He’d been cooling his heels in a security booth for about five minutes when the Marshal from earlier stepped in and dismissed the MP that had been glaring malevolently at him the entire time.

“I see you’ve got my omni-pad,” he noted absently, drumming his heels against the legs of the oversized chair he'd been handcuffed to.

Which was less than ideal, but far from an unexpected outcome of his little tirade.

“You dropped it as you were being escorted off stage,” the imposing woman responded simply, her many medals glinting in the overhead light.

He shrugged. “You mean it flew out of my hands when your oversized gorilla back there tackled me?”

Which hadn’t been fun. Anymore than being frog marched backstage was afterward. His only solace in this situation was that the shouting from the crowd had only gotten louder after he’d been tackled – and that technically the law was on his side here.

He’d checked. Repeatedly.

Unfortunately for him, he was also tempering that knowledge with the knowledge that the law tended to warp around people of privilege and power. He’d like to have said that was a purely Imperial thing, but he had a feeling it had been just as true in the days of old Earth as it was now.

“I have no idea what a gorilla is, but I can assume from your tone that it wasn’t a complimentary comparison,” the woman noted dryly.

“You assumed correctly.”

The woman chuckled a little at that as she eyed him oddly. For his part, he simply stared back.

“You aren’t what I expected,” she said finally.

He shrugged as best he could while handcuffed to his seat. “It’s true, I’m even more devilishly handsome in person.”

It was funny, less than a day ago he’d never have been as flippant as this with even a lieutenant, let alone a Marine Marshal. Yet now that he was no longer a soldier… he felt… free.

Free to be as annoying as possible.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t reveling in the sensation. Or that he thought this wasn’t a terrible idea. Or that he would stop because of it.

It was just too damn cathartic!

The woman restrained her action to a small snort. “No, I don’t think that was what I was referring to – even if I don’t disagree. I’m referring to your psychological profile.” She flitted through his omni-pad. “Your previous CO’s all seemed to think of you as a study in contrasts. A man who was happy to knuckle down and work. Outwardly respectful. Understanding of the chain of command. Yet with a propensity for independent action that was… conc

Love and Longing

“Hmm... this could be more challenging than I assumed. Is there a bucket of water nearby?” Koga asks as he beholds Vernon and Miro’Noir openly cuddling. The deviants have forgotten where they are and are sharing a chair together with their eyes closed as they hold each other tight. It is an adorable scene, but at the same time Koga finds himself quite uncomfortable here. Many of the nearby princesses are openly eyeing him up if they’re not tittering at the couple and he needs to talk to Vernon.

It’s something he actually finds himself annoyed by. This looks like a Victorian garden party with fancier gowns and a distinct lack of biscuits, but it’s actually a meeting of some of the most obscenely dangerous beings on the planet. Every froufrou mountain of lace, silk and ribbons was draped overtop a walking extinction event and somehow that cretin Vernon was completely at ease among them!

“Why would you want to throw water on them?” Asks a princess in a shimmering baby blue dress. She looks like she walked out of a Disney movie and he idly wonders if she’s rocking glass slippers.

“I need to speak with Vernon but his world is currently only inhabited by his wife.” Koga remarks as he adjusts his glasses. “Unless one of you can get me in contact with The Empress or one of her chief advisors.”

“Why do you need to speak with The Empress?” Miss Blonde in Blue asks.

“Some criminal organization made a move on one of our trainee sorcerers while he was visiting family. We have one dead and three captured and we need to know exactly how far we can take this without causing a massive scandal or insulting the local Lords and Ladies.”

“Traditionally Sorcerers have as much authority as they’re willing to bring to the table. Opposing and rivalling The Queens of the region or even The Empress if they’re willing to push that far.” Princess Bluebell answers.

“So sorcerers are a massive wildcard, great.” Koga grumps.

“What happened?” Vernon asks and Koga sees both he and Miro’Noir are watching him. Perhaps they were always listening. He doesn’t know and doesn’t care.

“Dale brought Jeth’Urla to visit his family. She took her children to a nearby park so they could play without trashing the house and they felt something happen in the Axiom. Dale rushed in with his shotgun out and found a strange woman grabbing an unconscious Jeth with his sisters nearby and also out cold. The moment she saw him she pulled a knife to threaten the boy with and he took her

Love and Longing

She wakes up but doesn’t open her eyes. Strong arms around her, soft soothing breathing... Vernon’s awake too. He snores when he’s deeply asleep. It had thrown her off and confused her the first few times, but now it was comforting. Knowing he was right there was a comfort, knowing that he was not only there but trying to allow her to rest more fully was sweet.

“Good morning.” She whispers to him and is pulled in closer.

“Good morning.” He returns and makes no move to get out of the bed and just holds her closer. “Anything special you want to do today?”

