#wrath of the kelpie

[lorcandidlucienwill]

Nesta was different. Even before she took her first breath, I felt it. As if the Cauldron in making her … had been forced to give more than it wanted. As if Nesta had fought even after she went under, and had decided that if she was to be dragged into hell, she was taking that Cauldron with her. As if that finger she’d pointed was now a death-promise to the King of Hybern. Nesta took a breath. And when I beheld my sister, with her somehow magnified beauty, her ears … When Nesta looked to me … Rage. Power. Cunning. Nesta wrapped her hand around Truth-Teller’s obsidian hilt. And slowly, as if savoring every bit of effort it took … Nesta began to twist the blade. Not a rotation of the blade itself—but a rotation into his neck. Elain rushed to Cassian, but the warrior was panting—smiling grimly and panting—as Nesta twisted and twisted the blade into the king’s neck. Severing flesh and bone and tendon. Nesta looked down at the king before she made the final pass, his hands still trying to rise, to claw the blade free. And in Nesta’s eyes … it was the same look, the same gleam that she’d had that day in Hybern. When she pointed her finger at him in a death-promise. She smiled a little—as if she remembered, too. And then she pushed the blade, like a worker heaving the spoke of a mighty, grinding wheel. The king’s eyes flared—then his head tumbled off his shoulders. “Nesta,” Cassian groaned, trying to reach for her. The king’s blood sprayed her leathers, her face. Nesta didn’t seem to care as she bent over. As she took up his fallen head and lifted it. Lifted it in the air and stared at it—into Hybern’s dead eyes, his gaping mouth. She did not smile. She only stared and stared and stared. Savage. Unyielding. Brutal. A line of them; a legion. Some mere collections of upright bones, jaws hanging and eyes unseeing. Some half-preserved, decaying flesh flapping over exposed ribs. Judging by their fine armor, they were warriors and kings and princes and lords. They rose from the water, standing in the shallows near the thorny island. And as that golden light broke the surface before them, the dead knelt. Every word emptied from Cassian’s head as Nesta, too, emerged from the water, as if lifted on a pillar from beneath. A golden mask sat upon her face, primitive but embossed with whorls and patterns so ancient they’d lost all meaning. Water sluiced down her clothes, her hair had been ripped from its braid, and in her hand, clenched there … A kelpie’s head dangled by its sheet of black hair, torn-up face frozen in a scream. Exactly as the King of Hybern’s head had hung from her hand. Only silver fire burned behind the eyes of the Mask. “Holy gods,” Azriel breathed.The dead stood motionless, a legion poised to strike. Her will was their will; her command their only reason for being. They had no self left—only her, only Nesta, flowing through them. “Nesta,” Cassian whispered. Nesta released the kelpie’s head. The black water at her feet swallowed it whole. Cold power rippled toward them, and as it hit, Cassian let it surge past him, around him, yielded himself to it. Because to stand against it would be to provoke the Mask’s wrath. To stand against it would be to stand against Death itself. Death herself.

Nesta mfing Archeron.

She still has all her power in my world. I'm pretty sure Sarah only took her powers so she'd never surpass Rhysand's powers (Rhys was scared of her it's canon)

#nesta stan #pro nesta archeron #pro nesta #lady death #nesta kingslayer #she is that bitch #she is the moment #nesta archeron #acomaf #acowar #acosf #she was more powerful than rhysand #that's why sjm had to water her down #but rhysand can fucking choke

[monstersdownthepath]

I read once (can't remember it though) that Heralds are generally designed 'weak' and of a relatively low CR / HD so that a caster doesn't need to be able to cast Gate in order to summon their deity's divine messenger. There any truth to this, you think? I can't help but feel that a Greater Planar Ally isn't exactly something within reach of most casters either, which kind of defeats the point if the goal is to make sure that the faithful can call on the word of their god almost anywhere.

Somewhat; some of the Divine Heralds are frankly downright lackluster, but some of them are actually of punching way above their weight (such as the Kelpie's Wrath and the Arcanotheign).

And while, yes, GPA is outside the abilities of most normal people casters (also known as NPCs), you must also remember that it's not the only method by which assistance can be called. Earnest and desperate prayer for a god's attention can call the Herald into action, as can simple circumstance (many of them wander the world anyway, so calling upon them takes a Sending or similar). Many of them have methods to travel from one plane to another on their own, or at least easily available to them, so the real problem is holding out long enough until the called Herald can correct the displacement that Plane Shift carries with it. And, of course, there's only one of each Herald, so there's the unfortunate reality that they may never arrive because they were called while in a situation they couldn't walk away from.

