#I do hc that some of the harpers follow after halsin to help out but there's nothing in canon to suggest this happens soooo

[halsinningiswinning]

Can we please talk about how weird the Halsin-raised orphans would be?

Of course, through no fault of their own, they're survivors of the unimaginable so a little strange umami is expected.

A wall of text awaits you under the cut. Gird your loins.

They would all have some serious trauma before even meeting Halsin due to the invasion and whatever else led them to be orphaned, then after the game he whisks them away from the city almost immediately.

Mind you some of these children may have been BORN in Baldur's Gate, and others may be refugees who spent gods knows how long just trying to get Baldur's Gate. I can understand that the city isn't a safe place for them anymore, and moving is a necessary evil, but that won't change the fact it may affect them.

Now Reithwin does seem rather close to Baldur's Gate in the grand scheme of things, the game implies it's only a day's journey apart. I'm aware the forced long rest once you reach the city is for narrative purposes, but it still gives the impression it's a day-long walk. The journey should be relatively uneventful from the view of outside threats, but moving that many children for long periods will be taxing on everyone. Assuming no one is lost or has a serious meltdown.

The cracks would begin showing immediately. Now, raising kids isn't easy and Halsin knows he's in for yet another uphill battle. However, the practical reality is that raising a child takes way more than love and good intentions.

Odds are that Last Light would become the first place the commune would set up due to its relative lack of corruption. They have rooms and supplies, and the building is in decent enough condition. There would be next to no privacy, however. Not due to anything nefarious, just simply due to how many people would be in such a small space.

Would these kids have time and space to actually process everything? Or would getting them settled in a fixer-upper situation where all hands must work to succeed keep them in survival mode for longer? They're safe, sure, but not thriving yet.

Now let's finally discuss the adults in the room.

Daddy Halsin, of course. He has a lot of love to give, and frankly, his own wounds of losing his family have also never fully healed. Wounds like that rarely do. No doubt he feels a great sense of empathy and kinship with these children.

However, he didn't exactly thrive as Archdruid. Through his own admission, he was too quick to absolve himself of responsibility. Granted he never chose to be archdruid, unlike how he chose to become a father figure, and intent can change what someone is willing to endure. The fact remains that raising wagonloads of children is a far heavier responsibility than being the leader of a small religious community of ADULTS.

Even if he were to forgo hibernation (which he almost certainly would, he doesn't have the same biological pressures of actual bears, even if the HC of him being a werebear is true) and limit how often he tranced (more dangerous to be sure, but many parents have to live in states of extreme sleep deprivation for a time) are there even enough hours in the day to attend to each child personally?

The other adult in the situation would be Art Cullagh, assuming he survives and is in any state to help. He's an interesting case because he has no obligations to help, from his perspective they just showed up at his door and moved in because Halsin said so. He'd be well within his rights to want to distance himself. The terminally ill rarely have the energy or time to raise children. It's a heartbreaking reality for many families who lose a parent while still having children in the home, but these aren't Art's kids.

Despite that, I believe he'd step up to the plate as best he could. He spent a century warped by shadows and torment, but his biggest concern was Thaniel. Granted, Thaniel was a magical entity that had protected Art, but that doesn't change the fact Art seems aware that Thaniel is just a boy. Art is a good man, practical, humble, and kind. He'd see the same wagonloads of scared, lost children that Halsin sees and would understand that standing by and doing nothing would be unthinkable.

But what could he actually do? He could offer emotional support, an ear to listen, and perhaps music lessons. Outside of that, his condition poses a serious impediment to being more hands-on.

He will also, realistically speaking, be the first death the kids experience in their new family after the move. The kids who have all already experienced the loss of their parents, now lose another parental figure.

Now let's discuss provisions.

In the modern day, it's easy to sometimes forget the truly Herculean task of feeding people is. We have massive farms, and legions of underpaid and often exploited workers to keep said farms functioning. We have fleets of transporters, on land, air, and sea to get the food where it needs to be. We have refrigeration, preservatives, and irradiation to make our food more nutritious for longer. I'm not here to discuss the negative ramifications of this right now when the game is making sure the population has adequate calories.

We also have a large portion of our society dedicated to food preparation. Every factory worker is who involved in making processed foods, and prepackaged foods. Chefs, school cooks, hospital canteens. There are people in the grocery stores who make hot food, or cut and prepare cold foods for consumption. Past all the people professionally involved, we also have societal pressure on women (predominantly) to be competent cooks, as many women are expected to cook for their whole families. In the modern day this pressure has lessened slightly, but historically we subjugated a whole gender to just ensure everyone could eat.

WHO IS GETTING FOOD FOR THESE CHILDREN? Is it Halsin? Because that also cuts into his availability for the children. Is it Art? Given his poor health, I highly doubt it. Thaniel may be able to supply the raw ingredients needed to sustain life, as nature does provide, but raw fruit and veggies alone aren't the best diet for growing children.

Odds are the burden of the eldest child will simply be shared among the oldest, or rather most grown children. They will have to step up and help care for the younger ones. Even if Halsin doesn't ask them to, most children can see suffering in others and are motivated to help. Some may resent it, but there will be many children who feel responsible for their new less grown siblings.

Now let's discuss species and how they age!

We all know the various species of the Forgotten Realms age wildly differently. Goblins cap out at a 50-60 year lifespan if memory serves, Elves can live over 700 years. These children won't all reach maturity at the same time. Some of the kids could live, marry, have kids, and die before their adopted siblings are old enough to even start dating properly. Some could have entire generations before others even have the nerve to leave home.

The children who mature faster will gain responsibilities faster, that's normal and natural, but the forced parental duties would simply be a part of it. Even if it is needed to ensure all the kids make it, it's hardly fair for the children pressured into caring for others. This is another burden people in our world have to shoulder, and we know the price they pay isn't insignificant.

I've more to say, but for now, I've said enough. I adore Halsin, I do think this is what he thinks is his happy ending. I also do believe that this fate is better than being left on the streets of Baldur's Gate, but let's not ignore the realities of what would happen. I tried to keep my headcanons to myself and instead focus on just asking questions, but I do have MANY headcanons.