“Hmm...” She lets her thoughts drift and consider. “There’s some training happening in The Empress’s Castle. All Princesses are invited to refine their skills so as to better serve should war be upon us.”

“So you’d like to have the other princesses burning with rage as I’m cheering you on?” Vernon asks and Miro’Noir starts giggling into him at the idea. “It won’t take long to make a banner for me to wave as you fight.”

“Oh Vernon...” She gushes as she cuddles into him. She can imagine it. There wouldn’t be much jealousy, not as much as Vernon’s implying at any rate. It was rare for a princess to be unmarried, let alone unmarried as long as she was. It was even rarer for a princess to not be the first wife in the marriage so many people would be there to be shown off.

Although... well that would be interesting wouldn’t it? After so many girls tittered up their sleeves about her being The Matchless and now...

A man all her own. A soldier. A scholar. A sweetheart. A sorcerer. Oh yes. She’s going to be bringing her Vernon to the training circle. After all, there isn’t any other princess that has her man all to herself.

“What are you thinking of my love?” Vernon asks gently and she sighs in happiness.

“Oh nothing, just that it would be fun to have you there as I go to train. After all, you learn so quickly and fully with all you see. No doubt you could teach everyone a few things.” She remarks.

“I could also grow a tree near the circle so the other sorcerers could watch... or am I the only one you want there? I could get an entire team to cheer you on if you want.”

“Oh no, you’re all I need.” She replies as she finally opens her eyes to look up at him. His eyes are open as well and there’s a gentle smile on his face.

“Good morning.” He says again and she can’t help the smile as her heart flutters again. She stretches just a little and kisses him on the chin.

“Good morning. I thin

During the War of the Beast, the Imperium is on the back foot and some unexpected guests turn up on Terra.
..............

Tell me who they are,’ Vangorich said. The trader whispered a terrible word.

‘Ambassadors.’

‘That isn’t possible.’

‘I know.’

Narkissos looked up now. He shook his head, miserable. ‘Don’t need an interpreter,’ the lead ork said. ‘We tell you how to surrender, you surrender. Easy.’

The silence was as huge as the great scream had been. The scream had been the one response possible to the immensity of the moon’s arrival. The silence was the one response possible to a few simple words. The earth did not shake. Walls did not topple. Yet it seemed to Vangorich that both events occurred with every syllable that came from the ork’s mouth. Everything that the Imperium believed about the orks was wrong. The mere existence of these new orks, these ambassadors, was a blow whose implications were at least as great as the annihilation of the Proletarian Crusade. Here was proof that the military catastrophe was due to something more than brute power. The orks had numbers, and they had technology, and at least some of them had become a new thing. Before the dreadful wonder of an ork dictating terms in fluent Gothic, what response could there be except silence? What emotion other than despair?

The ork had a name: Bezhrak. His Gothic was guttural. It sounded like the evisceration of prey. But there was no hesitation. Vangorich realised, to his horror, that Bezhrak spoke not as if he had learned the language of the Imperium, but as if it were his native tongue. The ork’s expression was uncultured, and the fact that word even occurred to Vangorich was obscene. Bezhrak spoke as if he had spawned from a deep underhive.

‘The Great Beast has you by the guts,’ he said. ‘Struggle, he’ll rip ’em out. Surrender, you get to keep ’em.’

The silence stretched on.

Bezhrak looked around the Great Chamber. ‘So?’ he asked. ‘Give up or die. Choose.’ The silence broke. The tiers erupted with screams, curses, wails of defiance and wails of despair. There were prayers to the God-Emperor, and there were what sounded to Vangorich like treasonous pleas for mercy directed at the orks. He tuned out the wider Senatorum. He was surrounded by enough idiocy on the High Lords’ dais.

Mesring turned on Tull. ‘What have you done?’ he screamed at her. ‘You have brought sacrilege into our midst. Holy Terra is defiled!’

(Bickering)

The Master of the Astronomican was not worr

WIKI

First

_________________________________________

Council - Uri

Uri was sitting in the council chambers with the other members who didn't join Tei on his botched mission. She had a hand rubbing a temple as she endured the shouting arguments of those around her, some demanding war while the others were calling for caution.

The situation was nearly beyond salvageable, but knowing what members were left she had little hope of anyone agreeing to anything intelligent, much less her proposal. They were all either too stubborn, too prideful, or too polarized to go with Tei, while being too fearful of speaking out against him due to his grandmother being council head.

“This is well past a problem! We need to begin mobilizing an army!”

“They captured over a hundred fifty! What would happen if we went in with a thousand or even ten thousand, and they got wiped out all together!”

“They captured and killed our members! What the hell else are we supposed to do!?”

A spike of anger shot through Uri, because there was only one option to save face and start getting there footing in this unfortunate situation. “Negotiate like we should have done from the start! We don't have a choice now!” She yelled in frustration.

