rite of passage

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

It’s a whole ordeal getting to the shrine with how cold it is, but at the very least he’s got his fire magic returning – upgraded as it is and not quite mastered, the matchbook comes in handy as he keeps the flame lit through the snow to make it to the shrine that is far too much of a distance for comfort. But that was why he was here, after all, and ensuring he follows through with the promise offered to the Maverick from even before he’d had such a chance to start fucking up.

So he arrives, amongst the gemstones and jewels, fire magic floating the flames away to the torches within the cavern to begin to warm it up, Astaroth spends a moment admiring the sharp gemstones and the dried blood within it. Once the room is warm enough, he slips out of his jacket, rolls up his sleeves where one still harbors stitches, but is healing along nicely, then leans his cane on the side of the shrine before he dips his head initially in the silent prayer, before he continues and slices his finger open, letting the blood pool against the rubies.

“Dygra, darling, it has been far too long since we’ve spoken just us. I am selfishly hopeful that you have a moment to spare for me.” Comes his accented tone, feeling far more comfortable now than he has in the past few weeks, wholly for the prospect of seeing his savior.

---

Asta to see Dygra!

If he doesn’t roll well enough to get her, I’d like to use MP to receive a quest!

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

Dygra

"Sweet, dark boy - it has been too long."

Dygra's low and sensuous voice will appear to ripple through the gemstones, the pooled blood, and right through Astaroth's bones as he bows his head in prayer, the vibrations of sound like a caress along his skin. Around the cavern the fire will appear to flare brighter, the rubies appear to shimmer with a deeper red, and a warmth will fill the tall Ancient that speaks of complete satiation and comfort.

"You have your moment. Speak freely to me," she confirms.

---

Unfortunately Astaroth did not make his roll, so 450 MP will be deducted for a quest from a god!

Table coding by Sky <3

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

There is nothing that loosens Astaroth’s shoulder tension quite as much as hearing his goddess’ voice – and it’s evident in the way that his posture nearly threatens to crack and the way his sharp toothed grin grows almost impossibly wider. His prayer heard, the vibrations of her voice that fill him and move through him, the flare of warmth from the flames of torches and the impossibly red glimmer from the rubies when he opens his dark gaze.

“Alongside the efforts of Danta transforming this region into a new haven for us,” Us being all of the Ancient children of hers, “I have noticed that it is quite a trek to get here, especially during the snows of Deepfrost.” If he hadn’t spent some time warming up before praying, he might have harbored the grey tips to his fingertips. “I was hopeful that you may allow me to create a new shrine for you, closer to home so that it is easier to worship you from where the rest of us reside.”

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

Dygra

Though the goddess is not physically present, Asta will nonetheless feel her in phantom caresses against his jaw and along the length of his shoulders, in a pressure against his lower back encouraging him closer. "A noble cause," she purrs, all sensual violence and sweet chaos. "But then you have always been a noble monster."

The rubies flare in time and rhythm with her voice, and the heat within the cavern grows into something that would be unbearable for any other race, but for Astaroth it might feel rather pleasant. "You have my blessing," Dygra purrs. "Make for me a shrine befitting my presence here in the Hollowed Grounds."

---

Asta has received a quest! He must:

1. Complete threads at each of Dygra's existing shrines, leaving appropriate offerings for the goddess. (These threads should be completed in the board housing the shrine, rather than the shrine itself).
2. Complete a thread excavating a large piece of obsidian from The Climb.
3. Complete a thread sculpting the obsidian in 2. into a suitable altar.
4. Complete a thread sating your bloodlust in the location where the shrine will be situated. Ensure that the ground is thoroughly saturated with blood.
5. Complete a thread consecrating the ground where the shrine will be situated in a way Dygra would approve of.
6.Complete a PQ with fellow Ancients, preparing and assembling the shrine at your chosen location within the Hollowed Grounds.

Table coding by Sky <3

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

Oh he feels her presence – like the hot warm sun baked into rockery amongst the caverns of the Climb, an all overwhelming sense that if it were anyone else he’d be chomping at the bit to get rid of. But never Dygra. It’s the one place he doesn’t feel claustrophobic or uncomfortable, where he’s accepted for everything he has done and will continue to do, even as the butcher preens under her noble monster compliment.

“I will make you proud.” He hums, inclining his head and offering the vow with so much ease – a shrine befitting Dygra would be a beautiful undertaking, and already his mind spins gears of adding Charlie into the know, especially as the tasks are laid out. And already, an idea in mind of where exactly to place such a shrine – though it would require confirmation from Danta first. All things that can be done and done well, and in the suffocating heat that would destroy everyone else but the Ancients, Astaroth thrives in the comfortable warmth.

He's content to remain there for however long Dygra will let him soak up the warmth, before making the chilly trek back home with purpose sinking into his bones.

- FIN <333

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine