#shamura loves their siblings to death

[citrenecult]

Drawing the bishops because I love them so much 😭

[alllgator-blood]

I call this one "found family but it goes horribly wrong in an irreparable way" :)

I've been doing a lot of cotl comics but I kinda lost my comic making endurance after not working on art since last september, so I made this to help me flex my art muscles. Apologies for the watermarks lmao they kinda kill the mood but I've already had people repost my art when I put it on reddit so...might as well get the credit if my stuff is gonna be reposted regardless. RAMBLE INCOMING!!

Thinking about how shamura was most likely the one to find + raise their adopted siblings and help them survive the mass deicide that happened thousands of years before....OUUGH. I have so many ideas for comics that take place when half the bishops were still lil kids. I have one in progress right now actually. But it just hurts when I remember how it all ends- they loved their family for so long and yet they credit their love as what caused it to fall apart!!! The lore of the bishops only sunk in when I was dealing with my own heavy sibling angst, and I was like wow....shamura supported the sibs so much they accidentally encouraged their brother into being a heretic, and couldn't close pandora's box in time to save him or the rest of the family. They blame themself for the past 1,000 years and seem to be totally okay with dying for what they did?? Like when they get sent to the shadow realm they tell you to "finish the job" instead of leaving them in purgatory. And despite being the bishop of war, they are the only bishop to not have a "desperate" phase where their attacks get more brutal. They're not desperate, they just want to get it over with. All their other siblings are dead by then anyway so it's not like they have anything to stick around for, even if they were healthy enough to win the battle. Plus I mean...narinder is the bishop of death so they probably just want to see him one last time. Owch

Don't get me wrong I love to hate narinder and his only role in my cult is the guy who cleans the outhouse, but I really like his dynamic with shamura vs. the other siblings. I kinda see him as the troubled kid that couldn't assimilate into the family and shamura took it upon themself to try and fix him. It's interesting thinking about how they're the only one he shows remorse for despite feeling the most betrayed by them. I don't think he 100% hates them, he's just been locked in gay baby jail for so long he's had nothing better to think about than "my sibling encouraged me to experiment with my godly duties, and then punished me for it!!". He's not wrong? But also is shamura that wrong either??? Idk it's complicated with no real answer and I like it a lot, I wish the game told us more about what the bishops were like before they got their shit rocked during the schism. I would've loved to see shamura before their brain was turned to mush by their tbi + 1,000 years of suffocating grief and crushing guilt :)

ANYWAY thanks for making it to the bottom of this rant, here is a sketch I did a while ago of shamura + baby leshy from a prequel au thing I don't have a name for yet:

[aveloka-draws]

HNBGHHHHHH!! FOAMING AT THE MOUTH RN!! I ABSOLUTELY ADORE HOW YOU DRAW THE COTL CHARACTERS!! I LOVE YOUR KALLAMAR, SHAMURA AND LESHYCAT SO MUCH!!

Also quick questions! What's your idea of The Lamb's family before it was just them now? (Like if they had siblings, names for their parents, etc.) and I wanna know how you draw or portray Sozo!

Thank you so much! haven't come up with lambs life before, might be fun to try and draw it sometime. ANYWAY forget about that this ask mentioned sozo

Pov you had to join a death cult to get rehab and also their food made you younger what

[bamsara]

feel free to ignore this ask if it's too spoilery, but what kind of sibling relationship did narinder have with the other bishops before the betrayal?

was it more of a "i have a formal obligation to you since we're related" or "gods forbid you ask me for a singular corn chip, but i would kill someone for you"

Def the second one. Please pardon me because I'm about to ramble for a long minute.

The relationship between him and his siblings are very much built on sibling rivlerly but also care. They might have had spats about godhood and domains and spars with power, but they still supported each other and cared for each other; when you're an immortal god, really the only company you'll have in the end who understands you is your immortal siblings.

They will scold each other, help each other, tease and mock each other, maybe playfully sabotouge eachother, but they were eachothers family.

I've put some hints into it in my fic so I hope it's okay if I explain/point out some of them:

They helped each other with their domains and temples, respectivly, and sparred with one another, which is how I hc how Narinder is able to give The Lamb advice on how to fight them. They sqaubbled and bickered but it was all in care, and they had each other for eons.They were each other's support pillars.

At least back then. Now, there's a bitterness and resentment, not just between Narinder and the siblings but also the siblings themselves, possibly because of how the situation with Narinder went. Kallamar himself says to to kill Shamura and not him, and that it was not his idea to chain Narinder. Heket talks about grief and suffering:

Heket's ingame dialogue:

They both speak of suffering and grief. Possibly, suffering because of the pain sewn through the family when everything fell apart, and grief I can only imagine because they felt like they had to kill and/or chain their brother in the afterlife. Clearly there is love, or there used to be love in the family, and that love is lost or killed now. Suffering and grief. Resentment; because even after everything; Narinder, is STILL causing rifts and suffering for the family.

Kallamar's dialogue:

Kallamar is absolutley terrified of Narinder, his younger brother, who is the God of Death, and states that it was not his idea to chain him for his 'ideals'. Possibly because Narinder's crime was to create resurrection, to undo death, which would be wonderful for somone like Kallamar who is so deeply afraid of dying and suffers from cowardice. I imagine that Kallamar did not agree with his sibling's will to chain Narinder but didn't have the spine to go against them when Narinder threatened to unbalance everything. Thus; some resentment.

Shamura's ingame dialogue:

Shamura states that overtime Narinder grew discontent with being the limitations of Death. This is possibly when he began to look into creating the concept of resurrection, something that would reverse the 'absolute'. Possibly he would be very powerful with the ability to reverse death as many would seek that sort of safety. But it horrificly unbalances the nature of things.

