#blaming what areelu did to her

[offsidekineticist]

💎💎💎for agria if you're still taking these and it strikes your fancy lol!

I am still taking them! Sorry it took so long, took some time to decide who would be most interesting to answer this one. So here's Giliys's thoughts on Agria (whom he has nicknamed 'Threads' because Giliys can't just call people by their names like a normal person, I'm so sorry).

"Threads? Well. I think I'd have liked her better if we met before the fifth crusade. I know she's got rich family, but she doesn't really count as nobility. I mean, she coulda stayed in Brevoy and tried to blend in with with the fancy Lebedas, sucked up to them, tried to marry up, but she didn't. She went and said she was part of a people with no home scattered all over Avistan, and when she realized their culture had been stolen from them, she went and said she'd steal it back. That takes guts.

"But then Areelu fucking Vorlesh got ahold of her, and - " Giliys stops himself, face taut with rage. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Look. I know most people think I don't have a conscience cuz it's calibrated different than most. But I do know this: the worst, most unforgivale things you can do to someone are the things that hurt the soul. And I know, I know, I done plenty of that in my time, but I also know it's fucked up. What Areelu Vorlesh did was un-fucking-forgivable. And Threads did her best to pick up the pieces and stitch herself back together, but...she decided not to fix what she did to her, didn't she? I don't know if she didn't think it was possible or if she actually thought she was better off for it, but either way - I mean - that's not something you choose if your soul is whole.

"So yeah. It's funny, I don't have a problem with her having magic powers from the Abyss. But the power she has as knight-commander...yeah, that's the kind of thing that twists you up inside, makes you into something else. Something that can't be fixed. And I hope Galfrey rots for pushing her into that when she was already torn up inside by Vorlesh."

[undyingembers]

For Lenarius/Leonosa:

13. What is their biggest regret regarding their time as the KC?

17. Which non-companion NPC do they really like?

21. Did they actually like something about being the KC?

13. What is their biggest regret regarding their time as the KC?

Probably that s/he might have ruined a few of her companion's character development before s/he had her own growth. S/he was the one who encouraged Ember to be harder and to take the wrong message that some people need to be frightened into redemption. His/her by-the-book tendencies while not really being willing to chastise or blame Seelah led Seelah to the Indecisive route (oops). If s/he had been in a better place, s/he might have been in a better position to give people better advice when they needed him/her the most.

S/he also constantly questions whether letting Liotr live was the right thing to do and if it would not have been better for Daeran to have his freedom, but unlike the examples above, s/he would not change her answer on that one.

17. Which non-companion NPC do they really like?

S/he really took a shine to Xorges. All the similarities between the two was what urged him/her to ignore the Aeon's directive and not punish the boy. S/he also got along very well with Irabeth and was very touched by hers and everyone's loyalty when s/he came back from the Abyss.

S/he will never, ever admit it, but s/he also resonated very well with Areelu Vorlesh, but I'll save that for when I get asked the Areelu question.

21. Did they actually like something about being the KC?

S/he loved playing tactician and managing the Crusade (I'm probably one of the very very few people who actually enjoyed Crusade mode!). S/he was so glad for the chance to put his/her mind to use and being appreciated for his/her efforts. S/he enjoyed the trials for the same reason. Even though s/he gave up the Aeon, s/he was glad for the limited time s/he got to spend being one.

[goddevouringserpent]

For Kaija!

2. How do they feel about Areelu Vorlesh?

8. What do they desire the most?

24. Where do they come from in Golarion? Do they miss their homeland? How do they feel about their homeland, its politics and current state?

