hunt for the bloodroot behemoth

🔸📯🔸

Sound the horn! Yet another monster has struck; this time at the very heart of Faline. The mage protectors of Ivras are called upon to fight the Bloodroot Behemoth!

arrival of the Battle Mages

Helrund, a highly esteemed commander in the Ivratian army; Finnros, a young prodigy among the scholars of Namarast; and Olan Astas, a fierce monster hunter from the Songhorn clan in the south.
Click on each picture to read more about them!

Any attack that includes one or more of these three Battle Mages will deal an additional +10 damage!

Any attack they assist in cannot be an aid.

• How much do I need to incorporate a Battle Mage in my work for it to count?
  In an artwork, they must be visible and recogniseable.
  
  In writing or roleplay, they need to be at least mentioned in a meaningful way (not just a simple name drop—similar to the requirements for the Other Character bonus) but they don’t necessarily need to be present in the scene.

• If I use two Battle Mages, will I get a +20 damage bonus?
  No, the damage bonus doesn't stack.
• If draw or write my mage together with a Battle Mage, will they earn the group bonus?
  Only if you collaborate or roleplay with another player! If you work alone, and add a Battle Mage, your character will earn the Battle Mage bonus, but not the group bonus.
  
  If you collaborate with another player, and you add a Battle Mage to your collaborative piece, both of your characters' will earn the Battle Mage damage bonus.

the combat system

In addition to your mage's base damage output (which you can read about here), every 10 gold counted for a piece of art, writing, or roleplay, will earn another +1 damage.

This means if your mage does 5 damage based on their stats, but your attack is worth 40 gold, they will deal an additional +4 damage. This is calculated before the double event bonus, as well as any effort bonus, is applied.

If you have any questions about this or need help calculating your damage, write to us via Modmail or in #ask-staff and we will be happy to help!

prizes

These are the prizes for participating:

• ALL PARTICIPATING MAGES receive +2 to their choice of Power or Discipline.
• THE MAGE WHO DOES THE MOST DAMAGE receives the Killing Blow badge, is the slayer of the beast and receives +100 Gold, +1 Corruption, and their choice of scroll or amulet from the shop.
• SECOND PLACE MAGE receives +75 Gold, and their choice of scroll or amulet from the shop.
• THIRD PLACE MAGE receives +50 Gold, and their choice of scroll or amulet from the shop.

monster description

After a long life of suffering and a desperate search for power, the mage formerly known as Xavier has metamorphosed—on the very steps of the royal palace in Faline—into the Bloodroot Behemoth.

What looks like a great, leafless tree has erupted from the pavement, breaking the stonework and part of the palace wall. The thick trunk is fleshy and red, pulsating with some unknown power. When examined up close, the gnarls and wrinkles of the branches resemble screaming faces, trapped beneath the surface.

The Behemoth stretches upwards, easily reaching the highest pinnacle of the royal palace, and its roots have spread far, pushing through the cobblestone streets and slowly destroying whatever it gets its roots on.

monster abilities

When one branch is cut off, two new ones sprout to take its place, spilling something that is unsettlingly similar to blood, though it seems to hiss and steam as it is exposed to air, turning into acrid vapors that disorient and confuse the mind.

If a large trunk is attacked, the faces moving under the fleshy bark writhe in agony, but there is no sound—instead the screams echo in the minds of those who are nearby.

Small red roots, making their way in the cracks of the paved streets, grab and reach for the feet of anyone walking past. If they manage to get a hold, their grasp tightens into a strangling embrace.

monster behavior and location

The epicentrum of the monstrous growth seems to be right outside the gates of the royal palace, in the very heart of Faline, where the thickest and tallest part of the tree is located.

The growths do not move once they have emerged, but roots and branches sway and undulate, having a surprisingly long reach.

New offshoots emerge now and then, spreading concentrically from the spot where the Behemoth erupted.

monster combat bonuses

• Watch out for sneaky roots! Better have someone watch your back. Pairs or groups deal +3 damage. (Only applies to collabs and roleplay with more than 1 player involved. Nonmages may be part of a group but won’t do damage.)

• Any attack that includes one or more of the three Battle Mages (as described above) will deal an extra +10 damage.
• Those with an Extended Telekinesis Scroll+1 damage.
• Those with a familiar deal +1 damage.
• Powers requiring touch deal an extra +1 damage.

• Mages with powers pertaining to blood, plants, water or stone are at an advantage, and deal 2x damage. Applied to the base stat point damage, before damage bonuses or gold damage is added.

• Powers focused on souls or life essence/energy are at a disadvantage, and deal ½x damage. Applied to the base stat point damage, before damage bonuses or gold damage is added.

❓ Any questions?

Feel free to comment on this bulletin, or don't hesitate to contact staff on our Discord server or our forum! We're happy to help!

May 2024 Roundup

The early summer’s heavy rains in the north of Ivras have abated, replaced with drier and cooler weather, though the rest of the country is currently experiencing warm and humid conditions. 

