#crimson rites lore

[sstvar]

Do Joey and The Boogeyman have a relationship? My this I mean so they sort of know each other? Is Joey in a way responsible for the Ink demon or are they just guys that work together?-

They are pretty much only work associates; Joey gets him what he needs to fulfill contracts (per their own contract) and Bendy assists Joey’s own business ventures, usually by supplying rare items and occasionally assisting the Broker’s with supply runs. However, The Boogeyman here isn’t too fond of Joey for uh… personal reasons.

Joey isn’t necessarily responsible for him, but he’s got eyes on him for a certain someone.

[crimson-rites]

Here, I give you one of the many owners of the Trinity Colosseum: Ramiel Bardot

Renowned for his period of ownership due to his liveliness and creative intellect, he was the face of entertainment in the Underworld. Prior to his arrival, The Trinity had actually been a factory project, until he had transformed it into a wonder of lights and music. People and creatures alike would gather every other night to witness his shows, his most popular act being his three daughters, Alice, Calliope and Nyx. This dynamic trio could do anything from seances to live music, and each was fully endorsed by their father. That is, until the end of his reign over Queen’s entertainment industry in 1906.

Due to inauspicious circumstances, Mr. Bardot is unavailable for questioning.

[nemo-draco]

Boo: [as he and Whitty are hanging out in Character Limbo] So, Stilts, how've things... [he's picking up on some cues all of a sudden] Whitty, you okay?

Whitty: [having a real wrestling with his emotions type moment before...] I'm...not having a...good time right now?

In other words, the next FNF story is going great.

Visual representation of Boo asking me later if he can murder a certain Greater Good not-cloud guy. Whitty updated him on some Lore.

Boo is from @sstvar , Whitty is from sock.clip on Insta, though this is the older version, pre-redesign.

[lunastrophe]

Drow Lore 🕷️ Sacrifices and Adjuration To Lolth

One of the central credo of Lolthite faith is: "We are all Lolth's meat". In many sources, Lolth is described as the goddess who consumes or devours, and rites conducted in her name practically always involve some kind of sacrifice.

🕷️ Typical Sacrifices - in minor, personal rites the sacrifice is usually poured wine, small amount of riches or a few drops of petitioner's blood offered before and idol or symbol of Lolth. In major rites, one or several individuals - usually captives or slaves - are ritually killed within a temple to feed the Spider Queen with their spilled blood.

🕷️ Sacrifice Preferences - non-sentient creatures < sentient creatures, non-humanoids < humanoids < elves < drow. Typically, Lolth prefers more powerful sacrifices to weaker ones, and her own priestesses over all others (this last type of sacrifice occurs only rarely, though, and usually as a punishment).

🕷️ Adjuration from the Crimson Liturgy of Lolth (found in Dragon Magazine #298), spoken during the rite of sacrifice:

O Flesh Carver, who wove the world; Who made us from the darkest clay, Spinning in it a red web of vein and artery, We feel thy hunger. O Lolth, humbly today we feed thee. We feed you this flesh, this quivering meat. With a blade like your jaws, We divide muscle from bone. Eat of this, the meal we consecrate to thee, And do not this day devour us.

🕷️ Lolth's name that appears in this adjuration - Flesh Carver - is mentioned in BG3 at least once. One of the petrified drow in the Underdark, Izwae, thanks a Lolth-sworn drow Tav for freeing him, saying:

Fleshcarver grant you your enemies' blood and the wealth of their houses.

I really like this quote 🖤

For more of my drow lore ramblings, feel free to check my pinned post 🕷️

[afragmentcastadrift]

We have the Divine Gate with its telltale latticework, and a similar weaving that appears around Ruidus, and the "city" within.

And then there is the Tree of Names, once in the center of the Arboreal Calix. A tree growing through the leylines, whose purpose was to be a wall, a gate, a pen, to protect Exandra from things beyond. We know the Gau Drashari created the Tree, siphoning off power to keep it whole and intact, to keep at bay those entities who would wield death and destruction, to write their names over and over across its limbs.

The Ruby Vanguard and Thull are intent on ensuring that "the event” coinciding with the apogee solstice comes to fruition - freeing Predathos from its crimson prison, the release of a hound to chase and consume divine prey.

And Orym asked: What does Zephrah have to do with any of this?

The Ashari hail from the Gau Drashari, Druids who somehow, someway, were able to "tend to the work of the Wildmother and the Dawnfather, to seal [the] Primordials away." Knowledge has been lost over centuries and eons, but secrets that are kept have a way of surviving, being whispered to become legends and lore, guarded still by leaders and sages. So perhaps, just perhaps, the Ashari, the guardians of the portals to the Elemental Planes, might know still how to secure and seal away primordial darkness.

If there exist those who might hold fast the secrets of how to weave that golden mesh, how to scribe names into rites and spells, how to draw forth magic and make it into what could potentially leash a god-hungry hound, then why wouldn't the Ruby Vanguard seek to undermine the most revered and powerful of those tribes? Let loose the monster, but only after bringing ruin to the ones who just might be able to prevent its rampage.

Ancient arcane knowledge might be the only thing that can recapture and wound something from beyond the stars. An understanding of the ley lines, and how they can be manipulated. And somewhere, perhaps, if there are indeed descendants of Maya Agrupin, there may be other secrets held dear - secrets that swirled within a gifted orb, and hold truths of a past forgotten.

[sassykattery]

Rites and Rituals, Pt. 8

Welcome to the Chapter and Season 2 Finale. I have an announcement at the end of the post, so please make sure to read it.

CW: MC is afab, uses she/her pronouns. MC is a demon and poly. Major fighting scene here, with other characters attacking the MC/reader. No blood mentioned, but highly violent.

Themes: Action. Experiments. Lore. Demon forms. LuciferxMC. DiavoloxMC.

Characters: MC="you", Diavolo, Lucifer, Barbatos, Satan, Mammon.

Minors and ageless blogs DNI

18+ only

As always, I hope you enjoy~

Masterlist

Barbatos, sensing Lucifer's hesitance, dove in first. He managed to grab you from behind, putting your human skull into a headlock and dragging one arm behind your back, while Diavolo took a step back to recompose.

While Lucifer and Diavolo were avian and draconic in nature, respectively, Barbatos was reptilian. He stood at twelve and a half foot tall, and his body was covered by glowing teal scales that rippled as he moved, his forked tail now a florescent green. His feet were reminiscent of yours, rather prehistoric looking. His arms were nimble but still similar to a lizard in appearance. His head was that of a monitor lizard, glowing turquoise and emerald orbs for eyes with the most narrow slits for pupils. His body was more rectangular and boxy, akin to the animal he so represented with his head, but still highly muscular.

