#eckhart and emerleigh

[j-l-kepler]

surpriiise another markolac twins comic feat @meanbossart's DU Drow (my personal fave dark urge)

lately i've been snickering about this ask meanboss got about whether or not Drow smells bad or not. no idea why it's been on my mind but i CAN tell you the twins don't have time for that "you can't care about hygiene" shtick. 'specially when two of the sexiest people at camp smell like corpses after the adventuring day...

very stupid little bit but i simply had to lease it upon the world so it's your problem now, neener neener

[unkledeath]

Art of @j-l-kepler ‘s awesome tiefling siblings, Eckhart and Emerleigh Markolac, grabbing a drink with my tav Ezra! These two are such charming characters, I had to do a little something for them.

(They just saw Volo walk into the tavern and Ezra is spilling ALL the juiciest gossip about him, you wouldn’t believe that the wildest stories about him are the ones that are actually true.)

[balgur]

Eyeless Gods

Another little fic inspired by @j-l-kepler after reading an ask that made me SAD and so naturally I have to write about it.

CW: Character death (I'm so sorry)

It felt as though all time had ceased to be, as if the very fabric of the world frayed and disintegrated and Eckhart was left in its threadbare existence upon the precipice of stumbling into the abyss. All air squeezed out of his lungs, his heart thundering in his skull. For once the tadpole rested dormant. All rested dormant.

His hands held onto Emerleigh. Her glassy, lifeless stare looked up at him and remained unblinking, unfeeling, unliving. Her lips slightly parted and her skin mottled by splotches of blood, she looked as though she could heave a dreadful breath and return to the mortal world once more. Eckhart’s mouth fell open as if to speak, to encourage her to wake, trying to summon the words as if recanting some ancient, forbidden magic. Eckhart had not realised he had already begun screaming the moment his eyes laid upon his sister’s. 

“Em-!” Eckhart worked to shake his sibling’s body. People gathered, people watched. Faces that felt somewhat familiar felt alien and warped. Just more eyes upon the two, the world watching them both. Watching Eckhart writhe in agony as if he were a trapped animal gnawing at a festering wound. He looked up at the group and could not recognise them. “D-Don’t just stand there, help her!”

Pity. Defeat. They washed upon the expressions of the people stood around as they struggled to console Eckhart’s ever-growing franticness. His fingers dug into Emerleigh’s cooling skin. He could not let her go, could not dream of it. He felt his head reeling with pain as if crushed by unseen weight, heartbeat heavy like bells in an empty cathedral. A violent anger overtook him and at once he erupted, lashing out at the group.

“Stop fucking standing there!” Eckhart’s voice billowed out of him. “Help her!”

“She’s dead, Eckhart.”

The words shot through him. It broke every bone in his body and then poisoned his blood to the remaining marrow. It pumped through Eckhart’s veins, seeping through every pore and every sinew and every collapsing breath he took. Another scream, something vicious and unyielding, as though peeled back through the veneer of normalcy into something guttural and instinctive.

“Get away from us!” Eckhart all but shrieked, his tail lashed about as he shielded Emerleigh’s body. “Get away! I’ll fucking gut the lot of you!”

“We have to get moving, come-”

Upon being approached, Eckhart slipped free his dagger and slashed it at the outstretched hand offered to him. It recoiled, and decided perhaps it best to wait for Eckhart’s return to camp once he had finished grieving. They gave him the space he needed, the space he asked for.

And yet once alone, felt the screaming silence sink its teeth through his flesh. He pulled Emerleigh up into a tight squeeze, her heavy body unresponsive to the gesture. Eckhart feared letting her go, letting the reality slip between the two of them. Such crushing loneliness tempted him to simply lay down and die with her. 

Eckhart let out a soft hiccup, as finally, the tears started to drip down Emerleigh’s shoulder.

[j-l-kepler]

For the ask prompt, Favorite for Emerleigh and Change for Eckhart!

I DIDN'T FORGET ABOUT THIS IM SO SORRY I TOOK FOREVER TO ANSWER

Favorite: Does Emerleigh have a favorite article of clothing? What is it? What's the meaning behind it? Do they wear it all the time or do they wear it sparingly to keep it safe?

Em's jewelry means a lot to her - beyond how it makes her look, the articles she chooses have meaning to her. The most significant are her earrings!

Emerleigh is quite materialistic because she gives her materials meaning. Emerleigh never takes off her earrings. To her, they connect her and Eckhart and keep them close to one another. The stars, just like their nautical star tattoos, are to point the way home - one another. Since Emerleigh's embraced her femininity in a way that doesn't clash with the expectations of her job, jewelry is extremely important to her. Most of the gold she wears is pyrite or gold alloys, of course, but she honestly finds that fitting. She knows she's fake, and the gold doesn't need to be real. It just has to look real. But the shapes will always be authentic to her - she can't hide her true self perfectly, not when she wears her love and compassion so openly.

Change: Has Eckhart ever drastically altered his appearance? Significant haircuts, big tattoos, complete wardrobe swap, etc.? Why? How do they feel about the change?

Surprisingly enough, Eck's always had the same swashbuckler base style to him!

Aside from growing facial hair and getting some scars, the biggest change Eck's gotten would be his tattoos. But, as you can see, his base style and vibes have always remained the same. While Emerleigh's style has changed with how she's been expected to act and how that clashes with the persona she's chosen for herself, Eckhart's self image has always remained outwardly the same. He's honestly relieved nautical tattoos are so cool because they're a great way to keep him focused on his goal of becoming a sailor, since he often slips back into the mindset that his dream is impossible. It keeps him focused when Emerleigh can't kick him out of his funk - a "no going back" mindset. Plus he looks hot as FUCK with tatts and he KNOWS IT.

[j-l-kepler]

eckhart and emerleigh finally got to moonrise towers and got Extremely Necessary Evil Disguises for the infiltration. no, neither of them remember how easily they were able to infiltrate the goblin camp without said disguises.

lae'zel just doesn't appreciate good fashion sense. gods.

