#azata blood

[unohdukseen]

Kjar, my beautiful human-aasimar for pathfinder 2E Cleric of Nocticula ce->cn/cg

[wetcatspellcaster]

I’ve been playing Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and decided to draw my Knight Commander, Ophelia (a fledgling character, but dressed ready for the Azata Mythic Path 😌😌😌)

[rivilu]

Ooo...

[sadruru]

Suddenly inspired by one artwork where one artist's commander is depicted on different mythic path. It made me want to draw some of them too! Each choice will affect Melissa differently, both externally and internally.

Maybe some of you have thought of something like that too. I think it's really cool!

WARNING!!! That's a lot of letters ~ Because I can and I will I LOVE making long posts with lots of text. A-HA-HA!!!

Trickster: "No matter what I do, my life is a f*cking comedy for humans, gods, demons… And you know what? I don't give a sh*t about you motherf*ckers! / You watch Melissa go into hysterics. The insane laughter makes your blood run cold. She even seems to be dancing to music she can only hear in her head. / No one else will have power over me, not even the gods! From now on, I will write my own happy ending! Now let us play by my rules. I am the queen in this godd*mn theater, and you will be my jesters!!"

The True path. The alignment remains the same, Chaotic-Neutral. More madness and fun. Melissa certainly wouldn't give up the ability to interfere even with the universe if it were possible. The only outward difference is the occasional appearance of a strange mask on her face. At times like that, you never know what to expect from this tiefling. I had a hell of a hard time drawing that mask, but it turned out great. Just the way I wanted it to turn out.

Angel: "/ Melissa's eyes look down in confusion. You can hear the shaky notes of confusion in her voice. She is unusually silent. The weight of responsibility now rests on her shoulders. / I thought this was going to be an amusing joke. Tiefling's more like an angel, and she's got stupid wings! Sounds mad, doesn't it? My skin and hair… Do I really look like a human now? It's wild…. It's so weird to feel so many hopeful looks on me. I don't even know what to say…"

The alignment changed to Neutral. And from this point on, some of her views on life would have to be reevaluated, which was extremely discouraging. Melissa will become much more serious and calm, less 24/7 style jokes. More adequacy. Her skin will lighten and her hair will take on its usual human brown hue as will her eyes. The appearance of wings, of course, and a semblance of a warm glow from behind, like the aasimar's. She didn't choose this path because there was no point in bringing righteousness and law to a world that was already rotten. Easier to destroy everything… Isn't it?

Azata: "Okay, wait… What the?! Butterfly wings?! Plants on my head?! I look like a pink princess, only without the dress!" / Melissa looks extremely annoyed. No matter how hard she tried to pluck the flowers, they grew on her head again and again, covering her horns with fragrant roses. Slowly she begins to relax, realizing that it's no use. / Damn it!.. Okay, okay. I think I liked that. A little bit... Maybe bringing 'kindness' and 'freedom' isn't as stupid as I thought… Don't dare laugh!"

Chaotic-Good By the end of the game, Melissa becomes softer and kinder. But she's not thrilled with the sudden external changes anyway. You know, flowers and butterflies. The reason for her rejection of this path is simple. She doesn't believe in all that nonsense about friendship, loyalty, kindness and so on. Didn't grow up in that kind of environment. ...Azata - it's not necessarily blue colors. I just want red 🗿 No Desna. Just Cayden Cailean and Calistria!

Demon: "/ Her burning eyes reflected real rage and bloodlust. It was as if primordial chaos in all its horrifying splendor came into view. The thirst for destruction that had haunted her all her life had taken on new colors, and she was ready to carry it with renewed vigor. The girl's voice was no longer human, but rather frighteningly demonic. / I want to break someone's spine, fracture their skull, gut their insides... How ironic. All my life I've been called many things: monster, beast, demon. And now... Now I'm exactly what you thought I was. I hope you're all happy."

REALL Chaotic- Evil The saddest path for Melissa, in my opinion. Especially for a tiefling, considering they often do bad things under societal pressure. Absolute hatred for anything and everything. The appearance would be demonic.

The closest thing to her was the Demon path. Sure, it was very tempting to gain destructive power and take revenge on everyone who had hurt her, but that would be too easy. Deep down, Melissa really didn't want anything like that. If you got to know her better, you'd realize that she's not as bad as she seems at first glance.

P.S.: Yes, she has a big scar on her neck. There will definitely be pages later on about how she got it. It has to do with her death and sudden resurrection.

[bite-the-bloody-hand]

@dujour13 very kindly tagged me in the Companion First Impressions tag game! Check out her answers for the magnificent Siavash here.

I have not officially completed the game yet though I've been spoiled on a lot of the ending haaa... so just treat this as Zell's thoughts after your average Azata ending, and I'll come back later once I've gone mad with power.

Tagging @rlainarin Give your KC’s first impression and final opinion of each of their companions!

First Impressions:

Seelah: You seem... charmingly sincere for Iomedae's lot. And I owe you for getting Terendelev so quickly... I guess we'll see how getting out of here goes, yeah?

Camellia: I don't even know you, and already I know it's gonna be you or me. I can smell the old blood under your nails... I wonder whose it is?

Lann: Wow buddy, how'd you get your head so far up your ass with that horn? Impressive.

Wenduag: Normally I don't appreciate strangers telling me what to do, but you aren't nearly as threatening as you think you are… and you're right about Lann being reckless.

Woljif: You've got the air of ehh... talented grifter who blows his winnings like a pimp, no wonder you got nailed. Anyway, want to go scandalize the neighbors with me?

Ember: Little one, I absolutely agree that they were just scared stupid men in a crisis, but you don't want to smack 'em around even a little bit? All right... we do it your way for now. I guess we'll see about next time too. And the time after that...

Daeran: Hnh, you were the single voice of reason back in the square yet play an imbecile party boy in your own home... So what should I know about you, Count? Whatever you're hiding smells like bad blood.

Nenio: Normally I'd be more wary about someone wanting to do 'experiments' on people a goofiness about you that I respect. I want to see where you're going with all this.

Galfrey: I love how you think you're being cute and clever but you have 'I am in a crisis because nobody is acknowledging me' disease and I can smell it from here.

Sosiel: You seem. Nice. I'm sure we'll get along fine, you just remind me of someone I'd rather not be thinking about just now.

Regill: Oh a Godclaw? The Hellknight mental gymnastics champions? Color me intrigued. Don't tell anyone, but I'm glad someone else around here isn't squeamish about making hard decisions in a bad situation.

Arueshalae: Never once have I imagined I'd meet a demon who would change my life for the better, but... strange things keep happening. We both strive for the impossible, ey? Perhaps we strive together.

Greybor: Weird how I'm two for two on a stranger giving me orders and me being okay with it, but I have been bewitched by your weirdly paternal swagger.

Ulbrig: BRO YOU'RE HUGE. AND ON TOP OF ME. BUY A MAN DINNER FIRST, DAMN. My fuckin *ribs* guy....

Trevor: Ah shit, man. Let's get you home.

Parting thoughts (Normal Azata Ending Edition):

Seelah: Stay questioning, my friend. A life full of joy doesn't mean a life of easy answers, you know? You keep your heart open, and I'll always be keeping an eye out.

Camellia: You just had to keep on lying.

Lann: You are like a brother to me (but sometimes I still want to commit fratricide you SHITHEAD. I love you.)

Wenduag: Is there no world in which you find your peace in life? I know I could have done more, but I don't know what that was supposed to be. I failed you just as much as you failed yourself.

