#darkwood village

[bamsara]

soooo you’ve mentioned before how tyren was a rescued follower… could we see some of that backstory 👁️👁️

They found him just like they find many others; among the burning wreckage of a village deep in Darkwood's maze

And won him over how they did with everyone else: a charming smile.

[really-burnt-toast]

Redesigning my COTL cast pt.1

HAHA I'm finally done! I only made busts tho bc Im lazy and Im not putting myself through drawing a size chart... YET.

It WILL come, just so I can show pretty outfits and show how ridiculous Leshy's hight is LOL

If you see any spelling mistakes, please ignore them <3

(more info and rambling under cut)

Here I'll write some more things relating to each character;

Lamb

Born in Darkwood to a single mother, their mom had named them Mellia after the flowers that grow there, since they had aided in striving off an illness she had during the pregnancy.

The Lamb grew up pretty happily despite being on the run. Their mother was eventually caught whilst they made an escape. During their years of hiding, they broke their leg during one particularly risky escape and were caught not long after.

Their number is 1.600.666 because I keep making a connection between Darkwood and Germany's Schwartzwald - there are 1.6 million sheep in Germany - so I decided to have that be the approximate number. 666 was just added for fun.

Their ear was tagged to keep track of how many sheep were caught in which realm. They just so happened to be the last to be executed. By mere coincidence.

They were born without horns and kinda made the crown shape into a set. It has the benefit that they can rip em off and use them as impromptu weapons.

Due to centuries of being treated as a tool for a prophecy and merely a vessel, their self esteem is downright horrid. Whilst they don't condone followers speaking ill of them, they pretty much let Narinder trample on their feelings up until they had snapped one day. In the end it did help them both, but it wasn't great it had to be taken to that point.

Extra: I added the vitiligo because when I imagine a human version, I couldn't help but see them as having Vitiligo. Their leg limp was made after I thought it would make them look more imposing seeing someone "weak" suddenly pull out a giant hammer.

Narinder

Found within a burning village under rubble, clutching a crown as war raged around them. He was found by Shamura and taken in.

He was the first to create resurrection and back then it was an EXTREMELY taxing ritual. It would require his own godly flesh to beckon people back to life - thus it would literally cause his skin and flesh to melt off his bones. Now that's not needed anymore but his body is still weak to it, meaning during certain stress factors, he can still become skeletal. He doesn't have scarring from it, but gained some cool markings.

He was bound by his arms, torso and neck - all of which are scarred. In the afterlife he was perpetually sitting, causing him to be paralyzed from the waist down. Once he was usurped he had to regain his ability to walk and was taken care of by the Lamb.

He was in a catatonic state for many years and it only got better gradually with many setbacks. For years he never left the bed and by the time his Siblings had been rescued, he had barely started going outside. He was also suffering from chronic pains which wasn't really helpful.

He's also very... Temperamental. It took him just as long to say anything nice to the Lamb and it took him extra long to see them as more than his vessel.

Extra: I changed his markings to be more like I had imagined them. The catatonic trait and chronic pain was added after the update and I remember how horrible it was having tendonitis and I wanted to channel my distaste into Narinder.

Shamura

Found and raised by the last gods, they weren't the greatest sibling. They may have taken in the others but it took them a long time to be anything other than cold. With Kallamar, Shamura was distant and strict - then with Narinder they attempted to be less harsh after the kid started crying himself to sleep. With Heket and Leshy they got less and less cold. They tried their best, they'd argue.

They got carried away by their feelings as they had feared at the start and that's when the first prophecy came to them. They had kept it hidden for way too long until the balance of the crown's powers were ripping at the seams due to Narinder's pursuit in power - and they made a decision. They had told Kallamar first. Then Heket and Leshy were brought in.

Stuff happened. Now they are barely coherent and at most have an hour or two at a time where they seem to make sense. Leshy stays with them the most. Kallamar takes care of them. Heket takes care of the rest. Their skull is caved in, they lost an eye and limbs - some of the damages can't be hidden by bandages.

There's also this thing that their crown keeps getting out of control whilst trying to keep their mind stable - sometimes they'll get startled - attempt to form a weapon and instead end up with their arm speared through. They have scarring all over their body from it.

Upon recruitment they are pretty overwhelmed. Their crown can't stop them from breaking anymore and they have gotten so used to godhood that mortality now feels like they are literally rotting alive. They can feel their body wasting away.

Only after getting their relic back do they start becoming more independent and stable. They nowadays go through some sort of rehab to try and regain their sense of self.

Extra: Not much was added. I wanted to give them Glasses but I can't for the life of me draw them with a pair... So Ill just say they have them but not show them LOL

Kallamar

His past is basically forgotten. It sorta slipped away since he hadn't deemed it fit to be remembered. At first he had MANY fights with Shamura, then it ceased after a confrontation turned violent which left him with a bad scar.

He had to take care of his younger siblings whilst coming to terms with godhood - filling in whenever Shamura wasn't physically or mostly emotionally unavailable. For a long time he was the only one that could comfort his ailing siblings. Dealing with that sort of made him pretty easily agitated.

When Shamura proposed the plan, he had been hesitant - but ultimately didn't say anything.

Now he takes care of his siblings medically. He hates himself more than he hates anyone else and as much as he is quick to condemn and betray Shamura - he is also quick to condemn himself. Though maybe not as enthusiastically or openly.

He likes to compensate. Giving gifts to request forgiveness - grand displays of favoritism or mainly decking himself and his multiple spouses out with Jewels. He still keeps his wedding rings around his neck and his earring references his siblings.

Funnily enough, he caused the least troubles to the Lamb. They could argue he even seemed relieved after a short while of staying in the cult.

Extra: Added Jewelry and two tentacles because he looked naked without them.

Heket

Loudmouth frog that when found with her crown, she started trying to fight Shamura - insulting whatever parent they had. She kept threatening to poison them too.

In the lineup of her siblings, she was often the one who took the sidelines. If she was happy, she was left alone. If she was displeased, she'd let herself known. The most uncomplicated of the siblings.

You'd almost miss how every other bishop would seek her out when help was needed. While Shamura helped with godhood and Kallamar with emotional needs - Heket was a good person to pester with anything else. She'd handle it - just let big sis do it. Even if she was the second youngest - it's funny how even Kallamar and Narinder would occasionally use the nickname.

Then when everyone else was dealing with their wounds, she picked up the pace and kept their respective cults from falling apart. She handled Silk cradle until Shamura could - helped with Darkwood and took over Anchordeep when Kallamar was tending to the others. No problem.

She was still loud when entering the cult. Not as much as her brother - but she loved to cause scenes. Her muteness didn't seem to hinder her at all with that. She's not allowed near knives but somehow can handle axes?

Her temper problems don't get better. She just stops being an asshole about it.

She prefers having scarfs covering her neck bandages whilst they're all bloody and disgusting.

Extra: Nothing because Heket is already perfect.

Leshy

Literally a weird insect that kept clinging to the crown until it grew big enough to hold in one hand. It bit anything that got close and by the time Shamura found it - he had started eating small critters.

And god, he kept growing and growing until he wasn't a small worm in Shamura's hand but literally too big to fit through most doors. They suspected he'd grow until the end of time. Or well, now since his crown is gone.

He never listens. He screams for fun and overshares the worst details to the point he manages to break his siblings into just accepting anything he talks about. They can't even scold him or punish him since Leshy always finds a way to make things worse for anyone else but himself.

He also copies everyone. First it was Heket's tone. Then it was Narinder's behavior - now he started growing flowers and vine braids to make fun of Kallamar and his antlers were at first a crude mimic of Shamura's pedipalps and now they grow vines to be similar to the jewels hanging from them. He refuses to acknowledge doing so.

He's very clingy. After locking away Narinder, he stayed with Shamura every day until they were out of bed rest. He follows his siblings around and when he does give them a second to breathe - hes probably laying around in Darkwood instead of doing anything productive. He does tends to plants occasionally, but he prefers "to let chaos do its thing" - as if that means anything.

