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@lashunta.bsky.social Sep 27, 2026, 12:23 PM

In the beginning of _A Castrovel Part 3_, Vaeol's and Semuane's relationship reaches a watershed with their return to Qabarat, as Semuane makes a choice about her future, and Vaeol's impending homefare to Son...

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Something happened amid our love yesternight. Wordlessly we swore something to each other, not quite matehood as I share with Remaue, which our cities would forbid, but more than idle maidenlove. Semuane sought a belonging, her worth as more than a maiden, even though she will stay evermaiden. For the night I cradled her body against mine, soothing her weariness.

We slept late and little recked duty, for with reach to Qabarat our warfare has ended. The warriors are already given freedom to tarry in the city. If I showed ere noonmeal at the Embassy, I would do well. We awoke already in mindshare as if we had never offbroken.

While we bathed, I asked what she will do. She shrugged and said she would samely as ever. She shared, however, that she knew a sith of like-minded wives and maidens here in Qabarat: other outriders and warriors, some tradewives, and even a few matrons, who belove evermaidenhood. This word heartened me even while it forecaught. If they uphold each other, then my heart will ease for Semuane’s sake.

Her life choice makes some worry, forwhy her kin, like almost other lashunta, forelook daughters to bear forth children and keep the bloodline. Furthermore, without wifehood, she would be withheld sundry rights. And yet, as outrider, it might only be canny, forwhy we forgo wifehood, at least while our first thewdom (I have already had my sisters goading me to set a bridetide and try for a child, and not for my sake). Since I had arisen to flagmaiden, could Semuane follow my example? Maybe so. Our songs and tales are full of yorely outriders who forsook men for a princess’s love, and so benamed their worth and deeds. In truth, the other mate in these lovetales is ever a wifemate, fully invested and with children whom the maidenmate takes as her own, and ever a matron if not higher, under whose ladyship the outrider-maiden is upheld. Our folk show rough eyes to those who fall beyond wont.

@lashunta.bsky.social Sep 26, 2026, 10:40 PM

In the beginning of _A Castrovel Adventure: Part 3_, Lady Vaeol describes the sea voyage back northward after warfare's end...

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Our seafare’s highest thrill outcame when a herd of snailgods swam to surface at nighttide, two days ere Nivaea. They floated beside our ship, shells glowing with coral-fey in dithering patterns. Our sailors yielded wide berth, for though these huge water-qoelu stir but slowly, their blow could wallow and swamp our ship or even crush the hull. We stood at the stern while their winking lights faded in our wake.

Nivaea outstood by far the most enthriving city we reached. As the greatest and richest city in the South and founded back while the Time of the Warrior-Queens, it has been rebuilt no less than five times over history, as the bed of great Father-Hisyho has shifted where it meets the Shattersea. Our flag got a walkshow of one of these ghost cities, where the neighborfolk had cleared a path through the rainwood. Thus we got to stand in a queen’s palace main hall, whose throne’s marble dais still stood at the midst, and beheld mosaics of the gods wrought on the underdome, and from the walls, stonelikenesses of the elder queens with their haremmates.

Within the great harbor, we saw folk and heard tongues from Then on Lake Arasene’s shore, and even Candares, who had brought freight over the Sea of Mist from further east. Then I caught Oshis watching along the riverside, overlooking a fleet of odd, brightly hued houseboats tied to the bank. He hailed another man with his hair braided with bright scarves, who stepped off a boat. Shortly they spoke, and then left with friendly waves. Reckfully I turned to Less and asked what betided, and whose boats these were. He answered they belong to the Raumoava, the wandering riverfolk who make their livelihood by trade.

@dmfw-sos.bsky.social Sep 26, 2026, 9:57 PM

Here's a response to the #WorldAnvil September flash fiction challenge:-

www.worldanvil.com/w/the-bubble...

Maybe human hibernation isn't such a good idea.

#ForFlashSake

@lashunta.bsky.social Sep 26, 2026, 11:44 AM

Article: The Shadow of Ylisaeua, Part 1
www.worldanvil.com/w/castrovel-...

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@lashunta.bsky.social Sep 26, 2026, 10:44 AM

Article: ~Rea Zonyua~ - The Battle of Zonyu
www.worldanvil.com/w/castrovel-...

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@lashunta.bsky.social Sep 26, 2026, 10:25 AM

In the beginning of _A Castrovel Adventure: Part 3_, Lady Vaeol experiences a crisis of faith before the Qoaronae...