How? The promise of Resurrection makes sacrifice and the fear of death useless.

Heket cannot control her followers with the promise of feasts or threats of famine if they can simply come back from death of starvation. Kallamar's followers would not fear disease or sickness if they were just going to revive after dying. Those who worship Shamura would not try to gain their favor for war, battle or knowledge if they were able to just resurrect if they lost. I'm not sure how it would affect Leshy's following, but I can imagine it's the same kind of outcome.

And still Shamura loved their brother, even aknowledging that they, the four siblings, were the ones to betray Narinder in the end. 'Of your own turned against you'.

It was Shamura that made the decision to chain Narinder in the underworld. It was Shamura who blames themselves for planting the idea of change, that something could be better, into Narinder's head, and it was Shamura who realized that the freedom of change that was allowed to themselves could not be allowed to Death himself, and made the other siblings join them to seal The One Who Waits away.

I'd like to think that the siblings each loved their family, at least before. There's resentment and bitterness now, hatred from betrayal and animosity between not just Narinder but possibly a little through the four siblings as well.

That being said, Shamura clearly still cares about Narinder or at least thinks back on him fondly in the dialogue of the blame. I'd like to think that there's grief like Heket says, and the others feel the same. They grieve him.

And in my story, I'd like to think that Narinder grieves them too.

So yeah. It was def 'a gods forbid you ask me for a singular corn chip, but i would kill someone for you' type of family, at least before it all went to hell.

[yanderes-galore]

yandere lamb with a bishop darling?

I can try my hand at this, sure! I really want to write more for this game but no one requests it :')

Yandere! The Lamb with Bishop! Darling

(FT. Yandere! Platonic! Narinder/TOWW)

Pairing: Romantic (The Lamb)/Platonic (Narinder/TOWW)

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Worship yandere, Cults, Violence/Murder, Dubious relationship.

The Bishops are deities worshipped in the Old Faith.

The religion itself is cruel and inhumane, often requiring sacrifices of unwilling subjects.

The Bishops themselves, your siblings, could be considered cruel themselves.

Narinder, Bishop of Death, was sealed away after harming his siblings, you yourself may even have an injury from him too.

Leshy, the Bishop of Chaos, has always been too arrogant of his power.

Heket, the Bishop of Famine, is often aggressive and brings hunger to her followers.

Kallamar, Bishop of Pestilence, is a coward who brings sickness to his followers and fails to lead them.

Shamura, Bishop of War, often forced obedience through mind control.

Compared to your siblings and this religion, you could be a Bishop in two ways.

Perhaps you're better than them, the hope the followers need to continue suffering under the others.

Or maybe you're just as bad as your siblings?

(I'm biased to you being some sort of Bishop of Hope and Radiance yet you can be anything you want)

The point is, The Lamb may want to worship a Bishop! Darling.

Sure, they are meant to worship Narinder to free him... meaning they may have to slay you.

But The Lamb can't bring themselves to!

Even more so if you genuinely care for your followers.

I feel what would make this story even more intense is if Narinder was attached to you as his sibling.

That way he'd probably ask The Lamb to spare you, to force you into a messenger of the new cult.

After all, the other four betrayed him...

Not you.

Honestly just the thought of The Lamb trying to appease you is adorable.

Narinder prefers sacrifices, so The Lamb tries to pick followers they think you'll like.

You're given gold as wealth and often given gifts.

Even if The Lamb had to slay you, they'd probably bring you back to make you a follower.

The Lamb's obsession is only encouraged if Narinder likes you.

Narinder trusts The Lamb to convert you and your followers... along with treating you well.

To you, you may even find The Lamb's attempts at worship and maybe even courtship cute.

They bleat towards you before offering you gifts.

They conduct sermons about you and Narinder.

You're often depicted as the sibling of TOWW and are worshipped as such.

Anything romantic would be sort of strange unless you were made a follower.

The Lamb's romantic attractions towards you while you're still a deity may be more akin to someone saying they "love God" or something similar.

They love you and devote themselves to you.

Narinder, your brother, may even see The Lamb as a connection you two share.

A temporary connection... as TOWW has plans to ditch The Lamb once he is free.

You may see The Lamb as a follower of your own... or maybe even a pet.

You often speak to The Lamb, asking how their conquest is going.

You are aware of what they must do... it's bittersweet.

On one hand, your siblings (and maybe you) had it coming.

On the other hand... you wish none of this has to happen.

The Lamb tries to distract you from your mourning.

As Leshy, Heket, Kallamar, and Shamura fall... The Lamb tries to comfort you.

You try not to blame the pawn too much....

They are Narinder's form of punishment.

Lambs should never have been targeted in the first place after all.

It was foolish to think Narinder would never return.

As a result, you are in acceptance of your fate.

You accept The Lamb's offerings and bless them on their journeys.

You aren't sure how things will go when Narinder returns.

From what you hear, the Bishop of Death seems eager to see you again.

Part of you fears what's to come, but the others tried to fight it and perished...

So why should you?

The Lamb is often the one to pull you from your thoughts.

They come back from their crusades all proud and happy.

They always come to see you at your land and at the cult.

Knowing you can't fight the return of your brother, you aid his pawn.

His pawn, The Lamb, appears to adore you just as much.

The Lamb isn't entirely an intense yandere when you're a Bishop.

They come to see you often and try to follow where you go.

They only wish to worship you alongside your remaining brother!

You are wise enough to know you can't fight fate compared to your siblings...

So you accept The Lamb's offerings and adoration... which includes all of their love.

You wonder if Narinder will spare The Lamb once he comes back to rule yet again.

