#that skull is one of a draconic monster

[thegnomelord]

Patience Is a Virtue

CW: Sub Top reader, Dom bottom Price, monster AU, dragon hybrid Price, Mage male reader, objectification, use of cock and strap, humiliation, edging, dom/sub, praise kink, getting called 'good boy', mild mirror sex. Might be OOC as I'm not familiar with cod. MDNI

You had fucked up.

Granted, you'd never admit or acknowledge that.

You didn't even see anything wrong by charging the enemy against his orders believing the ends justified the means. You were always like that, reckless and dismissive of your own mortality, happy to rush head first into the enemy fire if it meant one enemy was consumed by your magic. He couldn't fault you fully, the raging inferno of magic controlled you as much as you controlled it, but Price still couldn't have an asset disobeying orders like you did. Conventional punishments couldn't get through your thick skull, so he'd need to come up with a better solution...

Price got creative.

He had given you one simple order: Do not Move.

His heavy body pinned you down, thick and powerful thighs bracketing your hips, pleased growls rumbling in his chest as Price rose and then sank down on a cock.

But it wasn't your dick, he hadn't deemed you worthy of using your actual cock to pleasure him, instead fastening a strap-on to your waist. The silicone was the color of your eyes, and you could see the way it disappeared inside him through the dresser mirror behind him, wet with spit and lube.

The dragon hybrid had sucked the dildo when he first put it on you, ordering you to sit and watch as his lips wrapped around the silicone head. His long draconic tongue lapped at the artificial cum hole before he'd taken the entire thing to the balls, nose flush with your abdomen and pretty lips stretched taught, throat bulging from it and drool running down his chin. Indecently lewd sounds escaped his mouth as he pulled back, worshiping the silicone cock like a pious believer.

His eyes had never left yours, draconic gold glowing in the dark and just daring you to try going against his orders. You had needed to use every bit of your resolve to just stay fucking still, thinking of dead puppies and naked grandmas — anything to stop yourself from touching him when he'd growl with the fake cock balls deep in his throat, the sound vibrating the base of the strap on against your trapped cock beneath it.

It would send a jolt of pleasure down your spine, sizzling arousal and desperate want burning in your chest, but it wasn't enough.

Now, Price languidly rode 'you', pleased growls rumbling in his chest, slow hip movements allowing the fake cock to rub every inch of his walls. You'd know when the silicone would brush against his prostate by the way his wing would flex, by the way his tail would curl up like a beast in heat and his hungry hole would flutter around the strap, by the way the most sinful growled moan would come from his chest and his hips would grind down to prolong the sensation.

Your patience was beginning to evaporate, desiring nothing more than to pull more of those sounds from him, to be the reason behind his pleasure, to replace that damned stap and feel his greedy hole suck you in, to feel his body clench around you with draconic strength.

Price knew this, and he paid no attention to your torment.

He continued to ride you like a toy(which you were in a way), his eyes closed and head thrown back, one hand lazily stroking his own dick. Your eyes snapped to the strands of precum leaking from his tip, pooling in the grooves of your muscles, your mouth watering with the sudden desire to taste him.

He caught your gaze as he cracked open an eye, a pleased smirk on his features as he dipped his fingers into the puddle of precum and dragged his claws along your skin, sharp nails making your skin crawl from feeling his touch for the first time in a while.

It was comical how quickly you could feel your resolve slipping, fiery arousal burning hotter than mana in your veins.

Honestly, this torture should be considered a fucking war crime.

"Fuck, Price." You hissed through clenched teeth, not noticing how hard you were panting, the mana inside you burning hot. "Come on, I said I was sorry. Just let me fuck you already."

Price let out a chuckle, settling to sit fully in your lap, tail curling up just so you could see how his hole stretched and fluttered around the silicone. "You are fuckin' me." He said, fangs displayed in a grin.

That fucking dragon-

"That's not what I meant." You hastily replied, groaning when he ground down, grinding the base of the strap against your cock. "Fuck, I promise I'll follow orders next time, just, fucking please."

"You will now?" Price snorted, tone degrading, making arousal burn in your chest. "Is this all it takes? Not getting your knob wet for five minutes is enough for my mage to loose all that pride?"

You just whined at his mocking words, echoing a few more pleas without even realizing it, magic sparking along your skin with the desire to touch him, even as his words kept you down.

He chuckled, reaching out to grip your hair, pulling on it until you sat up and immediately shoving your face into his chest, almost smothering you in heaven. "Go on then, love, let's see how well behaved you are."

You didn't need to be told twice, tongue lolling out to lather his pecs with licks and kisses, teeth eagerly nibbling on his skin. A pleased rumble shook Price's chest and he rocked his hips, working to make your arousal burn hotter, urging your mind to further take what was offered to you. You sucked on his skin until his skin was marked with bruises and bitemarks, his nipples hard and puffy and covered with saliva.

"Thank you, fuck." you growled, throwing a praise to the powers that be, the desperation to touch more, to feel more, driving your body as you reached out to roughly grope his arse, pulling his body down on you while you bit his nipple hard.

A resounding growl came from his chest, yanking your head from his chest as his tail slapped your hand away, the thick appendage wrapping like a chain around your arm. "What did I tell you, boy?"

The roughness in his voice made your dick just that bit harder, making it almost impossible to think. "Stay still."  You growled, teeth clenching with the desire to swear when he ground his hips down, sending jolts up your spine.

"And what did you do? The exact opposite." He growled, the rich green scales on his tail chaffing against your skin.

“But I-” You went to argue before your rational mind caught up with your dick, recognizing that all arguing would do would make Price prolong this fucking torture. “-I’m… I’m sorry.”

"Sure you are." He said in a flat tone, draconic eyes narrowed.

"I am." You repeated, your eyes glowing with the mana in your chest, casting light on his features. "Fuck, Price, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." It was obvious you weren't used to apologizing, and you hoped your inexperience in this department would make Price take mercy on you.

The clawed hand in your hair stroked down the side of your face to hold your chin, holding your head in place as if you'd ever dream of pulling away. Your body leaned in automatically, finally you'd be able to feel his hole flutter around you instead of that god forsaken strap, finally you'd be able to touch him after being denied for so long.

"Ready to be a good boy for me sweetheart?"

He mumbled as his lips brushed against yours, voice smooth like honey. You nodded dumbly, his fangs lightly nibbling on your lip as he ground his hips ground down on yours, sending sparks of pleasure up your spine.

Then he pushed you to lie on your back with a clawed hand on your chest, pinning you to the bed again.

"Then be a good boy, and stay still, just for five more minutes." He said, a sadistic glint in his eyes, thick thighs tensing as he began riding the strap again. "You can handle that, can't you? You did disobey me again." This time, his movements were rougher, the movements sharper, his full weight bearing down on your poor dick trapped beneath the base of the strap, pleasure and pain sparking in your brain all over again.

And you realized, you had fucked up.

[cuppajj]

Your headcanons on Dragonberry vs Black Pearl are really concerning given Black Pearl's true form is likely as big as an adult human. I always headcanoned myself that the Ancients had strength enough to go at least toe to toe with a human, but having the true power of the soul jam unleashed, and then putting it behind a cookie who would tackle a god across the room just because she thinks it would be badass to beat it to death and hang it's skull above her banquet table? Yeowch.

On an unrelated note, how would one provide tribute to her? A couple of home cooked meals or some particularly nice juice, perhaps?

I was so confused by your ask at first because i was thinking “adult human size is just normal cookie adult size?? huh?? what do you mean” And then i remembered wait. yeah. these are cookies. they are really small LMAO

Yeahhh Dragonberry concerningly has enough strength to take down an entire adult human just by tackling them. You described it perfectly, and she wouldn’t even need to fight Black Pearl after learning she’s not a dragon, but she does because she can and because it’s fun. That’s about the level Dragonberry has with most fights, especially ones who are theoretically supposed to be stronger than her. Why not?

Providing tribute…. Definitely juice, good weapons, monster parts. I also think she’d like treasure in general, slowly gaining a little draconic habit of keeping a hoard full of shiny things she likes.

[draconesmundi]

Dracones Mundi infographics to explain some of the dragon design features in my project :3

Image IDs in alt text or below the cut:

A labelled diagram depicting a dragon’s head. Labels are: ear slit. Wattle on horn that looks like an ‘ear’. Dorsal finlets made of thick skin. Overlapping osteoderms like Vancleavea (accompanied by Vancleavea fossil photo). Overall appearance inspired by pseuedosuchians, including extant crocodiles (accompanied by skeletal mount of Prestosuchus and a photo of a baby Nile crocodile). Smoother scales on belly for sliding though mud into bodies of water. ‘Beard’ or jaw wattle of thick skin. Rear venom fang, full of cytotoxic venom. The dragon can ‘spit’ like a spitting cobra, and the cytotoxins are similar to those found in puff adder venom. Lots of different snakes inspire dragon venom (accompanied by diagram of snake skull).

A dragon family tree accompanied by a paragraph of text. Text reads: There is a lot of morphological diversity in Dracones Mundi – dragons all evolved from a type of pseudosuchian, and had a basic ‘four legs and a long tail' body plan. Many families have atrophied their hind limbs, many have small legs and more serpentine shape. Dragon wings are not limbs, but patagium spread between osteoderm spokes, so there is a diversity in wing size and function (display, thermoregulation, camouflage) beyond gliding (only the flying serpent family really use them for gliding…). Flight is achieved by magic.

The dragons on the family tree are: turtle dragons, such as the cucafera. Firedrakes, azhdar and long are in one family. ‘Beast dragons’ such as the tatzelwyrm. ‘Feathered serpents’ such as coameh. Wyverns and cockatrices. Flying serpents or ‘amphitheres’. Wyrms and serpents. Sea serpents and lake monsters.

[sketchyonlooker]

[ DMGBeloved has logged in. ]

[ BC Chat Room ]

---

[ The main screen of the stream shows an ominous ghostly green skull hovering above Sacramento City. A berth of destruction could be seen around the California Supreme Court, the only intact building in the area. The roars of monsters and cries of people echo through the thoroughly demolished city. A long wurm-like creature wrapped around the ruins of a skyscraper opens its maw towards the building. Light collects and coalesces into an orb within its mouth - its sweltering heat melts the concrete it's next to. It then swings its head back as if to fire - Only for a lance of neon green to nail the wurm's mouth shut, sending both it and the ruined skyscraper into the ground. The world shakes violently as the orb detonates within the creature's mouth - its light overwhelming the camera. Falling dirt rains from the sky with only a large broad crater to mark the creature's death. Hovering where the creature once stood was a man wearing a green hoodie with a skull similar to the one in the sky. His body glowed with an iridescent green. And in his hand was an ornate spear crackling with neon-colored lightning, the same spear that struck the wurm's mouth shut. With glowing eyes, he gives the remains a final look before zipping out of view in a surge of green. The camera moves to follow.

----

Boomer-oh (v): Okay. I can't watch anymore. Watching how many times I should've died might actually give me a heart attack before this whole thing is over. Thank you, mysterious green man / duel monster / whatever.

BanditKLives (v): God. You're in the Sacramento shelter too? Ugh. I know exactly how you feel.

KuriBoom (v): I'm telling you I saw the angel of Los Angeles in person. She has these like light wings and woooosh, smashing up all those dragons with her hammer like it's nothing.

LordofTheNight (v): Wait. You think that's impressive? We got a giant vampire defending the city in San Francisco. At least I'm pretty sure it's a vampire. Can't really tell because he moves so fast, but holy shit he's tall like small-building tall.