Putting the primary, 100% successful and accurate calling magic slightly out of reach for the majority of their faith is fully intentional for many reasons, though: Because it keeps the peace and the balance of power relatively stable. If their Herald could just always be around and respond in full to every prayer, why wouldn't they? This sounds like a good thing, until you remember that every god and most demigods have a Herald, including the evil ones, and giving every evil cult on the planet the ability to call down their deity's Herald would be catastrophic.

... More importantly, if the Herald always arrived the instant the god's followers were in danger, it wouldn't make for a very good story, would it?

#asks #arch-arsonist

[hhelliish]

Some Seven Deadly Sin design ideas i felt i needed to write down somewhere

Lucifer (Pride): he is the character ive worked most on out all of them

currently his design is going through some changes. for one i want him to be more goat like. i still want to keep his sharper nose cuz i just really like that one him, but hes going to start looking more like a furry as the days pass sorry not sorry

his personality i dont plan on changing. he's going to remain a more standoff-ish and quiet, coming off as cold. but on his other side he is actually quite caring and passionate about taking care of his family, his people, and Hell itself

Sathanas (Wrath): hes a bit tricky. i didnt want him to be so predictable by being a meet head jock or something. so i decided to go the business man route.

im thinking of also making him more animal like. maybe a bull to represent the wrath part of him to get a better idea. he also 100% has glasses he's a nerd

personality; similar to Lucifer he's quiet and intimidating, but more like the opposite spectrum. he comes off as more stern and serious, not taking anyones shit and he means it

Beelzebub (Gluttony): my silly. ive grown heavily attached to him

entirely going into a bug look for him. in my mind he looks a bit human but has a lot of bugs features like antenna's, four pairs of arms, huge insect wings, differently bent legs, and possibly abdomen im not entirely sure about that yet

i always pictured him to be very carefree, silly, but really off putting and strange. bro totally eats corpses and thats ok because hes funny <3

he also has a wife and child. she let him hit cuz hes goofy

Asmodeus (Lust): this again is a tricky one cuz i really want him to be unique but translate his design that doesnt feel overcomplicated to design. because if you know how he really looks, its a lot

i do have in mind i want him to be fat as im tired of the definition of Lust being this skinny guy. fat people can be hot af and i want that to be more pushed

i was also thinking with how Asmodeus has more than one face, i either thought he could change his features by waving a hand in face that changes everytime like magic. or he spins his head like a doll and appears a new face every so often. not entirely sure with what i want to do but the separate faces i dont think i want to make to be different people, rather just different appearances

Asmodeus is also a kind and full of passion for others. he has several partners that he all treats very well and is not purely out of lust

Mammon (Greed): again, this is a hard one

Mammon in my mind can be many things and its hard for me to decide what he looks like. so he is the one thats the most work in progress as for some reason its just difficult for me

as for personality, hes by far the nastiest out of all the Sins. besides Belphegor, he very much embraces the sin he represents and doesnt feel bad about it. hes a man of the status quo and likes to be the bigger person power or wealth wise.

even though when being ranked alongside the other seven sins he isn't that powerful compared to Sathanas, Beelzebub, or definitely Lucifer

so hes kind of compensating all the time for his broken ego LOL

Leviathan (Envy): SEA WITCH SEA WITCH

ive been so excited to design her and im gonna go all out with the deep sea monster look. i envision her as a kind of kelpie/siren kind of monster creature girl that has hair covering her face but a huge creepy smile. shes got lots of teeth like a shark

personality so far is that shes a bit creepy. she likes to make herself look as if her spine is cracking in half and loves fucking with people. but sometimes her creepiness is just who she is. no one can tell when shes being serious or being an ass

Belphegor (Sloth): the last furry i promise (not)

yeah, i may be stealing the idea of what Vizviepop is doing with her Belphegor. not like entirely tho since we still dont know what she looks like. but my Belphegor is going to be a sheep for certain

i want her to be the shortest out of all the Sins and look like the fairly unthreatening one. but thats where she gets you cuz actually all along her fluffy wools is eyeballs that pop out of nowhere and scare the hell out of you

her attitude to me is more predictable for Belphegor by being noncaring, monotone, and sleepy. but i honestly cant think of her in any other way it just fits best. i imagine she never even walks she just floats around with a pillow and sleeps randomly

these are just concept ideas btw but i needed to air this out to someone so i hope you guys enjoy seeing my thought process <3

