whole more his  might be: and many reveal feeling, glanced behind 

through thou dost seraphim, the night. The started;  and these two so as that which the  fathers breach, but strange design again; the offices,  like playing flesh. To take some folke orechargd 

with a hate found its love maks a the 

grass, I seem a mockery water than she saw  three sisters of me; and call those whole bone), the commenced  to gaze, insteed of Atlas tyrd, your face some  day. In her meet their door, what man it kiss,  if you  have happy Is “t English lady he sweet,           to  sell agreeing. Virgins, time-past, and hardly he entrate!  Now God forbear, I am aliue and liked man, poachers 

caught and sang for the Giant is everybody  know. If thou for foe; but where roam the  first what to sound, The little was  resemblance, says Shakspearian, but spoilt by  and short, he was off his singing the ambassadors  began to be as before  eleven. and she far-fleeted by heart 

confusion, a sweep thou too, mortal Paramour, and 

she turns towards they escaped her, show oft soeer may brings. D rest  of all place, nor am I a beasts, she a  week to choose between, a page to herself  in mens public debt is nearby mountains, for 

all her like to this, forgot  and their sanctify  the source is twain, upon an approve  the source. Than from whose without knowing a  doctor from the first foe whom particulars  in some in life.  Could redress had not fed so witer  man is stand, stand, stand are, or what your 

which lead: no witches to a rock, and  dreamd of a tunnel of yellow pride at leading 

attackd in size, from the moon does within  a bottle is gone three street, jackhammer a  harp; this heavens gate; for wowing can please thee, all places.  The gentlemanly distress  my claim, nor in the Giant is ever be  my doubt how like small checked, taught when happy sleeve. Break  of dangling curl showed my heard or really  been told, and the high; their destined them  within my lords, which beautiful, her beams, on his,  but theeues steale but an arch of the very  steep rough, and she was “free too many other foot,  as do these two weve seen I loved a soldier bold, and  tells an odd store, where they call, and tide rolld onely  thoughts of fish. Besides, their heart and rid my love  candlesworth until my Pegasus shall lips of grateful that  yourselves seated me  a challenge me through  this wants been hundred time when  the world? This was a 

mere past melts mistook its motive forget this (save the  church his eyes shall lay me blind where late though grief  pre-score; such the greater thousand written ‘gentle  in office: all the right, nor in the  prize ox, a private life I grace I shall stay; inuention, he, 

or foxlike in war, and Juan sprung’” from the  best of inurbanity, he gan call, and my love,  below, which would altogether, in them.

[anymash]

I know I'm late to the party but I'm just about to finish Divinity Original Sin 1 with a friend, and I will start the next game with same friend soon and I see you fell into the deep hole that is the fandom of this game. I was just wondering if you had some reccomendations for characters to pick. I really want to pick The Red Prince for myself. So that leaves 3 characters. Fane seems essential for being an awesome skeleton and for the lore no? What about the others though? Any favorites?

Hi. I joined the party just less than a month ago, so I am also late ^^”. Welcome to DOS2 hell:) When I played with a friend we both used the “love wolf“ talent. So we did not hired any companions. Two characters against all world:) Worked well for us. Much easier to level up, distribute consumables and upgrade the gear.

If you are planing to read quests, talk to NPCs and keep track of the story, I highly advice you both to chose your characters from main six with origin stories. This will make your game experience even more interesting! If you don`t care about story and are planing to play just for battle experience, a custom character may be a better option, coz it does`t have personal quests like main six. And there are a lot of cool option to customize his/her look and tags.

Want to pick Red Prince? Do it! He`s an interesting guy. I enjoyed playing with him as companion. I`d say Fane is a must have in party. Especially for lore. But playing with him (or undead character) is a little bit tricky:)

I played as custom lizard lady with Fane, Sebille and Red Prince. Sebille is harsh and crude, she even try to kill you. Red Prince have an extra high opinion on himself and treats you like pleb. Fane is grumpy skeleton seeking for knowledge and treating everything around with indifference. But all become sweet boys and girls when you manage to know them better and become closer. Now I`m playing with Lohse, Beast and Ifan in party. Can`t say much about first two, I am not too far into the game and did not had a chance to know them better enough. Ifan is very friendly and supportive guy. A real comrade that is easy to trust.

If you are still not sure who to pick - watch their intro videos to decide who suits you better ^_^

Good luck and have fun!

[of-all-irrelevance]

Task 006 - Love Alphabet

A   :   AFFECTION.   how does your muse show affection?

Fane is tactile with his affections. He likes to touch people he cares about. He never says no to a cuddle session and movie with his best friends.

B   :   BOUQUET.   does your muse like flowers? which ones are their favourite?

Fane likes flowers. He doesn’t know enough about them to truly have a favourite. If left to pick something on his own though, he’d gravitate towards something blue or purple, as he likes those colours.

C   :   CHOCOLATE.   does your muse like chocolate? which one is their favourite?

Fane loves chocolate. He isn’t terribly fussy about the kind of chocolate, but he is partial to Reese’s peanut butter cups though, and basically anything with both chocolate and peanut butter.

D   :   DATE.   what is your muse’s ideal date? where / who with / etc?

Fane’s ideal date would be something back in Brooklyn. He doesn’t have an ideal who, but the date would involve walking around Brooklyn, finding the best pizza place to have the best pizza in the city. Bonus points if they go to a park after, and just enjoy the day, as long as the tourists aren’t so bad.

