#he does not belong in the temple of bhaal

[maegalkarven]

Nemo's stats is a walk of shame. 46 health. 46!

15 at dex, his required stat, but sure, have 16 wis and 17 char, bby, sure it will help you A LOT in a fight.

You're assassin, Nemo! No wonder your sister stabbed you.

[merrunzs]

anyway does anyone ever think abt how lonely the chosen are.

how ketheric does everything for his family but he is the only one really left. everything in his home and everyone he loves are either dead or twisted by the shadow curse that kills everything there anyway. isobel, the daughter he had being doing Everything for, ran from him when she found out what he had become to save her

how gortash was always too smart for his own good that he was cast out and sold like damaged goods by his own parents . he was sold to the hells where nobody is your friend . he is the chosen of bane, representing the sphere of tyranny and subjugation, in which nobody is your friend. he has the entire city under his thumb either through fear or his charm and the brittle, tense partnership with ketheric and orin and yet he has no true allies (except the durge arguably but. theyre either gone or dont remember him) . how he Seeks Out the equal partnership with tav/amnesiac durge which to me seems So antithetical to banes sphere- i cant imagine theyre too fond of sharing- in a way that fascinates me so much

how orin is a bhaalspawn that has never been good enough. never pure enough. she has always been second best, the childish girl to durges mastery. how she does everything for sarevok and for bhaal she has nothing but her family and that temple. no matter how much she devotes herself to them she is only ever looked upon by her only loved ones with hatred and contempt. orin whos own mother attacked her on sarevoks orders. orin who is unwanted wherever she goes no matter how hard she tries to be the very best

the dark urge, too. durge who is a tool, a vessel and instrument for their fathers will. when sarevok says 'you belong to bhaal. he manifests within you' . how theyre shackled to bhaal and kept from everything else. the first people they ever killed were their family. even in the temple, with their True family, durge is alienated from orin and sarevok by virtue of being made and not born, not connected to their shared bloodline. durge who is constantly pushed onto a pedestal by those in the temple through their divinity and purity and has never had a true peer to stand beside before gortash. durge who is so so cut off from other people and intimacy and who is forced to kill everyone they get close to or love by their father and the urge. durge who is an object for bhaals use, unafforded the mortal luxury of real connection

deeply deeply interested by how they are all such powerful and influential characters and yet all have such a strong theme of isolation. :(

[deadtired-highkeyenergetic]

Chances

As much as I love playing evil routes, patch 7's Spawn and Ascended Astarion lines really killed me on the inside. I'm never going the evil route while romancing him, it's too much for me to bear.

Summary: The tragedy begins with your first sacrifice, Astarion.

You watch the burning city of Baldur's Gate from atop the Netherbrain, taking in the chaos your Illithids sow, the blood they spill in your father's name. The tadpole in your brain hums, resonating with your army below and you bathe in the power you hold, all thanks to the three Netherstones in your possession. So much power, so many things to do but first things first.

The companions you have fought alongside all this while stand next to you, watching in horror at the carnage you have chosen to inflict in your father's name. You could care less about their reaction, all of them…except Astarion's.

The pale elf turns to face you, a sorrowful look in his eyes. Your heart would have shattered at the sight, but your heart was long gone, devoured by the pool of blood in your father's temple. All that's left is the Unholy Assassin Bhaalspawn, the very figure parents use to scare children.

"So, you chose this. Over Baldur's Gate, over your friends, over us…you chose this..."

You see the hurt, the betrayal written clear as day on his face. Your face remains impassive, unmoved, unchanged, but a small part of you breaks down. It screams at you to apologise, to turn back, to regain your heart. Even if you wanted to, you couldn't. You'd promised your father to bathe the world in blood in his name, to sacrifice it all at his altar, including the one you once loved. There was no going back, not when you'd come so far. Besides, your father would flay your mind into pieces if you tried to resist.

His face changes, anger and what looks to be disappointment clouding his face. Still, you look at him with a blank face, before beckoning him forward and closing the gap yourself. His lips taste as sweet as ever, feel as soft as before, and you feel a small pang in your chest. You kiss him like it's your last, devouring every inch of him and he returns the favour. His kiss is desperate, as if kissing you would bring you back. You nearly laugh, but hold it in so as to not jeopardise your mission.

The old you is gone forever, drowned in the pool of blood.

Your hand slips to your dagger, fingers grasping its hilt. At the final step, what's left of your heart skips a beat, your chest tightens, and you nearly falter. The thought of caressing his face crosses your mind but you quickly brush it aside before you start regretting things. You close your eyes, readying yourself and open them before the kiss breaks, thrusting the blade into his side.

The blood that springs forth brings a small smile to your face and you pull the blade out, watching him stagger backwards. He looks at the wound in horror, before looking back up at you sadly. The future the both of you had once discussed flicks through your mind, disappearing into the depths of your broken sanity just as quickly as it appeared. That future is no longer an option — your life belongs to Bhaal now, as does his.

He presses his hands to the wound but blood leaks through his fingers. It's too deep to be staunched, you'd made sure of that. After all, he was to be your first death, the beginning to your glorious story as the true Bhaalspawn where you would walk amidst a field of corpses and blood.

You watch as he keeps stumbling back, the energy slowly draining out of him. A glorious yet saddening sight. This would be the last time you see him, a bittersweet moment that would haunt you forevermore. You yearn to touch him one last time, to hold him close as his undead life flows out of him, to breathe in his scent but the time for that is long gone. All that awaits your touch is the stickiness of blood and the smoothness of bone.

The sadness turns to anger as he bares his fangs at you, the reality of your betrayal setting in. His disbelief is gone now, cemented by the blood on your blade. His words are spat out, poison dripping from each and every syllable.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance…"

He falls off the side of the Netherbrain, his energy sapped and you merely watch, as if the one who had just died in front of you was a mere stranger, not the one you once called 'your star'. You watch as his body grows smaller and smaller, until it's no more than a speck in the sky.

Goodbye, Astarion.

You turn to the rest of your companions, lips quirking up into a sinister smile. They look at your warily, but the tadpoles in their heads force them to obey. You hold your arm outstretched over the side of the Netherbrain and they follow, although you can see their reluctance in every step they take. They soon follow Astarion's example and fall all the way down. More sacrifices to your beloved father.

The smell of blood is enticing, the urge within baying for you to take your rightful place atop the mountain of corpses, and so you fall.

Striding amongst the corpses impaled by countless blades, you inhale the sweet scent they emit, bathing in the glory your father has paved for you. You will be the last one, walking through blood and bones and will finally take your place as your father's truest spawn. Still, when you spot a familiar corpse, a flash of sorrow fills your chest.

You really should have killed me when you had the chance.

[randomfanner]

So, some more thoughts for the Orin gets Tadpoled AU, notably her relations with the other party.

General Headcanons - uses the fact she is a shapeshifter to hide she is a doppelgänger because Shadowheart pointed out the fact she looks just a tad bit suspicious, however when she is around the party she doesn't bother. She does use these abilities to get around pretty effectively (such as transforming into a Drow to get past the goblins and other good skips like that) and will transform to fit in(she changes into a tiefling around the tiefling, human around the druids, etc)

Violence is an answer however other people in the party teach her there are other ways.... and when people like Gale and Shadowheart begin to give her praise for being more crafty and cunning with her way of dealing with problems, well, why wouldn't she do what they like?

Whenever the urge pops pop she is very loud about it. "I SHALL TRIM THAT MEAT STUB FOR YOU" "WAIT STOP HER P L E A S E" and someone(notably Shadowheart) is able to stop her from doing something stupid. She gets better control and has to deal with the urge in general less than the Durge. (Astarion pouts whenever she is stopped)

She uses nicknames for everyone.

Lae'zel (Wondrous Blood-soaked Warrior) - Other than the fact Orin is pretty openly unhinged they get along pretty damn well. Lae'zel admires how good Orin is at killing, Orin admires how good Lae'zel is at killing. Plus Orin very much enjoys when Lae'zel gives her praise. When they get to the Creche though, Orin is not having a good time and begins to have some flashbacks to the temple of Bhaal especially during the trainee scene and may be pretty reactive which does cause some problems for the two of them, but after things are finished there Orin does her best to comfort Lae'zel for losing her anchor.

Shadowheart (Beloved Cleric) - Shadowheart and Orin are amnesia buddies. I also feel Orin freed Shadowheart from the nautiloid because the more allies the less lonely the better! Shadowheart isn't sure what to make of this gremlin who borders on almost murder, and ends up being Orin's voice of reason most of the time. Now this is just for me, but Shadowheart x Orin romance. Goth GFs who have family issues (that family just being a fucking cult) and need to find a place to belong and sense of being, so why not do that together? Plus we see Orin's hair, she does it herself probably, Shadowheart and Orin braid train.

Gale (Wizard) - Orin nearly cuts Gale's hand off and is barely stopped by Shadowheart, so it is uh, a bit of a rocky relationship at first. However Gale is willing to forgive and keep an eye on their new unhinged doppelgänger friend. I do think Gale wants to study Orin because how often are you traveling with such an adept shapeshifter? Orin of course adores the attention and answers any questions she can and they end up bonding over that. Orin has no problem parting with magical trinkets for the wizard and wishes to fight Mystra herself. Orin also finds herself very much enjoying his cooking considering she can't remember ever having suck well made food in her entire life.