Woljif: Tch, I can't wait to watch you turn into a rich, fat, happy old ram. Maybe cool it on the securities fraud for a little bit, I can't be breaking you out of prison. I mean I will but I don't wanna.

Ember: Kindness really is infectious, yeah? You helped me be a kinder version of myself. I'm so glad to know you.

Daeran: Ah, my best friend; love of my life. What an unexpected surprise, to feel so cherished... I wish you'd let the rest of the world see you the way I do. I never could have done this without you.

Nenio: Well, Professor? What new experiments shall we try next? Your loyal assistant is ever ready!

Galfrey: I'd pity you if I felt like that would fix anything. Everything that wasn't your fault was made your problem; I hope you can find it in your heart to rest from that someday.

Sosiel: Ah I guess you aren't so bad... Nah get back here and hug me, fool. I will see you at Harvest, make sure you're drawing silly things to stay loose.

Regill: Master Derenge, it has been an honor. I will always hold your memory in esteem.

Arueshalae: Hey, keep your chin up, recovering from your old life is going to take time. You know I'll be around, yeah? Always at your back, sister.

Greybor: Don't look at me like that, I'm not being smug at all. Anyway tell your family hi from me, hm? You'll be seeing fruit and flowers from me soon enough.

Ulbrig: I guess... I suppose we'll see each other again sometime, somewhere. Good luck to you, my friend.

Trevor: Give yourself the grace of patience, my friend. I will come to you when you need.

[gutterspeak]

12, 14 and 16 for Luth :)

ty dujour!!! from this ask game!

under a cut because it got long, whoopsie

12. How does their mythic path synergize with their personality - does it augment it, or is it in contrast? Something in-between?

aeon definitely highlights certain aspects of his personality in... not the greatest ways! it ends up making him one of the worst versions of himself once all's said and done <3

Luthais as a whole is really defined by his desire for control and that particular aspect of the aeon path is part of what makes it so attractive to him, but he goes from just wanting agency in his own life for once + overcompensating for his crippling self doubt to really, deeply, genuinely believing that he is the only one who can see things as they truly are, let alone solve what needs solving. it's a gradual slip and slide into this totalitarian way of thinking, and it starts with this little number in act 3 right here

the aeon in the mirror enabling his inner control freak does NOT do him any favors!!

14. What about another mythic path that they did not take? Is there one that would fit them, build or personality wise, and what might that have looked like?

oh boy...

HAHA this is actually something I've given a lot of thought! something I'm sure I've said about a thousand times (and I will say it again!!!) is that Luthais is a mirror of the events and people around him. he has a strong presence and sense of self but he also, almost subconsciously, shapes himself to fit the expectations and assumptions other people have for him

that being said, I've come to the consensus that the stars could align and I could see him being tempted down nearly every path EXCEPT. probably. trickster. it's just so strongly antithetical to aeon and his own personality that I can't do the mental gymnastics to justify it. angel is also a hard sell considering the baggage he has around Iomedae. gold dragon... is just hard to picture. but 7/10 isn't bad! he has the RANGE!!

azata is the one I think about for him the most! next to demon, it's probably one of the easiest jumps for him, as funny as that is to say. somewhere deep... DEEP down... he has a little bit of whimsy. he wouldn't have a completely drastic shift in personality by any means, but he'd be having a slightly better time than he does as aeon. his RBF would relax a little. he might even smile more than once a week 🥺

demon is a likely alternative too though. he has a maybe not surprising amount of repressed rage? aren't you tired of being nice, etc, but he'd also be self destructive and out of control and thus be deeply, horribly miserable :(

lich and swarm would both come from his morbid curiosity and general resentment for his situation being left unchecked. he's a scientist and a petty bitch first and second!

devil COULD come about in the right circumstances, and most likely through aeon > devil over going azata first. he typically frowns on using his position to his own benefit but he does do it when he thinks it's justified, and ain't that just a slippery slope...

16. How well do they play mechanically with their romance, if any? If not, which party member do they synchronize best with?

well. I LIKE to think they fight well together, but my knowledge on how to build effective characters in the pathfinder system is mid at best, so who knows really LOL

I'm running Luthais as a blood kineticist this playthrough with a focus on using kinetic blade over ranged blasts, but I keep changing my mind and respecing him back and forth. what I picture in my mind and like aesthetically vs what works better mechanically does not always align </3

BUT Daeran's on a wolf pet with dual rapiers, so for now they're both usually in melee, and I slapped them both with the half of the pair necklaces to capitalize on that. from what I remember they were taking down enemies pretty quickly together when I was rolling through the ivory sanctum on core

Daeran's obviously the main support but Luthais can throw out a kinetic heal for him in a pinch. they keep each other alive really well and dish out enough damage between the two of them (and Growlfrey the wolf, of course) that I do tend to keep them on the same enemies as a pair!

I do wish the kinetic blade got attacks of opportunity to take advantage of the wolf trip, but I usually have at least one or two other melee within reach anyway to delete the enemy's health bar when they stand up... and it's even better when they start piggybacking off each other's crits :]

[arendaes]

I would love to see an outline of what you'd do with Knight-Commander Daeran Arendae!

Thank you for this ask! When I looked at the possible AUs for the challenge, I did think a bit about a role-swap between the Throuple, where Ari is the cursed Countess, Daeran is the street-smart thief, and Woljif is the intrepid adventurer from Absalom, but I’m assuming you want to know about Count Daeran as the Knight-Commander. I’ve got to admit I’m a bit nervous posting this, because I’m not sure everyone’s going to agree with my assessment.

Right off the bat, I think he’d take the scroll and try to get out of the square. He didn’t want to be there anyways, and taking on Deskari is not a move that would ensure his continued survival. Part of me does like to think he’d take the crossbow just to get a shot in, but honestly I’m not sure that’s something that’d occur to him in the moment.

He’d hide the Light of Heaven from the mongrels (in no small part just to be spiteful to anything angelic) but choose Lann at the end of the Shield Maze. I can’t see him trusting someone who’s shown they have a taste for aasimar.

Would probably kill Hulrun to protect Ramien, but act like he’s doing to because he’s always wanted to and the old codger finally gave him an excuse.

Meeting with Galfrey after the Grey Garrison would be incredibly tense and oh, I would love to be a fly on that wall.

Would not help the Hellknights at Reliable Redoubt. Would probably actually laugh in Yaker’s face at the suggestion.

This leads to an interesting question - what would happen with Liotr? Perhaps Liotr would try to find a way to covertly investigate, and then help him? This is one I’m really not sure on, because Daeran’s storyline really relies on him not being the Commander.

As for his mythic path choice, my answer’s probably going to be controversial. Angel’s obviously out, he’s made his feelings on this clear. Same with Aeon. I honestly can’t see him going Lich or Demon either; the former would cause him to lose his looks, and the latter…we all know how he feels about demons, I can’t see him willingly becoming one. That leaves the only two paths he expresses approval of - Azata and Trickster. Trickster seems the most likely for his alignment, but I think Azata might call to him, especially given his Musetouched blood.

From there, how things would turn out would really depend on which path he picked. An Azata!Daeran would probably turn out closer to his Good ending whereas a Trickster!Daeran would be closer to his Happy ending. Or maybe Azata!Daeran would just utterly fail and go Devil. I think ultimately it would depend on who’s at his side influencing him. If he has companion!Ariadne I’d like to think he’d be an Azata to Legend commander myself.

