#seed and sickle

[windvexer]

g r a d i e n t

seed & sickle oracle deck by fez inkwright

[spiralhouseshop]

New in the Spiral House Shop!

September 29, 2023

The Long Hidden Friend by John George Hohman Edited and Illustrated by Gemma Gary

Magic: A History: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present by Chris Gosden

The White Deer: Ecospirituality and the Mythic by Melinda Reidinger

Real Alchemy: A Primer of Practical Alchemy by Robert Allen Bartlet

Visual Alchemy: A Witch's Guide to Sigils, Art, and Magic by Laura Tempest Zakroff

How to Deal: Tarot for Everyday Life by Sami Main

Small Magics: Practical Secrets from am Appalachian Village Witch by H Byron Ballard

The Seed & Sickle Oracle Deck by Fez Inkwright

Crafting a Daily Practice: A Simple Course on Self-Commitment by T Thorne Coyle

The Gorgon's Guide To Magical Resistance edited by Laura Tempest Zakroff

[khajiit-reads]

hi khajiit! this is devildevotee.

baffy, he/him, the question you asked me is actually something i want to know too! in that i want to know "what is my next step?" and "what am i not seeing?" (if you don't want to/can't do two questions atm, feel free to choose between them).

for context, as you know i've been doing a lot of researching and resource gathering for the sake of knowledge. i've also been trying to get my environment to a workable state as my depression let things get dusty, messy, all that kinda stuff. i've also been trying to be balancing working hard and resting. i wanted to know if your deck or guides had an opinion for when all that is over, what is the next best thing for me to do? just generally.

additionally, i've been learning a lot of lessons from both my guides and the material i've been researching that have been giving me a lot of positive change in my mentality, but i want to know if there is anything i have failed to register that would also bring about positive change (i hope that makes sense). basically for the second question, i want to know if something has flown over my head that i should be implementing in my life.

thank you so much for offering readings! sorry this is so long haha.

Long asks my beloved. [ shoving all this context into my mouth ] /positive. Well met, internet traveler!

The spirit guide here to help is Minamitsu Murasa, from Touhou Project. She is the captain of the Palanquin Ship, and before that was a vengeful spirit who drowned ships out of essentially boredom, before being saved by Byakuren Hijiri.

The decks used are Citadel Oracle by Fez Inkwright (Dragoste, they/he/xe) as a significator - so not important to the reading itself - Seed and Sickle Oracle by Fez Inkwright (Dragoslav, he) with the Dusk guidebook, and Herbal Astrology Oracle by Adriana Ayales and Joséphine Klerks (Bonamie, she/qe).

Let's first tackle the first half of your question: What is your next step?

Pimpernel speaks about a crossroads, where no matter what the road you take, it's the right one. Ayahuasca speaks of divine message and guidance.

I think, ultimately, that means that, really, as long as you're earnest and listening to your spirit guides and all that... bit hard to fuck up!

We can also take what the rest of the meanings of Ayahuasca, which talks about rebirth, mastery, revelation, and more. Focus now on your growth and just changing into something new for growth and progress.

Your path has no wrong roads before you, and what you need to work on can be as simple as listening earnestly and moving forward. It can also note that no matter what you do, you got this in spades! No wrong answers this time.

And then: What are you not seeing?

Poppy speaks of grief, often unseen grief. Reversed Rue speaks of anger, self-criticism, and judgement.

Okay... hard question to ask: How are you feeling? You being kind to yourself? Are there emotions you're neglecting as you move forward with studying and researching? How does what you're learning make you feel, as well?

As the answer, I'd say it's that you're not recognizing your own depression very well. Perhaps you're being too hard on yourself and not focusing on self-compassion enough. You mention trying to balance working hard and resting, so I think this is a resounding "Rest more.", even if you're resting a lot already, and a "Ask yourself why you're depressed.", even if the answer is just "I just am".

Focus more on taking care of yourself during this time, and perhaps in moving forward as well. The right roads are ones lined with compassion and kindness.

Hard times can affect us and the steps we take. Make sure you heal fully before you make any major changes.

Thank you so much for your patience with me performing this reading.

Reviews are helpful, but optional. You can send them in replies, my ask box, or reblogging this post. Feel free to reblog this post with your thoughts in general, or without a review! You can also reblog my guidelines post if you like. If you feel particularly satisfied with my work, you may leave a tip in my Ko-fi.

Please do not reblog this post if you are not the querent. If you want something to reblog, please reblog my guidelines post. If there’s something within the post you want, you may ask, and depending on the request, I might fulfill it! Thank you!

I hope you, and all readers, have a wonderful day!

[margoshansons]

THE SEED AND THE SICKLE :: PROLOGUE

summary: After watching the light disappear from her beloved earth and her sister's lifeforms corrupted into monstrous beasts, Din takes matters into her own hands, and summons an unlikely hero to challenge fate and replenish what remains. {aka the legend of zelda: twilight princess with an original character}

Dusk choked Hyrule Castle. 

The oppressive nature of Twilight had sucked all the life from the once powerful fortress and all that was left were wandering souls too naive and incurious to pay any attention to the fact that their entire world was wiped away and replaced with monsters forced to do a false king’s bidding. 

Midna sneered as the bluish white figures passed them by, ignoring the shadows slipping through the endless orange skies under the cover of Twilight. Much like back home, Zant had spared no one. 

AO3

[jasper-tarot-reader]

Alright, bean, hit me.

Cry, they/ them

What do i need to know about my current life path?

💜🫘

Congrats, Cry, you get the Seed & Sickle oracle deck, with the Dusk interpretations of the cards (so, internal stuff). This has given you number 37, Thistle.

Friend oh friend oh friend. Thistles look spiky and unwelcome, but they're a valuable food source to birds and pollinators alike, so it represents true fulfillment. You have so much to give, and you have people around you who are willing to give back and help you out as much as they can. A joint relationship where you help others equally as they help you is the most emotionally satisfying part of it all. Sometimes, providing for others really is its own reward, when you can see just how much it means to them.