Astarion (Bloodsucker) - Orin ends up doing good things to get approval from the two people she met and bonded with first, thus Astarion being a bitch about it gets him a look of distain from Orin. Besides, Orin being a rogue he is not needed in the party. However Orin has no qualms about his wish for blood and he is free to fill his thirst whenever he wishes.... Plus Astarion does enjoy the fucking wild things Orin tends to say.

Wyll (Fiery Blade) - You know Wyll is a bit freaked out at first with Orin for well, obvious reasons however when it is clear she is going to cause... notably less problems then one might expect, they end up getting along pretty well. Orin I think would enjoy his dramatics and listening to stories and begins to take cues from him when weaving her own tales. When he teaches her how to dance it is quite fun and she may get a bit too into it, however I can only see them being bros mostly because Orin is still yelling about draining people dry.

Karlach (Heated Axe that cuts enemies like butter) - I think these two loons get along so fucking well, Orin will use Karlach as a spring board once her engine is fixed to dive bomb enemies well Karlach will slaughter them from the front. When Orin hears of this 'Gortash' she makes note that they shall split him and wear his enthralls as a wondrous scarf, which Karlach is totally behind. Orin also keeps bringing Karlach hearts because "if the issue is someone took yours, surely it can be replaced. I will find as many hearts as needed to fix your problem" (Orin is not ready for the fact Karlach is dying because the two of them are besties)

@bhaalstemple I think you need this.

[theunlikelycassiopeia]

Just an Alliance: Part 2

When: after the last post!

Content warning: mentions of SA, enslavement and su*c*de ideation.

Astarion’s thoughts pulled him into his vampire sleep. Often, his body felt like a cold tomb. Cold cold cold. In his 200 years he’d had many nightmares of his deathless death. In his 200 years, he yearned the right to his release. He craved the embrace of his true end.

But now, his nightmares turned into a hopeful dream. His ambition to reclaim his power may just come into reality. At the centre of it there may be the possibility of freedom.

An image of what could be came into focus. An existence beyond his sanguine lust. A life beyond the painful leash.

In the centre of what could be true happiness he saw the sun, he saw food, he saw books, he saw friends, he saw a safe place, he saw her.

His mind ebbed to a warm place, and he told himself

I want to live.

Astarion woke up early, as he always does now. Cass was still deep in her meditative rest. At some point in the night she’d pulled Astarion’s shirt over herself. He felt a small pang of guilt at seeing how pale she was. Still, the image of her falling on her back naked, giddy with bloodlessness made him chuckle slightly. Abandoning the idea of getting his shirt from her, Astarion pulled his trousers on and stepped out into the early morning sun. He stood in silence for a moment and allowed the light to dance over his skin. He was grateful that no one else was awake. By the campfire, he made a sweet tea, heaped with extra honey and returned to Cass.

Cass had already woken up and was pulling her shirt on when he entered the tent.

“Good morning. Oh, thank you.” She said as he handed her the tea.

Astarion picked up his shirt. He inspected the blood that stained the colour of his shirt and smiled a little.

“Ah shit, sorry.” Cass blushed slightly.

“Sorry for what, darling? It seems that this is something that I should get used to. Or, I need to stop being such a messy eater.” Astarion took in the scent of his shirt. “It smells like you.”

Cass took a sip of her tea. “Like me? I thought everyone’s blood smelled the same?”

“Certainly not. Us vampires have a uniquely strong sense of smell.” He shrugged.

“I’m intrigued. What do I smell like?”

“Well,” Astarion inhaled the shirt again. “You smell like violets and… smokey wood.”

“That actually sounds nice.” Cass took another sip of tea. The honey warmed her throat and made her feel less heady from anaemia.

They sat in silence for a moment. Not the awkward type of silence. A calm silence.

“So then, you know quite a bit about me now.” Astarion started, “Are you going to tell me anything about you?”

Cass looked into her tea and chewed her lip. “Alright, what do you want to know?”

“What’s your full name?”

“Cassiopeia Narehina.”

Astarion’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s an unusual elven name. What tribe do you belong to?”

Cass took a steady breath and sipped her tea. “More like a cult than a tribe.” She could feel Astarion’s eyes on her as she stared into her tea. “Not a very nice one. I’ve been trying to escape them for a long time but they keep finding me.”

“I’ve yet to know of a nice cult. What god do they worship?”

“None. They are trying to make a new one. One that requires pain and sacrifice.” Images of the temple flashed back into Cass’s mind. The memory of her thrashing against her father’s grip. The hate and rage she felt as he defiled her. It almost devoured her.

“Like Bhaal?”

“Not quite. More like… a god of rage.” Cass could feel her hands shake slightly.

“Well… you’re away from them now. Take this as your opportunity to find a permanent escape. And should they cross your path… they have several of us to contend with.”

Astarion’s words should have served as a comfort to her. But little did he know that in her wake there was a pile of corpses. Those who came close to her were always caught and killed by her family. Each death paid the toll to her gathering agony. Her father aimed to harness her rage. Because what better rage to harvest than that of a woman’s?

[kawareo]

Hi I just want to say I LOVE strike so much, he’s such a funny little guy. Well I just saw your post about how strike and Sarevok view each other and now I’m curious as to how Strike dealt with the murder tribunal once he and the tadfools got to the city! I can only imagine what a bitch Sarevok was to him when he realized strike was still alive tbh

So glad you like Strike that much!! Have a weirdly soft sketchbook Sarevok :)

Important thing to mention is that on my first playthrough, I completely missed the Murder tribunal and therefore, Sarevok, and I have only met him a few weeks ago, so I've since updated the way him and Strike interracted

Kind of. Strike feels the same way about Sarevok as he did before; he does not like him, but still, Sarevok is the closest thing to a male role model figure he's had in his life (that isn't Bhaal but yknow thats a god so he doesn't really count). Sarevok hated him at first because Strike's existance makes it clear that Bhaal never believed in Sarevok's bloodline.

But, Strike is really good at what he does! And imo Sarevok is sexist as hell so he does warm up to him over Orin over time. So when Strike returns from the dead, Sarevok sees this as if the entire thing was just a test from Bhaal and that Strike has passed it, because he did return, and here he is; no memory of who he is, yet his unholy blood brought him back to where he belongs. Sarevok basically sees him as a younger version of himself who now, that he is 'over his rebellious teenage phase', has realized the true gift of Bhaal and returned to put an end to Orin's girlish ways and lead the temple to its rightful glory.

None of this means post-tadpol Strike agrees with him or becomes the Chosen again, by the way. But yeah, Sarevok is genuinely happy for Strike to be there, and it would honestly fuck Strike up way more than if he was met with hate - that's his family, after all. And they treat him as part of it, whether he likes it or not.

[emmy-dekarios-bg3]

Heart of the Weave - chapter 29 - still Gale’s POV

We make our way across the bridge to Basilisk Gate, which is just one chunk of Baldur’s Gate, and where it seems to be very quiet. I thought it looked rough after defeating the elder brain, but this…this is just a gruesome disaster by itself, even without mindflayers. Normally, you’d hear chattering from citizens on every corner, or the joys of children laughing as they chase after one another, but all I hear is silence. Some guards are picking up trash on the corners of the streets, some are scrubbing off blood from the walls.

When we were here last, while Emmy was at the doctor getting observed, there was a circus, sorcerers and wizards casting magic outside, and people fishing down at the docks. Even when we were dealing with the mind flayers and Chosen Three, it was more lively here. Now? An empty city filled with loss, heartache, tragedy, and a vile amount of thick blood.

“Gods… This is worse than I thought,” I comment as I observe the emptiness of the city. Every building appears to be locked down for reasons of protection, though who knows how efficient that really is. A male guard approaches us as we try to make our way through the dreaded city.

“Halt,” he demands, though his voice has a tint of weakness. He’s terrified. “It’s not safe to be here. I suggest you find somewhere to take cover and quickly. The Stormshore Tabernacle is your best bet.” Lucky for us, we happen to be next to it, though we don’t have time to take cover and not do anything; these Bhaalists need to be stopped immediately.

“Believe it or not, we’re here to defeat these motherfuckers and put them where they belong – in the graveyard,” Karlach mentions with an expression of vengeance on her face. “We were the ones who killed Orin, Ketheric, and Gortash. Hell, even the elder brain. We aren’t scared of these pieces of shit.” The guard’s eyes widen, and the glistening of the tears he’s fighting back shows hopefulness. I wonder if he lost someone dear to him.

“Oh Hells. Thank the Gods. You’ll more than likely find the cult at the temple underground. Too many innocents are being slaughtered by the minute. Thank you.” His voice is breaking, but he’s smiling at the same time. While this entire situation isn’t ideal, I’m at least glad we’re getting involved to prevent more damage than what’s already been done.

I’m trying not to be distracted by how much I miss Emmy and our daughter. I can’t let these feelings distract me, though it does help to stay positive and think: “We will be home soon enough.”

