#day 10: Mausoleum

[little-pondhead]

Day 10: Mausoleum

Everlasting Trio took a trip to the Manson’s country home one summer, and Sam revealed where her aesthetic came from 👍🏻

[Full strip without text under cut. Also, the quality is crunchy as hell, sorry about that]

#danny phantom #dannymay2024 #day 10: Mausoleum #went very basic with this one #but I thought it was funny

[dannnnnny666]

Day 10: Mausoleum

I didn't really know what to do with mausoleum, the first time I think I actually heard about it was in a book I read recently. So I decided since I have no other ideas, crossover time! This is for me more then anyone.

TW: This contains some spoiler from Scum Villain Self-Saving System's 2 vol, if you have not finished it and decided to read it anyways, don't cry to me when I spoil one of the funnest characters.

When Danny awoke he was in a coffin. Which was relatively weird since he fell asleep in his bed.

Did someone think he died? Did they bury him? Why hadn’t Sam and Tucker stopped them?

Danny needed answers, so he quickly went intangible before rising 6ft off of his coffin and out of the ground to find… he was in mid air. He looked down and saw that instead of being underground, his coffin was on a pedestal of sorts.

Danny floated back to the ground and took a look around his surroundings. The room was dark but it looked like he was in a dungeon. Seeing as there was a coffin in it, a lot of precious items, like gold, silver, and gemstones, and that the walls were covered in a mural of some tough looking dude, Danny surmised he was in a mausoleum. 

Since it didn’t seem to be his, he decided to leave this room and try to look for an exit. As he stepped out of the room, a weird candle turned on and emitted a low dark green glow. It didn’t seem to have any mechanism that would turn it on but something about it seemed strangely magical.

As Danny continued to observe the candles, thinking to himself which of his enemies would do this to him, he heard weird groaning noises. Looking past the candle into the hallway before him, Danny was a horde of what looked like zombies approaching him. 

On instinct, he shifted into his ghost form to prepare for a fight. But as soon as he did, the candle next to him went out, and the horde stopped approaching, and began to just mill around.

Confused about the what just happened but also wanting the get the fuck out of there, Danny ripped the candle of the wall and began to fly over the zombies as he tried to find an exit. As he flew through the twists and turns of the mausoleum, which was starting to feel more like a labyrinth, Danny noticed a small light down one hallway.

Since the candles only lit up over certain circumstances, which Danny was theorizing to only light up if someone living was around, he sped over to the source.

Once he arrived, Danny realized it wasn’t another candle but light seeping through the crevices of a door. Even though he was a bit nervous about why someone might be down here, he was getting really scared being all by himself, so he shifted back into a human and took a deep breath before walking into the room.

Surprisingly, it was empty.

The only inhabitant seemed to be a green snake, which quickly slithered behind the coffin in the center of the room. Like the one Danny woke up in, this room was filled with precious items, a huge mural, and a coffin at the center. The only differences were that the theme of the items and decoration was different then the previous, which made sense since it was for a different person, and that there were torches lighting every inch of the room.

As Danny continued to look around the room in confusion, the coffin in the center suddenly began to open.

Slowly and slowly, it was opened by an invisible force, leaving Danny transfixed to the spot, horrified of what would come out.

Finally, the thing in the coffin sat up and began to speak,

“Immortal Master Shen Qingqiu, how lovely is it to see you-”

The thing, more specifically a handsome older dude in some kind of traditional asian dress (Danny should have paid more attention in history), looked over at him before a surprised look apearch across his face and he cut himself off.

“Umm… who are you?” “BITCH, WHO ARE YOU?!?!”

Explanation for not SVSSS fans: The candles are called Last Breath Candle and are fueled by someones breath. The light brings the Blind corpses, which attacks any intruders when th lights are on.

#dannymay2024 #dannymay 2024 #danny fenton #dannymay #sam manson #tucker foley #mxtx svsss #svsss #scum villain's self saving system #tianlang jun #zhuzhi lang #shen qingqiu #day 10 #mausoleum #holy mausoleum #day 10: mausoleum #dpxsvsss #svsssxdp

[dovesick]

mausoleum for isaactober

#the binding of isaac #binding of isaac #tboi fanart #tboi #fanart #tboi repentance #my art #tboi is my favourite game of all time #it’s so interesting & weird & soooo much fun #love the story & endings & bosses & items #guppy isaac with some of my favourite familiars #fighting his way thru the mausoleum #this is technically the prompt for day 10 but i’m only doing 1 isaactober prompt #so i picked my fave

[aprocessionofthoughts]

Haunted

Danny's dead. His parents will do anything to make sure no ghosts break into his resting place... and that no ghosts break out either.

masterlist

day 10: mausoleum

#danny phantom #danny fenton #dannymay2024 #dannymay 2024 #day 10 #mausoleum #dead danny au #Fenton parents find out #buried alive #or half alive

[theleslistuff]

Danny May 2024

Day 10 Mausoleum

The last day

Where the body lays au/ corpse au / Nobody knows au

Danny's corpse is no longer available for him to possess and turn back into human, his twin brother being conscious about it, used his savings to make him a proper funeral (They're 24 years old now)

#danny phantom #danny phantom au #danny fenton #andy #oc #andy fenton #dannymay2024 #danny may 2024 #day 10 #mausoleum

[indatsukasa]

Φάντασμα βροντής

#illustration #touhou #touhou project #touhou fanart #soga no tojiko #東方 #東方project #蘇我屠自古 #東方神霊廟 #ten desires #10月25日は屠自古の日 #tojiko day #神の末裔の亡霊 #夢殿大祀廟 #the dream palace great mausoleum #亡霊 #ghost girl #departed spirit of the children of the gods #雷 #thunder

[dannymayevent]

Dannymay 2024

Welcome back to Dannymay! We sincerely apologize for the delay this year, as we're releasing this just a day before the event is due to start. Life's been a bit hectic for all of us, but we're here now and ready to get this event started for you!