And hey, look! Most of this card is red, my favorite color. Who'd have seen that coming.

Thank you for reblogging my reading guidelines! I look forward to hearing what you think of this reading when you send your feedback!

~Jasper

[binary2step]

Well damn

[porloquevivoyo]

Timely pull

[temperamentalgreen]

Queenly Deo, the sender of splendid gifts 🌾

To Demeter Eleusinia. O universal mother, Deo famed, august, the source of wealth, and various named: great nurse, all-bounteous, blessed and divine, who joyest in peace; to nourish corn is thine. Goddess of seed, of fruits abundant, fair, harvest, and threshing are thy constant care. Lovely delightful queen, by all desired, who dwellest in Eleusis' holy vales retired. Nurse of all mortals, who benignant mind first ploughing oxen to the yoke confined; and gave to men what nature's wants require, with plenteous means of bliss, which all desire. In verdure flourishing, in glory bright, assessor of great Bromios bearing light: rejoicing in the reapers' sickles, kind, whose nature lucid, earthly, pure, we find. Prolific, venerable, nurse divine, thy daughter loving, holy Kore . A car with Drakones yoked 'tis thine to guide, and, orgies singing, round thy throne to ride. Only-begotten, much-producing queen, all flowers are thine, and fruits of lovely green. Bright Goddess, come, with summer's rich increase swelling and pregnant, leading smiling peace; come with fair concord and imperial health, and join with these a needful store of wealth. --- The Orphic hymn to Demeter

✿❊✿❊✿❊✿❊✿❊

Portrait of Demeter, I was mainly practicing working with colors and drew from a lot of artistic references for this. Overall, I'm happy with the piece (despite how rough and messy she still looks) , and I had a lot of fun working on this for her

🌾I hope that everyone is doing well, and may Demeter keep your plate full and your cup overflowing 🌾

[deusfoundry]

Hii again, sorry if I'm asking for a lot of Cedric requests (you can ignore this if you'd like). But there's this idea that's been plaguing my mind, where Cedric has always been told he has a lovely, charming, or beautiful smile that brightens up people's day or anything of the sort. But to him he doesn't really know what people mean when they say that. Until he sees reader's smile that just instanyly brightens up his day. "7 billion smiles, but yours is my favorite"

Thank you for reading thiss

hi nonnie! im assuming you're also the one who sent the ced request i got prior to this one and if so, please dont apologize!! i truly adore this man and i love writing for him! i hope i was able to do your prompt justice w this one eheh MWAH <333

if cedric's got a sickle for every time someone has told him he had a pretty smile, he'd be bloody rich by age fourteen.

he's heard it from everyone. from strangers on the street, older men with a head full of gray hair seeing a reflection of themselves decades ago in his youthful eyes. from letters he'd find slipped into his bag, secret admirers waxing poetic about his smile, how it had been enough to make the hour and a half they spend in snape's class bearable, how seeing him from across the great hall at dinner was the one thing they look forward to the most.

he's heard it first, and perhaps most often, from his own mother, who'd take his cheeks into her hands and look at him as if she's holding the entire galaxy between her palms.

"you've got the loveliest smile, my dear boy. never lose it."

but he doesn't know what it means, to have a smile that brightens up the room. he can't wrap his mind around how one tiny smile can be enough to rid someone free of the burdens they accumulate as dawn turns to dusk.

cedric doesn't understand until he finds himself tucked in a corner of the library, buried under a mountain of books and parchment on what's supposed to be a weekend spent at hogsmeade.

he normally has a better hand at managing his responsibilities, but the combination of head boy duties, quidditch season starting in two weeks, and the workload that comes with n.e.w.t. level classes has made it impossible to do anything but thank merlin that he even manages to get through a single day.

cedric fights the urge to groan as he feels the seeds of an all familiar headache sprouting. an invisible force pounds against his head, a faint thud every few seconds that sends a twitch to his eye, but he knows it won't take long until he feels like an ogre is bashing his head against the thick books laying in front of him.

he wishes nothing more than for you to be here, with your own share of work, filling the stifling silence of his own little corner of the library with your frantic scribbling on parchment.

you'd let him take a break by now, body slumping against yours as he slots his head on the crook of your neck. he would breathe you in, greedily, and bite back a grin when you giggle at the ticklish feeling of his nose brushing against your skin. your fingers would find themselves tangled with his hair, tugging at the roots and digging at his scalp with enough pressure to release the tension on his shoulders.

he needs you, overwhelmingly so, but your friends had already whisked you off to hogsmeade before he could even ask if you'd want to join him.

at this point, he'd much rather take the ogre than spend another second alone.

"there you are."

cedric's head snaps towards the direction of your voice. he knows you're talking, watches the open and close of your mouth and the almost animated expressions your face dons as you approach him, but he's not hearing any of it.

he sees your smile, a reflection of the sun and the stars, and finally, he understands just how powerful it can be. he remains in a trance even as you clear a spot on the table for you to sit. his body moves entirely on auto-pilot, thighs spreading apart to make way for your legs as he drags himself and his chair closer to you. you've barely touched him, and yet he feels as if he's being pulled into a warm embrace by the clouds as you fish for his hand, locking your fingers together.

"love? are you alright?"

cedric swiftly slides his arms around your waist. he rests his head on your lap and hopes that the quiet hum he lets out is enough to quell your worries.

"better, bug. now that you're here."

vividly, he can imagine the face you make. a grimace in feigned disgust, your bottom lip between your teeth as you try to hold back a giggle.

"that's cheesy, ced." you give his head a light shove before running your fingers through his hair, to which cedric responds with a laugh and the tightening of his arms. he's given you no chance of escape, palms clutching onto the flesh.

"it's the truth."

and it is. if your smile had been enough to ease the ache in his body, brighten his day despite his workload that refuses to decrease, what more now that he's got you in his arms.