He makes for a great gardener after he stopped trying to break everything upon recruitment. And once he got over growling at every living thing - he actually became one of the most well liked people living there.

Leshy knows exactly what someone needs and somehow finds a way to achieve that with the littlest of efforts. It's the thought that counts.

Extra: Braid and vines because I thought Leshy would look cute with it.

Special: The 4 bishops all wear old faith themed robes, but Shamura got the elder clothes for comfort and Leshy kept tearing his clothes apart so he is not permanently excluded from having any special outfits as punishment. Narinder wears fancy robes (who happen to be loose and warm while being special - otherwise he'd complain)

The Lamb wears one of the leaked fleeces since I loved the red riding hood aesthetic.

In the end this turned more into biographies than actual explanations but its 3:30am, Im sleep deprived and I wanted to get my thoughts out because I start having memory problems again YIPPEE

[ghosts-and-glory]

I really really wanted to work on diverse character lineups and silhouettes so designs of my favourite followers. (Plus The Lamb)

I wanna keep the red on the design of every follower, Anubis seems as the only exception but she wears a red undershirt. It’s like the opposite of The Village, red is the safe colour in this cult.

And yeah that lamb drawing is familiar, this is one of the other character sheets I stole from for The Lamb and Narinder refs.

I wanna maybe do some more later. I should probably also give the ex bishops concrete follower designs too at one point.

I have my ramblings about Nobre, Nagre and Anubis here. Rambling about the other three under the cut.

Puar (They/He)

American Akita and Nobre’s younger sibling. He’s a trained doctor from Darkwood who got separated from Nobre and found by The Lamb after almost ten years. With their extended lifespan granted by The Lamb they’ve become one of the most skilled and multifaceted doctors alive.

Jamer (He/Him)

Bass from Anchordeep (who drives me fucking crazy.) He’s the main labourer and in charge of construction around the cult. He asked me once multiple times in a row to feed the same follower poop. (And yes I did it the first few times and when I finally said no, that was when Nobre rolled up to ask me the same shit)

Merarna (She/They)

Free-Tailed Bat from Anura. Fiercely independent missionary who would much rather be outside the cult ground on her own. They’re incredibly quick on their feet and wield a spear.

[crowntism]

Dates with the bishops

I made this blog just so I could be gay in public lets GOOOO

Includes: Leshy, Heket, Kallamar, Shamura, and Narinder.

Leshy

Bishop form:

Dates with Bishop Leshy come in two flavors. Bad day dates and Good day dates.

Bad day dates often include terrorizing and causing absolute havoc across his domain, as there are two things that can make any day better for him. Spending time with you and terrorizing the people who live in Darkwood.

Sometimes he'll ask you how you want a village terrorized or how you'd like a certain follower killed. He understands if its not really your thing, but thought he'd ask anyways.

By the end of a bad day date he's exhausted and ready to curl up with you and "sleep". Bishops, being gods, don't need to sleep but regardless he loves curling up in a nest of moss and leaves and gently petting your head while you sleep. It rejuvenates him in a way nothing else can.

Good day dates on the other hand are much more chill. He takes you around Darkwood to see the beauty of the forest. He shows you every hidden nook and cranny of his territory and even shows you the hidden garden he has.

Its deep within the heart of the woods, so none ever tread in there, not even his own siblings. Its truly his home away from home. Its a field covered in a variety of flowers, some not even found normally in Darkwood, and its one of the most beautiful sights you've ever seen.

Most of your time spent there is Leshy curled around you while you try to weave a flower crown big enough for him. You can never get it long enough but its the thought that counts.

Follower form:

Dates are far less chaotic now, as he's fully lost his ability to see and it scares him a little. Most dates are led by you now as a result.

He still loves causing chaos, so some dates are spent pranking others until you (or the Lamb) put a stop to it.

Other dates are spent with you taking him slightly further from camp to go look for interesting rocks. While Leshy can't see the rocks, the texture and shapes are still appealing. You also try to find interesting flowers that smell nice.

Leshy often keeps the interesting things you find in his shelter, hoarding them for when he has his off days.

Speaking of off days, dates on those days consist entirely of staying in. Huddling up in his shelter so he can run his hands across you, mapping out your face and body shape in his mind so he never forgets you. If you were already dating while he was a bishop, he knows what you look like through the crowns eye, and his biggest fear is forgetting that knowledge. So it never hurts to remind himself.

Heket

Bishop form:

Dates with Heket often involve food. One of her favorites is to go to every village in her domain and demand they feed the two of you. If they refuse to feed you, she'll cast the worst famine they've seen before leaving them to slowly starve to death. If they feed you and you don't like the food, she'll slaughter the main cook. However, if they make a food you genuinely enjoy, their crops will be blessed. Villages that are closer together often collaborate to try and make the best dishes possible to ensure not only survival, but her blessings as well.

Dates that don't involve food are rarer but consist of her taking you out to safely see Anura's beauty. All bishops are proud of their domains, and her pride is the bountiful crops. Although Anura is known for its pumpkins, it also has an abundance of apples. Orchards are everywhere and she loves taking you to her favorites to show them off.

Apple picking dates are her way of getting you out of her temple and doing... something. She is very protective of you and doesn't let you out of her sight regardless, but at least now you don't have several cult members and servants doing literally everything for you! She also adores picking you up and holding you so you can reach apples higher up on the tree.

Follower form:

Dates with food are now rarer, as she doesn't have the abilities of the crown to dull the pain her throat is in. Most dates are spent on the outskirts of the camp just basking in silence.

When a date does involve food, it mainly involves the preparation. Harvesting, gathering, hunting, even just cooking the food. Her relationship with food is odd now, as with the yellow crown she was in a constant state of hunger and being uncomfortably full is an awful feeling, so she doesn't typically eat with you. She loves watching you eat what she makes though and loves knowing that even though she had caused famines in the past you'd never go hungry with her.

On her off days she doesn't even want to be around food, and with the cooks almost always working to feed the many mouths of the cult its best to take her further away. You take her back out to Anura, sticking close to trails already traveled, just to get her away and relaxed.

Kallamar

Bishop form:

Bishop Kallamar has many partners, so dates are actually very sparse. He wants all of his consorts to feel loved and cherished so he has a very strict schedule.

He often changes up dates depending on if he believes one of his consorts has been neglected. If he feels he hasn't been giving you enough attention he takes you around to different storefronts, encouraging you to get whatever you'd like. Sugar daddy behavior in that he'd buy you countless of the most expensive items for whatever hobby you choose. You're a painter? The finest paints and the best canvas for you. Seamstress? Only the richest and most vibrant of fabrics for you.

On normal dates he'd take you to a theater. He's big on theater and had quite a few built in his domain. Most of the plays are about him and his accomplishments but he does allow a few others. Most of them are sappy love stories as the guy is a bit of a romantic.

Group dates are also a must! Most group dates are held within the temple and involve dinner or his consorts favorite plays. He will literally start kidnapping people if you wish to see a play.

If you desire something lower key than a play that's fine too! Anchordeep is a beautiful place filled with wonder and he'd be more than happy to guide you through his favorite places.

Follower form:

Kallamar is kind of agoraphobic. He's no longer as powerful as he used to be and is actually very susceptible to disease and illness. Most dates you two will have are spent entirely inside.

He no longer has his other consorts (most of them either abandoned him or believed him to be dead) so dates are far more frequent. He genuinely hates being alone, so you pretty much live with him now.

Creative dates are a must have, whether the two of you are drawing or crafting or painting, he likes to keep his hands and tentacles busy with things of beauty.

If you're comfortable with it you often become the model for him. He's so happy when you agree and hes even happier when he manages to capture your beauty.

The walls are filled with images of you two together.

If you manage to get him out of his shelter then one of his favorite things to do is spend time in the river. He misses Anchordeep and the water, so taking him swimming is a must.

On his bad days its best to just spend time in bed. Nothing he creates turns out right and the outside world is terrifying. Just curl up with him and whisper sweet nothings to him, that's all he asks of you.

