#dragonblood

Lota is from a project I abandoned a few years ago, but I felt like drawing her today so

Trouble in paradise #1: coming out

Dia, a Magus of Inexorable Iron.

LITTLE DRAGONBLOOD BABIES! I hated THW but I adore these little cuties

Bonus mini comic!

I don’t think they’e ready for that talk yet.

Oh who? The kids? No, the parents.

Chapters: 12/? Fandom: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Fire Emblem Series Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Inverse | Aversa & Marc | Morgan, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Marc | Morgan & Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd Characters: Inverse | Aversa, Marc | Morgan, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Glenn Fraldarius, Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, Henry (Fire Emblem), Liz | Lissa, My Unit | Reflet | Robin, Minor Characters Additional Tags: Spoilers for Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Spoilers for Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Fire Emblem: Awakening Spoilers, Background Relationships, background robin/tiki, Background Character Death, Minor Character Death, Tragedy of Duscur (Fire Emblem), Pre-Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Glenn Fraldarius Lives, Background Henry/Liz | Lissa, Chapter-specific Content Warnings, Canon-Typical Violence Series: Part 2 of Dragonblood

(art by kirpii on DeviantArt)

Ah yes, Razmir, the masked god, the latest in the short list of mortals that have taken the test of the Starstone and prevailed, arising as a new deity, with his priests administering over his chosen nation that bears his name: Razmiran. Though mysterious and couching his doctrine in layers of worthiness, Razmir is a benevolent god…

…At least, that’s the official tagline. If you ask anyone in Absalom, they’ll tell you that nobody remembers anyone by that name attempting the test. Furthermore, for being the supposed benevolent guardian of Razmiran, it certainly is strange that the majority of citizens suffer in squalor, bilked for every last coin the priesthood can wring from them, while the only ones that seem to enjoy the luxuries and public works that said taxes and fines fund are the priesthood themselves, as well as foreign investors seeking a little divine favor that can be so readily bought with coin. Oh, and it’s a little odd that skilled mages able to sense magic seem to register the powers wielded by his priests as occult magic rather than divine.

Yeah, let’s stop beating around the bush here. Razmir and his entire cult are a sham, a group of magical con artists playing at being priests doling out miracles for a price while the powerful mage that proclaims himself a god reaps the benefits as the petty tyrant while true godhood and indeed immortality elude him, the latter of which vexes him in particular as he gets on in years.

And so this archetype helps represent the deceivers that mighty Razmir calls his priesthood. Hilariously, the archetype does not require any spellcasting training at all, with such nonmagical cultists acting as enforcers of actual casters or politely (or not so politely) declining to offer services when they can’t replicate them with concealed magic items.

In the previous edition, this was a sorcerer archetype primarily using arcane magic and concealed magic items to replicate the divine, but with the restructuring of magic, pretty much anyone can be a priest of Razmir… anyone but a divine caster that actually draws power from him specifically, anyway. Sorcerers and witches with their bloodlines and patrons don’t quite count.

The base dedication for the archetype requires some basic training in deception and crafting, and allows the would-be charlatan priest to craft a basic iron mask that can be used to invoke Razmir’s “power”. Whether it is simply a magical effect of the mask or the masks provide a relay to siphon some of Razmir’s own magical power is unclear, but it does allow the user to infuse others with positive energy, giving the appearance of healing them though their wounds in truth remain. Additionally, this dedication allows one to take the cleric multiclass dedication to become a true cleric of Razmir… or at least, a facsimile of one, all of their abilities being occult replications of true divine power.

The mask also makes for a useful barrier between the priest and those that would scruitinize their words, and they become so adept at framing individual statements as half-truths and technical truths that they can fool even magic that detects lies a lot of the time, even when the entirely of their statements together create a bald-faced lie.

As they climb the rains of their organization, many of these priests graduate to being able to wear a silver version of their mask, which grants a new ability to heal afflictions… Or at least appear to. In truth is merely suppresses the afflictions, making the victim appear healed, while the affliction remains and continues to progress as their body fights it, meaning that a lucky or durable individual might fight off an infection while the symptoms are repressed and be fully healed, appearing to all as if the magic had truly worked… or, the victim could suddenly find their symptoms returning elevenfold as they are suddenly several stages further in the disease progression.

Even higher-ranked priests wear gold masks, which grant the additional ability to call down Razmir’s wrath in what appears to be a blazing burst of fire and light, the kind which normally eradicates undead in addition to harming the living… But like all gifts of the false god, this power proves weak and somewhat ineffectual against the undead it is supposed to smite, still slaying most outright, but powerful ones might end up being relatively or entirely untouched.

The most powerful of his priests, who certainly approach and rival Razmir’s true power in scope, wear precious metal-inlaid porcelain masks, and are able to invoke truly miraculous power as a manifestation of their will and that of Razmir… However, like all his “divine gifts”, this one proves hollow, for no matter what spell they emulate, the power withers in the face of those strong enough to be their peers or their superiors.

While I miss the gimmick of passing off magic item usage as your own spellcasting, I do love the way they’ve done this archetype, which offers all sorts of neat “divine” power at the cost of being ineffectual against the stronger opponents one could expect to face. Against masses of weaker foes they can excel, but no matter their build, these purported mystics will have to pass of their own power as Razmir’s to actually make a serious effort against stronger foes.

Like Hellknights, this archetype… is not for a traditional hero. Heck, in most games these guys are pretty cut and dry antagonists. I personally can’t see the appeal of playing one, but I suppose there is merit to exploring a morally twisted individual, either to watch their villainy or perhaps to find redemption and potentially retraining away from the archetype eventually.

Seeking answers for a woman who they found dying, after fleeing mysterious masked assailants, Emberbloom, an extremely rare leshy cultivated from a dragonflower, effectively making him dragonblooded, began tracing back her path, where they found a nation ruled by the same masked group, one promising eternal life and prosperity in exchange for total devotion. The mask the woman had on her, however, tells a different story.

Tremendously powerful and wise, it is said that the ancient sage dragon Sobrengahanax knows nearly everything, and can share it with those who would seek him out. Eager to achieve true godhood, The Everlasting One has seen his cult out to make contact with the dragon, convincing him to visit the powerful false god’s palace… or barring that, dragging the wyrm there in chains if necessary.