#rqg azu
[ID: All PCs from RQG (Azu, Bertie, Sasha, Cel, Zolf, Hamid, and Grizzop) along with Skraak and Wilde posing in one big group. Everyone has a smile on their face except Bertie, who is looking to the side distractedly. Azu, Wilde, and Bertie are in the back row. Azu and Bertie are holding a big sign strung between them that says “Thank you RQG”. Next to the sign on opposite sides are Sasha and Cel. On the bottom row is Zolf, Hamid, Grizzop, and Skraak. End ID.]
Please click on the image I promise its not that blurry!
I don’t even know where to begin with this. RQG ended about a week ago and I’m still thinking about the Finale. I only started listening in May but this podcast brought me so much comfort and joy throughout the summer and into my first year at university. I genuinely cried when it ended and I’m gonna miss it so much! I’m so glad I got a chance to listen while it aired and to meet so many fun characters on the way c:
[ID: digital drawing of dahlia, a half-orc half-tiefling original character, hanging out with azu and zoya from the rusty quill gaming podcast.
the three of them are sitting comfortably around a tea table. zoya, a tiefling with deep red skin and golden hair and eyes wearing casual clothes in muted colors, lounges on a couch with one arm around azu’s back. azu, a black orc with a buzzcut and a pink top, seashell necklace, and heart earrings, holds a teacup and excitedly shares a story with dahlia. dahlia, a tief-orc with both horns and tusks, magenta skin, and loose purple and yellow clothes has her chin propped up on her hands as she listens with sparkling eyes. end ID]
on a scale of one to “drawing your own rpg character meeting characters from your favorite rpg podcast” how self indulgent is your art
for the rqg train, here are some doodles I never posted!
Even though the grunt of pain from Kiko was quiet and muffled by clattering wood, Azu heard it from the far side of the structure that would, according to Cel, one day become a ship. She moved swiftly to her side and knelt down next to her.
“Kiko? Are you alright?”
“I just cut my hand, it’s fine.” She held out her arm to show Azu the gash that now ran from back of her hand and partially down her forearm.
Instinctively, Azu took Kiko’s injured hand in her own and shut her eyes tight. Under her breath, she murmured a prayer to Aphrodite, begging her to heal Kiko and keep her safe in this and in all things.
When she opened her eyes and saw that the wound had not sealed itself up in a glow of pink, she let out a defeated sigh.
“You forgot again, didn’t you?” Kiko asked cautiously.
Azu nodded. “Sometimes I think that if… that if I pray hard enough, she’ll still hear me.” Then she shook her head. “I have some bandages. We should clean this up before it gets infected.”
As Azu tenderly cleaned and bandaged Kiko’s injury with the supplies she kept on her person at all times, Kiko watched her features with a mixture of concern and admiration.
“There you go, all set. I’ll change the bandages later and see how it’s doing.”
Despite her words, Azu continued holding Kiko’s hand, and Kiko made no attempt to pull away.
“Listen, I don’t know how it all works now. But… if Aphrodite is still out there, I know she can hear you,” Kiko insisted. “And maybe she can’t help you with spells or healing anymore, but she’s still here, in her own way.”
Azu let out a heavy breath. “I just don’t know. It’s hard. It feels… empty, now.”
Kiko squeezed Azu’s hand a little tighter. “I’m sorry. And I know nothing can fill that void. But she’s the goddess of love. As long as there’s love in the world, she’s still here. As long as you still love - and you love so muchandso deeply - then she’s still there with you, even if it’s hard to feel her presence. And you are so strong to keep going, to keep fighting and believing in her when you can’t hear her call back to you.”
With a shudder, Azu slumped forward against Kiko, who wrapped her arms around her and tugged her as far into her lap as she could manage. Azu didn’t cry, but her fingers shook as she made fists in Kiko’s shirt, pain and despair and loss all mingling together as one. A few moments later, she released her grip somewhat so that she could meet Kiko’s gaze.
“It’s hard to be without her. But you’re right. As long as there’s love in the world, Aphrodite is still here. And maybe I can’t feel her anymore, not in the same way, but maybe she can still hear me.”
Kiko caressed Azu’s cheek. “For what it’s worth, I do know that there will always be love in the world so long as I’m around.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Because I love you.”
