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legendsgalore · 13 days

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Courage in the Night

Late at night, you ponder over your position in the Chain, and Wild notices.

You aren't thinking much as you stand there, watching as Wild's form gets smaller and smaller while he ascends the rock face in front of you. In fact, no one is saying anything, in the face of the absolute absurdity that is the Champion's climbing skills.

You all had been wandering in a dense forest, the overlapping of the branches blocking out almost all the sunlight, so that it was impossible to tell what time it was. The ten of you were unable to do anything but continue down a dirt path that was just barely distinguishable from the foliage next to it, clearly it hadn't been touched in a long time. Hyrule and Wild had attempted to wander off the path, citing that it was “too boring,” but had been wrangled back onto the dirt trail before they could get out of sight.

Conversation wasn't flowing, the heroes too focused on attempting to find some familiar landmarks, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. That's the thing about these solo-traveler types, you supposed, they understood the value of silence.

As you mused upon that, you almost bumped into Warriors’ back, who had stopped walking. And by almost, you mean you smashed your nose into the solid wall of muscle that was his back.

“Ah, whoops.” You garbled out, holding your smarting sniffer.

The scarf-wearing hero glanced over his shoulder at you, raising one eyebrow and smirking, then directed his gaze ahead and said.

“Look.” And strode off to join those at the front of the group.

While he did that, you looked up and felt your eyes widen. Seemingly out of nowhere in this dense, endless forest a giant cliff blocked your path. Literally, the dirt path you all had been following led right up to the base of the rock. Looking, you could see that the geological feature stretched as far as you could see in either direction.

“What the heck?” You said, unable to really think anything else.

It almost felt like the cliff had been placed there on purpose, which was an absolutely ridiculous thought. Your enemy had some crazy powers, but terraforming was (most) likely not one of them.

Glancing at the others, you saw Hyrule poking at some flora at the base of a tree, you could tell he was about five minutes from just wandering away himself, uninterested in the debate over directions going on.

Wild and Wind seemed to be discussing something, the sailor's arms gesturing wildly, and the cook nodding frequently, his hand grasping his chin and he looked to be considering what Wind was saying with much thought. Sky was further ahead, just looking at the cliff face with an impressed expression adorning his face. Four was wandering off to the right, following the cliff face. And a few more paces beyond Sky were the rest of the heroes, deep in discussion over what to do next.

You walked forward to join them and caught the tail end of whatever Legend was snarling, his hands flying into the air in exasperation.

“-the fuck else are we supposed to do? We are wandering without a map, as usual, and have come to a split path, it's not that hard we just need to pick a direction and go!”

Warriors rolled his eyes and points his finger at Legend, shifting his weight, “We shouldn't just pick at random, we need to consider our choices here.”

Twilight hums and says “We have three options here, we can turn around and retrace our steps-”

“Fuck no.”

Twilight huffs, “-or we can go right, or left.”

Legend retorts, “Exactly! It's not like these are complicated choices, we just need to pick one and I don't even know why we are having this discussion in the first place!”

The captain sighs, “It's because we don't know where we are that we need to consider this. We know we don't want to just wander aimlessly, so the goal is to pool together our information and decide what path will benefit the group the most.”

“But we don't have any information here! “ Legend cries out. “This is what I am saying! Why waste time having each one of us go ‘I dunno where we are’ when we can just flip a coin and heads go right and tails go left! It's not like we could climb the cliff to survey our surroundings.”

Looking disgruntled, Warriors opens his mouth to say something that likely would just keep leading the conversation in circles, but Legend had said the magic words and they are all interrupted by Wild jumping from behind him and clapping his hands on the captain's shoulders.

“Did you say we needed to climb that cliff face?”

And that is how you all found yourself watching, as Wild throws himself up the cliff face with reckless abandon. He had changed into what you recognized as his Climbing outfit, the harness and the few clips on it jingling with his movements, though the sound was inaudible by this point, him being too high. You found yourself almost jealous of how much contact strength the scarred hero had, able to jump repeatedly, achieving an impressive height each time, and easily catching himself.

From experience, you knew firsthand, how sharp untouched rock was, and secondly, how confusing it can sometimes be to figure out what is a good handhold or not.

As you mused about the climbing skills of the hero, you heard Twilight mutter,

“At least he has some safety gear.”

You look at his furrowed brow, and ask “What do you mean?”

His gaze not leaving Wild, Twilight explains, “At least when Wild is climbing, he has that harness and other gear to help him be slightly safer.”

You pause, “Uh, he isn't using it?”

Twilight, and you notice the others too, look at you.

Warriors, expression pinched, asks, “What do you mean he isn't using it?”

Your head tilts to one side as you respond, “Well, he may be wearing a harness and he has a few clips, but Wild isn't using them at all. I mean he doesn't even have a rope, and for him to use the rope he would need a second person to belay him and…”

You trail off as you watch the Chain's expressions morph into varying stages of grief.

Laughing nervously you ask, “Did, did none of you even consider he would need a rope or something?”

Legend cries out, “Well it's not like I have seen gear like that before! I assumed he was putting it on for some reason at least!”

Twilight looks like he is about to hurl, “Does this mean Wild is climbing without any safety equipment?”

Looking into the ranchers eyes, which are begging desperately for you to say otherwise, you swallow and hesitantly say,

“Uh, yes..?”

You watch as the Hero of Twilight's eyes shutter close, him breathing a deep sigh. Time wordlessly pats his descendant's back as everyone turns back to watch the tiny speck that is Wild, continue up the cliff.

After a few more minutes, Wind speaks out, “So why is he wearing the harness then?”

______________________________________________________________________

Eventually Wild makes it to the top, and you all get to watch Twilight nearly give himself an aneurysm as the Hero of the Wilds jumps off the top, catching himself with his Hanglider at the very last moment, the *whoosh* noise louder than you anticipated, startling you, though the others were used to it and hardly reacted.

The climbing menace lands in front of you, grins, holding up his Sheikah slate and just says, “I took some pictures, but it looks like there is a town to our West!”

______________________________________________________________________________

After the appropriate amount of scolding (“You had no safety gear this whole time!?”) everyone was ready to head in the direction Wild pointed them towards.

The sun was high in the sky, but it was kind today, his rays were kindly warming your back, and seemed to bring the forest to life. Birds were chirping all around, and through the trees you could catch glimpses of dragonflies flittering about, and other fauna hopping in the foliage.

One particular critter caught your eye, just what appeared to be a squirrel climbing the trunk of a tree, but the simple cuteness of it was lovely.

You didn’t realize you had stopped walking until you felt a poke in your side, it was Four, giving you a smirk and an eyebrow raised.

“Did you forget how to walk?”

You laugh, rolling your eyes, “No sorry, I just know how to appreciate nature, unlike SOME shorties around here.”

“Please,” Four scoffs. “You’re not one to talk. I don’t think you are even taller than Hyrule!”

Gasping theatrically, you put your hand to your chest and stagger as if you had been wounded.

“How could you Four! I thought we were friends! Why would you call me out for my disability!?”

He laughs, his violet eyes glimmering in the sunshine.

“Please, if you have a disability, what do I have?”

You pause, making a show out of putting your chin to your hand.

You tilt your head, slyly smirking at Four.

“I think you just didn’t eat enough vegetables growing up.”

Four opens his mouth, mirth in his eyes, surely ready to deliver a scathing retort, but before he can say anything a bark of laughter interrupts the both of you. You had caught up with the group by this point, and Legend was holding his hand to his mouth trying to hold in his laughter, the culprit.

Your eyes find Four’s, and you both take a moment to look at each other, before bursting into laughter as well. It’s a minute or two before you can calm down, but all the Links are wearing smiles, and the atmosphere itself feels giggly.

Legend calls your name, and you turn to see his curious expression.

“So, you recognized Wild’s gear, or lack of it earlier, yeah?”

You nod, unsure of where this line of questioning would go.

The veteran raises an inquisitive eyebrow and asks, “So does this mean you are familiar with climbing gear like that?”

“Oh!” You hadn’t prepared for that question, though you supposed it should have been obvious that it was going to be asked.

“Yeah actually, back, uh, home, I used to climb a lot! It’s a big thing there, the sport of rock climbing. Like a whole established *thing*.”

You punctuate the last word with air quotes, and Legend nods, humming his understanding.

Most of the Links are paying attention to your words, you see the side eyes from those who hadn’t simply just turned to look.

Wind aws and excitedly asks, “Wait does that mean you climb like Wild does!?”

“Ha ha ha, NO.” You say, but as the sailor’s shoulders droop, you add, “But! I do climb rocks, and super high too! I just use the proper gear for it.”

“So you’re saying if you had the right gear, you could climb?” You’re not sure you like the glint in Legend’s eye as he says this.

“Yes?” You say, unable to deny that, you’re almost surprised it’s the veteran who is pushing this idea out there. You would have thought this to be something he would scoff at and dismiss.

Legend’s smirk widens, but it’s Wind who asks, “What are you missing?”

The kid looks so excited, perhaps at the idea of doing more risky things like Wild, but in a way that the others (namely Time and Warriors) would allow him to do (not that they can really stop the pirate from doing what he wants, but he respects what they say).

So you relent, and start telling Wind and Legend, and the others, about the modern version of rock climbing. You tell him how there is more than one style, and that the sport is based more in technique than raw strength and instinct.

You can tell the others are interested; Twilight’s ears twitch as you describe the short, powerful style of bouldering, and you can tell that the others are intrigued in the long process of rope climbing, that it involves planning and finesse so that you can maintain your stamina the whole route. Wild himself looks interested but appalled at the idea of so much equipment being necessary for what he just does naturally.

“And so really, I am familiar with all styles of climbing, though I will say I am more fond of traditional lead climbing outdoors.” You finish, looking at Wind.

The sailor’s eyes look a little glazed over, but he still seems excited.

“That’s so cool that people from your time developed a whole sport around this! And that everyone does this, and knows all this, and that this is just common knowledge!”

Legend has his hands behind his head, mouth pulled to one side as he listens.

He pensively asks,

“Do they?”

You fiddle with a piece of your hair, “I don’t know about everyone, sure I loved…love the sport, but there are dozens of other sports that are more popular for sure.”

“Still, “ Warriors starts, giving you a glance over his shoulder, his pretty boy smile dazzling in the sunlight.

“It’s nice to hear more about your life back home. I feel that we don’t get to hear many details.”

Legend adds, “Yeah, you’re so secretive about it, always asking us to tell stories instead.”

You blush, and Warriors sends you a knowing smile, contrasting Legend’s sarcasm, and turns back to face forward, leaving you feeling like you said too much, or something wrong.

“So what is Wild missing anyways?” Wind cuts in before your thoughts can get too panicky, and you perk up.

“Oh well actually most of what he needs?”

“You’re kidding!”

Legend scoffs, “Of course the wild child would be.” And you elbow him, which he returns with another smirk, though this one lacks much bite. You’re not sure he can smile regularly, only smirks.

“I am certainly not,” you laugh, “First of all, he doesn’t have a rope? And since nothing is bolted here he would need some specific types of gear called cams, or nuts-”

Legend snickers, and you give him a glare, before continuing.

“Shut up that’s what you would put in the cracks in the rock so that you could climb any face of rock.”

Wind frowns, “Wait what if there aren’t cracks?”

You smile. “Well then you need other gear, but that would become a much different thing than just simply climbing any rock face, which I think our dear Wild wouldn’t care for.”

“Continuing on, after that stuff, you would also need something called carabiners to actually clip yourself into the gears, as well as a second person to do something called belaying for you, they are the one that catches you when you fall.”

The wild man himself, who hadn’t said anything up to this point, slows down and joins you, Wind, and Legend.

You tilt your head inquisitively, and he looks sheepish as he pulls up his Sheikah Slate.

“You’re telling me there was a point to all this?”

And with that, and a blue flash from the slate, a rope, a second harness, and about twenty nuts and carabiners appear in the champion’s hands.

Your mouth drops, and you look up at him. The rest of the group had stopped, and everyone was staring at Wild.

Twilight staggers, putting a hand to his forehead as if he was harvesting a headache.

“You’re telling me, this WHOLE time, you had the necessary gear to be safe?”

Wild shrugs, still looking sheepish, “I guess so? I found this in the chest with the pants of this set, but I didn’t know what it was for. The clothes themselves give me a buff, so I assumed that was that and ignored the other stuff.”

“You just ignored it-Oh my Faron!”

You laugh, and Wild smiles at you.

He thrusts the equipment towards you and says, “Well then, would you mind showing me how to use this?”?

You look at the rope and nuts and swallow harshly, realizing the responsibility that had been thrust upon you.

Now it was Legend’s turn to laugh at you.

______________________________________________________________________________

How did you get here.

Was all you could think as you stared up at the rock face in front of you.

It’s not like there wasn’t rock for you to climb, so you couldn’t use the excuse of not being in the right location to get out of this. Even if the face wasn’t peppered with enough cracks for the gear, you could just move a little bit further down one side to find something good enough.

You checked your knot on your harness again, borrowed from Wild, and looked back to the champion himself, clad in the other harness and belay device, that somehow he also had stored in the slate. It seemed that when the Ancient people stored the Climbing Set away, they didn’t forget proper climbing gear and provided the right stuff for a belay setup.

Hence, your current situation. You heard the gear on your gear-loops clang as you shifted weight. No matter how many times you do this, you still feel cool with all of the stuff on your harness. So official, like you had serious business that needed all of this random stuff. As if you weren’t just climbing rocks.

Speaking of which, you look past Wild to see the whole Chain watching you, differing in excitement.

Time could almost be mistaken for neutral, except for the slight quirk in his smile that revealed his amusement. Twilight looked like he was one step away from calling this all off, but clearly the need for Wild to know how to safely climb was overpowering it. Warriors did not have that same motivation, and it was purely his being outnumbered that kept him from further protesting, though he already had done plenty of that.

Hyrule and Sky were cheering you on, the former ready to heal, and the latter having lended you his sailcloth for the occasion, surprising you by being relatively okay with this all. You supposed that being raised in a culture where you constantly jump off an island in the clouds, trusting that you will be caught by another lends itself well to being understanding of the dangers of rock climbing.

Legend was still looking at you with a smirky smile, but you noticed that it didn’t stretch all the way across his face, and that he had his hand in his bag, presumably ready to grab an item in case something went wrong.

Four had his hands on one of the nuts (not like you were going to climb high enough to need them all) and was more focused on that. He had been intrigued when you mentioned how the gear was crafted to handle such intense forces, and you planned to talk to him more about it later.

Lastly, Wind looked like he was ready to just hop on the rock wall himself, bouncing in excitement, and you could already see that you were going to be pestered about teaching him how to climb in the future.

But that was the future, this was now, and you couldn’t really back out of climbing this random cliff now.

Breathing in, you look at Wild. He was your belayer, though inexperienced he had listened with an intensity as you explained the process, though if you had your choice you would never have a beginner belay you like this, and called out to him.

“Ready?”

“Climb on!”

You reach up to the rock, your hands grasping a small ridge, and pull yourself from the safety of the grassy ground. Bringing up your feet to a stable place, you extend your hand again, feeling around for a good hold. You repeat this, and before long find yourself lost in the motion of it all.

It was kinda relaxing, this was why you had fallen in love with climbing in the first place. Really it was you, your skills, your tenacity, and ability to keep pushing despite everything. Rock climbing wasn’t like anything else in the modern age you felt. It was much more raw, purely about how far you could push yourself as a human being, as a creature, and so personal.

As you struggled to clip into the nut you placed, Wild’s rope management obviously not being superb, you realized how much this made you miss your previous life.

It hadn’t been too long since joining the Chain, but time was hard to keep track as you traveled through portals, and all the days blended together, being much of the same really.

You missed your friends, who you would climb with all the time. And the simple pleasure in finishing work and going to blow off steam by climbing as hard as you could. Or the excitement of squeezing in a session before work even.

