#my main bg3 character wit

[dykebeckett]

I heart inserting my ocs into the narrative

[lady-ephemeral]

Do y’all ever think about the Gortash and Raphael parallels?

I am still SO salty that BG3 didn’t dive deeper into Raphael, Mephistopheles, and Gortash, because I feel like it could’ve been a phenomenal addition to the game since one of the main themes is the cycle of abuse, and whether or not you choose to continue it.

We can infer that Raphael and Mephisto don’t have a stellar relationship. In fact it was likely very abusive, and probably the driving force behind Raphael’s narcissistic behavior (If no one at all cares for me, then I will be all I care about).

And even though he is technically the heir the archduke, and that certainly gives him an advantage, Raphael is still a cambion, not a full devil. Cambions are looked down upon for their mortal half, and most end up just working for another archdevil. And since they are immortal, being an heir I feel would function more as just an additional title, rather than something with great weight. Raphael is a special case because he seems to be rather independent compared to someone like Mizora, who heavily relies on staying in Zariel’s good favor. Whether or not there was nepotism at play, Raphael still most likely had to do a tremendous amount of work to get where he is.

And then we have Gortash, who starts from practically nothing. Before even entering the House of Hope, he was already at a disadvantage. He was abused by the Flymms, and then he lived in literal hell with Raphael as the only adult figure that even slightly resembles a parent before getting out and once again having to start with nothing. He had to literally claw and fight to get where he is.

Raphael and Gortash are very similar characters with very similar goals, both tenacious, ambitious and heavily rely on their wits. Gortash wants to conquer Baldur’s Gate and then beyond, Raphael wants to conquer the nine hells. Even their styles are somewhat reminiscent of each other, with Enver’s ostentatious clothes seemingly being influenced by Raphael’s taste. This is especially clear if you look at the concept art for the characters.

Like you can see the resemblance. (Also Larian PLEASE give Gortash back his thigh-high boots)

The setup is already there, WHY didn’t they lean more into it? Both Raphael and Enver would have that feeling of “I fucking despise you. I absolutely loathe you, but I want you to see me. I want you to look upon what I’ve achieved and give me the respect I’m owed”.

Like there is no doubt in my mind that the way Raphael sees Gortash is similar to the way Mephisto sees him.

Even if it had been through diary entries and letters, it would've been nice to see more of this, and it would’ve developed both Raphael and Gortash more. Mephistopheles wouldn’t even need to make an appearance (although he would’ve been cool to see. the worse the father the hotter he is as a dilf, I don’t make the rules)

[molinaesque]

Okay I mentioned that I had a bunch of Raphael thoughts and basically made a whole essay (in literally no actual format, this is just me vomiting out parsing thoughts and using it when lore dumping onto my friends). This is written based off of stuff you find in the game, some Wiki diving and my own thoughts.

Feel free to hit me up with some topics that we can talk about. And remember, these involve are my own thoughts and headcanons at the end of the day, so please act normally and don't come at me with pitchforks just because I have something that doesn't align with your specific HC.

A Prince's Tale: The Story of Raphael

In the universe of Faerûn, there exists a heaven and hell, or in this case the Heavens and the Hells. There are the Nine Hells of Baator, all ruled and lorded over by various archdevils. Raphael is the son of the ruler of the eighth circle of Hell, the archdevil, Mephistopheles. Raphael is a cambion which consists of a fiend and a mortal. Cambions then are considered "results of unnatural and unholy communion". In Raphael's case it's a bit more complicated because the fiend in this equation isn't just some lower being like an incubus or some other demon but a true Devil, making Raphael leagues above, both in power and rank, other typical Cambions, just purely due to his association and blood of being Mephistopheles' offspring.

The system in the Hells is extremely rigid and hierarchical (it's a system that has been upheld for eons. Many of the systems that make up the universe of D&D are as deeply rigid and rooted). Many of the themes of the characters of Baldur's Gate 3 consist of them either repeating the cycle or breaking its hold, which in the D&D verse is an extremely hard thing to do because of how long standing these systems are. In regards to the Hells, it works like a pyramid. The top of the food chain and order are the archdevils. There are many archdevils that reside and rule over each circle of the Hells, one however rules all and lives in the Ninth circle, Nessus; Asmodeus.

So what does Raphael want? The integral key item and centerpiece of the main plotline of BG3 dubbed only as 'The Crown', created by Karsus. Karsus was a very powerful, most would say perhaps THE most powerful wizard who ever lived. An archwizard/demi-god responsible for creating and casting a spell that would steal the power of a deity and transfer it to the archwizard who casted it. Eventually, this was a mistake, for one of the responsibilities of the deity of magic was to regulate the flow of magic to and from all beings, spells, and magic items in the world. He did not have the ability to do so properly, causing magic to surge and fluctuate, threatening that balance. This caused the flying cities of Netheril to plummet to the earth. The last thing Karsus sees is his entire civilization being destroyed because of his actions. This will be known as 'Karsus' Folly'.

Raphael tells you about this story and how he was there to witness it happen all those years ago. He wanted the Crown to himself but it was stolen and put into hiding. He later finds out that Mephistopheles, his father was the one responsible for stealing it. Now, here's a way to explain the fucked up power levels and why it plays so much of a factor especially in the Nine Hells. I mentioned how Raphael is not a typical Cambion, BUT even though he is technically a prince by birthright and a half true devil, it doesn't make a difference under the likes of archdevils like his father (who doesn't help at all with Raphael's behaviour because Mephistopheles is a MEGA asshole. I mean, there's a reason why Raphael never utilised his name to invoke influence and power, doesn't even call him father, that's how much he hates him. You only find out about it through Haarlep. He even had another child, a daughter, who he cared more about by making her a trusted double-agent against one of his rivals. Meanwhile, he treats Raphael like nothing and acts as if he doesn't exist for the most part). Basically, unless you are an archdevil in the Hells, you are never TRULY free. As power, literally = freedom in the Hells. Raphael realises this and so began his lifelong ambition to get that power. That came with the events of Karsus' Folly. Realising that this is the opportunity and power Raphael needed, he attempts to steal it only for it to be taken by none other than his own father. Now, you think "ah Mephistopheles wants that power for himself, right?" No. Here is how far apart the levels of power are between beings like Mephistopheles (beings such as archdevils/archwizards/demi-gods/gods/etc) and beings like Raphael, who is already a pretty substantial and powerful Devil by his own right.

Raphael has been coveting the Crown and its power for 10 centuries, a thousand years, essentially. It's his one source that can possibly give him the chance of taking even more control of the Hells and ultimately make him TRULY a free devil. It's his life's mission that has been going on until he's practically in his middle age in devil years (his human appearance showcases this, and we also see a younger Raphael in his devil form with Haarlep). Half of his (immortal) life. It is very crucial and important to him.

And yet… to Mephistopheles, it's just a souvenir. A trinket. Or as Raphael puts it, "a museum piece".

This, undoubtedly angered Raphael so much and made his hatred towards his father even more so (Raphael mentioned how he raged for a decade, understandably). The fact that not only does his father treat him as if he doesn't exist, but to add insult to injury, did this while mocking him by not taking him seriously. One of the things he did was to send an incubus, Haarlep, made and glamoured to be an exact copy of Raphael, to distract him. It could also be seen as a message of "here is my gift to you and it is one of the only few things that will ever be 'truly' yours; a copy of yourself". Raphael would have been the first image that Haarlep acquired, thus why the constant form that you see him with is of Raphael (Haarlep tells you this if you kill him and speak to his corpse). Haarlep's corpse also tells you that "Raphael only loves himself." I wonder why. Haarlep also has a contract that requires him to obtain 1000 souls (the runes on his harness have been translated to the number '1000') in order to be free. This is why the archivist in House of Hope tells you that special guests can reside in the boudoir, as this is a primary way for Haarlep to collect more souls. If you sleep with him, and allow him to have your heart and soul, you die. If you promise your body only, you live but he now has a full copy of you entirely. Additionally, we know Gortash was sold to be in Raphael's services when he was a boy. We know that Gortash and the other Chosen eventually stole the Crown from Mephistopheles' vault. What's interesting is if you explore the House of Hope, you can find a portal to the eighth circle of Hell, Cania, where Mephistopheles resides. I believe that Gortash utilized this to obtain the Crown. Imagine the sheer rage and embarrassment Raphael had to endure because of this. Not only did the Crown get snatched from under him once but TWICE. Once by his father, and then later by a boy who was under his charge. I can completely imagine Mephistopheles utilising that as additional ammo and lording that over Raphael's head.

In pertaining to Raphael's character and behavior, all of this explains additionally as to why Raphael is the way he is. It's selfish, insecure behavior that also explains the portraits he surrounds himself with. Notice how all the paintings are of his true form. He also has many lines of dialogue depending on what you pick during your various meetings where he truly gets angry. One of these lines is him shouting "I AM NO MORTAL" when you simply ask why he would succeed where Karsus had failed (which is ironic because, my guy, you are part mortal, so was Karsus but he was very powerful for many other reasons other than pure association and blood. Raphael even tells you how foolish of a notion it would be if you suggest that you could take the Crown for yourself, telling you that archdevils, wizards, and gods have worn the Crown, "it would tear you apart" he warns you). The portraits of his Devil form in House of Hope surrounding him is a way of constant reminder to himself of what he wants to be associated with. He HATES that he is part mortal (he has showcased his disdain for the mortal realm very clearly during your encounter in House of Hope) and wants to see himself as only a Devil. To say that dude's got major issues and complexes is a huge understatement. He's a deeply insecure being who's controlling and manipulative (most of it stemming from his father and his predicament of essentially living a half-life), but he's also a pragmatic, self-aware character. He's very much the epitome of Lawful Evil. If the players choose to only see him as a one note character who's just "self-centered and evil", you can. That's the beauty of Baldur's Gate. These things are true,but you can also add on top of that when you choose to find out and explore for more lore and characterization.