LordofTheNight (v): Anyway, fucking vampires fighting dragons. Still feels like I'm still dreaming.

[ A in-line video is posted in chat from LordofTheNight. A military installation with tanks could be seen in the background. An incredibly tall figure - almost a story tall - slams a tanbo underneath an even taller two-headed dinosaur's chin. The force of the blow lifts the creature up into the air. Despite the dinosaur's speedy snaps and slashes, the dinosaur fails to hit its elusive target every single time. And then a flurry of blows from the tanbo strikes the creature so quickly it seemed like they were all performed at the same time. A moment later, the creature collapses with broken body and shattered limbs. The moment it hits the ground, it shatters into shards of light. An enormous fireball strikes down where the humanoid figure just was immediately after, his figure still blurry from the speed which he moved. Briefly, the camera loses track of the speedy figure, only to hear the sound of another draconic roar. The roar is cut short with the sound of something cracking. And immediately in front of the camera, a long Eastern dragon falls onto the earth with a earth-rendering thud. It too shatters into light. On top of a broken skyscraper and under the backdrop of stormy skies, the tall gray vampire is seen in all of his glory, only to turn into a blur once more.

SunnyDay (v): You think that's crazy? I've got a literal skeleton army fighting dragons and lizards outside. And a freaky green-wearing necromancer controlling them all.

LordofTheNight (v): Don't necromancers wear black or something? Like they're all emo or shit?

SunnyDay (v): Well, clearly someone didn't get the memo. Besides I think if you own a skeleton army that can beat up a bunch of dragons, I think you can wear anything you fucking want.

[ An in-line video is posted by SunnyDay. It's clear that the video was taken from the BC Stream chat. A coastline and an air strip are seen. After a quick zoom-in, several skeletons wearing various sets of clothes are charging the dragons along the skyline. Colorful beams of light blast through the dragons attempting to make landfall, putting large holes into the creatures and shattering them into motes of light. The dragons retaliate similarly with fiery blazes and icy projectiles. Meanwhile, the apparent green-clad necromancer engages up close and dispatches several of the hostile monsters in a flurry of colorful red chef's knives. Another human-sized skeleton, tall and lanky and wearing an orange sweater, slams its foot straight into a scaly blue dragon diving face-first at it. The large dragon immediately contorts and flattens like a train slamming into an immovable wall with the sound of crunching bone accompanying it. The broken dragon begins to fall out of the sky before it shatters into motes of light. ]

ExodiaTheForgottenOne (v): Are we absolutely sure that it's not KaibaCorp's SolidVision gone haywire? Cause that whole shattering light thing is like SolidVision's thing.

BlueEyesBlondeDragon (v): For the last time, SolidVision is incapable of being physical like this. You should know better since you've been on the Sketchy stream for so long. And also if we're sharing end-of-the-world stories...

BlueEyesBlondeDragon (v): I was in an airplane that was headed back to Japan, but after all the monsters appeared, we tried to U-turn and fly back to California. Except we had a whole bunch of angry monsters after us. I'm pretty sure we got saved by the angel of Los Angeles.

BlueEyesBlondeDragon (v): One second.

[ An in-line video is posted in chat by BlueEyesBlondeDragon. The video is clearly taken from a phone camera. Quiet panicked murmurs and prayers could be heard. The camera is looking out the airplane window and at the plane's right wing. A large blue winged dragon, one that could be recognized as the Winged Dragon of Duel Monsters fame, is diving straight for the aircraft. Screaming could be heard within the airplane cabin as the plane attempts to futilely veer away from the quickly approaching monster. And then a yellow flash crashed straight into the creature, slamming it straight towards the sea. The figure hovers briefly with its bright wings of light, hammer in a two-handed grip. Surrounded by light and with stalwart frame, the redheaded angel of Los Angeles strikes a prominent figure against the stormy skies. Another approaching dragon dives for her but is suddenly struck down in a brilliant flash. Only when the thunder was heard did people realize that it was lightning that smote the dragon down. By the time the camera recovers from the glare, the angel of Los Angeles is gone. "We're saved!" "Praise the lord!" ]

[ficbrish]

Before a Confession of Love

Rating: Explicit 18+ only!

[AO3 Link]

[Kinktober 2023 prompt thanks to @absurdthirst! October 10th - Kissing, Crying]

[[TW/CW: Cptsd, blood, gore, alcohol]]

Summary: The night Astarion realizes he's in love.

Takes place in Act II before the romance lock-in.

[Click here for my other Kinktober one-shots]

“Lie back,” Astarion commanded.

Vistri obeyed, smirking.

He smirked right back as he slowly, devilishly crawled over on knees and fists. The pillow he’d laid out for her didn’t quite line up with the dip in her neck, so he took a second to adjust it, hoping to make her more comfortable.

All they could see was each other. Vistri only broke eye contact to crane her neck.

Astarion lowered his lips to her throat and moaned, “Mmmph!”

Nothing in the world compared to her blood, tinged with draconic magic as cold as the sea the stars swam in. The Storm Coast could be bathed in rivers of red, and still, he would never find a more satisfying treat. He ached for her, cock to fangs. The feeling of Vistri as his prey, wriggling under him, his body pressing hers into the ground, was arousal itself. She cried out before he even bit her, and at her sound, Astarion broke through her skin. His hips rolled into hers; his tongue lapped up her sweet nectar. Writhing underneath him, Vistri grew dizzier, feeling him grow stronger.

She had no love for the gods, no practices of worship, but her life becoming his came close. A holy sacrament, she flowed into his heart. She had value; a gift to give. Her body could be his strength. Astarion let out a long, low groan that died as a whine in his throat. She gasped, feeling a sharp pang as he extracted his fangs from her skin. He sat up on his knees, wiping his bloody mouth with his hand. Then one by one, licked his fingers clean.

“That’s not fair,” Vistri pouted, “I wanted a taste.”

Astarion bowed his head in flirtatious apology, “How inconsiderate of me, darling.”

Her neck had two fresh blooms of red where his fangs sunk into her. Little drops gradually growing thicker. Astarion bent down to lick them up. With her blood on his tongue, he brought his lips to hers. Vistri moaned as he deepened their kiss, returning her blood. After breaking it, he wiped a smudge off her lips with his thumb and pushed it into her mouth, “Suck me off, dear.”

She let him push it all the way in, tasting his skin and her blood. His thumbprint felt roughly ridged against her soft tongue.

“The way you moan…” he shut his eyes, words trailing off, “Oh, the songs you sing for me.”

He took his thumb away to kiss her again, their gasping a duet as they licked and bit and tore at each other. She grabbed the base of his skull and a fistful of hair in both hands. Holding him still, she licked along one of his fangs, grinning as he shook from it.

“If you don’t stop, I’ll gobble you up.”

As much as Vistri wanted to be consumed, he relied on her to help him stay in control. If the monster took over, Astarion would never forgive himself. Holding her, hanging from her neck, draining her body limp, sucking her heartbeat still, both of their eyes empty—It was something she never wanted to put him through. He didn't want to lose himself to the hunger. She could tell he feared it even though he never said it.

She giggled, reluctantly pushing him off her, “Promises, promises.”

“Let’s get you restored, love,” Astarion reached over her to grab a nearby scroll. Earlier, Shadowheart gifted them a large bag packed tight with Lesser Restoration scrolls. Or rather, sold it to them at the cost of a heavy lecture on wasting spells, and above all, her time, with “bloodless shenanigans.”

Light-headed, Vistri crawled into his lap, all elbows, “I’m fine.”

He frowned, “You gave too much again.”

She reached up with a pointing finger to poke him on the chin, “I like when you feel better.”

Astarion grabbed it and kissed it, swallowing down a sudden lump, “I’m grateful for it, but let’s be more careful.”

Vistri rolled her eyes. Her face adopted a rosy hue, proving there was still some blood left in her.

He unraveled the scroll and read aloud its incantation, enveloping them both in a blue-green light that targeted Vistri. A magical rush of life flooded into her as plasma reproduced itself, forcing her to take a deep inhale she punctuated with an outwards sigh.

Astarion stroked the side of Vistri’s face, “All better?”

She nodded in his lap, against his thighs.

“Get up, slowly,” he warned as she sat up.

“You’re fussing over me!”

“I don’t fuss!”

Vistri’s expression was mischievous, “Right. That’s right. You don’t fuss, lover, you dote.”

Astarion smirked with soft eyes, “I do dote on you, don’t I? Huh. Funny thing, that… And you blush.”

“I—I do not blush!”

“Even if I was robbed of my sight, do you really think I wouldn’t notice whenever blood was rushing into those lovely lavender cheeks of yours?”

Vistri bit her lip, trying to think of something to say, but all she could think of was his blood rushing to certain places. I too notice when your—No. You think I wouldn't—Sod it! Did he really notice every time she blushed? No! Plausible denial, plausible denial... Gah!

“Damn!”

“Ah, hah!”

“Have it your way, darling,” Vistri acquiesced, “I blush, and you fuss.”

He creased his brow, narrowing his eyes, and smiled, “I think it starts the other way around.”

They opened a bottle of wine. Vistri only came by to give him a little blood, and they were both too proud to ask anything in regards to her staying. A bottle between them was the perfect excuse to pass by a good part of the night.

“Oh, fuck me. This is actually good,” Astarion remarked after his first sip.

Vistri laughed, “It’s been in a cellar for about a hundred years. It better be good.”

She took a sip, “Oh, Fuck me. That is good!”

Astarion giggled, “What? You don’t trust my opinion?”

“I’m just shocked. Who knew we’d be able to find anything good out here.”

Vistri watched the look on his face morph into something mournful.

“I’d kind of given up on the idea of finding anything good ever again.”

She always wanted to hold him whenever he got like this, but that wasn’t allowed. That wasn’t what they were to each other.

“Don’t hold me to this,” Vistri said, “Because I can’t remember, but I think, I feel, like I can relate. In regards to wine though, I can confidently state that I’d given up on the idea of ever finding anything good again.”

They broke into a fit of laughter.

“Shit!” Astarion spilled a bit of wine on himself.

“To the jar!” Vistri pointed to the other side of the tent where two emptied blood jars sat on a silver platter. They were both filled with gold coins to varying degrees. The one labeled “Vistri” was almost full, and the other labeled “Astarion” was just about halfway.

“But I don’t want to get up,” he pouted, “I’m comfortable here.”

“You’re just trying to cheat me out of coin!”

“Take a look at the jars, beloved. I’m about a hair away from winning our bet.”

“It’s not a bet! It’s a contest!”

“Of what? Who can drown my humble abode in the most wine?—Well, in that case…”

He hit the bottom of her glass, toppling its contents all over both of them.

“Astarion!” Vistri squealed.

“Oh, well. Tops off, kitten!”

She helped him take off his. Then Astarion leaned forward and kissed her as they took off hers.

“Astarion,” Vistri teased as if she carried some scandalous secret, “Are you trying to fuck me?”

He scooped her into his lap, grabbing and holding her bottom tight, “Duh, obviously! But not before we finish the good wine.”

Vistri playfully smacked his chest, “To think so little of me! That I would waste the best wine I’ve had since… Well, the best wine I can remember having!”

Her tragic loss of self and memory was the funniest thing in the world to them for a moment. They laughed in each other’s arms until they couldn’t breathe.

“It’s not funny,” Astarion laughed, trying to regain control of himself.

“I honestly can’t remember if it’s the best wine I’ve ever tasted, or if you’re the best—” Vistri coughed and cleared her throat.