Your life wasn’t exciting by any means, but that didn’t mean it was bad. It was the simple things in life that made it worth living, all the little things that added up that made each day satisfying.

It was these musings that distracted you, for as you reached up to feel for the next hold on autopilot, you failed to recognize the crumbling foothold that you were standing tip-toed upon.

Too late, you felt your foot slide, before you plummeted into the air as the rock crumpled completely.

Your stomach lurched, but you were assured in the knowledge that the nuts would catch you.

That was until a massive *SNAP* pierced your ears, and you would have noted how painful that was except you were busy with the horror of watching two nuts literally break in front of your eyes as the force of gravity fell upon you.

You couldn’t help the scream that leapt from your throat as you fell way too far. For a moment you were confident this was it, and then your whole body lurched harshly as finally. one of the nuts stayed, and Wild did his duty of catching you.

It was a hard catch, but you were just grateful to be caught at all to care that it hurt.

Various shouts of panic were audible, but all you could focus on was your own heartbeat pounding away as the reality of what happened settled in.

You flop back in your harness, unable to do much else, and look down at Wild. You couldn’t have been more than thirty feet in the air, but that meant you had just fallen maybe ten more feet.

“Lower me!” You called out, your voice high pitched.

“Lowering!” Was the answering call, and you panicked a bit as you dropped quickly, but Wild found his pace and you descended much more slower, to your relief. You pulled out the nuts as you went, and no other complications occurred.

Once you hit the ground, you found yourself surrounded by the Chain, all clamoring about your well being.

Feeling a little awkward, you laughed and tried to wave them off.

“I’m fine, I just got startled! I was safe, see?”

Warriors frowned, “That did not look like ‘safe’ to me.”

You shrugged, not sure if you could dispute that, “Well, besides the ones that broke, the rest of the equipment did what it was supposed to.”

Though you were speaking calmly, your heartbeat was still racing, and you were sure you were going to have a nightmare or two about falling in the future.

You brush off Hyrule’s hands, searching for any injuries and hand Sky back his sailcloth.

The Chosen Hero says his thanks and then says, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks Sky.” Is what you respond, unsure what else to even say.

Wind chimes in, “Yeah, that was kinda scary!” His excitement seems to have dulled thanks to your fall, and he is staring at you wide-eyed.

Trying to reassure the boy, you pat his head, though the two of you were about the same height.

“Aww, don’t worry about me, that was fine!”

Wind frowns further, and you try to think of something else to say but then Legend walks up to the two of you.

“But you screamed like a little baby.” Legend’s snark is lacking the usual bite as he stares at you pensively, leaning into your personal space.

You lean back, putting your hands up defensively, “Yeah, just cause I was startled by the gear breaking, that’s kind of unusual if you couldn’t tell!”

Legend purses his lips together, but just then Wild walks up to your side , having collected his gear and stored it in the slate. He was wearing a frown.

“I’m sorry that the gear failed, I guess it was too old.”

You tilted your head to the side. “That’s okay, not like you knew any better.”

“Still, I should have anticipated that the Monks couldn’t keep everything in peak condition..”

“Which wasn’t your responsibility,” you retort. “Those were left to you in the Shrines to be used, it should not have been your job as well to make sure they were exactly as they should have been.”

Wild frowns, still looking guilty, face hidden by his hair as he tilts his head forward, and you sigh, walking forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. He lifts his head just enough that you can see the emotions swirling in his blue eyes.

You cross your arms, unwilling to let the Hero of the Wilds feel guilty for this.

“Wild, I had fun, despite the fall. I yelped because I was startled, but nothing bad happened okay? Don’t beat yourself up about this. It was…nice, to get to climb once more.”

You smile to yourself, remembering the nostalgia of getting to exercise your climbing muscles after so long, and that finally seemed to help Wild get himself together. For he stood up straight, and gave you a nod before handing you an apple from his slate.

“Alright, well I think it’s time we continue onwards, shall we?” Ever the leader, Time corralled all the emotions and concerns and directed them to continue towards their original goal, and all the unspoken questions died down, or were stowed away for later as the Chain turned to follow the champion.

And with that you left the rock behind and continued on through the forest.

______________________________________________________________________________

The blanket of night had washed over the land, though the creatures in the woods were still very much awake. The chirping of grasshoppers was a soothing background to your thoughts, and the rustling of leaves in the trees kept you from being lost in them.

The humid night air weighed down on you, but it wasn’t overwhelming, just a constant presence, reflective of the kind sunshine from earlier.

The tree you had climbed into wasn’t very tall, but the branches were unusually wide so you felt comfortable hanging up here while everyone else fell asleep. You knew you weren’t going to follow them anytime soon, and you didn’t want your constant turning and tossing to wake anyone up.

Most of the Chain was asleep by now, and if they weren’t already, they were going to be soon. Really, you should be too, but after today you felt you needed some semblance of solitude, as much as you could get in this situation.

Perhaps the others recognized this need, and everyone gave you space throughout setup and dinner, and no one questioned your tree climbing, though you saw Twilight give you a narrow-eyed look, as if he wanted to protest even more climbing, but Time had clapped a hand on his protege’s shoulder and all but dragged him away. You were thankful the old man always somehow knew when people needed a moment.

Really, you weren’t sure how to explain why you were in a mood to the others, nothing had truly happened, nothing traumatic, just, you supposed you were feeling melancholic for your previous life.

One could even say, you were feeling sorry for yourself. But, that was a pathetic emotion that is a waste of your time. No point whining about the situation you are in, no matter how hard it is. All you can do is do your best in the moment, and nothing less.

A loud rustle in your tree startled you, almost causing you to slip off, and you grabbed the branch you were sitting on to stabilize yourself. Looking around for the offending critter, you instead see Wild ascending your tree.

Before you have time to think, he has settled himself on your branch.

He looks at you and smiles sheepishly, “Hey, mind if I join you?”

Blinking twice, you nod and say “Yeah.”

Wild’s smile drops immediately, and you panic.

“Wait no I meant yeah you can join me so I guess I meant no, as in no I don’t mind please hang out on my tree branch welcome to my humble home.”

The two of you stare at each other, and then you both start laughing, trying not to wake the others, which of course just makes it funnier and harder to stop laughing.

Once you manage your giggling to a reasonable level, you ask Wild, “So what brings you up here?”

Shrugging, he looks up into the sky, “Trees are nice.”

You had honestly expected him to say something along the lines of “you seemed lonely,” or some more concerns about earlier, and so you’re unsure of how to respond to that, so you turn your gaze to the sky as well.

It’s full of stars, so many that it feels impossible that the sky isn’t a painting. How could that many colors have existed in the sky that you never saw before?

You say to Wild, “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing this many stars every night.”

He asks in confusion, “Do you not have stars in the future?”

Laughing softly, you say “No, no we do. But there is so much light pollution from cities that most nights, you are lucky to see a handful of them.”

Gesturing around, you continue, “If you want to see more stars, you have to travel far, far, away from other people.”

Wild frowns, the expression pulling his facial scars in a way that almost exaggerates the expression.

“That’s kinda sad.”

You nod, “Yeah.”

Another moment passes in silence, the two of you just enjoying the atmosphere.

“How are you not afraid?” Wild asks quickly, as if he was afraid the question was somehow offensive, or taboo.

Turning you gawk at him, “Huh?”

You’re sure if there was more light, you would be able to see hints of red creeping down the champion’s pointy ears. His expression has become sheepish once more, not meeting your eyes, and you realize this may be why he climbed the tree to talk to you in the first place.

He doesn’t elaborate after a moment, so you nudge him, “What do you mean, not afraid?”

He looks back at you, considering his words, and then gestures with his hand to the sight in front of the two of you.

“I mean, all of this. It’s like you said, even seeing this many stars is unusual for you! You’re in such a strange situation, so far out of your comfort zone, with no way out. “

You stay looking at him, though his gaze is focused on the others sleeping below you.

He continues, “I mean, even earlier today, you climbed, and showed us all how to do it, with no hesitation! Even when you fell, you just laughed it off and said ‘no worries!’ Or in fights, you have almost no training, but you are still holding your own and not running away, able to follow all directions well. How are you not afraid and falling apart?”

Finally he directs his gaze back at you, searching your face for an answer.

You realize that Wild isn’t just asking you how you’re not afraid, he is asking how you are succeeding in this situation. Based on his journey, it wouldn’t be a leap to guess that he is asking how you are excelling when he himself has panicked every step of the way.

You shake your head, it wasn’t a fair question, these weren’t even comparable situations.

But, Wild was still waiting for an answer so you just tell him the truth;

“Wild I am scared.”

He tilts his head slightly in confusion, and you elaborate.

“I am always terrified. I am so afraid, I just don’t show it. I was afraid earlier, even when that was something I was familiar with, and I am definitely afraid in all of the fights, for the exact reasons you said.”

Wild’s eyebrows are furrowed together as he looks at you, his lips pursed together as he rests his head on one hand and asks, “So how do you keep going then?”

You shrug, slightly baffled by the question, “What else would I do?”

Musing over a bit, Wild eventually just responds, “Uh…”

“Exactly.” You point at the others, still sleeping peacefully. “What else would I do? Panic, and not do anything? That wouldn’t accomplish anything, besides making me a bigger burden on everyone else.”

Wild nods, “That’s true.”

You smile, appreciating that he wasn’t bothering to sugar coat your burdensome-status.

“Plus, I am lucky to even have you all here in the first place. I’m sure if I was all alone, on a journey to defeat some great evil, it would be a different story. I could not claim in confidence that I wouldn’t just have a mental breakdown and die to some stupid enemy halfway through.”

Wild laughs at that, the noise having escaped his throat, almost as much of a notion to dispel his nerves as a response to your joke, it rings in the night, and he frantically covers his mouth and you both look down at the sleeping men underneath.

You both are quiet for a minute, but after no noticeable stirring from the sleeping heroes you grin at each other.

“Also,” you say, nudging Wild. “I have all of my memories still, so that helps.”

The joke is a hit with Wild, his whole face lighting up as he struggles not to laugh again. He almost succeeds, but a snort sneaks out, causing you both to fall into giggles for the next few minutes. Everytime you make eye contact sending you into giggles again.

Eventually you just fix your gaze on the sky, Wild following in suit, the slight breeze rustling the trees welcome in the humid night. Breathing in deeply, you relish in the feeling of your lungs filling up all the way, and breathe out fully.

You look at Wild, who is peacefully looking into the sky, his body language relaxed, and a soft smile adorning his face. It makes him look, somehow, more present? As if he isn’t some mystical figure from a legend, or a far-off character. It places him right here in this moment with you, as just another person, and that hits you right in your chest, and you breathe in deeply, trying to breathe out some of the intensity.

You look at the scar on his face, and muse about how things have ended up for this hero. It was truly a tragedy what happened to him, but you think he may be happier for it. Free from all the expectations placed on his shoulders, free from those politics, free from his duty to Zelda placed on him by the King, she too was free to pursue her passions, which likely was happier for both of them.

A hard thing to say, that they are happier than they could have been, but looking at the Wild in front of you, it really is impressive that despite everything, he still finds beauty in the world, still is able to just be another person, that despite everything, he’s just him.

“Hey,” you say to get Wild’s attention.

He looks at you inquisitive, nothing demanding about his presence, just content to be there in the moment with you. The absolute trust the scarred hero giving you doing nothing to help the pangs of your heart.

Still, you try to match the honor by giving some trust to Wild in return.

“Like I said, I am always afraid. Not just now, but before. I am afraid of everything, really. Afraid of failing, failing school, losing my job, afraid I will never be good enough at climbing, of having to give up on everything I worked so hard to get, afraid of losing all my relationships, afraid that my personality isn’t enough to keep people around me, afraid that even if I do everything right, factors outside of my control will ruin my life, afraid I will die disappointed in myself.”

You swallow, and say one last thing, not looking at Wild, “Afraid I will never be enough.”

Wild frowns and starts to say something, but you shake your head and interrupt him.

“That’s why I have to try so hard, you see? I don’t show my fear here, because it’s not a new feeling, just a different situation, so why panic about it?”

You look up at the sky, finding strength in the galaxies stretched across it.

“I decided that I could do two things in the face of all my fear. I could give up, or try so hard I can be confident that if things fail, it wasn’t because of me.”

Turning to meet Wild’s gaze, his expression piercing into you, those blue eyes unwavering in the dark, almost reflective, like a cat, or a wolf.

“Because sometimes things are out of your control. And all you can do is keep going no matter what. And that’s really lame, but so am I.”

That last part caught Wild by surprise, and he did a little snort-laugh. He is still looking at you, his blue eyes reflecting the stars.

He opens his mouth, and closes it without saying anything.

You look away, staring at Legend’s sleeping form, he was the closest to you two. He rolls over in his sleep, facing the two of you, and you stare at his sharp features, at how different his ears look to your own. You wonder if Hylians can hear better because of their ears.

You are a little embarrassed by your speech. Not that it wasn’t true, but you got a little carried away, especially with that last part, not that you said anything directly about the Calamity to Wild, but clearly it was pertinent to his journey, anyone could guess that survivor’s guilt would be a thing in this situation.

You breathe in deeply, but before you can say something to backtrack, you feel a strong hand touch your cheek, turning your head to face the hero sitting next to you. You could feel the rough texture created by the scars and calluses, but the gesture was so gentle that if you didn’t allow it, it wouldn’t have moved your face.

Your heart skips a beat as you stare at the Hero of the Wilds. His blue eyes almost appeared as if they were glowing in the dark, with the light of the stars. They are staring at you, searching for something. You swallow, resisting the urge to lick your dry lips.

Wild moves his hand to your shoulder, and gives you a light shake, and smiles softly at you.

“That’s incredible then. If you’re that afraid, but you still try so hard.” He looks down to the group, his gaze landing on Time sleeping, Twilight’s bedroll not too far away from him.

“I have been told that being afraid is a good sign, that it means you can recognize you have something to lose. And that-” He grips your shoulder a little tighter. “-continuing despite your overwhelming fear, is the true mark of courage.”

He smiles at you, wide and full of feeling. You can’t help the smile that spreads across your face. It’s not a pretty smile, it’s the one where you can’t help the emotions bubbling up in your chest and it just lifts your face into a squinty-eyed, squishy mess because you are smiling so hard.

You grasp the hand on your shoulder, and give it a squeeze. “Thank you Wild.”

You wanted to say more, but couldn’t, and just hoped those three words could convey enough. Based on Wild’s smile somehow widening further, his hair moving with the effort, you could guess it did.

Squeezing Wild’s hand once more, you let your own drop to the branch you were sitting on, casting your gaze once again, to the night sky, dappled with stars. Wild dropped his hand and looked to the sky too.

They twinkled down on the two of you, the sweet, refreshing smell of summer petrichor enriching the air.

Breathing deeply once more, on the exhale you said to Wild.

“I think I may go to bed now, I am quite tired.”

He agreed, “Yeah, the moon is high in the sky too, so if we want enough sleep we should go now.”

You get ready to climb down, but pause, Wild looking at you. Without thinking any further, you lunge forward, wrapping the Hero of the Wilds in a tight hug, the force almost knocking the two of you off it if it weren't for him stabilizing you both.

He smelled like the campfire and sweat and dirt and was the right size for you to wrap your arms all the way around, and him you. You squeezed tightly, your face pressing into his chest, the Champion’s Tunic soft against your cheek.

Maybe in the morning you would be embarrassed, but right now it just felt right, and though he stiffened in shock at first, you felt the champion relax into the hug.

Releasing him, you lean back, and give Wild a nod, which he returns, and you finally head down the tree. Your feet safely on the ground you look up, and see the champion’s face poke out and a wave of his hand before he disappears into the leaves. Presumably to sleep up there.

You pick your way across the campsite to your bedroll, between Twilight and Wind, but you almost trip over the Hero of Legends. He rolled over in his bedroll, grumbling a little, and his breathing seemed to still for a moment.. You pause, listening, afraid you just woke up the grumpy veteran, but after a moment you deem it safe to continue and you finally lay down in your bedroll.

