#she was born and raised in the underdark

[vyrantium]

this screenshot is hilarious to me. like damn guess who's the bard...

also her name is mal'lauaynrae now, but she just goes by mal 🫶

[rosecreates]

Consider this my finalized "List of My Tavs" because I've made one for pretty much every class I'm interested in playing at this point (having made 3 more since my previous post about the Tavs I have and including Sylve this time because I love her, even if her playthrough has been completed) and I think they're all a very lovely various bunch of ladies.

From left to right, top to bottom...

Sylve: High Half-Elf / Ranger - Beast Tamer

Raven: Lolth-Sworn Drow / Bard - College of Swords

Nimue: High Elf / Sorcerer - Draconic Bloodline (White)

Ez'ria: Githyanki / Warlock - The Great Old One

Bea: Half-Drow / Wizard - School of Necromancy

Lusine: Mephistopheles Tiefling / Paladin - Oath of Devotion / Deity - Selune

Fortuna: Fairy [Modded Race] / Bard - College of Lore / Deity - Tymora

Elrayne: Seldarine Drow / Cleric - Light Domain / Deity - Eilistraee

Lorona: Levistus Tiefling [Modded Subrace] / Rogue - Thief

Acantha: Seldarine Drow / Ranger - Gloomstalker

Helene: High Elf / Druid - Circle of the Moon / Deity - Silvanus

(Not bothering to specify romances this time only because several are undecided and several are just Astarion because this white-haired vampire has me in chokehold but Elrayne and Karlach are super cute I'll say)

Edit: I changed Helene's image because my intention for her is "Moon/Nature Witch" in terms of appearance, and well, the new outfit I've given her fits better.

[lunastrophe]

Drow Lore 🕷️ Drow Terms Of Address (part 2)

More terms of address for drow characters and (Lolth-sworn) drow - drow interactions. This time a few tips on how to address your drow lover in various types of relationships 🖤

🕷️ Choosing A Lover - in a Lolth-sworn drow society, a female always makes the first move. In theory, she is free to sate her physical desire with whatever partner arouses her attention. In practice, though, it is not always that simple. Sometimes things get complicated: when the person she wants has already been claimed by another female, or is subjected to someone more powerful, or is a member of a rival noble house, or (in case of females) has much higher station than her.

Drow males cannot choose their lovers, at least not female ones. In a Lolth-sworn drow society, they have no right to consent - or to refuse to consent, for that matter. They are simply taken by females and they are expected to comply and satisfy them, since rejecting (or disappointing) a female is customarily punished. It is not uncommon for females to torture or even kill their male lovers on a whim.

Typical (female) drow pickup line is probably something similar to kla'ath ussa, jaluk ('serve me, male').

🔹 Drow can refer to their lovers as: xi'hum ('pet', 'plaything'), seriso ('lover'), m'ranndii ('mate'), also mrimm d'ssinss ('female lover') / mrann d'ssinss ('male lover').

Mrimm d'ssinss means literally 'inspiration of seduction / allure / charm'. Both mrimm d'ssinss and mrann d'ssinss are terms that may indicate some dose of admiration - they also sound quite intimately, like half-purrs, half-whispers.

🕷️ Lover Of A Noble Female - matron mother's chosen mate is called ilharn ('patron'), but she is free to take as many lovers as she wants to. A male lover who is not the patron of the House, but enjoys the matron's favors, is called parzdiamo ('male playmate'). A lover of a noble female with more or less established status can be called zil ('consort').

Being attached to a powerful female is often seen by drow males as a way to raise their social status - patrons (or favoured consorts) usually have rivals seeking to undermine their position.

Males born or adopted into noble houses, especially the most talented or promising ones, are treated in many ways like their matron mother's property. Matron mother has the right to decide which females can or cannot have them, and she may even "borrow" the most valuable males to females of other houses - in exchange for favors, information etc. Such males are sometimes "borrowed" for breeding purposes.

🕷️ Lover With Feelings - developing genuine feelings for your drow lover may be a very bad idea. Such a thing is not only dangerous (according to drow, all trust is foolish), but it is also seen as unbefitting a drow and forbidden - and can be punished with torture or even with death.

It applies especially to female-male relationships (the fact that Lolth really, really hates her ex-husband may have something to do with this aspect of Lolth-sworn drow culture).

