#|| ' nere does not fail ! ' || { nere }

[neredoesnotfail]

When I cite that Nere is inordinately tall for a drow--let alone a drow male who are typically even smaller than their female counterparts--this is what I mean:

This is my human fighter--an adaption of Varian Wrynn from Warcraft--who is on the Type 4 body.

Nere was either built on the type 4 body type, or he's a specific build somewhere between 2 and 4's build. Either way, he is definitely at least 6' tall.

What's more, the reason I give him a background/prior class as a fighter has to do with his build but also his stats and feats.

His highest stats are CHA (18), INT (18), and STR (17) with DEX and CON both not much lower (15).

For a wizard, the highest stat should be INT.

For a sorcerer or a warlock, the highest stat ideally needs to be CHA followed by DEX and CON.

So why is his strength so high and why does he have both Extra Attack [normal for fighters] and Muscular which gives him advantage on ability checks and saving throws that use Athletics [ which includes resisting being shoved, staying fit, and performing physical stunts ].

My belief is that he was a fighter, though one who relied as much on his mind as on his body [ a tactician fighter ]. He wanted very much to be a wizard, though, and to learn magic and all the power that grants.

The Absolute gave him that as part of its draw, though rather than a wizard, it made him a Warlock.

[morethanthedarkness]

A LOLTH-CURSED FAMILY // @morethanthedarkness / @neredoesnotfail

So here's a random backstory headcanon while I'm at work;

I have already posted something explaining how Alakdiirn became Kar'niss. Or, at least, vaguely so. But here's a little extra that I decided upon yesterday while talking to two of my friends.

Alakdiirn is Nere's older brother.

I already mentioned that Alakdiirn bailed from the Underdark and that he only returned once he became an Oath of Vengeance paladin. This was largely out of the guilt and anger of what he knew his siblings were still trapped in. Anger at himself and Lolth and that entire monstrous system drove him.

Not only did Alakdiirn return, but he tried to get Randiirn and Xullae—their younger sister—OUT but they were caught, and that's when Alakdiirn openly denounced Lolth.

Xullae was young, likely. Confused. Didn't understand what was going on. But Randiirn was just old enough. Old enough that he had no choice but to denounce and condemn his brother, or to suffer the same fate.

[ The last thing Alakdiirn said to Randiirn before he was taken away to face his punishment was, "I'm sorry that I failed you." ]

So, Nere doesn't say "Nere does not fail!" because he's being pompous. It's partially because he's not far from having a total meltdown.

He's had all this pressure placed on him for so long, because he was a second son to start, when being a son at all is bad enough. And on top of that, his older brother was a Failure and a Heretic. So he has to prove he's not either of those things. He has to prove he's WORTHY of serving Lolth. [ And then the Absolute once he's been stolen away from Lolth by the tadpole. ] He can never ever fail because his parents made clear the further SHAME that would bring them. And the CONSEQUENCES of such failure couldn't be more apparent. So he can't fail. He can't, he can't, he CAN'T.

As for why Nere never realized Kar'niss was his older brother, how could he with how entirely changed and warped he was? And Kar'niss? His mind was so utterly shattered by the transformation process and subsequent years in isolation and then the Curse, he certainly couldn't pull anything more than maybe a vague feeling.

But consider that perhaps the drider was subtly more protective of Nere than others… How odd considering, in canon, driders are extremely wary of drow who view them as abominations and will betray them in a heartbeat…

[sensibleeven]

Here is another diatribe intended for my roleplay blog:

This is a small essay that I originally typed on this post, but I didn't want to bog down the actual dash game post, so here we go, with the points numbered for easier reference.

♜ WHICH CHESS PIECE ARE YOU? ♖

White Rook

You are a White Rook. (1) As a piece that can move inwards and outwards, you're a master of self-reflection. (2) You know what needs to be done and when to do it. (3) You're a protector, and would willingly take someone's place in danger in a heartbeat because you know you can handle the pressure. (4) But even castle walls crumble. For all your chivalry and fortitude, everything must come to an end. Will you be there to see the final stages of the war? Or will you have already been discarded in the battle?

To clarify, I answered this one as though it was after being freed from the Absolute and that had been traveling with a good-inclined group of adventurers for the events of the game. And all of this would absolutely apply, though one wouldn't think so, at first, but that will be for another post. I had started explaining here and it turned into a mini-essay.

As a piece that can move inwards and outwards, you're a master of self-reflection. When not delusional due to the influence of the Absolute, Nere is his own worst critic. He remembers everything he has ever done wrong or 'failed' in his entire life. He is extremely harsh with himself and even perceived failings. His whole insistence on "Nere. Does Not. Fail." boils down to him nearly having a meltdown over Trauma [ Within my own personal storyline, this is also because the last thing he remembers his older brother saying to him before he never saw him again was, "I'm sorry that I failed you." ].

You know what needs to be done and when to do it. He is a very logical and strategic person. Though I had to mess up his INT stat a bit for the companion version so his main stats [ STR, DEX, CON ] could be right, he is also quite intelligent, and he has used it to great effect to remain alive. My version of Nere--based upon his canon stats and feats--was essentially a gladiator prior to escaping from that life only to wind up a fighter for another group. He was definitely a Battle Master fighter, always using his brain in conjunction with his impressive strength and build.

You're a protector, and would willingly take someone's place in danger in a heartbeat because you know you can handle the pressure. This part probably seems the most questionable at face value, but consider it like this: To have been treated as he was for the entirety of his life... only to then be treated well by people who have absolutely no obligation to him? Who, by all rights, could have simply killed him and walked away, never having to think of him again? All of that [misplaced/misled] devotion previously given to the matriarchs and the Weaver, didn't just vanish. Were he to find people worthy of it, he would absolutely risk his life if it saved theirs. While he absolutely hated his circumstances within the society of Lolth-sworn and thought that he could be so much More, he is absolutely geared towards wholehearted, soul-crushing devotion, as he was still devoted to 'the Weaver' before the Absolute stole him away, despite everything he had suffered. And when the Absolute does get him, he is just as devoted to this 'new deity'. "I have been entrusted with a sacred mission. I cannot fail," he says if you tell him that he can report his own failures, clearly both proud that he had been given such a mission and prideful that someone would say he failed. And then this conversation can occur if you kill all of the duergar before freeing Nere [ hint: killing the duergar first is also how you save both the gnomes--aside from the one that is now cutscene locked to die who wasn't originally--as well as Nere ]: Tav: I was abducted by mind flayers. That was when I began to hear the Absolute. Nere, "I don't understand... I've been following those... wretched beasts?" If you CAST DETECT THOUGHTS you can get: It cannot be. Have I betrayed Lolth for an imposter? Tav: Your faith in Lolth faltered. It is not too late to reclaim it. Nere, genuinely sounding so disappointed in himself, "Was I so weak as to betray the Weaver? ... I will take word to the Order of Soul Spiders. They must know of the Absolute threat." You can also choose to convince him to abandon the Absolute and RUN. That's what I choose and it has, thus far, kept him from getting zombie-fied later. Tav: You don't have to. Run - abandon the Absolute. "Perhaps you're right.. Perhaps I should. Dying for a cause is one thing, but for a mindflayer? For filth like that? ... No. I owe you a debt, it seems. You've saved me from worse than the duergar. Take this - a personal blessing. I pray we don't meet again."

