#the bishops

[spilladabalia]

The (Count) Bishops - I Want Candy - TOTP 1978

[deadcrow-walking]

in my evil era (becoming a nova bishop in Dema)

[fortunedulyblest]

War Crimes of the Bishops

An Excerpt of a Potential Fanfic.

The world darkened as all the Observers took their places, creating a triangle with the visitors as the center. The world darkened- then flicked to life.

Hundreds of Gods. From adult to Infant. True forms, mortal forms, fighting in a free-for-all. Weapons lodged in the ground, crowns lying shattered.

Clauneck started, “At the beginning of the war, there were hundreds Crowned by Sister Chemach, and the Void left by our parents’ deaths. But gods are not easy to kill when fully powered and facing a known threat.”

A giant tree erupted from the ground, formes of many screaming faces and jagged teeth. A crazed laugh crossed the battlefield. Leshy in his true form- the youngest of the gods- was a worm and more, surrounded by roaring fires and explosions, devouring all in his path.

He of Havoc. An unknown voice whispered across the scene as gods fled from Chaos’s Maw.

The scene changed. A settlement- then another- and another- sick lying in the street, the dead piled in carts. A plague lives here.

A squid in bronze and gold robes stares coldly at a rival god’s banner as a dark crystal of wrong is dropped into another well. An attack directly at the devotion being received by that god, and a distraction. Duty before battle. Another god removed from play for a while, and weakened by pestilence killing off followers in the meantime. Kallamar vanishes in a dark portal as the first follower drinks from the tainted well.

He of Blight. The unknown voice says again.

Another scene. The song of locust swarms. Fields of crops devoured. More towns. Emaciated people. A child, begging for food, falls at the feet of a red frog. The local god attacks- and is swallowed by the ‘eldritch’ amphibian. This happens again and again. Some villages of followers devoured alive by Heket.

She of Hunger.

The scene shifts yet again. A dungeon, next. Two gods wearing their own symbols and that of a blazing crown were tied to tables. The cold, calculating face of Shamura stared down at them as a torture session began. Even after answers were taken in continued, glee in dark eyes as pain was caused to the pair- a switch to a battlefield with gods and followers caught in silk webs, an axe falling on another god, spilling ichor and severing an arm that simply reformed. The spider's grin is feral as the battle resumes.

They of Might.

And again- Narinder and Shamura back-to-back in battle. Someone almost scores a lucky blow on Shamura and is stabbed through ear-to-ear by a thin chain of ichor with a pointed tip. Another almost catches Narinder and their eyes glow purple before their head implodes. Shamura sags in place, exhausted by the effort.

Another blow aimed at Shamura- and this one, with that same flaming purple crown symbol, is caught in a loving embrace from behind. Narinder tenderly rubs his cheek against the attacking god, who struggles and screams and rots alive. Lights in the eyes of the skull that tumbles to the ground shows what Narinder has done. This one is Dead. But there is no After for them. Death has denied them interest. Other skulls throughout the battlefield show that same light as the sun sets.

He that Lays a Soul to Rest.

Once more the scene changes. Slowly the numbers drop. A green Snake hangs in chains. Their Crown's eye is missing. They speak to a stone tablet as if reciting it.

I am shamed, shamed. I deserve no forgiveness. I deserve to die here, shrouded in sin. I renounced the First Gods. How easily pain made a defector of me.

A door creaks open, revealing Shamura making their way into the chamber, holding a bloodied sword made of the Purple Crown.

I will take whatever punishment is due, but I beg of you, reader of these chronicles, remember: they call their faith old, but they are nothing more than heretics.

Again the air shudders. Showing each Bishop in turn.

He of Havoc, He of Blight; She of Hunger, They of Might. He that Lays a Soul to Rest.

Shamura's group is shrinking. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six.

A grinning god with a crown with an icy eye, a snow leopard, is cut down and burned to dust by a much older god in purple armor, eyes mad with rage, crown aflame.

A hundred gods surround the siblings. Shamura's hands curl into fists. Their crown glows. Their form stutters. The eyes of a hundred gods turn the same purple as Shamura's eyes as a hundred of infinite hands touch their minds. Each god captured struggles, some more effectively than others, as their weapons are raised to their necks. One by one the hundreds of gods fall. Heads sliced off then imploded. The large god who killed Shamura's best friend falls last, and Shamura collapses back into mortal form, falling to the ground unconscious with ichor streaming from eyes and mouth and wounds alike.

Five remain of hundreds blessed.

The scene goes black, but the vision does not end.

