#mage and shieldmaiden

[writing-on-the-wahl]

Betrayed

Hi hi friends!! I wanted to post today but I have been working on not one but TWO snippets- one hero x villain (songbird part threeeeee anyone?!? 😈😇) and one urban fantasy (dragons and wolves and mages, oh my!) to post and neither of them are quite where I want them to be yet.

But fear not! I will be posting them as soon as possible:) In the meantime, here is a short snippet I wrote AGES ago based on this prompt by @gingerly-writing:

Prompt #2784

“You can’t give me to [villain]! You can’t! You’re supposed to be my friends!”

“We’re also supposed to save the city. And right now, that’s more important than saving you.”

Sidekick couldn’t keep the panic out of her voice nor the trembling out of her bound hands as she was led, well, dragged, out of the car towards where three men in black suits stood waiting next to a black SUV parked beside the pier. 

“Please! Please don’t—" Her voice cracked as those she had once called friends pulled her to a stop a safe distance from the men. Hero and Hero’s Soulmate gripped her arms, stopping her futile attempts of escape. 

“Her, in exchange for the city’s safety?” Hero’s question sounded more like skepticism than confirmation, and if terror wasn’t pounding in her veins, Sidekick would have been offended. 

The figure in the middle, the man who’d been wreaking havoc on the city for years, nodded, his deep voice smooth and certain. “You have my word.” 

That must have been reassurance enough, for in a flash, Hero and his team—the team she’d been a part of—were back in their car and speeding away. 

She cast a quick glance around the deserted pier, the gentle glow of the fading sun staining the calm water with soft streaks of pink light, a far more appealing picture than the sharp lines and harsh blacks of the supervillain and his men.  

She could try to make it to the water. 

But her hands were bound. She wouldn’t last long. 

They would pull her out, and most likely be furious with the delay. 

She swallowed her fear and turned towards the three men. They hadn’t made any move to come closer. 

Dark sunglasses blocked out their eyes despite the fading light, and a shiver ran through her. 

She closed her eyes as her mind filled her head with all the things that could happen now that she was here, defenseless, sold to buy freedom for everyone else. 

“Come.” 

The quiet word from the man in the middle carried across the distance between them, and she instinctively took a step back before lurching forward, terrified she’d displeased the one whose mercy she was now at. 

It took an eternity and no time at all for her to reach the front of the SUV. She stopped, unable to bring herself any closer to the man who had the power to bring the city to its knees with a flick of his fingers, who had instead demanded her. 

Her breaths were loud in the stillness of twilight, and she kept her head down, as though memorizing each inch of her shoes was the most important thing in the world. 

“They taught you to fear me.” It wasn’t a question, and it was filled with displeasure.

She flinched. 

Then flinched again at the angry noise he made at her flinching. 

The gravel crunched until she could feel his presence before her. 

Warm hands caught her bound ones, lifting them. She hardly registered that the bindings had been cut as he turned her left arm to expose the dark swirling mark on her inner wrist. 

And in turn revealing the matching mark on his. 

Taglist:

(this is my general taglist for all my posts containing my writing, if you'd like to be added, pls lmk by asking to be on the general taglist! If you prefer to only be tagged in certain snippets, you can specify:)

@im-a-wonderling @shieldmaiden-of-gondor @watercolorfreckles @distance-does-not-matter @onestopheroxvillain @lolafaiy @chaoticgoodandi @1becky1 @tobeornottobeateacher @himynameisorla @superherosweet @brekker-by-brekkerr @crazytwentythrees @great-day-today @sunflower1000@selectivegeekwithstandards @chibicelloking @trantolette @sapphiques @jinpanman @genesissane @wish1bone1 @amongtheonedaisy @distractedlydistracted @kitsunesakii @glitterythief @jinx1365 @cherrychewingbrat @in-patient-princess @thepenultimateword @sorrow-and-bliss @technikerin23 @deflated-bouncingball @talesofurbania1 @rivalriotrenegade

[heroineimages]

Lady Warrior Art Poll!

Hey, so one of my artist friends is doing commissions for her Patreon followers, and I was thinking of doing a meme of sorts. I was thinking of having done a portrait of some brutal, gnarly, angry-looking lady warrior eyeing the viewer with a caption that reads:

"That which does not kill me... should RUN."

But I can't decide what kind of lady warrior, so I thought I'd put it to my readers in a poll. I decided to toss in options from both history and fiction/fantasy, and depending on what gets picked, I may have a follow-up poll to narrow it further. (I'd also love to make it a week-long poll, but I want to give the artist plenty of time to prep!)

