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verai-marcel · 8 months ago

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Your Hearth Is My Home (BG3 Fanfic, Astarion x Female Reader, Part 24 of 28)

Summary, Notes, Tags, & Part 1 are here.

AO3 Link is here, my sweet.

Word Count: 4,380

Act III, Chapter 3 - The Torment

The next morning started off like any other. However, you were surprised when Wyll, Karlach, and Jaheira came back in the late afternoon with a tall, muscular, and bald man with a small rodent on his shoulder. Karlach and Wyll were following the other two with expressions of awe.

I wonder if he’s an associate of Jaheira’s… that would explain why Karlach and Wyll are fawning so hard.

The man saw you and grinned broadly, waving cheerfully at you. Your seal pulsed strongly in return.

Who exactly is this man?

Coming up to the group, you smiled warmly. “Welcome back, everyone. Who’s our new friend?”

“I am Minsc!” Then he held out his hand for the little rodent to hop onto his palm and held him out to you. “And this is Boo, the mighty miniature giant space hamster.”

When the hamster looked at you, your seal pulsed again, sending heat waves through your blood. You looked back up at Minsc, and the power ebbed away.

What. No way. It was the hamster that is the powerful one here?

Boo chittered, and while everyone else was looking at the creature, you noticed that Minsc was listening intently as if he understood every little squeak.

“Oh, yes, of course,” he mumbled. Then he gingerly brought Boo back to his shoulder. “Boo is looking forward to sampling your fine dishes and to hear your singing. Karlach and Wyll have been praising your talents!”

You blinked. “Um, alright, I’ll do my best,” you said, directing your reply to the little hamster. Looking into its eyes, you suspected you saw understanding, and even more, satisfaction.

Welp, that was strange.

You learned from the others that the underground guild in the city and Jaheira had made a deal: she got help finding Minsc, and in exchange, they had chased the Zhentarim out of the city. You breathed a sigh of relief.

So I didn’t need to worry about them after all. Thank the gods. Or rather, thank Jaheira.

Karlach patted your back. “I’m relieved. One crime group is enough for this city, hah!”

You laughed, hiding your nerves. “Yup, good riddance.” And now they’ll never know.

Leading the others to the campfire, you served them some drinks and some snacks and listened to them regaling you with their adventure, which had taken them all across the city, even to the deepest bank vaults. They had even found Mol and a couple other tiefling children in the Guild, running their business, and doing quite well for themselves.

“Oh good, I’d like to go back to the other tiefling children and let them know Mol is safe,” you said.

“I can do it,” Karlach said with a smile. “I’m sure Wyll would want to see them again too.”

Wyll nodded, and you caught his soft look as he watched Karlach.

Oh ho, his love grows.

After their story, you rooted around through the pile of loot for any extra bedrolls or fabric to make a tent for the newcomer. Just as you had managed to find enough rags to weave together, you heard the alarm bells on your belt chime softly.

Turning toward the entrance, the others had arrived looking a bit worn out. As they joined the group at the campfire, Shadowheart relayed what had happened.

“We literally went to hell and back. But now Lae’zel has a way to free Orpheus.”

The githyanki nodded with a slight smirk. Oh, she’s quite pleased.

“And we may have a change of accommodations,” Gale said. “The Elfsong has an upper floor penthouse available if we wish to use it, for a discounted fee.”

“Are there enough beds for everyone?” you asked, sweeping your hand towards everyone, including Shadowheart’s parents, Isobel, and Aylin, who were hanging back, listening in.

“Plenty of beds,” Gale replied.

“And why the discount?” you questioned. Inns don’t give discounts unless…

“There might have been a murder on that floor, and that might be scaring off the guests.”

Everyone looked at Gale.

“Look, just because one person died there doesn’t mean we should stay out in the open for the remainder of our time here.”

After some thought, the group began to mumble agreement.

Wait. Then that means…

“So you won’t be needing me any further,” you quietly said.

All eyes turned to you.

“Well, of course we need you, darling.” Astarion walked up to you and patted your head. “You still have to feed me.” He gestured towards everyone else. “And these fools couldn’t clean worth a damn.”

You glanced at everyone else, who were mostly shrugging sheepishly.

“And who’s going to take care of the giant pile of souvenirs that Karlach and Astarion keep pilfering?” Wyll joked.

“Some of those are from you too!” Karlach shot back, lightly shoving Wyll, who only laughed.

“The point is, you’re part of the team,” Gale said softly. “We need you just as much as anyone else.”

You turned back to Astarion, who nodded and took your hand, holding it gently, his thumb rubbing circles over your knuckles. Leaning closer, he whispered in your ear, “Besides, you promised you would stay with me, didn’t you?”

You nodded.

“Good girl,” he murmured before pulling back. Turning to everyone else, he shot them all a triumphant grin. “So, shall we upgrade our accommodations?”

***

By the time you all had finished packing and moving everyone’s things out of the harbor and to the Elfsong, the sun had just dipped below the horizon. Yet the tavern was already loud and lively, full of music and drinkers. Gale went to the front desk and paid for the new lodgings, holding up a key triumphantly to everyone before leading the group upstairs.

“Probably best if I keep a low profile. They used to know me all too well in here,” Astarion muttered to you as he helped take the packs up the stairs, attempting to blend in with the others. You watched his back as he went up the stairs, walking closely to the floating disc as it hovered behind Gale. Your eyes wandered down the line of Astarion’s body, down his back, his hips, his—

Gods, what am I doing?

You shook your head and re-focused on the back of his head, but he had already caught you staring, as he looked back at you with a knowing smirk.

“Admire all you like, darling.”

You immediately looked away and huffed.

His sly grin stayed on his face throughout the rest of the unpacking.

***

Since you didn’t need to cast warming cantrips any longer, you could spend your time sorting the loot pile and going out to the market to sell whatever you could, and buying fresh groceries. You were actually excited to see what kind of fresh vegetables and herbs you could get, now that you were in a large city.

“You’re sounding happy,” Shadowheart said as she approached, kneeling down next to you while you polished some of the tarnished jewelry with a rag.

You stopped humming and smiled up at her. “Well, I can finally catch up on some inventory management,” you said, pointing at the rather large pile of knick knacks and herbs. “You lot seem to have sticky fingers.”

“It’s how I grew up,” Karlach said as she joined the two of you, sitting cross legged on the other side of you. “Take everything of value and sort it out later for pocket change.”

You nodded. “That’s fair. I just haven’t had much of a chance to go through it all lately, and it seems like everyday you come back with more.”

Gale suddenly came up and tapped Shadowheart’s shoulder. With one look, her eyebrows furrowed and she got up.

“We’re going to plan our next trip into the Undercity. We’ll probably need to split up if we want to stop the murders and find where Orin is hiding.”

You nodded and watched as everyone gathered around the table in the main sitting room on the upper level. Remaining in the lower area near the fireplace, you continued to sort through everything, catching bits and pieces of their conversation.

“...have to find where the Bhaalspawn…”

“...Orin’s base might be…”

You finished sorting what you could, and pulled together all the random coins you had found. There was a significant amount, so you didn’t feel bad about ordering room service tonight.

“I’m going downstairs to order us a meal to be brought up, are there any requests?”

***

As you came downstairs with a long piece of paper full of meal requests, you ran into a familiar face.

“Lakrissa!” you said with a bright smile.

She called your name excitedly and gave you a hug. “What are you doing here?”

“We got a room upstairs, at a discounted rate.”

“Oh, the murder room. Well, I suppose that wouldn’t bother your group much, would it?”

You laughed. “Nope, not after what they’ve seen. Oh, I need to put their supper order in.”

Lakrissa smiled and took your order for you, telling you to wait by the stairs for her while she gave it to the kitchen. When she returned, she gave you a wide grin.

“Follow me,” she said quietly as she nodded toward the back staircase.

She snuck you up to the rooftop, where you heard a soft lute and a familiar voice.

You smiled, afraid to stop Alfira’s singing. She was swaying softly to her song, her back to you and Lakrissa, the gibbous moon shining brightly above her head. The two of you enjoyed her song until the end, applauding her just as she turned around.

The bard smiled, pleasantly surprised to see you. You hugged, and the three of you caught up on each other’s lives since the Last Light Inn.

“Would you join me for a song?” Alfira asked. “If you have time, that is.”

You turned to Lakrissa. She nodded. “You’ll have time. With the amount of orders you put in, you could sing out here for a half hour and it wouldn’t be done.”

The two of you figured out a song you both knew, and while she played and sang harmony, you took the lead, letting your voice carry on the rooftop, and letting the tingling feeling on your spine travel through your body, through your lungs, through your throat. You felt almost as if you could layer your voice if you pushed your power through yourself hard enough.

On the last lyric, you let your vibrato go longer and harder than you ever had, leaving just enough breath to end the song on a delicate sigh.

A raucous applause startled you, and you turned to see all of your companions standing behind Lakrissa, who was wearing a sly grin.

“You cheeky woman!” Alfira said to her as Lakrissa came up and placed her hand on the small of her back.

You were distracted from their cute banter by everyone else’s compliments. You shyly bowed.

“Boo says that was a most wonderful performance, rivaling the great opera singers from Waterdeep!”

You flinched involuntarily at the mention of Waterdeep, but you acted as if you didn’t. “You’re too kind,” you said with a smile.

Lakrissa tapped your shoulder. “I can go check if your food is ready, but would you all want to eat up here? It’s a beautiful moonlit night!”

You turned to everyone else, who seemed to be enjoying themselves, catching up with Alfira and admiring the view.

“That sounds lovely.”

As she went downstairs, you spotted some tables and chairs scattered around the rooftop and had an idea. You took a deep breath and began to hum, walking to the furniture and tapping them lightly. As if they suddenly gained sentience, they hopped and began to follow you, arranging themselves into a nice group formation.

Everyone had gone silent, watching you work. You paid them no mind, singing a song about faerie lights, touching the leaves and vines around the area, making them glow orange and pink and purple. Lost in the sensation of the magic and the music flowing through your body, you spun around and swayed your arms, letting the lights glow brighter as your power pulsed against your skin.

Suddenly Astarion was standing next to you, his hand on the small of your back, pressing on your seal. He kissed your cheek and pulled you close, interrupting your song.

“I couldn’t help myself darling,” he said a bit too loudly as he dragged you away from everyone else. Karlach tried to peek, but Shadowheart shooed her and the other onlookers back to the tables to wait for their food.

Away from the crowd, Astarion whispered into your ear. “Your seal was glowing brightly through your clothes.” His hand pressed harder against your back. “Be careful.”

You looked up at him, surprised at his look of concern. “Oh. Thank you,” you murmured. It didn’t feel like burning this time, though. It felt… powerful.

He guided you back to the tables just in time for Lakrissa and another worker to bring the trays of food for everyone. Using your party as an excuse, she stayed behind and ate with you, along with Alfira, who entertained you all with music through the rest of dinner.

It was a wonderful evening, and you treasured it.

***

The next morning, the others left, but came back within an hour to talk to Dame Aylin. You overheard something about a tower and a wizard who had put a price on her head, and she immediately charged out the doors. Isobel followed the group out to follow her.

You turned to Shadowheart’s parents. “Erm, well, I was about to go out and get groceries. I should be back soon.”

They nodded and told you that they would let the others know if they came back before you did.

Out in the city, you felt relatively safe, anonymous in the large crowds. You walked over to a jeweler and bartered away some of the found gems and trinkets for a great price, adding to your coin pouch. Heading down to the marketplace, you managed to get an excellent cut of venison from the butcher and some fresh herbs and vegetables. Holding the bag in your arms, you headed back to the Elfsong.

Halfway there, your seal pulsed. You immediately looked around.

A man, with a patch over his eye and a large sword at his side, scratched his arm, his sleeve lifting up to reveal a tattoo of a legless dragon in flight. It was a tattoo you recognized with ease.

A Zhent!

You quickly began to walk away, turning a corner beyond the Elfsong, unwilling to make the mistake of leading someone straight to your home base. Instead, you walked through the graveyard, then past the tombmaker’s shop. Just as you were rounding the corner to make a loop back home, you heard a familiar voice calling your name.