2. How do they feel about Areelu Vorlesh?

Kai's views on Areelu are a lot simpler than Irenni's, lol. They despise her, plain and simple. No nuance, no place for compassion, no grey moral areas. It's not that Kaija has a particularly strong moral compass or anything, it's just that on a subconscious level she kind of blames Areelu for everything bad that has happened to her. Being born a tiefling in a country war-ravaged by demons, and the subsequent hit to her quality & stability of life that carried; the curse of her mythic powers—because, for her, they truly felt like a curse; the way I headcanon it, Kaija did not really have a choice regarding what shape they took, she was "forced" into the Demon path since she was so overwhelmed—and the goddamn wound that won't stop bleeding and may or may not kill her eventually; the fact that she's been put in charge of the Crusade which is a role she did not want at all, thankyouverymuch (even if they intend to make use of it for their own benefit)… She can circle every single thing back to Areelu and hates her on a deeply personal level because of that. Sure, Kai already disliked her because of the whole Worldwound thing, they're not entirely bereft of concern for Golarion as a whole—if only because they live in it—but the true depths of their hatred for Areelu are 100% due to how she influenced their life & stripped them of agency more than once. As a result, Kaija actively takes pleasure in shedding her mythic Demon powers and in killing Areelu once and for all.

8. What do they desire the most?

Oh, power. Definitely power. She's very similar to Woljif in that respect: a rough past, a score to settle, and enough bitterness to last a lifetime. She would very much like to be waited on hand-and-foot & to never go without food or shelter again, but there's also an edge of, like… wanting to make sure nobody can ever order her around again, and if that means she's got to claw her way up to the top, so be it.

That being said, they don't want just any kind of power. If they did, they would've kept their mythic ones, consequences and irreparable damage to their psyche be damned. Kaija wants power she's earned, power that belongs solely and entirely to her, because she doesn't want to rely on anyone other than herself and, eventually, the precious few people she trusts. She doesn't care for any power that comes with a leash.

She is also a huge hedonist who craves all that is comfortable and beautiful in life, and a hell of a glory-hound who wants her name to go down in history, but I suppose that last one is par for the course for a skald. (Yep I changed her class lol. Sword Saint just wasn't cutting it characterisation-wise.)

24. Where do they come from in Golarion? Do they miss their homeland? How do they feel about their homeland, its politics and current state?

Even though she's been around thanks to her mercenary work, Kaija is from Mendev! Really, if it weren't for her circumstances, the fact that she returned when she did could be considered the greatest stroke of luck in recent history (note: I am aware of the twist regarding Areelu and how long the KC has been, uh… out of commission… but I personally think the timeline established is a bit strange so I've reduced it to, roughly, five years).

She doesn't have much in the way of an opinion on Mendev, honestly? Doesn't think too highly of it—as far as Kai's concerned, the place is crawling with holier-than-thou hypocrites—but they wouldn't care to see it burnt to a crisp, either. The best way to describe it, I think, is that despite being their birthplace, it has never felt like home, and they feel no special connection to it one way or another. Just another place that turned its back on her on account of her heritage, but was all too quick to take advantage of her when it had to. Nothing new, get in line.

Regarding politics, though… man, let's just say that Kaija starts WOTR heavily disliking Galfrey from the get-go. A lot of it is petty resentment at first, but with time it does coalesce into something more justified (at least as far as Kai is concerned).

[thedragonagelesbian]

sending you 1, 4, 14, 17 & 18 for cyrus :) sorry for the zillion questions but im so curious 👀

I'm always happy to answer a zillion questions about Cyrus!!

Pathfinder WOTR Knight-Commander Asks

1. Do they think they're going to make it out alive?

Beyond a shadow of a doubt. Cyrus is generally optimistic and confident in his capabilities, and this version in particular has realized that he wants to live more than he wants to sacrifice himself, so whatever Act 6 and the finale throw at him, he's going to fight to make it out the other side.

4. What did they do before they became a crusader? Did they have a job, an occupation?

I adapted DA2!Cyrus' backstory for this, so the Hawke family was living near the Worldwound, sometime after Malcolm's passing they had to flee the town and demons killed Carver in the process, and Cyrus, Bethany, and Leandra became refugees. Somewhere. Cyrus worked odd jobs and mercenary gigs to build up enough wealth for his mother to live comfortably in their new city.

(Absent Kirkwall's acute disastrousness, the Worldwound weighed on Cyrus, even before Areelu got her hands on him, and he eventually decided that he could not sit idly by while demons preyed on the world.)

