#dhampirs of the swords coast

[spacebarbarianweird]

Characters for upcoming Mortal Bounds longfic!

"Mortal Bounds" is a series set 320 years post-game and centered around Astarion's adult daughter Alethaine and her thiramin, monster slayer Elren Goldenroot. Together they have to form an unlikely allience to save the world from the demonic demise. Alethaine Ancunin (High Elf \ Dhampir \ Necromancer) - Astarion's daughter, she is haunted by the events happened in the Dhampir Freehold. For the last century she's lived in an isolated village and helped solving murder mysteries.

Elren Goldenroot (High Elf \ Monster Slayer Ranger) - a folk hero, monster hunter and the elven king Mythanar's right hand. He believes demons can be destroyed and seek help on behalf of the elven nations.

-

King Mythanar (High Elf) - the promised king and the chosen hero. His rule was foretold by ancient mages. He is destined to seal the Abyss and start the new era of elves on Toril. He might seem arrogant but in reality he is a good leader but who tends to concentrate on a bigger picture.

Yor Olphe (Half-elf of Wood Elf origin \ Twilight Hunter Ranger) - he is your Van Helsing if he was a comedian. An experienced vampire hunter he despises dhampirs because he believes they can't defeat their vampiric part. Yor and Elren are good friends and he is vary of Alethaine though admits her skills and talents.

Neeme (Wild elf \ Spore Druid) - they are a literal symbiosis with mould and mushrooms. Elren dug them out of fungus. This druid speaks in riddles, barely aknowledges the world around them and scares the shit out of everyone.

Theris the Bard (Tiefling \ Dhampir \ Multiclass of Bard and Rogue) - Alethaine's youth friend and the co-founder of the Blood Guild with Astarion whom he considers his uncle. He is still an addict and a menace.

Mierni Decarios (Human \ Dhampir \ Wizard) - Gale's adopted son, a powerful mage and a little bit gay. Overcame his selective mutism issues but he is still your autistic queer wizard of the Coast.

Astarion (High Elf \ Vampire \ Rogue) - By this time he is the head of the Blood Guild, an unlikely allience between vampires and dhampirs. Mythanar sees him as a possible mediator between elves and the undead by literally aknowledging him as an elf, not a vampire.

Many more yet to come!

[spacebarbarianweird]

Aww this is such a good list of facts!

BG3 Tav Backstory Bash

This is a challenge to help people flesh out their Tav’s backstory by exploring their past. It is organized into four sections with seven prompts. You can treat this as a monthly challenge or a general project. You can write headcanons, fics, or share art based on the prompts! You can interpret the prompts however you want. If you want to share use the tag #bg3backstorybash

Baby:

Parents

Birth

First word

When they first walked

Tantrum

First sickness

Thunderstorm

Childhood:

Friends

Siblings

Getting into trouble

Birthday

Games

Learning something new

Trauma

Teenager:

First love

Rebellion

Running away

Reckless behavior

Peer pressure

Growing pains

Taking responsibility

Adulthood:

Their “first time”

Serious relationships

Work

Leaving home

Aging

Finding your place

Staring a family/found family

[taki-yaki]

Prompt idea based on Drizzt Do'Urden’s story, where his love interest and all his adventure buddies pass away but years later are reincarnated with their memories intact because the gods needed them to reunite with Drizzt to save the world again. So what if years later Astarion is alone (maybe Lae'zel is still alive since no one ages in the Astral Sea) but Tav and the rest reincarnate to adventure with him again. And just like Drizzt in this life Astarion and Tav have a longer life together and have a kid.

This gives me some angst vibes, but it makes for some good writing. I would see him becoming a bounty hunter of sorts after Tav passed, also in the epilogue, it seems that Withers does hint at him having the ability to just call the group whenever the world falls into danger again.

Astarion x Reincarnated Tav Headcanons

Many years have passed since your death, regrettably leaving Astarion all alone for him to travel across the realm of Faerun. Although in his years of living as an immortal vampire spawn, his past self would never be phased by such a thing, just seeing death as another way of time passing swiftly. 

Most of his former companions have passed on, except for Lae’zel who still wandered the astral plane, in which she never aged after centuries. The two sometimes meet up to talk with each other, but moments such as those are rare. 

But after everything he went through with the mind flayers, with you especially, this felt different, as if he was missing a part of his heart.

Now left all by himself to wander across the planes of Faerun, with the ring of the sun walker you gifted him all those years back, a final parting gift from you allowing him to walk in the sun once again. He even keeps a small locket wrapped around his neck, with a portrait drawn by Oskar Fevras, capturing every aspect of your face that could be contained on such a small canvas.

There are more dhampirs across the sword’s coast than before, thanks in part to the over 7000 vampire spawn who were released and went to live their lives in the Underdark, which makes it slightly easier to blend in with the locals in certain areas. Especially as a bounty hunter, travelling across the planes in search of any beast and bandits to slay, either for some quick cash or a meal. 

Although most residents from outside of the city have forgotten about the heroes who saved Baldur’s Gate and in turn the whole of Faerun from the threat netherbrain and the grand design as a whole, he’d still try to tell tales of your exploits to those at local taverns in hopes that your tale isn’t forgotten.

During these travels, he sometimes helps out with fledgling adventures, mainly in part to not become sloppy, some of these adventures are dhampirs who were raised in the Underdark, whom he gains a weird sense of kinship with.

He lectures the dhampirs about the tricks he’s learnt as a vampire spawn, encouraging them to not see their vampiric heritage as a burden, but more of a blessing in disguise.

Sometimes, whilst travelling with the young dhampirs, he ponders over what he could have had with you if you were here.

Some nights, he would reflect on that moment in the depths of palace dungeons, if rejecting the ascension ritual was the right choice. But he quickly reconsiders it after seeing others throughout his travels who were consumed by the unbridled power that pacts made with fiends from the hells had offered. Twisting what once was a desire to protect their beloved from harm into a lovesick obsession, wishing to keep them chained together for eternity for better or worse. 

Even if he had the means to become a true vampire, the gift of immortality would have been impossible to bestow upon you since your body was irrefutably damaged during your death. Despite the damage done, he would travel to his old grave in the city, leaving your favourite flowers atop his grave, in hopes that whatever remains of your soul, would find your way back to a suited resting place.

