good news everyone. crows no longer need instructions to build tools and have started building them from memory, as well as passing the knowledge onto future generations of crows. oops!
Trying my hand at some Chain OCs (loosely based on a couple of characters a friend and I made years ago)
The Twins (Mercy and Truth)
Tieflings
No consensus who is Twin 1 and who is Twin 2
Met the Chain of Acheron in Alloy towards the end of the Company’s time there; it’s unclear how long they had lived in the Burning City, and some things indicate they’ve also spent some time in Hell
Tend to wear loose fitting, light linen clothing indicative of Alloy (unless Matt Colville specifies otherwise)
Heavy accents (Infernal and Primordial)
Will talk about their past, but it usually sounds absurd and the story is often left unfinished as one of the twins will either trail off or be interrupted by the other (but as crazy as it always seems, they haven’t contradicted themselves yet)
Like to tease each other and bicker a lot, but are extremely protective of one another
Trust Issues (but the Chain is growing on them)
Don’t like to stay in the same place for too long, and are generally excited to travel to new places and see strange things
Don’t actually like taking orders and will be petty about it
Afraid of heights
Such stupid kids tbh
Mercy
Phoenix Soul Sorcerer
Chaotic Neutral (Evil leaning)
5’, she/her, unnatrual white skin, silver hair, black horns that start at her temples and sweep back along the sides of her head, magenta eyes with black sclera, tail that tapers flat like a thresher shark
Eyes occasionally glow, the center of her irises turning white, fading to yellow, orange, and finally back to magenta (as per her subclass flavor)
Burn scars
Nicknamed by her brother sarcastically and now she’s stuck with it; “You may call me Mercy, but don’t expect me to have any.”
A little sadistic, but can be kept in check (give her a reason to and she will set you on fire though)
Sites her brother as her moral compass
Honest (unless she’s covering for her brother)
Reckless
Smarter than her brother (by like 1 but likes to remind him of it)
Cheeky and likes to get the last word (occasionally by any means necessary); particularly sharp tongued when on the defensive
A good bet if your goal is destruction
Would call Big Cat a pretty kitty
Truth
Inquisitive Rogue
Chaotic Neutral
6’1”, extremely dark grey skin, black hair, bone white horns that start at his temples and arch up and curve over the top of his head, magenta eyes with black sclera, tail that tapers flat like a thresher shark
Missing a chunk of one of his horns
Nicknamed by his sister sarcastically and now he’s stuck with it; “You may call me Truth, just don’t expect me to share it with you.”
Compulsive liar, but doesn’t lie to his sister (not as of yet anyways)
Huge flirt (his sister sometimes plays his wingman)
Sneaky son of a bitch
Somewhat cautious
Older than his sister (by only a few minutes but likes to reminder her of it)
Definitely knows Mercy’s True Name
Has a misshapen pearl earring he got when he beat Mercy at chess (or Orden equivalent) as she was using it as her queen; he claims it reminds him of her
Some songs that give me vibes for these characters:
Hey Brother - Avicii Alone Together - Fall Out Boy Heathens - Twenty One Pilots Red Hot Lights - Moon Taxi all the good girls go to hell - Billie Eilish Horns - Bryce Fox The Patron Siant of Liars and Fakes - Fall Out Boy
modern greek mythology adaptation where hades and persephone are played by john mulaney and his wife
It seems like people in chat don’t get that the idea of a magician’s ‘true name’ having power over them is something that’s almost a constant in fantasy. It’s as much a “reference” as fighting a dragon ‘references’ Beowulf.
domestication syndrome is one of the coolest findings from recent genetics
Alternative explanations for why your fantasy setting has powerful magic items just lying around where any random schmuck can pick them up:
Up until a couple hundred years ago, the world’s magical background radiation level was much lower than it is today. Most of magic items were once minor lucky charms and simple household conveniences; being designed to function in what’s now considered a low-magic environment, their effects have not only increased considerably in power, but have also become warped in unexpected and frequently ironic ways.
