Laplace's history is somewhat unclear. It's known that they were someone who let chance take its course, and it's also known that they seem to have lost something at some point. The exact amount is unknown, but given their name, it appears to have been in a bet. Another interesting detail is that they were apparently paid to transport the dead.
Divinity
It is not clear what Laplace's Divinity was or what category of God they belonged to. However, based on the way they are described as letting chance take its course, they may have been a Chosen God, as this reflects their tendency to let their tendency to let their concept flow naturally.
Skills
Laplace appears to possess a variety of chance-guided abilities, allowing them to attack, become invulnerable, or even heal themselves.
Laplace seems to have some control over death, being able to transport the dead, as well as spawn them.
Personality
There isn't a very defined personality for Laplace in this regard, but from what little is known, they seem to have been quite a gambler, as well as someone who let the concept of chance flow, perhaps because they felt a responsibility to let nature take its course.
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Voting ended onJun 21
Goal: 💖70
It's been a while since I've done this section, I'm very sorry for the delay, but I felt that maybe nobody would care anymore once I finished with the main characters.
If this receives support, perhaps I will develop a theory regarding Laplace and their role as God.
This idea is inspired by the Divine Comedy, but set in the layers of existence, something already mentioned in CotL.
First, we would have the beginning of the story with the death of an individual and how his soul, upon dying, ends up in a canoe where he would meet Laplace himself, the God of Destiny (It's a title with a double meaning, since it leads you to your destiny in death, and in turn refers to the destiny of chance). Laplace would be responsible for taking souls through the layers of the world and guiding them to their final destination. (Design by @therekinperson)
The first destination would be Purgatory, where Laplace and the soul would encounter a soul still refusing to leave: The Fanatic. Laplace would ask The Fanatic if they were ready to move on to the afterlife, his tone suggesting this conversation had already taken place several times before. The Fanatic would refuse and begin to unleash their hatred in eloquent words about the Bishops, their heresy, and the chaos they brought to the lands. Here, you would have the option to ask about the era of the Gods or to continue. If you ask, The Fanatic would tell you through a flashback, showing themselves alongside other Chosen Gods, what this divine era was like and how it came to an end. If you refuse, you would simply continue while The Fanatic continues speaking, consumed by their hatred.
The second destination would be The Gateway. This place could have two scenarios depending on the time period. In the first scenario, Narinder is locked up and chained, while Laplace passes by in his canoe and stops in front of him. Here, a conversation would take place with Narinder, who would try to hold Laplace or the soul, but he knows his hands cannot free themselves from their chains. Laplace would ask Narinder if he would let them pass through the gateway to the afterlife. Narinder would be sarcastic and start boasting. Laplace would remind Narinder of his situation, and that in any case, given his condition, he simply had no other choice. This would anger Narinder, but knowing he is right, he would reluctantly grant him passage. The second scenario would be one where The Lamb has already freed Narinder and no one is present. Laplace would recount the lore of the two unique Gods of the Red Crown, explaining how no god worthy of such a role (a Chosen God) ever existed, a role where divine judgment upon souls should be theirs. One (Narinder) initially accepted his role simply because he could find no other use for his crown, until he found a way to break the natural law and planned to open a path between the living and the dead. The other (The Lamb) neglects their role and allows chaos to reign over the souls, and how he himself (Laplace) must ensure that the souls are not lost. Finally, they would pass through a door of light to reach their ultimate destination.
The final destination would be the Realm of Mystic Seller, a place where physics seems to vanish, buildings stare at you, and most importantly, the ether flows in its purest form. Here, Laplace would take his time to explain his divine role and how he has remained hidden among the layers of the world to survive, his guilt, and how he himself had to guide the souls of his followers and divine companions. Finally, reaching a crucial point, you would have one last decision: you can stay with Laplace to accompany him in his eternal task. This would surprise Laplace, but he would be pleased not to be the only entity traveling in these realms, and you would vanish among the layers of the world. The second option is to ask to find peace. Then Mystic Seller would appear and ask you to accompany them. Laplace would bid you farewell, and the soul, along with Mystic Seller, would vanish in a light, where the soul of the nameless being would merge with the ether and become part of the world.
I thought they might show us more of the world, maybe, like, I don't know, maybe an Underworld, or astral planes like dreams or things like that. The real reward for this journey would be unlocking an exclusive follower form from Mystic Seller, since I don't think this mysterious character can be obtained any other way. So, a follower form for this character would be the best.
