#fast flying talent!grian

[dork-a-doodle]

So I may have accidentally pulled a Bee Movie-

[the-whatcherof-89]

Commission for @pixlemonade

Grian “Big Boss” Xelqua Aka The Legendary Poultry Man.

CR 17 N Medium Humanoid Strix

XP 102,400 (if used as npc for encounter)Strix Cleric 10 Evangelist 7

Neutral Medium humanoid, Strix Init +2; Senses Perception +29

AC 31, touch 13, flat-footed 29 (+2 Dex, +10 Armor, +4 Shield, +1 Intuition, +4 Natural) hp 115 (16d8+34)

Fort +11, Ref +19, Will +12

Speed 60 ft. Flying, Land speed 30ft. Melee Returning shortspear+16/11/6 1D8+4 RangedRanged Spell+14, Returning shortspear+17/12/7 1D8+4

Racial Dayguard, Suspicious, Darkvision 60ft, Low light vision 60ft, Hatred, Fly speed 60ft, Land speed 30ft.

Traits Obsession(Buttons, etc), Spark of creation.

Class features Aura, Channel Energy 9D6, Domains Artifice, Air), Divine obedience,Skilled (Use magic device, Fly), Protective grace +2, Aligned class (Cleric), Divine boons (Strategic warrior, Sensibility of crafting), Creator’s touch, Material transformation, Gift of tongues(Ignan, Auran), Multitude of talents(+4 sacred bonus on untrained skills).

Spellcasting CL17 DC17 spells per day 

4/6+1/6+1/6+1/5+1/5+1/5+1/5+1/3+1/2+1/1+1

Str 12, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 24, Cha 10

Base Atk +12/7/2; CMB +13; CMD +25

Feats Brew potions, Deific obedience, Extend spell, Craft magic weapons and armors, Craft wondrous magic items, Empower spells, Quicken spells, Maximize spells, Master crafter.

Skills Appraise +5, Craft(Metal) +20, Craft(Stone) +14, Diplomacy +4, Fly +21, Heal +10, Knowledge (arcana, history, religion) +14, engineering +9 (nobility, the planes,) +5, Linguistics +5, Perception +19, Profession(architect) +19, (engineer)+14, Sense motive +14, Spellcraft +14, Use magic device +13.

Languages Common, Draconic, Strix, Ignan, Auran.

Combat gear Manual of understanding+3(used), Returning shortspear+3, Mithral catskin breastplate+4, Caster shield(greater), Amulet of natural armor+4, Dusty rose ion stone, Headband of aerial agility+6(Wis), Rainbow lenses, Eagle cape, Belt of goat strength, Rod of thunder and lighting, Robe of useful items, Arrow magnet, Band of the colorful(pride) flight (ring of feather falling+Ring of flying improved+Colored flight), 4 Potions of cure critical wounds, Cleric kit, MWK tools(stone mason), 105GP.

Spells per day 0- All. 1-Animate ropes, Bless, Command, Divine favor, Sanctuary, Shield of faith, Summon monster I 2-Wind wall, Bear’s endurance, Sonic boom, Cat’s grace, Summon monster 2, Aid, Make whole. 3-Gaseous form, Dispel magic, Summon monster 3, Remove blindness/deafness, Blindness/deafness, Remove curse, Protection from energy. 4-Airwalk, Summon minor planar ally, Summon monster 4, Divine power, Freedom of movement, Divination. 5-Fabricate, Flamestrike, Summon monster 5, Spell resistance, Truesight, Reanimate dead. 6-Major creation, Planar ally, Animate objects, Dispel magic major, Word of return, Blade wall, Mass bull strength. 7-Elemental body(air), Regeneration, Destruction, Resurrection. 8-Whirlwind, Planar ally major, Summon monster VIII. 9-Miracle, Prismatic sphere.

Mumbo Jumbo Aka Bumbo Baggins the Mustache Man.

CR 17 N Humanoid, Dwarf

XP 102,400 (if used as npc for encounter)Dwarf Wizard (Conjurer, Creation school)15 Lore master 2

Neutral Medium humanoid Init +2; Senses Perception +20

AC 22, touch 17, flat-footed 20 (+2 Dex, +5 Deflection, +5Mage armor) Hp 135 (17d6+51)

Fort +13, Ref +13, Will +17

Speed 20 ft. Melee Father’s forgehammer+11/6 1d8+31 RangedRanged Spell+10

Racial Speed 20ft, Defensive training, Unstoppable, Stone cunning, Craftsman, Industrious urbanite, Stability, Darkvision 60ft, Weapon familiarity.

Traits Spark of creation, Socially awkward.

Class features Summon familiar (archetype Valet), Arcane bond (Familiar Cat), Create gear, Creator’s will, Summoner’s charm, Scribe scroll, Specialization  school (Conjuration), Arcane discoveries: Arcane builder(wondrous magic items), Fast study, Golem constructor(Iron), Lore, Secret of health, Applicable knowledge(Forge ring).

Spellcasting CL17 DC18 spells per day 4/6/6/6/6/5/5/4/3/1

Str 12, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 26, Wis 14, Cha 8

Base Atk +8/3; CMB +9; CMD +21

Feats Brew potions, Extend spell, Skill focus (Knowledge Arcana), Alchemical affinity, Craft wondrous magic items, Craft magic armors and weapons, Maximize spell, Empower spell.