[lady-boketto]

10.Slasher! Simon "Ghost" Riley (Call of Duty NSFW)

Summary: Ghost is a serial killer and during one of his sprees, he comes across an unsuspecting couple who are having fun in the woods.

A/n: For an easter egg I wanted this to be the unofficial part two of the Gaz one I wrote yesterday where you and Gaz are the couple in this one lol. But anyway enjoy!

The dark woods felt like home. The way the thick tree trunks groaned under the weight of the breeze. The rush of air cutting right down to the bone with its icy bite. This was where he belonged, stalking through the darkness, weaving through the forest like a shadow. With only the moon to bare witness to the sin of bloodlust.

Leaves crunched under his heavy boots, the soft plinks of blood flowing from the sickle he held tightly in hand, creating an eerie trail as he shifted through the woods aimlessly. Tonight was unlike any other, and he relished in the way the cold night embraced his masked face. He was still feeling the rush of adrenaline when he heard something unusual, in the distance he could make out a tent but that wasn't the part that caught his attention. It was the noises that could be heard coming from the tent.

Ghost made little to no sound as he stalked towards a large tree that was nearby, the roughness of the bark hitting the back of his jacket as he leaned against the oak tree. His breathing was calm as he made up his mind already to attack the unsuspecting couple in their most intimate moment, he was about to strike when was caught off guard by your voice.

“Just like that!~….M-more!”

Your voice cried out as your lover hit that special spot inside you that made your eyes roll to the back of your head. You couldn’t hold your voice back as it only spurred on your lover to grip your hips harder as they fucked you from behind. The sound of skin slapping against each other as Ghost was frozen in his place outside in the cold, he was enchanted by your moans. You sounded so desperate to be fucked, all the blood in his body rushed to his groin as something in him awoken upon hearing your pleas.

Ghost leaned his head back against the wood, letting out a deep sigh as he gently tossed his weapon to the side, letting it hit the ground with a soft thud before he started to fiddle with the zipper of his jeans. Sighing heavily as one his hands starts to rub his growing erection, while he continues to listen in on the sinful noises that were coming from a few feet away from him. His thoughts get the better of him as can’t help but fantasize that he’s the one fucking your brains out.

Instead Ghost is pushing his pants down just enough to free his cock from his boxers, shivering at the cold air that immediately hits his pale skin as he grips the base of his cock. He eagerly begins to stroke his cock to the sounds of your moans, biting his bottom lip under his mask as he uses his other hand to cup and gently squeeze his balls. His mind teases him as he pictures how you would look underneath him as he pounds into you or how good your lips would look wrapped around his cock.

“You feel so good! I-I’m close!”

His torture continues as he hears you beg for your release.

‘That’s it, take it’

His voice echoes in his mind, his movements becoming sloppier as he felt his body heat up from arousal. With a couple of final strokes Ghost cums with a groan, staining the ground with his seed. His chest rises and falls as he tries to catch his breath, taking a moment to recover and cleaning himself up the best he can before fixing his pants.

Just as Ghost leans down to pick up his weapon, he hears you cry out one last time as he figures that you’ve reached your climax. A smirk pulls at his lips under his mask, this was perfect timing as he feels his bloodlust from earlier return.

‘This is going to be fun.’

[thecreaturecodex]

Great Old One, Mormo

Image © @chimeride, accessed at his tumblr here

[Monster Number 1900! And, in honor of that milestone, I am finally, finally, posting the statistics for Mormo, Goddess of Predators. She's been haunting this blog for about a year now, being one of the prime movers and shakers in the Age of Monsters campaign seed I sewed back last May, and have been teasing with NPCs and articles. She was intended to have been posted as a capstone to the "Monster Girl Summer" theme last year, but life got in the way.

She is also written in tribute to @abominationimperatrix. Of all of the people who I have met through my writing, she is the one who is most dear to me, and the Age of Monsters was inspired by us going from friends and confidants to lovers and soulmates last April. The Age of Monsters is intended to be a campaign that ties into our shared love of thinking with monsters, about deep ecology, weird creatures and world mythology, and of the importance of love and trust in a time of global chaos and destruction. I love you, Goddess, my Dearest Friend.]

Mormo CR 28 N Outsider This titan is a reptilian humanoid the size of a giant. She has a nest of writhing serpents for hair and six arms, each ending in long sickle claws. She is a serpent from the waist down, although a mass of scar tissue reveals she once had two tails that grew like legs from a pair of hips. Her remaining tail ends in a bushel of thorny spines. A pair of wings like those of a primeval reptile grow from her back.

Mormo The First Medusa, Goddess of Predators N Great Old One of ecology, reptiles and terror Domains Knowledge, Scalykind, Strength, Trickery Subdomains Competition, Fear*, Thought, Venom Worshipers druids, goblins, gnolls, naturalists Minions monsters of all kinds (especially hybrids) Holy Symbol a medusa’s head in profile Favored Weapon claw (or sickle) *clerics of Mormo can use the Fear subdomain to modify the Trickery domain

Mormo is the Goddess of Predators. She was born from the fear felt by the first animal with enough imagination to see a shadow and think it a predator. For millions of years, she was bestial, primordial, little more than a serpentine shadow, but as sapience developed and the gods began to take interest in souls, her mind sharpened, and she became as dangerous for her strategies as her teeth and claws. Mormo views the natural world as one to be studied in order to best determine what to hunt and how to hunt it, with the unblinking patience of a snake. Her hunts, and those of her followers, are focused to maintain the active equilibrium of ecological balance—reducing overpopulated species, controlling trophic cascades, and taking out species that consume more than their fair share of resources.