[j-l-kepler]

For the ask game: Failure for Briar, Betrayal for Em, Alone for Eckhart!

OHOHOHO THE ANGST... Thank you for this ask! Sorry I didn't get to it sooner!

From this [post]

CW Warnings and Answers below the cut!

Briar Lockren - Failure

[CW - Abuse in Family and Relationships, Implied & Attempted SA and Coercion]

What's your OC's greatest failure? Have they been able to move past it? Does anyone else know about it?

To her, Briar's greatest failure was not stopping Rowan from his Ascension. To answer all those questions, I'll tell you her story.

See, Rowan Amberclaw was more than a friend she grew up alongside - they were all they had as they grew up in the Cult of Cyric. Briar was a half-drow who was very clearly not her spiteful father's daughter, so she was never accepted enough for the cult's teachings to stick. Rowan, however, was the son of their sect's leader and always felt he was coming up short. They relied on each other. They had no one else in the world.

Rowan didn't leave the cult while Briar did what she could to distance herself, but the two remained close. Since their main concern was sabotaging Banite uprisings in Luskan, Briar was able to be persuaded to help unofficially. I don't think every enemy they faced was deserving, and Briar buried her suspicions in order to preserve their unstable relationship. Rowan got very good at lying to Briar and coercing her into situations she would later rationalize. They were 18, just barely adults, and neither had a good frame of reference for what a relationship was supposed to be. Even so, they loved each other. Briar was a very different person back then. They both were.

Briar made a lot of excuses for him, but she didn't internalize the gravity of her compliance until it was too late. I couldn't tell you when Rowan's genuine love for Briar twisted, but I can tell you when she finally couldn't ignore it.

On the night Rowan killed his own father and usurped his position, Cyric recognized the young man. His deceit, his entitlement, his ego, they were all worthy tributes to The Prince of Lies, and so Rowan became the Chosen of Cyric. Briar believed she was at fault for enabling him, but then he tried to do something terrible. There were no sweetened lies or honeyed words that could distract her from the reality of who he had become. She fled, and he cursed her on her way out the door.

It's been three long years of travelling to outrun Rowan's watchful eye. She hasn't been able to move past it. Misfortunes followed her like a shadow ever since. Anyone who knew about her curse didn't live very long due to natural disaster or mysterious unlucky circumstances snuffing out their lights. (Basically, Briar turned into a Final Destination magnet) And that's on the off-chance they didn't run her out of town for having Cyric's symbol branded onto her arm!

Briar believes Rowan's ascension could've been avoided if she did more than comply with him. If she tried harder to get him away from the cult, maybe they could've been happy together. The worst times are when she believes she should just go back to him so he'll stop haunting her nightmares.

I don't think Briar was right to enable him. But I don't think she would've been able to help as much as she hoped she would. I don't know who Rowan would've been. I only know who he chose to be, and that Briar regrets her hand in it every day of her life.

(Briar was written as a fake Companion Quest "The Weary Ranger" before I made her a Tav, so she's got a hell of a history lol)

These next ones will be a bit easier, I wager...

Emerleigh Markolac - Betrayal

[CW - Mentions of the Slave Trade in D&D, Implied Sex Work]

Has your OC ever been betrayed by someone they thought they could trust? Has your OC ever betrayed someone who trusted them?

Emerleigh has arguably suffered 2 major betrayals in her life, but at different speeds and intensities.

The first was at the hands of their older sister Hedryn, when she foolishly tried to temporarily sell the twins for passage into the Xanathar Guild for protections from her MANY debts and troubles. This betrayal was swift and painful, seemingly out of nowhere. Someone she deeply trusted turned on her on a dime. Even though Em understands the emotional circumstances better than Eckhart, that doesn't mean she doesn't understand what Hedryn did was unforgivable and extremely painful for them.

Marble is a slow realization over time instead of an instant betrayal. She and Eckhart trusted Marble after he took them in from the slave trade and showered them with gifts and affection. But over time, she grew to realize he was using them and would do anything in his power to keep the two of them in line. It was a painful realization for her, but less intense due to its unravelling nature and the fact Marble always had a "too good to be true" vibe about him. She made the mistake of believing her well-being meant anything to him. Every terrible client or dangerous job he sent their way was a violation of the twins' trust in him.

The only other person Emerleigh has let herself trust is Eckhart, who has never violated that trust. They're all the other has.

Despite knowing the pain of betrayal well, that doesn't mean Emerleigh's without her own victims. After all the Markolac Twins are con artists at Marble's beckon call first and foremost. Exploiting trust is part of the game. As a bard, it's always been her job to enrapture and seduce with her wiles and words, and she's one of the best in the Gate when she puts her mind to it. How fortunate for her conscience that Marble does dirty dealings with some evil bastards.

So, yes, Emerleigh's betrayed a lot of peoples' trust. Whether they deserve it or not isn't as simple an answer.

Eckhart Markolac - Alone

[CW - Codependance, Hypersexuality]

How does your OC deal with loneliness? Have they ever been completely alone before? How do they act when there's no one around to see them?

Eckhart is the funniest and most tragic choice you could've made for this because Eckhart is rarely alone. He's practically glued to Emerleigh's hip, and she's glued to his. If they split up on purpose, it's rarely for longer than an hour or so.

If Eckhart is alone, it's because he's either in Marble's solitary confinement chamber or because Emerleigh is on a job. If he's got no work to keep him busy, he spends his time either in their room (which they share) or out on the town if he's able to sneak out (though the Undercellar has plenty of fun to be had despite it basically being his prison). If he's able to get out, he looks for company in taverns. He either drinks until he starts a fight, spends the night cheating at cards with one-night friends, or getting busy with fellow patrons. You may have noticed, but Eck's hypersexuality is a lot less performative than Em's. She's hypersexual as a method of self-reclamation mixed with some complicated feelings about what's expected of her, while Eckhart does it to distract himself and not feel so godsdamned lonely.