I considered several other possibilities for the list, but decided to narrow it to just eight. For the rebel trooper, lady knight, and pirate queen, I may also let pollsters pick what race to make her (ie, Star Wars or D&D race). And if anyone wants to offer suggestions about their choice in the comments or tags, feel free!

[vigilskeep]

how open were Eleanor and Tristan with their magic at Castle Cousland? I think you said pretty much everyone knows, but in that case how did they arrive at that level of trust ?

not open to the point of foolishness. the staff knowing is part of that secrecy, i think; everyone in important positions has been kept on since tristan’s childhood, to maintain that loyalty and insularity. it’s a weird kind of open secret. it’s like... if you’ve seen house of the dragon, it’s like how everyone knows rhaenyra’s sons are bastards, just by looking at them, but if anyone says it that person has to face savage consequences because it’s the saying of it that threatens everything.

the mac eanraigs have always been rumoured to have magery in their blood, and eleanor as the sea wolf used her magic as a storm witch archetype sinking orlesian ships. people know that or suspect it, they just don’t say it. especially not after she married a political titan like the young reigning cousland who could have been king. (though i doubt he could have been king and faced that scrutiny with such a wife, which is super interesting, as a choice bryce made that might affect his very public very firm loyalty to cailan, and tristan’s opinions on the succession.) as for tristan, it’s hard to hide a young mage, they’re explosive, and young noblemen have so much contact and so many teachers. that secret could not be contained. the couslands are relying on what’s obviously the incredibly strong culture of local loyalty that they especially foster among their servants

nan, brother aldous, mother mallol, ser gilmore—they all know tristan is a mage. i think they also draw a distinction between their teyrna and young lord and those Other Terrible Mages. mother mallol in particular i think is doing some truly incredible theological acrobatics to have raised this one, but since she belongs to the couslands’ private chapel and would have been personally selected by them, i would love to get into regional variants in fereldan andrastianism especially in terms of ferelden being relatively pro-mage. i mean, i could totally see them keeping an andraste-was-a-mage style heretic on the payroll to suit their interests, and that would fucking rule. the couslands and mac eanraigs being ancient fereldan families who are perfectly good andrastians i’m sure but also might keep to some of their old ways and traditions is also very, very fun. i’m interested in the, i assume alamarri, styling of the story told by nan: when our fathers’ fathers came down from the mountains... maintaining those traditions and hiring from among those shared belief would again make it much easier to maintain insularity against any threat from the orlesian chantry, even easier than it would be considering the fereldan mistrust of the outsider and the well-earned hatred of the orlesian interloper in our business

with eleanor, i use her lines about abandoning her shieldmaiden era for the “softer arts” to interpret her as being very glad to abandon her magic. eleanor keeps her skills sharp in extreme privacy but otherwise uses it as little as possible, and if it wasn’t for tristan she’d be able to maintain her fantasy of normality almost completely

tristan himself was trained as a warrior alongside his brother, in order to maintain visuals, and also because i’m not sure bryce would know what the hell else to do with him lmao. he carries a sword in the castle, but does own a stave, which is kept in his chambers for use in study. (rigid training is still demanded to protect himself in the fade, eleanor’s not stupid.) he might be willing to do spells behind closed doors; he fired a few at the rats in the larder, for example, because it was just gilmore and they’d shut the door to the kitchen and nobody minds spells when it keeps you from getting bitten by giant rats. he’s not going to be stupid about it, but he’s not worried about it day to day either. at the same time, pre-joining tristan is a bored tiger in too small a cage with magic roiling up inside of his chest who thinks he will never get to use it and takes whatever little opportunity he can get

howe would know, i think, which is fascinating, by the by

[astralix]

⇢✶𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒙

𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 ✦  Mun called Mage and is 30+, Muses have verses ranging 14-35+ :: Independent, Multi-muse, Multiverse RP :: Contains OC Characters :: Crossover friendly, Duplicate friendly.

Do not use me as a horoscope and aesthetic blog.

𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 ✦ Fandomless, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Canon Divergence)

  ⇢✶𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒊

If you wish to be affiliated with me or a main, please let me know.

𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 ✦

𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 ✦

  𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍 ✦ astrxthesiai (OC & Canon Multi-fandom, Multiverse RP blog)

⇢✶𝒏𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

✦ guidelines ✦ triggers & character studies ✦ carrd ✦ bonds & relationships ✦ masterlists & muses ✦ mundane ✦ credits

Mutuals may ask for my discord.

  ⇢✶𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕

I will be linking you to their masterlists.

  𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 ✦ Coming up:: September 2–Sailor Virgo/Emiko October 9–Sailor Libra/Yuuga November 16–Sailor Scorpio/Sasori November 29–Sailor Ophiuchus/Madoka December 9–Sailor Sagittarius/Mikoto

𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 ✦ Aquarius/Izumi, Phoenix/Mei

The Warrior ✦ Sailor Aries/Tsunobue Aya ⇢✶ Commander of the Zodiac Senshi. (Bio)

The Shieldmaiden ✦ Sailor Taurus/Amano Sakurasou “Sakura” ⇢✶ The Second Zodiac Senshi and uses earth attacks. (Bio)

The Technician ✦ Sailor Gemini/Haruno Yumeko “Yume” ⇢✶ The Third Zodiac Senshi along with her sister, uses force and runic magic.

The Wordsmith ✦ Sailor Didymoi/Haruno Nijiko “Niji” ⇢✶ The Third Zodiac Senshi along with her sister, uses force and runic magic.

The Ice ✦ Sailor Cancer/Himura Umiko “Umi” ⇢✶ The Fourth Zodiac Senshi and uses ice attacks.

The Fire ✦ Sailor Leo/Tategami Hikaru ⇢✶ The Fifth Zodiac Senshi and uses fire attacks.

The Recordkeeper ✦ Sailor Virgo/Teien Emiko “Emi” ⇢✶ The Sixth Zodiac Senshi and uses plant and wood-based attacks.

The Judge ✦ Sailor Libra/Fujiwara Yuuga ⇢✶ The Seventh Zodiac Senshi and uses metal attacks.

The Death ✦ Sailor Scorpio/Kishi Sasori ⇢✶ The Eighth Zodiac Senshi and uses death or venom attacks.

The Archer ✦ Sailor Sagittarius/Igarashi Mikoto “Miko” ⇢✶ The Ninth Zodiac Senshi and uses lightning attacks.

The Assassin ✦ Sailor Capricorn/Koyano Kyoumi ⇢✶ The Tenth Zodiac Senshi and uses gravity or time attacks.

The Void ✦ Sailor Aquarius/Hoshino Izumi ⇢✶ The Eleventh Zodiac Senshi and uses void and wind attacks. 

The Ocean ✦  Sailor Pisces/Enkai Maiko “Mai” ⇢✶ The Twelfth Zodiac Senshi and uses water based attacks.

The Wraith ✦ Pisces Senshi/Enkai Mika ⇢✶ The ghost of Mai’s twin sister.

The Hope ✦ Sailor Ophiuchus/Madoka Sabik ⇢✶ The Doctor of the Zodiac Senshi.

The Sun ✦ Sailor Phoenix/Nakano Tenmei “Mei” ⇢✶ The Sun of the Zodiac Senshi.

[engshoujosei]

Fate/Grand Order -mortalis:stella-

3 volumes (in English, ongoing as of 4/23/2023.)

Licensed by Kodansha

The year is 2016, and glitches found in humanity’s past threaten the sustainability of its future. The Chaldea Security Organization—tasked with preserving human history for as long and as strongly as possible—has developed a new method of time travel to repair these events, stabilizing humanity’s future. But when an unknown threat pushes mankind to the brink of extinction, young recruits Mash Kyrielight and Ritsuka Fujimaru find themselves at the helm of the rescue mission: Obtain the Holy Grail in a face off against fate itself …

Status in Country of Origin

4 Volumes (Ongoing)

Tags:

Alternate History

Androgynous Character/s

Based on a Video Game

Dragon/s

France

Gender Swapped Character/s

Japan

Joan of Arc

Mage/s

Marie Antoinette

Master-Servant Relationship

Shieldmaiden

Swordsman

Time Travel

[grrreenrat]

A few of the cards I illustrated for Destiny's Divide, an online fantasy card game.

[shield-maiden-of-sherwood]

WIP Worldbuilding - Hawke’s Home/Lothering

So as I posted recently, in my Heroes of Thedas series, I imagine Ferleden to be heavily influenced, aesthetics-wise, by shows like Vikings, Reign, and Outlander. With that said, I was recently working on a scene from Fated where Ana and Alistair (and Morrigan but she’s shapeshifted and ditched them for the moment) have just arrived at Lothering after leaving Ostagar. Despite the wikis placing the Hawke family in Lothering before fleeing Blight (SPOILERS?), when the Warden is there, we don’t see or interact with them. Nor do we see where they lived before fleeing. So, for this part, I got to do a bit of worldbuilding,

The structuring of Lothering in-game makes it very small with maybe one hundred people, if that, living there. The wiki says that it’s a village which should be roughly 500-2,500 inhabitants, at least that’s what National Geographic says. There’s no way that there’s THAT many people there. So, for my story, I had to modify it a bit. In my mind, I made it similar to Whiterun in Skyrim.