A self-satisfactory smirk spread on his lips. He clicked his tongue, “I told you; you blush.”

“Pour me another.”

Astarion smiled and turned to reach for the bottle. Vistri couldn’t breathe as long as she eyed those scars on his back. She could feel his cuts breaking across her own skin, and in just as much detail, her hand holding the knife. Vistri gladly swallowed down the thoughts of carnage now warming her throat as he passed her a full glass.

“Thank you.”

“I live to serve,” he bowed his head.

Vistri chuckled, almost spitting some wine and shaking her head, “No, you don’t! You live to be served.”

Astarion frowned, his eyes as heavy as his face.

Then it was gone, his whole expression replaced with a languid smirk.

“Welcome back,” Vistri teased.

“I—What?”

She took a sip, “You went somewhere. Now you’re back. Hello!”

Vistri gave him a silly wave. Tears welled up in his eyes.

“Astarion?”

He sniffed, unable to stop their flow, “Sod it!”

Vistri reached for his face and wiped his tears. Astarion froze.

“Are you all right?” she asked, serious for once.

He shook his head, sniffing again to push back the last of his tears, “Yes, I’m all right. Pardon me, I don’t really know…”

“You don’t have to. It happens. It’s just… It’s just really good wine.”

The corner of his mouth lifted and so did his mood.

The first time Vistri saw herself in Astarion, it made her mistrust him. Seeing him now, though, she saw herself drowning just below the surface, desperate to keep her head above the waterline. He needed a rope, something to hold onto and drag himself up with.

So Vistri told jokes, a lot of jokes, in the form of stories about people they knew.

“And then Gale,” she trailed off amidst one of them, enraptured by her own hilarity, “Gale tripped!”

Astarion chuckled, “On what?”

She couldn’t even get the words out. There were tears in her eyes, “I—I—I droppedabitofcheese!”

“Cheese?”

“Cheese!” she howled and wheezed.

“Wait,” he giggled, “Then he tripped over it?”

“Yes!”

“And then what happened?”

Her eyes were streaming, and it took her quite a while to get out, “HE FELL!”

Astarion cackled, due more to her breathlessness than the image of Gale falling—Although, that was still pretty funny. Just like stepping into the sunlight again, Astarion found a lightness in Vistri that he hadn’t felt for two centuries.

“Any good story involves at least one person falling over,” he smirked.

“That’s the best part!” she cried out, “There were two!”

“Two?!”

She nodded her head, snorting.

“Shadow fell too! She wasn’t… She wasn’t paying attention. And then! And then! She—” Vistri couldn’t speak for a moment, “Tripped over Gale! And then Gale!”

Since she couldn’t get her words out, Astarion tried to finish them for her, “What? Made a joke about ending up the Bottom again?”

“No—Good one! But no! He—”

“He, what, my dear?” Astarion laughed.

“He broke wind! Probably from the force of Shadowheart, and… The ground, pressure; You know? All that. Wham! Toot! And then Karlach said—She said! ‘Hey who cut the cheese?’!”

He despised her for making him laugh at that, “That’s it! You’ve finally earned a ban from my tent. Get out!”

Vistri protested, ribs weak, “No, please!”

“I said no more corny jokes.”

“It wasn’t my joke. It was Karlach’s! Ban her!” she whined.

“Now I may be cold-hearted, dear, but not enough to ban Mama K.”

“Okay, I take that back!” she laughed, “I take it back, but I want to stay!”

Astarion shifted at her words, suddenly serious again, “You do?”

Vistri leaned over to rest a hand on his knee, “Please understand, darling, I’m only saying this out loud because of the wine. But if you make me leave, I think it’ll break my heart.”

He smiled, watching her play the same game as he did.

“Cheap flattery may be my trick of choice, but it’ll get you nowhere with me. At least not tonight.”

“First! My flattery is never cheap—Sir! Secondly…”

Vistri took a deep breath and looked at Astarion as if she were trying to solve a puzzle. She reached out to touch his face, and then quickly took her hand away, “Secondly, I’m not quite sure if it counts as flattery in the first place.”

“Careful, darling,” he warned, “You’re in danger of making me think you were being genuine.”

“I don’t know. Maybe I was?”

Astarion stared at her in disbelief.

“Oh, come on! It’s not that hard to believe. We have fun together! And I don’t just mean that type of fun.”

Embarrassed by her admission, Vistri polished off her wine. Astarion didn’t say anything back, and it made her increasingly nervous.

And he wasn’t trying to make her nervous. He just had no idea what to say.

Which meant Vistri started talking again, “I like having you around—Being around you. Talking to you, drinking with you, fu—Astarion?”

The tears in his eyes that she’d worked so hard to drive away were back as if they’d never left.

“Fuck me, I’ve gone and said the wrong thing, haven’t I?”

Astarion made a disgusted noise over his tears, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Astarion,” she said, her heart breaking, “You’re just upset about something, is all.”

That really got him going. It wasn’t relief, it was overflow. His body tensed and trembled with the effort of pushing down whatever was being regurgitated. Vistri reached for his hand, grabbing it without thinking. She swallowed, feeling a sharp pain as she did. Her eyes welled up along with his. Astarion held her hand tight, as if it were his final tether.

She felt warm, wet streaks travel down her face, “I hate seeing you hurt.”

The way he wiped his eyes reminded her of a terrified child. She felt herself shake.

“Vistri?” Astarion’s question caught on the lump sticking his throat. She was… crying. But why?

She shut her eyes, trying to hide from him. Then she felt his big hand, warm on her cheek. Tentatively lifting her eyelids at his touch, she found an expression on Astarion’s face that devastated and tugged at her. It was woven with fear, agony, and above all, sheer disbelief. Shock.

“Why?” he asked.

She buried her face in his hand, “It hurts.”

Astarion pulled her close. His forehead pressed against hers. Their hearts beat together so rapidly.

He kissed the tears on her face. Asking, Why? Why were they there?

Possession brought their lips together. The hunger under it was much different from earlier. Before, they indulged. Now, they held desperately onto life. They could feel the hot tears flowing down both their cheeks as their faces pressed and rubbed and caressed each other. It turned possession into necessity.

Astarion rolled them onto the floor, still kissing her. Vistri gasped when her back hit it, even though he’d taken most of the impact on his arms. He ground against her as he crawled between her thighs, and she rocked her hips upwards to meet him with equal urgency.

Her fury was driven by the pangs from her powerlessness to comfort him. Every time the mask slipped and showed his real grief underneath, Vistri felt a full-bodied ache. Now he was reaching for her, asking for comfort in the only way she knew how to give. Finally, she was in her element. There was something she could do, and it left her feeling a full-bodied ache.

She gasped as he shoved her trousers down below her knees. He didn’t even take off his, just pulled himself out through the front of them. She moaned, feeling his silky skin press stiffly into hers.

They both cried out at his initial thrust. Astarion’s eyes, beaming with presence, consumed Vistri’s in their gaze. For once, she didn’t shy away as he searched for every part of her soul inside them. Through her dissipating tears, she smiled.

Then pushed Astarion onto his back, rolling over so she sat proudly on top. She let in his length, slowly, until he was all hers and it felt like his thickness would break her. She called out his name, her tone a shattered heart reaching out to his. Vistri rocked up and down; her gradual, deliberate movements causing strain in her thighs. The whole time, their eyes remained locked. Knees up and spread apart, Astarion added his own steady rhythm. His hands gripped her bottom like talons digging into prey.

Resting a hand on his chest, she leaned forward. Wanting to be closer, to hold him tighter, she looped his shoulders under her arms and pressed herself into him. She sighed his name again, like it was a dream, licking and nibbling along his ear. He gasped, and it turned into a moan while he squirmed under her.

Vistri kissed him. Astarion smirked.

He kissed her again, throwing his arms around her to take back the top. He loved her hard and fast, crashing deep. Vistri screamed as the sensations of him overwhelmed her.

Unable to care less if the others heard, he threw her legs over his shoulders to make her louder.

“Astarion!” she screamed his name like she was begging the gods for mercy while thanking them for salvation.

He showered her with ecstasy until the tears returned to her eyes. It wasn’t until her screaming dissolved into a kind of sobbing that Astarion let himself go too. Caressing her face and gazing deeply into her eyes, he spoke softly, “Die with me, Vistri.”

She nodded and cried out again, voice raw. A new kind of euphoria wracked through their bodies. It was that same ecstasy, familiar and unique to them, but with additional dimensions, and it possessed them completely until neither could see.

They made pathetic noises and shook.

Their movements gradually slowed.

They held each other for a long while without speaking.

Direct words were beyond their means. Sweet words between them were habitually vapid and wouldn’t ring true. It wasn't possible to say how they felt. They weren’t those types of people. 

Eventually, Astarion ran his hands through her hair and said, “I ne—”

Something small and light shot in through his tent flap, meeting the ground with a high squeak. It was one of Scratch’s balls with a note attached written in angry, rapid scroll.

Shut the fuck up!

“Guess they hea—” Astarion started again.

Scratch flew into the tent all hot breath, wriggling energy, and over-friendly tongue.

Vistri and Astarion laughed and shrieked as they were subjected to vicious animal attacks. Licks that were too loud, and went all the way into their ears, overwhelmed them at the same time even though Scratch was only one dog.

“That’s what you get!” they heard Gale call out from the other side of the tent.

Karlach sounded like she was standing next to him, “You woke up the dog!”

“And the cub!”

They attempted to look at each other over Scratch, but he was too ecstatically wiggly between them. They giggled together as they tried to push him off.

Once they got him to settle down, and reassuringly pet the owlbear cub, they tried to placate the awake half of camp with pretty lies.

“Silly me, I thought we had cast a silence spell,” Vistri said.

“Won’t happen again.”

Everyone knew it would. They were just too tired to argue.

As the others went back to their bedrolls, Astarion took Vistri’s hand, “Are you returning to yours, or coming back to mine?”

He immediately regretted asking. It was a step too far, one a pairing like theirs didn't take, and she'd surely say—

“Yours, if you’ll have me.”

Suddenly, he no longer regretted his query. Astarion smiled, “Oh goodie, but I’ll have you know I’m planning to hold you in my arms—All through the night! Even if that means getting no rest.”

“Promises, promises,” Vistri muttered, ducking back into their tent.

[Click here for my other Kinktober one-shots]

[monarch-afterdark]

Titan History: Camazotz

Welcome once again to Monarch: After Dark, the digital gateway between you and the organisation dedicated to understanding and navigating this troubled new world we live in.

For today's communication, we look to a Titan whose awakening was foretold by ancient legend, said to be the beginning of darkness falling upon the world; the demonic lord of the night, Camazotz.

(Pictured above: Artistic pinup of Camazotz, courtesy of Outpost 33's chief expedition manager, Mohammad "Zid" Yazid)

Monarch Database File: Camazotz

Monarch Designation: Titanus Camazotz

Height: 164 feet

Wingspan: 402 feet

Nature: Bio-Sonic

Behavioural Classification: Destroyer

-----

"A darkness will swallow the world, and the King of the Deep will rise and rise, and the sun will die on his tongue..."

The above quote, an English translation of an ancient Iwi prophecy, does well to invoke the fear that Camazotz plants deep in the hearts of those who hear it. A giant bat, with torn wings decorated with lethal spikes, demonic horns and fangs, and an armour-plated body, Camazotz is sure to be almost exactly how one would envision him upon hearing about him.