If you aren't aware, Dannymay is a yearly event where creators are given a daily prompt and are free to run with it! Any and all art is allowed; fanfiction, fanart, music, poetry, and anything else will be welcomed!

Feel free to complete as many or as few prompts as you'd like, and remember to have fun! When you're done, post your creations to Tumblr with the #Dannymay2024 tag so we can see it!

Like last year, we'll be compiling an ao3 collection under the tag Dannymay 2024, and we'll fire up the Dannymay discord for another year - the link is in our FAQ!

Full text prompt list and AU explanations are below the cut

Insect

2. Wish

3. Invisible

4. Wander

5. Nails

6. Immortal AU: What if Danny/Halfas couldn't die?

7. Mind Control

8. Style Challenge: A unique prompt to kick off the second week! Take the characters and draw them in the style of a different piece of media, or experiment with your own style and see what you can make!

9. Hunger

10. Mausoleum

11. Mutation

12. Time Travel

13. D&D AU: Drop the characters into the world of Dungeons & Dragons, or imagine them playing the game!

14. Light

15. Field Trip

16. Glowing Veins

17. Equilibrium

18. Revenge

19. Iron

20. Pitch AU: What if the show had aired as presented in the Pitch Bible, where Danny is a human with an owl named Spooky, rides a motorcycle, and has a psychic connection with Sam? For more information, the Bible has been uploaded to the Internet Archive

21. Funeral

22. Song Lyric: Just one week left! Take a line from a song you like and use that as inspiration!

23. Reflection

24. Electricity

25. Games

26. Shoes

27. Zombie AU: What if the ghosts were zombies, or what if canon Amity Park were to face a zombie apocalypse?

28. Healing

29. Fireworks

30. Goodbye

31. Free Day: You made it, thanks for participating in the event! For the last day, create anything you'd like!

#danny phantom #dannymay2024 #dannymay 2024 #can you tell nothuman made the calendar instead of lexx this year? #what can I say I am a slave to the Green #sorry for the delay dont worry I feel bad lmao :)

[eggieeggman]

DannyMay part two!

A wanted sign is nailed to the wall in Amity Park. When will they stop using that dumb name?

Tweaked the prompt a little. You'd cry too if you were stuck at 14 forever.

A new color enters the chat. Danny fights tirelessly against mind control.

Style challenge! My glass-eye babydoll style is one I usually reserve for fashion design but it felt fittingly creepy to use it for Danny's weezer blues. (Whaaat? This one isn't black and white!? Wild.)

Hungry baby Ellie! Don't mind the little Batman in the corner; I think I might write an accompanying fic for this one someday.

A resting place for Danny. Ghostly fires stay lit for all eternity in the Ghost King's Mausoleum.

10 days down, 21 to go! This is very very fun

#my art #digital art #danny phantom #dpxdc #dannymay2024 #danny fenton #dannymay #Batman makes a brief appearance #ectoplasm #dani fenton #ellie fenton #drawing challenge

[oofouchstovehot]

Dannymay 2024 Day 10: Mausoleum

....I did not look up the definition of mausoleum and don't intend to. So we're hoping it's a synonym of crypt

#my art #dannymay2024 #danny fenton #danny phantom

[thestarsofpines]

day 10: mausoleum

#danny phantom #danny phantom fanart #dannymay2024 #danny may 2024 #dp #dp fanart #sage art

[blueiskewl]

Vatican Museums Opens Ancient Roman Necropolis to the Public

The site was previously only accessible to scholars and specialists.

The Vatican Museums has newly opened to the public an ancient necropolis stocked with carved marble sarcophagi and bone-filled open graves of everyday ancient Romans.

The word necropolis comes from the Greek expression for “city of the dead.” These “cities” grew up alongside roads outside the urban center due to laws forbidding cremation and burial of the dead inside city limits. Funerary practices and rites are preserved especially clearly in the necropolis that extends along the Via Triumphalis (a Roman road now known as the Via Trionfale), with burial sites accompanied by eye-popping Roman frescoes and mosaics.

Previously, the necropolis was accessible only to certain groups of scholars and specialists. It is now open to the public via the new Saint Rose Gate entrance, inaugurated with the exhibition “Life and Death in the Rome of the Caesars.”

How extensive is the archaeological area?

It extends nearly 11,000 square feet. The size of the necropolis is not as extensive as some other Roman burial sites, but its importance lies in its proximity to one of the most significant religious sites in Christianity.

What is known about particular people who are buried there?

According to archaeologists, no less than the tomb of St. Peter himself is located in the Vatican Necropolis.

But in general, “Here, we have represented the lower middle class of Rome’s population,” said Leonardo Di Blasi, an archaeologist with the Vatican Museums, in a video on Euro News. “They are essentially slaves, freedmen, artisans of the city of Rome.” Some were the property of the emperor, and are indicated to have been the “servant of Nero.”

One of them was a man named Alcimus, who was the set director for the downtown Theater of Pompeii, the most important theater of the period. Another was a horse trainer who worked at the chariot races.

One young boy is interred there, according to the Catholic News Service, marked by a sculpture of a boy’s head accompanied by an inscription reading “Vixit Anni IIII Menses IIII Dies X,” Latin for “He lived four years, four months, and 10 days.”

How did this ancient burial ground come to light?