Curling up on your side, you muse on Wild’s words.

Courageous, huh…?

#linked universe #wild linked universe #wild lu #lu #reader insert #my writing

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mariacallous · 1 year

Text

On July 31, 2022, a U.S. drone strike killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri at a Taliban guest house in Kabul. A year later, al Qaeda has still not announced Zawahiri’s successor.

This has made it difficult for the core group to stake a claim to the leadership of the global jihadi movement or even to remain an important player regionally or internationally. Indeed, al Qaeda, the broader set of affiliate groups it claims to lead, and the jihadi movement as a whole have all suffered repeated blows in recent years—reducing the threat to the United States and its allies.

For an organization that once struck fear into the hearts and minds of millions of Americans after Sept. 11, 2001, and sparked a so-called global war on terror that dramatically reoriented U.S. foreign policy for two decades, al Qaeda’s almost complete disappearance from both the daily news headlines and the broader foreign-policy conversation in Washington these days is remarkable.

A quick look at the number of deadly jihadi attacks in the United States since 9/11 suggests the organization’s decline in both capabilities and ideological influence. According to data from the New America Foundation, jihadis have killed 107 Americans on U.S. soil since 9/11, compared with the 130 killed by right-wing terrorists. The last significant jihadi attack was four years ago, when a Saudi Air Force trainee working with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the group’s Yemen branch, killed three sailors at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in 2019. Pensacola was the only post-9/11 attack on U.S. soil that a jihadi group abroad coordinated; the others involved jihadis who were inspired by al Qaeda or its onetime affiliate turned competitor, the Islamic State, but who had little or no contact with the groups themselves.

The core organization that Zawahiri led has not directed an attack on the United States since 9/11, and after a spate of bloody attacks in Europe, has not conducted one there since the London attacks of 2005—almost 20 years ago. In Europe, affiliates such as AQAP have had more success, such as that group’s 2015 attack on the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists, but their operations have also decreased in recent years. The Islamic State has conducted more attacks than al Qaeda affiliates, including devastating shootings and suicide bombings in Paris and Brussels in 2015 and 2016 respectively, but a pattern of decline in Europe is clear.

Once-strong affiliates such as AQAP, as well as al Qaeda-linked groups in the Philippines, Syria, and other countries, have suffered numerous leadership losses, internal divisions, and other debilitating problems, making it harder for them to conduct external attacks. Measuring overall support is difficult, but foreign fighters no longer flock to places like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, where the Islamic State and al Qaeda were once ascendant and are now far weaker. To be clear, the picture is not all bad for jihadis—in Africa, new jihadi organizations are emerging, and strong groups such as al-Shabab in Somalia are flourishing—but decline is evident in most of the rest of the world.

Part of this weakness is due to the civil war that erupted in 2013 within the jihadi movement between al Qaeda and its upstart offshoot, the Islamic State. In many Muslim countries, most notably Afghanistan, parts of the Sahel, and Syria, al Qaeda and its allies directly waged war against the rival Islamic State organization and its so-called “provinces.” Today in Afghanistan, allies of al Qaeda—the Taliban—are in a bloody fight with the Islamic State’s proxy. In addition to the tangible impact the death toll has had on the capabilities of all involved, this infighting also discredited both movements: Few starry-eyed, would-be holy warriors are eager to sign up to kill other holy warriors.

The movement has also fragmented and localized. Most of the affiliate groups— from Mali to Nigeria to Afghanistan—now focus almost exclusively on the local civil war or insurgency that they are fighting in. You still do not want to be a Western missionary or tourist who stumbles across their path, but this shift in focus reduces the chance of an international terrorist attack. Some jihadi groups, such as those in West Africa, probably could launch a terrorist strike on the West if they put in the effort—they are just focused elsewhere. Their brutality is directed toward their own countries and at their neighbors, with thousands of people—many of them Muslims themselves—dying from terrorist attacks and civil wars involving jihadi groups.

The enduring counterterrorism campaign against al Qaeda and its affiliates, as well as the Islamic State and other parts of the movement, has also taken its toll. U.S. drone strikes have relentlessly decimated the ranks of the senior al Qaeda core, affiliate leaders, and other jihadi figures, even when they try to hide in remote parts of Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. Today, the core al Qaeda organization has “far fewer” than 200 fighters, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The anti-Islamic State campaign, too, has proved highly effective. At the height of its so-called caliphate in 2014 and 2015, the group ruled over millions of people and controlled territory in Iraq and Syria the size of Great Britain. But by 2019, the U.S.-led coalition drove the caliphate underground. The group still launches attacks in Iraq and Syria and has thousands of fighters there, but like many al Qaeda affiliates, it appears focused on the civil war it is fighting, not international terrorism.

U.S. training and aid extended to foreign militaries and security forces has made them more capable of and more willing to target local jihadi groups, while an ongoing global intelligence campaign disrupts jihadi cells around the world. Because of this constant manhunt, it is dangerous for jihadi leaders to communicate, making it hard for them to direct affiliate groups and operatives, further decentralizing the movement. As the groups weaken, they have a harder time overcoming more rigorous airport screening and travel controls, while more aggressive FBI efforts make it more likely that plots in the United States will be discovered.

With variations, this broad counterterrorism campaign began under U.S. President George W. Bush after 9/11 and continued in the Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and now Joe Biden administrations, suggesting that it has considerable staying power regardless of which party is in the White House.

It may also explain part of why al Qaeda has not named a new leader. Some senior al Qaeda operatives are hiding in Iran, including Saif al-Adel, whom some say is al Qaeda’s de facto leader. Tehran does not cooperate with U.S. intelligence, and Iran is a no-go zone for the U.S. military, as a strike there would be seen as an act of war. That makes it hard to target operatives there. (Though Israel managed to kill a senior al Qaeda figure in Iran.)

However, the Iranian government also places restrictions on al Qaeda figures in the country, as Tehran hardly needs another reason for the United States and its allies to punish it. In addition, in the highly sectarian world of jihadi politics, al Qaeda’s quiet alliance with Iran is a source of criticism from the Islamic State and other jihadis. Having your de facto leader be a prisoner, or at least muzzled, in a country that many jihadis consider to be worse than the United States is hardly a way to win new followers.

Obama, Trump, and Biden all sought to reduce the U.S. military presence in the Middle East and Afghanistan, with the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan being the most dramatic example. Such a shift has reduced the number of nearby U.S. targets and simply made the United States less important to the region (often at the expense of U.S. influence and regional stability), making it hard to push locally focused groups to see the United States as their main enemy. In addition, the civil wars in Mali, Somalia, Yemen, and elsewhere do not have the emotive power for many Muslims that Iraq did after 2003 or Syria after 2011, reducing the number of foreigners who volunteer to fight in the jihadi ranks.

Afghanistan remains an important question mark. The Taliban appear to value international legitimacy, but their hosting of Zawahiri and general refusal to distance themselves from al Qaeda raise questions about whether the group will allow their territory to again be used to stage international terrorist attacks. Although the United States was able to kill Zawahiri in Afghanistan, the lack of an on-the-ground presence makes it hard to gather intelligence, conduct strikes, and otherwise maintain pressure on groups in the region.

Zawahiri’s death compounded many problems for the jihadi movement. There is no obvious successor, as most members of the founding generation are dead or, like Adel, isolated from the rest of the movement. With no clear leader, it is hard for the core organization to direct its affiliates or even to encourage unaffiliated jihadis to attack the United States: These loose cannons will find inspiration elsewhere or nowhere at all.

Perhaps most importantly, time does not appear to be on al Qaeda’s side. The terrorist world is highly competitive, and as al Qaeda dawdles, new causes and groups arise to compete for money and recruits, while the U.S.-led counterterrorism campaign continues to thin its ranks.

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voidsentprinces · 1 year

Conversation

Thancred: You ever wonder what the leaders do off duty?

Lyse: Eh, it depends. Raubahn spends most of his time staring wistfully at the stars atop the Royal Menagerie.

Estinien: Aymeric spends his time trying to send ravens to me to see if I can come train knights even on his off time.

G'raha: From what I gather, the Elder Seedseer goes through long strolls through the Black Shroud and inevitably comes back with ANOTHER adopted Padjal.

Warrior of Light: Saw the Admiral in the markets once buying a leash. I don't ever see any hounds around for her to train. So like the idiot I am I ask, what it is for. She straight up looked me up and down and said, quote, "For sailors who don't mind their manners and behave." I almost ascended to Hydaelyn on the spot.

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magicalgirlagency · 11 months

Note

Funny you should mention Mortal Kombat, since the newest game's story mode is basically about a character who ascended to godhood and reset the world in their image/design. Sounds familiar?

Thanks, Captain Obvious. It's not like I have dedicated a large portion of my life as a microblogger to talk about a goddess who ripped off of another goddess that came 2 months or so before her. I remember seeing someone suggest a Magical Girl AU for MK, and I almost replied to OP with a "Just because Liu Kang is God and has rewritten the universe?", but I didn't, because my singular functioning braincell have alerted me like that Animaniacs meme:

"Don't.", to which I've replied with a "Yeah, it's just too easy."

Okay, but snarkiness aside, I am aware of Liu Kang's ascension. And truth be told, I'd much rather trust in a seasoned and experienced warrior with 30+ years of experience in battle than to trust some 14yo who thought the rightest solution to deal with traumatized young girls was to erase them out of existence and have no one mourn for their passings.

Oh, and about Twin Goddesses, I have found some other very interesting stuff:

It's said to be the very first fighting game released for the PS1;

The animated combatants were done by J.C. Staff, known for Revoultionary Girl Utena, Machikado Mazoku, Mewkledreamy, WIXOSS, Puni Puni Poemy, Milky Holmes, Galaxy Fraulein Yuna, just to name a few;

Carmilla, the game's Final Boss, was voiced by Megumi Ogata, the legend behind everybody's favourite space sword-wielding butch lesbian, Tenoh "Sailor Uranus" Haruka.

It's moments like this where I don't know if being autistic and getting myself into useless rabbit holes of obscure information is a curse or a blessing.

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superthatguy62 · 2 years

Text

Villain Talk: Xande

Final Fantasy has a smorgasbord of villains in its roster. You have the morally complex such as emperors who seek to unshackle humanity from the gods or whatever, to the intelligent, nihilistic and possessing a wicked sense of humor to even more simpler cases like a man that is actually a tree stuffed full of evil spirits. However, if one were to look at the villains as a whole, who would be the weakest link? The bad egg? The one that isn’t up to snuff? With such a strong set of rouges, surely it must be difficult to deter It’s Xande. I like the guy, but it’s Xande.

General

Xande suffers, more than anything, from the format of the game, in that it isn’t very story-oriented. Final Fantasy 3 would be akin to a monster of the week show; one with the occasional plot development until the season finale. Xande is basically the Dr. Tomoe or Rita Repulsa to the main characters’ Sailor Scouts or Power Rangers respectively, except that they don’t show him sending the monsters and also a significant chunk of those monsters may not even be his.

Overall, Xande suffers from three issues as a villain:

Lack Of Impact

Final Fantasy villains usually have some major impact or effect on the world in some fashion. Chaos and his four fiends messed with the elemental crystals, throwing the world into ruin (among other things). The Palamecia Empire laid waste to the rest of the world. Golbez used Baron’s forces to attack its neighbors and steal their crystals, alongside other attacks. ExDeath is a war criminal in Galuf’s world and begins tossing places into the Void when he gains power over it. Most of the characters in VI are victimized in some way by the Gestahl Empire and things only get worse when Kekfa ascends to godhood. And then, there is Xande. It’d be a lie to say that Xande didn’t impact his world; He caused the Great Earthquake after all. But, overall Xande somehow still feels like he lacks impact despite it. The Great Earthquake causes problems, but most of them are easily reversible. Additionally, most of the problems it caused were indirect rather than being intentional on Xande’s part. The surface is even worse as that is totally fine after it is revived. To illustrate this, here is each boss in the game with a ranking: X means that Xande intentionally sent them (or is implied to), E means that they were a side-effect of the earthquake, meaning that Xande only inadvertently had a hand in their creation, and I means that there is no clear evidence that they were involved with Xande. Land Turtle – X (?) Djinn – E Giant Rat – I (The Giant Rat is guarding the Nepto Dragon’s eye, but I don’t recall any evidence that Xande or the earthquake made it evil). Medusa – X Gutsco/Salamander – I Hein – E Kraken – X Goldor – I Garuda – I (There is no evidence that Xande resurrected Garuda.) Hecantoncheir – I (Hecantoncheir’s dialogue suggests that it is the fang’s guardian,) Titan - X

This count is not counting the Eureka or Summon bosses. It is also not counting Doga and Unei, who fight the party explicitly to prepare them for Xande. As one can see, Xande has his own equivalent to the four fiends. But whereas Golbez and Garland’s fiends actually accomplish significant tasks, only half of Xande’s fiends do so: Medusa causing the Tower of Owen’s furnace to go haywire and Kraken attacking the water crystal, forcing the water maidens to seal it. During the story, two of the Warriors of Lights’ allies sacrifice themselves, but only one stays dead. Everything else is either a side effect of Xande’s messing about or not even connected to him to begin with. This is partially a side effect of FFIII’s desired narrative: A rather light-hearted adventure with not much of an overall plot. Thus, most of the issues on the Floating Continent are reversible, the Water Crystal dilemma aside the surface is mostly ok and the only major defined threat to the world pops up at the very end.

Lack of Presence

In a different way from the previous section. Final Fantasy antagonists usually make multiple appearances in their games, usually in some way that gives them a major impact. Garland works in a twist villain/book ends fashion. The Emperor already has his army and warmachines and even baits the party into fighting in his colosseum. Golbez started the trend of villains confronting the main characters multiple times over the course of the game, which ExDeath and Kefka continue.

And then, again, there’s Xande. It should be noted that Xande is a trend-setter in that he’s the first Final Fantasy villain with something approaching a fleshed out backstory; Garland’s backstory is vague and The Emperor’s is only given the questionably-canon “Final Fantasy 2: Labyrinth of Nightmares” novel. Xande’s motive for why he’s doing what he’s doing is actually explained within the game itself. In spite of this aspect of Xande being fleshed out, the rest can’t be said for the rest of him. Xande’s only appearance is at the end of the game, first gloating about how the Warriors of the Light have fallen for his trap, and then being fought. Even Garland, by virtue of being a twist villain, actually appears prior to confronting him in the past. Xande is pretty much an outlier in never making an appearance prior to the final battle. While it isn’t impossible for villains to make a strong impression despite a lack of screentime, Xande doesn’t have that either. He’s treated as just another boss, complete with having the standard boss theme. Given the context of the era, it kinda does still work as a fake out; FFII only had one boss theme after all. But given that II did toy around with giving the Emperor his own boss theme, and the Cloud of Darkness has its boss theme, Xande kinda draws the short end of the stick. To give the devs a bit of credit (or maybe not), a design doc in the Ultimania suggests that Xande was intended to get his own musical theme, but it didn’t pan out.

Lack of Connection

Final Fantasy has a habit of making their hero-villain dynamics personal. The Warriors of Light found themselves locked into a time loop with Garland, constantly killing each other. Firion, Maria and Guy lost their home and their family to the Empire, most notably their brother Leon. Cecil loses his position as leader of the Red Wings to Golbez, who has the king replaced with one of his own men and constantly toys with him, to say nothing of the reveal. ExDeath was the personal nemesis of Galuf and his team, and Bartz happens to be the son of one of those team members. While not everyone was personally victimized by the Gestahl Empire, a majority of the party were affected by it in some way, shape or form. And then, yet again, there is Xande. If there is a question of which hero/villain combo has the least connection to each other, it’d be hard to beat Xande and the Onion Knights.. Now, that’s not to say that none exists: Xande is responsible for the deaths of Aria, Doga and Unei at the end of the day (indeed, Opera Omnia leans into that to explain why Onion Knight is hesitant to use Xande’s dimensional coordinates i.e. use him in the party). But due to the nature of III’s plot, Xande doesn’t really have any sort of ‘fated relationship’ with them like the other protagonists. You could argue that them being Doga and Unei’s proteges makes up for it, but that only happens at the last fourth of the game. For all intents and purposes, Xande gets killed by four random kids. It’s entertainingly pathetic when you think about it.

