#sorcery pact

[sparring-spirals]

oh this whole conversation and dynamic is fascinating. i love you. i hate the source of your power. you keep walking towards your power. do you love me? i love what you can do with your power. but not more than i love you. can you say the same?

you wouldn't lie to me again. would you. this isn't a one way road. im not feeding her, she's feeding me-

i don't understand.

if you can't reconcile with that, it's okay- *interrupts her with a kiss*

I'll never let you go. And if you need her. Then that's my answer.

(oh you two are fucked up fucked up. :'D)

[ratsnu]

no idea when im going to finish this so take the sketch for now !

my solution to dnd brainrot was just to create a way too fleshed out ham dnd au <3

[fantasy-scifi-art]

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Xander's Pact

Artist: Helge C. Balzer TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[rainfrazier]

@real-aspen-hours @fanishdaj @wings-liker yes yes yes thank you

[retroactivebakeries]

It is almost five centuries ago, and the girl who will one day be a swordswoman is lying in the red-tinged mud. She can't get up—broken bone? severed tendon? She can't tell. She's yet to cultivate her palate for pain. Her enemy towers over her, a cataphract mailed in screaming steel and poisoned light. His warhammer falls, and it is death, forever death, death unconquered and unconquerable.

"No," says a part of her. She is not even seventeen years old. Her body is mangled and broken, wound piled upon wound piled upon wound. A dull kitchen knife is her only weapon, though she lost that in the mud the second her grip faltered. Her enemy is no thing of this earth. And yet—

"No. It is not death, forever death, death unconquered and unconquerable. It is only a hammer, falling. It is only 'an attack.'"

And the girl understood.

~~~

It is the better part of three centuries ago, as best the swordswoman can reckon, and she is beset on all sides by foes. They are not monsters—just mountain bandits, or highland rebels, as one cares to see it. But they outnumber her by dozens, and even an exceptional swordswoman might struggle against but two opponents of lesser skill.

From in front of her, beside her, behind her they advance, striking from every angle with spears and blades and axes. Others fill the air with arrows, sling stones, firepots. It would be effortless, to parry any single blow. It would be impossible, physically impossible, to defend against them all.

"No," says a part of her.

"You are not outnumbered. You do not face 'multiple' foes. It would be impossible to defend against every attack — but there is no 'every' attack. Only one."

"Oh," the swordswoman said. And it was, in fact, effortless.

~~~

It is eighty years ago, or thereabouts. A coiling spire of stony flesh and verdigrised copper throbs like a tumor on the horizon, coaxed from the earth by spell and sacrifice. It is the tower of a sorcerer-prince, and a birthing place of abominations.

Seven locks of rune-etched metal are opened with her single key. Wretched shapeling beasts, grown by sorcery in vitreous nodules, flee wailing from her, absconding before she even draws her blade. Demons sworn to thousand-year pacts of service find the binding provisions of their agreements unexpectedly severed.

These things dissatisfy the sorcerer-prince. He waxes wroth. He makes signs of power and chants incantations. With a flask of godling's blood, he draws the binding sigil inscribed upon the moon's dark face. With cold fire burning in his eyes, he speaks the secret name of Death. It is a king among curses, all-corrupting, all-consuming, and it falls from his lips upon the swordswoman.

"No," she says, and she turns it aside with her blade.

The sorcerer-prince's brow furrows. How did she even do that?

"Parried it."

But—

"With my sword."

No—

"See, like this."

Stop—

"Well," the swordswoman finally says, "I figured that if I just...looked at it right, and thought about it, and construed your curse as a kind of attack...then I could block it."

That's not how it works at all!

