#*like halsin is a bear he is a wolf

[bloodurged]

I think the collective durgetash fandom is not being insane enough about redeemed urge killing enver. he managed to escape bhaal's favourite blade for years, the only living thing the dark urge has ever loved allowed to stay so, because of bane. because he is the clever, usefull chosen of bane, on whom their alliance depends. he is the urge's only bit of respite, of freedom. the only thing not cowering from their touch, but leaning into it like a lovesick pup. the chosen of bane, who was meant conquer the world so that the urge may slay it, safely from the closed fist of his black hand. and when all that is left is him, the urge and their lord father, he would gladly be sacrificed at their altar, the first act of blasphemy, and with the same blade, the last act of forgiveness, so that only bhaal remains. only death. the urge escapes their father, but the favoured lamb remains so. he will not change. he could, anyone could. but he is too stubborn, he who would use bane as a step to his success. the urge gains new freedom and loses old, in death, enver's body speaks at last with his master's voice. perhaps they will bring him back. though he will refuse to change, aren't they owed one last act of blasphemy?

[veilkeeper]

thoughts on the astarion-halsin polymance

i know some people dont like the halsin polymance specifically if the PC's other partner is astarion but. i want to talk about it. because i think maybe a lot of people have come to conclusions without seeing the scenes in question for themselves. so let me give a different perspective.

disclaimers: *i know a lot of people ship/hc this polymance as a triad, but for the purposes of this post i'm talking specifically about the "hinge" dynamic we see in-game thx. **also i got the halsin romance trigger before completing astarion's personal quest, so this post is talking about that perspective, and all quotes are from those conversations. ***i respect people who dont play this route. you're allowed to play this game however you want. the purpose of this post is to discuss the canon, in-game text and how it supports the astarion-halsin polymance as a viable and healthy path for these relationships, with nuance and respect to astarion's personal issues. this is not meant to convert anyone, but it is meant to clarify and provide additional context that i feel is largely missing from a lot of discussions about how the polymance is "bad", unilaterally.

let's start with halsin, because i think he's the easier perspective to tease out here, given that he really leaves nothing to the imagination. he's incredibly earnest and open, and will happily describe his perspective on non-monogamy right out the gate. as he says...

The wolf mates for life, but the bear roams free and partners as its instinct dictates. I need to stay true to my nature, and you to yours.

now, to get ahead of potential backlash here... if you haven't spent a lot of time with halsin, particularly if you've never flirted with him, that line may imply that he's a "player". he is not. given the context of the PCs interactions with him up to this point (and how he treats the relationship after, if you confirm the romance), halsin is deeply devoted, and has really strong feelings for the PC. it's really sweet, i highly recommend romancing him, either as a polymance or solo.

what he's describing here is a perspective of cultural non-monogamy. that he believes his feelings are not diminished by having multiple relationships at the same time, and he expects that if the PC agrees to a relationship with him that they will respect his freedom to pursue others when/if such feelings arise, just as he will respect the PC's freedom to continue and/or pursue other relationships as well. it's a really succinct and frankly unexpectedly respectful negotiation of the terms of a polyam relationship.

and that respect is evident from the get go. if you've never seen this conversation, it basically opens with him saying "hey, i have these feelings about you, i was wondering if you maybe felt the same," and if the PC says that they do, he immediately acknowledges the existing relationship and tells the PC that they can't move forward without consent. and you cant; speaking to halsin again just has him ask the PC if they've spoken to their other partner yet. at every turn, halsin is incredibly respectful of the PCs other partner, he never diminishes that relationship, nor does he expect the PC to ever place him above that relationship. he even says:

Indeed, I am but one of your lovers. You and I should seek happiness, wherever it lies. You are all I want, but I will not hoard you to myself.

he makes it very clear from the get-go that he has no designs on the PC's other relationship and that he is more than happy to take whatever they want to give him.

which leads me to my overarching point: astarion is consenting to this dynamic specifically because the other person in question is halsin.

and we know this for a few reasons. first, because.... mechanically in game, he's the only person you can romance at the same time as astarion. while astarion mentions at various points that he is fine with "arrangements", generally speaking, every other potential romance partner results in a "you have to choose one of us" conversation. the reason astarion gives for why the PC has to choose varies, i believe, but since i don't have the dialogue on hand (i have been faithful as hell in my playthrough) i won't speculate about those conversations.

however, we also know that astarion is consenting to an arrangement with halsin specifically because of this line:

The druid is unique. He has a lot of experience with this type of arrangement. Thus, I'm sure it would be quite a harmless affair.

which is interesting, isn't it? hold onto this one, we'll circle back to it later. and then of course, the other line we need to discuss from astarion here is the famously controversial...

It's not because… you know… we haven't… in a while?

so this is where i get into the potentially controversial take that i have, because it's more nuanced than arguments i've seen on either side of the pro-/anti- polymance debate. but basically i think that astarion is... insecure. shocker, i know. but unlike some takes i've seen, i dont think this means he can't consent to a polyam relationship, i think it means that he has certain Conditions related to it, that he has decided have been met. and i think those conditions are as follows:

the PC's interest in halsin is not borne out of any deficiency of astarion's.

this is why he asks the famous question. he's insecure, and making sure that the PC's interest in halsin is not because astarion is failing to "satisfy" them, that it's not because he isn't enough. astarion has a lot of self-worth issues that he tries really hard to hide, and i think it would be easy for him to think that the PC starting another relationship could be a result of him being... insufficient.

for people who have never been in a polyam relationship, this is a thing. this is an important thing, and making sure all of your partners feel that they're valued and "enough" is an important part of navigating these relationships. astarion does the right thing here, by expressing his insecurity and asking for reassurance. and when the PC gives it to him, the relief is evident and he gives consent to the dynamic immediately. not because he's been coerced, but because he's been reassured.

PC: Gods, I don't want you to think that for a moment. Astarion: I know I was being foolish. But thank you for saying it.

the second condition is:

that he is still a priority

this is pretty self explanatory but since it's sort of the clincher for my whole argument here, i do have to say the quiet part out loud. i dont think what astarion wants or needs is to be the PC's only partner. he talks about "arrangements" on multiple occasions, i dont think he has a problem with sharing. what i do think he wants is to be the PC's primary partner. what he's consenting to, in my view, is hierarchical polyamory, to use the proper term. as in, the PC can fool around with whoever they want, even have feelings for other people, so long as they always come back to astarion. he needs to feel like he is secure and valued above others as he values them above others. he needs to feel like the PC isn't going anywhere.

and that's why he consents to an arrangement with halsin, but no one else. because all of the other romance options, the origin companions, would want to be equal with astarion, they would want non-hierarchical polyamory. halsin, on the other hand, is all about taking what can be given and having a more fluid understanding of relationships. he doesn't care if he's #1, he cares that the PC cares about him, right now. no formal definitions or obligations required.

that's what astarion means when he says "the druid is unique." that's what he means when he says "he has a lot of experience with this type of arrangement." that's what he means when he says it will be a "harmless affair." because he knows halsin is never going to try to take the PC away from him. he knows halsin isn't going to be a threat to him and his status with his partner. and that's why he's comfortable saying yes, even though he says no to every other possible arrangement.

it's not because he was coerced. it's not because he doesn't know how to say no. it's because he feels safe. and that's what we want.

some additional notes while i'm here...

on jealousy: a lot of people hc astarion as the jealous type, as perhaps a little possessive, and i am also one of those people. it makes sense; he's a guy who hasn't had anything in 200 years, and the PC is the first person he's cared about like this. i can definitely see him being a little possessive and prone to jealousy. but stepping outside of the realm of fiction, jealous/possessive feelings are often the result of insecurity and in real relationships should absolutely not be used as a tool to control the behaviour of another partner. and, crucially, jealous/possessive feelings are a thing to be talked about and worked through, not tip-toed around. the presence of those feelings does not automatically mean that a polyamorous relationship is impossible, it just means there's another thing to talk about, and by astarion consenting to the PC having another relationship, he's pretty clearly saying he's willing to talk through those feelings and work on them.

on the ability to consent: i know that astarion doesn't talk about his feelings enough. but i truly dont think that this is a case of astarion saying yes when he means no. astarion can say no, even in high pressure situations he wasn't expecting. he says no to the astral-touched tadpole (rather firmly, i might add), he says no to sleeping with the drow twins, etc. the scene that most people use as proof that astarion cannot consent happens in a much different emotional context, with a lot of direct coercion, and is followed by astarion taking back personal control and dumping the PC. that is not what happens in this scene, when astarion is consenting to a polyamorous relationship. there is no coercion (in fact the PC can explicitly say "i wouldn't even consider it if it bothered you", and astarion expected the conversation, so he would have been able to prepare his thoughts and feelings ahead of time. at no point does he say no or even imply he's not okay with an arrangement with halsin.

on timing: ive seen some people say that they would be more okay with the astarion-halsin polymance if all of this was not be happening right now. i agree with that. ideally, astarion would have more time to adjust to his relationship before it was opened up at all. but because this is a video game, everything is happening during the events of the game. and because this is a video game, the events of the game are high pressure and wild and everything is happening all at once. i don't blame people who elongate the timeline in fan content, or who turn down halsin because they think its "too soon." thats actually very explicitly something halsin says when he initially propositions the player - that he hopes it isn't "too soon." however, astarion still consents (see point above), and relationships barely ever have good timing. one could argue that even the solomance with astarion does not have good timing, when considering astarion's trauma and recovery. so. we make do. and i think it would be... a disservice? to what is (in my opinion) really good polyam writing to just say "actually it's all terrible and icky because there's a lot going on right now" and dismiss it out of hand.

.......................and i think that's everything. thank you for joining me on this very long (oops) deep dive into this. a double thank you for reading all the way through if you don't like the astarion-halsin polymance. i hope i gave you a different perspective, even if i didn't change your mind. love ya <3

[captain039]

Wolf and bear

Halsin x shapeshifter!reader

Warnings: sexual, adult content, eventual smut, light swearing, mentions of dog fighting, first times.

Again! I don’t know Halsins character very well, nor have a played the game still lmao (3rd of the 9th ) well 5th cause that’s when I get paid lol.

Angry little wolf with her future bear husband lol

Kinda questionable xD

I cannot find Halsin smut and I need it

Also need Astarion smut

Challenging a bear probably wasn’t the smartest idea you had, but he was too close to your home. He smelt different though, not like normal wild bears that sometimes roam through. There was a scar down his eyes and his one of his lip. He was bigger than a normal bear also, then again you were a bigger than a normal wolf. Was he a shifter? He didn’t seem fazed by your warning growls and snaps, if a bear could looked amused he looked it. You huffed through your teeth and hoped he’d disappear. You headed back to your cottage, shifting back into your human form with a pained groan.

“Why’re you in pain?” you screamed at the deep voice behind you, body instantly going back into a wolf form due to reflexes. You smacked the ground with a groan before shifting back. Your body extra aching now, of course it bloody hurt your body literally changed into an animal! stupid idiot. You grabbed your robe quickly and covered yourself, you turned seeing an overly naked large man.

“Gods!” you covered your eyes praying he’d just leave.

“Do you have clothes?!” You yelled.

“I rather enjoy changing without them on, more comfortable” he said and you couldn’t argue with logic, but still. Sure if you were skilled enough in magic you’d keep your clothes on and not ruin them, every time you changed though they’d be torn and ruined.

“Why’re you here?” You asked keeping your hand over your eyes.

“It’s been a long time since I met another shifter, I was curious I suppose” he said and you sighed.

“Well I shift, the end, please leave” you probably sounded like a bitch, but you hadn’t had anyone here in years, people weren’t to found on a wolf in their villages, and life with other shifters was weird, constant need to bond with nature and a lot of nudity.

“Why have you not joined others?” He asked and you sighed.

“Because they are too much for me I like my quietness!” You pressed hoping he’d get the hint.

“You are against bonding with nature and being yourself?” He added and you groaned.

“Listen man, I don’t want your company or questions please leave!” You finally moved your hand to look at him, geez he was big. Big broad shoulders and wide torso, strong legs- oh gods. You flushed and looked back to his eyes seeing a small smirk. He had the same three scars over his eyes and the one on his lip, tribal markings down the right side of his face. Pointed ears and long brown hair half tied back.

“You didn’t answer my question” he stated and your mouth hung open slightly, did he not get a word you just said.

“I’m Halsin” he said.

“I don’t care!” You groaned getting up and going inside, slamming the door behind you.

You awoke the next morning ignoring the scenes

of last night, hopefully he’s gone back to his little nature loving pack. You went outside to tend to your garden only to freeze when you sensed someone to your left. You stared at the large man sitting by your table chewing on what looked like dried fruit. Is he serious? You walked back inside surely this was a dream, or an illusion.

“I’m real” he called and you walked back outside.

“What in the hell are you doing here?!” You snapped and he just smiled. He was clothed thankfully as he stood, woah he was much bigger than you.

“You intrigue me” he said.

“I don’t care, get off my property or-“ you stuttered what could you really do to a giant bear man? He smirked head tilted he knew you couldn’t do anything.

You ignored him as you went about your gardening. He didn’t say anything which annoyed you more, what did he want somewhere to hibernate?! Certainly wasn’t going to be in your comfortable bed.

