#about my tav

[sweetestlittledarling]

Since I am I love some character development, I have decided to start answering some Tav Questions made up by Eeldritchblast (you can find the link to it down below). I will be answering for my three Halfling Tavs: Finley (They/Them Bard), Willow (She/her Nature Cleric), and Rabbit (He/Him Rogue/Bard).

Question 1: What was your Tav’s place of birth and raising like?

So for all three it’s the same because I actually imagine them all coming from the same small town (in some iterations they are family or know each other). I didn’t really name the town but I imagine it’s a small one where everyone knows each other and the community is made up of Halflings, Humans, and a variety of other races. The three grew up with happy early lives in this small town.

Finley enjoyed running around pretending heroes with their friends. Willow was more likely to be helping her mother with her job as a cleric. Rabbit was only a toddler in the village often following around his sister.

Everything changed when the gnolls attacked.

Finley escaped with their mother, coming to live in a small one room flat above a bakery. Finley had a loving upbringing between their mother and their mother’s former adventuring party. Their mother was a pillar of the community and a hero to Finley who dreamed of being a bard just like their mother.

Willow also escaped with her mother though they came to live in the upper city in Willow’s stepfather’s home as her mother remarried a well off dwarf. Willow had everything they could want but found themselves feeling a bit at odds as all they wanted was to be in nature. Though her adoptive family was more on the upper crust, Willow was more down to earth and did not enjoy the fancy parties or dresses.

Rabbit had it the toughest as he and his young sister were the only two to escape. They lived in the lower city in a not so great part of town where Rabbit had a rough go through childhood and as a teenager when he fell into a gang of thieves. He was often around a tough crowd and his sister, though doing her best, was still very young and had a tough time getting through to him. Rabbit cooled off in later years but the early years were rough.

To find the questions look here: https://www.tumblr.com/eeldritchblast/735280148368310272/30-questions-for-your-tav

[underworldobsessed]

1, 2, 10, 91 for the ask game! :)

Tav Ask Meme (x)

1. What is their backstory and why did you choose it?

Already Answered Here

2. What is their class (+ subclass) and why did you choose it?

Nemeia is a warlock with a subclass of the The Fiend. So fun fact about Nemeia; When I made them for D&D, they were a barbarian. It was my first ever D&D campaign and I hadn't really thought about why, because even in that campaign, they had sold their soul to the equivalent of a demon in the campaign and their 'mission' was to infiltrate their party to lead them to their doom, but eventually they got attached and fought against the one who owned their soul... and I thought barbarian was perfect for that for some reason. I didn't even consider warlock, but knowing more about it now makes me regret not going for it back then.

For BG3 Nemeia specifically, Nemeia grew up on the streets of Baldur's Gate and wanted the ability to defend themselves. When they were in their teens, they managed to get contact with Fierna and struck a deal with her; Power and the ability to flee from the Gate, where so many bad memories were, and Fierna would have their soul and could send them to do tasks for her if she wanted. It was a good deal for them, so they took it and never looked back.

10. What was your Tav like as a child?

Before their parents were killed, Nemeia was a very excited child, very playful and tried to make friends with everyone they possibly could. They were outgoing and kind, but also mischievous and liked to mess with people, especially the members of the Flaming Fist. They had a small temper that grew as they aged, but they mostly learned to manage it well at a young age.

But a lot changed when their parents were murdered.

They still had many of those kindhearted traits, but they were quickly subdued when they realized the world wasn't kind to an orphaned tiefling child. They did their best to still remain kind when most weren't kind back, and their best friend (an orphaned drow girl who is the same one that the Emperor appeared as as their dream guardian.) encouraged them to stay kind despite everything because she had grown hardened, but they didn't have to. They tried to mimic her harshness, but found it didn't work for them, and remained kind, if not just more soft-spoken. They kept their control of their temper though, more out of necessity than anything else.

91. Does your Tav get a happily ever after?

Absolutely. It took some time for them to get that, especially since one of their lovers was trapped in Avernus for quite a bit of time after they defeated the Netherbrain. But, eventually, Nemeia got their happy ending in the form of living in a cottage on a farm with Shadowheart and Karlach and their children, Kurik and an as of yet unnamed second child who everyone will get to meet in the near future with my fics.

[weaveandwood]

What Song?