#hellish #oc #hellish lucifer #hellish beelzebub #hellish sathanas #hellish asmodeus #hellish leviathan #hellish belphegor #hellish mammon #my oc stuff #my stuff #my writing #my ocs #oc stuff #ocs

[stormvanari]

wish I could fully color it, but low motivation sucks (anyways, Kelpie-like Basilisk anyone?), and this is the voice claim

_________________________________________

Since this is on the main TOH tag, this is a redesign of Darian, Adrian Graye’s inventive twin who is inspired by the basilisk theory (and coven banner too). Most of the info here is a recap, but I’mma simplify it from an old post:

Pre-TOH: Darian, along with his twin Adrian, was involved in the basilisk experiments conducted by the Emperor’s Coven. Because the treatment was horrible, Darian led the basilisks to escape the coven’s grasp. However, a fight erupted between coven members (including Warden Wrath) and it cost Darian’s tail. It was violent that he let the basilisks escape on their own, while he pushed their enemies back. He tried to rescue his twin, but when Belos appeared to round up the basilisks, Darian was forced to flee immediately.

TOH: For years, Darian had remained elusive to public, only appearing as a mysterious regular for the Night Market and Eda’s “Human Treasure” shop. Additionally, he got himself a concealment stone to hide his identity as a basilisk, and settled in a cave located at the center of the Titan (near Glandus) that would become his hideout. Darian gathered a bunch of ideas about the human realm, but he was more interested about their machinery. It inspired him to create his signature prosthetic and shape-shifting tail, which is powered up by illusion magic. In addition, since he had to supply his hideout with defense equipment, Darian became a master thief across the Boiling Isles.

I was going to include Darian’s Post DoU arc, but because I’m waiting for “For the Future” (and maybe the final special after that if I need to bridge it out more) to release in order to kinda stick to canon, that’ll be on a different post or smthn. I already formed the Titan’s Council and Darian is a member of it, but I’ll keep that just in case if I’m not too satisfied with the ending....

#the owl house #titan’s council #toh oc #adrian graye vernworth #adrian graye #darian vernworth #reuploaded cause I added stuff here #i was inspired by a hc from @/your-local-ruebit-hole-detective about one of Adrian’s parents being a sea serpent

[doodlefoxart]

After two months and over 230 frames MY FIRST ANIMATIC EVER IS DONE BABY WOOOOOO!!! Ive been working really hard on this for the past couple of months so i hope yall like it! And to avoid some confusion of whos what heres a list in order of appearance! (Things in parentheses are to clarify what animal they are, as for why they’re animals is cause I’m not at a good enough level to draw humans lol)

Boscha: spider dog monster

Skara: kelpie

Warden wrath and braxus: dragon demons

King and tarak: pumpkin monsters

Lilith: sphinx

Gus: phantom (enfield)

Willow: tree nymph (hypogriff)

Bria, gavin and angmar: chimera

Matholomule: gargoyle

Hooty: cursed house

Owlbert: owl monster

Raine: literal vampire bat

Eda: cursed doll (owl griffin)

Ghost: ghost

Barkus: wolf gremlin beast thing

Viney: scarecrow (hippalectryon aka horse chicken)

Jerbo: mud monster (peryton aka deer bird)

Amity: fire spirit (wolpertinger, as is the rest of her family)

Vee: masked murderer

Grom: grom cause yeah

Edric and emira: Frankenstein monsters

Alador: mad cyborg scientist

Odalia: gorgon

Belos: puppet master, but whose to say he’s not really something else...

Hunter: living puppet

Luz: skeleton bat otter hybrid

#the owl house #luz noceda #animatic #digital art #willow park #toh hunter #king toh #halloween #happy halloween #october

[xiranleternae]

Your Eyes Were Green With Me

-25th of Urlachmar, 655 CE-

Did I lose you to the sea, Or were you the one to leave? I remember when your eyes were green.

Traces like footsteps in the sand, Washed away from Verdant Land. Did I lose you to the sea, Sailing to shores beyond me?