Skills Appraise +16, Craft(Metal) +28, Craft(Redstone) +28, Fly +10, Knowledge (Arcana +31, Dungeoneering +16, Engineering+28, Nature+16, Geography+16, History+16, Local+16, Nobility+11, Planes +16, Religion+11), Linguistics +2, Perception +10, Profession(engineer)+22, Perform(oratory) +3, Spellcraft +28, Use magic device +19.

Languages Common, Draconic, Dwarf, Giant, Terran, Orchis, Acquan.

Combat gear Headband of mental prowess+4(Int, Wis, Craft metal), Amulet of spell mastery, monocle of flawlessness, Father’s forge hammer, Engineer’s workgloves, Winged boots, Belt of giant strength+2, All tools vest, Traveler’s any tool, Handy haversack, Mallet of building, Clock of resistance+5, Ring of protection+5, Ring of crafting improved(Redstone), Artificer portable lab, Mumbo’s top hat(functions as a Cap of light and a Hedge wizard Conjurer’s cloak), Conduit rod, Scrolls(Planar binding greater, Anywhere but here, Expeditious constructions), Staff of conjuration, Blessed book, Potions(4 Cure Critical wounds, 2 Invisibility, 2 Blur), Wand of Summon monster II, Wizard kit, 15GP.

Spells known Mostly Conjuration spells Forbidden schools: Necromancy, Enchantment (around 45) 

Spells typically prepared 9-Portal. 8-Summon monster VIII, Labyrinth 7-Limited wish, Wondrous mansion, Clenched hand, Reflect spells. 6-Mass bull strength, Contingency, Chain lighting, Iron wall, Dispel magic greater. 5-Telekinesis, Teleportation, Summon monster V, Wall of stone, Cone of cold. 4-Elastic sphere, Summon monster IV, Dimensional door, Stoneskin, Black tentacles, Solid fog. 3-Haste, Shrink item, Fireball, Summon monster III, Dispel magic, Resist energy. 2-Make whole, Mirror images, Glitterdust, Summon swarm, Web, See invisibility. 1-Shrink person, Magic missile, Grease, Unseen servant, Mage armor, Shield.

0-All except forbidden schools.

Background Grian and Mumbo lived in a faraway land known for their hermit residents where they are renowned for their incredible talent for architecture and his incredibly complex contraptions respectively. Both of them where building some crazy structure and as always creating some cunning brain-teaser or practical joke to have a laugh while at it. Still, when one day they were about to make their usual pranks and almost detonated each other in the attempt, Grain and Mumbo heard a voice: “Your aid… needed… someone important… lost… will you aid us?” Thinking it was a prank from another Hermit known for his Scars and his fancy Top Hats they went along and accepted only to find themselves transformed and transported into a completely different world. Now they have a mission on hand: Retrieve a lost entity from far away that bestowed part of his powers upon them.

IMPORTANT: None of the images are mine they belong to the following artists in the link. I did this for no profit only for entertainment.

[titiro]

grumbo week day 6: AU/Alternate SMP

hello grumbo enjoyers have you considered pixie hollow au 👉👈

Details below cut!

so in this au mumbo is a tinker talent(as it should be) and grian is fast-flying talent. Coming up with the talents was the easy part, the hard part was drawing mumbo NOT in his suit 🗿

@grumboweek

[amethystfairy1]

So it's mentioned in Travelling Thieves that Pearl and Grian are both much better fighters than Jimmy, and I just read your recent answered question explaining that.

However, there was a mention during one of Grian's parts that Pearl could've been strong enough to be retained by the colony but she didn't try as hard? I may be completely making that up but that's how I interpreted it. So, my two questions are these:

1. Could Pearl beat Gem or Grian in a fight and would the outcome change if Gem was using magic?

2. If I was right about the almost retained by the colony bit, is there any character we've been introduced to that Pearl wouldn't win against?

Hello, hello! ✨

That's right! Pearl and Grian are much better fighters than Jimmy, despite Jimmy being physically much stronger than either of them. But brute physical strength isn't a characteristic praised in avians, who are meant to be fast, agile, precise, and deadly in that manner. Jimmy brute forcing the fight with the great shielder while protecting Scott is a good example of him being very un-avian like in his tactics. If Pearl or Grian were in that fight, they probably would've been flying and darting around the guy swiping at him for a killing blow, not just tanking a hit and holding him back with pure strength. Neither of them would be capable of that. 😆

It is true that Pearl was strong enough to be retained! But she wasn't...and I'll give you a little crumb, it certainly wasn't because she didn't try...but the reasoning is something we will learn about soon, I hope! ☺️ To answer your specific questions.

Pearl would beat Grian consistently. It wouldn't be an easy fight by any stretch of the imagination, and if they ever did fight it would have to end in someone dying. Lethal force would be the only way one of them would take the other out, since they are so closely matched, but Pearl is certainly a bit stronger. Also keep in mind that while Grian was being kept as a pet for sadistic nobles because of his beautiful wings, Pearl was fighting daily as she belonged to various different mercenary or adventurer guilds or workhouses, which would essentially rent her out to anyone who wanted backup for one of their jobs. That means that Pearl's skills are far sharper than Grian's simply due to having gained way more experience than him after they were sold from their colonies. As for fighting Gem, the outcome would most certainly change depending on if or not Gem could use magic. With magic Gem would probably beat her, nature magic is incredibly powerful and versatile, we haven't seen it's power truly unleashed yet in the stories so far, but we will! It's gonna be intense! Pearl still might be able to win though depending on the terms of the fight, mainly if or not she was allowed to use lethal force. If she was fighting to kill, she could probably manage to pull off a victory even against Gem and her nature magic. If Gem wasn't allowed to use magic, Pearl would definitely beat her. It would probably be a good fight, Gem is incredibly talented, but avians are just an entirely different level.