So, Xande may lack all of these things, but so what? Garland and the Emperor were both lacklustre in initial appearances before appearing in spinoffs to get more refined. Xande just needs to show up in something like Dissidia and-

The Cloud of Darkness

The Cloud of Darkness is the prototype of the “Giant Space Flea From Nowhere” type of Final Fantasy final boss. These are bosses that come out of nowhere at the end of the game, sometimes as a physical manifestation of the game’s themes. In the Cloud of Darkness’ case, it is an emissary of The Void; the recurring force of nothingness throughout the Final Fantasy series. While the Void featured very prominently in Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy III was the first game to introduce the concept, albeit making it out to be more of a natural phenomenon. The Void is the force from which both the light world and the dark world emerged from and, based on the Warriors of Darkness’ words, the force that they will someday return to. The game is somewhat vague on the specifics, but it’s implied that in the process the worlds of light and dark merge, or something. In any case, The Cloud of Darkness appears whenever the balance between Light and Dark gets too unbalanced and goes about returning the world to the void, regardless of whether its time or not. It’s implied that the Warriors of the Dark had to fight it during the Wrath of Light and, thanks to Xande, it’s the Warriors of the Light’s turn to do so now. As an aside, the Ultimania reveals that the Cloud of Darkness was originally more closely tied to Xande, being created by the mage via the Dark Crystals (explaining why the WoLs go around to each and releases them from the Cloud’s control). On a more speculatory note, Xande was intended to be a woman, calling into question the possibility of the CoD being modeled after him/her, but no artwork of Xande from that stage is suggested to exist, so this is just a theory. Regardless of what could’ve been, the Cloud of Darkness makes for a significant impression compared to Xande. Its first appearance has it kill your party, it is the reason for III’s infamous final boss gauntlet, it even has a unique effect in the original game where its sprite colors change over the course of the encounters. That plus the game’s scale and stakes become much higher once it gets involved. So, for all of those reasons, it is of no surprise that the Cloud of Darkness became FF3’s go-to villain representative. It appeared in Dissidia as Onion Knight’s rival and retains this role in later appearances, especially in Opera Omnia where it [REDACTED DUE TO SPOILERS]. This on top of featuring in other games such as FFXI. All of this is well and good, but the Cloud of Darkness only enters the story at the very end. Poor Xande got the short end of the stick. So with all of that in mind: What about the remake? The 3D remake expanded on the story of Final Fantasy III, and while most know of the main protagonists, what about the other characters, most particularly Xande? Golbez got quite the glow-up in the FFIV 3D remake, with the backstory flashbacks. What about Xande? Is he improved? …Kinda?

Remake Xande

The FF3 remake makes a number of changes to the game’s plot and Xande honestly benefited from it. That’s not to say he’s a better villain per say, but he’s quite improved. Xande still lacks presence, but these aren’t as much of a problem due to the game’s script changes. Instead, Xande is something of a Red Herring. But before we can talk about that, we must talk about a way Xande improved:

Consistency. In the original FFIII, Xande’s overall end goal was kept ambiguous. Sure he’s miffed about gaining mortality, but what does summoning the darkness have to do with it? Perhaps he was pulling a Kuja before Kuja existed: Xande knew he was going to die and decided that if he must go, then everything else is going with him. In the remake, however, this is reinterpreted. Xande messing with the balance is said to have caused time on the surface to cease. Why? Because he wanted to regain his immortality, and if freezing time was as close as he was ever going to get, then that’s fine by him. As a result of this, parts of the game were rewritten with this in mind. In particular (a point emphasized in unused content) the hints of the Flood of Light that we get implied something similar happened in the past: That the sun stopped moving, creating an eternal day. It’s implied that Xande basically did the opposite and created an eternal night. More subtly, the Curse of the Five Wyrms was also overhauled: In the original, the wyrm statues were actual wyrms that Xande intended to feed the frozen youths to. In the remake, the freezing in place is the curse itself, which thematically is similar to what Xande’s trying to do. Dude’s really into freezing stuff now. Even Xande’s lines before battle in the remake now make mention of his goal to gain eternal life. Also the main theme of the game is named “Eternal Wind”, so you know, maybe there’s something complementary there.

Connections

In terms of connections, Xande is also improved. Not only is the relationship between Doga, Unei and Xande emphasized a bit more from the former two’s perspective (again, more heavily in the unused text), but Xande’s actions actually have a direct impact on the four main characters, namely making them orphans that were raised by Topapa & Nina/Takka/King Sasune. Sure, the game doesn’t dwell heavily on it, but Xande is directly responsible for Luneth, Arc, Refia and Ingus being brought up by the people they ended up with. Maybe spinoffs like Opera Omnia can call more attention this- Oh. Right. Despite my grumbling, it’s clear that the remake’s portrayal of Xande influenced Opera Omnia’s take, with Xande’s desire for immortality being his primary motive, contrasted with Seymour’s belief that death is Really Great, You Guys.

Impact

In terms of Impact, the remake makes some key decisions: For starters, Xande’s act of stopping time was so unnatural that it caused the floating continent to ascend into the air. It’s implied that Owen had to repurpose his tech to ensure that the continent stayed up rather than falling to the ground, which in turn led to Desch being sealed away. This in contrast with the Famicom version where the Floating Continent was an Ancients project and Desch was sealed during the flood of light. And, of course, Cid is hinted to be from Saronia in this continuity, and some NPCs mention his disappearance. But I mentioned that Xande was a red herring, didn’t I? And while those aspects are good, how exactly is Xande a better villain? Well, that’s the thing. While the remake doesn’t change the amount of agency Xande has (on the contrary, it actually removes it), it actually does do so for the Cloud of Darkness. Xande is reinterpreted as a red herring; The party assumes for most of the game (or at least, the part where they’re aware of his existence) that Xande is behind all of the shenanigans up to that point. However, Unei notes that while she dodged the time stop due to being in the dream world, she noticed a great evil caused the earthquake on the Floating Continent. She then notes that Xande couldn’t have done it; He was busy being frozen like everyone else.

This is further cashed in by the Warriors of Darkness, who note that Xande fell under the control of the Cloud of Darkness and reveal that it was the one who sent the monsters to sink the Floating Continent. Xande himself still screwed up though as he was the one who inadvertently summoned it in the first place. The Famicom version does note that Xande himself was a puppet to the darkness, but goes no further than that. So yeah, the remake made Xande better. By not making him the main villain.

These days, Xande has seen a resurgence in use: He appeared in Brave Exvius as a Vision, he got a counterpart/reinterpretation in Final Fantasy XIV’s Syrcus Tower raids and he appears in Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia as a party member and recurring antagonist. While he is arguably still an underrated character and it could still be better, he is getting more love from SE now than he has been for a while.

#Final Fantasy #Final Fantasy III #Final Fantasy 3 #FFIII #FF3 #Xande #Villain #Character analysis #Character study #Cloud of Darkness

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thosenaturalones · 4 months

Text

The Seven Tortle Bales

There are seven main Tortle Bales (aka Clans) in the nation of Mesh. Each consists of a founding family and then minor houses. We haven't put much energy into creating these for our game since we aren't playing a Mesh focused game.

Bale Panther's creed is stealth. It produces the finest rangers, rogues and shadow monks that Mesh has to offer.

Bale Alligator is a full of loud, brash, but also gregarious folk. It is a bale of barbarians, bards, and druids of the moon. Bale Alligator offers proud wrestlers and front line fighters. Many Swords and Valor Bards are Bale Alligator, and they're not afraid of a tussle.

Bale Hawk is one of the most feared bales. They are primarily focused on protecting nature, and feature some truly terrifying Druids and Druidic Warriors. They are known for their cunning, fighting dirty, and their javelin and hand-axe hurlers.

Bale Egret is named after the regal bird that wades in the waters of Mesh. The Egret represents striking a balance between the the sky, the land, and the water, and its families work to forge peace and harmony in the world, despite the constant chaos. Many Tortles Bale Egret are Circle of the Moon Druids, Knowledge or Twilight Clerics, or Monks of the Open Hand.

Bale Dragon boasts the most wizards, bards and scholars of any of the bales. Bale Dragon protects many, many books penned by Tortle historians and scholars, produces scroll scribers, enchanters, and also a fair number of treasure hunters who seek lost artifacts and magical treasures. Many Battlemasters and Eldritch Knights are Bale Dragon. They also have a College of Lore and College of Glamour for bards.

Bale Troll is the most macho of all the bales. They are renowned for never turning down a duel, for to do so would be cowardly. Among their number are Nature Paladins, Samurai, and even Swashbuckler Rogues and Monks who will jump 20ft high in the air and breathe fire on their enemies below them.

Bale Anaconda has a unique position among the bales. It is tasked with defending the underground caves accessible only underwater where the clutches of Tortle eggs are laid. They are constantly vigilant against the Sahuagin and their Aboleth masters, octopuses who might steal eggs, and ghosts, ghasts and ghouls of dead sailors wandering up from the ocean's depths. Bale Anaconda boasts many Psi Warriors and Soul Knives, and Warlocks granted power from the Lingering Madness. This Bale still carries traits from a thousand years ago when the Tortles were slaves of the Aboleths. There is no history from before that time. Bale Anaconda also has no mercy for outsiders.

Bale Hydra (deceased) is the lost bale. Before the uprising against the Wood Elves, Bale Hydra was the only bale that had the secrets to teaching the Monk arts. The three principal houses taught the Way of the Open Hand, the Long Death, and the Ascendant Dragon. However, the Wood Elf Defense Army wiped out nearly all of Bale Hydra very early in the Years of Unrest. Those who survived escaped to other Bales where they continue to teach and discover the Monk martial arts.

Because the Tortles were revived by the Wood Elves, they have taken elven religion as their own. Of all the Elven deities those the Tortles worship most are Sehanine Moonbow, intermediate deity of the moon; Deep Sashelas, intermediate deity of the seas; Labelas Enoreth, intermediate deity of longevity; and Solonor Thelandira, intermediate deity of hunting. Though, it must be admitted, now in these late stages of the war against the Shan there is growing worship of Shevarash, demipower of vengeance.

#d&d story #dnd campaign #dnd #dungons and dragons #thosenaturalones #dnd stuff #dnd podcast #ttrpg podcast #tortle #dnd shenanigans #Butch's Blog

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usagisbanexd · 1 year

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+ SUPER SOLDIER SAILOR STARS #08 * _) _) >>C===3 :-* Kawaii Slash Lovers Collide Cosmic Paradise // Sailor Moon/Pokémon/Potterverse Altfic Crossover, CHAPTER 1.0.008

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Fanfic. LGBT+. Mature.

1.0.008 SAILORGANYMEDE RESCUES MAKO~CHAN FROM HELLFIRE INFERNO // GANY IN THE DESERT BORN FROM HIS MOTHER MAKOTO

“I love your tongue,” says Ganymede, watching Mako from her ill-gotten vantage, watching as she picks a flower for springtime, watching her green felt velvet couture space dress skirt flap like a flag longing against her leg. Mako the god. Mako the justice warrior. Mako with the smile.

All the little wives of Jupiter dance through her fingers in waves of blossoming straw. ‘We love you, goddess!’ says the Daisy, thinking in her own green mind to hide her roots from prying claws. No love of Jupiter’s alone should make it out alive. Her tenderness does strangle us at root.

Ganymede longs for love, the crown Furuhata-san wears the milkman’s cap, neighborhood cuck, neighborhood madman, neighborhood hero, arboreal wheat, weatherbeaten, his hands sweaty on the knife, planting flowers of his own, seeing clearly through time it is her voice which calls him, her voice through fair Ganymede. Come to Jupiter, she says, winnowy, arboreal, helium-high, hysterical aerial Erica.

“I’m the flower in the pot on the kitchen sill! Teehee!” says Ganymede to Motoki’s brain, and inside Jupiter’s own mind Minerva’s born splitting from the tissues like the bloom of a gun from a metal spout, the bloom of bullets grandly arrayed like a symphony in soaked and slobbering flesh tone. Motoki masturbates. Jupiter calls.

“Hello,” says Motoki.

“Moto-chan!” says Haruka, diving her nose in where it doesn’t belong. The world is ending and Makoto needs to make a phone call, needs to knit a another bootie for a friend’s cousin’s baby, needs to rearrange the flower pots on her sill, ninety five little senshi all in a row, little cartoon-faced flowers cooing always to their mistress ‘Stay! It’s a fright to go outside!’ Makoto feels it in her gut. Motoki stays.

“Hi,” he says, his voice estranged, her weirdness palatable in the gloom. Why ninety-five monsters? Why not ninety-five birds?

They like weeds ensnare me to this earth, thinks Makoto, her eye upon Ganymede, her youngest and most gorgeous rose, vestigial blood vestigial perfume on the color of his outermost petal, a song against his cheek, so delicate, so beaut, so unresponsive to the touch of men. So monks do climb their towers in prayer. So boxing gloves. So charm bracelets. So Makoto’s bane, playing a timpany. Ami knits her guts together like a glass Circe from a metal enclosure, presaging famine. Does Galaxia sleep? Usagi is gone. Does she forgive? We are all dead. Such beautiful flowers. This is how we live. The waters of the twin rivers, such beautiful senshi, beckon us onward. Elysia’s hair is everywhere, and we the fair Elysians surfeit on small things that dine on birds of paradise, dine forever on warriors’ gloom, live entombed, liberate that which hearts consume.

She clears her throat.

“Hi,” he says again.

“Hi,” it’s more than high it’s sigh. Relief. Love. Hearts in eyes. Stars on shoulders, a capelet ascending, beautiful dresses handmade in European workshops, couturiers bustling downstairs, pearls like nipples on the breasts of satin jackets. She feels so lush her stomach muscles weaken. She could crumple. She could fold. Motoki and his adorable eyes take all.

“Call me,” says Moto.

“You did. I mean, I did,” says Mako, and Ganymede topples from his sill and shatters his pot, red baked plaster cracked in four gorgeous pieces on the floor. “Oh!” says Mako, and Gany’s broken body like a hyacinth unfolds death on the floor around her, and jungle music plays.

“I can help,” says Motoki. “Let me come over.”

“No,” says Mako, nervous, heart brimming, butterfly winged heart trilling, ascending, lifting her off the ground, and Gany the ancient rose with two foot roots curls around her ankle a beautiful sandal and tugs her back down to earth. ‘Go heavily,’ he says, ‘with guilt.’

Mako holds the phone between the divet in her shoulderblade and the twinkle of her jawbone, bent neck straining, and says in a lowered voice: “I think I’m going insane.”

“You are,” says Moto. “But I can help. I’ve been through it. I’m a senshi.”

‘Oh,’ she mouths, her lips wobbling, the phlegm in her throat catching the gold come up from her gut, all her children swallowed. Should she eat the rose? No, but he still loves her dear, a song recorded in her ear. We all drown. We’re all okay. Peacetime, even into death, even through death. We’re sailor senshi! We live again.

“I love you,” says Moto. “Seriously.”

“I don’t know where I’ve been,” she says.

“You do,” says Moto. “To hell.”

“I’ve spent all day watering this flower. This single flower. The other ones tell me he’s the most important, and I know from the blood in his eye he doesn’t know what to do. He calls me Father, then Son, then he thinks I’m a messenger from beyond the cosmos. Is Usagi. . . dead?”

“Yeah,” says Moto. “I told you I’m a sensh.”