Mormo was once called the Mother of Monsters, and many species of monster found throughout the planes are her descendants. Mormo’s descendants tend to be creatures that combine mammalian and reptilian or avian features; griffons, medusae, chimeras and dragonnes are among her creations. In the past, she had many lovers and created new species with their lineages. The most notorious of these collaborators was Typhon, a Lord of Hell and former asura rana, created from the divine mistake of allowing dragons to proliferate. Despite his evil nature, Typhon truly loved Mormo, and spread cults of her under the alias “Echidna”. Mormo cared little for her humanoid followers, preferring the worship of the powerful individual monsters who hunted by her side. But Mormo also had enemies. And she was gazed upon with hungry eyes by Lamashtu, then a demon of infanticide who sought to become the Lord of Beasts and Queen of Demons. And Mother of Monsters.

Lamashtu ambushed Mormo, and was victorious after a battle that lasted for a full day. Lamashtu ripped the baby from Mormo’s womb and raised him as her own; this is Typhon’s last son, Abraxas. Lamashtu tore off one of Mormo’s twin tails, which regenerated into a cancerous creature on its own right. This was the origin of Geryon, who spread treacherous lies suggesting that Typhon and Lamashtu were lovers. This got Typhon demoted and murdered by Asmodeus; Geryon took Typhon’s place as a Lord of Hell and spent millennia erasing his predecessor from history. The blood that spilled from both combatant’s wounds grew into creatures with serpentine and humanoid traits; Mormo’s blood became the first nagas, and Lamashtu’s the first mariliths. And Mormo was slain, reborn as a mundane snake to regenerate in the First World for centuries, and maintaining her cosmic sulk for millennia more

But now Mormo stirs in her slumber. And she is ready to take her revenge.

As befits a Goddess of Predators, Mormo is a terror in combat. Millennia of dormancy and a closer tie to the natural world than other Great Old Ones has stripped her of an unnatural presence, but her fourfould gaze can petrify, paralyze, terrorize or merely strike enemies dead. She is extremely venomous, and those that have survived her venom report, chillingly, that it induces euphoria even as it breaks down tissue into a bloody mess. She uses her fangs (both in her own mouth and those in her serpentine hair) and claws in melee, and can fire the spines from her tail like arrows. One of Mormo’s most recently developed talents is witchcraft. She has made an arcane bond with the phouka Gigi, and Gigi treats Mormo as a patron even as Mormo treats Gigi as a familiar for storing spells. Gigi spends most of her days separate from Mormo on the Material Plane, and so Mormo usually maintains a small spell selection through Spell Mastery. If she is encountered with Gigi, Mormo has access to a much wider variety of spells (all witch spells from the Core Rulebook at least).

The cult of Mormo is small and scattered, but the First Medusa pays it much more heed than she did in her youth. Religious rituals include studying nature and monsters (either through texts or in the field), hunting for food, and mock chases and hunts among the congregation. Supplicants often use makeup, costumes, and illusion and transmutation magic to appear as different types of predators and prey for these hunts. Once someone is “caught”, the result is play fighting, sex or both instead of actual killing or consumption. Mormo’s worshippers value diversity of all kinds, and are often allies of other divinities with portfolios involving nature, scholarship and hedonism. As goblin and gnoll societies break free of Lamashtu’s influence, they often find Mormo, and her cult is growing fastest among these two species.

Mormo CR 28 XP 4,915,200 N Huge outsider (Great Old One) Init +22; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +42, scent

Defense AC 45, touch 26, flat-footed 37 (-2 size, +8 Dex, +10 insight, +19 natural) hp 688 (32d10+512); fast healing 20 Fort +26, Ref +26, Will +27 DR 20/epic; Immune ability damage, ability drain, aging, cold, death effects, disease, energy drain, flanking, mind-influencing effects, paralysis, petrification; Resist acid 30, electricity 30, fire 30; SR 39 Defensive Abilities freedom of movement, immortality, insanity (DC 38), otherworldly insight

Offense Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft. fly 60 ft. (average) Melee 2 bites +44 (2d6+14 plus poison), 6 claws +44 (1d12+14/19-20), tail slap +39 (3d8+21 plus grab) Ranged 6 spines +38 (1d8+14) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks constrict (2d8+21),devolutionary nightmare, favored enemy (+6, +4, +4, +2, +2), fourfold gaze, poison, powerful blows (tail slap), rend (2 claws, 1d12+21) Spell-like Abilities CL 28th, concentration +40 Constant—freedom of movement, true seeing At will—cloudkill (DC 27), dream, fear (DC 26), greater animal aspect, greater scrying (DC 26), greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs objects only), nightmare (DC 27), pernicious poison 3/day—quickened baleful polymorph (DC 27), quickened bloody claws, finger of death (DC 29), polymorph any object (DC 30), reincarnate, stone to flesh 1/day—discern location, maze, moment of prescience, plane shift (DC 29), shapechange

Spells CL 20th, concentration +32 9th—quickened cure critical wounds (x2, DC 27), dominate monster (DC 31), shapechange (x2) 8th—quickened divine power (x2), quickened enervation, horrid wilting (x2, DC 30), mind blank 7th—extended greater heroism, heal (DC 29, x2), quickened vampiric touch (x2), waves of ecstasy (DC 29) 6th—quickened bull’s strength, greater dispel magic (x3), greater heroism (x2) 5th—cure critical wounds (DC 27, x2), extended divine power, feeblemind (DC 27, x2), quickened mage armor 4th—extended arcane sight, divine power (x2), enervation (x3), neutralize poison (DC 26) 3rd—arcane sight, ray of exhaustion (x3, DC 25), vampiric touch (x2) 2nd—bull’s strength (x2), cure moderate wounds (DC 24, x3), perceive cues (x2) 1st—comprehend languages (x3), divine favor (x3), mage armor 0th—detect magic, read magic