A nocturnal tyrant, only emerging under cover of darkness to claim the land for his own, Camazotz does not act on his own. A Titan ruler in his own right, Camazotz commands an army of draconic bat-like minions that will swarm his enemies and tear them apart at his behest, or battle smaller opponents while Camazotz brawls with his main quarry.

(Artistic depiction of Camazotz and his minions battling G-Team pilots over San Diego, circa. 2019)

Camazotz has his roots deep in mythology, menacing humanity for thousands of years. On Skull Island, Camazotz is a beast of the night that lurks within the Hollow Earth, waiting for darkness to fall upon the island so that he can rise to conquer it. Some evidence uncovered by Monarch suggests that a temple dedicated to Camazotz rests somewhere in the Hollow Earth, complete with its own clan of bat-worshippers and a temple guardian who defends the territory in Camazotz's absence.

During the Monster Zero crisis, Camazotz awakened over San Diego, where he battled with G-Team fighter pilots alongside his army of minions. Following the battle, Camazotz retreated to Hollow Earth, waiting beneath Skull Island for his time to rise.

In 2021, Monster Zero seemed to posthumously grant Camazotz his desire. A storm generated by Monster Zero in the Pacific merged with the perpetual storm system surrounding Skull Island, plunging the island into darkness and chaos. Camazotz readily seized his opportunity and emerged from the vortex beneath the island.

(Pictured above: G-Team pilot Audrey Burns creating a sonic boom in front of Camazotz's face to disorient him, circa. 2021)

Camazotz did battle with Kong, the Titan guardian of Skull Island, aided by his hellish army. The two Titans fought viciously, though Camazotz's aerial superiority granted him the advantage over the landlocked Kong.

A daring plan by G-Team pilot Audrey Burns, who had been mentally scarred by Camazotz in 2019, was put into place to disorient him long enough for Kong to turn the tide of battle. Facing her fears head-on and refusing to back down, Burns triggered a sonic boom in the demon-bat's face, disorienting him long enough for Kong to take victory, banishing Camazotz back from whence he came by punching him back down into the Hollow Earth.

While Skull Island was quickly rendered uninhabitable in the aftermath of the battle, Monarch believe quite firmly that Camazotz is still alive, biding his time until he can strike again. To date, Monarch have yet to authorise the expedition into Hollow Earth to locate Camazotz's temple.

-----

And there you go! Camazotz is almost certainly a terrifying prospect, and the idea of him lurking deep in the Hollow Earth sends chills down Monarch's spine. While the Hollow Earth can take solace in having Kong as its protector, the outcome of their rematch will remain to be seen...

Until next time,

Monarch: After Dark

[paperanddice]

Flame dragons are as capricious and destructive as the element they embody. Proud, jealous, quick to anger and unforgiving, they bring complete and total ruin to their surroundings for vengeance or just fun. While the specific types of games they play will vary between families, many of them delight in driving despair and rage. Some do so in direct and destructive means, playing with prey like a cat, destroying the same person's home and life over and over while leaving them alive in the wreckage. Others will be cunning and manipulative, choosing victims of high political stature and elaborately building conspiracy around their lives. These plans can last for ages behind the scenes, the dragon tearing apart the lives of an entire kingdom over generations, making sure anyone who offends it suffers most.

Those who can invade and survive the lair of older flame dragons will find the spoils of their conquests stored with the dragon's horde. Some may collect the scorched skulls of every person they drove to destruction, others will melt the treasure of a toppled dynasty into a single piece of art. Defeating a flame dragon is an invitation to far worse punishment though. Leaving one alive in humiliation is a terrible position, as only the youngest dragons will seek vengeance directly upon the one who defeated them. Older ones are far more patient, and will target their foe's children and distant family, seeking to torture the family line once the direct ire of their rage is out of the way. Even if a dragon is killed, this can draw the attention of the dragon's relatives, tracking down the killer's identity and preparing their revenge for the greatest insult of all: a dragon slain by a lesser being.

Inspired by the Tome of Beasts 1. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

Pathfinder 2e

Flame Dragon Spellcasters Flame dragon spellcasters tend to cast the following spells.

Young Flame Dragon Primal Prepared Spells DC 26, attack +18; 4th outcast’s curse, wall of fire; 3rd blindness, fireball, haste; 2nd blazing bolt, humanoid form, revealing light; 1st fear, grease, vanishing tracks; Cantrips (4th) detect magic, guidance, ignition, light

Adult Flame Dragon DC 33, attack +25; as young flame dragon, plus 6th fireball, true seeing; 5th sending, subconscious suggestion; 4th telepathy; Cantrips (6th) detect magic, guidance, ignition, light, message

Ancient Flame Dragon DC 41, attack +33; as adult flame dragon, plus 9th detonate magic; energy aegis; 8th desiccate, pinpoint; 7th regenerate, volcanic eruption; Cantrips (9th) detect magic, guidance, ignition, light, message

Young Flame Dragon Creature 10 Large, Dragon, Fire, Primal Perception +19; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet Languages Common, Draconic, Pyric Skills Acrobatics +18, Athletics +21, Deception +20, Intimidation +20, Stealth +18, Volcano Lore +20 Str +5, Dex +2, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +1, Cha +4 AC 29; Fort +20, Ref +16, Will +19 HP 180; Immunities fire, paralyzed, sleep; Resistances cold 10 Speed 40 feet, climb 40 feet, fly 120 feet Melee jaws +21 (fire, magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d10+9 piercing plus 2d8 fire Melee claw +21 (agile, fire, magical), Damage 2d8+9 slashing plus 1d8 fire Melee tail +19 (fire, magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 2d10+9 bludgeoning plus 1d8 fire Melee wing +19 (agile, fire, magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 1d8+9 slashing plus 1d8 fire Draconic Frenzy [2 actions] The dragon makes two claw Strikes and one wing Strike in any order. Draconic Momentum The dragon recharges its Fire Breath whenever it scores a critical hit with a Strike. Fire Breath [2 actions] (fire, primal) The dragon exhales a blast of fire that deals 11d6 fire damage in a 30-foot cone (DC 28 basic Reflex save). The dragon can't use Fire Breath again for 1d4 rounds. Flame Incarnate (primal) Fire damage the dragon deals ignores 5 resistance.

Adult Flame Dragon Creature 14 Huge, Dragon, fire, Primal Perception +24; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet Languages Common, Draconic, Pyric Skills Acrobatics +24, Athletics +28, Deception +20, Intimidation +27, Stealth +24, Volcano Lore +25 Str +6, Dex +2, Con +6, Int +3, Wis +2, Cha +5 AC 35; Fort +28, Ref +22, Will +26 HP 255; Immunities fire, paralyzed, sleep; Resistances cold 15 Redirect Fire [reaction] (primal); Trigger A creature within 100 feet casts a fire spell, or a fire spell otherwise comes into effect from a source within 100 feet. Effect The dragon attempts a counteract check (counteract rank 7, counteract modifier +27). On a success, the dragon makes all the choices to determine the targets, destination, or other effects of the spell, as though it were the caster. Speed 40 feet, climb 40 feet, fly 120 feet Melee jaws +28 (fire, magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 3d10+12 piercing plus 2d8 fire Melee claw +28 (agile, fire, magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d8+12 slashing plus 1d8 fire Melee tail +26 (fire, magical, reach 20 feet), Damage 3d10+12 bludgeoning plus 1d8 fire Melee wing +26 (agile, fire, magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 2d8+12 slashing plus 1d8 fire Change Shape [1 action] (concentrate, polymorph, primal) The dragon adopts the shape of any Small or larger fire elemental. This doesn't change their speed or the attack and damage modifiers of their Strikes, but it does change the reach to match the new form, and changes their Strikes deal to fire. Draconic Frenzy [2 actions] As young flame dragon. Draconic Momentum As young flame dragon Fire Breath [2 actions] (fire, primal) As young flame dragon, but a 60-foot cone, 15d6 fire damage, and DC 36, and a creature that takes damage must also attempt a DC 35 Will save. This effect gains the emotion and mental traits. Critical Success The target is temporarily immune to this effect for 24 hours. Success The target is stupified 1 for 1 round. Failure The target is confused for 1 round. Critical Failure The target is confused for 1 minute. Flame Incarnate (primal) As young flame dragon, except 10 resistance.

Ancient Flame Dragon Creature 19 Gargantuan, Dragon, Fire, Primal Perception +30; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet Languages Common, Draconic, Pyric Skills Acrobatics +29, Athletics +36, Deception +33, Intimidation +35, Stealth +29, Volcano Lore +33 Str +7, Dex +2, Con +8, Int +4, Wis +3, Cha +6 AC 42; Fort +35, Ref +27, Will +32 HP 355; Immunities fire, paralyzed, sleep; Resistances cold 20 Redirect Fire [reaction] (primal) As adult flame dragon, except counteract rank 10 and counteract rank modifier +33. Speed 40 feet, climb 40 feet, fly 180 feet Melee jaws +34 (fire, magical, reach 20 feet), Damage 4d10+16 piercing plus 3d8 fire Melee claw +34 (agile, fire, magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 4d8+12 slashing plus 1d8 fire Melee tail +32 (fire, magical, reach 25 feet), Damage 4d10+12 bludgeoning plus 1d8 fire Melee wing +32 (agile, fire, magical, reach 20 feet), Damage 3d8+12 slashing plus 1d8 fire Change Shape [1 action] (concentrate, polymorph, primal) As adult flame dragon. Draconic Frenzy [2 actions] As young flame dragon. Draconic Momentum As young flame dragon. Fire Breath [2 actions] (fire, primal) As adult flame dragon, but a 90-foot cone, 20d6 fire damage, and DC 45 for the fire damage, DC 44 for the secondary effect. Flame Incarnate (primal) As young flame dragon, except 15 resistance.

13th Age

The flame dragon has the standard dragon abilities of escalator and flight.

Medium Flame Dragon 7th level wrecker [dragon] Initiative: +11 Burning Claws and Teeth +12 vs. AC (2 attacks) – 10 damage plus 5 fire damage. Natural Even Hit: 5 ongoing fire damage. C: Volcano Breath +12 vs. PD (1d4+1 nearby enemies) – 15 fire damage. Limited Use: 1/battle. This attack recharges if the flame dragon is targeted by an attack that deals fire damage, or if it scores a critical hit with a burning claws and teeth attack. Flame Incarnate: The dragon treats its natural attack rolls as 3 points higher for the purpose of overcoming fire resistance only. Resist Cold 12+. Resist Fire 18+. AC 22 PD 21 MD 17 HP 118

Large Flame Dragon Large 10th level wrecker [dragon] Initiative: +14 Burning Claws and Teeth +15 vs. AC (3 attacks) – 30 damage plus 10 fire damage. Natural Even Hit: 10 ongoing fire damage. C: Volcano Breath +15 vs. PD (2d3 nearby enemies) – 40 fire damage. Natural 16+: The dragon can make an enraging breath attack against the target as a free action. Natural Even Miss: 20 fire damage. Limited Use: 1/battle. This attack recharges if the flame dragon is targeted by an attack that deals fire damage, or if it scores a critical hit with a burning claws and teeth attack. [Special Trigger] Enraging Breath +15 vs. MD – The target is confused (easy save ends, 6+). Flame Incarnate: The dragon treats its natural attack rolls as 5 points higher for the purpose of overcoming fire resistance only. Resist Cold 12+. Resist Fire 18+. AC 25 PD 24 MD 20 HP 474

Huge Flame Dragon Huge 13th level wrecker [dragon] Initiative: +16 Burning Claws and Teeth +18 vs. AC (3 attacks) – 70 damage plus 30 fire damage. Natural Even Hit: 30 ongoing fire damage. Natural 18 or 20: The save against the ongoing fire damage becomes hard (16+). C: Volcano Breath +18 vs. PD (2d3+1 nearby or far away enemies) – 100 fire damage. Natural 16+: The target is also confused (easy save ends, 6+). Natural Even Miss: 50 fire damage. Limited Use: 1/battle. This attack recharges if the flame dragon is targeted by an attack that deals fire damage, or if it scores a critical hit with a burning claws and teeth attack. [Special Trigger] Redirect Flames +18 vs. MD – The dragon chooses all the targets or other effects of the attack, as if it were the attacker. Limited Use: 1/round, as an interrupt action when a nearby or far away enemy casts a spell that deals fire damage. Fear: While engaged with the dragon, enemies with 114 hp or fewer are dazed and do not add the escalation die to their attacks. Flame Incarnate: The dragon’s fire damage ignores fire resistance. Resist Cold 14+. Resist Fire 20+. AC 28 PD 27 MD 23 HP 1550

[toast-com]

Eldritch Monster! Billy: Speculative Biology Edition

(Aka, me rotating my favorite eldritch pyromaniac)

Billy's lower half is quadrupedal (or...I should hexalpedal, because he's got six legs on his bottom half).