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The Valmaean High Captain spoke before the fane. She bade us remind our tide here and the warfare we had witnessed, the foe’s dread we had undergone, and the friends fallen we had lost. She bade us bear this yestermind back homeward and never forget, and never forgive. Then she bade us pray to the Qoaronae for winfulness.

My throat choked on the hymn, and I could not spit the words. Of all the gods I have kenned, the Qoaronae I love least. Unlike Burning-Mother, from what I saw at war, the Qoaronae do not ward and do not cleanse. They reap souls and blood, and whether they be lashunta or formians, I wonder that it may reck not. Instead of light, they belong to darkness and thrive thereon. Yet that is the least reason. For the coldheartedness and bloodymindedness I witnessed in Valmayana, I forsake the Qoaronae.

In school, I read the ‘Woe for Lost Valmaea’, and even foolishly tried it in the original Old Valmaean. I had loved the poetry, the fights and love-bouts, and overall the sheer wrath, a City meeting its own death. I remind how the hero Lady Beareal’s speech shouted right off the bookleaf into my mind: “Keep your warm gods smiling through heavenly skies. My gods behold a fiercer spirit. I, like them, was born under the South’s low, heavy sky. Heaven smiles not here. My heaven is the battlefield.” Lady Beareal and the Valmaeans may keep their southern gods. I choose Heaven.

@lashunta.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 11:25 PM

In the beginning of _A Castrovel Adventure: Part 3_, Lady Vaeol witnesses the war-goddess religion of Valmayana...

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After another year of such watchfare and other tasks, our firdtide in Valmaeana ended with our comeback to Qoaronaea. We marched up the Street of Heroes in full weaponshow, under the High Staff and Captains’ oversight. We were then led into the Temple of the Qoaronae - the War-Goddesses, at the city’s heart, a building so great that its main hall easily holds five thousand folk, which tallied, including us, the Qabarata, our other allies, and so many Valmaeans as the room let, as Honor Ward. There we stood sharp under the gaze of the Goddess’s mighty stonelikenesses, each fifty armspans tall, carven in startling, awful whitsomeness: hair of snapping snakes, mouths afang, blood-dark wings, harness gleaming darkly, and weapons clutched in clawed hands. The Qoaronae, whom the Valmaeans have besworn as their matron-goddesses, and this city’s namesake. By all tales, this stead is a world-wonder.

I heard a yoretale that the Qoaronae are the triplet-daughters of Burning-Mother and Father-Night. When they reached maidenhood, they went to their father and asked to help in warding their home, their siblings, and all the Sun-Worlds. When Father-Night yaysaid, they beseeched him to show them the Outer Darkness, for they claimed they must understand the dreads they would ward against. Begrudginlgy, Father-Night listened and led them into the darkness between stars. When the three maiden-goddesses came home, they were fearsomely shifted: no longer fair, and looking even as their stone-likenesses shown before me.

When I behold their snaky locks, sharp mouths as carven in their stones, and bloodily clawed fingers, I recall bewritnesses I have read of the elder Moqeva. I wonder how we have undertaken gods who even seem like these erstwhile foes.

@lashunta.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 7:58 PM

In the beginning of _A Castrovel Adventure: Part 3_, Lady Vaeol comes face to face with the embodiment of her people's bane: a Formian Myrmarch...

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Then came a lone shape from the Formian swarm, who climbed a small crag beside the neck. A great Myrmarch, almost big as a Shotalashu and rider together, shell-crest sweeping like a helm, glyphs twisting down her scales, such as my grandmother Eavol had slain two hundred years ago, stood at the crag’s far end.

There she rose to full height, and weaponless. We reeves overtalked this meaning and reckoned she wished a truce-speech. As outrider and also soulseer, the Captain looked to me. I swallowed my boldness, sat Ess, and outrode to meet the Formian.

Semuane and Oshis rode as host to the crag’s foot. There, under sight not only of the lone Myrmarch staring buggily down, but also both hosts, I kissed them both. Then I handed Semuane my swordbill and sword, and then bade Ess climb the crag. Gamely we scampered upward, though my worry set him on edge. We reached the cragtop and beheld the Myrmarch awaiting.