The Vatican burial grounds were first explored in the 1940s at the request of then Pope Pius X, who wanted to be buried near the grave of Peter the Apostle. The dig revealed numerous mausoleums and tombs.

The newest part of the burial ground was revealed through an infrastructure project in 2003, as the Vatican excavated for a new multilevel employee parking garage.

What happened when the Vatican discovered these newest burial grounds?

The department of the Vatican that was overseeing construction of the parking garage, intent on meeting its deadline, was accused of trying to conceal the find, Giandomenico Spinola, an archaeologist and deputy artistic-scientific director of the museums, told the Catholic News Service. It was only when journalists publicized the discovery that he and his colleagues were invited in to advise.

When were the bodies there buried? How have the tombs been so well preserved?

Bodies were interred in this burial ground between the first century B.C.E and the fourth century C.E., and organic remains have vanished. A number of the graves, including their tombs and decorations, including frescoes, mosaic floors, and marble-carved inscriptions, were fortuitously preserved by a series of mudslides in the area.

#Vatican Museums Opens Ancient Roman Necropolis to the Public #The Vatican Museums #Ancient Roman 'City for the Dead' #Via Triumphalis necropolis #Life and Death in the Rome of the Caesars #ancient graves #ancient tombs #ancient necropolis #ancient artifacts #archeology #archeolgst #history #history news #ancient history #ancient culture #ancient civilizations #ancient rome #roman history #roman empire #roman art

[jinuaei]

Different Route

Heyyyy remember that idea I had for self aware Resident Evil 4? I made a small fic/drabble for it but got hyperfixated on hazbin hotel so it wasted as a WIP until I started to miss Leon and now here it is!!! I forgot how this was supposed to go so like the last 10% might be shit

I miss my babies so much 🥹

Warning: VERRYYYY small yandere behaviour

This is insane, everything is too crazy!

Ashley grips the lantern closer to her, the heat of it warming her up despite the shivers running through her body due to the cold marble floor she was  laying on. Tear streaks can be seen as she laments how awful everything has been. She still can't believe what has happened to her the past couple days, god, even what transpired an hour ago felt like a nightmare she desperately tries to wake up from. They were so close to escaping the castle, or at least she thought so.

After Leon successfully put together the heads of the chimera statue, gold bars, akin to jail cells, suddenly sprung up from the floor, surprising both her and Leon. Realizing that he's stuck, Leon tries to find a way out before rapid footsteps are heard from below the staircase. He then quickly commands Ashley to run, which she promptly follows by stumbling into the unexplored room behind her. While in there she proceeded to complete a puzzle that can help Leon escape the cell, encountering multiple scary moving armours on the way. Luckily, the blue lantern she found earlier helped her immensely, although she did lose it after trying to grab the key inside the strange mausoleum. The armours swinging its swords down almost made her pass out.

Once Ashley arrived at the elevated platform just above Leon, she was able to grab a key that could free Leon from his holding cell. However, before she could come back down to where he is, someone grabbed her from behind. Immediately struggling against the cultists grip, a sharp pain in her head stopped her from further movement. The pain was so immense that she could feel herself start to pass out, darkness started to creep in her vision as her ears rang loudly against Leon's screams of…pain? Her head lulls to where Leon is and she sees him drop to his knees and clutch his head, gripping his hair in pain. She tried to shout for him but she couldn't even produce a sound, she was only able to mouth a small 'Leon…' in the process. Just as she was going to lose consciousness, she heard two voices echo against her skull, loud and clear amidst the ringing in her ear.

"NOT HER…NOT YET," the first voice growls, masculine and very very familiar.

"Not her… Not again," the second one begs, soft and comforting, she almost cried hearing such a melodic voice. Perhaps this was an angel sent to bring her soul to heaven? Nonetheless, the pain was too much to bear and she passed out at the same time as Leon.

Given how Ashley has been the target of Los Illuminados, she would think she would wake up tied up in a pole, being forced to become one of the monsters that has been hunting her. Instead, she felt the cold floor pressed to her skin, waking her up from her unwanted sleep. Sitting up, she notices a warmth coming from right next to her.

On her side was the lantern, glowing brighter than she remembered, it flickered momentarily as her hands hover to grab it. Something tells her to keep this lantern very close to her, and she does. Orbs start to surround her, covering her with warmth, caressing her skin with the blue glow emitting from it.

Sobs come out from her mouth when the sudden feeling of love and affection rolls over her, it might be just from her starting to go crazy, but she doesn't care. This lantern is the only thing that made her feel safe with everything that happened. Sure, Leon has been there protecting her, but she admits that he's a bit weird muttering to himself about how ‘They came back’ or how he’ll ‘make sure that They won't leave him anymore, not again’. But that doesn't matter anymore, not when Leon needs help, not when she has the lantern with her. 

Ashley clutches the lantern tight against her tear streaked form, determination filling her as the thought of Leon needing her help filled her mind. She knows she needs to help Leon and even though it's scary, the blue light has given her enough confidence to proceed. Something tells her that nothing bad will happen to her when she's holding the lantern.

“Leon… wait for me, I'll save you!”

#leon kennedy #leon s kennedy #leon x reader #yandere leon kennedy #yandere resident evil #yandere x reader #Ashley graham x reader #yandere leon kennedy x reader #Self aware resident evil

[popfizzles]

Very interested in what plink, sleepytime, and canody get up to from day to day! Do they have jobs? What’s their go to hobby?

Sleepytime and Cain are both Isle 2 carnival workers!!!

Cain Canody mans the shooting gallery. Something like a very cute pop-gun stand, maybe darts or ball-toss too? He's super high-energy, charming, and genuinely very sweet to customers! He'll give out small finger prizes to people just for trying.