Speaking of - I think whether or not he’d keep his powers would be a hard choice for him. On one hand, he has a chance to spite the goddess he loathes. On the other, his powers are killing him, and as Daeran repeatedly tells us he very much likes living…I do think there’s a chance the desire to live would outweigh the spite.

One thing I do like about the idea of Trickster!Daeran is with that path's ending he'd be able to save Regill from the Bleaching in a truly Daeran fashion 😂

[dujour13]

Pushing through my terror of unprompted OC posting to finally do this. A short series of Siavash game-related hcs

Of course this is full of huge game spoilers therefore under a cut

It’ll be in 3 parts (probably?)

Areelu’s experiment

Mythic transformations

True Azata path

Headcanon 1 – Areelu’s experiment

When Areelu Vorlesh ran her battery of tests on the child Siavash’s soul, she found him “highly satisfactory as an experimental subject,” the perfect material to work with – a soul with a sturdy weave and a deep affinity for freedom, chaos and self-actualization (partly thanks to his unbeknownst div-touched lineage). A solid and compatible template on which to graft her child’s chaotic and curious soul.

(It turned out too solid. She lived to regret that.)

(I wrote a couple childhood prompts about the soul-grafting process here)

His stable home environment seemed like a good way to keep her experiment safe and to control other variables – make him as average as possible and see if signs of her son would appear on their own.

As he grew up and the demonic soul lay unformed and dormant, his happy childhood in a loving, musically-inclined family in Almas helped mold his own soul into azata shape, whose one true pursuit in life is that of joy. He was drawn early to Desna, showed natural musical talent, and was always good at reading people and gently steering them toward (his version of) happiness. Those talents, and his passion for the concept of political freedom, drew him to his career as a diplomat for the Andoren government.

(It maybe should be mentioned that while his, and Andoran’s, efforts are sometimes misguided they are always—at least on his part—well-intentioned.)

Which was all fine, until the grafted soul of Areelu’s son awakened the moment demons attacked his diplomatic delegation’s caravan outside Kenabres.

He basically went batshit. (Gods I wish I'd seen it.)

No one but demons and Areelu herself witnessed that one time he was subsumed by demonic rage. Even he was never able to recall it. But Areelu was watching—and was delighted.

Until she noticed the spreading spot of blood on his chest. Had she failed again? If she was going to save her experiment, she would need to give him an infusion of Nahyndrian power. This she hurried off to prepare, returning to administer it during Deskari’s attack.

--and that leads to headcanon 2, mythic transformations

[dailycharacteroption]

Class Feature Friday: Diabolic Bloodline (Pathfinder Second Edition Sorcerer Bloodline)

(art by telthona on DeviantArt)

We’re ending off this week with another Second Edition bloodline for the sorcerer class, and we’ve got another one that changed it’s name between editions. So far it’s been Celestial to Angelic, Abyssal to Demonic, and now Infernal to today’s subject, the Diabolic bloodline.

I imagine that the reason for these name changes is purely out of a desire to be more specific about where the power is coming from, particularly if they plan to add other outsider bloodlines to the mix, such as an archon, agathion, and azata bloodline, or an asura or qlippoth bloodline. (They haven’t yet for those examples, but that’s my best running theory since the fiasco with WOTC and the OGL happened long after 2E launched. So it’s not like we’re assuming they needed to change names to future-proof for legal reasons).

In any case, the diabolic bloodline! As the name suggests, this bloodline is the result of the work of devils. Perhaps the sorcerer’s ancestor had a dalliance with such a being, or maybe the ancestor made a dark bargain which bled over into their descendant (and the devil in question might even claim a hold over the sorcerer as an additional beneficiary, regardless if there was anything in the contract that permits this.) Or maybe they were simply born under an unfavorable planar conjuction or near a wellspring of hellish power.

Regardless of the source, these mystics often inherit more than a diabolic silver tongue. They may manifest horns, the smell of sulfer, features tied to a specific type of devil, or perhaps something as innocuous as a habit of viewing social interactions through the lens of transactions and contracts, even when it is to their detriment to do so.

Naturally, however, it is up to the sorcerer to decide how to use their power, and we’ll see exactly what that power can do!

Like other outsider-based bloodlines we’ve seen before, this bloodline channels divine magic, but they also have access to various fire spells, ranging from simple bolts of fire to rolling spheres and even a rain of fiery meteors. They also have several spells that bend the mind to better receive the sorcerer or crush them with despair. Finally, they have some spells that grant them a measure of diabolic senses, as well as the ability to invoke their infernal power with a word of power or aura.

They also gain useful focus spells, such as the flexible power to deliver edicts that bolster allies that obey them or weaken enemies that disregard them, followed by the ability to take on a fiendish aspect which grants resistances to things devils usually ignore at the cost of a vulnerability to flame, and finally, the ability to conjure forth a pillar-like eruption of hellfire to scorch the body and souls of your foes.

Their blood magic is pretty versatile too, allowing them to either lace their spells with additional fire, or empower their words with additional deceit after casting.

Naturally, plenty of sorcerer feats work well with this bloodline. Beyond the obvious ones that improve the bloodline itself, things like Blessed Blood, Counterspell, Dangerous Sorcery, Familiar, Anoint Ally, Enhanced Familiar, Entreat with Forebears, Divine Evolution, Elaborate Flourish, Diverting Vortex, Steady Spellcasting, Soulsight, Quickened Casting, Greater Spiritual Evolution, Interweave Dispel, Reflect Spell, Greater Vital Evolution, and Bloodline Mutation. Of course, other feats may appeal to you and your build.

There are plenty of ways that the diabolic bloodline reflects it’s predecessor, with the fire and hellfire, manipulation, and so on, and I am happy that for the most part the classic 1e sorcerer “first level mildly debilitating melee touch attack” thing has remained in the past. Sadly, it does vex me that it takes being level 20 to get permanent wings, assuming you even take bloodline mutation and not something else. In any case, however, this bloodline for a combination blaster and magical manipulator, so I would recommend building with blasting, battlefield control, and of course enchantments and illusions.

It can be very tempting to play these sorcerers as sinister and Machiavellian, and if that suits you, absolutely go for it. Alternately, perhaps they chafe under the double-speak that others expect of them and are surprisingly blunt. Or maybe they are perfectly honest individuals but make everything sound like a double entendre or clever wordplay as a verbal tic with no real knowledge they’re doing it. That could make for an amusing time, certainly.

Due to a diabolic attack while they were growing a new body, the ghorus seed of Redrose was soaked in diabolic ichor, marking it with fiendish power. Luckily, there was no damage or monstrous corruption, but they returned sporting command over fiendish magic. While still coming to terms with this change, they’ve taken to calling themselves Hellrose now.

The Hellbore, a mighty infernal lance tip or perhaps drill of immense size, is one of the few remnants of an invasion from the infernal plane not reclaimed by the ages. The inside of the weapon still seethes with diabolic power, including several incantations that have broken free of their original purpose as living runes. Most rip apart intruders and explorers with sadistic glee, but a rare few they instead take interest in, and invest their power into whether the mortal desires it or not.

Though he is ancient beyond measure, the First Devil, the ruler of their kind, is not all-knowing, and some important things they have forgotten, such as a tryst with a mortal witch that caught their eye during the earliest days of man, and a prophecy that only a descendant of theirs can truly end their reign. So emerges Koel Pitdas, the one who will defeat the great evil for good, if he can accept the ramifications of his family tree.

[silversiren1101]

Omorose atrocity reel for the ask game please

What HASN'T she done at this point - anyway, the Omorose greatest hits! (Why she's problematic and why she's the best)

Was a lawyer when she was a mortal living woman in Osirion.