Now, before people start coming at me saying that Whiterun is an actual town, let me explain. I like the layout where you have the main part of the town/village wrapped around a central point and surrounded by farmland. 

Now, Nate Hawke is a mage like his sister Bethany and their father Malcolm but he is able to manage his magical abilities well enough to conceal it. I mean, we all know how much people like mages in places like Ferleden and Orlais. Despite Nate’s ability to conceal his abilities, I believe that there’s no way an escaped apostate would settle down in the village itself after fleeing Kirkwall. Especially when Nate began to show signs of having inherited his father’s abilities. So, how can the Hawke family be considered inhabitants of Lothering while not actually living in the village itself while also being far enough to teach their son how to handle his magic in peace? Farmland. 

Being of a more Vikings-esque setting allows for me to have a set up similar to the picture above and have it fit. Pictured is an example of a viking farm. It’s perfect because it fits the Ferleden aesthetic and is small enough to not be considered a big draw. At least in my mind it works, lol.

So here it is, folks! The Hawke Family Farmstead. The place that Nathan Hawke was born and raised on the outskirts of Lothering! :)

[bebemoon]

outfit masterlist~

22.o3.22

evil winx club

urban + solitude 

cream + fresh + cherry

alien

modern medusa

ice + moon + curse

gentle witch of the wood

fire + sun + deity

swim practice

budding mage

hemithea aestivaria moth

light-dappled

silver galleon centrepiece

“the girl who became a knight”

night-clubbing in an alien metropolis

spring tea in the garden

cupid (princesscore version)

“the nymph of the garden“

waking in the middle of a stormy night to explore the castle corridors ..

“aphrodite wants everyone to remember she is a goddess of war too”

“going shopping in an ancient carthaginian market”

star + angel + light + silver

“starlit prom in late june”

the goblin king queen

“exploring a marketplace on an alien world”

“catching a train and leaving your old life behind”

“blush pink city romance”

“autumn elopement with a ghost”

“eating your heart out"

“cinderella at a high school dance”

aunt spiker

poe dameron 

“visiting a garden in late july”

“ancient queen sleeping under a misty hill”

“binge-watching bad television with a tub of ice cream”

disco vampire

“dancer on the edge” 

milkmaid

“new office job and i am barely holding it together”

“sleek bacchante” 

“winx club meets euphoria”

“tropical holiday on crystal, clear waters”

“early morning delicate beauty”

snowdrop + black licorice

“attending your lover’s execution”

“living in a stone cottage by the stormy sea”

“getting to know the vampires of southern italy”

forgotten rococo porcelain doll 

thomasin

“rococo-inspired femme fatale“

“watching the slaughter of trojans and strong-greaved achaeans from the walls alongside helen“ 

“dragon hunting in the fjords” 

shieldmaiden

“spring in genovia”

“blood moon witch” 

“the illicit daughter of a romanov grand duchess and rasputin“ 

elizabeth báthory 

“disappearing into the mountains to never be seen again” 

“wlw victorian lady who lives in a cottage with her gf” 

“gilded age heiress with a rebellious streak and sapphic tendencies” 

“siren who swims in silver waters in a snowy land” 

“attending a princess’ baptism (self-invited)” 

blind date on the moon 

anna pavlova

“femme fatale monster-killer from an alternate reality” 

“taking a walk on a foggy black sand beach” 

“juno the mafia daughter”

“artist who speaks to fairies” 

padmé naberrie 

“grimoire librarian” 

“ana mendieta’s ‘silueta’ series” 

ofelia/princess moanna

[gilligangoodfellow]

Prompt: Date Night

Relationships: Calanthe / Eist

Rating: T Content

Warnings: None

Summary: Eist takes Calanthe to witness one of his favourite sights on Skellige. There, they witness a gentle moment that neither is expecting. 


@witcher-rarepair-summer-bingo

—-

The woman stands on the edge of the forest, a cloak around her form to protect from the Skelligan chill. A full moon reflects off the world around her, bringing light to the moisture in the grass, and shapes and shadows to the trees.

She reaches up, running a hand through her hair, worn loose and long. Messy over her shoulders.

“You should not be out here alone.”

“Oh.” Calanthe turns, a hand rested on her hip. “I believe a queen should be where she damn well chooses to stand.”

“Agreed.” The newcomer bows, before indicating the woods behind her with a nod. "But there is danger in these trees."

The wind chooses that moment to rustle the leaves, creaking the branches, and Calanthe wonders if the Skelligan Jarl speaking to her is a secret mage.

"Well.” She smiles. “My options were to risk the trees, or punch that pompous Nilfgardian advisor in the mouth. One leads to war."