[cult-of-the-placeholder]

I like to imagine that Shamura always knew.

They have the gift of prophecy, after all: on the day of Narinder's birth, when Shamura first takes the infant god into their arms, they know. Their clairvoyance shows a distant future, an angry, hateful Narinder, wielding a great, cursed scythe with terrifying mastery, bellowing at Shamura to take up arms and fight him.

The vision splits, two possibilities at once: they can either do as demanded and fight their little brother--who's no more than a soft, mewling infant in the present, delicately holding onto their finger and cooing at them in wonder--and their overwhelming power of the eldest all at once will quell him. They can strike him down there with a single, decisive blow, and Narinder will collapse to the ground, crown shattering and lifeless body splayed out grotesquely. Shamura's siblings will shun them for killing Narinder, and the grief will slowly drive them insane.

Or... they can refuse to fight. If they refuse to raise their hand to their brother, Narinder will best them easily. Becoming increasingly more angry as he slashes and strikes them, shrieking at their older sibling to, "Fight me, damn you! Fight me!"

Shamura sees their own skull cleaved, sees the other bishops rush to defend them. They see Heket's throat torn out, Leshy's eyes gouged, Kallamar's ears ripped from his head. He sees them all, bloody and beaten, retreating. He sees them bandaging one another's wounds, sees them forging unholy shackles and chains that could hold their brother. His death is something they want to avoid, even after he injures them so.

Shamura knows better than anyone that a prophecy cannot be outrun or outsmarted, but they still try. What else can they do? The vision leaves them suddenly and the newborn god in their arms is whining with discomfort--tears have begun to drip off their cheeks and have speckled the poor child's face. They gently wipe them away, heart pounding with nerves, and nestle the baby close against their chest.

They try so hard. They run themselves ragged over the next several hundred thousand years, taking every preventative measure they can. They search endlessly for more visions, for some kind of hint, something they can do to change it. They vow to love Narinder completely, infinitely, and their other brothers and little sister as well. Perhaps if they loves him enough, treasures and cherishes them and gives them each the entirety of their heart, this horrible future can be evaded. Delayed. Denied.

Surely something must cause Narinder to raise his blades against them. They nip every problem in the bud, they raise the four other gods with grace and love, hands warm and kind when they need to be, just as they are firm and stern when it is necessary. The other 4 bishops grow in great power, and they love each child endlessly. Especially Narinder. The little god of death is the only one that shares their passion for the written word, and so often retreats into Shamura's vast libraries to study poetry and prose alike. Sometimes they read together, first with Narinder seated directly in their lap, then sitting together shoulder-to-shoulder when he's grown too big for that. Shamura is sure to express their affections each and every time, so that Narinder can never forget how loved he is.

Millenium pass by the hundreds, and the horrible prophecy hasn't yet come to pass, and Shamura tries valiantly to forget it. The world grows and matures and worships them, and their siblings have become fine rulers indeed. The lands prosper, endless devotion for them to dine on and grow ever stronger.

Then... Narinder asks Shamura about the prospect of change. Changing death's rules, carving out a new and uncertain future, letting the mortals walk again after having left the waking realm, and not in the means of rebirth, no: rather, instead, he spoke of granting their souls a second chance in a revived body.

It's blasphemous. It's heinous. It's unnatural.

Shamura cannot allow him to violate the laws of nature. They forbid he do such things, and that night they're plagued with the nightmarish vision again, but this time only one ending plays out: their skull is split because they refuse to fight him. It's happening so fast all around them, and they go to Narinder in the middle of the night. Hugs him desperately, grasping his shoulders with all four hands, begging him to remember that he is loved and that something like this shouldn't come between them. Begs him to reconsider, but refrains from telling him about the prophecy. Telling someone of a percieved inevitability often acted to push them directly towards it. Fate was ironic like that.

They beg Narinder not to, beg him to just stay as he is, and their little brother is so confused. And when Shamura refuses to tell him what is going on, he becomes suspicious. Bids they go away, and disappears into a dark portal to a place where Shamura can't track him.

It devolves from there. Shamura knows what's coming and is powerless to stop it--they stop sleeping, they stop eating, they withdraw entirely and throw themselves desperately into their forbidden library, searching for something, anything they can do to change their fate. A loss like this will be felt for thousands of years to come, and their heart can't bear it. Shamura spends days, weeks, months, years in a restless trance, mind stretched thin as their desperation drives them to search for a solution that does not exist. A long time for mortals to be sure, but for a god it could be the blink of an eye. While they have been deep in the recesses of ethereal knowledge, Narinder has grown considerably more bored, more angry, more isolated.

When Narinder comes to them, scythe in hand, Shamura is exhausted. It has been so long since they drank from their followers' devotion. Narinder comes to challenge them, a fight for death, he says--death will evolve, and if Shamura wants to stop it they will have to kill him. Or at the very least beat him into submission.

And Shamura can't. Their worst nightmare is playing out in real time right before their eyes, and they do nothing when Narinder's pitch black blade comes down on them. They're crying, silently, tears of grief flowing down their face because they know what's coming. If they raise their arms and fight their brother, Narinder will die.

They can't. They won't. Not to their baby brother.