Slowly light filters back in and the final scene is shown. Five gods in a grave yard. Each marker is new, a candle lit before each one. Each one with a different Crown carved into it. Truth’s Crown. The Crown of the leopard. That of the snake that they likely killed. The ones struck down by Narinder, devoured by Heket, starved by Kallamar, shredded by Leshy...

"On this day we remember those lost to the Divine War," Narinder's raspy voice echoed across the graveyard as pyreflies rose from and flew between the graves and into a vast expanse of white light in the sky, "We grant them passage to the After and what waits for them beyond it. The war was not necessary. This world in need of many pillars is supported now by the last standing of the Old Faith."

The scene began to darken, "We did not start the war, but we ended it. All shall be remembered. It may be the nature of beasts to forget and Gods to be forgotten... But we vow not to forget those fallen."

Shamura's soft hissing voice followed the funerary rites, "Until this world ends... we carry the sins of our actions... and our memories of all of you..."

The vision went black once more and faded away, leaving the Observers standing in the Fortune Teller’s tent with much to think about.

[thewitchoftheweed]

I forgot one number, then just decided to ask more, if you wouldn't mind. 18, 21 22, 23, 24, 25, and a random one, 46, please. Also make sure to take your medication on time.

18. How does each Bishop handle conflict or arguments with their siblings?

Shamura: Here is a point by point rhetorical argument about why I’m right.

Kallamar: Conflict? What conflict?! You’re totally right, what was I thinking!

Heket: [Impassioned shouting and swearing]

Leshy: You may be right but I can be the biggest, most annoying pain in the ass until you give me what I want anyway.

Can’t imagine why their family would have any issues when these are the communication styles we’re dealing with lol.

21. Describe the interior design of one of (Or all) the Bishop’s temples.

Shamura: Grecian style temple covered in spider webs. Giant tapestries depicted their victories. The webs were laid out in such a way that Shamura could always sense who was moving where in their temple. There was also a grand library that gradually fell into decay as their state deteriorated.

Kallamar: Think Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but underwater. Covered in a variety of corals, anemones, and reefs, it was a riot of color and beautiful to look at. Inside was well lit with magic lights and full of massive statues, colorful crystal decorations. At its peak, his temple was a haven for art, music, and beauty of all kinds.

Heket: Her style was more simple, almost Egyptian in its styling. I imagine something like the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, though covered in fungus. Her mushroom garden gradually overtook the temple, and it was carefully cultivated. As a result, her temple was always a bit…humid lol. But she never minded that.

Her temple had the most extensive and well-stocked kitchen in the entire Lands of the Old Faith. She also had a large pool that she would take a dip in occasionally.

Leshy: A large intricate wooden temple that was always under construction. In part because Leshy never really cared about regular maintenance, leading to parts that would periodically collapse/get damaged by time/the weather. The other reason was that Leshy often changed his mind about what he wanted. Sometimes he would smash parts he wanted redone, which is why it was made of wood. Easier for destroying.

In general, it was much like Leshy himself: covered in moss, surrounded by trees, with greenery growing up wherever it can manage. He also featured bits from his siblings’ temple in his own, typically art such as tapestries/sculptures/paintings/etc.

22. How do each of them recruit followers?

Most of them would make promises relating to their domains. Shamura has all the answers; Kallamar can give you a long healthy life; Heket can make sure you never go hungry again.

Leshy was a bit different. He recruited followers by highlighting the bright spots of his worship: frequent feasts and festivals, holidays, dancing, drinking, etc. He just didn’t mention the whole I-eat-lots-of-followers thing.

23. Which Bishop is strictest with their followers, and which is the most lenient?

As one might expect, Shamura was the strictest. Leshy was the most lenient, but his moods and interests changed often. Meaning rules changed whenever he felt like it lol.

24. What rituals or traditions are unique to each Bishop’s cult?

Rite of War - A ritual that fell out of practice in Shamura’s cult once the Holy War ended, but was occasionally done for ceremonial purposes afterward. Warriors gather, chant praises to Shamura, and offer a bit of their blood into a bowl. Each of them would then drink from it and be empowered for the next 24-48 hours, giving them a noted boost to their combat skills and energy. However, those who survived the battle were sacrificed to Shamura. Those who fell received places of honor in the cult’s crypt.

Despite the fact it meant their certain death, warriors fought to win a place among this Rite, as you could do legendary feats before laying your life down.

Plaguebringer Ritual — A staple of Kallamar’s worship during the Holy War and the sheep genocide. A follower is chosen as the Plaguebringer. They stand at the center and are prayed over, then given a substance to swallow. This would depend on the type of plague itself, but it was rarely pleasant.

From there, the follower is sent out to the target area. Anywhere they go, anything or anyone they touch, will be tainted by the miasma of a supernatural plague. Eventually, they themself would succumb as well, typically after three days or so. Kallamar used this to wage biological warfare on their enemies.