It’s impossible to create a magic item on purpose. Random objects just become magical, and nobody really knows why. Living things are never affected, and the phenomenon seems to favour manufactured objects over natural ones, though it’s unknown whether this is a real trend, or a reflection of the fact that people rarely “use” natural objects in ways that are likely to trigger any powers they might possess.
Magic items are actually the larval form of monsters. They spend the first part of their life cycle sessile, feeding off of the heroic destinies of the adventurers who carry them. When those adventurers eventually TPK, it triggers the next stage of the items’ development; shortly thereafter, the items “hatch” into a new colony of monsters and spawn the next generation of magic items, continuing the cycle.
There exists a possible future where the forces of Order and Chaos fuck up so badly that the world is torn apart and smeared across its own past. The wreckage of that future are/have been/will be raining down over the entire span of history leading up to it. Being indestructible, magic items comprise the bulk of the debris, but sometimes creatures, buildings or chunks of terrain make it through, which is where dungeons come from.
The world’s supply of magic items is actually very limited, but is constantly being manipulated by the gods to place them in the paths of people who will make best use of them – where “best use” is defined roughly as “hey, you know what would be hilarious?”. The random magic item tables the GM rolls on aren’t a game-mechanical conceit, but a completely literal modelling of the gods’ decision-making process.
There are no such thing as magic items. Sometimes ordinary objects just do things when adventurers pick them up. Almost no-one knows this.
Turned some more Disney Heroes into DnD characters for this week’s speedpaint! These designs have probably been my favorite ones so far to put together~ °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
(I went into detail in the video about what class I made each character into and why, but if you haven’t seen it yet then feel free to make your own guesses based on these artworks!)
(DON’T EDIT OR REPOST TO OTHER SITES) // FULL SIZE VERSIONS ON MY DA (<-link in my blog header)
little blue tiefling
This is actually a schoolism assignment i’ve been working on during my free time. I’ve been trying to getting better at drawing things like backgrounds and lighting.
EDIT: I saw someone tag this as Artajes; please don’t do that
Welcome to the space age, ladies and gentlemen
Supervillains announcing their plans is actually a union thing so they can’t be sued for damages someone else may commit at the same time
An odd idea I got in my head a while ago that I thought might be fun to share:
What with the prevalence of reporters in the Stays and interest surrounding the Chain, I thought it might be interesting to consider one of these journalists approaching rank and file Chain members for interviews (sort of mockumentary style). While on the one hand I think Chain members know better than to blab, on the other hand what if this was sanctioned by the higher ups to drum up some good press and attract recruits. Maybe even conducted under the watchful eye of a Junior Officer (I’m assuming Two Shoes as the only one trusted and responsible enough for the project but who knows).
I’m far from an expert in journalism, but here goes:
Alright, well, why don’t we start at the beginning: Where did you join the Chain of Acheron?
So, as far as I understand, Helltroopers get pretty descriptive nicknames when they join up. What’s the story behind yours?
And what attracted you to the Chain initially? What was your first impression on joining? Has that impression changed lately?
Has anything really surprised you since joining the company? Any particular memories that stand out to you?
Why have you stayed on with the Chain? Do you see yourself sticking with the company for much longer?
And how exactly do you contribute to the Chain? Do you ever see yourself as doing more and moving up the ranks?
Do you have any beliefs or convictions apart from membership in the Chain?
I’ve heard that Helltroopers leave their old lives behind, but what was your life like before you joined the Chain?
What’s the most challenging thing about being a member of the Chain?
If you could direct the Chain’s next action, what would you have the company do?
What is your opinion on the Senior officers?
Any Helltroopers, officers or otherwise, you have a problem with?
What do you know about the Chain of Acheron’s intensions here in Capital?
I imagined this as starting out like a human interest piece that escalates into an interrogation.
Please feel free to add in your Helltrooper responses and reactions, and even add/expand questions if ya like!