♦ \\ MISTY ; DIM ; OBSCURE ; DARK.

isola-affiliated rp blog for bhaksaara the caliginous, a D&D OC in a curse of strahd campaign.  written by madelyn. newcomer rank, cure wounds 5x per day and necrotic shroud (solely aesthetic), house 104. sidebar art by jeremy ruihley.

[auideas]

I’m made up of black coffee, untamed hair, and poorly suppressed anger.

The Never Book (via auideas)

[caliginoussnark-blog]

♦ \ if i ever see you again i’m gonna jinx the FUCK out of you.

“I hope someone does too, honestly.” It sounded like a pain though, so he just lays on the ground and pulls out a hand held gaming device. “Not everyone is going to dump exposition for the fun of it.”

♦ \ bhaksaara’s about to retort, but he simply clenches his fists and sighs through his nose.  “y’know what?  you’re not worth my time.  go ahead and rot in your shitty personality for all the world fuckin’ cares.  do better next time.” and he sets off to find another person to tell him what the fuck plastic is and why the moon is made out of it––if it even is.

[caliginoussnark-blog]

♦ \ fuckwit.

“Pick up a book or learn to Google…. Explaining is such a pain…”

♦ \ bhaksaara wrinkles his nose.  “alright, asshole, thanks for bein’ an absolute beacon of hospitality to a guy just asking a simple fuckin’ question.  i hope someone shoves the blunt end of their axe up your ass.  have a horrible day.” is he being a little meaner than intended?  yes.  is he just trying to make his patented vicious mockery work?  absolutely.

[caliginoussnark-blog]

♦ \ i’m confused... and i think i’m curious.

“Humans have the weirdest ideas. Moon ghosts and 20 moons… we all know the moon is made of plastic.”

♦ \ “what the fuck is plastic?” bhaaksy, your D&D is showing.

[caliginoussnark-blog]

♦ \ “on the one hand, vampires and werewolves and wererats get their power from the moon.  on the other hand, the moon is gorgeous and deserves to stay.”  he’s not as conflicted as he’s acting; he’s staunchly pro-moon and not even strahd von zarovich can change that.

[caliginoussnark-blog]

♦ \ a drowess?

@caliginoussnark ♫

The boardwalk is one of Kay’s favorite places, especially toward sunset. Once she doesn’t have to worry about sunburn, it’s a perfect place to find dropped money and other treasures. It’s not technically stealing if someone dropped it, right?

She pops up from searching under a bench, nearly running into a stranger as she does. Right away she notices his appearance; she’s never seen anyone with eyes like that before.  Her first concern, however, is offering an explanation for why she’s crawling under benches.

“I wasn’t doing anything suspicious!”

♦ \ bhaksaara can’t help but give the little drowess a crooked smile as he leans against the boardwalk’s wooden railing, watching her with some amusement.  “that kinda sounds like something someone who’s doing something suspicious would say.  might wanna work on your coverup phrases just a little bit,” he says, just a hint smug.  “now what’s an elf like you doin’ underneath the bench?”  was she a drow?  she might have been.  “the sun’s setting, so i think, if i’m assuming correctly, you can probably see better now.”

[caliginoussnark-blog]

♦ \ stay cute, stay innocent.

“I was kind of blacking out from pain and blood loss…” Is his defense at not hearing the singing. But he smiles again, looking impressed. “That’s so cool, though! I can’t heal other people, like at all! I think I can heal myself but I don’t know since I stopped getting hurt once my powers kicked in. But, ya know, now they’re all gone.”

Though his smile falls and he can’t hide the sadness on his face at hearing that his new friend did kill people, and the kind of world he lived in. “Oh…” he said softly. His dad would disagree, say that there was always an alternative to killing, that they had to be the better man, but he could understand why it might be rational to kill someone under those circumstances. “That…” It wasn’t ok, exactly. He takes a deep breath to keep from crying, and tries to talk evenly. 

“That must have been a bad place to live in… it must have been hard for you to make those kinds of decisions.” It hurts to hear that places like that exist, that his new friend had to kill people and that it was so commonplace. “I think the worst person I met was Robin’s mom. She’s really mean. Her dad is a leader of a group of assassins and she told Robin that he’s a weapon that she forged. He killed a lot of people when he was a kid because she told him to…” Hopefully his new friend would understand what Superboy was trying to convey with that message. He wasn’t quite able to put into proper words what he wanted to say or express, but maybe that would help? 