“Excuse us” you frowned at the approaching men. The bear man stood on edge a frown on his face. You walked to them and wiped your hands.

“What is it?” You asked seeing a note in their hands.

“Have you seen or heard any bears around?” He asked and you froze.

“One with a scar on his face!” The man behind him piped up.

“No?” You said questioning.

“We believe it’s a demon” he said and you raised a slight eyebrow.

“Bear shifter” he added, so this man was a shifter hater.

“He caused a rampage in a dog fight arena” your stomach churned at the words, people still did that? Horrible beings.

“Was anyone hurt?” You asked trying to not sound suspicious.

“Just the owners, not dead, but all the dogs were let free” he answered and you felt relief flood you.

“This your husband?” He nodded to the bear man behind you.

“Uh-“ you faltered as he stood and came over with a smile.

“I am” he said and you froze as a hand went around your waist. You wanted to punch that smile off his face.

“Ah, have you heard or seen anything?” The man asked and your supposed husband shook his head.

“Can’t say I have” he said.

“Kinda got scars like you” the one behind said studying.

“Oh these I was attacked by a bear actually, got its head in our living room” he chuckled, but you felt how rigid his body went.

“Awesome!” The man behind said and you sighed.

“Well if you see or hear anything let us know, oh and if you see a dog or dogs let us know, we’re at the village council” the man said and left. The bear man growled and you tensed feeling the anger rolling off him. You rested a hand on his chest feeling his urge to murder those men.

“Killing them won’t solve anything” you said hushed and he stared down at you with big eyes. Now that he was close, you could feel his warmth, feel the muscles beneath your hand, smell his scent.

You closed your eyes for a moment taking him in before you realised what you were doing and stormed away embarrassed.

“What about those dogs?” You asked.

“They’re with good people now, away from that horrible place” he growled the last part and you couldn’t ignore the shivers and unwanted arousal it gave you.

“Good” you whispered as you went back to gardening.

Apparently this was his daily ritual, to greet you in the morning, ask some questions and just be around you. You really couldn’t deny how comforting it was to have his presence, but you also couldn’t ignore how weird it was. After a few days of not shifting your body began to ache, you hated it, hated having to change and run in the forest despite the freedom it gave you. You waited till night, waited till Halsin was gone. You went outside in a robe, shrugged it off and shifted. You took a moment to gather yourself before you took off into the woods. You rested by a lake and looked at the moon reflection rippling in the water. You heard heavy steps and stood, hackles up before you recognised the scent and scar on the big bear. You sat back down listening to him saunter over and sit by you. You enjoyed the cool breeze and took in a breath to smell the forest around you. Halsin bumped you suddenly and you looked to him seeing the bear smile. You huffed at him and looked away feeling him doing it again. You gave him a narrowed look feeling his playfulness. You pushed him back with your body watching him stumble. He roared playfully and you stood up tail wagging slightly. You bowed down slightly in a playful dog stance as he roared softly and began play fighting with you. If someone was to walk by the would be weirded out, but for some reason this felt natural. If you could laugh you would, it just came out a strange grunts and growls as you nipped playfully at Halsins paws. He was stronger though and knocked you into the water. You froze standing up quickly and shivering. You growled charging at him and trying tackle him into the water only to fail. You were pinned under him, paws in the air and you gave a huff. He shifted above you and you tilted your head.

“Shift” he said smiling and you did expecting pain. You frowned though as he waved his hand, yellow light coming from his hand.

“Was that better?” He asked softly and you nodded surprised.

“I’m a Druid” he said.

“Oh” you said glancing at your nakedness and his. You covered your breasts and looked away with cheeks flushed.

“Why do you hide?” He asked and you glanced to him, biting the inside of your cheek.

“This is- intimate” you muttered.

“I’ve never been intimate, nor has anyone seen me like this” you added embarrassed, you glanced to his face seeing his eyes darken slightly but remaining soft.

“May I kiss you?” He asked softly and you froze, but felt yourself nod. He smiled as he leant down, you closed your eyes as you felt him press his lips to yours. You made an embarrassing noise, but he just deepened the kiss. Your arms left covering your breasts and you gripped his forearms instead as he began to kiss down your jaw and to your neck. You felt him press his lower half to you, hips meeting yours, you gasped hand slapping over your mouth. You heard him chuckle lightly, his breath tickling your neck.

“I want to worship you” he said softly and heat ran straight through your body.

“I want to taste you” he pressed a kiss to a sensitive spot on your neck that made you squirm.

“Feel you” he muttered and you sealed your eyes close. You felt his hand rest on your ribs before sliding up your side and over your hip, before gripping your thigh. He gripped the flesh pulling it gently so your knee bent. He stopped kissing your neck and chuckled again as you opened your eyes and flushed, you moved your hand and he kissed you again.

“You’re not so feisty when you’re flustered” he grinned and you glared.

“I was wrong” he chuckled and you hated how you loved the sound. Hated how you loved the feeling of him against you. You were battling with yourself, you didn’t even realise he had slid down your body till lips pressed against your inner thigh. Your eyes went down to his, he smirked pushing your legs further apart before you felt his breath against your folds. Your breath hitched when a tongue darted out and ran through them, a groan leaving his lips as he began to lick. Your body squirmed and you closed your eyes leaning your head back fully. You had one hand on your stomach in a fist, the other at your side, he was skilful, gods you felt like you were in heaven, or hell. You felt his hand snake up your stomach and you opened your hand to hold it, which he gladly accepted. You moaned as he began to suck and prod his tongue against your entrance. You gripped his hand harshly but he didn’t seem to care, too busy working you up with his tongue. You felt fingers though, joining his tongue and sliding in heat. You moaned back arching as he began to slowly thrust his finger in and out. His fingers were much bigger than yours and much more delightful, you kept clenching his hand as you felt your stomach tighten with need and release. You moaned brokenly when he added a second finger, working you open for what was hopefully to come. His mouth paid extra attention to your clit while his fingers scissored and beckoned. You whined lowly muttering a please that you barely managed to get out. You felt him grin and wanted to slap the cockiness off his face, but was too caught in the pressure building. You felt the knot in your stomach come undone as you came with a moan. Your legs shuddered and you panted loudly as he continued riding out your high slowly. He sat back up, and crawled up your body again smiling down at you.

“Beautiful” he whispered and you flushed looking away. You waited for him to move, but he didn’t and you looked back ready to huff at him. He had a playful look and you groaned quietly with a huff, why was he teasing?

“Why’re you teasing?” You asked.

“Because it gets you worked up” he smirked and you glared with a huff, you crossed your arms over your chest too, looking away till he kissed down your neck and you felt his hips shift. You tensed a bit as you felt the tip of his cock resting by your entrance. He grabbed one of your hands and pressed it above your head, clenching it before he thrusted in. You moaned while he groaned in your ear, you held your breath before panting. You clenched his hand, gods you felt full. He let you adjust before slowly skipping out and back in, your eyes slipped shut as you felt the sting.

“Gods” you muttered.

“I’ve got you” he whispered giving your hand a gentle squeeze. You whined in response as he set a slow pace, the sting slowly fading. His hand left yours as he rested on it instead and you wrapped your arms around him. His pace quickened slowly and you were struggling to keep in your moans.

“Only I can hear you” he whispered lifting his head which made you open your eyes. He kissed you gently and you moaned into his mouth as he began to quicken again. He was getting close, his pants became uneven and his hips were moving more desperately. You closed your eyes tightly again, back arching as he sped up to chase his release. You gripped his arms in your hands as his hips stuttered and he came with a groan. His head was in your neck panting harshly as you lifted your hands to run them up and down his back.

“I’m sorry” he suddenly said and you frowned.

“Why?” You asked as he lifted his head.

“I didn’t bring you to your release again” he said looking guilty and you smiled shaking your head pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“Another time” you whispered and his eyes widened slightly but smiled as he kissed you once more.

[thebawdybaldurian]

Primal/Hunt/Prey Kink Halsin Snippet

Uncut 😏 snippet of our favorite Druid chasing down his lover and giving her a few unexpected surprises.

Content Warnings: Rough/primal sex, partial wild-shaping, knotting, mild breeding kink, oral and PIV sex, biting, etc.

As they left Wyrm’s Crossing, Halsin began to pick up his steps a little, making it harder for Tav to keep up with his long strides. “That eager to get to the woods and fuck me?” She teased as she walked a little faster beside him.

“And eager to get out of this damn crowd,” he replied in an irritated tone.

“Oh, my precious little bear,” she grabbed his arm to stop him. “I know you hate it here, but don’t let it sour your mood.”

“I may be your little bear, but this place makes me feel like a wolf sometimes. Like I should hunt down all the politicians and nobles that allow these people to suffer.”

“Unfortunately, they put people in jail for that sort of thing,” she stood on her toes to kiss him. “How about we gather some food later to distribute…after you chase me down and fuck me senseless…?”

“Chase you?” He managed a little grin as she stood right next to him.

“Catch me, my wolf!” She smiled and took off in a full sprint towards the nearby woods. He let out a low growl and took off after her.

While she had speed and lithe grace from her years of being a bard, he had a longer stride and more stamina. She got a good lead on him, disappearing into the trees, but he soon caught her trail. He felt himself wild-shaping part way, his soft body hair suddenly growing thicker and his teeth getting sharper. His senses were heightened too, hearing her heavy breaths in the distance. Those were more than enough to stir him on, but he could also smell her arousal and the musk of her sweat as she ran. He feared for a second he might devour her and stopped in his tracks to steady himself.

He took some deeps breaths, feeling his cock swell a little as he caught her scent again. He might not devour her, but he knew he needed to pin her down and fuck his seed inside of her. He let out a loud howl and continued his hunt. He eventually heard her footsteps stop, her breath heavy and ragged. He circled around, sniffing the air to catch the scent of her arousal again, his cock swelling even more. He stepped quietly, seeing her a hundred yards ahead hiding behind a tree to catch her breath. He eased up behind her, his heart still pounding but his breath steady. When he was within arms reached, he seized her, pulling her off her feet. She let out a little shriek, her muscles tensing, but quickly recognized his presence.

His mouth was on her neck before she could even declare him the victor, his hands tearing at her clothes. “You gave me a…” she began before he ripped her dress open at the back. “Halsin!” She gasped as he did the same with her panties. He growled loudly in her ear, nipping it with his teeth. “Fuck…” she trembled, the heat of his body pressed close against her.

“Do you like this, my little doe?” he asked, as his hands clawed into her flesh.

“Everything but the doe part,” she pressed back against him, rubbing her ass against his hard bulge. “I need you to fuck me like I’m your hungry bitch.”

He growled loudly at that, sliding his hands down her body and spreading her apart with his fingers. He guided his teeth down her back, biting into her soft curves as he slipped his robe off. His tongue found her asshole, sniffing and licking it with excitement. He buried his face between her legs, lapping her hungrily as she clung against the tree to steady herself. His feral hunger had made her seep honey, which he caught greedily. He eventually pulled her hips down, bringing her to the ground with him.

She squirmed and wrestled with him for a moment before he managed to pin her down. His fingers continued to explore her, making her wetter and ready to be mounted hard. She moaned and whimpered as his thick fingers teased her, her hips writhing with them. “Are you ready to take it, my she-wolf?” He whispered into her ear.

“Yes, Gods,” she yipped excitedly, letting him roll her onto her hands and knees.

The sight of her swollen, red cunt drove him to a near frenzy, sliding into her immediately. She yelped from the hard thrust, but was well aroused enough to take it. He hunched over her, pressing just enough of his weight onto her back for her to know she was his completely. He grasped his hands on top of hers, pressing them into the soft clover underneath them. He fucked her hungrily from behind, his teeth locked gently on the back of her neck. She never been fucked with such abandon and she enjoyed every second of it, moving her hips back against his powerful thrusts. Their cries and moans scattered the surrounding wildlife, leaving them alone in their mating. “Give me your mouth,” he finally released his jaws from her neck so she could kiss him. She obeyed, turning her head so he could reach her lips. He kissed her ravenously, licking and nipping her cheeks as well.

“I love you so fucking much,” she tensed as she felt an orgasm peaking as he thrust against her g-spot. “I want your cubs in me.”

“Soon, my queen,” he groaned, feeling her pulsing around him. He was so engorged, he felt a bulb growing at the base of his cock, preparing to lock his seed inside her. Her fingers dug deeply into the clover, spreading their fragrance up to their noses as she came in sharp cries. He met hers with loud growls, the knot at the base of his cock now fully swollen and closing off her entrance as he erupted inside her.

She let out a low whimper as the engorged bulb pressed against the opening of her cunt. “Mmmmm, what is that?” She breathed heavily underneath him. “I can…uhhh…barely move,” she tried to shift her hips forward.

“I’m afraid we will have to lay here for quite some time,” he smiled, his breath hot on the back of her neck. “It seems we are tied together.”

“What does that mean?” She tried to move again, only making the knot tighter, her muscles contracting against him and filling her with even more of his warm seed.

“It appears you brought out some more wolf-like qualities in me,” he pressed her down onto the ground so they could roll onto their sides. “Including their anatomy.”