He is very committed, up to and including being willing to "die for a cause". That is how Lolth-sworn drow--particularly the males--are taught to be, and it is hard-wired. It would be a very difficult thing to change.

Really, the only difference from Lolth to the Absolute to the player party, is whether or not the people he would lay down his life for in the player party are worthy of it, unlike those who were the focus of his earlier devotion.

[morethanthedarkness]

She had not meant to lurk, though certainly she can see how it would have seemed as much. In truth, it is not often that she and her small band chance across other travelers in this place, and so, when Moy had spotted another campfire from a distance, it came as no shock to any that she had insisted upon checking upon the other person...

What had been rather a surprise was that Nere, of all people, had insisted upon accompanying her. [ Perhaps he considered her the lesser of two evils with Minthara present in the camp, and Asha the one of the two drow women who had not yet threatened him bodily harm at some point should he displease her. Wretched woman. ]

As such, it had been Nere who hid them from view with a careful spell ere they approached, though, apparently, the one they meant to determine the nature of possesses a keen discernment indeed to have noticed them even so.

As such, Asha looks to near and nods, the other hesitating only a moment longer before he follows her instruction and allows the magic to dissipate, revealing them to the other, still a fair distance away from him, both that they do not crowd this stranger, as well as that they might have the space needed to quickly react if the situation were to demand.

"I am Asha, and this is my traveling companion, Nere," she supplies, unasked and careful to keep her manner open and friendly.

"We had not meant to lurk, as you say. We only meant to determine the same as you now ask of us: if you are friend or foe or perhaps neither and simply another traveler in the darkness."

@morethandarkness || LIKED for a STARTER

He's resting - sat idly 'pon a rock before a roaring campfire, enjoying the emanating heat that warmed through his leathers. But his innermost senses soon flare upward, telling him of another presence through the sharp whispers of his consciousness.

Still he does not move; instead, he turns his sanguine gaze idly towards the darkness that surrounds and stares, expecting incoming movement.

Of all of the viciousness that surrounds in Faerun, one would be hard pressed to find aught as vulgar as the sheer monstrosity that now rests within Vincent; the very essence of Chaos, waiting to consume the world when its end is nigh.

"You may as well show yourself as friend or foe - - I know you are there, lurking."

[blackjackkent]

I've never failed the strength check for cutting Nere's head off, but apparently the companions all have sarcastic dialogue if you muck the job up. XD

NARRATOR: The decaying corpse lies before you.

PLAYER: Remove the head. (Roll Strength vs 10)

[RollResult] True NARRATOR: The head breaks off cleanly from the drow's body.

[RollResult] False [TAGCINEMATIC] (DEVNOTE: Player removes head off-camera but does a terrible job of it. You see the player grimace as blood spatters on them.)

LAE'ZEL: Bah - a pathetic show. Yet undeniably satisfying to watch. SHADOWHEART: I sincerely hope you never find employment as an executioner. (DEVNOTE: A little aghast. (The player is cutting the head off a corpse and is making a bloody mess of the job.)) KARLACH: Like watching a lemure eat porridge. Messy and unsettling. ASTARION: What are you - have you never decapitated a corpse before?! Urgh, what a waste... (DEVNOTE: Watching someone make a balls of something you think should be easy.) WYLL: Ugh - more blood than an abattoir. (DEVNOTE: Grossed out by player messily beheading someone.) GALE: I can lend you a third left hand if you need one.

[mintharabaenrelore]

The Minthara & Orin Scene: Analysis

*If you have theories about this scene, PLEASE message me or reblog this post, I have so many questions!

Reference: Minthara Shows a Vision of Orin - New scene? - Baldur's Gate 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JOiD1Slqpk)

This scene triggers when you first meet Minthara. Dror Ragzlin "represents" Ketheric Thorm, Priestess Gut "represents" Enver Gortash, and Minthara "represents" Orin the Red. (I like to theorize that Minthara was influenced by her Chosen's traits because, according to a guard, she was "fierce and erratic", and at the goblin camp she was noticeably more bloodthirsty than she is when she has control over herself. But that's not the subject here.)

*Priestess Gut and Dror Ragzlin have similar "visions".

Here's my analysis. (It's not polished AT ALL, I randomly pulled this out of my drafts 😅)

Where does it take place?

Where: I couldn't figure that out and spent like 10 minutes puzzling over it before realizing it was right there, in the Shattered Sanctum, at Minthara's desk. Nothing is different; her stuff is there, the candles are lit. The only difference is the bottle on the corner of the table, which I don't believe was there before.

What is happening?

"The visions cloud your inner eye for a brief moment once again. You see the hobgoblin, bowing before the armoured elf you'd glimpsed before. The elf speaks of a hunt for a great weapon, and the rewards that will go to whoever finds it. The hobgoblin's eyes gleam hungrily."- Ragzlin's Ketheric vision

"Darkness seems to swallow the temple, leaving you with a vision of the goblin priestess, receiving instruction from a handsome young man. One of the Chosen..."- Gut's Gortash vision

"The chamber melts away to reveal a dark, endless nowhere. In it, you see a vision- the drow listens as a pale-eyed young woman whispers in her ear. One of those the voice spoke of. The Chosen."- Minthara's Orin vision

The description of Ragzlin's vision explains why he and Minthara are rivals: they share a task from Ketheric Thorm. (Also remember that, if Minthara is killed, Ketheric tells the goblins they "failed to protect" their "True Soul". There were three leaders at the goblin camp, but it is obvious that Ketheric is referencing Minthara. She was favored by not one, but two Chosen- and it made her a lot of enemies in the cult. Z'rell, Nere, Ragzlin...)

Anyways! Ragzlin and Gut's scenes both involve them receiving instructions. For Minthara, this is not specified- although, the goblins claim that it was Minthara who received the instructions when they are on trial, so it's not unlikely. It is also worth noting that in Gut's scene, she is standing a few feet away from Gortash, and in Ragzlin's, he is bowing. Minthara's is unique because 1. there is movement in the scene and 2. Orin is standing close to her, getting closer, "whispering in her ear". The PC looks worried in this scene, but the head movement is the same as in the other two.

So, what is happening in this scene? Orin is whispering in her ear, yes. As Minthara does not look hostile in this scene, it is not prior to her being mind controlled- assuming this event actually occurred. The only question is, what is Orin whispering? Instructions, as with the other two scenes?

What is it?

Flashback: One of the goblins states the "Moonrise types" rarely see Priestess Gut or Dror Ragzlin, but not "never", so it's a possibility. For 2/3 of them, it specifies that instructions are being received/given, so it's probable. It also matches up with Minthara not acknowledging it afterwards. @majorasnightmare's theory aligns with this, and the use of the teleportation Orin and Gortash seem capable of in Act 2 with Ulder Ravenguard.

Illusion: This is closer to the description of 'vision'. By illusion, I mean an event that never really occurred, but was instead put in Minthara's mind as many other memories from the Absolute cult were. But who knows?

@majorasnightmare has a compelling theory, one that makes a lot of sense to me:

"im personally of the opinion that it's a flashback, with the event in question occuring near immediately after the nautiloid crashes. at the end of act 2, we see gortash and orin teleport away with ulder ravenguard, and orin throughout early act 3 makes use of a ring she twists to teleport away from you. i think the nautiloid crashing is a big enough change in circumstance that the chosen three utilize the teleportation shown above to address the raid leaders closest to the crash site (minthara, ragzlin, and guts) to update their orders to focus more on the hunt for the weapon in the surrounding area (as opposed to their usual raids to grab slaves and persons of interest, and root out potential "heretic" problems), before teleporting away after the flashback ends."

Did she show you it on purpose?

I doubt it. When it is first coming, that purple light around her appears- the 'tadpole' light, the 'Absolute' light, the same one that appeared when she was being tortured via psychic magic.

Furthermore, the sentence directly before that was, "As she turns to you, her thoughts mingle with yours, a cold hand caressing your brain." It seems as if your thoughts joined and this was what was on her mind. (???)

And afterwards, she doesn't acknowledge it, carrying on to, "A True Soul? Praise be. [...]"

What do you think?

[shadowheartwhisperer]

I don't know if anyone else does this, but I wanted to share my particular cope with my bg3 hyoerfixation.

Below the "read more" is the roadmap for my playthrough with my resisted durge Dinah, romancing Shadowheart (for the 40th time, I am not being hyperbolic).

Dinah Restart Roadmap

Notes -

Don't learn about Halsin, at all

Get Zorru then save Sazza and follow gut lead then kill leaders after gut confrontation

Agree to kill leaders because you need time to find Iron for Karlach upgrade

After leaders don't attend party, go to creche instead

Nautiloid

- fail to open Shadowheart's pod (time to save scum)

Beach

- talk to Shadowheart, don't join up

- fight brains

- kill mindflayer

- see Gale but leave without interacting

- rest (urge)

Day 2

- enter ruins - beach side

- get Withers

- find bandits - run for it

- grove fight

- don't talk to Zevlor

- recruit Shadowheart

- rest - how do you feel?

Day 3

- back to ruins

- get Lae'zel

- clear ruins

- rest - hand hurt

Day 4

- get Wyll

- save Mirkon

- play with Alfira

- talk to Arabella's parents

- save Arabella

- find lead on Kagha

- meet Mol - agree to steal idol

- zorru

- save Sazza

- rest - playing with artifact + last night in camp

Day 5

- Investigate Kagha - mud mephits

- go backwards through blighted village (we got lost)

- cross bridge, fight hyenas

- meet paladins

- Recruit Karlach

- expose Kagha

- knock out Alfira

- rest - Quill

Day 6

- inquisition

- Gith Convoy (fail, Shadowheart escapes and resurrects everyone)

- kill Paladins

- steal idol

- talk to Dammon

- rest - Mizora

Day 7 (don't find metal)

- get Gale

- get Astarion

- Owlbear cave

- Scratch

- Smuggler's ring

- Wakeens rest

- kill all gnolls

- meet the zhent

- open barn

- save Barcus

- Necromancers Basement

- Spiders (if we have the stamina) through well

- rest - Astarion bite

Day 8

- Andrik and Brynna

- talk to Zevlor

- goblin camp - courtyard stuff

- goblin indoor stuff

- get brand

- get kidnapped by Gut

- kill Gut

- save Volo

- Ask Shadowheart thoughts on parasite

- rest - Dream Visitor

Day 9

- talk about dream (Shadowheart gets ersatz eye while talking)

- chicken chasing

- poison Goblins

- knock out Minthara

- Kill Ragzlin

- pick off straggler goblins

- rest - ?

Day 10

- return to Zevlor - lie and agree to party

- fix Karlach's heart

- fight Gith convoy

- to Crèche, no party

- rest -

Day 11

- buy what we want from Esther then kill her

- Kobolds

- Gremishka

- Open door to monastery

- place 3 weapons

- rest - owl bear cub

Day 12

- place last weapon

- Enter Crèche

- Do Crèche stuff

- get Lae'zel's son

- Zaith'isk

- Captain

- inquisitor

- prism

- rest - owl bear cub 2

Day 13

- blood of Lathander

- fight our way out of Crèche

- Give Gale last treat

- back to first area

- rest - Voss

Day 14

- bah at redcaps

- auntie Ethel

- Gale gets eye

- into Ethel's lair

- take deal and Mayrina CON +1

- resurrect Connor

- meet Gandrel

- get crossbow

- to grove

- meet Halsin

- get Sorrow

- rest - Lae'zel and Shadowheart confrontation

Day 15

- open Selûnite way to Underdark

- spectator

- bulette

- boooal

- arcane tower - except last floor

- rest - ?

Day 16

- top floor arcane tower

- Duergar on beach

- myconid colony

- Omeluum

- find Baelin

- Filro

- back to colony

- rest - ?

Day 17

- to Grymforge - use brand

- architect dude

- rothe

- get Shar idol

- conspire with duergar

- return Sargent's boots

- talk to gnomes

- fight merregon

- fight ooze

- find Philomen

- kill dudes by water

- Poison slavers

- talk to spiders

- kill myrmath

- rest - ?

Day 18

- Nere

- get monk necklace

- turn in head

- last minute shopping

- rest - ?