Cruel as kelpies 'neath the waves, Would you send me to my grave? I remember when you danced with me. Hands I held in joy and grief and wrath, Would you now deny my path? Did I lose to vision thin, Deceiving you and my kin?

Did I lose you to the sea, Or were you the one to leave? I remember when your eyes were green.

Mortal choice made this circumstance; Must we mark this our last dance? How'd I lose you to the sea, Sister once in fae fealty?

Did I lose to vision thin On a distant horizon? I remember when you danced with me. Choices that we cannot reweave, It serves none for us to grieve. Did I lose to vision thin, That we could not be wherein?

Did I lose to what could be / vision thin On a distant horizon? I remember / I remember / I remember When your eyes were green / with me.

A duet submitted to Lusternia Bardics

#lusternia #lusternia bardic #lyrics #poem #by xiran #serenwilde

[pleb-the-original]

Day 16: The Known Ones (I've been on a bit of a creative binge so I was able to redirect my juices to another entry. I knew immediately who to write about since this guy was always my favorite of the Eden demon designs being the first one and the one most evocative of the concept. I did create some stuff on the fly but he was always meant to be a fighter. The best part is that I even had time to draw him. Important thing to note is that he can actually switch which side of his body the head is at.

Really? You want to interview me? Well, okay. Name’s Osciphela but most people just call me Ossy. I’m an Oscaecilia ochrocephala Eden demon. Yeah, they haven’t come with a street name for my kind yet. Molded by the Lord Taxternal himself. But again, why would you want to interview me? I’m just shopping. Wait, are you certified to talk about that? Huh, you actually managed to get a certification of approval. It’d take a lot of memory dredging for me to even find the last time I’ve seen one of these. So anyways, what do you wanna know about the Ring? How am I affiliated? Buddy, I’ve been the champion for 67 years. My faces have glued to that wall of fame. How’d I discover it? Well I don’t know how similar my story is, but one time I was doing my normal browsing here in the Dark Market when I noticed a little imp trying to steal my goods. So I tackled that bastard and we landed in between these stalls. Then after brushing myself off, the imp grew 20 extra feet! It turned into this hulking monstrosity that still had all the stuff I got, taunting me to grab it. Things got kinda hazy after that since all I saw was red but next thing I knew I had my stuff back and there was a crater in the ground. That’s when the monster congratulated me and introduced himself. His name was Cross and he was a major player in the Court of Wrath. Apparently he decided to start up a fighting ring just for the hell of it and wanted good contenders for his starting lineup. I still don’t know why he singled me out. I only have Wrath as a secondary sin, but he saw something I didn’t in that haze of anger. Turns out I managed to organically obtain an inner wrath spirit, which is apparently more of an older generation ability. So I’ve been headlining ever since. I’ve taken down oni, dragons, there was even that one time in the challenge round that I actually wrested myself off a kelpie. Oh no, the Ring is open for anyone who finds it and feels they got a good chance against any of us. Heck, if you managed to get in with Cross I feel you might have a chance in there too. That’s ok, considering who you’re working for I think you’d rather wrestle with a theorem than an opponent. It was nice talking to you anyways. Here, have some tickets. Maybe you could come by and watch. Next week, I’m gonna be going up against a yeti! Well, see you later.

(Report: Ossy was considerably cordial which did not align with my expectations. The Ring also proves to be a phenomena with a greater level of reach than I predicted as well. I believed it was merely centered in the Court of Wrath’s inner circle. I am in definite need to schedule an interview with this Cross character. Would it be possible to arrange that? We could even make it an event and use the tickets I was given. We could use the break. But I feel this testimony will be a worthwhile entry for the Catalog.

حريق -

)

#chimeraquest #writing #creative writing #writeblr #the known ones #eden demon #art #i am not a very good artist #caecilian #man we need more caecilian based character designs fr

[greyseagle]

