#i also think she found an underground water stream he dug to and so could drink and bathe as much as he wanted. or he would smell

[ben-the-hyena]

When Scarab got entombed, he was in complete pitch darkness (even darker than that, I just took a screenshot of the moment they ceal the gate so you could distinguish him) and his arms tied behind him not to do any magic anymore, and the whole tomb was empty with nothing for himself to eat, drink or dressed up with, all alone. He should have been blind force of living in the dark, crazy and unable to think and speak coherently anymore force of bzing alone with his thoughts, tied up and defenseless for eternity, and before that since after all the life force he stole off Rapses did not make him immortal but just living longer he should have actually died from thirst and/or starvation before even experiencing said eternity, maybe he would have even died frozen the very night since it is extremely cold in deserts at night. And even if the prince's life force did keep him alive, he would have been very weak, more than morbidly emaciated and horribly fragile, unable to move at all

And yet when Harris Stone unknowingly frees him by discovering and opening the tomb in 1928, Scarab is standing as powerful as ever, wears his new attire, has Heka with him despite her not being there when he got cealed in, is alive and is in normal shape, his hands are free and so can do anything such as magic and counted down all the days (or years) he spent there on the wall, also implying he was seeing what he was doing and indeed still sees as good as before, he just is extremely pale from never seeing the sun in 3500 years as he is for the rest of the show but that's it

At the start of episode 3, Scarab wakes up from a nightmare of him being locked inside the tomb, that event apparently having traumatized him enough to give him PTSD. Heka comes to him and comments he made the dream again, to which he replies she cannot understand what it feels like to be imprisonned asay from the sun in the dark for so long

And yet we saw she was with him when Harris Stone freed them !

So my theory : Heka to nearly everyone was just a staff, so obviously not arrested, but since in the meantime she had probably gotten attached to him already, she tried to find a way to enter the tomb a non-magic way since there was an anti-magic seal with a warning. She being either his living staff alive thanks to him or like the theory I prefer was summoned by him and in both cases is his familiar, she technically counts as a spell so she couldn't open the tomb herself. Being a snake, she found a small and thin entrance and could join him there. From that moment she was his only companion and contact with the outside world. She would untie his wrists, bring him food and water, give him fire for heating his food and stay warm, could have brought him those big robes to be even warmer, could have brought over things he needed to better his spells to spend time notably the shabties, perhaps help try different ways to escape in vain, tell him how things are going outside and keep him updated on the region for all these millenia, and would be with him. She would not be locked inside and came and went as much as she wanted unlike him, explaining why unlike him she wasn't traumatized and didn't know how it felt like to be imprisonned in the dark (maybe sometimes her fire would die out and he would be in the dark for a whole day or more until she could return), and why he remained sane, alive, more or less in shape, had other clothes and was unbounded. And also explaining why the 2 are so close and why each ithee are probably the only people they care for. Spending so much time together and in his case only knowing her and hearing her for millenia and seeing she could have left but took care for him instead, she liking him enough by now to stay indeed and keep him as well as she could, both seeing sides they didn't know they had and getting to socialize better since that was all they could do...

No wonder they are so close (andmarried). Ultimate bonding experience, and as much of a jerk as he can be to her at times, he will forever be grateful and she knows

#their love language is bickering is all #mummies alive #moi #love is here #i ship it ! #imprisonment #tomb #immortal #life #survival #scarab #heka #harris stone #i also think she found an underground water stream he dug to and so could drink and bathe as much as he wanted. or he would smell

[deathsmallcaps]

July’s Story

My fifteenth Win A Commission contest is Crystal the Wise! If you would like to see my version, and see all my drawings together, please

There once was a gentleman who had quite a daughter. Whatever her teachers gave her to learn, she gobbled up. Foreign languages, geography, so—all were unspeakably easy for her. And mathematics! She could add up columns of figures far better than her father’s accountants could. Before long, she could have taken their place.

When Crystal (for so she was called) grew a bit older, the neighboring children came over to ask her to explain the problems their tutors had set. Soon everyone came to learn from her. In time, word of this reached the king. He wrote to the young woman, saying, “My son is nearly grown, but my daughter has trouble with her lessons, and needs a teacher who could make her understand. Will you come and stay with us for a few months?”

Crystal was delighted to do so. When she arrived at the palace, the king, queen, and princess greeted her warmly. The prince, however, sulked like a little child. He had offered to tutor the princess himself, but the king had said, “You’re too impatient. I have found someone else who can do a better job than you can.”

Over the next few weeks, the prince sat in the back of the classroom and contradicted Crystal whenever she spoke. His interruptions grew more and more frequent. Still, Crystal continued to teach, because she liked the little princess and wanted her to do well. Tired of being ignored, the prince stood up one day and said, “This isn’t how I learned it. Everything you’re teaching my sister is wrong.” Crystal walked right up and slapped him! After that, the prince kept away from her lessons.

When the time came for Crystal to leave, the prince went to his parents.

“I’m grateful for all Crystal taught me, and after all, she’s the cleverest woman in the kingdom. May I have your permission to marry her?” The king and queen eagerly agreed, and Crystal also accepted, figuring it was a good marriage. She hadn’t realized she was worth more. 

After the wedding, the prince took his bride to a secluded cottage deep in the forest. As she was changing into her nightclothes, he came in and said, “Well, Crystal, are you ready to apologize for slapping me?”

“Apologize? I was right to slap you! And I’ll do it again if you keep on about it.” Crystal didn’t enjoy violence but knew when to defend herself.

“Is that so?” the prince snarled. He and a couple servants dragged her down to the cellar, where he thrust her through a trapdoor, into a little cell under the floorboards. There was a bed and a table and almost nothing else. In the morning, he asked her if she’d changed her mind, but she said no. Every day he came down and demanded she repent. Every day she refused, despite knowing her chances of survival were diminishing rapidly in such a dangerous situation. She had tried to run away when he first grabbed her, but even her considerable talents were no match against ten armed men. 

Crystal grew weary of her imprisonment, but there was no way she would apologize. One day, she noticed a corner of her cell was blowing air, due to a spider’s web flying into her face. She blessed the spider for alerting her, tand investigated the hole. There, she discovered a rushing underground stream. She dug a hole big enough to squeeze through, and managed to swim all the way to her father’s house.

Her father was appalled to find out how she’d been treated. “I’ll see the king immediately.”

“Oh, no, don’t,” Crystal said. “Just dig a tunnel into my cell and bring me some decent food, and of course, my books. The prince only lowers bread and water.” And Crystal swam back to her cell with the prince none the wiser.

