#and through talking to kasimir

[dexadin]

I just found your post on how to run Strahd safely (it's really good btw!) and I was wondering if you could talk about how you fixed Rahadin and the Dusk elves? I really want to run COS but I don't like how Mandymods handles them

Sorry for taking literal months to respond to this, I was working a seasonal job that was SUPER taxing but I am glad to be back to talking about Curse of Strahd on the internet :3c

Obviously, spoilers for the module below!

So I super don't like the way Rahadin and the dusk elves are in the text. I think that the module is incredibly gratuitous with violence against women in a way that is exploitative and gross, and Rahadin's betrayal leading to the genocide of the dusk elves is one of the most egregious examples of this. For that reason, I knew it had to go. However, I did like the idea that Rahadin still betrayed his people for Strahd, so I wanted to keep that. I've also been listening to a friend talk about his RAW CoS game, and Rahadin has been diminished to being Strahd's inconvenient and annoying manservant who keeps showing up for no reason. I think that Rahadin's relationship to Strahd has a lot to chew on that doesn't get delved into. After all, why would he keep making the harrowing journey to the Amber Temple to pray to his master if they aren't a much more significant relationship than the text portrays?

I've seen a lot of interesting ways to fix this. I think leaning into a brotherly relationship between Strahd and Rahadin could be really good in the right hands, especially if you play with Strahd "replacing" Sergei with Rahadin, who is endlessly loyal unlike his supposedly treacherous born brother. I've also seen some people just have the dusk elves relocated, which is.... fine? I think that you'd still need to consider the real-world implications of displaced people and not just disappear them, but if you're just trying to clean up the genocide, then sure. I really wanted to tie Tatyana, Kasimir, and Patrina into the plot more actively, while also centering Rahadin as one of, if not the primary agent, of the module.

Anyway, all the theoreticals out of the way, this is the hefty rewritten lore for how I actually did it in ATSBB (heavily inspired by "I, Strahd.)

TLDR: Despite Rahadin being in love with Strahd, he is ultimately the reason that Strahd ever meets Tatyana (who is Rahadin's best friend). Rahadin sells out his family (Kasimir and Patrina) in a failed attempt to make Strahd less interested in Tatyana, but the plan fails, resulting in tragedy across the board. I fully removed the racial aspects of dusk elves, and replaced their genocide with regional (not racial) military conflict that ends in most of them either fleeing to the underdark for safety or banding with my campaign's equivelent of the Vistani.

Rahadin was a young soldier for the country that was in the Valley before Strahd conquered it. This country was incredibly unstable, warmongering, and corrupt, so when a young Strahd swooped in with his armies in an attempt to impress his parents with his military prowess, it wasn't hard to crush his enemy and conquer the Valley, and many of his opponents were captured or killed in battle, including most of Rahadin's hometown. The survivors largely flee to the underdark and ally with the drow, or otherwise band with my campaign's equivalent of the Vistani.

Rather than kill Rahadin when he was captured, Strahd found himself impressed by his battle strategy, and took him in as his military captain. Eventually, Rahadin became Strahd's right-hand-man, and in spite of himself, Strahd eventually began to trust him. He even offers Rahadin's siblings, Kasimir and Patrina, a place to stay in his castle. Rahadin asks Strahd if he would be willing to extend the offer to his childhood best friend, Tatyana, which Strahd obliges. Meanwhile, Rahadin began to find himself catching feelings for Strahd, which manifested in unwavering loyalty and devotion. Strahd begins to court Tatyana, but is unsuccessful because 1. Strahd is a Weird Dude, and 2. Tatyana knows that Rahadin is in love with Strahd.

Once Castle Ravenloft is built, Sergei visits Strahd from their shared home country with the news that he would be staying to test his resolve and explore the world before completing his training as a cleric. Sergei is much more friendly and normal than his brother, who is businesslike and curt, and when he meets Tatyana in town, they immediately hit it off.

Strahd is immediately gets madly jealous of his charming younger brother. In his mind, Sergei represents everything he could have had-- a life away from the battlefield, literally full of love, healing, and the nurturing presence of his parents. Strahd begins to fixate on Tatyana and becomes desperate to win her over Sergei.

Meanwhile, Rahadin does not want Strahd, the dude he's in love with, to fall for his best friend in all the world, but more importantly does not want his best friend Tatyana to be miserably dodging his advances. He decides he needs to turn Strahd's attention elsewhere, and makes the choice to try to hook Strahd up with Patrina, against the wishes of Kasimir, who correctly thinks Strahd is bad news.

The rest of the story plays out as written: Strahd seeths in relative silence until the wedding between Sergei and Tatyana, in which he absolutely loses his shit. In his rampage, Strahd kills not only Sergei and Tatyana, but Patrina. Rahadin watches on in silence as the man he devoted his life to kills his best friend, her lover, and his own sister. He chooses to stay with Strahd as his chamberlain out of twisted devotion, but also because Patrina's death estranges Rahadin from the rest of his family.

In the actual campaign, Rahadin is a loyal servant to Strahd, who Strahd carelessly takes for granted in favor of his search for Tatyana, much to Rahadin's chagrin. Rahadin genuinely wants what is best for Strahd, and will occasionally take the risk to aid the party on the down low if he thinks it will make Strahd happier in the long run, or stop the party from making the same mistakes he feels he did. This dynamic keeps the party on their toes--they know that Rahadin would and could kill them in a heartbeat if they make an attempt to harm Strahd, but find themselves with a hesitant understanding when Rahadin will go out of his way to help them keep critical secrets from Strahd.

[zoetic-tome]

Prompt 14: Late Night Visitor

Prompt: Telling - FFXIV Write 2024 Characters: Ghyslain, Kasimir, Fleurant (@roses-and-grimoires), mentions of Vaast (@thedarknesssings) Content Warning:  Blood, Injury, Wound Treatment

Ghyslain felt delirious. It wasn’t surprising, given the sheer amount of blood he’d lost between his hunt in Ishgard and the teleport that landed him on his mentor’s doorstep in Sharlayan. 

He was a student there, between his ventures hunting. He’d been in lectures, done other odd work. But this was the first time he’d dropped himself like this on his mentor’s doorstep. But then, theirs was an unusual arrangement to begin with.

The issue now was the fact that he was certain an older man with white hair was staring down at his face, turning his head from side to side as he examined him. He could hear the hushed, angry tone of their voice as he spoke to someone out of his field of view. Fleurant, perhaps, given the sudden scent of astringent medicine in his nostrils, and then a sting as whatever it was met the raw meat of his arm. 

He was still too out of it to make any protest, his tongue thick in his mouth as he tried to discern the voices in the background, to piece together anything pertinent. Or, well, anything really. Instead all he got was a garbled mess as they argued.,

“Why in the hells is one of your students in your workshop, Fleurant?” Kasimir’s voice was roughened from sleep, and more than that, there was an angry, sharp edge to it that wasn’t usually present. 

“And why is he bleeding?” But he still dutifully held the man’s head to the side as Fleur traced the wounds that lingered on his neck and upper shoulder, things that Kasimir was sure that had gone unnoticed until he finally worked to mend them. 

Fleur’s face was a mask of concentration as he split himself between tending the bleeding man and arguing with the smaller of his two partners. 

“Was I meant to turn him away and let him bleed out?” He snapped as he applied salve after salve, until skin began to slowly work on knitting itself closed. 

“No, but dammit you’re supposed to tell us about these things. Did you think we hadn’t noticed?” Gold eyes turned back to him, narrowing angrily as the two stared one another down over the prone form on the couch. 

“Notice what?” Fleur asked through grit teeth as he stepped away to one of his workbenches, sorting through vials. These though, he was securing somewhere safe. The liquid inside looked like glittering dark rubies, and Kasimir thought he tended them with too much care.

“That you’ve been strange for a while.” Kas’ voice had gone flat, even as Ghyslain had fallen back into slumber. “You’ve been strange, and keeping secrets. Acting secretively. So is this a lover? Or something else?” He asked, gesturing down to the man near them. “I doubt it,” he continued before Fleur could interrupt, “but the fact that you are keeping secrets worries us.” Fleur’s ears strained for some thread of anger beneath the voice that wasn’t full of concern, and frowned when he found none. Dammit.

“I’ll…” Fleur began while Kas frowned as he glanced between the man on the couch, and his lover’s back. 

“You’ll talk to us tomorrow morning, after sleep. Proper sleep. And don’t think you’ll get away from it. Vaast and I will corner you if we have to.” Fleur winced at the tone Kas’ voice had taken on, and in the end he sighed. When he got this way, he’d not stop until he’d pinned Fleur in place and gotten him to talk, and they both knew it. 

“Yes, Love.” He acquiesced at last. Thaliak knew he’d never manage to outrun either him or Vaast even if he tried. Kas was still frustrated, and he could see it in every move the man made, and how tense he was during the assistance. 

The reigning silence lasted the many bells until Ghyslain fell into slumber, cleaned of blood, treated and on the mend. With neat bandages on the parts of him that needed more time and his body utterly lax on the couch, draped in blankets and with a pillow beneath his head. Kas had eventually shuffled Fleur off to get cleaned up with him.

It was far too late by the time they crawled back into bed with Vaast, cleaned of the scent of blood and medicine. Morning could come both not soon enough, and far too soon for all three of them, and with it came the complications of having to tell them both what was going on.

The time for secrets was run out.

[vanhelsingapologist]

//scuttles in

Hey you should totally talk about Kasimir

Kasimir And The Terrible Horrible No-Good Very Bad 400 Years

CW: Sororicide, Child Death, discussion of mental health, discussion on the nature of shame.

This is going to be so, so long. Disclaimer that this is our table's interpretation of Kasimir Velikov. Spoilers for Curse of Strahd and the Dusk Elves abound.

Guilty, Not Remorseful

Kasimir is one of those characters who seems to be very consistent in characterization across tables. I do believe that if you asked DMs to list their Kasimir’s traits, a majority would hit the Trifecta of Misery:

Guilty

Sad

Desperate.

A massive part of our Kasimir’s characterization is how my DM draws the line between regret, guilt, and remorse.

He feels fathomless guilt surrounding killing Patrina, but he never describes himself as feeling remorse. To explain, I’ll divide it like this:

He feels guilty because he knew it would have a repercussion. He did it anyway. Patrina was engaged to Strahd.

He did not expect the repercussions to be all that they were. This was a mistake, but I don’t entirely know whether he sees his decision surrounding killing Patrina as one or not.

He does not feel remorse, because that would require him to regret what he did (killing his sister). Our Kasimir does not feel remorse for killing her, and it makes him guiltier because of everything her death set off, not to mention the love he held for his sister.

He tells himself that he did what he had to do (he did not), and wishes there were another way (there undoubtedly was), which gives way to shame. 

"I had to do it, but I wish I didn't." "... Did I have to? Surely, yes?"

So, he has these interplaying themes connected to the overarching theme of guilt, all of which drive his every action in our campaign. 

He is okay with this.

He is okay with the idea that every day is a punishment. He did what he had to do, he says, and he believes he should pay that price forever. 

The Whole Patrina Thing

In our game, Patrina didn’t seem to be so much in love with Strahd as she was in love with power. My running theory is that she was intending to dethrone Strahd or overpower him once she’d been turned. 

Because (I believe) in our game, he was one of the first vampires, if not The First Vampire, she didn’t quite realize how spawn mechanics worked— and to that end, neither did the dusk elves.

The Story

Kasimir holds to the story he told us. He discovered his sister half-turned, having received two of the three bites required to undergo the bride ceremony. 

I believe he discovered her in the process of trying to feed (a la Lucy Westenra) and came to the conclusion that she had been irrevocably turned into this horrifying, unknowable dead thing. So he gathered the dusk elves and killed her, setting off the chain of events. 

In the years since he’s been confronted with new information regarding vampirization and the process of turning, but he’s also said that if Patrina hadn’t died, she likely would’ve gone through with it anyway. Is this to avoid heaping more guilt onto his shoulders? Maybe. I don't know. Despite his guilt, he still, interestingly, provides a justification.

We have nothing to contradict his word with.

However, he also told us that he’s been experiencing dreams where she tells him how sorry she is, how much she hates him, how much she loves him, and how much she would have changed if he'd let her live.

His foundational beliefs get preyed upon, because what if he was wrong? What if he doomed everyone because he couldn’t compromise his morality for a moment?

Kasimir’s Backstory Is Misery In Case You Were Wondering

In our campaign, Kasimir and Patrina were raised to be the leaders of their communities and witnessed Rahadin’s exile and subsequent alliance with King Barov.

When the Dusk Elves regrouped after a crushing defeat, Kasimir, who is a Druid in our campaign, was voted in to be the head of the remaining families, and Patrina, an Archmage, left for Ravenloft intermittently. 

I think there was an effort for peace being made with a marriage between Strahd and herself, but obviously, the Tatyana Conundrum came in (Kasimir Win!), and then a couple years down the line, the Patrina Conundrum happened (Kasimir Fail!).

By the time he made his big bad decision, he was not only the head of his community but was also the father to a small child and the husband to a man who would die defending their family.

So, as far as he’s concerned, Kasimir is almost directly responsible for the deaths of his entire family.

He’s in a constant internal battle between blaming Ravenloft— perhaps predominantly, Rahadin— for enacting disproportionate revenge and blaming himself for pulling the trigger. Two things can be true. And still, to this day, his remaining people trust him. He still leads them and protects them. Yowch.

Kasimir As The Moral Compass

While traveling with our party, Kasimir was militant about doing what he believed was right. It could’ve been because he might’ve literally snapped in half if he took on any more shame, but probably had more to do with the fact that he was likely projecting heavily onto our party. 

He held his hand on the metaphorical stove for so long that he has nothing but bone left, so when he sees the party tentatively edging towards the fire, he takes action. 

Because he lives in a cesspool of anguish, I think an argument can be made that he wants to ensure his actions aren’t repeated by someone else. That is for HIM.

How It Affects Dynamic

This makes him fun to have in the party, because not only is Sororicide “Hypocrite” Velikov telling us not to do things, but it also provides a good bit of levity to what is otherwise one of the emotionally heaviest characters in our campaign.

Having this ancient elven druid sternly ask if kicking the corpse of enemy #6 made you feel good and having to shamefully tell him ’no’ creates a bond like no other.

It’s also an interesting way to have him trying to semi-atone without explicitly expressing remorse. Because he judges himself so harshly, he judges the party by the same standards.

Kasimir Will Make The Same Mistake Over And Over

The problem is that shame is poison to recovery.

Kasimir does not believe he has a place in a world in which he is not suffering, so whenever he is confronted with redemption, he’ll do what keeps him rotting.

I don’t know how my other players feel about this, but I’m convinced that it’s not that he can’t break the cycle, it’s that he won’t.

In trying to do the right thing, I think he will choose the wrong thing. He will stone her to death again and again and not know why.

There He Goes Again!

It’s why I think these dreams are such a big problem. I think they’re goading him. Whatever’s causing it (the Dark Powers, Strahd, or Patrina herself) knows him well enough that he will make a horrible, horrible decision. As far as theory goes, I think it may really be Patrina, because who would know him better than his sister?

In our campaign, Kasimir is currently acting as a mentor to a half dusk-elven wizard/druid who habitually toes the line between good and evil. He waffles between wanting to save her and wanting to nip the problem in the bud, propelled by his profound shame for wanting to do it.

He knows he shouldn’t have anything to do with it, but whereas Van Richten isolates himself out of necessity, Kasimir creates this wall between them because he sees the cycle starting again and feels helpless to stop it. It’s like he doesn’t realize he’s actively recreating the cycle.

Sound familiar, Strahd?

He and Van Richten are two characters who might have the biggest questions of the nature of redeemability hanging over their head, and both grapple with themes of guilt.

I think they differ because, in our campaign, Van Richten is actively seeking redemption. Kasimir is not.

He can’t imagine atonement even exists.

[asharaks]

kissing your lover after believing you’d lost them for lysanderirenna … OR… a kiss shared on a rooftop while the sun sets for jasper/dealers choice? OR. neck kisses that turn into love bites. for kasi :3

“Having fun?”

He gets the pleasure of watching the Marquis’ mouth twist beneath his mask, lips parting to greet the man who's appeared at Dorian's shoulder. Watches him realise the use (none) and close his mouth sharp over the words. And then he stops watching him, because — well.

“I am,” he purrs, turning (rude, intentionally) to put his shoulder to the Marquis, twisting towards the Inquisitor. Doesn't bother to watch the angry flush rise: he'll never get tired of the Herald's brusqueness (southern heathenry, from the holiest man on Thedas) but — he's sure — there are more interesting things to look at.

“Come on.” Kasimir doesn't spare the Marquis a glance: beneath my notice, not important enough to warrant a greeting from the Herald of Andraste. Dorian drains the remainder of his warming wine, feels it settle beneath his skin, and bows.

“Do excuse me, Marquis,” because he can never resist twisting the knife, because the man's been talking down to him for the past thirty minutes and he's sick of being asked about Tevinter wines by a man who clearly wishes he had the courage to ask about blood magic, who's going to go home and brag to his servants about spending the night playing the Game with a Tevene magister — because Kasimir calls, and Dorian answers, but that doesn't mean he has to be gracious to these people. “Sacred duty, and all that—”

“Inquisition business?” the Marquis’ eyes widen comically. “Surely not here—”

And then Kasimir — the Inquisitor — puts his hand on Dorian's shoulder, and the conversation ends with a look. He's lead away, into the cool, jasmine-heavy shade of the covered walkway, and Kasimir's hand is heavy on Dorian's shoulder the whole time.

“Is it, really?”

“Really what?”

“Inquisition business.” The Herald's arm keeps brushing his side. Velvet snagging, imagined heat. Dorian swallows. Kasimir pauses — halts their steps, the soft click of boots on stone ringing with the blood in his ears. In the gloom, his eyes are pitch and quicksilver, royal blue turned black by candlelight. Dorian exhales, and watches Kasimir's head tilt. Watches his lips curl, that sideways smirk, never-quite showing teeth.

Andraste's Herald, lilywhite hair gilded in the candlelight, looking at Dorian (Tevinter, magister, the snake in the shadows) like devouring.

“You looked bored,” he says, and Dorian shudders. There's a note in his voice that Dorian can't place: softer, more intimate than is technically appropriate; he licks his lips (slower than reasonably necessary, just to watch those eyes dip) and smiles.

“So it's a rescue mission?”

“Something like that.”

Kasimir's eyes are still on his mouth. His lips sting like lyrium, like veilfire, like oh-Maker-please, and when he (bites) (shows teeth) (takes the bait) he does so with a sense of drowning.

It isn't the first time. Nor is it the dirtiest thing they've done, a slow, (somewhat) chaste kiss hidden in the eaves of the Winter Palace, but it twists inside him like a blade. Like possession, something inside him coiling sharp. Hands at his hips, drifting upwards: a hand at his throat, thumb over his pulse, feeling it race. Then the wall's at his back, and there's teeth in his lip, and he thinks:

Kasimir, negotiating with the Empress of Orlais with Dorian's blood on his teeth,

Kasimir, wearing Dorian's marks on his skin,

Kasimir, and he breathes it out silverblue breathless, and the hand in his hair tightens and tugs and his head tips back.