"If you insist," says the swordswoman, shrugging, and decapitates him.

~~~

It is now. It is the end. Death couldn't take the swordswoman, not when she'd spent all her life cutting it up. At times, Death might sidle up to one of her friends, or peer down into a grandchild's crib, and she'd just give it a look. That's all it took, by then.

Heartache couldn't take her, either. Bad things happened to her, and they hurt, and she lived in that hurt, but if it was ever more than she could take...she'd just, move her sword in a way that's difficult to describe. And she'd keep going.

Kingdoms fell, and she kept going. Continents crumbled and sank into the sea. Her planet's star faded and froze. She started carrying a lantern. Universes were torn apart and scattered, until all that had been matter was redistributed in thermodynamic equilibrium. With one exception.

But now it is the end. There is no time left; time is already dead. The swordswoman has outlived reality, but there is simply no further she can go. This is not a thing that can be blocked. This is the absence of anything further to block.

"No," says the girl who will one day be a swordswoman. "This isn't the ending. And even if it was, it's not the ending that matters."

The swordswoman looks back at who she was, at the countless selves she's been between them. She looks forward, at the rapidly contracting point that remains of the future. She grasps the all of linear time in her mind, and sees that it is shaped like a spear.

[twilightcitysky]

Hi, no babe, I'm sorry, you can't just cross this out and then leave, what the fuck does this mean??? Get your ass back here and explain yourself?????

Oh my friend! Settle in for the story of the Book of Enoch! It's an apocryphal Hebrew text, excluded from formal canon (Jewish and Christian) but still considered canon by some Ethiopian Orthodox churches.

Crib notes version: 200 angels decided that human women were hot and made a pact with each other that they'd down to Earth, take them as wives, and make babies with them. Their sins included fornication and distribution of forbidden knowledge, including sorcery (okay, fair) and cosmetics (because God doesn't like it when people get tarted up, I guess).

Their children were the Nephilim, which has been translated as giants. These human-angel hybrids consumed all available resources and then turned on each other in cannibalism. God got pissed off and decided to send a flood to kill everyone but Noah BUT ESPECIALLY TO KILL THE NEPHILIM. Like, that's the reason the flood HAPPENED, THAT'S the sin God was mad about.

Additional points: the messenger between God and these bad angels is Enoch, Noah's grandfather. Enoch later ascends (God plucks him up, takes him to Heaven and sticks wings on him, literally this is what happens) and gets renamed as:

(ominous music)

THE METATRON.

[onyourowndaisymae]

an unofficial pact mark

content + warnings: fluff, implied romantic simeon x reader but can be read as platonic, minor mentions of jealousy, mc has visible pact marks, mc is tattooed, simeon and mc decide that simeon needs a pact mark too

word count: ~ 800

an angel's wings were always a sight to behold.

there's a fluffiness to an angel's wings that a demon could never quite have. not even lucifer, birdlike as the remnants of his fallen angelhood were, could compare to the sheer weightless charm of the fluttering appendages.

simeon's boyish giggle rang through the open field. a breeze blew through the celestial realm, rustling grass and clothes alike. his cloak was draped over your shoulders, ornamental jewelry clanking like windchimes as your chest shuddered with laughs. the two of you shifted again to put his back to the breeze.

"oh dear, this wind certainly isn't helping."

"don't worry! we'll get the photo!"

you lift the camera up to your eye again. like a sunset or twinkling stars through stacked lenses, the camera can't ever truly capture the radiance of his wings.

they're large, much bigger than you anticipated, fitting for an archangel like him with it's imposing wingspan casting an equally impressive shadow among the wildflowers. rows of fluffy feathers stack on top of one another to create a bountiful expanse of pure white beauty. they rustle unconsciously against the wind. they are such a graceful extension of the angel you loved-- although he was a little bashful to have such interest for a part of himself he usually kept tucked away, simeon lets you gawk as much as you wanted between attempts to get the perfect reference shot.

but back to the issue at hand.

it became apparent to you somewhere along the line that simeon was a bit jealous of your pact marks. something about the brothers having a sort of claim over you made the angel frown, gaze tracing over the visible marks with displeasure when you sat together watching movies at purgatory hall. it was even longer before he voiced this to you. it wasn't so much that he didn't want you to be close to the others-- although sometimes maybe it was like that, even if he didn't say it-- simeon was jealous of the way they all got to leave their mark on you without him. angels didn't make pacts like demons, so there was no physical proof of simeon's devotion to you.

seems unfair. he'd never complain to you about it, though, because there wasn't anything you could do about it. ... right?

silly supernatural creatures. their minds always went to extraordinary solutions of magic and sorcery. never once did they consider some of the more "primitive" solutions to their dilemmas, but that's what you were there for.

click!

the shutter snaps loudly. you pull back and glance at the screen. it's blurry, like all the others, but that's not anyone's fault. the radiance of his supernatural features is hard to capture on film, magical or not-- there was simply no way you'd get a clear shot... but the one you got was pretty cute.

he's grinning, hand up to cover his eyes from the sunlight permeating each inch of the heavenly realm. his wings are outstretched into the empty field, blurred by angelic magic on the camera, but clear enough to recognize as his own. you can't help but smile. it's a good picture. you can already picture your tattoo artist filling in the blanks with delicate shading and shapely linework.

"i think we've got it."

simeon wades through the field to curl up against your side, resting his chin on your shoulder.

"it's a little blurry... will that be good enough?"

"we'll make it work."

a call, a wad of cash, that blurry reference photo, and a quick visit to the human world later-- you had a makeshift pact mark to show your favorite angel.

the pain of the needles had long since ceased, leaving your skin to heal through time and various unscented lotions. the pain was not new to you, yet each new tattoo always drew "ooo"s and "ahh"s from those closest to you. this time, it's simeon gawking over you, gloved hands carefully holding your arm and grinning at the delicate lines embedded in your skin.

"gorgeous," he murmurs.

the tattoo didn't capture the full grandeur of his wings. that wasn't the artist's fault-- nothing could replicate the vision of seeing his beautiful wings in person. but the inked image on your inner bicep clearly pleased the angel next to you.

"now i always have you with me, too," you coo quietly, not wanting to interrupt how deeply he's admiring the art on your skin.

"did it hurt?" he asks.

"a little. but nothing i can't handle."

his thumb rubs against the nearby skin. the grin on his face is contagious-- now you're smiling, too.

"thank you for this," he murmurs, eyes glittering in the warm light of your room. "i can't tell you how much it means to me."

you can't help but press a soft kiss against his temple and nuzzle in close, rubbing your nose against his cheekbone to make him laugh.

"anything for my favorite angel."

[utilitycaster]

Level-up post: Bells Hells L13

girl help usually I draft these well in advance but I forgot about this one so it's going to be a little shorter and probably less pithy. Anyway as always: corrections on errors appreciated, but if I didn't list every single possible spell or feat someone could take then that's because I don't care. And, because we do the level-ups like this rather than at the end of a session, this will include L14 speculation. Without further ado:

Everyone's proficiency bonus goes up to +5, and the non-multiclassed full spellcasters (Imogen and FCG) get access to 7th level spells.

Chetney: Chetney took another level in Blood Hunter, granting him an ASI/Feat. On the one hand, his wisdom score is odd and so an ASI to that makes sense. On the other hand fuck WIS forever and ever amen; CON, STR, and INT are all way more important for him and for this party. Orym can perceive enough for everyone. L13 Blood Hunter is a nice one that grants him an additional use of blood maledict, as well as the Brand of Tethering which is both thematically appropriate for the campaign and could REALLY ruin Ludinus's day.

Laudna: Another sorcerer level, which grants her more metamagic, and Marisha said in the video she'd be taking Empowered Spell. She also learns another spell up to 5th level, and another cantrip. Frankly I have no idea for cantrips since between two casting classes with cantrips, her subclasses, and spell sniper, she is Cantrips Georg, but Seeming and Teleportation Circle are both pragmatic options that would help the party; Creation and Insect Plague are both aesthetically apt; and Dominate Person, while coming from her sorcery, does have that touch of Delilah. Looking forward I must admit that warlock is infinitely more useful and interesting but it's probably wiser to get 6th level spells.

FCG: FCG's main improvement here is access to 7th level spells; these are pretty great for clerics. I am personally a fan of Divine Word, and Plane Shift seems likely quite useful, but Regenerate and Resurrection are good to have available. L14 for clerics is quiet and simply improves their ability to destroy undead, as is 15, which grants them 8th level spells.