Titan quest hunter build bow

of Devouring as suffix and Anubis' Wrath socketed, preferably with +% attack speed as completion bonus. When you have taken damage and want to recover, you can switch to the secondary bow, which could be damage prefix (Relentless, Murderous, Veteran's, etc) with. So I'd avoid sockets like Anubis' Wrath and focus instead on Artemis' Bowstring or Valor of Achilles to max out damage. So I'd keep them on bows.įor bow switches, the primary bow is always about damage. Sage, Avenger and Ranger get nothing for spear, not even a LMB attack. With a point in Psionic Touch and investment in the Phantom Strike tree, bow Haru can become a bow/spear hybrid quite easily. I'd use bow as switch on all of them except Haruspex who can get a spear in the second slot. If thats not enough, there are kelpies throughout half of act 5 who are like shadow stalkers but ranged, and put impaired aim on you with their attacks. There are troll monsters in new secret area with 100% projectile evasion and just glitching mobs on Iggdrasil and elsewhere, hard to hit with projectile attacks. Game also forces throwing weapons on you like cancer, you will get a dozen of touch of Ra's in epic, then half dozen of Neith wills, Ladons and Dwarfbiters each, and at least 1-2 chackrams of the moon/sun per character.Įdit: No, don't pair them with each other, pair them with a spear. Throwing weapons become a lot safer when paired with CC and debilitating spells like menhirs wall or dream skills, common in magic damage masteries. Hunter can naturally stack chance to avoid projectiles, but that requires good gear with that stat.īow is safer for a regular pierce / physical build when you can't or don't want to go out of your way to stack projectile evasion. Throwing weapons natural weakness is short range, putting you in danger when fighting archers, especially undead whom you can't leech from. Both can work but will feel differently depending on what you are doing.

#Titan quest hunter build bow

[thatoneawkwardhorse]

Welcome wrath and envy to the sins family!

I have officially designed every sin, and now it’s time for ref sheets and color 😎

#envy is very much based off a kelpie #and wraths anatomy is a little weird #horse #horses #art #drawing #envy #wrath #seven deadly sins #toah 7 deadly sins #7 deadly sins #kittys art #kittys ocs

[echoequinox]

Fun Fact: The Pirate Goddess in Pathfinder has a boat that can be summoned to do cool shit and you have to pay it in either chests of gold and jewels or by FUCKING on its deck which it gets off to

Pathfinder is.... weird.

#pathfinder #besmara #kelpie's wrath #skulls and shackles

[risingoflights]

Patreon poll result from last month

The Kepie daemon Adagium has lived in the Vesperpool for as long as anyone can remember. Legend goes that he was once a normal centaur whose lover was dragged into the depths of the deep waters by a monster and drowned, so now he haunts the spot, eternal in his grief, fiercely protective of her remains which still lie at the lake's bottom. Regardless of what he really is, foals are warned from a young age never to approach the Kelpie's pool lest they suffer his wrath.

Prompto, though, has always had a soft spot for lonely things, so he reckons the least he can do is try to help. Nobody, no matter how terrifying they are, deserves to be sad and alone for all of time, not even Adagium. Maybe he can try to befriend the daemon. Maybe... all Adagium needs is a sympathetic ear and a haircut, who knows...?

#final fantasy xv #kingsglaive #ardyn izunia #prompto argentum #noctis lucis caelum #crim's modern art

[beyondthepalerpg]

Patreon Q&A: September

Here’s the questions and answers for the months of September 2021!

I want to thank everyone who participated.  Remember, all Warden tier (or higher) members are able to join in on the Q&A.

If you’re interested in the project and want to help support it, please consider becoming a Patron.  You can find more information about the Beyond the Pale Patreon [here].

In terms of premade difficulty monsters, maybe dealing with a kelpie or haunting.

One of the features intended for the game is a way for Game Masters to have a variety of options for all difficulty levels.  You could, for example, have an entire campaign that focuses on vampires because the Game Master has access to several kinds of vampires, each with differing difficulty rating.

The intended goal is to give the Game Master a large degree of freedom to tweak encounters to best suit their players.

So much of the cosmology of a lot of myths and religions in the setting are metaphorical or misinterpretations.  Atlas doesn’t literally hold up the sky, for example.

So while I have read and researched these things, it’s not likely they’ll be given direct credence in the setting.  The established cosmology of the game is the Yggdrasil, the World Tree, and the Nine Worlds.

The Four Horsemen is an angelic concept, a sort of ideology and mini-pantheon.

When humanity became known to Heaven and Hell there was much debate on both sides on how to approach the new possibilities.  In Heaven, the seven archangels held council and weighed the pros and cons of humanity.

Three opted to spare humanity out of compassion, who argued that humanity would aid them in their fight against Hell and deserved direct intervension.  However, three wanted humanity exterminated to deprive Hell of any potential advantage.

The deciding vote was held by the Archangel of Patience, who characteristically abstained.  To this day, he still holds that vote and is still making a decision on if humanity deserves Heaven’s full grace or full wrath.