Interestingly, the way he treats someone who opposes him compared to those who don't are very stark in contrast. You see it with the prime examples of Hope (naming the house after her due to her being the one soul who he cannot convert and have on his team completely) and of her sister Korilla, who has mentioned that she loves being in service of Raphael completely as he has treated her with respect and given her more freedom than her previous master ever did, who in her own words, "constantly would beat me and feed me scraps". "Better to be free in the Hells than go begging in the Heavens", she tells you. She's also not blindly following Raphael or under any thrall. In fact she makes light of him and his antics to you completely of her own volition. She made a bet with Raphael whether you would survive and get to Baldur's Gate (which Raphael bet FOR you to succeed btw). You can find the Five Soul Coins they bet for in the safe hidden behind the portrait in HoH. And she doesn't sing his praises completely, saying that she's more skeptical of you than Raphael is and is fearful of how wrong he would be banking everything on you, saying "Raphael can be so very wrong". She basically tells you that Raphael won't shut up about you. She also tells you that Raphael is, in her own words, "by no means altruistic" and argues that Raphael truly wants to not have the world destroyed because it would simply mean, as she puts it "the boss did the balance sheets. No world, no souls". In fact, she BEGS you to reconsider if you didn't take the deal in the first place.

One could argue that Raphael residing in Avernus and having him in proximity of mortals more in comparison to the deeper levels of the Hells, gave him more perspective. He even tells you he doesn't want Baldur's Gate to be destroyed. He tells you, fondly, he couldn't possibly want that to happen because the city is "an object lesson of moral excess". Why would he want a huge primary source of deals and contracts for him gone. If you explore the House of Hope, many of his deals range from complex, twisted deals to simple, straightforward ones with no caveats (for example there is a debtor who tells you that he sold his soul for enough money to keep his family well fed. Done. No trickery. That was the end of it. Even the architect of Moonrise Towers attested to Raphael keeping his word and defeating Ketheric's forces way back then). In Raphael's own words, "I'm a man of my word" and he wasn't lying. There's a reason why he has practically a 99.9% conversion rate (his one big failure being Hope and why he's so obsessed with converting her is because he truly cannot understand how one can be so pure of a soul. She's a puzzle, and Raphael HATES it when he can't figure something out). If you're wondering why can't Raphael (or any other devil) force or lie about the contracts they have made, well that's literally by design. Asmodeus created a law that bars devils from doing so, and devils will get punished severely would they ever take advantage of that. That's also why devils have to be extra sneaky when being contractors because if they die, it doesn't matter. The contracts they made while still alive still stays intact until they are completed. Meanwhile, the contract just gets given to another devil. When Raphael tells you in HoH if you asked him for no more bloodshed, he tells you "you've given me no choice". He means this, as it would mean both you AND he would be punished regardless if he were to let it be.

Mol is another example of a straightforward transaction. He wasn't lying when he said he'll keep Mol safe from harm in exchange for becoming her patron. It's not for something nebulous like "she has to become the leader of the guild in the next 20 years" or something extreme, it was just "I'll be your patron in return for your safety and security". He sees her as a long standing investment. Raphael mentioned that he hates children, but there is ONE thing he values above all else and admires when he recognizes it. "Ambition." He tells you he sees that in Mol during the meeting at Last Light Inn. It's also believable that he sees himself in Mol (especially his younger self) and thought "I respect it and I get another easy contract. Win-win". The dude loves underdog stories since his own is practically one as well. In fact, Mol doesn't like it when you treat her condescendingly. If you remember the chess scene in Last Light Inn, there are ways she can lose but also various ways she can win (and no, you don't have to only pick helping her cheat for this to work). If you help her cheat, she wins. If you help her by giving her an offensive strategy, she wins (in fact Raphael knows that she cheated, and if she won legitimately, even comments about the move and stating that it's a legit maneuver in chess and praises Mol for it saying that it's "exactly what I would've done"). Either way, Raphael praises your suggestions when Mol leaves. If however, you don't offer advice, or tell Mol to be defensive, she looses, prompting Raphael to comment on how being non committal or weak will not help Mol in the long run. If you stole her contract, she doesn't mind it too much BUT if you killed Raphael and told her about it, she will HATE you. Hating how you killed her patron, "Big Raph" as she calls him, that would ensure her safety and security as long as she's under contract. It's another additional interesting subplot that doesn't really have anything to do with the grand scheme of the game, but adds even more layers to already fascinating characters.

This dichotomy is what makes Raphael a very complex and interesting character. He's a devil who wants Ultimate Power, make no mistake, but he also is pragmatic enough to realise that he does not want another "Karsus' Folly". In fact, he could have easily just done an Emperor to gain your trust wholeheartedly and then turn on you the moment you have the Crown. It would have been easier for him. But he chose to bank on you being a long term investment maybe even beyond the Crown, meeting you head on and reveal his true nature to you from the first meeting. If you listen to everything he tells you, he never actually lies, he omits things here and there, but he never lies to you (in fact if you become even more on his team, there is a line where he straight up tells you that he "likes you"). It's a similar relationship with Korilla, in that she has complete free will but is for his team. He mentions that he does not like it when people beg or kiss his ass (there are many examples of this, his conversation with Voss for one and also whenever you choose dialogue options that make you seem like a spineless whimp). He even tells you at points that he likes the way you do things (even if they're a bit unorthodox), and if you took his contract but chose to break it (or just stole the hammer, it's the same regardless), it makes it even more personal because he genuinely was shocked to find that you were the one breaking into his house. This is one of the few times we see Raphael truly angry. No fancy words, no charm, no smarmyness. Just anger and even sheer disappointment that you chose to, in his own words, "become like Karsus, disregarding everything and burning your world to ash" (remember, Raphael truly believes that his method with the hammer and Orpheus is the ONLY way to defeat the brain, that's the unfortunate part of obsessing and planning for this goal for so long that he truly believes there are no other alternatives. He mentions in one of his diaries that he has planned a dozen ways to obtain the Crown, but he concludes that there is only one way for it to actually work and it involves Orpheus, hence the creation and naming of "The Orphic Hammer". There's even a book about its creation in HoH). Hell, even one of the dialogue options where you say "there's no need for more bloodshed", you would think he'd just be like "HAHAHA evil dialogue, i planned this all along, you're nothing, blah blah" but instead he actually says in his own words, "I have no choice" because we know that breaking contracts means death, and death means he has to collect your soul. Even if you didn't sign the contract and break in, he still genuinely did not think you would go so far as to do such a thing especially with the offer he made to you. He basically blames you for being too proud to do such a thing.

Even when you don't take his contract at all, when you meet up with the Emperor again in the Astral Prism during the battle against the Netherbrain, choosing to betray the Emperor will cause Raphael to appear for a final time. Does he just offer you the contract again? Yes. But not before scolding you for being an idiot and genuinely being pissed off at you for not taking his deal to free Orpheus. He even tells you in his own words, "we could have been allies, partners… FRIENDS!" If you try to beg him for help, he shouts at you, saying how you are in no position to make demands anymore because of your reckless actions. You made your bed, you have to recognise it. If you still refuse his offer, he doesn't try to force you, or twist your arm in any way… he just tells you, quote, "Goodbye. It's been unforgettable" (which is his way of saying "i won't forget you… but i also won't forget how much of a fucking blind idiot you were) and then leaves you forever. If you take the deal, he tells you it's no longer as equals anymore, you are now considered a lowly servant to him. He genuinely wanted you to be partners, but doing all of this basically leads him to conclude that you aren't worth it anymore. The way the writers chose to have the Emperor and Raphael parallel each other but in different ways is genius. They are two sides of the same coin. Both want true freedom, both try to manipulate Tav, the main characters for their own cause, both are extremely pragmatic and set in their own ways and goals. The irony is that instead of portraying Raphael as this pure scheming, one note character - is flipped on it's head by making him honestly, one of the most truthful characters in the game. It's just that he's a Devil. As Korilla states when you ask her back at the brothel, "why can't Raphael just be clear with me if we are on the same team?" she tells you as if explaining that the sky is blue…

"He's a Devil. It's in his nature. He has to make his dues."

This speaks of how ancient and deeply rooted these laws and systems work in their universe. Typically, characters says stuff like this to be hyperbolic/dramatic. But in the case of Raphael as a Devil, she means this literally, as souls keep the Hells functionable, and as we know by now, souls = power, and more power = more freedom.

Now, to address the epilogue and what happens if you do make the pact with him and delivered upon your promise. He comes to you and tells you that he and his forces are already taking over Avernus and overthrew Zariel. He tells you that he has various archdevils already coming to him to make concessions, his father included. He also tells you that he'll be knocking on your door soon. This is open to interpretation, but remember he has sworn to you during your deal that he would never use the Crown on a mortal (trust me, with his obsession with the Hells and how he envisioned on ruling it, in his own words "more order, efficiency, and control", he is definitely more interested in dominating the Hells only, it's too much work anyhow to be interested in anything else. Also he swore to you as part of the contract, he literally cannot break this, if he does, it's immediate punishment for him, so he's not lying). So, more than likely, he finds you to be a very important potential ally to further work with in the future. Also, depending on how early you signed the contract, his tone/line can be interpreted VERY differently.

Now here's the most interesting part… if you aren't familliar with D&D lore, that epilogue would lead you to believe "oh damn he's going to be ruler of the Nine Hells just like he wanted, good for him", but that's easier said than done. Because not only the deeper the Hells go, the more powerful these archdevils will be. I have no trepidation about him defeating them or them conceding to him, that's already happening. The one obstacle he truly needs to worry about… is the keeper of the Ninth Hell, the ruler of all the Nine Hells of Baator, Asmodeus. The creator and overlord himself. Just to give you a concept of how the power levels work in D&D… level 12 and above, are almost levels of godhood. Think the likes of Hercules. At the level Asmodeus is at, however, a former deity (speculative) and creator of the laws and system that permits the balance of life and the universe itself, Raphael even with the Crown will have… a VERY slim chance of overruling him. At the very least he could take over the other realms or instill his way of order and control, and appeal to Asmodeus, because funny enough, Asmodeus' personality and behaviour and goals is VERY similar and akin to Raphael's (Asmodeus is the primal embodiment of Lawful Evil and a supreme strategist of unparalleled skill. He's good at warfare but even better at words, planning, and subterfuge). Another thing is Raphael might even change his own mind, because Asmodeus isn't just the ruler of the Hells, his primary existence is to keep the balance of life and death and the existing universe in check. I personally don't see Raphael being interested in such a huge responsibility but that's another topic for another day.

