Remove ads

The Shyish Student (An Amethyst Apprentice in Hogwarts) [Warhammer Fantasy/Harry Potter]

Voting is open
Reader mode
Henderson said:
Oh yeah Zag would massively root for Death.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
No, no. You misunderstood me. What I meant to say was that, at least in my opinion, the movie's portrayal of Death would feel extremely heretical to Zagreus.

After all, death is, according to the cult of Morr, part of the cycle of life, no more, no less, and although it will come to us all, is not like Morr, who watches over the dead, is in any rush to drag them to his own realm. And seeing death getting petty in the movies, striking down those who got away from their scheduled demise in increasingly bizarre and surrealistic ways, as if death was a particularly vengeful accountant that can't stand that his rates don't match, wouldn't sit well with Zagreus, who didn't waste a moment to save Neville of the potential threat he could be in after he had a vision of Neville's doom.
Oksbad said:
The images around you resolve into a familiar part of Hogwarts.

"No, no, no," says a round-faced boy, stumbling after a glass orb, its two halves joined by a gold band. The orb rolls off the top of the stairs and, evidently more sturdy than it looks, bounces through down the steps with a sharp hollow sound until it flies into the visor of a suit of armour, rattling around inside.

Neville tries to retrieve the orb, but is too short to reach the helmet. In an attempt to climb higher, he knocks the suit of armour over. It smashes into the ground and falls apart, sending a torrent of metal loudly crashing down the nearby stairs.

In the mass of metal, you see a glint of glass and gold – the orb. Neville sees it too, and continues chasing it. It bounces and rolls just beyond his reach, coming to a rest just beside a wooden door.

The forbidden corridor.

As Neville grabs the orb, turning it over to inspect for cracks, he hears a few faint sniffs, low growls, and the sound of metal on metal as the door unlocks. Startled, he yelps and drops the orb. The door creaks open and a draft blows through his hair. Slow and heavy footsteps join the growls...

Suddenly, the door flings open with a crash, and all you can see is a flash of green and three snarling maws full of sharp teeth. Your vision goes black, and you hear only the sounds of ripping flesh, snapping bone, and Neville's screams.

Then, nothing.

You squint and cup your ears in an attempt to see or hear anything. It's futile – what you are sensing now has little to do with your eyes and ears. Your windsight doesn't help you either.

Finally, you hear a girl's voice, very faint. You cannot make it out at first, but the words repeat increasingly loudly.

"Zagreus!" you hear as your eyes shoot open. In front of you, you see the night sky – only faint wisps of smoke remaining from the earlier barrage of fireworks – and the worried face of Sally-Anne.

"Thank Merlin, you're awake. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," you say, dazed. You sit up and pat yourself over. Nothing hurts, though you are oddly damp.

"Why am I wet?" you ask, noticing the complete lack of rain.

Sally-Anne looks embarrassed.

"I splashed you with water. I was trying to wake you up," she says, defensive.

Memories of your vision come back to you.

"Neville! He's in danger!" you hiss, eyes wide. You run towards the castle, its windows still flashing with Peeves' mischief. Sally-Anne follows you as you try to explain that you saw Neville being attacked by the forbidden corridor. It proves difficult due to your voice and now quickly you become winded.

"You saw this in a dream?" asks Sally-Anne, easily keeping pace with you.

"Yes… but… vision…" you pant.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Then again, it's also true that the Cult of Mort considers very impolite and futile trying to avert visions of one's own imminent death, confirmed by Zagreus himself.
Oksbad said:
A common dilemma faced by Morrites is when it is appropriate to prevent an imminent death. Soldiers tell tales of Morrite priests moving from corpse to corpse after a battle, ignoring those still breathing until they stop. There are also stories of bands of Doomsayers that wander the land like knights errant, hoping to avert the disasters they see in their dreams.