One night, after returning from a difficult hunt, he notices a letter addressed to him, written in a familiar fragile hand, simply instructing him to return to the city of Baldur’s Gate to meet in the Elf Song tavern.

Upon his arrival at Elf Song, he recognised a familiar face that he hadn’t seen in a few years, now spouting a few more wrinkles upon her face than before, Lae’zel who was seated at a lone table in the centre of the tavern.

“Tsk, took you long enough Astarion or has your travels across the lands also twisted your sense of time judging by that tail you’ve grown on the back of your head?” she teased.

Briefly reminding the vampire of his curly-haired ponytail that he decided to keep over a decade or two ago.

“Hmph, travelling across Faerun has given me more experience than ever before, all that time up in the stars has seemed to give you a new set of wrinkles since we last met, but I pull them off better than you darling” he’d quip back.

The sound of clattering bones approaching them soon interrupts their conversation. Speak to the two of the return of the dead three yet again, wishing to plunge the world into chaos once again.

“And you expect just the two of us to take all three of them.”

Even the once stubborn Lae’zel agreed with Astarion, nodding silently towards Withers.

“As I would expect, though I invest a portion of power in those who have challenged the gods long ago who are prepared for battle once more.”

His frail arm directs them towards the doors of the tavern. A sight that he hadn’t seen in years, his friends all alive and well, nearly thought that this was a simple hallucination of his mind or a case of some bad blood he drunk the night before.

A loud voice pulls him from his thoughts as a heavy hand clasps over his shoulder, “Fangs! I didn’t recognise you there for a second, gods it feels amazing to be back with the gang again.” Karlach, looking the same way she did during her tadpole adventures, with one or two fewer scars, lets out a quiet hum of approval before standing up from his chair brushing through the crowd for any sign of you.

After a few minutes of looking around in silence, everyone he knew was there, alive and well, with perhaps one or two visual differences, but no notice of you. He gets up to leave, coming up with some half-heart excuse.

Approaching his old grave in the city, flowers that were placed since he last visited now wilted. Perhaps it was wishful thinking that the crusty old skeleton could bring you back alive, staring at the stone in silence before a soft voice interrupts him.

“Excuse me.”

Probably another flower seller here to pester him, replying in a harsh tone, 

“Leave me alone, I’m not interested right now.”

Until he hears the voice speak once more in a quizzical tone “Astarion?”.

A voice he thought he had all but forgotten, turning around to see you alive in the flesh.

Even when the darkness swallowed Astarion, during your absence, you still kept his promise to find him again, as you always do. Perhaps it was the flowers that guided you back to him or your memories of him, but regardless you apologise for making him wait for so long.

He doesn’t say anything for a few seconds just staring at you softly, before walking towards you and embracing tightly, softly whispering “If it was for you, it was worth the wait.”

When you both embark upon your new adventure, he always sticks close to you holding your hand as tight as he can, even during the nights, holding your chest close to his ear, just to hear your heart beating in its rhythmic pattern, just to have the peace of mind that you won’t slip out of his grasp, disappearing once again. He tells you the tales of his travels and misadventures along the way, even about the current vampire and dhampir culture within some cities.

After the defeat of the dead three yet again, the gods, under Withers approval, decided to gift you and your comrades with a longer life span, partly in thanks and mostly as a just-in-case cause.

After the dust had settled, the two of you decided to purchase a home using the funds that Astarion had saved from his adventures as a bounty hunter. Enjoying the domestic lifestyle together.

One night he approaches you, sheepishly asking if you would be interested in having a third person in your relationship.

“What so like a child?”

“Only if you want to that is”

“After the tales you’ve told me of caring for the dhampirs I wouldn’t mind, even if it’s our own or another.”

He would spoil the child rotten of course, in his own way. But in the end, he’s relieved to finally find peace again with you by his side.

[cursedhaglette]

Hold Me Like a Knife

“Vampires,” she offers, running through her mental list. “There is a moderately sized coven, or I believe it would be called such, operating in the city.”

She feels a rumble of warmth through her body - approval.

“Tell me of these creatures. Tell me what you know of them, and I will consider how such a being might serve our goals,” He signals for her to rise, finally satisfied with her genuflection. “I am interested in how a creature of such power might serve us, should you continue to fail me.”

“They are called dhampirs, my Lord…”

—

Halia was raised to be the perfect daughter, the perfect Bhaalspawn. A beautiful killer - brutality made flesh. But every Bhaalspawn must eventually provide more, continuing the terrible lineage so that their God may rise again. Now it’s her turn to provide a monstrous offspring, a worthy sacrifice.

There aren’t many monsters she’d consider laying with, even fewer within Baldur’s Gate. She needs someone beautiful and pliant, someone who might understand her. It doesn’t occur to her that another spawn might be looking for the same thing.

(a twisted, terrible love story without the tadpoles, mindflayers, and endless hiking through the sword coast)

[scrapsovereign]

Give me Ascended Astarion but bogged down by all the mundane pleasures he thought he wanted and overwhelmed and exhausted by the politics and backroom deals. This man leapt eagerly at the chance to become the greatest puppet master of the Sword Coast but he bit off waaaaaaaay more than he can chew. It’s too much for him to pretend he’s just an extremely normal noble, raise a family, and gather the power of the shadows all at the same time.

I wish I was still talented enough to draw this, but I can see him realizing this laying on his giant four poster bed scooted over to the edge, laying straight as an arrow, dark circles around his eyes, staring up at the ceiling while Tav, his two dhampir children, and Scratch are all peacefully starfished across the silk sheets.

[spacebarbarianweird]

Bat pups are adorable!

