#sorcerer — Public Fediverse posts

Meet Zagrea Afxbis.

Six generations ago, a young Tiefling named Urxikas Afxbis was playing dice in a loud bar and caught another player cheating. He called it out. There was a scuffle. The scuffle became a brawl. The brawl became a full-room catastrophe -- everyone involved, furniture flying, chaos wall to wall.

Everyone except the Green Hag sitting alone in the far corner.

Urxikas got thrown across the room and landed near her. Scrambling up, he stepped on her pack. Something inside shattered. She screamed. The whole bar went quiet.

She walked up to him slowly. Got close. And in a voice barely above a whisper, she told him exactly what she thought of him and every red-blooded, tail-dragging devilspawn that would come after him. Then she blew a handful of sand in his eyes and walked out.

That was six Afxbisses ago. The curse has been passed down faithfully through every generation. Uncontrollable magic. Skin that changes color every time a spell fires -- bright green after poison, bright red after fire, eight colors counted so far, possibly more to come. The Afxbis line has learned, generation to generation, how to ride the magic, how to keep it from swallowing them whole. The skin, they never figured out.

Somehow, Zagrea is a happy guy. Charismatic, warm, a little prone to exaggeration when he's telling stories. He finds joy in most things. Most people like him immediately.

But spend enough time with him and you'll see it -- something behind the eyes. Something that doesn't quite rest. He keeps moving because standing still was never really an option. He wasn't welcome most places, growing up. So he kept walking, kept adventuring, and somewhere along the way started looking for something that resembles peace.

He hasn't found it yet. His powers are getting stronger by the day.

---

Zagrea Afxbis is a tall Tiefling Sorcerer with almost no muscle to speak of, wearing colorful striped overalls and a cape long enough to wrap himself in -- both striped vertically in white, red, vermillion, orange, amber, yellow, chartreuse, green, teal, blue, violet, purple, magenta, and black. He attacks from range and relies on his arcane knowledge when his spells don't cooperate. He can will his bare hands to strike like a club, dagger, or handaxe, and can summon a vibrant shield of light from his own arms when pressed. He is a lifelong adventurer, a walking folk legend, and arguably the most colorful person in the room -- sometimes literally.

#iTA #isThisAnything #DnD #TTRPG #Homebrew #CharacterIntro #Sorcerer #Tiefling

Anchorite – Realm of Ruin Review

By Steel Druhm

2025 has not given me nearly enough epic doom. I need a lot of that stuff to offset my obsession with sub-basement phlegm-death, or my entire equilibrium starts to go pear-shaped and fall off the tracks. Luckily, international collective Anchorite are on the job with their sophomore opus, Realm of Ruin. Using the tried-and-trve sound profile of Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Crypt Sermon, and Sorcerer, all the key landmarks are present, with heavy riffs, powerful vocals, and a sense of melancholy lurking behind the iron fistery. What gives Anchorite a leg up is a sizeable dose of testosterone and machismo in their doom chowder. They borrow from acts like Pale Divine and Argus and aim to kick you in the nether regions even as they harsh your mellow emotionally. Is that the sort of dual-tracked abuse you want from your metal? If so, follow me to the punishment area.

The gates open wide on the opening title track to reveal a powerful, punchy sound with burly riffs pushing the song forward as Leo Stivala (Forsaken, Pagan Altar) delivers manly, rough-hewn bellows and plaintive, somber tones as the moment requires. This is almost like vintage Iced Earth doing epic doom, and honestly, it works pretty damn well. Better still is “The Lighthouse Chronicles,” which takes you on a moody, emotional voyage over 7-plus minutes with hooks deployed expertly along the way to snare your ear. It’s plenty mournful and forlorn, but the epic energy crackles just below the surface and the riffs are meaty and forceful. The chorus is immediately memorable, supported by dour riffing that reeks of Paradise Lost. Add an intriguing midpoint segment that screams introspective Nevermore, and it’s clear Anchorite are onto something. Through it all, Stivala moves adroitly from rougher tones to weepy sadboi wails, convincing at all times. Showing Anchorite’s range, “Devil on the Throne” shifts to muscular, bluesy biker doom like Place of Skulls and Pale Divine. It’s less direct, more classically doomy, and 70s Sabbath jam-intensive. It checks all the boxes, and Stivala once again channels Warrel Dane’s potent spirit to good effect.

If things had slipped a bit on the album’s back half, I’d still be pretty impressed with Realm of Ruin. Instead, you get shellacked by the majesty and might of “The Apostate’s Prayer,” which is half vintage Candlemass, half Sorcerer, and all badass. The guitar work here is stellar, and Stivala ups his game significantly for a vocal tour de force running across misery, grief, and soul-killing inner conflict. His despondent cries of “I have fallen so far” will give you goose bumps and pierce your cold, dead heart. This tune is aces. Closer “Kingdom Undone” is another big moment with a gripping chorus that blends classic metal, doom, and just a hint of power cheese for something extra hooky. It reminds me of the material on Human Fortress’ stellar Defenders of the Crown, but with a melancholic sheen slathered over everything. There are no duds here, and every track brings something interesting to the table, though they don’t all reach the same peaks as the aforementioned highlights. A few tracks suffer from slight bloating around the edges, but at 54 minutes, Realm of Ruin doesn’t feel overlong, nor would I want to see any selections cut.

I’m quite impressed with Leo Stivala’s performance. He mixes forceful Jorn-esque bellows with effectively downcast classic doom singing and switches up his delivery enough to provide surprises and meet the material where it is. He’s got some of the same charm and appeal as Crypt Sermon’s Brooks Wilson, and also reminds one of Robert Lowe (Solitude Aeturnus) at times. Then there are the scattered Warrel Dane bits. Not bad company to find oneself in. Matching Stivala at each step is the guitar work by Martin Andersen. He blends classic heavy metal tropes with all the expected epic doom sounds and brings in touches of power metal to round out the experience. He delivers emotional moments in his solos and harmonies while keeping things heavier than one might expect. Impressive showing in all phases.

Realm of Ruin is one of those albums you enjoy on the first go-through, and with each spin, it reveals more of itself until you’re fully submerged in the band’s craftwork. Anchorite have writing chops, and Realm comes fairly close to reaching the upper levels of doom glory. As it stands, it’s an immersive stroll through the ruins with moments of genuine brilliance and grandeur. I’ll be watching these cats closely because their potential is writ large. A happy surprise and well recommended.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Personal Records
Website: facebook.com/anchoritedoom
Releases Worldwide: August 1st, 2025

#2025 #35 #Anchorite #Argus #Aug25 #Candlemass #CryptSermon #DesolateRealm #DoomMetal #EpicDoomMetal #InternationalMetal #PaleDivine #RealmOfRuin #Review #Reviews #SolitudeAeturnus #Sorcerer

Guten Morgen, Welt!

Heute bin ich gegen sechs Uhr aus dem Bett gepurzelt. Ein Elder Dodo nachts Nebel auf die Felder gezaubert hat, bin ich dann aufgebrochen, um zweieinhalb Stunden lang mit Kamera, Drohne, Actioncam und Handy alles einzufangen, was der Sonnenaufgang so hergab.

Jetzt gibts erstmal Kaffee! :coffee_mug:

Wie seid ihr in die neue Woche gestartet?

#mugs #tassensammlung #tassenliebe #mugart #caffeinedaily #Motivtasse #Dodo #CoyasWelt #digitalart #Dodorex #Magier #Sorcerer #Magic