Turning around, you were met with Gale, smiling and waving his hand to you.

“Can you follow me for a moment? I have something to show you,” he said, gesturing for you to follow.

Your seal pulsed with a stinging heat.

“Um, let me put these groceries away first.”

“We haven’t the time,” he insisted, coming closer to you.

Gale would have offered to carry my groceries for me by now. This isn’t him!

Without another word, you turned to run.

The doppelganger grabbed the collar of your shirt and pulled hard, choking you. Dropping your bag of groceries, you pulled at your collar, trying to get some air, but they were strong. One arm wrapped around your mouth.

“You’ve got wits, but no power. Pity,” a woman’s voice hissed in your ear.

You felt a sharp pain to your temple, and then you felt nothing at all as everything went black.

***

Astarion and the others returned to their room in the Elfsong, ready for a long rest. Upon entering the room, however, he smelled something distinctly… vile.

“Welcome back,” said the creature posing as his hearth witch. Though she looked like her, she definitely didn’t sound like her. The soothing warm tone of her voice could not be replicated by any other.

“You’re not her.” Astarion glared at the shapeshifter, disgusted that she would take the form of his beloved.

Orin pouted. “How could you tell so quickly?”

“I could smell your stench a mile away.”

Everyone looked on in horror as a crazed, maniacal grin grew on their hearth witch’s face. And when she twisted back to her usual form, everyone felt a fear and anger that they could not swallow down.

“If you want your precious friend, then kill Gortash for me and bring me his netherstone.” She disappeared in a burst of pink petals, her insane laughter bleeding away.

Astarion could barely contain his rage. “We don’t have time, we have to find her now,” he snarled.

The others agreed.

“Don’t worry Astarion, we’ll find her,” Wyll said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Orin won’t get away with this.”

He nodded as he tried to keep a level head. But it was so, so hard.

If Orin touches her… she’ll feel her madness. She’ll feel everything.

***

You woke up to a world of pain, your entire body feeling as if it was on fire. You shifted and gasped in agony.

Then your memories of the last 24 hours returned, and you nearly vomited. You had so, so many cuts across your body. Your clothes had been sliced to shreds, and your skin along with it.

The crazed cackle of your captor drew your attention. Orin licked her knife with glee. “Your blood is the sweetest,” she murmured.

And then she wrapped her hand around your neck. You let out a hoarse cry of agony as her madness seeped into you. No amount of mental guarding could keep out the intensity of her insanity.

c̵̝̽u̵̩͌t̵͇͛ ̷̗̕c̵͉͌ṵ̵͝t̴̝̓ ̵̫͋m̸͙̚a̶̧̾i̴͈͋m̴̱̀ ̷̳̔m̸͇͛a̸̢͝i̸̗͗m̴͎͝ ̴̡̒m̷͍̈́ṵ̶͗r̵̝̾d̷̜̄e̸̤͋r̵̹͝ ̷̮̓m̸̳̊ủ̵͚r̸̖͑d̷͈̿e̴̞̐r̸̻͋k̶̜̋i̷̪͊l̶̝̔l̸͚̀k̴̫̃i̶͈̓l̴͇̀ĺ̶͙K̴͉̍Ȋ̶͜L̸͈͛L̵̫͌ ̴̢̀K̸̯̈I̸͍̿L̸̘̍Ľ̶̪ ̶̘̈K̴͇͘I̴̬͐L̶͚̀L̶̤̓—̸̟̀ ̵͉̏

You squeezed your eyes shut to drown out the voices in your head.

“Who knew you would be so sensitive to just my mere touch! Such a delight to torture.”

You could barely hear her words beyond the pounding of blood in your ears. Is this what she constantly felt? Wave after wave of darkness, followed by an alternating current of rage, a frenzied, frenetic need to hurt, to kill.

It was so dissonant from your usual emotions that you were having a physical reaction. Your blood pumped harder, spilling more from your wounds. You were weakening, your limbs feeling heavier with each passing moment.

“Let go of me!” you cried, your hands wet with your blood as you tugged weakly at Orin's arm.

She only laughed. “Why should I? Your agony is the sweetest candy on my tongue.” Grabbing your wrist and twisting it painfully, she brought the inside of your arm to her mouth. While she stared at you with her crazed glare, she licked your blood, savoring it, smearing it all over her lips.

“No!” You shrieked, trying to jerk your arm away. It was a useless endeavor; she was far stronger than you could ever be. “That blood is not for you!”

You tugged harder, the blood making your skin slippery. Her grip tightened until you felt your bones begin to yield, the pain making you keen.

“You make the most lovely sounds when in pain,” she murmured, letting go of your wrist and your throat. Placing the tip of her knife at your collarbone, she grinned maniacally. The sharp tip pierced your skin, the slow, burning sting making you whimper in pain.

“Let me hear you sing in agony once more—“

“My lady!”

Orin immediately grabbed the servant by the throat. “How. Dare. You. Interrupt me!”

“There…. are… intruders…” the servant gurgled.

You looked up, grateful for any distraction that kept Orin’s knife away from your collarbone. In the distance, you could see your companions as they charged down the stairs. A sense of relief flooded you.

Your friends. They were here. Thank the gods.

All of the stress and the injuries suddenly overwhelmed you, and your vision blurred. Did Orin just transform into a beastly creature? The party threw themselves into the fray, fighting off the other cultists while Karlach and Lae'zel focused on Orin.

The last thing you saw was Astarion rushing past the beast towards you, calling out your name.

***

It had been a hell of a battle, and Astarion barely remembered it. Once he had secured his beloved in a safe corner, he had lashed out, stabbing Orin until she screamed in agony. Then he sprinted back, picked up his little hearth witch in his arms and brought her to Shadowheart, who immediately healed her wounds. Her clothes were shredded to tatters, and even after her wounds had closed, she was still out cold.

“She may be mentally overwhelmed,” Shadowheart said.

He only nodded before setting off at a hurried pace to get back to the Elfsong, cradling her closely.

After they got out of the Undercity, she finally spoke to him again. “I'm surprised by how far you've come, Astarion. I didn't think you'd ever care so deeply about anyone.”

“I didn’t think so either,” he replied carefully. “But she managed to weasel her way in.”

“It's funny how the little things do so much. A warm meal, a soft touch, a gentle smile. She's brought us all out of our shells, made us feel safe.”

“Yes…” He looked down at his love. “She feels like home.”

Shadowheart didn’t miss the softness in his eyes as he spoke, gazing at his witch.

***

“Seems strange, doesn't it?” Shadowheart mused while she sat with the other around the communal table, snacking on some cheese.

“Well, they're lovers now, right? I wouldn't let anyone touch you either.”

Shadowheart frowned, even though she felt a bit tickled by Gale's protective comment. “That's fair. But he barely let me finish healing her before snatching her away.”

Gale shrugged. “Some people go a little crazy when they fall in love. I certainly don't blame him for acting this way. She's been kidnapped twice now, right under our noses.”

Nodding, Shadowheart grew quiet for a moment. “What do you think he meant when he said her skin was sensitive?”

Karlach suddenly lifted her head. “I asked her about why she wore gloves all the time and she said it was a secret. Maybe she just has super sensitive skin!”

The others just accepted that conclusion and moved on to other topics, but Shadowheart kept chewing on the thought.

What if…?

***

You regained consciousness as Astarion was lifting you in his arms. You felt his worry for you through your bare skin before you realized that he had taken his shirt off, and you were fully naked.

“What’s going on?” you mumbled.

“We rescued you,” he answered, his voice soft. “And now I’m giving you a bath. You’re covered in blood.”

“Oh.”

Astarion slowly lowered you into the tub, the water immediately turning red as the dried blood on your skin was washed away. The warmth was soothing against your freshly healed body and you started to relax. But the moment Astarion let go of you, the pain from before came rolling back. When Orin had held you down, her madness had borne down on you, unrelenting, and it returned now in ripples of mania.

You struggled to stay alert, but you could feel your mind slowly dissociating. Your consciousness faded as you battled the memories.

b̸̫̅͆ͅl̴̛̼̳̎ǒ̶̭́͜o̵̢̔ḋ̵̘̈́ ̷̢̬͌͘b̸̮͖̔l̸̙̬͘o̷͕̩̿̊o̸̬̐d̶̛͉ ̷̙̰̔c̷̢̩̈́ų̵̰͝t̶̖̲͆̿ ̷̭̬͝c̴̬̙̃u̴̱͋́t̶͆̆ͅ

“Darling?”

s̷̖̍l̵͕͋i̵̗͒̾c̴̻̫̔̀ē̶̝ ̴͉͝͝s̵̝̋̅l̸̠̏́i̴̳̚c̷͚̎̒e̸̜̜̒ ̵̹͂̎ͅh̵̤̋̐ư̶̥͌r̵̖͚̆t̶̡̬̋ ̸̤͓̌h̵̗͑̓ų̵̙̾͊r̸͖̍̀t̶̼̎͘ ̸̙̐̍m̷͈͝a̷̘͎͗̊i̵̩̦̊̌m̷̳̗̿̈ ̵̞̂m̶͚͍͒͠a̵̠͚̚i̴̭͋̏m̶̹͖͊̓

Suddenly your mind went blank as Astarion pulled you out of the tub and into his embrace. You wanted to chide him about getting his pants dirty with the bloody water, that you were naked, that this was wholly inappropriate…

But when you felt the overwhelming feeling of love and protection around you, it silenced everything else. The echoes of Orin's insanity, the screams of your own mental state, everything.

All you felt was Astarion's love for you, and it brought you back to the present.

And you cried.

“I've got you, my sweet. I've got you,” he murmured as you shook uncontrollably.

“I hate this!” you cried. “I…I'm weak. I'm helpless. I didn't… I didn't want to be a burden!”

Astarion hushed you gently, nuzzling your cheek with the tip of his nose. “What's that irritating thing that Gale always says about burdens?”

It took you a moment to remember. “A burden shared is a burden halved?”

“Yes. That.” He guided your chin up to look at him. “We both have our share of burdens. I accept yours, just as you accepted mine.”

“So you can say nice things,” you teased through your tears. “You won't abandon me?” you asked quietly.

“You're the heart I thought I had lost,” he quietly confessed. “So don't even think for a moment that I'd ever let you go.” He held you tighter. “You're mine, burdens and all.”

He coaxed you back into the tub, and kept at least one hand on your skin as he helped you get clean. While you knew you were healed, you sometimes saw the cuts that Orin had inflicted as an afterimage on your skin. You had to shake your head and force the vision away from your mind.

While you were fighting the demons in your head, Astarion bathed you, dried you off, and took you to bed, wrapping you up in his arms, against his bare chest.

“Will you be alright?” he asked softly, his gaze full of concern.

You took a deep breath. Would you? Orin did a hell of a number on you. It was unlike anything you had ever experienced, and you had seen some strange things in Waterdeep. Hells, you had faced a vampire lord and survived.

And yet…

“I’ll be alright,” you finally said.

He raised an eyebrow.

“I really will,” you insisted. “It may take some time, but you’ll be here to help, won’t you?”

His eyes softened. “Of course, darling.”

It wasn’t until you were mostly asleep that you realized that you were still naked, skin against skin with Astarion.

And yet, it was the most comfortable you had ever been with him, his arms wrapped protectively around you.

---------------------------

Act III, Chapter 3 End notes: Sorry for the lateness, had to work double digit hours every day this week at work, but finally got some time to edit and post this chapter! I’m really leaning into that hurt/comfort trope here and I regret nothing. But I think this will be about as much as I can write in terms of injuries, because honestly, our dear little witch needs to catch a break.

Also a bit of behind the scenes here: I absolutely killed that Zhentarim plotline, because it wasn’t working for me and it does get conveniently taken care of by Jaheira in the game. And I was thinking that HW was being a bit paranoid; she hasn’t seen a Zhent in years since the last time she was in the Gate. Also, the masked lord has basically forgotten about her, but she doesn’t know that.

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of this chapter!

Tags List: @numblytemporary @xalphafox @avitute @stormyjane7 @kmoon21

#bg3 #astarion #astarion x f!reader #baldur's gate 3 #writing #bg3 fanfic #female reader #bg3 spoilers #your hearth is my home #cw: blood #cw: injury

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rosymourning · 4 months ago

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The Fiendish Ranger - a Wyll Build

"Battle favours the fearless."