“Oh Gods!” Tav suddenly recalled a pair of stray dogs she’d once seen tangled together. “You mean we are…” she let out a little laugh as her cheeks flushed. “We’re stuck like this? For how long?”

“It just depends. You got me very excited, so it may be a while,” he nuzzled against her neck.

“Oh,” she sighed and tried to steady her breath. “It’s just that…” she shifted a little. “You got me really excited too…and my blood doesn’t seem to want to leave my clit yet.”

“It will…prolong things…but…” he rolled her onto her stomach, pressing as much of his weight on her as she could take.

“That's it,” she whimpered, prone against the cool ground as he wiggled his hips around. He wedged a hand under her to press against her clit. “Uhhhhhnnn…yeah,” she moaned, clawing her fingers into the dirt. “Keep going.”

He let out another growl, pressing her hips harder against his hand. She let out a little squeal, pulsing wildly around him, tying the knot even tighter. “More,” she moaned, her voice muffled in the ground. She bounced her hips back against him.

“If you…unnnf…keep this up…hhhhh…we’ll never get free.”

She whimpered again, one final shudder vibrating against him as she completely collapsed into the grass. “Okay,” she panted loudly. “Finally done, I think.”

[thetickleeraven]

Ticklish Tank

BG3 - Tav x Halsin x Astarion polycule

Summary: Tav is a strong, almost stoic leader and the tank of the party. Halsin, Tav, and Astarion are relaxing in a clearing in the forest when the two discover that Tav is ticklish. Tav is they/them, class and race unspecified but said to be a tank. [THIS IS A TICKLE FIC]

its literally been 11 months from my last fic and they may very well be my last tickle fic. idk we'll see how i feel. REMINDER THAT THIS BLOG WILL BE DELETED WITHIN THIS YEAR AND ALL MY FICS WILL BE ON AO3 FOREVER.

>>>BOOKMARK MY AO3 HERE<<<

---

The forest clearing is cool and quiet. In it stand three lovers: A druid, Halsin, admiring the beauty of nature at night; Astarion, a vampire basking in the moonlight; and Tav, a strong tank of a leader admiring the images of both their partners.

As Tav eyes the pale elf, Halsin approaches them from behind to wrap them in a hug.

The hug is a welcome surprise, as usual. However, not as usual, Halsin lays his hands on Tav's sides and notices them tense. He moves his hands down a bit and Tav begins squirming, cringes, and eventually jerks out of his hold with a smile giving away the reason.

Halsin is amused by Tav’s reaction. "Are you truly so sensitive that you couldn’t stand it?"

"What can’t they stand?" Astarion turns his attention to the two, curiosity piqued at the mention of their stoic leader presumably having some sort of weakness.

Tav's eyes widens knowing the last person who should know is Star.

"Our partner is just ticklish. That is all."

"Oh. That’s ‘all’ is it?" Astarion is suddenly predatory. Grinning like a wolf who happened on its prey. "I think we've just discovered our entertainment for the night."

"I-I'm not really ticklish." Tav curses inwardly for the stammer. "I'm just a little sensitive there, is all.

"Beloved, you and I both know that smile of yours gives it away. There is no need to be shy. Being ticklish is natural for you."

"No, I was smiling because you were hugging me, nothing more." They hold their hands up to defend theirself. They frustratingly couldn't wipe the smile off their face and a flurry of butterflies in their stomach, knowing what was probably coming.

"Oh, really now? is that why you're smiling still? With those pretty eyes of yours wide as saucers?" Astarion is stalking closer like an owlbear about to pounce.

Tav tries to suppress their smile as they slowly back away, and it almost works, until they see Astarion's fingers curl into claws. The knowledge that those swift thieving fingers would soon be prodding and poking all over Tav's (unfortunately) severely ticklish body was enough to swarm their belly with butterflies, almost tickling them from the inside out.

"I, myself, would love to hear you laugh. Throughout all our travels I don't think we've heard so much as a chuckle of you." Halsin muses.

"Yeah, you can keep dreaming." Tav turns to run, Astarion quick to follow. They dash through the clearing, Tav occasionally jumping over bushes or weaving through tress in order to get Astarion off their tail, though the elf is much too agile to be deterred that easily.. Halsin smiles, watching his lovers chase and play in the vast harmony of nature. It fills his heart, but he can't resist the thought of Tav laughing and beaming in the moonlight. With a wave of his hand, vines grow from the ground, tripping Tav in the middle of their chase, sending them flailing to the ground. Astarion leaps over the vines and skids to a stop, quickly dropping down to the ground and straddling their partner. Halsin quickly approaches the two, knowing the vampire, while capable, has no chance of holding down Tav on their own. He kneels next to the crown of Tav's head and wrestles their arms to the ground, holding them with his bear-like strength.

"This is ridiculous! I'm not even ticklish so this is a waste of time!" Tav protests, hoping somehow, against all odds, they can talk their way out of this.

"No amount of time spent touching your body is ever a waste of time." Halsin says.

"I must agree with our druid, darling. If you're not ticklish, well, you just get to enjoy having your lovers' hands all over you." Astarion raises his hands above Tav, fingers twitching as if they had a mind of their own just begging to make Tav squeal.

Tav feels their heart pumping and face heating up.

Their panic is interrupted by Halsin's low rumbling chuckle. "Red is a wonderful color on you, love."

"Oh, look. Our little pet is blushing, how disgustingly adorable."

"If you're just gonna compliment me, there's much more fun things we could be doing together." Tav tries to sound suave, hoping some flirtation and faux confidence could change their partners' minds to something else that doesn't involve them laughing their ass off.

"I agree. There is something fun we could be doing." Astarion smirks, a familiar flirty smirk that makes Tav think that maybe they've successfully deflected to that something else. Just as they're about to sigh in relief, Astarion's fingers dive towards their exposed ribs and start dancing and skittering across them, Tav's thin night shirt barely doing anything to dull the sensations.

Tav jolts violently and immediately chomps down on the inside of their cheek to keep from smiling or, gods forbid, giggling.

The scowl they planned to keep stays for about 2 seconds before morphing into a bright smile despite their best efforts.

Astarion has a look of unmatched glee at the strong reaction, knowing this is just the very beginning.

"Tav, it is alright to laugh. Don't fight your instincts. Just let it out." Halsin says with the fondest of smiles.

"It's like you don't know them at all. They're so focused on being a strong and great leader. They'd never give up so easily. Especially to something as silly and juvenile as tickling, am I correct?" Astarion says in that infuriatingly teasy tone only he can muster while his fingers continue to torment Tav's upper body.

"You are right, Astarion. They are notoriously stubborn."

"Remember how they said they weren't ticklish? So sure of theirself?"

"I do remember, yes." Halsin chuckles.

"Well..." Astarion coos in a sing-song voice as he puts more pressure in his pokes and prods. Tav's body instantly starts jerking and jolting side-to-side despite Tav trying to keep still and smooth their expression to nonchalance. However much they try, their eyes still crinkle, their smile still beam, their laugh lines still show.

"I suspect they might have been lying." Halsin raises an eyebrow with a radiant smile of his own as he gazes down at one of his loves.

"It's almost as if..." Astarion's fingers skitter up and down Tav's body, searching, hungry, for a good spot. "...they'll start laughing any second now."

Tav can't help it, when his fingers venture a little too high they let out a few very quick high-pitched giggles before chomping down on their lip.

The two ticklers expressions brighten victoriously.

"What's this? Is thiiiiiiis a good spot?" The vampire circles his index fingers around the hollows of Tav's armpits. Tav's eyes practically bug out of their skull and their frame begins shaking with barely contained laughter.

"I'd say so." Halsin says.

"Well then... I'd better not do this then!" Astarion, the evil EVIL bastard, begins scribbling his fingers across each armpit and poor poor Tav can't resist any longer. They explode into loud laughter interspersed with little fits of giggles before descending right back into helpless cackling. They yank on their arms and kick their feet, but nothing can stop those two.

Astarion grins a sadistic... yet somehow fond grin. Halsin's expression meanwhile melts into the sappiest and most endearing lovestruck look an elf could possibly muster.

"OHOHOHO MY GOHOHOHAHAHAHADS!" Tav fights hard, bucking, jerking, yanking, everything they can, but their partners didn't seem to care.

"What a lovely laugh you have there darling, though I could do with a lower volume." Astarion teases whilst his digits continue their mirthful torment.

"I have another idea." Halsin says with a smirk of his own.

"Oh, do tell." The rogue lifts his hands, mercifully giving Tav time to breathe.

"Y-You guys..." Tav takes a breath. "...are the worst."

"Careful what you say, darling. You might not like what comes next."

Tav bites their lip and resigns theirself to just catching their breath.

"Now, what was your idea?"

Halsin wordlessly waves his hand and lets the vines hold down Tav's wrists so he's handsfree.

"Oh hells, I can't take both of you." Tav whines.

"Oh, our poor leader, completely helpless. And they admit to not being able to take it? Now this is a side of you I could get used to."

Tav turns their face away, feeling it heat up again, though they're sure it was already red enough from the torture they just endured.

Halsin's form suddenly shifted and changed... he was using wildshape.

And the shape he chose?

The dire raven.

At first Tav didn't know where this was going. A bird? Why would a bird be the form to torture them?

"Oh, you are brilliant at this." Astarion giggles and reaches to the bird's wings who stretched them out for him. He then plucks...

Oh no.

The vampire now holds two long feathers, one in each hand.

Dread pools in Tav's gut along with another storm of butterflies.

Halsin shifts back to his elf form and lightly slides his fingertips across Tav's ribs. Tav can't hope to hold back, they're already broken. Tired helpless giggles spill from their mouth, causing both their tormentors to chuckle at the sight.

"You're a beautiful sight, indeed." Halsin continues gently sliding his fingers across Tav's body, lighting up their nerves like a cantrip.

"I wonder how you'll fare against these two little feathers? Surely the great Tav can take it, can't they?" The bastard slowly lowers the feathers... inching them closer to their underarms.

"No... no no noho nohoho-" Tav is positively giddy with anticipation, eyes glued to those damn things as they came closer... and closer...

"Tickle tickle, little pet." He begins fluttering the feathers agonizingly quick all across those two tickle spots.

Tav doesn't explode into laughter this time, rather bursts into a hysterical fit of unstoppable giggling. They shake, wiggle, and squirm as much as they can with a vampire straddling them and vines tight around their wrists.

"Gohohohods NOhohoho! Ihi- Ihihihi cahahahahan't!"

"Can't what, beautiful?"

Tav elects not to respond, instead succumbing to the giggle fit completely, almost sinking into the ground as they accept their mirthful fate.

It's almost relaxing. Despite the instinctive fighting their body does of its own accord, laughing uncontrollably is... soothing in some sort of way.

That is until Tav feels Halsin taking off their boots.

"NO! Nohoho no no NO! Hahahalsin Ihi swehehear on all Gohods in this realm ihihif you do thihihis Ihi wihihil kihihihick you!"

Astarion full on laughs at that, still not letting up on those godsdamned feathers. "Is this really all it takes? To get you to beg? To fall completely under our mercy?"

"I'll start soft. If you truly cannot take this, I think we'll know." Halsin laughs, knowing Tav has much more fight in them than what's being observed on this night.

All Halsin does is drag one fingertip from the heel to the toes.

"FUHUCK nohohohohahahaha! Hahahalsin!" Tav screeches, kicking as much as they can muster given the circumstances.

Astarion laughs hard, dropping the feathers to hold his stomach in sadistic cackling. "Yohohou're soho dead."

Halsin picks up one of the feathers and twirls it in his fingers. Tav had no idea the peaceful druid could be so cruel to his lover.

"Nohohoho-"

"Do it." Astarion snickers.

They truly were the metaphorical angel and devil on Halsin's shoulders. Torture Tav at their worst spot? Or let them go?

"Let's see if you can hold on a little more, then we'll let you go." Halsin says with a villainous smirk.

"Yes!"

"No!"

Devil it is.

All he does... all this elf does is start fluttering the feather over the arch of Tav's bare foot.

And in turn Tav begins thrashing uncontrollably, cackling and screeching helplessly. Tears of mirth are flying off their red hot face as its whipped from side to side and hiccups and wheezes litter their forceful laughs. The vines nearly snap from the tension. "STOHOHOHAHAHAP PLEHEHEHEASE!"

At that, the feather is dropped and Astarion, partially having been bucked off, is sitting on the grass to the side. After a few moments the vines are released and Tav curls into a ball, frantically rubbing the sensations on their soles away.

"Apologies, Tav. I believe... I believe I went too far." Halsin bows his head, regret evident.

"Oh, come off it. Sure it got a little extreme in the end but they were obviously enjoying it up until then." Astarion scoffs, though not without a sly smirk decorating his features.

"I... I was not-" Tav starts to object but is cut off with a quick fit of giggles as Astarion flutters his fingers just under their arm.

"Oh, you absolutely were. Don't even try to deny it."

Tav lays on their back, utterly exhausted. "...Was it that obvious?"

The two ticklers laugh.

"You could've made it clear in the beginning that it would make you uncomfortable. You know as well as we do that we would've listened."