Drow do fall in love, though - very rarely and mostly with other drow, since they tend to perceive non-drow as inferior. According to Drow of the Underdark, 3.5e: "the sudden urge to consider someone else's well-being is a strange and frightening experience [for a drow]. Many drow react violently to love, seeking to destroy the object of their affections before they are further "corrupted" by the odd sensations. Those who don’t become violent usually make every effort to either impress or dominate the object of their affections, depending on their relative social standing. (...) for even the most loving drow sees little difference between intimacy and possession."

🔹 Drow can refer to a loved one as 'che ('loved one' - or at least as close as a drow term can get to the meaning of this word) or 'chev ('beloved'), or even quor'vlosara ('soulmate').

🔹 Drow can also use terms of endearment like ussta ssinssrigg ('my love / longing / passion' - ssinssrigg traditionally means all these things, also 'greed' and 'lust'), or ussta alurlssrin ('my love' - alurlssrin means unselfish, deep love; it is a term introduced to drow language by Eilistraeans, so probably not widely known in the Underdark).

🔹 (From BG2) ussta mzilst ssin'urn ultrin ('my most handsome / beautiful conqueror') - words of a female drow who has fallen in love with a man from the surface.

In a Lolth-sworn drow society, lavishing your drow lover with sweet words and tender gestures is something that should be done only in private - being discovered can mean torture and / or death for one or both of you.

For more of my drow lore ramblings, feel free to check my pinned post 🕷️

[glacierclear]

If it's alright to ask, you mentioned in her bio that Otherday had a skewed and flawed impression on Selûnite worship. Can you please elaborate on that? Does Otherday not worship like other Selûnites? Does she not understand Selûne the moon goddess entirely?

(disclaimer: i have a pretty surface-level understanding of d&d religions and cultures, this is mostly based off what i can glean from baldur's gate in my time playing.)

otherday was born and raised in the underdark. she was neither seldarine nor lolth-sworn. she was abandoned by her birth parents for reasons unknown to her and was raised by a colony of myconid. as a kid, she'd explore on her own and stumbled on an old, dilapidated selunite outpost (similar to the one you find in-game, if not the same one) and was fascinated by the old journals/texts, artifacts and selunite symbology.

she could basically figure out that they worshiped the moon and someone named selune. and she picked up the basic teachings of acceptance and tolerance, and the mindset of being self-sufficient and humble.

her idea of a "moon" was a little off the rails. having never seen the sky, she figured the giant white circle she saw in all the murals WAS selune, and the depictions of the pretty white haired lady was just a different person. maybe they were friends, too, since every selunite loved having friends in her eyes.

and obviously, she has no idea what a "nightsong" or a "nightsinger" is. she's seen vague mentions of these things and probably thought selunites really just loved music. which made sense to her. even her myconid family loved to dance! all nice people must just be really good at dancing and singing.

most of her misconceptions are bizarre and goofy but ultimately harmless. i want to brainstorm more small misunderstandings because the idea is very silly to me.

she's a pacifist, and will aid and help anyone (even if it's the stupid/wrong choice to do so) and sees it less as a "religion" and more of a "family". she has no interest in spreading the faith or converting potential followers. she just never shuts up about how pretty the moon is and will be friends with anyone. the most intimate way to bond with her is stargazing under the full moon with her.

most notably, she has almost no understanding of the complicated history between selune and shar. she holds no stigma against sharrans and, in that same vein, is confused when sharrans react negatively towards her outward passion towards selune.

it's like rain on glass to her, though. she has the mental fortitude of a cinder block and takes almost no insult to her "religion" or character to heart.

[meanbossart]

Did Drow ever have a childhood before the temple or was he raised in it? If he did does he remember it? Sorry if these are silly questions I want to make something and I want it to be accurate.

(Heads up for A Novel Experience readers - these are technically spoilers as well as character lore, so, if you wanna stay totally blind to later developments, just don't read past the cut-off.)

Not a silly question at all! He would have found the temple only by age 18 (does that number mean anything to Bhaal/ the drow race? Probably not. Does it help me sleep better at night that he was at least of legal drinking age by the time he got introduced to his murder heritage? Yes It does). He doesn't really remember anything from his childhood other than that he was raised in the Underdark for a time, knows some basics about the culture and harbors a deep hatred of drow women and general dislike of drows. He knows he came to the surface quite young and spent over half his life above-ground, and honed his survival skills during that time, hence why he doesn't have any sun-sensitivity.