At last, he grew tired of her refusals and called down, “I’m going to Paris to enjoy myself. I’ll have a servant feed you while I’m having fun.”

“Go ahead,” she called back cheerfully. 

As soon as the prince had left, Crystal bribed the servant to stop lowering bread and water, telling him to lie to the prince should he come back. She ran to her father and, with plenty of money from him, hurried to Paris, formulating a brilliant plan to ruin him forever with her father. There she disguised herself as a girl named ‘Marie’ and bought a house next to her husband’s. 

She then forged a letter to the prince’s parents, explaining that ’Crystal’ had died en route to Paris, and that he was going to mourn for a while. Somewhere in the back of her head, she knew this was a dangerous course of action, and very unhealthy emotionally. But she was SO angry.

Then, each day, she drove out in her carriage behind four white horses. Her gown was thick with embroidery, and her fan was trimmed with delicate lace, and she adopted a beautiful Parisian accent. When the prince saw her, he was dazzled by her beauty, though he didn’t recognize her in Parisian fashions. He began courting her, and wedded ‘Marie’ inside a month, never mentioning, of course, that he had another wife back home. Nor did he notice her glittering intellect, and thought her a dumb but lovely creature.  Nine months later, she gave birth to twins, a girl and a boy. Since Crystal had learned a bit, she made the prince sign a contract, vowing the children would be his heirs. He signed it, thinking it would be invalid, for she had drawn it up herself and he thought her stupid. He was mistaken. 

Three years passed. Then the prince told her he had been summoned home, but didn’t tell her it was for a new marriage. He didn’t know that this third bride had been set up by Crystal’s father. Feeling bored with his (supposedly) new and beautiful wife, he agreed to return home and decided to leave Crystal and his children behind. 

Returning home, the prince hurried to the cottage but discovered the cell empty. The servant told him Crystal had died of loneliness, so the prince thought he was in the clear. 

His family got him all set up for the wedding, disallowing him to meet his match, claiming superstition. When the day finally came, he said the vows, and everyone cheered. He raised her veil, and saw Crystal grinning triumphantly back at him. His children toddled out from the audience, and he knew he was in trouble.

Stunned to see his triply-wed wife, the prince knelt down before the court and begged her forgiveness. But it turned out, she didn’t have to forgive him. 

Her father produced the contract proclaiming the children as the prince’s heirs and a written account of what had passed by Crystal verified by many sources, including the servant who was supposed to feed her. Disgusted by their son, the King and Queen banished him and stripped him of his personal land, money and title, immediately giving them to Crystal. She and her family promptly lived happily ever after. 

My Notes

Now, you may not have noticed, but this story? Extremely messed up. I mean, this woman is degraded and goes on the biggest revenge plot I’ve ever seen a female character do in a fairy tale. She even has revenge babies! They are going to have a pretty messed up childhood. 

Why did I choose Crystal the Wise? Well, for three reasons. 

One, I heard it on, you guessed it, the Myths and Legends podcast. I really liked his rendition, but I did NOT want to type the whole thing out (I did that with a different story of his that I’m going to give to a different little cousin). I found this version online. And this all happens in the story! Crystal is just that machiavellian, and I applaud her! I kind of wish she didn’t feel like she had to continue having relations with her abuser, or to change herself so completely, but she really hit him with the ol’ one-two, and I like it when people can dole out justice like that. Hopefully she had someone to talk to afterwards? Also its pretty problematic the King and Queen did not realize how much of a little creep they raised to be their heir. 

Two, I realized I hadn’t done a story from South America yet! I realize its definitely a more modern story, with less ties to the Native people of Chile (btw the royal family of Chile isn’t a real thing), but I really liked it. 

Three, I was looking up the Aymara people of Chile for unrelated reasons when I realized I would love to draw the women! I don’t know what the textile industry over there is like, but it must be pretty entrenched in the culture, because they have so many pretty patterns and colors in their everyday wear! Combined with the bowler hats (legend has it that a shipment of bowler hats made it to Chile just when they went out of style, so the haberdashers marketed them to women!) with all the lovely flowers added on, I was excited! So I wanted to draw an Aymara girl. 

Now that I’ve explained that, I’d like to explain my drawings. They weren’t as full of background as some of my other drawings, but trust me, I put a lot of effort into them! I had a kabillion reference pictures.

The title is not based off of any movie logo I’ve seen, for once. Rather, it is based a bit off of the ACDC logo. I was working one day, when someone with that logo on his shirt came up to the register. I was inspired! So I quickly sketched out a sort of geometric, sort of lightning-bolt-esque title in between customers. And I liked it!

The second picture, the slap, was a difficult one for me. It combined an unusual perspective, unusual clothing, and unusual face shapes for me. As you’ve seen with my art, and maybe with your own art, it is often very easy to have a character face you and not interact with another object or person, You can’t really have that happen with a slap. 

This story is supposed to be set in the early 1700s, when Paris was very in vogue. But as I really wanted to draw a modern Aymara woman, I did play little fast and loose with the fashion. There isn’t too many reference pictures for old Chilean fashion. I had to reach a little. Which led me to using a more European style of dress for the Prince. And this is the only time you get to see *Crystal dress in a way that is normal and comfortable to her. This is an important ‘theme’ of the story - sorry to go all English class on you!

*Just remembered that Crystal is not a very Spanish-sounding name. I’ve never found the story outside, even when I try to look it up in Spanish, so some part of me is worried that someone made it up and pretended it was Chilean. Please let me know if you find anything. 

Their faces are different than what I’ve drawn before. As you can see on the prince’s face, he has serious acne. I’m not trying to demonize acne, but I decided that he’s one of those boys who hates getting clean and despite literally everyone telling him so, will not stop touching his face and causing acne. I went through a stubborn phase like that. But I also wanted to show how young and already so privileged the guy is. I really wanted to make him annoying. Crystal also has a bit of acne, to show her youth, but what really makes her face different than my usual fare is the fact she has a mole, never gets to smile of joy in my illustrations, and she is plump. I have a tendency to draw skinny characters I’m trying to get rid of as an artist -  I want to be able to draw everyone, anyone. And i think she turned out quite pretty!

Third picture, the cave, was again sort of a challenge. I wasn’t sure at the beginning how to place Crystal so you could sort of see the hole that leads into her room, while also showing her climbing down and the underground waterways she is going to enter. And as you’ve might’ve seen before, when I draw caves and rocks, all I think of is really ‘geometry’ but in the way the guy in this meme thinks of aliens (look up history channel aliens if you don’t know).