His bottom half is covered in scales, a fur in a thick trail down his back, ending in a long tail with a thick tuft at the tip.

His six legs alternate with clawed, feline paws for the front legs, a draconic second pair, and lupine legs for the last pair.

Billy's got wings, two pairs of bat-like ones.

His humanoid top half is covered in scales and fur, with large horns winging up from his skull.

[rxdhairxdsirxns]

FOOLING AROUND || drabble for @dragonskxnslair

----- “OH, my. Aren’t we a sweet little thing?”

The bestial woman crooned as if she were still the larger one, when, in fact, she and Anna were nearly identical in size currently. Taryn, in her monstrous form, Anna, having taken up her dragonskin stood before the other as a wyvern. Still, the redhead was slightly bigger as she prowled about her draconic lover, churring deep in her throat and swishing her tail to and fro behind her.

Anna gave sweet little sounds with each nuzzle and touch Taryn gave, pressing her muzzle into the soft down of feathers and gently ghosting her teeth and tusks to the parts she knew were sensitive for her beloved. She was toying, working up Anna like she were prey, but with much different plans in mind for the dragon.

Growing bigger still, the monster reached up a clawed hand to grip at the wyvern’s skull, holding firm at the base of her skull, fingers massaging just so between the base of her large horns as she urged Anna’s head to lower. “Down,” she purred in the rumbling voice, watching and waiting until Anna’s head rested upon the ground near her other hand. “Good. Very good. Such an obedient little morsel.”

With the hand that originally dug into the ground beside Anna’s head, Taryn took hold of her tail, widening her stance with her rear legs and adjusting the wyvern’s body just so until she caught the shape little gasp that escaped her lover. “Ah, there’s the spot we want.” The redhead purred and grinned with tusks and fangs as her monstrous erection swung to life, bucking and nudging the spot in Anna’s underbelly of scales that would give way to accept such a needy appendage. The chink in her armor, so to speak.

Anna’s wings twitched and stretched beneath the monster’s body, anxious to be taken by her lover, her tail whipping and curling and squeezing at Taryn’s own body while Taryn’s curled around her own.

“Be still, darling, I need to line myself up just…” she crooned, stance shifted and adjusting until finally, her tip caught the wyvern’s slit, giving her enough leverage to buck in fully and draw a deep, satisfied sound from both creatures. “Right.”

For a moment, she merely rested within Anna’s warmth, feeling the difference in how her muscles squeezed and contracted and begging to milk Taryn dry until a desperate little whine cried for her to do something.

“There we are, dearest. Now, let us see how much this lovely cunt of yours can hold before my seed is spilling from you.”

[ruckis--rookie]

how did gera do in the arena? IS HE OKAY

He's doing okay! For now anyways, we ended up getting to the arena fight late so we only got two fights in. BUT I DO GET TO BRAG ABOUT THIS

OKAY SO

We're doing a high level power play campaign with a homebrew fighting system and we even get neat little skills and bonuses that wouldn't be standard for a normal campaign. The first fight was a joke fight with a Goblin named Lurk who he befriended for all of one day. The second fight was against a one on one with a monster called a Displacer Beast.

...he managed to take this thing out in 2 turns without so much as a scratch. The goblin did more damage to him.

The first round he set up, the second he chipped away at some damage... think about 20-40 points worth of longbow damage. The Displacer Beast. The third turn it ended up using its ability to essentially make itself into a blur, giving Gera disadvantage (less likely to hit an attack)

I mentioned we get skills, aka feats, and Gera has Luck. A feat that allows you to give yourself advantage on any rolls. We made it so that we can call Luck at any point even after we've rolled and I got a nat 20. So I used luck to make it a flat roll and... he did over a 100+ damage in a single longbow attack, adding some extra damage with feats that I have.

He lead the shot, analyzed where it would be next, lined it up, and shot it right through its open mouth. The arrow peirced through the back of its skull and the thing was sent fumbling all the way to the other side of the arena only to be pinned into the wall.

So that's how it's going so far! I'm both impressed and scared by what Gera did and I think so is the gaurd who was hyping the Displacer Beast up as one of his favorite monsters. I think he may have misjudged who the monster was in this situation.

On a side note, he also got some comfort and a forehead kiss from his favorite white woman (Amari) who had just ascended as a dragon goddess of the elements. He ended up getting a draconic gift: the Frightful Presence ability. Which I thought was all too fitting for Gera in particular (It was left up to a random roll).

So yeah he was having a good night despite being locked up in a cage and chains. That was until the party leader ruined it by effectively telling him off for knowing his limits and expecting him to be something he's not in b4 saying something that effectively made his faith and respect in Naga take a harsh dip. He nearly disrespected Naga's religion before catching himself and keeping his mouth shut.

All this to say he's now making Wisdom saves every match not to cave to his own blood lust on the account of he no longer wants to associate with the king or his kingdom, was locked up for nearly a week for enacting on his cruel definition of divine punishment for being the victim of a hate crime, and has stayed in one place for too long doing all work, no play, with no way of venting or stress relieving. He may pose as a problem for the party from here on, or at the very least, a mooch/mole.

Apologies if I rambled on compared to what was initially asked but I'm VERY excited to see how next week goes. I should have more info after next Tuesday. Here, have a Playlist I threw together that I may try and ask my DM to play during the fight, specifically made to reflect his emotions and thoughts currently going through his head

[thefamilyeldritchabomination]

Chapter Eighteen: Forever Autumn Pt. 6

“Well you heard Freddy, he’s our human sacrifice in recovering Envy. We just need to watch the papers and let Dolly rest up. Once we get Envy, then we can have our counter attack against Dante, finally.” Lust decided it was best to conclude this entire trainwreck of a plan before it derailed even more with Ernest’s need to maul the Face Fur.

 With the conversation concluded and needing to lay down to rest, Dolly carefully got up from the table, excusing herself for the evening. Dorian and Ernest quickly decided to follow Dolly up to the bedroom since she was the reason for them being alive in the first place. Guilt ate at the eldritch being, not being able to save Envy from before and now this current predicament. All Dolly truly could do at the moment was to wait for her power levels to restore itself and be able to pinpoint where the most likely very draconic, very feral, VERY hungry Envy might be lurking about. Upon reaching what was Dolly’s designated bedroom, she promptly flopped into her bed, the autumn pattern quilt releasing the fragrance of lavender and pumpkin spice upon impact. It was a relief to Dolly that the family knew all too well that was her favorite calming fragrance as Ernest and Dorian climbed up onto the bed as emotional support abominations. 

 “It's going to be alright, we’ll find Envy and they’re gonna be just fine.” Ernest started, finally getting to have a word with his blood donor.

 “Especially after eating, they seem calmer once there’s something on their stomach.” Dorian added before getting a bit of an elbow to the chest by Ernest.

 “I dunno you guys, Envy’s mother hurt them before and damn it she’s done it once again..” Dolly glanced at the clay abominations created from her blood.

 “Well that’s the good thing about it, you now have motivation to hunt this asshole down once Envy is safe. She is afterall originally descended from a prey species, made even easier as this bitch has completely deluded herself into thinking herself as untouchable.” Ernest's attempt to comfort turned into one of encouraging predation on the horrible human hermit crab.

 “That’s right, this Dante monster will likely not expect to be hunted down by an apex predator at all, she’s definitely thinking you’d be an easy target to capture given how she just sent Sloth to pick you up. Yah got this one for sure.” Ernest joined in on the encouragement of hunting Dante down like the deer Dolly normally would hunt.

 “You understand that when I hunt, I hunt to eat, right? I don’t think I’d like eating something that’s rotting horrifically like that woman.” Dolly made a face of disgust, less about having to hunt a person and more about the idea of tasting something rotting to make Dolly gag a bit.

 “It’d be a mercy killing with terrorizing the daylights out of this terrible person, it evens out.” Ernest reasoned, mainly because he wasn’t picky about the state of his meat.

 “I suppose I could pierce her skull, that should make the death quick and painless.” Dolly thought about it for a little bit.

 “No, no, you should draw it out a bit and enjoy the playtime before making the kill.” Ernest’s advice was rather terrible, made even worse with Dorian’s support about prolonging the death.

 “Dear gods, you both sound like Envy right about now…” Dolly came to the realization that the two little clay monsters were starting to say things Envy would say.  

 “That’s because Envy has pretty good ideas when not being used to torment the general public, I prefer focusing my wrath on the government and corrupt officials in general which Dante clearly deserves at this point.” Ernest shrugged a bit, clearly he was going to uphold the family matra of being hostile towards government officials in general.

 “Well that’s a good thing to know you have some sort of moral compass there..” Dolly was relieved that Ernest wasn’t a murder hobo like Envy in that regard.

 “We both have a moral compass, sure I don’t eat people, mainly because they’re kinda gross from the start, but when I see assholes, I like to torment them.” Dorian clarified on his own behalf, especially after the yellowjacket incident.

 “The best I can sum this up is that bad people don’t deserve swift deaths, they deserve to suffer horribly and be made to beg for the sweet embrace of death.” Ernest shrugged as if that was a very reasonable course of action.

 “I guess we should be glad Freddy isn’t upstairs to hear all that…” Dolly came to accept that Ernest was indeed more chaotic good rather and there was nothing to be done about it.

 “Well Face Fur isn’t up here right now, so let’s not bring that dumpster fire into the conversation.” Dorian pouted a bit that Freddy was being brought back up once more.

 “Exactly! Let's just focus on how to torment that hideously old lady from hell and then we can move on with our existence with those donut gardens to harvest fresh donuts daily from.” Ernest gave a wide smile upon thinking about those fanciful thoughts of growing donuts from the earth itself.

 “Dude, seriously, donuts are baked, not grown..” Dorian gave his brother a disbelieving look that Ernest was still holding fast to the donuts being plants theory.

 “A guy can dream can’t he? Plus they’re clearly a plant because of all the different cultivars out there for the donut.”  Ernest was fully offended that no one seemed to realize that donuts were in fact a plant to be harvested rather than the falsehood of it being baked.

 “Oh no, Dorian’s right, donuts are made not grown…how about I bake some donuts later and show you, okay?” Dolly calmly offered as she made a mental note to privately give Ernest some science lessons once this mess was done and over with.