Fearne: Fearne took a 10th level in Druid, granting her another cantrip and another 5th level spell. She gets Cauterizing Flames, which is a little like Wither and Bloom or some of the Circle of the Shepherd features: when a small or larger creature dies within 30 feet of her or Little Mister, she can use a reaction to either heal a creature within 30 feet of the dead creature, or deal fire damage to it. This may become immediately useful if we're fighting Liliana or Otohan. I am hoping she levels up to 11 in Druid at the next level up, which would give her Transport via Plants and Wind Walk access, making the party a little less reliant on Keyleth. As for her cantrip, I'm thinking Druidcraft would be fun since she doesn't have it and it's been so useful on Ruidus.

Imogen: Imogen gets 7th level spells, of which Teleport is a clear winner, particularly since FCG can take Plane Shift, but there are some of my favorite damage/fuckery spells in there (Prismatic Spray, Reverse Gravity, and Delayed Blast Fireball). Level 14 gives her Revelation in Flesh. I must admit I'd be more psyched about this if she'd leaned into the slime aspects of the subclass, but I am interested in seeing how it gets modified because I don't think she should get the swim speed if she won't grow weird cilia and gills; the other features can stay though.

Orym: In addition to having the stupidest passive perception score on the moon, he also gains another use of indomitable. Level 14 gives him an ASI/Feat and really he can't go wrong here; because he got feats from his pact I'm thinking an ASI to CON to make him even more of a tank would be fun, but fighters get so many feats that he can really go nuts.

Ashton: Base barbarian ability of Brutal Critical goes up to 2 dice from 1, giving them the ability to do more damage when they crit. Eyes peeled for his next level-up, when he gets his final Path of Fundamental Chaos feature!

[river-in-the-woods]

In my humble experience, when consorting with the world of gods and spirits, I see two main possible ways to reap the benefits. They are both easy to do, and anyone can do it regardless of skill level. (Doing it well, of course, comes with experience and practice - this applies to anything.)

1. The Path of Sorcery. This is about pacts and contracts. Very much like a business transaction. Two parties agree on an exchange, both provide the resources they have, and if all goes well, both benefit when the contract is fulfilled. This is very much an A + B = C situation, the process is clear and the outcome and parameters of success are well defined. Results can come very quickly. As long as the method is sound, the chances of success are high, and there is no compatibility needed. But there is no loyalty nor further investment. You’ll get what you paid for; your fate is in your own hands and there is no safety net except the one you made yourself. If these transactions are done skillfully, many avenues can open up for the sorcerer.

2. The Path of Devotion. This is a relationship, it is about giving without the expectation of receiving. It requires faith, courtesy and good will, as well as compatibility. Either side will initiate interactions at their own pace, and it takes much longer to see results. Further commitments are made over time; the stakes are higher, but so are the rewards. Once the relationship is built up, getting what you desire can be as easy as asking, although the spirits will expect you to receive their input on the choices you make. You may have to take oaths for the relationship to progress any further, and adopt certain moral obligations. If these are properly honoured, one’s problems can even seem to disappear of their own accord, as one’s spiritual allies become invested in them and take their own initiative to secure better opportunities for the devotee. This path can open up other paths through one’s spiritual network, but it can also close off potential relationships with certain spirits depending on your allegiances.

These are both very valid paths to power. The sorcerer is not necessarily better than the devotee, and vice versa – one can be an exceptional sorcerer and scarcely touch a devotee adored by their spirits. It all depends on how skillfully one handles the path they are on. Naturally, the best practice will combine a bit of both, so that one is receiving benefits from a variety of spirits and builds a well-rounded skill set. And as one progresses on their path, the lines between sorcery and devotion will become increasingly blurred.

[sparring-spirals]

okay. i mean this with the utmost affection. but. while imogen and laudna telling each other "im you're anchor. you're my tether" as reassurance about going "dark" or giving into the lure of power is very meaningful and important. it also kind of struck me like. hey wait one of you anchoring the other. fine. possibly-functional. but doesnt BOTH of you tethering to each other risk creation of a spinning centrifugal blur whirling down the road to power.

and like yes yes this isnt an original thought and the proper terminology for this is probably like "dual corruption arc" or in CR "i broke the world for you" yes but. i wanted to share the specific imagery my brain provided for this train of thought, which is roughly:

like. thanks. brain. i guess.

bonus thought that popped up when drawing this:

[y-rhywbeth2]

Sometimes I consider multiclassing my Durge as barbarian (just the whole rage and bloodlust angle). But I also love the innate spellcasting of sorcery (which is the favoured class for Bhaalspawn, by 3.5e rules - The ideal default subclass is a Divine Soul Sorcerer and I will die on this hill)

Honestly, most of the classes bring something interesting to their past as a Deathbringer.

Rogues, naturally. Assassin is a subclass for a reason, was Bhaal's thing in life, and Bhaalists sponsor thieves guilds as well as assassins. -

Bards, as the rouge+ class, make great assassins: They're personable and welcomed, they've got a reputation for seduction, people hire them to come to them... -

Druid assassins? Who'd see somebody mauled by an animal or dead by venomous bite and have humanoid assassin as their first guess? Death is natural; all things kill and feed on death. -_

Fighter: Trained your body and mastered all the weapons for the purpose of killing people in a variety of interesting ways. -

Monks: practice mental and physical discipline until your entire body is a lethal weapon. _

Rangers are trackers and hunters who are familiar with the natural world (and its many poisons) - simply hunt people instead of animals. Also natural assassins. -

Wizards are also great murders, depending on how you use their spells. Specialise in necromancy and you can recycle your victims! The hold spell is a godsend for killing people without them calling for help. Also Bhaal was High Netherese, and that place was all about magic so hereditary stuff and blah. -

Sadly we cannot be Clerics of Bhaal (booo), but I can pretend that Durge just fished around for an impression of what god they served and went with the first one that came to mind/seemed likely -

Paladin... I don't care much for 5e's paladins, but having a sworn oath of blind loyalty to Bhaal as your liege, Blackguard style, can be fun.

-

Warlock is an odd one. Did Durge try to make a deal with a powerful being to try to escape/understand the Urge before they knew what it was? Did they try to escape their fate through a deal? I'd suggest the pact could be with one of Bhaal's servants, but only the Fiend pact works for that...

[izzythehutt]

I love that there's really no "scientific" explanation for why Walt and Jesse are the only people who can perfectly cook the blue meth. It essentially functions as a kind of alchemical sorcery, the supernatural, demonic gift born from their twisted pact with the devil, their souls in exchange for the partnership and the "blue stuff."

It keeps them coming back together over and over again ("Your meth is good, Jesse. As good as mine.") and tears them apart (Gus only needs one person to cook it, and so he turns them against each other.) It's what Gus needs from Walt for his revenge on the cartel and motivates his manipulation of Walter back into the drug business, it's the one thing Jesse believes he's ever been good at so he goes back to doing it alone—until Hank's pursuit of them drives him back into his old partner's waiting arms, because however brilliant of a chemist Gale Boetticher is, he's not Jesse, the only partner in Walter White's life of crime he's ever actually wanted.

Jesse believes his gift the only reason Walt ever cared about him ("[Walt] made you a 50-50 partner. He didn't need to do that." "Yeah, he sort of did. I'm the only one near as good as him, so...") The happiest the two of them ever were in their partnership, the most emotionally fulfilled, peaceful and in-sync they ever were, was when they were making the blue stuff together.

Literal chemical poison.

The promise of Heisenberg's talent is what motivates Jack to come to the To'hajiilee even after he calls off the hit, when Walt himself is ready for it to be over, the fact that only Jesse can compare in skill is why he's kept alive, enslaved (as all are enslaved to sin), forced to make this perfect, blood-soaked poison or see his loved ones killed, one by one.

It's neither chemistry nor art. It's a perfect, crystal blue prison that binds them together and trapped them in a cycle of pain, death and betrayal.

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Eldritch Pact

Artist: Peter Polach TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

Note: I edited this when there was actual thunder outside and my heart is full.

This is part 3 of the Halloween fic, direct follow up to part 2.