If taverns aren't an option, he fiddles with anything he can find. He hates letting his mind wander because it often goes to a lot of his repressed emotions he's refusing to deal with. He took up cartography, has read every single one of Em's Volothamp Geddarm books (with special focus on the monsters of the open ocean), and one time broke a lute she received as a gift from an admirer when he tried playing it. He mumbles to himself to keep himself busy.

When he's alone on a job, though, that takes all of his mental energy so he doesn't need to fiddle with something or talk to himself.

Most strikingly, Eckhart is stoic when he's alone. He rarely cracks a smile and is more overtly grumpy as opposed to his wry sarcastic streak when he's around people. He doesn't perform being in control when he's alone.

I think if somebody called him codependent, I wouldn't be able to disagree. Eck's not very good at handling life by himself, he can't even pretend to trust others, and that hampers his ability to grow on his own. He's dependent on others to act as a crutch for his personal growth, and acting on his own leads to a kind of emotional atrophy.

THANK YOU FOR ASKING THESE, I HAD A LOT OF FUN COMING UP WITH ANSWERS FOR MY LITTLE ANGST MACHINES

[j-l-kepler]

I know you get a bunch of thirsty anons but you know what?? I'm going to tuck them both in and give them some hot cocoa and tell them I love them lots and make them feel safe and-

oh god what if they were COZY

[j-l-kepler]

From the Tav ask list, question 11 for the twins!

OHHH this is one I think about a LOT

From this post, I presume!

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

Long story short, this was a rollercoaster for Eck and Em. Lots of emotions. Repression didn't last long. They worked through it, though!

Long story long....

The emotions leading up to their capture were already horrible for them. They were racing through the streets of the Gates because they'd just gotten caught snooping through Marble's desk looking for their debt ledger. They wanted to know what was left on it, but they rightly assumed Marble would accuse them of trying to steal it.

(A little sketch panel from a comic I drafted up about it like two months ago):

So they were booking it for their lives when they got picked up by the Nautiloid.

The two of them woke up in separate pods, completely unaware of where the other was. Their pods were placed so they were nearby but they couldn't see each other due to the periphery limitations. It was a life-or-death situation where neither knew if the other was anywhere near them: aka Markolac Worse Case Scenario #4.

Suffice to say, they were stoked to see the other safe and sound when they got out.

When the ship crashed, they had a microcosm of that same anxiety: did my twin just die in a fiery inferno while I had the audacity to survive? Luckily, they landed extremely close to one another by some miracle (probably their Guardian's doing).

For the first full day, they pushed those emotions down in favor of finding a place to stay and food to eat. They didn't recruit anybody day one, and they played it cool and even joked about the whole thing.

But come nighttime, the anxieties of the day caught up and overwhelmed them. They almost lost each other for good. Their lives were in danger not just because of Marble, but because of the tadpoles. Though it was only for a moment, they lived in a world where the chance of losing each other was a real threat at every turn. They both had to face that reality for an agonizing moment.

They cried, but they didn't cry alone. And they promised each other they would make the most of this freedom, and they'd fight tooth-and-nail to keep it.

(This is from a piece I drew about it early in the twins' run)

They're still terrified, but they use that fear to fuel their ambitions and bolster their alliances. I like to think this newfound resolve was initially fueling their codependence, but has turned into a more profound appreciation of each other. I think, despite the dangers they've faced, this is what made the twins realize how special and unique their bond is, and how much they rely on one another. They've made it this far together, and they will see it through together.

They then got extremely drunk, and Eckhart tried to fish the tadpole out of Emerleigh's eye with a dagger. Thankfully, everybody walked away with their eyeballs in tact and most of their emotions about the whole ordeal mostly suppressed. Win-win?

At the end of the day, they're still disasters.

Thank you for this question!! I hope to do more stuff about these two... I just gotta fix their save....

[j-l-kepler]

I Turned My BG3 Tavs into Fake Origin Characters

CUZ NOBODY'S STOPPED ME YET

So here I was, scrolling through the BG3 tag when I come across a fantastic BG3 Template made by the extraordinary @dvgsart! Couldn't mcfreakin' help myself, I tell you.

So I took my 5 active non-Durge playthroughs (3 of which are 2-Tav saves) and slapped them in! Had a blast doing this, I tell you. All the beautiful Tavs I keep seeing just make me wanna gush about my own silly Tavs. Life's too short to not have fun.

[Putting the ART and everything below the cut because this is gonna be loooooong and y'all should get to opt out]

Yeah okay maybe I've written Companion Guides for 6/7 of these guys. I've had a lot of time at work lately, okay.

I call these guys the Stacked Seven because all of them have massive badonkadonks and I'm in desperate need of a new hobby. I can't help the fact drawing tits is very fun and I am horrendously bisexual.

ANYWAY lil bit of preamble you can skip -- I based their stats and weapons on what they'd be as Companions or Origin runs, not what their actual in-game stats are. Romantic Partners / Besties / Weapons are who and what they'd probably default to if they were just in ya party. I also put them in their Companion fits, not their in-game fits. AIGHT LET'S KICK IT OFF, IN ORDER

Eckhart Markolac

The Infernal Twins

Ayyy it's my guy, you might've seen my guy before! We're starting off in familiar territory. Also he's the only twunk here. RIP.

Eckhart is one roguish half of the whole known as the infamous Markolac Twins. He and his sister Emerleigh have spent years of their lives dedicated to paying off a debt they owe to the Undercellar through smuggling, cons and other life-threatening crimes. Now that the Nautiloid has picked them up and dumped them a long ways away from the Gate, he's faced with the consequences of his actions and the kind of freedom he never expected to grasp in his lifetime.

Eckhart shares a companion quest with Emerleigh - get these tadpoles outta their skulls and get back to Baldur's Gate! But will he return to face his debtor, go on the run for the rest of his life, or forsake a future he doesn't think he's good enough for?