I was tagged by @an-excellent-choice yesterday but I was out of town for Mother's Day so I'm a little late! (originally from @profoundlyfaded!)

So, a little game - what song encapsulates your Tav/Durge? Post a picture of them, their name and class, and a link to the song that represents them with the reason why.

Auroria, Ranger (ex High Forest Scout)

I have been obsessed with this album since it came out, a lot of the songs were very integral in getting me to start writing fanfic and especially Gale/Auroria's story (maybe I will make a playlist). This song is 100% Ora though.

It's in our nature to look out for each other in the heart of the woods When there is danger, we'll take care of each other in the heart of the woods

As a ranger who feels most at home in the canopy, it's an obvious choice. She's drawn to help everyone, and loves being the person people look to - a good aligned adventurer to her core.

[taras-toe-beans]

Hi, hello! Any fun facts about any of your characters?

Hi! Sorry for leaving this in the inbox for a week. It's been one hell of a week, and I've been trying to come up with some answers in the meantime.

I'm gonna talk a little about a story I'm writing atm with Izzrhys. He has taken a Plea of Rest with the Church of Ilmater exactly one time, roughly 5 years before the events of bg3. He was helping with a disease outbreak, and patients' outcomes were not good. He worked himself to the brink of exhaustion, choosing to reverie in the infirmary instead of resting in his quarters, and withdrawing from the rest of the clergy. He made a turn for the worse when a fellow priestess died. By the time the outbreak has finally let up, he's exhausted, depressed, and he's having chronic pain flare-ups, and he is all out of options. Father Lorgan tried to convince him to take a Plea sooner, but Izzrhys refused until he was in an undeniably bad state. Yet, instead of taking a few days to just lie in bed and rest, he reverts back to old habits and vices that he thought he'd long left behind, and ends up having to rely on other people to help him move on.

Aesir, as I've mentioned before, is a dnd character from a one-shot. I'd like to go a little more in depth on what happened there. I do consider it at least sort of canon. So they are a half-elf, and their human dad has a thing for non-human women and has a bunch of half-human children running around Faerun. Aesir is after him for answers, sure, but in this one-shot, they met one of their siblings. They were at a resort, looking for easy (and rich) targets, pickpocketed a very drunk half-orc at the bar, and found that this half-orc had the other half of a "best friends" necklace that their dad left them. The half-orc was too blinded by the revelation he'd just found his brother, and didn't even realize he'd been pickpocketed. So yeah, in canon, Aesir knows of one half-orc brother, a wild magic sorcerer named Kroq.

That's all I've got for now, these two have definitely still been the main characters on my mind lately.

Thank you so much for the ask, hope the answers were worth the wait!

[underworldobsessed]

1, 11, and 52 for Nemeia?

Tav Ask Meme (x)

1. What is their backstory and why did you choose it?

Their backstory is Urchin, because for a good chunk of their life, Nemeia was living on the streets of Baldur’s Gate. They were stealing to survive and learned a lot of things from fighting for a right to live. When I created Nemeia all those years ago for D&D, I wanted them to have overcome something to become who they were today. In that time, they had the Haunted One backstory, which is reserved for Durge in BG3. When I realized I couldn’t do that, I considered their backstory of their parents being murdered at a young age and them living on the street, and I felt the closest to that was Urchin. I really loved the idea of that when it came down to it, so that's the backstory they have now.

11. What goes through your Tav's head when they wake up on the Nautiloid? Are they scared or do they push those feelings aside to focus on escaping?

Nemeia awoke on the Nautaloid definitely afraid. They remembered the tadpole being shoved into their eye and the mind flayers that performed the insertion, and were almost sick at the thought of being infected. They had heard the stories, read about what happened, and worried about what would happen next. They already had someone pulling the strings in their life (Feirna, their patron) and didn’t need an Elder Brain doing the same thing to them. It didn’t take long though for them to focus and plan their escape. 

52. What does your Tav think of Dame Aylin?

Initial thought? Oh she’s hot. Like Nemeia is already committed to both Shadowheart and Karlach at this point (even if their dynamic is still off until after they beat Ketheric), but Aylin is so attractive. But after that, they almost immediately trust her as she speaks to Shadowheart. They don’t… like the tone necessarily, but they can tell that she knows more about their love than she’s letting on, especially after the wolves are mentioned. There becomes an immediate desperation to free Aylin, but knows that Shadowheart can’t be pushed into making a decision like that, and needs to choose it of her own free will. 