It’s only been a couple days, but I can’t stop visualizing Emmy’s brown eyes, the way she bites her lip and closes her eyes when I make her blush, the way she leans her head on me after a long day. Then there’s our baby’s bright smile and thick brown hair, reaching for my face as I feed her a bottle…my favorite moment. Being able to bond with her like that, even though she will never age, is one quality of parenthood I enjoy most.

“Gale? Are you doing alright?” Halsin asks. I snap out of my heavy distractions and take a deep breath, preparing to move forward in our endeavors. He’s studying my face, realizing I’m not fully there.

“Sorry, I got lost in a deep train of thought. Let’s go.”

“Thinking about your family, huh?”

“No, no, just how we’re going to obliterate these horrible cultists and demolish their evil ways. I can’t wait to make these fools suffer for what they’ve done.”

“Gale, you’re a terrible liar,” Wyll adds, chuckling. Yeah, I never was good at stretching the truth, not even a little bit.

Once we reach the Lower City, I realize this area is actually rather clean and contains much less blood and gore; though, I suspect there are more guards over here to help keep it contained. Or, maybe people are better at hiding.

We find the manhole that leads down to the sewers, which is where the Temple of Bhaal is, unfortunately. The rancid smell causes discomfort and triggers a peculiar tingle within my stomach. Gods, another horrid odor I’ll never fully adjust to, no matter how often I’m around it. An unfamiliar sensation rises within me following the tingle, but not a regular feeling the average person would obtain. It feels to be a rising of power, something held inside me that wants to be unleashed…and it’s growing stronger by the minute. What is this?

“Hopefully we just go in, kill a bunch of Bhaalists, then make our way back home. I’m not sure it will be quite that simple though.” Wyll’s voice is hushed as we step into the dreaded murder temple, where thousands of skulls and corpses lay and screams of death are being heard from below.

“It never is, unfortunately,” I say, followed with a sigh. We’re here, and I am already aware of the Bhaalists ready to rip us to shreds, even though they’re shrouded and unable to be seen. I know when I’m being watched, the feeling is way too familiar. The screech of terror is nearly deafening and all I can picture is gruesome torture and death. I was hoping I’d never be here again.

We approach the center of the temple where we slayed the slayer, Orin. Piles of corpses surround the circular region and, as we get closer, I notice the assassins are surrounding it also. It seems they aren’t afraid to expose themselves. There’s maybe a hundred of them staring us down like prey; at least, the ones we can see anyway.

“Ooh, mmmm…. Another sacrifice to our Lord, our Father. But…but…but…wait…” One of the assassins growls as they approach us, licking his lips as he stares us down with hungry eyes. He looks around us, as if he’s trying to find a missing piece of a puzzle. “SPEAK. Where is she?”

“What the fuck is this loon talking about?” Karlach whispers.

“SILENCE! I’m talking to the Wizard. He’s married to the one we’re searching for. I’m going to ask again: where is she?” His eyes are piercing me as he awaits an answer, and they slowly turn into a vicious crimson as his patience runs thin.

“You want my wife? Why?”

“Our LORD wants her. He desires her. For her skin to be carved and hung up like cloth, for her body to be placed on his altar. Only then, will he have a new chosen. WHERE IS SHE?!” I give him a puzzled expression, wondering in my head why he thinks I’d willingly give him any information about Emmy.

“Why is she in particular interest to her Lord? Is it because we slaughtered Orin and he wants her avenged?”

“YOU WILL SPEAK NO MORE! Whoever slays her will take her place. I will slaughter all of you right here, right now if you do not speak the answers we desire.” I laugh as he continues to spew his pompous nonsense in my face, as he speaks ill of my wife in front of me. The feeling within me from earlier grows stronger and more potent, and it builds up within me as if I’m about to burst with radiant power.

“You can’t kill her, nor can you kill me. It’s physically impossible, you see.” The assassin licks his bloody blade and puts it against my neck, but he looks mildly afraid for some reason.

“And why not? Bhaal won’t like this, mmm no he won’t.”

“Because we’re immortal.” And it’s at that very moment, an intense wave of power flows through me, building up rapidly as rage grows. My body tingles, which leads to a feeling of overwhelming heat, like my body is an inferno.

“Oh shit, Gale’s eyes are…glowing?” Karlach mutters, observing me in horror but also excitement at the same time. I can’t see myself, but I imagine what I’m doing looks rather unsettling to the eyes of mortals.

“I’m going to be following up on Karlach’s statement with my own: Holy fuck, Gale,” Astarion adds. All the assassins move back as my body floats in the air, my entire body overflowing with powerful radiant magic that seems to be coming from the source of my immortality.

“NO, STAND DOWN!” one of the assassins shrieks in horror, but before they have the chance to dash out of the temple, my body releases the radiance held within me, completely disintegrating at least half of the bodies of the Bhaalists, leaving a few others rather injured. What was this power I was granted with? It’s as if my body sensed evil. It knew what was in here.

[nonbinaryeye]

Side by Side for the First Time

Written for @gortash-week

Day 3 - Battle

The Dark Urge has expected little to nothing of Enver Gortash, Bane’s co-called Chosen, in regards to his abilities and usefulness regarding their heist at the Hall of Wonders. To their own surprise so far they are intrigued by him.

Read on AO3

...

The Dark Urge is intrigued by the man. The Bane's Chosen – or so he claimed to be. They are not completely convinced about the Chosen part but he is Banite for sure. He carries himself with the arrogance of one. He believes that when he commands the world should fall down to his feet. A wanna-be tyrant who does not lack ambition nor conviction of his own importance. Whether he also has any real skills, still needs to be determined.

They will learn tonight as they accepted his help he offered for the promise of consideration of an alliance.

Nightfall enfolded Baldur’s Gate hours ago and the Dark Urge stands in dark corridors of Hall of Wonders lit not by torches but by strange artificial light powered by technology they are not familiar with. They feel weirdly out of place, like they are not in the city they grew so familiar with, but in some strange new plane of existence. Metalwork and cogs and all technological advancement proudly presented within these walls as a proof of Gond's worship. This building might be called a museum but it is as much a Gondar shrine as High House of Wonders, the Temple adjacent to this place. Luckily for them, they have no trouble trespassing on other’s god territory. Neither has their temporary ally, so called Chosen of Bane, Enver Gortash.

He is currently carefully examining tiles on the floor, playing with whatever mechanism he found underneath them and claims to understand and be able to better. The Dark Urge is willing to indulge him. For now. And so that is why they have time to look around, witness all the periocular little inventions put on exhibit from a gold-filigreed astrolabe that was carved from coral to a precision water-clock.

None of these artefacts are the reason for their after-hours visit though. Between all the silly toys and apparatuses, Gondians decided to put on display artefacts which belong to another god. Remains of their bhaalspawn siblings and the most unholy relics of Bhaal – ancestral torture racks. Without care, without any ounce of respect, they deemed the holy heirloom of another god a curiosity to be gawked at, written off as remains of the past long gone, nothing more than oddity to lure new visitors and tourists to the Hall.

And for that they must pay. That is why the Dark Urge is here to teach this city and all its pathetic worthless inhabitants a lesson in humility before those who hold the real power.  Soon enough this city will tremble in fear and then it will die for Bhaal in the beautiful unholy carnage he will bring upon this world.

“It should be safe here now,” Gortash puts the tile back on its place and carefully steps on it. Nothing happens and he smiles with satisfaction for a second, before the neutral facial expression returns to his face. He gestures for them to follow him and for now they deem the best course of action to do so.

“We must be careful from now on. We are getting near the main exhibition. There are traps everywhere. Follow my lead. Step only where I stepped and not even tile aside!” Banite orders them in a way that must come as naturally to him as murder comes naturally to them. He does not wait for the confirmation whether they have heard and understand him. And the Dark Urge does not give him any. Nonetheless they do not object and do as he says. He really appears to know what he is talking about since they have gotten this far completely unnoticed.

Gortash seems to prefer a more subtle approach which involves an awfully lot of sneaking around and following carefully crafted plans.  They do not like to charge into battles without giving it a thought – despite what one might think and what their new ally implied – though compared to preparation made by him, their approach might indeed appear like mindless slaughter. Banite led them here through some secret passage he learnt of who knows how. He had the entirety of the building mapped out, including the exact movement of guards and placement of traps together with a time schedule of when they should reach what point.

Thus far they are moving around unnoticed. Gortash keeps disassembling all the Gondian devices and traps with his own smart little toys and skilled fingers. Meanwhile the guards, both those keeping watch on their posts as well as those making rounds around the place, get killed in quick and quiet fashion thanks to the expertise of the Dark Urge. They eliminate them one by one and tuck bodies in some dark corner so they can proceed further into the heart of Hall of Wonders where their goal waits. They are unexpectedly effective, an unlikely team somehow working together way too well.

It is a strange tale how they even got to this point.

The Dark Urge and the Church of Bhaal do not usually care about the newest gossip going around in the city’s underbelly, the sewers and all its darkest parts where all the misfits and criminals live among the rats. They do not care about their battles for paths and territories and which patriars are easiest to blackmail or bribe. As long as the Guild, the Black Network and all the other organisations operating in the underground of Baldur’s Gate keep their distance from the city’s old ruins where the Temple of Bhaal is situated, they have no reason to target them any more or less than any other citizens of Baldur’s Gate.