Shamura

Bishop form:

Shamura is, unfortunately, very forgetful nowadays. It's best to write down when your dates are and put them in noticeable spots for them to see.

Dates with them are often spent in their personal library, the two of you cuddled up in a silk hammock reading quietly. Whenever you request something they send a cultist or a servant to get whatever you wish just so you don't have to leave the comfort.

Other times dates are spent watching fight pits. Shamura allows you to decide if the loser lives or dies. Their fates are entirely within your hands.

Dates around Silk Cradle are rarer for Shamura, as they are forgetful and don't want to accidentally abandon you to the dangers outside. When they do take you out, its often with an accompaniment. Their most trusted followers who, should Shamura have an episode and leave abruptly, can guide you back to the temple safely.

Follower form:

Just like with bishop Shamura, you need to remind them of dates. Unlike with bishop Shamura, however, they don't have as many responsibilities. Meaning that the notes they have to sort through are fewer and they have a better chance at noticing and remembering.

Dates are kept close to the camp, the risk of Shamura having an episode and wandering off are too great, so it's best to stick around a place where they have reminders of their new life. You manage to get a library built in camp for them though, so most dates are spent the same way as with the bishop form.

On bad days, you don't really have dates. Bad days involve massive amounts of panic, they barely remember who you are or where they are, so the day is spent calming them down and going through some exercises to help them.

They always feel immense guilt over these days, so the dates afterwards are spent showering them in affection and attention.

Narinder

(No bishop form because my man was locked away for like. 1000+ years who knows what changed in the world since he was locked away. Instead imagine constantly dying just so the devil can go "heyyyyy lets go on a date in hell" but hell is an empty foggy void and his two kids are staring at you autisticly.)

Follower form:

Dates with Narinder often involve exploring. He was locked away for so long and finally gets a second chance and he's going to take advantage of it.

He refuses to hold your hand until you're further away from people, and then he latches on and refuses to let go. He's already dealt with so much loss in life, he's not willing to lose his partner even if its just a walk through the Lambs territory.

Loves exploring destroyed villages with you, though he denies it as soon as your back is turned he's burying the skeletal remains of villagers to give them a proper farewell from the world. He may not be the god of death any longer, but the will remains.

Pays his respects to every grave he sees, at least until you turn around and look at him and he's suddenly 4 feet from the grave terrorizing a small bug.

He HATES pda, but alone in the woods with you he'll start to get affectionate. Secretly loves holding your hand and pressing kisses to your face. Nuzzling is a must for this cat as well.

The rare few times you've had a date closer to camp it's spent sun bathing. Just laying on the grass being warmed by the firey star.

The date is over as soon as somebody else notices you two and he's sprinting away.

[the-artist-grimm]

It was just another supply run...

Lore for my lamb!!! Anthea's job was to do routine runs to places like Darkwood for supplies not easily found in their home village, and one two-day supply trip just happened to spare them from a heretic assault and massacre that occurred a few hours after leaving. Though they survived, the guilt of only doing so by just not being there weights on them heavily.

(see Read More for the Lamb's family and background)

Aries (he/him) - The Lamb's father, a jovial, optimistic, and excitable man who adored his family. He acted as the supply runner for the village, and often took his eldest, Anthea, alongside him to get the curious young ewe some adventure. After being found slain by heretics upon not returning home one night, his role was passed down to Anthea, who strived keep her father's hopeful spirit alive. (age 42 at death)

Maia (she/her) - The Lamb's mother, a kind, but often worried woman who just wanted the best for her children. When Anthea had to take up Aries' mantel as supply runner she was hesitant, but as there was no one else in the village who knew Aries' routes, she reluctantly agreed, and relied on Anthea heavily at home to help watch the younger children. (age 45 at death)

Garrick and Lindel (he/him) - The Lamb's younger twin brothers. Garrick was excitable and friendly and Lindel was more timid, but both adored their older sibling greatly and loved playing games and hearing them tell stories. (Age 8 at deaths)

Oliver (he/him) - The Lamb's youngest brother, whom was born after their father's passing and thus never met him. A sleepy little lamb, he was known as a quiet child. (Age 3 at death)

Anthea (she/they) - The Lamb themself! Extremely close to their father, Anthea took on his optimism and hopeful ideas, and took up his role as village supply runner after his death to keep spirits up. Always eager to be the light for others, Anthea often hid her own grief and pain for their sakes, though their self-sacrificial tendencies worsened after returning home to find their village in ruins. That guilt and grief of being the sole survivor at just 12 years old is something that would follow them into adulthood, and just continue to worsen upon becoming the last lamb then Death's vessel as well...

(got a larger lore-post I'm finishing up to post later cause this game and the possibilities for lore has me in a chokehold its great XD )

[panoffrying]

My Dr. Sozonius LORE Headcanons

✨Warning this is a bit long✨

Sozo is a character that has lived for a very long time. Whatever that mushroom was on their head not only influenced Sozo but kept them immortal. We know really nothing bout Sozos past so I made some headcanons for silly fun and for me to visualize who Sozo was and what his life may have looked like. I want to do my best to keep this as game accurate as possible, so there will be quotes from the game. The quotes are not at all in order! I kinda just bring up random Sozo quotes as I go. Also I apologize if this doesn't make sense or if I ramble (I get excited about certain topics) 

thank you so much @7moonbird for going over and editing this for me, Love ya Pookie!

And so we start:

Sozonius was born in the days of the old faith. He was present the day the Bishops declared the genocide of the lambs and he actually played a big part in assisting the lambs survival. However, he almost got caught and had to stop helping the lambs to keep his family safe. He's never seen any of the bishops(maybe) but his village was part of Darkwood and therefore under Bishop Leshy’s ruling.

VILLAGE 

Sozonius village was mostly a colony of Carpenter Ants, there were a few other species living there too but it was mostly Carpenter Ants. I imagine there are different races of ants depending on the region they’re in; so there could be fire ants, pharaoh ants, and more! Most ants get along nicely and work together but sometimes other races of ants can be more temperamental and cause conflict between colonies. Carpenter ants are a more calm type of ants, they aren't aggressive but they are incredibly strong. Carpenters ants are known to live in trees; they hollow out trees to make their homes and they like to stay off the ground as much as possible in case of floods and other dangers.

In the colony they had their ruler, the “Queen,” who looked over the village and did queenly business (not gonna go too deep into it). Everyone had many different jobs, ants are hard workers and very strong. They made marvelous structures, farmed a lot of crops, and knew how to work together when there was a threat. Sozo’s village was one that many others would try making deals/trades with. I would talk more about his village but that's not why y’all are here lol. 

Sozonius was a fellow damn near everyone in the village knew. He loved his work and he loved to talk about it to anyone that expressed that they wanted to listen. He was that guy that you could get stuck in a conversation with and struggle to end it. He liked to ramble about his work and kids. Other than that though he never really started conversations with others, he would keep to himself unless someone interacted with him.

And I could definitely see him having a science rival but nothing too bad lol.

FAMILY

“Where am I…? Where is… my family…?”  are the words Sozo says when he turns back into Dr. Sozonius. I like to think he had a wife and two children. They didn’t have the best marriage but they made it work out for their two sons. His wife was a bit stubborn and very honest. She would say things before thinking which did cause issues, but Sozonius let it slide because he loved her so much and wanted a happy family for his sons. 

Sozonius was a very funny dude. He made dad jokes all the damn time, his family would pretend to hate the jokes but in reality they did love them. 

Sozo Dialogue “Now all Sozo can think about is mushrooms, mushrooms, MUSHROOMS… They don’t leave mush-room for anything else! Ha!”

(Also, this next idea is inspired off of @kuphulwho headcanons for Sozo. I loved her ideas and I recommend y'all look at her headcanons too!) Aside from Sozonius being a mycologist he had a side hobby of art! He wasn't the best artist, but he was really talented with sketching plants/fungi, he liked to make art of anything that interested him. He most likely wrote an educational picture book about Fungi, there's probably an old copy of it somewhere.