Her carpet pales. The rose unblooms, winding up to her skirt and blossoming between her legs, Marilyn-powered, must and perfume, the rapture of a little witch’s innocent afternoon at tea, no one there to judge, no one to lay hands on, no raised voice. She’s never fought a boy nor girl in her life.

“I know,” says Moto. “I read your mind.”

“He is the rose,” says Gany from her womb, and she shoves a hand between her legs to snatch him from where he does not belong.

“You don’t know anything about me,” says Mako.

“Yeah, I do,” says Moto. “I’m Gany.”

She wretches petals from her skirt, the flower bleeding each bright bleeding page through fabric into fabric, an ascended being mounting a staircase of time. She feels her womb underpowered, bleeding, a throb, an ancient ensign, and thinks of the moss of Ami’s hair, her little bare chest at the swimming pool, that dirge that plays for water spilled, her mother smelling sweetly buying roses from nearby the check-out counter. Motoki is the check-out boy, robed in a green apron, robed in a smile, and Gany dances a little sunshine melody, the dandelion, the far-off exotica, the flower without heart, the wicked weed, the pink leafed blooming rose. She calls to Io, to Calliope, to Annie Oakley, come presageth me. I am your king. Jupiter fighting moon! Jupiter light! Jupiter rolling thunder! She feels the power in the ring at her fist, feels the electric mandorla a swirling perfect symmetrical egg around her being. Why is she wearing her fuku? Why are there flowers in her hair? Why is she marrying Motoki? Why does she miss her mother, long to be at her breast, and also in her father’s arm, a little babe suckling at the altar of Apollyon, god after time? Does she think of children? Does she think of future? Is her moon in Leo? Does she, God forbid, need a Tarot reading? Hoary winds, hoary frost, protect the floors, deaden every leaf. There are ninety four. Ninety four beautiful flowers. Which one should Motoki take from her?

“I’m not here to take anything,” he says, and picks up the basket.

“You’re here for my womb,” she says, stuttering, clamped, iridescent. In Mommy’s skirts she’d be okay, and she and Mommy both would blow away with the wind. Does she love me? I long for her. I am become Sappho, writing at the seashore. Can he hear me?

“Yeah,” says Moto, and in his voice her father plays guitar.

“I love you!” she says, and in the wist of his gravity she moves an orbit plunging into asymmetry, a perfect picture taken would reveal that all is stillness, all are God, the Buddha holds the answer. Light a candle. Is it Christmas? I love love and her soft hours. Where is Venus, my Mina, my idol? She sings me songs in the shower, sits on the toilet cutting her leg with cheap razors while I dance in bubbles with my arms outstretched to same God laughing. Were only Motoki in that shower, then Mina’s smile itself would be complete. And I ache now, halfling, Galadriel, gone west. Am I a wind? What was his name? Was he an element? I remember another life.

“Oh,” she says, remembering. No suspense, but hammers in her guts, all her children rebelling, and Gany on the floor throbbing, his petals bent, each of them a little mystery, a little fortune cookie. Where is Moto? Perfect man.

“I’m here,” he says. “She’s dying.”

“No,” she says. “He’s all right.”

“I know what he’s doing,” says Moto. “I’m coming over.”

She rubs him softly and specializes in arboretums. They dream of planting him there some day, when he has outsized his little pot. But secretly she knows she’ll never give him away, not while Calliope whispers.

“Phobos! Deimos! Ascend!” says Rei from the master’s terrace, and Makoto feels her shoulders straighten, braced in metal, iron tombs, each assisted thing come together to form a mighty statue of Jupiter Capitolinus ruling all. Sagittarian arrow loosed from its shaft, Sagittarian arrow streaking, weeping, flown from shaft to bend the air and pry the wound in Ami’s leg, the wound from which she sprouts asymmetra, ugly thing, friendless, unmoving. Mako knows loneliness.

“Moto-chan,” says Mako, spinning. Each flower a winking paradise, each little cartoon head swaying to the soft static from the radio, alternative, American, distant music. And somewhere someone Mina drops the bomb on Japan, American girl, blond-haired blue-eyed, uptown girl, seventh sister, presaging doom. Mako watches it descend, eyes wide, and all goes white, and Gany vomits a petal, and she kneels down and considers his blood.

“I’m here,” says Moto. “But I don’t love you. Nor him.”

“Evil,” says Mako, her palm tightening under her fingers, and the rose inside, and the rose’s limp head a dead emperor, a little liar, a Gany, strung up from inside, knowing no song will save her, him or her or them or it. Never a rose but color. And ninety four brothers with vaginas to take his place. All lovers of Jupiter, all the fairest. Pick another flower.

“No,” says Mako, and in her palm she shocks his spine to straightness. “Hold on, Gany-chan!”

“Imaginary friends,” says far-tongued Beryl, penis-headed, a torpedo sailing from Korea across the sea, Korean-born, a witch in new clothing, thinking all there is to think about life and death and togetherness.

“Slow down,” says Elios to Shingo, Elios to Mamoru, Shingo to the basketball bouncing away from his little hand. He used to be good at HORSE, better than his brother, his lover, his red-haired famine-brained stepchild ingrained in the neighborhood ways. Shingo dies, too. Gany dies. Mako arrives at the edge of a precipice and throws him off. He falls, but through her frown, still in the kitchen, nothing happens. Moto, come.

“Do you love me, goddess queen?” says Shingo to the ape, and Mako rests assured unsure, the balance of a half-man, centaurifugal, half-thing, double-breasted, barrel-chested, man. Her shoulders stricken to the board of a crucifix. Man. Unwoman thing. Tall. Limber. Do you play basketball? Hee. He, not hee, girl things, a ladder ascending, and her beautiful flower who speaks in weepy music to the stillness of the future blown inside her iris dying on the floor in nothing but a rag, the water she had planned to feed his gullet, and together two princesses through the world plunging separate from one another and lose their fingers in the vortex. Alice in the rabbit hole. Goddess-born. She feels nothing. Her tears like ice, like symbol, like Japanese forgetfulness. She drank from that river. She forgot Nipon. The bomb dropped. Didn’t it?

“I’m coming,” says Moto from the receiver, but it’s on the floor, and he the man, the young man silver-headed, is flying down the highway in Danburite clothing, a mask at his head, feeling cool, listening to music, knowing nothing will save her from the divorce impeded by time. Wait. I can do it. I can think. He thinks all things are connected. That gives him a lever. He knows. He pulls it. She doesn’t. She thinks. She thinks everything. And Gany pulls from her her nutrients like a glass thing breaking always into the wind, beautiful monster spinning out of time, all the light collected at his skirt, blossoming kindness, most beautiful satellite, crippled appendage, Mako’s favorite skirt.

What does Gany say?

“Water,” says Gany to Mako. “I weep,” little voice, pathetic voice, a puppy’s voice, weeping over the squeak of a toy, taken unawares. “Call Ami.”

“Shhh,” says Mako, and to her breast she holds the rose. She’ll give it to Ami. Give it to Ami and never look back. Give it to Ami and brave the sole, the mothering sole, the way her mother looks at her, a Japanese manga character come to life, so beautiful in raiment, brown-sleeved raiment, flower petals embroidered on the skirts of her aprons, beautiful music in the foreground like fingers groping blind at all their faces, family game night, a time before childhood, all these things should make her cry. She never cries. Gany cries. Confusion, he says, and she listens. Confusion, she says. He listens. His name is Mako. He punches.

Satoshi on the mantle says confusion. She loves Onyx. She loves to plant a flower on Onyx, in his hair, watch him crack and blossom into Hindu garlands like the thing evolved through space. And Seiya and Yaten and the Goddess and Haruka and Mamoru all dance and play outside her head like hoop skirts thinking about what to do with the future. Does she know she can be anything? Will any man love her? Will she find a future knowing from the past he arcs incredible husking lightning to her door?

And Gany the eternal child sleeps on, twisted root, youngest flower, twisted little slipper, broke-bent little ankle, the slipper’s son, Gany presageth famine, and Galaxia wakes from a terrifying dream, her hair all undone, and Gany comforts her, a little boy on his knees on the cushion, a little princess in his heart, beautiful hair, bows of braids of tendons sinew-streaking down forever from the mountain on which he was wedded to the god. Does she remember? She too drank from the fountain of eternity, she too went to heaven. But his earth is like a cracked and crinkled loam, pock-sparked, little minerals, little Danburites, and she his mother incest-laced the only water offered.

Danburite hates Motoki. He sighs.

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lucydoodlessometimes · 11 months

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I was gonna give tuxedo elend the beard but he looked like Abraham Lincoln :(

#lucy doodles #my art #arts arcanum #cosmere #brandon sanderson #mistborn era 1 #mistborn #vin mistborn #mistborn elend #elend venture #vin venture #sailor Ascendant Warrior #shes sailor mistborn here because shes not. the ascendant warrior yet #as always with my cosmere art. i am figuring out elends face #shithead mamoru elend #and also that one scene at the end of sailor moon season one where mamoru finds out #sailor moon #no lineart tonight cause i didn't wanna

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theresattrpgforthat · 1 year

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Theme: PARAGON Games

These games are all designed as play-sets for the AGON RPG, by John Harper. This is a game system that generates dice pools of different-sided die based off of elements in your character's background, and tells episodic stories that are easily contained in 2-4 hour sessions. If you’re interested in designing your own PARAGON System game, you can check out the SRD here!

CHAMBER, by John Harper.

The year is 1968. Two years ago, on January 7, 1966, an alien energy, now known as THE SIGNAL, reached the Earth. It spread through telecommunications systems, affecting people and technology around the globe. Its existence is not publicly known, though its strange effects have been widely reported.

You work for CHAMBER — a secret agency tasked with capturing or destroying Signal Resonant Materials (SRMs) — objects imbued with THE SIGNAL — as well as containing its transmission and dealing with people harmed by it (or working to harness its power).

CHAMBER adapts the fast and flexible PARAGON system to a world of Cold War sci-fi intrigue and danger inspired by SCP Foundation, Control, and The X-Files. Create your agents in a few minutes, consult the mission and location tables for instant prep, and get started playing right away.

This is a game about secrets and mysteries, with advice for the OPS Player (the GM) on how to set up clues so that no matter which clue the players focus on, they’ll be able to find the others. It contains mystery-solving advice similar to ECB and Brindlewood Bay - don’t present a whole mystery, but rather, present a number of elements and watch the players put the mystery together. This game is unique in that it asks the players to play out the game as if each mission happened in past tense, and they are simply de-briefing at headquarters.

Sea Kings, by Luke Edgemon.

On Riknoumi the Sea Kings rule. In this far off world the Age of Destruction dawned when a group of pirates, thousands of years ago, discovered the legendary treasure that unlocked ascension and the awakening of birthseals. At the awakening of the birthseals, every race had children born with strange marks which destined them for an obsession with traveling the seas with a goal of gaining ascension.

After many years of war, eight kings were established. Each Sea King found ascension, leaving their territories protected and in a state of peace. Many thought the wars were over until the Sea Kings became bored and wanted a new challenge. So they spread news to every Island a simple challenge: “Take control of our lands and ascend to join us. Good luck”.

Sea Kings is very similar to AGON, with eight Kings that can provide you with Blessings similar to the Divine Favour of the original game. Instead of a Name dice, players will begin with a Birthseal, randomly determined from a d100 table. There’s additional optional rules for playing with a Captain, which alters the Leadership test that happens between each episode. Finally, the goal of the players is different than the goal of the sailors in AGON: rather than trying to appease the Gods in order to go home, the pirates of Sea Kings are trying to conquer each island they sail to. If you are interested in stories of oceanic conquest, this might be the game for you.

ronin, by Henrik ten Napel.

You, samurai, have lost your master. They might have died without an heir, they might have been assassinated or you might have killed them. Whatever their end, you are still here. Rather than taking your own life, as people believe a loyal warrior should, you’ve chosen to live on as a ronin.

RONIN is an honour-bound warrior playset for the PARAGON system. It contains rules for a game about a band of virtuous warriors, drifting from town to town.

On their way they will strive to do the virtuous thing in their encounters with various factions, from powerful lords to seasoned farmers and from refined courts to mysterious spirits. Striving to create a new life for themselves, they will act honourably in the hope of earning respect and erasing the burden of their shame.

In ronin, your family name carries more weight than your personal name, and in place of an epithet, your character will live by a guiding principle. The book comes with a series of guiding principles to choose from. The game comes with a d8 table of options to guide the kinds of leadership tests your characters will undergo, testing the four domains of sword, brush, night, and soul. Instead of islands, your characters will travel from town to town, meditating on the impermanence of their lives, and trying to restore their honour.

ronin has a number of separate adventures to check out as well!

Tavern Stories, by Matteo Sciutteri.

Tavern Stories is a funny and GM-less playset for PARAGON System, where the players are heroes gathered around a table in a tavern, drinking the famous HeroDrinks™ and telling stories about the good old days.

Unlike the other games on this list, Tavern Stories doesn’t rely on a Strife Player (GM) to determine what the characters go up against - rather, the players themselves will take turns creating a Strife that the Heroes defeated in the past. There are also no Domains or Epithets - instead each player will create a Background consisting of a Trait, an Occupation, and something from the character’s past.

Instead of Divine Favour, players can instead call for a toast. A toast uses Hero Drinks, which will add dice to a player’s pool. Negative repercussions result in marking the player’s Tab - filling the Tab means that the player cannot participate in any more storytelling for the rest of the session - they’re too busy washing glasses.

Because of the nature of this game, it can play as a fantasy game, but it works just as well for other settings! This means that your group can use this to tell stories in established settings, or settings made up by your group.

Baka Mitai, by Hipolita.

The economic boom of the 80s promised a life of glitzy decadence and endless neon opulence for all. That was a crock of shit, huh? The same fat cats who had it made before have it made now.

Nowhere is this stark class divide more evident than in Nemuranai, the foremost entertainment district in Tokyo, where grandiose cabarets, casinos and hotels sit next to run-down dwellings, struggling small businesses and homeless camps. And no matter who you are, if you’re not in the pocket of the crime lords, you’re living under their thumb.

That’s where you and your friends come in. You’re going to try to set things right and do your part to ease the burden of your friends, your family and that nice old lady who always gives you a little extra in your noodles, even if it means butting heads with the big crime families.

What’s interesting about this version of the PARAGON - style rules is that your character’s friends and contacts are sorted into four Domains, making it easy to figure out who can help you in certain contests. Rather than Fate, your character generates Heat, and your Pathos is replaced by Notoriety. You have crime families to stay on the good sides of (rather than Gods), and a pre-written list of Boons lies available for every advance your character makes.

If you’re a fan of video games like Judgement and Lost Judgement (especially the mini-games) then this is the game for you!

Starbones, by Greg Soper.

Your rough life on the seas has brought the shadow of the noose over your bow. Let’s skip all that rotting in a jail cell and sail straight into hell itself. You play a crew of ruffians seeking freedom, wealth, and fame in the Estreyan; a wild, strange, and mystical ocean.

You’ll travel the many known and unknown Seas of the Estreyan with your crew; looking for ever greater treasures and contending with ever more daunting threats. What will your tale be? Where will fate take you in the end; lauded in story, swinging on a rope, or somewhere even stranger still?

Since the source material for this system was all about voyaging from island to island, it’s not a surprise that there are two Pirate games on this list! This is a game inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, One Piece, and Sea of Thieves. It has the ability to incorporate horror elements as well, depending on what the players are interested in.

The game provides an easy reference for veterans of AGON in order to understand what terms are changed. The Stars replace Divine Favor, with eight named Stars and one unknown one per character, to be filled in by the respective player. Overall, the game is not so much about appeasing the gods as it is finding Treasure, and the Heart of the Sea, supposedly the source of all strange goings-on in the Sea of Estreyan. What exactly is at the Heart is up to you and your players - it might even be a new ocean to explore!

Games I’ve recommended before

Rising Tide, by cosmic beagle.

Endeavour, by Armiger Games.

#dnd #paragon #indie ttrpgs #tabletop games #game recommendations

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turtleduckscribbles · 3 years

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Fool’s Gold

Prompt: It is only natural that the Heroes of Hyrule would encounter discrepancies throughout their travels across time and space. Pity those discrepancies rarely worked to their advantage.

Or: Sky makes a mistake and the entire group pays for it.

Author’s Notes: There’s technically a request attached to this, but I refrained from linking it here to indulge the sweet element of surprise. ;3 (See end notes for that link.) Can you spot Sky’s blunder before he does, dear readers?

♡ For @rabidfairy27 ♡

~o~o~o~o~o~

Sky stumbled out of the dingy medicine shop, hacking up a lung. They had been inside the muggy laboratory for less time than it took him to saddle his loftwing, and already his airways were on fire. Liberated, he gulped in the revitalizing island air, grateful for the merciful reprieve. Behind him, the door slammed shut, followed by a resigned sigh.

“You didn’t have to come in with me, buddy,” said the familiar, brusque voice of the captain. “You could’ve just waited out here.”

Sky hunched over and rested his hands on his knees, blinking down at the gilded hem of his friend’s scarf. “Sorry. Shoulda known.”

“Hey, can’t blame you. Who would’ve guessed that an apothecary’s could be so toxic? It’s smokier than the Eldin Caves in there.”

“You’re telling me.”

Warrior shifted his feet, casting a dark look back at the door. “That chemist gives me the creeps. The more I think about it, the more I think the sailor sent us here on purpose to get back at me for last week. That’s just like him.”

Recovering his breath, Sky straightened and rolled out his shoulders, shooting his companion an easygoing smile. “Ah, you two. It’s all good, War. Someone had to make this pit stop. May as well be us, right? I’m sure Wind meant no ill will.”

“Please—after I replaced the pears in his bag with gold skulltulas? No chance.”

A breathless laugh escaped Sky’s lips. “You should be more careful pranking him like that. Especially now that we’re on his home turf. He might get his revenge one day.”

“I relish the risk, my good man,” Warrior simpered, clapping Sky on the back. They began making their way inland toward the central hub of town. “The little scamp deserves a taste of his own medicine sometimes. Didn’t mean to catch you in the crossfire, though.”

“No trouble. Speaking of medicine, were you able to snag the potions Wind told us to get?”

“Got ’em all here.” Warrior patted the bulging satchel at his side. “I’ll give that potions shop one thing—it’s pretty affordable. One free serving for every five chu jelly dollops I provided! Not bad, considering I’m low on rupees.”

“Hey, see? Wind’s not pranking you. He’s looking out for you.”

“Always the optimist.”

The pair of heroes ascended the broad stone steps curving up the path. Sky inhaled deeply through his nose, savoring the rush of salt and wet sandalwood. Windfall was one of many islands scattered across Wind’s Great Sea, and yet the sky-dweller felt inexplicably drawn to the thriving seaport. Balmy blue skies merged into the surrounding water and left him with the nostalgic sense that he was back on Skyloft. Seafaring ships sailed by like soaring loftwings, taking off and touching down at the commercial harbor. Traveling merchants of all backgrounds passed them in the streets, calling out as they bartered an assortment of commodities. High-rise apartments circled a central lighthouse, where a lofty windmill spun lazily in the breeze.

Sky beamed as he soaked it all in. It was home away from home.

At the top of the stairs, they reached the main plaza, which opened up into a bustling market. Immediately, they were pressed upon from all sides; crowds of people thronged the aisles between booths, packed like tadtones in the available space. Shoppers pushed and shoved as they perused their selected vendors, heedless of personal boundaries. Bulbous merchants that looked suspiciously like Gorons shouldered burlap knapsacks larger than themselves, contributing to the tight squeeze. Sky winced as he received a stray elbow to the ribs. Perhaps the market was less like Skyloft’s bazaar than he had thought.

Disoriented, he trained his eyes on the vibrant blue of the captain’s scarf and trailed after him. Like fish swept up in a current, they weaved their way through the sea of bodies, searching for a break in the swell. Sky tugged at the brooch of his sailcloth, much too tight around the collar.

Seizing an opening, Warrior took a sharp turn and steered them down an adjacent row that was marginally less populated. Sky followed him down the corridor of canopied stalls, eyes devouring the spectacle. Row upon row of exotic goods lined the display stands on either side, ranging from weaponry to apparel to edibles. Colorful curios that Sky had never seen in his life beckoned to him, calling out to be bought. Sky eyed a collection of potted plants behind a long sales counter, where a sign overhead flaunted the words “Zunari’s Shop.”

Zelda would love one of those, Sky mused as he stopped to admire some attractive blue lilies. Flowers were her favorite, after all...

“You okay buying the food for today?” Warrior asked, jolting Sky out of his thoughts. “Like I said, I’m low on rupees after the potions.”

“Yeah, I got you,” Sky affirmed, turning away from the flowers. “You did your part, I’ll take care of mine.” Sparing the lilies a last longing look, he approached the neighboring grocery stands, all of which were significantly more busy.

As Warrior hung back to inspect some elongated melons, Sky craned his neck to see over the heads of preoccupied shoppers. Fruits of all shapes and sizes sat on the shelves, each as unfamiliar as the next. Sacks of rice and beans were stashed toward the back, accompanied by a miscellany of seafood. Sky gagged as the pungent scent of fish infiltrated his nostrils. Between the stench and the stuffy atmosphere, he knew he wouldn’t last long here. He watched a woman hand a lidded wicker basket to the shopkeeper, who placed foods from behind the counter into it before handing it back.

Sky bit his lip as he surveyed the wares. It suddenly struck him that he had no idea which of these foods Wild would want for today’s lunch. That morning, the champion had tasked him with procuring ingredients to be used in a group meal, but it only just dawned on him that he wasn't sure what those ingredients should be. Ah, well. Whatever Wild was given, Sky was confident he could cook up something scrumptious with it. Their chef was exceptionally talented that way. Clearing his throat, Sky grabbed a basket for himself and proffered it to the shopkeeper.

“Could you please load me up on whatever you’ve got, sir?” he asked, shoving a gold rupee onto the counter. “A little bit of everything, if you could.”

The merchant blinked down at the two objects he was presented with. Sky raised him a tentative smile, awaiting his response. After a strained pause, the man wordlessly accepted them and turned away with an odd look on his face that was not lost on Sky.

Wonder what that was about, Sky thought as he stepped away from the sweltering stalls. He hadn’t cut anyone in line, had he? He rubbed the back of his neck, the humidity clinging to his skin like moss to stone.

“Ready to scram?” Warrior asked, appearing at his side. “Wild’s probably itching to begin cooking, and I’d rather not face the wrath of a hungry mob.”

Sky shook his head and gestured to the crowded food stand. “Not quite. The salesclerk’s packing my basket now.”

Warrior raised an eyebrow. He looked pointedly toward the flower shop and then back at Sky, his face breaking into an emphatic grin. “Ah. I see what you’re on about.”

Sky frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

“You’re trying to play hooky so you can get a gift for your girl.”

The abrupt accusation shocked Sky into speechlessness. He stood frozen for a brief moment before huffing in amusement. “Actually, you’re not wrong. There were some lilies back there that I think she’d like. I’m still getting the food though, don’t worry. Just had to step back for some air.”

“Pfft. You and your romantic whims.” Warrior looked as if he were on the verge of saying something presumptuous but decided against it. “Tell you what—I’m a nice guy. Why don’t you head over there now? I’ll grab the basket and meet you. Is yours the one on the counter?”

Bemused, Sky peered over the distracted shoppers and confirmed that his basket was indeed the one sitting solitary on the counter. Strange, he thought as Warrior went to collect it. He hadn’t expected the shopkeeper to pack it so quickly. At any rate, he appreciated the captain’s help; the sooner they were out of there, the better.

Five minutes later, the two heroes left Zunari’s and exited the market square, ladened with supplies. They strolled down a back alley that opened to a scenic ocean vista, stomachs grumbling in anticipation of lunch. Sky gripped the basket in one hand and the potted lily in his other, smiling down at it. The merchant had called it a sea flower—a perennial plant native to Greatfish Isle, wherever that was. Warrior had wagered that there was no way Sky could keep it alive long enough until he returned home, to which Sky accepted as a challenge. If nothing else, he could at least say that he tried. Zelda was worth it.

The alley spat them out of the promenade onto a grassy hillside, which rose and terminated in a precipitous drop-off. Infinite, scintillating blue stretched in every direction, serving as a breathtaking vantage point for a leisurely lunch. Sky welcomed the breeze as he and Warrior hiked the steep incline to the top. He could see where the others had settled at the summit; the seven of them were loafing around a central cooking pot, which Wild was currently tending to. Sky hoped they hadn’t been waiting too long. Panting, he drew near a recumbent Hero of Twilight, who lounged near the pot with Time.

“You’re back,” Legend droned from across the fire. The veteran reclined against a heap of travel sacks that comprised their belongings. “Thought you must have fallen asleep on the job again.”

“Nah, just enjoying the sights,” Sky returned, plopping himself on the ground next to Twilight. “The shops here have some really neat trinkets. Have you guys checked them out?”

“The traveler and I restocked on arrows at the boardwalk, but nothing else,” Time said, arms resting on bent knees. “I think the general consensus was to eat first.” Hyrule, who sat beside Legend, shrugged and grinned sheepishly.

A loud thump sounded from behind as Warrior dropped his bag of potions. Sighing audibly, he approached the Hero of Winds, who stood flourishing his conductor’s baton off to the side with Four. “Hey, thanks for sending us to do the worst job, Sailor. Real subtle there.”

Wind shot the captain the stink eye and resumed toying with the course of the breeze. “What are you talking about? We all had jobs to do, not just you. Get over yourself.”

“Sure, I’ll get over myself once you admit you have a personal vendetta against me. You should quit that—people are getting hurt on the sidelines. That potions shop nearly gave Sky an asthma attack, and the market was no better.”

That snagged the sailor’s attention. Ceasing his conducting, Wind spun around to face Sky, his voice climbing in pitch. “You had an asthma attack? Oh… I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking—I didn’t know—”

“Wind, you’re okay,” Sky said, offering him a warm smile. “I’m fine—it was a necessary errand. Nothing I couldn’t handle. Warrior’s just giving you a hard time.”

“Did you get the food while you were out?” Wild interjected, oblivious to the glare that Wind flung Warrior’s way. The champion sat cross-legged in front of the pot, stoking the fire underneath. “I’m ready to start cooking, and I think everyone else is ready to start eating.”

“Yeah, I’ve got it here.” Sky placed his basket beside the champion, drawing the eyes of the group. Feeling content, he leaned back onto his hands and watched with the others, curious to see what sorts of provisions the merchant had packed them.

With a hungry glint in his eye, Wild unfastened the basket’s clasps, loosened the straps, pulled open the lid, gazed down upon the contents inside—

And was met by a single kumquat.

There was a perplexed silence before Warrior snorted. “Wow. That was stimulating. Truly riveting.”

Sky stared into the near-empty receptacle, lost for words.

Wait… Why isn’t… Wasn’t there supposed to be…?

It was then when the commotion broke out.

“What happened?”

“Is that a lemon?”

“That’s a sorry-looking lemon.”

“That’s not a lemon, doofus.”

“Why is there just one?”

“We can’t live off lemons!”

“Why isn’t there more food?”

“I-I don’t know!” Sky faltered, fingers gripping the grass. “The merchant was supposed to pack it full! I asked him for some of everything!”

“What do you mean the merchant was ‘supposed’ to?” Legend challenged. He was leaning forward on his knees, peering inside the basket. “Didn’t you pack it yourself?”

“No, I… It was crowded, so I—”

“How much did you pay him for that?” Wind added, his baton forgotten. “Was it expensive or something?”

“I... I gave him…” Sky stalled, his stomach sinking at the realization, “I gave him three hundred.” He winced as a chorus of outraged gasps answered back.

“Three hundred?!”

“Three hundred rupees?”

“You squandered three hundred rupees on a single lemon?”

“Dude, it’s a kumquat.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be a single kumquat, okay?!” Sky contended, inundated with shouts. “It was supposed to be an entire grocery order! I don’t know what happened!”

“Maybe the three hundred went toward the basket and you didn’t realize it?” Time offered, gracious as always. “He could have charged you for that.”

“No, no, I didn’t pay anything for the basket—I think? Other people were taking them too, they couldn’t all have been paying that much.”

“Did you take the wrong basket, then?” Hyrule threw in with wide-eyed innocence.

Sky thought back, a crease forming at his brow. “I don’t… I don’t think so?” Legend groaned and buried his face in his hands, making Sky feel all the worse.

Flashing his signature grin, Warrior strode into the circle, scarf aswirl. “Look at that! We’ve got ourselves another trickster on our hands.” He ruffled Sky’s hair as if he were the young sailor. “I’ll admit I didn’t expect this from you, lover boy. And right under my nose too! I’m impressed.”

“I never tricked anyone, Warrior,” Sky moped, smoothing down his mussed strands. “I don’t know how this happened, honest.”

Warrior didn’t seem to hear him. “I knew something was up when you kept ogling that gift shop. No shame, man. If I were you, I’d choose a gift for my beloved over feeding my family too.”

“Warrior, that’s not—”

“You spent your rupees on a flower instead of our food?” Four scoffed, directing a hurt look at the plant in Sky’s lap. Another round of accusations blared in Sky’s ears, causing him to shrink into himself.

“Hey, come on now, this isn’t very fair,” Twilight spoke out. He had risen from his relaxed position on the grass following the racket. “I know we’re all hungry, but it was an accident. We can return to the market and try again.”

“That’s nice, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re down three hundred rupees,” Legend rebuffed. The veteran’s arms were crossed tightly over his chest, clearly struggling to keep a lid on his irritation. “I highly doubt Sky’s getting his money back for a paltry piece of fruit. Must have been a scam.”

Sky stared unseeingly at the sea flower in his hands, humiliation washing over him like a cloud. Once again, his carelessness was to blame. Not only had he failed to follow through with his commitment, but he was substantially worse off now because of it. How could he expect to rebuild the Surface if he frittered away his life savings? And how could his comrades expect him to carry out larger tasks when he couldn’t even carry out the simpler ones? Sky hung his head, letting his bangs fall into his eyes.

“It’s my fault,” he mumbled. “I should have checked the basket before leaving. I wasn’t attentive. I’m sorry.”

An exasperated sigh sounded at the back of Wild’s throat. With brisk movements, he delved inside his bag and withdrew his rectangular Sheikah device. After tapping out a frenzied rhythm on the screen, a small purple gem appeared in his hand, which he hastily tossed in Sky’s direction.

“Here, take it and hurry back to the market. Just… make sure to look at what you’re buying this time, all right? Rupees don’t grow on trees.”

Sky gazed blankly down at the jewel on the grass. “What is that?”

Wild went rigid. His head shot up, unable to believe his ears. “Uh… a rupee?”

“That’s a rupee?”

Wild gawked at the Skyloftian as if he’d kicked dirt into his cooking pot. “You’re kidding, right?”

Sky gaped back at him. Why wasn’t anyone taking him seriously today? Stupefied, he peered around the circle of heroes, gauging responses.

A tableau of scandalized looks greeted him from across the ring. Time and Twilight exchanged glances. Wind and Warrior guffawed openly. Hyrule and Four frowned at the jewel as if it were a worm. Legend looked as though he’d been clubbed over the head.

“What?” Sky said defensively. “If that’s really a rupee, then what’s its value?”

Snickering, Wind strutted forward and picked up the kumquat, spinning it in his hand. “Heh. Sky doesn’t know how to count.”

Warrior threw a hand to his mouth, unsuccessful at stifling a grin. Sky scowled at him, prompting the captain to raise his hands in a placating gesture. “Hey, Sailor’s right. Looks like some of us need a refresher lesson on currency.”