You know what they say; be rootin', be tootin', and by god, be shootin', but most of all, be kind!!

I think Canody has a history with Bettigan, and were both tempted by the Devil around the same time. But where Bettigan accepted the offer in chase of riches, Canody declined and lost his best friend because of it. Bettigan probably taught him how to play poker.

Sleepytime on the other hand is probably more of an everyman around the carnival, kind of the type of intern you can put anywhere and they just do whatever you need. They can do ride operation, or janitorial services, or other miscellaneous things!

Given that they can stay awake on the job, of course.

This is of course due to the fact that during their free time at night, Sleepytime finds themselves in dark forests and deep into the Isles' mausoleums, discovering things that need to be discovered. It's a real shame that Sleepytime is so very scared of anything vaguely spooky. <:)

Plink is an odd case. They don't really have a place anywhere on Inkwell. And they look so out of place, like they don't belong in this time period at all..! They sound and act so young too, they can't be older than 10.

Plink sort of drifts from place to place, and nobody knows where they go to rest or feel safe. They don't seem to have family or people watching over them. And when asked, Plink responds in the way any child would, not really answering or giving any helpful information.

Darwin and his friends buy Plink food when they can, and keep an eye on the little jackal however possible.

Who knows what their real situation is, though.

#Cuphead #Cuphead: DDWTD #CDDWTD #CDDWTD oc #Cuphead oc #CDDWTD Sleepytime #CDDWTD Cain Canody #CDDWTD Plink #fizzles answers #artnerd1123

[nat-space-obsessed]

Day 10: Mausoleum

There's a body where there should be a coffin...

Love the POV on this one!!

#danny phantom #danny fenton #fan art #art #dannymay2024 #dannymay #day ten: mausoleum #cw: gore #cw blood #neon blood

[thecreaturecodex]

Sahkil, Tumblak

Image © Wenard Gunadi

[Sponsored by @justicegundam82. The tumblak is one of several high CR sahkils that appears in the Pathfinder 2e module Night of the Gray Death, which does not have any art for the creature. Appropriately for an outsider of fear, it's mechanically terrifying, with a 100 foot radius aura of suffocation. Bring a tumblak to the table, and characters will die if it's not taken care of quickly.]

Sahkil, Tumblak CR 18 NE Outsider (extraplanar) This horrific creature appears as a floating, translucent mass of bodies, their limbs interlocked and necks bent in unnatural angles. They are forced into a vaguely rectangular shape, as if molded together in a coffin. The eyes of each form are blank and white, and their mouths are contorted into silent screams.

A tumblak is a powerful type of sahkil that represents the fear of enclosure. Although they are happy to bask in claustrophobia, they prefer to add the spice of suffocation when possible, and are patrons of everything from constriction to being buried alive. As such, they lurk in mausoleums, graveyards and other monuments to death while on the Material Plane. Although a tumblak is not undead, they often act as though they are subject to effects that calm or ward off evil spirits. Part of this is out of a sense of sportsmanship—tumblaks enjoy inflicting their horrific attacks on the weak, and then letting them live to spread the story and revisit the fear. Part of this is to bait undead slayers into wasting their time and energy, and seeing them switch from confidence to panic.

Tumblaks prefer to fight in enclosed spaces, using their incorporeality to drift through narrow hallways and locked doors easily. When on the hunt, they activate their gasping auras, which magically draws the breath from the lungs of their victims. Once it has at least one creature gasping for air, the tumblak closes the gap in order to use its look of fear, freezing the suffocating victim in place while they struggle to breathe. Tumblaks like to draw out their kills, and so use their slam attacks to batter enemies that resist their gaze and try to fight back.

Tumblak      CR 18 XP 153,600 NE Medium outsider (evil, extraplanar, incorporeal, sahkil) Init +5; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft., Perception +30, true seeing Aura gasping (100 ft., Fort DC 29)

Defense AC 32, touch 32, flat-footed 26(+5 Dex, +9 deflection, +1 dodge, +7 profane) hp 262 (21d10+147) Fort +13, Ref +19, Will +19 DR 15/good; Immune death effects, disease, fear, incorporeal traits, poison; Resist cold 10, electricity 10, sonic 10; SR 29 Defensive Abilities nightmarish ward

Offense Speed fly 40 ft. (perfect) Melee 4 slams +30 (2d12+9/19-20) Special Attacks claustrophobic nightmares, emotional focus, look of fear (30 ft., DC 31) Spell-like Abilities CL 18th, concentration +27 Constant—true seeing At will—arcane sight, fear (DC 25), nightmare (DC 26), telekinesis (DC 24) 1/day—greater dispel magic, mass hold monster (DC 27)

Statistics Str -, Dex 21, Con 22, Int 15, Wis21, Cha 28 Base Atk +21; CMB +30 (+32 disarm or trip); CMD 46 (48 disarm or trip) Feats Alertness, Combat Expertise,Dodge, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Spring Attack, Toughness Skills Acrobatics +24, Bluff +28, Fly +32, Intimidate +28, Knowledge (local, planes) +23, Knowledge (religion) +18, Perception +30, Sense Motive +28, Stealth +28; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, Requian, telepathy 100 ft. SQ easy to call, ghostly grasp, no breath, skip between

Ecology Environment any land or underground (Ethereal Plane) Organization solitary or crush (2-4) Treasure incidental