Day 19

- take elevator to Shadowlands

- send Elmister to camp

- talk to crew

- learn about Shar worship

- save Harpers

- meet He who was

- talk to Elminster

- talk to everyone

- start long rest - Mizora

- ask about Shar Worship

- rest - dream visitor

Day 20

- test dark Justiciar Convo

- to last light

- get Karlach upgrade

- talk to Mattis

- talk to Florrick

- talk to Cerys

- talk to Alfira

- talk to Barcus

- talk to His Majesty

- talk to Raphael, no Astarion

- talk to Mol

- shop

- talk to Rolan

- talk to Jaheira

- talk to Isobel

- fight Marcus

- start long rest

- ask to get to know Shadowheart

- rest - Sceleritas

Day 21

- Mother Superior?

- memory?

- shitload of shopping

- Harper ambush

- save Rolan

- back to last light, check on Rolan

- talk to Bex

- talk to Shadowheart about hand hurt?

- rest - dance with Wyll?

Day 22

- Gerringothe Thorm

- finish off patrol

- moonrise

- trial

- Dungeons

- save gnomes, teiflings & Minthara

- tell Isobel you won't hurt her

- recruit Minthara

- talk to everyone

- start long rest

- missed our chance?

- rest - Gale?

Day 23

- blood merchant

- gnoll Control

- talk to Z'rell

- explore Balthazar's room

- explore moonrise

- meet absolute

- rest - blood merchant talk

Day 24

- Back to first area

- get noblestalk

- go past poison geysers area

- get mithril

- fight grym

- forge stuff... Dunno what

- rest - drinks with m'lady

Day 25

- maybe don't talk to her right away

- any other cleanup stuff that could be in first area

- back to Shadowlands

- Thisobald

- get ledger

- town square fight

- find Arabella

- start long rest

- dtr with Shadowheart

- rest - ?

Day 26

- back to he who was

- fight trees

- play hide and seek

- shopping

- rest - ?

Day 27

- find Arabella's parents

- Malus Thorm

- morgue

- Kua toa

- up the hill to Raphael

- tell Arabella bad news

- rest - ?

Day 28

- wake art cullagh

- defend portal for Halsin

- shop!

- clear moonrise docks

- enter mausoleum

- talk to Arabella - cooled off?

- rest - ?

Day 29

- Enter temple of Shar

- first trial

- wall of bone and blade

- learn about trials

- to camp - talk about being in temple

- Meet Balthazar - agree to work with him for now

- kill Yurgir

- lick spider/start rat fight

- finish rat fight

- rest - stupid Raphael

Day 30

- last minute shopping

- town square trials

- Shar Olympics

- pray before Shadowfell

- last, last minute shopping

- questioning faith Convo, pretty please?

- enter Shadowfell

- kill Balthazar

- save Nightsong

- talk to camp

- to last light by way of shadowed battlefield

- talk to Isobel

- assault on moonrise

- Ketheric first defeat

- dtr with Shadowheart part 2

- rest - urge

Day 31

- illithid colony - Shadowheart, Wyll & Jaheira?

- get Us

- save Zevlor

- mizora

- get Wyll's sword

- remember to fucking talk to companions!

- check Durge pod

- Kressa

- big room full of dudes

- Brain machine

- kill Ketheric

- talk to everyone in moonrise

- leave moonrise

- rest - Shadowheart truth (no talk before sleep)

Day 32

- take Halsin to Oliver

- break curse

- Selûnite Resistance quest

- ritual circle

- last minute shopping

- gith patrol

- double, triple, check done with everything

- leave act 2

- chat around camp

- smooch lady many times

- rest - fucking stupid emperor

Day 33

- talk to everyone

- enter Rivington - Shadowheart, Jaheira, and Minthara

- swap Shadowheart for Wyll

- meet Ferg - bound weapon buy all shit

- swap in Astarion

- Talk to strange ox (w/Astarion and Minthara)

- meet gur

- back to main team (Shadowheart, Lae'zel, Karlach)

- help refugees in house

- enter circus, don't talk to dryad, maybe dribbles (save scum to learn if it effects love test)

- genie

- get trident

- meet necromancer lady

- steal hat

- go to open hand temple

- agree to solve murder

- help monk

- fight doppelgangers in cave

- exit to beach

- find dying guy/Orin

- fight guild and stone Lord dudes

- rest - Vlaakith

Day 34

- meet Ferg w/Shadowheart

- break into toymaker's basement

- Wyrm's Crossing

- meet gnomes

- take Astarion to meet siblings

- shakedown toymaker

- talk to stupid fucking elephant

- Voss

- tell Raphael to fuck off

- circle back to learn about bear bombs

- Harper ambush

- Wyrm's Rock

- learn Bhaalspawn heritage

- steal flaming fist uniform

- coronation

- rest - mizora (sandcastles?)

Day 35

- lower city

- talk to Jaheira

- find guild

- talk to nine fingers

- counting house

- get Minsc through back entrance

- back to guild, deal with Zhent

- rest - Minsc and Jaheira watch me sleep?

Day 36

- follow up on murders

- elf song

- rats in basement

- stupid emperor dumb shit

- save lady at wine tasting

- find bodies

- talk to lady at salty mermaid

- save Figaro

- meet Araj

- stop the presses

- rest - ?

Day 37

- hag survivors

- follow up with Vanra's mom

- salty mermaid, Ethel

- fight redcaps

- fight masked people

- fight Ethel, save Vanra

- follow up with Vanra

- follow up with Mayrina

- rest

(Should have had either kidnapping or Astarion family reunion at this point maybe both)

Day 38 (swap to immediately after kidnapping, if needed)

- Get elf song room

- go to coffin makers place, whatever

- unholy assassin

- buy all good stuff

- kill Saravok anyway

- snoop to learn about Orin

- go to sewers

- fight dumbshit sorcerer

- buy sweet druid robes

- open way to Bhaal's temple

- rest - ?

Day 39

- Bhaal trial

- find brain rats

- chat with Sceleritas

- go to Orin's room

- chat with her mother

- confront Orin

- kill Orin

- huzzah!

- rest - ?

Day 40

- find grave, leave night orchid

- find grafitti

- house of grief maybe?

- prepare to cry maybe?

- if we have stamina - fight poltergeists

- rest - cry my eyes out

Day 41

- go to hell

- house of hope

- kill Raphael, the bastard

- steal Voss' Silver Sword for me

- get Lae'zel's silver sword

- find mummy lord

- find zombie

- track down organs

- kill mummy lord

- return to Oskar

- tell Jannath she can do better

- rest - ?

Day 42 -

- Save Volo

- break into foundry

- talk to blind dude

- wavemother, agree to kill monster

- to society of brilliance

- talk to Blurg

- Jaheira's house

- sorcerers sundries

- fucking Aradin

- Laroakan

- Vault

- stupid Gale

- meet Mystra

- shopping, stalk up for iron throne

- Worg warehouse

- rest - ?

Day 43

- Iron Throne

- get Wavemother dress

- how are we feeling? If all good start ansur

- love test first

- do all trials

- rest - ?

Day 44

- fight ansur

- feeling ok? Start Cazador's Manor

- clear upper level

- rest - ?

Day 45

- talk to skull

- kill Cazador

- prepare to cry

- not too beat? Fireworks!

- rest - ?

Day 46

- *sigh Gortash

- lead out to roof? Stand in one place, ranged only? Either way, try not to set off traps

- talk to other 2 first, then karlach

- cry

- talk to companions again

- cry

- talk to Karlach again

- cry

- anything to clean up?

- rest - ?

Day 47

- anything you've forgotten?

- did you steal the tithes?

- did you find dribbles?

- mindflayer in windmill?

- dryad sex worker?

- adventurer's dad?

- double, triple, quadruple check

- rest - ?

Day 48

- brain rats

- fight brain

- win!

[loquaciousquark]

quark plays bg3 again [8/?]

Going to post a few of these today to try to catch up to myself (I'm currently actually in Act 3) so that I can finish BG3 so that I can play Inquisition so that I can start Veilguard.

I like to think that some of Tav's early creation here in the game sparks her later interest in crafting (specifically jewelry-making, post-game). She's never been a person who creates, and her experimentation here resulting in something lovely and useful is novel to her.

Even the Grymforge portion of the Underdark is magical to Tav. She's heard stories all her life about mimics, and even as she was getting tongued by this one I think she was still secretly excited. There was also a new small sequence to me; if you pray over the dead gnomes after Nere's death, Astarion has a little comment (and a little disapproval). I do like his concern when Tav's overcome by the laughing amulet, however.

Nere marks one of the first times Tav engages in an altruistic behavior not out of a desire to please Karlach & Wyll but because her own sense of injustice can't stomach anything else. I always make her fail the check to dextrously remove the head after, though--mostly because the companion comments are hilarious.

Rosymorn is one of my favorite locations in the game. It's beautiful and warm and lushly animated with tons of secrets to discover. Tav getting into the zaith'isk first is also one of the last times she really pushes for something so selfish; while part of it is the meta need for me to have those powers as a bonus action, I think she's also deeply fearful that if Lae'zel, the person who's the most sure about anything in their group, is wrong about this, then they really are on their own, and Tav really is making decisions for everyone else from now on, and everyone else actually isn't any better than her. Terrifying. It doesn't help that the first god she meets in the flesh tries to kill her.

By now, Tav has begun to suspect that something's not right about Finlay, but she doesn't want to believe it. Let her cling to the fantasy a little longer as she drops a building on Astarion (non-canon) and then I reload to get the utterly beautiful bespoke animation of the puzzle solving.

The traversal into the shadow-lands is the worst Act for Tav. Rolan's furious at her, Mol's making deals with devils, Astarion's got one foot out the door, and she's starting to think that maybe Shar's not actually all that amazing, and that maybe she does have a thought or two about what Shadowheart should do with her life. I think Tav's certainly prayed to Shar before in passing--hard to be a thief in the night without seeking Night's favor once in a while--but as she watches what Shar's done to the land and the people here, Tav's doubts grow rapidly.

This was the first run where I realized how badly Tav would be affected by seeing Arabella's parents in the morgue. Tough times.

[outlanderalien]

Pathetic

Dark-Urge/Nere

Nere thought you were his salvation when you freed him from the rubble, if only he had known the dark urges that drove your actions...

A short re-imagining of the scene that follows Nere's rescue from the perspective of a sadistic dark-urge protagonist, written in the style of an in-game cutscene. Durge has personality but is otherwise genderless and without physical description.

CW: S&M, dubcon, whipping

[AO3 LINK]

You watch the bodies collapse onto the floor, their hands still grasping their own crushed necks. You're impressed. Such malice, such cruelty, you knew there was a reason you were drawn to this drow, that there was purpose to you rescuing him. He's a kindred spirit.

As he approached his final victims the drow says something curious, something unexpected.

Nere: "Nere. Does. Not. Fail."

There's an insecurity here, a weakness that begs to be exploited. Is the violence and cruelty all an elaborate attempt to compensate for... inadequacy? Perhaps not a kindred spirit after all, but he could prove fun.

You hardly pay attention to the carnage he enacts on the remaining slaves. Your mind is caught on a more exciting thought.

Nere: "This was meant to be a simple operation - I arrive, those pack animals clear the debris, and I walk into the temple. Instead I've been beset by incompetence, treachery, and now this... The absolute's business remains unfinished..."

You spot a momentary lapse of confidence, is that fear you sense? Fear of failure… Fear of punishment. You dig deeper into his mind, swirling amongst the darkness are visions of torture, penance, and screams. The confident voice Nere commands with reduced to beautiful, agonised wailing. You'd like to hear it for yourself…

Nere: "True Soul, I need you to send word to the General, tell him I need reinforcements."

You just discovered the perfect deceit to make the most of his fears.

Durge: "I am no messenger, I am here by the grace of the Absolute herself."

Nere: "Really? How curious. I've never even met you before."

He's suspicious and rightly so. An unspoken accusation hangs in the air.

You respond not with words, but with a hard, cold, unrelenting glare. His expression drops, new fears cloud his judgement, fears that he may be making his already dire situation worse.

Thanks to the artefact, he can no longer consult with the Absolute to test your lie. As far as he's concerned, you're exactly who you say you are and the Absolute is ignoring him for his failure.

Nere: "Apologies… I am not feeling myself. Please understand it is uncommon for someone so new to gain the Absolutes favour so fast, I am sure it is well-earned…

There is a hint of resentment in his voice.

Nere: Speak true soul, tell me what news you bring."

Durge: "I already told you, I am no messenger. The manner of my posting here is to act as judge."

Nere: "Judge?… To what?"

Durge: "To your performance. The Absolute suspects you may struggle with your task"

Dread falls heavy on the poor drow. He knows that whatever test this is he has already failed it. And worse- The Absolute had the foresight to distrust his ability… what shame. What agonising shame.

Nere: "My lack of results are inexcusable I know… But I can still complete my orders. If I could just get some reinforcements… Tell the General that I--"

Durge: "I am no messenger."

You look upon him, disdainful and severe. He knows now to keep quiet, maybe then he will stop making things worse for himself.

Durge: "I am here to judge and to motivate only."

A smile twists into place as you watch him sink. The next part of your deception promises to be the most exciting part yet.

Durge: "And by my judgement, you are a failure, poorly motivated, and lacking in conviction. It seems I will have my work cut out for me."

Nere: "Your work?"