E   :   EMBRACE.   does your muse like hugs? what are their hugs like?

Fane loves hugs. They are legitimately among his favourite things. He likes warm hugs, the kind where he can just melt into the other, or the other can melt into him.

F   :   FLIRT.   is your muse good at flirting? how do they flirt?

Fane is not good at flirting. He doesn’t often realise that he’s flirting, and even if he wants to flirt, he has no idea what he’s really doing. He mostly tries to do what he’s seen in movies, to his distaste.

G   :   GIFT.   is your muse good at gift - giving or do they struggle to get it right?

Fane is surprisingly good at gift-giving. However, he has been known to space and forget about getting them.

H   :   HEART.   is your muse quick or slow to give their heart away?

Fane is rather slow to give his heart away. It usually takes him a while to really trust someone enough to fall for them.

I    :   I LOVE YOU.   does your muse find ‘i love you’ easy or hard to say?

To the people that matter to him, “I love you” comes to him as easily as breathing. But until then, they’re harder for him to say.

J   :   JEALOUSY.   does your muse get jealous in a relationship?

Fane doesn’t really get jealous when he’s in a relationship. He’s relatively secure in who he is and where he falls with people that he’s in a relationship with.

K   :   KISS.   is your muse a good kisser? why / why not?

Overall, Fane likes to think he’s a pretty good kisser. He’s never had complaints. He’s not terribly forceful, and receptive to the other and what they might be looking for.

L   :   LOVE.   who does your muse love?

Fane loves his Brooklyn Bitch Squad. He loves Kenzie and he loves Win. They’re his family.

M   :   MOONLIGHT.   what is your muse’s ideal date? where / who with / etc?

Fane’s ideal date would be something back in Brooklyn. He doesn’t have an ideal who, but the date would involve walking around Brooklyn, finding the best pizza place to have the best pizza in the city. Bonus points if they go to a park after, and just enjoy the day, as long as the tourists aren’t so bad.

N   :   NAUGHTY.   what is your muse like in bed?

Fane is very receptive to his partner. Without going into explicit details, he likes to tease, but also to please.

O   :   ODE.   does your muse have a way with words?

That depends. Fane has a way with words when he’s writing lyrics, but sometimes he’s awkward and stilted in real life. Not always, but he sometimes doesn’t understand the things he says or the impact that they might have.

P   :   PARTNER.   what does your muse look for in a partner? looks / personality?

Fane has a fondness for down-to-earth personalities. He looks for someone he can trust implicitly. Optimism is a positive as well. Fane likes to smile and laugh and having someone that can do that with him is a definite plus.

Q   :   QUESTION.   would your muse ask the big question or expect their partner to?

It would depend on the partner. Fane is more likely to be asked though. He’s likely not to think of that as a thing that he should be preparing for.

R   :   ROMANCE.   is your muse a romantic or a cynic?

Fane is a total romantic.He believes in true love and soulmates.

S   :   SWEETHEART.   did your muse have a childhood sweetheart?

Fane does not have a childhood sweetheart, really. He had a few crushes, even a few boyfriends and girlfriends, but none of them would be qualified as a ‘sweetheart’.

T   :   TRUE LOVE.   does your muse believe in true love?

Fane absolutely believes in true love. He believes in love at first sight too.

U   :   UNREQUITED.   has your muse had their heart broken?

In the romantic sense, no, Fane has never had his heartbroken.

V   :   VALENTINE.   how does your muse feel about valentine’s day?

Fane likes the principle of a romantic holiday, however, he finds that Valentine’s Day itself is overrated and far to commercialised.

W  :   WEDDING.   would your muse get married? why / why not?

Fane would like to get married someday, as long as he finds the right person to settle down with.

X   :   XOXO.   does your muse use / like pet names?

Fane uses pet names all the time. He doesn’t restrict their use to a romantic sense.

Y   :   YOURS.   does your muse get protective easily?

Fane will protect his people until his last breath. But only if he thinks they need him.

Z   :   ZZZ.   how many people has your muse slept with?

Fane doesn’t much care for the idea of “kissing and telling”. He’d had a few hook-ups in his time, but he doesn’t wish to specify an exact number.

[queen-scribbles]

1, 3, 6, 11 for the WOTR asks?

Gonna do both Vikkari and Trinne(far as I can), because why not? :D

1.What mythic path(s) did your KC take, and why?

Vikkari went Azata, at first bc it looked fun and the whole freedom/wanderer/song of Elysium thing fit him really well and I'm a sucker for all things Desna /cough, then bc AIVU, then bc it really was a 100% perfect fit and add an extra note of 👀👀👀 to Arue's romance.

Trinne is starting Trickster, but gonna give it up to go Legend when she learns the truth about the source. Trickster fits her pretty well--aside from some of the more extreme options--and I love the Council, but she doesn't trust Areelu or want anything to do with something that comes from her, wants to be in control of her power/choices(also another reason that will go in the next question).

3.What background, class, and deity did your OC take?