That all said rumours regarding the reappearance of the Church of Bane naturally caught their interest. Afterall Bane is one of the old enemies and even older allies of his Lord and father who is to be feared and avoided to the same extent Bhaal is. There is no way the Church of Bhaal could ignore the presence of the Church of Bane. This city is not big enough for two of the Dead Three. It already belongs to them, to Bhaal!

Banites are trespassing on their territory therefore they need to be eliminated. Easy as that. And how the idea excited the Dark Urge. Yes, they are successfully rebuilding the Church of their father but the numbers of devoted acolytes are growing slowly and there is only so many ways one can kill and torture and vivisect a person before it loses at least part of its charm. But this could give them a new clear and quickly achievable goal again. They will destroy the competition; they will exterminate every single worshipper of the God of Tyranny. And what a magnificent offering it will be, how much will their Lord be pleased with them for crushing whatever plans Bane had in the Baldur’s Gate.

However, before the Dark Urge manages to even start their hunt, the Church of Bane seeks them out first. They received a letter, an invitation. They met this Bane’s Chosen with tongue sharp as their knives and no less dangerous. They have come fully intending to kill him and yet they left with Banite almost unharmed and with common plans. They do not know what to make out of his offer for alliance, if and for how long their plans truly might align.  But they allowed him to help them on this mission. To show off his skills and determination, to prove to them he is worthy to be anything more than another body sacrificed on their father’s altar.

Gortash made quite a good point in their discussion. Because whatever the result of any conflict between the Church of Bhaal and the Church of Bane could be, the one benefiting it the most would be the citizen of Baldur’s gate and all the gods who are allowed to have their shrines on full display and laugh at other deities that are deemed together with their followers dead apparently. The anger rises through them again. They wish to main and murder and destroy. They intend to let the Gondar faithful together with any visitor or guard to see that bhaalspawns are still walking among them, they are not just a scary tale from history books to scare little kids with and that it is not wise to show them such a blunt disrespect.

“You might have noticed there are much fewer guards that one might expect in place such as this. Gondians think their traps are good enough to do most of the work. They have no respect for the craft of other’s, they believe no one could ever match their inventions – as if their gatekeeping was not a real reason no one can catch up with them,” Banite seemed to be awfully fond of his own voice. He keeps filling silence with it, as he seems to have quite a lot to say about anything and everything.

“Hah, could you imagine we could dance through all the traps and around all their guards unnoticed?” The beginning of their excursion went smoothly, yes, but only a fool would let themselves be blinded by that. Another typical Banite trait, with only a hand cut off he is already planning how to cook entire body.

That all said, the Dark Urge could not help themselves but admire his approach, abilities and plans. At least a bit. They were willing to indulge him as they at first did not really believe his approach might bear fruit. They are genuinely surprised and maybe even impressed they have gotten this far unnoticed. They almost start getting worried Banite’s plan will work out exactly in the way he so smugly presented to them.

But their worries turn out to be for nothing and the luck of his so-claimed chosen ally appears to run out, his clever fingers finally making a mistake.

The alarm goes off.

Banite quickly starts fighting the noisy little mechanism it started coming from. The sound is gone almost as soon as it appears but apparently still not fast enough. The announcement of intrusion at their current point goes silent but chain reaction has already started and the ring of alarm goes off again in nearby distance. Soon the entire building is aware of their presence.

Gortash curses, first in common and for good measure he adds a few more swearwords the Dark Urge is familiar with only vaguely or not at all in some other languages. He frowns and they find themselves to be curious regarding what it is going through his head. Is he fighting panic, his little stealthy heist turning into a proper battle? Is he considering retreat, recognizing he took a bite a bit too ambitious for him to chew and swallow? Is he really ready for combat or was he only boasting that he has any skills beside his ability to sweet-talk?

Gortash takes a deep breath, they notice he murmurs a quick prayer to his Dark Lord under his breath before he turns to them, badly hiding how tense he has gotten.

“Well, here comes the part you were in no doubt excited for,” he takes off his crossbow from the straps with which it held attached on his back. “Ready for fight?”

“Always,” the Dark Urge grins, their blades already in their hands as they never bothered to put them away after their last kill. “Are you ready for the battle?” they ask and there is implied ‘do you even know how?’ not spoken out loud. The twitch in Banite’s eye suggests he has gotten the message anyway, loud and clear.

“Do not worry about me, I can take care of myself,” he summons a self-assured smirk on his face as he loads his weapon. Indeed, the Dark Urge does not worry about him. That does not mean that Gortash should not worry about himself though.

“Just don't get in my way and hope I will not forget you are on my side,” they step closer with a threat in their eyes. There is a reason why the Dark Urge prefers to handle things alone. It is not exactly that they are not used to fighting with allies by their side. Afterall sometimes a ritualistic sacrifice or a purge of heretics in their father’s name required assistance of their Bhaalist acolytes. They helped the Dark Urge maim and murder. And the blood of Bhaal’s faithful was spilled among the blood of Bhaal’s enemies and in no small number the one and only responsible for the entirety of the beautiful bloodshed was the Dark Urge and the Dark Urge only. Because it is hard to pay attention to who is friend and who is foe in the midst of a battle.

So maybe a more accurate description would be that the others prefer when the Dark Urge handles things alone and not the other way around. Bane’s Chosen of course could not know any of that. Annoying mask of confidence which appears to be permanently glued on his face discourages the Dark Urge from bothering to warn him twice.

“I don’t intend to,” Banite grabs his crossbow tighter, aiming in their direction. Is he such a fool as to try to repay their intimidation with a one his own? Before they can settle on whether they are tired of him already and whether they maybe should rip his throat out as a little warm up before the real fighting starts a shot flies out of his arbalest.

It completely misses the Dark Urge but apparently not its intended target. They hear the familiar thud of body hitting a ground and wet crackle of last breath unable to be taken. They turn around just in time to witness a few last desperate groans of agony of the guard a few steps behind them, their throats pierced by an arrow. The half-elf woman was nowhere near to reaching them, even as they were distracted by their ally, she could have never sneaked up on them. On the other hand, the distance only made his aim more impressive.

“Maybe you will be indeed able to offer more than just hollow long-winded speeches, Banite.” The Dark Urge prefers his kills more personal; they favour knives over long range weapons but they can give credit where credit is due, they do not look down upon anyone over their weapon of choice as long as they can yield it.

 “Try to pay attention to our enemies instead of me, Bhaalist,” Gortash ignores their teasing, putting another shot in, already more focused on the upcoming battle than on their bickering. Very well then, time to get serious.

The Dark Urge takes a deep breath. The scent of spilled blood fills their nostrils. The heartbeats of approaching guards sound to their ears louder than their hurried steps and even louder than the continuing alarm announcing their presence and inviting everyone to a fight. Their hands are itching for a kill, Bhaal’s unholy blood pulsing through their veins demanding sacrifice – and sacrifice it will get. They struggle to keep their vision clear, eyes already seeing the piles of bodies that will soon stack up at their feet. 

“Time for the fun part,” the Dark Urge smile and the combat may begin.

[thedragonagelesbian]

The One Who Endures

His body does what Bhaal designed it to do: it dies.

But other deaths, Cyrus has chosen. Letting Astarion drain him dry. Baiting Dror Ragzlin into breaking him. Blocking the door to Kith’rak Therezzyn’s office as arrows riddled him. Spending his blood to bring Wyll back from the verge of death moments before the orthon’s grenades ripped through him. Each price paid willingly, eagerly, if it meant no one else had to make the sacrifice.

There is no free will here. A divine hand around his spine, body lifting, head lolling, wings unfurling beneath him. The splintered metal of the Dread Lord’s bloodletters are arranged as serrated feathers slicing down his back each and every time they extend— exaction and extraction on the battlefield to wound his enemies deeper than he wounds himself, built to bleed in his friends’ service.

Father’s service.

The full length of his wings plunge into him. Chest, torso, legs, punctured, pierced, the last breath he will ever take leaving him with the gasp of his own cold caress.

The pain is more than anything he has ever experienced. He is so very good at being hurt, rage and resilience and devotion to soften each and every blow, but there is no escaping his own body. Adamantine. Nemean.

It is more than his mind can handle. He cannot hear Astarion unlocking Minthara’s chains, dragging the disoriented paladin from the altar, snarling fix him, damn it, fix him! He cannot see Wyll, hands and jaw clenched, looking around as if Mizora might once again swoop in with one last bargain for a loved one’s life. He does not feel Halsin touch him. To hold him, to heal him, only for his palms to slice open. A body that will not allow itself to be unbroken.

But Cyrus does feel a different pair of hands. These, spectral, mangled, bone-white, cross over his sternum. His wings cut this skin too. Steel carving tributaries into the arms embracing him, and he remembers the vision that took him in the Hells. Fighting Raphael in one moment and in the next looking at the woman whose guise the Emperor had plucked from the depths of his cratered memories. No Astral gauze this time, but a house and a small boy and a mother who kept hugging him, even as the blades sprouted from his shoulders and shredded through her flesh.