Once it’s done, Aylin becomes a fierce ally and a dear friend to Nemeia. They find themselves conversing with her and Isobel once the two of them temporarily join their camp, and try to help Aylin after they defeat Lorroakan understand what’s happening to her. They know that she needs to do what’s best for her, so they understand when she and Isobel need to leave camp but are thankful for their assistance after. 

After their adventure and the Netherbrain is defeated, they keep in touch with Aylin, mostly through Shadowheart, though the two of them have been known to exchange letters on their own, and they owe her their life for the assist in bringing Karlach home. 

[taras-toe-beans]

Hmmmmmm, which characters of you would absolutely fight each other on sight?

Totally meant to answer this yesterday, my bad!

It's the easy answer, but my neutral good paladin, Izzrhys, would not only on sight fight Talaak, my dragon born sorcerer Durge, but he would also be aiming to kill.

But in a less serious (and also less obvious) case, I feel like Aratris would start shit with Aesir because they want to see this little rogue guy fight for their life. It would be funny.

As always, thank you for the ask! ❤️

[taras-toe-beans]

From "Uncommon Questions for OCs and their creators"

Number 11 for Aesir Number 1 for Roszira Letter C for anyone

— Kindly, @tavstavernofdisasterbisexuals :D

11. How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?

Aesir will always search for answers. They never openly admit confusion, but they always go out of their way to make sure they understand whatever they've heard. Aesir has a natural curiosity that has gotten them into a lot of trouble, sure, but it has also saved their skin even more often.

What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do? Roszira can't sit still with literally nothing to do. Give her five minutes, and she'll be restless, pacing, or finding something to do. She has a lot of more idle hobbies, of course, for when she has to sit around, such as sewing and reading. But nothing? She will get incredibly frustrated and antsy.

And lastly:

C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?

I'm going to talk about Aesir a bit for this one, mostly because they fit the question best. They were a kind of silly one-shot character before I tried to fit them into the bg3 universe. Their whole bit was that they were a half-elf with a bunch of half-siblings because their dad was slutting it up across faerun. My partner played in said one-shot as Aesir's half-orc half brother. They had matching "best friends" necklaces that their father left behind. It was a funny bit. I had other characteristics to start off with though. Aesir has always been secretive. They get uneasy when it comes to magical shenanigans. They have a hard time with emotional intimacy.

That said, I latched onto them, made them in bg3 years later, and they have a lot more serious elements to their backstory. I kind of struggled to fit them in, partially because they're not supposed to be Baldurian. Due to their affiliation with thieving guilds, I kind of figured if they were Baldurian, they'd likely be affiliated with the Zhent or Nine-Fingers' Guild. Which doesn't make a whole lot of sense in-story without taking a lot of creative liberties (which is fine, just not my cup of tea). After a lot of research on other thieving guilds along the Sword Coast, I found the Shadow Thieves and decided that Aesir probably got abducted while doing business in Baldur's Gate.

I'm still in the process of filling in the blanks, but they've come a long way from being "just a one-shot character."

That should be all the asks, once again, thank you!

[taras-toe-beans]

From "Uncommon Questions for OCs and their creators"

Number 38 for Leoryn Number 5 for Talaak

— Kindly, @tavstavernofdisasterbisexuals :D

38. What memory do they revisit the most often?

Another tough one! I'm still definitely building on Leoryn's past. I imagine one of their fondest childhood memories that they think back on a lot would probably be something with them performing. Maybe it was picking up a lute for the first time. Maybe it was their parents watching them put on "shows" in their living room. Perhaps it was their first time in front of a real audience. All I know is it definitely has something to do with being an entertainer at heart.

5. How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

Talaak is somewhat distrustful by nature, but not as much as people might think. She's the type who holds grudges. Wrong her once, and you likely won't get a chance to wrong her again. However, she respects one's right to keeping secrets, and generally trusts people she considers friends to make decisions that don't harm her. She hates the idea of micromanaging other people, and won't breathe down anyone's neck unless she has real reason to be suspicious. In other words, her distrust is not automatic, but she does not forgive transgressions.

Thanks again for the asks! They've definitely made me think on some of the characters I haven't fleshed out a lot yet.