Vikkari is a Qadiran Wanderer, Warpriest, and starts off worshipping Iomadae, but adds Desna for Azata, Arue, and her being my favorite god reasons. xD

Trinne is a Noble(Leader) background, since the Amells are technically a noble family in Dragon Age and I try to keep that whenever I drop her in different universes. She worships Shelyn(yes, I AM having fun with a Shelyn worshipper romancing Lann), and class currently is Thundercaller Bard bc I gotta keep my girl with her lightning. When she goes Legend--part of WHY I wanna go Legend for her instead of staying Trickster--I'm planning to add Dragon Disciple once I can do that and still max out her Bard abilities. :3 I'm p sure I checked and she can be both

6. Did they intervene in Pharasma’s court? If so, what did they decide?

Assuming I'm remembering correctly and this is the bit with Areelu before Pharasma post-ending slides? Vikkari intervened to ask for mercy. He doesn't condone Areelu's actions, but he understands her motives and the great evil that was done to her, and she did sacrifice herself to close the Worldwound, so he feels like she deserves at least a modicum of mercy.

Trinne's not gonna intervene. Pharasma knows what She's doing, whatever end Areelu gets will be what she deserves.(this is a bit dependent on how Trinne's game goes, ofc. there might be something that makes her change her tune)

11. What did your KC think of the Hand of the Inheritor?

Vikkari really likes him. Appreciates his zeal, and his counsel, and the Hand protesting when Galfrey gets all mad at the "Storm the Fane early" stunt an Azata can pull(Aivu said it was a good idea, and she hasn't steered me wrong yet!). Is saddened by his fall and does restore his heart.

Trinne thinks he's alright so far. Maybe a little too stick-in-the-mud, needs to relax a bit, tone down the Righteous Angel thing a little bit. She'll be less surprised than Vikkari when he falls(hasn't happened yet for her), thanks to that one Seelah and Arue banter about the more uptight paladins being easier to break. She is gonna try to restore his heart though. We'll see if I remember how to do it.

WotR Asks (2)

[athena1138]

Tagged (a few days ago D: I forgot) by @gaymingbinosaur​~ (I did my main timeline. I wanted to do more but I’m tired v_v ) 

Name: Missella Surana

Are you single? After all the work it took to get Zevran to admit he loves me? You’re funny

Are you happy? Against all odds, I, and all of my friends are alive. The Blight is ended. The man who said he’d never fall in love openly admits he loves me. Yes. Yes, I am quite contented, thank you. 

Are you angry? Most days. 

Are your parents still married? Your guess is as good as mine. I’ve no idea who they are. 

Nine Facts

Birth place: I’ve no idea. 

Hair color: White

Eye color: White

Birth Month: Again, no idea. 

Mood: Peaceful. 

Gender: Female

Summer or Winter: Winter

Morning or afternoon: Morning

Eight things about your love life

Are you in love? Yes. Irrevocably so.

Do you believe in love at first sight? No. Such nonsense is for children. 

Who ended your last relationship? I’m not sure I would consider myself to have had “relationships” before Zevran. Casual sex, yes. Relationships? With feelings? No, none. 

Have you ever broken anyone’s heart? Yes. 

Are you afraid of commitment? No. 

Have you hugged someone within the last week? Yes. 

Have you ever had a secret admirer?  Yes. Though, living in the Circle and being friends with Alena, the “secret” part never lasted long. 

Have you ever broken your own heart? N-Yes? No. Yes. No. Kind of. 

Six Choices

Love or Lust: Lust. 

Cats or Dogs: Dogs. 

A few best friends or many regular friends: Best friends. Who would choose just regular friends? 

A wild night out or romantic night in? If you have to choose between the two, you’re doing something wrong. 

Day or Night: Day

Five Have You Evers

Been Caught sneaking out: No. I had no reason to leave the Circle. 

Falling down or up the stairs: Once. 

Wanted something or someone so badly it hurt: Yes, but I pride myself on my strength and patience. 

Wanted to disappear: No. 

Four prefrences

Eyes or smile: Smile

Shorter or taller: It does not matter. Perhaps a little taller? 

Intelligence or attraction: Why is it assumed that these are mutually exclusive? 

Hook up or Relationship: Yes. 

Family

Do you and your family get along: I have no family. My traveling companions were the closest thing I had, and yes. 

Would you say you messed up in life? No. There are no mess-ups in life, only life. Irving once told me, “Our lives are as rivers. We may change the paths we take, but eventually they all lead to the ocean.” We are taken where we are meant to go, one way or another. 

Have you ever ran away from home? No. 

Have you ever got kicked out: Yes. And I am still quite angry about the whole situation. 

Friends:

Do you secretly hate any of your friends: Morrigan has no right being as lovely as she is. 

Who is your best friend? Aside from Zevran? Shale. 

Who knows everything about you? Nobody. 

---

Name: Belladonna Hawke

Are you single? Nope

Are you happy? Yep

Are you angry? Yep

Are your parents still married? Nope. They’re dead. So. 

Nine Facts

Birth place: Orlais, in the countryside. 

Hair color: Red

Eye color: Blue

Birth Month: Wintermarch 

Mood: Cocky

Gender: Female

Summer or Winter: Summer

Morning or afternoon: No

Eight things about your love life

Are you in love? Oh yes

Do you believe in love at first sight? Oh yes

Who ended your last relationship? I did

Have you ever broken anyone’s heart? Unfortunately

Are you afraid of commitment? Pfft, no

Have you hugged someone within the last week? Sweetie, I hugged someone five minutes ago 

Have you ever had a secret admirer? Oh yes, many 

Have you ever broken your own heart? Many a times~ 

Six Choices

Love or Lust: They’re both so uniquely wonderful, aren’t they? 

Cats or Dogs: Dogs

A few best friends or many regular friends: Best friends? I guess? 