This month we take a look at a handful of new characters, TWO new story prompts, and of course—Happy Pride!! 

This month’s player-made story prompt was submitted by IndigoBookwyrm.

🏳️‍🌈 ❤🧡💛💚💙💜happy pride!!!

Your annual reminder that Anathema was created by, is run by, and is proud to welcome lgbtq+ people of varied experiences. Happy Pride!!

We have a month-long Pride prompt running in the #events channel! Collect double gold for all art and writing responses!

💌 an invitation to pigerton manor 2!

The very rich and very eccentric Pigerton family has once again extended invitations to their yearly summer celebration!

The time to get randomly matched up is over, but you can still submit characters through the Betrothed mechanic! You are, of course, also free to write or draw for the event without matching your characters to anyone ♥️

Click here to read more!

📯 great hunt: rorschach

The glittering, vision-inducing Augury is no more. All that is left is crystal dust and windblown, tattered playing cards littering the ground, and a debate about how to keep curious onlookers away from a phenomenon like this.

Loss of life was minimal, and there was no collateral damage (unless you count the dust) but the healers in the camps around the monsters have been run ragged with treating sharp cuts left by the cards.

As an unforeseen consequence, card games and card decks have seen a renewed interest all over Ivras.

Mage reputation has gone down slightly, but the Order's standing remains stable.

Congratulations to the Hunt Award winners, and a big thanks to everyone who participated and helped make this a great event!

You can view the results, rewards, final damage, and the special Hunt Badge for all participants here!

📜player-made story prompt submissions

…are currently closed! Y’all have been really active in submitting prompts, and to catch up with the current queue, we’ll keep them closed until December 2024 (most likely—if this changes we will let you know).

So if you have a story prompt idea, please save it for later! Or if you have an idea that is time sensitive or touches upon current events or prompts—feel free to make a post about it in ⁠#anathema-stuff or in #⁠muckraker-gossip! 

It won't be a story prompt that gives rewards, but it could be a great open RP thread or in-character event!

📌 notes and reminders

• Shapeshifter Scrolls

A shapeshifted form cannot gain any magic abilities that are separate from the character’s usual magic (or magic earned by scrolls or amulets).

✨ June 2024 story prompt

Every month, we provide a brief narrative prompt, with four potential choices for your character to make. Draw or write your character's choice, and receive double gold for your response! Mages will earn a mystery stat point based on their choices, which will be revealed with the next month's prompt. 

Prompt responses should tag this profile, and must be worth at least 1 gold of art or writing.

Click here (or scroll down to this bulletin's comments!) to view the prompt for June. 

To see the rewards for May's prompt, click here!

🐎🐖🐄🐫🐐🦌 May's new arrivals:

Meet all the characters who joined us during the month of May 2024:

here's how it works:

• Use our template ( [psd] and [png] ) to create a dating profile for your character, complete with three silly character traits per heart. The image of your character doesn’t have to be new -- you can use any artwork of your character for this, even their reference!
• Upload the image to your character's Anathema tab, tag this character profile and link the image in the comments below.
• When you comment here, you’ll have two options: Blind Date or Betrothed. Please indicate which you’d prefer in the description of your image!
• If you selected Blind Date, you will be randomly matched with another character! Please take a look at the list here.
• If you’d prefer not to be matched with a stranger, no problem—select Betrothed, and you can pair up with someone you already know and receive the same event bonuses to your gold count. (Characters do not actually have to be betrothed—or even like each other!)
• When you receive your match, let the courtship commence! You are to write or draw a piece featuring both characters; it can be a love letter, an activity they do together, or showing how they met. Roleplays and collaborations welcome!
• Submissions should consist of at least two uncolored headshots (featuring both characters) or 200-words . They can be earnest, funny, repulsed—whatever floats your boat—or doesn’t!
• After you and your partner have completed your submissions, be sure to tag this character profile and collect your gold! Your work will be worth its usual weight, but as an added event bonus, both participants get double gold!
• You may participate in this very silly event with as many characters as you like, mage or non-mage.

Wishing you all the best of luck—or at least some fun in the process. Let the game of love begin!

Prompts

We also have a few (entirely voluntary) prompts to jog your imagination:

• Did your character receive an invitation? How did they react? Or if they didn’t, how did they get in?

• The event is in full swing. Where can your character be found? On the dancefloor dancing their heart out, near the buffet taking their pick from the wealth of delicacies, chatting with the staff in the staff quarters to get the latest gossip, or the sprawling garden to get away from it all?

collaboration/roleplay prompts

• Show something your two characters do together. Maybe wear matching outfits, share a meal, or ask for a dance?
• Sometimes, matchups don't quite work out. Do your characters find each other agreeable, or does the evening end in an argument? (or worse?)

❓ Any questions?

Feel free to comment on this bulletin, or don't hesitate to contact staff on our Discord server or our forum! We're happy to help!