"Plus those vines? With enough effort you could've snapped those before we brought out the feathers." Astarion snarks.

Tav shivers at the mention of those feathers. Gods they could practically still feel them.

Astarion snorts at their reaction.

"I believe we've disproved your lie." Halsin says smugly.

"Do it say it aloud, darling. You know we'd love to hear it."

Tav feels the return of those butterflies.

"Fine. I'm extremely ticklish. Happy?"

"Quite." Astarion pokes Tav's underarm, causing even more giggles. "I do hope you're aware this will become a regular occurrence now."

"I'd have to agree. This was most enjoyable... for everyone involved." Halsin nods.

"No more tonight." Tav yawns. "I'm more tired than when we fought that entire goblin camp in one day." They say groggily, eyes slowly falling.

Halsin chuckles and wildshapes into his bear form, laying on his side so his two lovers could lay on his warm furry body and fall asleep.

"Night night, Tav. Who knows what will await you come morning." Astarion sings.

Tav doesn't even respond, already out for the night.

And so the polycule slumbers for whatever awaits them tomorrow. (Probably more tickling)

[agent-oo-z]

Ok it’s been too long since I’ve spoken about BG3 headcanons. Instead of talking about my Tavs though I’m gonna talk about the companions!

POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW!

No Minthara because I have yet to recruit her in one of my games, sorry!!! I love her I just haven’t had the ability to play with her and all that.

Halsin

Halsin does not have sculpted abs. He’s got a stomach. I mean come on he’s literally a bear.

He loves talking about the ecology of the various environments you visit. He knows so much about so many plants and animals and fungi.

If you ask him to, Halsin will braid your hair for you. Social grooming is very important to him.

He loves to play with scratch and the owl bear cub in wild shape. He takes the shape of a wolf most often so he’s not too big.

Halsin keeps a nature journal! It’s like his own private version of inaturalist. He tracks the species he sees and where he sees them.

Gale

Gale is skinny and a bit toned during the start of the game, but as he is encouraged to take better care of himself he puts on some weight.

He is constantly asking Halsin about various creatures and Druidic magic. The man’s a nerd, he’s got so many questions and Halsin is kind and patient enough to actually enjoy answering them. They’re great academic buddies. When Gale becomes a professor he invites Halsin to give lectures on ecology and Druidic magic.

Gale has created spells that allow him to make a magic kitchen while on the road. This way he can use more than a campfire to cook.

He loves to stargaze and will point out his favorite constellations if you ask to join him.

Astarion

While he’s good at mending and sewing, Astarion enjoys making perfume far more. He eventually develops perfumes based on each of the traveling companions.

Astarion teaches the entire camp how to wash blood out of clothing and gear because someone has to. Also he refuses to do everyone’s laundry for them.

He often goes with Halsin to forage for herbs and flowers. It’s a chance to stock up on supplies for his perfumes and also to manipulate bond with the Druid.

Him and Shadowheart often discuss poisons together. They have a secret game early in the adventure where they say how they would poison each member of the group, what poison they would use, and why. When both of them start to feel accepted and cared for they switch to talking about what poisons best represent the group members instead.

Shadowheart

She spends a lot of time at camp by herself, even after rejecting Shar. She values alone time. It also allows her a chance to process what has happened to her and what she has lost.

Scratch sleeps with her most nights after he joins the camp. At first she’s annoyed by it(a ‘pet’ distracts from her mission) but it’s not very long before she’s cuddling with him.

Shadowheart collects trinkets after converting. She wants to surround herself with things she enjoys.

Lae’zel

Since she travels with a grindstone, Lae’zel helps everyone maintain their weapons. Not out of kindness at first, but because her allies being weak and having subpar gear makes her weak. Eventually tho she teaches everyone how to do it themselves to help them be stronger(and because helping people care for their weapons is a friendly gesture).

She develops a special bond with Gale and Shadowheart, as all three were manipulated/used/abandoned by their deities. She doesn’t exactly know how to support the others as the process things, but she is Faerun’s greatest hype man and constantly reminds them that the gods were cruel and foolish for what they did.

Lae’zel and Halsin help each other maintain their braids. Hers are more intricate and decorated but Halsin is more than able to put them in properly.

Wyll

Wyll spends a lot of time with Karlach after he refuses to kill her. At first because he wants to apologize for hunting her and prove he can be trusted, then after the transformation for advice on how to live life with horns, and finally because he just loves to spend time with her.

While he wasn’t exactly “shy” before his transformation, Wyll starts bathing last because his own body has become unfamiliar and he no longer feels comfortable being seen without at least a shirt and some pants on.

When the others realize that he’s struggling with his body more than he lets on they do their best to help in their own ways. Karlach teaches him how to care for his horns properly, Halsin helps him learn how to braid his hair around them, Astarion finds clothing that is not only comfortable and modest but also makes him look really good, Lae’zel helps him adjust to the change in his center of gravity by sparring with him, and Gale tracks down books about teifling/fiend anatomy for him to read.

He’s really good with children. When Arabella and then Yenna join the camp he spends his evenings keeping them company, telling them stories, playing with them, etc. Karlach often joins him.

Karlach

She makes use of her unnatural heat to help with as many things around camp as she can. Drying clothes, cooking, heating water for bathing, being cozy when it’s especially cold, etc. because if she can do good things with the engine it feels less like a curse.

Once she can touch people safely, she spends almost an entire evening just cuddling with as many people as possible. It starts with just Scratch and the owl bear cub. Then Halsin joins. Then she goes to find the others for hugs. Astarion jokes about how the two of them could probably reach normal temperatures if they just hugged for long enough.

She and Lae’zel bond quickly through their sparring. The two joke back and forth in their own ways and it confuses the other companions at first, because basically no one else has had a chance to learn Lae’zel’s sense of humor.

Karlach collects the various teddy bears and plush toys they encounter on the journey. Having nice, soft, cuddly things to curl up with makes her feel safe.

Jaheira

She knows how to get you fucked up beyond your wildest dreams. Smoking with her is an ORDEAL.

Jaheria speaks to the younger party members like they’re her kids. This doesn’t become clear until they visit her home, however, at which point said companions have various reactions(Karlach loves it, Lae’zel does not).

Minsc

Minsc quickly joins the sparring sessions. He also starts wrestling matches.

He can often be found having seemingly one sided conversations in camp, apparently talking to boo. The topics of these chats are vast and varied. Gale once heard him discussing the various meanings of different flowers in bouquets according to flower language.

[badlydrawnmanic]

baldur’s gate 3 has once again taken over my life and i low key wanna draw the playable characters as mobians because i have crossover / furry brain disease + edits

to no one’s surprise astarion is a bat because, well. vampires, and his secret isn’t exactly hard to figure out before the reveal cutscene. he himself may not be associated with bats but you get it

gale is kinda tough for me to pin down because he’s both plain but not at all at the same time. his personality doesn’t fit cat despite his light association with them through tara, but hedgehog is seemingly considered a default even to the sonic series itself much like human is in dnd, so that might work. his hair is also kinda makes me think of a lion and that has a bit more character to it

karlach is undoubtedly my favorite. outside of fire one of her bigger unique design bits is her broken horn which i’d wanna keep fairly the same. sheep would fit the curled shape but she doesn’t really have a soft vibe that comes along with sheep. maybe some sort of cow-like animal. big and powerful. friend suggested she be a boar instead of minsc which i could roll with. confused for a hellsboar by wyll

lae’zel is supposed to be markedly different from the other characters, so i’m thinking either some kind of reptile / amphibian or something entirely alien in that it’s a beast from the dnd universe. while they aren’t associated with the githyanki there’s gremishka in the creche and that might be just interesting enough to work. big ears. friend also suggested a skink specifically and people seem to think she's very frog even if i don't see it lol

shadowheart is also relatively normal. was thinking wolf for a time but honestly she had cat vibes + that would sort of play into her and lae’zel being kinda similar despite being from fundamentally different places / backgrounds. friend suggested a squirrel? will consider

wyll feels like he’d be some kind of dog given the general good boy-ness of him, loyalty, etc, plus it kinda plays into how mizora talks about him. naturally his “you didn’t kill karlach” form would be a hellhound. friend mentioned fox but i think dog is more fitting

halsin is a bear and there is nothing difficult about this whatsoever

i haven’t done an evil run yet where i recruit minthara but i know she’s a lolth sworn drow and they’re associated with spiders and that would be kinda cool. friend suggested wolf for her also

minsc would probably also be a dog. even though repeats are a bit lame, he was a protagonist in another group of characters from another baldur’s gate so it’s fine. one of those stupidly huge breeds that look more like lions than dogs. if not a dog than maybe a boar. friend suggested a ferret but i think he needs beef to him. wolverine maybe?

jaheira also being from the other baldur’s gate game could probably be a repeat too. slightly cranky old cat but she loves you in her own way. would also contrast with minsc. if not a cat then i could see her as a deer i think. i somehow forgot that the game's ai defaults her wildshape to a panther when you're battling alongside her in moonrise towers so panther it is

[the-eldritch-it-gay]

The joyous din of the party was distant as Wyll sat by the riverside. Wyll hadn’t strayed too far from the camp, but the celebrations and singing felt miles away, a lifetime away.

Against all odds, Majexatli had managed not just to save the tieflings, but also save Halsin, take down the goblin leaders, talk Kagha out of the Rite of Thorns, and have the title of Faithwarden bestowed upon them. They were a hero. Wyll couldn’t think of anyone more deserving of a celebration in their honor.

Wyll had helped, certainly, and he couldn’t have been more honored to be by Majexatli’s side. They were a competent leader, a skilled warrior, a sage druid. He had done his best to help them at every turn, help the tiefling refugees in any way possible. But even as he had been teaching the tiefling children how to defend themselves, when he first saw Majexatli, there had only been one thing on his mind. 

Karlach. 

The violent devil he had spent so long hunting, the monster he had sworn to cut down. The one he had traveled to Averus to kill, only to discover she was only a young woman tiefling, a victim of Zariel, forced into servitude. She was no more a monster than he was.

He didn't regret sparing her. He would do it again.

Yet—

His dreams were still haunted by how close he had come to killing her. When he closed his eyes, he could still feel the hellfire burning his skin and his soul was dragged through all the levels of hell. Every time he caught a glimpse of his reflection he was reminded of it all, that he was nothing more than a devil’s puppet. Every time people looked at him, all they saw was his worst.

Wyll never regretted his pact, how could he? How much good has he done because of it, he saved Baldur’s Gate, saved countless people. He couldn’t regret it. He was the Blade of Frontiers, a monster hunter, protecting the innocent with the powers granted by Mizora. He had sworn to only ever hunt monsters and devils.

But how many were just like Karlach—

A twig snapped behind Wyll and he couldn’t help the way his breath hitched, his heart fluttered in anticipation. Perhaps it was selfish, to think that they would leave their own celebration just to see him. He couldn’t ignore that hope though, as much as he tried.

Turning to look where the noise came from, though, that hope vanished.

Stood a few yards away was a wolf, large with dark brown fur and yellow eyes trained on him.

Fear shot through Wyll for a moment, freezing him in place as his mind raced. He was unarmored, unarmed. He had left all his equipment back at camp, he wasn’t even sure how much magic he had left in him after a full day of battle.

Before Wyll’s mind could race much any further, Wyll saw the wolf lower its head and whine.  

Majexatli, Wyll realized, a warmth spreading in his chest. 

The other day, he had seen them wildshape into a wolf while fighting the gnolls on the risen road. It was a form they rarely took, at least for as long as Wyll had known them. 

For a moment on the battlefield, he had wondered what their strategy was, why that form. Often they chose something larger, a bear, a rothé, something that could shrug and walk off arrows and stabs.

His questioning didn’t last long, when a gnoll cornered him and out of nowhere the wolf jumped at the gnoll’s throat, tackling it to the ground and biting down with a jaw powerful enough that Wyll heard the gnoll’s spine crunch.

The wolf before him now looked worlds different from the one he saw with bared teeth and blood-soaked fur. Its eyes were wide and curious, fur clean and soft, though its right ear was still missing, skin raw from where a gnoll had torn it off. 

The wolf padded closer to Wyll cautiously, and Wyll let out a chuckle.

“I had hoped you wouldn’t notice I was gone,”

It was partially true. Some deep, selfish part of him hoped they would come looking for him. He shouldn’t have hoped for it, shouldn’t be glad they left the celebration. 

The wolf whined again as it approached, and mid-stride it was consumed by a golden light. In the blink of an eye, Majexatli was by his side, sitting next to him on the rock. They weren’t quite touching him, but Wyll could feel the warmth radiating off them, melting away the chill of the night. He had to stop himself from leaning into them.

“You were the first person I looked for, of course I noticed,” Majexatli said, adjusting their bad leg with a slight wince.

“Really? I mean— ahem, I’m honored,”

It was hard not to stumble over his words around them.

“Are you alright?”

Majexatli looked over at Wyll, briefly meeting his eyes before returning their gaze to the river. They rarely made eye contact; seeing Majexatli’s green eyes focused on him, even just for a moment, almost made his breath hitch. This close, Wyll could see the worry on their face, the lines on their face more pronounced as they looked out at the river.