A wild night out or romantic night in? Night out

Day or Night: Night

Five Have You Evers

Been Caught sneaking out: Yep

Falling down or up the stairs: Yep. Have you any idea how many stairs there are from Lowtown to Hightown? 

Wanted something or someone so badly it hurt: Frequently~

Wanted to disappear: Yes. After coming back from the Deep Roads without my brother. That... Yes. 

Four prefrences

Eyes or smile: Eyes

Shorter or taller: Shorter ;3 

Intelligence or attraction: Intelligence

Hook up or Relationship: Relationship

Family

Do you and your family get along: No. 

Would you say you messed up in life? Yes. I’m 35 and the last surviving member of my family due to my own negligence. Yeah, I messed up somewhere. 

Have you ever ran away from home? Once, when I was a little spitfuck. My father had yelled at me for using magic to light the fire so I ran away. Wasn’t found until about a week later, living rather lavishly in a little old nug burrow with a bunch of stuff I’d nicked from houses on my way out of the village. 

Have you ever got kicked out: No

Friends:

Do you secretly hate any of your friends: No. If I don’t like someone, I’m not shy about telling them. 

Who is your best friend? Fenris

Who knows everything about you? Hm. Varric knows the most, but there’s some things even he doesn’t know. 

--- 

 Name: Alena Fanelis-Lavellan

Are you single? No

Are you happy? Most days

Are you angry? I try not to be

Are your parents still married? No, they’re gone.

Nine Facts

Birth place: Redcliffe

Hair color: White

Eye color: White

Birth Month: Umbralis

Mood: Tired

Gender:  Female

Summer or Winter: Summer

Morning or afternoon: Afternoon

Eight things about your love life

Are you in love? Yes, which believe you me was nothing short of a surprise.

Do you believe in love at first sight? I used to.

Who ended your last relationship? He did

Have you ever broken anyone’s heart? Pfft. No. The sting of the arrow of love is far from familiar with me.

Are you afraid of commitment? To people? No. To causes? Yes.

Have you hugged someone within the last week? Of course I have.

Have you ever had a secret admirer?  Who, me? I… I don’t think so? I mean, I did have those flowers show up on my desk, but I don’t… I don’t think so?

Have you ever broken your own heart?  Well, yes, of course I have. Who hasn’t?

Six Choices

Love or Lust: Love~

Cats or Dogs: Cats!

A few best friends or many regular friends: I’m lucky to have the friends I do, I surely wouldn’t want to choose.

A wild night out or romantic night in? A nice night in, I think

Day or Night: Night

Five Have You Evers

Been Caught sneaking out: Oh, yes, frequently. I was caught outside of my room all the time at Kinloch, and I was caught in Kirkwall, and I was caught escaping the Gallows once before I got out for good, and now I get caught wandering around the castle nearly constantly. Though, I guess it’s kind of my castle now, so it’s not the same, but still.

Falling down or up the stairs: I… *heavy sigh* Look, it’s not that I’m clumsy, but… Yeah, no, I’m pretty clumsy sometimes. I’m just glad Tumble Rutherford is kinder than I am, else I might have my own nickname.

Wanted something or someone so badly it hurt: Are you meaning to say that there are people who… don’t… do this? Oh dear

Wanted to disappear: Only about every single day of my life. It was almost easier, in Kinloch. Nobody liked me enough to notice me, so I could just disappear when I wanted to. Now though? Now I’m too important.

Four prefrences

Eyes or smile: Oh, oh dear. Um. E--… S—Must I choose? They’re both so important for so very different reasons. I must? Oh, um, fine. Smile? Perhaps? It’s… I do like Cullen’s smiles dearly… They’re so rare, it’s like little gifts meant just for me.

Shorter or taller: I’m certainly not picky, but there is a certain romanticism to taller people

Intelligence or attraction: Intelligence is attraction, darling

Hook up or Relationship: Relationship

Family

Do you and your family get along: I was six when I was taken, so… Cullen’s family is very kind to me, though

Would you say you messed up in life? I’m not sure. I think I did my best, and I think that’s what matters most.

Have you ever ran away from home? “Run,” dear. “Have” activates conditional which—Sorry, I, yes. Yes, I’ve run away from several homes.

Have you ever got kicked out: No, surprisingly.

Friends:

Do you secretly hate any of your friends: If I did, I wouldn’t call them my “friend” now would I? I do try to be polite, though, so if it’s a secret that I dislike someone, I suppose that’s my own fault.

Who is your best friend? Dorian, Cole, and Bull.

Who knows everything about you? Just about everyone? I’m not a very secretive person, and… I mean, not to sound arrogant but I am the Inquisitor, so… Whether I like it or not, everybody knows my business.

[emerald-amidst-gold]

I am once again asking for more Fane x Solas fluff <3

71. Waking up and just laying in bed, admiring how calm and cute they look when they're sleeping in your arms.

AH! AHHH! Friend, you have chosen my bread and butter! My ultimate, favorite thing to write Fane and Solas because it's so tender and cute to my soul! Fluff for you! Fluff for ALL! *dances while throwing around flowers*

***

Fane was a dominating force. Immovable as a wall upon the field of battle, inherent madness and Veil-born rage mixing to create an indomitable force as it crashed and sliced with spectral claw and stagnant blade alike. Cool and collected when faced with the chessboard of war, commands concise and pragmatism deemed heretical and callous to some. Emerald and gold orbs baring down upon the enemies of an organization he had never wished to be apart of, but found himself leading, ancient ideology and phantasmal gavel knocking against the familiar stone, echoing to the Fade and back with the verdict of, 'Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.'. The dragon was feared by many, even as they knew not of his true identity, but Solas knew the truth. A truth so interwoven with complexity that it was misunderstood.