So far, I think the only character we've met who might stand half a chance against Pearl in any consistent sense is Martyn. Witches are to magic like avians are to fighting. He's incredibly powerful, and if he had the time to gear up some spells, he could probably kill Pearl in one shot before she got anywhere close to him. Problem is like any good witch or mage, Martyn requires casting time. If Pearl knew he was a threat, she could get to him and finish him off long before he was able to get any spells off. But it would certainly be an interesting fight!

Thanks so much for coming by! 💖

[cuuno-moved]

Wait hermits are getting assigned pixie hollow fairy talents ??? I love pixie hollow I’ve watched the movies 50million times who do you have so far??

all the redstoners are tinker fairies, grian is a fast flying fairy, gem and zed are animal talent fairies, bdubs and stress are flower fairies, joe and x are fairy dust fairies and i think false is a frost fairy?

[nix-writes-mcyt]

AYUP may i ask for grian x reader :DD! i would like to do some fluffy cooking with the bird man :]

Fluffy cooking with the bird man coming straight up. This was very fun (and inspired by my irl relationship bc.. I can cook and he can't)

Dinner Date

Oneshot Contains: Bird Hybrid!Grian, Fluff, Mention Of Knives (for cooking), Food -----------------------------------

Grian. A man (partly) of many talents.

Building, flying, pranking, pvp, dancing. The one you've come to love over many bases and a lot of time spent together.

You've always thought highly of him. You've always admired his many talents and skills, well, and him as whole.

You can't say you've ever been so.. well you're unsure what it is.

A dinner date was the parrot-hybrids idea. He thought it would be fun for the two of you to make and eat dinner together. So did you. At first.

It wasn't until approximately two minutes ago you felt this was a bad idea. In fact you'd quite looked forward to having a hand with the cooking. Plus you'd get to look at your scarlet-winged lover, always an added bonus.

You didn't think you'd be watching him this closely, genuinely concerned just by the way he was navigating the kitchen.

"Grian, oh-" you sigh as a plume of flour rises into the air, Grian coughing from the wheat dust. "What?" He says, doing his best to form the flour into a mound on the countertop. "Nothing, my love." You shake your head, putting the empty packet in the bin.

The incident with the flour isn't the only time you have to step in and lend him a helping hand, no. It turns out that while Grian may be skilled with a sword he is less skilled with a kitchen knife.

Which you did not realise. Until just now.

"What are you doing?" You ask him, leaving your things to go give him a hand. "I'm cutting the carrots." Grian states plainly, using the knife like a saw.

"Look, come here." You wiggle your way under one of his arms, placing your hands on his. You feel him lean forward slightly into you, if not to see what you're doing just to be closer. Carefully you take the knife from his hand, moving his other hand out of the way. Grian takes this opportunity to wrap his arms around you and hold you even closer against him.

"Your fingers on this hand need to be curled, or you'll be catching your fingertips." You show him how to correctly position his hand on the carrot, and on the knife too. "If you hold the knife like this all you have to do is push down and move the knife away from you."

"Oh." Grian whispers behind you, like he's finally realised why it's taking him so long to cut through anything. "Go slow, you don't have to chop things at the speed I do, I've had plenty of practice." You say.

You can feel his confused look at your words, the piece you had just cut off wasn't done very quickly. So you decide to show off.

In less than ten seconds the carrot is cut into perfectly even slices, you gather them on the knife and transfer them to the pan which sits on the counter at the top of the chopping board. "It's probably best I don't go that fast." Grian chuckles.

"I agree, anyway, let's see you give it a go now." Grian groans in protest, but pulls his hands away from your waist. He takes the knife and brings another carrot over from the side.

You can hear him repeating what you said under his breath as a reminder. This time you're happy with how he's holding everything. And sure enough, with much much more ease than before, he cuts through the carrot. "Good job." You smile, glancing over your shoulder to see his face.

On his face rests a pleased smile, "and to think I had such a hard time before when it's that easy."  You chuckle, shaking your head. "It only gets easier with time too."

The kitchen mishaps are surprisingly low from that point on. There are a few small things, like a carrot slice being launched across the room, potato peel going all over the floor and Grian knocking over not one but two mugs by knocking them with his wings while walking by, but for the most part things go well. You even managed to leave him be for a few minutes with no incidents, which given how he was at the start was a miracle.

In the end things turned out well. You and Grian enjoyed the meal you both worked so hard to make, and it turned out pretty damn good if you say so yourself. The cleanup after was enjoyed much less, but then again Grian was there clowning around, so it still ended up being quite fun.

Once everything was finished and tidy night had fallen. "Did you enjoy our date night then?" Grian asks with a smile. "Once you learnt how to wield a knife properly, yes. I did, very much."  "Mm, good." He leans forward tapping your nose with his index finger. "We should do this again, tomorrow."

You chuckle, "tomorrow? That's a bit soon, don't you think?" Grian's face turns serious. "Do you not want to cook with me again?"  "Well." You joke, Grian pouting before surrounding himself in his wings.

You reach out to stroke the vibrant yet soft feathers when a hand shoots out from between them and pulls you in.  "I'll convince you to cook with me again soon." Grian smiles, rising to stand with you in his arms. "How do you suppose you're going to do that?" You ask, Grian looks down at you, a playful look i his eyes. "Because if you don't I'm going to fly to the moon and live there eating moon soup." you pout, crossing your arms.

"You wouldn't dare."  "I would, I'd miss you, but I'd go." You roll your eyes, leaning futher into him as he walks up the stairs.

"You love me too much to fly to the moon and live there alone." Grian laughs. "Okay, you got me there." Gently he places you on the bed, turning on the lamp before going and closing the curtains.

He gets ready for bed, you doing the same. Although, like normal, you find yourself distracted, focus on Grian rather than on the task at hand. Soon enough you're both sorted and in bed, Grian holding you close to him.

"You will cook with me again though?" He asks quietly, sleep quickly settling in. "Of course I will, my love."

Grian hums happily, almost chirping instead. He's too tired to respond with words, a feeling you share as you feel sleep creeping closer and closer. A small smile rests on your lips as you fall into slumber, with memories of the day repeating in your dreams. Sweet dreams of cooking with the one you love.

[sapphicrafting]

Hermitcraft Elytra Headcanons

Got inspired by my last rb, so I'm gonna rant about elytra and different hermits' wings!!!!! I might organize this into an actual thing later, but it's just me infodumping rn lmao. If you’re intrested in this pls feel free to talk to me abt it!!!! if you have any questions/suggestions/general comments I would love to hear em :)

ok, so we all know how grian has the rep of the best flier on the server, right? Maybe he has wings like a peregrine falcon! Peregrines are the fastest bird (and animal in general), known for their sharp and accurate dives and ability to maneuver in the air. They have long, pointed wings that lend themselves to speed and excellent maneuverability. The wings make them talented fliers, able to change speeds quickly (they usually cruise at 40-60ish mph but will change speeds when diving for prey, reaching speeds of 200+ mph). Peregrines also tend to be highly successful in urban environments, meaning wings like theirs would not be super out of place in highly industrialized or developed areas and builds :)

builders typically have powerful wings built for gliding — large builds tend to lend themselves to high platforms, making it easy to jump off into a glide. The wings aren't designed to lift off from the ground or to flap consistently or often. Flapping flight is inefficient and takes a lot of energy that is silly to waste on just checking your build from a different angle. So the wings aren't built for that kind of flight.

People who have very far away/spread-out bases/farms (maybe xB? he's pretty far away I think) have wings like an albatross, built for long-distance soaring. The wings are made for long soaring flight, allowing the bird to travel almost 1000km/day without having to flap their wings. Soaring is aided by shoulder-locks, a tendon that locks the wing when fully extended, enabling the wings to be outstretched without any muscle usage and minimal energy loss! While they are very good at long-distance flight, the long wings aren't fit for powered flight, and most albatross species lack the muscles + energy for sustained flapping flight. Taking off with the wings requires a running start to allow air under the wings to provide lift.

redstoners have wings like a dragonfly, with wings made for direct flight, meaning that the flight wings are attached directly at the bases of the wings. They have four wings of similar shape and size, each operating independently, which gives them fine control and mobility regarding the abruptness with which they change direction and speed. The wings allow them the ability to move in any direction and change direction suddenly. They can propel themselves in six different directions while flying (upward, downward, forward, backward, left, and right). They are capable of hovering, slow flight, changing directions rapidly, gliding, and fast flight. The wings are right for redstoners because they need to hover while working to place redstone or see the machine in action (while still being able to view what's happening). Additionally, the ability to change directions or stop abruptly helps when moving around projects and accessing different pieces of redstone since many redstone designs have complex and complicated layouts.

Miners have wings like cicada's, who are built for living underground for long periods. The wings are hardy and adapted to being cooped up underground, and are structured in a way that helps prevent dirt, grime, and bacteria from the mines from getting onto and dirtying their wings. While the exact structure of the wings doesn't exactly lend itself to effortless soaring, this isn't a huge issue when a vast majority of time is spent underground, not flying. The wings are sturdy and robust (well suited for the roughness of the mines) and slightly heavier than those of other closely related bugs (like locusts) due to them being made tougher by the presence of chitin in the wing membrane. The toughness and added weight also explain why the wings are only built for flying shorter distances. In addition to the wing's strength, its structure is also well suited for mines due to how the wings are designed to stay clean and deter bacteria. The surface of the wings is covered in tiny, waxy cones that are reminiscent of blunt spikes, which create a water-repellent film, making the surface of the wings superhydrophobic. Rain runs across the surface, removing dirt in the process, similar to how the surface of a lotus leaf functions. Droplets of water rolling or splashing off them can remove soil, dust, pollen, and microbes. In the absence of rain, dew will condense on the wings. When the surface of the wings is exposed to water vapor, dew can condense on them. The growing droplets fuse together, and the merged drop will leap off the water-repellent surface (the science of why this happens isn't super simple, but if you're curious, tell me). Bacteria that lands on the wing's surface isn't repelled, but rather are torn apart by the nanoscopic spikes.