“No, Sky’s onto something,” Hyrule said, prodding the gem with a finger. “There’s no such thing as a purple rupee, is there?”

Legend jerked as if the traveler had slapped him. “Are you having a laugh? Please tell me we’re not all on Loony Island right now.”

Wind took a bite out of the kumquat. “Nope. Just Windfall.” He paused mid-chew before screwing up his face, spitting a mouthful of pulp onto the grass. Legend scooted back with a hiss.

“Wait—you haven’t seen one either?” Sky pressed, rounding on the traveler.

Hyrule shook his head. He took the jewel with reverent hands, admiring the multifaceted surface.

“Hold up…”

Everyone turned. From the outskirts of the group, the smithy regarded the gemstone with narrowed eyes. Suddenly, his gaze darted to Sky, whom he leveled a pointed finger at.

“What sort of rupees did you give the merchant at the market?”

Sky stared at him. “I only gave him one. A gold one.”

“Gold?” Wind said disbelievingly. The sailor tossed the kumquat back into the basket and wiped his hands onto his trousers. “Like, gold as in yellow?”

“No, I mean gold as in gold. As in three hundred rupees.”

Wind looked at Sky as if he were a talking chuchu. Putting two and two together, Four nodded and snapped his fingers. “Bingo.”

“What?” Sky asked impatiently, head swiveling between Four and Wind. “What’s going on? You guys better not be pulling the feathers over my eyes.”

“Gold rupees don’t exist here, Sky,” Wind finished bluntly. “Just yellow, and they’re only worth ten.”

...Oh.

Sky went slack-jawed as he absorbed the implication behind Wind’s words. It was all coming together now: the purple rupee, the merchant’s weird look, the single kumquat. And, like the fool that he was, of course he hadn’t realized it until it was too late. Why was he always such an airhead? Sky put a hand to his forehead, his mind effectively turned to mush.

“So… you’re saying that my gold rupee is worth an equivalent of ten here. Great.”

Twilight cleared his throat. “Yeah, um… gold rupees don’t exist in my kingdom either. The merchant must have mistook yours for a yellow. Sorry, Sky.”

A swift silence fell as each hero mentally slammed into a brick wall. Unsurprisingly, Warrior barked out a laugh.

“Wow. Can’t say I saw that one coming.”

“I’ll say,” Legend drawled, face puckered as if he’d tasted something sour. “How can a place have yellow but not gold? That’s backwards.”

“We don’t have either where I’m from,” Hyrule said as he handed back Wild’s purple rupee. “Back home, there’s just orange and blue. And the values are a lot smaller too.”

Another incredulous look from Legend. “Orange?! No standard greens? What banker in their right mind crafts rupees that are orange?”

“Hey, we have them too,” Twilight added. “They’re really valuable—they’re the highest unit of currency for us, second only to silver.”

“It’s called silver and gold, Twilight. Not silver and orange.”

“While we’re on the subject…” Time began, shifting his one-eyed gaze to the sailor, “are your silver rupees valued at something other than one hundred, by any chance?”

“Uh, yeah, they are. They’re worth two hundred here.”

Time nodded tranquilly. “Ah. I suppose that makes sense. The arrow salesman supplied me with more arrows than expected this morning.”

“Silver rupees are worth two hundred?!” Wild shrieked, knuckles white against the handle of his unused soup ladle. “That guy at the bomb shop ripped me off, then! I paid way more than I should have! Why didn’t you say anything, Wind?!”

“How was I supposed to know this would happen?!” Wind retorted. “Up until a minute ago, none of us knew! Don’t blame me for your stupid mistakes!”

“Ha! I always knew you were a no-good swindler,” Warrior laughed. He smirked and tousled Wind’s hair. “You live up to that pirate reputation well.” Wind slugged him in the gut.

“So what about you?” Legend nodded at Four, purposefully ignoring the ruckus on the side. “What are yours like?”

The smithy shrugged. “We don’t have gold and silver where I’m from. Our rupees go by size.”

“Size?”

“Yep. We have big and small variants of each color. The big ones take up a lot of space, so our standard wallets can’t fit as much. As you constantly ensure to remind me.”

As the crosstalk continued, Sky felt something nudge his arm. He turned, coming face to face with a gold rupee.

Yellow, Sky reminded himself. Not gold. Yellow.

“Here,” Twilight said under his breath. “For compensation.”

Sky pushed it away. “Aw, Twi, don’t worry about—”

“Really, it’s no bother,” the rancher insisted, pressing the jewel into his hand. “Consider it my contribution toward the food. I’m sure it can suffice as one of your golds.”

Sky hesitated; then, he closed his fingers around the gemstone, smiling in thanks.

Sometimes having generous friends paid more than rupees ever could.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Naturally, the truce didn’t last.

“Sorry for punching you earlier, Cap’n,” Wind said later that day after they’d eaten. “I shouldn’t have done it, and I feel bad, so… I want to give you something to make up for it.”

Warrior raised a wary eyebrow. “Yeah?”

Nodding, Wind rummaged through his bag. “All this talk of rupees got me thinking. We have these special ones here that are supposed to bring good luck if you add it to your wallet.” He withdrew a charcoal-colored gem from a drawstring pouch and proffered it to the captain. “I hope you accept it.”

For a moment, the captain appraised the stone, coldly calculated. Then, his face lit up, hand extending in good faith.

“Thanks, little dude, that’s really—”

“Don’t take that, Warrior!” Sky shouted abruptly, causing them all to jump. “That thing isn’t good luck at all! It’s a rupoor!”

Warrior retracted his hand as if he’d been burned. “It’s a what?”

“A rupoor! It’ll denature your rupees and render them useless! Don’t take it!”

“You little rugrat!” the captain growled, turning on Wind. “I knew you were out to get me all this time!”

As the chaos unfolded, Sky ducked behind the large stature of the Hero of Time, seeking refuge from Wind’s murderous glare. He would most certainly be watching his back from here on out.

Generous friends or not, it seemed that Sky had just signed up to be an unwitting participant in an endless prank war.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Inspired by this post.

~Requests are Closed, Thank You!~

#turtle scribbles #linked universe #linkeduniverse #loz #legend of zelda #linked universe fanfiction #requests #rabidfairy27 #sky #warrior #wind

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therealvagabird · 4 years

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The Zodiac of Auma-Maan

AKA: I made a star-sign chart! It references some occult setting themes I’ve used in several contexts. Feel free to find your astral avatar, as dictated by the ancient sages of the far galaxies...

Many species across countless reaches of time and space have crafted their own mystical star-charts to attempt to bridge the material and the divine. Yet the eldest and most powerful of all these zodiacs is held to be that of Auma-Maan, the star-cycle of the Ur-Aum, also known as the Dawn Celestials. Understanding of the Auma-Maan can enlighten one to many patterns within the fabric of creation, peeling back time and energy like the petals of a flower bud to expose the secrets within. To dissect the endless tessellations and trines of the Auma-Maan zodiac would be an infinite endeavor, and so what follows is the simplest form adapted for human use.

Jan 6 – Jan 20: Dormin, the Colossus

Lord of winter, Dormin bears similarities to legends of the Jotunn or other such elemental giants of Earth. He sleeps throughout the stellar cycles and is awakened only in times when all other things die or lay dormant. Thus is his warpath unchallenged when he arises at last in might. Those born in the time of Dormin are resolute and unflagging, with a fire burning ever in their chest, even if they appear outwardly stoic.

Jan 21 – Feb 3: Avaka, the White Horn

An omen of good fortune, Avaka is a mysterious being sometimes said to be bestial in appearance, though none know much more than that. Common traits of Avaka are the majestic horns it bears on its head, and that it moves like a rushing winter’s wind. Avaka appears to the worthy during their darkest times, glimpsed at the edge of one’s vision and thereafter forgotten, but forever imprinted upon their soul. Terrifying to the ignorant and the ignoble, Avaka is the enemy of evil spirits and inspires those born under it to be as enigmatic and powerful as it is.

Feb 4 – Feb 19: Vui Wanai, the Everborn

Sometimes called the “Fey” on Earth, Vui Wanai is the Ur-Aum representation of a “precursor god” to the Vuwana, the Everborn. The Everborn are a eusocial race of adaptable plantlike beings which were known at the dawn of time for their great magics, growing from among the youngest of the old Pentarchy into a powerful empire. Those born under Vui Wanai are attuned to nature and can never be cut off from it.

Feb 20 – Mar 5: Ka, the Leviathan

The great beast of the abyss, Ka symbolizes the unknown, the powerful and unfathomable forces of the outer dark, and the might of the gods. Ka is both a creator and a destroyer, and an aspect of the incomprehensible power of the tides of fate and nature beyond mortal skeins. To be under the dominion of Ka is to have the opportunity for untold power, but also for untold ruination – though fear of the unknown will never prove insurmountable.

Mar 6 – Mar 20: Akshia, the Vessel of Plenty

Likened to the cornucopia of classical myth, Akshia is a legendary invention said to hold the keys to true genesis. Akshia represents unfettered abundance, infinite resources, and boundless energy. It is associated with birth, creation, and life. Individuals born under Akshia can likewise expect bounty to flow their way and tend to have larger reserves of energy and good luck than most. Akshia is among the most powerful of the Terran signs and can be invoked for wealth and prosperity. The most powerful of races throughout history have placed the sign of Akshia upon the hulls of Genesis Engines as a point of ritual.

Mar 21 – Apr 4: Amon-Bal, the Horned Hearth

Incarnation of the home, the balance of nature and humanity, and the bounty of the divine. Most often represented by an ambiguous figure crowned with great, twisting horns, Amon-Bal has sometimes been mistaken for a demon or other fel creature of the outer dark. In truth, Amon-Bal stands for sustenance, fire, family, and other basic necessities which sustain mortal races long before they ever ascend to the stars. Those born in the time of Amon-Bal are often of temperate attitude and simple pleasures, but will not shy away from doing what is necessary to take care of them and their loved ones.

Apr 5 – Apr 20: Eanlil, the Egg

Eanlil is a powerful concept, representing dormant power which has yet to come into fruition. It mirrors the collective consciousness of sapient species, the biospheres of entire worlds, or the harmonic fields generated within the hearts of stars. Eanlil is perfect balance and unlimited energy, yet unborn and unrealized. The “Egg” which this astral avatar inhabits is the same type from which the Celestial Dragons were said to have been birthed. To be born under Eanlil is likewise to have limitless potential, and often a tendency to attract power in turn.

Apr 21 – May 4: Khar-Nin, the Primordial

Great beast of the deep earth, Khar-Nin is a personification of the raw forces which shape planets and entire terrestrial landforms. Khar-Nin embodies eternal change and the clashing powers of creation and entropy within the cosmos. While not so tied to life and the cycles of nature as some other avatars, Khar-Nin still grants those born under its sign the blessings of endurance and perseverance. The Primordial is strength, eternity, and power.

May 5 – May 21: Insar, the Demon

Insar is a distillation of all those traits which define demonkind, both positive and negative. Standing for selfishness, chaos, destruction, and mutation, Insar is also a patron to passion, survival, and change. Still, Insar is often regarded as one of the darker signs, and those who hold its power are said to be prone to demonic behavior in turn. None would deny the efficacy of such attributes, though one must always be careful that ambition is put towards constructive ends, and does not lead to ruination.

May 22 – Jun 5: Orhirat, the Eternal Serpents

Also referred to as the Orhirati in plural, this sign is oft represented by two snakes devouring each other in an eternal cycle. As such, Orhirat symbolizes rebirth and eternity, not unlike the ouroboros or the taijitu. Raw energy is held within the Orhirat, and it is often associated in turn with the Celestial Dragons and their boundless power. Those born under Orhirat are often subject to extremes of passion – love, anger, and the like. They attract energy and produce energy in great abundance, making them vivant and willful with the force of their personalities.

Jun 6 – Jun 20: Ohol, the Conquerors

Human interpretations of Ohol tend to evoke images like the Wild Hunt, great figures like Genghis Khan, or other ravagers which come upon galloping steeds and lay waste to their foes. Ohol is an elusive concept which contains many contradictory elements within it – pain and pleasure, love and tyranny, chaos and unity. A popular depiction of Ohol is a pair of beautiful yet terrifying riders on horseback. Those born to Ohol likewise can be prone to flairs of passion, great ambitions, and a love of life’s pleasures. Terran warlocks are fond of invoking Ohol for all manner of rituals, being that it is among the most powerful signs that can manifest on our world.

Jun 21 – Jul 6: Praven, the Mariner

Patron to the intrepid, the enduring, inventive, and the adventurous. Praven is an ill-defined figure who nonetheless seems to uphold many of the traits and skills lauded by seafarers, void-sailors, and all those who ply the treacherous expanses. Rewarding those of great skill and discipline with the boons of freedom and fortune, Praven is among the most powerful avatars which can be invoked upon Earth.

Jul 7 – Jul 22: Itamn, the Chitinous

A representation of the “precursor god” of the Kitan, another of the Pentarchy and considered among the most intelligent races in the cosmos, having long since ascended to a higher plane of existence. Itamn takes the form of a titanic, crab-like creature, and is a patron to science and arcane study. Those born in the time of Itamn are often highly erudite and adept in learning.

Jul 23 – Aug 6: Ekhissu, the Chimera

Embodying change, the power of the unnatural, and the complexities of opposites and the harmony and discord they bring in equal measure. On Earth, Ekhissu is often represented by the Greek chimera or the Persian lamassu, though more traditional depictions tend to bend the mind with their alien anatomies. Ekhissu shows the strength to be found in things which are not always considered “natural” and is a patron to science and invention. However, adversarial concepts war within Ekhissu. Those who can find harmony within themselves will find a wealth of creativity and focus born from the synthesis of their internal struggles, while those who fall prey to discord will become monstrous and unthinking.

Aug 7 – Aug 22: Sol Rosol, the Ruler

Depictions of Sol Rosol among Terran cults has diminished much since the ancient days. The visage of the Lion Lord was subsumed into more palatable sky-gods and humanoid avatars. Among the earliest humans who were made privy to the secrets of the Ur-Aum magics, Sol Rosol was regarded as one of the most powerful and fearsome avatars of all the celestials. Drawn as a great lion-headed warrior in solid armor, with the tail of a monkey and holding a flaming scepter, Sol Rosol stands for divine rule, tyranny, beneficent leadership, warfare, and peaceful prosperity all in equal measure. Those born under its sign are often destined to lead and can look to Sol Rosol for their providence.

Aug 23 – Sep 7: Anu, the Child

Representation of birth, beginnings, purity, curiosity, imagination, and innocence. Anu is often interpreted as the “child” to Panduma’s “mother”, though in truth Anu embodies the beginning of all things. The limitless potential and endless diverging paths which remain un-congealed with every new beginning are held within Anu, and it forms the start of all reality, just as entropy forms the end. Those born under Anu often maintain a childlike wonder throughout their lives, and may benefit from mental elasticity and curiosity even into their old age – the greatest boons of childhood.

Sep 8 – Sep 23: Panduma, the Mother

Aspect of fertility, love, and plenty. On Earth, Panduma is associated with mother-goddess figures and harvest matrons. To the Ur-Aum, Panduma is an embodiment of biological cycles, such as those expressed in reproduction, which are of obvious importance to all lifeforms, as well as the passage between life and death, which also maintains balance in the world. Panduma is a patron to civilization and order. Individuals born under this sign tend towards traditional values, loyalty to their families, and are rewarded for their hard labor with great bounty. Also one of the most powerful of the Terran signs, Panduma bestows the resolute with good fortune.

Sep 24 – Oct 7: Terthon, the Winged

Symbol of the air and the power of flight. Terthon is notable in that, within the rune-tomes of the ancient Pentarchy, Terthon is depicted as a divine flying machine as much as (if not more than) any biological winged creature. To beings like the Ur-Aum and the Ga-An, Terthon was a representation of their birthright, their mastery of the air. To other species, Terthon symbolized that which they coveted, and the promises of progress and technology. Invoking Terthon or being born under its sign grants lightheartedness, inventiveness, agility of both body and mind, boldness, and other virtues held both within the winds and by those beings which sail upon them.