“I’m deeply proud of you, a touch less so of myself,” Wyll sighed, joining Majexatli in looking out towards the water, “In truth, I don’t feel in a festive mood and didn’t want to cast a gray cloud over the night.”

Majexatli was silent for a few moments.

“I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?” 

You coming to find me already means the world.

“It’s alright, you needn’t worry. Any other time and I would love to join you in celebrating, but…” Wyll let out another sigh, “I’m a devil. I love the people from the grove, but I unsettle them deep down. As I seem to unsettle everyone nowadays.” 

“Wyll, that’s not true,” 

Majexatli’s frown had deepened, the sight almost hurt to see.

Wyll almost wanted to be honest, tell them the truth. I’ve likely killed innocent people. People used to look at me as a hero but now all they see is a monster. He couldn’t bring himself to say it, though.

“Come on, you don’t want a devil at your party. Claws will pop the balloons, you see. And the sweetcakes don't taste half as good as raw eggs with this blasted forked tongue,” Wyll smiled, trying to make light of it all, trying to keep Majexatli from seeing through him to the truth. 

“You’re no more a devil than any of us,”

In appearance, perhaps. You don’t know everything I’ve done for Mizora. And I chose to be this way. I wouldn’t change what I did. I would make the pact again if given a chance to do it over. I don’t regret it. I don’t. I can’t regret it.

“If only half the world had half the heart you do,”  Wyll said softly before he could stop himself.

“Wyll…”

They sounded so earnest. 

“Ah, but I’ve taken up enough of your time,” Wyll bit back the selfish urge to keep them here, to lean on them, to tell them everything, “You have a party to return to! Have a dance, enjoy the music. I’ll be back to my old self in no time,” 

Wyll patted their shoulder with a smile. He half expected them to leave immediately, that the moment he finished speaking, they would nod politely and be enveloped in golden light as they returned to whichever form they felt suited them.

In the time Wyll had known them, he had learned enough about them to know they weren’t particularly social. Majexatli preferred silence, solitude, being surrounded by nature rather than engaging in small talk or comforting others. 

Even in the river, Wyll had noticed their tension, the faint edge in their voice, the way they kept their distance. He knew they didn’t mean him any ill will, it was just as they had said, they were unused to being around people. They were a druid that spent their time in the wilds far from settlements, it was understandable, even the kindest druids in the Emerald Grove had seemed slightly awkward around outsiders. Perhaps Wyll should have turned down their invitation—

Wyll pulled himself from his thoughts as he realized Majexatli was still sitting there, looking down, fidgeting with their sleeve, or rather, something in their sleeve. Wyll saw the faintest glint of something silver between their fingers.

“I… I came out here for a reason, you know,” 

“Oh?” 

Majexatli shifted slightly, perhaps by accident, perhaps coincidentally, their knee touching his. The playful retort that had been on the tip of Wyll’s tongue died at the sudden contact, heart skipping a beat.

“I did,”

They fidgeted again, moonlight once again reflecting off something by their side. Wyll paid it no mind though, regaining his composure and smiling.

“And here I thought you had stumbled out here by accident, perhaps all the wine has gotten the better of you,”

As much as he was teasing them, looking at them, he could see their lips faintly stained red from wine. With the amount of bottles he had seen at camp before he left, he shouldn’t be surprised that they were likely a bit drunk. The thought hurt, somehow, the idea that what fueled their care for him in this moment might just be the wine talking—

“I’m afraid I’m quite sober,”

Perhaps it should have struck him as strange. Surely they were lying, exaggerating. He hadn’t seen them drink before, perhaps they handled their alcohol better than most.

“Is that so? Surely then you must have been looking for somewhere quiet to relax and I’ve intruded on your solitude and quite ruined your whole evening,”

Wyll was only half joking, trying to hide the fact that he was nervous, second-guessing himself. He scanned their face intently. Surely he must have misread the signs. 

“I wasn’t looking for solitude, actually,”

Majexatli shifted again, just barely, the hand they were leaning on moving over just enough that they brushed Wyll’s own hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see they were clutching something tightly in their other hand.

After a moment, Wyll slowly moved his hand over Majexatli’s. He was almost afraid, worried Majexatli might get spooked and bolt like a cornered animal. But they stayed, half turning towards him, eyes wide.

“I—It’s a long shot, but- maybe you’ve grown fond of me. Gods know I’ve grown fond of you.”

He heard Majexatli’s breath hitch.

“I think I do, have feelings for you that is,” Majexatli said slowly, occasionally flicking their eyes over to meet his.

“Then we share a similar affliction, though I can’t say I’ve earned the honor,” Wyll let out a half-laugh, “The Blade hasn’t really lived up to own reputation, I haven’t even managed to kill a single devil,”

It was true—Majexatli hadn’t seen the best of The Blade. They saw him nearly kill an innocent woman, saw him get dragged through the hells in punishment, saw the tight grip Mizora had on him. What must they think of him? If his patron punished him for being good and he hadn’t been punished like this before.

Majexatli pulled back slightly, and Wyll braced himself for rejection.

“You don't need to be the Blade of Frontiers, Wyll,” Was what Majexatli said instead, looking almost hurt, “You’re more than just the Blade,”

“The Blade is my best self, some days I even live up to it,”

Majexatli was quiet for a moment, eyes distant, face stony. What Wyll wouldn’t give to see them smile, relax, feel at ease. They looked far older than they were, aged by a constant stress and frown that seemed unfitting of a druid. As the quiet carried on, Wyll couldn’t help a gnawing guilt, that he was only adding to their stress, adding unnecessary layers to an already awful situation. Majexatli could be celebrating and drinking at a party in their honor, but instead, they were at Wyll’s side, looking more melancholy than ever.

“Does it hurt?” Majexatli asked eventually, breaking the silence.

“I— pardon?”

The question caught Wyll off guard, he wasn’t even sure what they meant. 

“Having a title you feel you aren’t living up to? Does it hurt?” Majexatli continued, “Is the Blade who you are, or is it a role, a front, character, boots you can never fill that contain some ephemeral worth?”

“What brought this on?”

Majexatli looked up at the stars above, they opened their mouth to speak but stopped themselves, tail flicking at their side.

“What happened in the Grove… with Kagha, the way she named me Faithwarden,”

Wyll wasn’t too familiar with druid customs, but he had been able to sense that it was something meaningful. He saw the surprise on the other druids’ faces as Kagha named them Faithwarden, placing the quarterstaff in their hands that radiated a faint golden light.

“I hear it’s quite an honor, you deserve it, for all you did at the Grove. I don’t know much of Silvanus, but you seem to honor his teachings well,”

Majexatli almost flinched at his words.

At their reaction, their visceral disgust, something clicked in Wyll’s mind, a puzzle piece falling into place. As enigmatic and stoic as Majexatli was, all of the little slips in their mask were compounding. Their discomfort in the Grove, their unusual coldness towards Calnys there, their seeming contempt for Wyll’s congratulations and mention of Silvanus…

“I don’t care for the title,” Majexatli said, then added, almost inaudible, “Not this time,”

There was something just beneath the surface, just out of reach.

“This time?”

For the briefest moment, he felt his tadpole twitch, flashes of images in his mind. Pale hands braiding dark curly hair. The feel of fine robes with delicate elven embroidery. Butterflies in stomach, kneeling before an older half-elf before a crowd of druids. 

With a pang of guilt, Wyll wondered if he had probed their mind without meaning to. 

“I just... I need you to know that I care about you, Wyll. I would care about you if you weren't the Blade, I would care about you if you weren't a hero. You matter to me as a person, not a story or title,”

Majexatli’s hand found Wyll’s, warm and calloused, squeezing gently, earnestly, desperately. They had turned to look at him fully for the first time that night, meeting his eyes directly, searching for something. 

This was a different Majexatli than Wyll had seen before, unguarded in a way that felt more intimate than bathing with them in the river the other day. Wyll leaned in closer without realizing.

“I—I’ll try to remember that, but I’m not sure what I have without the title,”

“You’re enough,”

Majexatli still held Wyll’s hand, looked in his eyes, leaned close to him. 

“In another life, I can imagine courting you properly, dancing in ballrooms,” Wyll said softly.

Wyll would have given anything to see it, to live it. To get a chance to lead Majexatli and glide across the dancefloor with them. To see what Majexatli would look like well-rested, well cared for. For them to see him as he used to be, some version of himself more worthy of their affection.

There was a flash of something across Majexatli’s face, something unreadable. They regained composure quickly, face softening as they brought up their hand to cup Wyll’s face. A faintly metallic smell hit Wyll, subtle enough to barely register.

“I don’t have another life, just this one, where I met you,”

Some skeptical part of Wyll had wondered if it had all been a ploy, that Majexatli simply craved intimacy with anyone and he was just romantic enough to fall for it. There was no way they meant what they said, there had to be some hidden motive, and yet—

Majexatli’s calloused thumb stroked his cheek with such tenderness.  

Hells. 

Wyll could court them in this life, even if he was a devil and they both had tadpoles in their heads and the Absolute threatening them at every turn. As much as he wanted it to be perfect, as much as he wanted to take his time—

Wyll leaned in, slowly, cautiously, half expecting Majexatli to stop him. Instead, they closed the distance, pressing their chapped lips to his softly.

The kiss lasted only a moment, Wyll’s hand finding their waist as he kissed back, Majexatli still cupping his cheek with a gentleness he hadn’t seen them show before. He had to stop himself from clinging to them and kissing back with the fevered desperation he felt, trying to chase the warmth and safety he felt in their arms.

“I—well, then,” Wyll started, cheeks burning hot as he pulled away, “Erm, you've got a party to get back to. After all, tonight is about you.”

“Of course. Goodnight, Wyll,”

Majexatli nodded with a faint smile, standing up and immediately being consumed by golden light as they once again assumed their wolf form. They trotted off towards the woods, towards camp Wyll hoped. 

As they disappeared in the treeline, Wyll realized a taste lingered on his lips. 

Not wine.

Blood.

[mumms-the-word]

Okay don’t come for me Halsin-enthusiasts and werebear truthers because like for the most part I agree with everything you say, and this is not one of my usual well-thought out deep dives, this is me rambling because I have questions BUT

One thing I love that hasn’t really been talked about (unless I missed it) is how good Halsin is with kids and how that’s distinctly NOT a male bear trait? Like, actually, Halsin deciding to adopt 30 kids actually kind of goes against what he says is his well-defined and very established nature. It’s very un-bear-like of him to want to raise kiddos

I mean maybe it’s a female bear trait but like hear me out

Male bears tend to mate with female bears and then leave. In some rare cases they will outright attack and kill cubs to mate with female bears (but this doesn’t happen often because mama bears WILL fight you and male bears aren’t looking for a fight they’re looking for fun). But for the most part a male bear dips out after mating and does his own thing for several months until it’s mating season again and then he’s like “knock knock guess whose back again no I will not be paying child support”

So like

If Halsin is a werebear, do wearbears have different behaviors? If not wearbear, then what else is influencing this desire to build a big family and settle down?

Are Halsin’s affections for/talent for raising a whole gaggle of kiddos a wood elf thing, a Druid thing, or something else?

I mean it could just be that this is an accidental overlooked thing despite that Halsin’s writer(s) are pretty intentional about writing him with a lot of “haha what a bear thing to do” traits (loving honey, etc) but we can probably headcanon our way into an explanation right

I’m only making a big deal out of this confusion in my mind because Halsin makes such a BIG DEAL about things being “in his nature” or “because of his nature” and so on. And obviously his nature is influenced by many things, not just his cave bear form, his identity as a druid, or him being a wood elf. I just think it’s interesting that for all his talk about stuff being “in his nature” and insinuating that at 350 he’s kind of established everything he likes and dislikes, that maybe he forgets he’s still capable of growth and change

On the same note, I find it so interesting that when you romance him he’s specifically like “the wolf mates for life, but the bear roams free and partners as its instinct dictates. I need to stay true to my nature and you to yours.” I mean, he’s being a bit reductive about wolves and bears alike here, but my point is that he’s constructing his polyamory as a bear-like behavior instead of being like “I was raised this way” as a wood elf, because wood elves are super poly too and that could have easily been the reference he went with

If I recall, his preference for roaming is also considered a bear-like behavior? In the dryad love test, the question “When is he most comfortable” has two correct answers: when he’s in the form of a bear, clad in nothing but fur (he says that’s a fair assumption but not the truest answer) OR saying that comfort doesn’t come naturally because he’s always restless and roaming (he approves of this answer more and says “Comfort is for the farm animal, snug in its pen.”). Roaming is…well a trait for any wild animal, but could be coded to a male bear specifically I guess…but anyway at the very least he makes this connection to being like a roaming wild animals over a settled domestic animal

So we have a Halsin who admits that roaming and avoiding comfort are things that are true to his nature…and yet he decides he’s going to build a community/commune out in the ruins of Thaniel’s lands and raise like 30 kids on his own/semi-communally. Which is not really a bear or wood elf thing to do (if we’re being super reductive about bears and wood elves, neither of which are monoliths, and also I could be wrong about wood elves because I can’t find much about their familial structures)

