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#Practice Chanter
abrightcontainer · 2 years
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Toot toot motherfuckers 🤣
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Fuck I should go unearth my bagpipe chanter and practice 😔
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linguistness · 7 months
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Duolingo 🦉: French course 🇫🇷 - Unit 20-24
Here's all the vocab from Unit 20 to 24 of the French course on Duolingo (i decided to put 5 units in one post cause it's just more practical)
Unit 20:
danser = to dance
je danse = i dance
tu danses = you dance
il/elle danse = he/she dances
marcher = to walk
je marche = i walk
tu marches = you walk
il/elle marche = he/she walks
voyager = to travel
nous voyageons = we travel
vous voyagez = you travel (pl)
ils/elles voyagent = they travel
visiter = to visit
nous visitons = we visit
vous visitez = you visit (pl)
ils/elles visitent = they visit
écouter = to listen
j'écoute = i listen
tu écoutes = you listen
il/elle écoute = he/she listens
chanter = to sing
je chante = i sing
tu chantes = you sing
il/elle chante = he/she sings
étudier = to study
nous étudions = we study
vous étudiez = you study (pl)
ils/elles étudient = they study
travailler = to work
nous travaillons = we work
vous travaillez = you work (pl)
ils/elles travaillent = they work
nager = to swim
je nage = i swim
tu nages = you swim
il/elle nage = he/she swims
nous nageons = we swim
vous nagez = you swim (pl)
ils/elles nagent = they swim
dessiner = to draw
je dessine = i draw
tu dessines = you draw
il/elle dessine = he/she draws
nous dessinons = we draw
vous dessinez = you draw (pl)
ils/elles dessinent = they draw
portrait (m) = portrait
les cheveux = hair (pl)
tête (f) = head
nez (m) = nose
je suis desolé/desolée = i'm sorry
prendre qn/qc en photo = to take a photo of someone/sth
les réseaux sociaux = social media
réunion (f) = meeting
sans = without
à côté de = next to
mieux = better
publié, publiée = published
cinquante = fifty
autre, autres = other
je bois = i drink
tu bois = you drink
il/elle boit = he/she drinks
j'adore = i love, adore
tu adores = you love, adore
il/elle adore = he/she loves, adores
nous adorons = we love, adore
vous adorez = you love, adore (pl)
ils/elles adorent = they love, adore
détester = to hate
je déteste = i hate
tu détestes = you hate
il/elle déteste = he/she hates
miel (m) = honey
beurre (m) = butter
j'aime = i love
tu aimes = you love
il/elle aime = he/she loves
je préfère = i prefer
tu préfères = you prefer
il/elle préfère = he/she prefers
confiture (f) = jam
eau minérale (f) = mineral water
fraise (f) = strawberry
fraises = strawberries
des yaourts = yogurt
des céréales = cereal
Unit 21:
nouveau, nouvelle = new
les sports de balle = ball sports
raquette de tennis (f) = tennis racket
balle (f) = ball
balles = balls
les chaussures de ballet = ballet shoes
j'arrête = i stop
tu arrêtes = you stop
il/elle arrête = he/she stops
nous arrêtons = we stop
vous arrêtez = you stop (pl)
ils/elles arrêtent = they stop
mais non = of course not
avec = with
week-end (m) = weekend
la semaine prochaine = next week
je vais voir = i'm going to see
je vais visiter = i'm going to visit
je vais partir = i'm going to leave
tu vas partir = you're going to leave
il/elle va partir = he/she is going to leave
nous allons partir = we are going to leave
vous allez partir = you are going to leave (pl)
ils/elles vont partir = they are going to leave
voir = to see
partir = to leave
demain = tomorrow
photo (f) = photo
mois (m) = month
le mois prochain = next month
lui / elle = him / her
eux, elles = them
avec moi = with me
avec toi = with you
avec lui / elle = with him / her
avec nous = with us
avec vous = with you (pl)
avec eux, avec elles = with them
rester = to stay
passer = to be, spend
passer du temps = to spend time
hiver (m) = winter
été (m) = summer
janvier (m) = January
février (m) = February
montagne (f) = mountain, mountains
ski (m) = ski
plongée (f) = scuba diving
ce, cet, cette = this
année (f) = year
les devoirs = homework
parce que = because
connaître = to know
Unit 22:
chic = chic
les clés = the keys
regarder = to look, watch
porte (f) = door
douche (f) = shower
moto (f) = motorcycle
ne ... jamais = never
facile = easy
comprendre = to understand
je comprends = i understand
tu comprends = you understand
il/elle comprend = he/she understands
nous comprenons = we understand
vous comprenez = you understand (pl)
ils/elles comprennent = they understand
apprendre = to learn
j'apprends = i learn
tu apprends = you learn
il/elle apprend = he/she learns
nous apprenons = we learn
vous apprenez = you learn (pl)
ils/elles apprennent = they learn
les cours = classes, courses
leçon (f) = lesson
les leçons = lessons
difficile = difficult
septembre (m) = September
en septembre = in September
les exames = exams
matière (f) = subject, material
dictionnaire (m) = dictionary
tout = everything, all
professeur (m) = professor, teacher
élève (m/f) = student
sac à dos (m) = backpack
plus = more
plus souvent = more often
salle de classe (f) = classroom
lentement = slowly
sale = dirty
colocataire (m/f) = roommate
nettoyer = to clean
je nettoie = i clean
tu nettoies = you clean
il/elle nettoie = he/she cleans
pourquoi? = why?
nouveau, nouvelle = new
Unit 23:
mars = March
avril = April
seize = sixteen
dix-sept = seventeen
dix-huit = eighteen
avoir besoin = to need
réunion (f) = meeting
j'ai besoin de = i need
chef (m/f) = boss
choisir = to choose
je choisis = i choose
tu choisis = you choose
il/elle choisit = he/she chooses
nous choisissons = we choose
vous choisissez = you choose (pl)
ils/elles choisissent = they choose
finir = to finish
je finis = i finish
tu finis = you finish
il/elle finit = he/she finishes
nous finissons = we finish
vous finissez = you finish (pl)
ils/elles finissent = they finish
projets = projects
les horaires = schedule, schedules
date (f) = date
les dates = the dates
idée (f) = idea
les singes = the monkeys
les lions = the lions
courir = to run
les glaces = ice cream (pl)
détester = to hate
Unit 24:
serviette (f) = towel
clé (f) = key
grand, grande = big
joli, jolie = pretty, lovely
petit, petite = small
réserver = to book
je réserve = i book
tu réserves = you book
il/elle réserve = he/she books
nous réservons = we book
vous réservez = you book (pl)
ils/elles réservent = they book
télévision (f) = TV
bon, bonne = good, well
nuit (f) = night
nuits = nights
adresse (f) = address
billets = tickets
juin (m) = June
mai (m) = May
propre = clean
compris = included
double = double
un lit double = a double bed
simple = single
une chambre simple = a single room
douche (f) = shower
wi-fi (m) = wi-fi
animal (m) = animal
animaux = animals
journal (m) = newspaper
journaux = newspapers
génial, géniale, géniaux, géniales = great
mot de passe (m) = password
non-fumeur = non-smoking
voici = here is, here are
interdit, interdite, interdits, interdites = forbidden, prohibited
juillet (m) = July
réception (f) = front desk, reception
serveur (m) = waiter
avoir raison = to be right
j'ai faim = i'm hungry
cher, chère = expensive
plat (m) = meal, dish
verres = glasses
oreille (f) = ear
front (m) = forehead
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dragonagecompanions · 11 days
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How do you think Sera & Solas (including pre-romanced & romanced) would react to a dalish inquisitor who is just like "Honestly, I never really believed most of the stories about the old elven gods, but I still follow the practices out of respect to my clan and because it tends to ruffle the feathers of those who would rather see me submit."?
