#he just looks so pretty in the grymforge light

[lilacwinelili]

Little Star ✨

You can find other versions including a bloody version here

[shadow-fell]

On Moonrise Towers, the Thorm Family, and the Shadow Curse

Once another compilation so that I don't need to go constantly digging for things. A general timeline of events:

Reithwin town founded by the Thorm family

Moonrise Towers constructed

Melodia Thorm dies

Isobel Thorm dies

Ketheric turns to Shar

Gauntlet of Shar constructed/rebuilt; Reithwin turns to Sharran worship

Nightsong is captured by Ketheric and Balthazar

Flaming Fist sends Art Cullagh to investigate Ketheric

Harpers, Druids, and Flaming Fist team up to fight Ketheric

Mason who built Moonrise Towers + the Gauntlet of Shar makes a deal with Raphael; Yurgir kills all the Sharrans in the Gauntlet/Grymforge save one

Ketheric is killed, Shadow Curse released

Survivors of the battle flee

Ketheric resurrects, turns to Myrkul

Gortash and the Dark Urge bring Ketheric in on the Absolute plan

Ketheric resurrects Isobel (maybe before ^ but probably after)

Isobel flees to the Last Light Inn

Now, expanding on the details, sources, and adding some firmer dates? that's all going below the cut.

Construction of Moonrise Towers

The first, and as far as I know only reference to Moonrise Towers outside of BG3 is in the Code of the Harpers, where it is described as the base of the Crescent Coat, officer of the High Heralds (a group spinning out of the Harpers, referenced by Halsin in game), in 1368.

So, we know when it must be established by - but how much earlier can we go? Pretty far given that the Thorms are elven/half-elven.

Our best boundary is that we know Balduran visited Moonrise Towers before becoming an Illithid. His initial departure from Baldur's Gate and shipwreck happened around 1050 DR, at 300 years before BG1/2, so he has to come to Moonrise Towers sometime after that. FR Wiki states this is ~1150 or later, but I don't know where they're getting that from? I think that's a reasonable timeframe, though.

We know the same architect built Moonrise as the Gauntlet of Shar (from talking to him in the House of Hope), but there's no record of what race he was (only meeting him as a skeleton), and if an elf could easily still be working a few centuries after the construction.

Ketheric is a half-elf for sure, though, but he is an old one. How old exactly is hard to say. 3rd edition gave "old" at 93, with a maximum age of 130-190, while 5e just says "often exceeding 180 years". If we take that he looks the way he did in ~1370 as his death, that places his birth at a minimum of ~1170, but probably later, and the construction of Moonrise Towers ~1200 at the earliest, which is maybe a bit long for Balduran but not unreasonably so.

The other thing of note is that Moonrise Towers has a 'sister' in the Sunrise Spire, a Lathanderian Monastery destroyed in 1177 during a territorial war. Combined with the (undated) fall of Rosymorn Monastery, there is perhaps something interesting about the regional shift from Lathander to Selune, and the construction happening after the destruction further supports a date around ~1200.

Personally, I'd want to push things earlier rather than later - it wouldn't be difficult to say that Ketheric is more elven than human, pushing his age a bit further out, so somewhere between 1180-1200 fits the sweet spot. But really, all we have for sure is "before 1368"

Melodia and the Thorm Family

Melodia Thorm is a human worshipper of Selune, who married Ketheric Thorm and converted him to her worship. They had a daughter, Isobel, who was young when Melodia died (or, at least, Melodia still called her their little girl).

Ketheric is a half-elf; every other member of the Thorm family is an elf - Malus, Gerringothe, and Thisobald all have the longer ears (although the hood makes this less clear on Thisobald).

Malus refers to (presumably) Ketheric as his nephew, making him the only certain branch of the family tree. Gerringothe, we have no idea where she fits in, although as a full elf, we can assume no one is Ketheric's siblings, only parents/aunts/uncles/cousins/more distant relatives.

Thisobald...is complicated. He calls Ketheric father, however, the phrasing is ambiguous (capitalized in a religious sense) in addition to the lack of reference to him in accounts of Melodia/Isobel, and the fact he appears to be fully elven. The two possibilities is that Thisobald and Isobel are half-siblings, with Thisobald's other parent being a full elf, and this being the source of disconnect between him and Ketheric, or that Father is not literal and he is related to Ketheric another way.