 “Wait..you can make them yourself?” Ernest looked at Dolly in awe upon hearing that being offered to him. “Well yeah, there are some flavors I like that are hard to get at times, so I learned how to make those instead at home.” Dolly said softly as she started to relax a little bit with talks of baking instead of hunting down a horrible person to torture to death.

 “I’ll take you up on that offer, if you make donuts then I’ll believe you that they’re made. However, will you hunt down the wretched creature?” Ernest brought back the original point of the topic, hoping the bloody torture route would be taken. “How about we leave that offer to Envy once we find them? I think it’d be more than fair to let Envy pick out what they want to do about that deplorable monster of a mother.” Dolly compromised as to end the persuasion to torture from a Mister Ernest the Tormentor.

 “Good point, Envy should get a say on what should be done about their disgraceful mother. Envy can be pretty creative with how to execute a person too given that they made that rather delightful skull mug not too long ago.” Ernest conceded to the fact it was more than fair to let Envy have that choice seeing as they were the victim in all of this.

 “Provided they allow actual team work for a change rather than going about this alone once more..” Dolly said as the waves of regret filled her on not pressing the importance of teamwork onto Envy during the dinner meeting.

 “Dolly you know Envy well enough by now like I have, they’re gonna go for that kill and relish it on their own terms.” Dorian had to gently point out to Dolly that this was Envy they were talking about and how notoriously stubborn the homunculus was.

 “Okay that’s pretty fair too…Envy has a pretty thick skull when it comes to doing things solo…” Dolly resigned that Envy was a stubborn fool at times that did more harm than good to themself.

 “Ultimately that would be as you said Envy’s choice, so who knows, they could’ve learned a lesson why teamwork is important after this incident.” Ernest decided to at least give Dolly a little optimist thought that maybe, just maybe Envy actually learned something from this stunt.

“Hopefully they did, but I am worried, how is Envy going to react if either the Elrics or Freddy attempt to reverse the hijacking? They were pretty hostile towards both parties beforehand.” Dolly said in a softer than normal voice, her body getting ready to start the sleeping process a lot sooner than normal.

 “That one I’m not entirely sure about, but if it does come to that, you can handle Envy pretty well since no offense, they’ve taken to you as an emotional support creature like us.” Dorian started to cuddle up sensing it’s about time to go asleep even if the turd did have a train bed of his own.

 “Yeah, like Dorian said.” Ernest agreed with the statement, they were all designated support creatures for Envy’s own emotional wellbeing.

 With that Dolly’s eyes finally closed for the day, her body screaming for the rest that it desired after the massive teleportation that had been performed. Ernest and Dorian too followed Dolly’s lead into resting as this had been a day too for them finally being reunited as well as getting chased down by a deranged, angry homunculus. The night was silent as if it knew all too well a storm was coming and it was going to come a lot faster than planned. Dolly’s dreams were filled with nightmares of someone crying out for help, anyones’ help even if they had hated them beforehand. There was a feeling of being powerless to even do anything about the situation as the cries continued in a chorus of chaos before a morbid silence surrounded the entire scene. The silence was soon broken by deranged growls and roars, thrashing as though whatever this thing was, it was clearly trying to break loose. As strong as Dolly was, there was just nothing, absolutely nothing she could do about it as the sound of slithering could be heard breaking through whatever barrier was set up to contain the creature and into the outside world. 

[iironwreath]

Danger [Orla]

[cw: runs concurrent with cadiana's 'wounded', so wow can you believe it, more war and gore]

At first, the silverware rattled. Then, a series of crunches. The windows shattered in a hailstorm of glass and the ceiling burst inward like a puncture wound. There was another wrench as the dining table caved in the middle; a draconic figure rose from a crouch amid the splinters and broken ceramics. A dozen more flooded in through the damage and poured down the stairs. They wore masks that resembled stars, pointed in five directions, but each a different colour. They belonged to Tiamat.

Krusk’s blade was longer than Orla was tall. It started carving through the cultists like they were soft fruit. Pulpy gouts of blood—not just red, but black and green and blue—painted the furniture, stained the artwork, and spattered their breakfast. 

It was nothing like when Krusk trained Ragnar. There was a fury in his eyes that could’ve stopped the heart of a dragon. The cultists flung themselves at him with reckless abandon, having no regard for their lives.

Bryn threw punches and kicks that caved in skulls and broke bones so hard they split skin, his knuckles coming away coated in blood. They both struck to kill, and they did it with ease.

Ada grabbed Orla by her arms—she was on the floor, dazed, her ears ringing, but the touch snapped her back to reality. Her skin stung with thin cuts, she had a skid mark on her elbow, and she might have had a burn somewhere, but her scales had absorbed the worst of it. Ada hauled her to her feet and sprinted with her towards the stairs by her hand. Shrieks echoed down from the floor above. Bryn covered their backs, shouting at the staff to move.

They funnelled into the basement. Two of them were unaccounted for and nobody was unmarked, all of them bearing a unique constellation of nicks and burns. The fight reached the top of the stairwell, but it was a choke point; in less than a minute the cultists inside the house were dropped bodies. The sounds of a bigger battle bled in from beyond the manor, bells and horns and the war cries of combat. 

The folks at Brambleview had taught Orla about the tunnel connecting them to the Underwalk Ward early on in case of emergencies. Despite knowing who the Gilded Thorns were, she never expected to use it. Ada and Bryn shepherded them onto the path that cut past the bathing pools. Krusk took up the rear, sword still drawn, dripping blood like a red pebble trail in their wake. Ada led Orla along by the hand and Ragnar held Ada’s ahead of her, creating a short chain—she hadn’t let go since they’d escaped the dining hall.

Normally the basement was pleasantly cool and damp, filled with the comforting steam of the springs. Today it was dry, with heat emanating from above. The steam resembled smoke and the torches fit into the walls were like baleful eyes staring out of the darkness. Orla had never been this far or properly explored Westruun’s nether world before, and part of her regretted that; now her introduction was tinted by a life or death scenario. 

They passed the wine cellar beneath Palebloom Hall. Ahead of them, the voices of the Maallinen’s drifted down the passage. Bryn called to them, and they joined up, creating a small herd. 

“Strength in numbers,” Orla said to no-one, but more like a prayer than a statement.  

“Krusk, Bryn, and Kishore count for more than three,” Ada replied. Orla squeezed her hand.

The Maallinen’s explained that the attack went beyond Brambleview. The cultists had young dragons and drakes and experimental monsters—a whole army. Orla chewed on a knuckle.

What sounded like thunder rumbled above, occasionally snowing dirt down on their heads. Sucking in shallow, pinched breaths, she strained her ears, competing with the rush of blood. Her imagination went wild with the muted sounds: were those screams? A stampede of dragons or civilians? Fire devouring the buildings? Fire was loud.

The cultists and dragons had scales like hers, like Elspeth's, like any dragonborn. Her magic couldn’t do anything more than nettle them. She didn’t need proof of that to know that she didn’t belong on the surface. 

The tunnel joined the Underwalk Ward proper. Orla stumbled against the current of people; they frothed with fear and alarm, knocking into her back and side to side as they searched for friends and relatives—but Ada had a grip like steel and stopped her from being carried away. She was probably used to holding onto Ragnar. Orla refused to believe all of his strength came from Krusk.

People were dragging in bodies—some dead, others badly injured. Healers were clearing space for cots and gurneys to ferry them to the Temple District. Orla averted her eyes. Before today, she’d never seen the dead before.  

Kishore mentioned the Thorns arriving—Krusk added needing to go to the center of the city. Word of the Gilded Thorns spread among the crowd, and with it, cries of hope and relief.

Orla held a hand to her chest, equal parts terrified for them, herself, and everyone around her. The Thorns were back, but that meant they were in danger. The Thorns couldn't take on an entire army, could they?

Ada tugged her back into the Brambleview tunnel, out of the immediate crowd, and sat her down on a curb. Krusk kissed his wife, pat Ragnar on the head, and left with Bryn and Kishore. Without Ada’s hand, Orla hugged her knees to her chest and caught her breath.

When Orla had been undergoing treatment, Iona would sit on the bed with Orla’s head in her lap, run her nails through her scalp, and hum. Her mother had washed and braided her hair, played cards with her when she could sit up. Eireann had even stopped by, adding flowers to the room and tickling her until she cried with laughter. She desperately wanted them there, even if Eireann and Iona also would’ve thrown themselves into the fray. Iona would’ve been with the Thorns, loosing arrows into the skyborn beasts while Eireann tended the wounded with her magic. 

Orla had been in danger when she was ill, had been on and off her whole life, but this was new. Her magical entropy had come from within, something she’d passively absorbed from the environment. The Cult of Tiamat came from outside. It was out of her hands, out of her control. 

She had never wanted to die by her sickness, but she had always understood that it was a possibility, and in that, she had accepted it. She’d forgotten that she could die any other way up until then, that the stories of the Gilded Thorns weren’t just stories, but their lives.  

Her fear made her ashamed, but she tried to stifle it. She never would have shamed anyone in the Thorns for being afraid, and she had to extend that courtesy to herself. She was a civilian, not a hero. 

She focused on breathing and settled into her magic, reaching for it just to make sure it was there.

[sansxfuckyou]

A Draconic Alteration

Summary: When your cells start to destabilize or overproduce, you can fight it, and ignore it, but, that isn't exactly a wise choice when dealing with non-human cells.

Warnings: light body horror, swearing, mild gore, check tags for further warnings.

Authors Note: People still like dragons right? Dragons are still in right? I sure hope so, reblogs are appreciated!

Kys Gear cells have become unstable.

Dizzy can feel it, Sol can feel it, even Sin can feel it, but Ky can't, not attuned to how they act like his Gear family is.

He listens when they tell him whats going on, he listens but he doesn't change a thing about how often he utilizes them because he would know best of all if his body was failing him, right? Apparently not, Faust had to explain to him that close people will notice things that oneself doesn't from time to time, he didn't believe it.

But then it started to show through. His balance would falter for seemingly no reason. His body would quake in spastic tremors on and off relentlessly. His brain refused to filter nor keep in the thoughts he liked to keep personal. And it happened in the form of once infrequent episodes, they used to happen every two months, then once a month, twice he could handle and predict so he wouldn't have to be seen when it did. Then it started to happen thrice a month, and then it went to happening whenever it so desired. (Each time it gets worse)

His skin had started to change color as well, first becoming paler and sickening gray before slowly morphing to a charcoal blue with flickers of brightness; its only changed in some patches. His teeth have sharpened greatly, he used to blunt them every night, they were sharp in the morning, he just extracts them before he goes to sleep now; they always come back just as sharp if not more. His hair has grown out again, it always does, now it grows faster, and each time he cuts it off, the tips seem to darken to a deep, navy, ashes; he smells burnt now no matter what shampoo he uses.

(His body is larger as well, he doesn't notice, his family does)

Even when he catches a glimpse of his reflection, he can't believe its him because all he sees is a monster, he knows he has to ignore it and continue his duties.

Ky still knows he'll end up a monster one day, at the rate things are going it'll be sooner than later, he doesn't bring it up though. When asked if he's feeling alright, he lies and says he's feeling perfectly fine, even though its clear his gaze is fixated on what hes becoming. Fixated on his charcoal hands that flicker aqua and fingers turned to talons, fixated on his deep blue scales that spread slowly across his once unblemished skin, fixated on his bio-luminescent eyes in the mirror that glow in darkness.