Batstarion 👌

Some with the twins (His dhampire kiddos)

Btw, this is part of the au that Astarion can turn into a bat without the ascended thing. As much as I love ascended Astarion's alternate sides, spawn Astarion is more my style personally. Especially when he's with his little bat pups. (～￣▽￣)～

[fabledteeth]

I’m personally in the “astarion should never ever be a father” boat, but i do think the possibility of the monstrosity he could potentially unleash upon the sword coast (esp if he’s with durge) is really funny. for my playthrough it’d be an elven tiefling dhampir draconic bloodline sorcerer bhaalspawn. like what in the 2014 deviantart op mary sue. what in the murder urges x2. the most menace to ever menace. durge wakes up one night sensing Danger, storms into the nursery and sees sceleritas leaning over the crib on his tippy toes stage whispering like “blood blood gore murder kill kill maim death die”. astarion’s in the kitchen trying to enjoy a late-night drink and suddenly his demon child appears in the doorway with bright glowing, hungry eyes and a thoroughly mangled teddy bear clutched in its little grasp. the child asks if he would like to share. he’s never been more terrified in his life

[ervona]

oc romance ahoy... I made a post like this a while back but it's due an update with both characters I've neglected and the new ones I made recently

scrollers first this time :)

Llether is married to Vedam Dren later in life. old mer love... stay tuned for how I'll accomplish this

Merry developed a grand crush on Brand-Shei while helping him on his quest but what comes next we'll see. I've had them as a couple though (and note my version of the quest is pre-Skyrim)

Grenedel, Roznali and Ojul have no love interests yet of course I am looking. we'll see in the games

now for other realms...

Isemay and Minthara are errant knight wives

Vinnie is still hopelessly stuck on the archmage Tsabrak, her great love... what would Lolth say?

Donnara finds wizards charming, and I like the idea of her and Florrick from bg3. or else idk...

Prue is enamoured by Scyllua... as if familiar

Yorick gets with Glint but it takes some years, particularly for him to gather courage to come back to the Sword Coast or whatever we were Lu has a few boys she's interested in, right now namely a dmpc companion in our Avernus campaign :) Zarbrina/Thistle I had a few ideas but she's a lone wanderer rn Koska my rowdy dhampir is interested in Wenduag... she's honestly flattered that someone thinks she's cool, she's not very confident I have a few more ideas for games I'm planning to play ssshhh. my half-orc kalach-cha from nwn2, my kingmaker gnome and pillars orlan. we'll get there when we get there

[spacebarbarianweird]

The Dhampirs of the Sword Coast - Chapter 6. Cazador's Grandkids

Alethaine and Theris go for a vampire hunt and witness what happens if there are too many dhampirs and very few vampires.

Initially I wasn't planning to let Alethaine know what exactly Astarion endured but sorry not sorry now our favourite baby dhampir is traumatized, too

TW: Mentions of SA

Read on AO3

Link for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Thanks @themadlu for beta-reading!

The List of Chapters

Masterlist

Headcanons

Theris (Tiefling/Bard) - age 27. Chaotic Neutral

Alethaine (High Elf/Necromancer) - age 25. Astarion's daughter. Lawful Neutral

Harnotir (Dwarf\Barbarian) - Conspirologist and extremely paranoid. His mother was one of the recent Cazador's victims and managed to return to normal life among her own kind.

Eben and Eren (Half-Elves \ Twilight Hunters) - Dalyria's twin-sons, the first of the dhampirs born in this generation. They are her personal hounds but have their own hidden motives vampires are not aware of.

Sven (Human\Fighter) - He is an idealist and has high morals. He believes it is possible to create a Dhampir Freehold, a “kingdom of his own”. He was kicked out by his own mother, who was ashamed of having a Dhampir child.

Ulsha refused to let Mierni go and watch someone kill a vampire. She also refused to leave the human wizard boy alone in that “hellish cabaret”, forcing the bard and the necromancer to go on their own.

Asmodea just shrugged it away saying that she will pay only those who will hunt the vampires. 

“Did you see how Ulsha looked at the dancers?” Theris whispers. “I would bet my cock that she is into vaginas.”

“Or maybe she wants to choose a damsel to save from a life in sin,” Alethaine shrugs.

The dhampirs have followed the vampire’s scent like two hounds. By the time night falls, they have already reached some abandoned tavern in the ruins of a town.

“Which is technically the same,” Theris says.

“Theris, not everything is about fucking,” Alethaine has gotten tired of Theris bringing up sex every time he can and can’t.

“Alethaine, let me ask you a question…”

“No”

“...What are you into?”

“I am into you shutting the fuck up. Stop!”

The tiefling abides.

Alethaine sniffs the air. Yes, the vampire they are looking for is there. A full-fledged vampire in the inn. Strong, full of blood, ready to attack.

“It’s got me thinking…” Theris mutters. “It’s stupid to go hunting a vampire at night.”

“We can wait till morning starts.”

“Nah, it will run away.” Theris takes his viola out then stares at the instrument confusingly. “Shit, wrong tool. Wait a second” He takes out a dagger. “Let’s kill them!”

The tiefling and the elf approach the tavern. It looks more or less habitable, which is probably why the vampire has made it its daylight shelter. 

They also detect another presence, weaker and smaller.

“Probably a spawn,” Alethaine whispers. 

“Fuck, let’s force it to come out.”

Alethaine nods but the moment she heads to the door someone beats her to it.

“You!” a young dwarf screams. “THIS IS OUR SPOT!”

Before Alethaine realizes what is going on the dwarf screams “RAGE!!!” and bares his obvious dhampir fangs. Instead of biting, he swings his hammer.

Alethaine sidesteps and the hammer gets stuck in the ground.

“THIS IS OUR FUCKING SPOT! WE’LL HUNT THIS VAMPIRE!” he yells. “GET THE FUCK OUT!”

“Hey, let my sister go!” Theris stabs the dwarf.

“A scratch!” the raging barbarian spits blood. “I can regenerate, you moron!”

“I do, too!” Alethaine objects getting up.

A young human, maybe about twenty years old, comes out of a bush. He smiles like one of those idiots who think themselves great diplomats. He has blonde hair and olive skin covered in vitiligo spots.

“Harnotir, let the elf go,” he asks. “Name’s Sven. And my friend is right, this is our hunt and you are being rude for trying to take it from us.”

Harnotir drops his rage and puts the hammer back.

“My mother told me to never trust an elf. ‘Harnotir,’ she used to tell me, ‘I once trusted an elf I’d met in Baldur Gate and ended up in a cell for a decade after being turned into a vampire!’ I don’t trust elves. I don't trust tieflings. I don’t trust anyone for fuck’s sake. Let’s kill them!”

Alethaine takes out her dagger. “Don’t fucking approach me!”

Sven raises his hands. “I wasn’t planning to, but Yousen the Gnome is ours.”

“Yousen? One of the seven?” Theris asks. "Why is he not in Underdark?”

“Who knows?” Sven shrugs. “But he’s been out here for a while and the locals would love to get rid of him.”