Teeth in his throat. Dorian sees stars.

This will leave a mark. Kasimir bites (Dorian gasps) and his teeth are blunt and unrelenting. His nails score Dorian's scalp: his fingers bruise Dorian's waist. Dorian presses into both, the hungry, hurting touch, and it thrums through him like a wardrum, slow-building thunder. He shifts, presses his thigh between Kasimir's legs, and Inquisitor-Herald-Kasimir makes a low animal sound that hits Dorian like a blow. Knocks the air from his lungs, knocks his legs out at the knees, and he pushes at Kasimir's shoulders, hands greedy, grasping, spins them around so he can lean on Kasimir leaning on the wall and—

—the Inquisitor lets him, pliant and passive, tilts his head back so Dorian can drop a kiss sharpedged on his bruised, curling lips. An indulgence, an allowance: it shivers through him, that lazy unsubmission, that heady promise of what else he might be allowed.

The bruise on his neck throbs like a heartbeat. There isn't enough blood in his body, vision silver around the edges. He breathes hard into Kasimir's mouth, and feels the ghost of his teeth at his lips.

Having fun, indeed.

[seluniite-archived]

7. Do they have their own personal quest that spans the course of the game?  Can it take different branching paths depending on the choices the Player Character makes?

𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙿𝙰𝙽𝙸𝙾𝙽/𝚃𝙰𝚅 𝙰𝚂𝙺 𝙻𝙸𝚂𝚃

I freakin' love this question tbh and yes. Eira is a fairly new cleric when the events of the game begins. She's got this deeply rooted self-doubt thanks to her trauma, but tries to handle herself with grace, feeling that Selûne wouldn't have bestowed her with these gifts had she thought her unworthy. She's always been one to put her faith in the Moonmaiden without question.

A COMPLETE EIRA COMPANION GUIDE

【 ACT I: CONFRONTING / TALKING ABOUT HER TRAUMA 】

Eira is a pleasant cleric, and upon meeting her, Tav will learn that she is quite enthusiastic about helping others, albeit a bit nervous. She's fairly easy to recruit and shows interest in helping find Halsin (she has already met him before Aradin's party sets out), but worries about the goblins that have set up camp at the old temple of Selûne.

She is not quick to spill on what has happened to her. She harbors a lot of survivor's guilt, and so much of her self-doubt comes from wondering why she would have been given her abilities when she was in such a fearful and vulnerable position. Losing the only person she's ever loved (Kasimir protecting her, taking the fall, and literally dying on her) in such a manner makes her constantly fearful that she might fail those around her.

Harboring all of that guilt without an outlet is why she completely loses it upon first walking into the Goblin Camp. If she slaughters everything in sight, she will be filled with so much guilt and dissatisfaction, even though these goblins have done some horrible shit, because she isn't one to act in such a manner. She's always been one to approach situations in a very diplomatic way. Tav would have the option of persuading her to not act so rashly, and despite a higher DC, she would approve and apologize. If they fail the persuasion check, she will disapprove and cause the goblins present to go hostile.

After the Goblin Leaders are defeated and Halsin freed, a GOOD approval rating will allow Eira to open up about how she got the scar on her neck. She will mention the attack on the temple, but isn't ready to talk about Kasimir just yet, so she will let Tav know that she narrowly escaped and the Moonmaiden answered her prayers by way of gifting her with her abilities. Trying to pry into her mind and learn more will earn HIGH disapproval from her, but a DC10 Insight will let you know that she is holding back on telling you more. She won't share more at this time, but will express that she feels like she's a lot worthier than she gave herself credit for, and will thank Tav for being such a great companion.

At the tiefling party, she is allowing herself to have fun for the first time in...probably ever. She gets silly drunk and giggly. If you're attempting to romance her and have a high enough approval, there won't be sex, but she will express that she's only ever been with one person and fears how inexperienced she is. The truth is, she's afraid of getting closer to someone in a romantic manner because Kasimir's death hurt more than anything. I imagine there will be a nice stroll through the forest and the option for a kiss in front of some sweet backdrop.

【 ACT II: CONFRONTING HER SELF-DOUBT 】

I like the possibility of a corruption arc for Eira, and have considered exactly how this might go down.

GOOD PATH: Upon meeting Isobel, she is fangirling. A very "I wanna be her when I grow up" moment. If Marcus fails at taking Isobel, then things will continue on. She will be relieved and will want to help Isobel in whatever way they can so that the cleric can finally catch a break. If you kill Isobel, Eira will leave the party.

The Gauntlet of Shar is another test. She's been trying to level with Shadowheart until now, but failing to convince SH not to kill the Nightsong or killing the Nightsong yourself will lead Eira to leave your party for good. If the Nightsong is freed and she discovers that Dame Aylin is her goddess's daughter, she will be overcome with admiration and just get down on one knee and bow. At this point, she feels more confident in her abilities and feels that she is worthy of the gift bestowed upon her by Selûne, which I do believe both Aylin and Isobel will confirm.

CORRUPTION PATH: If Marcus takes Isobel and the Last Light Inn falls, then Eira will attempt (and fail) to keep the barrier up, but realizes she isn't strong enough - she is nowhere NEAR Isobel's level. And this pisses her off and fills her with a lot of grief once she sees the shadow curse take down everyone at the Inn. Once again, she has failed while those around her have perished.

She's angry and feeling betrayed by the Moonmaiden; wallows in that and lets it fester, but the true corruption possibility will not present itself until the Gauntlet, where I feel Shar will attempt to whittle her way into Eira's mind and corrupt her as you complete each gauntlet task. She becomes noticeably more jaded and even callous as you do. By the time you reach the Nightsong, Eira will actually volunteer to be the one to execute her if Shadowheart isn't present (if Shadowheart is present, then she will simply stand back and watch).

You get one more chance to convince her not to fall into the bullshit.

ROMANCING: Either pivotal point would allow Eira to open up about her fear of losing another person that she loves, but she will confess feelings either way, whether true, unconditional love, or lust. The good path is sweet and you get sweet shmex, and the corrupted path is uh...feral. You get feral shmex. You're either making love to her or getting fucked by her either way, congratulations.

SHADOWHEART: I feel like Eira's arc can also work in tandem with Shadowheart's. It would still be up to Tav to save SH, but I feel like the Moonmaiden ultimately set this path out for Eira as well, and she finds that her purpose had to do with her own potential as well as the potential to help others through her goddess's teachings. In Eira's good arc, I think she would react to Shadowheart not giving in to Shar much like how Karlach reacted to Astarion not sentencing all those vampire spawn to death. Just SO PROUD.

【 ACT III: GARRICK KORLYS 】

I think the conclusion of Act 2 effectively concludes Eira's main arc, but getting to Baldur's Gate comes with the optional opportunity to discover that her brother, Garrick, has been in debt with the Guild for some time and has been working to pay off his debt via working for them. Depending on Eira's arc, she can either refuse to help him (unlikely, but corrupted Eira has become super jaded) or try to find a way to get him out of debt.

I didn't do the Guild side quest, so this part is still sort of pending as I finish my second playthrough. I wanna rope Gortash into this somehow just to make it a little more difficult on Eira and her brother and what it would mean for his future, but TBD.

This presents an opportunity to recruit Garrick as an ally in the final battle.

ROMANCING: Once the Elder Brain is defeated, then Good Eira will likely comment on how she has always wanted to open an orphanage, and how she loves healing, but fighting is not exactly her expertise. If you're romancing her, then there's the option of encouraging her to pursue her dream and settling down or persuading her that she is cut out for the adventurer's life with you. As for Corrupt Eira...she's responded to love much in the same way that Ascendad Astarion or Justiciar Shadowheart has. Very flippant and distracted by a newfound darkness.

And that's what I got, thank you if you read through all this because holy shit.

[zaritarazi]

onwards (six of crows red dead redemption franchise au)

There’s a suspicious lull, a rare window in the time they have to finish their meal before nightfall, when business really begins. “And what about the man that’s been following you?”

Jesper points to himself, muscle-memory or habit, and when Inej shakes her head, his sort of general nonchalance turns quickly. He looks to Kaz with “You’re being followed?” 

It’s the nonresponse that makes the situation worse, Kaz pointedly ignoring the way the room’s turn to pin the light on him as he pretends to finish his meal.

“By-” Jesper offers, to fill the space. “Not by anyone important, right? Not a lawman. Right?” He tilts his head forward, a gesture that’s supposed to goad Kaz into making the next sentence. “You wouldn’t just-”

And maybe Kaz had only kept the pretense of his meal so he could toss down his fork, a gesture that makes Wylan jump. “I am being… pestered,” Kaz says, and he would shoot Wylan some kind of look of sympathy, but he first has to glare at Inej. 

It's not entirely shocking, how intensely she returns it.

“An accountant,” Kaz says, looking to his lap, tossing his napkin on his plate. “And mostly just a nuisance.”

The light above them glows too brightly, filament not spaced out quite right, and it holds the silence of the room trying to gauge where Kaz has hidden the half-truth in his statement. 

That’s the fun thing about Kaz. The lie might not be there yet- It might not come until later. He likes to hide it, likes to watch everyone sift for the story first.

“An accountant?” Nina asks. “Like a tax man?”

“A tax-man is just another word for Pinkerton,” Kaz says.

“So what, then,” Jesper says. “Like… a debt collector?”

“Who’s going to collect on Kaz?” Wylan asks. 

Kaz validates him with an errant point of his index finger. “And who would know we’re stranded up here?”

“That is a great question,” Nina says. “So what’s the answer, Kasimir?”

“You’re all so dense,” he snaps. “No one knows we’re here. I’m being lightly tailed, sometimes, by a local. Someone from around here.”

“Matthias,” Inej says. “Can’t you do what makes you useful?”

Matthias pulls his attention from the window and the darkening night sky. “What?”

“Inej wants you to beat up an accountant,” Nina says.

“Any one of us could beat up an accountant,” Inej says. “You know the area.”

“You’d like me to go through every accountant…” Matthias says. “In Fjedra?”

“I’ll draw him, if Kaz describes him,” Wylan says.

“Inej can describe him,” Kaz says, holding out his hand to her, a mockery of an offering. “Since she’s been paying such close attention.”

“I haven’t lived in these mountains since I was ten years old,” Matthias says. “How am I going to know?”

“Maybe he’s from the capital,” Jesper says.

“Matthias isn’t good with faces,” Nina says. “His memory lapses from time to time.”

“I remember everything that’s ever happened to me,” Matthias says. “What I choose to disclose-”

“Are you two fighting, still?” Jesper says. “I wasn’t sure if you were passing it off to the other two, or if you’d made up- I’ve seen him drag himself to your room right before the sun rises, but-”

“I don’t know,” Matthias says. “Nina prefers to surprise me.”

“Oh, we’re talking about surprises?” Nina says.

“He’s tall,” Inej interrupts, putting her hand down on the table, looming beside Kaz. “He wears a very fine suit. Whoever he is, he’s very rich.”

“Accountants are rich,” Kaz says. 

“You should’ve been an accountant, then,” Inej grouses. 

“I’m well aware, Inej dear,” Kaz says. “But how could I deny you the pleasure of the backwater mountains of this frozen, horrible country?”

“This is a beautiful country,” Matthias seethes. “But… there are not many rich men. Not many who are very rich, I mean.”

“I don’t know how you’d like me to draw this,” Wylan says. “What kind of suit is it? Did he have a vest, or just a jacket? Was he wearing a tie? Black? Navy? What’s the twill? Single or double breasted?”

“He looked like he worked at a funeral parlor,” Inej says.

Kaz shrugs. “Maybe he has two jobs.”

[theoxvest]

So when magic returns to G'eth at the end of Oxventure BiTD I imagaine the world goes back to using DnD mechanics which leaves the question which DnD classes would all the Blades characters be?

Edvard- this guy is an artificer through and through. Inventions will be his jam with magic or not.

Kasimir- born and raised a rogue. He might not sneak like he used to but the training is still there.

Zillah- this one's a little tougher and I could be swayed to either Fighter or Barbarian.

Lilith- I think she'd be a sorcerer because of her whole inert ability to do some magic even in BiTD

Barnaby- I think Barnaby is exactly the kinda guy that gets magic just by talking because thats how easy his life has gone lol, so Bard.

[palidoozy-art]

Before the campaign. Our Rahadin's a... decent guy now, but he still took part in and is partially responsible for two separate genocides of his species. The reason the party has been willing to redeem him is because it was over four centuries ago and they've concluded that if Barov and Strahd weren't in the picture he probably wouldn't have engaged in it. But that's still... he still did it. This character has been interesting to play (for me, at least) because he is a man that did grotesquely dogshit things... but instead of dying to redeem himself, he chose to face the consequences and try to fix things in spite of that. (also, let's be real -- RP is often an escapist fantasy. Me and my players like redemption arcs, dammit)

Rosen was raised as a lawful good kid. He's a half elf -- but he's half dusk elf, a species of people that have been effectively wiped off the map. He is the first dusk elven child born in that area in... centuries. So he wants to learn more about himself, and that side of him. Rahadin never spoke of it much -- he's awkward in social situations and he was in the lower castes of that society, so his experiences were less positive. And plus like... Rahadin didn't want to impart his biases onto his kid. It sucks to look at a bright-eyed kid and be like "actually, that society sucked ass and tried to execute me, and also if we lived in that society currently and you were born I would be stoned to death for bestiality and you would probably be drowned." So he just didn't talk about it.

So Rosen sought out other sources. The problem is that the other dusk elves in their town were either 1) not alive or old enough during the height of that society (Kasimir, for instance) or 2) part of the upper castes that benefitted greatly and never saw the darker parts. They, too, have their biases. One of these people that fell into the latter camp was Serafim. One of the former kings.

So Serafim took Rosen under his wing and taught the kid glorious things about his people. Things that a kid would want to hear. I don't think it was a direct manipulation -- but you generally want to tell a kid more good things than bad. So that's what Serafim focused on, and it gave Rosen this idealistic view of how that society was, and all the culture and magic that someone closer to the top would experience.

Eventually, though, a kid is going to ask why that society doesn't exist anymore. What happened to those great towers, those beautiful stone palaces, those libraries full of magic and knowledge? And it's hard to leave Rahadin out of that. Kasimir and Kjosev tried to be polite and work around that by mostly laying the blame on Barov and Strahd. But Serafim doesn't owe Rahadin that. Nobody really does.

So Rosen learned through Serafim that his father initiated the downfall of this beautiful, wondrous, magical society, and he confronted him about that. And to Rahadin -- what do you say to that? You can justify parts of it -- the first time Rahadin was angry after being executed and Barov took things further than Rahadin would have ever done on his own. But the second? "I was still angry and I loved Strahd and I was just following orders" doesn't cut it.

So Rahadin didn't justify it. He didn't even attempt to tell his side, because he almost overcorrected and assumed that'd come off like blaming the victims. And there's not really any effective apology he can give. So he just... accepted and acknowledged it. And while that reflects good growth of Rahadin as a character -- to Rosen that's kind of... cool story! still genocide.

So they fell apart. Rahadin gave him distance -- partly because he didn't know what to do, and partly because he feels an obligation to let people be mad at him for his crimes... so Rosen turned more to Serafim, which in turn imparted more bias into him. Rosen feels a lot more positively about Ireena than Rahadin, obviously -- but he's a stubborn teenager and has a very 'if you're not with me you're against me' attitude. So he views his mom as being kind of complicit in Rahadin's crimes and dislikes her for that. All of the children have magic mirrors they use to communicate with their parents back home, and the only person who hasn't touched his a single time is Rosen. He still carries his childhood blanket Ireena gave him, though (which he tries to pass off as not that to the party for comedic effect).

It is my hope that eventually Rosen will not despise his dad so much, but I don't know how that's going to happen. It might never. So who knows! Character development, woo!

(Side note: Vamira, one of Ellerian's triplets, fucking adores Rahadin -- to the point that she effectively treats him as her own father and Rahadin gifted her a reforged version of his old sword. He taught her everything he knew about swordfighting and helped rehabilitate her after she got disfigured from a hellhound. She and Rosen come into conflict over this... often).

(Additional side note: one of the things I was working on, though haven't had time to finish, was a small comic where Kjosev actually tells Rahadin the likely outcome of raising his kid as a good person -- that he'll likely despise Rahadin for what he's done -- and if he's willing to accept that. Rahadin does. It is a consequence, but Rahadin raises his son to be just... even if it results in his son loathing him).

[mxvanrichten]

So much happened in last night's session. My brain is VIBRATING. As soon as I get off work, I gotta do my long rest journal entry for Silas. But my brain is going crazy and I just needed to word vomit.

Gonna describe some things that happened the best I can as they come to my memory, so they may be out of order of when they happened during the session:

Spoilers below the break:

- We know how to reconsecrate the three Fanes now.

- We met Exathanther, He's actually so sweet. His mind is wiped by his own doing because he made a deal with the same entity Kasimir did and wanted to forget, but we found out who he is through things around the library in the Amber Temple.

- So yeah, Kasimir found the vestige he was looking for, accepted it's offer and told us finally it was for his sister. We're all kinda pissed at him right now. Rudolph definitely yelled at him and told him he was being a selfish idiot. (Silas was afraid that Rudolph felt the same about him since he took the deal with Sykane. He asked him about it and Rudolph told Silas he doesn’t see him the same as he sees Kasimir because Silas did it in a tough moment in order to be alive again, and Kasimir is doing it for incredibly useless and selfish reasons for someone that doesn't even deserve to be brought back.)

- Also, at one point in the library Brandy found some books with names. She looked up her former lover Samuel, who she's been trying to track down. She thought she chose to come to Barovia to find him. Turns out he's been in Krezk, he was taken in and infected with lycanthropy. He ended up liking the people in his pack, they are helping Strahd and eventually, he told Strahd about where to find Brandy. Brandy was apparently with us, and they decided we were the group he wanted brought to Barovia to toy with. So basically FUCK SAMUEL, WE'RE KICKING HIS ASS ON SITE.

- We're also mad at Kasimir because when he say the sarcophagi he was looking for he ran straight for it instead of checking on Brandy when she was super hurt even though she's been super kind to him. Lil asshole. "Men are shit" - Brandy Looking Glass

- Silas and Rudolph took watch together for the first time in a while. They talked about notes Silas had taken from some of the books in the library, how they're sus of Kasimir, the wedding at Ravenloft they received an invite for and how Rudolph wants to go, but isn't sure that's going to go well. Silas made them tea, and he complimented it. Silas asked him that if things go wrong and he can't get out of his deal with Sykane if he'd please kill him because he knows he'd be the only one he could trust to actually do it. Rudolph agrees. Silas tells him he's welcome to no longer travel with the group if he feels it's best, but adds in that he would miss him and enjoys his company. Of course, Rudolph just kinda hmphs at Silas saying he'd miss him, but he tells Silas he thinks he's capable and that the rest of the group is as well. Silas also said, "We make a good team." But promptly, nervously is like "ummm, I mean like all of us." 😭🙈🙈🙈

- Ezmerelda is the queen of being the sweetest angel and bad ass bitch simultaneously. During her watch with Brandy she told her she's gonna help her find a new quarterstaff since the one she has was crafted by Samuel. Of course, first Brandy is gonna beat his ass with it, and Ez will gladly help.