[doodlemelody]

Narilamb fight each other while falling for each other?

i couldnt think about how to draw them fighting bc thinking about drawing a fight scene with my mouse gives me hives BUT....

did make me think abut how they fell in love w each other in my au so...

rambling as to why/some backstory for both under the cut!

for the lamb: in my au the lamb grew up with someone who worshipped narinder as the bishop of death in a very large way, and grew up hearing about him but not really being a believer.

they were on the run their entire life. and then they were sacrificed.

and then there he was: the deity that their only family worshipped had saved them, he was real, and gave them a reason to live, and gave them the thing they never had their whole existence: power. a way to fight back against the people who took everything from them

for narinder: narinder grew up as a wanderer in my au as well, but with his siblings. he was the fighter in the group, did as shamura said wholeheartedly, and helped devise the idea of taking the crowns from the (now previous) bishops.

he was a natural born warrior. instinctive. and he only got better.

he has never been bested. not in battle. (he was tricked, to be imprisoned) not in over 6,000 years. and certainly not like this. never by someone he's seen so any sides of that he hadn't realized until he wasn't as manic.

he has not been bested by someone so gentle, so kind, that loves to just talk and talk and talk to him and yet has an insatiable bloodlust for anything that stands in their way.

those tiny hands have held his face gently, and now they struggle not to wring the life from his now mortal form.

and also i fell in love with nari first sight too so. like. :)

[bumbling-in-boogie-land]

I'm gonna start writing the text/translation down here instead in image description :O

prev/next (not done!!)

Text undercut! WARNING!! SOME SUGGESTIVE TEXT/EXPLAINATION OF SOMETHING SUGGESTIVE!

lets leave before it arrives, shall we?

hold up..

WELL I'M LEAVING!

NARINDER!!

WAIT!!! I HAVE A QUESTION!!!

BYE!!!!

Narinder, as your leader I--

WHAT?

FINALLY TAKING YOUR ROLE AS A GOD SERIOUSLY??

WELL GO ON!

I'm at your service after all! DEMAND I TALK ABOUT IT.

Wish for me to spill my guts out for you? just say the word. (just SAYING NARINDER KNOWS HOW TO TEASE THE LAMB AND TURN THEM INTO A BUMBLING MESS, so uhh, here he's kinddaa,, uhhh grinding on them uh uh uh but it's not very obvious but uhh that's what's happening there, hence the suggestive tag but it's okay Lamb loves it and he knows they do so erm)

WEL WELL WELL, DEATH DOING WHAT THEY SHAN'T, AGAIN

THOUGH I MUST SAY... YOU'VE UPPED YOUR TASTES

NO WHINY STORE MERCHANT TO BED YOUR SIBLING TO SEND YOUR KITS TO SEE YOU. TO SAY GOODBYE

THEY HAD NOT THE STRENGTH TO SEND MORE TO YOUR REALM. NOT WITHOUT MY HELP

Nari, lets just go.

YOU'RE WRONG!!

DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL?

SHAMURA HAD NOT THE WILL OR WIT TO ENSNARE MY YOUNG TO MY PRISON

[justarandomlambblog]

I was possessed by a thought

Modern-ish au but in a "thousands of years post-canon universe"

In which Lamb did not spare Narinder and when they saved the Bishops from Purgatory, actually put them to rest (aka sent them to the After) and oops, the Bishops + Narinder accidentally reincarnated while the Lamb wasn't watching

(Part 2 here)

In this life, the Bishops are still siblings and all were born with magic; Narinder became a priest, and though the other Bishops were raised in the temple alongside him they chose to pursue careers outside of the priesthood. Heket runs a restaurant (of course), Kallamar makes jewelry and sells crystals (he has healing magic so his crystals are literal healing crystals :) ), Leshy is a gardener and Shamura runs a bookshop (I'm sure you're noticing a theme here- their past lives are affecting their new ones). Their past lives' injuries have actually carried over, only instead of being injuries they're disabilities they were born with; Shamura their memory issues, Kallamar is deaf, Heket is mute, Leshy is blind, and Narinder has chronic pain (he WAS in chains for a thousand years, his muscles were ATROPHIED and his joints destROYED, and you cannot convince me otherwise). Not shown here; Narinder also uses a cane and on his really bad days a wheelchair.

Heket: Get a whole pumpkin Narinder, who can't lift more than 20 pounds:

Why do Narinder (and the Bishops) look the same and have the same name? Well. The world may have forgotten them, but the universe hasn't.

Aym and Baal are immortals from their time in the After in this world, and though at first they were resistant to helping the Lamb, eventually they saw they needed Help™ and had no idea what they were doing, and having been witness and aid to Narinder's job for centuries they knew how to help. Over the millennia they fell into the old familiar role of being the guardians of Death (Forneus is also an immortal so don't worry they're not separated again) and are in a constant state of Done With Lamb's Shit (/affectionate).

... I actually really love how Lamb turned out here. It was fun drawing them Older. And quite a flip with making them look older than Narinder. The society that's been built up is still religious but no one recognizes Lamb because they've changed so much over the last two thousand years, and the fact they're a sheep doesn't raise any red flags as sheep have migrated to the Lands from other continents. They're rare but not unheard of.

The Crown fits in by disguising as various types of pets, though no matter its form it always has one eye. This time it's a bird, and it recognized Narinder from a mile away :) The mind forgets but the soul remembers....

[marte-14]

The eyes of the Bishops and The One Who Waits are very intersting to me.

The other day I was thinking how much I love the designs which portray the Lamb and Narinder with a third eye.

Obviously my obsession came in and I started to overthink about how Narinder's third eye actually has a function and is somehow more powerful (in a sense) than his siblings with multiple eyes.

As Gods all of them technically have a bigger perception of reality (for example in their realms they don't need to be preset to see that you have entered) and eyes in general are a representation of divine powers in every world.

Now Leshy (even if he is blind) and Shamura are both insects and it makes sense from a biological point of view why they have more than two eyes.

Kallamar only has two but squids are like that as well.

Heket and Narinder are different, she has 4 eyes and Narinder has 3.

Still I do think they don't have the same "function".

I believe that Heket eyes are a more divine mutation, a sign of being a God just like the fact that they are all very tall.