Another fun fact, many of the characters in D&D are existing characters in various cultural stories/mythologies. Many of the archdevils included with the likes of Mephistopheles, Baalzebub, Mammon, and yes even Asmodeus. The writers most likely looked to biblical texts for inspiration of Raphael, but the irony is they took the one famous character in Christian biblical text, Raphael, who is not a devil, but an archangel and then flipped that character on its head. One of archangel Raphael's most famous stories is literally called, 'the Battle Against Asmodeus', where Raphael fights against Asmodeus, a fallen cherub and dubbed, "personal adversary" of Raphael. What's even cooler? The battle was not one of might, but of intelligence, wisdom and influence. Exactly like how D&D's own Raphael and Asmodeus operate. Raphael certainly takes more after Asmodeus than he does his own father.

Speaking of which, what about his father? Raphael mentions that he was there amongst the midst of other archdevils coming to Raphael to make concessions. Raphael is smart enough to know, though, that his father is not there solely out of "you did it, my boy" or anything like that, or perceiving him as a true threat still. Besides knowing how Raphael is seen by Mephistopheles, back at the diabolisk shop, there is an orb charmed to keep an eye on Raphael at all times. If you had defeated him in House of Hope, you will witness Mephistopheles holding the broken body of Raphael over his mouth and eating him. It's a nod to 'Saturn/Kronos eating his son(s)'. Basically, if you chose this ending for Raphael, you close the circle and end this story of Jacobean tragedy of an underdog prince who has been seeking validation and freedom from the sheer inescapable nature of the Hells and it's systems. In a way Raphael also has the same themes of your other companions who are also trying to navigate their fates. Whether to repeat that cycle in perpetuity or break free of it, it all hinges upon your choices throughout this journey of Baldur's Gate 3. Basically, Mephistopheles is just waiting patiently to witness his own son's downfall should he become overzealous and overtly ambitious, before swooping in to consume his son and all that additional power for himself, power that he doesn't even need, mind you. He's just there for the vibes, and to add even more pressure on his son. Parents, amirite?

If you're on team Raphael (like me) and gave him the ending he wants, the only thing I can really say is "Good luck, little prince. I'm actually rooting for you. You're going to need it."

Will our little princeling be able to break out of his own cycle and come out on top? Will Raphael be able to even get to the ninth circle let alone confront Asmodeus? Will Raphael finally get one over his dear ol' dad? Will Raphael ever get to finally make due on his promise ("I'm a man of my word"), and have that wine with Tav?

Hard to say, for his journey is just beginning.

[lunarreverb]

Just finished the silliest BG3 run that was.... not really a speedrun, but a mess-around solo run to see what happens if you effectively skip Act 1 and 2 (to the extent possible) and recruit nobody. Here's Bunnie the gnome; she's quick like a bunny!

Some of the most interesting things I found under the cut!

If you immediately jog over from the Nautiloid to the mountain pass area, Shadowheart will catch up to you and try to party up.

You can reject her company, of course; if you do, the artefact just appears in your inventory later after this brief cutscene saying ''you got the plot device.' The Emperor never addresses this at all but I have to assume it just looked at the both of you liked your main character energy better.

(For her part, Shadowheart will hang out indefinitely in front of the path to the mountain pass, insisting that you need her to come with you. She never seems to realize that the artefact ditched her, but seems to have the 'shielded' effect on her for as long as you can still go back to that area to check on her, so idk. I assume she dies/ceremorphosizes at some point after you leave the shadow cursed lands.)

If you leave for the mountain pass without encountering Raphael, he just shows up in your camp, and you do NOT have a choice to go to bed without speaking to him, lol.

What happens to Lae'zel is SUPER interesting. If you don't encounter her in the cage outside of the grove, the game gives you a second chance by setting her outside of the monastery, wandering around.

If you don't join her there, either, you will find her at the entrance of the Shadow-Cursed lands, extremely dead. I imagine this is just the game's way of making sure you see she's dead, but I would have assumed for sure that without player intervention she would've died in the zaith'isk? I wonder what sequence of events is implied by this? Maybe she broke out of the zaith'isk on her own, escaped the creche, but had nobody to warn her that she needed a torch in the Shadow-Cursed lands? Maybe the gith sent her on an errand before they let her have a turn in the cleansing machine? Unclear!

Your dream guardian comments that it's impressed by your efficiency by skipping over the grove entirely:

This is different from what it says if you actively durge the grove, where it insinuates that you did what you did to infiltrate the cult and asks whether or not you have regrets about that.

If you don't go to Last Light Inn at all, you can meet Jaheira for the first time at the bridge to Moonrise tower. She does NOT react well if you answer her question by saying "I'm busy, get out of the way"; this will aggro the Harpers (understandably). I ultimately decided to sneak around the back and I didn't canonically meet her for the first time until after defeating Ketheric. She will automatically join your camp for the one night on the way to Baldur's Gate, but she will leave forever (leaving you a letter saying "bye") once you get to the Lower City if you tell her at Moonrise you don't want her in your party.

She does not survive the events of the game if you do not let her join your party, it seems. (I did not pursue the Minsc storyline and I do not know if it's possible to prevent this outcome that way.)

This next bit is REALLY wild; in all of my other playthroughs, I don't think I ever tried defeating Gortash before I disabled the Steel Watch. You can defeat Gortash at his inauguration, and the Absolute will immediately be your bestie about it and will helpfully murder any of the witnesses (including Ulder Ravengard, I think; I took care not to kill him but he vanished anyway.)

The next thing that happens doesn't actually make sense but is interesting nevertheless. Once Gortash is dead, the Steel Foundry is automatically blown up, and the Absolute speaks encouragingly to the player through the Steel Watchers:

I'm actually stumped about how the Absolute can control the Steel Watchers without the corresponding tadpoled brains in the Foundry (which I have to assume got crushed in the rubble?) Oh well. In any case, the Steel Watchers are friendly and will even be allied with you if you get into any scuffles with the Fist, until you kill Orin. After you kill Orin, every Steel Watcher is immediately hostile AND will sic the Fist on you, too.

(Funny story, I actually managed to down one of the Watchers next to the Steel Watch fan group on the north end of Wyrm's Crossing and uh. The Watcher blew up one of the fanboys. Oops. RIP Trinigan Gazotts.)

I kinda want to write a whole post about just this, but Shadowheart's parents are still put up on display in the House of Grief basement in spite of the fact that she is almost certainly (?!) dead and/or a mindflayer by this point:

You can talk to them but you cannot help them in any way. I'm aware that this is just a tease for Shadowheart's plot, but I want to nitpick this so bad. The Sharrans have regular prison cells in the building; what is the point of hanging up these two on the Spencer's Gifts lights indefinitely? Whatever bummer vibes Shar is getting off of them can not be enough to pay for their magical upkeep. Do the Sharrans have to take them down at mealtimes, or are they fed with sandwiches on sticks, or...?

The love test at the circus is NOT interesting; the dryad assumes that you are in love even if you are forever alone and gives her usual sales pitch about bringing the one you love to her.

If you didn't save Wulbren or Barcus, the entrance to the Ironhand Gnomes' cave is just blocked off.

Astarion's unfortunate end if you don't recruit him has been covered in great detail by other posts, but I will remark that it is funny to kill Cazador yourself as a gnome because you have to hop up to stab him. It's also very, very funny to see Cazador explain his whole evil plot to you, random gnome woman who just showed up, if Astarion isn't around. This man is desperate for somebody to think he's cool, so I guess he'll settle for attention from the cattle if he's gotta.

Volo still shows up tied to that trolley cart by the foundry, but there's no angry mob around him.

If you haven't encountered the inquisitor at the creche, or the avatar of Vlaakith in the shadow cursed land, they both show up in the Elfsong's basement

There is no hag plot if you did not encounter Ethel. The captain at the Blushing Mermaid is just as she seems, there's no hag lair, and Vanra and her mother want nothing to do with you. There's no hag support group; that house has a group of random hostile thugs in it instead (with a tenuous tie-in to Ninefinger's Guild).

In Act 3, Raphael will totally say "listen here you little shit" if you hassled him outside of the mausoleum in Act 2 by, oh, I don't know, casting Silence on him? (after which he does NOT give you the Yurgir quest, he just leaves).

Bluurg and Omeluum do not show up at the Society of Brilliance's lodge if you did not meet them in the underdark in Act One, but there is a letter indicating that they will show up later. I checked, and Omeluum is also not in the Iron Throne.

Nothing funny or new happened with Orin. I threw her in a pit. BUT worth mentioning? You can skip the entire Bhaalist powerword kill trial if you just send one invisible party member through the area and just find the warppoint near the temple afterward. You're welcome.

If you get to the epilogue alone, Milil will comment that he expected more guests, but Withers will speak as if multiple people are there no matter what

Also, if you are a lonely little mindflayer, this has no effect on the refreshments offered at the epilogue party. Mindflayers can drink alcohol, apparently, but obviously nobody is here to eat all the food Withers put out. WTF, pee paw.

And I think that's mostly all the was interesting or different in this run. It was a fun challenge!

[nika-vincent]

Some of our reflections on the development of Halsin's personality in Bg3. Long post warning.

I can say that this post is something like a continuation of my previous one, which was devoted mainly to romance with Halsin. This time I gathered some more thoughts from my recent discussions with the guys who love this wonderful character, but this time the main topic will be the development of Halsin's personality in the game. Some things about romance will also be mentioned here a little, the moments we found in the game files, and a few more facts from the datamine. So if you haven't completed the game and don't want to get spoilers, then I suggest skipping this article for now. We will be very happy if this review can also help Larian to see some points that could be supplemented or repaired with patches and also look at how the players perceive our beloved bear and what they would like to see with him in the future.

I would like to start by saying that if we compare Minthara and Halsin in terms of the degree of personality development throughout the game, Minthara is prescribed better and even has her own different ways: to change herself for the better or to remain a bad girl. And I'm not gonna say that she doesn't deserve this because most players choose the path of good and there is no point in investing in the development of her character. Not at all. On the contrary, it shows that it is important for developers to take into account every detail in the game, and if players want to play the game differently for a change, they will discover a lot of new things and say: "Oh, dude! Minthara turns out to be not as bad as she seemed at first glance!". And this is really a wonderful move by Larian, which doesn't allow players to get bored and makes them look at situations and the characters themselves differently. (And by the way, if some character is in the minority according to the preferences of the players, this does not mean that it deserves to receive poor development.)