“But about the island!” He doesn’t want to linger too long on the topic, since he might start crying if he thinks about things too long. “Ask me anything! I’ll try to answer it if I know it!”

♦ \ bhaksaara’s fists clench just a little upon hearing about this robin’s mother.  it was one thing to be used by someone like mohradyllion, to be treated like chattel by a stranger––but this kid’s mom?  his own mother?  he fumed in sympathy for this kid, if he was close to superboy’s age.  if he ever saw her, he was going to run his dinky little wooden rapier so far up her ass he could grill her like a kabob.

          but for superboy’s sake, he’ll leave those thoughts in the back of his mind.  keep the kid happy.  “well, what’s this place called?  i heard something about a spiral, but... i was a little too groggy to really process.  why did our powers get taken away, and by whom?”

[ofhotheads-blog]

Send my muse “👀 + a question” and they’ll have to answer with 100% honesty.

No deleting questions, either!

[caliginoussnark-blog]

WHICH PLANET ALIGNS WITH YOUR MUSE’S PERSONALITY?

you got: uranus

your greatest strength is your ability to adapt, and you reject any and all labels pressed upon you.  what others read as eccentricity is your uncanny ability to see what others cannot see, and act as others dare not act.  occasionally, this love of freedom and distaste for attachment can lead you to push people away, but when you find others who understand you — truly understand you — your coalition could tilt the whole world on its axis.

[deadpgasus]

‘DANGER DAYS’ BY MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE : STARTER SENTENCES !

I’m sure there’s already one of these,   if not multiple,   floating around somewhere,   but I’ve never seen it,  personally,   so.    Here !     I switched up the phrasing of some of the lyrics to make sense ; feel free to change things to suit your needs,    like pronouns,   tenses,    etc.

NA NA NA :

“Drugs, gimme drugs.” “Hit the gas, kill them all.” “I’ll take what I want from your heart, and I’ll keep it.” “Shut up and sing with me!” “Keep your apology.” “Shut up and let me see your jazz hands.” “Remember when you were a madman?” “Kiss me, you animal.” “You fuck like a Kennedy.” “What will save us?” “Everybody wants to change the world, but no one wants to die.” “Make no apologies.” “It’s death or victory.” “I’d rather be in Hell than go to Purgatory.” “Pull this pin, let this world explode.”

BULLETPROOF HEART :

“I’m who I’ve got to be.” “These pigs are after me.” “We could run away from here.” “Let’s blow a hole in this town!” “[NAME], could you come back home?” “Let me be the one to save you.” “Stop your preaching right there, cuz I really don’t care.” “Get me out of my head.” “It’s getting kinda cramped, y'know.” “I know how much you hate this.” “We ain’t gonna be the ones left standing.”

SING :

“You’ve got to see what tomorrow needs.” “You’ve got to be what tomorrow needs.” “Use your voice every single time you open up your mouth.” “You’ve got to make a choice.” “Raise your voice every single time they try and shut your mouth.” “I refuse to answer.” “Keep running!” “Every time that you lose it, sing it for the world.”

PLANETARY (GO!) : 

“There might be something outside your window.” “You’ll just never know.” “If Heaven ain’t got a vacancy, then we just get up and go.” “Fame is now injectable.” “Faith is unavailable.” “I can’t slow down.” “I won’t be waiting for you.” “I can’t stop now.” “Don’t fuck around, this is our last chance.” “Come kill the party with me.” “Just leave the party with me, and never go home.” “You’re unbelievable.” “You ruin everything.” “You better go home.” “I’m undefeatable.” “Let’s ruin everything.” “Are we still having fun?” “Are you holding the gun?” “Take the money and run.” “I think I better go now.” “Go home!”

THE ONLY HOPE FOR ME IS YOU :

“Where were you when all of the embers fell?” “I still remember them.” “I still think of the bombs they built.” “You’re the only hope for me.” “What have we learned?” “I know you can tell.” “If there’s a place that I could, then I’d be another memory.” “If we can’t find where we belong, we’ll have to make it on our own.” “Face all the pain and take it on.” “The only hope for me is you alone.” “Remember me.”