Spring is slowly turning into early summer, and it is a busy time for farmers and merchants alike. In high society, this is the season for parties, soirees, feasts and celebrations, and among commoners, it’s easy to find reasons to celebrate as well.

The north of Ivras has seen an uptick in thunderstorms—not uncommon for the season—and some areas have had trouble with flooding. Rivers and creeks and water reservoirs are running bank-full—troublesome if you live nearby, but bodes well for the harvest season!

In the south, the humid and foggy spring has given way to the dry season, opening roads and trade routes that have been closed during a wet and muddy winter.

Say hello to a big slew of new characters, a new story prompt, and some other bits and bobs!

📯great hunt: rorschach

A mysterious shape hovers over a hill… The Gilded Augury has Ivras in its thrall, showing visions and premonitions, or perhaps nothing at all? Each person seems to see something different on the face of the gently floating card… but beware, it defends itself with flurries of smaller, razor-sharp cards.

Join the fight here!

🎴 the anathema oracle deck

For the Gilded Augury hunt, we have come up with something fun for you all! Tarot cards are very cool—but we wanted something a little more Anathema flavored. And so, the Oracle Deck was born! This is used in the current hunt, but will likely make an appearance afterwards as well!

The Ivratian Oracle deck, also known as the Patrons’ Deck or simply the Triple Deck, is a common sight throughout Ivratian society, found in shady taverns and noble sitting rooms alike.

The cards are used mostly for card games, though some people find more esoteric uses for them–divination and card magic, among other things, trying to pierce the veil of the future.

The cards themselves don’t hold any magic, but their symbolic motifs sometimes evoke strong emotions.

The Anathema Card Deck / The Ivratian Oracle

📯great hunt: dart & shrimp

THE HUNT FOR THE ANURAN BANE & THE OPAL SERPENT HAS ENDED.

The two monsters in the Sunless Jungle have been defeated. The ruin still stands, but the woods around it bear signs of battle; trees broken and shifted, the undergrowth rendered and torn, exposing bare soil. Small, flickering flames can still be seen around the area, but they no longer inspire confusion or bewilderment.

It was a long and drawn-out battle, and there have been concerns raised about how long it took, when other monsters have been defeated much faster—but in the end, the two monsters did almost no damage to the surrounding areas, and there were no lives lost.

The Order reports that the water quality of the river has begun to clear up, but it will still be some time before it is advised to drink from it again.

Mage reputation has gone down somewhat, but the Order still seems to be in good standing with most of the populace.

Check the bulletin to see who got the Killing Blow and Silver and Bronze Hunter, as well as the badge for participating!

📚new legendary character: pollux

Another Legendary Character is here! Pollux, the librarian, has entered the pages of Anathema's history books.

Pollux, known as the owner and caretaker of what is rumored to be one of the most magnificent and vast repositories of knowledge Ivras has ever seen.

Despite—or perhaps because of—its fame, this great library has all the same fallen into the realm of myth and legend. Few people now know where it is located, though those dedicated enough might attempt to seek it and its custodian.

Legendary characters like Pollux are created by purchasing a Tattered Banner at the Ley Lodge!

🔶reminder: anathema is an 18+ space

This is our first rule. No minors are allowed!

Part of our reasoning can be found here, in a letter from Frank, Anathema's creator and former admin.

It doesn't matter if someone is almost 18. If there are any minors lurking about, consider this your warning. If you leave on your own, you will be welcome back once you turn 18; if you don't, and we later find out your age (and we will!) you will be banned.

Due to recent events, we feel it’s important to remind everyone of this!

🦎small update to familiars

We have added a section under the Familiars tab, to help you flavor your ideas! If you have any questions or want to run a familiar idea by us, feel free to hit us up via Modmail.

📌 notes and reminders

Adding player-made features to the map

If you have a player-made location or faction you would like to be added to the map, please let us know via modmail!

Shapeshifter amulets

A shapeshifted form cannot gain any magic abilities that are separate from the character’s usual magic! They CAN use abilities that come from scrolls and amulets, so feel free to use those for flavor.

An example: A character can turn into a dragon with the help of a shapeshifter amulet, but unless their magic is fire (or they have purchased an elemental blast scroll with fire) the dragon form would not be able to breathe fire.

✨ may 2024 story prompt

Every month, we provide a brief narrative prompt, with four potential choices for your character to make. Draw or write your character's choice, and receive double gold for your response! Mages will earn a mystery stat point based on their choices, which will be revealed with the next month's prompt.

Prompt responses should tag this profile, and must be worth at least 1 gold of art or writing. You are allowed to submit collaborations and roleplay as responses to the monthly story prompts, but every participating character's choice must be clearly indicated for mods.

Click here (or scroll down to this bulletin's comments!) to view the prompt for May!

To see the rewards for April's prompt, click here.

🧾 seeking player-made story prompts!

Players are invited to submit their own story prompts for all Anathema players to enjoy! These prompts are open for two months at a time, and anyone can reply! Draw or write your character's choice, and receive double gold for your response! Mages will earn a mystery stat point based on their choices, which will be revealed with the next month's prompt.