Statistics Str 39, Dex 27, Con 42, Int 34, Wis 24, Cha 35 Base Atk +32; CMB +48 (+52 grapple); CMD 66 (cannot be tripped) Feats Combat Reflexes, Deadly Aim,Extend Spell, Greater Sunder, Improved Critical (claw), Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Quicken SLA (baleful polymorph, bloody claws), Quicken Spell, Spell Mastery (x2) Skills Acrobatics +44, Bluff +47, Diplomacy +44, Fly +38, Intimidate +47, Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, geography, local, religion) +44, Knowledge (nature, planes) +47, Perception +46, Sense Motive +42, Spellcraft +44, Stealth +35, Survival +45, Use Magic Device +44; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception Languages Aklo, Draconic, Infernal, Sylvan, telepathy 100 ft. SQ no breath, planar acclimation, swift tracking, thagomizer

Ecology Environment any land or underground (First World) Organization unique Treasure double standard

Special Abilities Devolutionary Nightmare (Sp) Any creature affected by Mormo’s nightmare spell like ability must succeed a DC 38 Will save or be affected by a primal regression spell for the next 24 hours. Favored Enemy (Ex) Mormo gains the favored enemy ability of a 20th level ranger, except that she can change what creature types and subtypes count as her favored enemies after resting for 8 hours. Fourfold Gaze (Su) Mormo has a gaze attack with a range of 60 feet. She may change the effects of her gaze, or suppress it, as a free action once per turn. The possible effects are: 1. panicked 1 minute (Will DC 38) 2. paralyzed 1 round (Will DC 38) 3. petrification (Fort DC 38) 4. 200 points of damage (Fort DC 38 negates) This is a mind-influencing effect, and the saving throw is Charisma based. Immortality (Ex) If Mormo is slain, she is reborn as a viper on the First World. Every 100 years, Mormo gains a size category until she reaches Huge size, whereupon she molts her skin and is reborn in her true form. Planar Acclimation (Ex) Mormo is always considered to be on her home plane, regardless of what plane she finds herself upon. She never gains the extraplanar subtype. Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 42; duration 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 2d4 Con damage and stunned 1d4 rounds; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution based. Spells Mormo can cast spells as a 20th level witch with the Strength patron. The spells listed above are the ones Mormo has taken Spell Mastery feats to prepare. Spines (Ex) As a standard action, Mormo can fire six spines from her tail. Treat each spine as a ranged attack roll with a thrown weapon with a range increment of 100 feet. Each spine deals 1d8 damage plus Mormo’s Strength modifier on a successful hit. Swift Tracking (Ex) Mormo does not suffer a penalty to Survival checks made to follow tracks at her normal speed, and only takes a -10 penalty for following tracks at double speed. Thagomizer (Ex) Mormo’s tail slap attack deals bludgeoning and piercing damage.

[northern-passage]

The Northern Passage Pantheon & Miscellaneous Lore

I wanted to make a post that compiled all the gods together, with their descriptions and role in the pantheon, as well as some visuals just for fun :-)

The three wolves-- the Wolfmother, the Sun, and the Moon, form the top pyramid of the pantheon. While the Wolfmother is the head, the twins are equals as the foundation.

The Wolfmother

The Wolfmother was the "surrogate" mother for mankind (the imagery of The Capitoline Wolf inspired me a lot with her). When mankind first stumbled out of the sea, the Wolfmother took them in alongside her three children, and gifted them their own realm, ensuring humanity's survival. She is both the god of mercy and cruelty, and is linked to life, motherhood, and the home. She is also seen as the one who brings the change of the seasons-- initiating the "turn of the wheel" and guiding the twins on their journey through the sky each day and night.

The Wolfmother is always depicted as a golden wolf with golden eyes.

Imagery: a wolf, tree of life, the Mercy Sword

The Sun

The Sun is one of the Wolfmother's twin children. There are variations on both her's and her sister's myth, where the sun is sometimes depicted as her eye, and other times where she is depicted as chasing the sun up and down the sky in tandem with her sister and the moon. She is the god of the harvest and flame, as well as war and peace. The Sun is also linked with curiosity and naivety, and is considered the "younger" twin.

The Sun is always depicted as a black-brown wolf with golden eyes.

Imagery: the sun/sun discs, fire, sprouting seeds, sickle and scythe

The Moon

The Moon is one of the Wolfmother's twin children. There are variations on both her's and her sister's myth, where the moon is sometimes depicted as her eye, and other times where she is depicted as chasing the moon up and down the sky in tandem with her sister and the sun. She is the god of transformation and the hunt, as well as vengeance and forgiveness. The Moon is also invoked when a traveler is in need of guidance and safe passage; her moon and stars are said to guide many of the lost back onto their paths. She often clashes with the Stormbringer over the tides.

The Moon is always depicted as a black-blue wolf with grey eyes.

Imagery: the moon/phases of the moon, stars, ocean waves, compasses, white flowers, bow and arrow

The Firstborn

The Firstborn is not included in the pantheon, and when they are depicted with the other wolves, they are always placed beneath them. They are a shunned god, cast out and locked beneath the sea after they became jealous of mankind.

In the creation myth, it is believed that the Wolfmother formed the earth, and the Firstborn dug out the sea. When the twins were born, the Sun warmed the water while the Moon churned the tides, and the world became lush and green. From the foam of breaking waves humans were born, crawling out of the sea and shedding their water-skins in awe of the world the wolves had created.

It is said that over time, the Firstborn became bitter, flooding the world and fighting with their siblings, until the Wolfmother was forced to cast them out.

(There are variations of the creation myth where humans are more directly linked to seals-- inspired by the selkie-- but it is not a widely accepted belief and often frowned upon due to the Stormbringer's potential connection with the Firstborn. It is more popular in Gael than in Adrania or Yulan.)

The Firstborn is always depicted as a white wolf with golden eyes.

Imagery: the Firstborn does not have a lot of iconography; most often, they are invoked with images of chains

Fun sidenote: I designed the wolves with coastal/sea wolves in mind. They tend to have a variety of warmer brown coats with a lot of unique variations. The image I used for the Wolfmother is actually a coastal wolf, taken by Paul Nicklen. They live semi-aquatic lifestyles and have diets largely consisting of seafood.