part 1 - part 2

Warnings: horror/fluff. mentions of fright, spirits, demons, ghosts, violence, bruises, blood. also briefly suggestive.

pairing: Modern!Sihtric x you (f)

Summary: Sihtric took you out on a spooky date, it just didn't go as planned.

Word count: 5,7k 

Masterlist

'Sihtric? Are you a fraudulent member of the Catholic church?'

*****************

Sihtric: good morning, my darkness. I won't tell you what we're going to do, but, despite the sun, dress warm and wear comfortable shoes x

You: guess I'll change out of my catwoman costume then???? x

Sihtric: no wait

Sihtric: on my way ;)

You: always a funny guy huh? ;)

Sihtric: no, really coming over early 

Sihtric: if that's okay? :) 

You: sure, I'm ready to go anyway :) 

**************

Sihtric wolf whistled and took his sunglasses off when you opened the door. You instantly became a trembling and shy mess when you realised how truly good looking he was, now that you saw him in daylight. You smiled when you saw he had his hair slightly pushed back, not hiding his scars anymore, at least, not for you. He was wearing a plain black hoodie with a leather jacket on top, fingerless gloves, dark grey slim fitted jeans and black Doctor Martens.

Sihtric stepped closer, leaned in to kiss your cheek and circled one arm around your waist as he did.

'Well, hi,' he smiled and took a step back, holding your hands, 'you look to die for.'

You felt flustered as you were simply dressed in black jeans and a grey Dracula hoodie, which Sihtric said he liked, and asked where you got it from. But you didn't remember.

'Oh, well… are you ready to go?' 

'I think so,' you smiled a little nervously, still not knowing what the plan was, 'we're going for a hike?'

'Something like that,' Sihtric winked.

****************

The drive to wherever he was taking you would take about 30 minutes, he said.

As soon as Sihtric started the car and his phone connected to his radio, you were shocked to hear the familiar sound and lyrics of one of your favourite songs blasting through his speakers:

"Death-magic and forbidden sorcery

Into the occult and science became necromancy

A pact with Mephistopheles

My stirring in the dark-"

'Oops,' Sihtric grimaced when he saw your big eyes and turned the volume down, 'I'm sorry.'

'No, no! I mean… Carach Angren?' you blinked rapidly.

'Wait,' Sihtric turned to you, 'you know them?'

You scoffed. 'I love them!'

Sihtric stared at you, his mismatched eyes piercing as a smile appeared on his face, 'Ain't no way. I have never met anyone who knows them, let alone like them.'

'I'm serious!'

'Okay, name three songs,' Sihtric taunted, knowing that was such a stupid thing some people always ask when someone says they're a fan of something "obscure".

'That is such a dick move,' you laughed, 'but I like The Necromancer. And the violins in Der Vampir Von Nürnberg are absolutely insane! But my favourite is In De Naam Van De Duivel, I mean the instrumentals near the end?' you sighed.

'Well, shit,' Sihtric smiled, 'you really are to die for.' 

He took out his phone and switched on your favourite song, and you both smiled at the intro riffs as Sihtric pulled off your driveway. You shouted the first lyric together at the same time, 'Once upon a time, back when the Devil had a temper!' You were both surprised at each other and started to laugh.

'I love the storytelling in their songs,' Sihtric smiled.

'Me too. It's like a horror fairy tale in each song, and we need more of those.'

'We do.'

'But,' you looked at Sihtric, 'will you finally tell me where we are going?'

'Nope,' he smiled and carefully placed his hand on your knee, 'you mind this?'

'No,' you smiled and felt yourself blush. 

You felt silly for feeling so flustered, seeing the things you already did with this man the evening before, but today was so different. It was only the two of you now, both showing your authentic selves without any interruption or having to hide your personality. You knew you both still had a lot to find out about each other, but you were off to a good start. And Sihtric was already over the moon by finding out you liked the same music as him. You enjoyed his presence and felt comfortable around him, but you couldn't lie, you felt a little nervous when Sihtric got off the main road and pulled into a, seemingly, hidden forest track, and drove deep into the forest.

'Where are we going?' you asked after about a minute. You hoped you didn't sound nervous all of the sudden, but you clearly did. Sihtric noticed it and stopped the car.

'Hey,' Sihtric turned to you and spoke softly, 'did you tell anyone you're with me today?'

'Well, Uhtred and Finan know I was seeing you today…'

'You want to send your location or anything?'

You hesitated. You didn't want to make him feel like you didn't trust him, but you just didn't know him well enough to understand his motives or his thoughts. Sihtric had been very considerate the short time you've spent together, so you didn't think he was going to do something weird, but still…

'It's okay,' Sihtric chuckled lightly, 'I understand it, really, I don't take any offence.'

You apologised with a shy smile and took out your phone. Since Uhtred was the main link between you and Sihtric, you shared your live location with him, and you also trusted your life with Uhtred if you were honest.

You: hey, just wanting to share where I am right now…

Uhtred: you're with Sihtric?

You: yeah. All is well, but he's taking us somewhere in a forest now

Uhtred: yeah I know where you are

Uhtred: I'll keep an eye on your location, but don't worry. Sihtric knows that forest like the back of his hand.

You: exactly my worry? There seems to be no one else around??

Uhtred: yeah that is why he likes going there. Trust me, I know his plan already. You may love it or run away screaming, either way, you will soon find out if you're a match ;)

That didn't really ease you, but you smiled at Sihtric.

'You okay?' he asked, 'I can take you back home if you-'

'No, it's okay,' you said, really wanting to know what his plan was, and well… if he was a weirdo, then maybe there would be a Netflix documentary about you, years from now, showing the world how you were interested in true crime, yet still fell for a trap set by a handsome Dane.

'You can trust me. I won't let anything happen to you, babe,' Sihtric said and squeezed your hand, 'you have my word.'

You smiled at him and kissed his cheek. Then you saw Uhtred had texted you again.

Uhtred: oh…. and if you let him stay the night

Uhtred: make sure he doesn't bite you ;)

You frowned at your phone as Uhtred sent you another text: the vampire emoji and the blood drop emoji. You had no idea what he was on about, but you'd ask Sihtric later.

***************

'What the hell,' you mumbled when, out of nowhere, a huge, old castle appeared from behind the autumn coloured trees, 'what is this place?'

'This,' Sihtric said, as he parked in front of the impressive but neglected building, 'is an abandoned castle with a rich history of bloodshed and horror.' He smiled at you.

'Oh?'

'Have you ever heard of the Old Willow hauntings?'

'Not that I recall, no…'

'This place belonged to a wealthy family, the Willows. They were brutally murdered some hundred years ago, but no killer was ever caught nor was there ever any evidence that someone had been inside the castle that day, except for the family.'

'So one of the family members snapped, took everyone out and then took their own life?'

'That's what you'd think,' Sihtric smirked, 'but suicide was ruled out for every victim.'

'Really?' you frowned and looked up at the castle, 'so what do they think happened?'

'No one knows, there is no explanation.' 

Sihtric brought your attention back to him by tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, and you found him smiling softly at you. Suddenly it all clicked for you, and you grinned.

'So what do you think happened?'

'I think there was another presence inside,' Sihtric said and cupped your cheek, softly caressing your skin with his thumb, 'and I think it might still be here.'

'You mean ghosts? Wait, you're taking me to go ghost hunting?' you chuckled.

'Too weird for you?' Sihtric suddenly looked shy and a little insecure, and he took his hand off your cheek.

'No,' you said quickly and took his hand, 'I'm just surprised you're taking me here during the day and not at night.'

'No, it's too risky at night, sweet thing.'

You smiled and squinted your eyes a little as you looked at him. 'Why's that?'

'If there is some kind of spirit present, and let's say it's an evil one,' Sihtric licked his lips, 'then the chances of getting into trouble at night are higher than during the day.'

'I know,' you smiled wider.

'What do you know?' Sihtric smiled playfully and interested.

I know,' you said and cleared your throat, 'that demoniacal phenomena often begins after sunset and ends before sunrise.'

'Hm,' Sihtric hummed, impressed, and tried to suppress his smile, 'that is why I brought you here during the day.'

'But,' you continued, 'I also know that those activities usually happen when there is no natural light. Meaning they can still happen during the day in places where there is an absence of natural light, say, a basement or an attic without windows. So you, Sihtric Kjartansson,' you poked his chest, 'may still get us in some trouble with inhuman spirits, even during the day.'

Sihtric stared at you, his jaw had slightly dropped as you were speaking and he forgot how to breathe.

'What?' you chuckled when he seemed to have frozen.

'Marry me?' he blurted out.

'I, eh…' you mumbled before you both started to laugh, and Sihtric pulled you in for a kiss. 

This time it was a sweet and gentle kiss, not sloppy like the ones he gave you last night, which were just as nice. Sihtric pulled back and bit down on his lip as he looked at you.

'Let's go?' he smiled.