For those who haven't met my angst machine of a rogue, Eckhart is a sarcastic, witty and vaguely sleazy guy who's basically your classic rogue. He comes complete with a detached attitude, lower (but not too low) moral standards, and a heart of gold under layers and layers of self sabotage and emotional dysfunction. He's just bad at hiding it.

Eck and Em would be recruited at the exact same time, and their tadpoles would make it so they cannot live for very long without the other. How? Why? Because I don't wanna write a whole freaking branch where one of the twins dies and the other just has to deal with that. Game branch logic is HARD TO WRITE, DAMN YOU.

Emerleigh Markolac

The Infernal Twins

Heyyy girl, it's Em, it's my girl!

Emerleigh is one bardic half of the whole known as the infamous Markolac Twins. She and her brother Eckhart have spent years of their lives dedicated to paying off a debt they owe to the Undercellar through smuggling, cons and other life-threatening crimes. Now that the Nautiloid has picked them up and dumped them a long ways away from the Gate, she's more determined than ever to hold onto this newfound freedom... more terrified of returning than she ever thought she could be.

Emerleigh shares a companion quest with Eckhart - get these tadpoles outta their skulls and get back to Baldur's Gate! But will she return to face her debtor, go on the run for the rest of her life, or deny herself the future she so desperately wants for her and her brother?

If you haven't met Em, she's your classic dramatic bard who speaks in poetry, prose and academia! She's friendly, mischievous, and has so so so many things she hasn't given herself the space to contend with emotionally. She's a pretty lady used to having a perfect mask demanded of her, craving a chance to speak bluntly and openly instead of wrapping herself up in layers upon layers of what other people want from her.

I've already written plenty about Em and Eck. The twins' stories are very interconnected, with the quest playing out the same beats from the perspective of whichever twin the player is playing/romancing/keeping in their party.

Canary Highfall

Child of Light

My other major 2-Tav playthrough I have yet to mention, and the first modded class I've played!

Canary's life has been dedicated to the pursuit of truth -- consequences be damned. Reuniting with her possessive estranged father has caused a lot of roadblocks for her, but her divine heritage won't stop her from her latest fascination: Mind Flayers. Specifically, the strange tadpole specimen she intercepted in her father's study. Her pursuits, assisted by her bodyguard and trusted friend Leryk, have resulted in the two of them playing host to those very same tadpoles! The questions are piling up, with one weighing heaviest on her mind: why did her father of all people have this specimen to begin with? And what does that mean for her and Leryk?

Canary's quest is separate from Leryk, as the first part of her companion quest is finding him. If the player completes the grove or tries to move to the next region without him while keeping Canary in the party or at camp, he'll just show up at their camp. They're a package deal from Act 2 onwards, so the player can either dismiss them both or keep them both. She's not going anywhere without her closest friend!

Canary is a feverously academic person with a focus on abnormal biology. Her noble position and all the restrictions that come with it are a recent development in her life, and one she only engages with for the resources it affords her when possible. She's extremely distrustful of authority and how nobility has a chokehold on academia, so finding out her estranged father is a hyper-paranoid aasimar descended from Lathander himself doesn't exactly help her faith in higher powers -- be they the divine or the political. She's a bit of a smartass and gets wrapped up in what she's doing so completely that she often doesn't consider the consequences. Despite her outward confidence, it's very easy to get her to start rambling or turn her into an absolute mess. Though she hates when Leryk treats her like a princess, she trusts him with her life and would do just about anything for him.

With Canary, I liked the idea of a Companion with a specific interest in Mind Flayers and a personal stake in the conspiracy much like Wyll does. She wouldn't be able to tell the player anything Halsin can't already say in much more detail since she hasn't made a lot of headway in her tadpole-specific research, though.

Leryk Coppperlot

Knight of the Dawn

He's the only one of my active saves that has a skin tone other than "human". Good job, Keps.

Leryk's life hasn't been very long so far, but very little of it has been uneventful until recently. Saved from his life as a ruthless mercenary at the age of 19, he's devoted himself to the Son of Lathander. When his savior's recently-discovered estranged daughter was placed in his care, Leryk then devoted his life to her. Duty blossomed into friendship, but Leryk's blind faith in Canary's father persists despite what Canary has to say about it. Now that they've both been tadpoled and whisked far away from the safety of the Gate, Leryk is determined to get Canary home no matter the cost. But can he face the horrific truth Canary is on the cusp of uncovering...? And what about the truths she's been hiding from him?

Leryk has that frantic "rookie soldier" energy. He's extremely combat-experienced, but he's terrible at wrangling in Canary since he's very easy to sway through enthusiasm alone. He's blindly devoted to Canary and even moreso to her father, but otherwise can be quite shrewd and cautious of others. Misjudging one's character used to mean death for him, and he learned that when his old mentor tried to turn him in for a bounty on his head. Leryk, despite this, has learned a lot from the kindness afforded to him and does his best to repay it. "Caution, but not discourtesy" is his motto.

Leryk's quest is separate from Canary, as the first part of his companion quest is finding her. If the player completes the grove or tries to move to the next region without her, she'll just show up at their camp. Since they're a package deal Act 2 onwards, the player can either dismiss them both or keep them both. Canary's his best friend and he is literally her bodyguard, after all.

I love devoted bodyguards. I love him so much. I like the idea of some Companions knowing each other or having pre-existing relationships. You know he's having a panic attack and is going to find her just chilling in the Goblin Camp like it's no big deal.

Briar Lockren

The Weary Ranger

okay so Briar was actually a fan companion BEFORE she was a Tav. I recently restarted her run in a 2-Tav where the other Tav is actually Default Dark Urge because this girl's perception proficiency is worthless if she hasn't slept enough. And she never sleeps enough.

After three years of wandering the Sword Coast, Briar has settled in Cloak Wood in hopes of outrunning her terrible luck. Her past involvement with one of Cyric's cults has left her branded with supernatural-levels of misfortune and nightmares plaguing her every time she falls asleep. She's basically a walking-talking tempest. Having fallen in and out of the Feywild and caused towns to burn without her say, Briar thought being picked up by the Nautiloid was simply another instance of her shit luck. So imagine her surprise when she got the first nightmare-free rest in three years. Free from the eyes of the one who cursed her, Briar's luck has suddenly changed.