PARTY POISON : 

“The car has a full tank, so we’re packing the explosives in a suitcase!” “Everybody pay attention to me!” “Now get your hands up!” “We’re gonna shine tonight.” “I sold my soul long ago for rock and roll.” “Get off the dance floor.” “Ain’t nobody gonna take my life.” “Ain’t nobody gonna get the best of me.” “Ain’t a preacher gonna save me now.”

SAVE YOURSELF, I’LL HOLD THEM BACK :

“Are y'all ready where you are?” “I’m coming for you now.” “I hope you’re ready for a firefight.” “We’re never leaving this place alive.” “Get off the ledge and drop the knife.” “I’m not a victim of a victim’s life.” “We can steal this car, if your folks don’t mind.” “We can live forever, if you’ve got the time.” “I’ll tell you all how the story ends.” “It ain’t about all the friends you made, but the graffiti they write on your grave.” “Salute the dead and lead the fight.” “I’m the only friend that makes you cry.” “You’re a heart attack in black hair dye.” “Just save yourself and I’ll hold them back tonight.” “You motherfucker!” “Be a burning star if it takes all night.” “Can you save yourself tonight?”

S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W   ( SCARECROW ) : 

“Everybody hide!” “Make a wish when your childhood dies.” “We’re all alone tonight.” “Count to seventeen and close your eyes.” “I’ll keep you safe inside.” “Never mind about the shape I’m in.” “We’re all in love tonight.” “Love won’t stop this bomb.”

SUMMERTIME : 

“Will you take me with you?” “And if you stay, I would even wait all night.” “How long until we find our way in the dark and out of harm?” “You can run away with me anytime you want.” “I was terrified of what I’d be.” “I don’t think I need them now.” “You stop the noise.”

DESTROYA : 

“Don’t believe what they say.” “They don’t like who you are.” “You won’t like where we’ll go.” “Brother, protect me now.” “You don’t believe in God.” “I don’t believe in luck.” “They don’t believe in us.” “I’m sick down from the bones to the other side.” “They laugh, we don’t think it’s funny.”

THE KIDS FROM YESTERDAY :

“This could be the last of all the rides we take.” “Hold on tight, and don’t look back.” “We’ll find you when the sun goes black.” “You only live forever in the lights you make.” “You only hear the music when your heart begins to break.” “Now we are the kids from yesterday.” “They only care if you can bleed.” “Does the television make you feel the pills you ate?” “Here we are, and we won’t stop breathing.”

VAMPIRE MONEY :

“3-2-1, we came to fuck.” “Sparkle like Bowie in the morning sun.” “The kids don’t care if you’re all right, honey.” “Pills don’t help, but it sure is funny.” “Hey, you look like somebody I used to know.” “We got the bomb.” “Get your finger on trigger, tap the barrel of the gun.” “Sing it like the kids that are mean to you.” “Oh, I’m such an idiot.” “Our music is way too loud.” “We’re gonna have to turn it down a little.” “I’m sorry.”

[salmonandstudiopaint]

alright, so i haven’t uploaded here in a while.  but y’know what?  let’s change that.  what else could be better for the artistic muse than D&D?

i’ve been DMing a curse of strahd campaign for a few months now, and it’s been nothing but incredible.  the party calls themselves nox arcana, and i wanna show you guys the lovely PCs as well as draw a few of the best moments out.

this here is my DMPC, bhaksaara the caliginous, a fallen aasimar lore bard (and basically fantasy taliesin jaffe).  he’s recently found out he’s one of the vistani and he’s not sure how to feel about that, but he is sure how to feel about fiona wachter and her cult (the party successfully killed her), the burgomaster of vallaki (the party is watching him like a hawk) and any other corrupt authority figures in barovia: subdue them all with swift and brutal justice.

[caliginoussnark-blog]

♦ \ superboy, you sweet summer boy.

Superboy is oblivious to any distress he might be causing, pausing in his talking to let Bhaaksy talk. He just smiles up at him, listening as well as he could. 