Lucifer retained a more elegant and refined image, all black, covered in feathers much like yourself. His head was that of a peacock's skull, no surprise there, but the rest of his body was sleek, still similar to that of a human man, but far more muscular and retaining his narrow waist. His eyes lost their crimson hue in this form, completely blacking out instead. He was as tall as you and Diavolo. His feet resembled that of human world raptors, and his hands became much like your own, decorated with talons that curled in, ready to strike. The way he moved was languid and graceful, lacking the staccato and robotic movement of most avian creatures.

When you felt Barbatos at your back, you swiftly reached behind in a flying headlock and tossed him at Diavolo. Lucifer saw his opening and took out your legs, knocking you down to your knees so he could take both of your arms behind your back. You dropped forward and rolled, and actually continued rolling as both of you swung at each other to gain the upper hand.

"My lord, we have to put her in a sleeping hold," Barbatos spoke to Diavolo in creatiotonic Creatiotonic was the language formulated by elder demons, back when they were exclusively in their ultimate state in the early days of the Devildom. It's an innately known language by any demon, including yourself.

"Very well," Diavolo replied.

Just as you straddled Lucifer to reel your clawed fist back, Barbatos rushed by and attempted to put you in a reverse headlock, and Lucifer held your hips in place. With core strength, you took a deep breath and grabbed Barbatos' arms and launched him forward. He landed in a slide on his feet. Lucifer used the distraction to send you onto your back, putting you in a full pin, using his entire body weight to keep you in place.

Darling, you have to stop, he tried to tell you telepathically. All he received in reply was an ear-piercing shriek. With all your strength, you rammed your skull into Lucifer's, causing him to falter. You took the opportunity to shove him off and put him into a cross bar toe hold.

Pro-wrestling is banned from here on out at home, Lucifer thought to himself.

-

Meanwhile, Satan and Mammon were fruitless in the office, so they eventually discovered the lab Canary must have worked out of, and after some searching, they rifled through everything, finding documentation on the psychotic she used on you.

"Fuck! Canary wasn't even trying to look for cures, she really did just want to poison MC into making a pact with her. She was never going to fix what she did," Satan swore. "Her plan was to basically make MC her mindless animal, siphoning magic off of her."

"What can we do?" Mammon asked, stressed.

Satan threw the notebook in a fit of rage, sinking down to his feet. "I don't know what we can do," he sobbed in pure dismay.

Mammon looked around. "We can't give up on her. She needs us," he stated.

"I know! I know..." Satan cried out, frustrated. He racked his brain for ideas.

At the same time, both brothers looked at each other. "Somnum!"

They scrambled to look around, and to their luck, they found large quantities of the green powder stored away under a lab hood.

---

"Diavolo! This isn't working! Come on!" Lucifer called out as you held Barbatos in a Japanese arm bar hold, while holding the throat of Lucifer with the other arm. The three were impressed with how well you held up, but it was wearing them down, while you seemed relentless.

In favor of your assailant, you threw Lucifer aside and snatched Diavolo's ankle, sweeping him out from under himself. But while you were distracted, Barbatos found the strength to roll you both over and sliding into leg lock, holding you in place.

"Anytime now!" The butler shouted.

Lucifer came around and got his feathered arm locked around your neck, pulling you up to your feet. You clawed at him viciously while Barbatos caught his breath. They had been fighting with you for far too long, and now Diavolo and Barbatos were losing patience.

Lucifer.

The Avatar of Pride stiffened. It was your voice; it was your essence in his mind.

Darling, please, he called back to you.

I can't stop, please make me stop, you pleaded. You know what I'm asking. It's okay. You can do it. Please. I can't stop myself.

"Lucifer! Do it already!" Diavolo choked out, approaching you angrily.

Lucifer struggled. You were asking him to do the unthinkable, and his fears were starting to take root in his confidence.

I won't do that. We'll fix this, he thought.

You shrieked and began to thrash about, losing your sense of real consciousness again.

"Fucking– let me," Diavolo shouted, grabbing hold of your shoulders, yanking you from Lucifer's grasp, but in the transition, you slithered out and ducked under the arms that reached for you.

"Guys! Get out of the way!" Mammon shouted, holding a glass jar.

Your gazes landed on the second born, and he instantly gulped at your appearance. When you took a step forward, Barbatos kicked you down to your hands and knees, and further stepping into your back to force you down. He brought your arms up behind your body, finally holding you in place. Diavolo dove down to hold up your legs, so you couldn't wriggle your way out this time.

"If you're going to, I suggest now is the time," Babatos growled as you continued to wail and thrash beneath him.

Mammon quickly approached and opened the rather large jar of somnum, nearly the size of his torso, and then without much grace or decorum, he tossed the powder onto your human skull face. Carefully and swiftly, he closed it and staggered back. Satan waited with more in his hand, unsure of how much it would take to subdue you.

After several more moments of struggle, your movements became sloppy and languid. Within a minute, you laid out flat on the floor, still and silent.

"Oh gods, we did it," Satan gasped.

Lucifer dropped to his knees beside you, watching your motionless frame. Barbatos stepped off of you, walking over to his master.

"My lord, are you hurt?" Barbatos asked.

"No, no I'm fine," Diavolo said breathlessly, staring at you, unsure if you were really unconscious or not.

The eldest decidedly pulled you into his arms, looking you over. In a flash, your form dissolved, and Lucifer was left holding your regular body. There was a sigh of relief from everyone.

"At least when she looks like that, it's a bit more bearable," Mammon tried to joke. No one laughed.

Barbatos, Diavolo, and Lucifer all reverted back to their regular forms too, beaten and bruised.

"Let's go," Satan said quietly, gathering up their things.

---

Lucifer's POV

I walked down to MC's room for the fifth time since arriving home. She was still where I left her in her bed, but I'm constantly tormented by thoughts of her disappearing again, and I couldn't help but have to check on her, just to calm myself.

When I looked down at her, she looked the same, but there was a part of me who didn't see her the same way anymore. Deep down, I knew there was a terrifying creature beneath the many, many layers of her mind, but I never imagined in all my years something as truly fear-inducing as that.

I've sworn my brothers to secrecy, and to never speak of what happened to anyone. Not to each other, MC, the royals. It was to remain between us. I informed Levi, Asmo, Beel, and Belphie of what happened, sparing them the gory details about MC, but I could see it changed how they viewed her too. You're too powerful, MC, and I'm sorry this happened to you.

As I looked down at MC, I couldn't help but be brought back to what she said in her final moments. Did she really think I had it in me to stop her? That I could end it all if we couldn't bring her back? She thinks far too highly of me, then. I'd let all three realms crumble under the weight of her foot before I'd lay a hand on her in such a way.