As for Halsin in this case, at the moment not only his romantic content is missing, but also his very development as a character and a full-fledged companion. This can be explained by the fact that he was probably recently added as a companion, and there simply wasn't time for him to prescribe more things that would reveal his character and potential to the fullest. Considering Sven Winke's recent post on Twitter, where he announced that Larian will again involve voice actors to record new content, there is a chance that these flaws will be fixed in patches and Halsin will get more interactive scenes than those he has now. (As far as I know, Minthara is also suffers from a lack of romantic content, as does Halsin, so I suggest waiting for now and following the official news from Larian …)

It's sad to see that new players who don't experience early access called Halsin a rather boring companion compared to others. However, players from early access spoke about him much higher and more positively, otherwise he wouldn't have become one of the popular characters of the community. So, why did this happen? I can explain this by saying that at that time Halsin was just something like an episodic character that we just had to rescue from the goblin camp and he would tell us everything he knows about our parasite and where we should go for further answers then. (And for an episodic character, that would be enough.) After that, we witness how he scolds Kagha because of the rite of thorns. And I think a particularly strong point was that in the case of Arabella's death, Halsin says in raised tones: "As for the Idol? It's nothing compared to life! A mere object, next to one nature's creations! You showed no pity, no remorse. I cannot absolve you!" I've seen people write admiring comments like: "Until that moment, I thought I couldn't love him even more!". The way he expresses his thoughts, shows concern, compassion, or regret and disappointment mixed with anger (because of the death of a little girl that Kagha allowed) - all this showed us the traits of Halsin's character and caused emotions among the players. Someone thought he was too soft, and someone admired his kindness. And that's how it should work, so that the character evokes different or even contradictory emotions in people, anything but boredom or the feeling that something is missing. This is what makes the character interesting, we want to learn more about him, see how he will behave in other situations and especially how he will react to the Baldur Gate City itself. And I can also note that we were particularly interested in his story with Ketheric Thorm, which he tells us about after the Tiefling party, as well as what he feels guilty about and what unfinished business he mentioned.

Unfortunately, much of what concerned Halsin's personal growth in the release version of the game remained not fully disclosed and seemed unfinished, especially in act 3. His quest during act 2 was challenging from a gameplay point of view, but from a story one it was quite touching and helped us learn a little more about Halsin's past and that the spirit of the land named Thaniel was his only childhood friend. We also learned a little about his parents, as well as the reason why he became the archdruid.

But the story of the shadow curse still remained as if unsaid, and also we didn't see any of his interactions with Ketheriс Thorm, which I think deserved to be realized, and were not limited to Halsin's stories only about Ketheric if we ask him. An interesting fact is that for a long time there were hints in the datamine that Ketheric's daughter Isobel died because of Halsin (correct me if I made a mistake somewhere, please). And I remember, I saw there that Isobel was killed by the spear 'Sorrow', the same spear that we can get in the secret vault in the emerald grove. Not to mention that in Halsin's room we can even find his diaries, in which Isobel was mentioned several times. This would have added a lot of intrigue and special opportunities for Halsin's interactions in the plot of Act 2 itself, but for some reason it remained behind the scenes and even if we ask Isobel about how she died, she cannot remember her killer. Although there are some special dialogues between Halsin and Isobel in the game files themselves at the moment, but there are none of them during the gameplay. I dunno why it was necessary to cut or change these things, and it is not for me to decide what to do here after all. But in my humble opinion, it would have added fire to Halsin's plot in act 2. I would regard this as a fact that even such a good and kind character as Halsin can make mistakes, has his own shortcomings and even dark sides. Therefore, before the release of the game, I had high expectations that Halsin would play a much bigger plot role in Act 2 because of these intrigues between him, Ketheric and Isobel than what we have in the game at the moment. The feeling of the whole story being left unsaid is still present in Act 2, but who knows, maybe it can be improved in patches?

When Halsin became our full-fledged companion in the game, we got new options for the dialogues, but very few of his interactions in the future. It's as if the development of his personality in the second act ended along with his quest. Remember what wonderful scenes with companions in Act 1 we watched over and over again when we stayed overnight in the camp. It helped us to get to know them better, to love someone or hate someone. Halsin definitely should not be deprived of this, we still want to get to know him so that later we can draw conclusions about him in Act 3 and help him find his own path, as it was with the other companions. We got to know our companions during acts 1 and 2 to see the end result of what we experienced together in act 3.

What confuses me is that the developers seem to have paid more attention to his sexuality than the development of his personality instead (not to mention that scandalous story of his sexual slavery to drows in his past, and he only tells us about it after we sleep with the drow twins in a brothel in his company). This looks especially sad for romance, because it looks like Tav fell in love with Halsin more for his sexy muscular body, and not for what kind of person he is. After all, even in real life, we fall in love with someone not for having a fine big booty, but for how a person presents themself to the world and how they treats us. I want to add here one quote that I just remembered: 'Personality is much more important, because the external beauty of a person is taken away by old age, but the beauty of the soul will remain forever.'

In act 3, at the moment, Halsin reveals much less, but we can still see some hints. After he appoints a successor to the Emerald grove in his place, and after we help heal the lands from the shadow curse, Halsin apparently has a conflict with himself about finding a new goal. He notes that he does not like the city of Baldur's Gate, he is saddened by the fate of orphans here, he would also like people to see a friend in nature. And there are also curious moments in his reasoning about shadow druids and their methods. But all this remains so far only at the level of discussions and comments that pop up sometimes. And we can only find out at the very end that he decided to find a new goal in helping people and orphans from the city in Thaniel's world. And you know, it's a really great idea, but I have this feeling again that in act 3 we missed a lot before he came to find this goal in his ending. The idea of his personal path still remained unfinished to the end. I also heard that he was supposed to have some kind of quest with a druid circle in the city, well, let's see if we'll have a chance to see it in patches.

Сomparing Halsin with the rest of the party, he still looks pretty unfinished in terms of development by the end of the game. Because each companion has their own personal options for the path of development, which we are able to influence, and we can notice the difference in the change in the character of a certain companion comparing with what they were in act 1 and what they became by the end of act 3. We can see what Shadowheart can be like if she rejects Shar, or what she will be like in the future if she becomes a dark justiciar. Astarion can remain as a spawn, but at the same time preserving himself as a person and not turn into the likeness of Cazador, whom he hated so much. Or we can help him become a Vampire Lord and the power will intoxicate him so much that he will even begin to dream of taking the city itself in the end. Even Minthara, the companion opposite to Halsin, also has her own personal path of development. But with Halsin himself, unfortunately, this is happening pretty weakly at the moment...

We have been discussing a lot lately what would help for the development of Halsin's personality, so that he could be on a par with the rest of the companions. And I'll start with an excellent thought from my dear friend @merrinla, which would give an excellent opportunity for the development of his personal path, which at the moment in the game looks somewhat unfinished (but I still believe in the power of patches, official writers and the love of fans!❤).

Considering that his background is labeled 'outlander', this makes him a person who grew up in a wild environment, wandering a lot, living in harmony with nature, free as the wind. And even his best friend is the spirit of the land, not from the ordinary people. In his youth, he lived this life, unencumbered by responsibilities, exactly before the crisis moment happened, which was a shadow curse that abruptly changed his usual life. And for 100 years, his goal was to heal the lands from this curse. Plus, his duties as an archdruid piled up here and he didn't have time for his own desires at all. "I was forgetting who I was," as he once told us. After the events in Act 2, he does not seem to be eager to return to the emerald grove, but keeps in touch with Francesca to find out news from there. He speaks quite critically about the city of Baldur's Gate, but he has a desire to help people here and make life in the city better. And I think it would be appropriate here to let Tav tell him something like: 'You know, Halsin, it's not for nothing that people say that everything can be found in Baldur's Gate. Maybe you can find yourself here too?' and also try to change his views on the civilized world, because at the moment he is not familiar with this world too well, and we could help him adapt, convince him that the city itself is not so bad, and find himself here. Even the romance with him will look great with this option.

So it would be a suitable solution if Halsin also had his own development paths: 1 - if he trusts our advice and assistance in adapting to the city, which will allow him to become more civilized. 2 - we agree that he is right in his critical views on the city and civilization, and ultimately he decides to remain an outlander.

I think that even his ending with the orphans could also look different depending on the choice of his personal path, as well as in the case of the romance with him. This is a really great idea, and thank you @merrinla so much for sharing it with me!🙏❤

I would also like to give my comment about Halsin's role in our party. Considering that we have often witnessed conflicts between our companions, in Halsin I see something like scales holding the balance. Someone like the 'father' of our party, an adult wise mentor with whom we could consult about our experiences and ask for his advice. And I would also be very happy to see how he will try to calm our companions in case of any conflict.😂 His wisdom and mentoring experience just have to play a role in our party. If we go on a romance path with him, I would really like him to let us know that he will always listen to us at any moment and support us. Maybe we could even unobtrusively take his hand in return for a while to show how much it means to us. It would also be nice if Thaniel could communicate more with Halsin in the camp, and, in the case of romance, in a dialogue with us, he would notice that Halsin cares about us. These cute moments and his modesty suit Halsin much more than excessive sexual innuendos.

I dunno if Larian will do something about the fact that in the game files Halsin should have received more interactions with Isobel. But I think it would be great and intriguing. And interactions with Ketheric would also be perfect here (Girls, don't start a fight until I find my popcorn😅). And it also seemed strange to me that Halsin had no reaction to Zevlor's betrayal. Maybe it's a bug or just another flaw, who knows. But it would also be good to get this scene, even if he was at our party at the time of the showdown with Zevlor. Maybe it would be nice to organize some kind of his reaction to Nightsong, too, given that Halsin learned about her from Aradin, but he thought she was an artifact, not a living angel. Some interactions with our pets in the camp, I think they should be for Halsin too. (Let him stroke Scratch's belly, haha) And also… the arm wrestling scene of Minsc and Halsin when? Just imagine how funny it might look, 'cause even the dialogue with Minsc about it was hilarious.😁

That's all for today! Thank you guys for reading this review to the end, and also join us in discussions in the feedback about Halsin of the official Larian's discord club! I wish great success to Larian and I thank them for creating this wonderful game for us, which unites people and allows us to discuss many things. We love you and hope that you will also succeed in your future projects, and I also wish you good luck and inspiration in working on new content for BG3!❤🙏

[the-grand-gemini]

Big obsessed with all of the BG3 villains. The themes of the cycle of abuse/trauma in all of the main cast makes me feral over how the villains unfortunately do not/did not get the opportunity to be "saved" by Tav (if doing a good playthrough) and by experiencing the heros journey.