Watching rivulets of blood run above him, Cyrus tries to muster enough control of himself to protest. This agony is his to bear, and yet it leeches from him. He is no longer screaming, sobbing. Where this other body touches his own radiates a warmth, soothing sweet and suckling at his pain.

“You have suffered enough.”

The crimson threads tighten, solidifying into cords that wrap around this being’s wrists.

Another memory comes to mind. On his knees in the Stormshore Tabernacle, the scraps of writings he stole from the Open Hand Temple weighing heavy where he clutched them to his chest as he stumbled through his first prayer of his new life. The posture was familiar, supplication learned long ago under Bhaal’s gaze, but the words were alien. He had no right to pray for forgiveness— for Isobel, for Karlach, for Alfira, for every person killed because of a plan he set into motion and for every person before that slaughtered in his worship. So he asked for strength instead, that he might endure long enough to destroy the Absolute.

Father answered with a hand around his heart. To remind Cyrus who he belonged to.

But when his heart stops this time, he is not afraid. 

He glimpses the figure that has enveloped him. A kind face, tears spilling from it as freely as its blood. They wash over Cyrus not as healing but as cleansing. Washing his body before his funeral shroud.

He tries again to speak. To pray. But Ilmater shushes him.

“Your pain is mine now. Be at peace.”

And Cyrus, knowing so little of himself other than his pain, lets go.

[seasteading]

ARENT YOU TIRED OF BEING NICE? DONT U JUST WANNA GO APE SHIT? ↳ A CHARACTER STUDY

if it seems like i haven't touched my main wip in 2 months, that's because i haven't ��

instead, anyone unfortunate enough to have spoken more than a sentence to me will have realized that i've spent that time in baldurs gate 3 hell, with nothing but durge brainrot to show for it—brainrot i will now inflict on main with some selected excerpts <3

transcripts under cut:

She does not remember many fairytales, but she thinks this one starts the same way as all the rest: a princess to flee a castle, a handsome knight to save her from the shadows that haunt the woods. The princess does not have a name beyond her title. The knight is called Griseis. She speaks it aloud. There is no tugging at her memory, no rush of truth. Yet it is the name of a creature with the purpose to vanquish, same as her, and all those with a purpose must have a name.  “My name is Griseis,” she tries. It holds no magic, but she likes the way it rests upon her tongue, like it could belong there. She slips the waterlogged fairytale into her pack.

Yet beneath the drone of busywork, the urges remain. They bid her to tear the legs off a rabbit caught in the brambles that surround the garden, and Atonement endures. A stained glass window shatters, and they bid her to pick a shard off the floor and cut through Novice Clements’ fragile throat. Atonement endures. They infect her dreams. Behind her eyelids flicker visions of a temple in ruins, of Ilmater’s statue bathed in the blood of his faithful, so she works more, sleeps less.

And he laughs at her. Brings his uninjured hand to her jaw and pushes his thumb under her upper lip, using her own slack shock to pry her mouth open. Finger pressed against a sharp canine, “Look at you. Bhaal’s Chosen, the purest of his spawn, baring your teeth like a damn dog.” She doesn’t have to think about it. Put your hand by a dog’s mouth, and expect to get bitten. She bites.

But the painter who’d put her features to canvas saw something else, too. Maybe the taint in her blood had made it into the pigments. Maybe it’d been Bhaal himself guiding their hand, ensuring proper justice be given to his spawn’s visage. Griseis looks, and the Dread Lord’s Chosen looks right back.

[dismalzelenka]

Febuwhump 5 - rope burns

Pairing: implied Gale/Tav Warnings: *gestures vaguely* Orin

This one's a short one >:3 Act 3 Spoilers ahoy.

Read From Beginning || Previous || Next

The altar is a cold, unforgiving thing of solid stone. The air around him reeks of blood and death, the tang of iron, the cloy of decay.

“Oh, sweetling,” croons a melodic voice with a manic cackle. “It wakes from its dream all alone with no one to pet its pretty little head.”

Gale yanks at his bonds, but several lengths of rope bite into his skin and have him secured tightly to the stone. “Orin,” he realizes aloud. “So this must be the infamous Temple of Bhaal.”

“Does it hurt?” Orin coos. She circles him in an unsettling rhythm, dagger balanced by the point against an unsettlingly steady hand. “Does it worry, does it cry, does it fear?” She leans in close, her lips tickling his ear. Her breath smells of orchids and decay. “She will come for you, oh yes,” she whispers. “She will come and then she will join Father's blood-feast like a lamb to the sweetest slaughter.” Orin drags the knife along his cheek, and he shudders as he feels it scratch a thin line into his skin. “And then it goes drip, drip, drip on the altar where it belongs.”

[rapid-oxidization]

The emre asks you asked for tehee:

- what age was he inducted into the cult?

- does he see orin as an actual sister, or a just a fellow spawn of bhaal?

- how much of the crown heist was his idea?

- did he ever doubt/waver before his memory loss?

- who is the companion he didnt expect to like but ended up being good friends with?

And most importantly:

- would he lick the dead spider

hehe yippie questions from my favourite durge enthusiast <333

I'm not knowledgable about things like exact timelines and where they exist (I thought I remembered us chatting about a specific age that a durge would've had to be inducted by? I remember we brought years into it and everything? I also read a reddit post that said canonically durge would've been brought back to the temple around the age of like?? 10??) If 10 is the canonical age then I think that would be realllllyyyyy interesting to work with, although I primarily imagined him being like. Young, but not remarkably young for genre-compliant major life events to happen. Around 14 or 15.

Ok so imagine. You're a teenager who has undergone a not-unconsiderable amount of attempted indoctrination a la Sceleritas Fel. You just murdered the circus troupe that raised you and taught you everything you knew. What would've been the key rhetoric to detach you from the emotional attachments you had to your adopted family? Probably Sceleritas told you that these aren't your real family anyway, these are just some clowns doing tricks for a quick buck, why would you of all people want to associate with them, I know your real family, they're all waiting for you to come back home... etc. I think at one point he tried to find a sort of familial comfort in Orin. I think at one point he would've tried to be a big brother to Orin. Like part of what brought him to the Temple was that he had become attached to this idea of having blood relatives. He was driven to kill so that he could meet his blood relatives. So like. TLDR, it's complicated. I think in the early days, when he had fleeting thoughts of "haha wow, I got myself into some shit" he had plans about how he could get the two of them out of there and how he could provide a safe home for Orin. I think at one point he realised that, even if he could, she wouldn't have followed him. Directly pre-amnesia he tells himself he very much has a like. Family by technicality. Sort of relationship with her. I think a very very small, hidden part of him still wished for a universe where he could be a good older brother to her.

Lol I think Gortash definitely would've thought of it first. Emre definitely brushed it off as a "haha can you imagine" kind of plan, but would've acted as a (very sarcastic) soundboard to amuse him. And then I think he would've slowly realised that Gortash was serious about it, and also how it would align with his own goals. And after that would've gotten a lot more serious about working with Gortash to make sure the plan was airtight.

YEAH see Answer 2. He is very much driven by his need to find a sense of belonging. It just so happens that Bhaal provided him with the strongest sense of belonging. At the height of his cult leader shenanigans he was running off a very grandiose sense of "this is literally what I was born to do". That doesn't mean that his memories of killing his troupe ever stopped haunting him. That doesn't mean he never had homoerotic complicated attachments to people outside the Temple (coughGortashcough). Like. Enacting Bhaal's will was what he was literally born to do but sometimes he sat on the edge of his bed and actively wished it wasn't. Insert that one TSOA quote about being a weapon here.

LAE'ZEL 100%. Canon event for them to have that "Usually when subordinates question me, I kill them"/"Subordinate? Stfu" interaction in the grove. The whole creche incident in late Act 1 is a very big turning point in their relationship.

YEAH lol i didn't find it in my og playthrough with him but i am going to be on the lookout this time

[loderlied]

For Zeke: 💍 🚫 😊 please!

💍 RING — does your oc have any piercings? do they want any (more) piercings?

yes!! so many. here you can see them all. i could see him getting a few more for sure, especially around the mouth area. but y’know. tadpole and all that so there’s not really time lmao. he probably sloppily pierced himself tbh

🚫 PROHIBITED — does your oc drink/smoke? do they do it regularly, or is it more on occasion or for special events?

zeke is a disgustingly heavy chainsmoker yes. smokes when he’s stressed, which is pretty much 24/7, so you can imagine how that goes lmao. i think he started super young, so probably can thank this habit for his super raspy voice lol.