"Below these waves lurk some of the hardest to catch beasts that ever lived, and I've been trying for years."
I highlight beast because that is their word for "human" or "person". If the Fisherman was talking about non-sentient animals, he'd use the term "critter".
I suspect he's talking about the beast as much as he's talking about the talisman. The Octopus is someone intended for non-mortals. The Crab is a gambler the Fisherman cheated (hooked). He thought they were wealthier/more valuable than they actually were (a whale). The Lobster is good. Very good. As promised. And the ever-elusive squid is wonderful, but of no use to him.
The Octopus sounds like it's describing Mystic Seller, ngl. But I digress. What I know for sure though, is that the crab is Laplace. The great gambler. Aka, the greatest of gamblers.
"Sharp claw, strong shell"
"A wee nipper".
Is Laplace a literal crab? Maybe. If he didn't start life as a crab, he certainly ended his life as one. A penny-pincher, grumpy, and kinda mean. Also a bottomfeeder.
The first line feels like it's referencing Kudaai's Fingernail (Vicious claw, wickedly sharp), which happens to be inside a giant fish (a great beastie). That oozes ichor from it's mouth. There would be the implication that Laplace is who took this from Kudaai, but also that Laplace lost his "shell", which made him wicked.
Shell here could be referring to mental state. Someone who hasn't 'come out of their shell' yet, for one reason or another. Someone who hides or his a homebody. Or it's referring to his home/place of origin. A place known for it's strength, being (seemingly) impenetrable, etc.
However, if he is a beast with a literal shell, it would make him a candidate for what the Godly Gauntlets are made out of. (The last remnant of divine armor, long lost). Or he was known for wearing it lol
The second line is suggesting that Laplace is a small (in stature) child who serves as a helper (usually for a merchant). Perhaps not a minor, but an Infant God. If he's meant to connect to a merchant of note, it means he was a helper of either Clauneck, Kudaai, Chemach, or Mystic Seller. His associated colors is light blue, his eye (or Crown) color is orange and red.
Orange and red is a very notable color combo. More theories and notes on that here, here, and here.
While there is a crab enemy, it's actually, weirdly, shaped like the squid. They both have arrow/mushroom/penis shaped heads. So. That means something for the squid, we'll leave whatever it is for another time.
The crab is shaped like the scorpion enemy. Which is less a "scorpion", and more an ear wig or something else deeper into the Arthopoda Class. These things are made in the image of Hauras, which actually is a fucked up scorpion. And Hauras himself is (re)made in a former God's image. Which seems to be Laplace, associating the deity with Silk Cradle and Shamura.
oh no I haven't actually written about this before.
Basically, its a worse version of the Demon Summoner. Some sort of ritual is being performed that makes them all big and icky and full of ichor. Instead of turning back to normal once they're no longer possessed, their physical form is permanently changed. The OniPress comic shows this in more detail. It's sort of like being sacrificed, but you come back as something else.
The mythological demon Hauras (also spelled Flauros) is a liar and trickster by nature, but when contained within a magic triangle, he will give true answers about everything. The past, future, himself, creation itself, even other fallen angels like himself. He has 20 squads of demons under him. Coincidentally, his Blessed Relic is a 20-sided die. 👀
You may have heard of something called "Laplace's Demon". A theoretical entity pondered by French philosopher Pierre-Simon Laplace. I'm simplifying it greatly, so check out the link for the full text.
The present is the result of the past and the cause of the future. There is an intellect that knows of all forces that set nature in motion and knows of where all things that created Nature. If this intellect is also capable of analyzing that information, it can know the designs of all—from the biggest planets to the tiniest atoms. This intellect would therefore know everything. The future and the past would be no different from the present it lives in.
Laplace never calls it a demon, that's a name the intellect was given by others later on. Probably because the ability to know the future is something associated with the demons and spirits summoned by necromancers.
So Laplace's Dice (and his coin) are that demon. Which means the 'demon' is embodied in Clauneck—who credits this knowledge to the Fates. And funnily, the above theory is something that Clauneck explicitly believes.
"Does fate grow as the flowers do, or is it built by mortal hand?"
"In the shaping of all things did the First distill all there was, will be known into mortal symbol for mortal understanding. Everlasting is my duty, Keeper of these gifts, to stand at the juncture of Fate and Chance; for in the final breath of the final First it was decreed that we shall endure 'til the sun's final setting, when the cards show only darkness for eternity and beyond."