“We were promised a pay too!” Aletaine says.

Sven opens his mouth as if to sigh and closes his eyes. “Dear sister, hope you don’t mind me calling you like that?”

“I do mind.”

“... The vampires are plenty, so are we. We must secure our spots and not interfere with others.”

Theris chokes on his own spit. 

“Like sex workers?”

“I don’t like this comparison,” Sven smiles. “But it hits close to home. Hey, where are you going? It’s not fair!”

Alethaine easily knocks the door down. “Life isn't fair, brother!”

The tavern is full of dust and smells like shit.

“Go fuck yourself little shits!” The vampire in question, a very weirdly looking gnome jumps on the table to be at least on the same eye level as the rest. “I am not going to die today!”

Alethaine tries to grab the gnome’s neck, but before she manages to do it someone screams “BLOOD BOIL!” and Yousen vomits red bile.

A young half-elven woman with ebony-dark skin jumps from the ceiling and kicks the vampire. Before he manages to fight back, she has already seized him and thrown him against the wall. 

“Is it some trending game for you all?” Yousen hisses. “Kick a gnome? Fuck!”

Another gnome, pale as death, unsheathes the shortsword and crushes it against Yousen’s head.

The vampire rushes to the door where he stops by Sven who pushes him back inside.

“Guys, cousins, siblings, if we don’t learn how to cooperate we are a doomed case!”

“GET IN LINE BITCHES GET IN LINE!” Yousen screams as dhampirs surround him. 

Theris squeezes through the dhampirs to get closer to the gnome. 

“Hi.”

“What are you staring at, boy?” The gnome bares his fangs.

Theris gasps.

“It’s very rude to assume someone’s gender by simply looking at them!”

Yousen opens his huge mouth and laughs. “I didn’t spend fifteen decades as Cazador’s spawn to guess someone's gender. I want to live on the surface, drink the blood of beautiful virgins, and live my fucking undead life!”

The dark-skinned half-elf kicks him in the stomach and makes him vomit blood again.

Blood witch, Alethane realizes. 

The female gnome casts a particularly scary shadow, but the dhampirs are too preoccupied with each other to get scared by it.

And a shadowcaster, Alethaine thinks.

“Ha!” Yousen exclaims. “All three types have come for me.”

“Excuse me?” Alethaine says.

“Didn’t you know there is some stupid law of nature?” Yousen says. “Every other female dhampir is a sorceress. Necromancers, blood witches, and shadow casters. And you stink of death more than all of them, so you are the first type. Girls, girls. You would all be very pretty if you weren’t that mean.” He sniffs the air and tries to grab Alethaine. “And you also stink like my brother in death. Silver hair, pointy elven ears. You are Astarion’s, am I right?”

Alethaine steps back. “Yes?”

Yousen twists his mouth. “Do you look like a nun on purpose or your daddy just didn't want you to end up a street whore like he did?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Alethaine asks.

“Oh no hard feelings. Cazador was a fucking pervert. Listen, kids,” Yousen looks at them. “Let’s do it this way. You let me go.”

“We can just kill you,” Harnotir takes his hammer.

“And what next?” Yousen smiles. “You will fucking kill each other trying to get a dime for my head. And I can just spare you a feud. Am I right, Sven?” He hisses. 

Sven shakes his head. “No, this is our spot, and me and Harnotir are going to kill and drag your ashes to …“

Alethaine casts the fear spell on the human but misses. Before she can realize hergrave mistake, Harnotir is already in a rage and Theris…

Starts aggressively playing the viola…

“Bardic inspiration!” Theris casts quickly.

“AAAAAARGH!” Harnotir yells.

Yousen, taking advantage of the dhampirs fighting each other, rushes to the door. Alethaine wants to follow him, but the shadowcaster and the blood witch attack her.

The gnome vampire barely reaches the tavern’s door before screaming in agony, his body is thrown against the wall once again.

“Silver,” Sven mutters. 

All the dhampirs stop at once and form a circle around Yousen, fearing to touch the curse metal.

Alethaine gulps watching silver chains marking deep scars on the vampire’s skin.

Two tall figures, half-elven men, enter the tavern. They look almost identical and move swiftly like shadows.

“Eben and Eren,” Yousen says. “Always together, inseparable butchers.”

“Hello uncle,” one of them says. “Long time no see”

Alethaine steps back.

She remembers Ulsha mentioning them. Dalyria’s sons, the first dhampirs born after Cazador’s murder. The butchers of the Underdark.

“Sorry, cousins,” Eren says. “But mother wants her brother back.”

“What is Dalyria up to now? I’ve heard she left Underdark.” Yousen tries to get up but it’s obvious the chains cause him pain.

“She left one wretched place for a more fertile one,” the twins say together. “Now she has her place among mortals. Makes for a better hunt.”

“And why does she want me? I thought she hated me.”

“Nonsense,” the twins say.

The blood witch interferes.

“Who do you think you are?” she demands. “He belongs to our coven! We need him!”

The twins make a weird facial expression, as if she said a nasty joke.

“Coven? Do you want to be a vampire so bad? We are taking him to our mother, whether you like it or not.”

Yousen hisses as the chains keep burning his skin. “Release me, I won’t run.”

“Sorry, but our mother wants you in chains.”

“Ha! Fucking pervert. I knew she secretly loved all these chains and whip things the master used to inflict upon us. Though if she wanted my gnomic cock so bad, she could ask and not use her fatherless sons to do the dirty job!”

Harnotir kicks him as if the gnome offended his mother, not the twins’, but the vampire only laughs.

“Boy, there is no point in being offended. All of Cazador’s victims were seduced. There is a 1 to 7 chance I myself brought home your vampire parent after a very nasty and dirty night of whatever the fuck it could be in those dirty streets beds.”

Alethaine feels ashamed and disgusted at the same time.

Of course, she suddenly realized.

Of course.

Now the puzzle has come together. She remembers.

Astarion, her father, yelling at a stranger for touching him.

Him beating the shit out of some pimps in Secomber.

His “thank gods” when she told him she wasn’t interested in boys, girls, or anyone.

His weird understanding of anything intimate or physiological.

Astarion, her father, wasn’t hunting and attacking people to bring them to his master because he wanted to.

He was forced to sleep with them.

Alethaine steps back. 