😊 SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES — what are your oc's career/general life desires? what do they want to get the most out of life?

there’s three main things!

what he’s supposed to be striving towards: ending every single living being and then slit his throat in the name of bhaal.

his personal passion: being a private investigator, solving cases.

and what kinda overtook those other two: killing gortash.

while he has a very nihilistic edgelord worldview, i think that isn’t the reason he pretends and tells himself that everything he does is for his father—he simply wants to please him so desperately, like a regular child wants from approval from their parents, bhaal’s drop of gore wants his love. of course, zeke understands that he won’t be loved if he isn’t perfect, if he doesn’t make him proud, so he works desperately to be deserving of his father’s approval every single day.

but there are cracks in this passion, leading to him eventually convincing the temple that he should be able to, under the supervision of sceleritas, leave for assassin work, which is his only a half-truth, as he starts his detective career too. this is his first act of defiance against bhaal, even if he doesn’t perceive it as such.

and of course, there’s someone who would love digging his claws into those cracks and ruining zeke even more. zeke’s obsession with gortash is absolutely insane. his desire to kill him overtook everything else. he stopped sleeping in fear of him, stopped eating, his entire room is probably just filled with gortash related articles, things that he stole from him, etc. it’s truly sick. orin and sceleritas both notice this of course but can’t really do anything to stop it as gortash has essentially made zeke believe that he is completely alone in the world and can’t trust anyone. he severed his connection to the person who raised him and ruined what little good things were still between zeke and orin too. gortash believes that zeke ought to belong to him first before bhaal, and while he is a delusional megalomaniac, he sadly seems to be right in that aspect to zeke’s absolute terror.

which is also why that “prayer for forgiveness” is so fitting for zeke. he tries to do anything to be rid of him, to clear his mind, but that obsessive rage, gortash’s venom flowing through his veins is overtaking everything else. that letter was written in zeke’s own blood—he ripped his arm open and dipped his pen in there to show Father his devotion.

[crossdressingdeath]

Sarevok Anchev: Today we witness near-perfection, Bhaalspawn. Your blood was foul before, but now you are twice-tarnished - the Unholiest Assassin. Sarevok Anchev: Father shall be proud, indeed. Go to him, and present your sister as an offering. There isn't a moment to lose. Kyvir: I fell from my position at Bhaal's helm - why am I still worthy to become Chosen? Sarevok Anchev: You don't recall all the wrong you wrought at the Temple, champion of the underworld. But one matter is undeniable: Sarevok Anchev: You belong to Bhaal. He manifests within you. And you are a truer vessel of his cruelty than even the Slayer could be. Sarevok Anchev: The thwarted dream of two centuries ago - for Father to walk the planes again - you are the one that can revive that dream. Sarevok Anchev: While Bhaal receives tribute through Orin, He lives again through you. Kyvir: I wish he trusted me to act on my own, without forcing my hand. Sarevok Anchev: Does your body force you to blink? To breathe? To piss? Sarevok Anchev: Killing is but another vital function of your existence. Such is the Urge. Sarevok Anchev: Go now, and do what I could not. Go to the heart of slaughter, and be the last to live.

It seems to be unusual that Bhaal is giving Durge so many chances. I mean, by rights the position of Chosen should be Orin's; she's already proved herself to be stronger or at least more cunning than Durge at the height of their power, and they're not at the height of their power anymore (I'm convinced that the explanation for Durge being level one at the start of the game despite them being the head of a cult of assassins and Bhaal's hand-picked harbinger of the apocalypse is the brain damage). But instead of naming her Chosen then and there Bhaal is permitting her and Durge to duel for it; maybe he assumes that in a fair fight Durge will ultimately triumph or he doesn't count Orin's victory by subterfuge as a true test of strength, but from what I understand even if Durge loses the duel Bhaal still permits the party to avenge them by killing Orin instead of naming her Chosen and brings them back to life, even if that's only to extend their punishment. I can't really pass any sort of judgement until I've actually seen Bhaal and Durge interact (which will presumably not happen until the end of the Temple sequence, unless he starts chatting in Durge's head on the way through it), but I'm getting increasingly curious about what exactly their dynamic was when Durge was head of Bhaal's temple. Also Durge being referred to as "champion of the underworld" is fantastic, I love that. Durge "belonging" to Bhaal is... less pleasant. I have concerns. So many concerns.

Also the option for Durge to be upset about the Urge not because of it involving Bhaal overriding their will but because they view it as their father showing a lack of faith in them is very fun. Especially given the implications that even pre-amnesia they weren't quite as wholly, unflinchingly devoted to the cause as Bhaal might have wanted; the impression I get is that Bhaal did have to tug on their leash occasionally, meaning as far as Bhaal was concerned forcing their hand was sometimes necessary. It's also a little unclear if other Bhaalspawn have the same Urge—Illasera basically responds to Durge asking if she has the Urge too with "You're special", which doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't have it but seems to imply it—but if they don't that does fit with Durge being an existence Bhaal created just out of part of himself, meaning the murder thing would be even more a part of them than it is for other Bhaalspawn. Also Sarevok referring to killing as a vital function and comparing it to blinking and breathing is giving me Thoughts. If Durge actually did manage to completely stop killing, would that hurt them in some way? Do they legitimately need to kill as part of the way they exist? Of course it's entirely possible Sarevok's exaggerating, but I don't know.

Also, I have a horrible suspicion that Bhaal's plans for his masterpiece include possession. All the talk about Bhaal manifesting within Durge and living again through them is setting off alarm bells.

[marshmallow-bg3]

Past Life Dark Urge Asks - 2nd Edition

by @daemon-in-my-head

Did your Durge interact with others of their assigned race? How did it go, did anyone notice something was off? Did they try to blend in? As half-blood Roux never truly belonged to any distinct race. His cute pointy ears suggested at least part of him was elf, but what kind of elf - he had no clue up till meeting Sceleritas who reluctantly told him he was wood half-elf - but only very technically and totally unimportantly - because what truly mattered was Roux being the purest Bhaalspawn of all. He was raised by humans and interacted with plenty other half-elves and elves but in a big city all cultural and racial differences were smudged unless someone tried to make a point of it, but then it was them who seemed off.

The Urge itself was Bhaal’s greatest gift, a testament to their lineage. But did they despise or delight in these violent urges, did it maybe even scare them? Answered here

Bhaal can control his chosen and force the Slayer or actions upon them; did he ever force your Durge to do something against their will or would they obediently follow? Answered here

Durge has an inherent skill for anything medicine; what was their greatest skill? Sewing, caring for wounds, brewing potions or concocting poisons? Blood flow is his thing. He's as good at staunching the most dangerous bleeding as he is at making people bleed out in record time. All those vivisections weren't for nothing.

The Deathstalker Cloak is part of their inheritance, but did they really use it or did it bide it’s time wasting away in a wardrobe? It has always been one of Roux's favorite Bhaalist items. Orin took it along with his dagger after she attacked him in the colony, but she never had much use for it thanks to shapeshifting, so Sceleritas had no trouble snatching it to return to his true Master. The butler hoped it would help him regain his memories sooner.

Durges adoptive family lived in a house in the lower city. Does that house still stand? Did they claim ownership of it, or did they try to get rid of it? Why? The one in the lower city belonged to the family he hated, so he left as soon as he got rid of them and never looked back. If the house is still standing it was probably claimed by someone else. Roux doesn't care either way. The house he truly considered home is in the upper city and still occupied by his last foster parents. Roux avoids that area, nothing good would come of it if someone from his good bloodless past recognized him.

Bane once sacrificed all of Bhaals assassins, a mistake that caused a great rift between them. Did Durge ever plan to get revenge for it? This one is a bit too lore-heavy? I have no idea what it is about and failed to quickly find answers, so I'm gonna skip :(

Being the head of a temple comes with lots of tedious work, did they truly manage all of it or did they try to outsource the best they could? Roux is incompatible with anything tedious in general. Most of the temple management was done by Sarevok (through Orin) and Sceleritas who claimed he was acting on Roux's orders. In practice Roux had very little involvement in anything ever. He was there for the murdering.

The Feast of the Moon is a bhaalian ritual where priests told the stories of particularly interesting or unique kills. Was one of your Durges deeds ever discussed, or perhaps even turned into a beloved and often retold story? And once again Sceleritas - Roux's evil little PR agent - made sure his kills were sang in legends. Most of Roux's pre-tadpole reputation was actively and lovingly crafted by his master manipulator of a butler.

Speaking off, Day’s Farewell was another ritual everyone of the clergy had to attend as evening dawned over Faerûn. But was it really everyone that came to the gathering, or did a particular Bhaalist sneak out at times or outright refuse attendance? Did they maybe even appear early, eagerly awaiting another service? When he had just joined the Temple it was a novelty, he was a novelty, Roux was trying to truly fit in, he was getting the attention and adoration from these gatherings so he enjoyed it a lot. Later when both his enthusiasm and the genuine interest in him had waned, he started delegating it to Orin along with other ceremonial activities.

[ryttu3k]

More Dark Urge questions by @daemon-in-my-head ! Previously - set 1 (post also links to previous question sets), sets 2-3.

Here, we have set 4, set 5, set 6, and set 7, because I procrastinated on these for so long that every time I got near the end, another post would appear!!

Content warning for all canon-typical Durge stuff, plus incestuous sexual harassment and mention of pregnancy in set 4, question 6.

Set 4

1. The song that describes you Durge best from your own perspective?

I Want To Live is more Astarion-coded than anything else, but honestly, it works great for a resist!Durge too (and it's a duet, and he's romancing Astarion so it can work for both of them simultaneously!) "There's more to do if we can only live"…

2. OK and now the song that your Durge would actually sing along to because they like it?

Probably something upbeat and bouncy? Pre-tadpole, it'd be the kind of… 'extreme violence set to cheerful/energetic music' vibe. Post-tadpole, it's a lot more genuine and optimistic, haha.

