#//so anyways the plot is now party tries to stop emp daddy from becoming bivs daddy cuz he aint winning that manipulation game

[elkenbulwark]

hc // what only matters - is not you.

Birvor has a rather complex dichotomy when it comes to trusting absolutely nothing vs blindly believing in everything.

Growing up, he was used primarily as a tool by the Cragdews to ensure their son, (and conversely his in-name-only brother) was sheltered to the point where he would never even run the chance of encountering the troubles that beset most nobles and merchants stationed in the seedy atmosphere of Baldur's Gate. And on the off chance that Ren did come into contact with anyone not approved of by the family, Birvor was to serve as the impenetrable wall between anyone that tried make contact with him as it was simply a fact drilled into him that anyone, no matter their appearance or spoken intentions, were out for either the wealth of the Cragdews or their lives. Ren was a walking target at all times, and so much as a scuff on the other's face (even if garnered from scraping his own cheek from slamming doors as hard and fast as he could to sever the half orc's direct following path) would warrant a harsh punishment at Birvor's expense. This meticulous upbringing causes the half-orc to be quite harsh in his judgement of others and their intentions when directed at Ren. Even children asking for hand outs or trying to show the high elf a magic trick would warrant him to step in, arms crossed and expression heavy to dissuade any funny business.

Another example would be: since Astarion was the one to tackle Ren with a knife after they'd made it off the crashes nautiloid,he absolutely would not hesitate to throw the man off a mountain if he were left alone with him. Unfortunately (or fortunately in Astarion's case), party members and the general spirit of democracy has stopped any such attempts.

This behavior seems to cause Ren to act out even more since he's basically the equivalent of a preacher's daughter wild as fuck at college now that the two of them have been unceremoniously excused from the Cragdews' home. This may be helping Birvor slowly come to terms with the fact that he doesn't have to keep up with every decision Ren makes because the only thing negative that ever came of letting his brother dick around and find out was pain at his own expense, though it was never really his and moreso the Cragdews' that they found too uncomfortable to sit with and so administered onto him. This of course is the type of realization that once fully acknowledged, will lead to a roiling resentment that after all this time, he'd been deceived.

Which translates into the next point that although Birvor would not trust and actively shuts down any suggestion or invitation made on Ren's expense, the opposite proves true when it is he that is being propositioned. The extent of his high intimidation capabilities is a marriage blend between his half-orc features, strength, and mid high charisma that often acts as a shield that helps deter others from taking advantage of him or deceiving him; however, because he is so used to that aspect of his interactions and how fierce he usually comes across while butting into Ren's affairs, it simply doesn't click to him that people could and would seek to manipulate him.

Because of this, his party has often had to intervene on his behalf when he's been too trusting in what's been pitched to him in terms of folks offering to get the illithid out of his head. He is fully trusting of Nettie, even after she pulls the poisonous branch on him (though his lack of plant knowledge mostly kept him compliant, which ultimately lended itself to his favor when Nettie was hit with the 'too big of a big dumb animal' pity to actually poison him.) The hag would have had one of his eyes if his party didn't see her transformation and step in quickly. And since he trusted 'Mama' Gut with her assurances the Absolute would help remove the tadpole, he allowed her to brand him and drank the sleeping potion she gave him.

On a deeper level, he's most likely internalized that even if someone had ill intent for him, the only thing that really mattered was if that Ill intent was directed at Ren; as the Cragdews' once told him - 'what only matters until he is tucked safe away in his chambers is - not you.'

(Side note that a noted personality quip of many half orcs that don't fill the lone adventurer/muscle for hire type tends to sometimes gravitate towards being agreeable to a fault and even overly generous because they do not want to be perceived as what they're often stereotyped to be: aka violent, disagreeable, always angry, and selfish loners that don't fit into either side of their heritage well. )