It’s unfair. It’s dirty. It’s evil.

No one deserved to be sold to others! Not this gnome, not anyone else.

Not her dad.

Not him.

Before Alethaine realizes what is going on, she is already outside in the night, her eyes teary and hands trembling. 

Theris follows her leaving the dhampirs to deal with Yousen.

“Hey! Wait! Are you alright?” 

“Did you know?” Alethane asks. “How… Everyone ended up there? At the dungeons?”

Theris bites his lower lip. “I heard of it. Sex, death, pain, 7,000 spawns, and an unknown number of dhampirs. Besides… Well, a dirty family secret for a dirty family secret. I am a rape child. A vampire attacked my mother. I don’t know why she kept me in the first place to  throw me away when I was four anyway.”

Alethaine sits on the cold ground. “Weird, huh? Does it really matter if my father just attacked victims and brought them to Cazador or slept with them first? The result is the same anyway. But for some reason, it sounds much worse.”

Theris turns away. “Dooming someone for an eternity on your master's orders is one thing. But when you are forced to open your legs up first, it means you don’t even own your body anymore.”

Alethaine presses her face against her knees.

The door of the inn opens wide and the twins leave into the night holding a small sack in their hands. The blood witch and the shadowcaster follow them like two stray dogs trying to retrieve the sack but the twins are faster and stronger.

Yousen is coming to his sister, whether he wants it or not. 

Sven and Harnotir approach Alethaine and Theris.

“We need to learn how to cooperate,” Sven says, watching the dark. “Those are two rude individuals.”

Harnotir grips the hammer. “Half-elves are the worst.”

Alethaine croaks. “Cooperate? What for?”

Sven sits beside her like an older brother trying to explain something to his younger sister. “Because one day we will need a home. A place of our own. And we need to cooperate. To solve issues together. Not being the hounds of our vampire parents. Not being slaves to our mortal origin. We need to understand we are a different nation. And we will thrive once we do.”

Harnotir frowns. He isn't fond of this idea, Alethaine realizes.

“...Rolling down to Dhampir Freehold, me boys, rolling down to Dhampir Freehold,” Theris hums. “We are homeward bound from the surface ground.”

Sven smiles. “Dhampir Freehold! Yes! Our promised land! You are a genius, bard!”

Theris blushes but pretends that praise is always expected for what he does.

Suddenly, Alethaine feels the presence of another vampire. 

A spawn!

Alethaine jumps on her feet and follows the scent. Asmodea didn’t mention anything about two vampires, they can just bring her an underfed spawn and get money. Alethaine decides to return to the inn.

Theris, Sven, and Harnotir follow her, demanding that they want a fair share if the asshole is there.

Alethaine finds a small hatch in the basement and opens it.

“Who is there?” Theris asks pushing Harnotir and Sven aside.

The vampire screeches and hides in the corner.

And then cries.

“Oh no,” Alethaine mutters, kneeling in front of the spawn.

A girl who will forever stay three years old bursts into tears.

--

Tag list

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[thetoxicgamer]

Expand Baldur’s Gate 3 with over 50 races from DnD and even FFXIV

In contrast to Baldur's Gate 3, which is set in the realm of Faerûn, Dungeons and Dragons features a vast multiverse of locations, people, and stories. Due to a massive RPG game mod, you may now choose from over 50 races throughout the DnD world, which is amazing. Previously, the races you could play as in Baldur's Gate 3 focused on the Sword Coast. With many gamers finishing their first Baldur's Gate 3 session, this is the ideal moment to use this mod to play as a completely different character. One Baldur’s Gate 3 mod already lets you play as an honest-to-goodness skeleton in Larian’s excellent adventure, but this is next level. Fantastical Multiverse from modder ‘DungeonsAndSouls’ has seen a 1.0 update now that BG3 is out of early access, and it includes a staggering 54 races from across the DnD multiverse and beyond. “Playable races from Legacy, Grim Hollow, and my Homebrew have been adapted to be relevant for any class in any world in the multiverse,” DungeonsAndSouls writes. “All races are revised or made compatible with the new era of DnD if they are not officially updated to the One DnD format or Monster’s of Multiverse Fantastical Race already. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RqYrvExVT0 “Races found in One DnD have been upgraded to their new version. This means Baldur’s Gate 3 vanilla races have been upgraded to their new versions but still keep the racial tags they have in Baldur’s Gate 3.” As a lot of this comes from homebrew material, there are even a few Final Fantasy 14 races now playable in Baldur’s Gate 3, but the roleplaying possibilities are now even more endless with all these extra DnD races, which you can see below. I want to play as a Minotaur and I want to play as one now! All new Baldur’s Gate 3 races in the Multiverse mod - Elf (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB) three Subraces - Pallid Elf - Sea Elf - Shadar-kai - Avariel - Grugach - Tiefling (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB) nine Subraces - Githyanki (MoTM) - Dwarf (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB) - Duergar (MoTM) - Half-Elf (Mark of Detection) - Half-Elf (Mark of the Storm) - Gnome (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB) - Dragonborn (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB) - Dragonborn (Gem Dragonborn (FIZBAN’S)) - Half-Orc (Mark of Finding) - Goliath (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB + MoTM) - Orc (Revised Unearthed Arcana 2024 PHB) - Aasimar (MoTM) - Genasi (Air, Earth, Fire, Water)(MoTM) - Bugbear (MoTM) - Changeling (MoTM) - Firbolg (MoTM) - Githzerai (MoTM) - Goblin (MoTM) - Kobold (VGTM + MoTM) - Minotaur (MoTM) - Shifter (MoTM) - Triton (MoTM) - Yuan-ti (Pureblood + MoTM) - Kender - Astral Elf - Lineages (Dhampir, Hexblood, Reborn) - Kalashtar - Verdan - Vedalken - Locathah - Laneshi (Grim Hollow) - Ogresh (Grim Hollow) - Downcast (Grim Hollow) - Dreamers (Grim Hollow) - The Disembodied (Grim Hollow) - Krsnik (D&S) - Moroi (D&S) - Mušḫuššu (D&S) - Tydelvian (D&S) - Lunari (Hemato-Kai + Crepusriel) (D&S) - Gwŷddpāla (D&S) - Nephilim (D&S) - Malformed (D&S) - Hyur (FFXIV x D&S) - Elezen (FFXIV x D&S) - Roegadyn (FFXIV x D&S) - Garlean (FFXIV x D&S) The massive BG3 races mod is available in 1.0 form right now, and keep in mind that it requires a handful of other mods to get working. I really want to try out either playing as a Minotaur or Kobold, if I’m honest. If you need a little help in the Forgotten Realms we’ve got the best Baldur’s Gate 3 builds for your deserted playstyle, alongside the most optimal Baldur’s Gate 3 settings for your PC considering Act 3 is causing a few people some trouble. Read the full article