I could talk about Ketheric and Orin, but after reading @bearhugsandshrugs fic it got me deep diving into Gortash's character. It's amazing and everyone should read it especially if you're weak for Tav/Gortash like I am 👀💦

Trigger warning for abuse mentions below the cut.

Let me start with stating this is NOT an Enver Gortash apologist post, he's evil and he's done terrible things. This is just me yelling into the void about character foils.

Childhood abuse:

In game we really only get to know his history through background information that we can scrape together if you search through the city and the House of Hope.

We don't get any details on what exactly Enver went through as a child. We can assume neglect/possible violence from his parents given his mother's words and the fact they sold him. We get to know that he was beaten when living in the House of Hope, but not what other possible horrors he could have experienced there (not including just the trauma of witnessing the other debtors and Hope), what age he was, or for how long (if anyone knows more timeline wise I'd love to know) he lived there before he escaped. We don't know how he escaped either, if he had help or did so on his own.

I'm no child psychologist, but abuse has lasting effects as we can see through all of the main party. Victims of abuse tend to have difficulty moving past certain emotional stages in their life. Aka a person abused in their childhood may have issues maturing emotionally without therapy, etc (again I'm not a psychologist). There is a strong possibility that "Child" Enver is still probably holding the reins emotionally while adult Enver isn't even aware of how his past affects every action and reaction he has at all times.

I can't imagine how living with Raphael during ones formative years being healthy in anyway, but we can definitely see some of the learned behaviours he's picked up from the Cambion. A focus on possing/presentation, a suave persona, torturing/using people for his own gain, a general lack of empathy, deal making, similar attire with devil motifs...

Unhealthy coping mechanisms:

Speaking of attire, Enver's coat not allowing Fear to be cast on him speaks volumes to me. Imagine the absolute horror of moving from one situation of abuse to another much worse one in the hells as a child/teen and probably being in a state of fear/anxiety at all times. Enver wearing a coat that doesn't allow him to feel fear gives me three main thoughts:

1. He is doing everything in his power to avoid that specific emotion and therefore prevents himself from thinking about that period of his life. Meaning he is not confronting his trauma the same way the main party is forced to throughout the game.

2. Narratively does the coat prevent him from feeling any fear at all? Or do we just go with the game mechanic that ensures he cannot be made afraid by the fear spell? If it prevents him from feeling fear at all (which I think is narratively more interesting and you can take this headcanon out of my cold dead hands) how does this effect his every day decisions? Fear prevents risky decisions all the time, it's one of the emotions that actively keeps people alive. Psychopaths usually don't experience fear the same way an average person would. Given his many horrific actions (the Iron Throne being a key example) I wonder how much his forceful removal of fear has done to his perception of rational thought. If you aren't afraid of consequences what's to stop you from doing anything at all? Selling a loyal body guard to the hells, torturing an entire faction of people in order to manufacturer your own personal army, stealing from an immensely powerful devil aka mother fucking MEPHISTOPHELES??? He presents himself as calm and collected in conversation. He appears as if he's the most rational of all three villains when he's really just as awful when we look into what he's actually been up to vs seeing Orin and Ketheric kill people on screen.

3. Where did he get the coat? Did he make it himself or was it a boon from Bane? A promise to a devout worshiper that he would never be made to feel afraid or beneath anyone again?

Another abuser - Bane:

Speaking of Bane... Another user (please tag if anyone can find the original post!) mentioned a line Astarion says where he states that he prayed to all the gods, but none answered. OP wondered if Enver, trapped in the hells and desperate for salvation, called out the same way... only for Bane to be the only god to answer. I'd die to know specifically when he was introduced to Bane and made to be his chosen.

We know Bane is considered an evil god and we even find that if we kill Enver and then use speak with dead that Bane is torturing him in the afterlife for failing him.

Given this abusive relationship is Enver a foil for Gale, a man groomed from a young age by a goddess and left with the consequences when his actions did not meet her expectations?

Is he like Shadowheart, someone who was given no alternative and made to believe they willingly chose their god only to learn they were deceived and never had any other options?

Like Wyll he's cast out by his father (or in his case both parents).

Like Lae'zel he's worshipping a deity with false promises, how can he believe he'll rule the entire world like a god himself when Bane the god of TYRANNY would see no other at the top but himself (Was he secretly planning to use the crown like Gale to usurp Bane or just pandering to us)?

We know he and Karlach are absolutely foils for each other given that he is her abuser and like himself Karlach was forged by her times in the hells only to survive on her own merits.

Those are my thoughts! Would love to know anyone else's on the walking red flag that is Lord Enver Gortash.

If Enver lost his memories like the Dark Urge would he be given a chance to redeem himself through his actions? Could he with his knowledge of infernal engines fix Karlach's heart

Would Enver have ever become Lord Gortash if not for Bane...?

Anyways if anyone wants to yell at me about Enver, Orin, or Ketheric please feel free to do so! I love characters who fell through the cracks because they had no one there to help them only to crawl out themselves and burn the world.

[namig42]

Spoilers for Astarion's lore below!

So question for Astarion lore appreciators: why do you think Cazador specifically targeted Astarion all those years ago as a target to turn?

I've been thinking about this mainly because of the fact that Cazador's main seven spawn all seemed to be people of notable positions in life, such as Dalyria having been a doctor and Violet having been a singer before being brought into Cazador's "family." I could see how the jobs that the other spawn had before could benefit Cazador in one form or another, so I'm fascinated what he could've gained from turning a magistrate of Baldur's Gate. None of the main seven spawn seemed like a coincidental choice for Cazador, so what was it initially that led him to target Astarion?

After Astarion was turned, he never performs his duties as a magistrate again, so if it was political power Cazador was searching for, he would gain nothing from turning Astarion. He could've built a relationship of sorts by bribing or blackmailing Astarion while the young elf was still living and serving in his position, but he decided to turn him instead and make Astarion his own. Outside of proper political power, I can't think of what skills a magistrate would have that would serve Cazador, unlike a singer who has a natural charm for luring others or a doctor that could put her healing skills to use, or perhaps lead poor, wayward, sick souls to their doom in the Szarr Palace. A magistrate may have a skill for conversation which could be used to lure prey back to Cazador, but that's not something unique to that position, so there wouldn't be a reason to specifically target someone in that higher, possibly more notable position within Baldur's law system. Cazador even makes a point of telling his spawn not to target members of noble families since it leads to unwanted attention, so perhaps we can imply that Astarion's family was not one of note, and the position of a magistrate isn't one of great significance.

With all that in mind, Astarion's former position seems irrelevant. There's the idea that Cazador was simply captivated by Astarion's wit and beauty and wanted to have it for himself, but why go through all the trouble of framing a Gur and getting them to beat Astarion to near death? Why not lure him to the palace with some promise of power and turn him there? It would be easier to fake Astarion's death if he was beaten in the streets, but I'm sure a disappearance in a city the size of Baldur's Gate wouldn't be the most pressing of news, especially if my former theory of a magistrate not being a notable position in Baldur is correct.

My favorite idea I've read is the idea that at one point when Astarion was alive, him and Cazador had met at some social function, and while Cazador was immediately infatuated with our favorite pale elf, Astarion rejected Cazador's advances with that same mentality of "it's not you, you understand, it's me. I have standards." To think that Astarion made Cazador feel dejected and that Cazador took that personally and created this whole scheme as his first punishment for Astarion sounds so incredibly cruel yet in character. Framing the Gur, Astarion commiting that Gur to the death penalty, being beaten almost to death as a result for his judgement, and all to end up with Astarion falling into Cazador's clutches where he would become Astarion's tormentor, it adds to that insane cruelty that would only go on for years and years until the events of BG3.

Or perhaps it was all a pure coincidence that Cazador was there that night when Astarion was nearly killed, though I find that hard to believe. Why would he be out in the streets anyways? He had at least one or two spawn already to hunt for him, so for him to be outside walking around the streets of the city all alone seems unlike him. Cazador doesn't seem like the kind of person to lean on chance or do things on a whim, especially in terms of something as precious to him as choosing his spawn, so to think that he simply saw a pretty face bleeding to death and took it without any regards as to who the person was before being turned doesn't seem to fit his character. After all, how could he effectively torment this new spawn if he didn't know the life he pulled them away from?

I'd love to hear people's thoughts! Any other theories or points that maybe I haven't considered yet? Please share!

[your-talos-is-problematic]

WIP Wednesday!

It’s that day again! Tagging @umbracirrus @thequeenofthewinter @skyrim-forever @trickstarbrave and @throughtrialbyfire.

Here’s some cute little BG3 writing! In true Probby fashion, I had a thought of “wouldn’t it be cute if…” and it blossomed into a one shot. This one features Omeluum and Blurg, everyone’s favorite ‘research partners’. Besides finishing it, the main thing left do be done here is making sure the dialogue stays in character. Some implied sexual content here, which I very elegantly stated in my outline as “they smoooorsh”. Also spoilers for a big main quest in Act 3. In my usual style, the double spaced paragraph breaks are gaps to fill in later.

————————————————————————

It had only been a few weeks since Omeluum had been half carried back into the Society of Brilliance hall, its tentacles bloody and its body smelling of sewage. It had been unusually distant since then. That was typical of any humanoid who experienced trauma, but strange for the illithid.

It sat on top of its desk, letting its feet dangle just off of the edge. It had probably been standing too much during the day. As it’d explained, illithid feet weren’t meant to be on the ground for a long time.

“Blurg. My species’ mind does not share the thought patterns of yours. If the scar was an issue, I would have treated it immediately.”

It tensed, then released its tentacles in an approximation of a sigh. “Within the Iron Throne, there were… demonstrations of the capabilities of humanoids to an extent I had yet to witness.”

I released a low grumble from the back of my throat. The difficulty of having an illithid research partner was that it didn’t always know how to communicate in a normal, conversational way. “That could mean a lot of things, Omeluum. 