Special Abilities Claustrophobic Nightmares (Su) A tumblak’s nightmare spell-like ability is especially pernicious. Any creature that is fatigued by its nightmares cannot have that fatigue removed magically unless the caster succeeds a caster level check against the tumblak’s spell resistance. Whenever a creature fatigued by a tumblak’s nightmares enters a stressful situation (such as combat or high-stakes negotiations), it must succeed a DC 31 Will save as if exposed to a tumblak’s look of fear. This is a mind-influencing curse, fear effect; the save DC is Charisma based and includes a +2 racial bonus from the sahkil’s emotional focus. Gasping Aura (Su) All creatures within 100 ft. of a tumblak must succeed a DC 29 Fortitude save or be unable to breathe. Creatures that succumb to the gasping aura must hold their breath until they leave the tumblak’s aura or begin to suffocate. A creature that succeeds this save is immune to the gasping aura of that tumblak for the next 24 hours. A tumblak can suppress or resume this effect as a free action. The save DC is Charisma based. Ghostly Grasp (Su) A tumblak is incorporeal, but can make Strength checks and interact with objects as if it had a Strength score equal to its Charisma score. As such, its melee attacks are not melee touch attacks, but their attack and damage rolls are modified by its Charisma bonus. Look of Fear (Su) A creature affected by a tumblak’s gaze is considered to be shaken and pinned. This lasts until it escapes by making a combat maneuver check or Escape Artist check against the tumblak’s CMD. This is a mind influencing fear effect; the save DC is Charisma based and includes a +2 racial bonus for the sahkil’s emotional focus. Nightmarish Ward (Ex) A tumblak gains a profane bonus to Armor Class equal to 1/3 its HD.

#pathfinder 1e #pathfinder rpg #pathfinder 2e #tumblak #sahkil #outsider #body horror #sponsored post

[verai-marcel]

Your Hearth Is My Home (BG3 Fanfic, Astarion x Female Reader, Part 16 of ?)

Summary, Notes, Tags, & Part 1 are here.

Act I - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12

Act II - Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15

AO3 Link is here, my dear.

Word Count: 4275

————————————

Act II, Chapter 4 - The Portal

The next morning, Karlach was sitting at the campfire, waiting very impatiently for you to wake up.

“C’mon, c’mon! Let’s go see if Dammon can fix up my engine!”

You smiled at her. She was like a kid in her excitement. Getting up and throwing on your day clothes, you left camp in a rush, pulling on your gloves as you went.

“Why do you always wear those gloves outside of camp?” she asked.

You shrugged. “Habit.”

Karlach looked at you, tipping her head to get you to continue. You ignored her.

“Alright. Keep your secrets.”

“I will, thank you,” you said with a grin.

Dammon was waving to the two of you as you arrived at the forge. He explained what he had done, and how Karlach needed to install the piece.

You watched with academic interest as she opened up her chest and installed the insulating chamber to her heart engine.

“Did… did it work?” she asked as she stared at her hands.

“Only one way to find out.” Dammon held up a hand. “Go on. Give us your hand.”

Tentatively, Karlach reached out to him. Slowly, she placed her palm against his.

He didn’t burn. He only smiled at her. “Damn. I’m good. And you… you’re very touchable.”

You held back a snicker.

Karlach looked at you. “I can touch people again!” Her face was lit up like a summer sky, her happiness filling you with so much joy that it overflowed your heart. Unable to help yourself, you leapt up and gave her a big hug.

Laughing and squealing with cheer, she swung you around a few times, easily holding you up like you weighed as much as a feather.

“I can’t wait to hug everyone!” she cried out.

“Wait,” Dammon said, his face turning serious. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

***

Walking back to camp, you glanced over at Karlach, who was clearly processing Dammon’s news. You didn’t know what else to do, other than hold her hand the whole way back. You had your gloves on so you couldn’t pry into her emotions, but you could tell from her expression that she was quickly digesting it and moving on.

I’m not sure that’s healthy for her emotionally, but maybe she’s handling it better than I would have.

“Who are you going to hug first?” you asked, hopefully getting her mind off of her future for the time being.

“I don’t know…” She tapped her chin. “Although it’d be real funny if I hugged Lae’zel first!”

As the two of you entered camp, hand in hand, you noted everyone’s reaction.

Gale did a comically exaggerated double take. Really? He’s such a dork sometimes.

Lae’zel and Shadowheart raised an eyebrow. Those two are more alike than they realize.

Astarion glanced at your joined hands and smirked. Oh, I bet he’s got loads of quips in his head right now.

And Wyll smiled and immediately came up to the two of you, holding out his arms. You let go of Karlach and not so subtly pushed her towards him.

He picked her up and held her tightly. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time.”

Karlach and Wyll seemed like they were in their own world, so you walked past them quietly to get breakfast made. As they finally joined everyone at the campfire, she told everyone about her heart and her future choices.

“But we’ll worry about that when the time comes,” she said when she saw the concerned looks on some of their faces. “For now, let’s figure out what’s goin’ on with these tadpoles in our heads. Then I can go home.”

They planned to head to a mausoleum in the old ruined town south of the inn called Reithwin town. You bundled up some snacks for them and wished them luck. 

***

A little past midday, you saw a familiar face. 

“Arabella?” 

You recalled the little tiefling girl from the party, where her parents had been coddling her and profusely thanking the group for rescuing her. The fact that she was here alone did not bode well. 

The base of your spine tingled. It felt cold. 

Oh no. This isn't good. 

She told you that the others had saved her from the shadow cursed while she was looking for her parents. They had told her they would look for them. 

You glanced up at Withers, who subtly shook his head. 

Godsdammit.

“Well, while you wait for them, why don't you come help me with some chores?”

She shrugged. “Sure, I guess.”

***

Arabella soon grew bored of helping with your chores, as most children do, and split her time between playing with the animals and bothering Withers with inane questions. You eventually took her to the inn to play with the other tiefling children while you helped out around the building. 