As for the details of his up-bringing, he was found somewhere in the wilds of the Underdark as an infant by a couple of slaves who took pity on him, then brought into a family where he was adopted by a matron and her consort who' d just lost their first-born son. Obviously, drows aren't known for their benevolence, but they found there to be something prophetic about this baby that had somehow stayed alive in spite of the Underdark's unforgiving nature, so they decide to keep him as a kind of marvel/curiosity, figuring if he didn't amount to much they could just sacrifice him to Lolth later.

Within the family he was pretty much left to his own devices, with the matron taking a lot of entertainment out of his weirdly feral behavior. He would just eat vermin and bats if she didn't bother feeding him, fended for himself and just showed a lot of strength for a child, not to mention that he never asked for anything or complained about the hand he was dealt. At some point he killed another family's son that picked on him, and, naturally, his foster mom loved that, lol.

ALAS, he killed her and her consort when he was about 10-13 years old, and then just left. Sceleritas would have appeared to him around that time and led the way to Baldur's Gate, while providing him with some basic aid and pointers to survive, though mostly just observing to see if he could prove himself worthy of his heritage by staying alive. He spent years living in the woods and city-streets he passed through, getting sustenance from eating game he hunted, food he stole, and, sometimes, people he killed. Probably fell under the care of a couple of unfortunate souls along the way who likely met a gruesome end, and finally arrived at the temple as a young adult where he lavished in his newly found status.

[spiderwarden]

it's easy to forget that Minthara herself is a social abnormality in her home. She -

- is tired of the concept of having multiple partners, due to experience, and finds she prefers monogamy.

- is part of the Baenre circle who is pro-labor work, and working off debts, and criminals working off crime, favors all of this heartily over enslavement.

- gardens, likely prefers the company of her plants to people.

- would have been open to peace between the Underdark and the Surface Governments, like her Grandmother Yvonnel before her. This want for surface relations and peace, is what lead to her capture in the Absolute to begin with.

- has a more direct raising by her mother than most normal high born households, including being breast fed as a child - she did not have a wet nurse like most.

- thanks to aforementioned, she would have a more direct hand in her own children (and existing children)'s lives.

- married young, or what was close to Drow marriage, and was likely ready to commit a full life to said wife figure.

[tashas-cauldron-of-magic-soup]

Kazimir "Kaz" Littlemoon

surface drow of Waterdeep - the halflings' son - ranger extraordinaire - the dread ambusher - the stag who fell in love with the bear - freckles

Meet him below...

Brief Backstory Kazimir was the third born son of Matron Mother Phaeravine of House Vrammith and her favored consort, Nalaxle. He was born in the summer of 1371 DR, the midst of the Peace of Lolth. A period of uncharacteristic nonviolence for Lolth followers, as the goddess declared a halt to all drow sacrifices. As such, Kazimir could not be killed at birth, as is customary of all third sons and beyond.

Yet Phaeravine, already humiliated at having born twin sons directly before Kazimir, had other plans. She abandoned him to die of exposure in the Underdark. Hoping that Lolth might not notice her disobedience and be convinced the infant's death was accidental.

Fortunately, an adventuring party happened beside the cave where the infant Kazimir lay hungry and crying. Among them, the halfling ranger Quindelline Littlemoon. She brought him home to her wife, Rosina, on the surface and they raised him as their beloved only son.

Kazimir was raised in a majority halfling village, Farwallow-upon-Dessarin, just outside Waterdeep and grew up going to the city regularly. His mothers had him confirmed into the Church of Eilistraee as a child to help protect him, in case any of his biological family came looking for him. They raised him to be kind, considerate, polite, and headstrong. All things drow men ought never to be to Menzoberranzan standards.

He grew up to be an adventurer for hire and fell in with many adventuring parties over the years prior to his kidnapping. And even found love in the form of Mysendra Moonheart, or Mystie as she's better known. The moon elf bard that played at Dagger's Rest, the tavern where Kazimir rents an apartment on the top floor. Even though their decade long open relationship was cut short by her father calling her back to the Dalelands to fulfill her betrothal and take over her family's estate, they remain lifelong best friends through regular letters.

He also found tragedy in his relationship with Joss Merryck, a half elf rogue whom he adventured with from time to time. Joss was a Zhentarim, though barely. He wished to be rid of his duties to the guild, but no one ever truly leaves. Though he found some reprieve in his time with Kazimir. Joss became Kazimir's first male lover when they could finally no longer hide their mutual feelings. But the relationship would end suddenly after two years, when Joss broke it off. He was found dead near Skullport not long after, killed by rival Xanathar Guild as an example to spies. He never told Kazimir that he'd been caught, lest the ranger try and foolishly save him. Kazimir still carries the silver locket Joss gave him on his birthday.

