#bazel

Straight to the point, are you not? There's sooo much to discuss about the Deep One~

His appearance might be nightmarish to those who ignore his presence, but Anika grew up with him by her side, so she's more than used to the shadow tendrils spreading their reach on occasion, and the alien cracked skull that is his mask. It doesn't resemble any known living creature, and the shape of the mandible doesn't seem to match the one of its cranium at all, nor it seems able to move other than little tilts. And yet, his voice is deep and clear, collected and somewhat stern when he speaks, only to be cracked with sincere affection towards Anika when the fatherly attitude takes over the entity.

But who is he, really? Anika was promised an explaination in her youth when the time would be right; but the pressing investigations of a marine ally of her former party forced a complicated truth out, risking the wrath of the angels of Drana, the goddess of Light and first of the Erasian pantheon, who so strongly fought to banish him from existence centuries prior.

The water genasi known as Mikatosh, cleric of Rovan, now lies petrified at the bottom of a lake close to the city of Bazel, in Derum. He sealed a promise with the Deep One, Anika, and Eksirias, a powerful Seer that watches over Maera with the strongest forces of the continent: when the knowledge he gathered is safe to have, the Patron and his daughter will personally find him again to undo the curse and give him back his humanity, so that everyone can safely continue their lives on. Of course, such secrets were shared with Anika in hopes that she could become aware of the reality she was involved in: a special protection was applied to her instead, so that she could carry the secrets without being detected by the divine, and without losing her chance at fulfilling the pact she still strongly believes in. Besides, it doesn't matter who the Deep One used to be in his past life to her - not to the extent of turning her back on him and stand against him despite his real identity. She is still very much convinced of wanting her father in the physical world, enough to give part of her divine blood and her wings up to the cause during a special ritual which involved more than 30 people.

Today, she can proudly summon a tangible version of the phantom by her side, and fighting together has deepened their bond even further. (Summoner class of Pathfinder 2e was the best replacement for the Warlock, keeping the lore intact and developing it so delightfully~)

More fun facts:

~ At the beginning of their journey, when Anika was still a teen, she went through a phase of rebellion towards the Deep One because of the feeling of being just used. On multiple occasions, however, the Deep One proved his strong bond by putting himself inbetween her and danger: while it might have been a matter of interest over all in early times, he certainly proved his attachment when he and Eksirias saved her from insanity after being forced through a ceremony by an unknown cult praising Void, chaos and destruction. She has been calling him father since.

~ While her duties tripled in depth, Anika often finds time to chat with the Deep One about matters of all kind, also personal ones now that she's allowed to discuss his past and condition. Her curiosity and thirst for knowledge have known little boundaries so far, and he's been happy to indulge ever since.

Monster Hunter illustration I did for the Boss Rush Zine, hosted by .zines!