This art hobby caught the interest of his two sons, and they also started to pursue art. Sozonius would take his free time teaching his sons how to draw plants and such. Sozonius would hang his kids' art everywhere in their house, it was like walking into an art museum haha.

JOB

Sozonius studied mycology which means he studied fungi. Sozonius knew fungi could benefit his society and he wanted to help educate others about the importance of fungi. Soon he learned enough of a new discovery of mushroom people, neither plant nor animal…Sozonius then made the decision to go on a solo mission to study the Mushroomo people.

THE MUSHROOMOS 

Dr. Sozonius Dialogue “My name is Dr. Sozonius. I was researching the Mushroomos that live in Spore Grotto… strange creatures, Neither animal nor plant…” 

Sozonius went to Spore Grotto and at first, he studied the Mushroomo people from a distance setting up a campsite near the Mushroomo Village. When the Mushroomo people discovered Sozonius they welcomed him into their home, cheerful happy little things. Sozonius was given the chance to learn more about these strange creatures up close! How could he say no? Sozonius was welcomed into Spore Grotto and was treated like a god. 

Sozonius asked the Mushroomos many questions, but getting any actual answers from them was difficult. The Mushroomos treated Sozonius like he was their most special guest, they danced and sang for Sozonius. They would mimic Sozonius and follow him around, making sure to do anything he asked of them. There would be many times when the Mushroomos would offer to feed Sozonius menticide mushrooms but Sozonius knew a lot about fungi and declined their offers. However, there seemed to be a special Ritual the Mushroomos took part in… 

Sozonius had been in Spore Grotto for many weeks now, it was time for him to leave, he had studied enough and was ready to return home but the Mushroomos were surprisingly sad when he announced this. They wanted to show Sozonius a sacred ritual to them before he left, he wasn't aware of the menticide mushrooms being part of it…

Dr. Sozonius Dialogue “They gave me Menticide Mushrooms, and then… that’s the last thing I remember…”

After Sozonius was tricked into eating menticide mushrooms and also gave Sozonius a crown, a crown that would grow into Sozoniuss mind, he shall be the Mushroomos leader… And the new Sozo was made. (literally just think of Ice Age 2 when the lil sloths take Sid to be their fire king, however they don't sacrifice him)

The mushroom on Sozos head is very powerful, it makes me wonder what it is exactly, it gives the person wearing it immortality, but also causes the user to go insane (don't forget that Sozo is also being fed menticide mushrooms) the mushroom crown kinda reminds me of Chemachs crown. It seems to have a mind of its own and a face. I feel like the Mushroomos for days straight made sure to give Sozo a diet of only menticide mushrooms to make him forget everything and to possibly power the mushroom crown. They would constantly tell Sozo that his mind would be open and free, that it would make him feel better, and Sozo being under the influence of the mushroom listened to them.

A Mushroomo Dialogue "Once you taste the Menticide Mushroom your mind will be opened." 

As the years went by so did all the sanity Sozonius had left, but in some moments Sozonius seems to still be aware but not all there. 

Sozo Dialogue “Sozo had friends... Followers... family... now Sozo has mushrooms..."

Sozo over time seems to start to dislike his followers and call them liars. He even becomes quite cruel to his followers. Yet he also mentions that he trusts the lamb and wants the lamb to protect him from his followers which makes me believe that Sozonius is somehow a little aware and fighting against the mushroom crown’s influence. He is mad at the Mushroomos for lying to him, tricking him, making him into who he is now.

 Sozo Dialogue  “No need to thanks Sozo. Build it at your Cult then come back to me. Sozo shall grant you one last gift. Sozo is always fair. Always repays this debts. Not like those LIARS out there."

"You did it! Now I know I can trust you... not like those nasty liars outside. They are always watching, always listening! Here take this. You are Sozo's best friend, you are Sozo's only friend."

"Sozo can trust you now, Sozo will pledge himself to you! You will protect me from those liars outside and bring Sozo mushrooms!"

(Also a side note that my gf brought to my attention last second lol! Apparently parasitic mushrooms rely on insects to spread. That is probably why they tricked Sozonius into staying and eating menticide mushrooms. Maybe it's been that long since they've seen an insect)

SOZOS IMPRISONMENT

So, this next little headcanon of mine is an interesting one and might be confusing to explain. Was Sozonius imprisoned within his own mind while under the control of the mushroom crown? If he was, I can see him being stuck in a sort of loop, imagining his family and friends. Think like Mabel's Bubble from ‘Gravity Falls’ weirdmageddon. Sozonius is trapped in a mental bubble, stuck in a false reality as the now mushroom-infected Sozo takes over his body and actions. 

In Sozonius’s mental bubble he is in a place where trees are big, tall mushrooms and flowers are mushrooms, everywhere he turns its mushrooms. He knows something is wrong, everything is too strange, everyone he loves is there with him but is it real? It feels like he's living in a dream. Sozonius proceeds to talk to his friends and family as if they are actually there in which I noticed that Sozo will talk to the menticide mushrooms as if they are actual people.

Sozo Dialogue “Precious, perfect little mushrooms, Sozo is here now, Sozo will always be here…”

”Sozo is busy now… Sozo must commune with the ‘shrooms.”

As time passes more mushrooms grow in his mind prison, and they keep growing and growing until they start to grow on the people he loves. He knows something is happening, he's going mad, and he starts to search for an exit, he needs to escape this false reality that the mushroom crown has created for him. 

He starts fighting the mushroom crown’s hold on him which causes him to regain some awareness. This is when a part of him realizes he’s been tricked, and he starts refusing everything the Mushroomos give him and becomes cruel to them. However, the lambs have never done him wrong before and the lamb (from the cult) begins to be the only person he can trust. At least until it becomes too much and well… we know Sozo’s fate.

SOZO’S REVIVAL 

So Sozo doesn't get resurrected until all the bishops become mortal (at least in my playthrough)(I might change this to he was part of the cult before the bishops I’m not sure). So all the bishop siblings are in the cult and learning the ways of mortal stuff and Sozo appears around the same time, still the crazy Sozo we know and love. However, he’s still very addicted to the menticide mushrooms and both the Lamb and night workers have found Sozo digging through the mushroom crops like a lil racoon.

Based on the game, Sozo likes to run around the cult and do his own thing; he often looks very spaced out but the moment someone talks to him he starts spitting nonsense before yelling at them to go away. The only people Sozo will talk to are people that give Sozo what he wants, which is menticide mushrooms! If you do that for him he will talk your ear off with nonsense, in conversations with him he will often talk about his followers, them being liars and disgusting little creatures. One day though Sozo’s personality seems to change? He starts to tell the lamb,

 “Sozo was just here, all alone, thinking about mushrooms... Uh, Sozo means Sozo's little Mushroomo followers!”

”Yes,, they must be so lost without Sozo. They love Sozo! Everyone loves Sozo - especially Lamb!”

“Without their great and beloved Sozo, Mushroomos must be so scared... YOU! You must save them! Save them and bring them to Sozo.”

”They will be trapped in Anura. They are always getting captured when they don't have their great Sozo to protect them. Rescue them and bring them to me.”

But when you bring the followers to Sozo he ends up eating them. At first glance you can assume it's just his addiction, in which it most certainly could be! He sees a big mushroom and he's like oooo~ delicious but there's also a possibility of this being Dr. Sozonius’s anger coming out. The whole fighting against the mushroom crown’s influence and realization that he’s been tricked. Maybe a mix of his addiction and anger for what they did to him? I’m not too sure if Sozo eating the Mushroomos was a problem before he joined the cult.

Of course, this addiction must be stopped so the lamb decides enough is enough and refuses to get more Mushroomos. This causes Sozo to dissent and, with little choice, the Lamb has to put him in rehab. I imagine it would’ve been a struggle getting Sozo to the prison without the Red Crown’s help. With the power of an ant that is Sozo’s size it's a miracle he didnt break that pillory while he was in it. Sozo just stayed silent and didn't fight; the person he had put his trust and hope in has imprisoned him. Sozo is a bit depressed at that moment. 