Eist laughs.

"Gaunter can have that effect, I am told. But he has that Usurper’s ear." He winks. "And some say he has more than that."

She scoffs, faking shock while playfully swatting at him with her hand.

"So, Jarl Tuirseach, what makes your trees dangerous?"

“An ancient Leshen prowls them." Eist folds his hands behind his back. "One old enough to have met Freya herself.”

“Well, your Leshen keeps fine company.”

“And a finer collection.” Eist says, standing beside her. “No less than three great Witchers have ventured into these woods, to never be heard from again.”

“Then perhaps we should find mistletoe and beggartick blossom. Make oil for our blades.”

“We mean to hunt the beast ourselves, My Queen?”

“Why to avenge the mighty witchers.” Calanthe opens out her hands, as if her statement is obvious. “And besides, Birna Bran’s baby shower back there has less life in it than a morgue. I’d sooner fight a legendary leshen.” She tilts her head to the side. “Or are you afraid?”

“Something tells me that with you by my side, I should fear nothing.” He raises an eyebrow.

A silence falls between them that is comfortable, each already enjoying the other person’s company on this, their first meeting outside of formalities.

“I can not promise you a Leshen, my Queen, but the moon is full. This is a good night to see the children, if you will let me guide you.”

“The children?”

“Come.”

“Is it safe?”

“The shieldmaidens will hear if we shout.” He offers his hand and, with her curiosity getting the better of her, Calanthe takes it, letting Eist lead her into the woods. They climb a hill to the top, and there he pats a rock, encouraging her to sit and look out.

An ancient tree long ago fell into the spot below them, to be claimed by climbing plants and fungus. And sitting cross legged on the trunk are two young children making flower chains with daisies.

Only they are not children.

“Lutin?” Calanthe whispers.

“Godlings.” Eist smiles. “Harmless servants of nature. A small tribe lives by the lake. The families leave them toys and clothes no longer needed by a last born, and the Godlings in turn keep the farm animals in good health."

Calanthe nods.

“I love to watch them play.” Eist's voice is quiet. “To just sit and witness something be so innocent and unburdened by the troubles of this world. They are childlike from birth until death. And it is said they are born from the laughter of their parents.”

Calanthe smiles as Eist sits on the rock beside her.

“My little Pavetta loves making flower chains like that. They decorate our rooms back at Cintra.”

“Crach, my sister’s son, would bring frogs home. One got loose in the kitchens once, and it...what?”

The forest…shakes. Trees leaning forward as if to bow, birds landing on branches and ground.

The Godlings stand.

Eist pulls Calanthe with him as they hide behind the rock, before carefully peering over.

And Calanthe’s mouth falls open.

A...man? Beast? Dressed in leather wraps, taller than a troll, with antlers like a deer.

Far from being afraid of the newcomer, the Godlings seem excited, dancing on the tree and holding out their chains of flowers ready for inspection.

The Leshen bows, and they dangle the flowers from its antlers. Then it opens its arms, lifting one Godling and then the other onto its broad shoulders. There they sit, clutching the antlers and laughing while it carries them across the clearing.

“Surely…”

“Hush.” Eist puts a finger to his lips, but is also smiling as he watches Calanthe watch the Leshen play with the Godlings, marching back and forward while they clap and cheer.

“Even monsters need joy sometimes.” Calanthe smiles, and together they watch as the Leshen walks into the forest with the beloved Godlings on its shoulders.

“To escape the burdens of the world.”

Calanthe nods, face calm.

“We should head back.” Eist whispers. “Bran will be wondering where we are.”

“Oh? And end our date so soon.”

Eist widens his eyes. “A date?”

“You will call it that, when asked.” Calanthe says, raising a stern finger. “For it was a spectacular one.”

Eist laughs as they stand, him offering his arm for Calanthe to wrap her own around as they turn back towards the party.

“And you said you could not promise me a Leshen.” She says. “You clearly have a unique ability to sell yourself short, Jarl Tuirseach. Odd for a Skelligan.”

“Or perhaps I wanted the creature’s appearance to be a true surprise.” Eist looks at her, and then behind them into the forest, a final check for danger. But there is none.

“A surprise.” Calanthe agrees, their eyes meeting as he looks back round.

They prepare at the camp.

Calanthe hands him his sword.

Eist checks the straps on her armour.

Hand in hand they walk together.

“What are you thinking of?” Calanthe asks.

“How they will sing great songs of the Battle of Marnadal. Of the victory of Queen Calanthe over Nilfgaard.” He looks at her. “And you, my Queen?”

“I was remembering those Godlings on our first date. Watching them with the Leshen, all just playing and unburdened by the world.”