Briar is a somewhat ditsy individual prone to taking inopportune naps just about anywhere. Originally from Luskan, Briar's time wandering and falling into ridiculously terrible situations has made her a pretty difficult person to rattle. She's kind and gentle despite all she's suffered, but blames herself for wandering around the way she does and causing trouble (settling down with her luck is impossible). Her passivity is what led to her situation, however, as the one who cursed her was her childhood friend-turned cult leader-turned Chosen of Cyric-turned ex-boyfriend. It's messy. Briar's very used to messy life situations.

Briar's probably my most developed Tav in terms of a Companion story since she was originally written to be one. I also will acknowledge her being half-drow but not LOOKING half-drow is partly due to my own personal cowardice, but it's also the result of her complicated heritage. Lotta drow in Luskan. The fact she doesn't look like her full-drow father should tip you off as to why he might not have especially liked his child, therefore neglecting her and giving her very few chances to adopt the cult's teachings for herself. Kinda hard to teach a child to become a religious narcissist when you keep telling her she's just inherently inferior.

Scarlet

The Scarlet Scourge

My longest-lived Tav... heeeey girl, hiiii~ I'm probably gonna play her in a campaign one of these days. Siiigh.

The Scarlet Scourge strikes fear into the hearts of the greedy aristocrats that call Baldur's Gate home. A street urchin whose life was ruined time and time again by those who have far too much money, Scarlet's dedicated her life to taking from those who won't miss it and giving to those who need it. But Scarlet's been stopping the plans of the corrupt for a long time, and it all began with some dangerous blueprints. Blueprints she quite literally carries within her soul. Now that she's crashed far beyond the anonymity the Gates afford her, the one she stole the plans from has a chance to find her all over again.

Scarlet is a highly confident and highly competent master thief. She takes great pride in her ingenuity and artificing skill, and won't let you forget it. She's fiercely independent and keeps people at a distance, even hiding her real name from those she gets close to. However, like every Robin Hood figure, she revels in her legend and genuinely adores the people she does it for. Scarlet may act arrogant, but she has the skill to back up her confidence and risks her life for altruism. Get her in front of a gadget, however, and her brain goes a mile a minute. (She's going to be fucking pissed when she sees how cool the Steel Defenders are and the awful ways they're being utilized)

Who doesn't love a Phantom Thief? I think she and Wyll would absolutely be besties if they didn't already know each other before the events of the game - they both love the people of Baldur's Gate, have super hero names, and are archetypes of a class they don't belong to (Wyll is a Paladin in a Warlock's body while Scarlet is a Rogue in an Artificer's body).

Rohku Eddervyn

The Oathbroken

My OTHER longest-lived Tav, and the oldest character of my active Tavs. He's the oldest of them as well in terms of character age.

Rohku has been given many titles over the years, but none of which he's found suit him. After awakening to his Oath in the wake of a Sharran attack during his time as an Acolyte, Rohku was once known as The Sun of the Seventh Dawn for reasons he'll spare you for now. But years of tracking down and slaughtering Dark Justiciars began to take their toll. When grief and rage gave way to emptiness, he understood the pull of Shar. Unable to hunt down those he now saw as victims, his Oath shattered. But his devotion remains. Now, as he searches for new meaning under the Moonmaiden's gaze, he tracks down an artifact said to have fallen into Sharran hands...

Rohku is a mature and quiet man, jaded by the world around him. He's tired of battles between good and evil, and now lives for what is kind -- in any form that takes. He's patient with people and thinks very little of what others think of him. His wisdom and experiences make him an excellent leader, and an even better listener. He often chooses to resolve conflict through his words rather than his blade, but his deadpan demeanor makes that difficult. But he can handle that when it's his own ass on the line. But Zweihanders aren't shields.

Rohku was the first masculine character I played in BG3 and I fell in love. He's so tired and sweet. He's kind of Halsin-esque in that he was thrust into leadership without his say and acts as a calming presence for those he makes camp with. And big. He's a big boy.

~~

Hee hee hee self call-out time! Yes I have noticed 3 of them have black hair, 3 of them are tieflings, 5 have a different hair color streaked in there (with 2 of them specifically graying at a young age), and only 1 of them is above the age of 30. Because I Am A Coward. Pobody's Nerfect.

Hope you kinda enjoyed my little Tav sound-off! If you have questions about them or wanna see more of them or, heck, even draw or write about them yourself, go craaaazy! I don't know how much of these ideas are, like, solidified. IDK I'm still playing around with them.

God I put too much work into these. I can't believe I do fan fiction now. Wild.

[j-l-kepler]

i swear to god im gonna make something involving the real companions one day. i swear. also sorry if these gifs are causing your phone or computer to explode, my bad

do excuse the terrible visual quality~ i had my wisdom teeth pulled today so i decided, once i was lucid and not on the verge of passing, to take a page out of some of the sick BG3 tav posts i've seen and make GIFS of The Stacked Seven [detailed here].

i had to redress some of them in an attempt to match the companion fits I gave each of them (so there's some, uh, obvious overlap). but man this was fun to put together! i couldn't subvert em's clipping but ah well close enough/ totally not realizing how i could've actually fixed her look literally this second. i am not re-making hers.

the process also required me to regain Rohku's oath THEN change his class to take the screen recording so that was extremely funny to me. also scarlet's is the rogue one because she's a modded class with no animations, and she started out as a rogue before i respecced her! felt right.

[my attempt at a semi-comprehensive list of the cosmetic mods I used in these screenshots below the cut]

oh sheesh there's no way i didn't miss stuff. DOES NOT include mod requirements. I don't know exactly which dyes I used so I'm just listing all the ones I know for a fact may have been used at some point. If it doesn't have a link, that means it's hidden or deleted. List as of May 11, 2024. lemme know if any links get messed up!