Prompt responses should tag this profile, and must be worth at least 1 gold of art or writing. You are allowed to submit collaborations and roleplay as responses to the monthly story prompts, but every participating character's choice must be clearly indicated for mods.

To see the rewards for February/March's prompt, click here.

If you have ideas for a prompt of your own, send them in via Modmail on our Discord server!

🐎🐖🐄🐫🐐🦌 april's new arrivals:

Meet all the characters who joined us during the month of April 2024:

hunt for the gilded augury

🔸📯🔸
This event is over.

Sound the horn! Yet another monster has been sighted, this time just outside the Sunless Jungle. The mage protectors of Ivras are called upon to fight The Gilded Augury!

This time, we have a new, optional game mechanic for you! If you have trouble coming up with what your character sees on the card, head over to the #rolling channel in the Discord server, and let random chance decide!

If you would rather decide yourself what your character sees, we have collected all card options here: The Anathema Card Deck / The Ivratian Oracle

Killing Blow:

Silver & Bronze Hunters:

Every character who participated in this event will get a special badge for their profile!

Code:

<a href="https://toyhou.se/~bulletins/1852002"> <img src="https://i.imgur.com/OfxUu5A.png" alt="Hunt for the Gilded Augury"> </a>

the combat system

In addition to your mage's base damage output (which you can read about here), every 10 gold counted for a piece of art, writing, or roleplay, will earn another +1 damage.

This means if your mage does 5 damage based on their stats, but your attack is worth 40 gold, they will deal an additional +4 damage. This is calculated before the double event bonus, as well as any effort bonus, is applied.

If you have any questions about this or need help calculating your damage, write to us via Modmail or in #ask-staff and we will be happy to help!

prizes

These are the prizes for participating:

• ALL PARTICIPATING MAGES receive +2 to their choice of Power or Discipline.
• THE MAGE WHO DOES THE MOST DAMAGE receives the Killing Blow badge, is the slayer of the beast and receives +100 Gold, +1 Corruption, and their choice of scroll or amulet from the shop.
• SECOND PLACE MAGE receives +75 Gold, and their choice of scroll or amulet from the shop.
• THIRD PLACE MAGE receives +50 Gold, and their choice of scroll or amulet from the shop.

monster description

An immense card hovers menacingly in the air, surrounded by swirling, colorful scraps of clouds.

It portrays—what, exactly? It’s hard to see through the clouds, but it seems to show different things to different people. The backside shows a massive door with decorated columns on each side, a common motif on the back of certain decks of Ivratian cards.

The air around it seems to glitter as if filled with crystal dust, and the card is crowned by a golden skull floating above it.

The empty eye sockets of the Gilded Augury seem to follow whoever is watching…

monster abilities

If approached with ill intent, the Augury may retaliate by sending a flurry of sharp-edged, smaller cards at the attacker. Otherwise, coming close to the card makes strange thoughts and impulses come to the forefront of the mind; if lingering in its presence, visions and premonitions follow, some gruesome, some joyful.

Whether the visions are true or not is impossible to say.

monster behavior and location

The card seems to be stationary, located at the northern edge of the Sunless Jungle, hovering above a particularly steep hill—among the locals known as Redgrass Bluff—visible from miles away.

The Gilded Augury seems to do nothing unless actively attacked.

monster combat bonuses

• Having a buddy to watch your back might save your life. Mages working in pairs or groups deal +2 damage. (Only applies to collabs and roleplay with more than 1 player involved. Nonmages may be part of a group but won’t do damage.)

• Incorporating one of the Ivratian Oracle Deck cards in your attack deals an extra +1 damage. (Either chosen or rolled for)

• Those with a Mending Scroll deal an extra +1 damage.

• Mages capable of sustained Flight deal an extra +1 damage. (Either through their magic, a shapeshifted form that can fly, or by having wings)

• Mages with powers pertaining to paper, magic nullification, or soil/sand/stone are at an advantage, and deal 2x damage. Applied to the base stat point damage, before gold damage is added.

• Powers focused on physical strength is at a disadvantage, and deal ½x damage. Applied to the base stat point damage, before gold damage is added.

❓ Any questions?

Feel free to comment on this bulletin, or don't hesitate to contact staff on our Discord server or our forum! We're happy to help!

Spring continues its sweep over Ivras, bringing warmth and life to every corner of the land. The busy times continue, and the fair weather seems to be holding steady.

New characters, new players, new mods! March has been an exciting time, and we want to say thank you everyone for celebrating our 3rd anniversary with us! 🎉 🎉✨🎇💖

📯great hunt: dart & shrimp

The warning about poisoned waterways turned out to be two monsters hiding in the Sunless Jungle near Namarast.

The hunt for the Anuran Bane and the Opal Serpent continues, though recent reports indicate that they are weakening…

Check the bulletin to join the fight!