You both got out of the car and Sihtric opened the trunk. He took out a black backpack and swung it over his shoulder before he locked his car. He held out his hand to you and smiled. You took his hand with a shy smile and walked over to the castle entrance.

'You've been here before?' you asked.

'Partly, yes. I've been in the whole left part of the building a few months ago. Today I wanted to scout the right side.'

'You ever found anything?'

'I, eh,' Sihtric chuckled, 'yeah.'

'Really?' you asked, 'how? Like EMF or EVP or something else?'

'Both,' Sihtric stopped as he smiled and looked at you, 'how much more do you know about this? Because I have a feeling there's a lot you're not telling me.'

You couldn't help but smile shyly when he pulled you closer and snuck his arms around your waist.

'I know some stuff,' you said and looked up at him as you played with the zipper of his leather jacket, 'I read a lot.'

'And what do you read, my dark princess?'

'Mainly stuff from the Warrens.'

'But then you probably know a lot about ghost hunting?'

'Yes and no. I know the basics about ghost hunting, but my knowledge is more focused on how these energies work. Like… finding out if it's a ghost or a spirit and if it's good or bad so to say. I'm interested in its motives and I …' you stopped talking when you felt you were about to say something that could scare him off.

'And you what?' Sihtric smiled and nuzzled your nose softly, 'tell me, little bat.'

'I… sort of communicate.'

'Communicate?' Sihtric tilted his head slightly, 'Ouija?'

'No, well, kind of,' you chuckled, 'I use a pendulum. You know how ouija boards have a planchette? I don't use that or a board, I use a cloth which is similar to an ouija board, but made for pendulums and is mainly focused on asking yes or no questions. So the pendulum swings, which is done by whatever energy you are communicating with at that moment, and it answers by swinging towards yes or towards no. It's been very effective for me. So there's that, and, well, I pick up on energies quite fast. I can feel when something is off, you know? Like when there is an energy that is not friendly, I sense it. But, yeah, anyway… you are mainly focused on capturing ghosts then or...'

'Yes and no,' Sihtric smiled and traced his thumb over your lips, 'I don't capture them like a ghostbuster or something,' he laughed softly, 'I try to capture them by recording audio and with equipment which is triggered by movements, even those not visible to us. But,' Sihtric said and paused as he looked in your eyes, terribly in love and in awe, 'the way you try to communicate and try to understand whatever is out there... then I guess I can admit that I know how to… you know… despite not being Catholic, I know Latin, I can perform an exorcism.'

'Have you ever done that?' you asked with big eyes.

'Luckily, I never had to. But I've held up a fair amount of crosses in my life when I just knew something was off.'

'But wait,' you shook your head lightly, 'you're not an official member of the church, right? So would an exorcism work then? I thought you need to be acknowledged by the church and all that to be able to perform them with success?'

'I don't consider myself a member of the church,' Sihtric smirked and pecked your lips, 'but the church doesn't know that.'

'What?' you gasped softly and laughed, 'Sihtric? Are you a fraudulent member of the Catholic church?'

'What's the fun in being a good altar boy?' Sihtric winked and brought his lips back to yours. Kissing you deep and passionate, and you felt he gradually started to kiss you sloppier again, just like at the fair, and he pulled you flush against his body as his tongue filled your mouth, and you curled your fingers around the neck of his hoodie, holding him close.

'But,' you broke the kiss, not because you wanted him to stop, but because you were so intrigued, 'your tattoo? A Norse knot. And your Thor pendant? How?'

'I hide my pendant whenever I really have to step in a church,' he scoffed, 'and they believe I am a Pagan turned Christian, which is what they love, so they don't even look at the tattoo.'

'But if you don't believe in their god, how effective is that exorcism?'

'I may not believe in their god, but I believe in energy. I believe there are spirits of both good nature and bad, and I believe the bad natured ones fear the word of god, and therefore it definitely holds power.'

'Damn,' you smiled, 'so, what is the plan here? Summon a demon and do an exorcism?'

'Oh, you know better than that, lady,' Sihtric laughed and pecked your lips again, 'we're absolutely not doing that. But… you could use a necklace as a pendulum too, right?'

'Yeah, anyone can.'

'Maybe you could try to communicate and we can set up my stuff? Try to record voices or movements?'

'Ah… I don't work like that,' you said hesitantly, 'I need some stuff to… you know, protect myself with before I attempt communication. I'd love to do that with you one day, but I won't do it now, not without my own tools. I- I won't risk anything.'

'So you're the brains,' Sihtric smiled, 'and I'm the muscle.'

'You surely got the muscles,' you smiled as you squeezed his arms, 'but you definitely got the brain too. But, yeah, I think we could be a good team, if that's what you mean.' 

You pushed yourself up your tiptoes and kissed his cheek, which he gladly accepted, before he pulled you in for another passionate kiss.

*****************

'You never told me what you found here,' you suddenly remembered as you walked through a huge, empty hallway inside the abandoned castle.

You looked at the EMF meter in your hand, which Sihtric had given you after you asked if you could try it out. Sihtric held a flashlight which was switched on, despite there being enough broken windows to allow in daylight. He simply wanted to see what was in front of him, or behind him, at all times if he'd accidentally ended up in a dark hallway or room, especially with you there now.

'I've picked up voices and movements,' Sihtric said as he held your hand with his free one, 'I can show you that, if you'd like to come over at my place sometime?'

'Yeah, I'd love to see what you found here,' you smiled at him and carefully looked around the gloomy place. There was definitely some kind of energy in this building, but you weren't sure yet just what it was. 'Will you set up any equipment today?'

'Hm,' Sihtric hummed, 'I would if I was on my own. But it can be very boring. I usually just sit in one spot for hours, so I think it's more fun for you if we just stroll around, see if we can pick up on anything without using any tools, except for the EMF meter. If you're fine with that?'

'Yeah, that sounds like fun.'

You smiled at Sihtric when he looked at you. He stopped walking and let go of your hand, only to cup your cheek as he leaned in, 'where have you been all my life?' he asked, brushing his lips softly against yours.

'At home, reading books I guess.'

You smiled against his lips and pulled him closer by tugging at his jacket. You pressed your lips against his and Sihtric moved his hand to the back of your neck, deepening the kiss as much as he could.

'You're so fucking perfect,' Sihtric whispered under his breath before he brought his lips back to yours. He let his backpack slip off his shoulder and dropped the flashlight at the same time, which spooked you.

'Sorry. It's just me, baby,' Sihtric said in between kisses while he slowly pushed you backwards, through an open door, into a darker room and towards a large old, oaken cabinet. While he kissed you slowly, and sloppy, he took the EMF meter out of your hand and shoved it in his back pocket, allowing you to move both your hands to his neck and up in his hair, softly pulling his dark mane as you felt his hands on your waist, keeping you close as he kissed you so gentle, so slow and so incredibly arousing.

'I- I love the way you kiss me, Sihtric,' you whispered when you needed some air, your breath already heavy and your voice hoarse.

'Yeah?' Sihtric smiled out of breath. But he didn't care, he needed to feel you close again, and he pushed you up against the cabinet, 'I've been thinking all night about you, babe,' he husked in between kisses, 'the way you came with my fingers inside you,' he flicked his tongue against your lips and you moaned softly when he kissed you again. 'And the way you made me feel so nice,' he smiled and gently sucked your lower lip.

'I've been thinking about you as well,' you said, breathing heavily, 'and about that big cock of yours,' you chuckled.

'I told you I didn't make things up when I spelled out my name for you,' he laughed and took your hand, sliding it slowly down to his groin as he left open mouthed kisses on your neck. You cupped his hardness through his jeans, massaging firmly and you kissed his lips again.

Sihtric moaned with a smile, 'Hmm, my queen of darkness, I'd take you right here-'

You were both suddenly startled by the loud noise the EMF meter made from his back pocket. And where you had first pulled Sihtric close because you wanted his tongue in your mouth, you now pulled him close because you suddenly felt unwell and almost fell down, as if something pulled your leg.

'S-Sihtric, I… I feel dizzy, something's here,' you grabbed onto his jacket as your knees gave out underneath you.

The EMF meter continued to spike and the temperature in the room suddenly dropped, making you see your own breath as the flashlight lit up the room from the hallway. Sihtric was quick to pull you tightly against his chest as he knew this was wrong. Very wrong.

'Hey, I'm here, sweet thing. It's okay,' Sihtric said, calmly, 'take it easy. We're leaving, okay? I'm taking you home. We've had enough fun here.'

He pulled your arm around his neck and moved his arm around your waist, supporting you as he walked back to the door, which suddenly slammed shut, locking you in a cold and dark room.