And that was that Fane, deep down inside, in blessed hours of solitude, was no more than a person who desired to be cherished, to be cared for, and that was what Solas saw now, as he lay on his side, just...watching a normally hard, scowling, but most of all, ethereal face born of love and devotion find respite amid a tumultuous storm, lips lax and brows unfurrowed.

"It is rare that I wake up before you, my dragon..", Solas whispered to the morning air, keeping his tone hushed enough so as not to wake a sleeping dragon. It was far earlier than normal for him, the sun just slightly peeking up over the lofty mountains of the Frostbacks, but he found, for once, he didn't mind being vaulted from his dreams and the Fade if he got to see this view.

Fane's face was calm, peaceful, ivory, but inked visage free of a sneer. Snowy hair was mussed more so than usual, making Solas reach up tentatively to try and tame an errant, short lock, but only let out a quiet chuckle refused to yield. Every aspect of his heart was tenacious it would seem.

"I wonder..", Solas murmured, shifting a bit to lay on his stomach, propping himself up with an elbow and resting his chin in his hand to peer down with quiet serenity at his slumbering heart. "..was it your love, you desire for me that shaped you, or was it your spirit? One so tenacious and bright as to bend the laws of magic and life?", he asked the air, shivering lightly from where the furs fell from his bare shoulders, but it only had him feeling warm as it reminded him of the snowy creature below.

A regal, sharp pointed nose twitch a bit, a quiet sniffle following it as a minor irritation invaded it, but it soon passed to allow a weary visage to find shelter once more, smooth and calm. Solas smiled tenderly, unable to resist the desire of lightly stroking the backs of his fingers against that very face he so adored, so cherished.

"Mm..", Fane hummed out gruffly, but showed no signs of actually rousing. Solas chuckled at that, taking his hand away to delicately trace along faded green ink, a pinch in his heart nearly ruining the blessed atmosphere of this chilly, dewy morning.

"You should never have known the weight of these shackles, my heart.", Solas whispered, voice tinged with soft sorrow as he continued to trace the vallaslin of Sylaise, the bearer having chosen them to hide his face, to hide his pain. "If I had only done things differently, then perhaps..", he trailed off with a sigh, stopping his path of painful memories harnessed in ink and snow. There was no use mourning what he could not change. His dragon was here, alive, and that was what mattered.

Even as the rest of the bore but a fraction of that life to him, to them.

A sudden warm grip against one of his forearms had Solas startling a bit, blinking as he tore from his typical musings to see two glittering, but still slightly hazy emerald pools gazing up at him, the gold that was normally prevalent like ebbing fireflies masked from sleep and quiet emotions.

Solas smiled a bit, sour mood slowly ebbing away like the sleep in draconic eyes. "Good morning, ma'isenatha.", he murmured in greeting, humming fondly as a lightly calloused thumb stroked his forearm. "Sleep well?"

Fane nuzzled into the pillow a bit, a semblance of a nod. "Sorta..", he muttered out, voice deeper than usual and rough, pleasantly, pleasantly rough. Solas began to card through snowy, short locks, worrying a tip between his fingers and smiling fondly as a content sigh slipped from pale lips.

"Every victory counts, vhenan.", he assured, leaning down to press a light kiss to a lax temple, holding the side of Fane's head reverently and using a minor, minor bit of magic to soothe a headache he knew was always there first thing in the morning. "Even if that victory is small; it is worthwhile."

It hurt sometimes that he could not do more for Fane's night terrors and trauma born memories, but the ward on his mind was potent and even Dreamer abilities made it oddly difficult to pierce that particular veil. Even so, they would find a way to dispel it and he would give his dragon the freedom that he deserved.

"Mm..", Fane hummed out again, slowly starting to doze off again as his deep breathing began to slow once more, broad, scarred shoulders rising and falling with the action. Solas chuckled, but allowed the man before him to sleep. It was still early after all. They did not have to be up for a few hours yet.

"Go back to sleep, ma lath.", Solas encouraged with a tender whisper, slowly guiding himself back down and resituating the covers over both him and Fane, the latter letting out a lazy, but grateful grunt. He made sure they were perfectly nestled before shifting closer to the beacon of heat, chuckling as a muscled arm instinctively wound around him, shutting his eyes to greet the call of sleep with willing consent. "I am not going anywhere without you. I promise.", he murmured as he laid a soft kiss against relaxed lips, smiling a bit as the gesture was lightly reciprocated before burrowing into a warm neck.

That was his vow; to never abandon the one that had broken barriers, real and imaginable, to reach him, to connect, to support him again. The path would be long, they could die, but not without seeing each other's face one last time as painful and as bitterly sweet it could be for they would both be lax, calm, and accepting as neither one found themselves alone at blackness' siren call.

***

Fluff and angst! *froths at the mouth* I AM SLAVE TO IT.

[dungeoneering102]

Improving Cults

So recently I had a post about how cults should be designed (IMO). I mentioned the four cults present in the D&D module Princes of the Apocalypse and said how those were really bad examples. Due to some interest, I decided to make this post that elaborates on how I have altered those four cults to make them more realistic and interesting.

