#the mage tower

[aujbabeyy]

i'm crying over the detail that was put into the mage tower in the underdark.

it's an absolutely tragic love story.

lenore de hurst is a cleric of mystra living in the mage tower. before you ascend to the roof, you can find and read four important books and papers. two, the threadbare book and the roads to darkness, are plays (rather, excerpts from plays). the other two are poems, one on a 'torn-out paper' and the other on a 'patched parchment'. quotes from these works earn you items or actions when you respond to bernard correctly with them.

based on the somber themes of the written works you encounter in the tower and how bernard responds to you (healing potion, a hug, "remember: you are loved, lenore. so much. you're doing great. and everyone will be so proud of you, as i already am.") you'll likely realize that lenore is... pretty lonely. two letters give more context to lenore's loneliness: the letter from amarith, found near some of the other works, and the letter to yrre, found outside the tower near the first arcane cannon.

the letter from amarith reveals that lenore's dog, myrna, passed away. after the death of her dog, lenore attempted to tame befriend a bulette (yes, the one you can use 'speak with animals' to talk with from the deep hole by the myconid colony). very "i'm lonely" behavior if you ask me. the letter to yrre reveals that lenore was, at one point, not alone in the tower, that her and her partner (yrre) split up for some reason, and that she wants to reconcile. I'm assuming that yrre left lenore some time (weeks? months? a year?) before myrna passed and that lenore wrote her letter to yrre some months (a year, maybe?) afterwards. i'm not sure which time-frame would make this story less tragic, but whichever it is... i hope it's that one.

also this... this is fucking sad, man. more magic was used than necessary to create this tombstone, out of nothing but sheer love for the creature buried there. oh my god my heart hurts.

the last bit about lenore that makes me want to sob: lenore and yrre, most likely, would have reconciled. yrre wrote back on the letter written for them to say that they waited, that they would always wait, and that lenore didn't come. the diary entry found in the basement of the mage tower indicates that lenore fully intended to return. lenore meant to come back to her research, to come back in hopes yrre would be there waiting for her, but something happened to her.

what happened?

one theory could be that the sussur flower and lenore's use of it was seen as a threat to mystra (it's noted in lenore's treatise that even those unattuned to the weave feel the anti-magic effect of the sussur flower) and she was punished for it. these events would have occurred nearly a decade before the events of bg3 (as noted in the diary). within the last year of game-time, mystra punished her chosen for attempting to reunite her with what he thought was part of her weave, lost to karsus' folly–without even telling him the orb's truthful origins. it would not be out-of-character for mystra to have punished a follower of hers for researching something that threatens her power. none of this is for sure, though, it's just a theory a game theory.

i honestly have no idea what happened to lenore and it pains my heart to not know. and what about yrre? they return to the tower to reconcile with their ex, only to find a note asking them to wait for her, that she'll be home soon. she never returns. where did yrre go? what did they do afterwards? i haven't finished the game yet but i really hope i end up finding some more lore on these two in act 3.

[pencilofawesomeness]

It's Team Erza’s turn for the Friendship Sleep Pile

Whoever laid down first is a mystery. Lucy's bed probably shouldn't be this large, but that's the magic of friendship.

[radiopixelctive]

the "inscryption" ultimate recap cartoon leaks not clickbait REAL 💯💯💯 /j /silly

[oldschoolfrp]

A wizard's laboratory with a view. Looks like the local dragon is bothering the fleet again. (Thierry Ségur, Casus Belli 31, February 1986)

An interesting feature of some Casus Belli covers is the art behind the art. The central scene is bordered by a different space or a completely unrelated image. In this example the main painting appears to be surrounded by the artist's studio, with drafting tools on a slanted desk and other art pinned to the wall. One of the wizard's imps has escaped the frame of her scene to fetch a Coca Cola bottle in the lower left.

Didier Guiserix's electrifying scene on issue 31 covers up a picture of a cat in the background. For issue 32 the elf sits in front of a medieval fantasy scene to which she belongs, but she seems to be perched on a rusty steel drum related to the near-future sci-fi scene in the border.

