#|| ' on my oath ' || { about // thraeya }

[morethanthedarkness]

Thraeya??? is just??? so beautiful??? And I don't mean solely from an aesthetic standpoint. I just love how, despite everything, despite how easy it could be to be jaded and reserved, she really does have this kind of have this wide-eyed wonder and amazement with the world in general that has remained with her even through the worst.

This is her expression when she first sets eyes on Baldur's Gate and she is absolutely amazed at the sheer SIZE of such a city.

She has never really seen anything like this [ above-ground ] and, of course, she remains absolutely in love with the stars, as she has since the first time she saw them.

[onlyfaerietales]

This is Thraeya, my drow Oath of Ancients paladin [ who has been pining for Zevlor since he told her she was brave for not hiding her heritage and said he'd let everyone know that she helped them at the gate. She has not changed out her gauntlets since he gave her his own. She has romanced not one of the romanceable options, and has in fact shut all of them down and put them all firmly in the Friend Zone, as a result of these facts ].

I will post more about her soon, because I absolutely adore her. I would love to get threads going/plotted for her, if anyone has any interest?

[morethanthedarkness]

Okay so a friend of mine, Bro, writes Enver Gortash on discord and 😂 we ended up with a love at first sight kind of AU with Enver… and Thraeya, my Oath of the Ancients paladin.

This is, essentially, the dynamic in one interaction, with Thraeya and my friend's Enver [ edit; now found at @banefulbenevolence ]

Drawn from this post.

Thraeya - protective, kind, straightforward, honest, patient; is willing to give chances even to those who others might deem undeserving if she can see that they truly don't understand any better and/or might have some hope — i.e. she would absolutely spare Minthara, Nere, Ketheric, and Enver if at all possible. [ Writer dependent, but Orin would be unlikely. ]

Enver - smart to the point of being dumb, overthinks and deeply misunderstands the assignment, genuinely believes he is doing the right thing but has a very horrendous understanding of what that is due to how he grew up; is honestly puzzled, confused, and frustrated when, no, Enver, that was not what was meant, neither should it have been considered. In the words of Jason Isaacs, "I fear that the magnificent Lord Enver Gortash is being mischaracterized as a villain. In a brutal world of betrayals and butchery, he's learned to lie better and backstab first."

The hilarity and the tragedy and the central complication to this ship?

Even when met with kindness, compassion, and patience, it is difficult to unlearn what decades of experience, pain, and torment have taught you, even from those who should have been most dedicated to protecting you, even if you do try to do so.

It is a veritable trainwreck, trying to become better, especially when constantly assuming that this newest argument or mistake will be the last straw, the thing that sees you cast off again, when trying but not understanding the things that are so simple to those who have known better.

[morethanthedarkness]

Where can your Tav be recruited?  Are they first encountered on the Nautiloid, or in the Nautiloid crash region?  Or are they not recruitable until a later act? Do they have any secrets that can be revealed?  What are the prerequisites for this secret coming to light? [ @apalestar -> Rhysedryn ]

To start, this is such a long post and I'm sorry, but I started thinking about it and then it turned into this monstrosity, which is basically a… CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE! with @morethanthedarkness

Strictly as a companion character, Rhys can be found in Act I.

He heard rumors of increased drow activity in the area and he really couldn't quite help himself. He went there to see if he could learn anything of interest to him in a rather important matter—regardless of how much he might try to convince himself otherwise—that he cannot entirely write-off.

Entirely verse dependent on whether or not Szaryn survives the attack on Waukeen's Rest [ obviously, in game-canon, he does not, but I live and thrive on AUs ], if Szaryn survives, I have little doubt that, in part, it is due to Rhys' intervention. Perhaps he saw him and grabbed him before it all unfolded—even the years apart can't hide that he's almost the very image of their father—or perhaps he stepped in to prevent his death and talked down the Hand, much as the PC must do if they come upon the scene later if they're a drow. Explains that this one is his younger brother, stolen away, not here willingly, et cetera.

