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Derigo-Themed Listening
No Oath, No Spell - Murder by Death
House of the Rising Sun - Sam Cohen
Beat the Devil’s Tattoo - BRMC
The Place I Left Behind - The Deep Dark Woods
Thirteen - Johnny Cash

discerning | reserved | elusive

A well-loved necessity, a dutiful guide, a stolen treasure, a precious gift, a valuable heirloom, a child’s toy, a tarnished antique, a token of love, a memory, a brother, a monster, a ghost.
Derigo has been all of these, some of them twice over.
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There are rumors of a ghost who roams an old trade route, commandeering the stars as he endlessly searches for something he lost. Some reports say he is unpredictable and wild, prone to outrage, and that crossing his path comes at a high cost. Fewer yet claim he was a dangerous spirit banished by another to one of the hottest corners of the earth, where he remains chained by an enchanted golden yoke. Most believe all of this only to be a rumor, an urban legend spread to keep humans - who have many of their own versions of these stories - out of dangerous areas.

Very little is known about Derigo as precious few, if any, have caught more than a fleeting glimpse of him; a strange shifting in the shadows, a distant reflection of light catching one’s eye, an odd silhouette moving behind the blowing sand. Often it is his stars that are the only noticeable marker of his presence; they may appear as unusual constellations slowly shifting against the sky, or small lights glimmering in the desert hills, without a trace of him to be seen beneath them. Derigo actively avoids contact with others and is famously elusive, but will watch them carefully from afar. Some who try and find him may return home with stories of strange sightings or experiences, which could easily be chalked up to the heat playing tricks, but most will leave with frustration and disappointment after wasting time in the blistering sun with not a single peek of him.

There are stories of another who knows how one can reach Derigo. Not many have heard these tales - they travel as hushed, well-crafted whispers on the arid wind, passed along only by the most superstitious of spirits.

forgotten passage

Derigo haunts a series of deserted roads in the American southwest. Once busy, they are now mere ghosts of human travel, faint scars criss-crossing the desert, here and there dotted with crumbling homesteads, farms, and towns. A handful of these roads have become modern and paved, but do not tend to be busy.

White sage is a highly sought-after aromatic shrub whose seeds and silvery leaves have seen many uses through the ages. It is currently suffering from over-harvesting and poaching for commercial uses.

Desert paintbrush is a wildflower noted for its vibrant red herbage. It has seen use in a handful of medicinal purposes, but consume with care as it can also be toxic.

“ ‘Don't think about what you've left behind’ the alchemist said to the boy as they began to ride across the sands of the desert. ‘If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always come back. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return.’”

― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Impressions

• Derigo emits an airy, soft, intermittent vibration that warrants a chill in the warm desert air. It is reminiscent of a grasshopper’s sandy thrum (sound clip).

• The scent of crushed fresh sage follows him, and he leaves a trail of red paintbrush petals in his wake.

• His size is comparable to a bull. His coat is stiff and coarse, like a boar’s, offering good protection from sandstorms. He has two black horns like a bison’s.

• His enchantment is a mirage - illusory stars and constellations that he can control and move around. Sometimes he casts them against the sky so that they may blend in, while at other times they circle close to the ground or objects within his vicinity.

• The white markings on hiss coat have pattern shift which allows them to change between bold zags and blotchy piebald. He often uses this as a way of preventing others from getting a clear glimpse of him as it can look like an illusion, distraction, or camouflage depending on the circumstances. It may also convey his emotions.

• He has a swarm of American crow familiars. These can often be seen flying in a circle in the sky above him, perched in an orderly manner upon nearby ridges, quietly loitering beneath him, or scattered across the ground inspecting things. They are watchful, and unusually quiet and still for crows which may be subtly unnerving. They will raise a a very noisy ruckus under certain circumstances though.

• Derigo does not visit the conservatory or perform transformations.

Gallery

Click images to view fully. Much of this artwork is not mine but has been gifted or commissioned. Credits and links to these wonderful artists’ profiles are listed - on pc, hover over the image; on mobile, you will have to hit the white circle in the bottom right corner (I am working on trying to find a different solution to the latter.)