On the other hand, Narinder's third eye is also a sign of divine mutation but it has a function as well: been able to see the Beyond, his realm as the God of Death.

His siblings and their realms are in the same plane of existence as the Cult, in fact inside them there are villages but Narinder realm is the one where he was confined, which is the Beyond.

All of this brings sense to two things:

1. Why we apparently don't feel the imbalance of the world and of the Beyond, it's ??? who has to tell us since we still don't have a third eye, the Lamb is still an infant God.

2. Narinder in his followers form has his third eye closed, which means he cannot see the Beyond.

Shamura and Heket also have their multiple eyes shown in their follower form but for the style of the game they are very simple and appear closed, but I think it's just a style choice and they are actually open (like Webber multiple eyes which are small white dots)

Narinder's third eye isn't a small detail, it's actually as big as his other eyes but stays closed.

This brings a reflection in how powerful Narinder was.

He was Death which is just absolute, you cannot kill Death in fact we take his place.

His third eye is not only a symbol of godhood but also an important part of him (the placement and same proportion of his other two eyes) making him able to see the Beyond.

It makes sense that his siblings were worried about his need to have more power, Death consumes everything and what they were Gods of just had as consequence Death.

When I noticed that there were differences in the number of eyes of the siblings I thought they may have indicated how old they were but since Shamura has 4 eyes it doesn't really make sense.

But now I think it's not about the number of eyes but about the function of said eyes.

(pls I spent too much time writing this down)

[shentheauthor]

I hate drawing Shamura I HATE IT

Extras under the cut

Leshy:

He will just eat soil. He likes it, first of all, and second it actually helps him figure out soil quality

He likes how chaotically the crops are organized in the cult

But he also hates how the lamb doesn’t know anything about good farming practices

“STOP USING SHIT AS FERTILIZER”

Works with the yellow cat (Thistle)

Absolutely breaks decorations for fun

He’s in the pillory a lot because of this

Narinder is banned from the farms because leshy won’t stop trying to bite him

Kallamar is also banned because leshy doesn’t want him messing with the crops

Digs holes in the cult, then covers them up badly so people will fall in

Heket:

She’s actually really good at cooking, but she often refuses to cook well

So she’ll burn food on purpose

Steals crops from the storage chests

Literally always hungry

Conspires with leshy to steal more crops

Has trouble speaking, so she uses sign language

She also writes notes, but her handwriting is terrible

Kallamar is banned from the kitchen

Most of the cult is banned from the kitchen

Heket rules the kitchen with an iron fist

Hates the lamb SO much

Kallamar:

One of the most loyal of their siblings (desperation will do that)

Still a coward, but actually pretty chill??

“I’ve already experienced the worst death countless times, nothing could possibly be worse than that.”

Sass master

He really should not be allowed to be a doctor. He knows how to prevent diseases, yeah, but he doesn’t actually do his job

Will poison the food (which is why he’s banned from the kitchen)

Encourages the lamb to keep using shit as fertilizer

“I want to see how quickly pathogens will spread through this community”

Negative rizz, somehow gets bitches still

Actually very pathetic around his crushes

Entitled brat

MATERIAL GWORL

Shamura:

The most loyal aside from Narinder

Mostly because they’ve accepted their fate

*slaps top of their head* this spider can fit so much regret in them

Likes to spend time with kids

Very confused most of the time

On bad days, they call children by their siblings’ names

On REALLY bad days, they dissent and try to kill the lamb, thinking they’re still at war

The elders love Shamura

They miss Narinder so much

They still get prophecies, but they’re impossible to decipher now

Unless ;)

[circuscountdowns]

Hello! I’ve sent messages before (such as asking about the bishops’ fate much later in the timeline) but this is my first time asking something off of anonymous!

During the 1000 years or so they lived as mortals, did your lamb and the bishops eventually consider each other friends?* Playing Knucklebones together makes me guess “yes”, but well

Your comment about the lamb slowly waiting for them to request natural deaths made me curious

*In what I assume is a complicated sort of way for obvious reasons

oh yes I loved that ask! I thought about it the whole time i was working on that comic! (And to answer that second half oops) Aym and Baal got whatever Forneus got going on that keeps her alive, and traveled overseas after their explorations of the land of Old Faith. After that contact was lost, and Lamb and Narinder were never really sure what happened to them. They Empty Nest Narinder’s ass in a whole new way asdfghjkl he’d never have to grieve their death really just their departure (if they ever do die idk I’ll leave that open. Makes me sad to think of kitties dying :( skdjsksj)

Friends is a fun word. I think the idea of friends implies choice, and for the Lamb there really was no choice. Complete in-laws situations. The bishops are more than just ex-gods they wish to punish, they’re their catboy’s siblings. And though for a while Narinder tried to cold-shoulder the Bishops, that’s still he family and the cult is only so big. At one point you cross paths on the way to the outhouse yknow. Does the Lamb feel a kinship with these last few people to experience Godhood? Yes. Do they see themself a lot in Shamura and hate them with every fiber of their being? Yes. Are they going to make sure their injury is treated seriously and they get whatever they need? Yes. Are they a little sad when the day comes they ask for death? Sad for Narinder’s sake.

At the very least they were all comfortable together and it brought entertainment. With how long the bishops have been alive, they bring a lot of funny stories to the table.