But I guess I did it? As for Crystal, you can tell she’s uncomfortable, she’s skinnier in an unhealthy way and colder than before, her hair isn’t in the customary braids but in a crappy bun to keep it off her face, and her dress is in tatters. Not a happy camper, and understandably so.

Last picture, Crystal’s wedding dress, was sort of hard in a different way, again! I decided early on I wanted to base her dress off of Elizabeth’s wedding dress from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. But I had to draw that while Crystal was holding her two kids on her hips, and smirking. I think I managed it, though. I think it’s interesting to note that the look epitomizes the kind of person she had to emulate while tricking the prince; a meek, european-mimicking little wifey. Totally different than the person she really is, the person she is illustrated to be in the first picture. 

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed that! Another problematic story will be the one for next month! Thanks for reading!

@boopboopboopbadoop​

#crystal the wise #wac #win a commission #marital abuse tw #commissions open #piff-paff #piff-paff: or the art of government #smack-bam #smack-bam or the art of governing men #Smack-Bam or The Art of Governing Men: Political Fairy Tales of Édouard Laboulaye #Smack-Bam or The Art of Governing Men: Political Fairy Tales of Édouard Laboulaye (Oddly Modern Fairy Tales)

[iknewiwouldregretthis]

okay here’s a bunch of information i know on dudes in the wild west for melissa @cwtchpup so it doesn’t clog up the chat and also for anyone else i guess. it is Long because it’s basically everything i could come up with off the top of my head

so doc holliday is some dude who got a degree in dentistry in the 1860s or so and then about immediately found out that he had tuberculosis so he moved to the southwest where the air was dry and was like “wow i’m good at cards” so he became a gambler which was an actual profession and he was very good at it. i’m sure he probably did some dentsiting on the side still because it was a lot less “see you in six months for your next cleaning” and a lot more “tooth hurts? drink this whiskey and i’ll go get my pliers.” then in maybe texas? he met the earps (virgil, morgan, wyatt) who were lawmen and became like an assistant deputy lawman? i think you pretty much just had to be assigned the role of deputy or lawman and didn’t need any qualifications BUT doc was really good at shooting so he had that going for him and if i remember right one of the earps was a sheriff or marshal or something and did the deputizing. he was with wyatt earp at the ok corral which is a very famous shootout but all i remember is that either virgil or morgan died and so wyatt and doc and the remaining earp brother went rogue and hunted down and killed the dudes who did it and then had a price on their heads. wyatt and doc got a divorce because wyatt went back to being the law and doc went back to having a severe disease and then he went to glenwood springs colorado where he died in his hotel and was buried in linwood pioneer cemetery because he died a pauper. he was in like his early to mid 30s. about 50 years later, there was some break in and some of the cemetery records were stolen and so now, we don’t know exactly where doc is buried in the cemetery (there wasn’t a marker because he was already buried at taxpayer expense and they sure weren’t gonna cough up the 30 cents or however much it took to make a headstone). there is a memorial where they’ve fenced off a grave-sized area and put a marker, and people have left playing cards and empty shot-sized alcohol bottles and small amounts of money like dollar bills and coins and a few casino chips in kind of the same vein as people kissing oscar wilde’s grave which i think is super cool.

a fun side note here is that glenwood springs was a frontier town originally made up of brothels, gambling halls, and mining supply shops (just like every other frontier town) called Defiance which was a crazy cool name except that one of the town founders was like “hmmmm my sweet gentle wife from iowa is having trouble adjusting to the harsh realities of frontier life what if we changed the name of our town defiance to glenwood springs, after her hometown of glenwood iowa?” and apparently everyone else at the town founders meeting was like “hey jimmy nobody cares about your kind gentle iowan wife but if it’ll shut you up we will name this town glenwood springs”

anyway, also buried in the linwood cemetery is kid curry (not to be confused with kid cudi, the sundance kid, anyone else with kid or curry in their name including george flat nose curry who kid got his name from). kid curry was part of the wild bunch but was like kind of a disaster compared to his more gentleman thief-esque colleagues. he was a that-guy-who-wrote-les-mis-whose-name-i-forgot of the old west to the point that when prostitutes had kids and they didn’t know who the dad was or didn’t want to say, they’d call them curry kids. anyway he got shot trying to pull a train robbery outside of parachute with some guys (they might’ve been from black jack ketchum’s gang? which kid curry ran with before he joined the wild bunch) after the wild bunch broke up. he was still a badass though because he told the other dudes to leave him behind and then shot himself rather than let the cops take him alive. the cops found the dead criminal and then presumably went “uhhh i guess we bury him now” and stuck him in the pauper’s cemetery. not too long after, a pinkerton detective who was an expert in the wild bunch was like “hey i think that dude you guys buried is kid curry based on the description do you mind digging him up so i can see?” and the super chill town cops were like “hell yeah let’s go” and they dug up harvey and the pinkerton was like “that’s sure him” and the cops went “oh sweet let’s give him a marker” and then put him back.  that’s mostly all i know about kid curry except his name is harvey logan which i don’t think i mentioned earlier.

the wild bunch was super late in the wild west, hitting the height of their outlawing around 1899. butch cassidy, aka robert leroy parker, who looks kind of like matt damon, was the leader and was a brilliant tactical mind. the wild bunch robbed tons of banks and trains and always escaped basically unscathed thanks to butch’s planning. they also bragged a lot about not killing people every but kid curry was super gun happy and killed like 9 people on record so kid curry lets everyone down as usual. (it’s not just his fault, i’m pretty sure the sundance kid aka harry longabaugh something also killed some people that we know of also). anyway, the gang would do a robbery and then lay low for a while. most of the laying low happened in an area that was called brown’s hole but is now mostly called brown’s park (a park is a geographical area that’s like a valley but like in the mountains? i don’t totally remember the definition but it’s a big flat that’s high up.) brown’s hole is in the unita mountains, a range in the rockies that runs east/west instead of north/south. it’s in that bit of utah right where it borders both colorado and wyoming. the wild bunch worked there as ranch hands and would give money to the local community and so the community loved and sheltered them. they also went out of their way to not commit crimes in utah or colorado because they didn’t want the law in those states after them. they spent a lot of time and brothels and would take their favorite ladies on huge lavish vacations and buy them all kinds of fancy things. basically the whole life was do a big robbery, live a glamorous dramatic lavish life until the money runs out, repeat.