[taras-toe-beans]

Hi! If you see more than one question coming from me it's mostly because I didn't want to flood one ask with several questions in the same post jasdhalf

From "Uncommon Questions for OCs and their creators"

Number 22 for Izzrhys Number 14 for Aratris

— Kindly, @tavstavernofdisasterbisexuals :D

22. How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)?

Izzrhys doesn't typically experience jealousy, but when he does, he feels incredibly guilty. He withdraws. He doesn't know how to deal with it other than shutting it away. He's usually fairly in touch with his emotions, but jealousy is one thing he never learned how to deal with. At the end of the day, though, it hurts him more than it hurts anyone else.

14. What animal do they fear most?

This one was legitimately REALLY hard, because Aratris is a druid, and would probably claim to love all animals. But they ARE a little bit afraid of anything that lives in the deep sea. They'd almost definitely freak out if they saw a whale.

Thank you for all the asks you left! Breaking them up definitely makes it easier on my end.

[taras-toe-beans]

Number 7 of the Solo question for Aesir

Number 21 of the Solo question for Iz

And number 2 of the group questions for the both of them!

Kindly - @tavstavernofdisasterbisexuals

Hello! Thanks for the ask!

7- If your character could have an infinite supply of ONE food, which food would they choose?

Aesir would absolutely go for an infinite supply of berries. They generally tend to draw more towards sweeter foods, and like to snack more than they like having full meals. This has absolutely nothing at all to do with them being crow/raven coded :)

21- Someone your character respects is coming over for dinner. What do they serve? How does the dinner go?

Izzrhys would more than likely have to ask a friend for a recipe. Something simple. Anything tried and tested. He's alright in the kitchen in that he won't give anyone food poisoning, but can't make much that tastes better than okay. Following an exact recipe, he might be able to make something better. Iz is an excellent host otherwise. He takes genuine interest in his guests’ conversation topics, he offers drinks, makes sure they feel welcome to stay as long as they please, and he's generally very attentive. After dinner, he offers to make tea. Somehow, through all this, he's not sucking up to this person he respects, he's just very hospitable, and it goes well, mediocre food aside.

2- Your characters have been locked in a room together for 24 hours. It is impossible to escape the room by any means. What happens?

Aesir is shaking in their boots at first. They're stuck here with this huge-ass drow that they know nothing about. Izzrhys is definitely the first to reach out with actual conversation. They'd absolutely be sharing life stories by the end of the 24 hours and would probably see each other again after the fact. Izzrhys is perfectly capable of making new friends wherever he goes, and he's just found this half-elf to adopt.

[taras-toe-beans]

Throwing Cernunnos at you. He’s a circle of the moon druid who was adopted into a noble family when his older sister found him wandering the woods on the edge of their property when he was about 6 (no family, no nothing). I can’t quite decide if he has a neutral good or lawful good alignment at the moment but that’ll come with playing him some more and seeing what happens. He’s deaf, he can read lips but will almost exclusively respond in sign (sometimes writing responses down in necessary). He’s probably my social butterfly out of all of my OCs, he loves meeting people and talking to everyone he can and tends to be very outgoing

So I imagine out of my OCs, he'd probably get along best with Aratris, my circle of the moon half-wood elf druid. They are very laid back and fun-loving. They don't have particularly strong convictions, and fall around true neutral. I don't have a ton of lore planned around them yet, but I do know they like to hang out in wildshape, and they would 100% be down to just hang out in animal form with Cernunnos, if that's something he likes to do as another druid.

As for some of my other Tavs:

Izzrhys: He would probably get along well with Cernunnos. Iz is an Ilmatari paladin, also aligned somewhere around neutral/lawful good, and likely has a lot of similar goals and values. He is a very friendly and warm individual and tends to get along well with social and outgoing people. He knows drow sign already and I honestly imagine he'd know at least some sign used on the surface already because he doesn't want people to have to rely on lip reading, especially not if he's doing his job as a healer. They'd definitely get along in the context of an adventuring party, but I'm not sure they have much in common.

Aesir: They don't really know how to interact with more social, outgoing individuals. It's not that they don't like Cernunnos, they just don't have a whole lot to say, especially since they have a lot of secrets. If they spent enough time together, though, I can see Aesir opening up.

Leoryn: They're super loud and gregarious, and being around Cernunnos absolutely would amplify that. Leo and him would probably hang out well in a bigger group, but it's hard to imagine Leoryn hanging out with him one on one- not that they don't like him, but because they really don't have common interests.