We know that Malus Thorm was alive in 986, where he recorded battle casualties from a Dark Justiciar/Selunite/Druid conflict. Given that only the Dark Justiciars are named, it seems likely he was a Sharran at that time. If we take the date as legitimate and not referring to the 1370s conflict, then at least Malus worshipped Shar before Reithwin turned to Selunite worship.

Gauntlet of Shar

Around 800 years before Ketheric Thorm's turn, Grymforge was a city of Shar worshippers. He attempted to revitalize it - creating or rebuilding the Gauntlet of Shar in the process.

And, yes, these two are connected - you can see the entrance to the Gauntlet from one of the points in the lava and through the hall where Nere is trapped. There is a further section not accessible seen from where the Mimic fight is, mainly what appear to be another set of docks.

While we're told the Mason constructed the Gauntlet, given that Shadowheart has heard legends of it, the more likely option seems to be it was rebuilt, since it's quite a large place to construct in only a handful of years. Especially if Malus was a Sharran in 986, it would explain the presence of Shar worshippers before Ketheric's turn.

So, we have the initial Dark Justiciar trials around 600 DR, followed by a decline (with the Gauntlet perhaps lasting past the fall of the city, hidden under Reithwin) enough to establish a myth that can then be built on in the 1370s.

Death of Isobel

How Isobel died is an unresolved plot point, revolving around cut content, so it's hard to call anything "canonical" but the two potential paths are as follows:

In the earliest version, she was killed by Halsin, during a meeting between her (and other Reithwin locals) and the druids, before Shar's influence (and the song of the Nightsong, potentially) drove them mad, and Halsin stabbed Isobel with Sorrow, leaving it cursed). This sparked the conflict between Ketheric and the Druid-Harper alliance.

In a later version, Balthazar killed her, framing Aylin for the deed, which led to Ketheric capturing her and trapping her in the Gauntlet of Shar. Isobel was tethered to Ketheric, and needed to be separated before he was killed

Either way, Isobel has no memory of her death upon being resurrected a century later. It happened probably ~1370, triggering the conflict. While it may have happened earlier (with Ketheric keeping his Shar worship hidden) probably not earlier than 1368.

Conflict with the Harpers

Alright, so this is where we get back into figuring out hard dates. Generally, this happened a century ago - so ~1392, but any time something is that round I always assume it's off.

Again, we know things are business as usual around 1368 because of the Heralds; this means that while Ketheric may have turned to Shar, it wasn't public. However, we do have some dates related to the conflict.

The Harpers try and fail to surrender in a letter by Khelben Arunsun - he's expelled from the Harpers in 1371, founding a splinter group, and dies in 1374. That makes 1369-1370 the most likely timing.

However, the records from Moonhaven and from the Emerald Grove push it to being a later date. Uktar 1371 is the date that the Apothecary and Apprentice arrive from Thay, the start of the Apprentice's journal, which ends with the Dark Justiciars killing him. Toth's logbook is the Apothecary's account, and has a raid in late Uktar and in Nightal; this may be the same year, but more likely later. We know there was at least one failed raid on Moonhaven before it fell completely.

Uktar 1371 we also get the Logbook from the Emerald Grove - they're dealing with far more minor problems and presumably aren't yet at war with the Dark Justiciars, which further supports the idea that the raids on Moonhaven happen in 1372 or 1373.

To account for Khelben's presence, we could assume the failed surrender is from an initial conflict in 1369-1370, that ended with the Harpers retreating, but more likely, the threat Ketheric Thorm posed was enough that the Harpers and Moonstars (Khelben's splinter group) were in alliance - after all, it wasn't a clean split and there was still a great deal of overlap, and he's still the Blackstaff.

The details of the conflict are largely uncertain. We know the Dark Justiciars destroyed Moonhaven, and presumably some other villages, and that the shadow curse claimed the region around Moonrise Towers and Reithwin.

However, we do know how it ended. The Mason made a deal with Raphael to destroy the Dark Justiciar army, which brought Yurgir to the Gauntlet, where he killed all but one (hiding as a swarm of rats). While we only see Yurgir's impact in Grymforge and the Gauntlet, presumably Raphael helped with defeating the entire army.

How Ketheric died and came to be buried in the mausoleum is unclear, but in the final moments of the battle, he cursed the lands around Moonrise Towers with the Shadow Curse, killing many of the Harpers and Druid, and lasting for well over a century, until he came to be resurrected in the name of Myrkul.

My Proposed Timeline

You've read the evidence above. This is therefore a mix of canon, reasonably makes sense in canon, and completely made up headcanon

1492 - Balthazar resurrects Isobel; she flees to the Last Light Inn

???? - Balthazar resurrects Ketheric, he becomes Myrkul's chosen

1373 - Yurgir kills Dark Justiciar Army; Ketheric dies and the Shadow Curse falls

1372 - Dark Justiciars spread out and attack local villages, destroying Moonhaven. The Emerald Grove, Harpers, Moonstars, and Flaming Fist ally together

1370 - The Nightsong is captured, used as the final test for the new Dark Justiciar army Ketheric builds

1369 - Isobel killed by [Halsin/Balthazar/???]. Ketheric completes turn to Shar, forces Reithwin to convert, has the mason begin reconstructing Grymforge

1350 - Melodia dies. Ketheric's faith begins to waver.

1340 - Isobel born

1325 - Melodia and Ketheric marry

1300 - Melodia born.

1200s - Moonrise Towers constructed; Reithwin slowly builds up prominence as a trade stop amon

1170s - Ketheric Thorm born.

1150s-1250s - young Halsin grows up in the lands around Reithwin, where he befriends Thaniel.

980s - Dark Justiciar/Druid/Harper conflict, Malus Thorm attending. Sharrans in the region go further into hiding; Reithwin is known as a Selunite enclave.

600s - Grymforge is a thriving Sharran city. Dark Justiciar trials are held within the Gauntlet of Shar.

[rosymourning]

The Fanged Assassin - an Astarion build

"Careful. I bite."

Astarion is a melee Assassin Rogue and Gloom Stalker Ranger, becoming an absolute menace in the first (and often only) round of combat.

Gameplay Notes

By prioritizing lowering the Critical Hit threshold and making use of several game mechanics around hiding and surprising enemies, this build builds toward having very high damage in the first round of combat. A stronger version of this build would prioritize ranged attacks, but this build is all about melee.

Stats and Leveling

Final build: Level 5 Assassin Rogue, Level 5 Gloom Stalker Ranger, Level 2 Fighter

Astarion’s (default) stats: STR 8 / DEX 17 / CON 14 / INT 13 / WIS 13 / CHA 10

Level 1 - Rogue Level 1

Expertise: Sleight of Hand, Stealth

Sneak Attack [I really like triggering this through a Reaction]

Level 2 - Rogue Level 2

Cunning Action [some of the most fun abilities in the whole game]

Level 3 - Rogue (Assassin) Level 3

Assassin’s Alacrity

Assassinate

Level 4 - Rogue (Assassin) Level 4

Feat: ASI+ DEX>18, WIS>14 or Athlete (DEX>18) [I can’t really figure out a preference, since we’re working with very odd starting stats] [or, honestly, take the ASI and add to DEX and CHA, to offset the Smuggler’s Ring]

Level 5 - Ranger Level 1 [see the Lore section for some comments about the leveling path]

Favoured Enemy: Bounty Hunter

Natural Explorer: Urban Tracker [yes I know he already has Sleight of Hand Proficiency, but it’s just so fitting for Astarion and I cannot resist]

Level 6 - Ranger Level 2

Fighting Style: Two-Weapon Fighting

1st Level Spells [I so rarely use spellcasting on Rangers… just take utility spells]

Level 7 - Ranger (Gloom Stalker) Level 3

Dread Ambusher [this is a pretty important power spike]

Level 8 - Ranger (Gloom Stalker) Level 4

Feat: ASI+ DEX>20

Level 9 - Ranger (Gloom Stalker) Level 5

Extra Attack [huzzah]