It attempted to grab the bottle from me by wrapping the base of a tentacle around the bottle’s neck. I opened my palm and surrendered the bottle to it, for which I received a polite nod.

It finally brought a tentacle up to my cheek, lightly curling it up towards my eye. I knew from its descriptions that the tentacles were highly sensitive to both physical stimuli and mental energies. That meant it could feel every fur on my face and, undoubtedly, the arousal tugging at my mind. I could certainly feel its own.

It looked away in mock disinterest. The hints of playfulness were a part of interacting with Omeluum that few others understood. In a way, that made it feel like our own secret, like I knew it in a way nobody else did. Which was true. I reached a hand up to lightly touch the tentacle that was on my face, which pulled its wet, yellow eyes back to me. It stared for a few seconds. “It’s been a while,” it finally said.

“That it has.” I set down the notebook, deciding I could leave the science for later. “How do you feel about… reconnecting again right now?” I could keep a straight face while saying it, and Omeluum rolled its eyes. Neither of us found innuendo particularly helpful. On the contrary, we both found it exceedingly frustrating, which had blossomed into a strange inside joke between us.

“That would be ideal. And it is what I’ve been hinting at.” It swung its legs back and forth in clear excitement.

I laughed again and stepped close enough to lay a hand on its shoulder. As I walked forward, it moved its extended tentacle from my cheek to around my head. “I know. We’re not much for hinting, though,” I said. I pushed the robe off of its shoulder and stuck my head under the base of its tentacles to kiss its awaiting mouth. My hands had memorized the rest.

[darkurgetrash]

BG3 Backstory Bash by Kelandrin

Introducing Volyrr - a.k.a, my Dark Urge!

Thank you to @charmedcleric and @auspex-author for this tag!! I'm a bit late to it because I wanted to do it for my durge character Volyrr (he/they) but my computer deleted all my screenshots of him & his save file off my memory stick (laptop went for repairs) because it hates him. 😔 Now that I've healed from that annoyance and have restarted his save file... on with the tag! I tag @thisisagift-youknow, @savriea, and @thegoblinwitchqueen ~ no pressure!

AN: I have ideas to eventually write a prequel Durgetash fanfic using Volyrr. If you think that's something you might be interested in, (it won't be for a while) you might not want to read the following as there will be heavy spoilers!

Baby:

Birth/Parents:

Volyrr's father is Bhaal who, of course, poofed him into the world. He was created to be a Lolth-sworn drow to put fear into the heart of his enemies, however, before he could be found by Drow in the Underdark, he was discovered by a Myconid colony who took him in and raised him as their own.

First word / tantrum / walk / sickness:

He communicated with Myconid's through telepathy, so his technical first word wasn't actually until he was six, when he said 'thank you' in common to a travelling merchant who'd gifted him an apple from the surface.

Childhood:

Friends:

Volyrr had friendships within the Myconid colony and was wary of any outsiders. He never met another child throughout his whole childhood as Myconid's are created, not born, and children don't tend to explore the Underdark. Because of this, his main friendships outside of family came from animals of the Underdark - especially the rothe.

Siblings:

He did not have siblings in a typical manner - the whole Myconid colony were his caregivers without any distinctive roles.

Getting into trouble:

He rarely got into trouble as there wasn't much potential to; he was well disciplined by the colony and taught that peace was the ultimate way of life.

Birthday:

The concept of 'birthday' was foreign to him during his childhood. Later in life, he decided to just tell people it was the same day as Winter Solstice because it was easy to remember.

Games / Learning something new:

Because of his unique upbringing, he developed druidic powers (Circles of Spores, for obvious reasons) very early. His favourite game was to transform into a rothe and race against his animal friends. He was a very athletic kid.

Trauma:

He was a happy child, content living the Myconid way of life because he didn't know there was any other alternative. He, of course, experienced deaths within the colony - but was taught that death was a beautiful inevitability. He didn't fear it.

Teenager:

Rebellion / Running away:

I moved this label to the top of this section as it's important for clarifying the rest. When he started puberty (age 20) he also started developing the Dark Urges™ from papa Bhaal. It wasn't long until he was cast out of his colony as they revered peace even above family and could sense his urges through their telepathic bond. The urges became worse after leaving the colony and lead him to the surface, where he spent the majority of his time in wild form, hunting down prey to satisfy his urges.

Reckless behaviour:

Volyrr was reckless in murdering adventurers, not knowing the laws of the land. He was caught in the act many times but his druidic magic was powerful and witnesses didn't stand a chance. He only got seriously hurt a handful of times and was able to escape and heal himself with medicine proficiency.

First love:

After some decades of living mostly in wild form, Volyrr had learnt a lot about surface society by watching passing adventurers and had picked up a good amount of common - though was a selective-mute who rarely spoke. He travelled to Baldur's Gate and there met a fellow run-away - Enver Gortash, who was of the same proportional age (late-teen). Volyrr's quiet disposition and Enver's chatty, outgoing personality made for a compatible dynamic, and so they became fast friends. Volyrr quickly developed a crush on Enver; the first person to ever bother getting to know him as people were always put off by his drow birth and mutism.

Peer pressure:

Some years later, Gortash was recruited by the cult of Bane and pressured Volyrr into joining him. After doing so, Volyrr started receiving direct communication from his father in the form of Sceleritas Fel and decided to join the cult of Bhaal instead. This caused a rift in his and Enver's relationship and they fell out as a result.

Taking responsibility:

Volyrr was never forced to take responsibility for his crimes as there were never any surviving witnesses to them and he was encouraged by the cult of Bhaal to continue his murdering ways.

Adulthood:

Aging:

Again, I moved this to the top just for consistency's sake! Volyrr ages as a normal drow - reaching adolescence at age 20 and adulthood at 80. At the start of Baldur's Gate 3, he is in his mid-nineties.

Their "first time":

His first time was with Enver after they reunited over a decade after falling out, now both the chosen of their gods. It had happened spontaneously after they'd gotten drunk celebrating having stolen the Crown of Karsus.

Serious relationships:

After his first time with Enver, the two started acting more as a couple than just friends/partners in crime. The two never labelled their relationship and weren't exclusive, but Enver was his first love and first relationship.

After losing his memories during the events of Baldur's Gate 3, he entered into a serious relationship with Astarion and later Halsin as a polycule. When he re-met Enver in Baldur's Gate, he had no recollection of the relationship they once had and was convinced by Halsin to kill him rather than partner with him; ending the archduke's reign of terror.

Work:

Before BG3, he was the chosen of Bhaal and ran the cult of Bhaal. After the events of BG3, he returns to the Underdark with Astarion and the other vampire spawn, helping to source food for them.

Finding your place:

When Volyrr had woken up on the Nautiloid, the only memories he had were of his childhood before the urges began - this meant that he had advanced knowledge of the Underdark and still largely considered it his home. This is one of the reasons he chose to join Astarion in the Underdark rather than stay with Halsin on the surface - the other reason being that he knew Astarion would need him more. Halsin didn’t join the two, not able to leave nature behind, and so they departed amicably as friends.

Starting a family/ Found family:

Volyrr had travelled only with Astarion and Halsin, loving them both with his whole heart. After moving to the Underdark with Astarion, he considered the vampire spawn to be his new family, thinking it reminiscent of the Myconid colony he grew up in... also, he adopts a Bulette as his pet, names it Meatball, and uses it to ride around like a horse. 🫡

Thanks for reading this essay of a character background!😆 I hope it all makes sense and has minimal typos because I just proper smashed it out. I just love my guy so much and I hope that you do too now.🥺❤️ It'll be fun to eventually write fanfic for him. I might do another one of these posts for Tavlyn after finishing LMTTD, but I with hold off for now because spoilers. 😉 xo

[picathartidae]

OC Insight - What kind of love are you?

Take this uquiz as an OC and share the result

Thank you for the tag, @the-pale-elfs-love! I have elected to do this for all six of my main BG3 characters, so sorry if this is a bit overly long. I thought the results tracked pretty well with how they're all characterised.

Tagging: @vestigialpersonality @pantsbutfancy @rinwellisathing (I know some (all?) of you have already been tagged, I'm sorry, I don't know a lot of people)

Alassane (Astarion romance)

Love as a Performance: Your love is a masquerade, a dance, a work of art. You love with a veil across your face, unable to allow anyone to see the real you. Can that be considered love, you wonder? As a performer, you have all your lines prepared, and you know exactly what to say and when to say it. You’re charismatic and bold, seductive and hypnotic. Your love is a snake’s melody, the siren song of the sea. Your love is enchanting. Your love is melodic. Your love is afraid and fearful and longing. You ache to tear the veil off, you ache to cast poetry aside for the sake of something real and gritty. You’re terrified of the very thought. Being loved by you is to be loved by an artist; it is to be a muse. It reflects others beautifully, but never, ever yourself. Not really. Not truly.

2. Aleksandra (Gale romance)

Love as Religion: Devotion, that is the name of your love. Your love is an act of worship. Your love is like witnessing the birth of Venus, like seeing the sun come alive, or the stars fall. When you love, it is because you have found God in a lover. You have found the meaning of life itself in the heart of the one you adore. They are everything to you; they are your Maker, and you are their lamb, their flock, their first and holiest worshipper. When you fall in love, it is as a baptism. You are born anew, made a believer in the divinity of the one you love most. Being loved by you is an ascension; it is holy and golden. It is all-consuming, and all-faithful, loyal as the dog. You will never, ever bite back.

3. Iscah (Wyll romance)

Love as a Threshold: Your love does not ask for much. Your love does not take. Your love is free, and unquestioned, and here for wherever needs it. When you fall in love, it is as gentle as a breath in the night. It is quiet, and it is effortless. It is tender. If your love was a house, it would readily welcome all who come through. If your love was a hearth, it would warm the hands of whoever stopped by, whether for a day, a month, a year, or forever. When you fall for someone, it is without strings, without conditions, without need. You love for the sake of loving, for the sake of caring for those who need it. You love with a giver’s heart and a giver’s hands and are made so much stronger for it. Being loved by you is to always feel at home. Your love may not always be well-received by those unprepared to linger, but it is unforgettable all the same.