“Negotiate!? We are dragons! What would the other races think?!”

“That would worsen the situation!”

“We don't need any more ideas from an initiate!”

Uri was about to point out that she was the only one who argued against Tei, but she bit her tongue, sitting back in her chair as she seethed.

As the arguments continued, a tall and very old looking dragon walked in with a book, and Uri’s lips curled up in amusement. It was Phi, her great-aunt and head of the council. All of the chatter fell into silence as she slowly made her way to the largest seat in the chamber. When she sat down, taking a moment to shift around to get comfortable, she placed the book on the table in front of her and interlaced her fingers on top of it.

Phi’s piercing gaze scanned every person around the massive chamber before she leaned forward with a deep frown. “Fucking children, every one of you.” The words cut through the silence like a knife, only making the thin smile on Uri's face widen.

Phi let out an exasperated breath. “Can anyone here recite to me our creed? And not the crap we peddle to th

#Announcing the bracket for r/indieheads Battle of the Bands 2022!

Starting next week, 32 musicians from our own community, voted for by you, will be pitted against each other in a cruel fight to the death for our own perverse amusement. The winner will be crowned the r/indieheads Battle of the Bands champion, and will receive a $100 Bandcamp gift card as a prize.

#Round 1 voting schedule:

Jan 24 - Group A

Jan 25 - Group B

Jan 26 - Group C

Jan 27 - Group D

#Full artist lineup (in alphabetical order)

Introduction:

The purpose of this post is to provide references, citations, and quotes from modern and classical scholarly opinions on why music is halal (aside from issues of bad lyrical content or the context in which it is played).

The purpose of this post is not to debate the permissibility of music, or analyze ahadith. For detailed analyses of ahadith pertaining to music, follow the links below.

If you think music is haram, that is fine for you to follow for yourself. However, as this post will demonstrate, there is very significant ikhtilaf (scholarly disagreement) on its permissibility, with many respected modern scholars, classical scholars, and even tabiin (2nd generation Muslims) and sahaba (companions of the prophet) allowing music. There is not ijma (scholarly consensus) on its impermissibility. Please read the post before responding on this.

If you have suggestions of further articles, fatawa, references, or quotes to include, or suggested edits, feel free to leave a comment.

Note: I am Sunni, so most of these are from Sunni sources. The strongest traditions I found widely allowing music are from the Maliki, Zahiri, and Shafii madhabs. There are also Shia opinions allowing music, but I only included two Shia sources below. Please suggest more with links to the relevant marja’s websites if you know them. Also, I only list the following links for their relevance to the permissibility of music, I do not necessarily endorse the views of any particular scholar listed below.

I. Fatawa and articles from modern conservative scholars permitting music:

Fatawa from Grand Mufti of Egypt Shawki Allam, appointed by consensus of al-Azhar’s Council of Senior Scholars representing all 4 Sunni madhabs:

· http://www.dar-alifta.org/Foreign/ViewFatwa.aspx?ID=7000&text=music

· http://www.dar-alifta.org/Foreign/ViewFatwa.aspx?ID=4866&text=music

· Detailed explanation of the above fatawa from the Grand Mufti of Dar al-Ifta Missriyya available here: https://www.reddit.com/r/islam/comments/zh6mm/dar_al_ifta_on_the_issue_of_music/

Fatwa from the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Shaykh Jad al-Haqq: [https://islamictextinstitute.co.za/music-azhar-fatwa/](https://islamictextinstitute.co.za/music-azh

An : Two-parter because I passed the character limit, and I'm gonna give reddit a few hours before releasing Part two. The site can be buggy. :I

WIKI

First

_________________________________________

Leo

Leo had been avoiding Anasslia whenever possible for the past week, only popping in when she called to make good on helping Qassria with her deal, because it became apparent that Anasslia was now pursuing some kind of marriage herself after he started sleeping with her. It turned out that the dominating queen had a thing for being dominated, and he made a major mistake in playing into her masochism. The only upside of it was that he could slip away if he really worked her over, which was a double edge sword in that she only grew more determined after each carnal tryst.

It was whenever he helped the queen in tricking a few more nobles into signing binding contracts with his illusionary army, that she really laid it on thick. But despite the nagging distraction, he really enjoyed the little deception that gave him a chuckle every time he did it, because from his perspective it was nothing but a top down real time strategy game as he used a light map to accomplish it all from the comfort of Anasslia’s chambers. That amusement faded as soon as he was done, because the only way he was leaving that room without the marriage obsessed queen was to leave her in a temporary pleasure coma.

Thankfully the pestering was limited when he was helping Vipa in dealing with the slums, simultaneously maintaining dozens of magical maps as her officers coordinated the army to clean out the crime ridden area. It took only four days to completely collapse the, under normal circumstances, illicitly run part of the city.