After a few hours, you saw the party return, Halsin leading with an old, battered lute in hand. He headed straight for the room where the Flaming Fist were staying. He looked determined, an elf on a mission.

You fell in step with the others and followed him, wanting to see what had gotten the usually calm archdruid into such a state.

Halsin held out the lute to the semi-conscious man on the bed, talking softly with him. The man didn’t seem to respond, and even strumming a few strings didn’t do much beyond getting his focus for a few brief moments before he fell into delirium once more.

What if…

You quietly backed away from the group and went to the bar.

“Alfira!”

She turned to you. “Yes, what is it?”

“Could you come help us? We need someone who can play a lute.”

She grinned. “Well, I might know someone.” 

Returning to Halsin with the bard in tow, you tapped him on the arm and gestured towards Alfira. “Can she play?”

He nodded and smiled at you. “Great idea.” Handing the lute over to the tiefling, he stepped back and allowed her to stand beside the bed. After listening to his broken song for a few minutes, she began to play the same song on the lute.

You watched as the man, who you learned was named Art Cullagh, slowly came back to the present, his fragmented mind reconnecting the dots of reality with each strum of the lute. When he sat up, looking around at everyone with clarity in his gaze, Alfira handed back the lute to him and wished him well before excusing herself.

“Thank you,” you called out to her as she left.

“Any time,” she replied as she smiled at you.

You turned back to the conversation before you, learning about the next steps in Halsin’s quest to save Thaniel.

“A portal?”

Halsin nodded. He turned to everyone. “Whenever you are all ready to help, I can summon a portal and get Thaniel out of the Shadowfell. But I’ll need your help to guard it. If the enemy comes and shatters the portal before I return…”

He didn’t need to elaborate. Everyone nodded.

As they all began to head out of the building and back to camp, you spoke up. I have to confirm, even though I'm pretty sure Withers was right. “Did… did you find Arabella’s parents?”

When all of their faces fell, you knew they had. And it wasn’t good.

“No!”

You turned around to see that Arabella had been eavesdropping.

Dammit, I thought she was with the other children.

She looked to be on the verge of tears. “I saw you all, so I came to ask… But… it can’t be. No! I refuse to believe it!” Taking off in a sprint, she left the building faster than you could speak up.

Chasing after her, you saw her taking the path back to camp. A bit relieved, you followed her, keeping her in sight, making sure that she made it back safely. The rest of the party followed at a more sedate pace.

Reaching the campsite, you saw that the girl was sitting with her arms around her knees, staring out at the water next to Withers. Looking at his stone-faced expression, you only shared a nod before turning away, letting her process the news. 

You went about your usual chores, mending and cleaning while letting the stew pot do its thing, but in the back of your mind, you wondered if you could repeat your off-the-cuff cooking cantrip that you had accidentally sang in the Grymforge. While part of you enjoyed letting the food slowly simmer and accumulate its flavor, you knew that the others were probably hungry.

Dropping off the pile of armor and clothes to be cleaned next to your bedroll, you took off your gloves and went up to the pot and stared at it.

Alright, here goes.

Your hands hovered over the simmering water as you hummed, trying to remember exactly what you had done last time. Knowing that it wasn’t quite right, you still managed to make something happen as greenish-yellow lines sprung from your fingers, and you weaved a spell with your voice.

Dropping the magical web down onto the pot, you were surprised to suddenly see the simmering water go eerily still.

You peered into the pot curiously.

A tingle shot through your spine, and you reared your head back just as a fountain of stew shot from the pot, steaming and boiling in the air before landing straight back in, liquid splashing over the sides and scalding your hands. You hissed in pain.

Shadowheart called your name as she rushed over. Taking your hands, she cast a light heal on you.

“Careful, that nearly hit you in the face,” she said, taking a handkerchief and wiping the stew off your skin.

You smiled at her, a bit embarrassed at how badly your spell had backfired. “I know. Thank you.” You glanced over at your stew. “It… might be done?”

It smelled good. You grabbed the ladle from where it had landed on the ground, cleaned it with magic, and tasted the stew. “Yup, it’s done.”

“A dangerous way to make dinner faster,” Gale commented. “But effective nonetheless.”

“You could market that as dinner and a show,” Wyll joked.

Rolling your eyes, you started to serve up the meal.

Afterward, everyone began to prepare for the next day. Sharpening weapons, sparring with each other, reading up on spells… You finished with everyone’s clothes and set them by their tents as usual before heading over to Halsin, who was staring out across the water, deep in thought. You were worried for him most of all.

“Halsin,” you said quietly, reaching up to touch his arm. He felt determined, unshakeable as a mighty tree. Yet there was a hint of fear, but it didn’t seem to be for him. “How are you feeling?”

He turned to you, a gentle smile on his features. “I won't lie, I am a bit nervous. Traveling into the Shadowfell is no easy task. I’ve studied for years, beseeching the Oak Father for his blessing. I pray that we will have his favor come morning.”

You nodded. “I’m hoping that everything goes smoothly. Who will go with you?”

“I must go alone.”

You gasped. “What? Why?”

“The portal is maintained with my power, and the more people that go into it, the more it will drain me. If I’m to have a chance at finding Thaniel and bring him home, I need to go in with as much strength as possible.”

You nodded. That made sense. “So everyone else will be defending the portal?”

“Yes. The moment it opens, the shadow-cursed will swarm it, trying to destroy it. If they succeed…” 

He didn’t need to say more. You reached for his hand and held it tight. “I trust our friends. They’ll make sure you come back safely.” You smiled. “And I’ll make sure there’s a nice meal waiting for you when you return.”