Thus, there are two acts in which you can meet and/or recruit Rhys [ as well as his sibling(s) ].

[ CONTINUES BELOW THE CUT. ]

ACT I

If Szaryn survives, the party can find both Rhys and Szaryn at Waukeen's Rest.

If the party has Thraeya with them [ which will require that the party has explored the Underdark and found the Myconid Colony prior to Waukeen's Rest and sorted the issue for the Myconids, settled by whatever means they chose ], Szaryn may recognize her by sight. Rhys would have to hear her name. They will both be overjoyed to see their sister again—quite a shock for Thraeya as she didn't even remember their eldest brother because she was so young when she and Szaryn were taken—and will happily join the party as the three siblings will be reunited.

If the party has seen but not recruited Thraeya prior to Waukeen's Rest [ which would require that the player has explored the Underdark and found the Myconid Colony, but has not yet sorted the Duergar and Nere, by whatever means they will choose ] and will answer as much if asked, they will ask to join the party with the promise of being taken to where the party last saw their sister. [ Another side quest for the party. ]

If Thraeya is not with the party and has not been met, you can still meet the two of them at Waukeen's Rest and, if approached, they will explain their circumstances, as well as ask if the party has seen another drow, a female. As small of a chance as it may be, Szaryn had heard rumors she escaped and having found Rhys… Well. Because the answer is no, they will wish your party well and set off to follow other potential leads. They have one miracle, having found each other. Why not try for another? They can be re-encountered in Act III.

If Szaryn did not survive, the party will find Rhys alone, knelt beside his younger brother's corpse, quietly grieving.

If the party has Thraeya with them [ as per the requirements above ], Thraeya will recognize Szaryn and grieve, but also realize she has found and been reunited, even in so terrible a situation, with their eldest brother she didn't remember due to how young she was when taken. Either the group can agree to allow the two to see Szaryn properly tended and the death/burial rites carried out. Or they can insist they must keep going. If the former, the two will join the party immediately after a long rest. If the latter, Thraeya will leave the party to remain with Rhys and see to Szaryn, but the two can be re-encountered later in Act III.

If the party does not have Thraeya with them but has seen her [ as per the requirements above ] and they approach Rhys grieving next to his brother's body, Rhys will explain that this was his younger brother, stolen away with their younger sister in a raid, and Rhys will ask, with so much increased drow activity in the area, if the party has heard of any female drow. If they answer in the affirmative, he will ask to join the party on the promise that they will take him to where they saw his sister last. If the party will wait for him to properly see to his brother's death/burial rites, he will join. If they will not wait, he will ask for where they saw his sister and journey there himself. He and Thraeya can be re-encountered at the Myconid Colony, if the party accepted the quest to help the Circle prior to leaving it the first time. OR, if they did not accept prior to leaving the Colony, but do so upon returning, they will find Thraeya and Rhys at the ruined village on the shore, the Duergar there already slain. Either way, they will join the party, if asked, to deal with the Duergar across the lake as Thraeya has sworn on her Oath that she will make certain the Myconid are safe from any further attacks.

If the party has not met Thraeya, Rhys will wish the party well, say that he must see to his deceased brother's death/burial rites, and that he will continue his search afterwards. In this scenario, he can be re-encountered in Act III.

Act III

If Szaryn survived Waukeen's Rest…

… but the party had not yet met Thraeya when they reached Waukeen's Rest, Rhys and Szaryn can be re-encountered at Wyrm's Crossing, in the refugee camp, still trying to find their sister. If Thraeya has been recruited since first meeting them, they will happily join as well, the siblings reunited at last. If Thraeya has not been recruited, they will acknowledge having met before but will be unrecruitable, stating they are still searching for their sister.

If Szaryn did not survive Waukeen's Rest…

… and Thraeya joined the party prior to Waukeen's Rest but the party did not agree to wait for Rhys and Thraeya to see to the death rites and burial of their brother, which caused Thraeya to leave the party, both can be re-encountered at Wyrm's Rest, in the refugee camp, helping the refugees. They will not be recruitable to the party as their first concern is the refugees, but they are willing to be considered Allies in the Final Fight [ upon passing a persuasion check explaining the truth of the current situation that they have learned since Waukeen's Rest ], as Thraeya will insist upon it.