The Stormbringer

The Stormbringer rose from the sea after the fall of the Firstborn. She is one of the more "ambiguous" gods-- she will just as easily curse a man as bless him. While she is often linked to the tides, she is a god of the wind and sky, unpredictable and dangerous out on the sea. Many sailors pray to the Stormbringer for safe passage, and offer sacrifices such as food and gold and specially crafted ritual weapons before embarking on their travels.

She is often depicted as a rival to the Moon, fighting over the tides and the hunt. She is a violent god, and many question if she is connected to the Firstborn in some way, due to the timing of her arrival and her appearance-- she is considered the "wolf" of the sea.

Many worship the Stormbringer out of a mixture of fear and reverence. Her places of worship crowd ports and fishing towns-- anyone who has to face the wrath of the sea.

The Stormbringer is depicted as a naked woman with the head of a leopard seal. In Yulan, she is depicted with a wolf-eared serpent's head, instead. The Kópakonan statue of the Faroe Islands inspired me with her.

Imagery: crossed axes, lightning bolts, ocean waves, sea serpent

The Messenger

The Messenger is the god of omens and death. Another ambiguous god, it is seen as more benevolent in northern Adrania and Gael, but more malicious down south. It is the duty of the Messenger to speak to humanity, to deliver their omens as well as bring them their deaths. The Messenger is also a shapeshifter, and often shifts between the favored shapes of crow, wolf, and antlered deer. In the south, a person who glimpses an omen is considered cursed; while in the north, it is considered a blessing to be warned by the gods. The Messenger has been a part of the world for as long as the Wolfmother-- it is her companion and confidant among the pantheon.

The Messenger has a sort of cult following-- those who worship death. It is considered a fringe religion and is not recognized within Adrania, though there are well-established cloisters if you know where to look.

The "true" form of the Messenger is an anthropomorphic crow with many arms and many eyes. Unlike the others, this god is almost always referred to as it.

Imagery: crows, ravens, antlers, black wings, feathers, green flame

The Traveler

The Traveler is a trickster god, the god of mischief and wayward souls-- and the only one who was supposedly once mortal (this is debated). Clementine will tell the hunter his story in game: a lone traveler, mauled by wolves and left to die, saved only by the small bell in his pocket. Now, the Traveler watches over those who would walk alone and moves freely between realms; when the Messenger brings death, the Traveler comes close behind to ensure the souls of the dead find their way home (but only after tricking them three times).

Similar to the Messenger, the Traveler has his own followers, and is especially worshipped by more nomadic groups who live on the road and in the flatlands.

The Traveler is depicted as a man with the head of a coyote, wearing a long, dusty, hooded brown cloak. The Messenger's story was heavily inspired by the biker superstition of guardian/spirit bells.

Imagery: bells, coyotes and dogs, walking stick, flute (different variations carry different instruments)

Sidenote: Due to magic being derived from nature, the people in the TNP world also participate in a lot of nature worship; it's not a coincidence that their gods are all animals.

The Vel

The Vel separates mankind's realm from all the other realms beyond, erected by the Wolfmother to keep humanity safe. The gods can pass freely through the Vel, but humans cannot. Only hunters who have gone through the Ladder can safely access the magic of the Vel, though there are many people who still try, and as a result are corrupted by its power. The Vel was created through blood magic, a dark magic that is now forbidden from practice and punishable by death.

When the Vel is damaged (it tends to thin around areas that have seen a lot of violence and death) it can result in creatures from the other realms slipping through, or the Vel's magic manifesting into something malevolent. Wraiths, as an example, are people that have died in violent ways, both spirit and Vel becoming wounded and festering together.

Spirits

The spirit realm is supposedly one of the realms beyond the Vel, and where it's said the Traveler guides the dead once their business here has been concluded. Spirits are common throughout the world, from nature spirits to more traditional "hauntings"; spirits are fully capable of being malicious even without being corrupted by the Vel, though they are easier to deal with this way. People across all three continents have different burial traditions, but it is widely believed that a proper burial will allow a spirit to rest.

In Gael, the dead are buried, but in Adrania, they are burned on a pyre. In Yulan, they are buried in large family crypts, and ancestors are worshipped at altars along with the gods.

[khajiit-reads]

OH, if we're doing as many as we want, I'll put the rest under the read more.

⛤ Tarot of the Divine | Yoshi Yoshitani (better picture honestly. so reposting it)

⛤ Under the Oak Tarot | Ofride & StregaDelleMele

⛤ Gold Foil Tarot | unknown, it's a mass produced deck... foolish mistakes as my first bought deck (this is the one that beats people up lovingly so she gets a favorite slot because it's so iconic)

⛤ Crystal Ball Pocket Oracle | Athene Noctua

⛤ Citadel Oracle | Fez Inkwright

⛤ Seed & Sickle Oracle | Fez Inkwright (again)

⛤ StarDragons Oracle | Paolo Barbieri

⛤ Herbal Astrology Oracle | Adriana Ayales

⛤ Enchanted Blossoms Oracle | Carla Morrow

⛤ Touhou Poker Deck | the folks who made the game Mystia's Izakaya (home box is separate so not shown)

Thank you for the opportunity to show off my lovelies! Have a great day! I was originally gonna pop this in another post hence why some are links

witchblr!!!!

let's start a thread to show off our favorite tarot decks.

oracle and lenormand decks are welcome too!

i'll start - the antique anatomy tarot hands down best deck ever and i am proud to own the original edition.

[khajiit-reads]

Hi Khajiit! I'm Guinefort (he/him), and if possible, I'd like to ask for a Beltane Maypole Strings reading.

Since last November/December, I've got a lot going on regarding my spiritual practice/paradigm(s). Some Beings decided to stay, go away, or come back after years, and my personal cultus is changing and morphing into something new, but while it may sound cool and very dynamic, I'm feeling stagnant. I tried (and am trying) my best to understand what to do, but I feel there are some things that I can't get because I'm stuck in my own brain, and maybe I need an external pov.