- Then....drumrollllllll....we found the SUNSWORD!!! It's bad ass asf and we gave it to Brandy! So we're ready to gtfo our the temple and hopefully we can get out without having to have a run in with three remaining flame skulls.

And woooo we're level 9 now!!

I'm sure I forgot something and will edit this as I remember things, but damn last night was SO GOOOD and so many different emotions going on!!

[marusea-a-random-dm]

Curse of Strahd Ask Prompt #13 because I always want to be up in everyone’s love stories 💕

Thank you for asking!

I find it funny how a lot of people answer on this question with: "we turned our game into a dating sim" with 1-2 PC's in a relationship.

In our campaign 4 out of 6 ended up in a relationship.

Short answer:

Murlok/Ez

Vi/Strahd

Moiraine/Kasimir

Milanyi/Escher

Art made by: @marlyamz1

Long answer:

1.Murlok knew of Ez from RvR stories (she became a vampire spawn due to the fault of another PC) Once she was saved from Strahd's influence, Murlok bonded with her while coping with RvR death. They shared stories about the travels and slayings of the undead of Feywild and Shadowfell, their vampire-related backstories, and each gave the other tattoos. Most importantly, Murlok supported Ez during her suffering over her conversion to a vampire. In the end Ez became human again, and they decided to travel together in a wagon through other planes.

2.Oh boy! A separate post should be written about this. Firstly, there are a lot of similarities in the basis of their relationship: love for necromancy, similarities in the backstories (unintentionally), hypocrisy, hatred of thieves, bossing everyone around and more. (also chaotic evil PC) Secondly, I allowed my player to romance Strahd if she assembled Exodia (followed a lot of steps). And the mad lass did it! (again this one has the most content and I will gladly write it down. But since,there are a lot of things to uncover I'll do it upon a request) At the end of the campaing Strahd is "alive" and he is going through 30 years of therapy.

3.Originally Moiraine fell for Rahadin, but after talking to him and meeting Kasimir she found out what a terrible person he is. While traveling with Kasimir she passionately learned from him about dusk elven culture (originally kenku, later turned into a dusk elf). After spending time together while traveling: Kasimir taught her new spells and she taught him how to swim, they fell for each other. She promised him that she would do anything to restore the Dusk Elves' legacy. But not everything was perfect. During a lust for power, she killed him and drank his blood, becoming a full-fledged vampire. After which she regretted it and risked everything to bring him back to life with a wish. The night before the final battle, they were married. At the end, she used her last wish and revived the extinct race, giving them a chance at a brighter future. (I used @old-world-bird 's design of Kasimir)

4.In the beginning, Escher was just lusting after the new boy in town, and so he hit on Milanyi. However, as they spent more and more time, Milanyi got into Escher's story and befriended him wholeheartedly. Milanyi liked his sense of humor, his courtesy, his charisma, but he also empathized with his moral turmoil and helped him deal with it. Escher was fond of Milanyi because, unlike Strad, he appreciated, loved, and respected him. When he learned that Milanyi had been killed, he managed to come to the freshly killed body and turned it. (Milanyi had previously made Asher a full-fledged vampire.) After showing Milanyi the world through his eyes, Escher made him a full-fledged bride. He remained a Strahd-simp, but he chose to share eternity with Milanyi instead.

I'm genuinely glad they found their halves and earned their endings.

I hope the answer satisfied your curiosity!

[generic-cleric]

Session 45

Session doc

Folder

Possible spoilers for Curse of Strahd below~!

Stolen Dance

Session begins with the party finishing up their long rest in the guest bedroom and lounge. Ireena is goofing around with Jander and Okrin and playfully teasing them about the Pidlwick II stab holes in their clothes. 

They have a chance to catch each other up to speed since Okrin’s player hadn’t been there previously. Bedlam and Veledrel recount their experiences dancing with the brides and talking to them, and Vondal, Ireena, and Jander talk about their adventure fighting a pumpkin monster. Okrin tells the group that while he and Kasimir were in the room Pidlwick II came back. Okrin tried to grab him during a performance which resulted in him getting stabbed. Pidlwick ran, Okrin chased, Pidlwick thought this was a game, though he also wanted Okrin to clap, or he’d take a swing at his shins. Pidlwick II put on some kind of new performance that seemed, while it still needs work, thought provoking and inspirational, though not award-winning. Seriously, I wish I could copy and paste the whole spiel that the player gave because it was incredible! Alas, we play in person. I did award him inspiration though.

Anyway, after we were all done laughing, they discussed their next move and the information that they have so far gathered regarding sussing out the traitor in the castle. They wanted to gather some more information before attending Anastrasya’s dance that night. They called for Helga and asked for an escort to the King’s Bedchamber to talk to Gertruda.

She leads them up to the room effortlessly, through several rooms they had already traversed. They pass through the study, politely greeting Ludmilla on the way by. They enter the king’s bedchamber and find Gertruda asleep on the very fancy bed. They gently wake her up and talk her through her drowsy confusion. The party asks her a few questions about how she’s doing and what the brides are like. She explains that she doesn’t feel super welcomed by them and that Ludmilla and Escher like to use big words that she doesn’t understand. Anastrasya is mean. She had heard that Volenta wasn’t allowed around her, and she honestly didn’t know Sasha all that well. Ireena was very happy to see that Gertruda was okay and well taken care of. They asked her what she does while she’s here and she tells them that sometimes she reads books with Strahd, sometimes they go out to one of the towns where he lets her pick out whatever outfit she likes! With a raised eyebrow, they bid her a farewell and call for Helga to take them to their next destination: The Parapets to talk to Sasha!

Helga appears and leads them in an awfully roundabout way down and up some winding stairs to reach the castle’s parapets. They find Sasha there battling a skeleton that she easily shattered to pieces. Bedlam urges Okrin to talk to Sasha, and he does. They kind of hit it off. They find out that Sasha was from a place called Staunton Bluffs. A land ravaged by bandits and thugs. She became a paladin to fight the hoards, when that proved impossible, she ran into the mists. She arrived in Barovia and joined a band of adventurers. Strahd had killed them, but recognized Sasha’s battle prowess and offered her a place in his castle. She accepted his offer, forsook her oath and became an Oathbreaker Paladin. Okrin inquires a little as to what the Ebon Gargoyles might be, and she explains that it is an organization of soldiers and spies and she’s trying to get units in all the dreadplanes, though that has proven difficult. She mentions pursuing an army of skeletons to both impress Strahd and bolster the ranks. Okrin offers to be her sparring partner sometime, and she jumps on the offer saying that Strahd and Rahadin are the only ones worth sparring with. Volenta doesn’t like rules and the others don’t enjoy the sport of the fight. When they part ways, it seems as though Okrin and Sasha are both looking forward to seeing each other at the dance. The party calls for Helga and asks to be taken to their next respondent: Leif in the Accountant’s Chamber. 

When they get there, they find a room full of books and scrolls, and an elderly man furiously scribbling on a paper at a desk he is chained to. They greet him gently and engage in small talk, asking a lot of questions as to what use his skills might be for the lord of the land. They find out that he keeps the books on the burgomasters and mistresses in the lands, as well as for those living in the castle. He offhandedly mentions that Strahd recently had Anastrasya put on a financial plan because her spending was out of control. They also asked about the new Burgomistress of Zeidenburg, he tells them that she hasn’t been officiated yet so he doesn’t have her name yet, but she already has quite the extensive spending record. They also inquire about the numbers on Rathandal’s Woodworking shop to see out up-to-date his paperwork is, and it is. They find out that he was pressed into taking this job, but he doesn’t want to leave the castle. They ask him what his favorite food is, and he tells them that he loves a good wolf steak with roasted vegetables. They bid him a good evening, and head to their next location: the Audience Hall!

They swing by the audience hall so Bedlam can speak with Anastrasya before the shindig begins. He enters the room strumming a reprise of his platinum hit Anastrasya. They fall into talking pretty quickly and ask how she feels about the other brides. She gossips happily, dishing about her mixed feelings about Escher, feeling threatened by Ludmilla. She comments that Ludmilla found a new pet because Strahd’s attention has shifted-as it always does when there’s a Tatyana running around. She mentions feeling creeped out by Volenta, who she saw lurking around the Carriage House. Sasha is trying to get back into the good graces of Strahd after having been locked in her crypt, though Strahd has forbidden anyone to discuss it in lengthy detail, so she’s unfortunately limited on what she can say about the whole ordeal. She gripes when he brings up the outlandish financial plan. They have a great time talking, though eventually part ways so the party can get ready for the dance. 

They head back to the room, snagging some food from the dining hall on the way. They make themselves more presentable, bathing and throwing on their more fancy dinner attire for the soiree. I ask them which, if any, NPCs they would like to bring with them to the dance and the players tell me “They’re characters with their own agency, let them decide!” Soooo they went! 

They attend the March of the Dead. They mingle and chatter in the entryway, looking out onto the dark courtyard while the spirits of dead adventurers disappear right before them. Jander asks Strahd if he remembers any of them and Strahd tells him simply, “No.”

They make their way up to the Audience Hall for the dance. Everyone pairs off with each other or one of the many ghostly dancers gracefully flitting about the room while a band plays lovely music.