Wyll is a Fiend Warlock and Hunter Ranger, trusting his own prowess in battle alongside his patron's magic. This build leans into narrative continuity while still being fairly effective in combat.

[check out my other builds!]

Gameplay Notes

The goal here is to make Wyll a decent melee fighter, without dipping into the Fighter or Paladin classes [either of which would, to be clear, make this build so much stronger]. Ranger gives a lot of utility and there are several lore-friendly and strong items that work great with Wyll’s character, so the build is perfectly serviceable in lower difficulty levels.

Ranger and Warlock have very limited synergies, but it’s important to note that this build does not put anything extra into WIS. Instead, the build prioritizes DEX for melee attacks with a rapier and CHA for spellcasting and items boosts.

Stats and Leveling

Final build: Level 5 Fiend Warlock, Level 7 Hunter Ranger [PLEASE NOTE: when you reach Level 6 and are starting to add Ranger levels, RECLASS to start Ranger Level 1, that way your item spell-casting modifier will still be CHA, which is relatively essential for the build. I know I usually avoid doing this because I like keeping people as their starting class, but I think this is an exception because it’s just a quirk of how bg3 handles multiclassing. more info on the bg3 wiki]

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

Level 1 - Warlock (The Fiend) Level 1

Cantrips: Eldritch Blast, Bone Chill

1st Level Spells [Hex is essential, Hellish Rebuke and Burning Hands are thematic]

Level 2 - Warlock (The Fiend) Level 2

Eldritch Invocations: Agonising Blast and Devil’s Sight [I love picking Devil’s Sight on Wyll because of Mizora’s sending stone eye… something about it feels fitting]

Level 3 - Warlock (The Fiend) Level 3

Pact Boon: Pact of the Blade

2nd Level Spells [Cloud of Daggers is my favorite spell in the game]

Level 4 - Warlock (The Fiend) Level 4

Feat: ASI+ DEX>16

Cantrip: Friends [but pick whatever you like]

Level 5 - Warlock (The Fiend) Level 5

Deepened Pact/Extra Attack

3rd Level Spells [Hunger of Hadar and Counterspell are my recommendations]

Level 6 - Ranger Level 1 [PLEASE NOTE: when you reach Level 6 and are starting to add Ranger levels, RECLASS to start Ranger Level 1, that way your item spell-casting modifier will still be CHA, which is relatively essential for the build. I know I usually avoid doing this because I like keeping people as their starting class, but I think this is an exception because it’s just a quirk of how bg3 handles multiclassing. more info on the bg3 wiki]

Favored Enemy: Keeper of the Veil

Natural Explorer: Wasteland Wanderer: Fire

Level 7 - Ranger Level 2

Fighting Style: Duelling

1st Level Spells [WIS won’t be high enough for anything incredibly relevant, so prioritize utility]

Level 8 - Ranger (Hunter) Level 3

Hunter’s Prey: Colossus Slayer

Level 9 - Ranger (Hunter) Level 4

Feat: ASI+ DEX>14, CHA>18

Level 10 - Ranger (Hunter) Level 5

Extra Attack [if you’re not in Honor Mode, this stacks with Pact of the Blade]

2nd Level Spells

Level 11 - Ranger (Hunter) Level 6

Favoured Enemy: Bounty Hunter [at this point in the story, he might have talked about wanting to track Mizora down]

Natural Explorer: Wasteland Wanderer: Poison [this is basically a random pick, choose whatever you want]

Level 12 - Ranger (Hunter) Level 7

Defensive Tactics: Multiattack Defense

Items

Armor - Helldusk Armour (3 House of Hope)

Melee Weapon - Infernal Rapier (2 Mindflayer Colony)

Ranged Weapon - Crossbow of Arcane Force (1 Creche)

Amulet - The Spectator Eyes (1 Underdark)

Helmet -

Diadem of Arcane Synergy (1 Creche)

Helldusk Helmet (3 House of Hope)

Ring 1 - Ring of Arcane Synergy (1 Creche)

Ring 2 - Burnished Ring (3 House of Hope)

Gloves - Helldusk Gloves (3 House of Hope)

Boots - Helldusk Boots (3 Wrym’s Rock)

Cloak - Cloak of Displacement (3 Danthelon's Dancing Axe)

Lore and Flavor

If Wyll manages to break his pact with Mizora, he settles into the life of a heroic ranger — faring just fine without his patron’s powers. In a lot of ways, the ranger class is a bit of a blank slate (if you ignore the stereotypical “Aragorn-esque” theming), and I think the writers of BG3 reference the class primarily to explain how Wyll, a relatively low strength character, could succeed in physical combat in the Hells. So this build leans into that!

I enjoy roleplaying this build as if Wyll becomes more and more hesitant to use his powers as the story progresses, especially in Act 3 where his personal narrative comes more into play. I also LOVE putting Wyll in the Helldusk armor set — partially because I think it looks awesome on his character, and partially because I feel that the hellfire synergy makes sense for his character. [is it entirely optimized to use the whole set on one character? probably not! but idc] Usually, by the time I actually manage to get out of the House of Hope alive, Wyll has already declared himself the Blade of Avernus, so I think it fits. Plus, I always try to put the Helldusk armor on a character that wouldn’t otherwise be able to wear heavy armor, so that’s an added bonus. The one downside is that I can’t quite believe Wyll would go to Avernus in the best armor in the whole game and then show up to the epilogue six months later in a feathery tank top. [jk he can do whatever he wants, maybe he got too hot or something lmao]

A note about the Infernal Rapier: While I’d also recommend Duellist’s Prerogative (3 Lora), I am so in love with the description of the Infernal Rapier that I can’t part with it: “this blade is Wyll's soul summarised in steel.” I think he would switch it out after losing his powers (and therefore not benefitting from the Melee Caster attribute), but that doesn’t happen until after the game is done, so I leave him with the Infernal Rapier from the moment I get it through the defeat of the Brain.

[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]

#mine #builds #wyll #warlock #ranger #bg3 #bg3 builds

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vixstarria · 8 months ago

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Writer interview

Tagged by @bardic-inspo - aww thank you! ❤

Tagging @spacebarbarianweird (although I know you have heaps outside of AO3 / original works, so may be a bit tricky), @tragedybunny and @ineadhyn (no pressure!)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

17, but some are multi-chapter. All BG3.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

38,869 - I'm just a baby

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

A remedy for sleeplessness - Smut. My very first smut, which I also think is my worst, written purely for shits and giggles. 🤷‍♀️

A night at the inn - Smut. Halsin threesome trilogy. This one I actually appreciate having a lot of kudos on.

Missionary with the lights off - Smut, also written for shits and giggles.

Intimacy - Not smut! But does have smut elements.

Seeing stars - You guessed it. Smut.

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Oh absolutely. I appreciate every single one of them (and they are so hard to come by!). Also all this, whether tumblr or AO3, is a community - I don't think any of us what to feel like we're just shouting into the void.

(psst, if you are a reader and you think you don't have anything worthwhile to say, or that you're annoying the writer or whatnot - rest assured that is NEVER the case - every single little thing even if it's just a string of emojis is appreciated, and absolutely makes my day)

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don't really do angst, and especially not angsty endings. I stick to fluff, humour and smut (or a combination of the three). I do add angsty elements sometimes, and so far the ones that touched the most on it are Down by the river and Intimacy - both dealing with Astarion's trauma.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

They all have happy or hopeful endings. The absolute happiest mushiest one is Confession

7. Do you write crossovers?

Nope, at least I haven't yet.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nah, I haven't done anything controversial enough to warrant anger, I think.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Boy do I! All I've been able to write lately seems to be smut, tbh.

I've done a lot of Astarion x f!Tav, sometimes with a third character thrown in. Nothing too crazy.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Probably not.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope, I don't know that I would be a great writing partner tbh - sometimes trying to get words out of my brain is like squeezing water out of a rock - I'd hate to let anyone down.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Astarion x my OC has been consuming my mind lately, I suppose I'm going to have to count that.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I don't know whether I should count it as a WIP, but I've been playing with the idea of having my OC and Astarion have threesomes with all the other companions (we're skipping Karlach because I HC that they're besties of the variety you do not have sex with).

I've recently done one with Wyll, as well as Halsin (twice, actually, and I'll do it again!). Maybe it's time to go for a M/F/F, I haven't done that yet... Hmm...

15. What are your writing strengths?

Going by what I personally find the easiest / am most confident with - dialogue. It's also the funnest part of writing for me, and I've had a fair share of compliments specifically for the banter, or for getting the characters' voices right.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions. I can write banter all day, and I'm okay at getting inside a character's head and getting their emotions out, but ask me to describe a sunset (room / dress / whatever) and I'll probably just cry and jump out a window.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I'm not a fan of this as a reader (occasional words or phrases are okay, if there's a footnote with a translation), and I don't add it as a writer. I tend to just generalise with "he swore in elvish" and similar.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Final Fantasy 8. I wrote little comedic tidbits. (well, 12 year old me thought they were funny, anyway) I don't think any of it has survived to this day.

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I don't have any fandoms on my mind besides BG3, but as I've said in no. 14 above, I want to write something M/F/F.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Hmm, this changes constantly... Ultimately this will hopefully be my longfic that I'm working on.

I think it's a tie between the pure debauched horniness of A night at the inn and the more mellow Seeing stars which also showcases my OC's relationship with Astarion and all the things I think I do best.

#writing #my writing #bg3 fanfiction #ao3 #vix musings

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thewisecheerio · 1 year ago

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Baldur's Gate 3 Party Compositions

Give me your alternate names in the comments. >:)

1. Bitey Boi and the Bomb Squad (Astarion/Gale/Karlach) 2. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (Astarion/Gale/Lae'zel) 3. Book Club (Astarion/Gale/Shadowheart) 4. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Astarion/Gale/Wyll) 5. You're queer, aren't you? (Astarion/Halsin/Karlach)

6. Assorted Fangs and Pointy Ears (Astarion/Karlach/Lae'zel) 7. "I wanted to play a spellcaster, leave me alone" (Astarion/Karlach/Shadowheart) 8. Spooky Bitches Club (Astarion/Karlach/Wyll) 9. Cult Shit Cult Shit Cult Shit (Astarion/Lae'zel/Shadowheart) 10. We Like Pointy Sticks (Astarion/Lae'zel/Wyll)

11. Sus.exe (Astarion/Minthara/Shadowheart) 12. Geriatric Jamboree (Astarion/Jaheira/Minsc) 13. Therapy Bill Over 9000 (Astarion/Shadowheart/Wyll) 14. Not a Thought Behind Those Eyes (Halsin/Karlach/Minsc) 15. Your Feelings Matter (Halsin/Karlach/Wyll)

16. Your Feelings Don't Matter (Astarion/Lae'zel/Minthara) 17. 2 Pack Mules and a Chew Toy (Gale/Karlach/Lae'zel) 18. I'm Here to MinMax (Gale/Karlach/Shadowheart) 19. So Sweet, My Teeth Are Rotting (Gale/Karlach/Wyll) 20. Zealots R Us (Gale/Lae'zel/Shadowheart)

21. 2 Chew Toys and a Pack Mule (Gale/Lae'zel/Wyll) 22. Tradwives (Gale/Shadowheart/Wyll) 23. Girls' Night (Karlach/Lae'zel/Shadowheart) 24. The Monster Mash (Karlach/Lae'zel/Wyll) 25. Sloooooooooowburn (Karlach/Shadowheart/Wyll)

26. All For My People (Lae'zel/Shadowheart/Wyll) 27. Something Else (Every other possible combination shares this single label; I don't make the rules)

#bg3 #bg3 spoilers #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3

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little-tyrant-gortash · 10 months ago

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Oathbreaker

Pairing: fem!Tav x Enver Gortash, fem!Tav/Astarion

Tags: Emotional Manipulation, Manipulation, Manipulative Relationship, Paladin Tav (Baldur's Gate), Vaginal Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Drunk Sex, Unrequited Love, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Scars, Blood and Injury, Injury, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Torture, Psychological Torture, Implied/Referenced Torture

Word count: 2,171

Ao3 here.

Chapter 1.

Chapter 2.

Chapter 3.

Chapter 4.

Chapter 5.

Chapter 6.

Chapter 7.

Chapter 8.

Chapter 9.

Chapter 10.

Chapter 11.

Chapter 12.

Chapter 13.

Chapter 14.

Chapter 15.

Chapter 16. ⬇

Chapter 17.

Chapter 16: Strike Two

Things could've been better.

Between trying to solve the murder in the Temple of Ilmater, the fights within her camp and the meetings with Gortash, she realised she had a problem, a rather huge one, at that: she didn't want most of this anymore.

There had been nights when she couldn't visit Gortash, and those nights took a toll on both of them. Tav couldn't sleep in the camp ever since Astarion left, and Gortash feared Orin would walk in his palace with Tav's head in her hand. She was staring at the ceiling of her tent all night while he was watching her through the slate as he was tinkering in his workshop; she'd always kept the Reaper's Embrace close to herself at night, at least, so he could've sent reinforcements if there was an ambush.

Worry made them desperate for each other every time they've met.

But the lack of sleep still wasn't the worst of it all for her. The worst of it was that when Wyll learned that she was way too close to Gortash to his liking, he started a verbal fight. A fight she didn't want to have.

"That man", Wyll pointed at Wyrm's Rock Fortress's general direction, "is responsible for the tadpole in my father's skull! In our skulls, too! He's responsible for making Baldur's Gate vulnerable! How could you do this to us? To all of the city?!"

Tav dropped her shoulders, defeated. She could thank her very life to the armour Gortash altered that day, as they've crossed paths with a few shape shifters, and she'd spent every waking hour wishing she needn't to be out there, seeking that damned woman, blundering in the dark for clues. She was rapidly getting fed up with everything that happened to her so far, and frankly, being an Oathbreaker and slowly making her peace with it was making it all worse.

…or better?

"I don't expect you to understand anything that goes on between me and Gortash", she said finally, her voice unusually cold. "But I assure you that my alliance with him has been nothing but a benefit to us."

"How so?" Wyll demanded, and when she didn't reply, he shook his head with a scoff. "You're not the woman I've once knew. You'd never deal with shady men like him. He reeks of darkness."

"Perhaps darkness is exactly what I need", Tav tilted her head. "Perhaps that could make me stronger."

"You don't need to be stronger, Tav, because you're strong already! You just need to listen to your friends who worry about you, who care about you, and believe me when I say: you don't want to get mixed up with that man!"

Funny. None of them said a single fucking word when they've learned she allowed Astarion to bite her. When she allowed him to toy with her, to make her fall in love with him through manipulation. When he was actively weaponizing her desires for him and tried to manipulate her to do what he wanted her to do. When she allowed him to ascend. They hadn't said a single word when he… when he…

"I've had it worse."

"If you're hinting at As-"

Wyll cut off the moment he saw the flash in Tav's eyes. The change was instant in her demeanor. She still wasn't ready to talk about him, and everyone at camp had doubts she ever will be.

"Don't you dare to say that name out loud", she warned him, and Wyll shifted backwards, his face scrunching up with shame and hurt. "If it bothers you that I'm working with Gortash, then leave my camp. I have no use of you, anyway; all you do is complain and whine and get on my nerves."

"Tav-"

She knew Gale was behind her the moment he addressed her, but she didn't look back at him.

"So, what will it be, Blade of the Frontiers?" She crossed her arms in front of herself, staring at Wyll with a look that told him she was ready to bite at any moment. "Will you stay out of my business or will you finally relieve us of your annoying attitude?"

Wyll stared at her for a long time before he looked away. After all she'd done for him – accepting him as he was, even after becoming a devil –, he knew he wouldn't be able to leave her in fear that she might get killed. And if he left… maybe he'd never get the cure for his own tadpole. Tav was the closest to the solution, and maybe, just maybe, Gortash could help them remove it. Who knew; he already helped Karlach, no matter how strange the deed was in Wyll's eyes. He'd dealt with people like Gortash before, and he always expected the worse from his type. But, if it came to that… he'd try and keep her safe from him, before it was too late.

"I'm staying", he decided quietly.

"Good. Then shut up and leave me to my devices. I know what I'm doing."

At Wyrm's Rock Fortress, Gortash smiled down at the slate that let him see Wyll's beaten puppy expression. Whatever happened between Tav and the person everyone tried to mention to her was interesting; it made him curious, he wondered what was that story she didn't want to revisit. But to hear it with his own ears that perhaps she needed his darkness in her life… that if she had to choose between the Blade of Frontiers or him, she'd choose him…

That made his day wonderful.

Which was why he was thinking about celebrating it at the end of that tenday. That was the third tenday they've started their relationship; on that day, thirty days earlier, both of them thought that it'd be just one night. Turns out, they both wanted so much more from each other, and Gortash had to admit it to himself that he really meant it when he proposed to her.

That'd be the proposal she wouldn't be able to turn down. In time, she'd say yes, and he'd have her on his side, permanently. All else will fall into place and then, he'd rule it all with her. Easy.

She presented herself, looking utterly exhausted, that evening. Gortash carefully chose the meals for that night; he'd told his servants what to prepare, knowing exactly which foods and drinks were her favourite. Warm chicken soup, for example; not hot, but warm. Thin slices of well-done steaks, mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, sweet wines – all in her favour, to get her well fed and comfortable.

They ate in almost complete silence. He could tell she wasn't really there, but he let it go for now, in hopes that she would ease up and focus on the present.

Little did he know what happened that day. A shape shifter infiltrated her camp in his image, and upon learning that it wasn't the Gortash she knew, she had to eleminate them. It didn't make things look nice that she had to smash that face in with the Blood of Lathander.

She shivered. She had to tell him about this and the looming threat of Astarion. He must know that those shape shifters weren't the worst that could happen to both of them.

"How was your day?" She asked softly after she looked at him before she sipped her wine.

"Oh, you know, just the usual", he leaned back with a sigh and grabbed his own goblet to drink from it. "Busy as always."

Tav stared at him for a few long seconds.

"When the light meets the dark", she murmured quietly.

Enver looked deeply in her eyes, and smiled.

"The Absolute is the ark."

That was the moment when she finally relaxed her shoulders and closed her eyes, tilting her head back against the chair's headrest with a sigh. Saying one of the catchphrases they've agreed upon let him know that she'd ran into trouble earlier that day.

"Orin?" He asked.

"No. One of her lackeys."

"Did they hurt you?"

"No. I bashed their head in."

"Good."

Tav's throat tightened. Her voice became funny when she spoke again.

"They were wearing your face when I did it."

Enver wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he stayed quiet. She still didn't look at him, just pressed her lips together in an attempt to keep herself from crying.

"Our plan has a major flaw, Enver."

"And what that might be?"

"You'll die."

So much for his plans for tonight. He could've planned and schemed to get what he wanted if Orin obliterated it without her actually lifting a gods damned finger. Gortash closed his eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"As all of us one day", he replied at last, glancing at her, realising she'd been staring at him with a look unknown to him. "You needn't worry about that right now. I am well guarded."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Tav, I have the Fist at my fingertips, along with my Steel Watchers and countless infected who will defend the one who gives them instructions." Alright, fine. If they were talking about their own vulnerabilities, he'd unveil one of his own. "If anyone is in danger, it is you."

"I have my friends who have my back", she waved him off like it was nothing.

"Is that so? Then how could that shape shifter get so close to you?" When she couldn't answer him, he tilted his head slightly. "Tav… be with me. Stay with me."

"You've given me the mission to get rid of Orin."

"Maybe I've changed my mind."

"Nobody would do a good job when it comes to her. She'd gut anyone else we'd send after her. No, I have to do it. I agree with you on that."

"Nevertheless." He ignored his racing heart. "Marry me."

Tav settled her goblet down. Maybe a bit harder than she intended. It wasn't about just Orin, but the timing wasn't right to mention and talk about Astarion either after Gortash proposed again. May the gods damn it all.

"Not yet", she snapped, annoyed, "we've just talked about how dangerous this all is."

"All the more reason, then. Perhaps it's a distraction what we need to get close to her – or to lure her closer to us."

Tav stared at him with a look that made him realise that perhaps he said the wrong words. She stood up.

"Thank you for the dinner, it was delicious", she concluded.

"Tav", he called out after her when she started to walk away. When he saw she wouldn't stop, he shot to his feet and hurried after her. "Come on", he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to himself. "Don't be like this."

"It's easy for you!" That was when he saw she was crying.

"Tav…"

"I'm just another plaything for you, isn't that right? Someone you can use until you get bored of me- you'll have countless others to entertain you anyway-"

"What the Hells are you talking about?" He grabbed her upper arms and pulled her closer to himself. "Do you think I'm trying to persuade you to live with me because I think of you as a toy? How can you think I'd ever get bored of you? Do you have any idea what the rest of the world means to me if you're with me?" She shook her head to every question and tried to pull away, sobbing, but he didn't let her leave. "The entire world can burn for all I care. I just want you."

It was true.

It hit him in that moment, so hard that it hurt. It caused him physical pain in his chest. The usual feeling of fear remained as far away as always; he couldn't get frightened from anything, not while he had his heavily enchanted attire on himself. But he couldn't keep the anxiety at bay. He couldn't keep the more subtle feelings away. She grabbed his shirt and buried her face in his chest, and he held her close to himself.

"Alright… let's stop talking about this for now", he rested his chin on top of her head, holding her close. He gently rubbed her back, his hands rubbing up and down to calm her down, to ground her. When she could get her crying under control, he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "There'll be a small ball for the nobles and patriarchs of Baldur's Gate tomorrow. I'd like you to be there with me."

"Can I say no?" She murmured in his chest, making him smile.

"No", he replied firmly.

Tav groaned.

"Fine."

"Spend the day with me tomorrow."

Tav wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

"Alright."

"You're not asking if you can say no?" Gortash chuckled quietly.

"If I can be with you, and you only", she murmured in his chest, "I wouldn't want to tell you no."

#Oathbreaker #little tyrant [enver gortash]#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg 3 #enver gortash #archduke enver gortash #lord enver gortash #fanfic #Oathbreaker fanfic

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artsyrissa · 11 months ago

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This fun little thing has been going around twitter. I said who needs likes when you can have tav lore! So, I answered them all! here they are:

1. Her birth name is Suspiria, she later took on the last name windfall after her late care taker Wynona Windfall a sweet dwarf alchemist living in the secluded woods beyond baldurs gate. Suspiria is an asmodeous tiefling beast master ranger with a wolf named Karma. Her background is charlatan from her time living under her slavers, but she could also have a little bit of an outlander background after she escaped. Her pronouns are she/her and her alignment is chaotic neutral, but leaning chaotic good.

2. Suspiria was a charlatan in baldurs gate making some shady deals to get by. She probably was up to some scheme to make a quick dollar when she was captured.

3. She slept with astarion, but ultimately fell in love with Gale. They have some history, even though they didn’t realize it at first.

4. After the romance drama settled, her an astarion became besties. Her and karlach are also very well. She never liked wyll, and found him very annoying, but karlach cared about him, so she tried to treat him with respect and had his back along the journey.

5. Many of the tieflings died on their journey through the shadow cursed lands. This really hurt her, but she would never show it. she tried everything to protect her kin, but she couldn’t save them all.

6. Post game, she is happily married to Gale & living in waterdeep. She raises hunter pets, mostly wolves, and helps train hunter pets and young rangers a few times a week. She never imagined herself settling down, but it was what she never knew she truly wanted.

7. Supiria has no living blood family left, at least not to her knowledge, but she has a mother figure in her life who took her in a few years after she escaped her slave owner.

8. She specializes in archery, but she is naturally inclined to the arcane to some degree and knows a few cantrips and healing spells.

9. Her proudest moment was saving the tieflings in the emerald grove and sticking it to Khaga. She looks out for her kin whenever she can.

