Design For New Non Canon Insane Woman My Dm Just Dropped Into Our Game

oh m ygod i dont have more art to post bc ive been in work/life hell but i did a one on one with dm for roma to have a date with ez and it went. EXTREMELY WELL

I'm really curious about what Roma has going on with Osybus, how much he knows, how much you know... I am very eye emoji about it in general. Especially the significance of the increasingly? invisible limbs? A rad looking effect to be sure, but also hmmmmmm. (Also I saw it was your birthday recently! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)

WAH HELLO!!!!!!!! THANK U YES IT WAS (SPINNING HEARTS EMOJI) ROMA’S THING WITH OSYBUS IS A REALLY DEEP VEIN (I personally like it a lot because it naturally interacts really closely with many of Roma’s deepest fears, desires, coping mechanisms, and personal beliefs, and as a narrative device and mechanical plaything I couldn’t have asked for anything better) 

As a general ask “what’s roma’s thing with osybus?” is one of the most pandora’s box-y things you could’ve asked, so I hope you don’t mind if this is a bit wordy and like, ALL over the place.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

Fast answer first: We (OOC party and IC pcs) believe that Osybus originally was part of I think Sessinek, or at least a larger being, and that he’s connected to the amber temple in some way. We also think that we released Osybus when Roma shattered one of the artifacts at the death house, but that’s a theory. Roma also has no idea how Deep he is in with Osybus and enters any transactional interaction with the idea that it may be his last, but I know he’s a little over halfway to being so far gone my DM takes him as an NPC. 

GENERAL BACKSTORY, Osybus is the headfriend (I don’t know the term for it but we just call them headfriends) Roma contracted with during the Feast in Vallaki. We were literally fighting for our lives in front of the church of St. Andral and things were looking pretty grim; a lot of the party was either fully missing or really badly injured, and Strahd was about to land a coup de grace by luring Ireena outside of the safety of the church via killing the party member she was in love with, our druid healer. In a last ditch effort, Roma used his turn to beg Strahd to make a deal with them to spare them, but Strahd very coldly refused because “there is nothing you could give me I would want,” and Roma was devastated. 

It was after that second Osybus contacted Roma in his mind, that he was Osybus the Immortal and that he could save them. Roma initially asked if he could save the whole party but Osybus said that was beyond his power, and that Roma could only choose one person for this gift. Roma was torn, so he decided to ask Osybus what Strahd wanted the most. 

“The girl.” Osybus answered. 

“Then he can’t have her.” Roma replied. “I pick Ireena.” And then Osybus killed Ireena!!! (Ireena was fine tho, and then not, and then worse, etc etc you know how Barovia is) 

Roma’s relationship with Osybus has morphed over time, starting from gratefully deferential due to Osybus “helping” Roma out so often and also due to Roma not having anyone he could turn to for assistance or companionship for a stint of time, to eventually pettily and one-sidedly antagonistic on Roma’s end due to VR’s warnings and some subsequent bad deals. 

That being said, despite it all Osybus is usually the one Roma turns to whenever he feels trapped and cornered, because Osybus’ power to grant wishes is often Roma’s only ripcord in situations where the options left to him are usually death or worse. Osybus has also been nothing but obliging and polite to Roma (though he has shades of sounding like, possessive), which makes interactions all the more sticky since Osybus has such a strong hold over him. 

The ghost limbs are one of the penalties from wishes from Osybus! Roma usually takes some sort of penalty whenever he makes a wish, and since I had some troubles with the original way Osybus’ penalties manifested (rot and decay) my DM kindly changed it to make his limbs translucent, with increasing transparency the more wishes Roma makes. He also has trouble leveraging their strength now that they're translucent and doesn’t have a shadow anymore! 

One of the last things to know about Roma is for a long time, he didn’t consider himself to have many strengths, but one he Did have was a VERY solid sense of self. He understood what he himself wanted, innately and always, and was really decisive about wholeheartedly pursuing whatever he believed was right (even if he was Really Not.) 

More recently, Roma also has begun to realize he has a lot more to gain in the world now that VR is back in the picture, and wants to spend whatever time VR has left to just, hang out with VR. When the adventure in Barovia ends, the first (and honestly, only) thing Roma wants to do is visit Van Richten’s greenhouse. He wants it more than anything in the whole wide world!! 

However, both of these things are now in jeopardy, since Roma is now So deep in Osybus’ penalty shootout with already so little to forfeit, that Osybus has started to change parts of Roma’s desires and personality as payment. And Roma is KEENLY aware of the changes and dissonance and the payments happening, but because they feel “natural” to his personality he struggles to disobey. 