'Sihtric?' you whispered and clung onto him, 'has… has that happened to you here before?'

You heard Sihtric's hard, but calm breathing in the dark. 'No,' he said, 'nothing like this happened to me here before.' He pulled you even closer and grabbed the door handle in an attempt to open it, but the door wouldn't budge.

'What the fuck,' Sihtric mumbled in the pitch black room. 'You okay, lady?' he asked while he tried to feel some kind of lock on the door with his fingertips, not wanting to alarm you further when he sensed this was all bad news.

'I… I'm not sure,' you whispered and pressed your face against his chest, 'Sihtric?'

'Yeah?' Sihtric couldn't find a lock, and no matter how much he rattled the doorknob, nothing happened.

'I… I'm scared,' you whispered, 'I know temperature drops aren't a good sign.'

'They're not,' he confessed, 'but I won't let anything happen to you, okay? I just can't get the door to open.'

Sihtric knew a way to open the door, but he also knew he could not explain it to you later without the risk of you probably being scared to death or thinking he was stark raving mad. So he tried to kick the door open, but to no avail.

'Sihtric?' you suddenly sounded panicked, as a feeling of dread crawled over your skin and soaked into your bones.

'What? What's wrong?' 

His arms were around you but his voice seemed really far.

'S-something,' your voice trembled, 'something's t-touching my l-leg.'

'What?' Sihtric asked, suddenly sounding close again, while you felt him close to you all the same.

'Something is touching my leg right now,' you whimpered.

Sihtric didn't know what to say, he just tried to understand what you meant. It wasn't him. He had his arms around you this whole time, except for when he tried to open the door, but that was moments ago already. And he heard nothing else in the room, except for his own and your breathing.

'Sihtric!' you suddenly yelled, 'make it stop!'

'What! What is it?!' Sihtric yelled as he felt you being pulled out of his arms. 

He had no idea what on earth was happening. And neither did you, all you knew was that something was pulling your leg, as if dragging you away, and it was with such force you could barely hold onto Sihtric, and you were in pain. 

'Sihtric, it hurts! It's hurting me!'

Sihtric pulled you back against his chest with a loud groan, using all his strength against the invisible force that tried to steal you away from him in the dark.

'Fuck this!' he grunted, 'in the name of Michael, open and let us pass! Into the light I command thee, or I will send you straight back to hell, you piece of shit!'

Sihtric kicked the door again and it flung open. You were blinded by the sudden flickering of the flashlight outside the room as Sihtric pulled you out with him. And as soon as you both stepped out of the room, everything became quiet and it seemed as if nothing ever happened. 

The EMF meter stopped spiking, the flashlight shone brightly and your breath wasn't visible anymore. You both fell down to your knees, out of breath. Sihtric immediately pulled you close against his chest and cradled you in his arms.

'I'm sorry, baby,' Sihtric whispered, 'you're safe, I promise. It's over.'

******************

You and Sihtric were quiet the whole drive back home. He held your hand in his whenever he didn't have to shift gears, often bringing the back of your hand up to his lips, pressing soft and comforting kisses to your skin. Despite everything, you were both okay and calm, just silently trying to understand what had happened. It had startled you both, but you knew the risks all too well before you stepped inside that building together.

'You still want to come in and watch a movie?' you asked once Sihtric pulled up your driveway.

'You still want me around after everything?'

'Now more than ever, Sihtric,' you chuckled lightly. Beside being a little spooked still, you just really wanted him to be with you a little longer, hoping he would take your mind fully of everything eventually. 

He kissed your hand again and followed your lead. You took him inside and switched on some lights and lit a few candles while you waited for the tea to brew. Sihtric curiously walked around your living room, smiling as he inspected some of the curiosities you owned. He chuckled at your insane amount of candles and he looked at the pendulum you had told him about. He whistled when he saw your huge book cabinet and told you that you both owned quite a lot of the same titles. Sihtric was sweet and gentle, as you had expected, and he moved closer to you when you sat down next to him and handed him his tea.

'You okay, sweet thing?' he asked again. You had lost count of how many times he had asked already.

'Yeah,' you smiled and took his hand, 'have you ever had something like that happen before?'

Sihtric shook his head lightly. 'No, never. I… I don't understand it. It's like whatever was there just wanted to drag you away from me. I've never had encounters like this with ghosts or spirits.'

'Well one thing we can rule out is that it was a ghost,' you scoffed lightly, 'ghosts are usually harmless and they just leave after they've scared you. And ghosts don't need darkness to manifest.'

'True,' Sihtric said, 'whatever this was, it clearly fed on fear. It only seemed to become stronger. And, you said it hurt, right?'

'It did,' you remembered, and you quickly rolled up your pants, exposing your ankle.

'Gods,' Sihtric whispered as he saw the large, hand shaped bruise on your ankle, 'does it still hurt? It looks insane.'

'No, I don't feel anything now,' you rubbed your hand over the bruise, 'it clearly shows fingers. Are you… Are you sure there was no other person in there? Some homeless guy or something?'

'Not that I was aware of,' Sihtric said as he traced his fingertips across your bruise, 'I didn't hear a third presence. And there was no way one person could have slammed that door shut while holding onto you.'

'That is a valid point,' you sighed, 'I also…' you stopped and looked conflicted, 'at one point it seemed like you were really far away from me.'

'What do you mean?' Sihtric furrowed his brows, 'I had you in my arms the entire time, baby. You don't think I left your side, do you?' He looked concerned.

'I don't, no, that is why it's so confusing. I felt your body against mine, but… your voice sounded like it came from another corner. But only once.'

'A person can't do that.'

'I know,' you looked at your ankle, 'and I know that inhuman spirits can cause injury.'

'And they usually smell horrible, but that entire place was rotten,' Sihtric chuckled.

'Yeah, we shouldn't add smell to the list,' you smiled, 'but everything else really makes it look like…'

'A demon,' Sihtric agreed and sipped his tea. 'Would you dare to go back?'

'To investigate further?'

Sihtric nodded.

'Maybe,' you said, 'but not yet. I'd like to know more about what you found there last time, and learn more about the history of that place.'

'No, we definitely shouldn't go back right away. We need some time.'

'And I will wait until Halloween is far over.'

Sihtric frowned, 'Why is that?'

'Really?' you smiled, 'you don't know? About the veil?'

'What?'

'You know of Samhain?'

'Yeah, vaguely. It's what Halloween is based on, right?'

'More or less, yes. Samhain was like the Celtic new year. The day we now celebrate Halloween was the day the Celts celebrated the end of summer and the beginning of winter. The end of the harvest and all that. And because it was the time when harvest was over, meaning the lands basically… died, they associated winter with death. And therefore they believed that the veil between the spirit world and the human world was thin during this time of year. It is said that it allows the dead to visit the living in a much easier way than the rest of the year.'

'Wait,' Sihtric groaned, 'I have heard of that. But I thought that was just a Wicca thing.'

'Oh, no. Yes, it's a sabbat celebrated by Wiccans, but also by other pagans. Samhain was a Celtic pagan celebration.'

'I realise I need to gain more knowledge about the Celts,' Sihtric chuckled.

'Well you have me now,' you smiled, 'you don't need to read whole books about it anymore. I already did that.'

'I have you?' Sihtric grinned as he leaned in.

'Maybe… something like that,' you felt your cheeks heat up and you quickly took his cup and set it on the table with yours.

'But I haven't really claimed you yet,' Sihtric smiled and bit down on his lip, 'at least, not the way I should.'

'Well… maybe if you stay the night,' you said cheekily, 'you could claim me the way you should?'

'I will claim you, little bat.' Sihtric pulled you closer and kissed your lips.

'Yes,' you broke the kiss, 'but first we have to watch a movie.'

'I guess we do,' Sihtric smiled and he looked at your Dracula sweater, 'how about Dracula?'

'I love that movie, how did you guess?'

'Lucky guess,' Sihtric winked.

'Wait,' you giggled, 'speaking about vampires,' you took your phone and showed Sihtric the text Uhtred had sent, 'why did he send me the vampire and blood emoji and told me to make sure you don't bite me?'

'Oh,' Sihtric snorted and raked his fingers through his hair, 'eh,' he cleared his throat, 'I, eh… may or may not like to, you know,' he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

'Sihtric, just say it,' you chuckled.

'I have this weird thing, okay,' he smiled shyly, 'I like to… to draw a little blood when I have sex.'

'Wait, what?' you laughed, 'what does that even mean?'

Sihtric groaned softly and shifted uncomfortably, 'It's like… it's a blood kink, I guess. But nothing fucking crazy, okay, I don't get off from hurting someone, not at all. It's not like that.' He looked worried and nervous.

'Hey,' you took his hands, 'it's okay,' you smiled, 'just… just tell me about it. I'm not familiar with it. Explain it to me? What do you do and why?'

Sihtric looked at you for a short moment, almost brooding, and then he cleared his throat.