The maps were being used to find and pinpoint targets in the slums for the army to move in and deal with, while Leo restrained them with his magic, putting timed releases so the troops could secure and disarm any hostile targets while he moved on to help the next officer. The maps had basic navigation controls, simple lights that controlled the map panning that the officers could press a finger into. There was a two way sound communication as well, a highly useful feature for listening in on enemy intel while sending out your own to counter it.

In total they liberated over two thousa

Chapter Twenty Seven: Small Step, Big Leap

“Nodrin… I was expecting many possible outcomes today… being the first of our people to venture off our world to speak with other unrelated peoples from the stars… was not one…” Meeki says as her hand clasps tightly with Nodrin’s.

The vessel they sit in merely hums as it departs from the ground and soars into the clouds faster than any Gratt airship. Despite the speed, there’s no significant shift of gravitational force.

“You will begin to feel lighter.” A Cali escort guard informed them through their automated translator technology. “Again, it is imperative that you understand that you must be overly cautious when interacting with other species. You are classified as Deathworlders because of your physical advantage over most others. So for the time being please keep your manipulators to yourselves unless prompted otherwise. If prompted, act with great care. Do not run until you have adjusted to the difference in gravity, and don’t move around corners carelessly. You are made of denser and heartier stuff than most others. Please be aware that your facial and bodily expressions may not translate the desired intent to other species. You can also expect strange or disconcerting expressions, it’s likely no offense is intended. Have any questions?”

“How many other species are there?” Nodrin inquires.

The Cali shifts in their standing position.

“Hundreds.” they say with a shrug, “Any questions regarding Deathworlder etiquette?”

Meeki and Nodrin look to each other in uncertainty.

“We must be gentle, understanding, reserved and respectful with everyone we meet. You have our word that we will be such.” Nodrin confirms to their guard.

“Excellent to hear. You are to meet with a member of Cali royalty, so if there’s any question of your intentions I am authorized to use deadly force. I hope you understand.” the guard replies.

“Understood.” Meeki says quickly, trying to not sound insulted by the insinuation. Surely the people of stars’ technological advantage outweighs anything two unarmed Gratt could accomplish. Though if their ‘royalty’ is involved then she supposes such a warning is merited.

It’s then the Gratt begins to feel indeed… lighter. Not weightless by any means, but they certainly are in awe of the phenomenon regardless.

Then making the two jump in surprise, the section of wall next to them fades into translucency. Meekit can’t help but grab her seat, fearing of falling out of the craft. Tho

16: KANDAWIRE

• Kandawire, suddenly caught in the open on the front lines of a battle after her failed attempt to parley with Valdor and convince him to peacefully surrender the Palace, attempts to flee to the relative safety of the ridge.
• She, along with the Thunder Warriors and everyone else present, has been caught completely by surprise by the battlefield debut of ten thousand Astartes, who had remained hidden thanks to the cover of the storm and static emitters.
  • "Thinking back, she should have listened to the warnings her heart had been prompting for a long time. Valdor was no fool. The Emperor, his master, was no fool. The vulnerability of the Palace had always been an illusion, something placed tantalisingly in front of them like bait. And, like the eager simpletons they were, they had snatched at it."
    • This is the first time she has thought of the Emperor as an adversary, never once before this conceding the notion that Valdor's maneuverings were in league with Him. With the reveal of the Astartes, which had been kept secret from the High Lords, she is finally beginning to realize that the Emperor countenanced the purging of the Thunder Legions, and admit the reality of her fear that the Lex Pacifica is nothing more than a paper shield.
• She loses her way amidst the chaos, her movement hindered by her environment suit and generously proportioned body, fully expecting to die any moment, "the air [so full of] las-beams and projectiles that it had seemed impossible for anything to emerge from its heart intact. She panicked, hyperventilating as she saw the hulls of entire tanks ripped apart and squads of soldiers mown down by explosive rounds."

>Only slowly, with mounting disbelief, did she realise the truth. Valdor’s warriors had plenty of opportunity to end her. After a number of miraculous near misses, she finally fell on her knees before one of them, knowing that there was no way he could pass up the chance.
>
>***‘Do it, then!’ she yelled at him, her fists balled in impotent rage. ‘It’s all you know how to do!’***
>
>The warrior glanced coolly at her. He was enormous, close to matching the Thunder Warriors in size. Whereas they were gloriously flamboyant – barbarian kings in bronze and crimson – he had a brutal, mechanistic look to him. All facial details were obscured. *His armour was so dark as to be almost black, with only a few prominent markers – a single ‘I’ on the breast-plate,

Taken from PTS and with courtesy of u/DrYoshiyahu

Dance of Destruction The stars were falling. Or maybe it was the whole of the sky, sliding into the sea. Gilgamesh couldn't be sure. Either way, it wasn't a good sign. He turned away from the opening in the roof of Tiamat's temple-palace and looked at Neith. "Something has changed," he said.