Although he was afraid of people with magic, this man had healed him. So Jon tried to push his fear away and tried to accept his new friend without panic or paranoia. Maybe he would be scolded for being so trusting, but he wanted to believe in people.

“Vicious Mockery? Hey I think my friend Dam––” he cut himself off, frowned, and continued, “––Robin can do that too! He makes people cry a lot cause he’s so mean!”

But if Bhaaksy had to tell a joke or sing to heal people, it made Superboy somewhat confused. “How’d ya heal me then? You don’t actually kill people, right?” He sure hoped his new friend wasn’t another killer. “I know a little bit about the island. I can explain some of what I learned, if you want!”

♦ \ “you didn’t hear me murmur in rhyme?  that’s how the spell goes if you don’t focus it into something like a song or a dance,” bhaksaara cocked a brow.  “jenne telaissérii pas morrir, jevux ta duulour guérir.” he recites the spell’s words again, but doesn’t focus any magic into the elvi-sylvan rhyme.  “and i’d love to learn about this island, seeing that i’m trapped here now.  guess this is home for the time being.”

          he winces internally at the tone that jon asks him about his possible killings in.  oh, no.  does he shatter the kid’s illusions?  well, it’s best to be honest, especially since he’s gonna bring the new cult to swift justice himself.  he lets out a deep sigh.  

          “alright.  i have.  but where i come from, there are people who lead cults and rule over entire kingdoms with iron fists.  i’ve come across people who force children younger than you into working for no pay to put riches into the already-rich’s pockets.  i’ve seen people summon dark, evil magic to turn other, unsuspecting people into demons.  i’ve seen people willingly become monsters to exact revenge.  those people?  those people can’t be stopped by jail-time or fines or community service.  they don’t care.  they’ve completely tossed aside their humanoidity to service their goals.  so... yeah.  they had to die and my adventuring party and i killed them.”

[caliginoussnark-blog]

♦ \ oh, no...  poor devon.

“Little bit,” Devon responds, dryly.

Leave it to a bard to see the positives of this situation, though. When Devon had first gotten here, it felt like the last time he’d actually seen the sun as opposed to a slightly-lighter-than-usual-creepy-fog was years ago. 

Though, when Bhaksaara mentions being able to use magic, Devon winces and glances off to one side. “Uh, yeah. About that. Something happened when I got here. I’m not sure if it’s because they took my staff or I’m just too far away–because clearly, Hell is fine, but once you get far enough away that people are riding around in metal boxes going roughly the speed of too fast, that’s a dealbreaker. I’ve got nothing.”

It hurts a bit more to be without his magic than Devon had expected–a few weeks ago, he would’ve done absolutely everything in his power to get rid of it. But it feels like a part of him has been taken away…and he’s not sure the fact that he’s gotten so attached to it is a good thing. Maybe coming here was for the best.

Devon lifts his satchel a bit to indicate it. “I’ve still got my book, nothing in it’s changed, but even the runes’ve run out of juice. I think you just got lucky, as usual.”

♦ \ “well, i don’t feel completely up to speed, if it helps,” bhaksaara says, but his face shows his growing concern and panic.  “you’re serious?  your magic’s blocked?  well, that’s a bitch.  guess we’re just gonna have to be inseparable.  gotta make sure you don’t die or brazzrallath doesn’t make you go totally insane.” while he’s trying to joke and bring a little levity, his smile’s a hair forced.  

          “and i mean... hey, you still got your claws that brazzrallath gave you.  you can tear a bitch apart with those; i saw you do so with those cultists back in the wachterhaus.  that’s gotta count for something,” he says.  “i woke up with all of my shit gone, and i was left with this dinky little fuckin’ thing.” he waggles his wooden rapier in annoyance and frustration.  “but i feel you on the weird metal carriages.  hate that.  humanoids were not meant to go that fast; the idea of hasted flight makes me hurl.”

[caliginoussnark-blog]

♦ \ hooooooo boy, superboy, you just don’t stop, do you?

Of course Bhaaksy wouldn’t believe him. Almost no one did, and Jon couldn’t fault him or them for it. He looked like a simple wide-eyed child who just had a fondness for heroes, and his childish Halloween costume didn’t help make him look less childish.  He thinks about the question posed.