Astralities's Hair Color Supplier - All hair colors except Rohku and Scarlet's

Basket Full of Equipment (NSFW edition) - Twins and Canary's bracers, Twins' boots, Eckhart's pauldrons, Leryk's scarf, various dyes

Boring Dyes - various dyes, also that name is untrue because these dyes are gorgeous

Boring NPC Dyes - various dyes (also freaking gorgeous)

CmdrSkele Outfits - Briar's scarf

Customizer's Compendium and its unoffical Patch 4 fix - Rohku's hair

Demon Eyes - Eye Color Edition - Canary's eyes

Ellian's Trinkets (Camp Version) - Scarlet's choker

Extra Gear - Rohku and Rohku's armor, gauntlets, cloak and boots.

Faces of Faerun - Canary and Eckhart's faces

Ghoul's Custom Piercings - Canary, Briar and Leryk's earrings

Glowing Eyes - technically all of them have them

Goggles (with Variants) - Canary and Scarlet's goggles

Honey's Hair Kitchen (WIP) - Emerleigh's ponytail

Ieko's Head Presets WIP - Briar's face

Izzli's Pigments - various dyes

Kailime Eyes - Daughter of Darkness - Leryk's eyes

Kay's Hair Extensions - Briar, Scarlet and Emerleigh's hair add-ons

Lokelani's Lavish Livery - Briar, Emerleigh and Canary's armor

Modular Equipment - Emerleigh's vest/corset

Mystical Fashions - Eckhart's armor

Mythral Accessories - Briar and Emerleigh's chokers

New Character Creation Presets - Scarlet and Emerleigh's faces

Noble Trickster's Garments - Scarlet's entire outfit, various dyes

P4 Bangs Bangs Everywhere - Briar and Emerleigh's bangs, Scarlet's fringes add-on

P4 Custom Hair Colours Highlights and Greying - Twins' highlights

Pirates and Rebels - Eckhart's necklace

Silver's Hair Pack - Canary's hair

Some New Horns - Emerleigh's horns

Tav's Hair Salon - Scarlet's hair

Vessnelle's Hair Collection - Briar and Eckhart's hair

Yennefer's Wardrobe - Briar and Canary's boots

Yogurt's Heads - Leryk's face

[j-l-kepler]

so guess who's getting a bg3 reboooooot

look, man, i don't wanna figure out how to fix my old saves with mods. i'm just remodding from scratch and starting over because 1. you can't stop me and 2. it gives me a chance to replay the game with character in mind now that i actually know who these dinguses ARE.

these are my current fave tav runs, so i'm not ready to let them go just yet. eckhart and emerleigh need reworking anyway, i'm way too gay for scarlet to let her go, i adore dark urge and briar too much to say goodbye, rohku is my big boy paladin rep and his relationship with shadowheart is way too cute, and canary and leryk could use another go anyway.... maybe i'll add my evil run in there if i ever get the courage to start that up again.......... too scary to be mean.

idk im jus havin fuuuuun~

[balgur]

To Be Haunted

Do you ever just get an overwhelming urge to experience writing for a Tav bc you think they're SO cool?? Anyway this is a very short fic using @j-l-kepler 's twins, Em and Eck! I hope this was okay, I actually think about them an unhealthy amount.

A strange, contemplative silence fell over the camp. Though there still lived a few thrums of idle chatter, for the twins the quietude openly gnawed at them both in equal measure. Emerleigh took to wiping at a scuff on the side of her boot, leaving Eckhart to gaze out upon distant waters. 

Neither of them thought they would be here. The world around them felt both too wide and vast and yet claustrophobic. Two drops in an ocean yet a crashing wave threatening to smother the entire coast. Emerleigh gave her sibling a glance, trying to gauge him, only to find him looking back at her with much the same goal in mind. She offered him a little smile, causing the corners of his own mouth to bend downward.

“Stop thinkin’ about her, Em.”

The night brought up strange memories. Emerleigh’s smile grew somewhat distant, fogged by a bittersweet nostalgia. Still she leaned her head against Eckhart’s shoulder. Her tail came to a soothing coil about her lap and she let out a little sigh, so consumed by thought it felt futile to verbalise it all in a single evening. 

“What’re we going to do when we get back to the Gate?” Emerleigh found herself asking, if only to puncture the silence lingering over the two of them. If only just to quiet her own thoughts before they turned too painful to stomach. Eckhart’s scowl only deepened.

“Dunno.”

The little faith he had in the future was echoed in Emerleigh’s waning optimism. What awaited the two back in the city felt a fear unto itself far greater than any slithering little worm in their skulls. They both struggled to comprehend the return, providing they both survived long enough to get to such a point. The daunting wilderness often gave them both a brush with mortality that neither cared to re-experience if it could be helped. 

Emerleigh wondered what Hedryn would have done. If she would have cracked a joke, lit herself something to smoke and assured them of their guaranteed survival. Emerleigh wondered if she would believe it. And though Eckhart would not speak of her, in his heart he had to wonder the same thing. How different it could have been, he could have been, if the strings of fate were only marginally different. He did not dwell on it, could not, for the sake of his aching chest.

“We should get some sleep,” Eckhart offered, a tiredness to his voice that belied more than desire to simply rest. “We’ve got to be up early.”

“I hope Gale makes breakfast,” Emerleigh smiled to herself, rather liking the thought of a breakfast served in a bedroll. “Do you think he will if I ask nicely?”

“You could probably take a shit in his tent and he would thank you,” Eckhart responded with a cheap chuckle, earning him a rather sharp swat to the arm and a silent chiding via Emerleigh’s narrowing gaze. “Ouch. Go on, ask him then.”

“I will,” Emerleigh stood, dusting off her clothes. “And I’m going to tell him what you said and I’m going to eat your breakfast, as well.”

She only teased, her tail flicking behind her as she sought out the camp’s inhabitants. Eckhart was left to ponder, and all at once the silence fell upon him and strung him like a noose about his throat. He loathed to call it a fear, yet the lack of presence beside him set his nerves on edge. He remained sat, and thought, and hoped the feeling a fleeting one. 

