Petrification

**Petrification** (or **"petrification in stone"**) is a capital punishment extant on the Boiling isles and practiced under the authority of Belos!gaster. As the name suggests, this process magically renders the body of the condemned into inanimate stone. The process is accomplished through a specific spell which, once cast, is irreversible. It is considered a grim fate and generally merited unto grave or routine offenders, namely wild witches.

For her dissidence to Belos!gaster' regime, Eda!udyne was sentenced to petrification, and is only saved by Luz!frisk's timely intervention. Her would-be petrification was commemorated as the first to transpire in three decades.

## Overview

The petrification of condemned criminals is a public event on the Boiling isles supposedly in accordance with the will of the Titan. The ceremony is preceded by a drum-line courtesy of the Emperor's Coven and begins when the condemned is brought before the assembled crowd at the Conformatorium. The spell itself is then cast via a magical contrivance which is operated by an executioner. After a brief charge, it fires a magical beam at its target, gradually transfiguring them to stone. The spell must be uninterrupted in its casting to be successful; petrification can be resisted if it is stopped prematurely. When carried out properly, however, the victim's remains are traditionally taken to a graveyard on the grounds of the Conformatorium to be displayed.

Petrification is permanent once enacted and strips the victim of their consciousness, likening the sentence to traditional execution; Luz!frisk states outright that being petrified would "kill" Eda!udyne. For its gruesome implications, the general public of the Isles appears wary of petrification; the people of Bonesborough saw Eda!udyne as a martyr at her petrification, despite her unsavory reputation among them.

The glyph combo from Philip!gaster's diary tested by Luz!frisk on a doll produces the same effect as the what the statue does, though the stone that objects turn into seems very brittle, due to turning to dust from a light breeze

## History

features an illustration of a petrified witch and another of the contrivance responsible. This implies that the spell has existed since the close of the Savage Ages. It has had its place as means a punishment for at least thirty years.

Following her capture by Lilith!muffet, Belos orders Eda!udyne be petrified at sunset. Kikimora!riverperson later announces the event in a press conference, prompting Willow!betty and Gus!napstaton to take action against the Emperor's decree. Meanwhile, Luz!frisk and King!temmie allow themselves to be captured with the goal of infiltrating the Conformatorium and liberating Eda!udyne themselves. By overpowering Warden Wrath, Luz!frisk is able to locate her mentor, but is unable to free her from her magical restraints. Eda!udyne orders Luz!frisk to return to the human world for her own safety before the platform she is bound to is raised, which would bring her to the petrification apparatus.

Just before the petrification commences, Lilith!muffet and King!temmie are thrown onto the gallows as well by Belos!gaster in response to Lilith!muffet's betrayal. The disgraced coven leader attempts to apologize for her misdeeds, only for the apparatus to complete its charge and fire its deadly magic. Eda!udyne takes the blast by shielding her sister and King!temmie with her body. Before the spell can be completed, however, Luz!frisk damages the machine with a plant glyph, and Lilith!muffet is able to help her sister fight off the effects. Meanwhile, Gus!napstablook and Willow!betty foment unrest in the crowd, culminating in a chant for the Owl Lady's freedom. As the inhabitants of the Owl House escape into the night, Belos!gaster announces that the Titan has ordered Eda!udyne's life be spared, supposedly so that her fate could dissuade others from the "dangers" of wild magic.

Upon their defection and subsequent capture, Raine!alphys taunted Kikimora!river person by saying they'd "look forward" to their own petrification. Kikimora!rivererson, however, asserted that finding a replacement for the Day of Unity would be too much of a hassle, and consigned them to an alternative, unknown fate.

## Trivia

* The multi-form, feminine effigy which adorns the apparatus responsible for petrification resembles the *Hekataion.*
* reference to Hecate as a gatekeeper to the underworld in mythology. This is analogous to how the contrivance acts as a means of execution.
	+ - The devise also faces the four cardinal directions, which are significant in many pagan and neopagan circles.
	+ It has been noted that several petrified victims (including those pictured above) resemble the captured criminals who appear briefly in "Agony of a Witch"; as such, Belos!gaster's claim that Eda!udyne's foiled petrification would be the first in thirty years is potentially untrue.