While shaping the world (all things), the First Gods extracted the information of the past (all there was) and the present (all there will be) into symbols that mortals could understand. The cards. Clauneck's also telling us his domain. He's the God of Luck, the intersection of what's possible and what's been willed by an outside power. Usually the Fates, but other Gods are apart of it too.
Didn't think I'd take a detour into a theory about Clauneck, but here we are. Onto what we know for sure about Laplace:
He has two relics, a die and a coin. The former has Blessed and Damned variants.
Laplace's Dice - Worn on each side, roll with care.
50% chance to heal a heart or to gain a Spirit Heart.
Damned Laplace's Dice - Let the river of chance flow smooth.
50% chance to gain a Diseased Heart or deal damage to all enemies.
Blessed Laplace's Dice - What did the great gambler lose?
50% chance to become invincible for 10 sec. or to gain a Blue Heart.
Laplace's Coin - Payment to ferry the dead. [Corrupted Relic]
50% chance to spawn an undead Follower or to summon an enemy.
His iconography includes dice, the six die faces, Follower and Cultist skulls, chance, and polychrome effects. Despite his association with the six-sided die, the odds on his relics are always 50-50. Though, if you combine all the possibilities (of just the dice) you get six options total—one for each face. And four other Gods with shared abilities.
Shamura, Ala, Clauneck, the Anchorite, and the user of the Vampiric Weapons (or Hathor, if they're different). If you include the Coin (which I suspect is the reason why the odds are always 50-50), that adds Kallamar and maybe Warracka's Slave depending on some semantics.
Which totals either 8 or 9 when you include Laplace. Which is the amount of tentacles on Laplace's coin (8) or the amount of "rays" on certain variations of the Sun symbol (9).
But the coin and the dice are different. Like they're related, but they're different points in history. The Coin represents the corruption of Laplace. The dice is the normal remnants of his powers. The Coin might not even belong to Laplace Relic-wise. As in, his Coin; not his Relic. Many of these things are lost items, after all. (Just cause you lost something doesn't mean its not yours anymore)
The imagery on his dice suggest he was a God of Death, or otherwise a God of the Underworld. The golden "body" paired with three eyes is something seen on skulls that resemble Narinder's. So if not signifying he's a Death God, it signifies ancestry.
It also suggests he has a cracked skull and is missing an eye. Maybe two eyes, the "scar" on three is different from the "scar" on one. Oh, and his eyes are pink (salmon, rlly) and orange. (Though when Damned and Blessed, his eye color is red).
Since each die face seems to correlate to an ability (and God), Blessed Laplace had 20 abilities/Gods at his disposal. That is pretty blessed. I also suspect this and other yellow relics are, well, yellow, is because the former deity they're attached to was burned to death. Or presently is burning in some way.
Phew. So, that's Laplace. A likely candidate for the Fleece of the Hobbled Heels. (Roll with care.) As for the other three...
The Lobster
"For the wealthy or well-behaved."
"A big nipper."
Like Laplace, they would've served as a helper for a merchant. Instead this time, they're a big 'child'. So a notably large Infant God who associates themselves with those that are either wealthy or obedient. They're known for being "very good", whatever that means. Their eye/Crown color is magenta, but they're associated with blue.
The Squid
"A kraken in miniature."
"It has eight wiggling tendrils."
Wonderful, but useless. And elusive to boot. They're a small copy (or offspring) of someone else. Either Turua, the Fungus God and sinker of ships, or the Octopus below. I don't think this is Kallamar, but certainly has something to do with the tentacle he has in Purgatory. I... don't know what the eight tendrils are referencing. Their eye/Crown color is cyan and their associated color is dark blue.
The Octopus
"This creature almost seems intelligent..."
"It has eight wiggling legs."
These eight legs, however, are definitely referencing the many-legged creature wrapped in web. If not that one, then the pirate with many legs spoken about in Midas' Cave.
Useful/desirable to immortal beings, and no one else. They're uncharacteristically smart. More accurately, they're something that seems to be sentient when others of their species are not. The funky eyes would suggest they're maybe a demon or a cat or some other sort of predator. Their eye/Crown color is green and they're associated with yellow.
And that's it! I have no strong leads on who these three could be, so no long essay for them. I'll just keep a tab on them, I guess.