Veledrel approaches and asks Volenta about their face hunting date and she dejectedly tells him that Strahd told her not to because he didn’t want her making a mess right now. Veledrel tells her that he’s bummed because he was looking forward to the date (not for the reasons she thought though). He grabs her and twirls her onto the dancefloor. 

Vondal and Jander chilling on the fringes of the party chatting semi-cheerfully to each other and are joined eventually by Veledrel. Strahd asks Ireena to dance and she accepts politely and entertains his conversations. Gertruda wistfully watches them sweep across the dancefloor. Okrin dances his way around the room to listen to what they're talking about. Sasha catches him and asks him to dance and he accepts. Bedlam dances with Kasimir for the first song or two and then breaks off to dance with Anastrasya.

Vondal asks Jander if he’s ‘gonna let that happen’? In reference to Strahd dancing with Ireena and tells Jander he should step in. Jander, heckles him and asks why he won’t save her himself. Vondal says fine, and starts plotting. Veledrel asks Helga if she would like to dance and she tells him that she isn’t allowed to on strict orders from His Excellency. He is much too afraid to ask Strahd to let her join the fun, so he gives her a really nice compliment as he heads back to the revelry. Bedlam and Anastrasya move about the dancefloor together, generally enjoying the evening. Okrin continues to keep an eye on Ireena while he and Sasha also dance and have pleasant conversation. 

When Vondal’s turn comes back around, he makes his move. He makes his way across the dancefloor to Ireena and Strahd. As Strahd spins Ireena, Vondal snags her free hand. Avoiding an awkward tug-of-war / DC contest situation with Ireena in the middle, Strahd lets go of her hand, allowing Vondal to dance away with her. Anastrasya may be in the spotlight, but Ireena is the life of the party. She was having so much fun, as did Vondal dancing with her. Gertruda, seeing Strahd partnerless, lept at the opportunity to fill the role. Veledrel, with the goal of dancing with the people who aren't asked to dance, asks Jander to dance. "Show me how the elves used to dance when you were in Faerun!" It was very cute. They danced together and it was very fun and nostalgic for both of them. Bedlam switches off partners from Anastrasya to Ludmilla and he asks if she'd like to speak privately sometime and she offers to step out right now they do and they chat a little bit and gossip. Bedlam asks some clarifying questions about the favor he is doing for her and she’s happy to answer. It seems to Bedlam that she doesn't  care who the traitor is, just as long as she can turn someone in and win some attention from Strahd. Okrin asks Sasha if she'd like to step out as well for a more private conversation and she obliges happily. They both talk and gossip about the goings on of the castle. Sasha mentions that she saw Ludmilla sneaking around the gates in the courtyard.

Vondal asks Ireena if she'd like to dance with Jander because 'he'd probably like that, and he won't ask you himself.' She laughs and says yes. Vondal and Veledrel work together to meet on the dancefloor and swap partners with each other so Jander and Ireena are dancing together despite Jander trying to stop it.

We ended the session there! They spent a good chunk of time talking and speculating afterward:

They know that Escher was giving Jander sensitive information through their poetry notes.

They also know that someone slipped the book into a wine shipment for one of Urwin’s agents.

Urwin was making moves to make contact with Jander and establish a connection for the first time after they returned from the winery. Someone is leaking a lot or there’s more than one leaker. 

They haven't ruled out Ludmilla.

Sasha is a 50/50 shot. She seems like she has some motive, but if she recently got in trouble for something she’s probably not looking to get in trouble again. 

Sasha's situation sparked a lot of side questions.

Anastrasya seems too absorbed in her parties to leak or steal something. Unless her motive is to overthrow Strahd or something, she seems pretty happy with where she’s at.

Volenta seems happy as well, though they still feel like they might have reason to suspect her

Sasha is the only one of the brides that sort of likes Volenta, the other three think she’s weird and creepy. 

She isn’t allowed around Gertruda and she wasn’t allowed to go face hunting. 

Gertruda and Leif were dismissed as suspects. Interview with Cyrus is pending.

They do plan to ask Leif about the records on the last few wine shipments to see if they can get any leads on who moved the book, which I think is brilliant.

They aren’t sure exactly what they will do with the traitor when they uncover who it is. They could be an ally, so they aren’t convinced it would be beneficial to turn them in.

What seemed like a simple problem has now unraveled into a tangled web. They have a lot to think about and a lot to find out still!

[xmoriartea]

So Wachter doesn’t believe in normal ass delivery folks and instead sends her dumpy little spymaster to get caught by us because.. power plays? I guess? Who can say. 

But weird old Ernst after getting pinned in alley by four spell trigger ready bastards had a simple and lovely message to share:

       An ambassador of Ravenloft's coming to Vallaki.

See. Ismark was Burgomaster yes, but the newly formed city council currently only had three members which meant if there were ties with the four of them... no one could break the ties fairly. And Ravenloft was already growing agitated by the way the town was running after the coup and wanted things settled.

Which I’m sure a fake Rictavio would have gone SWIMMINGLY, but instead Tanner managed to simply convince some of the council to allow him to audit the meeting essentially. Alkali wanted to get involved, but after witnessing the black carriage from Ravenloft arrive with Strahd’s Chamberlain as guard... she decided it was best to not leave Ireena alone.

So far, we hadn’t even MET Rahadin. We had just heard about him from both Kasimir and Savid. And honestly, for a minute, Alkali was ready to try and play nice with Rahadin, try to get him on their side, see if he was loyal out of true loyalty or fear, your know? But... well... Rahadin is a bastard and that went out the window within minutes of meeting him.

But alas, we did not aggro Rahadin. Yet. Instead, Alkali went to guard Ireena and Tanner got dressed up and escorted Kalina as a +1 to Wachter residence and realized a miscommunication in delivery had occurred somewhere.

Just a totally normal, totally fine luncheon with four vampire brides, a wereraven innkeep, a possible cult leader, a recently-realized divine artificer, the brother of the woman the lord of the land wants to abscond with, and... Tanner.

While Ludmilla was definitely handling the politics of their visit with grace, there was definitely an unsubtle aura of “if you cannot decide on a fourth to create a check system, one of us will remove one of the current three” because hey. They just want an odd number to see things get done.

And on the other side of town, Alkali was trying to get what information she could out of a Ravenloft servant who was tending to the property the black carriage had gone to.

HINT: it was literally across the fucking street from Ireena and Ismark’s!! 

Which means the bitch Kasimir was still alive... 

As a sister and a woman, Alkali does not support sororicidal bastards!! She’s fully on Patrina’s side right now because if HER brother killed her, Alkali would 500% come back from the dead to kill him herself!! It’s justified!! Kasimir has no rights has far as she’s concerned, thank you for coming to her TED talk.

Because apparently Chamberlain also means mailboy and Rahadin came to deliver a very fancy ass ruby necklace and red dress. Both of which were quickly shoved back into a box with a plan of burying it in the hallowed garden later because — yeesh.

So. THIS Potion. It’s... basically a 5 hour energy coffee sort of nightmare creation from our favorite alchemist, Faraga. Tanner fucking mainlines them to get everything he wants done. It helps you stay awake without exhaustion. Alkali took ONE when she had to hallow the property and hated it. Tanner swears by the things and his weird little science brain wanted to see what happens when you give one to an already hyperactive vampire... girl could have vibrated through walls.

And that’s how Tanner Fensik became Councilman Fensik and Escher became 100% fixated on lesson plans for the rest of forever

TL: DR;

Following all that, after everyone got to reconvene and share wtf just happened, Alkali could not resist the temptation of mingling with the brides again. So while Ireena and Ismark stayed safe on their own property, Alkali (followed by the party who would wisely not let her go alone) went to welcome the brides to Vallaki.

This involved:

Terrorizing Kasimir by existing in his presence

Meeting Patrina briefly

Snooping with Anastrasya to find out why Kasimir wasn’t dead (apparently Ludmilla outvoted her and Rahadin, Strahd was too busy to care/notice his ex-fiancé wasn’t dead anymore)

Experiencing the worlds most hyper vampire woman until the potion wore off and she legitimately crashed

More dancing with good vibes and wine

And also a bit of realization that brides are not eternal - they were, after all, introduced as the CURRENT Brides of Strahd, and Alkali got just a little bit of a taste of that anxiety off of Escher when he wasn’t nose deep in lesson plans for a school not yet built

[ner-runi-cuyir-gar]

His name is no longer Kasimir Stormbreaker.

His name is... no longer anything at all. Neither is his home, or the people he loved so much. No, they're all gone. Every last one of them. His father died in his arms, children died in his arms- he fought so much and none of it mattered.

The Empire prevailed.

The Empire always prevails.

That's why, even now, with half a mind and all the muscle memory of a trained killer, this alpha travels the galaxy seeking revenge any way he can find.

Currently, twenty clone trooper helmets rest on spikes in a corner of Mos Espa. They were offspring of Jango- but that didn't stop them from invading his home. From killing his people. From killing his mate.

It's been months, and the only thing this alpha has accomplished is at least ten kills a day, almost daily. One such kill resulted in a payment of an omega, but he didn't want her. He wanted his mate. His precious, soft, gentle mate.

He's so far gone, in fact, that when he gets injuries of his own during these missions he doesn't even bother to fix them. Not properly anyway. The last wound he had, he caught himself licking away the blood like a gods-damned dog.

He saw Boba not too long ago. What a dear friend that alpha was to him. Now, though, he's sucked into the Empire's dirty business, working for the cronies there as a personal hit-man. He doesn't have the common sense to think that maybe Boba is being a spy.

Boba's actually tried to calm him down- or bring him into the Empire to have his head chopped off. How is he supposed to know? The man only talks business until they're behind closed doors, and if he attacked Kaz, Kaz doesn't want to be the one to have to kill him.

