#dd robin

Ok so. Usually I wouldn't go this hard on artwork for an ask bc I have SO MUCH WORK TO DO ACGHH but I've always wanted to do a family portrait of these guys anyways so here was a wonderful opportunity (thank you haha) SO. Mama and papa Darkest, Aadhya and Abraham.

They were an arranged marriage, Aadhya being chosen by the ancestor for his son, Abe, (totally not because he wanted Aadhya for himself or anything, and was a total creepazoid about designing her children, no, of course not) who at the time was a very high ranking Cultist Gladiator. They genuinely fell in love over time, but in an attempt not to scare her away and lose her, Abe kept the whole Darkest cult thing a secret, sucking her into a terrible life and being one of his greatest regrets forever.

Shortly before the birth of their first son, Abe couldn't hold back the secret anymore and informed Aadhya of his and his father's true affiliations. She was rightfully mortified at the betrayal and the knowledge that her soon to be child was stolen from her, and fell into a deep depression, barely speaking or eating, that lasted through all of her children's births, save Robin, who she favoured due to being the only one not designed by the Ancestor. (Stoking the flame of jealousy from Howard, who loved his mother very very much.)

And through the birth of every child, those many many years, Abe neglected his family due to plotting revenge against his father for what he did to them. Eventually, when Robin was about 15, he and his siblings were sent away at the order of their father to a remote cliff side house in an attempt to protect them in case his plot of vengeance went awry (spoiler: it went awry). He confronted his father, and for his efforts, got himself transformed into a Templar Warlord and cast into the bowels of the Darkest manor. With just Aadhya left, the Ancestor attempted to sway her to the cult with promises of new worlds, and new chances. She relented, desperate for any peace of mind and respite from her burden. But her lack of passion or willingness or even ability to return his affections angered the Ancestor, so he punished her by making her an anonymous acolyte doomed to worship and live alone. Sorry, Tardif accidentally kills her in the Weald OOP-

All this while Robin suffers alone at the cliff house, transformed by his siblings into what is essentially a mini Darkest Dungeon, catacombs and cultists and everything. That is, however, where he starts noticing weird things about himself (not puberty- ok maybe eldritch puberty) like wounds healing up quick, tentacle powers, really really realistic dreams of people he doesn't recognize, and a strange pull towards his old home at the Hamlet that he knows isn't homesickness. Digging through his brother Phillip's books proves a fruitful endeavour when Robin comes across a ritual to commune with an ancient, evil god. And Robin wants answers.