Again I overlooked her shell-whelmed head and body, and the glyphs etched thereon. Quoth the Southerners, Formians so bewrite their deeds and rank upon their bodies. Unshakingly, this Myrmarch’s shell was so etched down to her spindly feet. Though she bore no weapon, I beminded her tail-stinger bowed high. If this outcame a trap, then I reckoned I had Ess to even the odds, and we should sell our lives so dearly as we could.

Ess halted about ten strides from the Myrmarch. I doffed helm under arm and looked with eyes unhindered. Likewise did the Myrmarch, though her inborn shell on brow and cheeks stayed. I then bewitted I had given no thought on how to begin this speech. So I stretch forth my antennae, felt for her mind, and merely bade: ~Limi:~ “Speak.”

@thirteenrealms.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 12:37 AM

New Thirteen Realms feature on World Anvil!
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@lashunta.bsky.social Sep 24, 2026, 10:04 PM

In the beginning of _A Castrovel Adventure: Part 3_ Lady Vaeol recounts the desperation of her first major battle...

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Our leaders had foreminded the foe's stroke, forwhy we shota-riders had withheld back. A mindyell hailed forth and rebeat from sith to team. We outriders reached forth to our underlings and brought all into warmind. Then for my first time ever we loped forth as I had only heard in yoretales when mighty onslaughts underwent with hundreds of steeds and riders, swordbills raised and aimed together wolderfully. Neither was I ready for the madness when our row crashed on their flank: the dreadful sight of Formian warriors right before, my swordbill’s wrench almost torn from hand when it drove into a warrior's shell, Ess’s leap overhead, and the sick lurch as he off-fought tumbling when we landed.

Then, to my fear, we rode alone. Istae, Semuane, and Vosaeth, who had ridden besides were forgone. We ran in eery emptiness where the fight had spun beyond.

Two Formian warriors ran at us. Ess wheeled away while barely I got my blade fewtered and stabbed even while a wicked axe scraped my shoulderdish. Then we swerved back and beheld nightmare. Right ahead, three Formians bore down a shota and rider, blades and stingers stabbing, the steed keening woefully. Hatred bloomed, greatened under warmind from shieldmates’ hurt and fear smiting my soul. Ess sped forward. His leap and claws crushed one while my spearstroke stabbed another’s back, and he shouldered against the third. Then we dashed beyond ere hap to see whether the last foe outlived.

I spotted Istae over the field and rode to meet. Together we wheeled and headed toward another riderteam striving with a like twain of Formians, whom we brunted and overrode. Then our new foursome outsought like rider-knots. Yet already the fight was almost fordone. All over the field Formians died (though few fled) and none withstanding.

@thirteenrealms.bsky.social Sep 24, 2026, 5:38 PM

New Thirteen Realms feature on World Anvil!
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@thirteenrealms.bsky.social Sep 24, 2026, 4:56 PM

New Thirteen Realms feature on World Anvil!
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@lashunta.bsky.social Sep 23, 2026, 10:32 PM

In the beginning of _A Castrovel Adventure: Part 3_, Lady Vaeol's illusions about warfare against the Formians get violently dispelled...

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At once we fell to our first goal: burning Formian food-fields that upheld the neighbor-colony and swarm-holds of their west-lying mainland. Here I am ashamed to tell our deed. It became dirty, ugly slaughterwork, which I would have deemed unwarriorly ere our warfare hither, and moreover unworthy, but that our captains bade us so do at our Valmaean leaders’ will. I had erenever seen Formians in life, only hue-drafts of frightful buglike things, stinger-wielding and dragging wretched lashunta to their burrows as food and egg-fodder. I was unready for the small, shiny beetle-wights that scurried and shrieked forward or scrambled lost and trapped within their burning fields. They died so ruthfully under blade and claw. We sorrowfully made sheer slaughter with will to stamp and outroot them from the world, though claim the Elders that so had the Formians done to our foremothers in Lost Valmaea while the Sage-Queens’ downfall. Many nights sinceward, I have lain awake or come upon deck, where I have knelt and prayed Burning-Mother for forgiveness, for I cannot ban their queer screams from mind. I fear their deaths have besmirched my soul.

Then our ill mood turned to dread when the Formian backlash came. We met no more grublike workers, but tall, with four legs and shells like armor, two arms wielding axbills, and deadly stingers jutting lewdly. They brunted smartly in lockstepping tows, eager and fearless. Neither could I unmind they were doing so to ward their homeland, and moreso their own folk.