10. She has thigh high leather boots that also act as sufficient armor. At camp she like to be comfortable, and prefers to let a little skin show

11. She feels most relaxed being in nature, preferably by a lake or stream.

12. She originally took Raphael’s deal out of a moment of weakness. She doesn’t always look past her own self interest right away, since she had to look out for herself for so long. But karlach talked some sense into her, and she was thrilled to put Raphael in his place and steal all his treasure. She had helped yugir back in the sharran temple, so he helped her to break into Raphael’s, which solidified her decision to break the contract.

13. She doesn’t follow any gods, she strongly dislikes gods and feels they’re selfish beings who toy with mortals for fun, this was further confirmed for her after falling for Gale.

14. She was living on the outskirts of baldurs gate, doing odd jobs and adventures to earn some coin. She liked being free and untethered to any one place after being forced to stay in one place as a slave

15. She got along very well with Zevlor and had immense respect for him. She looks up to him like a father now.

16. She didn’t know her guardian, she was a tough and beautiful drow, so she was less hesitant to trust her than she would have been with another person, since drow also face similar societal challenges.

17. Suspirias tiefling village was raded when she was about 5 years old, her parents were killed and she was sold into slavery on the black market. She had several slave owners over the years and lived in a few different places. Some were worse than others, but they were all abusive. Her last owner was an older human man. He was a bad man, but never hurt her like the others, but she ultimately killed him and ran away to escape slavery all together. She was around 12 when she escaped.

18. Hurting astarion, not so much sleeping with him, but for leading him on and hurting him in the end. Although they’ve all moved on at this point, it weighed heavy on her for a while.

19. These slide off easily, but good luck breaking down those walls.

20. Not in particular

21. Teasing in more ways than one 😉 and sarcasm and hugging, which is reserved for only those she cared for most

22. Before the journey, her greatest fear was falling in love, or having someone she was afraid to lose. After, losing her friends and/or her Husband.

23. She actually felt some level of empathy for ketheric, she longed for her family desperately too once, especially when she was young, and she made some poor decisions because of it. She hated gortash and Orin, they were selfish and sloppy and too stupid to have so much power.

24. She carried a book Gale gave her everywhere, although she didn’t recognize it was his at the start of the journey. They only met once briefly as children and he gave her the book because he didn��t want her to be lonely.

25. Her last slave owner was not too far from baldurs gate, when she ran away and was eventually taken in by wynona, she started going there often to help her caretaker sell her potions, and to collect supplies, etc.

26. the Balthazar fight was so hard! She wasnt comfortable with the terrain and that jerk reminded her of slavers, keeping alin like that. It really got to her head. She was trying to be supportive of ShadowHeart, but she was frustrated with her inability to see her goddess for what she is.

27. Realizing she was in love with Gale and realizing he was on a suicide mission. She was furious with mystra and elminster and even with Gale for considering it, and she didn’t want to accept her love for him. She mostly suffered in silence, but her team noticed her mind was elsewhere from time to time.

28. Her reputation before was very much charlatan. She was scheming and sly, and kind of a bitch, and she liked it. She intimidated her way through many schemes and caused quite a bit of trouble in her time in baldurs gate.

29. She isn’t really a morning person, so she often stayed up late. She did a lot of the hunting and gathering, collecting firewood and finding food and medicine for the group.

30. She freed Orpheus and let him take on the illithid form, since she refused. She has come a long way, but she is still very self serving in some lights. (I didn’t have lazel in my original run, but I am replaying and have lazel this time, so her ending may change) still ends up with Gale in the end no matter what.

Thank you for coming to my rant. Ok bye 👋😅

#baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate tav #bg3 tav #my tav #tav lore #tav qotd

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gothyanki · 5 months ago

Note

1, 8, 16 and 19 for Vin

3, 5, 12, 17 for Lykos

20 Tav questions.

Thank you!! <3

Vin’ath:

1. what do they smell like at their freshest? (and/or after a tenday. your choice)

At their freshest, Vin’ath smells like Armour and Weapon (a combination of the actual materials and the substances they use to clean/oil them) + undertones of something… cold? silvery? indescribable to most non-gith + a faint whiff of grass, leaves, and soil + the dried flowers they keep in their pockets because they’re VERY picky about scents. Their favourite is lavender. If they’ve been smiting a lot, there’s also a hint of ozone in there.

I headcanon that githyanki don’t sweat as much as humans do and smell less strong even at their grottiest, so after a tenday it’s probably all of those odours amplified + the blood of their enemies overpowering it all. Lae’zel approves. Vin does not – see above re: fastidiousness.

8. if either, are they part of the astarion/gale book club (magic & literature) or the wyll/shadowheart book club (trashy romance novels)?

At first, neither. Vin got put off reading early on in life – while they excelled at swordplay growing up, they found slate-based learning much more difficult, and the environment they were in was anything but supportive. They fell in love with theatre after getting out of the crèche system, but that didn’t really translate to written literature of any kind. That association with the cult propaganda they had to study was hard to break.

…until, that is, someone who shall remain unnamed lent them a book about a ruthless githyanki pirate whose stony heart was melted by the power of love. Vin may or may not have cried. Ever since then, they’ve been a semi-regular attendee at Wyll and Shadowheart’s reading circles. While they’d still rather see a performance, getting to carry the stories around in their backpack is growing on them.

16. what’s the description of their underwear in the inventory menu?

“Even these sturdy, practical shorts have an aura of righteousness about them.”

(Vin’s definitely a boxers person.)

19. do you have a playlist for your tav? if so, what’s the title + description?

I do, and I’m so sorry about the description in advance! It’s called “we’re in deep tsk’va now” and the description is “sad green paladin seeks dewormer rx”. Here’s the link (there’s a tiny bit of crossover with my Gith/Vlaakith/Zerthimon playlist because a few of these are general githyanki songs in my heart):

Lykos:

3. how would they kiss their LI?

Softly at first, with just a hint of teeth. He likes to start slow and get more intense. Nose and forehead kisses are his absolute favourite to greet a partner with, but he’s a big fan of kisses on top of the head too (giving or receiving, if he’s sitting down and/or actually ran into someone taller than he is). If he can play with their hair using fingers or psionics, he will.

…if you think all this sounds very gooshy and sappy for a githyanki, you’re right! Man’s a FREAK. He also likes to be told what to do, though, so the secondary answer to this is “however his partner wants to be kissed”.

5. what does their tent area look like? where do they prefer to pitch their tent (next to water, covered on three sides, etc)?

(Yoinking from my other answer.)

He prefers to make his pitch on higher ground, where he’s got a good view of the surrounding area and is away from anywhere that could potentially flood (though he won’t admit it, he’s afraid of deep water - an early lesson on the natural hazards of the Material got to him). His actual sleeping space is small - some people would say cramped - and as covered as he can possibly make it. He once experimented with making and hanging a bead curtain, but it didn’t work out very well.

In what may or may not be an act of rebellion against the controlling environment he came out of, he lets the area in front get SUPER MESSY. He has a tendency to dump everything out of his pack to “sort through it” at the end of the day, and since he picks up everything he can physically carry, that means A LOT of stuff gets piled up there. Gems, trinkets, ribbons, jewellery, beads, books, bones, mirrors, scrolls, a slate or two… then he shoves it all back into his pack the next day to start the cycle over again. While it’s a mess, he never lets it get seriously filthy - he has that typical Astral githyanki hatred of dirt/dust/mould.

12. their companions are gossiping about them behind their back! who is it and what are they saying?

In Act 1, it’s probably Lae’zel speculating out loud about the super-secret Vlaakith cult he belongs to. After they’ve been travelling together for a bit, she starts making ominous noises questioning his loyalty to Vlaakith (she’s right to doubt it!) I think they try to present a united githyanki front at first, but sometimes their differences just JUMP out.

After Y’llek, I think just about everyone would be whispering about him… but for most of them, it’d be more out of concern than anything else. He’s much quieter about his feelings on Vlaakith than Lae’zel is and he underwent a very concrete, tangible loss of power as a result of his quasi-divine sponsor tossing him out on his arse. And – most shocking of all – he stopped braiding/dyeing his hair! The entire party was fretting and/or speculating wildly all the way to the Shadowlands. Then they ran into Minthara again in the worst of circumstances and the gossip took a turn.

17. how do they celebrate their birthday?

I think Lykos comes to see the day he unintentionally broke away from Vlaakith as his birthday, or the closest equivalent that matters to him. He doesn’t celebrate it as such, but he tries to spend as much of the day as possible in quiet contemplation. Sometimes he writes letters to absent friends. If Lae’zel’s around, they might engage in some especially vigorous sparring. Ditto for Minthara, although those duels tend to go to their favourite non-platonic violence place pretty quickly.

#thank you (again!)#really enjoying this question meme #oc: vin'ath #oc: lykos #asks #ask meme

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simon-says-nothing · 7 months ago

Text

tagged by the wonderful @dwarfsized! sorry for doing two ask games in a row im just finally at my computer haha!

How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

141,123!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

bg3 currently! also used to write for the untamed, and unforchies vld!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1 - Staring at Eternity - (magnus bane/alec lightwood) (please this was in 2015.)

2 - don't make purple - (keith/lance) VLD

3 - fire on fire (wei wuxian/lan wangji)

4 - overcome the sirens (sigh. once again. i was in hs. but. todoroki shouto/midoriya izuku)

5 - the bane of my existence - (its fucking cassie clare again )

5. Do you respond to comments?

always!! mwah

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

ah, probably burden , my wyll/karlach (wyll grand duke ending) fic. tis a small oneshot abt them being long distance pining, n i uh. was gonna write a happier part two but. shrug!

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

probably don't make purple haha, the only longfic i finished and definitely the happiest one :,)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

ah, i have a few times, not often! most notably someone calling my t4t wangxian. homophobic. bc they are trans men. lmfao.

9.Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

i have haha, in my wangxian fic, but its not my strong suit for sure. eager to get better at it one day!

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

i have not written any but i'd love to!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

not yet!

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

mmm no but writing w @sweetsuke in the doc will always feel like a fun collaborative process :))

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

oh man, i as leetle am a multiship bitch but. wangxian, wwx/lwj, has a rlly special place in my heart forever. love those dudes. they live up here in my brain forever.

15) What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i swear to christ i will finish fire on fire. i will finish you wangxian fic. has it been. 2 years? yes. do i still think of them ? yes. one day.

16) What are your writing strengths?

hm, i think! im good at dramatic one liners. and character work, for Some characters but not All. sigh.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

describing things without feeling like the most boring encyclopedic shit is my personal hell. i suck at adding a little life a little flavor to It is a room. boom.

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i like it if it tracks for the character and the authors done research!

19) First fandom you wrote for?

its 2013. i am on quotev. i upload legolas/authors note (i have not learned the internet lingo yet and i thought authors note was the same as reader)

20) Favorite fic you’ve written?

right now my darling is reflection , my wyllstarion one-shot, first fic in a long bit that i didn't harass myself over every sentence haha and! surprise! when you don't beat yourself up the words turn out better. insane!!!

i tagg @the-neon-pineapple @sweetsuke if ya want!

#tag game #fic writing

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boghermit · 9 months ago

Note

1.list 3 positive things about your current fandom(s)

9. a ship that isn't your OTP but that you enjoy

11. if you're a writer or artist, what fic or piece of art are you proud of making?

14. the ship that always makes you smile

15. the character that always makes you smile

16. a tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate

17. the thing in canon that everyone loves and that you also love

25. a piece of advice for taking care of yourself in fandom spaces

List 3 Positive things about your current fandom.

The BG3 fandom is the first fandom I've been in that has a lot of trans positivity, at least on Tumblr. There are also SO many talented artists in this fandom. It's very inspiring! And lastly, everyone seems enthusiastic about sharing and talking about their OCs, which is something that frequently gets swept aside in other fandoms.

9. Name a ship that isn't your OTP but that you enjoy.

Wyllstarion and Wyllach are both very very cute.

11. if you're a writer or artist, what fic or piece of art are you proud of making?

I really had a lot of fun making this, even though it isn't my best. I had a lot of fun experimenting with it.

14. The ship that always makes you smile?

Durgestarion

15. The character that always makes you smile?

What a surprise, it's this bastard.