[j-l-kepler]

I just wanted to pop in and tell you how much I simply adore your twins!! I literally look at your blog daily just to read about them. I'd love to know if you've thought about it: what (if any) deities do the twins believe in?

thank you i am very normal about your very kind words <3

One of the mods I use makes it so I have to choose a deity for every character regardless of class, so I have considered which deity each of my saves worships! The twins are no exception~

The twins weren't raised religious, but they kept one habit of Hedryn's that she raised them with. That's the worship of one specific Goddess:

The twins have a lot of ambitions and spend a lot of time on the tightrope between fortune and fatalities. They don't pray regularly, but they evoke her name frequently in hopes of her throwing them some fortune every now and again. They pray to her the same way a teenager might try asking their parents for a favor.

I imagine their allegiances may broaden when they find freedom, but they wouldn't entirely abandon their casual worship of Tymora. Eckhart aims to journey the Sea of Fallen Stars (he really wants to kill a kraken), so I can imagine him praying to Umberlee when it's convenient. I wondered if Emerleigh might feel a pull towards Oghma or Deneir, but I don't think she's one to invoke a lot of Gods after a while.

[j-l-kepler]

I would love to see more opinions on other NPCs! What do the twins think of Kar'niss, Abdirak, Araj, He Who Was, Nere?

OHOHO!

A bit of a disclaimer, I've gotten pretty far into Act 3 with other saves. Uh. The Twins are sadly not one of those saves.

Because I once did Grymforge 4 times in a row and because I've been too busy to play lately, I've yet to force my way through to Act 2 (it's the LAST THING I have to do before Act 2, god dammit), I'll be going off what I know of the NPCs they haven't encountered yet!

These may change when they actually meet these NPCs, so heads up. At the time of answering this, the twins have only officially met Abdirak.

[Possible Spoilers for Act 1 and 2 side-quests for Baldur's Gate 3, TW for mentions of sexuality/fetish, abuse, and consent! The game's got a lot of themes about it, so it kinda comes up here]

ALRIGHT LET'S GO DOWN THE LIST

ACT 1 - ABDIRAK

Abdirak's the NPC I've actually considered their feelings on the most because of the twins' written history mixed with what I chose to do in the moment. I hadn't decided who the twins were in any detail at this point, so it was Em who decided to go for Abdirak's, uh, prayer service.

NOW I know the twins have suffered physical abuse at the hands of their debtor, requiring me to rethink and recontextualize their canon decisions.

Eckhart's feelings are pretty clear: FUCK THIS GUY. How dare he lay a hand on his sister! HATE this man. Weird creepy guy with a mace. Hate hate hate him. Eckhart doesn't have strong sadomasochistic tendencies and was actually only in the room during the aftermath (the twins had split up in the camp to take a look around at this point). To Eckhart, Abdirak is some crazy cultist nutjob who likes to hit people to get his rocks off.

Emerleigh's the one with, uh, complicated feelings. Basically, she went in like "Pfft sure whatever, I can handle this, I've undergone worse". She was trying to prove to herself that she's tough enough to keep up with Eck and the party, and prove to herself that Marble won't scare her anymore. Misguided, sure, but her freedom was extremely fresh. She may or may not have been the reason they got into a fight in the Dank Crypt by not being careful, so her pride was a bit shot.

To say this experience awakened something in her would be an understatement. Em's never experienced pain in a sensual context before, and she realized she likes it. She was being praised and hit in a way that hurt like hell, but also felt really good. This clashes with her fear and hatred of Marble and how he's hit her and Eckhart before. So, while she's starting to process her sadomasochism, she's also struggling to accept that alongside what's been done to her. Is she some kind of degenerate? (no) Did she secretly like being hit by Marble? (no) Why is this different? (there's a list about why this is different, girl)

It doesn't help that Abdirak is a white-haired older man she associates with pleasurable pain, EXACTLY like a certain vampire she may or may not be romantically interested in... it really doesn't help that Astarion tried to bite her that night. Poor Emerleigh. Abdirak's really made things complicated for her.

I may or may not be working on a lil comic about these feelings. Idk. Maybe. Might be.

ACT 1 - NERE

It's not very complicated for the twins: Nere's gotta go. While they didn't want the gnomes to die, they'd done a lot of thinking to see if there's a way to get the gnomes out while leaving Nere to die.

These two have no occasion to see Nere as anything other than a whiny, hyper insecure, racist True-Shit. He's not even charming to them! Just some rich brute who keeps slaves. As victims of the slave trade and current sufferers of indentured servitude, the twins are NOT a fan.

Em's willing to save Nere because 1. save the gnomes! and 2. she gets to call him names to his face before she and her friends curb-stomp his face into rothe turds. Eck won't admit it, but he probably wouldn't save Nere if Em and Wyll didn't encourage him to do so. He's kind of a "fuck you, get mine" kind of guy when left to his own devices.

ACT 2 - KAR'NISS

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE WHAT IS THAT

They've seen a looooot of stuff before. Driders are not among that stuff. Em's read about them and felt sorry for them, but seeing is a different circumstance. And this circumstance is "scary cultist spider man is on his way to slaughter innocents in the scary evil Goddess darkness". Nope nope nope nope nope. Em is afraid of spiders, and Eckhart is terrified of being buried or encased. He doesn't know if Driders can wrap people up in webs, but he doesn't wanna find out. Fuck that.

Basically, they find Kar'niss extremely unsettling.

ACT 2 - ARAJ OBLODRA

Sufficie to say, Emerleigh doesn't have the highest opinion of Araj. At first, she was on-board since blood-based alchemy is one of the many academic topics that interests her. The second she talked to and about Astarion like his feelings didn't matter, it was over for this bitch. Consent and personhood, especially at this point in the story, matters to Emerleigh. Astarion's opened up to her in ways neither of them ever dreamed, so she's fiercely protective of his feelings.