💖a big thank you…

To our beloved mod GoId, who sadly will be stepping down from staff duties due to real-life happenings. Gold has been part of Anathema almost since the beginning, and a member of the staff team for over a year. Her help with apps and content has been absolutely invaluable and hopefully we will see her back on the mod team again at some point 🧡💙

I can't thank you enough for your contributions and I hope we will see you around as a player!

Which leads us to…

🔶 new mods!!

This month we opened applications for a few new mod positions. Thank you so much to everyone who applied 💖 We may open for even more mod positions in the future, so keep your eyes open (and if you applied this time, feel free to apply next time too!)

Please welcome our new mods:

Desperish - content mod
Mydajk - bank mod
Kytte - shop mod

Desperish has actually been a mod for Anathema before this; they were part of staff from the very beginning, and we are happy to have them back! Mydajk has been part of Anathema for a long time, and Kytte joined our player community last year. Big welcome to all three!

In other mod-related news, Hymy is switching from being mainly a bank mod to being a content mod.

🦄🤡 rebranding anathema

Huh, would you look at that? All our beloved characters got dunked in a vat of glitter and got brand-new butt tattoos! As of 1st of April, Anathema is now part of the My Little Pony universe.

Until the 15th of April, earn double gold for drawing or writing about your character in the MLP style! Or come muse with us in the Character Headcanons discord forum thread about what talent/cutiemark your character would have!

📌 notes and reminders

Make sure your characters’ logs are up to date!

Don’t forget to add new stat changes, item purchases, or applied ley tokens to your character's log. The log should have the date of the change, a link to proof of the change (confirmation comment, finished prompt piece, ley token bank page, or link to great hunt gallery) and effects of the change (how their magic was changed, what an added item does, etc)

Do not only link to the prompt itself! We need to be able to see that you responded to the prompt.

Story prompt reminder

Story prompt responses for characters should be done and posted individually, one character and one prompt per response, with their own separate gold counts.

Basically, each work can only be in response to one thing; you can't collect multiple rewards from one work. If you have a longer, over-arching storyline for multiple characters or one that answers multiple prompts, please separate it into chapters or sections, each with their own gold counts. The only exceptions to this are roleplays or art collaborations (by two or more people), as long as each participating character's posts/choice are clearly labelled.

If you have any questions about this, hit us up in Modmail or in ⁠ask-staff!

✨ april 2024 story prompt

Every month, we provide a brief narrative prompt, with four potential choices for your character to make. Draw or write your character's choice, and receive double gold for your response! Mages will earn a mystery stat point based on their choices, which will be revealed with the next month's prompt.

Prompt responses should tag this profile, and must be worth at least 1 gold of art or writing. You are allowed to submit collaborations and roleplay as responses to the monthly story prompts, but every participating character's choice must be clearly indicated for mods.

Click here (or scroll down to this bulletin's comments!) to view the prompt for April!

To see the rewards for March's prompt, click here.

🧾 seeking player-made story prompts!

Players are invited to submit their own story prompts for all Anathema players to enjoy! These prompts are open for two months at a time, and anyone can reply! Draw or write your character's choice, and receive double gold for your response! Mages will earn a mystery stat point based on their choices, which will be revealed with the next month's prompt.

Prompt responses should tag this profile, and must be worth at least 1 gold of art or writing. You are allowed to submit collaborations and roleplay as responses to the monthly story prompts, but every participating character's choice must be clearly indicated for mods.

To see the rewards for February/March's prompt, click here.

If you have ideas for a prompt of your own, send them in via Modmail on our Discord server!

🐎🐖🐄🐫🐐🦌 march's new arrivals:

Meet all the characters who joined us during the month of March 2024:

hunt for the Anuran Bane & The Opal Serpent

🔸📯🔸
this event is over.

Sound the horn! What started with odd shimmers on contaminated water and strange lights in the marshes turned out to be a pair of corrupted mages hiding near Namarast. All mages are called upon to help defeat the Anuran Bane and the Opal Serpent!

Game mechanics-wise, these two monsters will behave as one monster, and share the same pool of hitpoints. If you have any questions about this, hit us up in #ask-staff!

Killing Blow:

Silver & Bronze Hunters:

Every character who participated in this event will get a special badge for their profile!

Code:

<a href="https://toyhou.se/~bulletins/1772105"> <img src="https://i.imgur.com/otzKtwz.png" alt="Hunt for the Anuran Bane & the Opal Serpent"> </a>

the combat system

In addition to your mage's base damage output (which you can read about here), every 10 gold counted for a piece of art, writing, or roleplay, will earn another +1 damage.

This means if your mage does 5 damage based on their stats, but your attack is worth 40 gold, they will deal an additional +4 damage. This is calculated before the double event bonus, as well as any effort bonus, is applied.