when they hung out in brown’s hole, a bunch of the gang fell in love with locals, which were all good morman girls because that’s who lived on the ranches in brown’s hole at the turn of the century. it was kind of a disaster love story for all of them because it’s hard to be a good morman girl and marry a dude who only knows how to be an outlaw but they tried and some of them made a good go of it, before the former wild bunch men went back to outlawing and/or got themselves killed. elza ley, who doesn’t have a cool nickname as far as i remember, is one of the dudes who got married to a local girl, and i think the first one who did. i think the tall texan (ben kilpatrick or ben kirkpatrick or ben something-patrick) did also. as far as i can remember right now, none of the marriages ended after a long and happy life, usually because the dude got himself killed. they were just too used to their lavish lifestyle circle to actually settle down and be ranch boys. also it didn’t help that the whole lot of them thought it’d be a fun time to get a group photo taken in texas at a studio several years back and all the pinkerton detectives started carrying it around with them to show people.

butch and sundance went down to i think peru? and tried to do some robberies down there because the whole rest of the gang was getting married and getting shot. the two of them were killed by the local militia in a robbery gone wrong. (as seen in the movie butch cassidy and the sundance kid with robert redford and some other man). interestingly, a lady named etta place was there with them. etta was the sundance kid’s girl (tbh historians are kind of iffy about it because there’s letters saying she’s butch’s girl, stuff saying they shared her, and stuff that says she’s butch’s cousin and stuff saying she and butch grew up and were childhood sweethearts but as adults she only dated the sundance kid which is one of the more accepted theories) and the interesting thing about etta is that she pretty much shows up in history when she starts hanging around the wild bunch and then disappears almost immediately before butch and sundance get themselves killed. i think they picked etta up because she worked at fanny porter’s brothel in texas and the boys went there a lot, and there’s some sources saying she caught a boat from peru to nyc but like there’s no confirmation? she just shows up, does some robbing, gets treated to the good life, and then disappears. anyway there’s a famous picture of her and sundance where she’s wearing a pocket watch from tiffany’s that cost like $50 which was A Lot.

there were also a bunch of ladies who were not necessarily IN the wild bunch, but were safe havens or hangers-on (i think etta and queen ann basset were the only two who did crimes with them but they don’t get to be included in most accounts because they were 1. not in the famous photo and 2. women). however, there was one family that the boys sheltered with a bunch to the point that elizabeth basset, the matriarch, was basically also their mom? she adopted them and it’s very sweet. one of her daughters, josie, apparently was butch’s girl for a little bit when she was younger and i think also elza’s? josie eventually married (5 times if i remember right, none of which were to the wild bunch. there was at least one husband she was accused of poisoning) and built herself a ranch using some box canyons as corrals, and built the entire 5 room ranch house herself by hand. it had one fireplace, the walls were papered in newsprint, and there was no electricity (even after it got invented). the only running water was from underground streams, because of complicated water rights. josie hunted deer, raised cattle, farmed, made her own whiskey, sewed her own clothes, lasted through prohibition and the great depression and eventually slipped on ice and broke her hip, forcing her to go to a hospital. she died there, at age 90, in 1963. her ranch is currently in the bounds of dinosaur national monument (the utah part) and is open to visitors.

that’s all i can think of at present. also i know it’s weird and possessive to refer to women as “dude’s girl” but there’s not quite any other way to get across what i mean? like saying they were going steady is too 1950s and nothing else really describes the relationship. it wasn’t dating. that’s just what you called it? anyway here’s some pictures of josie’s house

#old west info #mine #there's those posts about how everyone has one area of history that they were super into #the old west is one of mine

[tombraidergirl]

SotTR Impressions (1): Reveal Demo

On 26 April 2018 I was given the opportunity to try out the first hands-on demo for Shadow of the Tomb Raider at the London reveal event to which I was kindly invited by Square Enix Germany. Square Enix sponsored my travel an accommodations to this event.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider will complete the story arc that began in Tomb Raider - where adventure found young, fresh-from-college Lara Croft, forcing her to fight for survival - and was continued in Rise of the Tomb Raider - where Lara actively sought out adventure to honour her father’s legacy. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider Lara chooses to continue searching for great archaeological and mythological mysteries, out of curiosity and her love for adventure, slowly turning her into the adventuress we know and love from the classic games.

In the past couple of years the reboot series had to endure a lot of criticism pertaining to Lara’s character and the fact that her weak side was showing, but what people keep forgetting is that the Lara from the classic games (with the exception of Angkor Wat in The Last Revelation and Ireland in Chronicles - which didn’t portrait a very believable character if you’re honest ;-) - which is okay btw, it's fiction) was a seasoned explorer in her late twenties or early thirties (born in 1968). Her original storyline was that an event - in that case a plane crash - at the age of 21 made her turn her life upside down, becoming the heroine of Tomb Raider I and everything after. A storyline that Tomb Raider Legend kind of messed up and Tomb Raider (2013) then tried to fix by getting back to the roots, but replacing the plane crash with a shipwreck to add something fresh, instead of doing Legend’s Nepal again at the “correct” age. So where in the original game was it written that 21-year-old Lara didn’t have weaknesses? I can sympathise with people not loving to play a softer Lara, when we got to know and love her as a tough cookie, but that’s over with anyway, and so is this discussion I hope.

Shadow adds a new layer of toughness to Lara. Her body has changed visibly, her well toned muscles clearly showing. Her face seems a little less soft - something that is probably going to be discussed at length on the internet with comments along the lines of “why did they change her face again” - which is only logical given what she has been through in the recent years.

