If I woke up in the world of your WIP tomorrow, what is one unmissable thing that I'd have to see/experience/try and what is another that I should avoid at all costs? These things can be food and drink, sights, culture, festivals, anything!! You can put it in the comments or reblogs of this post, anything goes! I'll start ♥️
If you were to wake up in Oepus, you would have to experience the subterranean amethyst hot springs on the mystical isle of Luna Sang. The springs are said to have healing properties and the amethyst that grows on the ceilings of the cave is said to be as old as Oepus itself! They glow a gentle purple light making the springs appear dreamlike.
There are many things to avoid in Oepus, however, if you get ANY sort of invitation from an elf (dinner party, wedding, anniversary celebration, ANYTHING), run. That's code for that elf wanting to lure you into their forests with murderous intent. Even if you manage to survive the living forest's onslaught, you won't survive the attacking elves that follow.
Just one more story, please? The child whined. I want to hear the one about the sun and the moon again!
They sighed. Very well. Once more, and then you must rest, young master. There is much to do tomorrow.
I know! I know!
The child climbed into their lap as they laughed. Their four arms cradled the boy in a gentle embrace as he settled in with a beaming smile on his face.
Now then, there are many legends about the sun and the moon; some say they are lovers, some say they are brother and sister, and some even say they are the eyes of a giant, watching as the many worlds turn gently among the stars, but none of these are true.
The sun and the moon are son and mother. It is why even during the day, her faint shape can be seen in the sky. She watches over her child, and when he grows tired, she blankets the heavens with her arms and clutches him close so he may rest. That is why the moon shines.
Doesn’t she get tired too? The boy asked. Who holds her when she is sleepy?
They flinched. You have never asked that before, young master.
Well, she needs to rest too, right?
No, young master, the moon never rests. She is always there…
She must be very tired then. The boy mused.
Yes… I’m certain she is.
In the silence that followed, the two raised their heads toward the darkened skies. Stars and faraway worlds twinkling and shimmering as far as the eye could see. Perhaps beyond. Evocative, yet empty. Yearning for the majesty of her presence.
Do you think she’s lonely?
No. How could she be? With all of those stars about her... They placed their chin atop the boy’s head—a vain effort to keep their tears from falling. They gathered the child’s small hands into their ancient ones. You should take care not to be so transparent, young master.
Why?
Because this is a dangerous place.
But I am The Sun! The boy declared proudly. No one can hurt me!
Temperance, young master. They responded with some difficulty as they gave the boy’s hands a protective squeeze. Would that he could understand things were not so simple.
Temperance?
Yes. Someday soon you shall understand what that means. Now, that is enough about stories. To bed.
The boy grumbled and complained but did as he was bid and drifted off to sleep. His apparent peace widened the pit of sorrow in the four-armed one’s stomach. And guilt, with its creeping and forceful hands, brought them into submission once and for all as their head lowered and their eyes closed.
Forgive me, Your Majesty. Not just for returning to this place but for the treason I am about to commit. But I cannot sit idly by as The Night draws near...
The memories of one older than time itself.
Monologue 1 here.
Monologue 2 here.
Monologue 3 here.
Art by https://ko-fi.com/patsux (left) and https://selann.carrd.co/ (right)
A look inside Axtapor & Mariel's Scrapbook that released with "As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor"!
This set of pages contains lore on the cursed isle of Star Lake and was by FAR my favorite set of lore pages to create because there is just so much to chew on here! A lot of it is really central to what happens in AASOAF 3, so I think that's also part of why I really liked putting it together. A little preview/setting the stage for what is to come! This map, like the one I posted of The Holtep Empire here, was made by yours truly!
Credits
Authored By: N. Opal
Map By: N. Opal
Illustrated and Designed By: @illjustpretend
Access it here (my website link). Note, contains spoilers for AASOAF 2.
Happy WBW! What kind of things do people do for entertainment? :D
Kraken!! Happy WBW!
Oh man, the peoples of Oepus know how to have a good time! They do all sorts of things, but here is a list to make it a little easier to read.
Visit an alehouse, smoking den, and in some areas, wineries
Go dancing at taverns and inns (there is a whole underground scene that a certain minor but not so minor character in AASOAF 1 is privy to!)