On this particular day, people have left him alone for the most part. He must look really angry. That, or he's growling a lot. He's so unaware of his own actions at this point.

He spots a group of stormtroopers, the newest addition to the Empire as an attempt to weed out the clones, and draws his sword. Who has the dark saber? Does he have it? Is he forgetting it?

That doesn't matter. He just wants to kill and kill and kill until there's no one left to even run the Empire.

All around him, women and children and other innocent civilians scream in terror as he starts to slice his way through the troopers. They run and hide from him.

Him. The person children used to run up to and hug around his legs and the person who used to get hugs from random adults in thanks for being so kind to their children.

How is he expected to be that person when he has no family, no home, and no mate?

I shove through people that push me to get out of the way, determined to see what’s happening and causing such a commotion.

[nevermoretoleave]

SESSION XXVII. breaking point.

in-game date: 1st of zimnyana. 

elya is still entranced by the book. vane and valar head outside for a bit of fresh air. valar tells vane that he's not planning on returning to exandria after they deal with strahd. they discuss the deals that zantras and amourae have offered them and their plans on taking them. valar mentions that during the brunch, father lucian mentioned kai's threats, and they plan on talking to him. they don't trust the book either, given that it was written by strahd, but they'll deal with it later.

they head inside and confront kai about his threats to vallaki, and he tries to argue that it was only a potential threat. they encourage him to redirect his anger towards strahd instead. they're interrupted by arabelle calling to them outside the tower, and valar goes out to meet her. she's pulled a card and has a bad feeling about it, but kasimir's sending spell wasn't working, alarming them to yesterhill.

with a newly-acquired urgency, they make plans to pop over to jeny's for a greater restoration and not miss their meeting with rictavio. for the sake of expediency, kai wildshapes into a horse and goes off with elya to vallaki. elya asks about his version of events through a combination of detect thoughts and telepathy, and learns that kai is angry at him.

at jeny's, elya takes the greater restoration, and asks about the branch. she tells him it's part of her sister's tree, that it's been corrupted. it's a conduit, syphons energy from others and into the land -- and with strahd fashioning himself as such, it's going to him. in a rage, elya breaks the branch, and it releases a blood-curdling scream in its vicinity. they run into rictavio on their way out, elya's hands still bloody from the staff, and they follow him towards the tower. once there, he asks them to stand closer together and casts zone of truth, asking if they are who they say they are, and if they've been in contact with strahd in the past day. he finds the answers satisfactory and follows them inside, where his hat of disguise stops working, revealing doctor rudolph van richten.

the questioning begins immediately. van richten is willing to work with them, knowing better than to go against madam eva's readings. regarding ezmerelda, he believes she's better off away from him, given the fate that befell his previous spouses and child. they inform him that they have the book, and he notes the lack of any mentions to sergei despite the land and castle being named after his parents, and other names popping up all over barovia. further, he's acquired a puppet from blinsky whom he cannot communicate with, but believes it has information about the inside of the castle. they'll figure things out. in the meantime, kai asks to pet ramses, to which van richten reluctantly agrees.

outside, with ramses' consent, kai pets her, and vane telepathically bonds with pidlwick. despite the alluded murder of his predecessor, vane is endeared. he lived in the castle but strahd grew bored, so he wandered out until he was taken in by blinsky. he's willing to help, he knows the castle, as long as he can make people happy.

inside, they inform van richten of arabelle's reading, and their plans to go to yesterhill. elya tells him about the tree, and that he's been an unwitting donor, but he's severed the connection. van richten believes he'd be of more use in vallaki gathering information. they ask him about the state of affairs there, and resolve to investigate vasili further. ultimately, they decide to send a bird to the winery and rest there before heading to yesterhill. before that, though, they decide to go through one more chapter of the tome, and find themselves in strahd's youth once again.

[boxboysandotherwhump]

Paxton's dad finds out that he is a pet.

So Paxton’s dad learns what happened to his son. Paxton is 19 when this takes place. 

Taglist: @ashintheairlikesnow @vickytokio @thefancydoughnut @finder-of-rings @orchidscript @morelikepainsley @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @wolfeyedwitch @haro-whumps

CW: Homophobic insults, homophobic father, parental abuse, 

„Iwan, hey man, it's your turn.“

Iwan Bednarek startled out of his sleep deprived stupor. The gray food tray fell out of his hands, landing on the cafeteria counter with a loud clatter. The thin plucked brows of the service woman behind it rose, blue eyes narrowing in disapproval. 

“Sorry. A bit overworked.“ Iwan forced a smile and got a flat, “sure, honey. Aren’t we all,“ in turn, alongside a plate of chili con carne and a sad, slightly dried out piece of bread. Shooting him a questioning look, his coworker followed him to an empty table. They barely sat down when Miguel opened his mouth. „You came back from vacation only last week man. Real talk, what’s going on?“

‘Nothing’, sat on the tip of Iwan's tongue but his resolve to continue business as usual crumbled under the honest concern of his longtime colleague, or, dare he even say friend. 

„My son.“ He blurted out, mind racing a mile a minute and still lagging behind his mouth. Where was he even supposed to start? All his hunger gone, Iwan pushed the plate aside as if it had made him sick, instead of the last argument he had with his son. His own words from four days ago sat heavy in his stomach, their weight growing with every passing day. His knuckles still hurt on the right hand, their thin skin scabbed.

It’s not that he had been wrong but- His wife was right, he shouldn’t have lost his composure like that. 

Iwan swallowed. Tried again. „My son went missing.“

Miguel's eyes grew wide in his narrow face, showing just how much younger he was compared to Iwan himself. „Shit man. Do you know- I mean did someone, ya know?“

Iwan shook his head at Miguels vague hand gesture. „No one kidnapped him, I don’t think. We had-“ He inhaled. Deep. „-an argument. It got very… heated. You know how it is. A good father has to be strict. And with a son like him even more so.“

„What do you mean?“

Iwan shifted under Miguel's innocent concern. It wasn’t his style to wash his family's dirty laundry in public but he really needed to talk to someone who wasn’t his crying, worry ridden wife. Besides, worse things have been discussed in a WRU lunch room. Still, his handler uniform stuck to his back as Iwan glanced around the hall, ensuring no one else was in ear shot. 

„He has certain tastes I can not abide. Not as a good Christian.“

„So he’s gay?“

„Not so loud.“

Miguel almost laughed, souring Ivan's already bad mood even further.  

„So what man? There are gay priests for gods sake. No one would chase your son out of a church just cause he like sausages instead of-“

„It’s not just that!“ Iwan burst out, face heating in anger. „And don’t talk this vulgarly about my son.“

He glared down at Miguel from where he had sprung to his feet. Fists pressed into the table. They ached where his knuckles had split under his temper and against his son's face. 

 „Okay. I’m sorry, Iwan. Okay? C‘mon man, the lunch lady’s glaring at us. Sit down.“

Nostrils flaring, Iwan let himself fall back into the creaky plastic chair. 

„So you guys had a fight and he ran off? Right?“

Iwan gave a tight nod, eliciting an almost impish smile from Miguel. 

„I did that too as a kid. My old man was strict jus‘ like you, but tell you what, I still loved that old geezer. Always ended up back home. I‘m sure your son’ll show up again. Give him time to cool off.“

Memories of the evening they had gotten back from the airport flashed through Iwan's mind. How Kasimir had heaved the suitcases up the stairs to their house, phone falling out of his pocket as he worked. How Iwan had picked it off the sidewalk, discovering it unlocked from the fall. He didn’t mean to snoop but his son had his nose buried in that thing the entire ride home. It had driven Iwan nuts. 

But not half as nuts as the things he found on that phone. 

Iwan didn’t remember how he had gotten up the stairs and into Kasimirs room. One moment, he stood on the porch, sun burning down his neck when in the next he was in front of his son, fist bashing into his cheek. 

„I doubt that ‘cooling off’ will be enough. Kasimir is a whimpy boy, always has been, for him to dare run off. I- I don’t know. I tried to be a good father but-,“ Iwan glared holes into the cafeteria table, voice rough. „I overstepped. What? What is that look for now?“

„Nothing.“ Miguel busied himself with the chili, picking his bread apart to pepper it over his plate. „S just not like you to, ya know?“ Another vague hand gesture. „Admit when you're wrong?“

„Because I seldomly am.“ 

The bushy raised eyebrows in Miguel's face suggested otherwise, but Iwan didn‘t get the chance to argue. A brash voice cut through the dining hall. Their superior stared at them from the entrance, signaling them to cut their dinner short with an impatient wave. 

Perfect.

„Move it Bednarek, we need you in sector D. You too, Hernandez. Miller's new trainee is finally wiped, but he called in sick. You gotta cover for him.“

„Millers?“ Iwan’s fingers curled into fists. „Sir you know I do not train romantics.“

„You don’t have to train him. Only put him in his cell. All the data is on Hernandez's phone. We woulda have needed the drip room empty two hours ago.“

Knowing his superior's temper was shorter even than the man himself, Iwan turned on his heel and hastened down the hallway without another word. A curt nod the only goodbye spared. 

„Hey, man.“ Miguel's footsteps behind him picked up speed. „Wait.“

Annoyance pulsed behind Iwan’s eyes in the form of a growing headache.  

Goddamn sluts were nothing but trouble! At least they fetched the company enough money to cover his dental.

Ready to punch the key code in, the silently fuming Iwan was held back by Miguel, who quickly stepped between him and the door. 