… and Thraeya had not been met or recruited prior to Waukeen's Rest, Rhys can be re-encountered at Wyrm's Crossing in the refugee camp, still looking for his sister. If the party has encountered and recruited Thraeya after Waukeen's Rest, he will happily join the party, at least two of the siblings reunited. If the party has NOT encountered and recruited Thraeya, he will acknowledge having met prior but he will not be recruitable, stating that he is still searching for his sister.

As for secrets…

I think I also answered this a bit within explaining how you can find and recruit him - where you inevitably learn of his brother and sister. Any secret beyond that would pertain to the guilt he has carried after he was unable to protect his siblings.

The prerequisites would be simply by earning his approval and getting close to him, as friend or lover.

After earning enough approval, it would likely be a little '!' scene in camp when the player has ended the day. There would be a cutscene of him standing near the edge of camp, watching his sibling(s) going about tasks to set up camp for the night, looking Sad, as the player character approaches. If the player character asks, he may be reluctant to explain… though if they succeed in a persuasion roll to reassure him, he will tell about the attack, about how he failed to protect them, lost literally 200+ years with them and knows they spent at least some of that time kept by the Lolth-sworn, especially Szaryn [ or he will cite the further 'failure' that Szaryn died still in the Lolth-sworn's grasp ] . He will admit to the guilt he carries from that, and how he threw himself into his studies to become a more powerful wizard because he never again wished to feel so helpless, never again wanted to be unable to prevent such loss and suffering. If the player is sympathetic, they'll earn more approval, as well as his promise that he intends to put his studies to further good use. He's been reunited with his sibling(s) because of the player… He will do everything he can to see that debt repaid. He will then smile and tell the player that they should both perhaps join in with the tasks, as he should start to make up for lost time by helping his siblings. If the player condemns him for his failure or mocks him for his guilt, they will gain no approval, but he will accept it without argument and remain alone where he is near the edge of camp, sadly observing his sibling(s).

[morethanthedarkness]

It makes me chuckle thinking about how Thraeya is basically just collecting a group of drow--and mostly Lolth-sworn drow, no less--as she goes along on this adventure. Stumbles back across her siblings--one not quite so happily if it's completely canon compliant. Makes sure petrified drow are safely freed--unfortunately only after seeing Dhourn be killed and realizing the cause. Decided to save [ and recruit, if not restricted to the game options ] Nere, once she sees him start to chill a bit in the presence of the artifact. Spares Minthara. Would help Kar'niss if there's a way [ and there is at least in my version so shhhhh ]. Tells off Halsin--or anyone else--if they try to start anything over those decisions to spare them and bring them into the camp, add them into their traveling group. What makes me even more amused is how she probably confuses the hell out of all of them. Is she a Lolth-sworn female drow? No. But she is [ freakishly ] tall for a drow so then she should be intimidating right? She should REVEL in her ability to LOOM MENACINGLY over all others! Instead, Thraeya goes out of her way--especially with the drow like Tecothy and Nere who are more skittish [ even if the latter hides it better behind a lot of bluster ]--to make certain she doesn't tower over them. Whether that's sitting down or leaning against something while talking to them, or giving them more space than she typically would give to people. And she seldom raises her voice except in battle. Always tries not to make quick gestures. Apologizes if she does. She talks softly, kindly. Treats them with compassion. Checks if they need anything. [ There are extra bedrolls. Extra blankets. Whatever they need. Do they require any healing? She's no cleric, but Lay On Hands has never failed her, she'll say with a little chuckle. ] She never asks for or seeks any thanks for any of it, or any kind words in turn--from them or anyone else--but she's always quick to offer them. And yet, one could not call her weak despite this. In terms of elements, Thraeya is like fire. Outside of battle, she's a campfire or the fire in a hearth, offering respite and comfort and warmth to those who need it and protection from the dark and what lurks in it... But get her out into a fight and she's a wildfire or an inferno, destroying any threat in her path, leaving scorched earth behind her [ if that's what it takes to protect because she won't lose more ]. She comes out of nearly every fight looking like she should have been the Dark Urge.

