THE DARK PRINCE. [ARCHIVED]

THIS BLOG IS ARCHIVED. FIND ME AT @PLEASUREPRINCE.

[azzagrazt]

#AZZAGRAZT — an independent, selective, private (21+) blog featuring GRAZ'ZT, the Demon Prince of Pleasure, of D&D. Indulged by Ophelia (she/her, 30).

rules & about • pinterest • playlist • analysis • prompts (always accepting) • plotting call (always open)

Please read THIS POST about the persona Graz'zt wears during preliminary stages of interactions with most characters, unless plotted otherwise.

D&D/BG3-compatible OC sideblog: @venushorned

[pleasureprince]

“[The Dark Prince] himself is unimaginable without his followers but does not resemble them. [...] Even in grim situations he retains a smiling tranquility which comes suddenly to seem sinister. His followers surrender their individuality in the collective excitement. But they do not achieve union with the source of that excitement, however close they may seem to approach. Graz’zt eludes them, and retains his enigmatic smile.”

#PLEASUREPRINCE, the Demon Lord Graz’zt of Dungeons & Dragons lore, as penned by Ophelia. Independent, private, selective, 21+.

[pleasureprince]

“[The Dark Prince] himself is unimaginable without his followers but does not resemble them. [...] Even in grim situations he retains a smiling tranquility which comes suddenly to seem sinister. His followers surrender their individuality in the collective excitement. But they do not achieve union with the source of that excitement, however close they may seem to approach. Graz’zt eludes them, and retains his enigmatic smile.”

#PLEASUREPRINCE, the Demon Lord Graz’zt of Dungeons & Dragons lore, as penned by Ophelia. Independent, private, selective, 21+.

[pleasureprince]

“[The Dark Prince] himself is unimaginable without his followers but does not resemble them. [...] Even in grim situations he retains a smiling tranquility which comes suddenly to seem sinister. His followers surrender their individuality in the collective excitement. But they do not achieve union with the source of that excitement, however close they may seem to approach. Graz’zt eludes them, and retains his enigmatic smile.”

#PLEASUREPRINCE, the Demon Lord Graz’zt of Dungeons & Dragons lore, as penned by Ophelia. Independent, private, selective, 21+.

[pleasureprince]

“[The Dark Prince] himself is unimaginable without his followers but does not resemble them. [...] Even in grim situations he retains a smiling tranquility which comes suddenly to seem sinister. His followers surrender their individuality in the collective excitement. But they do not achieve union with the source of that excitement, however close they may seem to approach. Graz’zt eludes them, and retains his enigmatic smile.”

#PLEASUREPRINCE, the Demon Lord Graz’zt of Dungeons & Dragons lore, as penned by Ophelia. Independent, private, selective, 21+.

[pleasureprince]

“[The Dark Prince] himself is unimaginable without his followers but does not resemble them. [...] Even in grim situations he retains a smiling tranquility which comes suddenly to seem sinister. His followers surrender their individuality in the collective excitement. But they do not achieve union with the source of that excitement, however close they may seem to approach. Graz’zt eludes them, and retains his enigmatic smile.”

#PLEASUREPRINCE, the Demon Lord Graz’zt of Dungeons & Dragons lore, as penned by Ophelia. Independent, private, selective, 21+.

[pleasureprince]

“[The Dark Prince] himself is unimaginable without his followers but does not resemble them. [...] Even in grim situations he retains a smiling tranquility which comes suddenly to seem sinister. His followers surrender their individuality in the collective excitement. But they do not achieve union with the source of that excitement, however close they may seem to approach. Graz’zt eludes them, and retains his enigmatic smile.”

#PLEASUREPRINCE, the Demon Lord Graz’zt of Dungeons & Dragons lore, as penned by Ophelia. Independent, private, selective, 21+.

[pleasureprince]

“[The Dark Prince] himself is unimaginable without his followers but does not resemble them. [...] Even in grim situations he retains a smiling tranquility which comes suddenly to seem sinister. His followers surrender their individuality in the collective excitement. But they do not achieve union with the source of that excitement, however close they may seem to approach. Graz’zt eludes them, and retains his enigmatic smile.”

#PLEASUREPRINCE, the Demon Lord Graz’zt of Dungeons & Dragons lore, as penned by Ophelia. Independent, private, selective, 21+.

[azzagrazt]

I was going to earnestly try getting more caught up on writing before moving blogs, but I have to be realistic with myself about the likelihood of that. I'm going to work on the move today and then do my best to pick up threads and asks on the new page.

It'll be a single D&D-focused hub containing both Graz'zt and @venushorned as sideblogs, which will allow me to add muses and generally manage both current characters a little better.

[azzagrazt]

I was going to earnestly try getting more caught up on writing before moving blogs, but I have to be realistic with myself about the likelihood of that. I'm going to work on the move today and then do my best to pick up threads and asks on the new page.

It'll be a single D&D-focused hub containing both Graz'zt and @venushorned as sideblogs, which will allow me to add muses and generally manage both current characters a little better.

[fellsilver]

FELLSILVER. If I hurl spells but think not of the consequences, I am nothing. If I take lives but count not the cost, I am nothing. If I steal in the night and see not the faces of the devastated come the next morning, I am nothing. If I make decrees like a ruler but undertake none of the other responsibilities of the throne, I am nothing. And if I do all these things in the name of the Watchful Order, I am less than nothing. Doth thy mirror crack? // Laeral Silverhand, Independent & Largely Canon Compliant, Written by Holly ©

[azzagrazt]

*stares at Graz'zt. Stares at Graz'zt unblinkingly*

“You have lovely eyes, Mizora. It would be a shame for something to happen to them.

What do you want?”

[venushorned-a]

“woman, be sure your heart is brave;  you can take much.” “none but the unhappy people ever hear such praise.”

ind. pri. sel. 21+ only. dnd oc (out of the abyss, spoiler-heavy, bg3, general fantasy). indulged by ophelia, 30. sideblog to @azzagrazt. credit.

[ban1te]

a mad dog understands the yank of the leash. LORD ENVER GORTASH. selective & private. written by ren.

[azzagrazt]

I am working on an updated ABOUT page for Graz'zt for when I swap blogs, and as part of that, I'm including a small section to (hopefully) easily explain the differences between demons and devils within the cosmology. Because I am obnoxious and can't quiet the little voice that goes "um, actually" when I see demons and devils being referred to interchangeably.

For player characters, alignment is descriptive rather than prescriptive. This is not the case for demons and devils (...sort of), where the difference between Lawful and Chaotic is what fundamentally separates them from one another.

A chaotic society is one in which the strong rule—might determines right.  In this societal structure, it is nearly impossible for an incompetent person to become leader because strength is the only virtue that matters, and if you are strong enough to rule, you are capable of killing those in your way.  Iggwilv’s excerpt from the Demonomicon speaks explicitly to this.

“As creatures of chaos incarnate, demons have no unified culture.  The only modicum of order that exists for a demon is the one imposed upon it by a more powerful demon—and the moment that a demon rises high enough to assert its authority on others is the very moment that rivals begin to subvert that authority.” — The Demonomicon of Iggwilv

Graz’zt is powerful enough to maintain three layers of the Abyss in his kingdom, and no one has yet been able to best him in cunning or strength.  Therefore, he leads.

On the other hand, in a lawful society, the laws determine order;  rules come first, the actual competence of the leader second. This is where we see a concern for traditions, proper forms being obeyed, and the idea of some kind of established legitimacy.

Not everyone may like it, but Asmodeus rules in Baator because the structure, rules, and traditions say so.  The Lord of Lies is King of the Hells because people believe it; they follow the rules, even if they don't like it.  His rivals may scheme and plot, but they cannot replace him just by defeating him in combat.  There are structures to be observed, and if the other powerful movers and shakers say that you are not in charge... you are not in charge.

[azzagrazt]

Also, I think a big part of the tension between players who push back (rightfully so) against bioessentialism in D&D re: alignment comes from a fundamental disconnect between alignment on a personal scale (Law-Chaos AND the Good-Evil spectrums) and alignment on a societal scale (looking specifically at the Law-Chaos spectrum). It deals with both, but socially/culturally, it should focus much more specifically on Law vs. Chaos.

It isn't really productive to say orcs are chaotic evil and leave it at that, for example. It is much more useful to discuss orcish culture as a chaotic power structure because... this is a warrior culture in a brutal, dangerous world. If anyone but our strongest warrior is in charge, we could all die. So it makes sense on a pure survival front to have this might = right mindset. The complication comes from tacking on that pesky Good-Evil spectrum, which is far, far more about individuals than structures of power.

[tierras]

in los angeles, the historically Black community of altadena has been decimated by the ongoing eaton fire.

afropunk has created a spreadsheet of gofundmes of displaced Black individuals and families affected by the current los angeles fires. the list is constantly being updated.

please donate what you can and share widely.

[baking-accident]

when it’s time for your favorite character to show up