May I have a general reading to see if there's something I can do about it? Thank you in advance!

Well met, internet traveler!

Each deck will be tackled as I get there to reduce the post being too terribly long and chaotic.

SOTW BELTANE (Tavish, he/they) -- Wildcat

To paraphrase the book, "Wildcat appears to alert you to something that isn't as it seems". You're missing something, there's something going on behind the scenes that you're not seeing very clearly. Like you're seeing it fuzzy, like the view for the nearsighted without glasses.

Spend some time analyzing things deeper than you have now, perhaps turning to personal divination to figure out what's really going on.

HERBAL ASTROLOGY (Bonamie, she/qe) -- Reversed Dandelion

Dandelion is the "wounded healer", the wounded inner child, and represents trauma, rejected instincts, and being inactive. This card is pretty much always a call to heal these things.

Do you find yourself constantly trying to pour from an empty cup? Are you inactive in caring for yourself, instead always providing for others? It's time to mend these behaviors and fix them.

PRISM (Iris, they/xhe) -- Creativity

Time to be creative! Face the old things in new ways, instead of trying to just rely on how you did things in the past. Shake things up, try new things. Be free!

ORACLE OF PLUTO (Senka, she/he) -- Devil

Ah, Devil. The outright meanings of this card is addiction, abuse, aggression, and control. As for the advice?

Let go of some of your need for control. Let things be. After you've verified things are as they are meant to be, and that things are honest and true, just... go with the flow, y'know? Trust in who you trust, and let things change. Holding onto control of the situation will make it all the harder for you to stop feeling stagnant.

SEED AND SICKLE (Dragoslav, he) -- (Dawn) Birch

This card speaks of relying on other people to help with new beginnings. Ask other people what they do with their practice, observe others, or just plainly ask those around you what they think of what's happening and what all is going on.

BOTANICAL INSPIRATIONS (Adonis, he/she/they) -- Sweet Pea

Enjoy the little things, and the big things too. Where does it feel good? Pursue that. Stagnant feelings often come because we do not welcome enough joy, and we're just living life on an autopilot. Actively seek out positive things, and pursue them seriously.

TREE KEEPERS (Aesc, they/xe) -- Keeper of Ease

And at the same time? Have peace. Know that things will be okay. If your belief system is that everything happens that is meant to, find peace within that as well. Know that the bad leads into good eventually, in time.

MAGICKAL BOTANICAL (Bellamy, they/she/he) -- Upright Henbane

Another card asking you to view things from a new perspective than you were before. There's not much to add to this one, but try and see things from new eyes.

ENCHANTED BLOSSOMS (Caoimhe, xhe) -- Beauty

See beauty in the changes. See beauty in how things are progressing and mutating. Things are beautiful, after all, and by viewing them from a new lens, you may find there's less stagnation.

WILD MYSTIC (Chrysanthemum, they/xy) -- Upright Elephant

Hold onto your memories of the past and know that they will guide you. Yes, you feel stuck in your own head, but it's important to know that your head is you, y'know? Like. you live there.

As well, is there anything you've done in the past that you really enjoyed, but had to let go of for one reason or another? Maybe it's time to return to that.

URBAN CROW (Hartwin, they) -- Routine

Unlike the cards name implies, I'm getting more the vibe of "break up your routine". Where you normally do x, then y, then z... maybe do y, z, x? Or add b into the mix, allow things to be mixed up in the mixing bowl of life.

EARTH & BONE (Gwydion, he/they) -- Wayfarer

Another card that says to seek truth, as well as saying to provide guidance to yourself from within and contemplate. I think you've contemplated enough, so instead focus on seeking truth in your situation.

MUSHROOM SPIRIT (Amara, it/xe) -- Shiitake

Nourish yourself! What makes you happy? What brings you peace? Pursue those things. Nourish yourself with everything you have and everything you need.

GREEN WITCH (Chocolate, she/they) -- Geranium

This card is more of a... general one? It is a good time to heal. It's a great time to heal, even. This change will be healing to you, and you should pursue this change, even if you need to do some further analyzing.

HANAFUDA (Eiyuu, he/they) -- August, First Mountain

This card speaks of unexpected things and chaos. I think this goes back into the very first card, about how you're not seeing things the way you're needing to.

UNDER THE OAK (Oscar, they/xe) -- Reversed XVI the Tower

This card is the change card, but in its reversed position, it speaks of fear of change, resisting it, etc. Are you actually accepting the change as it comes? Or are you finding yourself hoping and wishing for the way things used to be?

Overall, this came out more general advice-y than anything else. I hope that is okay. As well, some things are directly contradictory (try new things versus relying on older things that made you happy), but I think things like that are mended by using discernment where you need to do which one.

Thank you so much for your patience with me performing this reading.

Reviews are helpful, but optional. You can send them in replies, my ask box, or reblogging this post. Feel free to reblog this post with your thoughts in general, or without a review! You can also reblog my guidelines post if you like. If you feel particularly satisfied with my work, you may leave a tip in my Ko-fi.

Please do not reblog this post if you are not the querent. If you want something to reblog, please reblog my guidelines post. If there’s something within the post you want, you may ask, and depending on the request, I might fulfill it! Thank you!

I hope you, and all readers, have a wonderful day!

[noctilucid]

Dannymay Poetry - Day 7 Blood Blossoms

This one's my favorite of the year, I'm really proud of it.

"...Thank you Mia, that was very creative.  I don't think I've ever seen a student fit three poetic devices into a haiku before."  Mr. Lancer glanced to the clock in the back.  "Any more volunteers?"

Danny had scratched down sprawling lines in fits and starts, only to grab a second page.  It was unclear if he'd scrapped a first draft or was continuing, and Sam didn't want to ask and interrupt the creative process.  She looked around the room, and sensing the tide of interest waning, she finally raised her hand.  