After Sozo has been re-educated, released, and cured of his addiction the mushroom crown finally falls off his head. Which, like I said before, makes me wonder, was it being powered by the menticide mushrooms Sozo has been eating or is it something else?

But Dr. Sozonius talks about some stuff before saying,

Dr. Sozonius Dialogue “I can’t help but feel that I have you to thank for… something. You have my loyalty, I will remain here and serve you. Please, take this!”

Sozonius was ready to live his life rather than reunite with his family in the afterlife. He wasn't expecting to be resurrected after dying in the cult from old age. But Sozonius gave the lamb their loyalty and promised to stay in the cult and serve them. The Lamb had been so kind as to give Sozonius an immortality necklace, the Lamb didn’t want Sozonius to go yet… and Sozo’s heart was too kind and soft. He will have to wait a bit longer to return home to his family, but maybe some good things will come out of staying longer~

Also! Who do we think Sozo was talking to? 

A Mushroomo Dialogue "Who is Sozo talking to when he whispers in the dark...?"

Is he talking to himself? The mushrooms? Or the Fox?

[yanderes-galore]

Wooo, may I ask for a short of The Lamb (cult of the lamb) with the prompts 16 and 17 from an-ambivalent list? And the Darling is a wolf, I think reverse predator-prey sounds interesting.

POV: You're a predator but your prey cult leader just sees you as a cute puppy.

Prompts Here

Yandere! The Lamb Prompts 16 + 17

"I will protect you from everything."

"You can always count on me, my love."

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Violence, Murder, Babying, Manipulation, Possessive behavior, Cults, Indoctrination, Blood, Dubious relationship.

One would think a wolf, a predator, would be able to handle themselves. Normally, one would agree with such a statement. Compared to your typical hound, you have more survival instincts.

Unfortunately, even survival instincts don't do much in the lands of the old faith.

Naturally, like most creatures, you had tried your best to follow the teachings of your bishop in the land of Darkwood. The wooded area was somewhere you considered home. As long as you did your prayers and offered gifts, you did not incur the wrath of Leshy.

For a wolf, you were much more of a lapdog to the Bishop.

Such beliefs changed once you got word that your Bishop was slain. Slain? You could barely believe the news you got when you spoke to another follower.

A Bishop of The Old Faith, your Bishop Leshy, defeated? You dread what that meant for you and the rest of Darkwood. Despite this, you stayed in your little village with the rest of your fellow followers.

Until the beasts started pouring in.

Without a Bishop to oversee the area, creatures began to pour in from the darkness. Flying creatures, crawling creatures, even rival cultists. The death of your Bishop made you witness the death of many friends and even family...

The death of your Bishop could very well mean the death of you.

You expected to die in your old home. Even as a wolf you were no match for the unholy beasts that resided within Darkwood. Covered in blood and wounds... you cowered in the ruins of your broken home... ears pinned to your head as you prepared yourself to be a sacrifice...

Then you met The Lamb.

The Lamb was the very same vessel that killed your Bishop. You thought you would be left to die like all the rest. But, no, the animal you would normally consider prey came back to help you.

Even though The Lamb smelt of prey, you knew better. They were not only surprisingly stronger but wore the crown of a Bishop. You smelled a strong force within them

One that made you bow your head when they approached.

"I will protect you from everything." The Lamb had uttered, gazing upon you like some sort of divine messenger. Their words are caring, rough hands holding your face feeling foreign on your fur. For prey... you could feel how hard they worked.

"Will you join me?" The Lamb, your savior, asks you. You don't even care at this moment that they're treating you like a wounded dog with no fear for your nature.

You trusted them at this moment...

You'd be foolish to not accept a new leader to pray to, you weren't going to be left to die.

Once your previous Bishop fell, you had no choice but to pledge yourself to a new one. It appears many other Darkwood followers had the same idea when they encountered The Lamb. The Lamb was a new power, one you found yourself playing loyal hound for.

The Lamb themselves had tended to your wound when you first arrived. Ever since you've been at their side. So much for being an independent wolf.

Even when you felt ready to scout or attend to duties away from The Lamb, your leader adamantly refused. The Lamb acted as though you'd die if you went back out there to gather resources. Other followers can be given such a job... not you.

Never you.

You were treated more like a pet dog than a wolf. You may be slightly bigger than The Lamb, yet they still acted like you were weak. In a way, you were, but it was humiliating to be treated in such a way by a sheep.

They smell of prey, yet treat you as though you must be protected...

Your mind wanders back to how you felt back at Darkwood. How hopeless and weak you felt. Then you think back to The Lamb, your Lamb... and how they treat you.

They coddle you. They pet you, feed you, and watch you while you pray. They give you gifts with caring smiles and small bleats. Such attention, such smells, such sounds... It makes you want to submit to their power.

"You can always count on me, my love." The Lamb would always cook towards you. The nickname always made your heart thump and your tail wag. You were unaware that they were always after your submission.

Since The Lamb saw you lost in the woods, looking like a kicked puppy, they knew they needed you. Such thoughts are what resulted in you being indoctrinated, brainwashed, and coddled. A fearsome wolf brought to their knees... just to be made a loyal hound for the mighty Lamb.

Why should you be independent? Why should you hunt on your own? Why not let The Lamb, your leader, your partner do it for you?

Why not lose your pride and become what they want you to be?

A domesticated dog who listens to their every command and order... loyal to only them for all of eternity in their servitude... or in short...

All theirs.

[cult-of-a-buttercup]

Headcanons of the Old Faith: Darkwood

Anura

Narinder’s Faith

Anchordeep

Silk Cradle

Festivals:

Being the land of Chaos, the festivals are nothing short of that: there are plenty of bonfires, dance circles and hunts, each more common in different seasons.

Ordinary bonfires are held mainly in winter, as a way to keep cold at bay while at the same time reveling in the natural chaos of fire. All kinds of stuff are burnt during them, from old grass to corpses of heretics killed by followers. The fire is also used as a way of cleansing haunting spirits from the land, an idea originally introduced by Narinder during his time as a bishop.

Dance circles are common during summer and spring, used as ways to celebrate good weather and encourage offspring amongst followers. With the number of followers always rising and falling constantly, it’s important to try and keep somewhat of an influx of younger generations to worship Leshy. In recent years, after a great fall due to the killing of lambs, it only seems to keep growing.

And lastly, hunts are held all year round- though they are at their peak during fall. They are competitions, held from in between villages to small groups of friends. They work as a way to test the body and soul, and how well you can work with the difficult and chaotic lands of Darkwood. It also works as a good indicator to see which followers are more capable of guiding villages into battles.

Rituals:

Due to the lack of doctrines, Darkwood has many more casual festivals around the year than rituals.

A common ritual is a Rite of Wrath: every so often Leshy joins in the destruction of a village, and that sets off the destruction of its neighbors and surrounding forests. It is frowned upon by the rest of Leshy’s siblings, since it tends to end the lives of more followers than heretics and tends to drag on for too long to be fixed quickly- but he either doesn’t care or doesn’t know they feel that way.

Due to this, Darkwood also holds a lot of funerals. Since they are way too often for comfort, most followers of Leshy turned funerals into month-long events for many fallen brethren at a time. During those events, they remember each dead follower individually and speak of who they were, share whatever their favorite meal was and decorate their resting place and home with various assortments of wild flowers. It should be noted that this ritual was originally from Narinder- it was his idea to make a larger and more massive version of the funeral ritual after he noticed that holding one at a time wasn’t paying off.

Similar to funerals, weddings are held as a massive event between many couples. Since most of the time it has to be officiated by a high priest or Leshy himself, it was Valefar’s idea to imitate the protocol already used for funerals. So, weddings are absolutely massive, taking about a full month in Leshy’s temple. There is food, makeshift music with the few instruments the villagers have and a lot of dancing. Leshy often takes part of them, indulging in the food and the dancing along with some of his priests. The clothing is usually passed from generation to generation, made out of dried grass and decorated with the flowers of the season.