When her family was sheltering in Wati during the Plague of Madness, she used the opportunity to ritually sacrifice her two children and husband in a bloody ritual to Mahathallah to transfer her soul into the core of an ancient automaton chassis she purchased at auction to achieve an alternative means of immortality.

Her automaton body is a bone-colored and flame-charred exoskeleton that houses actual flesh and blood underneath. Like an infernal EVA unique with an incredibly posh accent and femme appearance.

She became a bureaucrat in her unlife after immigrating to Geb, which is arguably the only thing worse than a lawyer.

Spent 2 millennia as said bureaucrat, patiently biding her time to seize an opportunity to start grabbing power and influence.

Said position as a bureaucrat was for the fucking Geb tax collectors, which if there's anything worse than being a lawyer and anything worse than being a bureaucrat, it's being a bureaucrat pencil pusher for the undead TAX COLLECTORS.

She took particular delight in repossessing farming and labor equipment for defaulting cases; i.e., using Bind Undead to repossess zombies and other mindless undead used for as labor tools from defaulting farmers and such, who are also undead. (Yes mindless undead are considered property in the land of undeath).

She's a fucking Blood Lord now. (Think like, parliament).

Her special interests are blackmail and information brokerage: she aspires to know dirt on everything and everyone and sell it to anyone for the right price.

Her specialty in combat is summoning devils straight from Hell, and has several fiends in her retainer as bureaucrats for her. She particularly likes summoning hell wasps.

Her other specialty is unholy fire. She's basically walking napalm.

Has exploded said summons with her allies in range.

Has thrown numerous fireballs into where her allies are fighting.

When discovering there were two separate forces from Holomog in the Field of Maidens along Geb's south border, managed to convince the more militaristic one to attack and slaughter the other more peaceful one so they didn't go home empty handed... so charming as an infernal robot powered by blood and death she can charm even azatas.

She caused Kortash Khain, literally the ghoul of all time--personal chosen of Kabriri, level 20 and mythic level 6, Ruler of Nemret Noktoria the land of ghouls--to lose his tithe from Geb when she was literally right in front of him because Geb (the ghost) asked for her opinion on the exchange for shits and giggles.

Had the honor of then being the "personal escort" (babysitter) to said ghoul of all ghouls around Mechitar to rub it in his face.

Convinced the lackey of a rival Blood Lord to join us and spread his fake death across every major news outlet in Geb so successfully that it looked like his former master abandoned him after abusing him for centuries. Guy became a tragic beloved figure overnight from no one knowing who he was.

Her Earn Income checks are with Deception. We've flavored this as her taking credit for other people's work or just changing names on timesheets to her own.

Met the Urgathoan Pope (another level 20 and mythic character) and admitted to her face that we were why Kortash Khain lost the trade exchange and said he was pathetic and weak candidly and made her genuinely laugh.

Used Command on a flying creature to "Fall" and made them fall 150 feet to a necrotic lake below. Twice.

When said person didn't join the fight again, used a crystal ball to Scry on them to see them, sopping wet, reporting in to the rival Blood Lord on what happened.

Sent a Sending to said Blood Lord commiserating that good help is so hard to find and he should vet his minions better. He can thank us for doing the hard work for him - said minion was then beat so badly that she was still injured when we showed up despite having Regeneration/Fast Healing.

And I KNOW I'm missing stuff. I've said so many things in RP that would put me on a fucking list lmao

[thecreaturecodex]

Theo Gravois

"Necro" © deviantArt user Asahisuperdry, accessed at his gallery here

[Another in my series of tributes to PCs past, this time moving on to Curse of the Crimson Throne. A game where I got a TPK in the final battle, which had never happened before and never happened again in my long history of running published adventures. Pro tip: do not teleport to the boss room without clearing the rest of the dungeon. Especially when said boss is a bard who can turn you against each other long enough for her minions from the rest of the dungeon to flood into the room. Theo technically survived, albeit dominated, which is part of why I picked him as the PC of choice. Also, as you'll see in the flavor text, Theo went through some shit (and was the first gay character that player made after coming out). So I wanted to finally give him a happy ending.

I ran Crimson Throne the first time around, in D&D 3.5. So mechanically, this version of Theo is quite different than that version. The original Theo was an archivist from Heroes of Horror (the divine class that tended to be most popular at my table), and for most of the game he had the necropolitian template and the Necrotic Cyst line of feats from Libris Mortis. I made him an oracle of Lore because a) he was very bookish and b) the same player played an oracle in both Jade Regent and Shattered Star. The lich oracle curse was used to reflect his time spent undead, and the inflict line of spells, plus various other necromancies, are standing in for the Necrotic Cyst spells.]

Theo Gravois CR 19 CN Humanoid This human has white hair, intense gray eyes and broad features. He wears chain mail and fine robes, and carries a staff, wands, books, and other magical paraphernalia.

Theo Gravois may simultaneously be the luckiest and unluckiest man alive. Theo was always interested in grisly crimes and tragic love stories, but didn’t expect to find himself in one. His fiancé, Ilya Kushnir, was murdered by the crime boss Gaedrin Lamm and fed to his pet alligator. All Theo had to remember his love by was Ilya’s severed hand, still wearing his engagement ring. Although Theo helped bring Lamm to justice, and then was embroiled in the chaos in Korvosa following the death of its king, he still dwelled on the injustice. Eventually, as his own body was wracked by tuberculosis and the city around him was gripped in the blood veil epidemic, Theo transformed himself into an undead creature in an attempt to cut off his grief and all emotions. The culmination of this ritual involved wrapping his love’s severed hand around his heart.

And then Ilya came back to life.

After months of adventures and just before fighting Queen Ileosa the Thrice-Damned herself, Theo and his colleagues were gifted with a Harrow Deck of Many Things. Theo drew the Unicorn, allowing him to undo any event in his past. Of course, he made it so Ilya never confronted Gaedren Lamm, which rippled through reality. Theo had a loving, living fiancé, so of course he never would have made himself undead. Just in time to fight Ileosa and lose. Because now that he was alive, he was vulnerable to her mind-altering magic.

Theo was the only survivor of the fight against Ileosa, and she kept him as a dominated pet until she could complete the ritual to grant herself divinity. The ritual failed by inches, as Theo had used stone shape spells to reshape half of the statues intended to focus the ritual into images of Blackjack, a Korvosan folk hero (the mantle of whom had been taken by no fewer than two of Theo’s close friends). Both Ileosa and Blackjack were transformed into powerful outsiders, Ileosa a devil, Blackjack an azata. And Ileosa, enraged, tortured Theo to death and left his body to rot in the dungeons beneath Castle Korvosa.

And then Ilya had him brought back to life.

Queen Croft of New Korvosa offered Theo his pick of any role in her city he wanted, but Theo refused—Theo distrusted authority before his many woeful experiences, and he is understandably somewhat paranoid about queens. Theo and Ilya now live on a small island in the Ironbound Archipelago, being perfectly happy to be alone together. Theo spends most of his days reading, sculpting, and playing games with his husband. It would take world-shaking events to bring Theo out of retirement. But if there’s one thing Golarion is known for, it’s world-shaking events.