Seeing her still comfortable, I left to go back to my office, knowing I'd just return in a few hours to check on her again.

---

Barbatos' POV

My young master hadn't left his office since we arrived at the palace. We ensured MC's safety at the House of Lamentation, though it seemed Lucifer was eager for us to leave. It was, without a doubt, that he saw how brutish Diavolo and I became after too long of fighting with MC. It couldn't be helped, and the sooner it all came to a halt, the better.

Though I've tried to reconcile what I saw at Mount Blanc, it's hard to imagine MC any other way. Though undoubtedly arousing she could be, she was also now fearsome, truly an opponent to the three realms with that much strength to take on Lord Diavolo, myself, and the Avatar of Pride. Could such a reality tolerate a presence? Could our timeline withstand the power MC has if this is the truth? These things can only be answered when my lord gives me permission to seek out the truth.

Tried as I might, tea was far from what I wanted to be making. I wanted to check on MC and my master, however, it was clear he wished to be alone, and she wasn't going to awaken soon. I could only hope that neither of the two were too sore.

I was informed that MC was fighting off the effects of the neurotoxins by Satan, but it was unclear as to what effects it would have, temporarily or permanently. Solomon told me there was nothing he could do except create antipsychotics should MC need them. My only hope was that we'll all be together again, soon, for my master's sake as well as my own. I missed MC terribly, and my hope was to see her in the castle again soon.

---

Diavolo's POV

If I were asked what happened at Mount Blanc, I'd be inclined to say nothing. In reality, I would simply smile, say warm wishes about MC and how we're happy to have her home, and continue on.

My bride. My soulmate. Riddled to nothing but a mindless beast. Is that how humans saw us?

As I paced my office more, I couldn't help but relive the disaster in Italy again and again in my mind. When would it be that MC would be safe from harm? When will we finally know an era of peace? Is it my fault that she's this way? Did my selfishness bring us this monster that could possibly be a threat to the three realms?

It seemed as though my reputation was not what I thought it was, and it appeared I needed to remind the people what it was I stand for and what it was I would not tolerate. Some changes would need to be made around here, starting with the witches. I cannot allow them to think such behavior is tolerable, and I will have to make sure anyone else who contributed to this disaster sees a just end.

I asked Barbatos to look into MC's future, and to our confusion, it stopped, and all he could see was her sleeping. We've looked high and low in everyone's futures for any sign of her, and it's like she disappeared. We didn't understand what it meant, but all I could hope for at this point was for her to wake up soon. It had been six days since the incident in Italy, and every time I visited her, she was in the same spot as before, never changing. I truly just want to hold her in my arms again, to tell her how much I love her.

Even if that monster is what lurks within the depths of her mind, she's proven many times over that she can handle things, and I could trust that she'll learn how to control that as well, with time.

----

Lucifer's POV

I walked into her room at the House for the eighth time that day, just before going to bed. I stood at her bedside, looking down at her sleeping face.

Unfortunately, Mammon had given her so much somnum, she had been asleep for eleven days at that point. The first three were the hardest as her body fought off the toxins, her temperature reaching well above what was normal for a demon. MC never moved, never stirred, and never made a single noise. It made everyone nervous, especially me. Now, it was merely a waiting game for her to awaken, and we were unsure of what she would be like when that happened.

"My sleeping beauty," I murmured, caressing her cheek.

All at once, MC's eyes fluttered open.

A gasp got caught in my throat, and I immediately started sputtering as I choked on my own spit.

"MC!" I rasped, kneeling down beside her bed. "Oh heavens, darling, you're awake. How do you feel? Are you hurting anywhere?"

MC blankly stared at me, clutching the sheets as she tried to scoot away from me.

"Who are you?" She asked.

---

Thanks for reading! <3

I hope you enjoyed this season, as well as this chapter! This concludes Season 2.

As for my announcement, I will be taking a break from posting "Love, Eternal." The next season, Season 3, will be the final one of this series, and it is high time I start finishing up the ending! There will also be an epilogue to this that I also need to write and finish. I also just really need a break!

That said, I am aiming to start publishing Season 3 starting April 5th. It may end up being later, depending on life stuff, but that is my goal to start again.

I don't mean to sound uncertain and cause anxiety and make it seem like the series will just stop. I assure you, we will pick it up again. My goal is to always deliver a satisfying story, so I need time to make sure that happens.

As always, I thank you all for reading my story. I hope to see you all back when we return. You all, my darling sinners, mean the world to me, and I'm happy to continue providing entertainment for you.

-The Royal SK 😈👑

---

Post made by sassykattery. Do not repost. Reblogs and comments appreciated.

Tags: @delphi-dreamin @bite-sized-devil @itsmeninerz @flemmingbamse @themythicaldisaster @dajitm @bontensbabygirl @obeymediasimp @frozengoldie

[enddaysengine]

The Devil (Chronicles of Darkness, Alchemist)

He says the song’s about him. He insists he is the Devil, incarnated as human, using the alchemical arts to unlock his true powers. To mortals, he appears as a man in his 60s, with stringy grey hair and an ever-present fiddle, but all in all, rather unremarkable. Only Prometheans see the broken horns rising from his crown, the faint crimson hue to his skin, and the cloven hooves. Only they smell the brimstone on his breath as he sings and dances.

He goes by a million pseudonyms and assumes names all over North America but answers to only one: the Devil. Even though he doesn’t look like much, he is rich as sin and enjoys seeing what makes people tick. When he has the Pyros to spare, he uses it to “free” people from their inhibitions, so they do what they want instead of what they think is “good.” He firmly believes that a person’s flaws make them human and that trying to paper over them makes people lesser - a point of view he espouses to any Promethean he meets, whether they are interested in hearing it or not.

The Devil’s tools bewilder other alchemists. All he works with are a dozen Pyros-infused oils and his fiddle. He carefully mixes the oleaginous substances as he treats the fiddle’s strings. Once it is ready, he activates the Pyros through song. The few colleagues he keeps insist it has something to do with the vibrational frequencies resonating with the Divine Fire. The Devil just shrugs them off. What is music if not magic?

Rumours “Be careful; he’s not just an alchemist! He’s some strange hybrid of ghouls and fae-touched.”

This rumour is incorrect but gets at an essential truth about the Devil. Alchemy is his great love, and he will happily chatter at a throng for hours if they catch him in the right mood. But he doesn’t use alchemy exclusively. He knows he’s done for if an angry Titan catches him off guard. He scrounges every bit of occult lore, teaching himself Ceremonies and Open Rites. He summons angels, demons, ghosts, and spirits, binding them to his will. The Devil never puts all his eggs in one basket and always has a backup plan in case things go belly up.