[kaiserdingus]

Night of the Vampire Robots - 1995 Cartoon Network Retrospective

Most anime fans in the US over the age of 25 will tell you they got hooked on anime through Cartoon Network’s Toonami block, which aired weekdays from 1997 to 2004. The block would introduce staples such as Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and Gundam to a national audience, as well as more obscure shows like Tenchi Muyo and Outlaw Star. Toonami was created by Williams Street, Cartoon Network’s in-house production studio responsible for Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Adult Swim.

Well before the launch of Toonami and its success as the premiere anime destination on cable TV in the early 2000’s, Cartoon Network broadcast three animated movies in a one-night event called Night of the Vampire Robots. The marathon aired on Saturday night, January 28th 1995, and featured three anime movies from Streamline Pictures: Robot Carnival, Vampire Hunter D, and Twilight of the Cockroaches. These movies weren’t new, they’d previously been released in theaters and had previously aired on the Sci-Fi Channel, as well as TBS and TNT.

Streamline Pictures were a small film distributor in the late 80’s and early 90’s who would release anime movies and OVAs to American theaters. Founded by Harmony Gold’s Carl Macek and animation historian Jerry Beck, Streamline’s goal was to introduce Japanese animation to American audiences beyond poorly dubbed Saturday morning cartoons. They dubbed and released several noteworthy anime films in the early 90’s, including Kiki's Delivery Service, Akira, and Fist of the North Star.

Anecdotes from viewers who tuned in detail the marathon as being heavily edited, which isn’t surprising considering the mature content in Vampire Hunter D alone. The format of the marathon was similar to that of the Cartoon Network retrospective series Toon Heads. During commercial breaks an announcer would talk over clips from the movies and explain the cultural relevance of Japanese animation.

For this retrospective I watched Twilight of the Cockroaches on Amazon Prime Video, I watched Robot Carnival and Vampire Hunter D on VRV. These versions differ from the ones that aired on Cartoon Network, being uncut and more faithful to the original Japanese releases. 

Robot Carnival

Robot Carnival is a package film that was released as a straight to video animated film in Japan, but received a brief theatrical release in the US. It features nine short films centered around robots, some of which are full of action, others can be sad and introspective, and some can be funny and over the top.

The first thing I noticed during this movie was the beautiful animation. Each of the nine shorts is a work of art that could never be produced today. Japan's economy was booming in the 1980′s, resulting in a wave of great animation. Among the animators who worked on the film are Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of Akira, and Yasuomi Umetsu, creator of the Kite series. Only two of the shorts feature spoken dialog, the rest rely on visual cues and the soundtrack to carry the narrative.

The central theme is robots, with each short being about robots in one way or another. One short is about a man who creates a robot who yearns for affection, exploring the idea of what it means to be alive, or to be human. Another segment is a parody of World War 2 era Japanese propaganda films, taking place during the 19th century and features a giant Japanese mechanical wooden robot fighting an invading Western robot.

Vampire Hunter D

Vampire Hunter D is the least obscure of the three movies, having been widely available on home video and given a sequel in 2001. Its based on the popular book series by Hideyuki Kikuchi, and is credited as the first horror anime for adults to feature graphic violence and sexual imagery. This was the movie you didn’t want your parents walking in on while its on the TV.

D is a dhampir, a half-human/half-vampire, with a giant cross sword and a parasitic left hand with a sassy mouth. When the evil Count Magnus Lee begins hunting a towns woman named Doris, D is hired to protect the woman. The movie takes place in a far off future that resembles the late 19th century. Guns are actually high powered laser rifles, and the horses are cybernetic. Its alluded to, but not explained, that the vampires are actually aliens from another world who’ve settled on Earth.

For much of the movie D is seen struggling with his identity, as his father was a vampire and his mother was a human. The humans live in fear of the vampires, and anyone bit by one is cast out of society. D recognizes the suffering vampires have brought upon humanity and vows to protect humans from them. 

Vampire Hunter D was a minor hit in the US, prompting the creator to allow a sequel to be made with the West in mind. A PlayStation game would launch in 2000, followed by the sequel Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust in 2001. The books would eventually be translated and released in the US starting in 2005, and there were plans for a licensed American comic book that were canceled at some point.

Twilight of the Cockroaches

Twilight of the Cockroaches is a movie that blends live-action with animation, similar to Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The movie is about a colony of cockroaches who live in the apartment of a depressed man who can't be bothered to exterminate them. The cockroaches are depicted as cartoon characters with humanoid features, the humans are portrayed by live actors on a set.

The cockroach colony feeds off the unkempt nature of the man in the apartment. He orders take-out and leaves piles of uneaten meals on the counter tops and tables, creating a feast for the cockroaches he largely ignores. The younger cockroaches go out in the open without fear of being attacked, while the older cockroaches understand the need to stay in the shadows. The fears are eventually realized when the man starts dating a woman who isn't fond of cockroaches. In order to impress her, he agrees to clean the apartment and exterminate the roaches, leading to a war between the roaches and humans.

The story is an exploration of genocide from the perspective of the victims. It's true humans generally dislike cockroaches, but the movie presents them in a sympathetic light. The film is shown from the perspective of the cockroaches, showing the humans as larger than life figures. Common sounds the humans make, such as footsteps, boom with a loud intensity that help make the audience feel small.

Twilight of the Cockroaches was relatively obscure even in its time, though it did manage to influence later films. The 1996 MTV film Joe's Apartment was inspired by Twilight of the Cockroaches, boasting a similar plot about a society of cockroaches living in a man's apartment. Director John Payson has been open about taking inspiration from Twilight of the Cockroaches, and outside of the basic premise, the two are completely different movies.