16. A tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate?

Honestly there are so many little details in this game that I can't pick out just one. I like that Wyll looks kind of gloomy if you ask if his eye is a sending stone, even if you back off and don't push him on it, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

17. The thing in canon you love and everyone else loves?

Karlach :-) I have yet to meet a person who doesn't love Karlach.

25. A piece of advice for taking care of yourself in fandom spaces?

Don't doomscroll or actively seek out shit you know you won't like. Don't look for reasons to be pissed off all the time. Seek out and interact with the things you enjoy. Remember that there's a face behind every screen. If you're a content creator, remember that making fandom content isn't your job - it's a hobby. Go easy on yourself.

And most importantly:

#omgkalyppso

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lindira · 9 months ago

Note

Oh, for Envy of course: #'s 3, 16, 17, 20, 21, 30, 40, and 66? I love seeing Envy facts ❤️

Oh, I'm glad you're enjoying my infodumps about Envy! I wasn't sure anyone was reading them. <3 And thanks for the ask!

3. What is your character’s moral alignment?

I'd say Envy falls just barely into Chaotic Good. He's not an altruist, but he generally doesn't want innocent people to get hurt. He has a definite dislike of authority and will protect people from abuses of power whenever he can. But Envy is also prone to flights of fancy and random whims, and may do things that aren't very morally sound if it sounds fun or funny. He mostly thinks "laws are laws only when the Fist are watching". So he strays into Chaotic Neutral territory pretty frequently.

16. Which of the companions does your Tav trust most?

Envy trusts Wyll and Karlach the most, and they're the companions he likes the most outside of Astarion. He knows that they're always trying to do the right thing, and they're incredibly loyal.

17. Which of the companions does your Tav distrust most?

Probably Gale. Envy likes Gale, but his hunger for power is disquieting. He knows Gale wants to do good, but he also sees how power could corrupt Gale very easily. The road to the Hells was paved with good intentions.

20. If you’re romancing anyone, why did your Tav fall for them? And why did that character fall for your Tav?

Envy fell for Astarion because he's funny and smarter than he acts. Despite how Astarion gripes about compassionate acts, Envy sees that when kindness is shown to Astarion, Astarion gives it back. After the level of torture and misery that Cazador inflicts upon his spawn, a lesser man would have had any kindness stripped from him completely. That Astarion has the capacity for it at all is astounding to Envy. For all of Astarion's faults - of which there are many - Envy finds him to be fascinating and remarkable.

Before Envy, most of Astarion's smiles and laughter were performative or tinged with bitterness. But then Envy came along and made him really, truly smile and laugh for the first time in a great many years. Astarion fell for Envy because Envy was the first person to notice how deeply Astarion was hurting and to want to do something about it. Though Envy wasn't strong enough to kill Cazador at the time, he provided solace and comfort to Astarion. Envy fed Astarion and listened to him and felt outrage on his behalf. Envy didn't just offer platitudes - he did things to help. Small things, but important ones nonetheless. All of that was stunning and baffling and SO important to Astarion.

21. If you’re romancing anyone, who fell first and who fell harder?

Envy fell first. A few months after they had met, he was already crazy about Astarion. As soon as Envy found out about what Astarion was going through, he felt so much admiration for how Astarion had survived that he couldn't help but love him.

Astarion was a case of "he fell in love slowly, then all at once". Astarion distrusted Envy's kindness at first, and then didn't want to get attached to anyone because of how Cazador had punished him in the past. But he eventually realized how deeply Envy cared for him, and that he was finally important enough to someone for them to give a damn about his situation. Envy reminded him of the good things life has to offer that Astarion had long since written off as unattainable for him. For Astarion, the very concept of happiness came into existence the day Envy entered his life. It might as well have not existed before then.

30. How does your Tav react when someone insults their friend/partner?

One should assume that Envy is ready to fucking wreck someone verbally at any time. He has lost many jobs because of this. Insults to his friends or to Astarion are worse than insults to himself, and he will tell off and insult the offending party right back. If the person refuses to apologize, Envy is ready to fight them physically, but would prefer making up a scheme to annoy them an equal amount (in Envy's eyes) to how bad the insult was. No one fucks with Astarion or his friends.

40. What is the biggest mistake your Tav ever made?

Envy underestimated Cazador. Astarion had warned him that Cazador was cruel and powerful. He had warned Envy that Cazador had a stranglehold on Astarion. But Envy thought he could trick Cazador and stay safe from him. He was wrong.

66. Does your Tav consider themselves a hero, villain, victim or something else?

Envy might boast about being a hero because he's a bit of an ass and likes showing off with a lot of bravado. But he doesn't actually think of himself as a hero. He doesn't consider himself a villain or a victim either. He really just thinks of himself as a person trying to get by in the world. People will put labels on him as they will, but that's not for him to worry about.

Questions taken from this Baldur's Gate 3 Tav Ask Game!

#envy o'vall #baldur's gate 3 #tav #replies #thanks for asking!

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verai-marcel · 10 months ago

Text

Your Hearth Is My Home (BG3 Fanfic, Astarion x Female Reader, Part 18 of ?)

Summary, Notes, Tags, & Part 1 are here.

Act II - Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17

AO3 Link is here, darling.

Word Count: 3628

—————————————

Act II, Chapter 6 - The Talk

You were in a daze as everyone ate and planned the next few days. It would take a full day to pack, travel, and find another camping spot within the Gauntlet. From there, the others could freely explore the dark temple of Shar without having to traipse all the way back to the Inn.

Karlach and Wyll had a quiet conversation with Arabella, who had been by Withers’ side this whole time, and somehow, they convinced her to stay at the inn with the other tieflings for the time being, at least until they returned. You overheard the girl saying something about Withers telling her to let the Weave guide her, and while you were a bit concerned, you remembered that you, too, left home all on your own at a young age. Though not as young as her.

As the others finished up and headed back to their tents to relax, you bid your friends good night and wandered over to the water’s edge. While you stared out into the dark horizon, your thoughts slowly working themselves out, you heard Astarion’s steps coming closer. You knew that he was purposely making himself heard so he wouldn’t startle you, and part of you appreciated his consideration. Another part of you was concerned about what he might say next.

“You left my tent.”

You turned around. “You…had a book that was creeping me out.”

He tipped his head. “Is that the only reason?”

You nodded.

Astarion stared at you for a moment more, but finally shrugged. “Alright. I'll tuck it away so you can't see it.”

Is he assuming that I'm coming back to his tent?

While you tried to figure out his angle, he sighed. “Are you going to be alright out in the open?”

“I should be.” You stepped a bit closer and lowered your voice. “But if my seal hurts again, I'll let you know.”

He nodded. “Good, see that you do,” he said a bit imperiously.

Aw, he is worried. “Yes, your majesty,” you teased, faking a curtsey.

He straightened his stance. “At least you know your place,” he sneered.

Raising an eyebrow, you crossed your arms and stared at him. “And where does that put you?”

His smirk disappeared as he stepped a bit closer. “Right beside you.”

You blinked and looked away. Gods, the whiplash this man gives me. “Don’t know why you’d want to be there.”

“Easier access to your neck, for one,” he retorted. “And easier to keep an eye on you.”

“I don’t need looking after.”

“Oh? And who was it that asked for help the other day?”

“Extenuating circumstances.”

He put his hand on his hip and cocked his head. “Really. Would it kill you to admit that you can’t always take care of yourself?”

“It might. I may drop dead for all you know.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” he said, dramatically tipping his head. He playfully put the back of his hand against his forehead. “Whatever would I do if I couldn’t take a sip of my favorite vintage?”

Your mouth twitched. Oh no. Don’t laugh, you’ll only encourage him.

He smirked before faking a frown. “My heart would just shatter if I could never taste my beloved treat again.”

You held back a snort.

“My tongue would cry—”

“Fine, fine!” you cried out, exasperated. “I’ll admit it, I can’t always take care of myself.”

He waited a few seconds before poking you in the cheek. “And yet you live.” He tipped his head, a sly grin on his face. “Curious.”

“I may have been a bit…” You gestured anxiously with your hands, trying to find the right word.

“Dramatic, darling?”

You rolled your eyes. “Yes,” you sighed. “But only a bit.”

Astarion hummed, clearly not believing you.

You turned to stare at the water again, taking a deep breath. “Suppose I should get some rest,” you finally said.

He nodded, looking at you quietly for a few moments, as if he was waiting for you to say something more.

“Do… you want me to come back to your tent?”

A pause. “Only if you want to, my dear.”

You suddenly felt a wave of shyness. “I think I’ll stay outside tonight. It’ll be the last time I sleep under the open sky for a while, I wager.”

He nodded. “Of course.” Stepping back and giving you a slight bow, he bid you sweet dreams and walked towards his own tent, alone.

Part of you longed to follow him. Another part of you was anxious. You liked it better when things were more straightforward, when he was just another traveling companion. Now he was… special to you.

Are my feelings obvious? Am I making him uncomfortable?

You shook your head and walked back to your bedroll. There wasn’t time for this. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, traveling to a new location, a dangerous one.

Slowly, you fell into a fitful sleep. You could have sworn you felt a cool touch against your cheek sometime during the night, but you chalked that up to wishful thinking.

***

You awoke when you heard the soft footsteps of your companions attempting to break down camp without disturbing your slumber. Quietly, you got up and got ready along with them.

“We can handle most of this,” Karlach said. “You don’t have to push yourself.”

You glanced at Astarion and Lae’zel, who had already broken down their tents and started taking their packs to the floating disc. Turning to the others, you nodded. “Don’t worry about me, I’m feeling better already. Let’s get a move on.”

Soon the camp was packed and ready to go. You had placed your pack on the floating disc, although you longed to carry it yourself. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust the disc, you just felt better having your items close at hand. But everyone else left their packs on there, so why shouldn’t you? Paranoia, clearly.

The boy, Thaniel, stayed close to Halsin. “We will stay here until you return,” the archdruid said. He glanced at Thaniel, who still seemed weak, though he could stand on his own two feet.

You nodded. “I’ll go with the others to this… Gauntlet. See you when we return.”

***

As you approached the Grand Mausoleum, a familiar figure stood in the shadows, like he was waiting for you. He stepped out onto the path, a sly, slimy smirk on his face.

You instantly stepped forward, prepared to shield Astarion from his diabolical schemes.

The devil stared at you, one eyebrow raised, piqued by your unusual behavior. “Oh?” Raphael said, his voice like oil along your skin. “And here I was going to offer your beau a most enticing deal.”

“He’s not my—”

Astarion stepped forward, and when you looked up at him, his expression was that of determination. You knew better than to get in the way, so you shut up and let them talk it out. Kill one devil, get the answers he sought. With the deal done, Raphael disappeared, and the others looked at Astarion.

“So we just kill one devil and you find out about your scars?” Karlach asked.

He nodded.

“Sounds almost too easy,” you muttered.

“Easy?” Astarion asked incredulously. “Can you kill a devil?”

You shook your head. “I can’t, but I’m sure all of you together can.”

Karlach cocked her head. “You know something.”

Tapping your foot, you slowly spoke, unsure about your half-formed theories. “I can think of only two reasons why Raphael would divulge this information for a lower price. One, it will trouble another devil for Astarion to know. Or two, it will cause Astarion more pain somehow...”

Everyone glanced at Astarion.

He only shrugged. “Well, it can’t be that bad. Let’s worry about that later. We have a devil to kill.”

***

Reithwin Town was gloomy, the Mausoleum was gloomier, but the Gauntlet of Shar was the gloomiest by far. However, you kept your opinion to yourself once you saw Shadowheart’s face, so filled with awe.

As magnificent as these sculptures and edifices are, I’d rather have the open sky over my head and the land beneath my feet.

After a bit of scouting around, and some dangerous puzzles that the others faced while you hung back, guarding the floating disc, your companions found a caved-in pathway that led down to a forgotten hall that was mostly free of vermin and corpses. It overlooked a large statue of Shar on one end and a waterfall on the other, with water running through it all. You helped to clean the space and set up the communal fire pit while the others unpacked and built their tents. Picking the center of a circle inlaid on the stone floor, you gathered rubble from around the site and made a rather nice looking fire pit, alternating the grey stone with some purple marble you had found fallen from a column nearby.