If you have any questions about this or need help calculating your damage, write to us via Modmail or in #ask-staff and we will be happy to help!

prizes

These are the prizes for participating:

• ALL PARTICIPATING MAGES receive +2 to their choice of Power or Discipline.
• THE MAGE WHO DOES THE MOST DAMAGE receives the Killing Blow badge, is the slayer of the beast and receives +100 Gold, +1 Corruption, and their choice of scroll or amulet from the shop.
• SECOND PLACE MAGE receives +75 Gold, and their choice of scroll or amulet from the shop.
• THIRD PLACE MAGE receives +50 Gold, and their choice of scroll or amulet from the shop.

monster description

The Anuran Bane is a great, fleshy beast, its skin oozing an oily, sweet-smelling substance. Inside its wide mouth, there is a bright Hypnotic light, shining from behind sharp teeth. Its back legs are stunted, making the creature mostly stationary, but its front legs end in large, shovel-like hands, adorned with overgrown, curling claws. It is crowned by horns but seems to lack eyes.

The Opal Serpent is a nimble, legless lindworm, protected by hard opalescent scales, but whose belly is pale and sensitive skin. It has a sharp pointed beak and large eyes that seem to glow as if lit from within. Its tail ends in a tree-like growth, from which sprouts pink flowers, reminiscent of the blossoms of the cherry tree.

monster abilities

The Bane’s breath is noxious fumes, and anyone who comes near will be caught by the monster’s shovel hands, pulled into their gaping maw. Judging by its fervent sniffing and snorting, it has a great sense of smell, but seems to be entirely blind. The light shining in its mouth has a hypnotizing effect, drawing its victim like moths to a flame.

Wherever the serpent has passed by, small flickering flames appear, confusing the senses and leading its victims astray. It is very agile, and actively hunts, attempting to spear its prey on its beak. If the serpent is chasing something downhill, it will bite its own tail and roll like a wheel.

monster behavior and location

The two monsters have taken up residence in an old ruin, deep within the Sunless Jungle, near the river close to Namarast. Could they have been drawn to the old stones by some ancient trace of wild magic?

They are not hostile to each other, but neither do they seem to take any notice about each other at all.

The Serpent lies in wait, using its beautiful tail to attract any unwary travelers, then quickly strikes; if the ambush fails, it will take up the chase.

The Bane trusts its poison fumes to bewilder and weaken its prey, then using the hypnotizing light in its mouth to lure them towards their demise.

monster combat bonuses

• Having a buddy to watch your back might save your life. Mages working in pairs or groups deal +1 damage. (Only applies to collabs and roleplay with more than 1 player involved. Nonmages may be part of a group but won’t do damage.)

• Those with an Animal Communication Scroll deal +1 damage.

• Those with a Detect Magic Amulet deal +1 damage.

• Mages with healing or physical strength are at an advantage, and deal 2x damage. Applied to the base stat point damage, before damage bonuses or gold damage is added.

• Powers pertaining to poison or the mind is at a disadvantage, and deal ½x damage. Applied to the base stat point damage, before damage bonuses or gold damage is added.

❓ Any questions?

Feel free to comment on this bulletin, or don't hesitate to contact staff on our Discord server or our forum! We're happy to help!

Spring has come, marking its arrival with wet and misty mornings and sunny afternoons. Excellent weather for farmers and townspeople alike, just in time for the annual Feast of Flowering. Celebrations are a little hurried, and perhaps not as elaborate as they usually are, as people are still reeling after the celestial drama that took place recently.

Busy times are ahead for Ivras’ farmers: planting and tending and making sure everything is prepared for a season of flourishing growth.

For nobles and townspeople, the social season is starting—time to update one’s wardrobe to follow the latest fashions, get on top of the latest gossip, and of course eagerly, hopefully, await invitations to the inevitable soirees, banquets, and receptions that will be held in the Patrons’ favor.

In other news, Anathema has now turned 3 years old!!! 🎉✨🎇💖Happy birthday to us! We’ll celebrate all through March with giveaways and fun things ahead!

🌌 event: celestial echoes

The celestial curtain falls, and cosmic legends once again fade into the darkness of space.

The skies may have returned to normal; the candles have been put out; reverent gatherings may have dispersed—but the stories of this singular event will be told for a long time to come, and the ripples have spread across Ivras.

Check the bulletin for story prompt rewards and the new badge!

📜an urgent warning to the public

It is currently advised to not drink or use water from a stretch of the river that runs to the west of Namarast. An uncommonly large amount of dead fish has been reported floating on the surface, along with a strange oily-looking substance.

Researchers and scholars from the Order are there to investigate, as the phenomenon may be magical in origin. In the meantime, the public is urged to not use water from the river in the specified area. If you or your community is affected, please contact your nearest Order office to obtain the help of a licensed Water Mage.

Out of the Sunless Jungle comes news of a poisoned river, and more remarkably, tales of flickering lights that disappear when one comes too close…

🔶 rule addition: AI ban

We have added a new rule to Anathema:

• Do not submit AI generated art or writing to Anathema, neither as a finished work nor used as a base or component of the finished work.