[star-captain]

Illuminate

Another part of what I’ve started to call ‘Wandering Stars’, stories of self-inserts interacting with hermits. I dunno if the name is gonna stick, that’s just what the Google Doc is called. 

But here’s another piece! This time with the incredible, kind, and talented @theguardiansofredland​ ‘s character Red. This was a challenging story, but I very much enjoyed writing it and playing with a character I never could have come up with on my own. 

The sun settles on the horizon, dipping into the ocean and leaving behind a trail of orange streaking across the surface. It looks like it’s melting, orange fire spilling out. As sunset turns to twilight, the coral and sea pickles below begin to illuminate. The ocean comes alive with color, unbothered by the loss of the sun. Fish swim through pillars that glow softly, shadows playing out like puppets controlled by kelp.

The last hint of the sun drowns into the sea, leaving behind a sharp flash of green across the air. Glass catches the light, refracting the emerald flash over the blue floor and twin towers, across the open cavern. And as the light fades from the sky, a glow begins to materialize on her skin. Blue specks, flecks of light swirl across her skin, fighting off the darkness and growing brighter. Like stars, they grow in intensity as the world settles into the night. Waves of light flow around patches of larger blue, the brightest resting on her shoulders and inner forearms. Symmetric stripes are barely visible through the fabric of her pants, wakes of bright blue against the swirling flecks.

They push their glasses up the bridge of their nose, squinting to get a better look at what they’ve been staking out. Red knew that a monument has been missing for some time now, but they haven’t been able to check out the report until now. There’s someone down at the bottom, below the seafloor. From sea level, all they can see is guardians rise up bubble columns of the twin spires, before falling down into a hole.

She needs a closer look. Red looks over the edge of the glass, at the sharp drop down into the backwards aquarium. There’s no water, and she obviously can’t fly. A flying fish is just ridiculous. She chuckles at the idea, before turning to the other side of the glass, which is holding the ocean at bay from the unusual structure. Peering in, Red can see her reflection in the glassy water. It’s a calm night.

Streaks of bioluminescence mark her face, symmetrical against her cheeks after rising up her neck from her back.  They look a bit like shark’s teeth at her chin from this angle, which looks pretty cool in her mind. Red’s hair is still wet from clambering out of the sea, orange and blue tones plastered against her head. Her reflection is broken as she dives in. Down, down down, into the depths of the sea. Where most people would be scared of such deep waters, she calls it home. She can feel the water rush past her face, over her fins as she speeds towards the bottom, and breathes in the cool water.

At the bottom of the structure, Red pauses to look at the strange building. It’s all made of glass, and she’d hate to break something that someone worked hard to build. Maybe she can just push a pane or two out, and sneak in without actually breaking the glass. Red reaches out, placing her palms on the smooth, cool window. She gives a push, but it doesn’t budge. She pushes again, harder. And harder, and harder, until suddenly the glass gives way under her strength.

Red and water sweep into the structure, pooling on the floor and depositing the surprised Kipling on the prismarine tile. Red only chuckles to themself. “Whoops. Maybe pushed a little bit too hard.”

Red stands, slopping through the water back onto dry stone. They made it to the bottom, but wandering around on the floor yields no information as to what is happening here. Red wanders up to the towers of water. Stepping up, they watch as guardians shoot up the column like some elevator on the fritz. The guardians flail about as flowing water sweeps them out and down a mysterious tunnel. Even when Red cranes their neck to look down the middle pillar, they can’t see the bottom.

But on the other side of the glass, around the pillar, he can see a ladder leading down. Abandoning the drop tower, Red quickly clambers down the wood ladder. Deep into the depths of the earth, the ladder spits him out in a cramped room. He looks around. The space is filled with metal hoppers and wood chests, in design that he can’t make out but knows is some sort of collection system. Down the short hall, Red sees the owner of all this.

He’s in a well dressed green suit, asleep in a chair rocked on it’s back two legs against the stone wall. Red jumps at the sound of a crash, but it’s only another hopper filling itself with goods. She turns her attention back to the human. Curiosity draws her closer. The most unusual part of the man is one of his eyes. It looks like it’s metal, with some sort of crystal or something acting as the iris. Can he see her, even though he’s asleep?

She turns away from the human, focusing back on the reason she’s here. And that reason is to understand why this is here, and what is happening to the guardians that enter the tunnel. Just beyond the sleeping man, she can see the guardians. Humans can’t notice it, but each guardian is different. Different scale patterns, different tints in the orange and blue, all making each ocular fish unique. And she can see there must be dozens of guardians crammed into a small place at the bottom of the pit. They’re wounded, but alive.

“There must be a way to get you all out of here. You guys see anything?” She jokes, winking her eye at the cycloptic guardians. She turns around in the small room, seeing lots of different buttons and levers. But none of them look to be hooked up to the fences that hold back the guardians. Red doesn’t want to mess with redstone, as much as she likes flipping switches and pushing buttons- that stuff is too much for her. It doesn’t work well in water anyways. Though sometimes she wonders what it tastes like.

But one stone button, hardly visible against the stone wall, seems like a good chance to free her fishy friends. Red hardly wastes more than a second stumbling to the button and crashing into it. At first she’s smiling, waiting for the fences to open up and for the guardians to be freed from whatever cruel trick this is.