“Quite the nice colors you’ve picked,” Shadowheart said as she joined you, some firewood in her arms.

“Where did you find that?”

She shrugged. “Some old furniture in another part of the temple was partly smashed, so Gale and I went and salvaged it.”

You grinned. “You and Gale, hm?”

“Don’t,” she warned, though she had a small smile as she placed the wood into the pit and started arranging it with more care than was necessary.

“I won’t say any more,” you promised, lowering your voice. “But�� please tell me you’re going to stop him from using his orb.”

She frowned. “I… understand his devotion to his goddess. I have the same feeling for Shar. It’d be selfish of me to stop him from doing what he feels is right.”

“Are you sure that’s what he wants, though?”

Shadowheart gave you a pained look. “I… I’m not sure.”

You reached out and put your hand over hers, sensing her anxiety. “What do you want?”

Her face crumpled for a moment before she put on a determined expression. “I want him to live.”

“Then tell him.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“I—”

“What are you two ladies whispering about?”

You both turned to see Gale, his arms also full of salvaged wood, walking towards the two of you.

“Meal plans,” you said, waving your hand dismissively as you stood up and took the pile of wood from his arms. “I can take care of this, if you two want to finish setting up your tents.” You nodded towards their tents, half finished, their items stacked in one large pile between them. It seemed like someone had a hand in distributing items and had purposely mixed their things together.

I bet Astarion did this.

Gale turned to Shadowheart. “Well, guess we better re-organize this mess,” he said, gesturing towards the pile. “After you.”

She gave him a wry smile and together they walked away. You hoped that she would talk to him about the orb. There has to be another way.

You prepared a meager meal from the perishables that you had carried here; after a couple of days, you’d be reduced to using camp rations. As you ate with everyone else, you listened to them plan their strategy for the next day. Your eyes wandered around for a moment, noting that someone was missing.

“Astarion went to trance in his tent,” Karlach said. “He offered to take second shift tonight.”

You felt a little embarrassed at having been caught looking for him. “Ah, thank you for telling me.”

“He also said something about letting everyone else figure out the details, and to just point him where to stab someone.”

“Of course. Not much for thinking, is he?” Shadowheart snarked.

“Certainly not one for being cautious when it’s warranted,” Gale added.

“Alright, we know he’s not… detail-oriented,” you said, taking over the conversation. “Am I taking first shift?”

“I will,” Lae’zel said. “This place makes me… wary.”

You saw Shadowheart’s brow furrow. Sensing an argument brewing, you quickly said, “We’ll leave it in your capable hands then.” Turning to everyone else, you brightly asked, “Does anyone need their tent prepared?”

“Are you able to?” Shadowheart said, her attention turning towards you.

Thank the gods I steered her away from arguing with Lae’zel. “I can try.”

Everyone frowned.

“I won’t push myself, I promise.”

“I think I’ll be fine,” Shadowheart finally said after a moment.

The others mumbled something along the same lines. You knew they were trying to be considerate of your health, and you appreciated it.

Still.

“Guess I’ll just warm up my own bedroll, then,” you muttered.

“You’re not staying with Astarion?”

Everyone looked at Karlach, including yourself. Your mouth was agape.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she said defensively before grinning. “Well, maybe I did mean it like that, but you’ve stayed with him before!”

You stood up. “It was raining that one time, and the second time he pulled my bedroll in there without my consent!”

“To be fair, you were very injured,” Gale said, ever the voice of reason.

“He just wanted to take care of his food resource,” Shadowheart muttered.

Rolling your eyes, you marched over to your bedroll and in a fit of childish immaturity, sang your cantrip to warm up your bedroll, just to show how much better you were feeling. You got halfway through the song before your throat tightened and your body decided that a nice little coughing fit would teach you a lesson.

Karlach was suddenly beside you with a waterskin, patting you on the back. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

You gulped down the water and handed it back to her. Waving your hand dismissively, you shook your head. “It’s fine, I’m just stubborn.”

“Aren’t we all,” she said with a smile. “You have to take better care of yourself. Otherwise how else are you going to take care of us?”

You laughed. “C’mere, you.” Giving her a big hug, you felt better being embraced by your friend.

The evening went on, and as everyone turned in for the night, you crawled into your bedroll by the campfire and closed your eyes, lulled to sleep by the rush of the waterfall.

***

You were awoken by light conversation and the smell of breakfast, a light porridge with some spices and honey. Sitting up, you saw that Gale was slowly stirring the pot, testing its contents with a thoughtful expression before shaking in a little more cinnamon.

“Smells good,” you said as you got out of your bedroll and pulled it aside to make room for people to sit around the fire.

“I’ve been known to putter around the kitchen now and again,” he said with a not-so-humble grin. “Figure I’d give you a hand while you recover.”

“I’m almost better.”

“Almost being the key term.”

You rolled your eyes. “Such a worrywort.”

“A bit of caution—”

“—will save a lot of trouble, we know,” Shadowheart said as she came up to the two of you.

You noticed her putting her hand on Gale’s shoulder, and caught Gale giving her a very tender look before turning back to the porridge. You met Shadowheart’s eyes and waggled your eyebrows.

She immediately took her hand off his shoulder and looked away shyly.

Hah.

One by one, the others came out of their tents and sat around the campfire to eat and plan the day. They were going to explore this level of the temple and map out where they needed to go. If they ran into a devil, they’d try to stay hidden until they could learn more about him. Just as they were beginning to arm themselves to get ready to leave, Karlach spoke up.

“Who’s staying behind on guard duty today?”

“Guard duty?” you asked.

“We’re not in the safety of Isobel’s shield anymore,” Wyll reminded you. “At least one of us should stay with you and the others, keep the camp safe.”

You glanced at Owly & Scratch who had followed you despite you telling them to stay with Halsin, and Withers, who had appeared overnight. Damn, maybe Halsin should have come with us… but then he’d have to bring Thaniel too, and he just got free from the Shadowfell. Being within a temple of Shar probably wouldn’t help his constitution.

“I can,” Astarion said.

You and the others stared at him in various states of surprise.

“What? I’m not going to eat her,” he said defensively.

“We know that. It’s more that you’re usually so eager to go out and stab something,” Shadowheart said.

Astarion shrugged, but didn’t elaborate.

“Well, if you’re sure,” she finally said.

You watched everyone leave, waiting a few minutes before you set up the alarm wire. Your powers were slowly returning, and you could do a few small chores, taking breaks in between songs, but at least you finally felt like you were becoming whole once more. It had been hard to not sing, to not even hum.

Meanwhile, Astarion seemed to be staying in front of his tent, reading that strange book and muttering to himself. You wanted no part in it and just let him sit and read, though even glancing at that tome for a mere moment made you shiver.

He’s a grown man, he can read strange books if he wants to.

He eventually slammed the book shut and hid it away in his tent before taking out another book to read.

So he’s just staying here because he wants to read?

You continued your chores, and during a short break, you ended up staring out over the edge of the balcony where the giant Shar statue stood, watching the rushing water below. After a while, you heard Astarion’s footsteps behind you before he paused, and then took two steps more before stopping beside you.

Is he going to suggest we train with daggers again? I probably need to, it’s been a while.

He cleared his throat. “Do you have a moment? I think we need to talk.”

You turned towards him, the nervous timbre in his voice worrying you. He was frowning, almost as if he was in pain. Your hackles went up immediately.

“Are you alright?” you asked as you reached out to him and touched his arm. Guilt radiated from him in waves and you immediately dropped your hand. “What did you do?” you asked before you could stop yourself.

“Nothing terrible, I just”—he froze for a moment—“well, perhaps a little terrible.”

You stared at him, waiting for him to confess. He stared out at the waterfall beyond for a few moments before finally turning back to you, his eyes expressive with a sincerity that you had never seen from him before.

“Look, I had a plan. A nice, simple plan. Seduce you, manipulate your feelings for me so you wouldn’t turn on me.”

You raised an eyebrow at him, but you quietly let him continue as he gesticulated nervously.

“It was easy. Instinctive. Habits from two hundred years of charming people kicked in. All you had to do was fall for it.”

He tipped his head. “But you didn’t fall for it.” He let out a sigh. He suddenly looked so, so vulnerable. “Instead”—he paused, clearing his throat awkwardly—“I fell for you.”

Your eyes widened at his confession.

“My nice, simple plan fell apart, all because of you. You’re… a complication I didn’t see coming.”

Your head was spinning. But you had questions. “Why choose me in the first place?”

“People don’t trust vampires, perhaps understandably, so I needed to get someone on my side. I thought you would be the easiest to seduce, frankly.”

You scowled.

“You seemed naive, sweet, kind. Easily swayed by a few honeyed words.”

You scowled more.

“So imagine how stupid I felt when I started to”—he gestured helplessly—”genuinely feel something for you.” Astarion sheepishly smiled. “Trust me, I was not happy about it.”

You snorted, but smiled back at him. “Well, to be fair…” You bit your lower lip, took a breath to steady your nerves. “I care about you as well. More than I'd like to admit."

He blinked. "Really?" he asked quietly.

"I'm not pleased about it either, mind you," you said with a wry smile, unable to stop yourself from teasing him.

He smirked. “I suppose that makes two of us.” Then he held out his hand to you. "Honestly, I don't know what we're doing. Or what comes next."

You took his hand. "Neither do I."

He held your hand with both of his as he took a step closer to you, a warm smile, a genuine smile, on his lips. "But I know that this?” He leaned down and pressed his forehead to yours. “This is nice."

It truly was. You felt his feelings through his touch so openly that you wanted to cry. It was like a new bud in the spring, tender, delicate, but with so much potential to grow. And you would be the soil that held him up, you would be the sunlight that fed his spirit, you would be the rain that kept him from withering away.

You would care for him, come what may.

-----------------------------------------------

Act II, Chapter 6 End notes: Oh shit, this is NOT a drill, Astarion finally confessed! Y’all have no idea how many times I rewrote that conversation, to make it more custom to Hearth Witch, but also keep it true to that infamous confession scene that the fans love. I hope you all enjoyed it, please let me know in the comments!

Tags List: @numblytemporary @xalphafox @avitute @stormyjane7 @kmoon21

Let me know if you'd like to be added to the tag list to get notified of the next chapter!

#bg3 #astarion x f!reader #bg3 fanfic #baldur's gate 3 #female reader #writing #bg3 spoilers #your hearth is my home #astarion

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tadpole-apocalypse · 11 months ago

Note

Ask meme questions for Morgan: 16, 17, and 32!

16. Which of the companions does your Tav trust most? - 17. Which of the companions does your Tav distrust most?

Well we’ll just answer these together :3 I’m gonna go with like, her Act 1 impressions, since by the end of the game she trusts them all.

Ok this is a fun question. First I want to go into something about Morgan; she is always in people’s heads, trying to read their thoughts. This is how I role play her high charisma score; she’s not actually charismatic, she is just practiced at picking out what will get her what she wants from people’s minds. In this game she has two methods; detect thoughts and now this new tadpole mindlink. But the mind link is not sneaky at all, the other tadpoled companions can feel her digging around with it pretty easily, so she doesn’t really use it that way unless both are agreeing to share something. But I do imagine they all still get psychic impressions from one another…man I wish the game went into the tadpole connections more.

Sticking with the origin companions, the ones she trusts right away - Lae’zel, Wyll and Karlach.

Lae’zel has strong mental defenses but with a bit of effort Morgan can tell right away she’s panicked and honest in that she believes the creche will offer them a cure. Wyll and Karlach are also honest in what they say and what they think; more importantly she confirms they all share the desire to avoid ceromorphosis. Morgan is very excited when they recruit Wyll, she can tell right away he’s Noble (though she doesn’t pick up he’s the duke’s son) and expects him to take over as party leader….until he gets bedeviled. Curses.

Distrusts the most - Shadowheart, Gale and Astarion.

As soon as Shadowheart refuses to say who she worships, Morgan figures its one of the evil ones, and sure enough, she picks up on Shar all over her mind. Does she know anything about Shar? No. But it’s enough to make her extremely wary around the cleric and they proceed to have a rocky first act. She doesn’t trust Gale because he’s a wizard, he’s kind of pompous, and because he keeps catching her digging around into her mind, and NO she won’t apologize because for all she knows they have devious intentions and she has every right to protect herself considering their circumstances, and also there is something deeply, tightly guarded inside him that she cannot penetrate that frightens her.