I’m not saying it’s inconsistent—because it’s not inconsistent to Halsin’s overall character. The minute I heard Halsin say that was his plan I was like “this is absolutely something you would do you great mad bear take me with you” (and then I was upset when I couldn’t go with him because it was patch 3 days and I was SAD). Like if you listen to him talk enough in Act 3, especially after visiting Jaheira’s house, that man has wanted a family for forever, and he has a big heart for refugees, the displaced, and children in particular

So, speculation, I think Halsin choosing to build a community and go from 0-100 on the family-building process is actually indicative of him realizing that now that he’s not an archdruid, and now that the shadow curse is fixed, he can remake himself into something of HIS choosing. Something that isn’t “dictated by nature” but aligns with his desires and motivations as a complex person. He says comfort is for the farm animal, but he builds a home in nature where his children will be safe and comfortable. He’s not making them a big nomadic tribe, they’re all in one safe space together. That could be seen as contradictory, but instead I think it just shows that he’s still a malleable person who needs a minute to grow into the idea that he can now be whatever he wants

And he chooses to be Daddy Halsin. He doesn’t even wait to see if his romanced partner (if he has one) is coming with him on this sudden about-face venture. He’s like “I’ve got nine wagons of kids who are already calling me Daddy and we’re leaving in two hours” like this dream is SO IMPORTANT for him. It overdrives nature and druidic duty and everything else. It very nearly overrides his love for his romanced partner

I mean it did kind of override it in earlier patches but the epilogue now lets us join him and patch 6 now let’s us openly be like “Halsin you ass I’m coming with you” when I say I slammed that button so hard let me TELL YOU but anyway his romance is not really going to influence his dream of having a family. He’s gonna raise those kids whether his current romantic partner there or not (but he will be disappointed and sad about his partner not joining him tho because obviously that stings)

Anyway I’m just rambling at this point. My question is this: do you think that Halsin’s desire for kids comes from a specific “part of his nature” (bear, werebear, druid, wood elf) or does it come from some other part of him as a person, or do you think it’s a moment where he realizes he can just decide things for himself and that he doesn’t always have to let nature dictate who he is?

Thoughts??

If you made it this far congrats you get a Golden Halsin :’)

[all-pacas]

Have we done the BG3 daemon AU yet?

Shadowheart's is a mouse. Was a mouse. Small and gray and soft. Does Shar allow daemons? Is it the last thing she's meant to give up? She hides it, for being so small and soft. They'd tease her, for having something so small, for being prey. She hides him in her sleeve or a pocket, even with the others. Out of sight and hidden.

Lae'zel has a wolf, an astral dog. Big and lean and fierce and strong. Loyal and brave and surprisingly calm. He keeps to himself, but is never aggressive in camp. Wags his tail, explores on his own. Tears out throats in battle. They are very close; she calls him a word Gith'yanki word that doesn't mean daemon as much as it means partner. The fighter you can trust the most. In the privacy of her tent, she sleeps with his stomach as a pillow.

Gale's daemon is not Tara. It's a crow, large and smart and preening. Tara pretends to hate her for being a bird; she'd cuddle her as a fledgling. Gale always thought he'd have a cat daemon; Tara always suspected it would be a bird, though she thought he'd have something brighter, more flashy. The crow is beautiful. Gleaming blue-black feathers, perfectly groomed. Smart as a whip and always getting into things. Bags, people's tents, trouble. Comes to sit on Gale's shoulder often, but prefers to fly and explore on her own.

Duke Ravengard actually does have a raven familiar. Wyll does not. He has a hyena. She was a late settler, and only settled on her final form after he Contracted with Mizora. Hyenas are smart, loyal, take wonderful care of their young, are very social and live in large groups. They also have reputations as dirty scavengers who often turn into Gnolls. Wyll's daemon is scuffed up as he is, lean and bony and with a torn ear. She's loyal, brave, will share her prey with others, and takes care of Wyll a bit like he's her cub. They like to play fight, and are very close. He'll often idly lay a hand on her as he talks, she rubs up against him like an overgrown cat.

Karlach has a bear, a black bear. Smaller than you'd think, cuddly and a bit lazy, and she talks about him like he's a tiny little boy no bigger than Shadowheart's daemon. Until, of course, it's time for a fight. They'll play-wrestle and it'll look really brutal, but he's the biggest sweetie on the planet, and a bit shy out of battle.

The undead do not have daemons. Astarion's died with him, centuries ago. He says he doesn't remember what she was; this is probably a lie, but one the others are too polite to call him out on.

Halsin and Jaheira are druids, and their daemons like themselves can still shift. Halsin's daemon is particularly changeable: you'd think she'd be a bear, and sometimes she is, but she's curious and has serious wanderlust and prefers smaller forms, songbirds and badgers and geckos to better explore. Jaheira's daemon prefers a fox form, complaining that he, too, is getting on a bit and shifting is too much work. As with Jaheira, it's all lies: he's as sharp and quick as ever.

Minsc's daemon is, somehow, Boo.

[piccogirl]

Tavember Day #2 is Lover I don't have direct shipping names for any of the pairings, but something that could perhaps be called a working title? Especially as I'm trying to write a few little things under these names. But I have no idea how to write almost whole books....and I am slow!!

A'amonduth and Lae'zel

Path of Silver Steel and Copper Scales

Lae'zel likes to call him My Dragon, My Silver, Scale-Boy or even Old Man. A'amon would call her My Fury or My Queen. But he also likes to use the simple, affectionate names like Darling, Love, Dearest. And in some situations Mistress.

Tronoth and Halsin

Tranquillity under the Oak tree

Halsin uses the usual terms of endearment such as My Love, My Heart or Darling. But he also likes to use Little Wolf, My Wolf or My Ranger. And very rarely Honey pot. Tronoth doesn't use many pet names, but he likes to call Halsin Big Bear or Honey Bear.

Dederich and Gale

Pages of my Heart's Potions

I think Gale, as well as Dederich, have a wide arsenal of pet names for each other. Dederich in particular almost always has a different pet name for his Gale. But there are a few that always come back. For example, Dederich likes to call Gale My Apple or Apple Mine, My Volley, My Tempest. And Gale often uses My Rose, My Spark or Sweetheart.

[wellthebardsdead]

*One more of the devil of the emerald grove because I need it*

———

Falûne: *old enough now to walk and talk, clip clopping around his and Halsins room giggling as he avoids getting dressed for bed*

Halsin: *nabs him and slips him into his night robe* Got you little jaybird!

Falûne: *squeals and kicks and flutters his little wings happily, giggling as Halsin tickles him before placing him in his bed, his pet piglet hen climbing up to cuddle* where papa going tomorrow?

Halsin: I won’t be gone long little one, just heading into moonhaven to ask the remaining residents for some advice.

Falûne: Is it about the wolf lady again?

Halsin: *sighs* yes… it’s about… her again…

Falûne: … *sits up and hugs him, so tiny he can’t even stretch his arms around his stomach* you find a way to get through the dark papa, you can do anything!

Halsin: *smiles and pats his hair* thank you son…

Falûne: you tell me story about her again??

Halsin: another one? I’m sure I’ve told you everything about her already. Hm… well, there was the story about the beehive but you’re too young to be hearing that one. *chuckles* ah… there was one time she fought off an entire hoard of goblins defending the younglings like yourself.

Falûne: *eyes sparkling* ohhh!! Tell me that one!

Halsin: *chuckles* alright alright, settle down now I’ll tell you…

*meanwhile, far beyond moonhaven amongst the depths of the shadowcurse*

Jaheira: *walking cautiously with her harpers* darker than darkness itself… stay close, our scouts said to look for the- *pauses as a large grey wolf trots towards them, a mild limp to her back leg and a moon lantern around her neck* wolf… *steps closer* Are you Aura?…

Aura: *nods and flicks her ears, two ruby studs glinting in the torchlight, gifts from a beloved bear from long ago* I am…

[haru-sen]

halsin and zevlor, the first time/moment they are something more than diplomatic allies (maybe fluff, maybe their first sex time together, feel free!) before halsin has to go with aradin to the goblin camp (ada-melodies!)

I uh...short fiction LMAO. (It's only 3,250 words)

The Nature of Guardians

Set pre-Tav and the events of Through the Gates of Horn and Oak. SFW

“They’ve been following us for the past hour,” Tilses said quietly. “Some of the guards are getting nervous about the wolves.”

“Remind them to hold their fire,” Zevlor said, his voice carrying. Damays already warned him that this was druid territory. So when a group of large bears, wolves, and badgers started to follow from a distance, he understood that these were no ordinary animals. Maybe some were simple wild beasts, but there were likely familiars and several wild-shaped druids in the mix, and it would not do to court their anger.

Zevlor stayed in the front while Tilses and Asharak went down the line, reaffirming orders. Cerys was at the tail of it, making sure no one was left behind.

“We’re taking the Risen Road to Baldur’s Gate,” Zevlor called out to a dire wolf that lingered close to the road. “We are refugees from Elturel. We are just trying to follow the Risen Road to Baldur’s Gate. There are children here-”

The wolf locked eyes with him, a disconcertingly sentient intelligence on that lupine face, before it darted off. Zevlor exhaled, crossbow still slung across his back.

They made it another fifteen minutes before an enormous cave bear lumbered out of the grass. It trundled straight toward him, not charging, but its intent was clear.

Zevlor halted and resisted the urge to reach for his sword.

There was a shimmer of golden light and the bear stood upright and became the biggest, most solid-looking elf he had ever seen.

“Oak Father’s blessings on you and yours. My name is Halsin, the Archdruid of the Emerald Grove. You look like you’re in need of some assistance.”

Before today, Zevlor had never paid Silvanus much mind. And yet, that was the god he was thanking when he and his people bedded down in a real shelter for the first time in weeks.

##

“My apologies, Archdruid. The young man in question was trying to aid in kitchen duties, however-” Zevlor pinched the bridge of his nose, trying not to think of the foul smoldering mess Danis created. “He is, at best, a novice.”

“You can just call me “Halsin,” Zevlor. We don’t stand on ceremony here,” Halsin said, sitting on the stone table Zevlor was using as a desk. “I came to apologize for Marcoryl’s outburst. It was an overreaction. Granted, the scent was foul, but accidents happen and druids should be made of sterner stuff. He’s just…” Halsin stared off to the side. “High-strung.”

“I think it would benefit everyone if we limit who’s on mess duty to a...trustworthy few,” Zevlor said, mustering a small smile.

“I have no complaints. I appreciate your people helping to clean up the Hollow.”

Halsin might not have complaints, but his second, Kagha, certainly wasn’t pleased by their extended stay and she was not alone in her feelings.

“I know our presence is a burden,” Zevlor said quietly. “I’ve sent scouts out to forage, but some haven’t returned. I’m...concerned.”

Halsin stroked his chin. “There are some troubling developments in the region. Some of our familiars are reporting goblin movements. You might want to limit your people’s range. I know ogres have been spotted in the area.”

Zevlor swore under his breath. “My scouts aren’t equipped to handle ogre marauding parties.”

“Most of my people are not either,” Halsin said, shaking his head. “We’ll have to monitor the situation closely and share information.” He smiled ruefully. “You might be sick of my face by the end of this.”

“No, I don't think that will be the case,” Zevlor said hesitantly, meeting the wood elf’s green eyes.

Halsin’s smile widened, a little too knowing.

Heat stirred in his blood, and Zevlor forced himself to look away.

##

“I think we’ve finally retrieved the last of Loic’s belongings,” Zevlor said, pinching the bridge of his nose. Cerys took point on that one. It was best if he minimized contact with Mol, for both their sakes.

Halsin leaned against a stone table, skimming some ancient tome while measuring out dried herbs.

“Loic’s a big whiner,” Nettie said cheerfully as she bandaged a squirrel. It was scowling at him, Zevlor was certain. “Can’t believe a couple of bairns pinched his pouches. He’s only making a fuss because he’s so ashamed.”

Zevlor managed a small smile and a grateful nod to the healer. “I...don’t disagree. But some of the children have had rough upbringings. All this time on the road hasn’t been good for their social graces.” Though thieving to survive was something Mol knew long before they left Elturel. He was keenly aware of the fact that his people had a reputation for being criminals, and he spent his entire life combating that viewpoint. But times changed. Now he would rather they break the law than die for it.

Halsin nodded absently. “The matter was hardly worth bringing to our attention,” He set the book down and finally looked up at Zevlor, and his smile widened into something more personable. “Have you eaten yet?”

“I-” Zevlor looked away. Supplies were dwindling too quickly now that the scouting expeditions were halved. The children and the other workers received priority rations.

Three scouts failed to return, and Zorru spotted ogres, as well as some other creatures he did not recognize patrolling the nearby roads.

“Of course not,” Halsin said, shaking his head. “Hold on.” He left the library.

“You know,” Nettie said, turning to him. “He really enjoys your conversations. Your knowledge of the history of the pantheon is impressive. I didn’t realize the relationship between Umberlee and the Oak Father was so...nuanced. I admit that I didn’t expect a soldier to be so well-read, no offense.”

“Ah, well, I suppose that’s fair. Many are not,” Zevlor said, looking down. “I received some...liturgical training in my youth.”