Solas: There is wisdom, often, in conforming to an appearance to hide ones own individuality—it would be hypocrisy himself to think otherwise. It is good their inquisitor has a healthy skepticism for what they are told, for the Dalish fairy tales of benevolent gods is far from the truth. Perhaps, should he bring the world that was back from oblivion, that attitude will serve them well.
Romanced: He loves her too much to shatter the illusion until they stand together at the final eluvian. Seeing the truth wash over her is almost as painful as watching his magic tear her asunder, and yet the Dress Wolf will not allow his mate -and oh it pains him to acknowledge what they might have been!- to go into this new world unknowing if what comes next. To see the horror that it brings does not please him, nor watching herself curse her own folly for ignoring the stories.
They were only that. The truth is much darker, and she was right to doubt.
Sera: Little people know. They know that the too good stories that chanters and divine types are too good to be true, and so whatever elfy dribble the Dalish are going on about must be more of the same. Andraste might love them all and be singing at The Maker morning to night, but that doesn’t feed the hungry or keep the big ones from stomping down. Good to have a leader who knows when the songs are just that, no matter whose singing the songs.
Romanced: It’s…good. She never expected to find love, certainly not with an elfy elf with all the Dalish ink on her face, but she did and her Inky is…woof. Everything and a side of pie. But the pie would be all mushy and maybe rhubarb if Sera’s best girl was always kn about Mythal and bla bla and wanted the Red Jenny to care about all they old gods locked away cause a wolf took a piddle on them. Better this way.
She’s still not sure why Solas choked on his stew so badly that he needed Cassandra to actually pound his back to get it out, but it was funny as all get out to watch.
- Mod Fereldone
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dustedmagazine · 8 months
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Brìghde Chaimbeul — Carry Them With Us (tak:til)
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First of all, for any interested non-Gaelic speakers, the young Scottish piper’s name is (per her own site) pronounced “Bree-chu CHaym-bul.” And secondly, while the music found on this, her third album, sounds like what most would identify as bagpipes, it’s… well it is and it isn’t. To the extent that bagpipes are known to the wider world it’s something like the great Highland bagpipe (musician blowing into a reed, pipes extending over shoulder). Chaimbeul can certainly play that too, but she specializes more in the Scottish smallpipes, a bellow-driven instrument of more recent vintage (the 80s!) albeit from a lineage going back hundreds of years. The details are worth noting up front, because the music on Carry Them With Us is so viscerally enchanting it might be hard to keep track of them once you’re mid-listen.
Both varieties of bagpipe share some seemingly contradictory qualities. Drone instruments that (due to the various chanters used and other aspects of their design) can handle complex, fast-moving melodies; intensely analogue devices that, due to their precision and lack of sonic decay, can feel almost electronic in nature. Capable of simultaneously evoking melancholy and spritely joy, one on its own, played well, can fill a whole room with sound almost to the point of oppression. Unsurprisingly for a musician who’s been winning awards since she was a teen, Chaimbeul is an exceptional player of the smallpipes and from the opening blast of “Pililiù: The Call of the Redshank” these 35 minutes practically put on a clinic on why any listener might want to get to know them.
Not that Chaimbeul is strictly solo; after Canadian saxophone dynamo Colin Stetson reached out to her about a documentary soundtrack, the two of them wound of working together on six of the nine tracks here. If you’ve never previously considered the way sax and bagpipe might sound like each other, or take on similar roles, or complement each other, their completely natural fit here might take you aback. Stetson fans are well aware of the head of steam he can build up, but Chaimbeul’s no slouch either; a track like “Tha Fonn Gun Bhi Trom: I Am Disposed of Mirth” already feels delirious before you notice Stetson’s whirling flutters unspooling in the background. Even when their roles diverge more, like the impossible to miss saxophone tessellations towards the end of “’S Mi Gabhail an Rathaid: I Take the Road,” they feel like kindred spirits.
The most notable element aside from Chaimbeul’s pipes and Stetson’s sax is her voice, singing in Gaelic. It only shows up a few times but it’s an arresting presence whenever it does. Maybe if you speak the language it turns out she’s singing about something more mundane, but based on the song titles here and the incantatory, almost vatic feeling those passages bring to the rest of the music it’s hard not to feel like there’s something of deep significance being passed on. Like the rest of Carry Them With Us, it's intensely striking.
Ian Mathers
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Can I please have a small oneshot on a topic "What does Simon Riley need"? Maybe it's a promotion, or a raise? An apology, maybe? Can be also not so serious, maybe 'steal Soaps practice chanter, so the base can live in peace and silence for at least one evening'. Love-love-love!
Ooooooh I like it! I set it before my fic, I'm sure people are absolutely fed up with finding Riot everywhere.
Also, I can't write short things it seems! Thanks for the ask, I had a lot of fun! <3
''What do you mean, there's nothing else to do?''
Captain Price sighed, looking up from his own paperwork to find Simon's glaring brown eyes fixed on him. The Lieutenant was standing right in front of his desk, arms crossed, his looming, imposing frame almost obscuring the entire view of the office's door.
''Simon, it's a bank holiday. More than half of the privates are on leave, and the training drills are on hold. There's no one to train, no new paperwork, no vehicle needs fixing''
''Give me some of your paperwork then''
Christ, he sounded almost desperate. For someone else, Ghost's voice was as deadpan and inexpressive as always, but for someone who had known him for more than a decade, from before he was Ghost, it was easy to distinguish the little details. The stiffness of his broad shoulders, the way his fingers dug in his own biceps while crossing arms, the way his eyes were almost pleading.
''I'm almost done and I'm leaving, I just have to sign it. And no, you can't forge my signature''
''Well, in fact I can''
Price chuckled, shaking his head and making a show of how he was signing the last paper. Ghost groaned, tempted to just throw his hands in the air, but he simply walked over to the window to look out. The base was eerily silent.
The Captain waited patiently, checking his papers, but in reality he was observing the Lieutenant. It wasn't unusual for them to spend hours in silence in that very office, doing paperwork and sharing a glass of whiskey, sometimes even a cigar. He knew how to deal with Simon, he had done so countless times in the past. He just had to wait.
Sometimes, he even knew how to deal with Ghost.
''I just need something to do'' The younger man muttered at last, his back still to his superior officer.
Price nodded knowingly, tossing the stack of papers on his desk and leaning back on his chair, looking at Ghost.
''Well, there might be something...''
''What is it?'' Simon turned to look at him, not even bothering to hide his anxiety. He needed something, anything to do, to quiet down his mind.
''Soap and Gaz are plotting something in the common room'' Price checked his watch, with a serious face. ''I heard them during breakfast. I didn't quite catch what it was''
''Knowing them, nothing good'' Simon was already thinking of the possibilities, each one grimmer than the last. They could be planning to make the microwave explode. Or maybe fill the room with post-its, one of them had done so to their office, so it wasn't beyond them. Or, God forbid, they could be planning to stuff the sofa's cushions with glitter. They had already done that as well.
''Exactly'' The Captain nodded, observing with satisfaction how Ghost's eyes were already distant, his brain trying to come up with a plan to discover the Sergeants' shenanigans. ''I trust you'll keep an eye on them to make them behave, Simon''
Ghost just grunted. He didn't want to appear thankful or anything, but Price took the sound for what it was, and waved him goodbye while the Lieutenant left the office, his heavy steps echoing in the hallway until they faded in the distance.
*
When Ghost was halfway down the corridor, with the common room's door in his sight already, he could hear it. The microwave. Popping sounds and giggling.
The fucking microwave.