Theo Gravois   CR 19 XP 204,800 CN Medium humanoid (human) Init +7; Senses Perception +3 Defense AC 32, touch 21, flat-footed 26 (+6 Cha, +3 deflection, +9 armor, +2 natural, +2 luck) hp 222 (19d8+133) Fort +17, Ref +15, Will +20 Immune death effects; Resist cold 10, positive energy 10 Defensive Abilities negative energy affinity Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee +2 quarterstaff +19/+14/+9 (1d6+6) Special Attacks arcane archivist (2/day),brain drain (DC 29, 19d4 damage, 10 rounds, 4/day) Spells CL 19th, concentration +29 (+33 casting defensively) 9th (5/day)—mass heal (DC 29), time stop, winds of vengeance (DC 29) 8th (7/day)—discern location, mass inflict critical wounds (DC 30), moment of prescience, orb of the void (DC 30), stormbolts (DC 28) 7th (7/day)—destruction (DC 29), ethereal jaunt, greater scrying (DC 27), mass cure serious wounds (DC 27), mass inflict serious wounds (DC 29), vision 6th (8/day)—harm (DC 28), heal (DC 26), mass inflict moderate wounds (DC 28), mass owl’s wisdom, wind walk 5th (8/day)—contact other plane, mass ghostbane dirge (DC 25), mass inflict light wounds (DC 27), planeslayer’s call, slay living (DC 27), true seeing, undead anatomy II 4th (8/day)—aura of doom (DC 26), dismissal (DC 24), divine power, freedom of movement, inflict critical wounds (DC 26), legend lore 3rd (8/day, 1 used)—cure serious wounds (DC 23), inflict serious wounds (DC 25), locate object, magic vestment, remove disease, stone shape, undead anatomy I 2nd (9/day)—align weapon, command undead (DC 24), inflict moderate wounds (DC 24), lesser restoration, remove paralysis, resist energy, spiritual weapon, tongues 1st (9/day)—bless, cure light wounds (DC 21), doom (DC 23), identify, inflict light wounds (DC 23), hide from undead, shield of faith 0th—bleed (DC 22), create water, detect magic, detect poison, guidance, light, read magic, resistance, stabilize Statistics Str 16, Dex 16, Con 20, Int 27, Wis 16, Cha 30 Base Atk +14; CMB +17; CMD 33 Feats Abundant Revelations (arcane archivist), Combat Casting, Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Improved Initiative, Lunging Spell Touch, Oracular Intuition, Quick Draw, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (necromancy), Spell Penetration, Toughness Skills Acrobatics +22, Appraise +15, Craft (sculpture) +16, Diplomacy +20,  Escape Artist +22, Fly +22, Heal +14, Intimidate +20, Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, local, nature, planes, religion) +30, Knowledge (engineering, geography, history, nobility) +20, Linguistics +15, Sense Motive +20, Spellcraft +30, Use Magic Device +25 SQ legendary, oracle curse (lich), revelations (arcane archivist, brain drain, mental acuity, sidestep secret, spontaneous symbology, think on it) Languages Abyssal,Aklo, Boggard, Celestial,Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Infernal, Necril, Shoanti, Sylvan, Undercommon, Varisian Gear tome of leadership and influence +4 (expended), manual of bodily health +2 (expended), belt of physical perfection +4, headband of mental superiority +6 (Acrobatics, Escape Artist, Fly), +1 deathless cold resistance mithril chain shirt, staff of the hierophant, rod of quicken spell, ring of sustenance, ring of protection +3, mnemonic vestment, cloak of resistance +4, amulet of natural armor +2, handy haversack, wand of cure moderate wounds (20 charges), wand of spectral hand (30 charges), scroll of greater spell immunity, scroll of resurrection, scroll of greater restoration, scroll of heroes’ feast, guardian grimoire, (no preparation ritual), 13,000 gp worth of gem dust for material components, silver engagement ring worth 25 gp, 2 eye ointment material components for true seeing, 7 pp, 5 gp Special Abilities Legendary (Ex) Theo’s statistics are built on 25 point buy, and he has the gear of a PC of his class level. These advantages increase his CR by +1.

[cassynite]

WIP Wednesday

Tagged by @knight-commander, thank you so much for thinking of me!! I'm a little between projects but I've been meaning to try and nail down the voice of Sparrow's not-dead brother, Isore, so here's a snippet of his POV.

--

Isore remembers his sister dying, can see it as clearly as he can see the moaning man in front of him in the present. The caravan attack had been short and swift, the Hyenas efficient at what they did, and Isore had been ill-prepared and arrogant in his assumptions about the safety of the road. He hadn't had time to draw breath for spell when he was stabbed below his ribs, the human slowly succumbing to deathly fear front of him in the present an echo of the smiling face holding the sword in the past--blue eyes, sand-colored hair chopped close to his skull, and a scar on his sun-leathered cheek.

Isore had fallen, bleeding out, his intestines perforated. It would be slow, and it would be painful, but he was still alive and conscious, if in pain. He saw everything.

Passerene hadn't realized that. She was eleven, the eternal thorn in his side, a chain on his ankle. She hadn't meant to come with him to Alkenstar. He'd hoped to leave her behind, to finally make that final step he'd been putting off for years--leaving his little sparrow happy and taken care of in a country that would love her solely for the feathers on her face, so he can finally move on and still live his life, fulfill his purpose.

But she'd insisted, and he found himself reacting the same way he always did when she asked for anything, when presented with another opportunity to lengthen their companionship. He agreed. Just like he'd agreed to himself to travel to Dehrukani in the first place with her, then to establish himself amongst the flighty artists and the purposeless azata wearing poor mortal forms, then to stay, year after year, as she grew. She was sharp, and drank in the world around her with unfettered joy; she loved it, and saw its worth, and that could be useful to Isore with proper attention and guidance, and that was reason enough to linger. So he was a good brother to her, patient and gentle when needed, and she was biddable because she loved him.

And when he was attacked, she did not think about how she was an untrained eleven year old child who had been caught by murderers and should focus on her survival. She only saw that her brother was dying, and so she fought--fought until the human with the scar on his cheek struck her, and again when she kept screaming, until she was silent, and blood sank into the soil beneath her head.

"Now why the fuck did you go and do that?" another one of the slavers--blond, pug nose, who screamed loud enough to be heard through stone when he would bury her alive a year later--had said. "You just cost us a shit ton of money. That aasimar's our pay day!"

"Fuckin' brat," scarred cheek had said. "Just take the body, why don't you. We can still salvage it."

Aasimar were worth their weight in gold as slaves, but they still sold at a tidy profit as meat. They took Passerene's body, and left Isore in the sun to be carrion for the crows.

[amatres]

TV Tropes : Layla

Hello everyone. Sometimes you have little hobbies that are silly and self indulgent but you don't care bc you think they're fun. That being said. Look at Layla's fake TV Trope page under read more for length.

Spoiler warning as well, as there is no actual censor bar to be had.

“A new day means a new chance for something interesting to happen!” Name: Layla Race: Dhampir (Moroi-Heritage) Class: Bard (Dirge Bard) Alignment: Chaotic Good (*could alignment shift to Chaotic Neutral in companion au*) Deity: Desna

Once a noblewoman of Brevoy, Layla is now a wandering bard. After five years of being on the run, she fled to the Worldwound in a desperate bid to deter the pursuit of her cousin and the mercenaries he’d send to capture or kill her, only to be drawn into the Fifth Crusade by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Tv Tropes:

 -All the Other Reindeer: Was ostracized for being a dhampir and then also for her uncertain noble lineage once her grandfather took her in.

 -Animal Motifs: Like any true azata mythic path knight commander and desnan, she is often associated with butterflies.

 -The Bard

 -Barefoot Poverty: She is often depicted as barefoot, and at the start of Wrath of the Righteous, she had them stolen by the person who was helping her get into the city, alongside her cloak and violin. (*Or that is what her mind makes her believe after being captured by Areelu*). While joked she just keeps losing them, the fact she can not easily replace them is still something to take note of.