Roma’s current dilemma is now--in extremely high stress, high danger situations-- having to choose between dying having never experience The Thing He Wants More Than Anything, or dealing with Osybus to survive to the end but risk being altered so much that the original reasons he made the deals for no longer matter. Real die a hero or live to be the villain type nonsense. 

every now and again i browse my twitter followers and im startled by a Really Good Artist I Didn't Notice Before Following Me, For Some Reason

updated roma ref! wanted to make something that was more 'session neutral' + a 'session-accurate' design from right before we entered vallaki

Hello! I wanted to do one of those 'meet the party' introduction posts for PCs and major recurring NPCs. Info below the cut, and best viewed on a blog :D Spoilers beware!

MEET THE PARTY

Robin “Basil” Cantemir (circle of dreams druid/wood half-elf feytouched) (PC) he/him STATUS: Alive CONDITIONS: Dark Power (Dahlver-nar) Cradle-robbed (literal) and forced into fey servitude. Party dad and default party face because no one else is remotely qualified. Romantically involved with Ireena and currently has her as a tooth in his mouth. 

Ireena Kolyana (NPC) she/her STATUS: Deceased CONDITIONS: is tooth A sweetheart. Party darling and moral center before her untimely death, undeath, and disintegration. Currently brought back as a tooth in Basil’s mouth.

Vicelinus aka Vice (grave cleric/variant human aka lizard) (PC) he/him STATUS: Alive CONDITIONS: none Wandering holyman and servant of the Raven Queen. Self serving coward turned reluctant protagonist. Major arsonist tendencies. Party healer and part time devout follower (sorry Raven Queen.) 

Milivoj (champion fighter/human) (PC) he/him STATUS: Alive CONDITIONS: Dark Power (Taar Haak), Dark Power (Tarakamedes) Barovian and former oniichan. Extremely normal mcnormie normalson when he’s not shaking like a frightened chihuahua or being racist against Vistani. Party tank and Basil’s figurative son. 

Roma (gloomstalker ranger/human) (PC) he/him STATUS: Alive CONDITIONS: Dark Power (Osybus) Party dog with anger issues and primary DPS. Raised by wolves and socialized via Fey and it shows. Smells awful.

Maraschino aka Elle aka Kristiana aka Twothka etc. (trickster rogue/changeling) (PC) he/him STATUS: Deceased CONDITIONS: Dark Power (Vaund) Resident carefree prettyboy, wannabe gentleman, and former face of the party. Cluelessly insensitive. Roma’s closest friend in the party before he was consumed by Vaund. Haunts the narrative.

Van Richten (NPC) he/him STATUS: Alive Tsundere old man and verified Sadgirl (TM). Roma and Ez’s mentor, and the former’s favorite person ever.

Ez (NPC) she/her STATUS: Alive  Too cool for the party. Puts “the fool” in “fools go where angels fear to tread.” Roma’s maybe friend and not-girlfriend.

Stella Wachter (Fated Ally) (NPC) she/her STATUS: Alive CONDITIONS: Existing (The Stella Condition) Doing bad! Keeps DDLG-ing the party and giving them psychic damage because of it. Party’s fated ally that they want to teach counterspell to so bad. 

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Party doesn't have a group name, but the dynamic is four (formerly five) socially nerfed individuals and one (1) token girl. Practiced situation escalators. Frequent bickering and infighting due to conflicting value differences, stubborn egos, and the general stress of Barovia. Extremely rough around the edges, but through trial and error settled on a tenuous alliance and mutual understanding.

Van Richten is also SOOOOOOO nice to Roma. Like stupid nice. He's so crotechy all the time and says shit like 'Perhaps you should have considered your action was really inadvisable before you doomed yourself (rubbing salt in other person's action)" or "(justifying killing an old person) It's the cycle of life for old people to die" and roma gives him ONE LOOK or complains for ONE SECOND and van richten concedes and stops.

Last session the party was like "VR please travel with us" and VR SPECIFICALLY looked at roma to check his reaction bc he clearly didnt want to stay and after roma was like (pleading) he STAYYYYEEEDDDD

IVE ONLY BEEN SCROLLING TWIT IDLY FOR AN HOUR AND IM ALREADY LOCKED OUT THIS IS SOOO FUNNY? Anyway I don't think it'd be bad to talk here more (since I already blast out my thoughts on twitter) but I'm not used to the long format of tumblr so that may take some time to get used to (thinky emoji)

full (sort of!!) party lineup in celebration of FINALLY GETTING OUR FATED ALLY STELLA

more ezreena thoughts

do you ever meet a woman whose expertise and existence may solve all of your problems, who is literally so strong she may be able to free you, perhaps even help you free yourself (utena music starts)

anyway. i only know as much about them as a person playing strahd for the first time could. but. They Could Be Very Good Together I Think

posting wips to give myself STRENGTH (TBD)

its my time of the month and my body is aboslutely kicking my ass but please look at ez's lovingly lined vardo