He quickened his pace and threw the door open, ready to sternly tell off both MacTavish and Garrick, only to find them excitedly gathered around the microwave, with an empty bowl and another bowl full of... popcorn.
They were making popcorn.
''Lt!'' Soap's wide grin welcomed him. ''Do you want to join us? We're going to watch a film!''
Even Gaz looked glad to see him. Ghost's eyes narrowed beneath his balaclava.
''What are you plotting?''
''Right now, just to get all the kernel to pop'' Gaz shrugged, still smiling and then watching again the microwave. Both Sergeants were giggling with glee each time there was a loud pop sound coming from inside, and Ghost considered for a moment if they had hit their heads earlier in the day or something.
''Are you sure that's all you're doing?''
''Aye, Lt... There's nothing to do, and most people have left for the holiday. Oi, care to join us?''
The Lieutenant considered his options. He could leave, which was his usual choice, and then the two Sergeants would finally do whatever it was they were planning to really do. Or he could stay, and twart their plans.
''Hmph'' He grunted, nodding gruffly just once. Soap's grin widened, and put the bowl full of popcorn in his hands, and Ghost stood there, not really knowing what to do while the Scott grabbed another.
The microwave started beeping, and he almost stepped back, completely sure that it would explode and that it was all a ploy, but Gaz simply opened the door and opened the bag to drop the hot popcorn in the empty bowl, so that the three of them had a bowl each.
The two Sergeants sat down on the sofa, leaving the armchair for him. That's what Ghost preferred anyway, and the three of them were too big to share the sofa without being all over each other like a pile of rags.
''What are we supposed to be watching?'' The Lieutenant asked, a bit of scorn in his voice, obviously not really believing their story. But Gaz and Soap were just smiling like little, innocent kids while the Scot turned the smart TV on and inserted an USB.
''I downloaded one of the films I used to watch as a kid with my fam, and Gaz used to watch it too! So we thought we'd go down the memory road''
''Murder by Death'' Gaz laughed, his mouth already full of popcorn. ''Have you watched it, Lt?''
''Can't say that I have'' God, even the title was absurd. What did Price think these two idiots would...?
Crap
Price
The fucking old man (only older than him by a few years, but old nonetheless).
Ghost was tempted to stand up and go find Price so he could stuff his throat full of popcorn, but in that moment the film started and Soap and Gaz cheered like two idiots.
He would have smiled if it hadn't been so fucking stupid. But the smell of the popcorn, and the... nauseatingly, pleasantly domestic feeling that was creeping in while he observed the two younger men all giddy...
He'd stay for a bit. Just to make sure they would behave.
*
An hour later, Price was passing through when he heard laughter coming from the common room. Three voices.
One was Soap, laughing hysterically. Gaz's laugh was a bit quieter, but he seemed to be enjoying it just as much. And the third voice...
The Captain stopped in his tracks, just to listen to it a bit more. Simon's laugh, which he hadn't heard in years. He had heard chuckles, snorts, maybe a short barked laugh. But not that belly laugh that Price remembered so fondly and so sadly.
Smiling, he continued his way, satisfied. His own little plot had worked beautifully. He still got it.
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ritunn · 8 months
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Fabula Ultima: High Fantasy Atlas Review
Emmy award winning TTJRPG, Fabula Ultima, just released its first sourcebook in English! The High Fantasy Atlas is already a best Electrum seller on DriveThruRPG and at the time of writing, the best selling book on the platform this week... all within one day! But, if that hasn't convinced you, let me offer you my review.
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What do you get in the High Fantasy Atlas? Well you'll find the following:
Chapter 1 - Introduction: This section covers how the pillars of JRPGs work in High Fantasy games and offers more details and examples on how to implement them. Very useful for session 0 world design.
Chapter 2 - The World: This introduces 10 sample high fantasy locations you're likely to explore in a high fantasy world of Fabula Ultima game along with advice for creating new Arcanum for the Arcanist class, details concerning the creation of gods and demons, how the Stream of Souls functions, and info on tech and magic. The latter part of the chapter has new rare item rewards and artifacts you can give players!
Chapter 3 - Protagonists: This chapter includes sample PC ideas with info on them along with the new custom weapon, quirk, and zero power optional rules. The latter part of the chapter includes 4 new classes, the chanter, commander, dancer, and symbolist, along with heroic skills for classes new and old.
Chapter 4 - Antagonists: The first part of this chapter explores how to use antagonists in High Fantasy games while the latter half offers 5 villains from levels 10 - 60 you can use in your game or as a jumping off point to make your own!
Overall, 200 pages of content useful for not just High Fantasy games, but any really! Let's go over some of my favorite bits in each chapter.
Chapter 1: Introduction
This chapter, though the shortest, is incredibly helpful. Having examples and additional explanation for how to implement the pillars is useful for groups, especially those coming from systems like D&D and Pathfinder who might not be used to having such power to shape the world. Otherwise, it offers a solid introduction to the genre as well.
Chapter 2: The World
By far the longest chapter, there's a few notable things that aid immensely, but let us begin with how the sample locations work.
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Each of the 10 locations starts off like this with an intro and an "at a glance" sidebar. This really helps you conceptualize what the area is supposed to invoke feelings wise and offers you nice reference for travel rolls and what kind of enemies and discoveries you may find here. I highly recommend doing this for locations in general your group makes, it helps a ton.
After this, each location has some example quests and questions to ask your players to flesh out this area and areas like it. Perfect for giving others the ability to add their own flair to the area and to get them started with playing when they enter the area. These story hooks also often have a villain described with tactics they use and any relevant clocks, but they have no stat blocks, so you can make them to fit with your group's playstyle for combats.
Afterward is a section on how to run conflicts and make them memorable, helpful if that is something you've been struggling with. It also has some nice ideas regarding how to run fights against armies, which is certain to come up here and there in games.
Lastly, we explore the magic and tech of High Fantasy. The advice for making new Arcanum, whether for world building themes or for the Revelation heroic skill, is greatly appreciated as it's one of the hardest things to balance and get right without a good understanding of the game. Advice on how the afterlife and Stream of Souls works thematically in your game is also useful and it offers some nice plot hooks you can use with the ideas presented I've put into practice even before the release of the Atlas to great effect. Lastly, the section on technology is short but appreciated, exploring how it differs from a Techno Fantasy game.
The new rare items are mostly geared towards enhancing specific skills for classes rather than general use, but it's handy for figuring out how to price similar items focused on certain skills when making your own. The new artifacts are also grandiose and powerful additions to any game, magnificent rewards if your party can acquire them. My favorite is a book that contains all knowledge up to the present moment in time, but was sealed away in the far reaches of space... supposedly.
Chapter 3: Protagonists
The main course! This has the 4 new classes and a bunch of optional rules we saw in the playtest. But, first I want to take a look at the sample PCs.
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Each of the 10 sample PCs has a profile like such. It covers the usual Identity, Theme, and Origin, along with a Quirk and signature weapon. Quirks are a new rule that work as backgrounds, but suped up with powerful game changing and character altering effects ranging from gaining some spells to being able to choose to make costs for a spell or Ritual free at the cost of eventually summoning a supreme villain... that will come eventually whether you like it or not. Ones like those typically give you a free heroic skill when the big event comes and you lose the quirk. Preparing you to face a new horizon or final foe.
Back to Raisa however. As we can see here, it has info on her backstory, classes, what she gets to decide about world building wise, and how they'll grow in their own character arc. Useful for someone who wants to jump right in with a somewhat premade character, but even more useful for showing your players what you need to know about their characters if you're a GM. This should also help direct and inspire players during world creation. Which I greatly appreciate. Now, for the new optional rules (besides quirks).