Azu smiled and chuckled, then pressed a quick kiss to Kiko’s lips. “I love you too.”
“And I’m not saying that to try and distract you from losing your god or anything, I just-”
“I know. It helps. Youhelp.”
“You do too.” Kiko gestured with her bandaged hand. “Not just with healing, but… in so many ways. I don’t know much about gods, but I do know that I love you, and nothing can change that.”
Day 6 of @the-line-is-erased:Damascus- Party - The choices we make and the consequences, whether good or bad, therein.
aka when Paladins have conflicting oaths
How could she be so blind? There was more at stake than just the life of one person she cared about. If they didn’t shut down the factory, stop the production of the simulacra, the entire world was going to fall, including her brother.
Grizzop vibrated with rage. Azu just stood there, acting like love conquered all. Foolish. But he shouldn’t have expected anything else from the Aphrodite lot.
Of course he wanted to go after Vesseek. It was hard enough to leave them alone with their clutch, but it all hinged on the fact that the entire world could fall apart if someone didn’t do what needed to be done to save it. And if Grizzop had to leave in order to be that person, then he would be.
Vesseek knew that the greater good came first. They understood this from the start. And Grizzop remembered his oath to Artemis.
As much as he longed to run off to Rome and save Vesseek and the others, he set his sights on the funnel above and the machinery around them. There was still work to be done.
~~~
How could he be so heartless? Was the life of someone he loved worth so little to him that he would let them be beaten and tortured by the Cult of Hades? If they didn’t go to save their loved ones, all of them, then they would be killed.
Azu clenched her fists tight. Grizzop just stood there, acting like the world would fall in an instant if he didn’t try to stop it. Foolish. But she shouldn’t have expected anything else from the Artemis lot.
Of course she knew that their current mission was important. It was a major setback to have to leave the factory as it was, but Emeka and the others could dieifsomeone didn’t do what needed to be done to save them. And if Azu had to be that person, then she would be.
Emeka knew that love came first. He understood that when she left their village in the first place. And Azu remembered her oath to Aphrodite.
As much as she wanted to finish the task at hand, to destroy the factory and stop more simulacra from being made, she racked her mind for any knowledge she had of Rome. There was a long journey ahead of them.
~~~
Then Azu noticed the tears in Grizzop’s eyes, tears he tried to blink back as he looked at anything and everything but her.
“Grizzop,” she said softly. “We’ll rescue them. All of them, okay?”
“Please.” Grizzop never sounded or acted his size, but in that word, he was smaller than he ever was before. With a cough and a shake of his head, he puffed out his chest and, in a clearer voice, added, “I know you will. And I’ll take care of things here. We both have our own jobs to do.”
Azu nodded. “And we both have our own oaths to fulfill.”
With a toothy smile, Grizzop met her gaze. “Thanks, Azu. I’ll meet up with you all when I can, yeah? And tell Vesseek… tell them…”
“I will.”
Grizzop gave one last nod and then climbed up to the top of the funnel with an adamantine arrow between his teeth. He didn’t need to worry about Vesseek – Azu was on her way, and she would never let anything happen to them.
“Come on in, Zolf, the water’s lovely!”
He shook his head, a safe distance away on the jetty. At least the moon was mostly full, so Hamid, Cel, and Azu’s midnight swim wasn’t as dangerous as it could have been, even if it was still extremely ill-advised.
“Nah, I’m good,” Zolf called back to Hamid. “Someone’s got to get help if something happens.” Given how tipsy he was, he wasn’t entirely sure if he’d be able to make it back up the walkway regardless, but he could at least make an attempt and yell loud enough someone might hear. And besides, it was a good excuse that kept him out of the water.
“Wait, do you not want to because… Poseidon, and all that?” Hamid spoke the god’s name furtively, as if whispering a deep dark secret.
“No, sod him, I don’t care about that. We’re all drunk and it’s dark; we shouldn’t be out in the ocean at all.”
“Pfft,” Cel said, taking a break from making dolphin noises as they splashed around. “Zolf, you gotta swim with us.”
“I do not,” he insisted.
With that, Azu climbed out of the water and back onto the beach, marching straight toward Zolf.
“I’m going to pick you up now,” she said.