"I'd like to go, Mr. Lancer."  

She focused on the solid weight of her boot soles as she walked to the front.  The A-Listers were still tittering, but they'd been whispering back and forth the entire class.  Sam was trying not to let it get to her, but it felt sharper now that it was her turn.  She was a little nervous, truth be told— she probably should have written an extra poem about something frivolous.  She probably should have pulled Danny and Tucker aside and told them about the blood blossoms before presenting.  

She'd meant to.  

She should have anticipated Danny's predicament and not left that conversation for the five minutes before class.  

But here she was.

"So, um.  I've been workshopping this poem for a while actually.  It's about that time that plants took over the town?  It's uh."  And here's the rub.  "It's told from the plants' perspective."  Sam's gaze skirted around the corner her friends sat in, avoiding Tucker.  

Paulina's scoff carried over the quiet shuffle of bodies.  "Of course she'd take the plants' side."

"Shh!"  Kwan leaned forward in his seat.  "She's really good!  Like, creepy, but good." 

And, strangely, hearing that helped.  

Sam took a quiet breath and stood a little taller.  "The title is Honeysuckle Thorns."  She let her hands fall to her sides.  She didn't need the paper. 

Seed growth, new leaf Turning to the daylight heat Wispy fibers spun and white  Cling to crevice in the street  Hot air stings with tar and bleach  Water rush or scarcely reach Crack the choked earth, make a way Through to silence underneath  Cold and packed and over-paved World forgotten as a grave  I can make new life of these I can build, a lost place saved Once a forest, once a moor Once estuary, eons before  Every fibre ages past Is still within my seedroom store  Deeptime memory, centuries mine Algae to moss, up from the brine Horsetail, cycads, ginkgo, pine Flowers unnamed, bright and fine And every crawling, chewing beast Has never bid our growth to cease

      Come, oh Green, and take your place. 

                  □ □ □ □

Up from night, under neon glow Quiet as a spider's feet Through foundation, along pipes From blue of moonlight to blue of screens Rattle of AC, hum of fridge,  Whirl of fan, thump of earbuds  Eyes full, ears full, mouths full Who could hear? Who could see? Until:  Heavy fragrance, honey-sweet And we, sewn deep in green reverie...

                   ▣▣▣▣

          Welcome back, apes.  Come home to the trees that made you.

                     ~*~

What? What pest is this? Biting, grinding, sickle cold Beasts awake, beasts dead,  Beasts, beasts, beasts! Savagery is not your domain alone— Remember now my thorns!

Oleander, manchineel Foxglove, hogweed, nettle-sting Urushiol, quinine,  Capsaicin, tannins, atropine Swollen drops of resin bleed Thorns and trichomes, raphides Every defense, try them all Last, most desperate, salt the earth With blood blossom—! That vilest seed  Might prove the only poison needed

Slow to bloom, and sewn too late  Outlive my need, my dormant hate But one day you will end this deed Go forth, my child, pierce his lungs                           and make him BLEED.

"Repetition, simile, personification." 

Kwan clapped with gusto in an otherwise silent room.  

Sam finally let herself look at the back corner.  Tucker's flat glare told her there would be words later.

Mr. Lancer was trying hard to keep his praise measured, but it was noise that slipped off her brain.  She turned in her paper and hurried back to her seat.  

"They won't germinate for a century anyway," she muttered as she settled next to Tucker.  

"And how long have you known about this?"  

Danny dropped his pencil and flipped his page back to the front, rereading.  The paper trembled a little in his hands.  

There was a pause in the ambient noise of the classroom.  "Last call for volunteers," Mr. Lancer said.  "Going once, going twice...  And we will go back to alphabetical order."  He took a few minutes to scan through his roster, checking off names as he went. 

"And next we have... Mr. Fenton."  He looked up and found Danny in his usual spot.  "Are you ready?"  

Danny shoved back his chair and stood, gathering his pages.  "Yeah," he said breathlessly.  "I am."

[jasper-tarot-reader]

Hello, I'd love a reading, if you're still doing them! If not, no worries. For the required information, here's what I have (in a list because I want to make it easy for you to read):

My initials: K.Q.C. or just K.C.

My pronouns: they/them

My question: How can I find/forge healthier, lasting friendships? Feel free to reword this if you feel that it's more helpful.

Background info: I've been having a really difficult time making friends who are healthy for me and last for a long time. I moved to a new state within the past year, and it's honestly been pretty hellish. :( Any advice around friendships, be it maintaining current ones or finding new ones, would be wonderful, even if it deviates from the initial question somewhat.

After the reading, I'll leave anonymous feedback for you under the same initials! :)

I adore you for doing the bulletpoints to help my poor brain. You are one of my favorite people tonight. For you, I am using the Seed & Sickle Oracle by Fez Inkwright, since it has both an internal (Dusk) and external (Dawn) meaning for every card. Your Dusk card is 47 Holly (a winter card) and your Dawn card is 21 Rowan (a summer card).

Your internal advice is to sit back and focus on yourself, because right now everything is overwhelming. Reaquaint yourself with your body, your mind, your soul or spirit (if you believe in such things), and everything that makes you into you. So long as you become self-aware (and actually self-aware, not "calling yourself self-aware only to be even more oblivious about yourself"), you'll be in a better position to figure out how to make friendships work.

Your external advice is to be more tenacious. You've been doing your best despite all of the problems that have come your way, and we applaud you for that! Your determination will pay off, and in the mean time, you are learning lessons brought on by the struggles you've faced in interacting with others.

Friendship is a goddamn mess, particularly in person. Online, it's so much easier to bond with people thanks to the veil of anonymity (however thin that veil is getting these days). In person? It's a whole other beast. Consistency, determination, self-awareness, and charisma will be your closest friends.

I hope this reading has helped in some way, KQC! If you feel so inclined, please feel free to send feedback in my ask box, leave feedback in a reblog of this reading, and/or reblog my reading guidelines!

~Jasper