„Why don’t you let me handle this today?  Hey man, don‘t gimme that look. I know you're the best handler of the domestic division ‘n all but with romantics- stuffs a lil different. Especially at the beginning. We want them to trust us, alright? And with your mood-“

„What’s with it?“ Iwan barked, cringing as soon as the words left his mouth to confirm Miguel's point. Crossing his arms Iwan stepped further back from the door, glaring a hole into the white concrete wall next to Miguel's smugly smiling face. „Fine. The pet is all yours.“

Miguel turned, typing the passcode in with one finger and a „thanks man,“ so gentle it had Iwans hackles rise. There was no reason to put kids gloves on around him, he was just worried about his stupid good for nothing son, for heavens sake, its not like anyone died. If he hadn’t felt fit for work he would have stayed home. 

A wave of cool air wafted into the corridor as the door opened with its familiar ‘click fssshhh‘, a sound so ingrained into Iwan's life he heard it in his dreams sometimes.

Shielding his hands from the cold by sticking them into his pockets, Iwan followed Miguel into the room, contemplating if he should go and retrieve his leather gloves from the car later. He scanned the room on routined instinct, the white clean tiles, the drip already removed from the pet's wrist, disposable parts neatly stored in a small plastic bag hanging from the stand and ready to be collected by the cleaners. Iwan paid more attention to his colleague than the pet, its long limbs curled around a shivering, hunched body. A tuft of black unruly hair was nearly hidden behind pale arms. 

„Rise and shine 626.“ Miguel beamed, all cheerful hospitality. Iwan never understood why some of his colleagues bothered if they had to round them up later on anyway. There was no place for kindness in training. Bright smiles and gentle touches were unwelcome visitors, spoiling the merchandise and making the training process harder on anyone. „You're gonna get your very own room today. Are you excited?“

„Yes, Sir.“

Iwan froze. Hands turning to ice blocks in his pockets.  

That voice.

Warm and quiet and still shedding the squeakiness of puberty. 

He would recognize that voice among a choir of thousands. He knew what it sounded like laughing, or crying, or asking for ice cream on a blistering summer day. He knew how it had turned to raged sobs during their last fight. How it had broken. He knew how that voice sounded begging for forgiveness, babbling ‘please, I can explain. Please papa!’

Slowly, Iwan turned. Numb body moving against his will. A bead of icy sweat trickled down his arm. His uniform stuck to his back, his neck. 

Their fight played through his head, a broken record on loop. 

You aren’t my son! I didnt raise a faggot! My son wouldn’t ever look at this sado-maso filth! That’s for pets! Not people! Aren’t you a person? Don’t you have dignity?! 

“Kasimir.” It was barely a whisper, dry lips parting around a name his son couldn’t remember any longer. 

His son's gray eyes, still hazy from the drip, blinked up at Iwan's colleague, utterly oblivious to his own fathers presence. His existence. The limbs of Kasimir’s lanky body stuck out from his oversized trainee uniform, making him look like one of the art dolls Iwan's sister collected. There was an angry greenish bruise blooming in his pale sweaty face, a few bandages plastered over a split lip, a lacerated cheek. 

Iwan's heart dropped, turning into a dead stone somewhere in his rioting guts. 

Have I- 

He never meant to hit this hard. 

Proszę, wybacz mi

Had his son fled to wru, crying and bleeding, only to get patched up and lured in with promises of a better life? Where you scared? As you signed? As the drip erased you? Did it hurt? Did they hurt y-

“There you go.” Miguel unclipped the security leash from a hock in the wall and helped Kasimir stand on wobbly legs. “Good boy. We’re gonna go and hit the showers first. Getting you nice and clean before training starts. Doesn't that sound good 626?” 

Iwan's heart kicked into a rapid fire frenzy, beating so hard every pulse echoed through his skull. The ice in his hands was replaced by liquid fire. His blood boiled him from the inside out. It was too hot. The room blurred around him. 

„Don‘t call him that!” His own shouts cut through his dizzy haze, small and distant, as if coming from above water. There was water in his eyes. He couldn’t see.  “Don’t you dare call him by a number! His name is Kasimir. My Kasimir. My little boy.“

Miguel's lips moved, forming words Iwan didn’t hear, talking to him, speaking into his phone. Wide eyed. Arms wrapped around him, holding on tight. Holding him in place. Preventing him from going to his son, cowering in a corner and staring at him.. Iwan struggled. There were handlers storming into the room, taking Kasimir away. 

His Kasimir. His baby boy. “What have I done? What have I done?”

[oxventurequotes]

anyways uhhh here are some oxventure/oxventure in the dark headcanons bc these nerds have given me Actual Brain Rot. spoilers for most of bitd. (it gets Painfully character study-y at the end lmao)

the oxventurers just fucking Cuddling at night, at first for warmth but then they’re just like... okay guess these fuckers are my family now goddamn it time for the Cuddle Pile...

like, merilwen turns into a bear so they all use her as a pillow, egbert is like a heater (bc dragonborn obv) so he goes on one end and prudence goes at the other bc she's similarly warm (tiefling from hell). 

dob and corazon go in between them and dob is big spoon bc he’s super fucking tall and corazon will complain if he's not kept at a certain temperature bc under all the rogueish audacity he's really just a fussy poshboy

the blades crew most certainly do Not. have a nightly cuddle pile. yet.

but zillah and lilith have defo cuddled before... like lilith falling asleep on zillah’s shoulder bc she spent all night in the library and zillah saying “ah, sod it.” and letting her nap there.

edvard falls asleep at his desk so much it’s comical. like, every so often the crew will hear a CLANG! and then edvard Screeching because he’s fallen asleep with tools in hand, dropped them, and scared himself awake.

they have to check on him if he’s been quiet for a couple of hours because will fall asleep with papers next to candles and set the hq on fire.

barnaby coming home from “carousing” with algernon and the crew’s collective effort to tidy him up and get him to bed because damnit, barnaby, you glorious liability. 

him having a small drunk cry to lilith, zillah carrying him to bed, kasimir quietly leaving painkillers and water nearby (because nobody can know that he actually cares) and edvard infodumping to barnaby about his latest projects until he falls asleep oh my gOD

BARNABY TAKING EVERYONE SHOPPING. DRESS-UP MONTAGES. edvard gets a moustache wax and it is very cool.

spoilers for Murder at the Volisport Academy - edvard feeding lilith’s snake-hair little treats every so often. they can smell him through the hood she wears and sometimes you can see their little heads pushing against it to get to him...

the crew becomes a close-knit family very slowly

and then suddenly one by one they all realise "oh shit, i very suddenly give a shit if these idiots get hurt"

like, “oh no these idiots are my idiots”

lilith realises it first (i feel like she’s the most emotionally intelligent)

maybe it happens when zillah comes back from a prizefight really injured and lilith feels her stomach twist in a way it didn't before, or barnaby's shitty joke actually makes her laugh, or she finds herself interested for once in edvard's inventions or she stays up late w kas just Talking and doesn’t realise how long they've it’s been until she hears the birds outside and realises its morning, but she’s never felt more comfy

and maybe she doesn’t dread going back to the HQ for the same reasons

instead of worrying about the heist or the consequences of the crime ,, she’s terrified about her friends getting hurt and her face visibly twists when she hears herself think the word “friends” because oh fuck that’s what they are to her... shit.

kasimir realises next. they’re all down at the pub and and he looks across the table at the rest of them laughing at some nonsense and thinks “oh god, why these idiots.” because he’s definitely had a crew before and it did Not. end well. i feel like maybe true friendships are rare in volisport and kasimir knows this, but maybe he’ll stop watching for the knife in his back so much

then zillah. maybe she starts putting herself in front of the crew members in combat a lot more.

before if she could see a particularly bad hit coming she’d maybe take it instead, but she starts doing it for littler things or she's way more aggressive w people that threaten her friends because nobody threatens zillah’s friends.

and she’s fine with it. she’s got a huge family, she knows how to protect people. besides, it gives her something to think about that isn’t the violence.

like... i know zillah “loves hitting people so much!” but i also think that maybe she didn’t enjoy the person she became after particularly nasty fights. but she has something tangible to fight for now. 

edvard is last mainly because he never really thinks about people like that (or even himself). like, the person he gives the most thought to is definitely astor. his brain is like 90% innoventions and 10% Amadeus Astor Firey Revenge Fantasy.

but he’s constantly thinking about new innoventions and plans and tinkering.

like, you can’t hold a conversation with edvard for very long if there’s a machine in the room because he’ll get that far-away look in his eyes and you just Know that he’s thinking about how to take it apart and improve it.

i feel like maybe he does it as an anxiety coping mechanism sometimes too??? like unless he’s presenting an invention (aka infodumping) i don’t think he does well in big social situations with lots of small talk. machines are to edvard what a pet is to an anxious person at a party. 

kasimir (the most observant mf) takes notice of it quite quickly and suggests to him to think of people like they’re machines. small talk is kinda mathematical, it’s rather methodical and follows a pattern. everyone is just a wonderful mechanical man following their programming.

that, combined with edvard copying barnaby and lilith’s body language and mannerisms, makes social stealth a lot easier.

but he’s hanging around with the crew and realises that oh shit, they don’t make him feel anxious anymore. his brain is actually acknowledging the world around him for once. 

barnaby, however, never. has this big “oh shit friends” realisation.

not because he doesn’t think of them like that.

but because he’s always thought of them like that. 

like, he thinks that they’ve all been best friends since the beginning.

basically barnaby is a drunk golden retriever (so he’s a real-life booze-hound HAH!) 

he's just so excited about his "lovely crimes" and his proper crew!!!! his friends!!!!! he loves them. right off the bat. colourful characters and a change of pace and they’re just so much fun!!!!

anyway that’s all of my headcanons? character studies? projection?? idk