2nd Level Spells (including Misty Step)

Level 10 - Fighter Level 1

Fighting Style: Defence [if you’re looking for an archery build, this is not it]

Level 11 - Fighter Level 2

Action Surge [use it in the first round of combat - I couldn’t help myself]

Level 12 - Rogue (Assassin) Level 5

Items

Armor - Penumbral Armour (2 Last Light Inn) [I also almost always put Astarion in Minthara’s Spidersilk Armour (1 Goblin Camp) because it just looks! so! good! and feels right]

Melee Weapon -

Knife of the Undermountain_King (1 Creche)

Assassin's Shortsword (2 House of Healing)

Crimson Mischief (3 Temple of Bhaal)

Ranged Weapon - The Dead Shot (3 Stormshore Armoury)

Amulet - Surgeon's Subjugation Amulet (2 House of Healing)

Helmet - Covert Cowl (2 Last Light Inn)

Ring 1 - Smuggler’s Ring (1 Risen Road)

Ring 2 - Risky Ring (2 Moonrise Towers) [very good on rogues]

Gloves - Stalker Gloves (3 Rivington)

Boots - Disintegrating Night Walkers (1 Grymforge) [Astarion deserves the full drow fit]

Cloak - Shade-Slayer Cloak (3 Guildhall)

Lore and Flavor

Right off the bat, I want to make it clear that I’m not pretending Astarion was a dagger-wielding-killing-machine back in Baldur's Gate. He had a baseline of skills in that area, but this build represents a true evolution of his character now that he's on his own for the first time and surviving in the wilderness with the party. That’s the reasoning for waiting until Level 5 to introduce Ranger, despite Dread Ambusher being good enough to rush for. It’s also part of the reason why I am shying away from ranged attacks, since I don’t think Astarion would so quickly come to rely on a relatively foreign type of weaponry. [yes, I know elves have long and shortbow proficiency from Elven Weapon Training, but Astarion barely even got to be an elf before he was turned, so I don’t think he’s up to snuff on his archery practice] Sticking with melee attacks goes against the commonly accepted understanding of the Ranger class, but not enough to outweigh the benefits of taking the Gloomstalker subclass. Plus, the 5e description of Gloomstalker literally mentions “gloomy alleyways”, and there are at least five million lines of dialogue about Astarion stalking the streets and alleys of Baldur’s Gate, so I think it fits.

The one thing I don’t like about this build is the two levels of Fighter. It is a really strong addition to the build, since Action Surge basically doubles the first round burst damage we can get, but I struggle to find a good character explanation for the multiclass. In my playthroughs, I usually hit level 10 around the beginning of Act 3, and I tend to rush Cazador relatively soon after, so perhaps there’s something in the final confrontation with his old master that would inspire him to add more traditional weapons training into the mix.

Being in melee range for this build pairs well with Astarion’s Vampire Bite ability. While I personally planned this build around an Unascended Astarion, the upgraded Ascended Bite is (of course) an upgrade, and nothing about the build would have to change with an Ascended Astarion.

[check out my build disclaimer for info about how and why I don't min/max or completely optimize builds, prioritizing lore and vibe instead]

[cldhrbour]

[ 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 ] : sender takes a hold of receiver's both hands. - @recitedemise

the elevator SHUDDERS to a halt. gates opening with a screech. the only sounds that broke an otherwise agonizingly quiet ride from grymforge to. . . well wherever the hells this was taking them. their friends begin to file out of the small space , and as serana begins to follow suit she feels a hand reach out and clasp to her own. keeping her from moving. a silent beg. please. talk to me. i did it for you. i only ever did all of this for you. and when she looks back , those eyes like fire gazing into warm pools ( they remind her of chocolate or more appropriately the polished wood of a walnut bookcase lit in ambient firelight ) for the first time in a couple days her resolve cracks. just enough. just enough for him to pull her in ; he waves the party to keep going , that they'd catch up , and he keeps her here by encompassing pale fingers within his own.

she refuses to look down at them , no she's holding his gaze. because all it is , is proof. veins black with tar. tips of his fingers darkened and she knows it's only worsened over the hours. ( a battle with some spawn sent by harkon had ensued on the way here and she watched him so closely. would purposefully cast before he could. still without a word spoken to him. ) he'd notice by bringing her close that there was a significant change in temperature. he'd see , even in the dark that now surrounded them as they neared the shadowed lands , the pale stone sitting pretty in the gentle dip between her collar bones. THIS. CURSED. THING.

you've battled with yourself these past few days. you've wanted to RIP IT OFF and throw it into the molten fires of the forge because maybe , by the blood just maybe the fates would be kind enough to pull the weave from between it's melting molecules and give it back. drip a few measly droplets back into his well. but you can't , can you ?? because if that doesn't work you've wasted what he's given up and you could never do that because you ───

he sings songs of apologies. waxes on about how lonely the past couple of nights were without her there. they're pretty words. if he were a bard , they'd tug sweetly at her heartstrings. " gale , please. . . " how could he not understand ?? this isn't what she wanted. as gracious as the gesture was , as they all had been , if she'd known the cost she'd never ─── " it was never about what it was. . . gale. it was about what it meant. maybe to you it was a kind gift to a friend ─── " something done to show how much you care about someone , how much you listen. " ─── but to me. . . now all i can think of is the LOSS tied to it. "

a hand pulls from his grip , gently and delicately , reaches up to cup the cheek of her sallow-skinned wizard. he's fading , there's hardly any light behind his eyes anymore and your heart so full wails inside. " i don't want . . . gods gale i would have NEVER asked for a trinket to keep me warm , nor a spell to see myself again , nor any other moment you've given me if i knew it was at the cost of you. it's a price i'd never pay. " and you took that choice from me. ever since the night. that one. where they traded the most delicate ice lace. when her hands pressed the dirts of coldharbour into his. it wasn't about the magic. it never was. no , this was about two souls lonely and desperate for someone to understand. two people who only knew value of what others wanted from them. two wielders of magic , no matter its source , just sharing a moment together. falling.

silence again. they hold to each other , fingers grasping tightly. ( she'd press kisses to each one if she could , how she was desperate to take the pain away. to give him back that which he holds most dear. ) here she feels a moment in the space between them , a flicker as if the weave were finally giving out. her forehead presses against his , thumb running along the dark shadows beneath his eye , trailing down the delicate lines and she wonders if she'll ever see them grow brilliantly purple again. lips whispers away from each other. his name echoes around them. breaking the tension. like the snap of a piano wire. were they to take a couple steps and peer out of the elevator they'd see their friends. and in the dark , in between the small semi-circle the group had made ─────

───── there stood a rather elderly man giving the most gentle wave.

[blackjackkent]

OK, into the main prison area.

It's an enormous cavern, half-collapsed and half-built through, a mixture of stone cells and makeshift wooden platforming. The overall shape is a large ring around the central pillar, with a pathway eventually leading over to this ominous-looking thing:

So I guess we'll just proceed in a circle and see what we find.

And peering into the first cell, look who we see! Tiefling friends!

Yay! \o/

Danis here is the husband of the lady back at Last Light who was super upset and worrying about him, so I'm very glad to see he's still alive. Lakrissa, next to him here, was one of the tiefling guards at the grove. (Apparently if she lives, she and Alfira start dating, so that's cute.)

Even better, up by the door are Cal and Lia, Rolan's siblings!

As Hector approaches, they're talking about how they hope Rolan's okay, but also that he isn't the one to rescue them because they will never hear the end of it. LOL.

Let's see if we can get them out.

This situation is made more complicated by the fact that the guards do not want us talking with the prisoners - "These prisoners are for Disciple Balthazar's attention only." While I can persuade them to let me be, it does still interrupt the initial conversation with Cal and Lia which is annoying.

However, there's a considerable amount of time while the guard isn't nearby - the main problem is the two scrying eyes also drifting around the place. And I was able to have Karlach one-hit smash both of them while the guard was elsewhere. We then all stood around and looked incredibly innocent while the guard walked in circles in the area and mumbled "Who could have done this?" and "What happened here?"