Thank you for sending him in!

[taras-toe-beans]

Alright, here's another Backstory Bash post! I've been dying to give them some more character development, so here it is:

Aesir Corvus | 27 | Half-elf Rogue, Thief Subclass

Baby:

Parents: Aesir was born to an elven mother in Tethyr. Their father got her pregnant and left, and there's pretty solid evidence that he did this to many women.

Birth: Aesir’s birth was difficult. Their mother was in poor health during and following her pregnancy. They nearly didn't survive either, as they were born too early.

First word:Mama. Pretty average baby stuff, especially for a child raised by a single mother.

When they first walked:Aesir took a bit longer than average to first walk and hit many of their physical milestones. However, once they started walking, they couldn't be stopped from getting into trouble.

Tantrum: Aesir was generally an easygoing baby, but they were really hard to settle down to go to sleep. Some nights, they would basically cry until they wore themself out.

First sickness: Aesir spent the first year or so of their life pretty sick on and off. Mostly small fevers, ear infections, a cough. There was concern about their future health, but by the time they were a bit older, their immune system mostly grew stronger.

Thunderstorm: Aesir has always been kind of skittish and was scared of storms when they were little. They luckily outgrew it by the age of 7 or so.

Childhood: 

Friends: Aesir grew up playing with the other kids who lived nearby. They were one of the younger children there and were always the target of rough play, and a small amount of teasing. Overall, they look back on those times fondly, and consider those childhood friends the closest they ever had to living with siblings.

Siblings: Aesir is their mother's only child. However, they certainly have other half-siblings out there. Their dad got around with non-human women, and they are aware of the possibility of other half-elves as well as tieflings, half-orcs, and almost certainly others. They know for sure of one half-orc brother who’s a bit older than them, and they maintain regular correspondence after accidentally adventuring together some years back.

Getting into trouble: Aesir has always had a knack for discovering things they were never meant to discover. They grew up in a place where the Shadow Thieves had a broad network. Aesir, at 11 years old, ascertained the identities of a few prominent members and was basically forced to join their ranks.

Birthday: Aesir was born the third of Alturiak. Their zodiac equivalent would be Aquarius.

Games: Aesir was the absolute best at hide-and-seek growing up, and often couldn’t be found until the kids were all called home for dinner.

Learning something new: Aesir learned how to pick locks shortly after getting involved with the Shadow Thieves at the age of 12. With their high dexterity, it was an easy thing to pick up.

Trauma: Aesir's mom was in frail health for all the time they could remember, and they were the one who found her dead, when they were about 9 years old.

Teenager:

First love: Aesir had a major crush on one of the girls he grew up with, although they never acted on it. They visited home from time to time even after they got involved with the Shadow thieves, but always considered confessing more of a danger than it was worth.

Rebellion: Around 13, Aesir decided to change their name as they got more involved with Shadow Thieves business, partially to make them harder to track. They did a lot of small, dirty jobs within the guild and lived a life of petty crime- but at least they were able to sustain themself.

Running away: Aesir repeatedly tried to get out of the grasp of the Shadow Thieves in their early teens, to no avail. They were faced with death threats and worse, as there was a high risk of them revealing the identities of their immediate higher-ups and a few others who worked close to them.

Reckless behavior: They were involved in a lot of heists, and as they grew older, assassinations and more high-stakes work. At 17, Aesir was assigned the assassination of an influential merchant, and things went terribly wrong. They were seriously injured in the process, as the target was within arm’s reach of a bodyguard. Although Aesir was successful in their mission, they ended up killing an additional person, and ended up out of commission for a while. They have several scars from the fight, including the prominent one across their face.

Peer pressure: Aesir was pressured by the people around them to commit a lot of crimes that they regret. Peer pressure for them was so much more serious than kids telling each other to do kind of dumb things.

Growing pains: As they grew older, Aesir realized they had no idea how to be a functional member of society. They spent a lot of their late teenhood trying to learn more about how things actually worked, how to go out in public places, and they started making friends again outside of their small circle.

Taking responsibility: Soon after they turned 17, Aesir was put in charge of some other Shadow Thieves and was given the authority to give orders and oversee their work. They felt extremely unprepared to give directions to lower down individuals, especially when their whole heart wasn’t in the organization.