It is accepted doctrine that dreams are ways for Morr to warn the living of grave threats. However, death in itself is not considered a threat – a portent of death is often not a warning to prevent it, but a sign to get one's affairs in order. It is often considered improper, if not outright heretical, for a priest to avert a portent of his own death.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
So there you have it. I'm sorry Zagreus, buddy. But you are clearly guilty of attempting to prevent Neville's ultimate fate, so off to the pyre you go.

No, but seriously, it's a small mercy that this is just a crossover between warhammer fantasy and Harry Potter. If Final Destination was added to the mix (and considering the character is very embedded in the cult of Morr's iconography, this would be more plausible than you think), then everything would get rather dark pretty fast.

Like, it wouldn't surprise me if Neville, after Zagreus had saved his life shortly after having that vision, suffered an ever more gruesome death not even a week later, in the most colourful way imaginable. Like, being strangled by one of Sprout's more dangerous plants or something.

On the other hand, we could have a Zagreus spending his summer vacation's in the morgue alongside William Bludwort as an apprentice, learning the trade and getting more cynical with each passing year (aka:movie) after seeing a neverending line of dumb, hormonal and desperate teenagers trying to prolong the inevitable.

View: https://youtu.be/0p9Q6tDJJ1w
Furthermore, Bludworth seems like the kind of person Zagreus would enjoy having a very philosophical debate over a cup of tea and some pastries, or perhaps in the middle of disemboweling a corpse for embalming, although I don't think someone like Bludworth would endear himself to Dumbledore, who would probably think that the last thing Zagreus needs is to have his own cultural quirks exacerbated even more than they already are. No need to make Zagreus more freaky than he already is.
 
Last edited:
Oksbad said:
A certain "Brother V. Hexensohn" reports that he was the last priest of Morr in Waldenhof, deep in Sylvania. He reports that the city's Garden of Morr had been irreparably tainted. Finding the situation untenable, he departed the city on a barge, loaded in secret with as many bones and corpses as possible, alongside other refugees attempting to flee the town, slaying a vampire that tried to stop him as he left. Following the Stir, they fought off undead, corrupt officials, and riverine beasts until they reached salvation in Stirland, where the dead were reburied in more wholesome plots.

That's the second time that name has come up.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
This is a brilliant reference and I love you for making it.

[X] Neville Longbottom
[X] Pansy Parkinson
[X] Wireless Club
 
Canario Marino said:
No, no. You misunderstood me. What I meant to say was that, at least in my opinion, the movie's portrayal of Death would feel extremely heretical to Zagreus.

After all, death is, according to the cult of Morr, part of the cycle of life, no more, no less, and although it will come to us all, is not like Morr, who watches over the dead, is in any rush to drag them to his own realm. And seeing death getting petty in the movies, striking down those who got away from their scheduled demise in increasingly bizarre and surrealistic ways, as if death was a particularly vengeful accountant that can't stand that his rates don't match, wouldn't sit well with Zagreus, who didn't waste a moment to save Neville of the potential threat he could be in after he had a vision of Neville's doom.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I believe he'd just conclude the depicted Death is a local haunt, spirit or daemon. It doesn't claim Morr's name, and everything it does, its doing on this side of the Veil.

Morr doesn't really intervene in the living at all beyond dreams. Mortals are free to attempt to extend their lives, eternity will get them eventually unless they cease beibg mortals.
 
[X] Susan Bones
[X] Hermione Granger
[X] Tabletop Club

I've spent almost an entire day catching up on this Quest. It's very mellow, which makes it nice to read.
 
Adhoc vote count started by Karnax626 on Jul 4, 2024 at 2:27 AM, finished with 64 posts and 53 votes.
Click to expand...

I get why it happens, but I do wish we'd branch out more with our social votes. Some of the others do seem like they could be a fun conversation.
 
Adhoc vote count started by Night_stalker on Jul 7, 2024 at 10:11 AM, finished with 70 posts and 58 votes.
Click to expand...
 
Still catching up, but I am dying to see the reaction to the Warlock's Hairy Heart amongst Beedle the Bard by Zag.

Also, this quest is great. It's extremely balanced and respectful to both HP and WHF.
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Voting is open
Remove ads
Back
Top