“I think this island is pretty dangerous.  Earlier this month there was a crazy guy turning people into animals in the Golden Ward and people were killing each other. They all came back but so many people were still emotionally hurt. There’s plenty of good people though!  Most everyone I’ve met has been nothing but nice to me!” He couldn’t forgive this island for that incident. It had been heartbreaking to see on the news. “And right now there’s some scary cult going around killing people! It doesn’t help most people don’t have their weapons or powers. This place takes most of your powers, y’know? I dunno if you noticed yet or not. Almost all of mine are gone except flying! And I can’t do that for long either.”

He knows he’s talking a lot, but he feels better thanks to his new friend Bhaaksy healing him, so he goes about talking and trying to help him understand the island better. “How long have you been here?  I’ve been here for... maaaaaybe almost a month? I came from Earth, but a different Earth! There’s a lot of Earths out there, actually. My dad’s not from Earth though but he likes Earth. He protects it! He’s Superman. I got all his powers 'cuz he’s my dad. Where’d you come from? Where’d you learn how to heal people? Do you have other powers?”

♦ \ oh, this kid’s a babbler.  awesome.  great.  stellar.  bhaksaara nods along with a polite smile, trying to make sense of everything superboy’s saying, but each new sentence out of his cheery little mouth hits bhaksaara like a hill giant that learned how to sucker-punch far too well.  if superboy looks behind the eyes, bhaksaara might just be internally screaming; definitely internally panicking.

          first of all––his powers?  weakened?  shit, how much has he lost to the ruler (or rulers, and that’s worse) of this plane?  how can he get his powers back quickly?  what about devon?  doru?  strazni?  how in the nine hells is he going to account for all of them?  what about the rest of the party, if they were here?  gods above and below, does this happen to everyone here in this city?!

          oh, and there’s a cult, great.  fantastic.  MAGNIFICENT.  he’s just got finished dealing with wachter and her bullshit and then count strahd von zarovich on top of that, can he catch a fucking break?!  is that too much to ask?!  well, he knows what he’s investigating here, at least.

          then the kid starts talking about some place called “earth”, how there’s more than one.  earth is the ground, dumbshit, not a place, bhaksaara mentally berates, but he just tries to stay kind.  the kid’s what, ten?  twelve?  maybe thirteen or so at most?  he’s still happy.  bhaksaara will let him stay happy.

          “well, i come from a land called faerûn; it’s in the forgotten realms,” he explains.  “i sort of... didn’t really learn how to heal people.  i’m not a wizard.  it runs in my blood, in a way––but not like a sorcerer; i didn’t inherit my magic, i more-or-less fostered it.  i’m a bard, so i use the arts to make my magic.  if i sing a certain song, i can make people’s minds explode and i can roast ‘em to death with a spell called vicious mockery.  but if i say something funny to my friend and pat ‘em on the shoulder, i can heal their injuries.  shit like that,” he chuckles lightly.  “i’ve got a bunch of different spells in my arsenal, but vicious mockery and dissonant whispers are my favorites.”

[caliginoussnark-blog]

♦ \ alright, you’ve gotta be bullshitting me.

“It’s not a problem most of the time. My skin’s usually hard enough to shatter swords and bullets…” Though he shouldn’t be so reckless while he knew he didn’t have his powers. 

Still, he smiles wide at hearing someone be so concerned for his life and nods, though he knows he won’t run from a fight. It just isn’t the heroic thing to do. His father wouldn’t be proud of a coward, and Jon had done enough hiding from trouble while on the island. “I’ll make sure to be careful! Thank you for the warning!” He takes the hand offered to him and shakes it cheerfully. “It’s nice to meet you, B!” There’s no way he can pronounce that name.

♦ \ as bhaksaara shakes the hand outstretched to him, his eyes bore into superboy’s, completely and fully suspicious of what he’s saying.  skin hard enough to shatter swords and bullets?  really?  he thinks he’s a demigod of a barbarian at the ripe young age of fetus?  he’s got to be pranking the aasimar, and frankly, bhaksaara doesn’t appreciate being pranked.

INSIGHT CHECK –– 23 (NATURAL 20+3)

          he uses every ounce of profiling skill he has as he stares... only to find superboy telling the bonafide truth, 100%––or, at least, the bonafide truth to his knowledge.  well, damn.  maybe he’ll have to take this kid more seriously.