Nere tenses, his mind racing fearful of an imminent execution, of being discarded by the Absolute.

Durge: "The motivation."

It is only now that he pays closer attention to the implement you have held for this entire exchange. A whipping cane. As dreadful as the idea is, it is preferable to annihilation… and unfortunately familiar...

Nere: "I-… I Understand…"

You can feel his anguish already, his mind overflowing with self-loathing, he thought he had long surpassed such humiliating punishments, but now he must face his reality: he has been and always will be a failure. His harsh self-admonishment sates you.

Nere: "I will show you to my private quarters if that's suitable..."

Durge: "That will not be necessary. Strip."

Nere: "I--… Here?"

Durge: "You heard me. Strip."

You watch on delighted as he's rendered speechless. He wants to protest but knows that it is already a forgone conclusion. It is happening here. There is no changing that.

You have to stifle a smirk as he gives in and begins to remove his layers. The armour that gave him presence, authority and power, shedding bit by bit at your command.

He stands as though finished, with only his trousers remaining. You give him a severe and expectant look. Your message is clear, much to his chagrin.

Hesitantly he unbuckles and removes his trousers. He stands again, believing to be done. With just a look you let him know that he isn't.

Nere: "No further... Please..."

His plea is sweet, but you have other plans. You don't even dignify it with a response.

Forlorn, he continues, removing the last piece of fabric shielding his body. He has never felt so bare. You drink in his anguish hungrily. His punishment hasn't even begun and you're already drunk off his humiliation. This will be fun.

Nere: "W-... Would you like me to..."

He doesn't even know how to begin to ask this. You let him struggle, you find it cute. He's lost all of his fight so quickly.

Nere: "Where do you want me..."

You cast command on him, forcing him to prostrate himself before you, lowered to the ground in a grovelling manner.

Durge: "Just there will do."

You waste no time. No sooner had he been brought to his knees had the sting of the whip connected with his back, forcing a shaky gasp to escape him. You give him a moment to breathe, to soak in his new reality. He may have already been entirely stripped, but with that humbling strike the last and most persistent of his armour fell away, his pride.

Nere: "Please forgive me."

Durge: "Show your remorse through taking your penance."

You connect another cruel lash against his bare flesh eliciting a broken cry from the shamed drow. But that's not enough for you, you need to hear him beg.

You administer another, and another yet. The crack of the tool connecting with his skin echoes through the grand hall along with his cries. That's when you feel it.

You are not alone in your pleasure.

Digging deeper, you follow the sensation to it's source, connecting with the mind of the punished himself. He likes it… He craves it. You feel a rush of adrenaline course through you, unable to control yourself, the whip swings mercilessly.

He is overwhelmed by the pain, the sensation of a deserved punishment, of his own powerlessness. You leave stripes all over his back, across his thighs, over every bit of bare flesh you can reach. This will not be a lesson soon forgot, of that you will make sure.

Nere: "Sorry-- I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

His cries are beautiful, but you have to forcibly stay your hand. You take a moment to admire your work, the shuddering, weeping mess before you.

Durge: "Look at you. Pathetic."

You see him tense, he liked that...

You release him from the binds of command, but obediently he remains still. You take a few steps around him and place the heel of your boot onto his side, effortlessly pushing him over. He rolls onto his back, wincing as the fresh injuries push against hard ground. He's erect.

You place your boot onto the centre of his chest and gradually push down with force. Your mind is swimming with desire, killing him would be too quick and no fun, you'd lose a valuable toy if you did that.

He looks up at you with a repentant expression, face stained with tears. Perhaps you could keep him, like a slave, or maybe a pet...

Your minds connect suddenly, lost in desire you let your defences crumble. He sees your lust fully and entirely and he returns it. No words expressed, but a longing felt. A longing to be your personal plaything.

You sever the connection fast. That was close. The deception was almost discovered along with the artefact. Your mind returns to steel, your lustful expression grows cold.

Durge: "The Absolute forgives you."

You remove your boot and begin your exit. You sense his feeling of abandonment, a cold empty feeling with only the pain you gave him to bring him comfort and warmth.

You would love to toy with him again one day, perhaps that's why you spared him. But for now, you will leave him wanting more.

[cephalopodiums]

Analysis of 'Aska i vinden' in a Disco Elysium context

So, another post about a hbd-core Swedish song inspired me to finally make this analysis of 'Aska i vinden', a song mentioned in DE.

Game quote: [failed the Shivers check in front of the FELD-building] YOU - "I am trying to ask the wind." TRANT HEIDELSTAM - "Ask the wind or 'Aska i Vinden' is the name of a Vaasan lullaby," he remarks. "Maybe that helps?"

'Aska i vinden' does not actually translate into 'ask the wind', it means 'ash in the wind'. It also isn't a lullaby irl, it is a pop song and I have not found any mention of it being inspired by a lullaby, it seems to be a wholly original song. (Vaasa and Vaasan is the DE equivalent of Sweden (roughly) and Swedish btw, if you didn't know that.)

Anyway, on to the lyrics analysis below the cut

Swedish lyrics │ English translation │ [DE parallels]

Jag kan se att du nått din gräns nu I can see that you have reached your limit now [Parallels to Dora having enough of Harry] Jag kan se vart allt tar slut I can see where it all comes to an end [Parallels to the end of their relationship] Jag kan se alla miljarder stjärnor I can see all billions¹ of stars [Kinda parallels the Inland Empire portrait] Tändas upp bara för att dö ut Light up just to die out [This line and the previous parallels with the quote 'In dark times, should the stars also go out?' from the communist side quest]

Jag ser dig nere på T-centralen I see you down by the central station² [While not a metro station, I feel this parallels the aerodrome in being large/prominent transportation infrastructure] Du rycker till när våra blickar möts You flinch when our gazes³ meet [Parallels with the discomfort Dolores Dei/Dora felt when Harry talks to her when she tried to leave for the aerodrome] Jag ser hoppet i dina ögon I see the hope in your eyes [What Harry saw, or probably more accurately thinks and wants to have seen in Dolores Dei/Dora's eyes] Tändas upp bara för att dö ut Light up just to die out [Maybe this is what happened, Dora hoping for just a normal goodbye and then realizing no, Harry will try into the last moment to get her back]

Spring, spring för ditt liv, du kommer aldrig hitta hem Run, run for your life, you will never find your way home [Parallels the thoughts Lonesome Long Way Home/Hobocop] Spring, spring, spring för livet, vänd dig aldrig om igen Run, run, run for your life⁴, never turn back around again [Parallels the thought Cleaning Out the Rooms and the various warnings the skills give when Harry wants to find out about his past, for example the letter in his ledger] Spring, spring för ditt liv, för du är närmre än du tror Run, run for your life, because you're closer than you think [Parallels both that Harry is close to death at all times and that his memories are also close, sometimes just needing reminders or a bit of thought to return to him] Snart så är vi aska i vinden Soon we are ash in the wind [Parallels both the inevitable death of everything by pale if 'we' is used to refer to the people of Elysium and if 'we' is used to refer to Harry and Dora together, their relationship, being over to the point of only being ash in the wind, Harry and Dora no longer being a 'we' or an 'us' like Dolores Dei says: The atoms don't form us anymore: us, our love, our unborn daughters...]

