Kitchen And Craft Wix Corner (Exciteable Bird, Enter At Own Risk)

thinking about that banter in the DA:I multiplayer saying cullen smells like elderflower and oakmoss again..........

i love the ambiguity of it? like the alchemist Luka, a former carta member who was trapped under the vimmarks where corypheus was held for years after Hawke blew that all up says to the Reaver Tamar (a former disciple of Andraste from Haven who is with the inquisition because cullen offered her a choice after the conclave blew up: become an agent or die in prison) that she (Luka) wouldn't trust Cullen because of his scent.
and like the thing is. Oak Moss essential oil is now mostly banned in cosmetic usage because it can cause skin problems and oversensitivity, but before that it was used on a broad scale as a fixative in perfume (basically a basenote that prolongs the keynotes' scents presenting and also a solid underbuild to carry the perfume long term, it has a woodsy earthy masculine scent that used to be paired with bergamot and labdanum for the classic chypre scent profile. BUT in sort of more woo questionable stuff, the EO has been used to relieve inflammation and congestion as well as as an antiseptic, tho frankly half of that seems seriously questionable given, again, it's a well documented extremely aggressive skin irritant, but still, it's a documented usage.
Elderflower again has medicinal usage for relieving muscle and joint pain, or purging 'blood toxins', calming and soothing and may help with strengthening the immune system (elderberry and elderflower syrups are a common folk medicine preventative for flus and colds) BUT ingesting the leafs, unripe berries or bark or wood can cause cyanide buildup in the body, they're very much poisonous that's your PSA.
And of course, elderflower is a very popular delicate scent and elderflower water especially has a long long long history of being used as a skin tonic and wash to soothe redness and clear up troublesome nonsense and just be refreshed.

So yeah, is Cullen using these as medicinal compounds to deal with the lyrium withdrawal? Is he just wearing perfume and skin care products? is he constantly poisoning people? Luka seems to hint at the latter, the second would definitely be somewhat in character since he is surprisingly particular about his hair at least. But the first would be most likely.
I just think it's neat that there could be an argument made for all three of them. After all Underworld Knowledge is Cullen's conversation topic/knowledge perk.

 

also someone please kick me until i finally continue my lore writeups

 

-kick kick-

 

thank u :P

 

The Dread Wolf Rises But I Haven't A Single Clue What The Fuck Any Of This Means
Aka a likely not-so-short beginner's guide to Dragon Age Lore in Honor of the Recent DA4 Teaser.
By Someone Who Cannot Shut Up To Save Their Life
​

Part 3.4: Major Organizations of Thedas (The Seekers of Truth)


The heraldry of the Seekers is the Watchful Eye (Constellation Visus)

We come finally after a long wait to the last faction emerging out of the Nevarran Accord. As with the Templar Order, the Seekers of Truth were formalized as an Order after its signing in 1:20 Divine and drafted its initial members from the senior members of the Inquisition of Old.
As they joined the Chantry under the same contractual terms as the Templar Order it is no wonder that it was the Lord Seeker who declared the Chantry had broken the Nevarran Accord by allowing mages to vote on their independance. As such, during the Mage-Templar War (9:40-9:41 Dragon) the Rogue Templar Order were lead in their rebellion by the Lord Seeker, Lucius Corin. The fate of the Seekers of Truth directly depends on the actions taken by the Inquisitor during the war against the Elder One (9:41-9:42 Dragon).
Their role is quite well summarized by their heraldry itself, as they are the elite warriors overseeing the Templar Order and Circles and acting as an investigative force supposedly held only accountable by the Divine, though not even she truthfully has much authority over them. As such they carry on the less Magic focused duties of the Ancient Inquisition, hunting heretics and stamping out abuses within the Chantry. No wonder that this shadowy order that largely keeps out of the public eye is feared, despite how little is known of them.

"That kind of power is troubling. You begin to think you are the only one who can solve the world's problems. If you don't see a problem it doesn't exist. If someone insists it does, they are the blind one."

- Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast of Nevarra, 9:41 Dragon​

What is known is that there cannot be many of them, perhaps a few dozen at a time at most, generally recruited from those amongst Templar-hopefuls who show the biggest potential. Usually they are spread across Thedas investigating all manner of things with a high degree of independance. As such their Hierarchy is generally not as formalized. The head of the Order is the Lord or Lady Seeker, everyone else is simply addressed as 'Seeker', though commonly every Seeker is trained by another member of the order, and mentor and apprentice pairs generally are quite fond of one another.
The investigations they conduct generally have to do with abusive templars, conspiracies within the chantry, particularly elusive apostates and blood mages and dealing with such organizations as the Order of Fiery Promise, a sect obsessed with the Seekers (and to a lesser degree the Templar Order). Seeker Cahail also founded the secret organization 'The Band Of Three' in Kirkwall to investigate the large amounts of demonic possession, blood magic, Harrowing Deaths, and the general thinness of the Veil which led to the uncovering of several severely disturbing findings. It should also be noted that apparently First Enchanters of every Circle may request an investigation by the Seekers, theoretically meant to keep abuses of power by the Templar Order to a minimum. What is required to take place before such an investigation is conducted is however slightly unclear, though Seeker Pentaghast outright admits the Order knew full well what was happening in Kirkwall during the leadup to the Mage rebellion (and there being other evidence to suggest Seeker presence, such as a letter dated 8:80 Blessed from the Grand Cathedral Archives that can be found in the gallows courtyard as early as Act 1 of DA2, and the presence of the Band Of Three) and that the Seekers had been investigating Meredith's mistreatment of the mages, but found so much magical corruption that her actions were deemed justified.
Her statements also suggest a tendency to 'close ranks' against outside influences, which ironically let to the lack of response to the happenings in Kirkwall -- Cassandra states the Seekers would find answers to every problem... once they no longer felt coerced to. Suspicion of everyone and being driven to see even the most uncomfortable investigations through to the bitter end are highly held virtues, just as much so as unwavering faith and loyalty to the Chantry. Should an investigation turn up evidence of a Templar abusing their power then this Templar was publically and brutally disciplined, contributing to the fear and respect many Templars had of the Seekers prior to their joint abandonment of the Accord.

Spoiler: Powers

The Seekers of Truth, while sharing some of the training of Templars, have different powers, not requiring the use of Lyrium but rather resulting from ritual, years of training, steeling of the mind and steadfast faith. As a rule, they cannot be possessed by demons and are immune against the mindcontrol many blood mages utilize. They are also more resistant to the corrupting influence of Red Lyrium, though not entirely immune. Additionally every Seeker may with further training develop further personalized specializations and skills. Cassandra Pentaghast for example is capable of setting lyrium in her opponents' body aflame, making her a danger to both templars and mages. She notes this kind of gift is used by some for interrogation purposes, by others simply to disable foes on the battlefield temporarily. One Seeker even managed to refine her skill enough to kill with it, which is rather rare.
Many Seeker recruits begin young (presumably oftentimes being chosen from amongst children given to the chantry as babies), though for noble recruits and those with a great deal of potential exceptions may be made. After years of training and teaching the recruits undergo the so-called Vigil, a full year of fasting and prayer in utter isolation designed to empty the recruit of all emotion besides pure devotion and faith. It is noted to be extremely arduous and demanding but utterly wonderful to complete. It is also said to be impossible for mages.

Spoiler: Promise Of Destruction, Ameridan's End, Asunder

This is of course, due to the fact that the Vigil utilizes the Rite of Tranquility, the Rite having initially been designed to facilitate it. Seeker recruits are sundered from the Fade after the year of isolated contemplation as a safeguard to avoid 'dark emotion' twisting the spirit companion that is summoned to touch their minds and reverse the Rite. All Seekers of Truth are in fact possessed by a Spirit of Faith granting them their powers. This fact and the true purpose and origin of the Rite of Tranquility is kept secret from everyone but the Lord/Lady Seeker, passed on in a Book of Secrets. The magic-blocking properties of Tranquility were discovered when the Inquisition Of Old first attempted to initiate a mage, and as such the cure for it has been known for at least as long, though kept secret by the Seekers of Truth. This constitutes another broken promise, as the first Lord Seeker and last Inquisitor, Ameridan, had opposed widespread usage of the Rite, fearing it would lead to abuses against mages. This was seemingly forgotten just as much as Inquisitor Ameridan's true identity when he disappeared in 1:20 Divine.
The truth about there being a cure was in fact so fiercely guarded that it can be attributed as one of the key reasons behind the Mage-Templar War, as Lord Seeker Lambert van Reeves tried to actively prevent such knowledge from becoming known, going so far as to plot murder of the mages Rhys, Adrian and Wynne when they went to find the (formerly) Tranquil elf Pharamond who was investigating the Rite and potential cures and alternatives for Divine Justinia V.