Go out to eat at a nice restaurant or go for a cozy meal at a local mom-and-pop type place (note, if you go to a fancy restaurant, don't take Axtapor with you, he might disembowel the waiter)
Go see a play, opera, or other stage-type production. This includes the circus and puppet shows! (take Mariel for this one, she's never been to play before, but she's always wanted to go 🥺)
Participate in the many festivals celebrated all around Oepus (the biggest is Solas Week, a celebration of bonds between all people)
Go on hikes, camping, and hunting (definitely take Axtapor along for this one!)
Go swimming in rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans (avoid the lakes that you might find in the Holtep Empire, they'll burn you alive)
Visit libraries, curiosity shops, and even fortune tellers! (Wilkes is your man for this one, he knows where to find the rarest and most coveted books!)
And if you prefer something a little less surface level, there are brothels, fighting dens and pits, illegal chariot racing (chariots are considered weapons of war, hence illegal for civilian use), and bloodsport of other kinds (Fay is your best guide here, but be sure to hold on to your stomach!)
A look inside Axtapor & Mariel's Scrapbook that released with "As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor" last month! (I can't believe it's been that long already😱)
This set of pages contains lore on The Mirage, vessel of the infamous Captain Fay Anara, written from a speculative scholar's point of view. Many of the lore pages inside the scrapbook were designed to appear as if they'd been torn out of informational volumes by Axtapor throughout the events of AASOAF 2 and placed in his notebook for safekeeping. And yes, you read that right, the in-world story is that Axtapor's notebook has been repurposed as his and Mariel's scrapbook! The cover of it actually features the coat of arms of Clan Oxlo 👀
Credits
Authored By: N. Opal
Illustrated and Designed By: @illjustpretend
Access it here (my website link). Note, contains spoilers for AASOAF 2.
The Land Over Heaven, Oepus's sister planet, has no oceans. It's not ever really a solid land mass either. It is more of a series of land masses with creeping plants growing on them that link them together. These plants are air types that need little to no water to grow and actually glow in the dark! This means that from a celestial perspective, the two planets take turns shining in the day and night cycles, Oepus in the day because of its oceans, and The Land Over Heaven at night because of its plants. On a more planetary level that means that each one could be seen from the surface of the other but they say The Land Over Heaven hasn't been visible from anywhere in millions of years...
Happy Muse Monday! This one's for Axtapor and/or Fay: would you ever consider serving on a spaceship? Why or why not?
~ @void-botanist
(you can take "spaceship" to be as futuristic as you want. the main point is that it's different from a sea ship)
(I'll answer this as Fay and for the sake of the question we'll pretend she knows what a spaceship is bc thats more fun haha)
Serving? Do you know who I am? I don't serve anybody. Pity the captain of any flying tub who thinks they can control me.
These spaceships of yours. They're interesting. I can't say I haven't wondered about the heavens. Any sailor worth their salt watches them, you'd never go anywhere otherwise and it would be idiotic to think they were created for navigation. But to go there? Hmm...
They tell stories, whoever they are, that dragons and faefolk come from the heavens. If that's true, then you'd come across either one eventually. And you'd have nowhere to hide. Normally, I'd like the sound of that. But you don't get to live and die then live again like me without weighing your odds.
So, ask me again when you've got a spaceship and I've killed a dragon and faefolk each.
A look inside Axtapor & Mariel's Scrapbook that released with "As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor"!
These are the first two pages in the section all about The Holtep Empire, Lizardfolk naming conventions, and a few other special things (spoilers, sorry)! The seal at the bottom of the first page is actually the emblem of The Holtep Empire, a three-headed Lizardfolk with Oepus in its clutches. (They do think rather highly of themselves 😅)
The map on the right was made by yours truly! I used the rice method and then imported the traced image into Inkarnate to make a digital asset of it. There's not a ton of detail because the printed version of the release material is in a rather small booklet, so I wasn't able to add much otherwise, it'd be lost. I still really like how it turned out, though! Named are some of the major cities mentioned in the AASOAF series, including Axtapor's birthplace and the seat of Clan Oxlo, Ihama.
Credits
Authored By: N. Opal
Map By: N. Opal
Illustrated and Designed By: @illjustpretend
Access it here (my website link). Note, contains spoilers for AASOAF 2.