He just hopes that his family will still love him when he is gone and a monster is all that remains.

---

"Ky, I need you to breathe," Sol instructed as he stared in horror at his son in laws morphing form, he edged away, but kept his tone still, a set of glowing blue eyes with red pupils stared at him from between clawed hands.

"Breathe? You want me to fucking breathe?!" Ky roared at Sol as his bones reformed and his muscles stretched and bolstered to match his changing form, his skull melding into one much more reptilian with somewhat sharp angles, two great horns starting to jut out and hair hardening into scaled plating fast.

"Yes I want you to fucking breathe! If you calm down it'll slow the destabilization!" Sol shouted up at Ky who started to keel over, once bipedal quickly morphing to quadrupedal, landing on his knees, clothes straining to contain his scaled and growing form.

"I can't!" Ky snapped back, giving a shout of pain as his spinal cord shifted and his neck jutted awkwardly, his back rounded and tail bone changing fast as a large tail started to form, that same deep navy tone.

"Okay, okay, just- listen to my counting! In on three, then out on three!" Sol shouted up and Ky opened his eyes, there was more than before, and he listened as Sol counted.

Pace of his heart coming back down a considerable amount as he drew air in and pushed it back out at a much steadied pace, it didn't stop the transformation though. His back still bubbled furiously and his tail still formed, ridges tearing through scaled skin for each vertebrae in place, his clothes tore but he knew his dignity would stay preserved with his new form. Soon his eyes closed, all of them, two smaller horns protruded outwards and his once taloned hands and feet turned to scaled paws made for tearing flesh.

His mouth slit open for a second and Sol saw hundreds if not thousands of micro fangs that flattened, resting behind the regular set of chompers. Fear shot through Sols body as he watched the coloration of the monsters underbelly fade out to something lighter, and the tail stop growing and the legs stop reconstructing. He knew that Ky must've been somewhere deep inside, but the second that monster woke up, the first king would never resurface again. But, it wasn't complete, he recognized the colors as being Kys Dragon Install, but for a dragon it was lacking something important.

Then, something so grotesque it was majestic happened.

In a burst of blood, flesh and cerebrospinal fluids, two glorious wings burst from the monsters back, outstretched for a second before coming down. In the second they were up, Sol could see they were dripping, and that the membrane was aqua and the supports were the same charcoal blue as the rest of the body. They continued to drip as fluids oozed from the holes they emerged from and trickled between scales, it was so gross, but entrancing, he would want to see it again, but never actively seek it out.

Sols breathing halted in his chest as hot air cackling with sparks filtered in and out of the monsters nose and mouth, he couldn't move, he hoped no one had heard. He wants to run, he wants to leave, he needs to go somewhere that isn't directly in front of this creature that could slaughter him with the tip of its claw. He physically can't, his heart is pounding, sending what felt like gallons blood at a mile a minute, palms perspiring and his body shaking like never before.

(That's a lie, he shook like that all the time when he was a kid.)

(He doesn't want to think about when he was a kid.)

He takes a step back, eyes start to flutter open, he goes to turn, he goes to run, but the near thunderous shake in the ground of the monster named Ky shifting position caused his balance to falter. He doesn't fall down, he just keeps on trekking, a bit slower, but still deliberately, he freezes again when slitted pupils veer through him as a scaled maw comes closer to his body. He doesn't dare move an inch, the breath that once washed over him is heavier now, makes his hair stand up; clawed paws until the beast has him circled.

It doesn't move though, it doesn't attack him.

Instead, a prehensile tail catches his ankles in a vice, hoisting him up as he activates his weapon, trying to stay intimidating as the hundred eyed, electric dragon tilted its head. Forked tongues flicker between teeth, and those slitted pupils turn to wide obsidian orbs circled in in blazing blue, hot saliva hits him in thin strips and he shudders, disgusting. Then he was dropped between the spires that were horns, his skin buzzed with electricity and he could hear his ears ring, it felt numbing. He had to grasp a horn when wings shook as they pumped, the beast could barely lifted itself into the air, and now, now he could see everyone staring; Sin and Dizzy from the windows, scared.

He still wasn't being hurt in any, way shape or form by this horrid creature, this abomination of faltering cells. He was nearly trying to slice through scales when he felt it glide to the windows that Sin and Dizzy stood behind, neither moved. He didn't when the dragon came to perch just in front of it, staring in with those big eyes, tongues slipping between knives. Sin inched closer first, so did Ky, or, what Ky had become, the electricity caused the windows to shatter and both startled before Dizzy came to stand in front of his maw. Snakelike tongues flickered out, getting her scent like a snake, slobbering like a dog, she giggled a bit before running her hand along the scaled paws dug into the walls; talons split bricks through to the other side.

Then Sol realized what Ky had become.

A giant, scaly dog.

Sol slid down the front of Kys skull, trotting across the snout before dropping down next to Dizzy and Sin, trying his hardest not to cower under the gaze of hundreds of eyes. Sin walked up next, this time that same prehensile tail, now split at the ends, gripped him at the waist, he squirmed and the grip loosened. The sheer size difference was absurd, Sin and Ky once being close to the same size, now one a dragon that would most likely end up being hunted down; Sin was in denial, shaking a bit.

"Do you think we'll be able to turn him back?" Dizzy asked, Sol shrugged his shoulders, unable to procure an answer.

"Do you think Illyria will be fine without the first king?" Sol asked back, Dizzy shook her head, two kings would not be enough.

"Do you think he'll be comfortable sleeping on the castle?" Dizzy asked, gesturing a little bit to her husbands now scaled form, light blue underbelly that glowed like charcoal and deep navy back, electrical spires on his head and a split tail.

"Do you think the castle will be able to hold his weight?" Sin asked, butting into the conversation and trying to be polite as he was spun around in the grip of tails, ending up being placed in the open maw of Kys muzzle, fangs down, Sin still froze up in fear as he was held in the open mouth, electricity washing over him; Dizzy responded instantly.

"Ky! Drop him, now." Dizzy demanded as though the dragon was a mere mutt, Ky did exactly as told, his son covered in rivulets of saliva and shaking, but it only took a second for him to start grinning.

"Do it again! Do it again!" Sin chanted as he shook in excitement, the dragon gave a quizzical look to Dizzy, eyes in a soft glaze of red, maw glued shut, he got a soft nod before he cracked open his mouth, fangs flat and tongues laid down and stilled.

Sin practically hopped in, just sitting down on the mass of forked tongues, leaned against the back of fangs, the blunt side. Electricity tingled on his skin and it kept him awake, like a shot of caffeine injected directly into his bloodstream and he liked it, loved it even; the way the insides pulsed, the ridges on the roof, and the slight squirm of the tongues below. It was an experience, he knew he had to leave eventually, but he kind of found it, safe, to be inside a creature of such stature that couldn't be felled.

"I wonder how Leo'll react to seeing the first king like this," Sol said with a bit of a chuckle, leaning against the edge of Kys jaw, the dragon gave a rumbling purr that had Sol startling and Sin grasping for a tooth, he left promptly, "he's coming over today right?"

"Yes, although, I don't think it'll be wise," Dizzy said, glancing down to the ground as Ky slowly closed his mouth, letting a few of his tongues stay out, flickering in the air like a snakes, that was probably how he smelt best now.

"You kidding me? It'll be fucking hilarious," Sol said, elbowing his daughter with a sharp grin on his face.

"I do suppose you have a point, but where will Ky wait? He's a little bit too big to fit anywhere inside the castle now," Dizzy asked, worried about her husband as with his new size he would no doubt have a much larger appetite, and with how much space he takes up, could the world even sustain one dragon? She supposes the world is about to find out.

"He can sleep by the parapets, in between the roofs, in the courtyard, we'll figure it out," Sol said, placing a hand on Dizzys shoulder as Ky gave another chirping sound, staring at his family.

"Do you think dads still in there?" Sin asked.

"I hope so," Sol said.

[wyverewings]

Wyvere Reviews the Dragons of Monster Sanctuary

So I decided to get Monster Sanctuary, and I’ve been having a pretty fun time!  And with all the monsters in the roster, there’s bound to be some that are draconic in nature.  And it’s been a while since I’ve done creature design reviews.  This time, I’ll be doing a rating between 1 and 10 as to how I feel about these designs.  So let’s review some dragons!

Let’s start with the Ninki Nanka and their base form, Ninki.  I’m doing them both at once because there isn’t much difference between them.  They’re definitely more chimera style, with their mammalian head and reptilian body.  They’re... okay chimeras, it might just be the poor angle, but Ninka Nanka doesn’t flow quite as well as their first stage.  In both stages, I do really love the scales and how they kinda poke up.  6/10, decent enough chimera style dragons.

Glowdra is another chimera-style dragon, but one far more personal to my taste since they’re an insectoid dragon.  I’m unsure if the devs knew about this, but there are actual insect dragons in legend, the pyrausta!  The glowing tail also draws a connection to the mythical creature and its association with fire.  Aside from their possible inspiration, Glowdra is quite a lovely design, with the pretty teal scales, the whiskers like that of an Asian dragon, and the little head fins.  8/10, a solid design.

...that’s a cat.

...Okay, Skorch is pretty cute and a candle monster is a pretty fun concept but... that is a cat.  That is not a dragon.  If they weren’t a dragon class monster, they’d be 7.5/10, but as it stands, they’re 5/10.  Sorry, Skorch.

Before we get to the Draco family, we’re actually gonna be talking about other monsters that aren’t dragon class, but are pretty similar to dragons, since it is a pretty small class all things considered.

With this, we’ll start off with Aurumtail, since they’re the first draconic monster one will likely encounter.  They’re another chimera-style creature, being basically dog lizards with traits of kangaroos and dromeosaurs.  And they’re absolutely wonderful monsters!  The variety of creatures mesh super well to create such a lovable beast!  8/10, would definitely hug!

Toxiquus, the poisonous seahorse, is also pretty dragony, likely on purpose since seahorses are said to be the children of dragons.  I like them, they’re really cute with how grumpy they look!  They are saddled with a little blandness though, I feel they could use some more detail.  6.5/10, a good aquatic dragon, but still far from my favorite of this game, as we’ll see eventually...

I’ll say Kame counts because they remind me of Bowser a lot, which is a definite positive.  But I kinda don’t like the face, it’s a little too humanoid in this art, and also turtles don’t have bunny noses and that doesn’t really work.  Still, a very powerful looking monster.  7/10.

Qilin are a type of chimeric being with traits of a dragon, so I think they count here.  I don’t think this design went really as hard as they could tbh, the horn especially is pretty disappointing, looking more like a regular unicorn horn.  Still, a very elegant monster, the color scheme really works in that favor.  6.5/10, still would use dog lizard as a mount.

Salahammer is an interesting monster, being a snake person with a dragon’s head.  I don’t think the design would’ve worked quite as well with a humanoid head tbh, the dragon head really makes the design more interesting.  7/10.

We’ve also got a retrosaur monster here too!  This reptile has some nice chimeric features, with a body like the Charles R. Knight T. rexes, a head like a ceratopsid, and armor and a tail club like an anklyosaur!  8/10, a very badass monster I’d like to get eventually.

HOLY SHIT I LOVE AAZERACH SO MUCH.  They’re essentially a dracolich, probably the most badass type of undead, and they’re such a good take on that archetype of monster.  That wonderfully strange skull head, those spooky back spikes, and those purple flames!  9/10, an absolutely marvelous monster.