@lashunta.bsky.social Sep 23, 2026, 10:14 PM

Mid-Week Lashunta Inspiration
Hans Zatzka

Regarding Castrovel's fauna, it's easy to fixate on the big saurian ~Qoelu~ - shotalashu, shieldeads, and larger, up to yaruks & nysshalora. Yet what about birds?

cont -->

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@thirteenrealms.bsky.social Sep 23, 2026, 3:46 PM

New Thirteen Realms feature on World Anvil!
#WorldBuilding #WorldAnvil #DarkFantasy

@lashunta.bsky.social Sep 22, 2026, 10:45 PM

In the beginning of _A Castrovel Adventure: Part 3_, Lady Vaeol reaches Valmayana, the civilization that will give rise to the Floating Peaks and Komena...

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@thirteenrealms.bsky.social Sep 22, 2026, 1:49 PM

New Thirteen Realms feature on World Anvil!
#WorldBuilding #WorldAnvil #DarkFantasy

@thirteenrealms.bsky.social Sep 22, 2026, 1:35 PM

New Thirteen Realms feature on World Anvil!
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@lashunta.bsky.social Sep 22, 2026, 10:13 AM

In the beginning of _A Castrovel Adventure: Part 3_, Lady Vaeol describes their voyage to the Formian War...

#pathfinder #pathfinder2e #lashunta #castrovel #rpg #ttrpg #worldbuilding #worldanvil

We sailed southward at Blighttide’s start: our Son-Retaea firdsith upon a sailship along with Qabarat warriors, where we spent the next five months but for seldom breaks at harbor. Suchly, we were going as a linksith under Qabarat’s warhost, as standard after many yearhundreds since Qabarat bestows ships and oversees the warfare. Thus we clove with firds from many other burghs - Hanazhyana, Mahyat, Lasahaua, and Reshat. I heard sometimes even skyriders from Ofu-Laubu had come southward and joined the host, though seldomly since their burgh lies so far north.

Thus we underwent almost a half-year seafare down the Shattersea Shore, where we stopped at many steads: first Lasahaua, and then Nivaea at the mouth of Great Father Hisyho, the world’s mightiest river. At each stop, more ships clove the warfleet until we tallied more than fifty ships.

I also learned all stood not easy within the Western Asana Alliance. If Son at times rankled under Qabarat’s foremostness, then we are not alone. Qabarat also claims kinship with the Valmayana, forwhy back when Qabarat was an elfburgh, the first lashunta who dwelled there were brokenfolk from Lost Valmaea. Yet Lasahaua, a wealthy tradeburgh within the Eastern Shattersea, often dared Qabarat's leadership. Reshat, which is outcomefully a Qabarat colony in the Western Shatttersea, staunchly upholds their motherburgh, while Nivaea further south offplays them. Qabarat spends great strength to uphold their stead among the alliance, almost much as fighting the Formians. For us from the North, this knowledge opened eyes.

@lashunta.bsky.social Sep 22, 2026, 12:01 AM

In the beginning of _A Castrovel Adventure: Part 3_, Lady Vaeol meets Vosaeth from the Retaea Northern Moors, whose savagery enthralls even as it unsettles...

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Ere we left, from the north came a Retaea trucebode (though the Retaea make little truce), led by Lady Vosaeth, daughter of the Miniada’s clanwife, with a sixsome of damaya riders asith and korasha warrior-grooms, all war-proven moor-reavers. I remind my first sight of Vosaeth, this outlandish wild moorwife, astride her shota with the ease of one who has ridden her whole lifetime, skin of deep earthiness so marking the sun-blessed North under her tangled purple curls. At once a thought leapt: ~A shaveraze!~ - Thief-Queen! So had looked those dread elder reavers when they swept from the moorlands twelve thousand years ago. Too easily I could dream a feathery crown upon her head.

Vosaeth looked at me, beswaying grin already lit, and her first word: ~Niradaf o ihize,~ - "I heard you are wicked." At my shame she laughed, but then to soothe offthank, outlaid that she had heard I had undertaken downstall to save my housemate, which deed she blessed, and cheered me a bold maiden. Then she kissed me. Against her, I feared my boldness outmatched, for a wildness held her from the moors and their long-legged shotalashu. I found her mood thrillsome.

The Retaea sith outspoke wish to cleave our warfare against the Formians, to which both Lady-Mother and Lady-Captain welcomed their add. Thus we spent a few days letting the Retaea tarry after their long wayfare, and settling last plans. Then we took flatbarks down Father Yaro to Qabarat.