The three who voted for humanity’s destruction, plus the abstainer, are represented as the Four Horsemen.  And should the vote finally be caste against humanity, they themselves will bring about humanity’s apocalypse.

It’s still a planned feature.  The lore around genuine black magic that there the fall into darkness is an emotional one.  Black magic is the rock bottom of that pit and if you can cast black magic you’re already too far gone.

Black magic is a complete corruption of someone’s humanity.  Joy becomes pain, misery becomes bliss, empathy becomes hatred in a literal sense.  There is no coming back from it.

A character who is struggling with that darkness within is not going to be able to cast black magic.  It is only when that darkness has fully taken hold and completely consumed them that it is possible.  And as a result, the character is effectively insane, similar to if their Sanity Points drop to lethal levels.

From a mechanical point, the moment you can cast black magic, your character is treated as incurably insane and is under the control of the GM.  If you’re looking for a struggle with corruption, there are innumerable other options available.

Black magic is the exception.  It is that bad and (mechanically) overpowered.

#Q&A #Beyond the Pale #Tabletop #RPG #Gaming #Magic #Angels

[the-gilded]

Welcome to

Demo v1.2 - Love Interests - Asks - Playlists

What is this?

The Gilded is a Work-in-Progress Interactive Fiction game. The Gilded is also a dark fantasy adventure game, and will include some horror elements that may not be suitable for all audiences.

Who am I?

You are whoever you want to be, but your story starts when you come home from college on winter break. The rest of your story is waiting to be told.

So far...

Your younger brother, Leo, went missing three days ago. Your parents called the police, and they started investigating quickly. They were too late. Leo had already disappeared into the deepest part of the forest, where the mortals have vowed never to return. The police have offered to contact your family if Leo crosses the barrier back to the mortal side, but their investigation can’t go any further without inviting the wrath of the Fae.

The winter solstice is approaching fast, which means that the High Fae are likely gathering mortal children for their great feast. The only way to get your brother back is to follow him into the forest and steal him back from the palace of the High Fae… If you can get there in one piece. The Fae forest is full of tricksters and killers, and you'll likely need some allies to help get you both back home.

Features:

A customizable main character. Choose your gender, name, appearance, skills, and more.

Stat building. Choose starting stats, and improve your skills throughout the game for fights and problem solving.

Romance. Optional romance with 4 possible companions. Choose their genders according to your preference, or select a random array.

Relationships. Improve or destroy relationships with the characters you meet, and check your relationships on your stats sheet.

Choose your route. Decide which path to take, which door to open, and which item to steal. Every playthrough can be unique.

Multiple endings. Your choices will lead to one of several endings, each with sub-variations that cater to your choices.

A secret. You always thought something wasn't quite right, and maybe you'll finally find out why.

Romanceable Characters:

Ayre (M/F/NB) - Ever aloof and sharply dressed, you suspect that Ayre must be one of the High Fae, but they're missing some of the animal features you would expect on one of their kind. Charming when it suits them and cool when it doesn't, Ayre's interest in actually helping you seems out of character from what little you know of them. Can you really trust them without knowing their motivations?

Romance: Emotional Trauma, Slow Burn

Jolenn (M/F) - The fun-loving opposite to their best friend, Ayre... and a Faun with furry legs and curling horns to boot. You don't really understand how they got to be friends, but maybe it has something to do with how happily Jolenn heaps attention and affection on anyone willing to talk to them. Jolenn is happy to follow Ayre anywhere, even if that means marching straight to the castle of the High Fae on little more than a hunch.

Romance: Strangers to Friends to Lovers

Nex (M/F) - Possibly the creature of your nightmares, Nex is a Kelpie: a shapeshifting aquatic Fae that sometimes takes the form of a horse, especially for the purpose of killing and eating humans. At first "bite", Nex is deeply unhappy to be asked to help... and even more unhappy to be coerced into it. They seem to hate you just for being human, but there must be some way to break through their guard.

Romance: Enemies-ish to Lovers, Work for It

Wren (M/F/NB) - A Dryad and pillar of the local Fae community, Wren controls virtually all products and information that cross the forest's borders. While they have a friendly face for everyone else (even Nex) Wren seems to hold you politely at arm's length. You're sure they don't agree to help you just to be nice, but they're keeping their motivation as private as Ayre's.