“The Devil bound an angel in his basement, and now the God-Machine is hunting him down.”

The Devil has interfered enough times the God-Machine is on the lookout for him, although it won’t go out of its way without a solid lead. The Devil’s more significant problem is that the Lucifuge is hunting him down and is willing to go to considerably more trouble to kill him. As to what’s in his basement - he’s not telling.

“You can’t trust the Devil. He lies and will say whatever it takes to get you to agree to his bargains. The second he can get away with breaking his end, he will.”

The Devil is probably one of the safer alchemists for the Created. When he comes after a Promethean’s Pyros or Vitrol, he’s upfront about his actions. He always wagers them against something the Promethean wants: information, an introduction to important people, or an Anathor. If the Promethean wins, they get their desire. If they lose, they have to give up the resources they wagered. Despite the rumours (which amuse him endlessly), the Devil is a man of his word and will go out of his way to ensure he upholds his end of the bargain. He only tries to take Pyros or Virtol from Prometheans with violence or deception if they break their end of the deal first.

Virtue: Reliable Vice: Indulgent Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 3, Strength 1, Dexterity 4, Stamina 2, Presence 4, Manipulation 4, Composure 4 Skills: Academics 2, Occult 5 (demons), Politics 3, Science 2; Athletics 1, Brawl 2, Drive 3, Larceny 2, Stealth 4; Empath 2, Expression 4 (fiddling), Intimidation 3 (curses), Persuasion 4, Socialize 4, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 4 Merits: Resources 5, Perfect Recall Health: 7 Magnitude: 2 Distillations: Indulgence (all), Temptation (all) Dread Powers: Jump Scare, Know Soul, Scurry 5 Pryos/per turn: 6/2 Willpower: 7 Integrity: 4 Size: 5 Speed: 10 Defence: 4 Initiative: +8

Disfigurements: Much like Prometheans, the Devil possesses Disfigurements that shine through when he uses Pyros, which trigger Disquiet. The Devil may avoid flaring Disfigurements on any Distillation by taking the Callous Condition.

Occultist Extraordinaire: The Devil knows as many Ceremonies, Open Rituals, and mortal magics as the Storyteller desires. He also achieves an exceptional success on Occult rolls with three successes.

[utilitycaster]

Thoughts on the new subclasses in Reborn?

Juggernaut, Runechild: they're perfectly fine but I didn't find them terribly interesting in the TCS, I don't find them much more interesting now, and I haven't had the time nor inclination to do a line-by-line comparison. The runechild's subclass spell list/ability to take arcane abjuration or transmutation spells does look great though. Oh also the aegis stuff seems like what if power surge, but good, and I like manifest inscriptions. Actually I take it back, Runechild seems pretty cool. Juggernaut is also like, mechanically good, I'm just like "ok cool you knock things over, that sounds fun for you I guess".

Circle of the Blighted: I have to keep it real with you: it's been a particularly busy couple of days for me and that has not improved by the fact that I gave blood for the first time in a couple years on Monday night.* I've tried to read through this class like 5 times, and every time it's just like. Mii music. I retain nothing except there's a picture of a firbolg somewhere.

Cobalt Soul, Open Sea: the changes to the classes as they were by the end of C2 seem good, and I love the new Open Sea spells. Also: hottest NPC art in the book.

College of Tragedy: In which Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer** really engages with his love affair with balancing out cool buffs with doing damage to one's self (see also: the high level chronurgy wizard feature I wrote a VERY angsty fic about before I realized Essek was a graviturgist; blood hunter; blood cleric; blood wizard). I have to say. it's A Lot. In the hands of a good player it will be great. In the hands of a focus-pulling player it will be hell. None more goth. Nimbus of Pathos is my D&D themed Sisters of Mercy tribute band name.

Moon Cleric: perfect. beautiful. I love them. But for real the features are great - I love the dual concentration mechanic and think it's a good balance for something that could get out of control, and the eclipse high level feature ties into Ruidus lore wonderfully.

Blood Cleric: pretty evil! I do like the ability to take damage to recover spells as a cleric, and crimson bond seems very useful. I don't love blood puppet but that's possibly just because I'm just not super into the term "blood puppet." Also I have to say: Vascular Corruption Aura is cool but I think it would be cooler if it was like, a monk's quivering palm except your blood explodes in a few days.

Blood Wizard: BLOOD WIZARD.

No but really blood channeling is very cool, Matt continues to explore his other mechanics interest, making others feel your own pain in combat (he's got a blood hunter rite, tether essence, and now Bond of Mutual Suffering aka Nimbus of Pathos's album title), and Thicker than Water finally makes your poor wizard who's just been bleeding themselves to make material components a little less anemic.

*I did NOT receive any material components in return unless you count a little bag of Chips Ahoy.

**say this three times fast

[rhine-gold-archive]

I’m using this meme to rumble about my account haha

1.First 5*: Technically, it’s Mona, but practically, I got Hu Tao like 20 seconds later in the very next ten-pull and raised her first, so Hu Tao feels like a real first 5 star to me

2.Favorite 5*: I love them both, Hu Tao carried me from mid to end game and is my favorite nuke option for bosses. And Itto is just FUN

3.Most recent 5*: I got Ayato first and then just kind of casually kept pulling on Venti’s banner whenever I had primos. I kinda expected to lose 50-50 bc I won 3 in a row before that, but no, I won and I’m glad I did, Ayato\Venti\Ganyu perma freeze slaps

4.Most wanted 5*: Not very original. Every time they let us use Kazuha in event trials I look at the damage numbers and CC and sit there, consumed by lust. I do like his personality too tho.

5.Strongest 5*: I keep meaning to go back to crimson witch domain and farm her artifacts with better crit stats, but it kinda doesn’t take priority bc girlboss hits like a truck even with mediocre set, her burst crits for 160k on vape.

6. Favorite DPS: I didn’t plan to get him at all, bc I hate claymores and didn’t want to build mono geo. I’m not even into himbos. But then I got Itto at 15 pity doing random free wishes, and he just won me over. He’s the only claymore who feels good to use to me, his charged combo is fast and cool and has giant AOE. And sure, my Hu Tao or Ganyu are technically stronger, but Itto has no annoying mechanics like Ganyu’s charged shot and no set up needed, like Hu Tao, you can fuck up his rotations and his combos, you can even solo and baby boy is still gonna carry just fine. 

7 Favorite sub-DPS: Xingqiu is a secret 6 star on par with Bennett. the boy can do everything. I was more excited to get him than both Zhongli and Ganyu at the lantern rite, bc let me tell you, it’s not fun to try and vape Hu Tao attacks with Barbara’s or Mona’s E.