Story

Lara and Jonah are in Cozumel, Mexico hot on the trail of one Dr. Dominguez, a member of the Trinity order, searching for a hidden underground temple holding a key, the “Key of Chak Chel” to some mystery. Lara herself is trying to beat them to it and believes to have the upper hand as a second piece of the puzzle, the “Silver Box of Ix Chel”, Trinity is searching for in Brazil, might actually be located in Peru according to her own calculations. The Day of the Dead, or Día de Muertos, is being celebrated presenting Lara and Jonah with the opportunity to blend in, Lara hiding her Trinity-wide known face beneath a traditional mask worn for this occasion. With Jonah’s help Lara manages to follow Dominguez, whom Lara begins to suspect of being the actual leader of Trinity. She learns that while they are still unsuccessful in Brazil, they might have found the entrance to the hidden complex here in Cozumel. Gaining entrance to the dig site Lara manages to find a cave entrance Trinity has so far ignored. This ultimately leads her into the heart of the complex, an underground Maya pyramid, where she finds a large mural telling the story of Kukulkan, the creation god, and tells of a ritual that - when combining the key and the box - summons him. But it also warns of many catastrophes, in the order: tsunami, storm, earthquake, and volcanic eruptions. Lara then spots a circular stone tablet depicting the Hydra constellation which is misaligned. After aligning it, the hiding place of the Key of Chak Chel, an ancient ornate dagger, is revealed to her. While Lara marvels at the artefact, she receives a warning from Jonah via the two-way radio that Trinity is closing in. Without having time to think, Lara grabs the artefact and thus inadvertently sets things into motion. “What have I done?” Lara manages to escape the underground structure but is surprised by Dominguez and his men who take the dagger from her and tell her that by grabbing the artefact she started the apocalypse and that the first harbinger, the tsunami, is on its way. Lara manages to escape the tsunami, while witnessing the destruction it leaves in its wake, and is able to reunite with Jonah. She tells him what has happened and that she has lost the dagger to Trinity and that the foremost thing on her mind is beating Trinity in the race for the Box to prevent Trinity from realising their dreams for a new world order. Jonah maintains that Lara is not at fault for the tsunami. “Not everything is about you.” He believes that helping the survivors of the tsunami should be their priority.

Gameplay

In the first part of the demo Lara explores the town square and has the opportunity to interact with a couple of people, by talking to them, and learning more about their lives; a gameplay mechanism that has been introduced in the Reboot, where Lara could talk to the other Endurance survivors and returning in Rise where minor interactions with the Remnant were possible. But Shadow takes the whole thing a step further, as the whole market scene is not really relevant for progressing with the main story, but gives the environment a more lively feel. The market also offers the first resources in the form of a medkit and some herbs.

Another gameplay element returning is the fluent switch between cut scenes and playable scenes, when Jonah distracts two goons to allow Lara to sneak past and explore the back alleys and reach the dig site, which is well guarded and locked down. She then reaches another exploration area, a nice and quiet location with the remains of ruined Maya structures where more resources can be found, including resource crates and where Lara uses the wall scramble, the move that gets her up and over high walls. 

Lara’s use of the climbing axe has also improved, offering new ways of traversal  not seen in the reboot games yet. Besides climbing on craggy walls, she can now attach the rope she carries to rappel up or down, to use that rope to perform a so called rappel swing and reach far off platforms, and to perform wall runs to again reach far off platforms.

Lara finally locates a cave entrance allowing her passage to yet another type of area, where she meets her first prey in the form of the well known and difficult to shoot rats that can be killed for hide and +25 XP. The new gameplay elements introduced here are the ability to disarm spear traps by cutting tripwire ropes using the knife Lara carries and the improved diving skill that gives Lara a new freedom when exploring under water. Unfortunately Lara has not brought the rebreather from Rise along but she is now able to use pockets of trapped air to extend her time underwater. 

After making her way through the underwater passages Lara finally reaches the interesting bit where a series of counterweights waits to be figured out to allow her to ascend upwards. Through the use of carts that can be pushed, tethered to other objects like cranks, or rotated around on a turntable, Lara can use them to break through walls and to weight down platforms. It seems like more of these kinds of puzzles have made their way from the challenge tombs - of which there were none in the demo by the way - into the base game. 

(Concept Art)

Another well known gameplay element is a water slide scene, where Lara has to be steered down a torrential stream, avoiding deadly traps. 

The axe can still be used to pry open doors, widen cracks in walls and even to break windows in this game.

The resources found in Shadow of the Tomb Raider are more plentiful if we are to believe what the developers told us and besides the known resources like herbs, cloths, hide, hardwood (which can also be dug up from hidden caches) we were able to spot ready made medkits and stimulants. More known elements returning are murals - which will now improve Laras overall knowledge of the culture rather than her language skills in particular - shootable targets as part of a challenge and explorer backpacks or maps - that give Lara the location of hidden collectables.

Impressions

Let me begin with Jonah, because he’s right there at the beginning of the demo. I have spoken with quite a few fans who thought that reboot Jonah seemed a lot tougher than Rise Jonah and who missed that tougher side of him. But in Shadow tough Jonah is back. While in Rise I got the feeling that Jonah wasn’t really there of his own free will but coerced by Lara to be there, but in Shadow he’s back and seems genuinely interested in the adventure. He actively helps Lara by distracting mercenaries. The two seem like equals, two adventurers who can both hold their own, no one in need of comforting and supporting (Lara by Jonah in the Reboot) or of rescuing (Jonah by Lara in Rise). Something that does return from Rise is their occasional difference of opinion resulting in heated discussions not unlike the one that occurred in Croft Manor in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

The Cozumel part is a little reminiscent of the Syria section of Rise. It has Lara finding a hidden tomb or temple, it gives a kind of introduction into traps, but Cozumel is a little more bombastic adding a calm town exploration to it (a little like the very beginning of Peru in Tomb Raider Legend but without the town folk hiding in their houses - a better comparison would be another game that is not Tomb Raider where such explorations of towns with lots of friendly characters is common but I’ll refrain from such comparison at this point, you might not own a PlayStation :-) ) The climbing sections shortly later are a little like the beginning of Thailand in Underworld but with a more impressive environment, with a view close to the one enjoyed at the Coastal Bluffs in the Reboot. (Or, possibly passages of number 4 of the PlayStation game I am not mentioning here. ;-))

And finally: The top Lara was wearing in the demo (a different one from the one in the screenshots) is getting closer to the classic outfit we know.

#shadow of the tomb raider

[masterdungeonguide]

Adventure Ideas #1

This is a lose idea for adventure. Not a perfectly fluent ready to run module. A mere sketch if you will.

For convenience of use, should a DM want to reference this straight from the web, the order of description is somewhat un-natural for reading placing the location up top and the backstories and plots at the bottom of this post.

Lets get on with it...

The Cave Of The Invisible Ugly

Somewhere in the wildlands not very far from simple civilisations of farmers and foresters some streams come together and dissapear under ground and have carved out natural caves over the ages.

It has hosted many different inhabitants mostly animals and some times small bands of creatures.

In recent times from two unlikely events the inhabitants are somewhat different and are tied to a wave of dissapearing items in nearby homes.