Worshipping:

Since it’s a scattered place, the ways of worship vary from village to village: but, it is always connected to the destruction of their own people or the killing of heretics.

Villages destroying neighboring villages and burning whatever remains is a constant way of appreciating chaos- even if it decimates Leshy’s followers constantly. Same with destroying one’s own home and then dancing around the fire, chanting prayers for the holy worm. Sometimes the noise of the fire and the loud prayers are enough to catch Leshy’s attention- those few times he joins in the wreckage and it turns into the ritual mentioned beforehand.

Killing heretics is seen almost as a sport, usually keeping heretics as prisoners before letting them loose and chasing them around the dark forests. Once again, if Leshy notices this he likes to join in, and his followers are more than happy to have him.

Clothing:

With how quickly things can change while living in Darkwood, clothing is one of the lesser worries- thick wooly coats for winter, flowy robes for summer, and in-betweens for fall and spring. Jewelry is usually stolen from destroyed villages and used as trophies by the followers who are deemed the strongest warriors.

Being the land which had most lambs before Narinder’s imprisonment, a lot of the clothes are made out of wool from their fallen victims- some choose to keep the bells as part of their clothings, others prefer to use it as a doorbell or a trophy.

Amongst cultists:

Amongst themselves, Leshy’s followers are very close to each other when from a same village: they often break havoc, mourn their losses and share their winned treasure together. When from another village, it can be the same closeness shared between villagers or a more dangerous rivalry- which often leads to one village destroying the other.

Being mainly small villages, the jobs involve whatever the village needs- be it cattle, farming or weapon making, there is a bit of everything needed. Anything outside of that, such as writing or art is seen more as a luxury- when a village destroys another they try and steal whatever books and paintings they can find to keep it as a trophy.

Outside of Darkwood, however, followers of Darkwood are seen as the more fanatic and dangerous followers of the Old Faith- sometimes even believing there’s no real followers and just beasts roaming around in the ragged clothes of fallen followers.

[canadianno]

The random cultist refs are done!!!

9 of these were done on one canvas, exception being Maon because they're my favorite and I also made it a few days ago.

Character rambles are under the cut!

vv Down here!

🐱 Fena: Fena used to be the head farmer in the cult, undeniably fantastic at their job despite her low faith. She's been in the cult for a few years at this point, and their faith has steadily grown. Enough that, when the time came, Fena was tasked with managing Leshy for the first few hours of his indoctrination into the cult. Fena was- worried to say the least, but.. he wasn't really violent. Or even that mean. He was just scared, and.. they understood that pretty well. The Lamb let Fena keep the job, since her and Leshy seemed to get along so well. They haven't failed at corraling the bishops yet, but all 4 being in the cult might finally break her. Might.

🐸 Dreiden: Dreiden is the first child ever to be born into the cult, instead of taken in from outside it. He's about 10 years old, and there's been quite a few kids born in the cult since, but everyone is especially fond of him. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to get to his head that much- likely due to his parents. Dreidens parents are Eligos and Mertre, which to many is an odd pair. Eligos, a past disciple of Heket, known generally to be closed off and outcasted- and Mertre, the best lumberjack in the cult, well respected with high faith. Dreiden is best friends with Tratta and Webber, two similarly-aged kids in the cult who he's taken it upon himself to take care of.

🦇 Tratta: Tratta was found as a toddler in Silk Cradle by a missionary. It was said that they found her in a destroyed village, but the clothes she was wearing suggests that really- she was the child of a heretic who was killed by the missionary. Tratta, in the story, is about 7 years old. Tratta has always had poor eyesight, being a bat, but it was only recently, after a bad bout of sickness, that she went fully blind. She's been struggling to get used to it. Tratta doesn't have a guardian, instead residing in the nursery with Webber and a few other unclaimed children. She's been in the nursery for long enough that she's figured she'll never be adopted.

🕸 Webber: Webber is a strange case. A 'ressurection' that the Lamb did not consciously preform, welcomed into the cult nonetheless. Webber crawled out of a grave barely a toddler, and has been in the cult for a few years. Webber is about 8. He scares the other cultists quite a bit, always holding a wild spider or two, and never seeming to get hungry. He is very close to Tratta and Dreiden, being the third cornerstone of their little friend group. Webber is extremely close to the Lamb, pushing any who wanted to adopt him ever further away. The Lamb is... aware of this, to say the least, but they haven't mentioned it aloud- and never publicly seem to favor him over any other. Publicly, that is.

🐮 Mertre: Mertre is one of the most well respected cultists in the settlement. Strong, noble, faithful and fair, Mertre is popular among the public. There is only one thing about her people do not like- and that is her choice of wife. Mertre is the wife of Eligos, a former disciple of the bishop Heket. Mertre loves her wife alot, and through her is quite close with most of the other bishops' disciples. Mertre is the best lumberjack in the cult, and was a rescue from Helob the spider. Mertre lived in Darkwood before indoctrination, but no one's quite clear on what her life used to be like. Mertre is a loving mother to her son, Dreiden, and is certain to often remind him of how well he has it here- and that things outside of the cult are much worse. She makes sure that Dreiden knows to be kind to all that come from the outside.

🐢 Puno: Puno is an elderly disciple, and the first of two head disciples in the cult. Well- as it stands, one of the ONLY two disciples in the cult. Puno is the only disciple to survive the battle with TOWW, being the only disciple who stayed behind to watch the cult. Puno has watched silently as the rest of the disciples and most faithful who he once knew have rotted from the palms up inside of the healing tent. Puno is unquestioning, though, and has little a complaint. Her only complaint is that she's growing ever older, and cannot continue to do her job for much longer. They have conferred with the Lamb, and Puno believes they have chosen the correct cultists to become the newest disciples. He hopes he chose well.

🦐 Treyson: I cannot explain this character to you chat. Please don't ask me about him he's a half joke made by my best friend and we love him too much to get rid of. He gets a wife later and everyone in the cult finds him strange and scary- except for the Lamb, who sees absolutely nothing wrong with this guy.

🕷 Nurse Fear: Fear is relatively new to her job as the head nurse, and she knows she's only the head nurse because the Lamb cannot make a bishops' past disciple anything of high rank, lest they face mass dissent among the flock. Nurse Fear was initially called something else, but decided to change her name to the nickname the cults children gave her. She thought it was funny, and found it more fitting than her old name. Nurse Fear is skilled at her job, but still often turns to Kallamar's disciples for advice. She doesn't always get it.

🦊 Tymer: Tymer has been in the cult for a relatively long time. No one's quite sure how he's managed an extended lifespan like he has, seeing as he has no skull necklace. Tymer is the cult bartender, and also often works in the kitchens, known to be a talented cook with knowledge from a past life in Anura. Tymer is known to have a deceased child with an unknown second parent, but.. she never seems to be that bothered by it. Tymer is... well known. To say the least. And is a very familiar face in the healing tent, despite her protests each and every single time. They often get into physical fights with Maon- and, they just have NO idea WHY Maon hates them so much!! It's such a complete and utter mystery!!

🐶 Maon: Maon is one of the Lambs most beloved followers. Maon has been in the cult since some of its earliest days, him and his twin brother having been ressurected multiple times. Maon has pined after Barbatos since the centpides indoctrination, and the two are known as a couple. Kinda. Maon is a cult guard, and the only one who remembers that they were originally found surrounded by the lifeless bodies of other heretics in Darkwood is the Lamb. Maon is very protective of the Lamb, and earned the silent favoritism by sharing stories told to them and their brother by their grandpa- who was a sheep guard dog in Concolor, before the genocide. Many assume Maon would have been made a disciple by now, but their constant fistfighting with Tymer is costing them the role. Maon hates cheaters, and is ENEMIES with Tymer.