 -Beware the Nice Ones/Beware the Silly Ones: While genuinely a rather kind and cheerful person who will help others simply because she can, she is not one to be pushed around. When she feels backed into a corner she can become venomous and destructive, as both her cousin Arthur and Queen Galfrey find out. 

 -Beautiful Singing Voice: While she primarily plays her violin, she is also trained in singing and is rather good at it, at least to the point she could still make money performing with singing and dancing alone.

 -Big Screwed-Up Family: It doesn’t get more dysfunctional than being the Replacement Goldfish for her grandfather and the Abel to her cousin’s Cain because said grandfather liked her more. Not to mention what started the problems to begin a generation earlier, with their parents' fight and their father’s reaction to it being the catalyst to everything.

 -Blue Blood: Apparently is the long lost grandchild to a brevic nobleman, though whether this is true or not was hotly debated the entire time she lived with the noble title.

 -Bookworm: With not much else to do as a noblewoman with no friends, Layla developed a strong love for books of all kinds. She bonds with others over it, and happily shares her love of it and what she’s read with others, such as Lann or Nenio.

 -Broken Bird: Subverted. The five years she spent on the run actually gave her the chance to refind herself after spending years under the stress of brevic court and her family drama, and she’s come out of it with a strong sense of self and love for life. (*however this can play out in earnest if the knight commander pushes her onto the chaotic route, causing her to have a breakdown and become self centered, self destructive, and callous*)

 -Burn Baby Burn: A go to tactic for her when she finally has had enough. Most famously, she set her own home of around twenty years aflame to spite her cousin. She will do the same in her chaotic endings in the companion au.

 -Cain and Abel: A less direct example, as he is her cousin not her brother, but Arthur continues to try to kill her to appease his own wounded ego and childhood trauma even after five years has passed. In her own world, he fails as he (*is killed by Areelu*) while he may actually succed in some companion au endings.

 -The Chains of Command: Being in charge of the fifth crusade is not good for her ultimately, and she never wanted to be in charge in the first place. Act three really puts it into light as she starts to act out of character and become more bitter as she’s forced to act against her nature.

 -Chaotic Good: Her In-Universe Alignment. She is a free spirited young woman, who values freedom of expression and anatomy above near all else, and is also rather kind and willing to lend an ear to those who need it, and will help people expecting nothing in return, even when it goes against what others tell her to do and potentially putting herself in trouble as a result.

 -Combat Pragmatic: Layla may not seek out fights on her own, but when she is in one, she will do whatever she deems necessary to get out of them alive. 

 -Cold Blooded Torture: Victim of this if captured by her cousin in act 3 as a companion. In one route, by the time she is rescued she has been rendered unable to walk and has to be helped by someone else to leave the prison. Even though she eventually is able to walk again some time after the fifth crusade ends, the experience understandably leaves scars no matter how she escapes the situation.

 -Corrupt the Cutie: Her chaotic route in her companion au is brought upon by encouraging her worst instincts and making her believe she only has herself to rely on. 

 -Dark and Troubled Past: While not as extreme as others, it’s not without its troubles. Coming into life with her mother dying in childbirth, being a social outcast at the orphanage that took her in solely out of fear of angering the vampire who possibly sired her, to thinking she finally got a chance at a better life only to become a social outcast in Brevic nobility due to her debated familial ties, then slowly backed into a corner by her own cousin as she was framed for slowly killing the only family member she had on her side, and having said family member in response to confine her to the manor in response out of fear for safety. This all leads to her saying enough is enough, and once her grandfather is dead, she destroys the very place she lived for over 20 years and leaves.

-Defiant Captive: If she is captured by her cousin, she spends months not breaking under torture, mocks her cousin all the while, and even attempted to run away once, though that was punished swiftly once she was recaptured. If the knight commander takes too long to rescue her after entering Act 5, it leads to…

 -Defiant to the End: She refuses to give up, even when things have become hopeless, such as when she first confronts Minagho at the Wardstone. Another example that does fulfill the death requirement is in one of her bad ends of her companion au where she never gives her cousin the satisfaction of seeing her break over the months he has her in captivity, eventually leading to him killing her.

 -Delicate and Sickly: Her albinism has not just left an obvious visual mark on her, but also affected her health, giving her life long health struggles and she has a very low constitution score fitting for what is expected of her heritage. (*This is possibly a side effect of Areelu’s experiments on her both when she was younger and later when she was captured near the Worldwound. While the foreign power in her body is making her stronger, it also eats away at her health*) Even as a companion, she mentions offhandedly about having been sick often as a kid, and other companions will remark on her poor health with varying levels of care on the matter. Layla is unbothered by her penchant for falling ill, and makes light of it due to how used to it she has become.

 -Destroy the Abusive Home/Let the Past Burn: While her grandfather himself wasn't horribly abusive, his manor ultimately was a place of strife for her. In a moment of not only grief, but anger, she set the manor ablaze so that her cousin couldn't have it even after she was gone. She also treated this partially as a way of saying goodbye to that part of her life, unfortunately that part of her life isn’t willing to let her leave that easily.

 -Dhampyr: Born as one, though no one knows who her vampiric sire is.

 -Die Laughing: In one of her bad ends, she laughs in her cousins face even after months of torture and he finally snaps, killing her.

 -Disappeared Dad: She has no idea who her father is, nor does anyone else. She is unbothered by this, saying he is either dead, or a deadbeat, and either way it’s of no concern to her in the end.

 -Elegant Classical Musician

 -Elemental Eye Color: Her eyes are a vibrant red, and she’s associated with fire due to her dramatic method of cutting ties.

 -Elopement: She marries Lann without any fanfare or warning to anyone else. Unlike most examples of this trope, it was simply because the two got carried away.

 -Ethical Slut: Has no problem with casual sex, and is open about it, while insisting that all parties involved are enthusiastic and that others don’t get hurt. If in a companion AU, she is happy to enter a casual sexual relationship with the Knight Commander but she will not accept being chosen over a different companion in the jealousy scene, and will leave saying she wasn’t aware of how serious things were and hadn’t meant to hurt anyone.

 -Friendless Background: Goes from an orphanage where everyone avoided her because of her unnatural heritage, to living in an estate where everyone avoided her because of the rumors surrounding her and out of fear of angering her very powerful guardian. She never had much chance to make friends until she was already an adult and living on the run.

 -Gentlewoman Snarker: While usually a Nice Girl, when she doesn’t like someone she is much more willing to mess with their heads and hurt their ego, and definitely has the wit to cut deep.

 -Good Bad Girl: A person who many find easy to like, and is also open and unashamed about her promiscuity.

 -Guile Hero: As someone who is not very physically strong, she relies on her wits and charm to get out of most of her troubles. For example, she has a habit of turning her enemies against each other so she can escape when they aren’t looking.

 -Half Human Hybrid: Her mother was unquestionably human, whoever she truly was, but her father is unknown and speculated to have been a vampire. 

 -The Hyena: She is often laughing, and can find reason to laugh at almost anything.

 -Impossibly-Low Neckline: Her dress perhaps is on the more unrealistic side and it's a wonder it stays on like it does.

 -Just Friends: With Daeran, both as the knight commander and as a companion. In her own universe, she is oblivious to his developing feelings and turns him down when he attempts to turn things serious, while in a companion au the two start a Friends With Benefits arrangement but eventually end it, deciding to consider each other simply friends.