3. What was your Durge's dream before everything happened? What did they want to become? Did they want to stay with their family or did they strive to go adventuring?

Tavias is a people pleaser, deeply insecure, and needs to be needed and wanted, and Father Comes Before All, so his dream was honestly 'do whatever Bhaal wants of me'. It was the impetus for him originally pushing away his fairly justifiable horror at the Temple and cult, knowing that if he did well enough, maybe his true father would return and like him, and it continued to motivate him up until Orin's attack. His dream would have been to carry out Bhaal's plan of omnicide, although he did have a secret quiet desire that Gortash would be by his side the whole time, and that Gortash would be the very last life he took before his own.

If we're talking before he killed his foster parents, honestly, his main desire was to find somewhere where he belonged.

4. Did your Durge ever fulfill that dream or did the temple and cult get in the way? Did they simply discard it? Why?

I mean. In a way XD He assumed he had fulfilled his dream by finding the Temple, his ~true~ family. He actually does end up finding a place where he belongs post-tadpole, though - with Astarion, with Halsin, with Jaheira. With people who love him for himself, not his heritage ;_;

5. What does Durge think of family? Describe it with one word.

Messy.

6. Sarevok, what was his relationship with your Durge like? Did they like each other? Was it complicated?

They goddamn loathed each other. From Sarevok's perspective, when Tavias first comes to the Temple in 1472, there are only a few remaining Bhaalspawn - himself and Orin, Abdel, who famously disavowed Bhaal, and Veikang, who's been keeping quiet for all these years. Sarevok sees himself as the head of the Cult of Bhaal, and Orin as his heir (having already pit her against Helena two years earlier, and Orin being the survivor). Now there's this child, an outsider who knows nothing of the cult's ways, who's being positioned as the new leader - and worse, he's far more 'pure' than even Sarevok is, than even Orin, his bespoke Bhaalspawn grand/daughter, is. It was instant resentment.

On Tavias' part, he initially did want Sarevok to like him. Sarevok was kin. His older half-brother. He had always wanted older siblings, and now here was one who knew all about the strange place he had found himself in, only for Sarevok to dislike him? Very crushing. His disgust and dislike started growing as Sarevok made no secret (behind closed doors, of course, had to present themselves as a happy family to the cult!) of his own dislike, and definitely amped up as he learned about Orin's parentage - and Sarevok's plans to create an even more pure Bhaalspawn. Tavias was, at least, treated as a boy from the moment he arrived, but Sarevok was well aware that Tavias had the right anatomy to get pregnant, and pretty much… would try to convince him that the two of them would create the Ultimate Bhaalspawn.

Tavias was 16-17 at this point, more or less leading the cult on a daily basis after his successful murder spree, and, uh, had got very well-accustomed to using violence to solve all his problems. He told Sarevok that if he ever laid a hand on him (or the then-14-15-year-old Orin), Tavias would get revenge so violent and gory that even Bhaal would go, "Hmm, that may be a bit much", and more or less banished Sarevok just to running the Tribunal instead of the entire cult. By 1492, he thinks Sarevok is both washed-up and a disgusting old pervert who would be better off dead, and frankly, he's all too happy to kill his big brother when he finally returns.

7. Does your Durge know of Sarevok's past? What do they think about it?

He learns the 'official' version pretty early on, and all the messy details a few years in. It doesn't do much to improve his view on him, just reinforces the fact that he failed. In 1482, after Abdel and Veikang die and Bhaal returns, Tavias uses the fact that Sarevok's death wasn't required as evidence that his earlier resurrection around the time of the Crisis removed any essence of Bhaal from him; he was no longer relevant. It was just Tavias, and, less importantly, Orin (being only part Bhaalspawn), who would represent Bhaal in the future. Tavias was pureblooded, Tavias was the Slayer, Tavias had the Urge, Tavias was Chosen. Sarevok? He was yesterday's news.

8. Education in the Temple, what did it look like? Did they enjoy it?

Yeah, more or less! He had essentially four streams of education - a general education that any kid in Baldur's Gate would get, because Bhaal's heir would not be an uneducated hick. He was given Bhaal-specific education, about the history of the cult, of Bhaal, of the earlier crisis, and of other things relating to the gods. Technically, should Tavias had wished, he could have 100% qualified as a Cleric of Bhaal instead of a sorcerer. As it was, though, he was a sorcerer, and so learning to use his arcane abilities was the third stream; finally, he (and everyone else in the Temple) was given combat training, with a special focus on assassination and, uh, vivisection. He enjoyed it for the most part, although he's still not a fan of literature studies.

9. Did your Durge ever attend a gathering of High Society with Gortash? Did they fit in, did they charm their way into the upper echelon's heart or were they despised?

Oh yes, and he loved it. Tavias knew how to turn up the charm, even if he came across as… kind of disconcerting; on the other hand, the upper echelon was fairly used to 'disconcerting'. Lots of dirty secrets going around! But yes, he did take a lot of enjoyment in dressing up as the most beautiful person in the room and charming the pants off everyone. And if the occasional back-room murder happened, even better! :D

10. Ketheric Thorm's dream, reviving the dead. What did Durge think of it? Did they consider it a sacrilege as Ketheric wanted to reverse the death Durge so loved to sow, or could they understand the desire of wanting to reclaim a loved one?

He could vaguely understand it in abstract terms, but did not relate. By the time he met Ketheric, he had well and truly pushed aside any sentimentality, had been drinking the Bhaalist Kool-Aid for nearly two decades, and there was no one he thought would be better off alive than dead. His goal at this point was to murder the world, after all, and he genuinely believed the world would be better that way. The timeline is a little unclear on whether Isobel was resurrected before Tavias was attacked or not, but he definitely knew that the desire to bring her back was why Ketheric had turned to Myrkul, and also thought it was a stupid idea and a sign that Ketheric was a weak link in their plans.

Set 5

1. The Gate has more than just one cult dedicated to an evil aligned Deity. What does your Durge think about the Sharran Outpost establishing itself within their turf? Were there any sort of run-ins that escalated?

Honestly he just kind of takes it as a given that there are other cults and the like around the city, and the Sharrans aren't too close to the Temple. He doesn't like Sharrans - removing someone's memories when they could, say, be twisted and put towards murder instead seems like such a waste! - but he tolerates their presence (and, of course, they'll stay out of the Undercity if they know what's good for them :) ). For run-ins, I feel they would probably try to stay out of each other's ways, for the most part.

2. How did your Durge feel seeing the bodies of their brethren being ogled by the general populous in the Hall of Wonders? Disgust, pride, nothing?

A bit of disgust, if only because they're not being presented right, dammit. Museums set up a narrative with their exhibitions, whether intentionally or otherwise. Oh, some definitely try to be impartial, but every museum is going to go, okay, what story are we telling here? And they tell a story of Bhaalists as losers, Bhaalists as failures, Bhaalists as irrelevant, and - no. Bhaalists are very much on the rise again, thank you very much, and those bodies and relics should be displayed with care and pride, not as, "Look at this sad figure!"

3. Nine Fingers has dedicated herself to keeping peace between the warring underworld factions no matter the cost. What price did the Bhaalists require under Durge's leadership?

More or less the same as the Sharrans - try to stay out of each other's way. The Cult are more powerful and are backed by an actual deity (well, quasi-deity), but the Guild are far more numerous, and have their fingers - pun unintended - in far more pies. In a one-on-one conflict, a Bhaalist would win, but en masse, the Guild and their allies could probably do a fair bit of damage to the Temple. So they try and keep things… more or less chill. There's probably a bit of collaboration - if a Bhaalist needs some pressure put on someone in a more 'diplomatic' way than Bhaal would approve of, or if a Guild member needs someone disposed of but without the Guild itself being implicated, they could scratch each other's backs.

4. Speaking of Nine Fingers, what was your Durge's relationship with her like? Was it amicable or did they regularly come for each other's throat?

Yeah, amicable. Keene is a bit older than Tavias, and was a little surprised when he started openly leading the Cult when he was only in his teens, but hell, she was already doing Crimes at his age. So long as he's competent, no issue there.

5. The Zhent may follow Bane, but what did the Bhaalist leader think of them and their operations?

Useful at times. Pretty widespread, good contacts for smuggling in particular. He would let them use cult safehouses as drop spaces at times in exchange for a cut.

6. Mercenaries are a valued resource even for death cults and almost any significant operation in Faerûn. Did Durge ever hire any, and if so, what for?

Oh yeah, and similar to the kind of collaborations done with the Guild or Zhentarim. Sometimes, they'd identify a promising new member, send them on a test mission, and if they passed, they received an offer to join the cult. ('No' was not actually accepted. You become a cult member, or you become a murder victim.)

7. Did Durge have a last name? Why or why not and if they had any, where did they get it from? Was it self made or inherited?

Nope. In his childhood, he'd just use whatever his current foster family used, and after going to the Temple, it kind of… wasn't necessary. "Tavias who?" "…Tavias the HEIR OF MURDER??"

8. Does your Durge have a symbol of their own? What is it?

Ooh man haven't thought about it before but the Bhaal skull with added in dragon horns would be cool as hell.