The smile fades into horror as pistons tug stone blocks out from under the guardians, and the pit deepens just enough. Just enough that those already sitting at the bottom fall just a little further. A chorus of shrill cries escapes the stone, echoing around the hall and haunting Red’s mind. How many just died? Hoppers rumble around her, and she starts to put this all together.

She watches the farm run, even though it’s owner is fast asleep in his chair. Wind whistles across the squirming, flailing guardians. Red watches in horror through her glasses as the helpless fish fall all the way to the bottom of the pit. One after another, they screech and die with a sickening crunch against the deep, dry stone. Every time they fall, she feels her heart fall as well, breaking with their bones.  The prismarine is quickly scooped up by the hopper system, rumbling and sorting out the goods that dropped upon death.

It’s horrifying, monstrous. Humans tear down an ocean monument, stripping a home for the resources it holds. And then humans build a contraption only for death and their insatiable greed. They have to stop it. Red grabs at the button, pulling it from the wall. It doesn’t stop the endless cycle of death. They haul the heavy double chests out from under the hopper, but the items just sort into a different chest. Behind the chest, Red can see the thin trails of redstone snaking between hoppers. Lit up, making sure the system is running. They crouch down, shoving a scaly arm through the tight space between two hoppers.

She reaches her hand across the redstone, and cuts the connection. The activated redstone gives her a jolt, like holding a channeling trident during a storm. The entire system shuts down, including the water that flushes the guardians to their doom. The sorting machine falls silent, though the dying screams of guardians still echo in the cave and in Red’s mind.

Behind her, chair legs scrape against the smooth stone. “Grian I swear if you plan to shove something into my inventory again!”

Red and the human freeze, staring at each other. The suited man blinks, gazing at the unusual visitor. She’s not sure if he’s ever seen a Kipling before, much less one covered in redstone dust. She hasn’t even noticed that tears were falling until now, and her bioluminescent markings glow brighter than a sea lantern. “What are you doing to my guardian farm?”

“These aren’t for you to take!” Red states, standing up for her home and family, and standing up to her feet. “This isn’t a farm, this is massacre!” She returns to ripping the death machine apart, piece by piece, without a tool. Tossing filled hoppers across the room and risking being electrocuted.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on, wait!” He approaches Red, before backing off. “Let...let’s talk about this. I’m Iskall. Why are you destroying my...my building?”

“Because you’re killing them.” Red whimpers, looking at where scales and blood splatter the wall of the pit. “Those are...that’s my family, my home you’ve destroyed.”

“The ocean monument?” Iskall questions. He looks up, as if observing the world beyond the stone cave. “I never thought anyone except these laser fish lived there.”

“It’s their home too. Would you like for someone to come and rip it all up and kill your family?” Red tries to wipe away the tears. He hates being so sensitive, forcing himself to be open to a person he doesn’t trust. It’s hard to trust humans when they do this. “All for what?”

“Sahara needs the prismarine to sell to other hermits, taking down the monuments and killing guardians is the only way.”

“If you just looked for help, looked for a different way then you wouldn’t have to! I have more prismarine than I know what to do with, all without ever hurting another guardian.” To prove her point, Red pulls out a handful of prismarine crystals. She lets it fall to the ground, Iskall’s metal eye watching her toss it away like it’s dirt.

The bearded man rubs his chin. “I never thought that anyone lived in ocean monuments, that could talk with us. This does change things.” Red looks up, meeting his gaze. “Let’s make a deal then, shall we? A real Sahara contract. You can supply Sahara with that prismarine, get it all out of your way. In return, you can...ahem, decommission my farm here. And maybe I can talk with the others and see if they can find other ways.”

Red looks around, not quite sure if this is some sort of trap or something. Not until Iskall pulls out a diamond pickaxe, offering it as a sign of good faith to the young Kipling. “You look tired, I’m sure you’re hungry. Let’s see.” He digs around in his pockets, finding a bag of sweet berries. The two munch on the fruit, until Red is satisfied and ready to get back to destroying this place. Using the pickaxe is so much better than using his hands, and he can’t help but smile as each hopper and chest is removed. Iskall even joins in, climbing up to the empty ocean. While Red frees his oceanic brethren from the twin towers, Iskall begins to refill the water he had removed. He can’t rebuild the monument, but at least he can make this place habitable again. Maybe they can make something new here, for everyone.

Destruction has never been so fun, so relieving to Red. Tearing down all her frustrations, and filling it back with the cool ocean water. It’s sunrise by the time the two finish, and Red’s markings are fading in the peeking sunlight. The two stand on the last remaining concrete block, the water below teeming with life. The pit has been waterlogged, and hopefully the tides will eventually wash away the stains of such a death-covered place.

“I think that went pretty swimmingly.” Red chuckles, looking over the ocean. In the morning light, they can see the bright colors of the coral, and thousands of tiny fish go on with their lives among the stony creatures.

Iskall laughs at the pun. “You remind me of a friend of mine, at least when you’re happy. Speaking of, I should probably get back to the other hermits. Call a meeting with the Architechs and tell them our job just got a lot easier.” He holds up a couple of prismarine shards. “And we’ve got a monopoly on the prismarine trade! Please, come visit if you ever have the chance.”

The green-suited man takes out his elytra wings, and soars off towards the mainland. Red looks out at the sunrise, the quiet ocean. Her home. She pushes up her glasses, rolls the sleeves of her shirt, and dives into the water.