Basically, any AI generated art or writing, whether it is submitted as-is or used as a base or component in art or writing, is not allowed. We haven’t had this happen—at least not that we know of—so this is more of a cautionary measure. Keep on being awesome 💖

🔶 new invite url

Due to an influx of bots and suspicious accounts joining, we have finally changed the invite url to Anathema’s Discord server!

Make sure to not use the old one (who knows where that might take you), rather use the new one:

https://discord.gg/anathemarpg

Invite your friends! The more the merrier 😁 If you refer someone, both you and your friend get 50 gold when they submit their first application!

📌 notes and reminders

Is your character suddenly no longer listed in the TH World?

That’s probably because you at some point listed them for sale or trade, putting a price on them instead of their name! Characters who are for sale get removed from the world. If you change your mind, please let us know and we will re-add them!

Scribble Swap Etiquette

When playing the Scribble Swap game in the Discord Server, make sure you don’t claim unless you are able to work on your piece now, as to not hold up the game. Don’t claim and then go to bed, for example!

Likewise, if you are taking a long time to finish, make sure you post a WIP in the swap channel so the game can continue.

✨ march 2024 story prompt

Every month, we provide a brief narrative prompt, with four potential choices for your character to make. Draw or write your character's choice, and receive double gold for your response! Mages will earn a mystery stat point based on their choices, which will be revealed with the next month's prompt.

Prompt responses should tag this profile, and must be worth at least 1 gold of art or writing. You are allowed to submit collaborations and roleplay as responses to the monthly story prompts, but every participating character's choice must be clearly indicated for mods.

Click here (or scroll down to this bulletin's comments!) to view the prompt for March!

To see the rewards for February's prompt, click here.

🧾 seeking player-made story prompts!

Players are invited to submit their own story prompts for all Anathema players to enjoy! These prompts are open for two months at a time, and anyone can reply! Draw or write your character's choice, and receive double gold for your response! Mages will earn a mystery stat point based on their choices, which will be revealed with the next month's prompt.

Prompt responses should tag this profile, and must be worth at least 1 gold of art or writing. You are allowed to submit collaborations and roleplay as responses to the monthly story prompts, but every participating character's choice must be clearly indicated for mods.

Click here (or scroll down to this bulletin's comments!) to view the prompt for February/March!

If you have ideas for a prompt of your own, send them in via Modmail on our Discord server!

🐎🐖🐄🐫🐐🦌 february's new arrivals:

Meet all the characters who joined us during the month of February 2024:

Winter is slowly loosening its grasp on Ivras; the light dusting of snow that fell over Faline has long since turned to slush and melted away. Nature holds its breath in a moment of stillness before the arrival of spring.

In the South, the cold lingers, and the season for late-winter storms has just begun in the Ivratian archipelago—a rough time for sailors, regardless of what flag they sail under.

Despite the Pyre monster burning in the north, the general opinion of mages have risen, much thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event that has made people come together and see past their differences. Whether it is temporary or not remains to be seen...

First roundup of the new year! We bring you a whole bunch of new exciting characters, two monthly story prompts, one official and one player-made, the latter courtesy of AbigailBozarthArt!

🌌 event: celestial echoes

The night skies above Ivras have erupted in color and light, revealing a spectacle few may see in their lifetime.

Both mages and nonmages are coming together to admire and marvel at the stellar performance, as scholars and researchers ponder this momentous occasion.

For this event we have one story prompt and two open prompts. Read all about it here!

📯 great hunt: Völund

The Pyre of the North has fallen.

In its wake it leaves a wide trail of ruin and ashes: blackened fields, smoldering villages, and a wide swath of still-burning ground. Still—it could have been worse. The destruction was mostly contained to where the Pyre went; loss of life was fairly minimal, despite the catastrophe. Only a handful of people lost their lives.

The fall of the monster has been attributed to a momentous effort from monster hunters and the public, as well as very advantageous weather.

Mage reputation remains stable. Many people view the fact that an esteemed Order mage dealt the killing blow shows that the Order has learnt from its recent mistakes, others grumble about how the King could have sent more aid to the ailing villages.



Killing Blow: Arianwyn played by leverage
Silver Hunter: Khersag played by empiredog
Bronze Hunter: Manaia played by skyofbee

Click here to see the Hunt!

🔶 new invite url

Due to an influx of bots and suspicious accounts joining, we have finally changed the invite url to Anathema’s Discord server!

Make sure to not use the old one (who knows where that might take you), rather use the new one:

https://discord.gg/anathemarpg

🔶 effort bonus change

Lately, we have seen a lot of Effort bonuses, which is great! We love to see all you do 🧡 But sometimes, we would like you to reflect a bit on its usage.

When you claim the Effort Bonus for a piece, it is now required to add an explanation of why: what took extra effort in the piece? What did you do differently from a normal piece?

If you don't have enough space in the gold description, feel free to put it in the Bank or Hunt submission comment.

Anathema's effort rules are based on an honor system, and staff may step in if this is getting abused—if every piece is being awarded for exceptional Effort, then it’s not exceptional anymore!