Astarion is silent, except for the tadpole. She uses it once on him; when he goes to bite her for the first time. Once she understands he’s undead, it makes sense. Detect thoughts won’t work. Her trust levels even out when she realizes he just really, really wants blood, to the point of pathetically begging for it.

32. How did your Tav get their scars, if they have any?

Her facial scar was caused by a pissed off pixie with a needle that her wild magic summoned once. There’s a reason she didn’t free the one from the moon lantern 🤭

She also has some scars on her back/shoulders from old childhood beatings. Probably a few burn marks from the times she’s randomly burst into flames.

_____

From this ask meme

#bg3: morgan #meme replies

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jb-nonsense · 1 year ago

Text

My Baldur's Gate 3 Character Information

Below cut is the various Characters I have made for Baldur's Gate 3, whether they are central to my canon, a romance run character, or a side/background character to support the central characters. This list is subject to fluctuation based on revisions to my storyline set up.

Tavs and Durge

Name: Durante Faust Age: 28 Species: Tiefling Class: Warlock (Archfey) Stats: STR: 10 DEX: 13 CON: 14 INT: 11 WIS: 10 CHA: 17 Height: 5'11" | 1.8 M Build: He's got sculpted arms due to his work as an artisan, and while a bit on the leaner side, has a bit of a belly and not so toned torso. Hair: Black, tight curls in long dreadlocks with streaks of blue. Also has a full heard. Eyes: Bright, light blue on black sclera under a heavy brow Skin tone: A medium violet tone, rich and saturated Other features: Has blue, corkscrew style horns and a scar on the right side of his lips, with piercings on his ears. Family: Family is unknown, refuses to talk about them Romance(?): Lae'zel planned, subject to change Friends: Talilah Bluethorn, Tavinkas, Gwenifar van Hol, Astarion Ancunin, Wyll Ravengard, Shadowheart, Lae'zel, Karlach Cliffgate, Halsin, and others Enemies: Absolutists Personality: He refuses to have a care in the world, preferring to enjoy himself and have fun. He isn't keen on being responsible for others, but he also doesn't like being cruel to the undeserving. He seeks pleasures and thrills as a way to forget something he doesn't want to remember. Backstory summary: Trained as an artisan, specializing in stone work, Durante made his way from a backwater rough and tumble village to being sought after for his near life like work. But everything eventually comes to an end, an end he doesn't like discussing and what bought him to make a deal with an archfey. He was on the road to Waterdeep to look for work when he was captured.

Name: Gwenifar van Hol Age: 32 Species: Human Class: Life Cleric of Ilmater Stats: STR: 11 DEX: 12 CON: 10 INT: 14 WIS: 16 CHA: 13 Height: 5'6" | 1.68 M Build: Good muscle build beneath a bit of fat layer, but in generally decent shape as a cleric. Hair: Red-gold, with some curl to it, long to mid back length. Keeps half pulled back post of the time Eyes: Blue and round Skin tone: light, pinkish human tone Other features: has freckles on her cheeks but most predominantly on her shoulders Family: A mother named Elena, an older sister named Dana, and a grandmother named Gena. Romance(?): Gale Dekarios Friends: Talilah Bluethorn, Tavinkas, Durante Faust, Astarion Ancunin, Wyll Ravengard, Shadowheart, Lae'zel, Karlach Cliffgate, Halsin, and others Enemies: Absolutists, Klaudius Sarrick Personality: Curious and with a drive to do what's good and to help others. She has a strong sense of duty and moral compass. She worries about missing out on things, though, sometimes, so has to have control on her impulses. She has a dangerous righteous fury, though, when someone is sadistically cruel to someone. Backstory summary: Gwenifar is the younger of two daughters. When her older sister became ill when they were preteens, Gwenifar went to every temple and prayed to the gods to help heal her sister. Ilmater was the one who answered and offered a deal: suffer in her sister's place. Gwenifar, being around 11 years, agreed to it and around 10 years as a shut in. She studied, did art and music to alleviate it. When she was well, her sister had moved on with her life with a husband and children. Trying to figure out her own steps, Gwenifar decided after missing so much, to dedicate herself to Ilmater as a cleric to help others. She was doing charity work in Baldur's Gate when she was taken.

Name: Talilah Bluethorn Age: 136 Species: High Elf (half sun and half moon) Class: Bard Stats: STR: 9 DEX: 16 CON: 13 INT: 12 WIS: 12 CHA: 15 Height: 5'3" | 1.6 M Build: Thin, gymnast build from her work as an aerial silk acrobat Hair: Bright red, long with a little wave to it, usually keeps on side braided Eyes: Dark blue and wide and round Skin tone: Light-medium golden hued, a slight hint of a blue undertone from her mother's heritage Other features: has sparse freckles and a rose tattoo on the left side of her neck Family: A mother named Kyrirthlila Bluethorn, and her father's name isn't known to her, she just knows he's a sun elf nobleman (Arakhivaen Saliriador) Romance(?): Astarion Ancunin Friends: Gwenifar van Hol, Tavinkas, Durante Faust, Gale Dekarios, Wyll Ravengard, Shadowheart, Lae'zel, Karlach Cliffgate, Halsin, and others Enemies: Absolutists, lord I need to name Personality: A spitfire with an enjoyment for heroic tales, not much can keep Talilah down. She's ever the optimist, refusing to let anything heavy pull her down. She's a bit impulsive, which can cause problems, but she's decent at planning when she sits down and tries. She has a strong personality and can command an entire room's attention of she desires it. She's not against a little cruelty and mockery to those who deserve it, though. Backstory summary: Talilah was born from the affair of a sun elf nobleman and a moon elf performer/thief. Her mother had left the lands her father lived in when she learned she was pregnant, and despite her attempts to notify him, he never responded to her letters. Deciding to just raise Talilah on her own, she taught her the trade of the performing troupe: entertain the corrupt well-to-do and steal from the blind to give back to those who truly need it. Talilah excelled and being half sun-elf, she earned attention due to the rarity of a golden elf. She learned the aerial silks as well, playing the distraction for her mother and the others to work. Yet all things come to an end and that happened in Baldur's Gate. Her troupe captured, the nobleman gave her a deal; work for him and he wouldn't have the troupe executed. Talilah was kidnapped while heading to a job for the nobleman.

Name: Tavinkas Age: Believed to be in his 70s Species: Half wood elf Class: Sorcerer Stats: STR: 8 DEX: 13 CON: 15 INT: 12 WIS: 10 CHA: 17 Height: 6"1" | 1.86 M Build: Lean, not overly muscular but you can see some definition in certain lighting Hair: Shaved on the sides, black with gray in it, pulled back into a braid. Also has facial hair styled in a circle beard. Eyes: His right eye is a bright, enchanting green and his left eye is blood red on black. Skin tone: Darker medium tone with a ruddy undertone to it Other features: Has green scales around his eyes from his draconic heritage, as well as a swirling black marking coming from his red eye. Has skull earrings. Family: Unknown to him, but a pure bhaalspawn Romance(?): Wyll Ravengard planned, subject to change Friends: Gwenifar van Hol, Talilah Bluethorn, Durante Faust, Gale Dekarios, Wyll Ravengard, Shadowheart, Lae'zel, Karlach Cliffgate, Halsin, and others Enemies: Absolutists Personality: Tavinkas suffers from a duality of person. At the basis, he's calculating, thoughtful, and careful. He thinks things through as best he can before he puts them into action. He's charming without even trying to be. Yet the duality is between the darkness clawing at him, demanding he enjoy other's suffering and death, and then the small, broken part of him that wants to be more, be better, and do what's right. Backstory summary: TBA as I play more of the game with him

Side Characters

Name: Arakhivaen Saliriador Age: 357 Species: High Elf (Sun) Class: Paladin Stats: STR: 17 DEX: 12 CON: 13 INT: 10 WIS: 10 CHA: 14 Height: 6'0" | 1.83 M Build: Muscular, with broad shoulders and a triangular torso Hair: Bright red with copper highlights curls, kept shorter but not too short Eyes: Green, slender with a confident glint Skin tone: A warm medium bronze with a gold hue to it Other features: Has various scars from battles Family: Talilah Bluethorn (daughter), A mother, at least one younger sibling, WIP Romance(?): Kyrirthlila Bluethorn (previously), Halsin (possibly) Friends: To be developed Enemies: Lolth sworn drow Backstory summary: Arakhivaen is the eldest child of a prominent sun elf family, who have considerable power in Evermeet. Wishing to further his family's reach, he traveled to Evereska, becoming a respected commander of the guard. In this time, he met a traveling entertaining troupe and began a decades long affair with moon elf performer. The affair ended, though, in 1356 DR when the elves were called back to Evermeet and Arakhivaen heeded the order while Kyrirthlila did not. Arakhivaen has served dutifully ever since, yet in recent years, has returned to Evereska to try to bridge the connection of the elves and Faerun again.

Name: Klaudius Sarrick Age: 47 Species: Human Class: Fighter in game, cleric of Loviatar in my mind Stats: STR: 13 DEX: 13 CON: 15 INT: 11 WIS: 12 CHA: 13 Height: 5'10" | 1.78 M Build: Slim, spindly but with muscle built from years of his service to his goddess Hair: shaved at the sides, but long and pulled back black with gray streaks. Has a mustache and goatee Eyes: a steely bright gray Skin tone: Pale, pasty human skin tone Other features: Has quite a bit of scars from serving Loviatar, as well as one large nasty gash of a scar on his right cheek, as well as piercings. His jaw is lined with jagged tattoos with one point going down his throat like a dagger Family: Unknown Romance(?): None (may use him to run Minthara's) Friends: His allies are the church of Loviatar and Bane Enemies: Ilmatari, followers of the Triad Backstory summary: A young man who's family held influence and secretly was a part of Loviatar's church. Klaudius grew up with the concept of giving his goddess pain, eventually surpassing his parents' own skills. He proved himself quite gifted in the art of giving pain, to the point he eventually became the head of the Loviatar church in Baldur's Gate. His desire was to spread pain throughout the city, but in a psychological manner. He soon found his attempts being stopped by an Ilmatari cleric and took an interest in her, enjoying the game. Allying with Bane's chosen, a deal was struck but it seems it's not working exactly as planned.

Name: Kyrirthlila Bluethorn Age: 349 Species: High Elf (Moon) Class: Rogue Stats: STR: 8 DEX: 17 CON: 14 INT: 13 WIS: 13 CHA: 10 Height: 5'5" | 1.65 M Build: Has curves, but muscle underneath them and still a ghost of her athletic build from before, but slender enough to sneak into places to steal Hair: A deep royal blue, kept long and in various updos and out of her way, only let down when she plays it for distraction Eyes: A deep blue, but with mischief glimmering in them Skin tone: Pale with a cool almost blue undertone Other features: None to think of Family: Talilah Bluethorn (daughter), various need to name Romance(?): Arakhivaen Saliriador (former), Halsin (possibly) Friends: Her entertaining troupe Enemies: lord I need to name Backstory summary: Kyrirthlila was born in a forgotten backwater moon elf village. She was determined to make something of herself, and after traveling, found herself disgusted by how nobles would abuse their power. She and her friends then planned a great con—an entertaining troupe that would entertain the rich then steal from them, sharing their ill-gotten gains with those in need. It went well for a few years, until meeting a sun elf noble near Evereska. The pair began their affair, taking decades as elves do, but when he was called back to Evermeet, Kyrirthlila remained in Faerun. Only to realize she was pregnant with his child. Every letter she sent was never replied to, so Kyrirthlila raised her daughter in their troupe. Her daughter was a skilled performer so she allowed her to have the spotlight while she worked the shadows. It all worked well until Baldur's Gate, when a noble caught them. He locked up the others but had Talilah work for him until she vanished. Now Kyrirthlila needs to figure out how to get herself and the others out and soon.

#Baldur's Gate 3 #BG3 #BG3 OC #JB's BG3 OCs Masterlist #I'll post it since the main ones are done for now

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