[forestanomaly]

Ok I've been putting it off long enough now, time to show this bunch of little guys that live in my head. A lot of text and images below .D This is Fungi (they/them), they started off as a minecraft skin and then grew into being a whole character with lore and friends and stuff!

Fungi is part of a species called funguswalkers that live in the nether in this story. They are essentially sentient mushrooms, all born from myceliums of warped and crimson forests. They build villages on top of the myceliums, creating communities and sending out scouts to spread the spores and create new villages. I wrote a bunch about their story on their toyhouse page, but to summ it up: they were born with overabundance of overworld energy in them, which sometimes happens with warped funguswalkers and causes them to be attacked by skeletons (opposed to usually just being ignored), see dreams and visions of overworld and often become outcasts in their community.

After spending some time scouting for the village Fungi saw enough visions to convince themselves that the weird place they are seeing is real, so they set out to find it. On their quest they got promptly kidnapped and held hostage in crimson village, befriended the crimson funguswalker that was supposed to guard them (their name is Shroom, they/them! I made them for my gf .), ran away with said guard after causing a lot of rucus in the village aand finally repaired one of the portals laying around enough so they can come in!

Shroom!

Fungus villages traditionally name their young with something that reflects how they contribute to the community and mycelium. Fungi's first name was actually The Cursed (because of the overworld energy. This is how warped walkers call almost every one of the young who were born like that. They often die pretty quickly so they don't bother), and Shroom's was the Guard. Obviously, after all that mess with being held and holding hostage, being a reason of the death of the whole crimson scout party and all other nice stuff the Cursed Ones were getting those names didn't really felt right. So when they first stepped in the overworld and met - ah, a familliar creature! - an enderman - they accepted the nicknames she gave them pretty quickly.

Enderman's name was Oak, she's eleven and she's obsessed with botany and mycology. You could imagine her exitement when after years of living with only her unkle Darkwood in stronghold under a dence dark oak forest she stumbled upon two sentient mushrooms from the other world.

Here's Oak! Unfortunately I don't have the picture for Darkwood yet, it's on it's (slow-paced) way. But we're getting there!

It didn't took long for Oak to talk Darkwood into letting the intruders stay around and setting up a camp near their place. So now this crew of four (+Snore, Fungi's cat, and a couple chikens Darkwood was keeping) is living kind-of together and getting into all sorts of adventures .) I have a lot more to tell, but I thought it would be a nice introduction into the setting. Would be happy to answer to some questions about them if you have some! I have more info about funguswalkers, some story bits and a bunch of art that I will be uploading slowly.

[bamsara]

Some side characters/cult members for The Rehabilitation of Death. This originally was just supposed to be some light sketches but now they're all fully lined up and colored oops

Info about all of them under the cut:

All followers were designed based off of the actaul follower forms in game. Characters in order:

Bremar 🦊 (He/Him): Boy that often gets peer pressured into doing dangerous or scary things by his friends/bullies. Good heart, not a lot of spine yet.

Finor 🐰 (She/They): Elderly follower.  A devoted follower, but much too in the habit of behaving like an overbearing grandmother to those who aren’t even her kits. Comes from bearing so many in life before losing them to heretics in the wilds. Lambert found her already aged out in the forest after her husband and family were slaughtered, and she has been caring for others ever since her rescue. Stern and not a big fan of PDA, but good heart.

Cow Nurse 🐄 (No Name yet, She/Her): A nurse that works in the healing bay; takes care of the injured and sick while the lamb is gone. Stern and easily frustrated but it comes from a place of concern.

The Shrew and The Otter (No names yet) 🐁🦦 (Both She/Her): Lovers that often leave their work posts to be affectionate with each other in secret (even though everyone already knows). Eventually asks the Lamb to officiate their wedding.

Joon 😺 (Any/They/Them) (Otherwise known as 'the yellow cat' from that one COTL short): The best farmer the cult has, wasn't born until long after the bishop's defeats, and is a part of the generation that is blissfully unaware of Bishops prior tyranny. Bright but a little nervous at times, the Lamb asks them to watch over a certain 'new arrival' as their own hands are full, and Joon becomes the unaware caretaker for a certain God of Chaos.

Paazi 🐸 and her parents🦅🦇: (She/Her for Paazi, Unnamed: Eagle is He/Him, Bat is They/Them): Paazi is a orphan rescue from Anura found as young as a tadpole, later adopted by this older couple. She is the frog that fell from the cliffside and was later saved by Narinder, in which gains him her parent's appreciation.

Grekimar 🐷 (He/Him): A lumber worker who was exiled from his village in Anura, and taken in by the cult as 'all past sins are forgiven here'. Very critical of Narinder's presence, and is one spit away from dissension

Jayen 🐻 (He/Him): One of the two followers Narinder killed during his dramatic arrival to the cult grounds when Jayen was just trying to protect his leader, later resurrected by Narinder and Lambert in Chapter 2. Conflicted about Narinder's presence: grateful to be resurrected (Lamb told Jayen that Narinder helped) but still traumatized from the murder. Feels tingly in his hand and arm often. Sweet but nervous.

Tyren 🐶 (He/Him): One of the stone miners. Rescued from Darkwood. The very 'golden lab retriever' personality makes him one of the more friendlier types; this dog has a big crush on the Lamb that goes past prophet idolization.

[luwyv]

Cult of the Links stuff!

Wild is one of the two survivors of his village, he suffered horrible wounds and the one in his head caused him memory loss, he wonders darkwood running from the yiga clan and looking for ways to regain his memories and find the second survivor of his village, Flora

Roolie is a infant great fairy who is trying to survive the harsh and dangerous world after their fountain was attacked by merchants looking for beings with strong magic to make relics.

Wild and Roolie met by chance and are now inseparable.

[curiositysavesthecat]

*this poll was submitted to us and we simply posted it so people could vote and discuss their opinions on the matter. if you’d like for us to ask the internet a question for you, feel free to drop the poll of your choice in our inbox and we’ll post them anonymously (for more info, please check our pinned post)

[rainbowolfe]

Shamura's Name

When you look up a name's meaning, and can only find one source that gives it one, I take with a grain of salt. And I don't think "the Parentz dot com" is a particularly reliable source. So Shamura meaning diamond? I reject that. Wholly.

There's Shammuramat, the name of an ancient Assyrian queen, but we don't actually know its etymology. It's assumed it means something close to "high heaven", based on a similar ancient language. Based on how Tiamat is thought to mean "one who embodies the sea", Shammuramat is likely in the same vein. "One who embodies"... something.

With no real way of finding the meaning of just "Shammura" in Assyrian, I took a different route.

Anura, Darkwood, even Anchordeep to an extent, have very literal names. So let's assume Silk Cradle does too.

We have six places that we consider the "cradles of civilization": Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient India, Ancient China, Caral-Supe, and Olmec. They're considered the starting points of civilization as we know it.

And one of these cradles also happens to be the birthplace of silk. Ancient China. Silk Cradle is likely just a clever reference to that.

If we consider Silk Cradle to be Shamura's place of origin, then Shamura's name is most likely either Chinese or Japanese.

Now, I'm not as familiar with Chinese, so someone might have to correct me on this, but there is no "ra" in Chinese. The closest would be "re" but I was having trouble finding a fitting character for it.

However, I do know Japanese! "Mura" appears commonly in Japanese names as both a prefix and a suffix. It means village. Its use in names generally translates to [from the] "X" Village. For example, Nakamura means "Middle Village" and Yamamura means "Mountain Village".

"Sha" has many meanings, but the most relevant one is most likely in reference to Shinto Shrines. Specifically a type of Tudigong, the title granted to the local earth (or soil) deity. The literal translation would be "Lord of the Land" or "Lord of the Earth".

Tudigongs are at the top of the divine pyramid, save for Houtu, the overlord herself. Below them are the Sheji, the Shan Shen, the City Gods, and the Landlord Gods in the order.

So "Shamura" would translate to [from the] Earth Deity's village.

Which leaves only one question. Who was the Lord of the Earth about 3000 years ago?