14. Which companion is their closest friend?

Woljif & Arueshalae! Cyrus is so instantly soft on Woljif-- immediate endearment for his fellow tiefling, does not recognize the bullshitting for what it is, thinks he can do no wrong and only starts worrying after his reappearance in Act 3. But he's so proud of Woljif for rejecting his grandfather in Act 4!

And Aruesahalae............... gosh, Cyrus loves her and the beauty and freedom she's trying to embody, and he never once doubts her ability to overcome her demonic nature. It's such a tender and intimate relationship, to help someone become a new self. It's almost a romantic relationship too, but Cyrus worries it'll be too hard for her and ultimately keeps things platonic, even as there's definitely a part of his heart that belongs to her.

17. Which non-companion NPC do they really like?

He really likes the Hand of the Inheritor. Lol.

Cyrus is also quite fond of Anevia and Irabeth. Anevia always provides good, level-headed council, and Irabeth is a fellow paladin in turmoil. It meant a lot to Cyrus to help her through her crisis & in turn she supported him through his own, understanding the loss of his oath and the emptiness it comes with in a way no one else could... and he is devastated to have lost her in Iz. He squarely blames Galfrey for this, furious with her for leading Irabeth and so many others on this suicide mission. I haven't yet seen the full fall-out for that, but I'm so curious/preemptively heartbroken.............

18. If they survived, what is their life post crusade?

With the caveat that I haven't beaten the game with him yet, I assume he's going to survive, for the reasons laid out in #1. First order of business, of course, is the wedding. I imagine Count Arendae spares absolutely no expense when it comes to planning The social event of the season. Cyrus is impatient--he wants to be a husband so bad--but he secretly likes having an excuse to indulge in the extravagance.

After that? I'm not 100% sure yet. When I first started conceptualizing the ship, I assumed that Daeran would be eager to return to life at court, but knowing that he hated it and outright tells Cyrus take me with you wherever you go afterward, I kind of like the idea of them doing like. The adventuring equivalent of glamping. Lots of traveling, sight seeing, do-gooding, on this plane and maybe beyond, but with. Whatever the Pathfinder equivalent is of Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion. And frequent trips back to cities for spa days & theater trips.

(As for the Hand of the Inheritor, he dutifully stays at Cyrus' side, but the question inevitably comes of what duty means for him--if anything--once the Fifth Crusade is done. Still too far fallen to return to Heaven [and according to the wiki replaced by Galfrey as Iomedae's herald???], it's a slow recovery process with lots of fits and starts and existential despair [and I think lots of support from Arueshalae as an extraplanar entity who has herself spent lots of time as not-quite what she was before]. Cyrus is supportive through it all while also wary of becoming just a direct substitute for the Hand's divine purpose & devotion, wanting him to be able to Be on his own too. It is in that spirit that the two eventually go their separate ways, but the Hand will forever be his guardian angel, ready to come to his side should he ever call. And Cyrus does, regularly and lovingly.)

[spyridonya]

🤥, 🔪, 📎 and ❤️ for kadira?

OC Emoji Meme

🤥 LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show they're lying?

Everyone assumes Kadira doesn't lie due to her genuine nature. In most interpersonal relationships, she's honest as a day in the south is long. However, she's lied to one person profoundly, though they're mostly lies of omission.

She's never told Galfrey that her memories growing up in Kenabras was from 70 years ago. Most of this lying was due to fear that the Inquisition would question her next, not realizing what Galfrey intended - using Kadira as a puppet for the latest Crusade.

Smaller Lies Include:

She's never told Daeran knowing about the Other, though that lie kept both of them alive.

In the Golden Shell AU, she doesn't tell Lann about the Other until the aftermath. Between the fear of letting more than one person know about the Other, Lann has a knee jerk reaction to lean heavily on the Lawful side until after Alushinyrra and there's hardly time to tell him.

Her biggest ticks on lying is when she stutters, her brain pausing to give her a moment to think of a lie and/or her tail is being very twitchy. The earlier can be avoided with a planned lie while the former can be avoided by wrapping her tail around her leg.

🔪 KNIFE - how do they react to injury / misfortune befalling their loved ones (significant other, family, friends)? do they put themselves at blame?