He nods. “We should go back there again.”

“When this is all over. And bring Ciri.”

“Yes.”

Hand in hand they walk.

“Do you think that Leshen is still there, Calanthe?”

“I hope so. Whatever happens to the world around it, let that clearing remain unburdened.”

Hand in hand they remember their first time together, as they prepare to ride towards what will be their last.

Burdened by the world.

[maidenxfthemxuntains]

Tag Drop Verses

Tumblr decided to eat my tags.

[apprenticenerd]

good afternoon to ninjas, professional boxers, people who can shout at 120+ decibels, pacifist monks, dragon kinnies, pyromaniacs, systems/plural people of all stripes, sword nerds, people who want to live in the arctic circle, glassblowers, blood mages, really good sprinters, fat bears, people who want to secretly kill and then impersonate the pope, incredibly buff nordic shieldmaidens, literal actual pirates, 3000-year-old mummies, archery instructors, crazy cat ladies, chronic dissociaters, d&d rogues, people who thought magnets were the coolest shit at age 6, lesbian cowgirls, clowns, necromancers, twinks who love hula hooping, people with toe fungus, black hole scientists, people who pretend to open automatic doors with the force, plant whisperers, rave djs, time travelers, living disco balls, knights in full plate armor, widows who may or may not have poisoned their husbands, faerie changelings, mercy mains, people with anger issues, train engineers, licensed electricians, ghosts, monkeys, weird reincarnated wizards from a madness-inducing parallel dimension, and skydivers

[deepbluefrog]

Since I started working on Sanguine Debauchery, I have been developing a backstory on the foundations of the original mod. Between that and other mods I have been working on, that story evolved in an obsession in the origin story of Alessia and her relationship to Sanguine.

In this apocryphal version of the Lore, Alessia’s story is that of a failed attempt at one form of apotheosis (becoming a Daedra) turned into another form of apotheosis (becoming a Queen, a Saint and founder of the Empire).

For the occasion of today’s prompt, I put together notes from a mage that will be included in the next version of the mod.

Read on if you don’t mind the spoilers.

---

Arcomor Flame-Hand, 4E 6, Mourhold

During chaos of the Red Year, it was I, Arcomor Flame-Hand, who commissioned the theft of the coronation crown of Queen Barenziah. I didn't care much care much for the crown itself. It was the gems I was after.

For years I have studied anomalies in soul gems. Rare soul shards, bright red, easily dismissed as rubies, but  exposed to the right amount of Magicka, these gems reveal visions of their origins.. and what visions I have seen!

I wonder if there is meaning in the order these visions appeared. I listed them here with annotations about their possible chronological order.

7. El Estia reaches for Apotheosis trying to become a Daedra herself by Sanguine's side. She discovers too late she is with child, her Lord's child. The daedric influence inside her cause her soul to shatter through time, nearly causing a Dragon Break.

10. Reborn but not whole, the slave girl, now Queen Alessia, leads slaves to battle against their tormentors.

(2?) There once was a woman as fair as an evening of springtime in old Stros M'Kai.

5. The slave girl's ambition matches her will to live. She seduces both the advisor and his King, and soon directs her own twisted indulgences for their entertainment. She receives a name for her service, El Estia.

12. Somewhere in Morrowind, Symmachus, Queen Barenziah's consort, winning a set of soul shards from a drunken gambler. He later has them fitted to her Coronation Crown.

8. Akatosh appears to El Estia with a shard of her own soul, infused with the blood of Lorkhan and gives her new life.

11. On the Queen's deathbed, Akatosh forges her soul shard into the Chim-el Adabal, the Amulet of Kings, thus giving his Covenant a physical form.

3. A slave girl, flesh sculpture in the Aleyid gut-gardens of Sercen. Hair as red as her skin was fair. She stands out from other slaves with an incredible tolerance to extreme pain and pleasure.

(1?) A bright red soul shard lands in Lorkhan's blood after Akatosh ripped his heart. The Dragon of Time takes notice of its origin, saves the shard and waits.

(15?) A wolf shieldmaiden is running through Skyrim's tundra, her bright red hair shining like gems in the sunset.

4. The slave girl is acquired by the Fire King Hadhuul. His trusted advisor, a perpetually drunk worshipper of Sanguine, gives her a mixture of drugs to infuse her with new visions of torment

13. Queen Potema descends into madness, tormented by visions of Ayleid flesh gardens.

9. Akatosh grants El Estia three visions in exchange for her life; Lead a rebellion against her masters, Found a religion to honor the Eight Divines and Give birth to an Empire of Men, a stabilizing forces against the disruption of the events in Sancre Tor. El Estia becomes Al-Esh, “High Highness”, and “Paravant”, First of her kind.