Ritual of the Harvest — Though shared with her family’s cults, this ritual originated with Heket. She used this to feed her followers, and gain entire villages of new ones on occasion. Early into her tenure as goddess, Heket would visit villages whose crops failed and raise them with this ritual. The villagers would be so grateful they typically converted on the spot. She also used this to avert a number of famines that might have otherwise afflicted the Lands of the Old Faith.

Rite of Chaos — Invoked when Leshy was bored. This ritual involved his followers drinking drug-laced wine. The effect on each follower was random: some became euphoric, some manic, some crazed. Sometimes it resulted in the followers having mass orgies, sometimes it resulted in the followers fighting/killing/eating each other.

It always made a giant mess, but it kept Leshy entertained, so that was all that mattered.

25. How involved is each Bishop in their followers' daily lives?

Prior to Narinder’s imprisonment, Shamura was extremely involved in their cult’s goings-on, often irritating their high priests by handling most matters personally. After their injury, however, they became distant and rarely interacted with followers.

Kallamar and Heket were both very active in their cults from beginning to end. Most of their followers would see/interact with them at least once or twice in their lives.

Leshy went from not very involved at all to probably the most attentive god in the family. He knew the vast majority of his followers well, largely because the ones he disliked/didn’t care were eaten.

46. How would each Bishop react if they were spared and brought into a new cult?

Ha!

I’ve written most of their reactions in Reconciliation. Leshy was distrustful, Heket even more so. Only Kallamar was relieved to be brought back and freed from godly responsibility.

Shamura…well, they’re going to be a bit confused, let’s say.

[thewitchoftheweed]

Hello! I hope to ask about the Bishops: 4, 5, 8, 13, 14, 15. If you feel a bit lost, you can focus on Shamura or Heket. Drink water daily and eat meals on time regularly 😌

4. How did they discover their domains (Chaos, Famine, Pestilence, War)?

It largely had to do with the gods they toppled/the Crowns they claimed. Shamura first ascended as a God of Wisdom, after they killed the previous god Grand Mancer. Narinder also gifted them the domain of War at his ascension.

It was much the same with the others’, though they had reasons for targeting the Crownbearers they did. Shamura felt the powers of famine/pestilence would be vital to winning the Holy War, so they targeted the gods with those Crowns/domains.

Leshy was…special. His Crown was previously worn by Laplace, a God of Order and Luck. When in the hands of a literal child, the Green Crown turned from Order to Chaos to match its new Bearer.

5. Which Bishop adapted easiest to their role? Who struggled the most?

Shamura stepped into the role of Wisdom & War with all the ease you would expect.

Leshy struggled for a long time; being a god is a lot to ask of a kid.

8. What are their signature weapons or magical abilities?

Shamura: Spear, web traps and poison magic.

Kallamar: Sword and magic in general; especially fond of fire.

Heket: A warhammer. Never got the hang of magic in the way her siblings did, but could summon swarms of insects.

Leshy: No weapons allowed for little Leshy. As he grew, his preferred weapon/magic was his own massive eldritch form.

13. Who among them is the most affectionate? Who struggles with showing affection?

Kallamar is extremely affectionate toward his siblings. He has no issues doling out hugs or words of praise. He also enjoyed giving them gifts now that they had the means.

Heket still struggles a lot with affection. The only exception to that is Leshy; she manages to dote on him enough to make her his favorite sibling.

14. Do they have any pets or companions within their temples?

Shamura’s temple is full of spiders, as one might imagine, including little mindless critter ones. Shamura admires them so I guess they could count as pets. They surrounded themself with the greatest minds they could find, and for a time Shamura’s temple was the center of most scholarly research as a result.

Kallamar’s temple was flush with artists. He wanted his temple to be a thing of beauty, so he had a great many companions who were creators in some form of fashion. Some of them may have also been secret lovers, but don’t tell Shamura that.

Heket didn’t like to make companions out of her worshippers, but good cooks could catch her interest. She didn’t keep pets, per se, but her mushroom garden was often given the same sort of care.

Leshy’s temple was initially full of children. The Green Crown slowed down his aging, so all he wanted initially were playmates. As time wore on, this turned into Leshy surrounding himself with party animals and people who could ‘bring the chaos.’

15. How do they each feel about music or art?

They all appreciate it in their own ways!

Shamura is especially fond of written works and anything that involves weaving/sewing. Music-wise they prefer something soft and unobtrusive, a nice accompaniment to whatever book they have.

Kallamar loves art and music in all its forms. He would often patronize artists and musicians. It wasn’t uncommon for there to be a full band somewhere in his temple, regardless of the day or what was going on. Kallamar himself likes to draw and paint, and is quite good at it.