 -Lonely Rich Kid: Her childhood in her grandfather's estate, as no one was willing to brave befriending her due to her grandfather's protective attitude and the rumors surrounding her.

 -Magic Music: Comes with being a bard.

 -Meaningful Name: Her name means ‘night’, a rather on the nose name for a dhampir. 

 -Mood-Swinger: While often cheerful, it catches many off guard when her mood changes at the drop of a hat. Any emotion she has will often be immediately obvious, and sudden, there and then gone with the change of the wind.

 -Mystical White Hair: Not caused by magic itself, instead coming from the much more mundane reason of albinism.

 -Never Found the Body: Some of her chaotic alignment endings invoke this, even inspiring in universe speculative literature and art on what became of her.

 -Nice Girl: A kind person who many find easy to get along with and find something about her to like. She approaches most people with a friendly demeanor and open mind, and is willing to accept most people despite how different they are from her, though not to the point of letting people take advantage of her.

 -Noble Fugitive: Was once a noblewoman of a decently respected noble house of Brevoy, but has had to live on the run for the past five years after her cousin framed her for murdering her grandfather and she set the manor he wanted so badly on fire in retaliation.

 -Parental Abandonment: Her mother couldn't really help dying in childbirth, but her father is out there and no one knows who he is, let alone if he is alive or not.

 -Plucky Girl: Both stubborn and optimistic in equal measure.

 -The Pollyanna: Despite all the hardships life has dealt her, she holds onto her optimism and does her best to see the best of life, as well as to share that with others. (*unless the Knight Commander pushes her to her breaking point*)

 -Polyamory: Is open to this if her partner wishes to, and as a companion she offers it as a solution to the jealousy scene, though none of them really go through with it.

 -Pretty Butterflies: When she starts to show signs of her azata mythic path, she is surrounded by butterflies that follow her wherever she goes.

 -Prone to Sunburn: Unfortunate result of albinism.

 -Put the “Laughter” in “Slaughter”: In the companion au, if the knight commander pushes her into her chaotic path she laughs all while killing her cousin and all his men, with or without the knight commander’s help.

 -Raised by Grandparents: Raised by her grandfather after she spent her first few years in a Taldan orphanage.

 -Rags to Riches: Went from being an isolated child in an orphanage to a rich noblewoman loved by her grandfather. It wasn’t to last.

 -Red Eyes, Take Warning: Unlike the rest of her outward appearance, Layla’s eyes are something that does mark her as more dangerous than simply a human woman with albinism, giving her away as a dhampir. While she doesn’t mean most people harm, it’s not uncommon for others to get unnerved when they notice her eyes and realize what they mean.

 -The Redeemer: Has a habit of getting into evil characters’ heads enough to make them begin to question themselves and ultimately change. Makes her act 3 near breakdown under the weight of power all the more noticeable when she does the opposite for her companion for months Camellia, and the obviously deeply mentally ill, survival focused Wenduag. Despite this habit of hers, she won’t refuse to fight someone who tries to manipulate her to get away with their evil deeds.

 -Replacement Goldfish: Was this to her grandfather, who used her as a second chance at raising his daughter. In his final months, he would call Layla by her name instead and would talk to her as if she was his long lost daughter. (*Areelu attempted to do a more twisted version of this to her as well*)

 -Riches to Rags: Goes from being a well off Brevoy noblewoman to a shoeless traveling bard, not that she seems to mind.

 -The Runaway/Forced From Their Home: While she ultimately falls into the former, she only started her life on the run due to her cousin trying to impose the latter, if not fully intending to have her killed instead.

 -Quirky Curls: Is a cheerful girl, and has long, curly hair that she often lets flow free.

 -Oblivious to Love: Unfortunately it takes a bit for her to realize someone has feelings for her and not simply flirting with her for fun. Those who try the hardest, with more elaborate and showy displays of affection, are only making it less likely she’ll catch on until it’s too late and someone gets hurt.

 -Odd Friendship: Friendship is stretching it very far, but Layla holds a rather decent amount of respect for Regill despite how different their world views are, due to how true he is to his convictions. That won’t stop her from jokingly flirting with him because she thinks it’s amusing or stating her own views however.

 -Of Corsets Sexy: One of the few articles of clothing she wears is a corset.

 -Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right: She will often go off on her own to do what she feels is right, not caring who it upsets.

 -Sex for Services: Admits to having done this once or twice as a way to get into a city, or have someone help her out. She claims she isn't bothered by this, and says if she had ever felt she was in danger she could have easily torn out the person's throat with her teeth.

 -Single Woman Seeks Good Man: The gender doesn’t matter to her, but it’s not the obvious flirtations or showings of power that catch her attention, but earnesty. She simply wants someone who accepts her as she is.

 -Smarter Than You Look: Is a lot more well read, a better judge of character, and much more introspective than most people would probably give her credit for right off the bat.

 -Street Musician: How she makes a living.

 -Success as Revenge: Well more simply moving on with her life as revenge. She has no interest in getting any revenge against her cousin after burning down the family manor, and even tells him to his face he is wasting his life by pursuing her when he could instead be making a respectful name for himself back in Brevoy if he just did the same.

 -The Tease: She finds it fun to flirt with people, and will do it with or without romantic or sexual intention. Some she even flirts with because she thinks their rejection of it is funny, though she tries to remain mindful of people’s boundaries and won’t flirt with certain characters like Sosiel or Arueshalae out of respect. 

 -Tragic Keepsake: Her violin, as it was the only gift her grandfather gave her that she has left now that the rest of them are reduced to ashes.

 -True Blue Femininity: Very feminine and is often dressed in a light blue dress.

 -Turn to Religion: She became a worshiper of Desna only after she left her old life behind.

 -Unkempt Beauty: She doesn’t put in much effort into her appearance, mostly because she can’t, but is still rather pretty.

 -Walking the Earth: While she might not have chosen to leave when she did, Layla is happy to live on the road, and returns to it once the 5th crusade comes to an end.

 -Wandering Minstrel

 -What the Hell Hero: In the companion au, Layla will leave the party for a handful of actions, one being causing Arueshalae to fall. (*at least as long as the commander hasn’t also triggered her own chaotic path*)

[spyridonya]

For Zophus & Raph: “ this is torture, isn’t it? “ “ not in the slightest. “

I HAVE ANOTHER ENABLER! I threw Haarlep in, too. Haarlep will be given their/them pronouns due to not really being sure if masculine is their preferred form or Raphael's preferred form. Tossing in a little bit of Pathfinder lore because I like mixing my planar stuff together and D&D has a woeful amount of celestial lore. Again, using the 2nd point of view though the Named Tav in question isn't the 'reader'.

sacred romantic raph being an ass moments meme

The scent of musk in the air reminds you of embers, the appealing tangling cruelly with the sour memory of childhood. You blame that squarely on the shoulders of the incubus who rises from the tangle of sheets, limbs, and leathery wings. There was hope, of course there was, of you being caught between master and slave and the temptation still aches on your tongue.

And yet you're still here, settled on a chair that is soft and inviting under your muscular form, large enough to hold you comfortably. Your breathing is even due to effort though your blood sings in your veins and you are hard - almost painfully so - against the wool of your pants and small clothes.

One of the near identical heads rise, though you know it's Haarlep, even before you see the shockingly younger features of Raphael upon them. The appearances puzzles you, you're not sure if this is how Raphael truly sees himself or if it is a small rebellion of the enslaved fiend to be different than his master.