After a while, though, she lost interest and went back to her regular patrol route, and so we're able to talk to Lia and Cal for a little bit without being interrupted.

The bit of conversation we get is both interesting and concerning.

"Let me guess - 'The Absolute is the only way'? Don't bother. Why don't you and Zevlor take a long walk off a short cliff?"

Uh oh. It may be worse than I thought - did Zevlor not only surrender but join the cultists?

Lia clearly doesn't recognize us, but it was a pretty quick persuasion check to convince her we're here to help. Cal mentioned that the gnomes next door are cooking up a plan to get out, so let's see what that's about.

"Nimble! Check for gaps, cracks - anything to leverage the rock. Nickels - tools. Get creative. This rock is basalt. It'll crack with enough pressure."

'Eyyy, it's Wulbren!

We heard about this guy from one of the gnomes we rescued back in Grymforge. That guy mentioned that Wulbren Bongle was their leader, and that he'd been taken on to Moonrise. And even if Hector hadn't known that, he would have recognized this fellow as a leader; he seems capable and direct, full of some plan.

Recognizing that he's being overheard, Wulbren spins sharply and looks up at Hector through the bars.

"Ah! Don't mind us, True Soul! The back wall is weak - we're looking to brace it."

At this point the guard finally cottoned on to what was happening and broke up the chat; Hector was able to hit the persuasion check to be allowed to keep talking, which Wulbren seemed suitably impressed (albeit concerned) by.

"You ordered that guard about as if you were the Absolute herself. What do you want with us, exactly?"

"I'm here to help you escape," Hector says promptly - voice low, to avoid attracting further attention from the overeager wandering guard.

"Huh," Wulbren says doubtfully. "And why would you be so inclined."

[PERSUASION] "I know the tieflings imprisoned here," Hector says earnestly. "I want to break you all out."

(A/N: We got advantage on this check with the label "Trusted by other prisoners"; being friendly gets results!)

Wulbren considers this thoughtfully for a moment. "Those spitfires?" He grunts approvingly. "They certainly gave the guards a run for their money. And they'd be a help in the escape..." He nods, coming to a decision, and offers Hector a comfortable grin. "I reckon you and I were meant to meet. I'm Wulbren."

Hector grins back. He likes this guy; Wulbren seems confident without being cocky, even in such a terrible place, and smart to boot. "I'm Hector Carlisle," he answers. "Pleasure to meet you."

"We've got a plan," Wulbren says, speaking faster now as he sees the guard's path swinging back towards them. "For us and the tieflings both - but we're scuppered without the right equipment. We need tools. That headcase of a Warden robbed ours, but anything that breaks rock will do - even if it's not Ironhand quality. Whatever you find, throw it through the bars. But for the love of Gaerdal, make sure a guard doesn't see you, or we're both done for."

Hector feels energized by the brisk decisiveness of the man's attitude and nods sharply. It feels good to have a plan, even a small one.

[rottenbrainstuff]

BG3 playthrough: continuing through the underdark

Spoilers.

Finished the arcane tower, read all the books and notes, got a hug from the automaton that’s been programmed to comfort Lenore. Dang every single NPC in this game is sad and lonely and haunted. Is there any NPC here that isn’t horribly tortured?... so many sad little notes and journals and books lying around, so many sad little stories that are just footnotes at the bottom of the main plot. And I’ve only just started, the REALLY sad stuff hasn’t even HAPPENED yet. Sigh.

Man. The more I think about it though, the more sad Lenore makes me. All her lonely little notes, the sad little poems she wrote, all the things she lost, lost her partner, her friends, even her dog, so lonely she programmed herself a clockwork friend, and who knows what even happened to her in the end. Oh Lenore. Oh this game.

Kudos to the most confusing corpse I’ve talked to in the game yet! (which would be the half-crushed drow by the wall of mushrooms) After looking around, it was quickly apparent what he was talking about, but I loved the few minutes where I had no fucking clue what the hell he meant about how throwing his backpack caused him to fall because it was too light and mushrooms and things disappearing and what?... I liked the little easter egg journal he was carrying that mentioned Drizzt Do’urden’s mother. And of COURSE all of that mushroom bullshit is Ethel’s doing, even from beyond the grave she’s still messing me up, lmao.

