#arjenn about

[goddesstrolls]

"Deadsong" is one of the troll names for the goddess, and her history on Alternia is mostly forgotten. In many areas she once represented the grim reaper, the one who carries souls to the afterlife.

Her Hands have always been secretive, cult members who do their work in the shadows- Individuals play different roles, and not always ones as gentle as Arjenn's. Some, for example, don't just take those marked for death, but mass murderers and those who tamper with soul and life energy.

What is consistent, though, is that they always ferry souls through the ghost miasma and directly into the afterlife. The main problem on Alternia is that souls have a very hard time leaving it, and while the issue has long since become impossible for even Alternia's divine to fix, Deadsong still makes a concerted effort to put a dent in it.

[goddesstrolls]

Deadsong is a goddess of Death; She has her own sub-domain within Death's realm that is part of the 'afterlife'. Her domain is on the border between life and death, and is the first place that souls must travel through in order to reach Death and, potentially, Judgement.

There are souls who remain in her realm, but rarely for eternity- Because of the close proximity to the realm of life, the place feels comforting to some, a place where they can pretend for a moment that they are alive again. To others, it feels forlorn, a reminder of the life they cannot go back to.

Deadsong's Charons, her servants in the afterlife make an effort to comfort or appease these lingering souls, and guide those passing through.

The proximity to the realm of life is also what allows Deadsong her influence there, allowing her to recruit Hands who do her bidding in life, and then move on to serve her as a Charon, or serve Death directly as a Soulweaver. Her realm also has close proximity to the void, and her influence extends there as she seeks souls that have managed to lose themselves there.

Deadsong, additionally, is not specific to the troll afterlife, and was once living but not specifically mortal or a troll. She is not a Balance and her work is not 'necessary' but she does play an important part in expediting the delivery of the vast number of departed souls into the protection of the innermost areas of the afterlife.

[goddesstrolls]

and 6 and 17 for Arjenn?

6- What was the thought process behind their appearance? Did you go mostly for the aesthetic or are there other reasons they look the way they do? Arjen (Original tiefling version) was originally inspired by a piece of Hollow Knight fanart- His horn shape and red cloak came from it, so those are his defining traits for me.

Other than that, I was just having fun with tiefling appearances and the fact that he was transformed into a tiefling from a human on the creation of his pact with the Raven Queen- Tief!Arjenn had little bird-like scales on his arms and feet.

Other than that though I was just kind of spitballing/going with what I thought looked nice. He almost had red hair with the purple skin as a tiefling (since he had red hair as a human)

He also did not have freckles as a tiefling but did as a human, and does as a troll.

17- Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?

Ravens- And death in general. The Raven Queen, his D&D patron, was a fey queen who hated undead. A lot of Arjenn's magic comes from his spell list as a D&D warlock.

Other than that... Not really, tbh. I could assign more symbolism to him but I haven't really done so intentionally.

[goddesstrolls]

Anyway. I think I've said before, Arjenn is slated for an early grave. He will die on a failed hunt in the next several sweeps, sometime after I've retired him as a character.

Provided he and Yumech are still together at that point Kairos will offer to resurrect him, but this will prove to be an impossibility because Arjenn will be rewarded/doomed to serve Deadsong forever as a reaper of souls. Even if he were pulled from the realm of Death and bound to a body, his soul would be something Other, incapable of living as a mortal.

His arcane domain of pain would present itself clearly as a reaper, and he would reap the souls of those who died lonely, tragic, or painful deaths.

[goddesstrolls]

Thinking again about Arjenn's magic. His is an inverse of Jorlyn's radiant, blinding, overwhelming, and transient light magic. His is constant and powerful, but an unknown.

I think the main problem he has is with manifestation. He has some spells, but it's mostly practical stuff that Deadsong pretty much gave him for his work as a Hand.

Which isn't a surprise, he didn't know magic existed for most of his life. He lacks a lot of the in-depth understanding and knowledge of magic and how it works. And he doesn't even know what he doesn't know!

He has a hard time seeing himself as a mage for that. He thinks a mage is the scholarly type, who studies magic, while he's more or less content to just use the abilities he has. He's a bit curious, but again, doesn't know about what he doesn't know, and doesn't really know where to begin either.

[goddesstrolls]

Right, I was thinking about Arjenn's magic.

I was considering that the events of Ringing Bell woke his true domain- Void. His is the emptiness of a black hole, visible only by the halo of light it consumes. The gap in your life that the sudden death of a loved one leaves. His subdomain is still Soul/curses, and with his main domain being a bit vague it'll probably take him some time to figure out where to go with that.

He embodies his element in a maladaptive way- Loneliness- In the same way that Kairos embodied their element of destruction by sabotaging themselves.

His magic is slowly becoming more versatile, more tangible, as he gets a grasp on it and his domains.

[goddesstrolls]

and the tower + the hermit for Arjenn?

[THE HERMIT] - Is solitude a good or bad thing for them? Do they like being alone, or do they have no choice?

Honestly it's not. It's not good for him. It gives him time to convince himself that it's the best thing for him, gives him time to set aside his loneliness and pretend it isn't there. Gives him time to explain to himself how his relationships will not work, ect..

[THE TOWER] - What is the most disastrous thing that could happen to them? How would they navigate that situation/event?

Having his magic stripped from him/being unable to serve Deadsong. He would continue to drift after that, and try to find some other purpose. He must be Useful.

It would shatter him for a few years, but he'd put himself back together. It would completely destroy his sense of trust and faith, though. Holds it close and doesn't put it in anything or anyone- Even if he acts like he does.

[goddesstrolls]

The Hierophant and the Lovers for Arjenn?

[THE HIEROPHANT] - Do they often abide by social norms, or do they reject institutional values in favor of flexibility/independence?

HM. See, I feel like this question kind of assumes "social norms" stifle flexibility and independence. Where, I can't really see how that's a thing in Alternia (In the way, say, marriage would) except for like. The Fleet.

I guess he's not really outwardly interested in quads, though. He figures he can avoid the drones- He's a mutant, so he has to anyway.

[THE LOVERS] - Are they a good communicator, or do they tend to crack under pressure?

Yes and no. He tends to dance around subjects and is avoidant under the guise of politeness. This isn't so much the case with people he's close with, but boy can he make it hard to actually get close to him. He's one of those people you'll know for ages before you realize you don't really know anything about him.

He will crack under pressure, but he'll get more stubborn steadfast with age.