Finally, let’s discuss the most dragoniest dragons of all the monsters: the Draco family!  The base form, Draconov, is a pretty good base form, generic enough to be able to tell this isn’t them at their strongest.  7/10, a good little wyvern with tones of potential.

Dracogran is the most basic evolution, and from my knowledge, the easiest to evolve.  They’re a pretty decent European dragon, the horns and the fin are pretty fun, and the proportions are very good.  7/10, a very solid derg.

Oh, Dracozul...  I want to like this one, they’re an ice wyvern with a very pretty blue color scheme, but... they’re just so bland.  They could’ve gone a lot harder here, made them more sleek and give them that classic wyvern stinger tail.  5/10, still a dragon, I guess.

Fortunately, Draconoir’s design is a lot more fun and interesting, being a cool Asian style dragon.  The fin is a pretty interesting element, and the color scheme works very well. 8/10, a very good dragon, but not my favorite...

Dracomer is the last of the dragons, and fittingly enough, my favorite, a perfect note to end on.  It’s just got such a perfect design.  Those feet almost like flippers, that murky teal color scheme, that intimidating yet sweet face, and those gorgeous koi-like fins!  9.5/10, my absolute favorite of all the dragons of this game, and very likely my absolute favorite monster of this game!

[skxrbrand]

Azriel stalks in on all...sixes? Fours? -- he's horizontal, anyway, and while he's not visibly stiff or limping (though he does appear tired, for whatever that's worth for what he is), there are missing and disheveled feathers here and there and some of his magnificent onyx and silver-white scales bear new cracks and gouges. His head and face is stained with blood everywhere that horrid black tongue of his cannot reach, and more dried gore paints his weird almost-draconic body.

Upon one antler swings a bloody, thick, spiked collar.

"There was an incident."

"Who did you tell about our little...project, Skull-Crusher?"

Skarbrand is sharpening his talons.

The Wyrm bone of the ancient corpse he's holed up in his hard enough to allow it and it's a small pleasure he allows himself: sleek, sharp claws. For battle of course. He smells Azriel before the half-god comes in, having grown used to the scent of his feathers and his magic.

When he finally turns, and beholds the magician, he doesn't seem terribly surprised.

" No one." Skarbrand finally answers, " But word travels fast. You have done this to yourself, for you insist on being in my company."

Skarbrand can't say it doesn't amuse him a little. He tests the air once more. From the smell of things, it had been the Hounds who had paid Azriel a visit.

" You are fortunate is was only Flesh Hounds." The Reaper eyes the collar, then remembers his own Warhound. Not the big, horse-sized monsters of Kharneth's legions, but still quite fierce.

" The Brass Collar. It repels magic." The daemon informs, " If you have no plans to use it, leave it here."

[proxylynn]

My take on D&D's Behir.

"An excerpt from the tome Creatures of the Wilderlands, by the sage and explorer Radamust: One of the most malevolent creatures I have ever encountered is the Behir. Having nearly fallen victim to its depredations on two separate occasions, I have endeavored to learn more about this wild and curious beast, which is occasionally mistaken for a wingless dragon by the uneducated. A Behir is unmistakable to the learned, once you have seen it.

It is a twelve-legged serpent, with each foot bearing three toes that end in razor-sharp talons. These talons are hooked like a raptor's but are designed for slashing, not grasping, prey. The body is covered in bandlike scales from light to dark blue in color with grayish tints along the edges. The underside is also light blue and composed of a vertical row of banded scales. The upper scales are very hard and tough and, if treated correctly, can be made into serviceable armor.

The head is long, and the narrow mouth is filled with many sharp teeth. Two backward-curving horns project from the rear of the skull, each black in color and 3-4' in length. Upon beginning my investigation, I discovered there was more than one species, each with its own special abilities and wildly divergent habitats."

[I've always had a fondness for the monsters of DnD, got a 2nd edition monster manual from a friend as a kid and I would read it for hours. (still own it) But after nabbing a copy of the 5th edition of the monster manual and looking it up online, my favorite beast is one of the most confusing and broken in terms of lore/design.]

Meet...The Behir...as represented in each edition.

[As you can see, it's quite the difference and doesn't match up with descriptions. But this isn't so bad, creatures go through redesigns and often art in the manuals doesn't line up with descriptions. This is common. So...What's the new description sound like?]

"A Behir was often mistaken for a wingless blue dragon. It had a long, snake-like body and could slither on the ground like a snake, but it also had six pairs of legs upon which it could walk or climb if it chose to do so. Each of a Behir's twelve feet contained three clawed toes. They began life with six or eight legs and grew additional legs as they aged. They grew about 8 feet (2.4 meters) per year.

Behirs had thick, armored scales, much like a dragon. Their scales were colored in variations of dark blue, being lighter on their undersides.

They had long narrow heads, crocodilian in shape, with curved, black horns on the top, which were used for preening. Behirs were born horn-less. Their mouths were full of many sharp multi-colored translucent teeth that were valued for their gem-like beauty, and their bones were crystalline."

[Okay...But this isn't what's shown either. If anything, this matches the older art and not the new sleek noodle boy. Don't get me wrong, I like the design, I adore snakes. But Behirs are not snakes. If anything, they are slightly draconian as they were made to kill dragons and speak Draconic naturally. Speaking of which, this brings up the next confusing part...The lore.]

"In times long forgotten, giants and dragons engaged in seemingly endless war. Storm giants created the first Behirs as weapons against the dragons, and Behirs retain a natural hatred for dragonkind. A Behir never makes its lair in an area it knows to be inhabited by a dragon. If a dragon attempts to establish a lair within a few dozen miles of a behir's lair, the Behir is compelled to kill the dragon or drive it off. Only if the dragon proves too powerful to fight does a Behir back down, seeking out a new lair site a great distance away."

[This sounds really awesome on paper, right? Yet...A massive flaw appears when you compare a Behir to a Dragon. Let's say that an adult behir is fighting a young red dragon. Both are roughly the same CR, with the behir at 11 and the young red dragon at 10.

Already, the young red dragon has some noticeable advantages. Its armor class is higher, it has marginally higher hit points, and it can fly 80 ft. per turn. The behir and young red dragon have the same Strength, but the behir is much faster than the dragon, Dex and land-speed-wise. Still, the dragon has a much higher Constitution.

But where the dragon really wins is its superior Intelligence. Sure, the behir has better self-preservation instincts with its higher Wisdom, so it knows when to run. But if the dragon has already out-thunk the beast, chances are the behir won’t even be able to escape. Keep in mind, this is just the young red dragon. Adult dragons and ancient dragons could easily avoid getting killed by behirs.

Another issue is size. Behir's stand at 5ft on all their legs and 20ft when they rear back on their hindmost eight legs, 4,000 pounds, and reach 40-60ft in length. They have the classification of Huge and can swallow creatures smaller than they, particularly medium and larger mammals such as boars, though they will also attack humans, ogres, and elves.]

[Now let's look at the common Behir's natural comparison, a Blue Dragon. (I say common Behir because lightning blue is the basic one but there are 2 rare variants that are only mentioned once...desert behir and jungle behir...if also compared to dragons I'd guess a fire red and poison green)]

Wyrmling- Medium Young - Large Adult - Huge Ancient - Gargantuan Greatwyrm - Gargantuan

Up to 85 feet long and 160,000 pounds; wingspan up to 80 feet

[No way a Behir is taking a Dragon down. So...What's the deal? How are Behir made to combat Dragons and still attack dragons now if they aren't suitable for it? This is where there are two theories that would help the lore a bit if Dungeon Masters want to use Behirs.

Theory 1: Current Behir are not the true Behir as made by the giants and have evolved to live in a world after the great war. The idea is that Behirs used to be a lot bigger, tougher, and smarter than they are now. Once the dragons were mostly depleted, they had to adapt to a world with fewer natural enemies. More than likely, the biggest of the Behirs were killed off quick, seeing as they were just as dangerous as the dragons. Those that did survive were those that were better at hiding and capable of finding other food sources. Years went by and they shrank down from their Gargantuan size of yore to their modern Huge size. Additionally, they lost a lot of their mental edge, trading strategic smarts for survival instincts.

Theory 2: They were never meant to fight adults and were made to lower the number of dragons by going after the babies. Behirs weren’t designed to fight the big guys; they were baby eaters. The behir’s swallow attack works only against Medium or Smaller targets. Any dragon over the age of five years is going to be Large or bigger. However, the wyrmlings and eggs are perfectly sized for the behir’s dislocated jaw. Behirs were trained to go into dragon lairs, slink through the stones, and eat the babies and unhatched eggs. This kept the dragon population in check. And if mom or dad caught them doing this, the behir used its lightning breath to scare them off and flee with its awesome speed and climbing ability. Being a neutral evil monstrosity, it’s not too hard to imagine this being the case.]

[So with all these broken conflicting points, can Behirs work? Yes, I think so. But things have to be cleared and some parts retooled once key parts are made official. Behirs have been around since the beginning and are of the first dragon-slaying monsters. There should be consistency given. The old lore on how they function as creatures is so damn interesting, it's a shame you'd have to dig super hard in old magazines to find it...Which I did because I am the lore queen and can be insane about it when I hyperfixate on something I love.]

[And like that, we reach the part where I get to be a big old nerd (more so than I have been so far) and bust out my take on a common lightning Behir.]

[I tried to incorporate aspects of the lore and art. Gave it a dragon/crocodile-style head, two black horns, banded belly scales, thick armored back scales, long slashing talons that can also grip, multi-colored translucent teeth (might need to zoom in for that), and I liked this idea of the tongue glowing slightly as a lure for prey while in caves (for quick snacks) but it gets brighter when firing a blast attack.

Aside from looks, I also want to mix that lore into the Behir Statistics. This is the current stats for Behir for DMs to use in games.]

[And this is more in line with what I'd use for a lore-based Behir sheet. This is based on a D&D Monster Analysis by The Bountiful Mimic, he does amazing content.]

[I'd also add a conflict resolution move if a party encounters a Behir but isn't able to battle it, so to avoid needless character slaughter from this new powerful beast, let's look at the lore again.]

"Behirs possess the capability to negotiate but only do so if they believe that for some reason they cannot take what they desire. Those who must frequently travel through a Behir's territory find that offering large amounts of food (such as a cow or a horse) along with a healthy amount of self-deprecating flattery is a good way to keep a Behir from attacking. Additionally, perhaps owing to some draconic ancestry, Behirs have a fondness for treasure, coveting silver to the exclusion of all other offerings."

[So this means if your stats are high and you have a nice chunk of silver or maybe a mount or two you don't mind losing, you could save you/your party's ass from a potential game-ender. I'm thinking to pull this off you'd need to have the Intelligence of 10 and Charisma of 16, you need to put in the work to barter with this bad boy or you risk being in the belly. I'm also not sure if a Bard could seduce a Behir but, you know, Bards are gonna Bard and a Behir is able to be charmed into being a companion (The Lamia noble Transtra kept a Behir named Uliss as a companion, although she had to charm it to do so) but that has to be done constantly or you risk it turning on you.

All in all, this was a nice but way too long deep dive into a not-often-used monster that could use some love...and maybe some tender work on its history. As of late the newest use of Behirs in pop culture is Balder's Gate 3, the beast itself doesn't show up which is sad but you can get a Behir Blue Dice skin and Behir Scales. Behir Scales is an Alchemical Ingredient. Three are needed to extract Sublimate of Behir Scales, which is used to make Flashblinder. Thank you for your time in reading this. This was fun. ^_^]