After the Death of Lord Seeker Lambert at the hands of a mysterious ghost everyone forgets about, the Seekers are led by Lord Seeker Lucius Corin who commands the rogue Templars and leads them to a former Seeker Fortress, Therinfal Redoubt. Though previously known to be moderate and sensible man rarely given to pompous displays of might, and agreeing to the Conclave, Lord Seeker Lucius shows open contempt for the Chantry when meeting the Inquisitor in Val Royeaux and inviting them to Theirinfal, from where shortly after disturbing reports of hyper aggressive Templars corrupted with a red mineral surface.

Spoiler: Champions of the Just, Promise of Destruction

It is revealed that the Lord Seeker in Therinfal was in fact an Envy Demon impersonating him and acting under the command of The Elder One to transform the Templar Order into monstrous beings compelled to violence and conquest by the corruption of their blood and their dependance on Lyrium.
The true Lord Seeker Lucius meanwhile had been hiding in Caer Oswin, luring the rest of the Order back one by one to be overpowered by the Order of Fiery Promise (also under Corypheus' control). It is revealed that some experiments took place to see whether the Seekers could be turned into tools of the Elder One in a similar manner as the Templars, but their heightened resistance means they are merely left in unbearable pain without the psychological or physiological changes induced in the Templars. Corin simply leaves the other Seekers to be wiped out by the Promisers, and it is revealed that he willingly allowed the Envy Demon to impersonate him, as he was too disgusted with the things written in the Book of Secrets to consider the order redeemable. He planned to rebuild the Order free from this corruption once Corypheus had destroyed the world and ascended to godhood.
After his defeat, the Book of Secrets is kept safe by Cassandra Pentaghast, Right Hand of the Divine and now the Lady Seeker.

The fate of the Seekers is highly dependant on the Inquisitor's advice rendered to Cassandra Pentaghast, one of the last remaining Seekers. If she is encouraged to rebuild she commits fully to rededicating the Seekers to be true servants of the Maker as well as making the Order's heavy secrets public, or at least known throughout the entire Order and given in full to those hoping to join. She finds a few other surviving Seekers and shows them the Book of Secrets, vowing to train new recruits in full disclosure. Those she deems suitable to remain, as well as the new recruits (some of which may come from the veteran Templars who survived going off lyrium depending on choices with Cullen's fate), follow her to the Hunterhorn Mountains where the Order remains reclusive for a while, showing no interest in worldly affairs and working towards a renewed purpose, though few outside the Order could guess it.
If she is not encouraged to rebuild, the Seekers slowly fade into obscurity, leaving the Chantry and the Faithful to fend for themselves.

Next: Probably the grey wardens, idk.
eta: honestly the Inquisition is probably better flow but i want to write about the wardens so like

 

anyways if you have preferances for Grey Wardens vs Inquisition vs something else feel free to let me know so i can get around to it quickly

 

the above is still relevant, please to help me, I'm dumb and can't decide.
Meanwhile:
Fallen London................. good......

 

Grey Wardens!

 

First Round of One Piece DnD variant went spectacularly.

Spoiler: length

Tin is an amnesiac cyborg physician, who woke up in the 151st Branch's Marine Base with no clue as to his actual identity beyond the strong feeling that the name he found on a nametag on a labcoat over a chair in the room he woke up in is his, the fact that this coat makes him feel that he probably is a medical professional of some kind and that the first weapon he instinctively reached for was a rifle, which he proceeded to grab alongside a shiptarp to flee the dang base because he panicked and things got loud and overwhelming and he had no idea what was happening beyond that he believed himself in severe danger.
He barely managed to get to a tiny ship repair docks island in the South Blue where he tried to find a job, promptly met someone who noticed the marine insignia on his coat and took him aside to grill him with questions.
Shortly after a Marines corps rolled up demanding his surrender. Apparently there's a bounty of 1,000,000 B out on his head, dead or alive, and he is supposedly very dangerous and hiding him is a crime deserving of severe punishment :)
He proceeded to manage to fight his way to the ship the marines arrived on with the help of his friends, during which he figured out that 1) yes being a sniper feels exceedingly natural and practiced, and 2) he is capable of using the Rokushiki/Six Powers technique Soru/Shave, which turned out very very useful indeed when his rifle broke (bc i critfailed a roll) and he had to figure out another way to help out in fighting.
After the fight when giving first aid to one of his newfound pals he found out that he doesn't have hands per se, they're basically as if a swiss army knife made exclusively of surgical equipment was put in vague finger shapes.
He's pretty happy where he is now tho, there's a medical office in the ship and some stored medicine and he can lay on deck and recharge with the power of the sun and apparently they're on the way to the Grand Line now! Which probably means they're pirates! But hey, the Marines are scary so that's okay.