Oct 8 – Oct 23: Volk, the Hunter

Patron of hunters, tamers of beasts, and the like. In Ur-Aum spirituality, it was the essence of Volk which compelled various intelligent species to tame other creatures rather than just slay them. Likewise, Volk grants power to those who hunt to survive or to fell terrible monsters. In this way does the great hunter symbolize balance in the natural world. To have Volk’s blessing is to likewise be given the guile, strength, and wisdom to uphold this balance. For occultists, one of the most notable spells of this sign is to summon the Hounds of Volk – terrifying beings from beyond the skein of the void, who nonetheless are beloved for their great loyalty and focus.

Oct 24 – Nov 6: Kur-Ana, the Abyssal

Precursor sign of the Anaman race, also known as the Nameless Things. Among the oldest races in the cosmos are the Nameless, who were spawned from the effluvium of entropy produced as a by-product of other life coming into being. Kur-Ana is a reflection of the virtues held within Anamani Annihilism, their sacred theology. To follow the tenets of Kur-Ana is to embrace pain over pleasurable distractions, to not fear the darkness and to feel equal compassion for all things. Some xenodaemonologists of Earth have posited that certain lessons of Annihilism were uncovered and embraced by the precursor cults of certain near-eastern religions, though these are just hypotheses.

Nov 7 – Nov 22: Nammu, of the Oceans

Sign of the oceans and all great waters, from the primordial puddles which later give rise to entire worlds of life, to the astral glaciers which hold within their hearts secrets incomprehensible. Of all the essences in existence, water is among the most powerful. Nammu shares traits with many sea gods of Terran lore, being both a bountiful provider and a bitter destroyer. Those born to Nammu’s sign often hold within them the strength of the sea, along with its deceptive nature.

Nov 23 – Dec 6: Zagaya, the Spear

Avatar of warfare and warriors. Long have been the millennia past since the Ascended have had to stoop to base warfare, but the struggle of conflict is never so far removed from the hearts of sapient beings. Battle is both an addiction, a lust, as well as a necessity at times – when horrors lurk always in the outer dark. Though mortal fighters may often prefer to trust in the strength of their own hands, or the favor of their personal conqueror-gods, Zagaya is always looking down upon them. To be held under Zagaya’s sign is to be a warrior true, even if one is so fortunate as to never know battle in their lifetime.

Dec 7 – Dec 21: Path, the Thunder Bird

Embodied by the lightning bolt, and herald of the storm, Path is a being of pure power and sometimes likened to the Celestial Dragons – most ancient and mighty of the primordial beings which shaped the cosmos. Path brings both destruction and creation, terror and exultation. Though not malevolent, all should be careful when dealing with the Thunder Bird. Those born during the time of Path are likewise noted for their sheer drive and natural ability in all that they do, no matter what stands in their way. Path is also among the mightiest signs to invoke upon Terra, due to our world’s astral positioning, and is considered among the greatest sources from which star-paladins can channel their power.

Dec 22 – Jan 5: Paramis, the Devourer

One of the darkest and most terrifying of the zodiac signs, Paramis is likened to the demons, the void-parasites, and the Hungering Blood. The house of Paramis is death, deception, and conquest. Paramis’ power lays in adaptability, using your opponent’s strengths against them, and always pursuing your own growth and empowerment. Despite this, Paramis is not considered “evil” in the confusing cosmology of the Ur-Aum, given that Paramis is held to be a tester, a tutor, an embodiment of survival, and one of the beings which brings about the end of kalpas. Paramis is also one of the most powerful signs that can be invoked on Earth and is a favorite of the most daring warlocks. To be born under Paramis is to have the will to survive at all costs, to fear nothing, and to crave everything.

#fantasy #sci fi #science fantasy #creative writing #star sign #zodiac #horoscope #occult

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thecreaturecodex · 3 years

Note

You mention on your Ulgurstasta post that you had an Age of Worms soundtrack when you ran the AP in High School. Any other tracks for other encounters/areas?

I actually still have the whole playlist put together! I'll stash it under a cut in the interest of saving space, but some highlights:

The Hellboy soundtrack by Marco Beltrami was sort of the backbone of the piece. The Main Theme was what I used as the main theme for the campaign as a whole, and the themes used for the Nazis in that movie were the cues for the Ebon Triad.

The Full Metal Alchemist soundtrack was also a major role (the original 2004 anime, not Brotherhood). The Homunculus theme was used as Lashonna's theme, in many variations.

Lots of Nobou Uematsu, particularly FFVI and FFVII. I used OC Remix versions of many of those tracks for fights.

The Hall of Harsh Reflections, appropriately, used music from The Thing by Ennio Morricone

Balabar Smenk's theme was the Jabba the Hutt music from Return of the Jedi

The music used for the Kyuss Knights was Spiders and Vinegaroons by Queens of the Stone Age (who were formed from a band named Kyuss)

Musically, Alhaster was Russia. Lots of Russian folk songs for its characters.

The Library of Last Resort was themed around Philip Glass music

Every time they found an artifact, I used The Ecstasy of Gold from the soundtrack to The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Kyuss himself got One Winged Angel for his fight music, so I gave the JENOVA theme to the Harbinger of Worms, who created him.

The full list (all six discs worth, including bonus tracks!) is below the cut.

Age of Worms OST

Disc 1

1. Main Title – Hellboy Main Title (Marco Beltrami)

2. Sasha –Time’s Scar (Yasunori Mitsuda)

3. Trinton – Gilderoy Lockhart (John Williams)

4. The Whispering Cairn – Winds of Neo-Tokyo (Genioh Yamashirogumi)

5. Vincent – Nonki (Michiru Ooshima)

6. Dinner with Balabar Smenk – Jabba the Hutt (John Williams)

7. Filge the Necromancer – In the Theatre (Philip Glass and the Kronos Quartet)

8. Relics of a Lost Time – El Amor Brujo (Manuel de Falla)

9. Battle with the Wind Warriors – Battle with the Four Fiends (Nobou Uematsu and the Black Mages)

10. Into Dourstone Mine – Overture of Destiny (Michiru Ooshima)

11. Three Faces of Evil 1: The Temple of Theldrick – Evil-Doers (Marco Beltrami)

12. Three Faces of Evil 2: Maze of the Faceless One – Soul Sucker (Marco Beltrami)

13. Three Faces of Evil 3: The Eyes of Grallak Kur – Alley Fight (Marco Beltrami)

14. Diana – Dark Eyes (Moondog)

15. Escape from Dourstone Mine and The Thing from the Pool – Juurin (Michiru Ooshima)

16. Allustan – Avenue (Michiru Ooshima)

17. Clyde – Mystic Mysidia (Nobou Uematsu)

18. An Encounter at Blackwall Keep – Opening/Bombing Run (Nobou Uematsu)

19. Damon – Greed (Michiru Ooshima)

20. Into the Lizard’s Lair – River Cruise (Danny Elfman)

21. Battle with the Turtle Rider – High Above Chaos (Nobou Uematsu, remixed by OverCoat)

22. The Shaman’s Sad Tale – Land Governed by Beasts (Nobou Uematsu, remixed by OverCoat)

23. The Dragon’s Egg – Brett’s Demise (Jerry Goldsmith)

24. Blessings of the Shaman – River Cruise 2 (Danny Elfman)

25. Another Encounter at Blackwall Keep – Element’s (Yoko Kanno)

26. Those Who Have Fallen – Sad Resolution (Michiru Ooshima)

27. End Title – End Credits (Nicholas Pavkovic)

28. Bonus Track – Worms (The Pogues)

Disc 2

1. An Ominous Beginning – Beyond the Wasteland (Nobou Uematsu)

2. The Prophet – The Fall of Neo-Kuja (Nobou Uematsu)

3. Meeting Dr. Thanatos – Revelation of Fire (Claado Shou)

4. The Crooked House – Music TCC (Michael Hoenig)

5. Doppelganger Chase – Spider Dib (Kevin Manthei)

6. Mimics! – Contamination (Ennio Morricone)

7. The Hall of Harsh Reflections – Eternity (Ennio Morricone)

8. Cathar – Rider’s March (Russian folksong, performed by the Red Army Choir)

9. Zyrxog the Illithid / The Death of Damon – Mutation (Geinoh Yamashirogumi)

10. Kysom – Heavenly Spirit (Michiru Ooshima)

11. Puli – The Dragon’s Eye (Jeremy Soule)

12. Battle with the Kenku – Russian Sailor’s Dance (Reinhold Gliere)

13. Filge Unveils His Undead Army – Carriage Without a Driver (Philip Glass)

14. The Weavers – Shelob’s Lair (Howard Shore)

15. The Painter’s Madness – The Belgian Circus Episode (John Morris)

16. Maskarovka! / The Champion’s Dinner – The Kitchen, The Orgy (Basil Poledouris)

17. The Champion’s Games – Wheel of Fortune (Hans Zimmer)

18. The Shrine of Kyuss – Dog’s Attack (Jerry Goldsmith)

19. Zahol, the Cleric – Davy Jones (Hans Zimmer)

20. The Final Battle – Algiers, November 1, 1954 (Ennio Morricone)

21. The Apostle of Kyuss – The Kraken (Hans Zimmer)

22. Victory! – L’Arena (Ennio Morricone)

Disc 3

1. The Dragon Ilthane – Riddle of Steel, Riders of Doom (Basil Poledouris)

2. Falth – Jungle Dance (Max Steiner)

3. Cosgrak the Lewd – Castle Damcyan (Nobou Uematsu)

4. A Gathering of Winds – The Promised Land (Nobou Uematsu)

5. Riverof Blood – The Decisive Battle (Nobou Uematsu)

6. Rescuing Allustan – Illusory World (Nobou Uematsu)

7. Moreto – Space Station of the Ancients (Nobou Uematsu, remixed by Mazedude)

8. Battle with the Ten Thousand Year Old Demon – Fire Cross (Nobou Uematsu, remixed by Luiza)

9. Gifts of the Wind Dukes – The Ecstasy of Gold (Ennio Morricone)

10. Return to Diamond Lake– Death Rides a Horse (Ennio Morricone)

11. Ambushed by Devils – Pandemonium (Hector Berlioz)

12. Magepoint – Misha (Yoko Kanno)

13. Tenser Manzorian – Averro Reinhold (Yoko Kanno)

14. The Spire of Long Shadows – Seven Notes in Black (Vince Tempera)

15. A Dragon took the Spire! – Minas Morgul (Howard Shore)

16. Fallen Angels – Anakin’s Dark Deeds (John Williams)

17. Visions of the Past – Summer Overture (Clint Mansell)

18. Serai Keeneye – Saber Dance (Gayane)

19. Knights and Swords of Kyuss – Spiders and Vinegaroons (Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss)

20. Ascension Interrupted – Monolith (Immediate Music)

21. The Harbinger of Worms – JENOVA for Classical Piano (Nobou Uematsu, arranged by Eric Barker)

22. Battle with the Harbinger – Piano Quartet Boss Battle Medley (Nobou Uematsu, arranged by Reu)

23. The Final Vision – Father’s Funeral (Marco Beltrami)

Disc 4

1. Heroes – Space Marines’ Theme (artist unknown)

2. Journey to Alhaster – Song of the Plains (Red Army Chorus)

3. Ilthane’s Brood – Godzilla Comes to Tokyo Bay(Akira Ifukube)

4. The Acidwraith – Ghidorah’s Theme (Akira Ifukube)

5. The Deluxury – Theology, Civilization (Basil Poledouris)

6. Adalbert Childermass – Castaniets (Yoko Kanno)

7. Blessed Angels of Hextor – Yuukoku (Michiru Ooshima)

8. The Ebon Overgod – Aw, Crap (Marco Beltrami)

9. Twenty Years of Joy – Song of the Volga Boatman (Leningrad Cowboys)

10. Macabre Feast – Smoldering Corpse Bar (Mark Morgan)

11. A Dance of the Dead – Butou (Michiru Ooshima)

12. The Prince of Redhand – The Infernal Dance of King Kaschei (Igor Stravinsky)

13. Lashonna – Homonculus (Michiru Ooshima)

14. Disciples of Darkness – Grievous Speaks to Lord Sidious (John Williams)

15. The Library of Last Resort – Facades (Philip Glass)

16. The Wild Watchers – Koyaanisqatsi (Philip Glass)

17. Trials – November 25: Morning (Philip Glass)

18. Battlewith Curwen – Black History (Yoko Kanno)

19. Heroes of Time – Symphony 8, Movement 1 (Philip Glass)

Disc 5

1. Battle with Warduke – Position X (Yoko Kanno)

2. Lashonna’s Tragic Tale – Meimyaku (Michiru Ooshima)

3. Kings of the Rift – King Kong (James Howard)

4. A Flight of Dragons – Ride of the Valkyries (Wagner)

5. Gazzilfek, the Ominous Fabler – Cefca (Nobou Uematsu)

6. Citadel of Weeping Dragons – Last Blank Spot on the Map (James Howard)

7. Dragotha’s Phylactery/ Brazzemal the Burning – Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II Opening (Akira Ifukube)

8. When Three Spirits Become One – The Bad Color (James Howard)

9. Into the Wormcrawl Fissure – Circle of Hell (Brian Tyler and Klaus Badlet)

10. The Mighty Undone – Those We Don’t Speak Of (James Howard)

11. Thesselar, the Lich – October is Eternal (Of Montreal)

12. Zulshyn, the Angel – Dancing Calcobrena (Nobou Uematsu)

13. Cults of the Wormgod – Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec (Nobou Uematsu)

14. Kyuss’ Divine Blood – Full Tense (Clint Mansell)

15. Dragotha’s Revelation – Secrets of Shizuma Drive (Masamichi Amano)

16. Battle with Dragotha the Dracolich – I Don’t Think Now is the Best Time (Hans Zimmer)

17. A Treasure Unseen in this Age – Ecstacy of Gold (Ennio Morricone, performed by Yo-Yo Ma)

18. The Age of Worms Has Begun – Blasphemy 2.0 (Immediate Music)

Disc 6

1. Tenser’s Desperate Plan – Sign (Nobou Uematsu)

2. Saviors – Church Windows: Saint Michael (Respighi)

3. Alhaster in Ruins – Tragedy Occurs Again (Masamichi Amano)

4. The Traitor’s Graves Rise – Black Water (Nobou Uematsu)

5. Filge Betrayed – Dr. Van Helsing and Dracula (Philip Glass)

6. Riggby the Patriarch – Forward to Time Past (John Williams)

7. Lashonna’s Sanctum – Kaichou (Michiru Ooshima)

8. Vampire Attack – Shingun (Michiru Ooshima)

9. Accountant of Mephistopheles – All Hell Breaks Loose (Immediate Music)

10. Broodfiends – Tadarida (Hans Zimmer and James Howard)

11. Lashonna Triumphant – Keiji (Michiru Ooshima)

12. Battle with Lashonna – Symphonie Fantastique: Dreams of a Witches’ Sabbath (Hector Berlioz)

13. Ascending the Spire – Divinity I (Nobou Uematsu)

14. Kyuss – Advent One Winged Angel (Nobou Uematsu)

15. The Wormgod Defeated – Divinity II (Nobou Uematsu)

16. The New Prince of Redhand – Guardian of the Motherland (Michiru Ooshima)

17. A Happy Ending – B. P. R. D. Suite (Marco Beltrami)

18. Bonus Track 1 – Icarus (Jason Webley)

19. Bonus Track 2 – Swelling Itching Brain (DEVO)

20. Bonus Track 3 – Dance While the Sky Crashes Down (Jason Webley)

21. Bonus Track 4 – Dragon Attack (Queen)

#age of worms #soundtrack #long post #feedback

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