Adulthood:

Their “first time”: Aesir’s first time was awful. It was with a man they were in a short relationship with, but the relationship was volatile, they felt pressured to have sex, and they were so put off by the experience that they broke up with the guy less than a week later.

Serious relationships: Aesir has been in a few moderately serious relationships, but nothing ever lasted more than a year and a half. They did the breaking up most of the time, partially due to anxiety over being found out as a Shadow Thief, or their lover being targeted.

Work: Aesir has never had a “real job” so to speak. They have been stuck with their guild for about 15 years, and thieving is enough to keep them fed and housed, if not much else.

Leaving home: Aesir did not leave Tethyr much growing up. They had some missions outside the city, and before they were kidnapped by Illithids, they were on an assignment in Baldur’s Gate.

Aging: Following the events of BG3, Aesir wants nothing more than to grow old with Wyll and settle down for once in their life- to separate themself from a life of crime and look for redemption. 

Finding your place: After BG3, Aesir is able to leverage some political power they have from being Wyll’s spouse. They are able to finally leave their ranks in the Shadow Thieves, and join Wyll in his adventures as the Blade of Avernus.

Starting a family/found family: Wyll and Aesir do eventually start adopting/fostering children. Aesir especially insists on it, because of their own past as an orphan, and their experience getting exploited because they were so vulnerable.

[taras-toe-beans]

I made heights for all of my tavs bc I'm doodling a group picture (I actually made Leo a bit shorter than they were gonna be originally but don't worry about it). And then there is Roszira. She's. Shes so little. She maybe comes up to Iz's hip. Maybe.

[taras-toe-beans]

Finally wrote up my backstory bash stuff! Some of these were definitely a real challenge for my tav, given that he grew up in the Underdark and is over a century old, but I gave it my best shot. Feel free to ask me any questions!

Izzrhys Illith'vir | 103 | Drow

Oath of Devotion Paladin of Ilmater

Baby

Parents:

Izzrhys is the child of a mother from a merchant family and a father from a family of weaponsmiths. Their union was mostly a practical one, rather than one born from love. They were commoners, but fairly well-off, especially following the decision to join families.

Birth:

Izzrhys was the second child, and the first son in his family in Menzoberranzan. As such, he was a bit of a disappointment from birth, but he was fortunate enough to be healthy enough to not become a sacrifice to Lolth.

First word:

No. Izzrhys was a very fussy baby, and easily upset by new situations. He quickly learned words to tell people to stop, to stand his ground. As he grew older, he learned quickly that this wouldn’t be enough to protect himself.

When they first walked:

Izzrhys learned to walk younger than average. He showed a lot of strength and physical control from a very young age, and it was much to his advantage, since his older sister, Malanna, literally tried to kill him in the crib. He had one more younger sibling- his little brother, Valdaer at this point.

Tantrum:

Again, Izzrhys was a very fussy baby, but he quickly outgrew it after the punishments he faced. Lashings, berating, having scalding water thrown on him when he expressed disinterest in doing what he was told. He didn’t throw a lot of tantrums, per se, but he cried a lot in private.

First sickness:

The first illness Izzrhys can remember having is a case of Scaleflake, which he and a few other drow children caught from playing in contaminated water. None of them experienced particularly detrimental symptoms, but he experienced a lot of pain and discomfort, and was ridiculed fiercely by Malanna.

Thunderstorm:

Izzrhys never saw thunderstorms as a kid, as he lived in the Underdark. The closest he experienced were heavy fogs that obscured most of Menzoberranzan. He was afraid of the fogs, especially since crime seemed to spike when visibility was low.

Childhood

Friends:

Izzrhys did not have a lot of real “friends” growing up. Everything was cutthroat, and he felt like he constantly had to watch his back. His only real friend was Valdaer.

Siblings:

Izzrhys had several siblings. By the time he was sent off to the military academy, he had an older sister (Malanna), a younger brother (Valdaer), and three younger sisters (Elthara, Alyxyra, Ilpheyl). He also had another younger brother who was born and immediately sacrificed to Lolth.

Getting into trouble:

Izzrhys never got in trouble for doing “bad” things. He was punished for showing empathy and emotion from a young age, and showing softness in the face of drow society. He was berated, told he would never live past ten years old, and beaten and tortured, even by his own family members. The conditions at school were even harsher.