'So… like… my kink is quite mild, I think,' Sihtric said, 'I personally really enjoy it when I draw a little blood by, let's say, biting your lip a little harder than usual… or... by making a really small cut in your fingertip for example, just a few drops, you know?'

'Okay,' you nodded slowly with a shy smile, 'so… then what? You … drink it?'

'Well it's nowhere near the amount to drink it,' he chuckled, 'but, yeah, I… I like to lick it and,' he sighed and rubbed his eyes, 'and I also really enjoy it when I draw my own blood and have… in this case, you, for example, to…you know…'

'...Lick your blood?'

'...Yeah.'

'Okay…'

'I'm sorry, I know this is probably really fucking weird. I don't want to scare you off. It's totally fine if you're not into that, really.'

'Well, I mean… I don't know. I've never tried it,' you smiled, 'but… I guess I can understand that it's quite arousing, because it's something very intimate.'

'Yeah,' Sihtric sounded relieved, 'that's exactly what it is. I don't… I don't just do that with random hook ups or something. And also I swear my blood is clean.'

'Good to know. My blood is also clean,' you chuckled and cupped his cheeks, 'but you've done that before then, right?'

'Yeah, well, tried it like twice… with my… you know, ex,' he mumbled and took your hands, 'but she hated it, and it didn't even feel right for me either with her, so, yeah,' he shrugged, 'I only want to do it with someone I really have feelings for, or feel a connection with that I can't explain. It's something very personal, I guess. Something… oddly romantic, to love someone so deeply, you want to share blood at your most intimate moment.'

'And… let's say you get lucky tonight,' you grinned, 'would you…?'

'Only if you're open to it,' Sihtric smiled, 'only if you trust me enough and are willing to try it, then, yeah… I'd love to do that with you.'

'I… I think I'd like to try it, yeah,' you said shyly.

'After the movie maybe?'

'Or… now?'

Sihtric pulled you in for a soft kiss. 'Now is fine with me,' he smiled sweetly, 'but… Okay, I like to set the mood, you know? And I see you have plenty of candles, so, if you will allow me?'

You smiled and pecked his lips again, then took his hand and guided him upstairs, where you sat on your bed as you told him to look in your spare room for whatever candles and things he may need. And you remembered you had some black lace lingerie somewhere, hidden far away in a drawer.

******************

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[grailfinders]

Grailfinders Viewers' Choice #24: Dark Sakura

today on Grailfinders we’re making the big bad of Heaven’s Feel, Dark Sakura. she’s Sakura, but dark! I admit we haven’t played F/SN yet (heresy, I know), so if we get any lore wrong I profusely apologize. she’s got that grail gunk all up in her, so you know we had to give her the ol’ sorlock treatment. she’s a Great Old One Warlock for that GOO, and a Clockwork Sorcerer to get some of her own power. with those two in place, we have everything we need for omnipotence! maybe.

check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Ancestry & Background

Sakura’s a Human, or at least she was before the goopening, and she grew up with a special pattern on her that’s teaching her magic. that’s a Mark of the Sentinel if I ever heard it, giving her +2 Charisma and +1 Dexterity (thank you Tasha), as well as the Sentinel’s Intuition for a d4 bonus on all Insight and Perception checks. the most important part of hiding yourself from people is making sure they don’t know if you know that they know what you know, y’know? you can also use the Guardian’s Shield once a day for a free casting of the shield spell, and you’re a Vigilant Guardian, letting you throw yourself between an ally and an attack once a day. we’re not really using that last one here, but maybe you’ll use it during Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family, who knows. bacon grease really hurts, so maybe that counts as an attack?

you also get an extended spell list, but we’ll just go over the ones we want as we get them.

you’re also a Haunted One, because dear christ is the Matou family fucked up. on the plus side, you’re proficient in Arcana and Religion. that totally makes up for the trauma, right?

Ability Scores

your highest stat is Charisma. if you want people to think you’re doing alright, you need to lie to them constantly, and that’s a lot of charisma checks. also, your magic comes from within, and also from a cup, and also from a cup within, and all of those are charisma based. second up is Constitution. you can keep fighting with like, 80% of your body gone, so yeah. you’re pretty tough. third is Intelligence, as magic in Fate is a mix of sorcery and wizardry- it would feel weird to have this low, even if we don’t need it. this means your Dexterity is just okay. as implied by that bit about your body getting torn apart, you clearly don’t get out of the way of attacks easily. which kind of makes sense, you’re still just a teenager with magic powers. speaking of, your Wisdom’s low. I don’t want to assume as to how you got a grail stuffed inside you, but I will say it probably makes it hard for you to focus on stuff. that means we’re dumping Strength. you are a teenage girl. plus you’re going to have plenty of minions to do all the heavy lifting for you. I hear one of them is the strongest in the world.

Class Levels

1. Warlock 1: starting off as a warlock gets you proficiency with Wisdom and Charisma saves, as well as Deception and History. you also get an Awakened Mind from your GOO! (that’s Great Old One btw, but both work to describe grail mud) that gives you an Awakened Mind, letting you speak telepathically with anyone nearby as long as they know at least one language. I know the grail let Medusa speak Japanese but wouldn’t it be funny if it didn’t? now you’re prepared.

The grail will also give you Pact Magic like all warlocks, allowing you to cast spells using your Charisma for the spell modifier and save DC. You only have one first-level spell slot at the moment, but it recharges each short rest, and you’ll receive more and stronger spell slots over time. Eldritch Blast gives you a basic ranged attack that any caster should know, while Infestation allows you to call upon the grail mud to poison a nearby creature while also forcing them to move one space in a random direction. If your DM is fond of pits and hazards, you will be fond of this spell.

For your leveled spell, you can bring the mud to bear against anyone near you with Arms of Hadar, attacking friend and foe alike around you, while also preventing them from making reaction. For your second spell, go on the defensive with Shield of Faith giving you or an ally +2 AC for up to ten minutes. Any damage avoided is effectively damage healed, if you think about it.

2. Warlock 2: Second level warlocks get Eldritch Invocations to shape the grail mud to your liking. with these you can don an Armor of Shadows for free castings of Mage Armor on yourself, instantly adding an extra 3 points of AC while not wearing armor. you can also use Agonizing Blasts, adding your Charisma modifier to all damage done by your Eldritch Blast.

Speaking of dealing damage via Eldritch Blast, your new spell this level is Hex. With this spell, you deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage to your target every time you hit them, and they also get disadvantage on all checks made with an ability of your choosing. If your target falls to 0 HP before your hour is up, you can even move it to another target! Given how many attacks Eldritch Blast can fire off in a single turn, this is a great boon to any killer of humanity.

3. Warlock 3: At third level, warlocks receive their Pact Boon, an extra special gift from your patron to shift the tides of battle! When you enter the Pact of the Talisman, anyone can wear it and add a d4 to a failed check up to your proficiency times a day. If you know what’s coming, you can be better prepared for it. Failing that, you can at least pretend you were prepared for it and make your rolls better anyway.

You also gain second level spells this level, and Hold Person is a doozy! One creature of your choice needs to make a Wisdom save, and if they fail, they’re paralyzed for up to a minute, or until they make another Wisdom save at the end of their turn.

A paralyzed creature is Incapacitated, and fails all strength and dexterity saves. In addition, all attacks against them gain advantage, and attackers within 5’ of the creature always deal critical damage whenever they hit. If you want to kill a humanoid as quickly as possible, this is how you do it.

4. Warlock 4: At fourth level, warlocks gain their first Ability Score Improvement, allowing us to round out your Dexterity and Charisma at the same time! We still can’t summon Saber Alter just yet, but you can use a Sword Burst for more or less the same effect. You also gain your first pseudo-summon this level thanks to Phantasmal Force. This illusion can be of anything you wish, but if you make an illusion that would deal damage to the creature, they will take a little psychic damage each turn.

5. Warlock 5: Fifth level warlocks learn third level spells. Counterspell will allow you to no-sell just about anything in the game, when it works. Countering the right attack or escape attempt can instantly make you the MVP of any encounter, which feels appropriate for a holy grail.

You can also don a Cloak of Flies thanks to your new invocation. With this, you deal poison damage to every creature within 5’ of you while also gaining advantage on Intimidation checks, at the cost of disadvantage on all other forms of charisma. You can use this once a short rest, and it has no time limit! it’s literally free damage.