There are three possible ways to enter and exit this cave to the outdoor levels. At 1) working ones way down the pond falls to a room. At 6) where the dryed out stream came in from the north-west, and through the small grass covered window that leads straight down to Orvar's work-shop.

1 Main Entrance Chamber

The small stream from the south west trickles down over some grey bare stones into a small pond that sits at the edge of a round cave room. The floor is a flat moist surface of brown sediment that has filled much up what was once flooded with water.

There is a good chance a perceptive character can spot tracks of footsteps in it. Most from troglodyte leaving and comming. Shoe prints from Orvar having done the same and from animals who hide here from time to time.

The former lead inwards to and from some carefully placed stones that make a low staircase up to the passage.

Possible encounters:

A scouting troglodyte is just passing trhough here and will be startled at the adventurers presence

A predator animal is feasting on a cadaver in the cave room that may react violently

2 High Passage

Leading upwards this tunnel ends in a small climb up to a ground above right next to the wooden door. It's easily spotted from tracks and the clearing of boulders that this path has been frequently used. It is the alternative walk around to a wade through a pond at the other end of it.

A small drop in the middle of the passage leads to a low natural cave room. A DC 20 to climb up and out of but not a hard one to jump down into. You may place abducted prisoners and or corpse here. Victims of the raiding troglodyte outlaws.

3 Underground Pond

A very deep underground pond fills most of this place and a stream comming out of the cave wall in the west leads into it. The chamber is damp and drips from the ceiling. A layer of cold mist is in the air.

Explorers may be greeted by a disturbing site in the form of floating body parts. This is where the band of troglodytes often dispose of bodies they dragged in and are done looting. Most sink and stay at the bottom but sometimes fresh ones float up.

At the bottom quite a few valuables can be found still on the corpses however. The band only know so much of what to value. Holy symbols, spell books and other sofisticated items would have been ignored.

One has to swim or wade along the very edges of the cave walls to get across.

If a challenge is desired here the troglodyte band of outcasts has brought a creature from the deeps to help consume the bodies they dump into it.

A jellyfish like being of the under deep lakes from their realm that blindly consumes anything that it detects through smell.

A squall of purple big water leaches that suck every surface clean of organic tissue.

4 Dryed Out Water Shaft

This is to where the more rich streams of water flowed down in the past. A deep drop into the dark is at the center and a clear drafts of air can be heard from below. It's an absurd climb down and up but not impossible.

The troglodytes came up this way using root-ropes and a lifetime of climbing experience.

Should the adventures chose to dare these depts they first end up in a vast network of natural caves hard to navigate and still a far way from the realm of the toglodytes. This new adventure will not be covered here but up to the creativeness of the DM.

This largest open area around the deep pit from where they came is still where the bandits from below make their primary living quarters. Sleeping matts, containers, tools and such can be seen stacked up towards the walls. Some bizare game squares is marked near and around the pit. (Where the troglodytes plays a game of 'live or die' with live catches of animals). In day times most of the troglodytes are here passing time. At night fewer stay put as some are out scouting the surface and their leader is off on 'unseen' affairs with the nearby settlements.

5 Storage

A small cave chamber that used to flood completely before the dry out. The band of troglodytes use this far 'back room' to store valuables in one corner and food reserves in another. It stinks! From the food and from the blood that they did not bother wipe from some of the takings.

6 Dried Out Stream

This is the least likely entrance to the cave-complex but maybe a useful exit. A narrow tunnel leads off for a long while and eventually blends in to the layer of soil above that can be dug through. On a rainy day with some sliding soil by cheer absurd luck an adventurer could posible sink through enough with a wrong step to realise something is there.

7 Orvar's Home

A thick wodden door set againt crudely adjusted natural rock and sediment distinguishes the one entrance to this place from the others in the cave complex. A small window leading straight out into luch hillside above, it's other entrance (one of three possible ways for adventurers to find this cave complex). The place is modestly furnished but makes up a comfortable living area. Part of it closest to the widow is a tight combination of a small library and herb collections with a sturdy messy desk.

Consider the content of this place an equivalent to a component pouch of a spell-caster and the books as a source to various low level spells and how to make them into potions. If you wish some ready minor potions are available on the desk as well.

Depending on how the outcasts came across Orvars medallion the state he is in (dead, captured, barricaded in, or perhaps fled) his home could be broken into and ruined or just ignored or unable to break through.

PC's who have come here with prior knowlege of Orvars tale may find it peculiar to be furnished for two. As if to hint he has a regular guest. There are two beds and two sets of almost everything.

The Tale Of Orvar And Astelle

In a small settlement with tightnitted folks on the border of the forests they once had master spin weaver of very old age. Although well appreciated for her crafts she was somewhat feared and kept at distance for her nasty manners and hot temper.

Nobody had ever seen her with male company and though well past such age one winter to everyones big surprise she came to be pregant.

In the early spring the same year she gave birth to a truly hideous child.

So hideous, and more hideous as the years went by, that people started talking of it not being all human. Trolls, Hobgoblins and even Demons came to peoples mind. While the weaver had named him Orvar behind his back he came to be known as Gobman The Hiddeous. Distrusted and avoided by all.

Just a year later than The Master Spin-Weaver a jolly and respected forester familly also had a child. A pleasant charming daughter. Her Name was Astelle. The irresistable child loved by all.

By coincidence the foresters cottage lay only a few steps off from the weavers house where Orvar grew up and with no one else of the same age Orvar and Astelle played as friends in secret.

Well aware even as children the dislike the grown ups would have had to this acquaintance.

They grew very fond of each other, gave each other gifts for hollidays and left letters under a rock in their secret place. Astelle learning the foresting would bring materials and Orvar would know many crafts to form them.

No one knew how but from somewhere the hideous man also over the years picked up certain darker crafts like that of whitches and wizards. Particularly he was blamed for being able to walk unseen.

One could think that he merely granted them their wishes. To not have to look upon him but this only served to deepen the fear and distrust for him.

On one unfortunate evening when they were young adults and still the best of friends in secret they were after all these years spotted playing. It was immediately assumed this monstrosity of a man were chasing after fair Astelle with a romantic interest and there was outrage.

In the craze of vengence while some wanted to lock the abomination up, others to chase him away, a few sough to end his life, the master spin-weaver was slain refusing to let them in to her house while Astelle in secret helped Orvar to escape the towns wrath. Fleeing to the woodlands that she knew well and a to take refuge in a well hidden cave complex that she had found years earlier.

The spin-weavers son was never seen again but some year later suspicions of invisible stalkers and burglars have lead peoples mind to wonder if he is really gone.