4. Sasko (Shadowheart romance)

Love as a Choice: You choose to love. Love does not come to you easily, but every day you wake up and choose it. It would be so easy, wouldn't it, to grow cold and callous and grim. But you rise to greet the world, making the conscious effort to find something, anything to love. When you fall for someone, you do not kid yourself of their flaws. Instead, you resolve to see them for who they are, mistakes and all and you love them all the same. Your love is work, and it does not come easy. Your love sweats and toils. It is calloused and sunburned; it bears scars and comes with stories. Your love is worn, but it is no less valuable for it. Being loved by you is like being loved by a gardener, a mother, a teacher. Your love may not always be the simplest, but it is worth the effort.

5. Ria'on (Karlach romance)

Love as a Threshold: (see Iscah's result above)

6. Sevan (Lae'zel romance)

Love as the Dawn: Pastel, saccharine and hopeful, your love rises slow to greet the day. It tiptoes on doe feet and blossoms bit by bit, petal by petal. Love is new to you, isn’t it? A fresh discovery in a world you do not quite understand. Your love loves with bated breaths. Your love swoons and sighs and lingers under awnings. Your love romanticises. Your love aches as tenderly as a bruise. You’re swollen with desire and idealisations. The perfect kiss, the perfect touch, the perfect partner in life. Your love is wide-eyed and innocent, naive and pristine and oh, so very easily breakable. Being loved by you is to be loved by a child, by a lamb, wooly-eyed and helpless. Oh. I really hope it lasts.

[morgana-ren]

lore mommy- could you tell us some bits about halfling? I'm new to D&D and want to create a halfling character, but I don't have a grasp on their perspective of the world yet (other than that they are curious little creatures)

Halfling! My first character was a Halfling sorceress when I was young!

Halflings, like a lot of the races that aren't expressly human, have a slightly longer lifespan, though not quite as long as the elves. They're very amiable with most races, most especially humans, whose company they seem to enjoy greatly (for some reason.) They're a bit quicker witted and cleverer than most humans, which is to be expected seeing as they lack the stature for raw strength most of the time and rely on their wits and speed instead. (Actually, they don't get along with orcs, same as most races. They aren't enemies, per se, but they aren't friends either.)

They, also like most races, have their own special culture. They tend to be very community oriented, and don't have anything resembling kings or congress, but instead tend to have something more along the lines of 'community heads and elders.' They're nomadic, described as having a 'wanderlust' and being a little bit like a diaspora of people, so you can find them in most places, integrating into society as well.

Strength, as I said before, isn't their strong suit. Hah. Strong suit. But they make excellent thieves, archers, and anything else that tends to rely on dexterity as a main stat. They can also be warriors or anything in that vein, but they can't wield great or colossal weaponry, seeing as it's like twice their size. Halflings, like other races, could have exceptions to these rules.

They seem to have a great love for traditions, as well as festivals and song. In a way, they're very much like Hobbits. Oral history is a lot of how their traditions are kept, though it doesn't seem to be in a 'Morrowind Urshilaku wise woman' kind of way, and more of a 'Hobbit' kind of way.

They look a little cartoonish in BG3, but mostly, they just look like scaled down humans in canon.

They tend to be jovial and friendly, but they are by no means harmless. Keep this in mind, because they will use your biases against you. They don't really tend to have that nasty, clawing aspirational need that drives other races, and tend to be happy finding pleasures in a simple life. You won't really find one vying to be king, is what I'm saying.

They make great rogues, or if you're really looking to subvert expectation, make them a warrior, although it won't be easy unless you get crafty with it. They are usually neutral or good characters, but you can make one a shifty, evil little bastard if you want. Their pantheon deity tends to be Yondalla, but I mean, technically, you could make a Baneite halfling. Keep 'em on their toes.

[udaberriwrites]

A - Ships that you currently like a lot.

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom

? :)

Thank you for the ask! 😊

A -

So the latest fandom my muse is obsessing over is The Scum Villain's Self Saving System, (grumble @mikaharuka 's fault grumble) and... I think if I had to categorally choose just ONE relationship, it'd be Shen Jiu & Shen Yuan, the overprotective/possessive big brother Shen Jiu trope is so good 🙈 For romantic ships, I love both Luo Binghe and Liu Qingge paired with Shen Yuan 😁

P -

Random AU, hummmm...

For a canon divergence one: In BG3, Vlaakith learns of the artifact a bit sooner, and tracks down the rumours to Baldur's Gate. Who to send but a highly regarded young warrior who wouldn't dream of betraying her?

So Lae'zel arrives earlier, perhaps around the same time Shadowheart is sent on her mission. What follows is a battle of wits and blades as the two enemies have to outsmart each other, lay false trails and survive the murder attempts of an enemy they can't help but have a growing respect and admiration for...

K -

I will always, always adore the character arc the writers of Deep Space Nine gave Nog. At first he was just a minor character defined by his relationship with main cast members, and yet the writers gave him an arc that beautifully encapsulated the soul of Star Trek, of striving to be the best version of yourself you can be even when you can't even quite understand what that means and even with the occasional stumble along the way 🖖

[chronic-escapee]

Baldur's Gate Thoughts - Tav

I love the way that people have been creating their Tavs for BG3. Truly love it so much, but it's gotten me thinking about my own Tavs and the two playthroughs I've done (so far. this game owns my soul so there will be more) and the idea of sculpting Tavs for the origins they're fated to romance.

Like, my first Tav - Iridia - was a lore bard with love and care in everything that she did. She focused on the big stories and spreading light and joy among all of her companions and missed whole areas of the map because she was focused on helping specific character quests and the main line. She ended up romancing Gale in all his magical, cute wizard glory, being the soft, mortal hand he needed.

But

My second Tav - Lorelai - is a storm sorcerer with lightning itself in her veins, a biting attitude, and enough sass to take Astarion in a battle of wits. She's romancing Karlach - both of them burning bright and like a flash of fire and lightning. She's funny, and fiercely loyal. She explores and completes every quest.

Neither of these characters have any backstory. Neither of them were fully fleshed out when I spent an hour in character creation. But they became exactly what their partners needed because I, as a player, want to give these Origins everything they need. And I know that every playthrough I do (even my Durge playthrough which comes next in my lineup), I will continue to do that. It'll be an accident every time, but some part of me will be what people need.

I just really love that.

[sins-of-the-dragon]

Catharsis: Nightmare Fading - Short DA2 Fic (Reader Comfort) 1,642 Words

This is a re-imagining of a short fic piece I wrote for BG3. It's not really a fic story as much as it is a way to cope with traumatic memories through the medium of fiction and reframing memories/reality into something less painful. It's written in second person (you/your) with a non-descript gender neutral reader character. So this is your CONTENT WARNING - There is discussion of a traumatic incident. It is vague, there are no details of anything happening besides it being an incident with one or more people involved. The premise, in short, is that the characters of Dragon Age 2 have found a way to our world through The Fade and are turning up at the moment the reader needs them most. The hurt is vague but the comfort is the focus, with a view of "what would the characters say and do in this situation".

The original piece, Catharsis: Rewriting History (based on the characters from Baldur's Gate 3) is on AO3 here and has a very similar premise and vibe to it. This one isn't on AO3 yet, I'm still deciding whether I make a pseud for my account to write more Dragon Age or if I stick to may main fandom fics for now and just post a few odd DA musings here with a minific or two. Let me know, really, if you'd like more of my DA works~

Anyway, full fic below the cut. --- ---

Catharsis: Nightmare Fading It wasn’t fair. Life never was, perhaps, that you would come to know experiences like this. Pain you wished you couldn’t imagine - in your body or your soul, you couldn’t even tell. Perhaps it was both, your entire consciousness dissolving beyond physical and emotional agony to just focus on one thing and one thing alone. Live.

The air shimmered and crackled behind you, but with everything in front of you your mind was already seeking an escape from reality. You didn’t notice a thing until there was a short and muscular man carrying an impossibly large crossbow standing in front of you. “Sorry I’m not good at this kind of thing. But I’m here, and so are the rest of them. We can talk later.” He glanced back, the soft hint of a smile crossing his features before he turned back to the source of your pain. 

You blinked, unsure of what you’d seen, when you felt strong arms scoop you up, holding you tight against a broad chest. “Sorry I’m late, it’s not easy to navigate the Fade to cross worlds.” 

“They don’t need to worry about all that right now - are they alright?” A feminine voice this time. Chancing a glance at their faces, you saw they had to be related, maybe even twins. Even the red stripe of what you hoped was makeup across the bridge of their noses matched - they really were like two versions of the same person.

A woman in heavy armour stepped past the three of you, her face kind but hardened, ginger hair tied back in a neat but loose braid falling over her shoulder. “They will be.” She addressed you directly next, voice softening. “This won’t make sense right now, but someday it will. You can trust us, and don’t let anyone tell you to turn the page before you’re ready.” The woman turned away again, gripping her sword more tightly and striding forwards. 

Before you could gain your bearings again, you felt a wave of energy wash through you. Cooling, soothing, your body felt…better than it had in a very long time. “There you are.” A new voice, light and almost musical but with the edge of a weight behind it that told you he carried burdens of his own. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve…we should’ve been here.”

“We are here, or have you taken leave of the last of your senses in the Fade?” A gruffer voice spoke up, both men coming into view now. Something about them was familiar, tugging at your heart, pulling threads of memories that had yet to form. They looked at each other with animosity, but when they turned back to you… “Venhedis… You need to leave. What comes next is not for you to witness.” The tanned man was covered in lines of white tattoos that were beginning to faintly glow blue.

“Perhaps mercy might be an option?” The one holding you spoke again, but his words spurred a simple and wordless response. You shook your head. He squeezed you just slightly in his embrace as he acknowledged your decision. “Maybe not then. They’ve made their choice.”

You almost recoiled as the sharp edges of the tattooed man’s gauntlet reached towards you, but the pained look in his eyes mirrored your own. Perhaps if roles were reversed… The metal was cold, but his touch against your cheek was surprisingly gentle. “I will be back for you, when it’s over.” With that, he turned to leave, the light emanating from his tattoos glowing even through his armour. 

“You never deserved this. Not a single moment.” The other man who had been beside the tattooed warrior bent towards you, long blonde hair almost completely veiling your vision for a moment as he kissed your forehead. “I can’t promise you peace…” His voice seemed to change, taking on a slightly different tone as a subtle lightning crackled around his eyes. “But I can promise you Justice.” 