I think Kadira is remarkably mature despite having such a soft core. She becomes incredibly upset if anyone under her watch is hurt, but she has a good head on her shoulders when it comes with the context. She'll care for her injured loved ones, feels empathy for them, and she'll heal them once on the Angel Path. But she rarely blames herself for them getting hurt in battle or things related to the crusade, unless she did something directly or near directly -- or didn't do directly.

For example she's absolutely devastated for several reasons with Cameilla killing several soldiers, and puts the blame on herself since she never liked Cameilla and never socialized with her enough to realize how wrong Cameilla was, and people died because of that mistake.

📎 PAPERCLIP - a random fact.

Kadira has satyr like legs and fur the color of her hair - black. Her hooves and dewclaws are also black. She's not so much embarrassed of the shape of her legs but her fur. However, her fur is very close to rabbit soft and as the Crusade continues, Kadira begins to appreciate every part of herself.

❤️ RED HEART - their love language(s)?

Kadira's love language is praise and physical touch, both doing a number on her as well. Kadira's was rarely praised as a child growing up with her grandparents and later when she was kidnapped by Areelu. Touch has been something she's been denied since her kidnapping and being able to hug people, touch their face, their hair, or holding their hands is comforting to her.

[silversiren1101]

I have to ask two things:

How is the Bleaching affecting Minovae? How does she feel knowing that Regill's end is coming soon? Is she doing anything to stop/slow it?

How did things play out in the duel between Mino and Regill? Did she know that he would do that? Was he especially harsh in his judgement of her? How did she feel about having to fight him and him getting stripped of his rank?

Sorry. I know I only said two things, but it got a little out of hand.

OO more questions~

1. BLEACHING - The big question

This is the core of Minovae's despair when she does regain her memories. She realizes it's been 80 years since she was last "in the world". Everyone she knows is dead and... Regill is still here but fuck oh my god look at him. The Bleaching has so much implications about it: he's dying because he's lost any excitement/hope for life or he's dying because he's become so calloused and cold to the world. There's a lot there and it's difficult to look at him and not have her memories scramble trying to reconcile that voice she remembers with him now. Like hearing him behind her and she turns around, that younger him in her thoughts only to be stricken with the harsh reality of what's happened. It's a constant reminder that time didn't wait for her while she was in Areelu's clutches, and most of what she knows is ashes.

She actually blames herself at first - she thinks he came out to the Worldwound because of her (which is semi-true).

Ultimately it is just... she comes to terms with it. At least, she jokes that it made him hotter lmao.

AS FOR LATER:

I have interpreted the mythic power being shared from the Commander to their companions as a sort of divine-being-like relationship. Like how a deity in this world can empower their followers and give them spells and other powers.

This is especially true after she semi-ascends and becomes a demi-god like being. She's not strong enough to lend her divine power to a lot of people, it's really just 15 or so at most and the more that are connected to her the more diluted her own personal powers become.

What this means is, Regill is getting a constant stream of some chaotic energy sent his way. His Bleaching is halted where it is, but not reversed (his fingers will always be bone white), but he does get a little more color back.

His life is tied with hers. If she dies, he'll follow pretty quick without her divine power. They're effectively both immortal in terms of death via 'natural causes' at least, and her physical age is locked somewhere around 35-37.

2. The Duel

It doesn't happen in her fic plotline. It is replaced with the Thrune assassins and his death for her.

He does lose his rank, but it's a planned coverup by Renth and the other Paralictors after he tells them the truth of what happened: That the Thrunes have formed a false Hellknight Order (Order of the Glyph! You can read about them in Path of the Hellknight 1e source book) as their personal assassins and have attempted to assassinate the Knight Commander. To keep House Thrune from finding out they know and to protect continued Hellknight operations in the Worldwound, Regill is very publicly excommunicated for killing his own men - "You took it too far this time." - to justify why so many in his unit are dead. Only the Commander's inner circle + the Paralictors + Yaker are the only ones that know the truth.

He instead become Knight Lieutenant for the Crusade in the meantime.

The Paralictors quietly send word through the secret channels to get the information to the Lictors so plans can be set in motion to call the Council of Lictors after the Worldwound is dealt with.

Thanks for the questions!