Ala.

Ala is the deity of the Earth, Fertility, and Morality. She is considered to be the ground itself, so to disrespect the earth is to disrespect her. She rules over the underworld and casts judgment on humans. And she seems to play a similar role in-game based on her Relic descriptions.

Her symbol is the crescent moon. She's also represented by pythons. And not only is the crescent moon the shape on Shamura's Crown...

It's also the symbol used for the Seal of the Bishops, the relic that freezes time.

But that's just an observation.

A SERIES of observations.

[disciplesofthelamb]

"Greetings, fellow loyal cultists, as many of you already know, our great leader, The Lamb, has been very busy. But do not fret, I, Silas, have been left in charge as their loyal disciple-"

"Correction, WE were left in charge."

"Have some manners Briar, I am speaking."

"No, because you always do this! Why are you acting like you're better than us?!"

"AHEM, anyway... Like our dear friend Silas was saying, we were left in charge in the case of our leader being unavailable, so we will be happy to answer any queries you may have!"

"Thank you all for your attention, have a blessed day. Remember to praise The Lamb!"

WARNINGS

✮ This blog may depict sensitive topics, viewer discretion is advised.

✮ This blog is a work in progress, things are subject to change.

[About the characters under the cut!]

ABOUT THE CHARACTERS

[Silas, Briar and Dotty are my own cult of the lamb ocs! Here are a few things about them:

Briar (She/Her) : A rescue from Anura, she was found by the lamb along with Dotty in the ruins of their old village. She became a disciple becase she complimented the lamb when they were having a bad day and just happened to be level X.

Follower traits: Zealous, Ascetic

Dotty (Any pronouns) : A rescue from Anura, she was found by the lamb along with Briar in the ruins of their old village. She became a disciple because she refused to work without Briar.

Follower traits: Unrepentant, Strong Constitution

Silas (He/him) : A rescue from Darkwood, he was found as he was about to be sacrificed, after his rescue he swore to devote himself to the lamb for the rest of his days. He became a disciple because the lamb "Thought he was cute."

Follower traits: Germaphobe, Materialistic

✮ Additional info: Briar is a weasel, Silas is a striped hyena, and Dotty is a raccon.

Silas is the oldest of the group, he joined the cult before the other two.

Briar and Dotty are dating, they have been since before The Lamb indoctrinated them.]

ROLEPLAY INFO

"Briar speaks like this."

"Dotty speaks like this."

"Silas speaks like this."

Actions look like this.

[Moderator speaks like this.]

OTHER BLOGS

@askacultleader (My other blog!) and @no-less-than-a-lambgod As our glorious leader

@ask-theredcrown As our Lord, The One Who Waits

@ask-thegreencrown and @he-ofhavoc As Leshy

@askthe-yellowcrown As Heket

@ask-thebluecrown As Kallamar

@ask-thepurplecrown As Shamura

@ask-thepurplecrownbearer As The Goat

Mortals/Miscellaneous entities

@askthe-littlepoet As... Who's this one again?

@the-sleepydragon As Imora

@the-followers-of-them As other cultists!

@tomb-the-god As Tomb

@keni-the-moth As Keni & Candy

@helob-the-spider As Helob

@terrorofthetarots As Clauneck

@ask-kudaai-the-weaponsmith As Kudaai

@ask-thefox As The Fox

@follower-of-the-old-faith As Ratau

[Hello everyoneeeee it's me Zip again, I made another blog :3

This is purely to indulge myself because these guys have been infecting my brain for a while now.

If I forgot to add you in my pinned post or if you would like to be removed please tell me!!]

[cultofdarkwood]

Hee! Saw your call for ficlet prompts. So how about, Leshycat with ‘Do flowers really taste that good?’

- you know who ;)

immediately needed to combine these two bcz Yesss.

Yarrow, yellow cat, they/them! yall feel free to steal the name yarrow btw, idc

-

Work in the fields began before sunrise, which meant the farmers had to be up before light. For Yarrow, it wasn't too major of an adjustment. They were used to farming back in their now destroyed village in Darkwood.

For their housemate though, it was an issue.

The Lamb had placed the cult's newest recruit in Yarrow's shared shelter. Before him, Yarrow had been living here all alone, enjoying both the space and the peace and quiet. Now, the blind bagworm he had for a roommate seemed to live to disrupt every part of Yarrow's life, and he despised waking up early. This morning seemed to be an exception.

The Lamb couldn't seem to get Leshy to hold down a job he wouldn't immediately fuck up, so Leshy didn't work. Since he didn't work, he had a lot of free time. And since he seemed to live to poke fun at Yarrow, it was more often than not that Leshy would show up halfway through the day to follow them around the fields while they worked. He lived to cause as much chaos as he could get away with without upsetting the Lamb, so most of the trouble he caused involved eating through the garden that Yarrow tended to instead of the cult's crucial crops.

This morning, Leshy was up before the sun. Yarrow sighed, and resigned themself to a long day.

"Good morning, Leshy," they said, mostly to be courteous. The bagworm grunted and said nothing. Yarrow sighed, placed their farmer's hat on their head, and headed out the door. Whether or not Leshy followed them was his choice.

Unfortunately, he did.

As Yarrow got to work with the other farmers in the field, Leshy plopped himself down in the flower garden, digging his hands in the dirt. They had learned to ignore his antics, knowing he just wanted to get a rise out of them, but as they watched him, they couldn't help but feel something was off.

"Hey, Leshy?" they spoke up, watching him shove a handful of flowers into his gaping mouth. He didn't pay them any attention. "Leshy, are you okay?"

The blind bagworm paused, another flower halfway to his mouth. He seemed bewildered by the question, though it was hard to tell with how covered his face was.

"I just ask because, you usually never wake up this early," Yarrow felt the sudden need to explain, their dirty paw coming up to absent-mindedly rub the back of their neck. "And you usually like to-"

"Shut up," Leshy muttered with none of his usual bite, before shoving the flower in his mouth.

Yarrow huffed. "Well, sorry for trying to care," they muttered back, but they couldn't bring themself to step away. Maybe it was just the morning air, but Leshy seemed upset.

"Do flowers really taste that good?" they found themself asking, watching him destroy the garden they put so much care into. Leshy paused again, and Yarrow felt the need to explain themself once more, stammering through their next words. "I mean, I just see you eating them all the time. I've never tried one myself, well, just raw like that I mean. I've had some of them in teas before, but that's definitely different than just-"

"They help me see," Leshy answered shortly, startling the yellow cat into silence. "Not like how I used to, not like real seeing. But... I can taste the colors they are. Feels like seeing, sometimes."

"Oh," Yarrow said. Awkwardly, they looked down, and began to anxiously pick through the fur of their hands. "That, uh... sounds like fun?"

"I wanted to see the sunrise this morning," Leshy grumbled, though it was more of a quiet mutter. He shoved another flower in his mouth, his voice so quiet that Yarrow had to strain to hear it. "Which is stupid."

"It's not stupid," Yarrow said, feeling a lot less annoyed about the way Leshy liked to destroy their flower garden. "I see it every morning, but I still look forward to it even though I've seen it a million times. It's about to start now."

Leshy grumbled wordlessly, gathering together red, orange, and some golden yellow flowers. Yarrow watched, knowing they probably should've been getting back to work, but unable to pull themself away.

"You should add pink in there," they suggested quietly. The branching antlers on the sides of Leshy's heads twitched, and the worm turned his head towards them as though looking at them. "The sunrises here, they always start with pink."

Leshy didn't say a word, but reached across the flower garden to grab a handful of pink flowers. Despite the fact that it was their garden he was destroying, Yarrow let themself be impressed by how well Leshy knew where everything was planted.

"It's starting," Yarrow said quietly, and Leshy gave a clicking chitter, a noise he usually made when he was annoyed. This time though, it sounded softer, almost nicer. They could almost let themself believe it was appreciative.

Leshy shoved the first of the flowers in his mouth as the sun crested the horizon.