Yet she still takes the time to first ask if anyone else is hurt or needs anything before she ever bothers with seeing to herself. I don't remember where I was going with this, but. I just think the whole concept is neat.

[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.

[morethanthedarkness]

THRAEYA & STATURE // @morethandarkness

Thraeya is... uncommonly tall--for human, elf, and most certainly for drow. She is just barely shorter than Halsin, as a matter of fact, as pictured below:

She is aware that can be intimidating to people. She is even more acutely aware that she can be so for the Lolth-sworn male drow who join her party, those already wary to fearful of female drow--with good reason--who are, understandably, not able to untangle the feelings or the reactions just because she's not Lolth-sworn.

As such, she has a tendency to try to mitigate, and it's so ingrained now that she doesn't even really have to think about it.

Often she will bow her head a bit or sit down, stand on lower ground, lean against something. Try to give a little more space than what the average person might. Whatever she can do to not LOOM and TOWER so much. She is also very mindful of not moving suddenly or being aggressive with her body language. She is normally quite soft-spoken and does her best not to deviate from that, even if upset.

She really is the sweetest-natured person--until you legitimately give her cause to be angry--and she always tries her best to be a calming presence and to help soothe the anxiety of those traveling with her, not contribute to it. [ The last thing she would ever want is to remind someone of places like where she spent her early years or of the people who inhabited and governed them. ]

[morethanthedarkness]

THRAEYA & LOLTH-SWORN // @morethandarkness

I haven't said much about Thraeya's backstory, as I've been fighting with my old laptop and just didn't have the energy for much usually by the time it booted and then I had to wait another hour for the page to load once I clicked 'new post'.

But! New laptop and here we go!

I don't 100% know if all of this 100% fits DnD lore or not—as I am still learning and researching—but Thraeya isn't Lolth-Sworn and never was, though she did spend some of her earliest years in Menzoberranzan.

She and her family were part of a group of wanderers/nomads who just roamed through the Underdark. [ I have kind of turned over the idea that if they had a little business they ran where they would gather things down in the Underdark, like the couple you help with the Noblestalk. No storefront. More likely just out of a wagon they would bring into town and sell from when they needed to reup on other supplies. ]

Regardless, their group came under attack by a group of Lolth-sworn. Some were slaughtered. Some were taken. Thraeya and her older brother Szaryn [ who is actually her middle brother but she was so young at the time she didn't remember and Szaryn wasn't going to remind her of someone else lost ] were among those taken and put to work at a noble house, mostly doing chore type work.

Within my own self-contained verse, it was the same house where Halsin was a "guest", and she was, in fact, there at the same time. Though she didn't fully understand because she was so young, she knew something wasn't right and she would sneak him food and water when everyone was busy. She treated him with kindness. Asked him questions about who he was, where he was from. She was a very curious little one and Halsin seemed friend-shaped.

Szaryn realized Thraeya was sneaking to talk to the other and, worried for his sister, he approached Halsin, too, talking to him to decide whether or not he trusted him... and then asking that if he managed to get out at some point, would he take Thraeya with him.

[ "We both know it is only a matter of time. She is too kind for too cruel a place, and one way or another, it will kill her." ]

Now, when the attack happens wherein Halsin escapes, what follows is verse and other writer dependent.

He either gets both children out, manages to get just Thraeya, or he can't find them in the chaos and has to flee [ in the latter scenario, Szaryn grabs Thraeya and runs, though they are caught not long afterwards and separated ].

If Halsin managed to save one or both children--again, within self-contained lore--he practically raised them. If he had to escape without them, he may or may not remember them to start, but once he does, I can't imagine that there wouldn't at least be a little bit of guilt over what happened.

I say all of that to say this.