"No. This has been coming for some time. The world is a [sic]

"What now?" Merlin asked. His voice sounded small in the stultifying silence that followed the end of everything. He looked at Atlas. Freed of his burden, the Titan had made himself comfortable. He met Merlin's gaze with a lazy smile.

"Now? Nothing, save watch the cosmic sea roll in." Atlas stretched and leaned back against a rock with his hands clasped behind his head. "I don't know about you, but I'm interested to see what happens when it reaches us."

"You will drown," Tiamat rumbled, her gaze on the heavens. "Everything that is will drown. Except for me."

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Atlas asked. "For the great sea to swallow all of creation, so that you might attempt to pull something new from the black waters?"

"Attempt?" Merlin asked. He'd never considered the possibility that Tiamat might fail. It had seemed a foregone conclusion. But if she failed—what then?

"I will do it," Tiamat said. Merlin looked askance at her. Was that a note of doubt in her voice? Even a single moment of weakness could spell disaster.

"Perhaps." Atlas stretched again—he seemed to take inordinate pleasure in so simple an action, Merlin thought—and continued, "Or perhaps you are beginning to think about what I said earlier. That what comes next might not be what you imagined, or to your liking."

Tiamat turned and fixed the Titan with a glare. "No. I am merely impatient to see it done. I do not like this waiting. Where is the deluge I was promised?"

Atlas gestured airily. "Somewhere out there, racing inwards from the edges of existence. I told you—time was first, then the stars and finally, us. When the moment comes, only the strong will be able to avoid the undertow."

Merlin frowned. "Are you certain of that?"

Atlas glanced at him. "A little late to be asking me that, don't you think?"

Merlin turned away, searching for the familiar figure of Cliodna. [sic] The Banshee Queen stood some distance away, watching. Waiting—but for what? But in truth, he knew the answer to that. Just as he'd known what he must do the moment he'd allied himself with Tiamat. He looked down

What moments in the lore do you most cherish in terms of fleshing out the 40k universe - world building, characterization, action, humor, drama, tension, revelation, etc.?

For me, it's a very subtle little moment from The Unremembered Empire, by Dan Abnett.

Ensconced on Macragge, Primarch Roboute Guilliman is holding a private conference with his chief librarian, Titus Prayto. The primary focus is the unnerving ghost images and voices that have been haunting the palace precincts for weeks. At the end:

>Prayto rose to his feet, sensing that his audience was ended. Guilliman noticed that the Librarian had been regarding, with some interest, books and data-slates piled on a side table.
>
>‘You read, Titus?’ the Avenging Son asked.
>
>‘Of course, my lord.’
>
>Guilliman demurred with a slight shake of his hand. ‘You misunderstand. Of course you can read. But I don’t mean data, or tactical updates, or informational material. Do you read fiction? Drama? Poetry? History?’
>
>Prayto maintained a solemn face, though he was amused. There were times when Lord Guilliman of Ultramar seemed to know everything about everything, in astonishing detail, yet he could also be childlike in his naivety and not understand very basic things about the people and the culture surrounding him.
>
>‘I do, my lord,’ said Prayto. ‘As I believe someone in this very room said, in the address to mark the recommencement of the Librarius programme, our minds are our primary weapons, so it pays to exercise them well.’
>
>Guilliman laughed and nodded. ‘I did say that,’ he agreed.
>
>‘I read extensively to that end,’ said Prayto. ‘I find the notions and wisdoms contained in literature and poetry push my mind to places that pure technical reading does not. I enjoy the epic cycles of Tashkara, and the philosophies of Zimbahn and Poul Padraig Grossman.’
>
>Guilliman signalled his approval with a tip of his head. ‘All Unification Era, of course,’ he said. ‘You should explore the classics.’ He crossed to the side table and took up a data-slate. He handed it to Prayto. ‘You’ll enjoy this,’ he said.
>
>‘Thank you, my lord.’ Prayto studied the title. ‘Amulet, Prince Demark?’
>
>‘It’s drama, Titus. Ancient stuff, from M2 or earlier. One of the few extant works by Shakespire.’
>
>‘Why this, my lord?’
>
>Guilliman shrugged.
>
>‘My father had me read it as a ch

Hi,

I searched the internet for different pirate factions, but coulnd't find anything, so I'm here! I want to make different pirate factions, with quirks, themes and so on. They are (usually, not always) seafaring pirates, but each of them have a different look/feel to them and different way of operating. They usually have more than 2 ships and a base of operations. Go all out with all the weird ideas (haven't watched, but think One Piece). So don't think necessary pirate-pirate factions, but pirate-associated factions.