6. Warlock 6: In contrast, your new Entropic Ward is free anti-damage. Whenever a creature attacks you, you can react to give it disadvantage. If this causes the attack to miss, your next attack against the attacker is made at advantage. You can only use this once per short rest, but I’m sure most people would prefer to have as few stab wounds as they can manage.

You can also further spread the mud’s influence thanks to the Hunger of Hadar, making a 20’ radius sphere of darkness that slows movement within it and deals damage to anything that starts and ends its turn within it.

7. Sorcerer 1: now we’re going to jump back to Sorcerer real quick and pick up some regular Sakura spells. you can argue we should’ve done this class first then, but I wanted the extra HP. so yes, you have Spells, you cast them with Charisma too. these refresh on long rests, but you can use warlock spell slots for sorcery spells and vice versa. this also doubles your cantrip count with the addition of Fire Bolt, Frostbite, Lightning Lure, and Chill Touch so this level isn’t 100% regular Sakura. you can also use Magic Missile if you like multiattacking but hate missing, and Silvery Barbs for another way to make the infinite power of the grail work for you. react and force someone to re-roll an attack, save, or check. if they fail, you can give an ally advantage on their next attack, save, or check. it’s great.

speaking of roll fuckery, you’re a Clockwork Soul, which lets you Restore Balance. 90% of the time grails are doing the exact opposite, but whatever, it lets you remove advantage or disadvantage from a d20 roll you can see Proficiency times per day. you can make the grail do literally anything, so everything we do here is 100% canon. people will believe that, right?

8. Sorcerer 2: second level sorcerers get a Font of Magic, so you can burn spell slots to make sorcery points and burn points to make sorcerer spell slots. if you’re not aware of the “coffeelock” gimmick, this lets you turn warlock slots into sorcerer slots, then short rest to regain the warlock slots for infinite magical power. as long as you can stay awake and not die in the process, at least.

to help you not die, here’s False Life! it gives you temporary HP! that’s almost as good as healing!

9. Sorcerer 3: third level sorcerers get Metamagic! it lets you customize spells almost as much as your invocations let you customize you. Heightened spells give one creature in their effect disadvantage on their save for 3 points, while Quickened spells let you cast an action spell as a bonus action. you blast hard, and you blast fast. it makes sense, given the magical reactor you’re stealing power from.

also you can cast Alter Self now! I don’t know what your cool red and black dress thing is supposed to be made out of, but if it’s made out of you, now you can make it by using the Change Appearance option. you can also choose an Aquatic Adaptation or Natural Weapons if you want.

10. Sorcerer 4: fourth level sorcerers get an ASI to max out your Charisma for the strongest spells, as well as the cantrip Mind Sliver to mess up human brains even more, and Maximillian’s Earthen Grasp for a sorta giant. why make a giant the size of a mountain when you can make a giant out of a mountain? think smarter, not harder. (it restrains a creature for up to a minute if it fails a strength save and you can make the hand crush people while grabbed.)

11. Warlock 7: Seventh level warlocks can use fourth level spells like Dominate Beast, turning any beast you can see into your loyal companion for up to a minute, forcing it to obey any command you give it. Most of our enslavement tactics only work on humanoids, so if you have to fight Hessian Lobo, this can help bring him into the fold.

If that’s not beastly enough, you become a Sculptor of Flesh this level, letting you cast Polymorph once a day with a warlock spell slot. This will transform you into a beast with a CR equal to or lower than your level for up to an hour. This is effectively summoning a giant to fight for you while also giving you a much larger HP pool to work with. You can’t cast spells while polymorphed, but I don’t think you need to if you’re a T. Rex.

12. warlock 8: at level 8 u get another asi, this time you’re getting lucky! congrats, some people have to stay up all night for that one. with this, yu can re-roll a creature’s attack, check, or save (as long as it directly affects u) up to 3 times a day! you can’t loop the whole war, but you can loop an attack or two. or three, if you were paying attention!

you can also summon a guardian of faith now, it’s only large so pretty small for a giant, but it blocks an area and stabs stuff for radiant damage! plus these are concentration free, so you can make as many as you want!

13. warlock 9: ninth level warlocks get fifth level spells, and if you really wanna make a shadow giant, then you need BIGBY’S HAND!!! it makes a big hand you can control. sure it’s not the whole thing, but all the cool giant boss fights only let you hit one body part anyway. also yer eldritch blast is a lance of lethargy now, so once a turn you can knock 10’ offa someone’s move speed for the next turn. that’s why this build’s so late!

14. warlock 10: tenth level warlocks can toll the dead and deal extra damage to anyone not at full health, but more importantly you get a thought shield! your mind cant be read by anybody you don’t wanna deal with, and you get resistance to psychic damage bc the amount you block gets launched back at the sender! you’re mostly mud by this point, i think. you ever try to make mud freak out? doesn’t go well.

15. warlock 11: leventh level warlocks get a mystic arcanum, a fancy way of saying you have normal spell slots now that only work for the one spell you get them for. no upcasting allowed past this point! now you can create undead! wit this you can turn up to three corpses into ghouls that’ll stay under your control for 24 hours. you can refresh this control with another casting, or you can just let them run free on the populace, your choice. boom, creepy skeletons, done!

16. Sorcerer 5: fifth level sorcerers got Magical Guidance, giving you another way to boost failed checks if you got the points for it. also, you can dispel magic now. if you couldn’t counter it, at least you can cut through it after the fact! (kinda ironic you died to rulebreaker, huh?)

17. Sorcerer 6: at sixth level clockwork sorcerers become a Bastion of Law, letting you spend sorcery points to give yourself a barrier to block up to 5d8 incoming damage.

18. warlock 12: at twelfth level you get your last asi, makin you tough! that’s 36 hp now, and another 2 every time you level up from here on out! if you want to heal a lot of hp, you need a lot of hp. or not, you can just turn into a huge giant crab if ya want. you also get the protection of the talisman this level, letting whoever is wearing it get an extra d4 on their save proficiency times a day! you’re just better than everyone, huh?

19. Warlock 13: a thirteenth level warlock gets a seventh level arcanum like Finger of Death. it kills people and can turn them into your zombie minions, just like the grail mud.

20. Warlock 14: all of this is nice of course, but it’s not warping a servant to serve you indefinitely. thankfully, that’s why you can now create thralls! you can use your action to touch any incapacitated humanoid and charm them indefinitely, or until they get hit with a remove curse spell. as long as you two are on the same plane, you can also talk to each other with your minds!! just. convince someone to play Saber. alter them. boom, salter.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Create Thrall is a huge boon, letting you turn just about anyone into your minion for practically free. there’s no save, even! while finding an incapacitated humanoid sounds daunting, it’s easier than you’d think with a liberal sprinkling of heightened Hold Persons. suck a servant into goop and make them your servants. or zombies, or just lie to them!

as a sorlock you get infinite magic as long as you’re willing to work without sleep, which lets you blast away with your strongest spells without issue. well, not your strongest spells since those are arcanum, but still, infinite upcast Magic Missiles and Hungers of Hadar. it’s nice!

of course if you want to talk defense, infinite spell slots means infinite sorcery points means infinite shields. your infinite magical power makes Bastion of Law just a silly power to have, with no limit to the number of times you can use it outside of how much mana you have to burn meaning you can block up to 5d8 damage every turn with no limit outside of your patience. this is on top of your decent (for a caster) hp, as well as an ungodly number of ways to block, disadvantage, and stymie attackers at every turn. if someone somehow manages to fight you directly, it’s going to be a while before they can even pretend to land a hit on you.

Cons:

it a good thing you have those shields, because your AC is terrible without them. 15 AC isn’t bad, of course, but it means you’ll have to use every trick in your book if you get cornered by someone with actual fighting experience.

also, that big pro I put up there with the Bastion of Law? it takes a bonus action to burn a slot into points, then an action to make the shield. that’s your entire turn gone every time your shield needs to be refreshed. if someone really gets you on your backfoot, you can last a while, but that’s about all you can do. this is why you need the minions.

but now that I brought up that “ungodly number of ways to block attacks”… you have an ungodly number of ways to block attacks. that means not only do you have to be really paying attention to the DM’s turns, you need to keep an eye on all those methods of defense so you A) can use them well, and B) you don’t burn through them too quickly. complexity isn’t a death sentence, but you should know it before going all-in on a build. some people just want to relax in D&D, after all.