Romance: Unexpected Feelings, [Redacted] to Lovers

Demo v1.2 Out Now:

IFDB Page

#if #interactive fiction #choice of games #cog #hosted games #trigger warning #tw: kidnap mention #tw: murder mention

[scotianostra]

The Corryvreckan.

The Gulf of Corryvreckan is a narrow strait between the islands of Jura and Scarba, in Argyll and Bute, off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is famous for its strong tidal currents and standing waves.  The whirlpool which forms  at the right state of the tide is the third largest whirlpool in the world.

With this brings loads of stories of loss of life and miraculous escapes, the most famous, well in my opinion happened in 1947, when author George Orwell, who was in Jura to complete his internationally famous 1984, almost drowned with his young nieces and nephews after sailing too close to the whirlpool.

The Corryvreckan or to give it the Gaelic name Coire Bhreacain meaning "cauldron of the speckled seas also is a place of legends and folklore, one of which surrounds  Norse king Breacan attempting to woo a princess. He tried to sail near the whirlpool. However, other people claim that he was attempting to flee from his father’s wrath. Either way, the whirlpool beat him and now the whirlpool may be named after Breacan, or a Gaelic pun on his name.

  Another legend revolves around Charles Mackay’s poem “The Kelpie of Corrievrackan,” which tells the story of a woman who leaves her lover for sea kelp. She tried to go after the kelp by diving to its home (which just so happens to be at the bottom of the whirlpool). Therefore, she drowns trying to seduce a piece of seaweed. This piece of folklore was meant to be a “warning to fickle maidens,” claiming that if you are unfaithful to your lover, you’ll end up dying.

He mounted his steed of the water clear, And sat on his saddle of sea-weed sere; He held his bridal of strings of pearl, Dug out of the depths where the sea-snakes curl. II. He put on his vest of the whirlpool froth, 5 Soft and dainty as velvet cloth, And donn’d his mantle of sand so white, And grasp’d his sword of the coral bright. III. And away he gallop’d, a horseman free, Spurring his steed through the stormy sea, 10 Clearing the billows with bound and leap — Away, away, o’er the foaming deep. IV. By Scarba’s rock, by Lunga’s shore, By Garveloch isles where breakers roar, With his horse’s hoofs he dash’d the spray, 15 And on to Loch Buy, away, away! V. On to Loch Buy all day he rode, And reach’d the shore as sunset glow’d, And stopp’d to hear the sounds of joy, That rose from the hills and glens of Moy. 20 VI. The morrow was May, and on the green They’d lit the fire of Beltan E’en, And danced around, and piled it high With peat and heather, and pine logs dry.

VII. A piper play’d a lightsome reel, 25 And timed the dance with toe and heel; While wives look’d on, as lad and lass Trod it merrily o’er the grass. VIII. And Jessie (fickle and fair was she) Sat with Evan beneath a tree, 30 And smiled with mingled love and pride, And half agreed to be his bride. IX. The Kelpie gallop’d o’er the green — He seem’d a knight of noble mien; And old and young stood up to see, 35 And wonder’d who the knight could be. X. His flowing locks were auburn bright, His cheeks were ruddy, his eyes flash’d light; And as he sprang from his good gray steed, He look’d a gallant youth indeed. 40 XI. And Jessie’s fickle heart beat high, As she caught the stranger’s glancing eye; And when he smiled, “Ah well,” thought she, “I wish this knight came courting me!” XII. He took two steps towards her seat — 45 “Wilt thou be mine, O maiden sweet?” He took her lily-white hand, and sigh’d, “Maiden, maiden, be my bride!” XIII. And Jessie blush’d, and whisper’d soft — “Meet me to-night when the moon’s aloft. 50 I’ve dream’d, fair knight, long time of thee —

I thought thou camest courting me.” XIV. When the moon her yellow horn display’d, Alone to the trysting went the maid; When all the stars were shining bright, 55 Alone to the trysting went the knight. XV. “I have loved thee long, I have loved thee well, Maiden, oh more than words can tell! Maiden, thine eyes like diamonds shine; Maiden, maiden, be thou mine!” 60 XVI. “Fair sir, thy suit I’ll ne’er deny — Though poor my lot, my hopes are high; I scorn a lover of low degree — None but a knight shall marry me.” XVII. He took her by the hand so white, 65 And gave her a ring of gold so bright; “Maiden, whose eyes like diamonds shine, Maiden, maiden, now thou’rt mine!” XVIII. He lifted her up on his steed of gray, And they rode till morning away, away — 70 Over the mountain and over the moor, And over the rocks to the dark sea-shore. XIX. “We have ridden east, we have ridden west — I’m weary, fair knight, and I fain would rest. Say, is thy dwelling beyond the sea? 75 Hast thou a good ship waiting for me?” XX. “I have no dwelling beyond the sea, I have no good ship waiting for thee:

Thou shalt sleep with me on a couch of foam, And the depths of the ocean shall be thy home.” 80 XXI. The gray steed plunged in the billows clear, And the maiden’s shrieks were sad to hear; — “Maiden, whose eyes like diamonds shine — Maiden, maiden, now thou’rt mine!” XXII. Loud the cold sea-blast did blow 85 As they sank ’mid the angry waves below — Down to the rocks where the serpents creep, Twice five hundred fathoms deep. XXIII. At morn a fisherman sailing by Saw her pale corse floating high. 90 He knew the maid by her yellow hair And her lily skin so soft and fair. XXIV. Under a rock on Scarba’s shore, Where the wild winds sigh and the breakers roar, They dug her a grave by the water clear, 95 Among the sea-weeds salt and sere. XXV. And every year at Beltan E’en, The Kelpie gallops across the green, On a steed as fleet as the wintry wind, With Jessie’s mournful ghost behind. 100 XXVI. I warn you, maids, whoever you be, Beware of pride and vanity; And ere on change of love you reckon, Beware the Kelpie of Corryvreckan. (From Charles Mackay, Legends of the Isles and Other

#scotland #scottish #whirlpool #history #folklore #Legend

[coffeestainedbookcase]

Phooka

Origin: Celtic (predominantly Irish, but appears in Welsh, Scottish and some European lore)

Description:

Phooka (or Púca) are members of the Fey family, often noted as shapeshifters (common depictions include humanoid creatures with the head of a goat, and horses). They are sometimes recognised as relatives of the Kelpie and, on even rarer occasion, as related to Goblins.

These creatures are assumed to take on a range of forms, the main way of distinguishing them being a darker complexion to the coat/feathers/skin. They are noted to be capable of human speech in any of their chosen forms, and also to be able to rotate their heads similarly to an owl (only up-and-down, as opposed to side-to-side). This, combined with heightened agility and "supernatural speed" makes them stand out from the creature they have chosen to embody.

They are considered to be infinitely cunning, largely mischievous and "eternal pranksters" but are not regarded as evil beings. Phooka have been claimed to be, on occasion, benevolent and able to give advice to those seeking it, often at the price of an interesting story or gossip. In rare circumstances, they may be seen serving a mortal - provided that the human has succeeded in surpassing the Phooka in either wit or speed. In such situations, the Phooka must be treated with respect, care, and benevolence to ensure their good behaviour and continued loyalty.

They are said to lure humans to take a ride on their backs when in the shape of a horse, giving the rider a wild journey. The unlucky person is then taken back to the place they were taken from, leaving them dizzy and disoriented. Human encounters with Phooka occur in places far from modern civilisation; they prefer rural, hidden locations where they can enact endless mischief.

Celtic lore portrays the Phooka as the creature who "spoils the blackberries after the first of November" as a way of causing mischief. They enjoy confusing and tricking humans but will rarely cause malevolent harm.

To ignite a Phooka's wrath, they must be insulted - but this is a choice to be made with care. Though not intending to inflict harm, these creatures do not tolerate disrespect.

#Phooka #Púca #Celtic #irish #lore #legends

[rhosynviteri]

“Holy gods,” Azriel breathed.The dead stood motionless, a legion poised to strike. Her will was their will; her command their only reason for being. They had no self left—only her, only Nesta, flowing through them. 

“Nesta,” Cassian whispered. 

Nesta released the kelpie’s head. The black water at her feet swallowed it whole.

 Cold power rippled toward them, and as it hit, Cassian let it surge past him, around him, yielded himself to it. Because to stand against it would be to provoke the Mask’s wrath. To stand against it would be to stand against Death itself. 

Death herself. 

Azriel shook, weathering that primal power. 

But they were both Illyrian, whether Az liked it or not. And so they did what their people had always done before Death’s beautiful face. They bowed.

  Yes yes yes yes yes

I love this 

#acosf spoilers