d100 D100 Maritime Pirate Factions

1. Pyrates - Pyromaniac pirates, who are the "bounty hunters" of the high seas. They are hired for large amounts of money to burn down an opposing captain's ship/base. They ofter wear orange clothing and use hooked scimitars infused with flames.
2. Seaminers - Pirates who are mainly scavenging other sunken ships and "helping" washed ashore ships and crews. Their ships are a patchwork off all other ships, if they found something usefull they stitch it to their ships. Mainly drunken halflings and dwarfs.
3. Galewraths - A band led by a druid who thinks about the piracy as a natural food chain and he thinks he is the apex predator here. This faction controls sea animals (octopus, sharks, kraken) and their crew features merfolks. They can hide their ships in a thick magical fog (or under the water) and they prey on the enemy that way.
4. Wings of Death - Basically pelicans, ducks and other water-birds, who use their ships as a motherhip and they fly out to raid other ships and bases.
5. Y'all need sum? - A smuggler band, who are using deep underwater cave system to store and move their goods.
6. The Dawn wrath- A ship populated by Vampires, through the day they cover their ship with a very-dense very-dark mist, in the nights they'll transform into a swarm of bats and aboard weakest crews ( u/Kichu6202 )
7. The Rattails : A group of pirates who are actually wererats. They enlist on other vessels, infect some of the crew with lycanthropy, and then during a full moon, sail their ships up to the vessel and attack while transformed. To them, everything is treasure. ( u/TheDeckOfEnbyThings)
8. The Red Scarves: A group of pirates founded through a dark mutiny. Originally, the mutiny failed and the mutiny's leader had her throat slit for it. But, she was revived by an evil god of revenge, and returned to kill those who had stopped her. When she took over, she renamed the fleet, and they all wear red scarves to sym

Chapter 92

The Abyss layer 113, Thanatos. Throne room of Everlost Palace. Earlier that day.

Agy was back on his perch behind Orcus in the Everlost Palace. He had given Orcus the bad news about the loss of his undead army, all of his army, and was rewarded with the gift of undeath. Now with his skeletal wings and skeletal body Agy no longer had to worry about getting tired or eating or drinking. He still hungered for things though, he longed for the cold embrace of moist soil and the taste of living flesh. But he would have to eat later. Right now Agy was watching Orcus use a scrying orb to find the one responsible for his lack of an undead army.

Orcus knew that this Lilith creature must have been related to the actions of Lathander as her conquest of the 600th layer of the Abyss had happened at the same time that his undead army in Thanatos disappeared. But he had no idea what they looked like so he was unable to scry on them without a face to put to the name. With that being a dead end he decided to scry on Delvia instead. Somehow she was alive even though every other demon in the Endless Maze had been killed, even Baphomet. But more importantly she had destroyed one of his symbols and killed one of his servants. And while it was unthinkable for a demon to work with a god like Lathander he suspected her survival might point at that very possibility. “Is that Kali walking by her side? And since when did Delvia travel with snakes around her neck?” He asked one of his generals.

“I have a report here on Kali my lord.” the Goristro said as he lifted a large book from a near by shelf and placed it on a desk next to the Demon Lord.

Agy gulped at the sight of the large tome. ‘I wouldn’t want to get shut inside of that one.’ he thought his skeletal tail twitching at the mere sight of the massive book.

“Why do we have such a large file on Kali? How much time and resources did you spend looking in on this reject of a god?” Orcus asked his voice thundering with anger.

“Well master, she was once believed to be interested in killing you and taking over your godly domain of death. You know back when you were still a god.”

“You fools this pitiful woman tends to her forest and sculpts her island of bones. She does nothing else. She is a shut in and would have never dared raise a hand against me. Meanwhile Kiaransalee blind sided us and killed me taking my divinity. You lot

Content warning for those of you who are averse to violence or have overactive imaginations. There is considerable violence in this chapter. If that hasn't scared you away, then welcome. Here you will get to see members of The Shining Knight acting to their full potential as a team. I am grateful for the small handful of people that have been sticking with me through this strange time in my life. Please, share this story to any and all whom you think may enjoy it, I only wish to entertain the world with my creative narratives. As this is pretty much the climax of the whole story, I have tried to go all out on my writing to give you the most thrilling rendition I can come up with, feedback is welcome. Anyways, Please Enjoy.

+ Prologue + Previous + Next +

______________________________

Chapter 22

The Rescue

Jessie was worried about Samantha and Neirdith. They had been gone for over an hour now and hadn't said so much as a squeak in that time. What was even worse, they had not responded to any of the messages that he and Creesh had sent in the last ten minutes either. Jessie looked at Creesh and grimaced, they were standing near the airlock behind Skorr whom they had just informed of the problem.

The huge creature was still a bit of a marvel to him. The massive metal being had to weigh well over ten tons guessing by the way they shook the floor when they moved. But this didn't seem to hinder their movement as Jessie had seen just how fast they were capable of moving when provoked.