Birthday:

Izzrhys was born on the 26th of Kythorn, and his equivalent zodiac sign would be Cancer. His birthday was never celebrated growing up.

Games:

Izzrhys usually shied away from games that other drow children played, but he did take some interest in watching Sava matches- that is, basically the drow equivalent of chess.

Learning something new :

Izzrhys was a very quick learner when it came to languages. He spoke mostly Drowic in his home growing up, but picked up Undercommon quickly and drow sign long before he ever needed to put them to practical use. He also picked up some words of Dwarven language simply by being near Duergar slaves. Izzrhys was sent to the military academy in Menzoberranzan pretty young, and there, he finally learned how to at least pretend to be cold, cruel and calculating. He also was quick to pick up different combat arts.

Trauma:

The better question would be, what didn’t traumatize Izzrhys as a child? He faced all the typical drow neglect and abuse of their children, was disconnected from his peers, and lived his whole life in constant terror. He developed pretty severe arachnophobia, which finally reared its head a bit after he came to the surface.

Teenager

First love:

Izzrhys was in his early 20s the first time he felt like he really loved someone. Vlondril, a drow hunter, and Izzrhys were in a completely secret relationship for several months. While their relationship was not super deep and very short-lived, they were both able to open up to each other in a way they felt they couldn’t do with anyone else. Vlondril always brought back small trophies from his hunts (think the teeth of an animal, a unique stone, an old piece of jewelry). He was killed by a hook horror while out in the wilds with his band.

Rebellion:

Izzrhys never rebelled outwardly because the consequence was literally death. The closest he got to rebellion was seeking romance and sex outside of his forced relationships.

Running away:

Izzrhys tried to run from his military academy once, after they tried to have him kill another student. He was beaten within an inch of his life and still forced to carry through with the killing.

Reckless behavior:

Izzrhys was a little older when this happened, but he had a lot of relationships with people he shouldn't, as he could've been killed if he was caught.

Peer pressure:

Izzrhys killed a lot of people because of peer/societal pressure. This was mostly during rites/to defend his partners/during patrols. He is not proud of the things he did, but it's beyond peer pressure. He did what he did so he could live another day.

Growing pains:

Trying to transition from academy to actually being a soldier was tough. He found himself hypervigilant around his peers, even though he knew they were to fight together- not be in literally cutthroat competition. With this transition, he was also forced into a family, paired with a woman from a prominent house. He didn't even know how to start pretending to adore her.

Taking responsibility:

Izzrhys didn't have much in terms of responsibilities, other than having to feign loyalty and protect those that he patrolled with. He did a good enough job at both, and by the time he was in his 20s, he didn't catch much negative attention anymore.

Adulthood

Their “first time”:

Izzrhys' first consensual time (obviously excluding the women he was a consort to) was with someone else who was a soldier for the house he worked for. He was about 20, and this was before his relationship with Vlondril. He had quite a few casual hookups before entering his first real relationship.

Serious relationships:

Izzrhys didn't have his first truly serious relationship until he reached the surface. He was in his late 80s when he started dating Alcraes, a cleric who worked at St. Laupsenn. He thought that they might have a future together, but when he had to leave Waterdeep for everyone’s safety, he broke up with Alcraes. He couldn't bear to put his beloved in any more danger, and things were already starting to get tough due to some unresolved trauma. At the Rivington/Baldur’s Gate area, Izzrhys formed other relationships over time. He had about three or four that could be considered serious, but a lot more flings and first dates.

Work:

In Menzoberranzan, Izzrhys was a soldier for different drow houses and traded to whoever he became a consort for. He spent his days patrolling and his nights doing whatever pleased his partner at the time. During this time, he sired several children.

After he left, he never got the chance to look around and find work. He recovered from severe injuries from his journey to the surface in St. Laupsenn and never left the Ilmatari church. He went from learning how to heal minor ailments to help at the hospital to wielding a sword in Ilmater’s name. After his move to the Open Hand Temple, he spent a lot of time aiding adventurers who needed a shield and helping the poor in and around Baldur's Gate. About five years into his time there, he decided to pursue joining the Order of the Golden Cup.

