Khenal
patreon
Peek: The Raven
🕑 Added 2023-06-11 22:20:34 +0000 UTCThere are precious few moments for the Raven to relax and reflect. What few he does manage to acquire, he finds he spends on thoughts of Fourdock. While the Neverrest dungeon was the smallest of annoyances to his sensibilities, it never really warranted his attention.
And then it died. And shortly after that, Yvonne died. He would usually not remember the names of those he comes to collect, but she sticks in his mind. Her situation was one he hasn't seen in quite some time, and he doesn't believe he's been in that situation with a birdkin of any type before.
She was also one of the few he's spoken to, and even fewer still take what he says as seriously as they should. She thought over the deal the new dungeon was offering, instead of immediately accepting it, which further raises her in the Raven's estimate. Perhaps he will attempt further conversation when he eventually comes to collect her properly, at least for as long as it takes to bring her where she needs to go.
He puts that thought aside, suspecting he'll have ample time to consider what to do in that situation. More interesting, and potentially more pressing, is the dungeon that has bound Yvonne to it. To him, rather.
Dungeons are not the Raven's specialty, but this one in Fourdock is very plainly odd. He didn't have a chance to investigate when he came for Yvonne... but he does have some small time now. Distance vanishes beneath his wings, and he soon settles atop the belfry of the dungeon. Looking around, he sees the mortals doing mortal things. He blinks as he realizes he has not had reason to come here before. A dungeon this busy should have needed his attention at least a few times by now.
He Feels, and senses an answer in the reclaimed Neverrest... now Ever-Rest cemetery. A skeleton scion, with life, death, and fate affinity. He can see the scion staring in his direction, unable to see him, but able to sense his presence, if only slightly.
Yes... that one is why he hasn't had to come here. The skeleton's master does not wish death to have a place here, and so the scion has worked to ensure the Raven need not darken the skies with his presence. It's very strange, though. He knows there is a raven scion not far from where he is currently perched, but the large bird seems utterly unaware of him.
In fact... the raven scion doesn't have death affinity at all. Very strange. Every raven scion he's seen has had death affinity, has had some connection to himself, but not this one.
Questions flit through his mind before he shakes them off and spreads his wings. He should be able to get answers by simply taking a closer look at the heart of this dungeon. Most of them are fairly simple, thinking as clever beasts or birds. Older ones are as intelligent as people, and often belong to some domain or another as the rules for people dictate.
Knowing the destination can give him insight. He soars through the manor and the earth towards the core of this dungeon, but halts himself as he glimpses the soul inside the heart.
It's... impossible. Not simply something new, or something rare, but something impossible. It is something that can't exist, yet seems to exist anyway without care, or perhaps without knowledge that it simply should not be. He tilts his head as he tries to understand. It's... a loophole, perhaps? That idea has some merit, especially since the idea of gathering that soul has no merit in the slightest.
That soul already has a destination, and it is not one the Raven will be able to deliver to. There will be another to come gather... no, to come shepherd it along, when the time comes. One that allowed the soul to wander far, and one that watches over it still. What that one could be, the Raven could not guess.
He turns and flies towards his next goal, curiosity sated for now. There are more questions in his mind now, but none he will be getting answers to. For now, he is satisfied to know the soul will be properly handled when the time comes for handling.
Inspired by P Dp, who was curious about what the Raven thought of Yvonne.
Comments
Robinn57
I am happy to see there is still a connection to Earth/heaven with him and he will be able to go back when the time comes.
TheLost
Thediem can never die mwhahaha
SciGuy75
Great peek! Perhaps we haven't been giving enough credit to Grim adjusting people's fates to avoid excess harm. Everyone knows the healing slimes but they can't heal everything.
druidofthewolf
So getting reincarnated in to this world is a rare thing since the raven is so weird out by our DM or is reincarnation in to a dungeon different is dm the first or are their others but their time as not come or have they gone on with our the raven noticing if it is just na small number of people and gathering them has no merit so he might not have noticed if they did not do anything to get notice by him mmm after all he did not notice our DM until Yvonne
P Dp
I am slightly embarrassed to be called out at the end there but wow; I am really glad we got the view of the Raven on Yvonne. Thank you very much Author for giving us this peek and for the additional hints planted here. Amazing work as always!
Michael Moreno
This is my Favorite Peek so far, these make the Patreon fee worth it! Thank you very much, this peek answered four different questions I had. I look forward to learning that Grim actually did "see" the Raven.
Ethan Barrow
Really enjoyed this peek! The raven is a very neat character and I've enjoyed seeing him when he appears.
Elmithian
Could simply be wisdom birthed by untold eons of work and experience.
Travis Birdsong
Is Grim going to be the one to shepherd Thediem back when his power grows strong enough and Thediem has completed the task the angel needed him for? That would be an interesting peek when the story comes to an end.
Travis Birdsong
Do you think that Grim might later be connected to the Shepherd that will eventually come?
Patrick
I'm more curious about how the Raven would interact the skeleton. Seeing as it's a basically a mini grim reaper. they should have much to discuss.
The Walrus Transcendent
Iirc the angels did basically shove him into a core as damage control for a paperwork screwup. Though you bring up a good point. It's kindof unclear if the Raven is operating off future insight, off prophecy basically, or just stating the current arrangement.
The Walrus Transcendent
I really want the Reaper to tell the Raven about Desmond Thomas Doss. "And not only did he refuse to die when the marksman shattered his arm, he refused to let anyone he could reach die either. Kept the better part of a hundred souls from meeting me, that day. And because the battlefield didn't put him in a pine box, war's trailing scavenger tried its luck too. Disease. Tuberculosis, to give it its name; a kind of lung rot. They'd barely started treating it properly, with a poison that quarter-killed you so it could kill the rot. He lost a lung and some ribs to the disease. Lost hearing in one ear to the poison. Still survived. I guess he had better things to do than keeling over dead. I did finally lead him to his Lord. Decades later. He was pushing ninety and his body was fully worn out. Though something tells me that if he lived in your world, he wouldn't have let something as petty as his body falling apart stop him either."
Joshua James Feenstra
I love the correction the raven made between gathering and shepherding!
Captain2003Rex
Ahhh, ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐! So if Iโm understanding this correctly, Thedeim is still connected to his original afterlife after all, and will in time be taken back there most likely. Assuming of course that nothing unexpected happens in ๐กโ๐๐ก regard lol. This was fun, I enjoyed that Peek! :D
Henry Zeringue
The raven and the grim reaper should I really go to the bar together and talk. I guess this Indicates that Thedim will return to the christian after life after he finishes this life. That's good, I was wondering a little bit about that.