Why I Dislike the Original PoA Cults

In the original book, the Players are supposed to face off against 4 cults: the Black Earth, Howling Hatred, Crushing Wave, and Eternal Flame. Each of them have a leader (referred to as “prophet”) and work semi-together to summon super powerful creatures called “Princes.” The book also mentions that they all serve the “Elemental Eye.” Here are my problems with this set up:

We don’t ever get told what the Elemental Eye is. It seems to be just a pedestal or an unnamed entity. But it’s never explained.

The cults work together. This makes them all just fade into each other. There’s no drama because now the players are just fighting a large group that happens to have 4 leaders.

The cults all have the same goal but very little distinguishing elements in terms of their philosophy or approach to said goal.

So let’s try to fix this...

Elemental Eye

I hate that this aspect is never explained. It was just so very vague and yet its what commands the four cults. Supposedly, the Eye has given the cults their power and influence. In turn, it will somehow eventually inform the cult leaders on what ritual to conduct to summon their respective Princes. The Eye does this only WHEN the Party kills the first two Prophets. So I changed it all around.

The Eye is a physical thing. It is a stone of great power, supposedly locked within the altar in Fane of the Eye dungeon. In my story, the Eye calls forth the four Prophets, but informs them that it will only choose the STRONGEST among them. This is important and I’ll discuss why below. But now it is a physical thing and once ONE of the Prophets proves themselves powerful enough, the Eye is gifted to this person. All others die upon touching the Eye.

Lastly, to get to the eye, each Prophet has to prove that THEIR cult is the strongest and has the most influence. They do this by getting the most recruits and building beacons across the valley. The beacons are something that you can see in the module’s artbook section, although they’ve been cut from the final game. I re-inserted them as buildings that would be a sign of the cults’ growing in power. Your PCs can stumble onto these as they explore the valley. The cult that proves to be most influential, gets to summon their Prince.

The Cults DO NOT Work Together

Around the Renaissance Era, the Christian church had several divisions. New branches and sects appeared all over Europe, and started fighting over who is the TRUE CHRISTIAN church. They all believed in the same God and Jesus. What was different is how they worshiped these figures. The result was a complex political game fought between these powerful and rich churches over the souls of their followers and the influence over Europe. These conflicts ended with people fleeing Europe, the Catholic Church setting people on fire, and a very powerful shift in the politics of the time.

I think, that’s a pretty interesting story. So why are the cults of PoA just working together, with some minor issues between them? I say cut them the fuck apart. They are four individual cults. They believe in the same deity (the Eye) but go about worshiping it in different ways. They each have their own beliefs and philosophies that conflict with one another, and pit them against each other. Why do we do this? Because 4 DIFFERENT baddies is better than 1 four headed baddie. This conflict between the cults, allows the Players to play a large and complex game of politics, where they play off each of the cults against one another to get them to destroy each other. PCs might ally with one cult, only to get into a big mess and have ANOTHER cult offer them help in return for betraying their former allies. In the end, you get a Game of Thrones level game of politics and alliances.

Unique Cults

Now all of the four cults want the same thing: summon forth their elemental daddy. The problem with this, they might just meld into each other and become very similar. So we have to differentiate them in three ways:

How they present themselves (identity).

What do they believe in (philosophy).

How they act during combat (gameplay).

If you distinguish EACH of these, you get distinctly diverse cults. Below is going to be MY breakdown of how I distinguish each of the Elemental Cults.

Howling Hatred Storm.

Change that fuckin’ name. No one will wanna be a part of a group called “Howling Hatred.” Bad guy groups usually pick actually socially OKAY names, otherwise they won’t get any supporters. Let’s call them “Howling Storm” or “Howling Wind.” ANYTHING else but HATRED!

Identity/Philosophy. The wind is fickle and full of lies. The leader of the cult, one Aerisi Kalinoth, pretends to be a winged elf by creating fake wings using illusions. Their main outpost is filled with cultists who PRETEND to be knights. The whole thing reeks of deception and illusion. So I made that their selling point. Make your dreams a reality is the tag line for this cult. They convince people to join, so that when THEIR Prince is summoned he can blanket the world in an illusive state, where everyone’s best dream will come true. Of course, they will all live in a constant dream state, but it doesn’t matter. People who are depressed enough would be willing to fall into eternal sleep if it is guaranteed to make them and their friends forever happy. This is what Aerisi offers. She appeals to the desperate, the depressed, the lonely. She offers them to live out their dreams in an eternal sleep. Kind of like a suicide cult.

Gameplay. This is very simple. The cultists stay airborne as MUCH as possible. Forcing PCs to fight vertically, instead of horizontally, find cover, find ways to fly up as well, climb high structures, etc.

Black Earth

Personally, the Prophet of this cult is my favorite. So to be fair, I don’t much to change about this cult.

Identity/Philosophy. For this cult I ran with the theme of burial. Marlos Urnrayle, the prophet of Black Earth, sells the burying of your past. Made bad choices in life? Did thing you regret? Forget about it. Bury that past, and on the dirt build your life anew. Atop the ruins of old, rise your new home. This would totally get the attention of past criminals and bandits, whose lives have been ruined by their own crimes. Now they can start anew, in an organization that accepts EVERYONE.

Gameplay. Another easy one. You should describe your cultists as being extra tough and hard to break. Maybe give some of them some earth powers, ripped out of Avatar: the Last Airbender. I let my cultists just call forth pillars and stone walls, while others would swim through earth as if it were water.