“No, no, no…”
“Just because I’m getting older doesn’t mean I’m not still strong enough to carry you into the sea with us.”
“That’s not what I meant!” Zolf cried as Azu lifted him out of his chair and gently carried him toward the water.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Hamid added as they crossed the sand. “We’re not going to force you.”
“I can put you back,” Azu offered, and Zolf shook his head.
“Eh, why not?” He said with a shrug. The whole idea of swimming at night while drunk was already a bad idea, but they’d survived worse. He might as well have some fun. “I’m not sure how well I can tread water or balance with only half my legs, though.”
“We won’t let you sink, don’t worry,” Cel said.
“I can give you a floating piggyback ride if you want,” Azu suggested as she stepped into the waves.
“Uh, yeah, let’s try that, if that’s okay.”
“Of course!”
Azu set Zolf down just at the edge of the water, then knelt down so that she could carry him on her back instead of in her arms like a baby as she had been. Once he was repositioned, she stood up and walked slowly into the sea, careful to make sure Zolf’s head was still safely above the waves. Cel and Hamid cheered as the whole crew entered the water.
“Yeah, alright, this isn’t so bad,” Zolf admitted, even cracking a smile. He had his arms on Azu’s shoulders so that he wouldn’t drift off, but he was managing to float on his own without too much trouble. The waves were much calmer than they were on their last visit to that beach.
“Told you!” Cel yelled. Then, their eyes went wide with an even more ill-advised idea. “Azu, put Zolf on your shoulders, and I’ll put Hamid on mine, and we’ll do a chicken fight!”
“Zolf?” Hamid asked, checking to make sure Zolf was alright with the plan before he agreed.
Zolf laughed, shaking his head with the ridiculousness of the situation, but then he narrowed his eyes. “You know what? You’re on. And you’re going down.”
“Knock knock,” Cel called instead of actually knocking on the door. “Everyone decent?”
Azu chuckled. “It’s just me. Come on in.”
Cel stepped inside Azu’s cabin aboard the Venga, clearly trying and failing to hide something behind their back.
“Is everything alright?” Azu asked, even though she could tell from the glee in Cel’s expression that they were not bearing unfortunate news.
“Yes! I have a gift for you!” They shoved the box previously half-hidden behind their back into Azu’s face, all the while rocking back and forth on the balls of their feet with barely restrained excitement.
Azu gasped in concern. “Wait, did I miss a holiday? I know I get a little confused with days out at sea here… I don’t have anything for you, I’m so sorry, Cel.”
“Pfft, no, it’s nothing like that. I just wanted to make something nice for you, that’s all.”
“Oh, that’s so kind.” Azu still wanted to apologize for not having anything to offer Cel in return, but instead she reached out and took the box still hovering inches from her nose.
She removed the lid to reveal a pair of work boots colored in a subtle shade of pink. Azu’s hand flew to her mouth.
“You didn’t…”
“I did!” Cel exclaimed. “I know you’re still rocking the pink, but you couldn’t find any good pink boots, so I went ahead and made you some! I hope they fit; I did sneak into your cabin and measure your other boots one night while you were asleep, so they should fit, but if not, let me know!”
Azu ignored Cel’s admission of sneaking into her cabin – something she and Kiko already suspected after waking up to hearing someone softly humming dramatic music as they crept around the space – and instead sat down to remove her current boots and try on the new set.
The pink wasn’t garish, but it was still poignant enough to reflect Azu’s continuing faith in Aphrodite. She wiggled her toes and did a couple jumping jacks to test them out, beaming all the while.
“I love them. Thank you, Cel, this is amazing.”
“I’m so glad you like them! Can we hug?”
“Of course,” Azu said with a chuckle.
Cel launched themselves into Azu’s arms and gave her a tight squeeze, then stepped back. “Look at you, turning me into a full-on hugger,” they laughed. “Anyway, I should probably get back to Sassraa before anything explodes again, but I wanted to get these to you right away.”
They were already exiting the cabin as Azu started to reply, “Thank you again!” Once Cel disappeared down the hall, Azu sat back down on her bed and held her legs out to examine the boots.
Aphrodite might no longer exist in their world, but the power of her love would always remain, even in the slightest gesture, the most grandiose display, or in the gifting of a pair of pink boots.