There's a grin that's not quite the same, but it's sharp and unkind towards the little thief that's snuck upon their master's home. Jealousy or disruption of the long game between them, you cannot tell. Wordlessly the naked fiend passes you, and you refuse to follow their wake. Rather you feel the heat of the incubus' passing.

Your gaze then returns to the cambion and you despite the fact you can easily tell them apart by motion and gesture. The movement of powerful limbs and crimson wings, ember eyes on you, the smile on carved features.

"Why does a hungry man not partake in such a feast during a famine?" Raphael murmurs in that smokey tone of his, all gravel and rumble, and not like the coy silk of Haarlep's voice.

"I've become a man now?" You respond, your voice lower than you'd like, the coloring of lust betraying you, fraying the edges of an oath made in anguish.”Not a mouse?” 

"Answering a question with a question; your blood seems not to be of an archon. An azata perhaps, the song of freedom under colorful wings,” The cambion hums with amusement, “Perhaps that is why you buckle so under the tenets of a faction that has no need of your skin."

The word azata means nothing to you; a deep sorrowful regret that you don't know your own blood. Your own life beat and how you've come about in the planes. You merely shake your head, "A creature of order criticizing a philosophy of supreme order."

"Perhaps if I were a full blooded fiend, the irony would be more apt." Raphael lifts his arms with clawed fingers laced together and stretches, the smooth ruby skin shining in the light of boudoir’s lamps and lanterns. "Shall we blame my mother who could never live up to the ideals of Baator until her death and descent? Still, there's my father. Perhaps he is even more to blame for my taste of whimsy." Wings settle about Raphael and he smiles before he begins to rise. You catch the gleam of cum on his thigh, dripping from his copulation with Haarlep.

He had wanted you to join. You had wanted to join. The only chains that bound you to your chair was your oath.

There's no snap of his fingers as he approaches you, his height and weight once there and now gone. The ruby of his skin was replaced by copper tone. Horns gone. And yet he's still naked, still muscular, but now lean. A body that betrays the lines of his carved face. That puzzle whispers to you again. Cambions are immortal, they stop aging. And yet Raphael appears to you as a man in his middle age prime and not someone closer to your own. You are a young man just settling into the second year of his third decade; twenty two.

His eyes take in your form, the slow drag of it can almost be felt and your cock aches even harder. You inhale, exhale slowly, and smell nothing but cherries and brandy. You do not reach for him as he stands before you, leaning over you, the heat of his body so terribly close.

"This is torture, isn't it, Zophus?" He murmurs, half question and half admission.

"Not in the slightest," You lie as Raphael hand catches your jaw, as you can smell Haarlep's musk on him, and as you wonder how quickly you could make the cambion come. Or how long you could make him beg. How long it would take the mask the scent of the incubus with your own.

Lying, after all, does not break your oath.

[lukedanger]

3 and 6 for Elaina?

3: Who is/are their best friend(s) among companions and why?

Seelah: Both being paladins of Iomedae and having the integrity to have doubts really brought them together during it as they shored each other up when the doubts began to gnaw on them. Seelah also helped keep Elaina grounded as she got caught up in the politics of leading the crusade, and both helped each other fine-tune the Law/Good balance.

Lann: Early on they get along from being able to just talk about the world - Lann is learning, and learns fast, while Elaina's well-read enough that it's exciting to be able to talk about this stuff with someone who wants to learn. She appreciates his insight, though there are definitely times when they disagree and hard (entirely opposite perspectives of Regill's war crimes at the Redoubt, for one)

Arueshalae would be better answered in question 16, though it started with a strong friendship before they started to really question if it was the start of love.

Ulbrig might also get on this list, if a bit more contentious due to strong disagreements of Elaina being Mendevian by culture despite Sarkorian blood, but I'm still doing a playthrough with his DLC installed. So far they definitely get along, though best friend? Maybe not.

6: Which mythic path did they choose and why? Do they regret it?

Angel, though I imagine that in Act III there was a bit of a running debate as to whether she was becoming an angel (generic good) or specifically an archon (Lawful Good). The reason she chose the path was more or less because she is already affiliated to Heaven as one of Iomedae's paladins and that would be the natural course for the power to take based on who she is, assuming no interference.

She did unlock Azata, which I have a whole headcanon about it being there to help her at key moments (such as making sure Aeon doesn't hijack her at the Wardstone and of course verifying Arueshalae's story) before stepping away with the job done, but ultimately it would not have fit her. She does sometimes wonder about what it would feel like, but she understands it's the same kind of wonder she's had since she was a child at the abbey escaping her lot in life through the abbey's library of books.

With Legend, Elaina is fully aware of what Iomedae is offering - the same path the Inheritor walked during the Acts - and understands fully that Iomedae is arguing for Elaina's soul. Two things really pushed Elaina into staying Angel, though: first was realizing that she was already considering alternatives to the power if she felt she needed something equal to mythic power after accepting Iomedae's offer. Second was the fact that if Areelu made sure they couldn't use her as a key, then Elaina was making the crusade impossible to win and generations more would have to fight to hold it closed. Iomedae would not demand that sacrifice... but would honor it freely given.

[Link to the Ask Game]

[yunessa]

Up to a point I could deny that everything was building up. An angel sword? Oh, how lucky to have an angel sword. Going to Elysium and meeting Azatas? Even luckier! Few mortals ever go to Elysium, much less see an Azata. It had the start of a heroic story, but I didn’t want to be a hero so I ignored it. We had gotten a blessing to suppress my curse, I got a nice sword and a good story to tell future crowds. But Finnean ruined it. It was no longer ‘a bard gets lucky and finds a nice sword and gets a good story to sing’. It became a story where someone, somewhere, somehow everything was getting in line to make me a hero or a crusader or something. I thought about it long and hard as we travelled the few blocks to Blackwing Library.  It felt strange. I had no connection to Mendev or Kenabres itself.  But by seeming random happenstance I held an Angel’s blade in the depths of my being. I had walked through Elysium and spoke to Azatas. A magical sword that had, at some point, been a flesh and blood man. To many random gifts from the heavens that seemed familiar. It was the start of a hero's story, the sort you see sung in high end Taverns. But I had no idea what heroic quest was about to be given- more like dumped on me- from the skies. I racked my brain wondering what could happen. There were rumours of a fifth crusade that was imminent- but those had been going on for two decades. There were whispers that Cheliax was getting aggressive. I made a note to ask Daeran later- he had mentioned living in the city for well over a decade and since he was related to the Queen he might be aware. Ember knew nothing. At least, not anything that made sense to me. Seelah knew the rumours I’d already figured out on my own. Camilla shrugged when I asked. I would need to speak with those at the Defender’s Heart in depth when we returned. Woljif knew what was happening at the ground level, but not around- surprisingly he continued to stick with us, looking far less tense now that his name had been cleared. Aravashinal was uninterested in conversation,anxious to see his library.   All of the stories, poems, and books I knew offered me no clues. This was not the obvious work of any God I knew, nor spirit, nor fey and I had never had dealings with demons.  But somehow it all felt familiar while being not. Like the answer was close and within reach but I couldn’t see it. If I had more than a few hours before I was attacked outside of Kenabres then maybe I would have found myself more knowledgeable than I was at the moment. But it’s difficult to plan ‘avoiding the apocalypse’ in your day when you didn’t see it coming.  Once we got back to the Inn, I promised myself I’d talk to everyone who’d spend time.  There are very few people who actively dislike bards, and fewer still who hated music. Add a charming smile and kind words and I was certain that I could get information. We just had to find the storyteller and I could start getting more answers. -Yunessa