Even though Night of the Vampire Robots was a one-night event, Cartoon Network aired the movies individually during the Summer of 1995. For three weeks in a row Cartoon Network would air each movie at 12:15 AM on Saturday night, during what they called Saturday Japanime. As far as anime for an adult audience is concerned, these would be the last until 2001 when Cowboy Bebop premiered along with the rest of the original Adult Swim line up.

Where to Buy

Robot Carnival (Amazon)

Vampire Hunter D (Amazon)

Twilight of the Cockroaches (Amazon)

Support Y2K FunZone on Patreon

[spacebarbarianweird]

You know what is better than dadstarion?

Writing an adult Astarion's kid and their own adventures🖤❤🖤❤🖤

don’t EVER feel ashamed for liking dadstarion content on tumblr dot com. do it shamelessly and without remorse. write it. draw it. create it. consume every bit of it that you damn well please.

the internet can be a very cool place and life is so very short. don’t spend your time here feeling like you have to make concessions to NOBODY.

he is not REAL!!!

[jesse5e]

Character List

Current Games:

DM | Armor of the Epoch | PBP

My first time dming. Five characters are hunting down pieces of an ancient and powerful set of armor that have scattered across the continent. The problem is, many other people are too.

Ilya Ivanova | Einsamwald | PBP

Level 6 Human Arcane Archer Fighter. 

Current Captain of the Oakenshields, the guards of Oakenfell, has a magic bow named Oakhart, and is about to leave their home forest for the first time on a quest to save the world.

Lina Khaldir | Chatsborough | PBP

Level 8 Dhampir Totem Barbarian. 

SUCH a bitch, is a vampire and has been for a very long time, does whatever she wants because she has the power to back it up, has a magic tattoo and a switchblade.

Finished Games:

Nina “Devo” Devoleth | Pirates | Voice

Level 6 Water Genasi Coast Druid. 

The first character that I played consistently, probably an alcoholic, had a secret fiancée, trying to figure out what her goddess wants and why she put a magic tattoo on the back of her neck and gave her powerful elemental magic, went to prison but not her fault

Yenran Shandalar | Magic Sword | Voice

Level 12 Stars Druid/Level 2 Seership Cleric Kalashtar. 

The most emotional I have ever gotten in dnd, fully cried during the last combat because she brought her best friend back and then died shortly after, my first permadead pc, but it was not in vein because we WON

Zariuk | Evil&Evil | PBP

Level 8 Fallen Angel Witchblade Rogue. 

From a homebrew supplement, liked poison and knives, killed a lot of people, was in a game called evil and evil what did you expect,

Miscellaneous Characters:

Jericho | Test Combat

Level 15 Changeling Vengeance Paladin. 

No real backstory because Jericho is for a test combat.

Alex Delgado | Never played, but was built for a college based oneshot

Level 11 Tiefling Battlemaster Fighter. 

HUGE jock, was truly so dumb, ace of the school’s volleyball team

Clay MacIntyre | New Ghame Plus

Level 3 Eladrin Moon Druid. 

This guy is a cowboy. That is all at this time.

[sogurikur]

(Temp) Cast list.

I slapped up a temporary OC page, until I can code a fancy one, but I figured I’d also put it in a more obvious post.

Here are my CURRENT various D&D OCs, in order of how much I’ve played / RPed them.

Ebon Shadestep. – Drow. – Rogue (assassin) / ranger (deep stalker).

Former assassin, current vigilante. Follower of Eilistraee. Party Dad. Extremely stubborn and suspicious. Loyal for life – once it’s earned. Never compromise on ideals. The best plan is a well-thought out plan. Forever chasing redemption and worthiness. Kind and friendly externally, dour and melodramatic internally. "Fake it ‘til you make it" world champion 2016-17. Did the raven aesthetic before that other rogue.

Ceryl Gavian. – Water genasi. – Bard (valor) / cleric (tbd).

Harper – for now. Folk singer, ballad writer, Sword Coast wanderer, scrimshander. Upbeat and chill – until recently. Dad issues. Family is who you choose. Never far from water. Look out for the little guy, no matter how big you are. Put everyone before yourself. Go with the flow, try everything at least once. Everyone has a story to tell – but a story’s no good if no one lives to tell it. Redheads are great.

Artis Vedane. – Half-elf dhampir. – Druid (homebrewed circle).

Nomad, hermit, herbalist, traveling apothecary and healer. Half kind, half monster. Never settle anywhere long, never put down lasting roots. Plants are preferable to people. Corpses make great fertilizer. Beautiful but broken. Delusion & denial central. If you are considered evil, evil is what you eventually become. Occasionally the hunter, but always the hunted.

Gideon. – Changeling (fey). – Warlock (archfey) / bard (glamour).

Fey swapped at birth. Gingster trickster, sly cad, shameless hedonist, never without a grin on his face. Genderfluid shapeshifter, body varies day to day. Charms with music, figuratively and literally. Boundaries are a social construct. Loves a good prank, bargain, or challenge. Loves everyone almost as much as he loves himself. 

Khirad Gwaithir. – Half-elf. – Cleric (knowledge).

Scholar and high-society noble by day, cultist of Vecna by night. “A thousand eyes, and one.” Spy, blackmail, know your enemy and destroy them unseen. Don’t mention the human half. Better than everyone, do not touch him. Has in wealth what he lacks in personality. Cruel, but utterly aloof. Never without gloves.

[5thinvictus]

The Strain, Season 3 Rant

So, I woke up this morning, unable to stop thinking about the end of Season 3 again.  Very specifically, the “plan” that Abraham came up with to lock the Master in a “box” and toss it into the ocean.  This is going to be completely long winded, but I need to get it out of my brain.

First: Was It Even Necessary?

They failed to kill him the first time because they didn’t catch “The Red Worm” (which, let’s all face it, was a god damn lazy recon.)  Abraham just watched it slither away.  He just watched it, wide eyed and bewildered, not trying to stomp on it or anything.  The look on his face was confused and uncharacteristic, just like Quinlan’s face when the bomb blast was heading towards him.

Why not decapitate him again and next time plan to fucking catch the god damn red worm?

Second: Letting it out of Your Sight?

I know I’ve pointed this out before, but if you haven’t seen Dracula 2000, I recommend it.