“Ah, a cleric of Helm then?” Nettie asked.

Zevlor shifted back and forth on his heels, tail winding tightly around his leg. “I was once a paladin.”

Nettie nodded amiably.

“Will you stay for lunch?” Halsin asked as he returned, carrying a large bundle wrapped in leaves. It smelled like smoke and meat, and Zevlor felt his stomach clench.

“I couldn-”

“No, I have to train Apikusis and Rath on advanced wound treatment techniques,” Nettie said briskly. “Enjoy yourselves.” She gave Zevlor a cheeky wink, before hurriedly exiting.

Halsin began to unwrap the leaves, the scent of herb-roasted venison filling the room. “Join me.”

“I should really g-” Zevlor began.

“I got up early and hunted it myself. I might have borrowed some herbs from Inwe, but she is getting a portion for her help,” Halsin said, his smile placid and inscrutable. “You are not taking anyone else’s share. You haven’t even been taking your own.”

Zevlor exhaled slowly. “Is it that obvious?”

“No, but I know the state of our storerooms and I know what kind of man you are.” He clicked his tongue. “Eat with me, please. Meals are better shared with friends.”

Nodding in resignation, and not a little enticed by the smell, Zevlor sat down with the Archdruid.

##

“Tilses has done wonders for organizing the stockrooms,” Halsin said, grinning up at him.

Perhaps because there wasn’t much left in the stores to organize. But Zevlor did not say that. He sat by the fire with Halsin, sipping the too sweet tea that the Archdruid preferred. The wood elf was stretched out on the grass, back resting against the split log that Zevlor sat atop.

“Tilses is excellent at logistics. If things had not gone the way they did, she would have made a fine quartermaster for our division.”

Halsin sighed sympathetically. “So why the Hellriders then? Why not the Order of the Companion? Seems more suitable for a paladin.”

Since leaving Elturel he had often asked himself the same thing. He did not regret joining the Hellriders, merely how he left them. But his path would have been much simpler if he had been a Companion.

“Some of it was reputation. I was an idealistic cadet with a young man’s pride,” Zevlor said hesitantly. “The Companions were a newer order and lacked the prestige of the Hellriders. And I suppose on some level, the Companion itself, while a wonder...never sat quite right with me.” The Companion, the heatless second sun over Elturel was called Amaunator’s Gift, and it was meant to prevent darklings and other corrupt creatures from assaulting the city. It was raised after the events fifty years ago, when the former High Rider was discovered to be a vampire and the Hellriders fought a losing battle against the undead. It was also the device Zariel used to drag Elturel down to Avernus.

“Prescient,” Halsin said softly.

“It was mostly a young man’s vanity,” Zevlor said. “And the desire to show them that an untrustworthy tiefling could be just as good as the rest of them.” He smiled thinly.

“You made Commander.”

“And lost it all anyway,” Zevlor said, waving his hand dismissively. “No matter, my priorities changed, as they needed to.” Zevlor stared at the fire, impressed by how easily the lie slipped off his tongue. Of course, his priorities changed. But the sting of his exile was not so easily dismissed. He worked for this his entire life, and what did he have to show for it? A broken oath and a dwindling population of civilians. “I shirked my duty once, and paid the price.” He stared at the fire. “But I will not make that mistake again. I am here for my people’s sake.”

“Admirable.”

“A necessity, Halsin. Not a virtue,” Zevlor said sharply.

“I did not want this role,” Halsin said quietly. “After my predecessor fell to Ketheric’s Dark Justiciars, someone had to bring our people home. The details differ, but the sentiment remains the same, don’t you agree?”

Zevlor nodded slowly. “Yes, I suppose so.”

Halsin procured a pipe from his pouch. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all. I used to enjoy a pipe on a rare occasion.” Halsin carefully lit it and took a puff, the fragrant smoke drifting up into the sky. He sighed heavily and then extended his arm, offering the pipe.

“No thank you. I gave it up.”

“Why?” Halsin asked mildly.

“It contributed to an image unbecoming of a Hellrider,” Zevlor said, recalling the High Rider’s words.

“Hellriders can’t smoke?” Halsin asked, a little incredulous.

“A tiefling one should not,” Zevlor said, bitterness twisting his smile.

Halsin snorted loudly. “Your commanding officers were bigots and fools.” He extended his arm, offering it up again. “It’s just us out here. Indulge yourself, Zevlor.”

Zevlor hesitantly accepted the pipe, relieved that Halsin very kindly did not say, “but you are no longer a Hellrider. Those rules do not apply to you.” They both knew it, but some things did not need to be spoken aloud.

He accepted it, taking a small draw. He held the smoke in his mouth, a pleasantly aromatic herbal taste, accentuated by the lingering sweetness of Halsin’s lips. It was almost a kiss. He glanced over at the wood elf and blew out a mouthful of smoke, wondering if the other man would taste just as good.

Halsin smiled at him in the firelight. “You look very regal ringed in smoke, Hellrider.”

“Thank you for sharing, Archdruid,” Zevlor said, returning the pipe to him.

Halsin just brought the pipe back to his lips and closed his eyes, taking his next breath with obvious pleasure.

##

The evening meetings were becoming a habit. If they did not see each other at dinner, well then Halsin would often seek him out later. When asked, Zevlor would merely tell Tilses that they were sharing intelligence and addressing the concerns that came from communal living.

Tilses and Kagha did not have a good working relationship, so it went mostly unquestioned.

“I...overindulged at one point. It is best that I do not partake now.” Halsin leaned back against the stone wall, and next to him, Zevlor was very aware of how much bigger the other man’s body was. He sipped his own glass of mediocre red. “I much prefer tea and honey anyway.”

“Don’t you mean honey diluted with tea?” Zevlor asked, the wine loosening his tongue. It was easy to get comfortable with Halsin.

Halsin’s answering laugh was a deep rumble that resonated in his core. The man had a dangerously disarming sort of charm. People underestimated him for his cheerful rustic attitude, something Zevlor was guilty of. But Halsin had all the cunning of his multiple centuries, he just hid it better than most.

Zevlor’s tail twitched and he took another sip of wine, determined not to overindulge in Halsin’s presence. The druid made him feel too relaxed, too comfortable, too sloppy. And that was something he could not afford to be right now. His responsibilities were to his people. He had already let them down so many times. Allowing himself to be distracted by Halsin’s considerable charms would be irresponsible.

“You look grim, my friend,” Halsin said, reaching over, that rough hand warm on his arm.

Zevlor stared at him, trying to muster a convincing smile, but he had never been good at feigning happiness. It was much easier to be a stern commander, but that approach would not work with Halsin.

“This is my face, Halsin,” Zevlor said, dropping the false smile. “My apologies if you find it disappointing.”

“Not at all,” Halsin said, leaning closer. “It’s a good face, handsome, distinguished even.” He slowly examined Zevlor with a painstaking thoroughness that held the tiefling frozen in place. “This face has character, much like its bearer.”

Zevlor stared wide-eyed at the other man. “I-” His breath caught. Who said things like that to a man like him? Halsin was...He didn’t know what Halsin was. Halsin was not one of his people that he needed to protect. Halsin was not his subordinate. Halsin was not easily defined. “That is quite the compliment,” Zevlor said, his throat suddenly dry. “You’ve rendered me speechless. I can’t remember the last time someone remarked on my visage in such a fashion.”

Halsin frowned. “Truly?”

“I-I was a military man, Halsin,” Zevlor mumbled.

“I’ve heard several of your own people comment on what a fine figure you cut,” Halsin said cheerfully. “You have quite a few admirers.”

“The folly of youth,” Zevlor said, waving him off. “They idealize a former Hellrider, and fail to see him for his many shortcomings. It is something they will grow out of soon. Likely on this very journey.”

“Live long enough, and you will realize that you have many shortcomings,” Halsin said, fingers lightly stroking Zevlor’s arm. “What matters is how you seek to compensate for them.”

“A commendable mindset,” Zevlor’s breath caught as his tail snaked along the back of the druid’s hand. His eyes widened at his own slip, and he hoped that Halsin would not notice-

Halsin chuckled, lightly flicking the tip.

Zevlor gasped, and turned his head, the heat of that touch traveling up his spine. When was the last time someone had played with his tail like this? When was the last time someone made his pulse race in frantic anticipation? Back in Elturel? Before the Descent?

It had to be a mistake. Halsin was just being friendly. Halsin didn’t mean to-

Zevlor looked back, to see Halsin watching him with those hooded eyes.

“Too much?” Halsin asked his voice husky.

Zevlor shuddered.

No, Halsin was too old not to know what he was doing.

“Perhaps I’ve had too much wine. I find myself unfocused,” Zevlor murmured, refusing to address the issue.

“Is it really the wine?” Halsin asked innocently. “I find myself distracted as well, but I haven’t had a drop.”

Zevlor’s breathing grew ragged.

“I’ve seen how you look at me, Zevlor. How your tail arches toward me when we’re alone. I’m not ignorant of tiefling body language.” Halsin’s fingers rubbed his tail and Zevlor gritted his teeth, realizing the treacherous appendage was brushing against the other man’s thigh. “I’m just letting you know that the interest is not one-sided, and if you wish to act on it, well, that is an option.”

Zevlor shut his eyes. “Halsin, that would be unwise.”

“As you say then,” Halsin said, his tone friendly and relaxed. “I have no desire to pressure you.”

“I know you wouldn’t do that,” Zevlor said. He opened his eyes to see Halsin staring wistfully at his mug of tea, still smiling, but the expression held a melancholy that he recognized intimately. Halsin led his circle much like Zevlor led his people. And it would be an imbalance of power to take a lover from those who depended on him. Halsin had similar views. Neither man was alone, but there was a certain kind of solitude that came from the position.

The poignancy of Halsin’s expression struck a chord and Zevlor’s chest tightened. He looked away for a moment, wondering when he had become so timid? Had he lost his spine alongside his oath?

Gritting his teeth, Zevlor, reached over, his hand resting on Halsin’s arm, savoring the feel of bare skin. “If we were going to pursue anything personal, we would have to be very careful,” Zevlor said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Halsin’s eyes widened. “I see.”

“Do you?” Zevlor asked dryly.

Halsin lifted Zevlor’s hand to his lips, his smile bright once more, like the sun shining through the trees. The druid kissed his palm gently, the warmth spreading along his shaken nerves and up through his chest. “I will be very careful with you, Zevlor.”

“It’s not me you have to be careful with,” Zevlor said. “It is those who rely on us.”

“Well, they are not here right now,” Halsin murmured, reaching out to run his fingers along Zevlor’s jaw. “And I think you deserve a great deal of care. I think it has been a long time since someone treated you with the thoughtfulness you deserve.”

Zevlor’s breath caught, the gentleness of Halsin’s touch taking him off guard. The damn man was too insightful, or perhaps he was too obvious in his infatuation. Still his arm moved on its own, trapping Halsin’s hand against his face.

Halsin smiled then and leaned closer.

There came a grinding sound as the chamber doors began to open. Zevlor hissed, dropping back as Halsin released him.

“Sir, the guards report mercenaries wandering around outside. They’re making so much noise, they’ll bring something down on us!” Tilses scowled as she stormed into the room. “We need to infor- Oh.”

Zevlor sipped his wine, eyes on the ground as he leaned away from Halsin.

The Archdruid sat a respectable distance away, also drinking his tea.

Tilses regarded them for a moment. “Oh good, you’re both here. I don’t know what you want to do, but there was no immediate threat, so we weren’t going to act without your permission.” “Thank you, Tilses,” Halsin said, sounding as unbothered as ever. Zevlor envied that skill. “I suppose we better go see what they want.” He climbed to his feet. “Would you come with me?”

Nodding in resignation, Zevlor rose.

“We can continue our discussion afterward,” Halsin said, his tone casual.

“That isn’t necessary,” Zevlor murmured.

“On the contrary,” Halsin said, smiling at him. “I find it a subject of great personal interest, one that requires my full attention.”

Still reeling from that declaration, Zevlor followed the Archdruid outside, to see what misfortune had come knocking at their gates.

[halsinsnaturepocket]

Gunna complain about a really stupid ABO fanfic thing under the cut

Gunna start with saying I have nothing against ABO / omegaverse fics, I really don't. I'm kind of new to it because I don't seek it out actively. It's not exactly something I'm into but it's not *not* something I'm into - I love the dynamic of A character is SO HORNY IT HURTS and B character is SO attracted to A that it's animalistic/feral and there's this insatiable, primal need between them, i get a little iffy with the "made for each other" trope bit thats totally just a me thing. I think it's fun and neat and if I get uncomfortable with a fic I know how to leave without being mean ((because I'm not a monster and I'm not here to yuck someone's yum))

I ALSO understand that Halsin being a druid who can wildshape easily lends itself to ABO dynamics

WHAT I DONT GET

IS ASSIGNING HIM WOLFISH TRAITS

He is a BEAR not a WOLF. he EXPLICITLY says that wolves mate for life and that's not his style, he's much more like a bear ((bears are very promiscuous, during mating season they can and will court more than one mate - and they are known for biding their time waiting for a female to be receptive and then when they fuck they fuck VIGOUROUSLY and that's why they LITERALLY LOSE WEIGHT DURING MATING SEASON. They usually leave after mating season is done but some bear species do have favorites that they spend time with after mating season is over and favored mates they return to every season. Yes i did research, leave me alone.))