As he turned to leave, sparks playing around his fingertips with his raised hand, the man holding you turned too. The woman with you gestured towards a shimmering hole in reality, a green tinted world beyond, and a man in white armour with vivid red hair and bright blue eyes standing beside it. “It’s time to leave.”

You leaned more against the one carrying you, his ‘twin’ staying close and occasionally putting a hand on your shoulder. Risking a glance at the strange world around you, there were two women standing nearby waiting for your arrival. “Telanadas, ma vhenan. Come, with us.” The tattoos across her face were almost as endearing as her smile as she began to lead the way.

“Maybe you should leave the navigation to someone with a better compass.” The other woman turned her by the shoulders to face another pass. “Would you two mind being a bit quicker? This place is creepy…” 

—

A short time later you were in an unfamiliar room, a fireplace heating the area and lighting it with a welcoming glow. It was clearly a part of some large mansion, and though you’d never seen it before, there was something about it that felt like…home. The group with you sat you down on a large plush couch near the hearth, giving you a steaming mug of something that tasted smooth and soothing. They were a strange group. By the time the others joined. They told you stories - ones that you wouldn’t remember, but each word drove back the dark shadows trying to crowd into your mind. Softened the edges of the memories already trying to claw at you every time you blinked… 

Listening to them, watching them together, it was hard to understand what brought them all to the same place, the same cause. But the pair sat either side of you seemed like the common thread…or was it you? The shorter blonde man, who kept his crossbow close even while relaxing, was the best storyteller by far - if you were to rank them. He spoke of worlds, people, things you could hardly imagine. He also had a good many jokes, humour and wit shared by several of the others in the room. It felt like you knew them, their past, present, and futures all blending in your mind but never quite clear - it was like an impressionist painting, a mosaic half faded… The other blonde talked about cats a lot. You could almost imagine him with little cat ears on his head, but every now and then his voice sounded more serious as he spoke with you. More sincere as he asked deeper questions, a little blue lightning sparking in the depths of his eyes when he tried to comfort you with talk of what was right and just. There was little justice in the reality you left, but here…here you could almost believe him when he said he would move the stars in the sky to change your world if he could. 

Despite their arguing before, the white haired man with the tattoos over his body agreed on that point alone. His support held an anger to it, a ferocity that would have scared you had it not been abundantly clear that he meant it all to be protective. Not exactly the knight in shining armour that the fairy tales spoke of, but he understood…he had seen…he was not without sympathy for your tears. Even if his solutions leaned towards the violent. 

The dark haired woman with the tattoos on her face brought you some food, things you’d never tasted before, sweet and comforting. Every time you thanked her she almost glowed at the praise, her demeanour nothing short of adorable. When she asked if she could hug you, you worried for a moment that she might never let go as her grip was so tight and warm around you. One of the other women chided her though, reminding her to let you breathe.

All of their names escaped you, as if there were a layer between you that you couldn’t quite break down, but it didn’t seem to matter. While one told you tales of a wild and exciting life at sea, another told you of her dreams to settle down peacefully with someone she loved. The red haired man with his piercing blue eyes seemed most unsure of himself, but he was clear that no matter what path you chose to walk he would support it. 

For those hours, everything melted away. Fear, pain, every darkness of the world you left was chased away by the light around you, the warmth that closed in around you like a blanket. The last thing you heard before sleep claimed you was two voices speaking almost as one person. 

“Someday you’ll be making a lot of hard decisions for us…for me… They’re too hard for me to make alone, and Maker knows I’d rather not have to choose some of them at all. But I know…I know you will guide me in the best way you know how. That you will tell my story, and my companions’ too, that none of us will be alone with you watching over us. So, until you meet us all again, that’s what we will do for you.” 

Even their faces were blurring together as one in your mind, the slight pressure of their arms around you from either side melding into the feeling of the tangled sheets and blankets of your bed as the last of their words faded into a soft echo. 

“When the shadows are dark and the nights are long, we will be your light.” “When the fear from the past comes to claim you, we will fight it.” 

“When all hope seems to be out of reach, we will help you find it.” “Better days will come. Hold on, you’re not alone.”

— --- ENDING NOTES --- --- This one goes out to everyone who can in any way relate. We can try to reframe our memories into something less painful, to bring our minds back from the edge of a spiral or flashback in whatever ways work for us. Please always remember, loves, that you have survived all of your worst days up to now. Get through one moment at a time if you need to, and things will get better again. And even whilst they are awful in the moment, Hawke was right: You're not alone.

[the-eldritch-it-gay]

Hi there! I was wondering, if you're interested, if you could talk a bit about your process/inspiration for Majexatli's backstory? I feel like I never struggle with my actual dnd characters but something about it being a video game has felt really overwhelming & thrown me off so my seldarine drow paladin has remained anonymous 😓 But I love love love learning more abt your character!

Coming up with a character backstory can be tricky! I totally feel you, it generally takes me a while before I can get any idea. With video games I also feel it’s hard because there’s not as much room in the game to fit character backstory or lore. I also apologize if this is a little scattered, my brain is not always my own, nor does it always exist in linear space.

In general, the process I have has a couple parts. One is just a general vibes, kinda, for example, with Majexatli, they’re a Druid with the Outlander background. So I just pick some random bits that come to mind—with that background I imagine they don’t live in Baldurs Gate or maybe they were born in the city and left later, Druid (Circle of the Moon) in PHB is described as often going days to weeks without seeing another person and spending a lot of time in wildshape so that also sets a bit of scenery for their character. (Players Handbook or even in game lore isn’t góspel though, the main idea is just look at your character race/class/background and try and flesh out a little something there. Doesn’t have to be big, for example with Majexatli what I got is basically just “spends most of their time in nature and alone”. Metaphorically this isn’t like painting fine details or even shapes, it’s more like picking colors). Here you can also do some very basic character things—do they have family ties? Cultural ties? What are the big picture basic things about them?

The second part, is mainly, come up with a defining moment of their life (in the case of a bg3 tav, something prior to being abducted by mindflayers). This doesn’t have to be something tragic, it can be anything. Did they meet someone? Lose someone? Get taken under the wing of a mentor? Change career/life path? Get into their first battle? Run away from home? Have a major injury or illness? Witness some event? Stumble across some dark magic? Make a pact with a devil? Join some sort of group? It doesn’t even have to be the biggest or most important thing in their life, just something that can give an anchor point of their character/story. And you don’t have to have something detailed, just an idea. (Going back to the painting metaphor, this is like blocking in shapes)

For Majexatli, their defining moment was shortly after becoming a full Druid (so they were 18/19), they had a near death experience when venturing out on their own for the first time. In part I came up with this because I wanted them to have some cool scars.

Now from there I start to fill in the gaps, it doesn’t even have to be all at once, I just slowly build on what I establish and connect things.

So I look at Majexatli’s outlander background and that near death experience as they first started as a Druid and make a connection there. Rather than having them be an outlander because they’re a Druid, Majexatli is an outlander because after that event, they have had a strained relationship with their Druid Circle and rarely interact with them. Then I go okay what could be the reasoning behind that. How did they join their Druid group in the first place. Are there specific people in their Circle who they are particularly close with or particularly estranged with? I look at these questions and I slowly answer them and ask myself more, and interconnect things. (Metaphorically this is adding details and layers to the painting)

I ALSO just take a bunch of my own experiences and traumas and process them using ocs as a proxy, so I tend to consciously or unconsciously pepper in struggles or details that reflect what I’ve been through. That’s not a requirement, it is just how my character backstory process ends up.

Write things down to keep track of things, whether it be making text posts and dropping oc lore or just having a notebook or google doc with various snippets of story and details you come up with. I have a document on my google drive that’s basically just me adding random snapshots of backstory or interactions with companions or their handling/reaction with in-game events.

Another small thing that always helps me, is I imagine my character as a companion. What sort of dialogue would they have—in bg3, you might never have all the complete details of a companions backstory, but you get pieces and hints that come together to form an image. So sometimes especially when still trying to figure out a characters backstory, rather than write out some elaborate history, I pick what little hints or snippets there would be, how would my character talk about their past? What would they say about their past to a stranger? A friend? A partner? Are there things they would lie about? Things they would omit? Etc etc

I hope that gives some help? Like I said I’m a little scatterbrained 😅 my final advice would be, don’t be afraid of tropes! Sometimes the easiest way to build a character is using tropes/archetypes which you can then build on or subvert.

[catsvrsdogscatswin]

My mutuals have been chattering about BG3 recently, and after paging through a few walkthroughs -and as a disclaimer, I still know almost NOTHING about D&D lore as a whole- I have been struck by the increasingly strong urge to write a RWBY crossover fanfic.

Because, like, the whole shtick with BG3's intro/plot hook is that the astral-plane-traveling bad guys have kidnapped a number of people and shoved transformative tadpoles into their brains, but the player character crashed their ship and now we all have to find a cure for the malfunctioning but still parasitic and dangerous tadpoles in our heads.

And the thing is, that could so easily include someone from RWBY. The ship passed by during its wild flight and yoinked somebody/some people out of the dimension of Remnant, because reasons, and now the RWBY character(s) have to deal with the BG3 plot. It's really tempting because flinging literally any of the RWBY main cast (I'm thinking at the current point in the timeline) into the original party would be such a delicious culture clash.

They hate/don't trust gods on principle, so dealing with Shadowheart/Gale/Lae'zel's religious issues would be a delight to witness and probably involve at least attempted deicide. The fundamental aspect of being a Huntsman/Huntress is continuously risking your life to protect strangers, so Karlach/Astarion/Wyll would get no further than "I'm sad because abuse/mistreatment/manipulation :(" before weapons would be drawn and a hitlist planned in beautiful detail. The Grove would be saved in record time because defending villages is, again, literally in the Huntsman/Huntress job description.

And even on the RWBY folks' end, it'd be fun to mess with because what do you mean magic is a super common normal thing? What do you mean trained warriors can't soak up hits due to their personal spiritual forcefield? What do you mean there are species beyond human and human-with-one-animal-feature walking around? What do you mean you guys don't have high-tech guns? What do you mean your world isn't overrun by perpetual hordes of monsters?

The plot bunny is itching at my brain.