"What are we going to do? She told us to stay here. But what if she is in trouble?" Creesh muttered to herself while pacing back and forth.

Skorr rumbled in seeming consternation at her remark saying "If she is in danger then that is reason enough to disobey. But we have no way to tell, and my sensors cannot penetrate far enough to detect her." The cyborg seemed to sink into themselves as they experienced a severe internal dilemma.

Jessie thought about it "She would have responded by now unless she was unable. It's possible that she is just occupied by something at the moment. Yeah, that's probably all it is." He lied to himself.

Crees

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Hey, paper papas and origami mommies, it’s time for the back half of January’s update which offers some vivid midwinter fare, plus a little extra panache via Fang’s cookie. Thanks as always to Miranda for help with the banners and Pancham and Bassieeee for help with the text! This update’s not too huge (finally, an easy one), so let’s crack it open.

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• Version Codes
  • v4.4.2e was 88c28, v4.4.2f is 60b51.
  • This is a client-side update that should not require downloading a new app version.

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• January Fishing Tourney – Glimmering Ice Plaza
  • This fishing tourney will have us heading down to Saltwater Shores to catch ice-white fish like the white pufferfish, Atlantic horseshoe crab, and white ribbon eel to earn prizes for a colorful ice festival. Create a polar cap plaza made of multicolor ice blocks to celebrate the season of packing together all kinds of cold creations! Welcome visitors with the glimmering ice arch and enjoy warm treats inside the vividly insulated glimmering ice hut (it iglows in the dark!)! You can use the glimmering ice bridge, the grand prize, to get a high view of the aurora borealis or place it as an entrance to a secret snow fortress… (Just barricade it with the blue and pink ice partitions to keep it safe!) Putting enough of these frosty fish on ice will yield 30 orchid ornaments as part of January’s overarching New Year’s Snow campaign, so make sure to go fishing every 3-hour cycle you can (stick around for harlequin shrimp if you still need them!) and talk to your campsite animals in case so they can share with you their own cool catches. This low-temp tourney begins January 11th GMT, January 10th for PST and other early time zones.

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• Ice Palace Wall & Floor Collection
  • Construct a wintry manor to enjoy the throes of winter in cool comfort… The solid ice wall,

I'm proud to say Shotgun Fantasy is now a published book! This story has been my baby for what feels like an eternity. Finally sharing it is one of the most thrilling things I’ve ever done in my life and the thought of no one reading it keeps me up at night. Anyway, I'd like to thank this community for all the encouragement throughout the years. I've been building this fantasy world for over half a decade by answering prompts here, but this is the first time I've ever finished a book in this setting. It's an honor to finally share it and I hope you give it a shot!

Word Count: 86k

>In a world where humans can't perform magic, elves and other long-lived races have reigned supreme for millennia. Rumors have spread lately of a human invention that might change this. These 'guns' were currently underestimated by most of the world except an old elvish merchant, who saw an opportunity for profit...

Link to original prompt

Prologue:

Laughter echoed through the crystalline halls of the Imperial Palace for the first time in centuries. Apparently, humans were accelerating tiny spheres of metal at their enemies through a barrel, using a controlled explosion to fuel its strength. They hadn't moved past blow darts or throwing rocks.

Rhangyl waited for the council to regain their composure. He had never seen them display this much emotion. They couldn't grasp the danger of the upcoming conflict. A folly of their youth. In fact, this meeting only bolstered their confidence. Rhangyl sighed. He couldn't fault humans for resenting his people.

Elves had pretty much exploited them for millenia. Even after the Zenith Revolts, where human nations across New Gaia gained sovereignty, the economics of magic were too much of a hurdle to overcome on their own. After all, one competent wizard could produce more than a human town's entire workforce. Unfair trade agreements ensured that their governments were still reliant on the elvish empire for most of their industries, keeping them subservient through indirect means even after earning their freedom. Rhangyl knew this was about to change. He witnessed a group of bandits slaughter his private caravan with these weapons. Most of the hired guards fell before they could shield themselves with magic. The spell took too long to cast. Rhangyl only survived because he went invisible before the humans fired on him, barel

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In the year 1483-1484, the Sultanate of Malacca fought the great army of Dai Viet (old name of Vietnam) around the reign of Alauddin Riayat Shah (1477-1488). In Chinese Ming annals, the war was called the Lan Xang Wars. Lan Xang is an old name for northern Laos and at its peak, it is one of the biggest empires of South East Asia and famous for its fearsome war elephants.

The Malaccans called the Dai Viet Orang Koci or Kuci, derived from the old name of Dai Viet, Cochin-China.