8.Favorite Support: I try keeping up my dodging skills by doing commissions with low level friendship team that dies in two hits if I don’t dodge, but even that doesn’t seem to work much. I actually rebuilt Zhongli from pure shield to sub-DPS bc his meteor looked cool, but hit two times weaker than Itto’s cow that’s 2 levels lowers. Now it hits about as much as Ushi (about 60-70K), so I can live with that.

9.Favorite 4*: Kaeya is my favorite anything in genshin, period. Morally ambiguous sarcastic dark-haired trolls with complex identity problems are my type to begin with, but I didn’t really get the brainrot until I got into genshin’s worldbuilding. I was like “Hoho, what is that? This anime gacha has extensive references to mythologies? Some of them pretty obscure? How peculiar! How quaint! Let’s see what they’re trying to do”, then I fell into the lore rabit hole and emerged with a whole ass conspiracy board where Kaeya is one of the central figures. Khaenri’ah skin with a galaxy cape when

10.Strongest 4: cryo Kaeya and vape\overload Yanfei are actually my fav teams for exploration or farming, bc you can play them braindead and not worry about burst regen or even being hit, bc everything is either perma froze or being blown up from afar. Best girl Yanfei is also another fav choice for carrying other people in coop on par with Itto, bc she has her own shield and if needed, can sustain enough mono pyro damage to kill anything even without reactions, when Hu Tao would already be dead

11.Favorite element: I like all elements, but electro needs a buff.

12.Favorite weapon: The free DEF% claymore is good on Itto, but it clashes so much aesthetically. I did a one random ten-pull on weapon banner and got redhorn, so it’s my fav just due to how cool it looks and how easy I got it. it’s also insanely good on baby boy, ofc.

[prismartist]

predictions time babey

karl mentioned the next tales is around the same time period as mizu, and i admit that may not mean much, as the wild west and the masquerade were also set around the same time, and all we got out of that was that ranbutler was a kidnapped orphan from the western town.

but then again, mizu did have heavy references to current lore, and seeing as the upcoming episode is going to be similar in tone, i assume that will probably be the case as well. besides, this new location also exists in a period long after the dream smp, so who’s to say it doesn’t have connections too?

here’s a few things i’ve noticed in the images that karl posted on his private acc

there’s some greco-roman inspiration seen in the colosseum and what seems to be a platform in a plaza, plus the braziers

there are blue flags hung around the town, indicating a celebration or festival of sorts

the prominence of the colosseum indicates something along the lines of gladiator fights or even olympic-esque challenges, like in mcc

there’s a bit of nether material in the background of the picture of the image with the brazier; i spotted a potential nether wart farm, which is relatively normal, and a crimson root, which is definitely not. 

note that i’m going to refer to the next episode’s location as a polis, aka a city-state in greece

so, imagine some possible scenarios with me:

the slight ancient greco-roman inspiration of the next episode’s city-state contrast to mizu’s slick modern look

mizu’s oversimplification of some members, the exaggeration of others, as well as straight-up getting facts twisted, contrast to a city less isolated and surrounded by more resources, letting them learn more about them and not getting as many stories wrong

mizu praising and idolizing the characters, contrast to a polis that celebrated their eventual downfall.

a polis that knew too much about the server’s never-ending wars, the cycle of pain and abuse that its inhabitants went through, or perhaps just how cruel everyone in it was, and villainized them

or a polis that glorified those violent actions, and commemorated them through bloody fights to the death

perhaps, if we tread a bit off the train of thought here, a city that celebrates the overtaking of the dream smp through sports that act as blood sacrifices, commemorating the acts of a specific empire, similar the one it gets its architectural cues from.

an eggpire, if you will. 

one of its goals when it started out was, after all, to restore unity and peace in a way; if the polis is ruled by the eggpire it would make sense for it to view the past dream smp in a negative light

(a fun fact: gladiator battles may have descended from blood rites at funerals of aristocrats, wherein slaves or criminals would fight to spill blood, so that the deceased’s soul would be purified by it; in a way they served as human sacrifice. now i wonder where we’ve heard that before.)

mizu being inhabited by a follower of dream, and the polis being inhabited by followers of the egg.

but on the opposite end of the spectrum, there is the chance that while mizu cares so much about history, the polis cares so little

i am a little more hesitant this time to conclude the egg has anything to do with this; last time we did that with the haunted house we got jebaited lmao. though there might be a higher chance since it’s more lore-heavy this time around? but i’m not gonna get my hopes too high up. nonetheless, im excited :>>

[sstvar]

Crimson Rites Bendy lore gimme please what’s his storyyyy

whoever sent this ily. /lh

well i won’t spoil TOOO much but i’ll gladly give you a snippet of his story that can apply to him in present cannon time :)

He’s as clueless about where exactly he came from as every client that comes through his door. It’s all a blur; a section of his memory that has been completely cut out. Though, some small fragments of his past do come back to him in the form of very lucid and often alarming dreams. 

Before he was “The Boogeyman,” he was a lowly street urchin, hopping from place to place and living off of the scraps of others. Whoever had brought him into being, parents or otherwise, was long gone. His life hadn’t begun going anywhere until he found himself at the doorstep of the renowned Trinity Theatre, home to the Underworld’s finest: the Nephalem sisters. At the time, the young demon had come to pilfer a custom violin for a quick cash grab. However, the father of the Nephalem sisters, Ramiel, had discovered him before he could even make it to the main stage. 

Believing that he was merely seeking shelter, Ramiel pitied the poor thing and made the choice to take the demon under his wing (quite literally, considering he was an angel). For about 5 years, Bendy resided in the theatre building, observing every show from the nosebleed section.

It would be during one of these shows that a certain someone would approach him with his very first contract offer.

[crimson-rites]

some lazy past!anya sketches

[ask-mortarion-the-death-lord]

some continuation i guess

this time with the emperor

we get the basic rundown, born to human parents, massively gifted, immortal, hidden among humanity and all that. It’s here where his motivation to shepherd humanities psychic awakening is really first brought up [something thats given overall more prominence in the book as well]. a much more interesting note however

now, this probably seems inconspicuous enough at first glance. Indeed even in modern canon 40k’s imperium is first actually created over ten millennia ago. However, take into consideration this little bit earlier in the lore section that i didn’t think to much off at the time

now, taking this into consideration, the implication here is that the age of strife, something that is typically thought to end right before the unification wars in modern 40k lore, is only considered to have ended after the emperor’s internment upon the golden throne, and that further the imperium seems to only officially be a thing upon the that internment. Now this suggests some things to me, two large ones possibly being

a) the unification wars and the great crusade were more so part of the same wider war, ie that the wars ‘only the emperor remembers’ were a large conflict between various warlords to determine who got the rightful rulership of the crumbling pre age of strife human civilization. or

b) the emperor started the age of strife in order to dominate humanity to control and shepherd the psychic awakening he saw humanity stumbling into.