He smiled back. “That’s more than enough incentive to return.” Halsin let go of your hand and held his arms out for a hug, and you gladly let him wrap his big arms around you.

“You’re stronger than you know,” he murmured.

You pulled back, observing the knowing look in his gaze. “What do you know that I don’t?”

He grinned. “There’s a power inside of you, older than even me, and I’m more than three centuries old. I can’t quite place it, but it’s there, within you. You just need to learn how to harness it.”

Frowning, you instinctively reached for your back, but quickly pretended to scratch your shoulder instead. “If you say so,” you said, putting your hands in your lap and wringing them together. He must be sensing something else, not actual power. I’ve never done anything other than cantrips.

He patted you on the head, and you felt a fondness, like a big brother ruffling your hair. “One day, little witch. You’ll find your magic.”

***

Returning to camp, you rolled Halsin’s words around in your head, but they made zero sense. 

An old power? Inside me? Maybe he’s sensing the seal my mother placed on me. There’s nothing else it could be.

You tried to put together the pieces of knowledge that you knew from what your mother had told you. You had an eladrin ancestor somewhere in the past, it was why your ears were a bit pointy. An eclectic form of magic, based solely on song, was what you had learned from your mother, who had learned it from hers, and so on and so forth, passed down through the generations.

From your father, you had learned a bit about the different planes. Baator, Shadowfell, Feywild, the Astral Sea, and their denizens. You had never really thought about why your father, so learned in these things, was living in a small village in the middle of nowhere, but you were thankful for the knowledge. If not for his random lessons while you were growing up, you would have never known about the githyanki, devils, demons, pixies, and other extraplanar beings.

It has to be the seal. It must be some kind of ancient spell she put on me. But for what purpose? Other than giving me weird premonitions.

Perhaps it was a protection spell? It had certainly saved you from bodily injury a few times at this point.

You had been in your head so thoroughly that you had walked past your bedroll and towards the other side of camp, your foot nearly stepping off the shoreline and into the murky water. You stepped backwards and felt a presence at your back.

“Still can’t sense a damn thing, can you?”

You turned to see Astarion smirking at you.

Godsdammit, can’t you come talk to me like a normal person? “Can I help you?”

“You’ve already helped me plenty, my dear,” he said. He pulled out his dagger, gesturing towards yours on your belt. “I’m returning the favor.”

You sighed. “Alright. Go easy on me.”

Pulling out your dagger, you attacked, a clumsy lunge, a graceless swing. For five minutes, he effortlessly deflected every one of your strikes.

Then he began to hum.

Confused, you continued to attack. There was no power in his song, but somehow, he seemed to be even more nimble as he dodged and spun away from your flimsy attempts to stab him.

“Your turn,” he finally said.

“Huh?”

“Hum something while you attack.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Just indulge me.”

Sighing, you thought of a faster tempo song and began to hum. Focusing on the song while striking at him over and over, you stopped thinking, and started to just act and react on instinct. Like the flow of a melody, you slashed, parried, jabbed, and finally, felt like you had made progress when you grabbed Astarion’s wrist, twisted his arm, and dipped in close, pointing your blade at his throat.

“Not bad,” he said, beads of sweat slowly dripping down his forehead. 

Then you felt a tapping on your belly. You looked down to see his other hand, wielding a second, shorter dagger, pointed at your gut.

“But I would have eviscerated you before you got this close.” He tapped the flat edge of the dagger against your belt.

Sighing in defeat, you stepped away from him and put your dagger back into its sheath. “Well, at least I got closer.”

“Did music help?”

You nodded. “Yes. I… I hadn’t thought of that. It was like I stopped overthinking about my next move and just reacted.”

“Good girl,” he murmured, patting your head. You felt that fondness, but it was different from what you had felt with Halsin. This one seemed like…

No. There’s no way.

You pulled away, tired of getting mixed messages. “Thank you for helping me,” you said quietly as you glanced back at your bedroll. “I’d better get some sleep.” You started to turn away.

“Wait.”

You turned back to him. “Yes?”

“I…” He paused for a moment. “Tomorrow morning. We’ll be helping with this”—he gestured dismissively—“portal thing.”

“I heard.”

“So…” He looked up at you and then looked away, clearing his throat. “Don’t do anything stupid. I’ll be hungry when I return.”

You smiled. You miscommunicating idiot. “I’ll keep that in mind.” On a whim, you stepped up to him and patted him on the head, the same way he did to you. “Stay safe, kitty cat.”

He caught your hand and held it close to his chest. His gaze bore into you, two scarlet irises focused fully on you. “You do the same, kitten.”

Thrown off by his intensity, you blinked and backed away, pulling your hand gently from his grasp and smiling to hide your sudden nerves. “Of course. Good night.”

“Sweet dreams, darling,” he said, but you were already heading towards your bedroll.

I’m not running away. I’m not.

***

The next morning, everyone headed off to a small rock outcropping that was just outside of Isobel’s barrier. You went to the inn to help out with laundry and potion making, since a shipment of goods had just arrived, and many of the guards had been injured to get the shipment here.

As the day progressed, you could tell something was wrong. The tingling at the base of your spine was growing stronger with every passing minute. In the past, a tingling would just make your mind churn with anxiety, and you usually calmed down after distracting yourself with some chores. That was before you began having these stronger inklings, and their strength kept increasing as you spent more time with your companions.

This time, the feeling would not go away, even after peeling all of the potatoes in the galley.

You stepped out of the Last Light Inn, your gaze turning north towards the spot where Halsin had opened the portal. You weren’t sure how things were going, but your heart kept telling you to go have a look.

Don’t do anything stupid. I’ll be hungry when I return.