Le Thanh-Tong, the greatest Le Dynasty Emperor, worshiped as a hero by the Vietnamese today

According to Mao Qiling, the greatest Le Dynasty Emperor of Dai Viet, Le Thanh-Tong / 黎聖宗 (1442 - 1497) sent 90,000 troops to invade Lan Xang but was defeated by the Malaccan troops sent there with 30,000 dead as casualties. However, the Chinese history records did not describe the order of battle, disposition, placement, and strategy of this particular fight so there is no hard evidence. There is a dispute about when it happens too.

The Chenghua Emperor (Chinese: 成化帝; pinyin: Chénghuà Dì; 9 December 1447 – 9 September 1487), the Ming Emperor during this war

It began shortly after the 1471 Vietnamese invasion of Champa, then already a Muslim kingdom. The Chinese government, without knowing about the event, sent a censor Ch'en Chun to Champa in 1474 to install the Champa King, but he discovered Vietnamese soldiers had taken over Champa and were blocking his entry. He proceeded to Malacca instead and its ruler sent back tribute to China.

The tension begins during the reign of the great Malacca Sultan, Mansur Shah when the Malaccan diplomatic corps was hit by a typhoon and stranded at Dai-Viet shores. The Malaccan Admiral at that time, Bija Rana was on the way home after a successful mission to send gifts to the Chinese Emperor in 1469. Admiral Bija Rana was mentioned in the Sulalatus Salatin or Sejarah Melayu as one of the

Of course, nothing was ever that simple.

“Looks like we’ll be extending our stay for a few more hours,” Jason said as their guide strode away.

“I told you that… fish thing was bad news,” Nora noted, a hint of vindication in her tone.

Jason couldn’t exactly argue.

Apparently that Gator-Shark was not supposed to be where it was. In fact, the boatwoman who was even now walking away from them, had turned an alarming shade of grey when Nora had offhandedly mentioned it just moments before they’d piled into the boat.

Something he wasn’t sure whether to curse out or thank his bodyguard for, given that their guide had adamantly refused to guide them back to the surface until the thing was gone. Fortunately, that would likely only take a few hours, given that beasts were of a nomadic nature.

“I still say we go anyway,” Yaro opined – for the second time. “If the primitive lacks the ovarian fortitude to navigate water occupied by but a single beast, we can do it ourselves.”

Nora aimed a gimlet eye in her companion’s direction. “Yes, and I’m sure that your opinion on the matter is borne entirely of a desire to return to our Empress-given duty, rather than, say, hopes of getting to hunt the animal in question?”

Yaro shrugged, utterly unperturbed by the accusation. “I would not be averse to the opportunity to do both.”

Jason was about to intervene when another voice intruded on their conversation.

“I, uh, wouldn’t be so eager to do that if I were you…” Maybel said, as she stepped over to them. “When you kill off a Hrork, they give off a death stink that attracts others.”

“See?” Nora snorted, turning back to Yaro. “If we go with your plan, we’ll end up tangling with an entire swarm of the suckers when they come to rescue whichever friend of their’s you’re in the process of filleting with those pig-stickers you call claws.”

Rather than be offended by the appellation being leveled at her claws, the Rakiri woman actually stood up a little straighter, as if taking it as a compliment.

“I would not be averse to that series of events,” she said.

“But I would,” Jason grunted. “And I’ve got the final say here. We’ll give it a few hours before attempting to make our way back. With or without a guide.”

Their mission parameters allowed for that much. Technically they were already ahead of schedule, given that they’d been expecting the negotiations to drag on much longer. They had an entire day before they were expected back.

Of course, while that gave them a little

Previous | Interlude | Interlude II | Interlude III [1/3]| Interlude III [2/3] | Interlude III [3/3] | Interlude IV [1/2] | Interlude IV [2/2] | Next

---Disclaimer: This story may be triggering to people who suffer from simple/complex anxiety and/or PTSD. Please read on at your discretion. I didn't [] Tcakqaal's use of 'hell' because I thought it would break emersion, know that she is using an equivalent of 'hell' in the abstract sense, not actually referencing the Abrahamic afterlife of torture---

---Loneliness---

---[13 years] BF (Before Fluffy)---

The galaxy… is vast!

It contains fourteen billion terrestrial planets, of those, half are lifebearing, of those, one in a hundred are currently host to a permanent sapient population, of those, only a little over thirty thousand are cradleworlds of sapient species, of those, one… is a deathworld.

Lightyears separate stars! The size and quantity of objects that can move through the void without being detected is immense!

This was a lesson my polity, the Galactic Union, learned hard… all too recently!

Around [20 years ago] we discovered that our society had been cohabiting the galaxy with another domain…

This wasn’t the normal First Contact situation, where we’d find a species bound to one planet, maybe with a few extrasolar colonies!

They had a territory that already made them the most numerous single species in the galaxy.

Hundreds of planets and 1.7 TRILLION souls!

And they’d been hiding… right under our eyes and, yet, in the last place we’d look for them!

On deathworlds!

Worlds where the gravity is high enough to crush our silicate