take your pick i guess. food for thought and all that. also

in my earlier post i jumped the gun, the 1st edition emperor is still a punk who needs human souls to survive. Though in this case its not some vague need to bind his soul to the chair or anything, no, its just that he apparently cant eat or drink anything else and hes really god damn hungry and thirsty all the time. Which is hilarious and i almost feel is just a better explanation in general.

to be fair he does look like this 10 millenia later

makes sense he would need to eat unconventionally.

as well, as opposed to specifying 1000 psyker souls a day it just mentions a vague ‘hundreds dying every day’ which is still a lot but also likely less then modern emps eats everyday.

some explanation/emperor wank on why the emperor needs to be fed everyday. not much to say, just that i feel like the implications here atleast lean a bit more towards the emperor being pitiable in his own right as someone so dedicated to this vague future ideal of humanity that hes forsaken most of his own physically and mentally. 

apparently humanity underwent no genetic changes over 38,000 years that werent the direct result of mutation from environmental hazards.

@ lordsofmedrengard  early dark angels lore, here we can see where they got stuck with the moniker of “first legion” from in 30k modern lore, and its cause here in the first 40k book they’re noted as being ‘honored as the first marine chapter’. Guess it was something they felt needed to carry over... I like the copious more amounts of wine in the old dark angels chapter, and they seem a lot more aristocratic here then in modern 40k. Which makes an interesting contrast compared to the barbarian stocks of soldiers mentioned earlier in the book as being preferred for “legiones astartes”

we get some rundowns on the branches of the adeptus terra next, not much particularly new to note outside of them all being part of this larger governmental priesthood. some highlights though

the old school custodes uniforms are in fact the traditional uniform of the custodes in 1st edition. 

custodes wielded ‘lasers built to resemble the traditional and symbolic guardian spear’ whatever the fuck that means

tech priests and the adeptus mechanicus were monastic monks who primarily lived on earth and didn’t stick metal parts into and all over their bodies. they were consequently much more boring as the echlissiarchies IT department.

arbites basically doubled in the sisters of battle’s role as the militant branch of the state religion.

arbites fashion choices and the arbites acting in a similar manner of chaplains as well really.

the more voluntary nature of the astronomican in the first edition, the trainees learn how to safely let the battery drain them but it still seems to be a demanding job with a high fatality rate

they also share monastic tendencies and a uniform with the mechanicus, though theres is a fashionable blue.

included the entire bit on the administratum cause honestly, i find it incredibly fascinating. The parallels are certainly there between modern and 1st edition administratum, but i feel how its presented here just has more teeth and intrest to it. That is to say, its not just the ‘oh what fate, administration has become even more horrid, tedious and soul draining in this grim dark future, woe be us!’ that tends to get tossed around when mocking administration. Instead its a literal organization of religious monks dedicated to tax filings, school administration, rezoning and what have you. Blessed be the regulations and all that. Is there small cults dedicated to paper clip gods? what holy rites are involved when faxing documents compared to when faxing fourms? This is shit i want to know more about.

all adeptus terra adepts carry a knife and are likely legally allowed to shiv you here as well incidentally. 

the inquisitors are mostly the same, though with no mention of chaos whatsoever. less sub divisions from the looks of it too. this bit did catch my attention though.

psychic powers seemed to be a hell of a lot more common among inquisitors back then as well.

quirky inquisitors, who’d have thunk it. [its not that surprising, i just like that they took the time to mention it is all]

don’t know wtf is going on here though, especially as to whats going on with dudes armour on the left. looks like a knight crossed with an oven.

we get the usual spiel of psyker background, but then we get some interesting differences in opinions here on psykers compared to modern 40k imperium. How justified or not it is, is up to you but its definitely a shift in tone i would say.

possibly the proto servitor narrative wise? As said, 1st edition 40k readily uses robots, so servitors would be unnecessary. technomats on the other hand fall between that as menials who likely operate these things but dont full on replace them like servitors eventually will.

astropaths are basically the same, though the 90% statistic im not sure if it holds over to modern 40k. im thinkin likely but i could be wrong.

navigators outside of not ubiquitously having the third eye mutation also seem to have much more personal freedom and respect in imperial society in 1st edition. probably pretty comfy to be a navigator back then really. Aside from that, navigator families are still a thing.

space marine time!

well we get the same ‘feral world recruits as warrior god soldiers’ sortta stuff, it is mentioned and stressed that hive world criminals apparently make better stock in terms of raw aggression. Entire gangs will even be rounded up for the purpose of making new space marines.

the early process to create a space marine. no special organs, but bio-chem and the black [plastic?] carapace were there from the start, and hypno indoctrination is alluded to. Apparently this is still barely controlled chaos though. [and on a personal note, nothing that indicates it was male exclusive either, outside of general attitudes of the 1980′s]

early organization graph of a space marine chapter.

chapter markings and armour

AND THE POSSIBLITY OF SPACE MARINE BAGPIPES, WHERE ARE THEY GW WHERES MY SPACE MARINE BAGPIPERS!

iron hands apparently only had the one iron hand?

list of chapter symbols with names and colours, these keep appearing in the book. seems i was wrong on only the imperial fist symbol, its actually the crimson fists chapter symbol so thats 3 of the modern big 9 that didn’t exist back then.

we get a break down on the typical structure of a fortress monastery for space marines next, using the space wolves funnily enough who were far more normal as it were in 1st edition [and also their home world was lucan isntead]. and its got a lot, and well its all fairly interesting ill just shotgun blast some highlights

that the space wolves had an entire fuckin ship hanging in their great hall i find endlessly amusing, so thats why its there. the rest are interesting in terms of the domestic situation of space marines.

[protect-namine]

My theory is that the characters (except maybe Dain, twins, and paimon) aren't meant to have fleshed out character stories, and more like a doll house. Here's your open world with characters with some basic points. Go have your own little adventures. Go on that tea date with zl and Xiao at the inn. Co op and have kaeya, Jean, klee, Diluc family photoshoots. Pretend to have a cute lantern rite date with your fave

A doll house is an interesting way to put it. I think some characters have the potential to be more fleshed out than others, like Albedo and the archons, simply because they're more connected to the overarching plot.

I think it also doesn't help that genshin's whole thing is that the player is a traveler passing by each region. In other stories, we would see characters develop around each other, but in genshin we (the player) are more like outsiders looking in. And there isn't really a connecting thread to everyone because genshin characters are like... they all have their own lives that sometimes intersect for plot, but otherwise they just do their own thing. We're told that the Liyue teens know each other but that's never shown; and the only cast that actually regularly interact with each other is Mondstadt's but that's because 1) it's the prologue region, so it's easier for lower AR players to recognize; 2) Mond is more like a little village compared to Inazuma or Liyue. Most people know each other in small towns.