Custom weapons are pretty simple. They're essentially weapons you design mechanically as a player. They're always two-handed, cost 300 - 400 zenit, can be any weapon type you want along with being melee or ranged, and deals [HR + 5] physical damage with a [DEX] + [INS/MIG] accuracy check depending on what you choose. You can then pick a few traits, like Powerful for extra damage, Defense Boost for extra armor and to make it count as a shield, or Transforming to let it switch between two different modes. Depending on what traits you pick, it may also become martial. This rule can be used by anyone who wants to use it without fuss unlike quirks and zero powers, as it adds no extra power and is fairly balanced. Some people could play with custom weapons, some without. But, it allows for you to add a lot of style to your character if you choose to do so.
Lastly, zero powers are a mechanic I've been using for half a year from the playtest and it's loads of fun! Want a limit break or perhaps combo attack in vein of Tales of Arise? Zero powers have you covered. When using this rule, you gain a 6 point clock that fills whenever taking damage, spending a Fabula Point to invoke a trait or bond, or via special Zero Trigger you pick when making your power. Then you pick an effect to go with the trigger you can unleash with an action when the clock is full, like Zero Limits which boosts all your stats by 1 die size or Zero Triangle to allow you and 2 allies to make a free attack with a +5 bonus to accuracy. Zero Powers are loads of fun and you can even allow for players to charge them up together for combo attacks with a variant rule for 4 or less player parties.
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Welcome to the show! The Chanter is your premier bard. Chanter's main skill is Magichant, which allows them to sing or play songs you compose yourself by picking a volume (to determine number of targets), key (to determine damage types, attribute, status effect, HP/MP), and tone (to determine the effect with info filled in by your key). It's an amazing support class with high MP usage, but they can easily target enemy Vulnerabilities or act as a debuffer too to tear their foes apart. Their other skills allow them to perform hearing-based illusion Rituals, increase damage or regain MP when enemies are hit, give damage reduction to themselves, or get a free attack with low and medium volume magichants.
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Being a chess master is the name of the game with Commander. Gaining access to martial weapons of all types, the Commander has skills focused on creating conflict scene wide buffs and debuffs to everyone. Use Bishop's Edict to double MP costs or increase all damage or King's Castle to increase HP/MP recovery or null it entirely. Their other skills allow them to command allies to make free attacks with handy bonuses and chain together their skills when doing so, leading to a flurry of activations. But be careful, one wrong move can lead to your downfall. Commander works best as a sort of Warlord class, they're a support martial pure and simple, but if the player using it isn't very smart about how they use their skills they can put everyone in a heap of trouble.
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Swift of step, Dancer's main skill is well... Dance! Dance allows you to spend 10 MP before or after an action to perform a dance (5 MP if you used Dance last turn). Dances provide a variety of effects but most give you resistance to a damage type or allow you to alter all your damage to that type until the end of the turn or give the enemy a status condition, or another different one if they already have it. There's also healing and haste dances if you want those too! Their other skills allow them to apply dances to others they have affection towards, dance and use the equipment action for free, get bonuses towards rolls involving acrobatics for Objectives, or increase the damage of their weapons or spells after dancing. Dancer is primarily another support class, but their ability to change damage types and increase damage makes them amazing at targeting Vulnerabilities and denying enemies damage by gaining Resistance.
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Symbolism has always been the heart of magic and the Symbolist knows this best. An IP focused class like Tinkerer, Symbolist's main skill is Symbolism. By spending 2 IP, you can create a symbol and attach it to an ally or make a free attack and apply it to every enemy you hit (amazing with multi). Symbols range in effect from halving recovery, providing one free IP expenditure, or even changing the creature type. Their other skills allow allies with a symbol cast your spells, make sight-based illusions with Rituals, track enemies with symbols, and increase damage or recovery on those with your symbols. The Symbolist, like the Tinkerer, is focused on IP usage and as such will need a class like Rogue, Merchant, or Wayfarer to help keep that up. However, symbols allow for a lot of strategy and creativity in character building that you can use to your benefit. Picking your symbols will be paramount to your build, so be smart about what you pick and smarter about who you apply them too. Sharpshooter and Weaponmaster are also great picks if you intend to apply symbols to enemies.
Lastly, the new heroic skills are all solid. Most focus on using specific types of weapons, now rewarding you for sticking to them as your signature weapon. There's even a few only available to level 30 and higher, notably, Bimagus, which let's you dualcast spells and Grand Summon, which allows you summon Arcanum as separate entities to help you rather than merging.
Chapter 4: Antagonists
Compared to the last two chapters, there's less to say here but there is some great content. This chapter includes 5 villains of levels 10, 20, 30, 40, and 60 that make for fun inclusions in any High Fantasy game. The villains range from a pirate queen to the incarnation of narrative tragedy itself and each comes with a statblock, minions (if they have any), and advice on how to run their encounters. Some even have multiple phases, which is a great example of how to build your own multi-phase boss fights, after all... this isn't even their final form!
One thing to remember when using these enemies (and the book points this out thankfully) is that Fabula Ultima is designed in a way where you, the GM, have to make monsters your party can reflect upon and has the tools to fight effectively. So, when using these, change up the affinities, give them a makeover to connect to the heroes if needed, and use them as you see fit!
Final Thoughts
If you have been loving Fabula Ultima, pick up this book. There's so much great advice for running games and new content for players and GMs alike. You won't be disappointed! There's also some more beautiful JRPG style art within just like the Core Rulebook. If you enjoyed Bravely Default, FFIV, FFIX, FFX, or Tales of Arise, this book will let you live out the same fantasies and journeys featured in those games and gives you even more tools to be your very own heroes of High Fantasy and challenge tragedy itself on the Final Days.
You can purchase it on DriveThruRPG for $14 USD ($20 CDN).
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fan-mans · 1 year
Text
Since I'm bored and have no more asks
Dancing and music headcanons for the wii lads!!!
Glass Joe:
Plays accordion and piano, though prefers the accordion by a long shot. Fairly ok at piano but extremely skilled at the accordion! He's so good he managed to transcribe 'free bird' on to it, lmao. He likes to practice while waiting for things to bake/cook at home. An excellent sense for timing and perfect pitch.
A fantastic singer, with a voice much like Tony Jay's. He was definitely a choir kid growing up. He loves singing and does it all the time, making up little songs to sing to himself or just following along with whatever music he's listening to. Sometimes he doesn't even notice when he's humming/singing at all. Has a crazy good belting voice that carries up to the rafters.
Does ballet but was more skilled as a kid than he is today. His favorite moves are pirouettes. Outside ballet he's not too bad of a dancer, but looks kind of goofy if he's unsure of himself.
Von Kaiser:
Can't play anything except a few very basic tunes on recorder. Even that leaves him winded!
Do NOT make this man sing, he sounds like ass. His voice is rough and he's borderline tone-deaf. He can hum basic lullabies at most but he's far better at marching chants. Has no sense of rhythm or volume control.
Can do schuhplattler (That stereotypical German slapping dance) in a very basic form but overall a terrible dancer.
Disco Kid:
He can play a lot of instruments, but tends to favor 'weird' ones like the keytar, synths, and dj equipment. He's skilled with some traditional instruments, mostly the guitar and similar instruments, but does love digital equipment far more. Was a band kid and went to multiple camps every year.
This man sings like a professional, no two ways about it. He's got the range of Michael Jackson (Crazy falsetto while also being able to drop to his normal deep register) and the power of Freddy Mercury. Perfect pitch, extremely good control and breath support, he's just good. He love humming to himself and singing along to things. He's done everything under the sun- theater, choir, talent shows, music camp, clubs. You name it, he's been in it.