Det finns en plats där alla minnen hamnar There is a place where all memories⁵ end up [Parallels the pale and the thought Cleaning Out the Rooms] Där allting rensas ut Where everything is cleaned out⁶ [Parallels Cleaning out the rooms to a T, and maybe the origin point of the pale, the nothingness, not the gradient or curdled milk] Kanske en plats där vi kan andas Maybe a place where we can breath [Parallels that Harry has a little more "room to breathe" now that he has lost the baggage of his memories and also this parallels the lung and breath imagery in Elysium] Där vi kan andas ut Where we can breathe out [Same as above, maybe parallels this line from Conceptualization about the pale: Instead of air, you exhale thoughts. There are no trees that eat thoughts.]

Och jag kan se att du nått din gräns nu And I see that you have reached your limit⁷ now Jag kan se vart allt tar slut I can see where it all comes to an end⁷ [Same as above, but I want to add a parallel to Le Retour, girlchild revolution and the end of an era] [Also just this line, I want to add the parallel to Harry knows about the end of Revachol] Jag kan se alla miljarder stjärnor I can see all billions of stars Tändas upp bara för att dö ut Light up just to die out [Same as above, but I want to add parallels to the communists in the revolution (having stars as a symbol) and also the disco stars of The New, they may not be billions but it is often used hyperbolically]

Spring, spring för ditt liv, du kommer aldrig hitta hem Run, run for your life, you will never find your way home⁸ Spring, spring, spring för livet, vänd dig aldrig om igen Run, run, run for your life, never turn back around again⁹ Spring, spring för ditt liv, för du är närmre än du tror Run, run for your life, because you are closer than you think Snart så är vi aska i vinden Soon we are ash in the wind [Same as above but I also want to add the parallels to these Shivers lines: SHIVERS - Your hair is an oily mess flecked with ash from neighbouring coal plants. Smoke stacks rise somewhere in the distance. SHIVERS - COME MORNING, I CARRY INDUSTRIAL DUST AND LET IT SETTLE ON TREE LEAVES. I SHAKE THE DUST FROM THOSE LEAVES AND ONTO YOUR COAT. (La Revacholière would carry the ashes of people to a nice place)]

So yeah, there you have it. There are some more parallels in the translation notes and I will put just the lyrics in a reblog on this post, if you want them alone without my commentary.

¹Billions in short scale specifically. ²T-centralen is actually a specific Swedish metro station, it is the biggest station for the Stockholm metro. I chose to translate/localize it to central station to aid in understanding the scale, importance and meaning conveyed by the word T-central. ³My translation is probably a grammatical bastardization of the idiom meet [somebody's] gaze, but you get the meaning of it and it stays truer to the Swedish version. ⁴The sentence 'Spring för livet' does not literally tranlate to 'run for your life', but it is it's meaning. Literally it translates to 'run for life'. ('Spring för ditt liv' actually does literally translate to and mean 'run for your life'.) I find the change of phrasing fascinating, as it can ad an additional way to read that line of the lyrics as 'running for the concept of life itself'. ⁵Here you can translate the word 'minnen' (it is in the definitive form) into both 'memories' and 'the memories' because they are both definitive, but the translations have different connotations. Both connotations are in the Swedish meaning of the word 'minnen' and there is no way to specify which one without use of additional explanatory words. I chose the phrasing of 'memories' to better fit with the parallel to the pale, but 'the memories' could also work well, as the connotation of that is that it is Harry's memories and it fits with the next line about cleaning out, as it is that what he does with his memories according to the thought Cleaning Out the Rooms. ⁶The phrasing 'rensas ut' (it is in gerund form, passive voice) can be more accurately be translated to 'is cleared out' (gerund form, passive voice), but 'is cleaned out' (gerund form, passive voice) is also a perfectly good translation and I chose it to parallel the thought Cleaning Out the Rooms. ⁷I did not foot note this earlier because it would make the grammar of the translation and the current word is more accurate in meaning, but... The word 'gräns' can not only be translated as 'limit' but 'border' as well. And idk, the word border reminds me of the porch collapse, especially with the next line about seeing 'where it all comes to an end', or the alternative translation 'where it all ends'. Which is exactly what you see at the porch collapse, you see where the world ends and the pale begins. So if we take these alternative translations and suppose the 'you' being referred/spoken to is the world, then you can think of it as the singer seeing the porch collapse, the approach of the end of the world. ⁸A fun thing just in the act of translation, not necessarily a meaning you can extract from the Swedish text but... If you literally translate 'du kommer aldrig hitta hem' it is 'you will never find home'. And you can read that translation as not finding a place that fits you, in the societal sense. Like the various Copotypes and political leanings Harry tries out/thinks about to try and find himself, who he is, and what titles/roles (places) fit him. He is trying to find home, in an identity sense as well. And it doesn't have to be *back* home, it just has to be home, a new one will suffice too. ⁹I think the word 'again' could actually be left our in the translation, to give it another connotation that is included in 'vänd dig aldrig om igen'. I interpret the meaning of the Swedish sentence as both the meaning 'never turn back again' implying the singer has turned around before and 'never turn back' which does not imply the singer having turned back before. But am a bit unsure of that though, so take it with a grain of salt.

[neredoesnotfail]

♜ WHICH CHESS PIECE ARE YOU? ♖

White Rook

You are a White Rook. As a piece that can move inwards and outwards, you're a master of self-reflection. You know what needs to be done and when to do it. You're a protector, and would willingly take someone's place in danger in a heartbeat because you know you can handle the pressure. But even castle walls crumble. For all your chivalry and fortitude, everything must come to an end. Will you be there to see the final stages of the war? Or will you have already been discarded in the battle?

tagged by: stolen from the dash tagging: whoever!

To clarify, I answered this one as though it was after being freed from the Absolute and that had been traveling with a good-inclined group of adventurers for the events of the game. And all of this would absolutely apply, though one wouldn't think so, at first, but that will be for another post. I had started explaining here and it turned into a mini-essay.

[morethanthedarkness]

Astarion, I think, has the only canon, dialogue-confirmed height, which is 5'9".