Maybe we'll get more of Liyue interactions in Moonchase.

I'm still holding out hope that maybe we'll get more when we get everyone's act II and III in their own individual story quests. I think what I'm personally looking for is where they develop from A to B. Some characters are already pretty well-adjusted and are just going through life (Keqing and Xingqiu come to mind). It doesn't help that you get a vision after some life-changing event or a manifestation of will, so the points where the characters go through growth has already passed and we're just watching the aftermath.

Genshin is only in its first year and we have at least four more years of story to get through so we'll see if this changes in the future! I do enjoy the lore and the indirect storytelling that leads to theories like "omg signora was the crimson witch" so. Those are fun.

[simsexpo]

I’ve had three separate Anons asking me questions about Maman Delice, so I figured I’d compile the information about her in one post for convenience. I actually have a lot of lore behind her, since Haitian Vodou belief has always been extremely fascinating to me. If you want to read more about Maman Delice and Vodou, look below the cut!

Firstly, in Haitian Vodou belief, there exists a supreme being called Bondyé, among other nicknames, and then a wide variety of Lwa or Loa. The Loa effectively act as individual spirits or deities with their own rituals, personalities, objects, and areas of concern. They are mostly split between the Rada and Petwo nations; the Rada hail from Africa, are older, and generally more cool-tempered. Conversely, the Petwo are New World Loa who are seen as more aggressive and hot-blooded. Maman Delice is one of these Petwo Loa. 

Maman Delice is closely associated with youth, seduction, beauty, and sex. She is viewed by many to be the protector of Haiti’s prostitutes and sex workers – since prostitution is illegal in Haiti, many sex workers have no legal recourse when attacked, robbed, or harassed. Maman Delice will occasionally provide them the protection – or retribution – they desire. 

Female priests called manbo serve Maman Delice and engage in rituals to curry favor with her. Various offerings, such as red wine, rose petals, jasmine incense, and sweetened milk are given to her during these rites. She is associated with the colors red and black. Maman Delice, however, is an extremely unpredictable and vindictive Loa. This makes her highly feared and respected throughout Haiti and other places where Vodou/Voodoo is practiced. 

When she assumes her physical form, Maman Delice appears differently to men and women. To men, she appears as a beautiful, sensuous woman draped in crimson; however, to women, she takes the form of a decrepit, terrifying crone covered in scars and stitches. She wears black mourning clothes. Sometimes, if a woman (particularly sex workers) is being subject to great distress or abuse at the hands of a man or client, she can be summoned or will appear of her own volition. She can manifest herself physically and will violently murder the offending man in various ways, however, she will most often possess the man himself and perform horrifying acts of self-mutilation resulting in a slow, painful death. The woman is not harmed and allowed to escape. 

Despite this, Maman Delice is rare in the sense that she demands the occasional human sacrifice in order to maintain her vitality. Ironically, she herself preys upon young prostitutes in the cities of Haiti. She will seek a suitable sacrifice alone on the street, tempting them with a male thrall who will offer them money for their services. If they refuse, they are allowed to pass without harm befalling them; if they accept, then Maman Delice will make her attack and drag the victim to her den. There, the victim is dissected and her most appealing body parts are grafted onto and integrated with herself. After the deed is done, Maman Delice may express great remorse and sorrow, often weeping for her victim. It is the price that she and her victims must pay for Maman’s protection. This combination of sensuality and sorrow makes her very similar to the Erzulie family of Loa. Her performance of this ‘reluctant duty’ also embodies the sentiments of sex workers in general, who mostly engage in such activities out of financial necessity. 

I hope those of you who read this found it interesting, and will explore more about Haitian Vodou belief. It’s an extremely misunderstood religion and is worthy of more recognition. I apologize of any of the information I gave is incorrect, as I am not a follower myself but simply an appreciative outsider – please feel free to correct me. I’d also like to remind you that Maman Delice is entirely fictitious and of my own creation – she is not in the real life Loa pantheon.

[merelliahallewell]

The Drust in Battle for Azeroth

This is the second of four? posts looking at the Drust using the in-game and developer information we have available to us. I find the Drust incredibly interesting villains who manage to have some understandable motivations (at least in BfA) and also a neat aesthetic. The Drust and their history and influence are what elevate the questing zone to being more than just a Witcher ripoff and gives it its own cool identity. 

You can find Part 1 here. Anyway, here we go with BfA lore. This one is a bit of a doozy, be warned.

Part 3 - The Drust in Ardenweald

Part 4 - The Drust in the Night Fae Campaign (1)

Part 5 - The Drust in the Night Fae Campaign (2)

Before BfA

It isn’t known how long it took for the Drust to be defeated- we’re only given very rough timeframes. The dungeon journal suggests that they were defeated two thousand years ago, but that leaves 700 years between human settlement and the final end to the Drust, which seems a touch long. Ultimately, the timeline doesn’t matter so much as the impression that the Drust have been there for a long time. 

Most Drustvari have a healthy superstition of witchcraft that comes from even before the Heartsbane rose, and it does not necessarily seem to be tied to Thros in their minds. As shown by Emma Mayfield and the Witch in the Woods, one also does not need to be a Heartsbane witch to utilize the power of Thros. It is possible that many generations of Kul Tiran witches could have been communing with Thros in various ways, just as they are implied to have made pacts with demons. 

Drust Incursion

The Heartsbane Coven was formed at Gorak Tul’s command, after a dark bargain was struck between him and Meredith Waycrest. Tul promised her that her ailing husband would be safe from death, and it seems as if his price was that she would follow his commands and free him from the prison of Thros.

The Heartsbane Coven has a neat history that can be read through the eyes of the citizens of Corlain. I love the Coven and I think they’re really interesting- but since this post is focused on the Drust, we’re going to try to stick to viewing them through that context. 

It seems as if the Heartsbane are portryaed as the successors in inheritors of the Drust’s legacy. They wield not only their power, but utilize the same sorts of horrific rituals and strategies that can be seen in Ardenweald.

The most potent weapon the Coven wields is the Heartsbane Curse. This curse allowed them to mentally enslave hundreds of residents of Corlain and most members of the Waycrest Guard. This curse, likely created by the Drust, is eerily similar to something we will see later on. On top of that, they used the curse to great effect on the local fauna, turning the birds and beasts of Drustvar into servants.