Of course he can dance! Do you even know him? He's been in dance competitions since he was young and still does them today! He has TONS of awards from these things and will keep getting more til he dies. In regular life, dancing just comes to him whenever- he can't stop what the groove does to his body! He kills it on the dance floor and people often stop and stare in awe. His favorite move is the Charleston.
King hippo:
Doesn't play any instruments, but can keep a solid percussion beat on just about any solid surface.
Not much of a singer and much more powerful as a chanter. Music on Hippo island isn't much like music seen in European tradition and is far more reliant on chanting to a beat rather than holding notes or lyrics. He can hold a note pretty well though, but don't expect him to be too good at lyrics.
He can dance, but it tends to be slow and relaxed. He hardly ever moves in a way the looks like traditional dancing, but always follows along with the vibe of the music fairly well.
Piston Hondo:
No experience with instruments at all as a kid. As an adult though he plays harmonica! Did it for shits and giggles at first, but found it to be a lot of fun and kept practicing it.
An average singer, nothing to special about his singing skills at all. Karaoke doesn't make his voice better, but it does bring out all of his passion and energy so he's great at it. Beatboxing is another thing he's really good at- better than most people at least. He just loves making weird noises and practices it all the time.
Nope, not a dancer. He doesn't have 4 left feet like Hugger but looks super goofy on the dance floor. He DOES have a lot of fun though and doesn't care how he looks at all.
Bear Hugger:
Can't play any instruments. He's tried various things in the past but dropped them all very quickly.
Another average singer. His rough, big voice is great for shanties and drinking songs but he's not much of a singer outside that. He is the kind of person who's singing to himself all the time though.
Even worse dancer than Kaiser- absolute klutz. And yes, before you ask, he has broken things trying to dance. Don't ask him to, it'll just make him anxious and kill his mood.
Great Tiger:
Is very good with instruments- to the point of having a bigger repertoire than Disco. He's got a real knack for music and learns instruments very fast. An excellent composer of hip-hop, R&B, and Trap mixed with traditional indian music. His soundcloud if FULL of bangers... when they don't include him rapping at least. Yeah, he sucks ass as a lyricist, but he does have a few friends who are way better at it and sing for him on his newer tracks.
Speaking of singing, he's not good. He's on the bad side of average, barely above Kaiser. Compared to his composing, he's (I hate to say it, I'm so sorry tiger bby pls forgive me) akin to Lin Manuel-Miranda. He does have a habit of humming whatever he's working on at them moment, though.
He can dance traditional dances, but anything fast leaves him twisting himself in knots. It takes a lot of effort on his part to dance well, so spur of the moment stuff is his nemesis.
Don Flamenco:
He plays a ton of little percussion instruments (Think maracas, tambourine, etc.). Being asked if he played guitar annoyed him so much that he learned how to play 'wonderwall' and nothing else to shut them up. He's currently learning 'shape of you' to deter people further, even though he hates guitar to no end.
Of course he can sing! He loves singing and does so with Carmen all the time. He only sings along to music and never to himself, though. His voice is rich and clear and very pleasant to listen to. Him and Carmen take regular voice training together. He's particularly good and keeping his lyrics in place and enunciating. Out of all the boxers, he's 3rd best behind Disco and Joe.
OF COURSE HE CAN DANCE. He and Carmen are both professionally trained with years of competitions and experience under their belts. Don himself was dancing since he could walk. He loves trying out new styles and just going nuts with whatever he comes up with.
Aran Ryan:
He plays the fiddle and bodhran (A traditional Irish drum). He prefers the drum only because fiddling for a long time with little to no breaks is much harder than drumming. He can't play classical stuff at all. Aran can't read music, so all does is done by ear. He was taught exclusively at home and via traditional music sessions since he was very, very young. One of his best skills is being able to follow along with others- that flexibility is very useful in spur-of the moment music sessions. He hardly ever plays alone and prefers playing in big groups or with another person.
He's unprofessionally trained but has plenty of skill like perfect pitch, good tone and volume control (unlike his regular speaking, lol). His voice is homely, earthy, and casual, that’s good with high notes, sounding somewhat like Seth Staton Watkins (i have a number of singers he sounds like tbh). Can absolutely sound like an angel if he wants to, but more often than not he's focused on sound good with everyone else, not sticking out. Definitely the kind of guy who sings to himself a lot and makes up songs to pass the time.
Oh yeah he can dance! He dances traditionally (Obvs) but he's damn good at club dancing and spur of the moment stuff. He's very good at making himself attractive and flirting with dancing. Group stuff is absolutely his jam, just like with singing and playing music, he prefers it to dancing alone. At the very least, he's a better dancer with a partner. He's constantly tapping his feet to a rhythm or bobbing to a beat. Even when he isn't dancing traditionally, he has a habit of following along with the percussion with his feet.
Soda Popinski:
Hasn't got much experience with instruments outside of a recorder. He is currently learning flute, though and not too shabby!
He's got a nice voice! He's tied with Aran in skill for sure but struggles with high notes and volume. Got his skills from singing in church for the most part. He can also throat sing (Or overtone sing) from being taught by numerous friends growing up. It sometimes scares the shit outta people but overall is really cool to hear him do.
He can dance but only traditional folk stuff. His thighs are like steel cables so he's fantastic with squats and jumps. Despite not knowing much modern stuff his skills are super impressive. He prefers to dance without a partner but can if he wants.
Bald Bull:
He was forced to play cello and piano as a kid, so even though he's skilled in both, he fucking hates them. He has a keyboard tuned up with fart noises that he plays all the time out of spite, so that's something.
Extremely quiet singer, can’t get much above a whisper. Not bad per se, just average. His voice is always very strained as well. Even alone he can't sing and he doesn't have any desire to improve his skills either.
Dancing is something Bull has far more fun with. He doesn't do anything traditional, mostly sticking to modern dances like the macerena, the robot, etc. He's really good at meme stuff too- Macho showed him the distraction dance and he got it immediately. He really only dances in small groups of friends, dancing in public would kill him. Bull can also do waltzes and a few other fancy ballroom things. For those, he likes it to just be him and whoever he's partnered with on their own.
Super Macho Man:
Trumpet player, very good at it, and will not hesitate to shove those two facts in your face at any given time. He did jazz band in school and has been playing since then. He does side stuff sometimes and is an honorary member of a few bands. This man has breath support like no tomorrow so he can play for very long and very loudly. He's also super passionate about it too! Unfortunately, all this skill and excitement cost him the privilege of blowing the shofar at his synagogue- rip everyone's hearing, they just couldn't handle the macho might.
Similarly to his trumpet, Macho is skilled with his voice! He's been in a bunch of choirs and though he doesn't have as much of a band presence as he does while playing trumpet, he loves to sing in a choir or for solo acts. Unfortunately, due to his attention hog nature, he's loud and he refuses to be quiet. He just HAS to be the lead. Big big belter all the time.
He dances like your dad. He's really goofy but it's entirely on purpose, he could be more clean and professional, but why bother? He's here to have fun! He loves doing silly stuff and flexing too. The whole positive aura he puts out while dancing far outshines any cringiness so people tend to join in when he gets on the floor.
Mr. Sandman:
Most instruments are unplayable because his hands are so damn big. Piano is really the only thing he's stayed true to and as an adult it's hard for him to play because he struggles to fit in the seat. He's quite skilled nonetheless and loves playing when he can. Grandma is the one who taught him and he often plays for his dogs and people during volunteer events.
Not much of a singer. He has some musical talent, but really only on the better side of average. His voice is great for death metal growls though!
Can't dance at all, it aggravates his knee to much. He normally does a little shimmy but that's the best he can manage.
Little Mac:
Picked up flute in middle school and dropped it not long after. The thing is still in the back of his closet gathering dust. He'll pick it back up again, he swears! He'll do it... eventually
This boy barely talks, let alone sings. He does have a tendency to hum songs stuck in his head or when he's bored though.
A b-boy!! The streets taught him everything he knows. He LOVES breakdancing and nothing will ever make him quit. Doc has banned him from dancing footloose style after Mac broke his arm doing a batshit move. He still sneaks out and dances in secret with his group though. Doc knows and is VERY proud of his boy.
Doc Louis:
Nope. Not a single instrument ever.
Tone deaf and generally a bad singer but still better than Kaiser. He has fun though and that's all that matters to him. Mac definitely picked up his humming when bored habit.
Like Macho, this man specializes in dad dances. He isn't good by any means but he's fun to dance with. Him and Macho steal moves from each other all the time. He also has some disco moves under his belt that he whips out to flex.
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katyspersonal · 1 year
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Hello. Do you think the Orphan of Kos was killed in the same way we kill him by Gehrman or was he killed while still in the womb? i can’t find an answer on this.
Thanks for the ask! Well, I think as epic of a scene as it'd be to imagine an Old Hunter (Gehrman or Maria - your choice) fight OoK, this probably didn't happen and instead OoK died pretty much as soon as his mom, or was pulled from her for experiments! Here are the things:
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I am using the retranslation document ( x ) as usual, and like… not only I feel like a lot of ideas remain vague because chanters are just easy to miss, but also here you can see an example of localisation being more vague too! English official version says baby was taken and calls him just a child rather than infant specifically!
As for the 'divine blood of the void child', I believe it refers to blood as in spilled blood (murder), rather than as OoK being the source of the old blood! Notice the use of 'deus sangua' (deus = god) whereas Church's holy blood is referred to, in Laurence's theme lyrics, as 'sanguine sanctum' (sanctum = sacred). Alfred loredrops that originally the holy substance was discovered by Byrgenwerth in the dungeons, and seeing how Old Yharnam has the poisonous crucified Blood-Starved Beast with a bowl with blood under it and Old Yharnam being full of poisonous beastly patients, I believe him I guess…? That blood ministration is more about practice and less about particular 'source' of this blood. I do not think it means Ebrietas either despite Living Failures praising the stars because although she also a Great One ('bastard of the Moon' as internal filenames call her), she is far from infant… She is adult version of Arianna's child, basically!
So yeah, you can see why I'd get the image of OoK being stolen right from the womb and experimented on, or at least tormented to get his Eye Cord! Since they say 'wizened infant', I presume he was still alive for at least some time, so nobody had doubts he was in terrible pain.
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^ Another interesting thing about OoK however, is that not only he looks kinda far from an 'infant' - very developed, actually, but also his umbilical cord is in its place - and notably lacks black dots of eyes on it!
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This is, indeed, odd! It would be easy to assume that OoK must not be quite an infant, then - that for some reason he was growing and even maturing in his mother's womb for a while, thus eyes on the cord got closed, and instead of finding a little baby inside, they did have to fight a newborn old man equally, right? But like we already stated - he WAS infant, he WAS stolen, and odds are, Willem sent people to seek a Great One infant for the cord!
So I think in reality OoK was much smaller and younger, and actually HAD his cord taken and used, and what we are fighting is specifically his version in the Nightmare realm. I would not put it past an infant Great One to not "die" in the way humans know it- I mean, humans are not quite dead forever either xd So all along he not only lived within Nightmare, but also was being nourished by the curses and prayers, and grew up in it! His cord still being present even in his "adolescence" is more like a symbol of how he never got to know any attachment besides the time when Kos was still pregnant with him, and never got to know any different life but this trauma. So, never being able to separate from his mother and what happened to them both mentally.
Also, just defeating OoK is not enough, and you only get message of 'Nightmare Slain' when you also kill the black wriggling presence emerging from Kos too! There is a rip of its model in a video by Sinclair Lore ( x ) without black fog and curled, and it looks like this:
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So I think that was OoK in infancy! Like a tadpole, and only supposed to drop tail and grow limbs later x) Killing this part means actually releasing the true child within, not the "adult" version that only ever knew pain and was raised by pain.
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^ On a side note, placenta looks really lumpy, and also when OoK crawls out, there are so many bones everywhere? At first it got me thinking: 'Oh, maybe there were supposed to be MANY babies, but only OoK managed to survive and develop! Unfortunately, marine creatures often lose a LOT of children, that's why they lay so many eggs'. But now after writing this post I also got another thought - maybe all those bones are actually from previous attempts to kill OoK? We can't be sure just how 'active' life in Hunter's Nightmare was besides Simon trying to sneak in Fishing Hamlet then and now (he speaks of Brador as though he killed him not the first time). Maybe other hunters were seeking OoK too - hence Maria saying 'rummaging through corpse isn't very admirable'! For all we know, it could be resentment to a reoccurring situation rather than what happened long ago in Fishing hamlet massacre! So those bones? They might be previous deaths of OoK. By hands of curious hunters getting through Maria and Brador. But they did not get the idea to cut wriggling black presence, so sooner or later, OoK would be born over... and over... and over... into the same nightmare.
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Well, in that case, good thing that Paleblood Hunter gets the most creative ideas (such as eating eye covered jerky three times or killing a spider that is said to protect the world from horrors, yeah... well but THIS idea was a good one). Haha...
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adventures-for-aroden · 4 months
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The Raid
If you had asked me several hours ago if I expected to be writing in my journal tonight about more than the festival, I would have said of course not. Yet I am. There were so. many. goblins. I wouldn’t have expected from the beautiful festival the town had held that we would have been met with one of the largest raids my eyes have yet seen. Strike that, the only raid I have ever seen. Only moments after winning tug of war and putting my swordsmanship into action in a fencing competition was I thrust into a situation I had only daydreamed of. Yet at the same time it was a nightmare come to life.
As the goblins chants exploded out of no where and the crowd ran rampant, I felt stiffness in my bones and a heaviness in my feet as I stood paralyzed at the sight. I was slow to act, but a shot of ice coming from the commotion was not. Glancing back, I saw who I now call Kyrsa, a small ratfolk with a penchant for the arcane. Mau and I were met with a couple of goblins headed out way, and my ears were surprised as I heard the catfolk call out to them in goblin, a tongue I too can understand.
Mau made incredible use of his handiwork, tossing exploding projectiles toward the goblins on our path. As they met us with a charge, the catfolk unsheathed their sword... cane... sword... and slashed at the one in my face, and I returned the favor, slashing my longsword through the one in front of him. Goblin blood soiled my blade that had only then been used for sparring and target practice. As bile churned in my stomach at the thought, I knew I had to continue as chants from more approaching goblins filled my ears.
I whipped around as my other two compatriots did as well, and noticed a human ducking under the stage and out of sight. Worried that he may have been a citizen that got caught up, I rushed at the stage, sword at the ready and charged through another goblin. As I turned to the final standing goblin, the chanter, I noticed an arrow sticking through him, just Kyrsa's size. I swung my sword, but caught in the adrenaline, I missed my shot.
Vines writhed at my feet only moments later, and the sound of something... inhuman whispered in my ears as it lashed out at the goblin in front of me. Deciding anything that's an enemy of goblins is a friend of mine, I fought with the plant creature to no avail, before Mau finally finished off the chanter with a bomb.
With silence falling and the fight over, Father Zantus was kind enough to bless us with some healing, all of us. Including that human who had run under the stage who I know have come to know as Nanel.
As more screams of goblin echoed through the air, so did sounds of a not-so-nobleman who hid behind crates with his job, leading the last of the raid right toward us. As soon as the battle began, Nanel fell to the ground from his injuries and I took the moment to pour the cure light wounds into his mouth as he would be better off with it than I. Mau took care of a goblin that had gotten a touch too close to our ratfolk friend as Nanel and I warded off the others.
In just moments, the fight was over, as I watched Nanel and Mau brutally take down the final goblin together.
I had to breathe. And vomit. As the others split the loot and we spoke with Father again my longsword quavered in my hand.
I have dreamed of this day, but I was so much more than I expected. Could I say whether or not I saved lives, or if I didn't work fast enough to save more? I felt in a daze for the rest of the night, as we went to the Rusty Dragon to claim our free room and board, my heart felt heavy and I gave up my larger room for one smaller. I don't use that much space.
I agreed to room with the ratfolk too, as they had said that a smaller space would be better for them as well, and with someone warm to sleep with I couldn't complain.
Heavy emotions weigh on my soul tonight, and it is all I can do to pray, especially for Mau who had the unfortunate luck to have his house burned down in the raid, and above all else, he found evidence to the contrary that this was a typical goblin onslaught.
Kyrsa is back, so I need to let them in and I should get some rest. It’s been a long day, and with everything Mau shared with us earlier… It's probably going to be a long several days at least.
I guess this is the adventure you've been leading me to, huh, Aroden?
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breadedsinner · 10 months
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Judith Banters: Merrill
Merrill: All right, let’s just be done with this.
Judith: Beg pardon?
Merrill: I know you don’t approve of blood magic. So, if there’s going to be a lecture, I’d prefer to get it over with.
Judith: Merrill, I am not your mother, not your Keeper. I am not going to finger-wag about the right and wrong way to use magic like Anders does. But while you’re working with me, you follow my orders, and you do what’s best for the group, otherwise there will be consequences. Is that clear?
Merrill: Well, glad to be treated as an equal among my peers!
*
Judith: I understand you come from Ferelden.
Merrill: Yes! Not the way you come Ferelden, that is. But I’ve lived there most of my life.
Judith: Then you and your clan managed safe passage to the Free Marches? That must have been quite the journey.
Merrill: I spent most of the time hanging over the… port? The deck? The pointy end of the boat. And it was crowded.
Judith: Did you … lose anyone to the Blight?
Merrill: Two. We lost two.
Judith: I am so sorry. We … lost two, as well. I would prefer not to discuss it further.
Merrill: Nor do I.
*
Judith: The way you hurt your foes from the inside, compel them to hurt one another. It’s disturbing.
Merrill: I thought we talked about this already?
Judith: I was enthralled by a blood magic. It was like a claw against my spine, pulling away my own thoughts. She was going to watch me gut myself. If Bethany hadn’t intervened, I might have done it.
Merrill: Well, I’m sorry that happened, but those people were going to kill me if I didn’t do something. Is it really any more or less perverse if I turn them to ice, so you can shatter them into little pieces?
Judith: Fine, but let me ask you this. When you use blood magic, do you feel them die? Does the loss of life wash through you, as it would a blade?
Merrill: … I do feel it, yes.
Judith: Then make sure every strike counts.
*
Judith: It’s getting dark. Let me walk you home.
Merrill: Oh no need! Varric gave me this ball of twine, it’s been very helpful.
Judith: Do you see that star, over there? It always points north. The alienage is to the west. Better yet, why don’t I get you a compass, hmm? Then you could always find your way home. Much more efficient then a ball of string.
Merrill: Oh that’s very kind, but Isabela already gave me one.
Judith: Ah, well … have you been using it?
Merrill: The thing is… it’s just so pretty, and Isabela spent so much money on it, I’d never forgive myself if I dropped it. And my house could use some decoration so I just leave it there.
Judith: I see… well, why don’t I get you a second, uglier compass?
Merrill: That could work!
*
Judith: You’re very pretty.
Merrill: Thank you!
Judith: But you’re so skinny. I hope your research does not get in the way.
Merrill: Oh you don’t need to worry, I just don’t need to eat much.
Judith: Merrill, you loose blood from your body to fuel magic. If nothing else, I don’t need you fainting on the field. Please promise me you’ll eat, I can happily bring you some.
Merrill: If you’re offering… I’m not much a cook.
*
Merrill: Thank you for giving me the Arulin'Holm.
Judith: There’s nothing to thank me for. It was your idea, and you followed through. Based on what Marethari said herself, it’s yours by right.
Merrill: But you hesitated.
Judith: I don’t know this Dalish practice, but I do know what it’s like to have someone care for you but you never agree. You’ve been on this path for a long time. Do what you have to do to make it right.
*
Judith: Why are you wet?
Merrill: There’s a hole in my roof and it rained last night.
Judith: That’s awful! I’ll stop by when we’re done here. I’m sure I can patch it up.
Merrill: You don’t have to trouble yourself.
Judith: Nonsense, I used to do all sorts of odd jobs for the Chanter’s Board in Ferelden.
Merrill: I don’t need you hovering over me.
Judith: Merrill, there’s so little I actually can do for you. Let me do this one thing.
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factoidfactory · 2 months
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Random Fact #6,551
In Mesopotamia there was a third gender called Kalǔ, who were people identified as “male” at birth who were “chanters of laments”. 
Simply working as a professional lamenter categorized them as feminine because laments were typically performed by women (not unlike how men who practised seiðr magic were regarded in Norse culture). 
The gender of kalǔ was institutionalized into religious practice and ritual in order to maintain strong social distinctions between men, women, and a third gender comprised of non-conformative males.
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^ According to the inscription, the beardless person is Ibni-Ištar, kalû of Ištar-of-Uruk.
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orthodoxadventure · 5 months
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The Divine Liturgy is therefore composed of: 1) The Synaxis, the Liturgy of the Word, sometimes also called the Liturgy of the Catechumens; and 2) the Liturgy of the Eucharist, or the Liturgy of the Faithful.
In ancient times, the Liturgy of the Word began with what is today called the Small Entrance in which the clergy and the laity, led by the Bishop and the Gospel Book, would enter into the Church and process up to the ambo, an oblong platform or lectern with steps that stood in the center of the Church, in what is today called the nave. The Scriptures were read from it; chanters would often lead the congregation in singing from it, St. John Chrysostom preached his sermons from it and even public announcements were made from its steps.
Today the Liturgy of the Word starts with "Blessed is the Kingdom..." and ends with the call for the catechumens to depart. The latter entreaty is not always read today since catechumens are no longer required to leave as was the case in ancient times. In current practice, these two divisions are not particularly clear for several reasons.
First, we no longer expect people to leave before the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Second, Byzantine church architecture was slightly different than today's. Originally, the first part of the service did not take part at the altar, but revolved around the ambo, or as we might say today, the pulpit. Third, according to the rubrics, the sermon is to immediately follow the Gospel reading. This created a natural pause between the Liturgy of the Word and the Eucharist. Today, however, the service often simply continues after the reading of the Gospel and for pastoral reasons, the sermon is placed at the end of the Liturgy, separating the reading of the Gospel from its proclamation.
[Source of text: The Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom (with Commentary and Notes)]
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sleep-nurse · 4 months
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Gonna hopefully get back into playing this bad boy again!
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(If you don't know what that is it's called a practice chanter. A chanter is a part of a scottish instrument called the bagpipes, its the part you blow into. The practice ones are for beginners because they're easier than jumping straight into playing a full set of bagpipes if that makes sense. Sorry for rambling it's just that when I told people online about this thing in the past they got very confused so I just wanted to make sure you know what I'm talking about.)
