#that is his nephew! who found several thought-to-be-extinct herbs for him!

[thwispsings]

the idea came to me in a migraine induced dream but now im obsessed with the concept of a mu qingfang who knew the abuse bunhe was going through at the hands of og!shen qingqiu/shen jiu and did his best to treat the kid whenever he could (and bring his concerns to zhangmen shixiong, which were obviously very much ignored) and his constant worry over the situation means that when the qi deviation happens he is suspicious of shen qingqiu’s changes for all different reasons and very much protective of luo binghe -who is a sweet child and an earnest disciple who seems to always find the most incredible medicinal herbs to bring to his mu shishu as thanks for the care bestowed upon him- which means that when the whole shen qingqiu dying thing happens instead of bad mouthing luo binghe or fighting him at every chance he does his best to come over and keep an eye on things to try and help him and make sure luo binghe won’t kill himself trying to bring shen qingqiu back because he remembers that earnest kid and he’s witnessed luo binghe’s devotion to this shen qingqiu first hand and knows there is no way that the kid who cried when ning yingying found a bird with a broken wing and begged mu qingfang to fix it and the kid that would always borrow medical texts and try to find new herb combinations as if it was a game between him and qian cao disciples is actually doing anything nefarious to shen qingqiu’s corpse.

anyways in this essay i will-

[luminenwalker]

Kismet (and the Legend of the Bones) by JoJo

The Legend of the Bones

Many years ago, a woman named Cyrica was desperate for a son. Being the [i]esteemed consort[/i] of the Emperor of Aurora, Cosimo IV, this was more than just an idle wish. So she prayed endlessly to the god Khalorean, and on a visit to his temple, she was finally blessed with the son she desired.

Unfortunately at birth the infant could, even in the most charitable view, only be described as grotesque. His skin was not the usual crimson of a newborn, but rather the blue tinge one might expect from an abyssal squid. Instead of legs, he possessed six tentacles which constantly writhed and kicked. Nevertheless, Prince Tiberius, as his mother named him, was welcomed into the imperial household as any newborn would be.

It was not long after Tiberius was born that trouble began to brew in the imperial court, and inevitably, the household servants began to blame him for every and any misfortune. Cyrica alone continued to adore her son, but as she slipped into insanity, even she could not protect him. Eventually, he was smothered in his cot by a pair of nurse maids while his mother lay nearby, too befuddled by smoking herbs to even notice.

Not long afterwards, Cosimo was overthrown and his sister Valencia took the throne. Among her first decrees was for the body of her late nephew to be taken out to the palace gardens and quietly cremated, as was the Auroran custom at the time. The gardeners tasked with this responsibility were horrified to find, however, that after the flames died down, the bones of Tiberius were still intact and unburnt. What's more, they had begun to writhe and squirm again, as the infant had done in life.

Terribly afraid, the gardeners hurriedly threw the bones into a wooden chest and gave them to the youngest to dispose of. It was suggested that he sail out and throw the chest into the sea, but on the way down to the port he thought better of it, and instead sold the bones at the market for several months worth of grain.

It followed thus that for the next few years, the bones were traded up and down the Channel, gaining a reputation as they travelled. Eventually, the bones reached the port city of Valthee in the Empire of the Basalt Throne, as it was known then, where they were seized and ended up in the private collection of the Duke of Sung, who took an interest in such magical curiosities. And there they left half-forgotten for many years, until one day, three youngsters found their way into the collection.

Their leader was the Duke's eldest son and heir. With him came a krakari girl, the daughter of a wealthy trading family, and a younger corvan girl in simple clothing. If one looked closely, they would notice a strange thing about the smallest girl -- rather than the bronze gaze of her people, or the typical brown of her human countrymen, her eyes were a brilliant green.

"Good morning." A clear, high voice came from the chest containing the bones, scaring the children half to death. "Please, do not be afraid."

"What are you?" the Duke's son finally asked.

"That does not matter. I offer a bargain. Bring me the necklace that hangs by your mother's mirror, and the cloak belonging to the head priest, and I shall grant whatever you desire in return."

This was an odd request, but the children were hooked nonetheless.

"Anything?" the krakari girl asked suspiciously.

"Yes. Anything."

"Then I wish to be a proper lord, just like my father," the Duke's son declared pompously.

"It shall be done."

"And I wish my mother wouldn't make me brush my frill all the time," the krakari girl said, sniffing.

"It shall also be done," the bones said. "And what do you want?" it added, addressing the green-eyed girl.

"Oh, she doesn't need anything, she's just a servant," the Duke's son interjected. He turned to the maid. "You keep watch, while we get the things."

The pair disappeared, leaving the green-eyed girl and the bones alone.

"I have never seen a corvan like you."