9. Did your Durge have any familiars? Why or why not, and if yes, what were they?

Not unless Sceleritas counts!

10. Does a portrait of your Durge exist somewhere in Faerûn? How did it come to be?

Oh yes. Sarevok most likely had at least a few commissioned of the kids as they were growing up, and Tavias himself definitely had one commissioned in full regalia after Bhaal's return and being officially named Chosen.

Set 6

1. Durge flayed themselves at least once, why?

Sex, probably. Maybe as a pentinence thing? I feel he was quite willing to try Abdirak's methods because he was used to pain for pentinence and it just sort of… resonated. Alternatively, another way of communing with Bhaal? Taking himself to the brink of death or something.

2. What did they think when they wrote the Prayer down? Why was it so important for them to have a physical copy of it?

Kind of… a desperate attempt to get all his thoughts about Gortash out of his head, he'll do what he's told, he's a good boy, he really is. (It was a massive bit of downplay, saying he 'admired' Gortash. Tavias was in love with him, and if Gortash had asked if they could scrap their plans and leave their masters and make their own story, he would have been tempted.) He never ended up 'officially'. Uh. Submitting it? Praying it? Whatever, he wrote it down intended for Bhaal but had second thoughts and hid it in his room. It shows up in the colony solely because Orin found it there post-stabbing and brought it to Moonrise to taunt Gortash with, and left it in that room in the colony out of a moment of carelessness.

Gortash never ended up seeing it before Tavias found it again, recognised his own handwriting, and promptly had a panic attack at the implications.

3. Balthazar is an infamous necromancer and has extended his 'life' far beyond what should've been. What did Durge think of him?

The man has a sense of style, no doubt there, but Tavias doesn't like him at all personally. Necromancy certainly has its uses, but when it's used to prevent or even reverse death? Yeah that shit's not okay with Bhaal. He also got the impression that Balthazar personally thought little of him, and given how patronising Balth is about Tavias in his notes about Kressa's preoccupation with Tavias, he entirely correct.

4. The Warden hates Durge. Why? What did they do?

Swanned in like he owned the place. Mentioned offhandedly that if she wanted a professional to take care of the prisoners, he would be willing to give her a few pointers. Stared a little too intently at her.

5. The Worgs in Gortash's warehouse, what's the story behind them?

Just security, I think! I don't think Tavias was super involved in all of Gortash's plans, so he may not have even realised they were there.

6. Minsc is quite infamous, did Durge have a hand in the disappearance of his statue? Was it originally their plan or did Orin do something successfully by herself for once? How would your past life Durge react to it?

It was his idea, yeah. Minsc was a known enemy to Bhaalspawn, and he wanted to make sure he could get control of at least one possible obstacle by tadpoling him. If he had been able to find Jaheira, he would have done the same to her. Of course, Jaheira ends up adopting him and Minsc ends up his uncle, so… works out in the end!

7. If your pre-lobotomy Durge could say anything to your post-lobotomy Durge, what would it be?

I think he would be incredulous, but there's enough of the previously sweet kid there that there may also be a bit of envy. He'd openly be angry that post-lobotomy Tavias is rejecting his heritage and his gifts, but there'd be this underlay of, "Why can you do it, and I can't? Do I have to lose myself to be free?"

8. What was Durge's greatest nightmare?

Being cast aside by Bhaal, being told he was irrelevant and useless and unwanted.

9. What do they think of other deities? Especially those of their race or good aligned ones?

Ooh, answered this in an earlier post, will copypaste! "He thinks very little of Bane and Myrkul, considering them the weaker parts of the Dead Three. He has some passing interest in Mystra, although that becomes disgust and loathing after he befriends Gale, is a bit frightened of Lathander, doesn’t have a lot of consideration for Shar other than, “Well, she exists”, although he also ends up pretty disgusted by her after everything with Shadowheart, and is pretty sure Selûne would hate him on instinct but has no negative feelings towards her in return, and is really quite gratified when he’s able to help Aylin." Pre-lobotomy, it's pretty universally a combination of (somewhat performative) disgust and dismissal, and a bit of wariness / fear of those specifically opposed to Bhaal, especially Lathander, Tyr, and Helm.

10. Drizzt is quite famous in Faerûn. Did your Durge have an opinion on the man who betrayed his origins and rose to become a hero?

Drizzt is… a story figure, mostly. Like he knows he exists, but eh, so do a lot of people. Post-lobotomy, I think he'd be a bit more fascinated by him, I can just see him and Astarion starting a mini-bookclub, haha.

11. What would past Durge think of their new companions? Would they like, love, dislike or despise them?

Ooh, don't think he'd like them much XD;; He'd have some passing admiration for Lae'zel's willingness to FIGHT EVERYTHING, but Shadowheart is Suspicious(tm) as a cleric of a different god, Wyll and Karlach both seem too nice and good, and ditto Halsin but with added wariness, since Halsin is an Archdruid and over three hundred years older than him and not to be messed with (whereas he's pretty sure he'd be able to take Wyll and Karlach). He'd be more interested in Gale as a fellow Chosen, but see him more as a cautionary tale on why not to displease your deity or you'll be personally fucked over. I think he'd still find Astarion attractive, but more in a, "I think it would be hot to fuck someone who looks and feels like a corpse" kind of way XD;;

12. What does their handwriting look like?

Generally neat if he's taking time and effort, but when he's stressed, he writes too quickly and often blends letters together. It looks like that on the Prayer.

13. If they could have one modern thing in Faerûn, somehow through magical means or something, what would it be? Luxury toilet paper, a smartphone (no, charger or internet is not included), a history book for research perhaps?

Anxiolytic medication. :)

14. Shoes on or off in the temple? After all it is their home, so what’s their rule? Did they enforce it on others too?

Generally 'on' is advisable for most, given that it's… kind of gory underfoot. Heh. He does occasionally slip off his boots just to, er, enjoy the experience!

15. If they could rewind time to any moment of their choosing once, would they do it? And which moment would it be?

Ooh man rewinding is always a bitch. I feel he'd want to redo his first meeting with Bhaal and compose himself a bit better instead of getting a bit panicky and overwhelmed XD;; Post-lobotomy, obviously, he'd go back and make sure he never killed his foster parents…

Set 7

1. What is the worth of a single mortal life from the perspective of their former self?

"Only the value which snuffing it out gives to Father."

2. How does Durge actually view death? Is it a mercy, a gift, or perhaps just nature's course?

Bhaal's mandate. Something that people should embrace and welcome (be grateful when he murders you, dangit!), because the world is a shitshow and it'd be better off if everyone was dead, him included. Probably… probably fair to say that his views on death are a bit warped XD;;

3. What languages does Durge speak?

Mostly just the Baldurian dialect of Common, little bits of ritualistic Infernal, and a bit of Draconic. He can read and write in Espruar, although his pronunciation of Elvish is woeful (post-adventure, Astarion and Halsin help him out with it, and much to his delight, Halsin is also teaching him Wild Elvish).

4. How old are they when the game begins? Did their age affect them or how they view the other Chosen in any way?

31, although he looks more like early 20s due to his half-elven background. He's definitely the youngest of the Chosen - while Gortash is a reasonable 10-15 years older than him, he sees Ketheric as well and truly over the hill and an old relic who's no longer relevant.

5. What was their greatest display of self-control?

All the times over the last twenty years he hasn't killed Sarevok.

Seriously, if Bhaal had ever given him permission, Sarevok would have been a smear on the ground.

6. Did they ever lose control and what happened when they did?

Aside from one very specific time where he lost control and it ended up with him being eleven years old, holding a kitchen knife, and covered in his foster family's blood? XD;; Oooh yeah, several times. It usually ended with, well, a lot of smears on the ground. He more or less tried to 'ride the wave' and let Bhaal take the wheel, although he didn't absolutely love losing control. It was mostly a begrudging acceptance of, "Well, might as well happen."

7. Being divine and all that might have it side effects. Which one did your Durge have to endure? Did their immunity to poisons perhaps also meant they couldn't use potions or did they have a certain effect on people?

Pluses, +4 charisma modifier. Downsides, -1 strength modifier. Also if he had stayed Bhaal's Chosen he would have been functionally immortal.

8. If they could critique one thing about their father and get away scot-free, what would it be?

He has a few things to say about the downstairs anatomy he had been born with!! Also tbh he isn't entirely sure everything has to end in blood and murder. Like. Like can he maybe keep enough of a supply chain going for cinnamon rolls? Can he just kill, like, 99% of the world? Can he keep Enver alive?

9. Did Durge use utensils to eat or did they decide to embrace the old fashioned way Bhaal intended?

He has perfectly good manners when necessary! As a general rule, he only prefers being covered in the blood and viscera of his enemies, not, like, grease and crumbs from his dinner, y'know?

10. Speaking off, what's their diet like? Do they actually exclusively do the cannibalism bit or can they be convinced to eat normal food?

lmao definitely not exclusively cannibalism. He generally does eat like a normal person! Just that you have to ask pretty delicately just what meat is being served XD;; Has a definite sweet tooth. His favourite drink is Amnian dessert wine, his favourite foods are cinnamon rolls, and he loves fresh fruit, especially grapes. If you're having dessert with him, you're probably good to go!