I just realized the lyre I looted from Minthara’s corpse after the siege is the fucking harp that calls Kar’niss in the shadowlands. It was pretty so I equipped it. I’ve just been running around playing my bard tunes on it this whole time lmao. Wouldn’t it have been funny if I only found that out when I went to play it later in the game and suddenly a goddamned drider shows up for my performance? (btw can’t wait to meet him, he sounds absolutely heartbreaking, like, fuck, game. Why are you trying so hard to make me so specifically sad??????)

After backtracking and NOT torching the entire bibberbang field, I decided to give the noblestalk to Derryth. It sounds like I’ll be able to buy more from her later in act 3 if I do that. (dark urge gets some flavour, haha, if you eat it. Apparently you can also give it to Shadowheart, but I wasn't able to... bug? not sure. Will worry about the noblestalk later.)

I’m at the Grymforge now, getting overwhelmed by how much stuff there is and how many areas there are. There continues to be interesting little pepperings of special dark urge dialogue options, but I do wish there were maybe just a litttttttle bit more… closer to the beginning of the game I liked how there was a dark urge option for so many dialogues, it really was like having these horrible intrusive thoughts constantly whispering to you to do the horrible thing. It’s slowed to a simmer now. Still fun though! The duergar are absolutely terrible and it’s hilarious. Once again, I have my murder-is-fun team of Astarion, Shadowheart and Lae’zel with me, who are approving of every mean dialogue option I choose - you guys know I’m NOT really going to buy a slave, right? You’re approving of my clever manipulation of the dialogue, right? RIGHT GUYS???

Couldn’t help but notice though that Astarion is already getting noticeably less cranky about my decisions to help people out, even if he still has to make a token show about disagreeing (ie, his hilarious reaction to me saying I intended to free Nere), and he even approved of me refusing to help Glut attack the myconid colony. I really don’t quite get the people complaining that he’s hard to romance without playing an evil route. What are y’all doing / not doing that’s messing things up? I’m at 97 approval currently and haven’t left act 1 yet and haven’t picked any evil options that I didn’t want to pick. I HAVE sent him back to camp a few times when I knew he wouldn’t like what I was doing, ie agreeing to help the tieflings, but honestly I do that for all the companions. I send Shadowheart and Astarion away when I’m going to agree to help. I send Gale and Karlach away when I’m going to pretend to be the big mean drow in the enemy camp. Even if I didn’t do that, I would still have a high approval for him. Besides a couple specific spots, dialogue disapprovals are almost always just a -1, and that’s not a large enough amount to seriously mess up your romance if you’re not making the effort to switch the team around. I dunno what you guys are doing that makes it so hard?.....

I know everyone talks about how sad it is that Astarion can’t walk in the sun anymore at the end of the game… I dunno. I totally understand missing the sun, but damn if my drow boy isn’t going to try his hardest to show Astarion everything beautiful and colourful and brilliant in the underdark, how beautiful life can be even without the sun.

Shovel is hilarious, 11 out of 10 A+++ would recommend, I wish I tried her scroll ages ago. I have her following around Astarion right now and I’m sure he’s absolutely delighted by his horrible little henchthing.

[ryttu3k]

I have *checks* 206 screencaps for the next parts and Tumblr has a limit of, uh, 30, so this will have to be a rather abridged version. Act 2, well into the Shadow-Cursed Lands (having just encountered Kar'niss).

Going waaay back to Grymforge about a million years ago (two days ago) and taking the elevator up. We meet Elminster, who has some rather disturbing things to say.

...no, the other kind of disturbing.

Yeah. I do love how genuinely supportive of Gale everyone is, though, and how appalled Mystra even has the audacity. I think I like Karlach's line best - she's no god worth worshipping, in that case!

The save file I made after all that.

We venture into the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Interestingly, Shadowheart has some slight immunity to it! The others... do not. Thankfully, both she and Tae have daylight spells, which Tae casts to hold it off until we can get to the Last Light in, where Karlach... promptly flips the fuck out over Jaheira.