"They say my father was human," the girl said by way of explanation, looking down shyly.

"Ah. Well, what do you desire, then?"

"Can I really?"

"Yes."

"I want... I want to leave here and see the whole world. I want to see the Basalt Obelisk, and the Colosseum in Xule, and... and..."

"It shall be done," the bones said, interrupting her. "I need a very special, third ingredient. Go and fetch me frogspawn in a jar, and be quick about it. Don't let the other two see."

The girl hurried off to fulfil this strange request. By the time she returned, the frogspawn safely stowed under her skirt, the other two had already returned.

"Where were you? You were meant to be keeping watch, idiot!" the krakari girl cried.

"Never mind, nobody came. Now place the necklace and cloak in my box," the bones instructed. The two noble children did so. "And now, the bargain is fulfilled."

At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then, the krakari girl began to itch her forward.

"Ow, my head!" she cried, tearing out of the chamber. The duke's son followed her.

"Pour the frogspawn in the box. Quick."

The green-eyed girl did so, with more than a little disgust.

"Now, place your hand into the spawn, and your wish shall be granted."

Meanwhile, the krakari girl had ground to a halt, running her claws over her head. The duke's son was in fits of laughter as her feathery frill came away, leaving the back of her head with the same texture of a plucked chicken.

"It's not funny! This isn't what I meant!"

Then, there was a sudden scream from upstairs. The two children looked uneasily at each other. That was followed by a familiar shout:

"The Duke is dead. Long live the Duke!"

The blood drained from the new's duke face as he realised the full gravity of what he had just done. He sprinted back to the collection room to beg the bones to reverse the bargain, only to find the chest had vanished. For the rest of his life he would send search party after search party across the land, but neither the mysterious bones, nor the green-eyed girl, were ever seen again.

Faction Name: Kismet

Main Faction Concept:

The origin of Kismet is shrouded in mystery. He has no permanent form, appearing before mortals as anything ranging from a black cat to a fox, from a grinning urchin to an alluring maiden. The only consistency is that regardless of the form he takes, he always has green eyes. This, apparently, he cannot change.

There are many stories told about Kismet, which invariably will share the same narrative structure. He will appear before a desperate mortal, offering something they desire above all else. Love, wealth, vengeance on a rival, and victory in a key battle are all common themes. He will always deliver on his end of the bargain, but inevitably, there will be a price that has to be paid sooner or later. If one is brave, or foolish, enough to make a deal with Kismet in the first place, it can only be recommended that the wording of the deal is checked to the last letter.

Component Concepts

Minor Concepts:

Hearts of Men (+1 Influence Production): The hearts of men (and women) are easily tempted by the allure of money, glory, or just pure power. Kismet has great experience in knowing exactly what to offer to sway all but the most resistant.

Fool's Gold (+1 Wealth Production): It is commonly supposed that Kismet has the power to create gold and precious stones out of thin air. This is not actually true. Rather, he knows the location of enough treasure-laden shipwrecks and long forgotten tombs that he can summon almost any amount of wealth at short notice if a mortal requests such things. He has no use for gold himself.

Long Arc of History (+1 Influence Production): As a being who has existed for at least half a millennium, Kismet has a wealth of historical knowledge he can draw upon and use to his advantage when dealing with mortals.

One Soul (+1 Unity): Kismet is a single being... reportedly. Some sources beg to differ, but they aren't held in high regard.

Moderate Concepts:

Immaterial (+2 Military & Espionage Rolls) A being of spirit rather than flesh, ordinary weapons or indeed solid walls are no barrier to Kismet. A particularly potent magic would be required to repel, let alone contain him.

Foresight (+2 Military & Espionage Rolls)  Kismet possesses an uncanny, though not always perfect, ability to predict future events. Some say that this is the result of being able to listen in on the conversations of the gods themselves, while others ascribe it to a small red orb which he is said to possess.

Advanced Concept:

Kismet's Conspiracy (+4 Espionage Rolls): As a result of a bargain made centuries ago, the exact details of which change with each retelling, a number of Ravens of Gangari are closely allied with Kismet. This "conspiracy" collects information from across the known world, which they ferry back to Kismet through mysterious methods known only to those involved.

Heritage Concept:

Cosmopolitan (+3 to Influence Production): As a result of the lack of certainty over his origin, most cultures have stories claiming Kismet as their own. This, coupled with his ability to take the form of any race or kind, allows him to tailor his approach to the mortal in question.

Inheritance Concept:

Imperial Blood (+3 to Influence and Wealth Production): "Some older tales connect Kismet with the now extinct Auroran House of Verde. Whether they're true or not, an aura of prestige surrounds him, giving him greater influence among the more deferential mortals of the world."