Eckhart might not like Astarion, but that doesn't mean he doesn't value the man's autonomy or safety. And, unsurprisingly, consent is important to Eckhart even if he thinks this blood-stuff is really weird. To him, nobody's going to miss someone he considers an annoying, snot-nosed creep like Araj.

ACT 2 - HE WHO WAS

I'm not going to lie, neither of them were listening all that closely when they met He Who Was. Em was busy turning to goo over his voice and re-evaluating her taste in men, and Eckhart was looking disrespectfully at the man's tits and abs.

I'm not entirely sure what'll happen when they take him up on his quest (it's the only side-quest of these NPCs I haven't done yet), but knowing what I know? They may have some choice words for him. For now, though? Random unsettling hot guy in the woods? Aw fuck yeah. What is he asking? Do some vague goodness? Eh, sure, why not. Eck's more likely to accept this job than Emerleigh, since she's kind of not really the bounty hunter type. Do some violence for a hot dude in the woods, though? Suuuure, Eck does that all the time.

Listen, neither of them would ever dare stray from their romantic partners, but they're one to stare a generically attractive man in the boobs. Ah, yes, that's a perfectly reasonable thing to say, I'm going to stay by this.

Man I love these dumbfucks

If you wanna know about how these guys feel about other NPCs, god I'm more than happy to deliver! These are fun to throw together, and they get me to really consider when and how their opinions differ.

[j-l-kepler]

Eckhart and Emerleigh Markolac Companion Fits

Got an ask or two with interest in the Markolac twins' outfits! I always draw them in the Companion fits I designed rather than their in-game fits, so I put their theoretical Companion stats on their sheets.

Also my dumb ass put Eck's hand over his neck so you can't see his lil pink-beaded necklace. Good job, Kepler. Fuckin' nailed it.

BG3 Character Sheets available here: https://www.tumblr.com/eeldritchblast/745120858759118848?source=share Painstakingly created and uploaded by @eeldritchblast! Seriously these are so freaking cool.

[j-l-kepler]

So like...hey marble...👀💦

oh god what have you done

Let's give Marble Sormenein some extremely undeserved love, shall we?

For those who wanted to now what his deal is, the short answer is he's the guy Eckhart and Emerleigh owe a serious debt to! He works for Osgur Hallorn aka the Fetcher, one of the Guild's Kingpins. He's not quite a Guildmaster like Nine-Fingers Keene, but he's got a lot of sway in the Undercellar and practically runs the half of the place.

If you want the long answer...

[CW: physical and emotional abuse, violence, slavery. This guy is NOT a very nice man.]

Marble Sormenein has a lot in common with some of the more powerful antagonists of BG3, taking inspiration from Cazador and Gortash specifically.

To summarize his history, he came to the Gates as a down-on-his-luck young merchant with dreams of running his own establishment. He worked his way up under the Fetcher and is genuinely loyal to him. He isn't good at inspiring people to be loyal to him instead of to the Fetcher, so he hasn't had much upward career mobility for a long time. He was sure he'd always be Fetcher's extension.

And then he met the twins.

Marble saw an opportunity to inspire loyalty in them. But Marble's not really a good guy who does nice things out of the goodness of his heart. He had to make fail-safes to keep them around.

At first, treating these kids well was enough. He spoiled them for the first while as he got them used to the Undercellar, and projected a lot of his own desires during his youth onto them. They very quickly became extensions of himself, and he treated them like his own. Not enough to, y'know, NOT hang a debt to him over their heads, but that power imbalance is a feature, not a bug.

Which sucks because the twins were genuinely grateful for his help. They didn't really want to acknowledge the fact Marble fuckin' bought them from a slaver. After the horrific situation their sister's betrayal put them in, it was like a miracle they'd come across someone like Marble.

Yeah. Things got tricky when they really started working for him. At first, punishments were like any other staff member. But the twins are ambitious little snots. He felt the overwhelming need to "put them in their place" when their ambitions led them outside of his scope or when they messed up.

He began exerting control over their jobs and forcing them into more dangerous or uncomfortable situations. He would control how Emerleigh could present herself to clients, and he would control how Eckhart was to complete his work. The two became far too comfortable with evading law enforcement, and they really didn't like that killing or manipulating people only bothered them a little.

But Marble didn't care. That's how he wanted them. They can't exist outside of him. He gave them everything. They're supposed to be loyal to him. They need him.

In truth, Marble has an emotional dependance on the twins. Their successes and their loyalty are what he's hinging his sense of self-worth on. Deep down, he knows he needs them more than they will ever need him.

His tactics would've actually worked if the twins didn't have each other, I bet.

The reason the twins were able to be picked up by the nautiloid at all was because he caught them trying to sneak a peek at their debt ledger. They ran, blinded by terror of the consequences.

See, as far as the twins know, killing Marble or running away won't erase their debt. Their debt belongs to the Fetcher; Marble just enforces it. Air-tight, right?

Yeaahh of course it's not. The twins don't know this, but Marble's been a bit dishonest about the state of their debt. He has the documents to prove he's been skimming off their debts and adding unnecessary expenses to them, and that they should've actually been free to go years ago.

If the Fetcher were to find out, Marble would be in serious trouble. I'm talking "wishing you were dead" levels of trouble.

I wonder... if the twins' theoretical companion quest... has anything to do with that.... hmmm...

TL;DR Marble's honestly a pretty pathetic guy. He can't be bothered to actually instill true loyalty and admiration in others, so he uses fear, manipulation and other underhanded methods of control. I don't know how much of him genuinely cares for the twins. I know some part of him does, but it's not enough to stop him from hurting them.

I cannot WAIT for the twins to tear him a new asshole when they find out.

ANYWAYS that's Marble! He's a bit of a foil to the twins' sister Hedryn. She genuinely cared about them and loved them through their whole lives, but she made one unforgivable mistake that ruined everything. Marble, meanwhile, did one ARGUABLY good thing and continues to hurt and manipulate the twins into thinking he cares all for the sake of his own inflated ego.