As the war with the humans turned against them, the Drust crafted many constructs in order to house the spirits of the fallen, allowing them a second chance to battle against the humans. The constructs were made of incredible materials such as Revlis and Hailstone. Though they could not craft the powerful constructs the Drust had once created, they mimicked them with wood, bone, and wicker. They made a number of various wicker monsters as well, the majority crafted deep within the Crimson Forest, though others were made across the mountains in Barrowknoll. They stitched monstrosities together from pig and human flesh, animated with dark magic. 

“There is more to worry about in this land than simple beasts. Our enemy employs constructs of wicker and bone that can rip a man apart…”

These armies of flesh abominations and “wooden demons” were more than enough to to match whatever forces in Drustvar had not been enslaved by the Heartsbane already. The constructs were enough to defeat even the Lord-Admirals elite guards. The Coven took Drustvar by storm after taking Corlain with ease. Some witches were sent to infiltrate towns such as Arom’s Stand and Fallhaven, while they used their forces to directly attack Falconhurst, take control of the Crimson Forest, and attack Fletcher’s Hollow after they discovered a powerful artifact. Glenbrook not only lost much of its population to the Coven or the monsters in the woods, but also had the very land around it darkened by their magic. 

If they had not been stopped by the hunch Lucille Waycrest had regarding their magic, it is entirely likely the Heartsbane would have overwhelmed Kul Tiras, which was entering a three-sided civil war at that point in time. The Drust would most certainly have been released from Thros at that point, with the Heartsbane as their eager servants. Drustvar was near-completely under their control by the time the Adventurer showed up. 

It is an important point to mention that the Drust had direct involvement with the armies the Heartsbane raised. The wicker constructs were inhabited by either souls that were tormented and broken into serving the Heartsbane or Drust spirits called from Thros. Generally the ones in the Crimson Forest appear to house Drust, while the Soulbound Goliath and wicker men in Barrowknoll held enslaved souls. The Heartsbane also adopted the standard of the Drust, painted in blood (right). On the left is what is used in Ardenweald. It appears that the strength of an enslaved soul (or combination of numerous souls) directly corresponded to the power of a wicker construct.

Even as they fought for control of Drustvar, the Heartsbane worked feverishly to bring their master back to the world via a magical ritual held deep underneath Gol Inath. This ritual was called the Grand Rite, and required a massive effort held across the whole Crimson Forest. It appears the Grand Rite was meant to rip open a hole in reality to allow Thros’ minions in. While this rite was somewhat weakened by the activity of the Adventurer, Gorak Tul was still able to cross over briefly before retreating back into Thros. It is possible the Grand Rite was later completed fully within Waycrest Manor so that the events of the dungeon could occur.

Gorak Tul arrives in Azeroth for real this time via a set of ruins buried far beneath Waycrest Manor. He’s hugely threatening here, and summons additional Drust to aid him in battle. Tul still bears his vrykul frame, though he’s changed greatly, acquiring a strange amount of growth on his body like a tree almost, and his skin looks like bark. He even has a third eye. Seriously, this guy is menacing. These other Drust can also be seen being summoned by Heartsbane ritualists within Corlain, and it’s very unusual just how twisted and blighted they look compared to Tul. They seem absolutely malformed, more like Gollum than a vrykul. Could this be some effect of Thros after their long imprisonment?

A small aside: Drust undead were stirred from their long slumber by the Heartsbane magic. It seems as if it is capable of waking the dead in some fashion, though it almost seems to be from ambient magic rather than directed necromancy. Kinda neat. 

Into Thros

Just a few things to wrap up with BfA and the Drust. There are minor bits of their lore I didn’t mention that are doable in Archaeology, which is worth it if you want to fly around pretty zones and dig up relics. 

The isle of Fate’s End is located some distance from Stormsong Valley, and features Drust ruins upon it. Apparently, nobody returns from Fate’s End if they’re sent there. It’s here that Jaina appears to have been taken into Thros. Is it some sort of a natural gateway to the place that’s one way only? Maybe a place where people were unknowingly sacrificed to Gorak Tul? Whatever it is, it’s wild. You can fly there in-game, but in the story only a Tidesage can take you out there. It’s interesting that the Tidesages have developed a special rite in order to reach it, and I’m curious if that implies that the Tidesages dealt with Drust magic in the past or know how to negate it with their own power. It’s food for thought, for sure. 

Thros itself is nothing special, alas. It’s just a color-swapped Drustvar with some more of those weird Drust and Gorak Tul hanging out. Honestly it’s a bit disappointing, but there is some interesting lore that comes from Ulfar during these quests. Ulfar also says some pathways are best left closed- lest those on the other side use them instead. Up until then, he was unaware of Tul’s return.

The entrance to Thros lies within the great tree, Gol Inath, but crossing the threshold will not be as simple as walking through. To open the path, you will need an effigy of great strength. Not one of the trinkets of the coven, mind you, but one of old, Drust magic. The path to Thros will be treacherous, but that is merely a fraction of what awaits you inside the Blighted Lands. Prepare yourself, <class>, for the minions of Thros will use your deepest fears and regrets as a weapon against you.

Once you have collected the necessary reagents to build an effigy and enter Thros, he says this:

I wish you luck on your journey, mainlander. Tread carefully, for Gorak Tul's eyes will be upon you.

He is vulnerable within his own realm, and he will go to great lengths to prevent you from entering it.

Katherine Proudmoore, the then-ruler of Kul Tiras, remarked that most people believed Thros only to be something of rumor and legend, not an actual place one could travel to. 

The Blighted Lands...

If the legends are true then inside we will witness suffering and torment the likes of which we have never known...

The whole journey through Thros is interesting, as Gorak Tul clearly considers Jaina his most valuable prisoner. Eventually you catch up, have a neat cinematic, and battle him to the death. Gorak Tul’s death speech offers a hint of what is to come for Ardenweald in Shadowlands. 

Your hollow victory... means nothing...

The Drust... will never... relent...

Dying with his last breath, Tul's corpse fades away. 

One final mystery

The Waycrest manor dungeon is pretty neat, but hardly contains anything Drust-related save for the ruins deep underneath. It is especially disappointing that Gorak Tul’s boss fight room is the same one you fight him in beneath Gol Inath- apparently the Drust really liked that design, or maybe it’s best-suited for portals to Thros.

However, there is one bit of unique architecture. Created by artist Fanny Vergne, there is some sort of a design etched into the ground beneath the organ the Waycrests are playing. It looks like a worm, or a serpent with runes carved into it? I wonder if it is supposed to be some sort of horrific Thros monster or something else. In the files of the game, it is apparently labeled as “Jormungandr“ which is a Norse mythological being. Interestingly, the runes do not match any known Vrykul or Drust runes used in the game’s environmental art. I wonder if the artist would be able to shed more light on it or if it’s just a neat design.