* BEGIN SPOILERS *

Abraham Van Helsing determines Dracula is actually immortal and he can’t kill him.  He’s tried ... over and over and over.  Therefore, he locks him in a coffin and uses Dracula’s blood, which he extracts with leeches, to prolong his own life (HAHAHA, sound familiar?  Yeah, it should.)  Here is where the difference comes into play.  He does not SINK the fucking coffin.  He puts it under guard, in a massive safe and he resolves himself to spend the rest of his pro-longed life making sure that fucker doesn’t GET OUT OF THE COFFIN.  HE NEVER LETS IT OUT OF HIS SIGHT.

* END SPOILERS *

YOU SHOULD NOT BE LETTING THAT FUCKING THING OUT OF YOUR SIGHT.

Third: In a silver coffin?  Lined with lead?  Seriously?

Ok.  Setrakian is amazing, or we are lead to believe he is, however he doesn’t really do very many amazing things after the first episode when he owns Baby Elizalde through his security glass (hehehe, that was pretty badass though).  So, he finds a bunch of silver and ... makes a coffin for the Master ... in a few days ... in a kitchen.  Ok, I will shelve my comments on this and just chalk it up to him being remarkable.  I’m ok with this ... Moving along ...

One thing... They keep saying silver all the time.  Silver swords, silver bullets, silver coffin, but no one mentions that silver is an EXTREMELY soft metal.  You don’t make swords OUT OF PURE SILVER.  You might coat it with silver or use an alloy, but NOT pure silver.  The first thing you hit with it, would just fuck up your sword.

Next, metal corrodes in water, especially salt water.  There are metals that don’t corrode, those that are thermodynamically unfavorable, i.e. gold, silver, platinum.  We just established that silver is too soft to use pure, so you would have to mix it with another metal.  We are supposed to believe that Setrakian fashioned a makeshift coffin purely from silver and some kind of other thermodynamically unfavorable HARD metal like Platinum Sterling?  They only showed him and Fet finding a butt load of silver.

Hey hey hey!  What if he just COATED the coffin with silver!  That would save it from corrosion in the ocean!

ಠ_ಠ  Silver is soft.  Any scratch, any bump, any nick, either getting it to the boat, out of the boat OR when it hit the ocean floor, might (and possibly WILL) leave it structurally compromised.

And, every single piece of the coffin would have to be made out of it.  Including the latch AND hinges.  Setrakian made his own Platinum Sterling hinges?  And was it ENTIRELY water proof?  The lead lining inside was to stop the Master’s signal from getting out, and if the coffin was not 100% water proof, then that lead is going to corrode to nothing over time.

ಠ_ಠ

Fourth:  Seriously?  With a god damn tug boat?

So, you are just going to capture the worst monster on the planet, put him in a makeshift coffin that you spent a few days making in your kitchen, then “sink him in the ocean” using a tug boat just off the coast of New York.

Just sinking him is a terrible idea all by itself, but using a tug boat to do is fucking dumb.  You aren’t even going to take him to a trench or out into the deep sea?  Wait what?  How fucking dumb do these writers think we are?  Or how fucking dumb should we assume Setrakian and Quinlan are?  Because, honestly, I chose not to think they are careless or dumb at all.

ಠ_ಠ

Fifth:  Quinlan Would not have been O.K. with this.

Quinlan has been on the hunt for his father for over a thousand years, preparing, planning and waiting to KILL HIM.  Quinlan cut off his head once and the worm got away.  No biggie, right?  He’s been at this for over a thousand years and he’s used to set backs ...

Oh wait ... you don’t want to KILL HIM anymore?  Grabbing that worm is going to be IMPOSSIBLE for someone of his SPEED and ... oh wait.

Nope, now you want to lock him in a box and sink him?  Wait ... what?  I guess its a pretty good punishment ... maybe?  But what if he eventually gets away?

You’ve been preparing for this, and you’ve always thought that when he dies, you’ll die too and you can rejoin your “beautiful wife” in oblivion ... so that’s out now.  You are just gonna sink him and then what?  Go back to Rome and watch Netflix for a few thousand years until he inevitably escapes?

Wait ... what?!?!  ಠ_ಠ

Sixth:  They HAD Him in the Penthouse!  THEY HAD HIM!

We all know that scene because it made everyone’s day.  Quinlan came out of the elevator, the Master shit his pants and all hell broke loose.  Our dhampir kicked his father’s ass and ... shoved him into a box.

Wait ... what?  He had him right there.  Gripped and unable to move while Fet, Setrakian and Ephraim just ... watched ... from behind.  Did ANYONE consider, oh hell, look, Quinlan’s got the Master!  Let’s fucking DECAPITATE HIS ASS FROM BEHIND.

Nope, the plan is PUTTING HIM ALIVE AND WELL INTO that box!  Regardless of the fact that the ass whooping Quinlan had just given him probably meant that he didn’t even need the humans help at all.  He could have just drawn his sword and been done with it right then and there.

Am I the only one, during that scene, that jumped up and screamed: JUST FUCKING KILL HIM!

Seventh:  O.K., You have him in a box , why not just destroy him?

You have him confined in a box that he can’t get out of and you want to sink him.  You’ve already determined he’s NOT immortal, as he killed all of his brothers already and you just need to kill that pesky worm that is somewhere in his body ... INSIDE OF THE COFFIN which you have 100% control of.

There are so many options here:

Cremate him?  Burn the entire thing until there is NOTHING left.

Lower it into a vat of boiling metal?  Think the end of Terminator.

Throw him into a volcano?

Here’s a thought.  Drill a hole and FILL THE ENTIRE THING WITH MOLTEN SILVER ALLOY?  Not as good as the previous two ideas, but meh.  Its better than sinking him and Quinlan could display him like Han Solo.

Keep him around until you can just shoot him into the sun?

Final Thoughts

The aggravation doesn’t come directly from the writers here.  I’m not sure who spontaneously had this idea and thought we would be dumb enough to eat it up, but the annoyance, for me, stems from the extreme admiration that they built up within me for Abraham and Quinlan.  These are two very capable and formidable heros that I’ve bought in to and it is simply SO VERY OOC for either one of them to have come up with such ridiculous and poorly thought out plan.

If you read this whole thing, thanks!  I needed to get this out of my head.

[spacebarbarianweird]

Awww baby Alethaine, Astarion's dark princess! (and thanks for the cat, Alethaine has always wanted to have one but, alas, animals feel that something is off with her)

Little Alethaine Ancunnin