#lantern bearers

feat my Halloween costume and lamp

Lantern Bearers lore In the Devil in the Details universe, lantern bearers are animals that have chosen to become guardians of their forest. Their main duty is to guide lost souls and beings out of the forest at night, which is what they carry the lanterns for. In rare circumstances they also guide those who wish to enter hidden forest dwellings that serve as sanctuaries for all beings, however only if they’re deemed trustworthy enough. These dwellings have a total ban on hunting and violence, meaning they are places where prey and predators get along. Those who do not follow those rules will be exiled, not only from the dwelling, but from the forest altogether. Their ashy and wispy appearance comes from the trials they have to pass in order to become a lantern bearer – no one knows what the trials really entail, but it is said they are trials of fire, darkness and light, and it is thought that one of the things an aspiring guardian needs to do is forge their own lantern. The lantern bearers themselves, however, can neither confirm nor deny this, as they are forbidden from speaking of what they went through. Sometimes the trials takes a single evening, sometimes they take many years, but strangely enough everyone who come out of them seem very peaceful whether they succeeded or not. Additionally, the lantern bearers have silvery markings to to signify which forest they guard. If you find yourself lost in the forest though, beware! There are also false lantern bearers who are nowhere near as benevolent as the guardians they imitate. These creatures disguise themselves in order to lure unlucky beings into danger and harm them. They may lure you off a cliff or into a mire, or they may even attack you themselves. Luckily, they aren’t as much of a problem ever since the peace treaty between humans and magic folks, because they know if they’re caught they will face the wrath of both groups. Still be careful, because if you wander into the wrong place all alone, you might be in terrible danger. Some tells that they are not real lantern bearers are markings that are off and do not represent the forest you’re in, or they might carry their lantern oddly. An example of this is a stag carrying the lantern in his antlers instead of in his mouth, or a bird carrying it on its back. The reason is that a true lantern bearer will always carry their light source in a way that lets it be extinguished as quickly as possible should they sense they themselves are in danger, and thus let them blend into the dark of the night. They may also speak to you, which is something a lantern bearer is strictly forbidden from doing outside of their dwellings or very special circumstances. Should you run into one, your best course of action is to try to attract the attention of a true lantern bearer, or trick the false one. Do under no circumstances let them know you know they aren’t what they pass themselves off as. With that said, there isn't too much of a need to worry. The real lantern bearers guard their forests vigilantly and are said to give off an unmistakeable aura of peace and tend to inspire awe, which is something the false ones struggle to imitate. Just be alert and you'll probably be fine.