So I don't get why we're out here writing knotting fics and giving him wolf traits when he literally does not adhere to any kind of wolfy way of life.

I keep trying to read abo fics with halsin knotting but I always end up backing out bc it just doesn't feel right.

Maybe I'll write my OWN omegaverse with bear dynamics.

Try and stop me.

Basically this is my call-to-action for ABO writers to be a little more creative. Give me a tav going into heat and halsin carefully approaching and waiting for the right moment. Give me some fun bear/wolf dynamics. Give me a tav that craves to be knotted but halsin simply *cant* because it's just not in his nature but he fucks them so vigourously and so frequently and protects them from other mates so agressively that it satisfies them. Give me halsin courting a tav in heat and literally fighting and chasing off other characters because he's laying claim to his mate. Halsin who literally can't keep his hands off his mate and its almost distracting how often he needs to fuck because she just smells so GOOD to him while she's fertile. Let me see an omega getting absolutely POUNDED by this giant bear of a man trying to knock her up all while fighting off all the alphas that come at her.

"I'm an alpha I have a right to her" "the fuck you do, she likes me more" and he's just so fucking large and intimidating and protective.

O R get really fun with it - Astarion or another character is an Alpha and Halsin is just Bear and there's a threesome dynamic

THERES SO MUCH ROOM FOR POTENTIAL HERE GUYS I CANT BE THE ONLY ONE

Are the rules for omegaverse that restrictive that we HAVE to use these dynamics based off of wolves??? ((Genuinely wondering since I've barely dipped my toes into omegaverse stories))

[atsadi-shenanigans]

Feeding Alligators 59 - Plans Within Plans

You deal with a couple of problems.

On AO3.

As y’all don’t got no bear around to announce yourselves, y’all decide stealth is the best option. You start on the peripherals, catch stragglers or small groups here and there. Gale can actually silence a whole room while the others move in and take them out. Astarion is as efficient with his knives as usual.

Y’all find a guy in a cage, lamenting the new cult. Goblins, turns out, have their own god. One this codger (you can’t actually tell his age, but little dude’s talking like an old-timer) refuses to abandon.

Gale lets him out, too.

Eventually, y’all wind up in the main hall at the front, where some goblin version of a biker granny tries to brand you. And then tries to mind-whammy you. So she’s got a parasite. She calls you a “true soul” like them people you fed to the owlbear, and she’s one of them leaders Halsin mentioned, so you suggest y’all talk in private and she goes right along with you.

You barely get the door shut when Lae’zel skewers her. Literally. Sword punches clear through her back, out her front as she gasps, and then Lae’zel kind of flicks the blade. And biker granny falls to the ground in pieces.

“Jesus,” you say.

“We waste our time,” she says.

Biker Granny has a bedroom with another ogress in it (you wonder if it’s the same one hooking up with Man-Wolf, but she don’t seem to recognize you when she spots y’all). The fight is short but mean, and as y’all are looting around, Karlach busts down a door that opens to a spooky hallway. Which leads to an inner temple that puts a sneer on Shadowheart’s face.

“Not a fan of this goddess?” you say, looking up at a statue of a woman in some ancient robe ensemble.

“Selune,” Shadowheart says like a curse. A moon goddess or something. Shadowheart calls her followers hypocrites and a few other choice insults.

Huh. You notice Gale eyeballing her all speculative, but he don’t say nothing.

And then Karlach finds and presses a button that opens a wall. Faerun really, really likes the whole “secret hallway behind a fake door” bullshit.

Below is a fuck off chasm with a ladder disappearing into the gloom.

“Hell no,” you say.

But Gale surprises you by offering to float himself down—y’all watch until he’s swallowed by the gloom—and then fly himself back up. “It’s a Selunite outpost extending into what I heavily suspect is the Underdark.”

You zone out a little. It ain’t murdering the two other ringleaders, and it ain’t getting the worm outta your head, and it ain’t fixing whatever inter personal fuckshit is going on between you and…and everyone and each other.

You ain’t sure how to deal with the other two leaders. One is their general—something called a drow, and the others looks real grim about that—and the other guy is holding a fucking pep rally with another dozen goblins in a room around a dead squidward.

“Fuck,” you say.

Which is when you catch the words “spark powder barrels” and “enough to light the whole place up.” You turn. Find two goblins chatting in the corner.

“What’s this about barrels?” you say.

***

The thing about modern Earth warfare is that people got real, real good at killing other people from a distance. Sometimes even killing people who ain’t in the same room, or continent, as you. Faerun ain’t primitive—that word is loaded with all kinds of racist undertones anyway—but they’re still more used to killing with blades and arrows and spells.

Y’all find a way into the bomb room through Biker Granny’s quarters. You give her cooling body a wide berth.

You and Astarion have been ignoring each other since he chose the lookout option, and he now stands at the edge of the group, cleaning his knives. But you seen him sneak, and you seen him climb, and he’s the best man for the idea brewing in your brain.

And maybe he’ll take it as an olive branch?

(You got nothing to apologize for in snapping at him about Rack Guy. You stood up for yourself, and for Rack Guy. Anybody who’s got a problem with that is the problem.)

“Astarion,” you say.

And he ignores you like a petty bitch. So that’s going great.

Losing your shit ain’t never accomplished nothing. So you reign yourself in, walk over to him, and stop right in front of him. You try to keep your body relaxed and your tone professional. “Astarion.”

He deigns to look up. Give you a smile. “Ah, our illustrious leader. What may I do for you now?”

Murder or lockpicks. His only contributions.

Your righteous huff deflates just a little. That part was uncalled for. Breaking people down to what they can be used for is fucked up farmstead shit.

You really look at him, the minute hunch to his shoulders, the flat eyes, the tiny tilt of his head. He’s a bitch, but that don’t mean you have to be.

Fuck. Damn.

Well, no time like the present. You breathe deep and slow.

“I’m sorry,” you say, trying to ignore the others around you. “About what I said earlier. You’re a lot more than I gave you credit for, and it was outta line for me to suggest otherwise. It won’t happen again.”

Y’all might not be friends, but he’s still a member of the group, and you’d feel like a giant fuckhead going around and making bad feelings.

But…he just stands there for half a second. His face does something complicated—a frown, confusion, narrowed eyes—before settling back on his usual, fake smile.

“Ah, for that, I can only assume you require something outside of my usual repertoire?” he says.

Which…how the fuck does the dirt potion translate something into French??

And ouch. He really took that insult to heart, huh? Fuck.

You close your eyes. “I deserve that. Yes, I’m gonna ask you to do something. And leaving that guy was a dickhead move. But I really am sorry for, for implying that you’re only your talents. Which you have more than two, and that was me being a jackass. But I’m sorry, and you deserve to know it.”

Again, that careful blankness. It only lifts when you show him your baby bird of a plan, all small and ugly and shaking around in the mental nest. He snorts like he can’t help it, and for just a split second, something genuine skirts along the edge of his smirk.

“You’re forming a pattern, darling,” he says.

“If it works, don’t break it,” you say. “It’s how the empire back home deals with everybody.”

“That’s the second time you’ve mentioned something like that,” Gale says. “When this is over, you and I desperately need to have another sit down chat.”

So you can spill U.S. military tactics you learned from the internet to a wizard. Why not.

“And if I run into anyone else skulking about?” Astarion says.

You want to sigh, but don’t. “Still hungry?”

“Always, darling.”

“I guess as long as you ain’t dropping bodies outta the rafters…”

The man lights the fuck up, a kid handed a hundred dollars and let loose in a candy store. He scuttles up the closest ladder with what you can only describe as sheer glee.

“Turning a vampire loose in a den of goblins,” Shadowheart says. “I’m not sure which part is worse. Do you think he can drink himself into a stupor?”

“He got pretty sloshed the night when soldier here stuck her soul in a jar,” Karlach says. Catches your silent question. “While you went wherever it is you went to, old Fangs came back drenched in blood. Looked like he got in a fight with a bear. He couldn’t even stand straight. Then he saw you, well, dead, and he stormed off. Tripped over a root, too, which I only noticed cause he don’t normally do stuff like that.”

…huh. Okay?

Well, he seems to revel in your ideas (when they involve murder or being a shithead). He stopped when you told him to. He was an absolute bastard about it, and he later tried again. But when you told him no, he fucked off (which hurt, you’re beginning to realize, because you apparently have the emotional intelligence of a potato. It actually hurt).

“I think I trust him,” you say, looking up to where he disappeared. “With this stuff, anyway.”

***

Astarion returns with good tidings. There’s a path along the rafters right over to Door Rags and his pep rally. Gale has enough juice to help float up the barrels Lae’zel and Shadowheart can’t hoist up (Karlach looks on like a dog told to sit while you throw a ball). It takes a bit to get everything where you want, but y’all manage it.

You have to step over three dead goblins stuffed into a corner. Astarion catches your gaze and gives you a proud tilt of his chin.

See? it seems to say. Not raining down bodies.

You give him a thumbs up.

Then you sneak off with Wyll to a wall ledge overlooking the rally room. Spot another room off to the side with some magic, floating crystal ball.

“A watcher,” Wyll says. Up close, he smells of mint and some kinda herb—you ain’t sure if it’s soap, perfume, or something he uses in his hair. “Someone is keeping an eye on all this. We’ll want to take that out before any fighting starts. Blind whoever’s controlling it.”

“Can you do that?”

He gives you a warm smile. “The blade will strike true.”

You roll your eyes, but you’re smiling, too. Then you catch voices, and inch further out onto the ledge. Across a wooden bridge, somebody moves. A woman in armor. An elf? Only she’s purple with a shock of white hair.

“The drow,” Wyll whispers, sinking into a crouch next to you. “She’ll likely be a powerful fighter. They’re known for their strength in battle. They kill any of their own who show what they consider a weakness. Which generally amounts to being kind or merciful.”

Because that worked so well for the Spartans.

Wyll must catch a look from you. You say, “I’ll tell you later. It’s stupid and impractical, and usually ends with a couple of people slapfighting each other for status while their nation can’t support itself anymore and collapses.”

And another idea blooms in your head. Which you share with him.

He considers a moment. Nods slowly. “Alright, it seems a sound strategy. I’m beginning to see a pattern with you.”

Which, what the fuck does that even mean?

But y’all need to move. The longer y’all camp out up here, the more likely somebody gets spotted. You both sneak back to join the others.

Previous - Index - Next Chapter

[ladyofrosefire]

Hello! I want to know more about Iris' post game with Shadowheart and Halsin! Do they settle? Do they travel together?

Bit of both!

I... am still picking my way through the end of the game so that I finish this fic I'm writing instead of leaving it in the WIP drawer forever and ever, BUT.

Iris did not, despite being easily able to do it, try to talk Shadowheart into saving her parents. When you have the ability to talk anyone into pretty much anything (and have used that ability to kill several people), you do start keeping your mouth shut around people you like making difficult decisions. So in the aftermath, the two of them go adventuring and exploring and, when they get tired, they go to Reithwin.

Rebuilding is going to take a lot of time and a lot of effort. Sure, there are buildings still mostly there, and with a real community effort, 6 months could do a lot, especially with magic (there's a druid spell called Move Earth that could be very helpful for digging foundations). So Halsin mostly stays, although they would tempt him away for shorter excursions. And, I imagine, they occasionally bring people in need of safe places to the town.

Between adventures, they rest. Resting does include Shadowheart helping the healers (...turning the House of Healing into something OTHER than a horror show full of Sharran iconography would be rough, but it does have a good base to be functional again) and Iris stepping in mostly to help with whatever school is set up.

Maybe they stay for a week, at first. Iris brings out her violin at the Last Light and gets people dancing. Shadowheart takes them both down to the beach for a swim. Iris and Halsin find out Shadowheart has no memory of ever trying to roll down a hill, which has to be addressed. They set off on another adventure. They come back. They stay a little longer. Iris starts collecting beginner music books. Shadowheart finds a wolf pup. Halsin sets a small house aside for them. Winter arrives, and they settle in by the fire. They retrieve Halsin from the room at the Last Light where he set up and find out they're going to need to build a bigger bed. Iris smacks herself in the thumb with a hammer, which is mostly just annoying since she has two healers in the room with her.

And, eventually, they stop leaving. Not entirely— they still go out looking for people who need to find somewhere to land, and Iris goes to get more books or more music, or they go visit their friends. Someone sets eyes on Waterdeep, and they have to blast them out of the sky. But the house gets a garden and chickens and cats and a cow, and Iris starts teaching music lessons (much to everyone else's horror. Early days of violin. Small children with drums.) and people stop teasing Halsin about when he's going to build a house for himself.

I also like to think that Shadowheart picks up maybe two levels of druid at some point. She'd share Circle of the Moon with Halsin, and yes she would be able to turn into a wolf, but mostly she rides around on people's shoulders as a little white cat. Occasionally, Iris will use the charge from the Corvid Amulet to join them. It becomes a fairly common experience to watch a bear trundle by with a cat on his back and a raven perched between his ears.