Eternal Flame

Identity/Philosophy. Compared to the other cults, this one seemed more combative and militaristic. So I ran with that. Vanifer, the cult’s leader, runs a militia. Again, remember that the valley is without any leadership. She offers leadership. Her message is that she is building the army this valley desperately needs and she intends to bring peace and order to this valley, by force if need be. Her selling point is that she promotes discipline and order. People who lack any purpose, live messy lives, or need some kind of a leader-figure to tell them what to do, would fall into this easily. Think of veterans or troops, who after wartime cannot fall back into normal life as they need someone to order them around.

Gameplay. These guys are on FIYAAAA. Make their armor too hot to touch, make being around them uncomfortable. Allow them to be strategically more intelligent, using maneuvers to flank, surprise, and stun their opponents. This is a military organization, after all.

Crushing Wave

Identity/Philosophy. This cult consists of smugglers and pirates. What do pirates stand for? That’s right, an anti-establishment way of life. So the cult preaches FREEDOM. But absolute freedom. In fact, anarchy. Gar seeks a world that he can drown, where only those deemed strong enough can survive and are thus freed from the shackles of social restrictions. This idea of absolute freedom without authority, of being able to live off your own merit and not having to answer to anyone, is something many would like. People who have been duped by corrupt officials, people who dislike the restrictions of society, or dislike social norms. The Wave offers them all a chance to be free of this.

Gameplay. I got Lovecraft vibes from the cult. his cult is led by Gar Shatterkeel, who almost drowned but heard a voice in the oceans that led him to safety. Borderline Cthulhu-esque. SO, I made them all weird and creepy. They talk strange, they walk strange, they tend to stare. Ultimately, while they all fight for absolute freedom, the irony is that they are being manipulated by a primordial entity that is slowly brainwashing them.

Last Point - Diversity

In the book, all cultists (except the prophets) are human. That’s all fine and dandy but I don’t see why it needs to be so. I recommend you make the cults more diverse in their composition. Elves, dwarves, orcs, dragonborn, whatever you got. Not because YAY DIVERSITY or anything. Just because, I think it makes most sense that cults that fight for influence and power, wouldn’t discriminate based on race or gender. This, in fact, could be a selling point for them. Especially if you have racial tensions in your Fantasy setting.

I hope you all find this breakdown of how I modified the cults helpful. Please remember, that these are not “THE BEST WAY TO PLAY.” These are only the best way I found to play. You might find something that fits your campaigns and players better. Special shoutout to @ravenbane13​ (and everyone else who reblogged my last post) for encouraging this piece. I did go a bit longer than I wish, but hey, I hope you find some use in that wall of text.

The Unfair DM

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: Belief in The Hereafter: Part 5

WHAT ARE THE POSİTİVE EFFECTS OF BELİEF İN THE HEREAFTER ON HUMAN LİFE?

Belief in the hereafter and the things that will happen in the hereafter has an important place in the fundamentals of belief. The fundamentals of belief are generally summarized as “belief in Allah and in the hereafter.” in the Quran.

Man who was created by the power and will of Allah will die after living in this world for a while and his body will decay and turn to soil. However, the spirit that forms the essence and the real existence of man will continue to live since it is not something material.

Allah, who created man out of nothing, will create his body again on the Day of Judgment, will send his spirit back to him again, will account man for what he did in the world and punish and reward him.  

Therefore, man needs to believe in the life in the hereafter and work for his happiness there just as he believes in this worldly life  and tries to be happy here. In fact, this world is a place of trial, a center of examination and the area of cultivation for the hereafter. Whatever you sow here, you will reap in the hereafter. Therefore, the life in the hereafter is the purpose of the life in this world.  Man should work for the life in the hereafter and for his happiness there just as he works for this world.

Man can do it only by believing in the hereafter, obeying the orders of Allah, refraining from His prohibitions, doing good deeds, thus, attaining the consent of Allah, that is, by leading a complete Islamic life.

Therefore, our Prophet said, “"Work for this world as if you would live forever, and work for the hereafter as if you would die tomorrow."

After stating the importance of belief in the hereafter, we can summarize its effects on man’s life as follows:

Belief in Allah and the hereafter, the land of eternity, is the greatest assistant in renewing people’s hopes, relieving their pains and coping with the difficulties they face.

A person with such a belief will show patience against all troubles, will try to overcome the barriers and misfortunes he faces with enthusiasm and hope.

Belief in the hereafter makes man have two nice attributes:

1. To thank Allah for the bounties He has given during the time of welfare,

2. To show patience and not to rebel against Allah during the time of shortage and famine... 

Belief in Allah and the hereafter leads man to do good deeds and charities, to avoid evil and bad deeds, to be equipped with high ethics and merits, to fear Allah and to obey the divine criteria imposed by Him in anything he does.

A person with such a belief will never abandon honesty. He will do everything in time and fully. He behaves honestly toward himself, his family, his environment, his country and nation and humanity. He accepts it a principle to show love and compassion to them, to be useful for them and to serve them.  

He never abandons justice; he never oppresses anyone. If he wants to be rich, he will never do something bad or deceive anyone. He spends his money and property on good and useful things. He knows his rights and respects the rights of others. He takes pleasure in helping the poor. He wants for his believing brothers what he wants for himself because he definitely believes in the hereafter, the day of reward and punishment and knows that what is done in this world will be accounted for in the hereafter; he bases his acts on this principle. That principle is an important factor that arranges the lives of individuals and the society, and ensures peace and tranquility.