Prior to having her throat cut, Heket loved to sing and was extremely good at it. She also loved most kinds of music, especially anything with drums. However after Narinder’s imprisonment, she grew a bitter and wasn’t able to enjoy it as she once did. Beyond that, she has a few sculptures in her mushroom garden that she commissioned.

Leshy loves any music, so long as it’s loud and danceable. He also enjoys more abstract art. If it’s a painting or sculpture but it’s not immediately obvious what you’re looking at, Leshy likes it.

[starsailing101]

Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Cult of the Lamb (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: The Lamb/The One Who Waits | Narinder, The Lamb & The One Who Waits | Narinder, Aym & Baal (Cult of the Lamb) Characters: The Lamb (Cult of the Lamb), The One Who Waits | Narinder, Aym (Cult of the Lamb), Baal (Cult of the Lamb), Clauneck (Cult of the Lamb), Chemach (Cult of the Lamb), Kudaai (Cult of the Lamb), Follower Characters (Cult of the Lamb), Original Follower Character(s) (Cult of the Lamb), Bishops of the Old Faith (Cult of the Lamb), Kallamar (Cult of the Lamb), Shamura (Cult of the Lamb), Leshy (Cult of the Lamb), Heket (Cult of the Lamb) Additional Tags: can be read as romantic or platonic or anything in between, Cult of the Lamb (Video Game) Spoilers, The Lamb cares about their cult, Parenting (kinda), more like caretaking, The lamb needs to sleep, Resurrection, Cult Rituals, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rated teen for Chemach and her whole creepy deal, so mentions of gore, No beta we die like the Lamb, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Angst Summary:

The Lamb, after years of raising a loving cult, lays down their life to free The One Who Waits. As he readjusts to unchained life, he finds that he is not suited to be a cult leader. The followers agree. Lonely being the only god left, Narinder seeks a way to ressurect the Lamb. When he does, the Lamb gets a new crown-and domain of godhood.

Newwww chapter!!

[thewitchoftheweed]

Hi! I want to say that i love your cotl saga, Rising of the red star! Got so much love to the relationship of the characters and their dynamics! Also, I got curious in terms of character designs, how do you envision the bishops pre-godhood? or do you leave it to the reader's interpretation?

Hi there! I'm so happy you've been enjoying the fics!

I have a vague idea for each of them in my head, though I'm not sure I fully describe any of them because they changed a bit as they aged.

Shamura: Second-tallest in the family, around 5'11-6'0. Four legs and four arms. A scar over one of their four eyes. A face that began a bit round and soft looking and becomes more severe over time. They favored dark colored, utilitarian clothing without many decorations. They preferred a spear, but used whatever weapon became available to them. In those days, they often looked tired.

Kallamar: The tallest of the family, around 6'1. A very handsome quid with blue eyes and a beaky mouth. Like Shamura, he has four tentacle arms but only two legs. He was the only one who tried to spruce up his clothing by sewing on/embroidering his own clothes. Eventually, he and Narinder started making their own homemade jewelry, so in later years he would wear that as well. Often had a malnourished, "stretched" look as he grew as he wasn't getting quite the nutrients he needed. When he could manage it, he preferred flowy, loose clothes.

Narinder: About 5'9-5'10. Always on the slight side, muscular but never bulky. From age 14 and onward he started collecting scars, including having one of his ears torn badly when he was 16-17. Like Shamura favored utilitarian clothing, especially anything that allowed him to easily conceal his daggers. As he grew he, like Kallamar, always seemed to be a bit too thin with dull fur. Looked a bit like an abandoned alleycat.

Heket: About 5'8-'5'7. Round, stern face, yellow eyes. Like her brothers, Heket was also underweight growing up. She was always broad and bony. She didn't gain weight until they began their cult. When properly fed, she's got the build of a shot putter; Chase Jackson is a good example. The older she grew, the more she began to dress masculine like her brothers. She had a few scars on her arms/legs, mostly from work accidents- boiling water splashing her calf, cutting herself while chopping wood, etc. She preferred to carry weapons that required a bit of strength behind them- hammers, maces, etc.

Leshy: At ascension, Leshy was maybe 7-8 years old. As a result he was about 4'2. He had four green eyes, his twiggy antenna, and his bushy tail. His appearance would change slightly with each season: spring, small flower blooms; summer, more vibrant green color; autumn, a fading to dull green and shedding some of his 'burrs'; winter, a dull greenish brown color. His clothes were a patchwork amalgamation of his siblings' old clothes. Leshy was not allowed to have weapons.

That being said- these are rough outlines, and I left things vague enough in the fics for people to make their own interpretations.