In the 'blog-run' of the story where all things are possible:

When they encounter the petrified drow, she plays tank the whole fight from the moment she realizes the Spectator will keep releasing the drow if the fight continues. She makes sure everyone is onboard and knows the plan, draws the attention, takes the damage, and doesn't give word to kill the thing until the very last of the drow are free of stone. This included one loss, Dhourn, who was snapped out of it after taking a hit from one of them , attacked the Spectator, and then was subsequently killed. That was how Thraeya realized they just had to take the hits and not hit back until everyone was freed... and then attack only the Spectator. Though not possible in game, she will--or more likely get her brother to do so--invite the un-petrified drow to join the camp. As per blog canon, at least two of them do so: Moy and Tecothy. The latter is more than a bit hesitant and wary but agrees at the encouragement of the former who sees it as "Anything is an improvement from returning home, isn't it?"

She will not kill Minthara. First of all, this decision is made because Halsin quite plainly states how the True Souls are basically made puppets to the Absolute, carrying out its will, and she struggles to find a definitive line where a True Soul can be held wholly responsible for their actions while still under the influence of the Absolute. She will not kill someone who she cannot even be certain is guilty in their hearts of the actions taken. Second, she is willing to help Minthara and give her a place in the party later. This is because she understands what Lolth-sworn society is--has seen it and suffered it for herself--and, in her mind, it is equally difficulty to condemn someone when they have never known anything different. She can also see, whether Minthara will openly admit it or not, that the woman has been through something traumatic. To abandon her would be cruel.

She will not kill Nere. She accepts the task from Sovereign Spaw, having seen through their eyes someone who was slaughtering their people without remorse and being worried for the safety of the myconid colony. But when she gets there, she sees someone afraid and a little disoriented after his ordeal. She grieves the loss of the gnome--though in EA, apparently, he didn't kill anyone so I may stick with that?--but, again, she struggles to find a definitive line where a True Soul should be held responsible for their actions while still under the influence of the Absolute. She talks to him. She convinces him to free the gnomes. And the longer they all remain there and she talks to him, the more his demeanor begins to shift. He becomes uncertain, almost addled. He goes from talking about himself in the third person... to talking in the first. He seems... confused. And, while it doesn't completely exonerate him, it does affirm for her that he deserves a chance. Even if it were to break her Oath, she would spare him, because she felt it was right. And, again, though not possible in game, in blog canon, she offers him a place in the camp, safe from the Lolth-sworn that he betrayed--however unknowingly--and safe from the influence or command of the Absolute. As with Tecothy, he is wary of her, but he doesn't see that he has much choice under the circumstances...

Now, if/when Halsin goes off about sparing and bringing in Nere, and later about doing the same with Minthara once he realizes, regardless of which path they walked to this point, Thraeya will look him dead in the eye and telling him that everyone deserves a chance. They both know what the Lolth-sworn society is like. They have both suffered from it. In different ways, yes, but still suffered even so. How then can they condemn someone who has never known anything else? And with a tadpole on top of that? He said himself that True Souls become little more than puppets for the Absolute! The only thing that protects their little band is this artifact. They HAVE to give them a chance. She will not condemn someone when there is no possibility in the moment to discern what level of accountability they hold for their actions. Which, at least with my Halsin, I feel would likely sway him, even if he still wasn't happy about it. [ Particularly if she also brings up the matter of "If we will not condemn someone even for their worst decision when the consequences were so dire, how can we condemn another for a decision we cannot even know was theirs." which takes a direct jab at Kagha and with him not dealing more harshly with what she did and intended to do. ]

[morethanthedarkness]

I've seen a few posts lately about scents and while I struggle with this a bit as it's not really the way my brain is wired. [ I tend to associate better with sounds and music. ] ... what I can say thus far with absolute certainty--because I happened across it by accident and immediately thought of her--is that Thraeya smells like vanilla, cedarwood, and amber. The scent is a bit warm, a bit sweet, woodsy, something almost floral. But not too much or too heavy of a scent. Just very pleasant.