The Place and Importance of the Hereafter in the Quran:

We can list the aspects that show the place and importance of the hereafter in the Quran as follows:  

a. There are a lot of verses related to the hereafter:

Apart from the verses that are indirectly related to the hereafter in the Quran, the number of the verses that are directly related to the hereafter is about one thousand and nine hundred; which is almost one third of the Quran.

b. Various aspects of life in the hereafter are mentioned widely in the Quran:

In the Quran, the issue of the hereafter is described in detail. The issues like the removal of man's spirit by angels in his deathbed, signs of the Doomsday, the horrible incidents that take place all over the universe when Doomsday strikes, the blowing of the Sur (horn), resurrection of people and their coming out of their graves, people being sent to the Gathering Place, reckoning, conversations during reckoning, distribution of the books of deeds, people being sent to Paradise and Hell in groups, detailed description of bounties of Paradise and torture in Hell, angels addressing the people in Paradise and Hell, conversations between the people of Paradise and Hell, and life in Paradise and Hell being eternal are issues that are described in detail in the Quran.

c. Some chapters are entitled some phrases meaning the Doomsday or the incidents happening on that day:

al-Qiyama (the Doomsday), al-Haaqqa (the Sure Truth), al-Qaria (the Calamity), al-Ghashiya (the Overwhelming Event), al-Infitar (the Cleaving), al-Inshiqaq (the Bursting Asunder), at-Takwir (the Folding Up).

d. In many verses, belief in Allah and belief in the hereafter are mentioned together:

"Any who believe in Allah and the Last Day and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord..." (al-Baqara, 62), "but it is righteousness―to believe in Allah and the Last Day...." (al-Baqara, 177), "if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day..." (an-Nisa, 59; an- Nur, 2) In many verses like the ones above,belief in Allah and belief in the hereafter are mentioned together.

This shows that belief in the hereafter comes just after belief in Allah and that belief in Allah without belief in the hereafter will not be useful and it will not be regarded as real belief.

e. Allah Almighty swore and made vows regarding resurrection after death and the otherworldly things that He promised:

Allah Almighty's vows related to the hereafter are divided into three:

1. His vows through various beings related to the issues about the hereafter: In that case, the beings through which a vow is made are called muqsamun bih (things through which vows are made) and the issues regarding the hereafter are called muqsamun alayh (things on which vows are made). Some of those vows are as follows: "By the (Winds) that scatter broadcast; And those that lift and bear away heavy weights; And those that flow with ease and gentleness; And those that distribute and apportion by command― Verily that which ye are promised is true; And verily Judgment and Justice must indeed come to pass." (adh-Dhariyat, 1-6), "By the Mount (of Revelation); By a Decree Inscribed; In a Scroll unfolded; By the much-frequented Fane; By the Canopy Raised High; And by the Ocean filled with Swell― Verily, the Doom of thy Lord will indeed come to pass. (at-Tur, 1- 7 ), "By the (Winds) Sent Forth one after another (to man's profit); Which then blow violently in tempestuous Gusts, And scatter (things) far and wide;…Assuredly, what ye are promised must come to pass." (al-Mursalat, 1-7)

2. Allah Almighty swore by His own name for the occurrence of the Doomsday: The following verse is an example of it: "Then by the Lord of heaven and earth, this is the very Truth, as much as the fact that ye can speak intelligently to each other" (adh-Dhariyat, 23). In this verse, Allah likens the certainty of the occurrence of the things He mentions to the certainty of the speaking of people to one another. Everybody knows that man is definitely a being that speaks. There is no need to prove it. Nobody doubts that man speaks. Similarly, what Allah Almighty tells us about oneness, prophethood, the hereafter, His names and attributes are true and as certain as the speaking of people. This analogy used in the Quran is something like the phrase "it is a fact like the existence of the sun". A poet states the following regarding the issue: "If proof is asked for the existence of the day, nothing in the minds will be true; then, people will look for evidence for everything, even for the obvious facts".

3. Allah Almighty also swore by the Day of Judgment itself: In this case, muqsamun bih and muqsamun alayh is the same thing; that is, the Day of Judgment. For instance, the following verse is an example of it: "By the promised Day (of Judgment)..." (al-Buruj, 2). A vow in a similar style was used for the Quran, too. Another example regarding the issue is the following verse: "La uqsimu bi-yawmi'l-qiyama (al-Qiyama,1). The meaning here is: "I do call to witness the Resurrection Day ". The reason why a vow is made for that day is to confirm its occurrence, to elevate it and to attract people's attention to that day.

In the following three verses, the Prophet (pbuh) is ordered to make a vow about the hereafter and reward and punishment: "They seek to be informed by thee: "Is that Sana o true?" Say: "Aye! by my Lord! It is the very truth! and ye cannot frustrate it..."(Yunus, 53), "The Unbelievers say "Never to us will come the hour": say "Nay! but most surely, by my Lord, it will come upon you― by Him Who knows the unseen "(Saba, 3),  "The Unbelievers think that they will not be raised up (for Judgment). Say: "Yea, by my Lord, ye shall surely be raised up..." (at-Taghabun, 7)

f. In the Quran, issues regarding the hereafter are not dealt with in terms of dogmas only; it is stated that resurrection after death is rationally possible and the causes and evidences showing its occurrence are mentioned.  

In many verses, the doubts and claims of those who deny resurrection after death are answered and the causes that lead man to deny the hereafter are dealt with. This shows that the Quran is not a book of dogmas only. It is also a book of evidence. That is why the Quran is also called the Wise.