14. Almalexia, the Lady of Mercy, adorns herself with her own soul shard after it is made real by Lorkan’s divine powers.

6. El Estia is brought to Sancre Tor, the Golden Hill (Sanguine’s Thorn?) to unite with Sanguine himself.

"Though she is gone to me, she remains bathed in stars, first Empress, Lady of Heaven, Queen-ut-Cyrod." said Morihaus on Alessia. Half truth hidden in lies. The stars he speaks of are soul shards, scattered through time, backward and forward.

Soul shards cannot be destroyed but they can clearly be forged. I have tried any way I could, except maybe in the furnaces of Oblivion. I came to the conclusion that the stones must remain dispersed. If El Estia becomes whole again, she will try to claim her place as a Daedra once again, with catastrophic consequences.

I suspect more shards exist out there... some materialized as people instead of stones, some hopefully lost to time and some not here yet.

I have sealed these notes about the soul shards and the way to track them for future generations. Heed my warning. Do not bring the stones together.

[Note at the bottom of the book - the scholar was found tied to the wall in his bedchambers, a mere drained husk, the scent of sex permeated the air, and on his unfinished manuscript were scrawled the words - "Sounds like fun! Love, Sanguine."]

---

Thanks for contributors to key pieces of this overall back story - Content Consumer and Dénouement at Lovers Lab]

[heroineimages]

Shieldmaidens!

With the new color and design options I revisited my shieldmaiden miniatures and their ten-foot, winged warrior-goddess. I kept a few of the original designs, but since the new release there’re a lot more interesting options to explore. I’ll admit that the viking aesthetics still leave a little to be desired, but they’re way ahead of the Greco/Roman options. https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D11627410/

One-armed shieldmaiden barbarian. Hide armor and lots of axes. The only thing she misses about having two arms is getting to use more than one axe at a time. Has a weakness for women who aren’t intimidated by her missing arm. https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D11606274/

Skald warrior-bard. Wears leather armor and packs her favorite shield and broadsword. Carries short-bow and quiver for ranged combat. Also carries song book and hunting horn. Descended from former thralls who were taken as battle captives from lands far away. Rescued from thralldom by Druid and Ranger. https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D11607041/

Warrior-priestess cleric of the shieldmaiden goddess. Wears a helmet and heavy mail and wields a spear, kite-shield, and hand axe. In her 50s now, but still regularly spends the night with women less than half her age. https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D11607560/

Druid defending her snowy woodlands with her badger pal. Carries a spear and shield. Uses her nature magic to rescue thralls from greedy land owners and secrets them away to safer places. Wishes Rogue was less enthusiastic about murdering said greedy landowners. https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D11608369/

Pirate-queen fighter. Successful at her job, she uses her loot to build longboats and buy top-of the line chainmail, axes, and shields for herself and her huskarls. Married to a former Irish noblewoman who she took captive but who didn’t want to be ransomed back to her family. https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D11608892/

Brawler-monk, drunk, angry and wielding a club. She’s also a bare-knuckle champion and bear-wrestler but prefers wrestling busty tavern-lasses. Once cuckolded two Frankish princelings in the same night. https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D11632738/

Paladin of the shieldmaiden goddess. Wears mail and carries a broadsword, poleaxe, kite-shield and hunting horn. Became a paladin because she’s secretly gay for her goddess, but for now she’s content dating her headmistress’s daughter. https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D11633276/

Scout/tracker ranger, patrolling the snowy woodlands with her fox friend. Wears quilted armor and a helmet and carries spear, short-bow, and broadsword. Helps Druid rescue thralls and regularly scouts for Cleric and Paladin’s order. Had an affair with a Greek noblewoman in Constantinople one time. No, wait, two times. https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D11634178/

Freedom-fighter rouge who specializes in guerilla warfare. Wears leather armor and carries a short-bow and axe. Learned most of what she knows about guerilla fighting from her time spent as a mercenary in Wales. Helps Druid rescue captured thralls. https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D11652248/

Cryomancer battle-mage sorceress. Uses ice magic to protect her wintry homelands. Wears well-insulated leather armor. Creates her own ice-shields and imbues her spear and crossbow bolts with ice magic. Secretly enjoys warmth in the form of hot teas, hot meals, and hot-girlfriend snuggles. https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D11681359/

Battle-mage warlock. Wears chainmail and packs a kite-shield and warhammer. Has a talent for carving statues and building model longboats. Helped design figureheads for several of Fighter’s ships. https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D11686240/

Battle-mage wizard. Wears leather brigandine and carries a longsword with backup shield and broadsword. Former thane who lost her position to her greedy, landowner cousin. Decided she didn’t want it back when Rogue assassinated him. Sorceress’s aforementioned hot girlfriend. https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D11686883/

[goldenschemes]

Khalid kneels.