Into the inn! Karlach meets a fan of her own:

The tiefling kids are so cute. Menaces! But so cute. It's not all good news - a lot have been taken to Moonrise Towers, and we get confirmation that Wyll's father has been taken as well. There's also a dude in a weird sort of catatonic state, which Halsin takes especial interest in - that'll be something to deal with, too, if we're to actually help restore these lands.

Concerningly: Baldur's Gate is currently in the hands of one Enver Gortash. Wyll has heard of him, and is a bit surprised - last he heard, Gortash was a minor player.

Karlach has heard of him too.

(Tae immediately starts trying to work out if killing this guy will cause a political crisis.)

Met a celebrity. I love him.

Less welcomingly, met another familiar face (engaged in a chess game with Mol). With a bit of assistance, she wins the game and scarpers, leaving the group with... Raphael, who proceeds to make some very disturbing comments.

Absolutely please do.

Astarion has a request of his own (one which results in him being stripped half-naked in the middle of the inn). A deal with the devil - this will in no means come back to bite us!

Larian please let me give him a hug as a friend. Please.

We meet Dammon again! He has good news and bad news. The good news is, with a bit of Infernal Iron, he can help cool Karlach down!

She's pretty pleased.

She's less pleased by the news that her Infernal Engine is just... too hot to exist in the material plane. Either she returns to Avernus, or she dies. It's... not a great choice, with Karlach determined not to ever return, even if it does cost her her life. Tae promises to find a solution.

The companions are generally sympathetic, in... their own ways.

(STR 8 vs STR 18. I'm just sayin' XD;; )

No time to rest and relax, though. Speak of the devil and she will come.

Tae telepathically reassures Wyll that they'll deal with it, and makes a deal of their own - they carry out Mizora's task, and she frees Wyll from his pact. Worth a try!

Meanwhile on the other side of camp, Tae finds Astarion trying to work out what his scars say via touch. They offer to have a look at them.

Tae recognises it as Infernal, but doesn't know the language, and draws it out instead. They suggest asking the others, which Astarion swiftly decides against. Okay, we can do that.

That night, Tae meets the Dream Visitor again.

They very much appreciate a hug. Tae feels sad but relieved they were able to help their guardian; I feel weird about it because I know exactly who they are XD;;

Back to the inn to meet Isobel. Shadowheart is less than impressed with Selûnite magic; Tae, who follows the fellow moon-associated chaotic good goddess Eilistraee, is pretty pleased with it.

The battle afterwards - less so. (Full disclosure - I tried this earlier on, before even talking to Dammon or Halsin, and failed. Reloaded, did other stuff, then tried again. Sorry but no, I am not losing my tiefling friends!) It's mostly a success, although the cultists do manage to get away with a hostage:

With the inn and Isobel safe for now, it's back into the dark. We ambush a party of cultists, and find their moon lantern, used to find their way through the shadow curse. Tae briefly debates on what to do, but...

You know a decision is ethically correct when [Astarion disapproves] appears <3

Lae'zel talks about enjoying battles, and adds, "And the sort made more thrilling with a hot-hearted tiefling at my side." Sorry, Lae'zel, the hot-hearted tiefling is dating the soft and squishy pastel druid. I'll set you guys up in another playthrough ^_^;;

Have a Concerning Conversation with Astarion. Amazing how he's actually able to say "you have a big heart" with "(derogatory)" at the end XD;; No bestie we're not taking over the cult, okay <3

Story of their lives.

Meanwhile, with Karlach...

And they have a very nice night indeed!

tfw you break a ten-year dry spell and promptly get the zoomies.

Only awkwardness to spoil the morning - Gale, with some... misinterpretations.

He's really sweet! Tae adores him as a friend! But they've also turned down all his advances so the whole thing is just... weird.

You know what no one is romancing Astarion in this run, go show him some love and patience and acceptance. It'll be good for both of you, I think!

Next stop - the House of Healing, to see what we can do about Art's condition and the curse, then onwards to Moonrise Towers. Current approvals: Karlach, Gale, and Wyll are all maxed out on 100, Shadowheart is on 69 nice, Lae'zel on 57, Astarion languishing on 42. Determined to get to 50 by the end of act 2, dangit!