Heket to the day she dies remains Lamb Hater #1. They may have introduced her to her wife (who IS actually friends with the Lamb. Go figure), but she can hold a grudge like no ones business. It is on sight insult the moment Lamb’s in the room. But also if the knucklebones tournament taking too long, she’s taking the lamb’s bed for herself everyone else get da floor.

leshy has chronic youngest brother disease and it works on the lamb begrudgingly. As long as he stays funny, he can probably get away with a lot. Kallamar is just content to be alive and will push at Lamb’s patience as far as it can go. Shamura sometimes forgets why they should hate the lamb and sees only the thing that makes Narinder happy.

leshy dies once on a mission and it is to the lamb’s delight when the bishops look at them with clenched fists and a blasphemous (to the Old Faith’s beliefs) demand on the tip of their tongues.

this is longer than it needed to be I just love complicated dynamics. I can talk about it for hours. Thanks for the asks!!! <3

[itsartlee]

So... I may have redesigned The Lamb.. AGAIN- BUT HEY Now they are with Narinder's design!

I know the art isn't GREAT but I tried I swear I tried! Also wanted to make Lamb a little chubby, but the Chub eventually turns to muscle but not tonned muscles.

Info on Lamb and Narinder Below

Lambert Info

The Lamb, or as I have heard people call them Lambert, started out as a farmer's child. They were a big Mama's kid, a little too hyper at times, but hey, that's what chores on the farm are for. Lambert loved learning to cook with their Mama. They mostly worked in the weat fields, but then the genocide of the Lamb's happened when they were about 18. Lambert saw their entire village get destroyed, and their mom and Pa, along with siblings, die. Lambert was able to get away for a while. Other Lamb's at the time were still getting hunted. They had nightmares a lot during this time. They were finally caught at the age of 25 and sent to death, literally. The Lamb than was told to start a Cult in The One Who Wait's name. The Lamb, in my version, only excepted because they wanted to survive. Survival for their creatures, that and a bit of revenge weighed on their mind to slaughter the creatures that slaughtered their people. The Lamb tried to make the cult more like a safe haven than anything. Yes their were times when sacrifices had to be made, but it was mostly peaceful. At first their were a lot of decenters, but The Lamb only retaught them. The Lamb was soft, lenient. It helped the cult's numbers grow. After a couple of centuries, the Lamb got used to their role. No longer nervous when giving sermons, better at helping followers, better housing, dying a lot less, sometimes only dying in stupid ways to see their God, killing hertics, and witness getting easier. However, the Bishops? Now, that was hard. Each one is more difficult than the last. But eventually, they did it. Their Cult bigger. The Lamb changed. At first a sweet and kind soul, now a blood stained killer of gods. They expected that would be it. Narinder would be fear... but Narinder needed a sacrifice. It was than they knew they should have listened to Shamura... a scarfical Lamb was all they were. So they became a traitor and fought Nardiner almost dying, but in the end.. The Lamb one... they still held that softness and love for their former god. They spared Naridner, and Narinder was furious. It was not easy to get Narinder to settle down to not destroy The Cult to nothing. But after a long time they were able to at least calm him down, and stop him from trying to kill The Lamb. It was around this time that Lambert learned of a Mystic seller, how they were now a infant god, and how the Bishops of old were stuck in purgatory. The Lamb felt... bad for the old faith. Yes they slaughtered their kind but after learning their story with Narinder? They felt bad for both sides. So now they are trying to right their wrongs.

Narinder Info:

He was the second of the Bishop Siblings. Grew up being close to Shamura, and did get along with Heket sneaking her food, but as he got older he god bolder. Wanting change, but death never changes, one day after years of pent up rage and jealously, He snapped and attacked his siblings, taking Leshy's eye, taking Heket's throat, taking Kallamar's ears, and his older sibling Shamura's head. As one would say "See no evil, Speak no evil, hear no evil, and think no evil.." Narinder was than locked up in his domain. Until a Lamb came. The Lamb did their job if not annoyingly being nice to their followers. But when The Lamb came to be slaughtered, they refused. First Baal fell than Aym, than Narinder. The Lamb tried to get him to join their 'community' but Narinder was wrathful and attacked. It took a while for Narinder to get use to everything. Being somewhat mortal. The Lamb never gave up being nice it was... annoying. But eventually Narinder calms down. Him and The Lamb eventually work together.. but now.. his siblings need to be slaughtered once more.

[kedicatt-cotl]

Books of the different cults were very different.

In Darkwood, most of the books were quite simple, written on birch bark with sharp objects like stones. Leshy was never a big fan of writing, and most of his cult was illiterate. He just didn’t see a point in trading materials with his siblings Life in the Green Crown cult was quite chill. Darkwood is rich with resources required for surviving, so the followers always had plenty of free time which they spent to create folklore tales that was passed down generations. They worked on all different kinds of creative crafts including pottery and creating music instruments. Leshy wasn’t a big part of it himself, but he loved the stories and still rememers some of them.

Warlike Heket made sure Anura had enough paper and ink, imported from Shamura’s and Kallamar’s cults. The books were all about the technical stuff, like drawings of weapons and houses and things like most effective hunting tactics. The Yellow Crown cult was all about optimization and perfection. It had lots of great blacksmiths, including Heket herself.

Despite Anchordeep trading ink to the other cults, their land had humidity too high to use real books. They had to scribble things on large flat stones. The Blue Crown cult books had a lot of informations on the useless, shiny and pretty things. They designed decoration and found dozens of uses to the crystal shards, from putting them on rings to using them to make kaleidoscopes. The followers often worked with the other cults and combined the skills in order to make better things. Some of them even left to the Silk Cradle, wrote books and left them there for Shamura to store. Kallamar was never too good at inventing new things, but he always had a good taste in decorating.

Silk Cradle used to trade paper to the other cults. They got ink from Anchordeep and wrote books and scrolls on scientific and philosophical topics. The Purple Crown cult researched anything that could be researched, from dyes to plant types. Shamura was actively participating in the life of his cult. They taught all of his followers himself, leading learning sessions for them every once in a while.