Medalion Of The Unseen

A potent trinket that you as a DM may want to consider carefully before allowing into your PC's hands if you run this idea at level one. It is not without limitations however and those limitations are stronger the weaker the players saves are (effectively with level).

It's origin is not defined.

Is Orvar origin really of troll heritage and has the medallion been given by those mysterious creatures of the forest? Was the weaver a powerful witch with foresight to put her powers into this item to protect what she new would be a child to hide? I leave this to the reader as I aim to inspire creativity and flexibility.

When worn if one covers up it's field of view with ones hand the wearer dissapears from visibility of any kind in the world. Magic, divine or natural perceptions are all blind to the wearers prescence.

Made out of crude wood and artisticly flawed metal working this medallion portrays an eye.

The catch is; The eye want's to see and it will fight back to do so!

It burns the wearers hand and mind in a fire of pain that grows over time. Causing both constitution and wisdom saves that starts at a mild DC 10 but increases in difficulty for every 5 rounds. (The save has to be made every round but only increases at those intervals.)

An observant reader may note from below that our proposed stats for Orvar have him at abysmal constitution and mediocre wisdom. Orvar is used to the pain since he was a toddler however and should be treated as both always having advantage on the rolls and fight it at a reduced DC. (You may opt for a similar approach if a PC carries and uses this item over a period of years)

The Troglodyte Outcasts

Deep down far below our cave and away from mines of dwarves and gnomes there is a vast network. The realm of the troglodytes.

Alien in morals and customs to the races under the sky above but not without norms these deep dwellers form clans under a high chief. What they would call something of a 'familly' is in fact the whole realm.

Not long ago a very ambisious member of the realm betrayed the sacred rules of allegiance to ruling sisterhood. The queens of the realm. In his ambition to gain more influence he and a small group of allies murdered and hid one of the chosen females with the intent to replace her with one in his own sphere of allies. A female who like so many failed to qualify to the sisterhood.

The plot was uncovered and the conspiring group were forced to flee for their lives. In this vast realm only one direction could offer sanctity. Up. To the realm under the sky.

By chance these group of murderous traitors crossed path with an other outcast. One mistrusted for his appearance and his mothers reputation alone.

What came of this meeting is yet to be uncovered.

A conflict or an understanding of mutual benefits?

In any case the band of troglodyte outcasts and it's ambitious leader are in posession of a an amulette of invisibility. One that they use to raid nearby settlements. For items and riches and to abduct people. All the while the suspicions are directed towards The Ugly Who Could Walk Unseen that dissapeared some years ago. Is that monster back to take vengence?

Note: that these suggested creatures are our Troglodytes and as should be obvious not the MM ones. Here is another post on them:

https://masterdungeonguide.tumblr.com/post/178192126310/creatures-treassures-alien-realms-in-the

You can of course swap them out for something else that you think would fit the concept

Common Troglodyte Outcast: Armour: 'Medium' Scaly Hide, made out of deep dwelling worm-skin. Weapons: Bone Spears, Bone clubs, and bone Daggers (-1)Speed: 25, Hits: 1d6/level, Attack Bonus: +3

...

- All content in this post is free to use and distribute as desired. Even re-publish on your own game spot in any fashion that does not seek to profit from it. Crediting us is appreciated

- If anyone is interested this adventure was sketched out using Bamboo Paper on and iPad

Happy gaming!

#dungeons and dragons #rpg #dungeon master #dnd adventures #fantasy oc #dnd #adventure ideas

[dfroza]

A set of questions is seen

in Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the 20th chapter of the book of Luke that includes marriage in this world and the eternal:

One day Jesus was teaching in the temple courts and sharing with the people the wonderful news of salvation. The high priest, the experts of the law, and the prominent men of the city confronted Jesus and asked him, “We want to know right now by what authority are you teaching here in the temple? And who gave you the authority to teach these things?”

Jesus responded, “First, let me ask you a question and you tell me right now. Did John baptize because he had a commission from heaven or merely from men?”

His interrogators pulled themselves aside to consider how to respond to Jesus. “What should we say? If we say that John’s mandate was from heaven, he will ask us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him and be baptized?’ But if we say, ‘John’s mandate was merely from men,’ then all the people around him will stone us, for they believe John was a prophet of God.” So unable to devise an answer they said to Jesus, “We cannot tell where John’s authority came from.”

Jesus said, “Then neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Jesus taught the people using this story:

“A man once planted a vineyard, then leased it out to tenants. Then he left to go abroad and was away for a long time. At harvest time, the owner sent one of his servants to the tenants to collect the landowner’s share of the harvest, but the tenants sent him away, beaten and empty-handed. So the owner dispatched another one of his servants to collect his portion, but the tenants treated him the same way. They cursed him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Then the owner sent a third servant, but they brutalized him also with the same treatment. Finally the owner of the vineyard said to his son, ‘Perhaps if I send you, my own cherished son, they will be ashamed of what they’ve done.’

“But when the tenants saw the son coming, they schemed among themselves. ‘This is the heir of the vineyard! If we kill him, the inheritance will be ours.’ So they threw the son off the property and killed him.

“I ask you, what do you think the owner of the vineyard will do to his son’s murderers? He will come back and destroy them and give his vineyard to another.”

When the people heard this story, they all agreed, “This should never happen!”

Jesus looked straight at the people and their leaders and said, “What do you think this verse means? ‘The worthless, rejected stone has become the cornerstone, the most important stone of all.’ Everyone who falls in humility upon that stone will be broken. But if that stone falls on you, it will grind you to pieces!”

When the high priests and experts of the law realized that this story was about them, they wanted to have Jesus arrested that very moment, but they were afraid of all the people.

Later, they sent spies who pretended to be honest seekers, but who wanted an opportunity to entangle Jesus by his words. Their plan was to catch him saying something against the government, so they could hand him over to the jurisdiction of the Roman authorities who would execute him for sedition.

At the right time they asked him this question: “Teacher, we know that all you say is straightforward and what you teach us is right. You give us the true ways of God. You’re one who shows no favoritism to anyone’s status. So we ask you— is it proper or not to pay taxes to a corrupt government?”

Jesus saw right through their cunning ploy and said, “Why are you testing me? Show me one of the Roman coins. Whose head is on the coin? Whose title is stamped on it?”

They answered, “Why, it’s Caesar’s.”

Jesus said, “Precisely. The coin bears the image of the Emperor Caesar, and you should give back to Caesar all that belongs to him. But you bear the image of God. So give back to God all that belongs to him.”