Examples of Effort roleplay: Polished editing, significant character development, significant exploration of character’s inner nature.
Examples of Effort art: New style or medium, extreme rendering, technical complexity, high detail.
Examples of Effort writing: Complete narrative, experimental style, complete structure, use of new literary devices.

📌 notes and reminders

Is your character suddenly no longer listed in the TH World?
That’s probably because you at some point listed them for sale or trade, putting a price on them instead of their name! Characters who are up for sale get removed from the world. If you change your mind, please let us know and we will re-add them!

Scribble Swap Etiquette
When playing the Scribble Swap game in the Discord Server, make sure you don’t claim unless you are able to work on your piece now, as to not hold up the game. Don’t claim and then go to bed, for example!
Likewise, if you are taking a long time to finish, make sure you post a WIP in the swap channel so the game can continue.

✨february 2024 story prompt

Every month, we provide a brief narrative prompt, with four potential choices for your character to make. Draw or write your character's choice, and receive double gold for your response! Mages will earn a mystery stat point based on their choices, which will be revealed with the next month's prompt.

Prompt responses should tag this profile, and must be worth at least 1 gold of art or writing. You are allowed to submit collaborations and roleplay as responses to the monthly story prompts, but every participating character's choice must be clearly indicated for mods.

Click here (or scroll down to this bulletin's comments!) to view the prompt for February!

To see the rewards for January's prompt, click here.

🧾 seeking player-made story prompts!

Players are invited to submit their own story prompts for all Anathema players to enjoy! These prompts are open for two months at a time, and anyone can reply! Draw or write your character's choice, and receive double gold for your response! Mages will earn a mystery stat point based on their choices, which will be revealed with the next month's prompt.

Prompt responses should tag this profile, and must be worth at least 1 gold of art or writing. You are allowed to submit collaborations and roleplay as responses to the monthly story prompts, but every participating character's choice must be clearly indicated for mods.

Click here (or scroll down to this bulletin's comments!) to view the prompt for February/March!

To see the rewards for December/January's prompt, click here.

If you have ideas for a prompt of your own, send them in via Modmail on our Discord server!

🐎🐖🐄🐫🐐🦌 january's new arrivals:

Meet all the characters who joined us during the month of January 2024:

as above, so below...

As the Pyre of the North leaves a smoldering path behind in its mindless rampage, the skies over Ivras have slowly shifted, revealing brilliant hues and glittering stars that fill the sky with celestial flames to mirror the fires below.

So what’s the explanation for this strange phenomenon?

In a combined effort, researchers from the university of Faline, together with the astronomy department of Namarast, have recently presented a ground-breaking discovery: a stellar marvel, something that has not been visible for over two millennia. The research draws from both empirical observation as well as poring over old texts and more recent works (though anyone mentioning hotly-debated scholar Keita Archijd's Corruption Echo Theory has been quickly hushed by their superiors…).

In the harshest part of winter, there is a stillness and chill to the night air, and as luck has it, this is the best time of the year for stargazing and to observe this spectacle of the night sky.

the skies reveal a well-kept secret

Mages and scholars have long suspected, and now confirmed, this momentous cosmic event: stars and planets align, the stellar curtain is drawn aside, showing the night sky as a rich tapestry of colours and constellations: beast and monsters out of deep time, fateful events and old history, written in stars and cosmic dust.

These nights are meant for stargazing, telling stories, and singing of songs; a time to reminisce of glorious battles, past horrors, and imagine monsters and times long, long before.

No matter where you are in Ivras, it is clear that the people are out to observe the night sky. Many smaller towns and villages see an uptick in visitors, especially those in strategic locations, with uninterrupted views of the night sky. Trade is flourishing and commemorative events are held in many places.

📚 Event prompts

All this has created a newly emerging enthusiasm for astronomy all over Ivras; both scholars and amateur stargazers eagerly turn their attention to the constellations and phenomena of the sky.

Storytellers and entertainers have been quick to jump on the opportunity, spinning new tales and legends; others view it as a somber occasion, a time for remembrance and recalling the past.

Strangely enough, even though the Pyre still smolders in the north, the event has made many people view mages in a new, somewhat more positive light. Whether it is a temporary reprieve or not remains to be seen…

📖 story prompts

This event, we have three different prompts for players to explore. One of them is a story prompt, the other two are open-ended (but still gives rewards!) Of course, you are welcome to write or draw for the event even without the prompts.

For a story prompt, we've got A Witchfinder Waltz; for the open prompts we have Nightlights and Join the Chorus!

🌌 collaborative prompts

Earn double gold with these collab/roleplay prompts:

• What does your character enjoy the most? Watching the drama of the skies, being delighted by the entertainers, or cozying up to a warm fire in the cold? And who would they bring along to share the experience with?
• Character may have differing opinions about this celestial event. Is it simply a natural phenomena to marvel at, or does it foretell something? Your characters may have an argument or a friendly debate.

If you have any questions about the event, feel free to comment on this bulletin, or in the ask-staff channel on Discord!