You knew it was his roundabout way of telling you to stay safe and hidden away.

Your seal kept tingling. Fine, I’ll just go take a peek.

As you made your way over to the edge of the shield, your heart began to drop. Shadows and the shadow-cursed were swarming a shining portal, covered in crackling lightning. And in front of the portal, the party was fighting desperately, defending it to the last. 

You could tell that the spellcasters were down to only cantrips, their power weakening as they grew exhausted. The fighters kept swinging their weapons, but the sheer number of enemies was forcing them back, step by step.

You didn’t see Astarion, and started to peer around, looking for him. It wasn’t until Karlach made a big shove, forcing two shadow-cursed away from her, that you could see a bit beyond. On the ground in the front of the portal, you saw one pale elf, clutching his side.

Your feet began to move before your mind caught up. As soon as you left the safety of the shield, you could feel the shadow curse filling your lungs, but you didn’t care. You had to get to the group.

You had to get to him.

Claws of darkness scratched you as you passed, lines of crimson leaking into your clothes as you took cut after cut. But you pushed through and to everyone’s surprise, made it to the top of the rock overlook.

“What are you doing here?” Karlach yelled as she grabbed your arm and practically tossed you behind her.

You paid her no mind. Immediately kneeling down where Astarion lay, you pulled up your sleeve, exposing one of the deeper cuts on your arm, and forced it into his mouth.

“Drink, dammit,” you cried.

The sounds of the battle behind you became muted as you watched his eyelids flutter. His lips moved, and then through sheer instinct, he latched onto your wound and began to drink. You winced at the sharp pain of his fangs penetrating your skin, the pull of blood into his mouth. But after half a minute, he let you go and opened his eyes.

“You idiot,” he rasped as he sat up. He looked terrible, wounds on every limb, claw marks raking his chest.

“I know,” you replied, and slowly stood up, turning to the shadows.

In the back of your mind, you had a thought.

Closing your eyes, diving into your memories, you recalled that specific song from your mother, the one she had only taught you phonetically. A melody to shield against the long cold nights, a hymn that traveled beyond Evermeet, beyond the Trackless Sea.

It was a song you had sung a thousand times, and nothing had ever happened. But you felt that maybe, just maybe, something would happen if you just sang it one more time.

What if it doesn't work? It's never done anything before. 

But it has to. I need it to work.

Taking a deep breath, you imagined a barrier, much like the silvery shield of Isobel, and began to sing.

As if the world suddenly paused, the sounds of battle quieted. You weren’t sure if it was because you were so focused on your song, but it sounded as if the hordes of the undead were moving farther and farther away.

You opened your eyes. A golden aura was before you, pushing back the darkness, giving the others a chance to breathe as the shadow creatures slammed against the shield. With one particularly strong hit, you felt one of your cuts bloom in pain, a burning slice into your skin, and you gasped in agony.

The shield crackled and began to fade. 

Oh shit. 

Ignoring the pain, you sang, and sang, and sang, until the barrier grew strong and bright once more. Until your voice was hoarse and your throat was raw. Until you felt like you were being flayed alive with each strike, the shield taking its power directly from your body. Your cuts bled, the searing pain intensifying with each passing lyric. But you would not, could not stop your song. It flowed out of you like water over a cliff, unstoppable.

Until finally from behind you, the portal crackled and shattered. You felt a familiar presence behind you.

“Well done,” Halsin said.

Smiling, you ended the song on a single triumphant note.

The shadow cursed had disappeared, and vestiges of the enemy lay around a golden perimeter that slowly faded as the barrier created by your song faded away. You felt exhausted, but also elated. You had helped. 

The others turned to you, and they all immediately gave you a strange look.

“What?” you croaked.

Astarion tipped his head towards your reflection in the water. “Take a look at yourself.”

You walked to the edge of the water and gasped. Your ears had grown pointier. Your skin had become tawny brown, and your hair had turned into waves of auburn red, streaked with strands of gold and orange. And your eyes, gods, they glowed like the setting sun. You looked as if the whole of the autumn season had manifested in you.

As your magic faded, you began to look like yourself again, but the image was burned into your memory.

The last memory of your mother as she sang this exact song, her form looking exactly like one of the legends she had told you as a child: The autumn form of the fey eladrin, the folk from the feywilds who spoke and sang in Sylvan, the predecessor of Elvish. 

You turned back to the others. There were smiles all around, but you could tell they were definitely tired. Shadowheart pulled out the last arcane potion from her belt and quickly drank it. 

“Vos cura!”

A blue glow suffused the area around the group, and everyone felt their wounds heal somewhat.

Except for you. You felt nothing except for Astarion’s bite mark heal on your arm. Curious.

“Let’s head back to camp,” Gale announced, hovering next to Shadowheart, his eyes assessing her condition. “We could all use a rest.”

The others began to walk away with Halsin, who was carrying the boy in his arms. Only Astarion remained by your side, guarding you. He held out his arm to you, as if he was escorting you to a ball.

You smiled. It was a kind gesture, and though you knew he did it to be playful, you also knew that he wouldn’t have offered if he didn’t care.

You reached out for him.

Then your world tilted.

And everything went dark.

-------------------------

Chapter End Notes: I have been waiting and WAITING to post this chapter, I’ve had the portal portion written since chapter three, just infilling the story to get to this point. I’m so happy to finally share this chapter with you. I hope it was worth the wait! Let me know what you think in the comments!

And let me know if you want to be on the tag list so you get notified of the next chapter release! (I usually post on Thursday nights, but I may be delayed here and there because of that darn real life thing getting in the way)

Tag List: @numblytemporary @xalphafox @avitute @stormyjane7

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