Narinder’s cult and Narinder himself were busy writing about completely different things. Legends have it that the old Red Crown followers were writing made up stories. Most of them are likely destroyed by now, with no one to look after them for ages. Narinder himself was too busy with his experiments to see what exactly his cult was writing. He did all kinds of things, trying to find a way to use the Crown’s power to stop death. Restoring and reattaching bodyparts and bringing bodies back from death after different amounts of time has passed, this was the work of his life quite literally. He wrote multiple books, listing the results of his experiments and how he got to them.

The main issue is - they can’t do it again now. Narinder doesn’t remember what he wrote in enough detail, and Lamb’s skill of using the Crown is not yet good enough to just try and find the new ways anytime soon. Sure, Lamb may be able to resurrect people, but he doesn’t actually know how he does that - the ability was passed to him by Narinder while he controlled the Crown, and Lamb doesn’t have any clear understanding of it.

Narinder and Lamb are searching for those books now, hoping that the information in them would help to heal Narinder’s siblings.

[kallamars-spouse]

In defense of my wife…

Disclaimer: I use she/her pronouns for Kallamar. Why? That’s a transfemme lesbian squid and she told me that while I killed her with a warhammer. 

I am also viewing this following essay through the lenses of the Bishops and their family and how they treat each other. This isn’t a defense of how they treat mortals, and isn’t about anything beyond Gods at all.

I understand why Kallamar would tell the Lamb to kill Shamura instead of her. I also think there’s more nuance to it than “omg she would sell out Shammy!” when Shamura is absolutely not blameless. None of the Bishops are. I’m the Bishops’ BIGGEST fan, but I’m not going to act like their family isn’t dysfunctional as all Hell. Now, let’s start from the top. 

The age order from eldest to youngest is Shamura, Kallamar, Narinder, Heket, and Leshy. We can tell in the game that Shamura’s favorite was Narinder simply due to the fact they still love him, refused to kill him when we know it’s possible, and kickstarted an entire extinction of a species to ensure he would never be free- but that he would be alive. 

x

From Narinder’s dialogue, we can deduce that he hates Kallamar the most. 

“Kallamar was always a coward. This land is a better place now her pathetic, sniveling carcass is nothing more than a mound of rotting flesh.“

This isn’t elaborated upon, but his words after her death are downright the most vicious. Narinder says that his older sister was ALWAYS a coward.

Shamura also says this about Kallamar, and as the eldest they would’ve known her longer than Narinder has.

“Kallamar was always frightened of the Red Crown. Yes, fear made a coward of her.”

This implies that not only was Kallamar not always what we see her as, but that Shamura believes her to be afraid of the Red Crown itself. Yet, this is what Kallamar says.

“It seems you cannot be stopped by disease or hunger. And he sends you back from death stronger each time. Please know, it was not my idea to cast out the Red Crown! The other Bishops, my siblings, the blame lies with them. Please, I beg you, spare me. Kill Shamura, but do not send me to my death. Do not send me to him!”

Kallamar acknowledges that neither she nor Heket could stop the Lamb, and that she doesn’t believe she could win against them. That’s why she begs for mercy. 

She states that locking Narinder up wasn’t her idea.

At this point in the story if you kill them in the canon order, Leshy and Heket are already dead. Kallamar throwing them under the bus does not matter, as she knows they are dead. 

Lastly, Kallamar expresses fear over Narinder. The Red Crown isn’t what scares her. Death isn’t what scares her. It is Narinder himself.

x

Shamura is the one who made the call to lock Narinder up, as they directly state themself.

“Though no longer wise, I am no fool. I know the end draws near. I can take some comfort in confession. The blame hangs heavy 'round my neck. I introduced him to ideas of change; for my domain is knowledge, and it is ever evolving. An organic state of being for myself, but for him… most unnatural. Death cannot flow backward. It was I who had him chained. Forced into subjugation by the four of us.”

It was not a group decision. It was Shamura’s word, and their siblings obeyed them without question. They blame themself, as they’re the one who was letting him “explore” his domain. Since it’s implied that reversing death (for example, resurrection) is heresy, only then did they step in. I assume after this, perhaps Shamura plotted to chain him, Narinder discovered, and that’s why he struck first. Or he directly attacked due to Shamura and the others “turning against him”, and that’s why he was imprisoned. We aren’t told exactly. 

All we know is the Bishops have injuries, but Narinder does not. There’s no way in Hell that he could take them on all at the same time, nor that he could beat Shamura or Kallamar. Both of them are more powerful than he is. You could argue that Kallamar wouldn’t fight back, but that would ignore her violence towards the Lamb (who she was terrified of). Shamura is the Bishop of War, and they wouldn’t have willingly let Narinder attack them. Heket sure as Hell wouldn’t have let Narinder get away unscathed if he attacked her head on. Leshy is the only one who wouldn’t have stood a chance.

This makes it seem like he stalked and attacked them while they weren’t aware. 

x

So, we know why Narinder did what he did. He said he was betrayed. But we also know that it was Shamura’s idea to imprison him, so why did he target his entire family? 

This I believe was out of spite for Shamura themself, as they were obviously devoted to their siblings. 

They’re willing to fight the Lamb, knowing they’d be slaughtered, simply in the honor of the other three Bishops. 

They kept Narinder alive because they couldn’t bear to kill him. They even brought two innocent children to him so that he wouldn’t be “lonely”.

They already know what’s to come, but they still show up to Anchordeep to send enemies the Lamb’s way just to buy Kallamar more time to live.