The imposters were left speechless and amazed in the presence of all the people, unable to trap Jesus with his words.

Some of the Sadducees (a religious group that denies there is a resurrection of the dead) came to ask Jesus this question: “Teacher, the law of Moses teaches that if a man dies before he has children, his brother should marry the widow and raise up children for his brother’s family line. Now suppose there was a family with seven brothers, and the oldest married and died without children. Then his brother married the widow, and he too died with no children. And it continued to happen, one brother after another brother, until each of the seven had married the widow and died childless. Then finally, the widow died too. So here’s our dilemma: Whose wife will the woman be when she’s resurrected from the dead? Which of the brothers will be her husband, since all seven were once married to her?”

Jesus replied, “Marriage is meant for this world only. Those who are worthy of the resurrection from the dead into glory become immortal, like the angels, who never die nor marry. When the dead come to life again, they will be children of God—the children of the resurrection. Even Moses taught the resurrection of the dead when he wrote of the Lord God who was at the burning bush and said ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Don’t you agree that God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living? For in his eyes, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive forevermore. He is the God who raises the dead.”

The experts of the law chimed in, “Yes, Teacher, you speak the truth beautifully.”

From then on, the religious Sadducees never dared ask Jesus a question again.

Jesus then posed this question to the people: “How can the experts of the law say that Messiah is David’s son? Haven’t you read in the Psalms where David himself wrote:

The Lord Yahweh said to my Lord,

‘Sit near me in the place of authority

until I subdue all your enemies under Your feet!’ ”

Jesus explained, “If David calls this one ‘my Lord,’ how can he be his son?”

Within earshot of all the people, Jesus warned his disciples, “Don’t follow the example of these pretentious experts of the law! They love to parade around in their religious garments so that people honor them wherever they go. They like to sit right up front in every meeting and push their way to the head table at every banquet. And for an offering they will pray long religious prayers at the homes of widows, cheating them out of their very livelihood. Beware of them all, because one day the Judge will strip them of honor, and judge them severely.”

The Book of Luke, Chapter 20 (The Passion Translation)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 28th chapter of the book of Job that looks at mining earth for its treasures as well as wisdom being the treasure of the heart

the truest and purest gold is the Spirit of Light (inside, Anew)

Job: There is a place where silver is mined,

a place where gold is refined.

There iron is dug from the earth,

and copper is smelted from ore.

Humans put an end to darkness,

and search in every last corner

For the ore that is in gloom and darkness.

In the earth they cut a shaft

in a place forgotten, far from the beaten path;

They descend on ropes,

swinging dangerously back and forth.

The ground above yields food;

the earth below is turned as if fire has destroyed it

Where earth gives up sapphires from her rocks

and bits of gold from her dirt.

No bird of prey knows this way, this secret path down below;

no falcon’s eye has ever peered into it.

No proud beast has ever reached this place;

no lordly lion has marched over it.

The miner breaks apart flinty stone,

uprooting the ancient mountains.

He carves tunnels through the rock,

revealing precious treasures.

He dams up the underground streams until they cease seeping,

and he brings out into the light what was hidden there in the darkness.

But where is wisdom found,

and where does understanding dwell?

Job: No human perceives wisdom’s true value,

nor has she been found in the land of the living.

The deep says, “She is not to be seen within me.”

“Nor within me,” says the voice of the raging sea.

No gold can be given in trade for wisdom,

nor a sum of silver weighed out as her price.

She cannot be bought with all the gold of Ophir,

neither with onyx nor sapphire.

The shimmer of gold and brightness of glass cannot compare,

and no refined gold jewelry is worth her in trade.

Perish the mention of coral and crystal;

even more than pearls is the value of wisdom.

Ethiopian topaz—unequal as well;

even gold, unalloyed, is too paltry indeed.

Then from where does wisdom come?

Where does understanding dwell?

She is hidden away from every eye,

even from birds looking down from the sky.

Destruction and Death have both confessed,

“Rumors are all we know about her.”

God understands wisdom’s path and way;

her place is known to Him alone.

For He gazes out to the edge of the earth,

sees all that falls beneath the sky overhead.

He lent the wind its weight and force

and measured out the waters’ spread.

When He set a limit on the rain that falls

and made the thunderbolt a road to race,

Then He saw wisdom and made her known,

He settled her and searched out for her a place.

And to humankind, He said, “Now, the fear of the Lord is wisdom,

and to depart from evil is understanding.”

The Book of Job, Chapter 28 (The Voice)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Wednesday, may 5 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about trust and rest:

"At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release (i.e., shemitah, שְׁמִטָּה, a "letting go," from שָׁמַט, to relinquish). And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the LORD's release has been proclaimed" (Deut. 15:1-2). Often it takes more faith to "let go" than to keep your hand to the plough... Relaxing your grip, letting the yield of your efforts go fallow, requires you to trust in God's promise rather than your ability to control outcomes. The Law of Shemittah (תּוֹרָה שְׁמִטָּה) teaches us that when we surrender to God's care, we will suffer no loss, even when we allow our land to go fallow. May the Lord make the work of rest within us...[Hebrew for Christians]

5.4.21 • Facebook

Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research

May 5, 2021

Mercy and Truth

“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” (Psalm 85:10)

The words “mercy” (Hebrew checed, also often translated by “kindness” or “lovingkindness”) and “truth” (Hebrew emeth) occur more often in Psalms than in any other book. In fact, “mercy” occurs more in Psalms than in all the rest of the Old Testament put together. Though at first these two concepts seem opposed to each other (for how can God’s truth, which abhors sin, be compatible with His mercy, which forgives sin?), nevertheless they are “met together,” for “his salvation,” according to the previous verse, “is nigh them that fear him” (v. 9).

“Mercy and truth” (or “lovingkindness and truth”) are brought together at least 16 times in the Old Testament, including 10 times in the psalms. And when God’s eternal truth can be united with His loving mercy, both mediated through His holy Word, there is great blessing indeed! “All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies” (25:10). “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name” (138:2). The first time the phrase is found in the Bible is in the prayer of Abraham’s servant thanking God for “his mercy and his truth” (Genesis 24:27).

God’s mercy and truth, of course, are really met together only in Jesus Christ, through whom God can both “be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). He is “our peace” (Ephesians 2:14) and is “made unto us...righteousness” (1 Corinthians 1:30). He is “the truth” (John 14:6) and will show in the ages to come “the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). HMM