[zallano]

The HereAfter, Chapter 10

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, read on AO3!

The entire chapter under the cut.

-

Grian was conflicted.

Part of him absolutely loved hermitcraft. The other part he wished for nothing more than to go back to his world. He didn’t know what to do. To stay in hermitcraft or return home. Not that he had much of a choice on rather to stay or go. He was stuck in hermitcraft. The blue clock was possibly his only way out- and he didn’t even have it or knew how it worked.

Grian sighed and flew all around the main island. Flying with his elytra was probably one of his favorite things to do. It helped him take his mind off of things. He weaved himself in between shops and houses, he flew high into the sky and dived down at insane speeds, and he dipped and spun in the air. He was a talented flyer.

It had been a few days since he gave Mumbo a new outfit and exactly a week since Tango’s disappearance. Some of the hermits still had hope that he was coming back. Others, not so much. Though they all knew that Tango was no longer in the world.

Grian fired off another rocket and swept under a few trees before heading off into a direction of where he thought Xisuma should be. X had been working on building skyscrapers and towers and Grian hadn’t seen them yet.

He also wanted the blue clock. He was going to use the clock to get hom- no- he was going to use the clock to bring Tango back. That's why he wanted it.

While flying, Grian noticed a shimmer on the ground below. “Wha-“ he looked down, trying to see the mysterious shine. Possibly someone had dropped some metal on the ground and he could get some free materials. He tried to turn around but he was flying so fast that it obstructed his path. He twisted and turned in ways he didn’t want to and lost control of where he was going. Grian tried getting some more rockets to get him flying upwards again but before he knew it-

Grian experienced kinetic energy

He went splat into a massive grey blur of a building.

Iskall85: good job ‘hermitcrafts most talented flyer’ lol

Grian laid on the sand of spawn for a few seconds recollecting his thoughts before pushing himself up. He groaned and rubbed his sore shoulder before replying.

Grian: shut it, I didn’t mean to

Xisumavoid: are you okay? You just went straight into my tower haha

Grian: yeah I’m fine. Can you get my stuff?

Xisumavoid: got it. It’s in a blue shulker box

Grian sighed and began making his way back on foot. This was unfortunate.

It took him a lot longer than expected to get back to the small city Xisuma had been building. He walked up and retrieved his stuff before fully admiring the structures. They were a lot nicer than what he had seen moments before death.

Xisuma was on top of one of the buildings. Grian walked over the supply of building blocks and waved for X to come down.

“Nice towers!” He called as Xisuma glided down to him. “Thanks, been working on these nonstop,” he laughed. Grian nodded and sat down on one of the shulker boxes. “So you said you have the blue clock, right?” He looked over at the enderchest and Xisuma nodded. “Yeah, why?” He asked.

“I want the blue clock, can I have it back?” Grian asked. X looked away and shrugged. “Uhh— I dunno,” he laughed slightly. Grian frowned.  “I need the blue clock, Xisuma,” he said.

Xisuma looked back at him. “You sure that’s a good idea? You passed out last time you were near it.” He pointed out. Grian could hear his own heartbeat over his clock’s ticking. He just wanted the clock, was that too much to ask for? Grian spoke with a shaky voice. “Xisuma, I- I need the clock.” His hands were trembling. He needed it. He needed to find out how to use it. He needed the clock.

Xisuma knitted his eyebrows, seemingly suspicious. “Why? Why do you need a clock that’s obviously damaging to you?” He asked gesturing to Grian’s shaking hands. Grian frowned slightly and looked at his hands. Why were they shaking? Why was his heart beating so rapidly?  Why was he so worked up over a clock?

Why did he need it so much?

“You don’t- just- fine I won’t touch it. Drop it into my enderchest.” He finally said. Xisuma shook his head, chuckling. “Grian, Enderchests don't work like that-“

“Right. Yeah. Of course.” Grian cut him off. “They’re a bit different from where I come from. Anyway, give me the clock. Put in into a shulkerbox or anything. Just, let me have the clock, Xisuma.” He said, standing up off of the shulkerbox. Xisuma stared back at him, slightly concerned. “No, you’re not getting it. You’re obsessed with the dang thing.” He explained.

Grian sighed and clenched his hands into fists. “I- may be able to get Tango back if I have that clock. Don’t you want him back?” He asked. Xisuma frowned. “Yes, I do. But we don’t know what happens when you exposed to the clock for too long. I don’t know what would have happened to you if I didn’t put the clock in my enderchest.”

Grian ran a hand through his hair. All he wanted was that clock. “Why won’t you give me the clock??” He questioned. “I don’t trust you with it! You’re going to hurt yourself!- or cause another person to leave the world!” Xisuma told him.

Grian paused. He didn’t cause Tango to leave the world- did he? He shook his head and narrowed his eyes, looking back over at Xisuma.

“It’s just a clock!”

The enderchest rumbled in its place, vibrating and shaking.

It was not just a clock.

The enderchest lit up and its surrounding area exploded as if a firecharge had hit it. Flames erupted in the new pit. The chest floated in the center and opened.

Grian and Xisuma started in fear- as the clock lifted itself out of the chest and then vanished.