Leaving home:

Izzrhys left Menzoberranzan in his late 80s. He spent weeks struggling through the wilds of the Underdark, but knew he could never go back. Following the death of his brother and only confidant, Valdaer, he learned that the other drow had been planning to escape. He found some of his plans, made changes accordingly, and fled. He came to the surface near Waterdeep, where he was immediately met with hostility by a merchant caravan. He was beaten almost to death and thrown off the side of the road to be left for dead. Izzrhys was rescued by some clergy of Ilmater.

Aging:

Drow age slowly, and Izzrhys still feels incredibly young, especially having just started his life on the surface within the past couple of decades. He's never been able to imagine himself growing old. After all, Menzoberranzan drow rarely became elderly. Even after his escape, he always figured he would fall in battle somewhere, not die peacefully. He also knows that he's going to outlive Gale, and probably by a lot, but he's decided he'll just have to make peace with it one day.

Finding your place:

Despite the strangeness of having a drow as part of Ilmater’s clergy, most of the people he's been with at the Open Hand Temple have grown to love him. He has been able to freely be himself because he falls so in line with most of Ilmater's tenants, and he can do what he loves, which is helping others, alongside other like-minded people. He has watched many of the clergy who are humans and other faster-aging races grow up, grow older, and as such, he feels like he's firmly rooted in the order.

Starting a family/found family:

Marrying Gale is a big decision, given that Izzrhys belongs to the Order of the Golden Cup. If he marries, he realizes that he won't be able to advance all the way in the order. Yet, he understands that he can still do pretty much everything he wants to do without being higher-ranked. Actually moving to Waterdeep with Gale was an easy decision, since he's familiar with the city and has a place to continue his work. He absolutely loves Gale's family once he meets them, feeling like they fulfill a need that he never had met before.

[taras-toe-beans]

Ghost for both Iz and Aesir! - @kelandrin

Alright, finally got this written out! Thank you for your ask! I knew where I was going with Iz's response, but Aesir is still very much a work in progress, so I had to go do my forgotten realms research.

ghost: Who or what haunts your OC? What happened? How do they live with their ghosts?

Izzrhys is haunted by his 80-something years spent in Menzoberranzan. He's haunted by the deaths of his other male siblings, he's haunted by the killing of one of his daughters shortly after birth, he's haunted by the fact there are young drow out there with his blood in their veins who will never really know him and have no hope of escaping drow society. Izzrhys is even more haunted by the role he played in subjugating other races in the underdark, as well as the senseless slaughter he participated in, all in the name of drow rites and the Spider Queen.

He is very much not over any of it, but after 20 years, he's learned to hide his pain. Izzrhys tries to make up for the horrible things he did by doing good on the surface. He took up an oath with Ilmater, and he has helped in Ilmatari hospitals and protected clerics and patients throughout the years. He finds that he will throw himself into bad situations to help others, and has become very self-sacrificing as a way of compensating for all his wrongdoing and weakness.

Aesir is haunted by knowledge. They are from Tethyr, and got wrapped up in the Caravan sect of the Shadow Thieves while still very young. Aesir resorted to petty thieving to survive for a bit, but they were also incredibly clever. Clever enough that they discovered the identities of some people in the guild. Due to them knowing too much, but also having a relevant skill set, Aesir found themself stuck there. Despite their general inclination towards good, they have been caught up in a life of crime, and they hate it. They spend every day wishing they didn't know too much about the organization to leave and have a normal life. Even more, they wish they didn't have to harm people to simply stay alive.

Aesir doesn't know how to live with it. They have a lot of vices to numb the pain. But when they are tadpoled, and are lost from their superiors, they immediately go out of their way to start helping the vulnerable like they wish they'd been helped, and find it does more than a bottle of whiskey ever did to ease their conscience.

[taras-toe-beans]

Why would you NOT date Aesir?

There's no one big red flag that Aesir flies, but honestly? A lot of little incompatibilities would add up. I crave stability, and they're anything but. They've been in a thieves guild for most of their life and they always manage to get into all sorts of trouble. Not to mention Aesir's messy family situation. I guess there's not the issue of their parents not liking me, but they care WAY too much about finding their father and long lost siblings, none of whom they've met. They spend way too much time chasing dead-end leads to their past instead of focusing on what's in front of them.

I also think we probably have a somewhat similar taste in partners which is decidedly NOT each other. And when posed the question "do I want to kiss them or do I want to be them?" I definitely feel the latter. Of course I want to be the silly little rogue.