He runs his fingertips along a large patch of grass, just a bit softer and lighter than the meadow that surrounds it. Plucking a blade out, he chews on the tip of it. Spits it out, straightens up.

“Interitus ash,” he calls out as he returns to his companions, humid wind whipping at his hair and cloak. “Easy for mages to get their hands on, and the plants kind of soak it up. Used it to mask the smell of their dead.”

Nader scowls. “So now we know they can die.”

“Or they could, at least up until we got the pass open. Miri, what do you think?”

The shieldmaiden of Bhaktiar, intimately acquainted with the northern wildernesses, frowns and scans the horizon. “They could have wintered here after the Locket collapsed, but not for long. Not if they wanted to get back across the Zayandeh before the thaw. If I’d been in their place, then I would have gone...”

A pause, and she points at the distant peaks northwest. “That way. A safe crossing over the river, and the foothills would have given shelter from the blizzards.”

Khalid nods. “Then let’s see if they know this land as well as you do.”

The three make their way northwest, giving a wide berth to the parched grass where the Bannerless Horde buried their dead.

[holyrollyempire]

Last week was the end of the deaths revenge arc at @medievalchaosproductions where the mother if magic Gnimh died. . I did a mini photoshoot at dagger deep as a memory memento for myself. Heres a little Sneak peek 🖤 Jacket made by @armstreetcom . 📸 - @emma.victoriia . #larp #harp #liveactionroleplay #gnimh #motherofmagic #medievalchaosproductions #blackandgold #redheads #keys #gothic #larpcostume #larplife #girlswholarp #cosplayersofinstagram #cosplayersofig #larpersofinstagram #girlswholarp #shieldmaiden #cosplayers #elf #woodelf #weave #magic #larpingladies #mage #armstreet https://www.instagram.com/p/B4BjyPslfwn/?igshid=r3yua51b2cfo

[nenuials]

can i just say, i love how your tolkien ocs have specific professions? i don't know why, but it brings joy to my heart when fantasy characters have a specific occupation, specially if it's a more usual one, like some of yout ocs have (like chronicler and jeweler)

Ever since I read the post about medieval jobs my view on my ocs and fantasy in general was forever changed. Like, as much as fantasy and even our society wants to make us forget, we only exist as a society because there’s people out there doing high labor, low paying jobs in the agricultural and textile sectors. We couldn’t exist without all the people out there sewing clothes, making shoes, planting corn, making furniture, healing others and so on.

For example let’s take the LOTR fellowship. Most of the fellowship are more or less law enforces/police men to put it in modern terms. Aragorn works as a police man in Gondor and Eriador, same for Boromir but he’s more like a police chief. Gimli and Legolas are half politicians since they are royals in their respective kingdoms and half law enforcers since they make decisions and fight. Gandalf is more of a wildcard but when he transforms in Gandalf the White he takes more of a violent role when he fights at Helm’s Deep and Pelennor Field. And we are left with the four hobbits. I’m not sure if Frodo has a profession apart from writing. Merry and Pippin are once again high ranking officials so politicians since Pippin became the Thain of the Shire and Merry the Master of Buckland. We are left with dear Sam, who is a gardener. One of the reasons I like Sam so much is because just a simple gardener from the Shire helped save the entire world. (Not that the others didn’t.)

This is an element I feel like a lot of fantasy is missing. Like a lot of the heroes of fantasy are highly trained warriors or mages or thieves but I’m not seeing too often out there stories about how a simple baker or woodworker helped save the world.

In regards to my ocs, like the fellowship, half of them have law enforcers profiles: Maradan, Sidhen and Toram being rangers; Calnedon being a Gondorian guard, Lileyn being a Shieldmaiden and Adamanta Hornblower being a Bounder. But then you have people who have another profession and happen to fight: Duion is a messenger first and foremost but he fights to protect himself. Bron is a taxidermist and huntress but will fight to protect her village, Lothrin is an academician and diplomat but has fought numerous times for Eriador. And then you have the people who are not fighters at all: Astoeth who is a doctor, Melilot Hornblower who is an academician, Balna and Giznik who are artisans, Hav who is a politician and Njall who is a woodworker.

In the future I’d like the characters that I create to have more mundane roles. I’d really like to create a candlemaker dunadan who likes in Evendim, or a female noldor who works as a gardener in Rivendell, or a carpenter Hobbit and so on. There jobs are necessary, and I’m here to use my creative energy to fill in the gaps.