[pendwelling]

The Master of the Mage's Tower always passes by to pay Her Grace a visit.

"Mother hates the colour red,

... so why...?"

The Archmage of the Empire and the Master of the Mage's Tower: Isfrid Skirmen van der Toorn.

(YES, Lady Isfrid has a thing for Her Grace.)

(NO, Her Grace isn't aware of this...)

Additional trivia if you haven't been following my IG Stories! :

Chest window on full display yet the Grand Duchess only ever privately wonders if the Tower's Archmage can feel the cold (they're up north 😭...)

Upon joining the Mage's Tower, mages renounce their familial ties (and even nationalities) in order to declare themselves as neutral in the Empire's political sphere, therefore announcing themselves as fully dedicated to the Tower and their duties. There is some leeway, however, as magically-supported businesses/public conveniences requiring the use of magical artifacts /do/ require the help of mages (money has to be made to earn livings, after all).

The mages who join thus discard their original surnames and oftentimes as a result either: 1.) pick a new one to symbolize new beginnings and ambitions, or 2.) use the Tower's epithet as a stand-in ("Van der Toorn" can be considered just as prestigious and honourable as a Duke's surname, after all, so there's no true loss in the end! Becoming part of the Tower means you are one of the elite and highest-grade mages—former nobles and commoners alike are on equal grounds, in an atmosphere of collaborative learning and (generally friendly) competitive magical academia, with many helpful and support resources provided for them.)

Essentially they're magical researchers and/or.... public servant hermits......... Though they do assist the Crown, the Head of the Tower is the one everyone truly answers to. If Lady Skirmen disapproves of an Imperial Decree, who is the Crown to rebuke her? What are they going to do? What CAN they do? This is why political neutrality is important for such powerful beings.... Thankfully, Isfrid isn't interested in world continental domination haha (her interests lay solely elsewhere... 👀)

[tragerfcks]

THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM 💭

College of Winterhold

[greypetrel]

Charge ⚡️🐎⚡️

Horses in game don't really run, but nobody told Aisling and Little Brother. Or well, that group of Venatori is desperately trying to tell them, I'm sure.

@shivunin sent me this video of a horseback archer doing something absolutely amazing... And I couldn't resist. Got me thinking about horseback fighters Dalish, imagine a full charge. Painting deserts is so nice and soothing I should do it more.

[postnuclearwar]

Dragon Age!Dungeon Meshi au where Marcille is just a straight up blood mage

[vigilskeep]

i need to wynnepost. somebody has to

[bruneburg]

a wandering mage near three forbidden towers

[nessacousland]

Ariane & Finn - Dalish sword and mage spell

"A letter to Magistrate Aldebrant details an encounter with Finn and the Dalish elf, after they had left the company of the Warden and the dog, and struck out on their own. According to the letter, the magistrate's men intercepted the two and narrowly escaped being impaled and fried by Dalish sword and mage spell." - World of Thedas Volume 2

[broodwolf221]

I've been thinking a lot lately about mages in DA providing fresh, clean water

bc they have ice spells, right? and it seems like whatever they create is real - Anders' fire burned down a barn. so it can catch beyond the intended exposure. also depending on your settings in the games, friendly fire is a possibility, which again implies that it cannot be mentally restricted to a single target, which adds weight to the idea of it being real - it's not a narrow twist of the fade to create something-like-fire, they're creating actual fire.

so. real things, really created. couldn't a mage fill a container with ice, melt it with fire magic, and then boom, potable water? wouldn't that be an absolutely indispensable capability to have?

like ofc this goes so many places it'd be hard to cover it all in games, but like... yeah. the possibilities here are staggering.

[radiopixelctive]

so

look at this little doodle

nothing special, just Pierrot, right?

nope, because.....

*dramatic pause*

I DREW THAT WITH MY NEW AND VERY FIRST EVER STYLUS!! :D

i'm just learning but i've already did some more thingies because i really enjoyed it

take a look!

[druidonity2]

Dragon Noodle Soup :3

[froggos-are-superior]

Webtoon screenshots out of context: part 9

[leafytaffyart]

Pizza delivery to an unknown dimension gone terribly wrong