“NO!” Grian yelled and jumped into the pit. He dug through the sand and dodged fire, looking for the clock. “Yeah, it’s ‘just a clock’.” Xisuma shook his head. Grian sighed and sat in the middle of the sand. The moment the clock had vanished he felt fine. No longer was he upset and obsessive over it. It was as if any negative emotion he was feeling had vanished with the clock. However, he felt slightly disappointed that the clock was gone.

Now no one had it.

[dork-a-doodle]

(1/?)

Oof, talk about a rough landing…

[dork-a-doodle]

Hermit Hollow concept doodles!!

The poll on my main blog decided overwhelmingly to keep the hermits color palettes, so as a trade off I decided to tint their wings to match their talents instead!

(I’m also debating on whether or not to keep the swirl details in their wings, it looks cool but it’s a pain in the ass to do 🤷‍♀️)

[the-whatcherof-89]

Ethoslab Ladders Aka Mr Clark Snappers.

CR 20 NG Medium Humanoid

XP 307,200 (if used as npc for encounter)Middle aged Human Rogue (Phantom Thief)10 Living Monolith 10

Neutral Good Medium humanoid

Init +8; Senses Perception +36

AC 40, touch 24, flat-footed 32 (+8 Dex, +5 Deflection, +5 Natural, +1 Insight, +6 Armor, +5 Shield) hp 135 (16d6+75)

Fort +17, Ref +22, Will +16

Speed 30 ft. Melee Adamantine shortsword +27/22/17 1D6+5 Ranged Crossbow +31/26/21 1D8+9

Racial Bonus feat (Fast learner), +1 Skill point per level.

Traits Pragmatic activator, Nervous.

Class features Refined education(Craft:Stone, Perception, Stealth, Spellcraft)+5, Broad education(Finesse rogue, Positioning attack, Improved feint, Minor magic, Major magic), Social sense+3, Advanced rogue talent: Shrine walk, Soul stone, Stone blood, Fortified flesh(DR 3/- 30%), Stability, Bombsight, Immune to disease, Attunement to stone, Summon sphinx, Ageless stone, Judgement of the monolith, Master Ka stone.

Spellcasting CL10 DC20 Crafter’s fortune 5/day Read magic/at will.

Str 10, Dex 26, Con 20, Int 30, Wis 18, Cha 14

Base Atk +14/9/4; CMB +13; CMD +31

Feats Shield proficiency, Rapid reload, Point blank shot, Precise shot, Snap shot, Rapid shot, Crossbow mastery, Master crafter, Endurance, Iron will.

Special His immortality gives him the +2 bonuses for old age but no penalties thanks to his immortality.

Skills Acrobatics +30, Appraise +18, Bluff +25, Climb +20, Craft(Stone) +33, Craft(Redstone)+33, Disguise +11, Disable +14, Escape artist +20, Handle animal +13, Heal +11, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (Arcana +30, Dungeon +18, Engineering +30, Nature +20, Geography +18, History +15, Local 15, Nobility +14, The planes+14, Religion +14), Linguistics +5, Perception +26, Perform(dance) +7, Profession(Engineer) +21, Ride +16, Sense motive +16, Sleight of hand +16, Spellcraft +35, Stealth +30, Survival +16, Swim +20, Use magic device +33.

Languages Common, Draconic, Elven, Dwarven, Sphinx, Giant, Sylvan, Undercommon, Alko.

Combat gear Cornerstone crossbow+5, 45 +4 Bolts, Adamantine defending shortsword+5, 2 Daggers of doubling, Returning trident+1, Amulet of natural armor+5, Ring of protection+5, Scholar’s ring, Dragon form armor(Black)+5, Animated fire resistance darkwood buckler+4, Belt of physical might+6 (Dex, Con), Headband of mental prowess+6 (Int, Wis, Bluff), Coat of resistance+4, Cloak of comfort, Shoes of the lighting leaper, Bracers of the falcon aim, Wands (Fly, Haste, Cure moderate wounds), Potions:Blur(1), Cure critical wounds(2), Manual of quickness of action+3(Used), Tome of clear thought+4(Used), Ioun stones: Dusty rose prism, Western star, Bag of holding type I, Small anvil with the phrase “You got Etho’ed” on the side, Rogue kit, 113GP.

Background Ethoslab also known simply as Etho hails from a far land of Hermits where he is renowned for his pioneering and discoveries in the field of redstone. Etho is a quirky, intelligent, adaptive individual that has some nervous moments popping out sometimes. Nevertheless, Etho’s knowledge of redstone and architecture is unparalleled and even his colleagues Mumbo and Grian recognized his talent. Etho being very old, sometimes struggles to find something new to do that would stimulate his mind even if that means pushing things to the extreme, sometimes. Regardless, his favorite thing is dropping anvils on unsuspecting hermits via very complex contraptions and he was about to drop one on his friend Scar but he was interrupted by an ethereal voice: “You want to see new horizons? I can help with that. Would you like to accept my challenge?” Etho was confused for a moment but then saw a chest that wasn’t there before. “If you are interested, open it. Never seen before horizons awaits you.” Etho was hesitant for a moment but he just could not resist. As soon as he opened the chest the world around him changed as so did his equipment. He stood in the middle of a jungle with new tools, knowledge and a map in hand. “Find me if you can. And if you succeed i will grant your deepest wish.” Etho looked around and spotted a Llama. “Well, would you  look at that.” And he smirked.

Image made using Heroforge.