Taking into account most of these people can't stand up to their full height to save their lives...

Astarion is 5'9"

Gale is at least 5'9" because he slouches the worst of any of them, knees, shoulders, and neck. Might be closer to 5'10".

Thraeya is 5'11

Halsin is 6'5" or 6'6"

And then there's Gortash who I'm pretty sure is around 5'7" or 5'8".

For my other drow, I think I am going to ignore the game models because 😂 otherwise they're all WELL above-average height. Several will just be a little over average.

SO! Here we go.

Thraeya 5'11", as above-mentioned.

Szaryn 5'7"

Rhysedryn 5'8"

Tecothy 5'6"

Moy 5'8"

Zerith 5'10"

Selakiir 5'9"

Nere 6'0", at least

Xalyth 5'1"

Halisstra 5'5"

I do have more that I'm going to add soon. Once I do, I'll include them here as well.

[sensibleeven]

[ muse ramblings from my roleplay blog ]

When I cite that Nere is inordinately tall for a drow--let alone a drow male who are typically even smaller than their female counterparts--this is what I mean:

This is my human fighter--an adaption of Varian Wrynn from Warcraft--who is on the Type 4 body.

Nere was either built on the type 4 body type, or he's a specific build somewhere between 2 and 4's build. Either way, he is definitely at least 6' tall.

What's more, the reason I give him a background/prior class as a fighter has to do with his build but also his stats and feats.

His highest stats are CHA (18), INT (18), and STR (17) with DEX and CON both not much lower (15).

For a wizard, the highest stat should be INT.

For a sorcerer or a warlock, the highest stat ideally needs to be CHA followed by DEX and CON.

So why is his strength so high and why does he have both Extra Attack [normal for fighters] and Muscular which gives him advantage on ability checks and saving throws that use Athletics [ which includes resisting being shoved, staying fit, and performing physical stunts ].

My belief is that he was a fighter, though one who relied as much on his mind as on his body [ a battle master fighter ]. He wanted very much to be a wizard, though, and to learn magic and all the power that grants.

The Absolute gave him that as part of its draw, though rather than a wizard, it made him a Warlock.

[anreed-bg3]

“Nere does not fail.” *fails to make it through the next five minutes*

[blackjackkent]

LOL. As Rakha walks up to the mausoleum entrance, Minthara suddenly pipes up, "Generations of Ketheric's family are buried here." She says it like she's invoking some sort of deeply dramatic revelation and I was expecting there to be a second followup line but nope. That's just it.

Yep, that's what a mausoleum is, Minthara. Thanks for the reminder.

Really the considerably more surprising thing, which no one comments at all on, is the fact that stepping inside reveals that the mausoleum's front room is full of piles of abandoned skulls.

Stepping past the entrance gate, one of the skulls - mounted on a stick and surrounded by a shivering glimmer of embedded magic - shouts loud enough to make Rakha jump.

"Nere! Z'rell! Minthara!," it bawls. "Whoever you are - leave. I shall carry out General Thorm's will alone."

-----

Rakha shoots a glance at Minthara, who shrugs.

"Do not look at me," she says coolly. "I do not know the voice any more than you do."

"It knew your name."

"It listed True Souls." She shrugs. "Given time I am sure there are a hundred others it could mention." But Rakha thinks she looks slightly uneasy, nevertheless, as they proceed deeper into the structure.

-----

It is a rather elaborate place for being carved out of a stone wall. The walls and floors are lined with marble, though in many place it is cracked and shattered with age, revealing raw rock underneath - or, in some places, rippling pools of some acidic-looking green liquid.

"Bones everywhere," Rakha says thoughtfully, surveying the scattered skeletons and skull piles lining another alcove deeper in. "Someone's been engaging in dark rituals here."

The intense darkness of the corrupted magic does not seem to penetrate into this building. The tight wrongness of the shadow curse has eased. But the magic of those rituals lingers, shadowing every wall, drifting along the floor like smoke. It is different from the curse - dark and pure, like the magic He Who Was used - but it makes her shiver nevertheless.

(A/N: I don't think I noticed this before, but everyone in the party now has a buff labeled "Glutted Catacombs: This area is filled with the bones of the dead. The spell Animate Dead: Skeleton does not require a skeleton to raise the dead in this area." That's a fun touch. :O )

The alcoves of the entryway each hold an altar covered in blood. On one of them lies a book, a diary scrawled in an uneven hand.

Another book sits on the opposite altar:

And before this altar, laid out amidst the bones, is a sigil drawn in deep red - and shining-fresh - blood.

(A/N: The DC on this check must be nutty; I have never had anyone pass it. The dialogue file for this ambient line just says "Hard religion DC before the PAD plays." Really, I feel like Minthara at least should know what this is, but what do I know. :P

Amusingly, I can really say that I have never had ANYONE pass it, because I joked on Hector's run that *I* passed it and knew this for a symbol of Bhaal. But I was in fact wrong; this is Myrkul's symbol, as confirmed by the same dialogue file. So even I failed the check in the end. :P )

Rakha stares at the mark on the ground. Something twinges in the back of her head. The beast's hunger, she supposes, at seeing fresh blood, even though there is no corpse to go with it.

But deep down... there is something familiar about the symbol, another thing she can't place out of the empty spot where her memories should be.

Another of the diaries lies on the floor nearby:

These are Ketheric's diaries, then. Rakha knows the name Melodia from the note found near Ketheric's bed; she was his wife who died, the Selunite. Based on the notes they found in the mason's guild, Ketheric turned to Shar afterwards - or perhaps always was a Sharran and simply returned.

This, though... these lines don't make sense. She lacks the facts to truly interpret them, though as usual she extrapolates more than many would from the limited information available to her.

Our darling will live again.

The book on the altar covered necromantic rituals. Ketheric turned to Myrkul for necromancy to bring someone back to life, after Melodia died. The mason's guild journal mentioned a daughter. Perhaps this means her, or perhaps - less likely - the reanimated dog in the Tower bedroom.

But who is Myrkul? The name resonates in her skull but she can't place it. Some critical clue is still missing.

[starsthoughtsonthings]

And the second line of failing the roll for Nere's cut. Probably a surprise to no one who it is from.

Well thank you for asking, I actually did it exactly twice before. In my two previous runs where I of course both times fell for you too because I am just too obsessed with you it's what Kori does.

(As for Kori's case, no, she absolutely never has done such a thing before, so failing this is actually more accurate to her I guess.)

Also funnily enough, I don't think I failed this roll before in either of the runs I did. Should be the other way around really, with those other two runs having been Kori's normal self, and this being a Kori where I threw DU in to experience it.