          “you can just call me bhaaksy,” bhaksaara snickers.  “y’know, my sleeves are boxy, my name’s bhaaksy––that might help.” he knows it’s a little strange to humans; aasimars tended to have very mystical names either from or based in celestial.  he’s glad superboy’s going to take the warning he gave.  “by the way, is this area generally dangerous?  am i gonna have to bust out a fifth level cure wounds on the daily?” 

[caliginoussnark-blog]

♦ \ superboy...?

Superboy is vaguely aware of someone talking to him, he starts to tremble, but the voice tells him that they’re going to help, and he closes his eyes in relief. Though he yelps when the knife is yanked out, but doesn’t struggle against the stranger.

After a few moments of silence, on his end, anyway, he opens his eyes again. “Thanks…” He doesn’t hurt nearly as much, and he was sure that after a day of rest he would be alright again. He gives the stranger a tired smile and a thumbs up. 

“Um… I was trying to help someone and someone else kinda stabbed me…” That was as vague as he could put it, without saying that he had a habit of fighting criminals. “I didn’t even realize I was stabbed until I was leaving…” . He was lucky someone helped him though, otherwise things could have gotten bad. He didn’t yet want to tell his new friend Peter about his secret identity. 

“I’m––uh––Superboy. I don’t know how to thank you though for saving my life…”

♦ \ bhaksaara squints slightly as the kid tells his tale and introduces himself.  what kind of a name is “superboy”?  is that some sort of nickname or family name, similar to goliaths and gnomes?  and this kid sounds kind of suspicious, with how he hesitates––like he’s embarrassed.

INSIGHT CHECK –– 11 (8+3)

          while the kid probably isn’t lying, per se, he might be keeping something conveniently out of the picture.  bhaksaara chooses not to pry just yet.  “listen, you gotta be more careful.  it’s good to help, but if someone’s got a knife, you have so much life ahead of you––run as fast as you can next time,” he scolds superboy lightly.  “i’m here to heal you now, but i or someone else who’s capable of healing magic might not be around later, and you could snuff out way, way too goddamn early if you pull shit like that again.  my name’s bhaksaara the caliginous, though.” he holds out a hand to shake.

[caliginoussnark-blog]

♦ \ devon.

Devon rolls his eyes at the insult, but at this point, he’s gotten used to it, and only smirks as he smacks Bhaksaara lightly on the back at the hug.

The smirk quickly drops, however. “I have no idea how we got here. And no, my friend downstairs––” Devon points at his ear, ”––doesn’t know either, just that we’ve been sent to some far-away plane. Apparently, not far away enough to get him to shut up.”

Bhaksaara is one of the few who knows about Devon’s… conundrum––hell, Bhaksaaara is the one who got him to talk about it in the first place––and truth be told, it’s a bit of a relief, the ability to be open about it to at least someone without having to go through the awkward explanation and ‘please don’t douse me with holy water’ phase.

“I’ve been here a while already. I ended up here after the ritual at the Wachterhaus, but I went back and forgot all about this place. Then I was talking to Doru, same as you, and I ended up here again––except it was like I’d never left.” Devon grimaces. “I don’t like it. Doru and Strazni are here, too, but they don’t seem to know anything either.”

♦ \ stranger and stranger.  what kind of planar magic would be capable of this?  “that’s... concerning,” bhaksaara settles on that small euphemism as he wracks his mind for any sort of knowledge on planes and their properties.

HISTORY CHECK –– 20 (17+3)

          there are strong and terrifying creatures that can host their own planes, trapping people within them.  the two of them had just come from one, in fact; strahd von zarovich had done something to gain the unholy power that he had, and they couldn’t leave without some serious outside help.  

          “well... we are out of barovia, so that’s at least a minor plus,” he says slowly.  “and if doru and strazni are here, that might mean the others are here and out of barovia, too.  you’re still in touch with your patron, which means you can still use magic, as can i.” though he feels strangely weaker.  “if we blip back and forth, maybe we can use that to our advantage––write on our arms or in journals or something like that, just in case whatever powers are fucking with us decide to try and wipe our minds.”