YAY GOOD LUCK
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unsoundnovel · 6 months
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MINTHARA, SPEECH PATTERNS pre and post tadpole, DROW LANGUAGE.
minthara knows more than a few languages, but the ones nearest and dearest to heart are those of her people—the specialized drow sign language all of her ppl use to be able to hear any sign of enemies n keep from alerting other drow or predators to their location. common drow—which she speaks almost disdainfully, with short, clipped sentences as orders to those beneath het. and finally, high drow—which is reserved only for nobles such as herself n high priestesses.
high drow is often referred to as the language of spiders and snakes. vowels are hushed, rich, deep tones, consonants are hot huffs, with only qs, js and ts really cutting through ughs ands uus and eas, and ees, and haas, and is spoken in slow, lanuguid, carefully chosen iambic pantameter. their wizards are called “snake chanters” by their slaves. drow of all classes often use sounds like cat chattering from the back of their throat/the front of their teeth to signal basically the sfx of a spider’s leg crawl in a cartoon. if you hear the clicking, shit is abt to go down, n its a sign from somebody to watch out or run.
drow typically learn modern “common” customs from those they enslave or pillage from, as well as their network of surface spies. modern surface spues typically become teachers in their elder years. often, drow are out of date on what the surface is like by hundreds of years, and bc of this, there speech is always more formal.
due to the vowel/breath heavy, tongue muscle memory of drow, common comes almost too easily, except that drow often go hard on those consonants to express dominance and further mastery to make up for the lacj of it in their own language.
high drow is literally a secret spoken between “sisters.” common, for all people, is something most drow despise. and yet, there is a beauty to the way it deepens their voices, makes them louder and more brash, the way words can be ordered so quickly and punctuated so properly.
common poetry is a fun party trick. like being able to sing opera for a stadium. often noble girls amuse themselves with dirty common limericks no human could remember even their grandparents ever saying, like high schoolers amusing themselves with teaching each other curse words in other languages. the louder they get, as if playing the “ penis” yelling game—the more likely they are to be scolded and punished. but even drow have fun!
minthara often enchanted lovers with her low, deep voice and poetry. she finds a fascination with the double meaning and entendree of common. she loves their metaphors, it reminds her more of their sign language and dance than high drow does, which has so many rules and layers so ancient, it can sometimes be restricting, especially when spoken near an elder, and sometimes the double meanings ate so hidden behind age that the meaning of sayings from the dawn of time seem meaningless to minthara, even devout as she claimed to be,
(minthara’s mother would hit her when she caught her using common with her schoolyard crushes to impress them. it made double down deeper in private.)
in general, minthara speaks common with confidence—but without the absolute’s chaotic influence freeing her from self-influcted rules and restrictions, minthara keeps herself to her confident, low drawl, making sure not to burden her words with too much emotion, and yet speak with all the intention and practice her drow upbringing AND secret queer parlor trick language requires.
it really is an alto ballad coming from her
it’s funny because i think the absolute unleashes and frees her, in a way. she would still have killed the grove, even if it wad cruel, if she wanted to. it would have been pointless at the time, but she can see reasons why one would do it, (they are weak, they are unable to fend for themselves, they are burdens, etc.)
but she WANTS structure and order and intention, and more than that, the structure, order, and intention that she herself provides for herself beyond gods and politics beneath her. i think common appeals to that, bc she would like to Rule All, not just drow.
also, im thinking about drow masculinity vs femininity and if they could even have butchness except as a performance of female knighthood/strength/semi-subverience to noble women in the guise of a service role of masculine strength. like it would be different than butchness, but also it would kind of be butchness…. but also minthara is a paladin… so a knight… and she “instructs you”….. idk, she has a very kind of butch bisexual energy to her, lets not lie, n whats better than this, a drow woman who doesnt want to habe kuss, who hates her mother and female god, but still wants to dom and 69 you. nothing….
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ghoulsbeard · 11 months
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8 5 and 7 :^)
thank you frances :^) 💖! sorry this took me forever and a day…
You can know how to look between the false fronts, the blind alleys, the veils of honeysuckle, and still miss the door to Wyvern’s Head; it takes years of practice or a nosy disposition.
Past the crooked door and the narrow black passage one must inch through side-wise— or not at all— the rest of the tavern is low-roofed, dark and serpentine. Her taller associates tend to crack their skulls on the ancient crossbeams.
Tonight Julien bids farewell to the dingy hole: its whisky, its wine, its years of merry nights with strange friends. On paper she is here to give Lawrence and his green charges the will of Weisshaupt. And to look at him… wrinkled at the eyes, grey at the chin and temple. He’s in danger of becoming an elegant old fox.
“To dearest Jules and Nico,” she says, and he laughs and lifts his bottle. Ruth— too fresh a warden to have met the pair before they vanished with Genevieve— drinks dutifully as Julien knew she would, while Caronel reserves his judgment. She likes him. She likes his scruples. Rare stuff in their ranks.
“To Jules and Nico,” Lawrence sighs. “And is this why you sail to Jader? In search of your other half?”
An unfunny, overdone joke— fallen flat without Jules there to cackle and Nicolas to roll his eyes. Julien laughs anyway, because she is getting soft in her old age, and she will never see these faces again. “Perhaps I have. Is that so terrible? Ferelden has its charms.”
Ruth frowns, sober as ever. “There will be little welcome in Amaranthine.”
“Give the constable her credit!” says Lawrence. “She can be very persuasive.”
“I was told the Fereldan Order died at Ostagar,” Caronel speaks suddenly. He regards her with a haunted, heartsick stare, and she remembers again how he came to them. “Is that true?”
Julien waves a hand. “The Order will not dissolve on a whim. There are wardens at the Vigil yet. And it pleases the powers pacing in Weisshaupt hall, that I should see what is left.”
“You’ll be very popular,” Lawrence drawls.
“Yes, yes, another round,” Julien decides. He snickers into his beard; she hides her own grin behind her cup, studying the recruits. What a charming young pair — both so stern and serious for their age— by the beards of the sleeping dead—! she would have relished watching the two of them grow into their boots.
The third drink loosens Caronel’s posture and Ruth’s stiff shoulders; she cheers when Lawrence begins making requests of the bard.
Julien takes a long look at this Denerim boy sent northward for the rest of his days. Her Fereldan is rusty, and she isn’t sure how she likes herself in the language. But Lawrence prefers Trade; Ruthie learned Fereldan from Jader chanters, and never speaks it unless she must. Besides they have both descended into raucous Royeaux airs à boire and Julien can’t stand Lawrence when he’s tipsy and maudlin.
She smiles at the boy to catch his attention; inclines her head. Listen here. She knows a little of leaving home forever.
“Caronel.” He straightens in his seat. His eyes slide over. “You will do this more justice than I.” She releases Nico’s griffon pin from her cloak and offers it in her open hand. “For good luck.”
“I see…” Caronel bends over the pin to study its regalia, worn soft by ages of absent fingers. In the dim air his curly head gleams burnished gold. “What is this?”
“You are a brave man,” Julien says. “I believe you will turn the Order to great things. We are… ah… coup de… Tsk! It is a good thing you have come to us. This is a gift from we who— are gone. We will walk behind you.”
He stares; his mouth works. “Warden…”
“That is your name now.”
In his face — his eyes — she sees the weight of the oath he drank. He takes Nico’s memory from her hands. It fits well in his. They would both be pleased, her old friends. “In peace.”
“May it last.” She clears her throat. “In death.”
There is another piece of her spirit she must give away before she is prepared for the Roads and her long sleep within the gangue; but it may have to die there with her. She hoped Duncan outsmarted ruin where the others did not. But she has had no word, no word…
…An old rogue’s old foolishness. Here at her shoulder is the shining face of the new age. She watches this young hero fumble and curse with the griffon’s clasp and her heart breaks in joy.
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