 

manic cackling

 

What is it?

 

Rosatum! aka ancient roman rose flavored wine. which is why i just needed to include the first blossom of the alba maxima in it (the filled, slightly blushed white blossom), bc an enby has a rose cultivar that can be traced to at least the 14th century if not something like 2000 years back, an enby is forced by universal law to be extra about it. The rest of them are a damascus rose (pink normal rose shaped), a rugosa rose (bright pink), a kitchen rose (loose pink petals, iirc its a gallica officinalis variant) and the Unknown Giant Red Rose From The Frontyard, it's.... mmmmmaybe a Chrysler Imperialis? maybe? It smells too much for a Baccara which is what it looks closest to. We genuinely don't know but it's got a slightly citrusy fresh scent with about equal levels of classic rose scent, the blossoms are literally the size of my entire hand and it's got long branches and few thorns, very classic tea rose. The bush is taller than I am, but that's not hard, so uh. Shrug?

 

Spoiler: huge

Dandelion Puffball is an intergalactic Internet Medium Sensation and mostly is a huge con artist but they try so fucking hard to sell the whole 'mystical star connection Seer' thing. Just so hard.
Ironically part of their Star Magic probably involves visions and foresight, just not nearly dramatically enough, more like 'your milk will have gone off tomorrow so you'll want to eat a bagel, i recommend sesame seeds and cucumber slices' or 'you're gonna see a really cute space squirrel next month and it will not be an omen whatsoever' and that just doesn't pay the bills at all. Their ~work name~ is Glowing Eye Nebula because that's more dramatic.
Their eyes are pink their skin is an orange-y yellow and their hair is a constantly shifting cloud of pale turquoise with pink and orange-y flecks, with the glowmarks pure white. The star on their chest is blue and their clothes are mostly white and pale shades of yellow, paler than their skin.
[puttin this here too]

 

Spoiler: hyuge

ah i see it is the 'have to draw them on everything' phase of OC creation.
Anyways they're promoting some comet dust tea that'll like TOTALLY open your star chakras if you snort it, subscribe and promo for a 10% off code <3

 

this started as a 'haha lol Dandy's probably a candycoated faux hardass' joke, but I think this song (especially in the 80s pop remix version don't look at me) fits them really well? I'm beginning to think they were like. Meant to be an Actual For Real Priest/Seer Type and the pressure of it all coupled with their divination talents being, well, extremely underwhelming... made them snap? So now they sell ~charged special super rare moon rock which harmonizes your resonance~ (it's a vaguely porous pebble they dumped some craft glue and holo glitter on) and model on the interwebs for money while disappointing their parents beyond reason.

 

...can dandy and asher meet....

 

of course always, that's what the rave is for :P
I just need to decide on a picture to use that ideally contains the colors

 

Spoiler: phone pic so big

no one: Ivy why do you keep giving them ridiculous overdetailed and over styled clothes?
me: yes

 

........ i feel the biggest urge to really lean into the (for now cutesy) eyeball thing and do a Possessed-By-Cosmic-Horror-Abominations!Dandy at some point but I cannot decide the reason
obviously like. It's probably some combination of 'they neglected keeping up the safety measures from their training and got hit by a huge vision that left them psychically raw' and ' and some sort of cataclysmic event fucking over their nebula/star? But like. What can even go wrong with nebluae? not like they go supernova afaik?
.....
Oh *fuck* NGC 6751 is a planetary nebula, which is defined by its central star being literally a dying red giant in the process of becoming a white dwarf. Meaning the moment their star ceases fusion reactions they may well get fucking blasted by sudden shift in power level which could 100% explain a case of Tentacles And Eyes Where They Don't Belong (Literally This Time)

 

as per usual the evolution from 'Joke Character Based On Memery' to 'Highstakes Drama And Angst Factory' is a mach speed slide downhill that gives everyone whiplash