They always appear by their siblings’ sides when they confront the Lamb, save for Kallamar. They still are there though, just in the background.

x

Back to Kallamar. This squid could’ve hopped into the ocean and left. She chose not to, even though she was terrified. She doesn’t attempt to fortify the door to her temple. She flat out tells the Lamb where she’ll be. She has her weapons already on her by the time they arrive.

I just feel like if you don’t give a fuck, you wouldn’t do all that. Why is it just assumed that she is selfish and didn’t love her siblings? Because she was terrified and saying anything to avoid being sent to Narinder? 

Would you want to be sent to your abusive relative who despises you? 

Would you not feel a bit angry that your eldest sibling would choose to keep this absolute lunatic alive, even against common sense and the safety of yourself and your younger siblings.

Would you feel a sense of blind loyalty to someone who values your ABUSER over you? 

Kallamar was afraid of Narinder before he ripped her ears off. Why is that? You aren’t just terrified of somebody for no reason. 

The Lamb kills her younger siblings. 

Kallamar knows she will be sent straight to him, condemned to eternal suffering.

Like what are we expecting from her? “Ah yeah, this is fine. I’m fine. I’m not upset at all that my enabler of a sibling chose an abuser over me, refused to put him down after he revealed himself to be unhinged, and forced me and the others into a wild goose chase concerning sheep. I’m not at all bothered that my baby siblings have been slaughtered and that I’m next. Me personally? I’m chilling!”

🙄 Y’all always on this “Narinder redemption”, WHAT ABOUT KALLAMAR? Why isn’t she allowed grace? The Bishops aren’t good creatures, but neither is their brother. We should acknowledge that and acknowledge the nuance. 

This post was brought to you by my homoerotic devotion for Kallamar and my long history of living in an abusive, dysfunctional household. 

[yanderes-galore]

Okay but imagine The Bishops Of The Old Faith having a darling and sharing them... That's my concept idea, thank you! :D

This'll probably be short due to the amount of characters but I'd love to experiment with this :) Idk if you wanted Narinder or not, but I included some sections with him.

Yandere! Bishops of The Old Faith General Concept/Idea

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic - Harem

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Cults/Religious themes, Overprotective/Possessive behavior, Isolation, Disturbing descriptions, Blood, Sacrifices, Violence, Forced companionship/relationship.

For this concept I imagine maybe you're some sort of companion/messenger for the Bishops.

Leshy is the youngest, the chaotic and egotistical ruler of Darkwood.

Heket is the sister of the Bishops, the cruel Bishop of Anura and a deity of famine.

Kallamar is the cowardly ruler of Anchordeep, always submissive to his fellow Bishops... he is a deity of pestilence.

Shamura is the wise yet surprisingly sympathetic ruler of Silk Cradle and deity of war.

Lastly there's Narinder, The One Who Waits, a sadistic/cruel deity of death who betrayed his siblings long ago... he resides in the afterlife but originally had a temple of his own.

Despite this... I HC Narinder was once loving towards his siblings and followers.

The Bishops of The Old Faith are powerful beings due to their crowns.

They are some of the last surviving gods in these realms.

You are a servant of The Old Faith, am enchanted mortal who serves the Bishops.

You have been given a prolonged lifespan... but are still vulnerable to death by other means.

As a servant, you have grown a bond with the Bishops.

Leshy often looks forward to your presence in Darkwood, welcoming you into his temple and growing gardens of flowers for you to enjoy.

As egotistical as he is, the young Bishop adores yours presence.

Heket often orders followers offer food to her so she can prepare feasts for her beloved friend and servant in Anura.

She warms up to you, as you are well loved servant of her siblings.

Kallamar shows giddy excitement when you visit Anchordeep, often supplying you medicine with Leshy's help if you need it.

Kallamar even enjoys creating trinkets from crystals to give you.

Shamura welcomes you to Silk Cradle with a fanged grin, soothing your mind with wise tales as you sit in a silk hammock.

They do hope their siblings have treated you well...

Narinder often invites you to his temple to help tend to the dead and wish them off to the afterlife.

Narinder is the one who has blessed you with a long lifespan... but he wishes he could make you fully immortal to all wounds.

Each Bishop loves you deeply, sharing you amongst themselves as you roam the regions.

Their bond with you often causes fights.

The typical sort of siblings fights... right up until Narinder's betrayal, at least.

For the most part they work together to care for their dear servant.

Followers who do not respect you are harshly punished by their Bishops.

You are a key figure in their faith, worshipped as the loyal servant of The Old Faith.

Even when Narinder betrays his siblings with differing beliefs, he tries to drag you into his prison to keep you away.

The other Bishops, his siblings, disagreed with such a thought.

Now your time with them is different.

The remaining Bishops are more cautious and overprotective of you.

While Narinder, now known as The One Who Waits, pines for you within his prison.

Leshy holds you close in the gardens of Darkwood, unable to see you due to his gouged eyes.

Heket keeps you fed, but conversation becomes harder for her.

Kallamar is now even more fearful than ever, hearing dulled due to Narinder's torment... he never wishes to let you go and begs you to stay with many crystal gifts.

Shamura is now less sane, yet still wise... always speaking in riddles and keeping you wrapped away in Silk Cradle for long periods of time.

The remaining Bishops keep you under close watch, protective yet thankful Narinder never got his claws on you.

Meanwhile Narinder plots his escape... planning to have his revenge for being imprisoned.

As lamb after lamb is slaughtered... growing fear makes the Bishops' obsession worse.

Your freedoms are restricted the longer things go on...

Soon your only relief may be Narinder's release at the hands of The Lamb.

Only then will your ties with Leshy, Heket, Kallamar, and Shamura will be lifted...

In exchange for possibly an even worse beast... changed from his previous self due to years of imprisonment.