Kazimir was kidnapped by mindflayers somewhere around Amphail as he was travelling to a beast extermination job contracted by a minor Waterdhavian noble. Giant rats eating up their crops at night. He was likely taken around the same time as a certain famous wizard prodigy.

His first order of business upon waking up on the beach is getting a letter up to Waterdeep. He needs to tell Tess, the owner of Dagger's Rest, that he's alive and to assure his mothers of that fact. They're too elderly to a fright like that.

The Ballad of Kazimir Littlemoon (Collected Lore WIP) Menzoberranzan (1/2) Menzoberranzan (2/2)

The Surface (1/2) The Surface (2/2)

Waterdeep (1/2) Waterdeep (2/2)

Ship Name: Honeygloom (Halsin x Kazimir)

Spotify Playlist

Template Used

Dividers Used

[spacebarbarianweird]

Dhampirs of the Sword's Coast

Got some Dhampiric brainrot for a while and ended up creating following characters - kids of the Vampire Spawns, "Grandchildren of the Night"

I don't know what I am going to do with them but it probably would be a fun fic series.

Let me know in the comms, what you think about all these.

Eben and Eren - Dalyria's twin sons. They lived in the Underdark until they turned 10 when their human-father took them to the surface. They are identical and extremely attached to each other. Probably, the first-born dhampirs.

Ulsha - Half-Orc Paladin of Latander. Born in the Undedark, she grew up among the Vampire Spawns. At the age of 20, she decided to go to the surface and was so shocked to see the sunlight, that she gave a vow never to return undeground.

Theris - Tiefling Bard. Extremely horny but also very talented as a singer. They were abandoned in the streets at a very young age (probably, the very day it became clear they were a dhampir). They fuck everything that moves and if doesn't move, they move it and fuck.

Alethaine - High-Elf Necromancer. Astarion's daughter, she has mannerisms of a royalty. But at the same time, you can often see her digging graves wearing her best dress because she needs to interrogate some corpse.

Mierni - an autistic human-wizard. Very smart but has little to no communication skills. Was literally adopted by Theris.

Harnotir - a Dwarf-conspirologist. Embodiment of "Pepe Sylvia" meme.

Sven - Human. Was thrown away by his own mother at the age of 12 (for being a dhampir, of course). Sven believes it's possible to create a "kingdom of dhampirs" and very idealistic.

Margot - Human-Berserk, who drinks blood to enter the "raging mode". She is heavily addicted to blood and extremely agressive. Sebastian's daughter.

Nomi - Halfling-Cleric, a delusional person who believes you can "pray dhampirism away"

Mother Rosmer - a vampire. Conceived at least three dhampirs from different vampires when she was mortal. Then, yet another vamire turned her into his bride but got killed by her kids. Runs a brothel with vampires and dhampirs as her workers. Every dhampir knows her "House of Blood Pleasures" is a safe place for them (and a good hub to collect information about possible contracts)

Irina - a noble human. She was raised with a belief dhampirs and vampires are abominations. At the age of 16, her fangs grew and she was forced to run, betrayed by her husband-to-be and his family. Irina never fully accepted who she is and ended up in Mother Rosmer's brothel.

Morth - Half-Elf Rogue. Has mannerisms of Inigo Montoya. He is one of the rare cases when a dhampir has good relationship with both of his parents (this includes the twins and Alethaine). Morth is talkative and street-smart and often acts as a leader (unless he fucks up, and Ulsha has to sort thing out)

Kir - half-drow. His origin is unclear but Alethaine and Mierni suspect he might be the first dhampir of the second-generation (a granchild of the Underdark Spawns). He is Rosmer's right hand and runs the brothel as an administrator. He solves problems with clients and the workers. Bisexual.

Black Dimra - a shaman with her face hidden behind a black mask. The closest thing dhampirs have for a religious leader.

[ashprince-of-bel-air]

The Bard and The Wizard

A/N: This is my first time writing an OC character so i am very nervous about it, any criticisms or gentle nudges would be appreciated and I hope you enjoy it! Hoping to make a few parts if people like it!

Summary: Jaenerys is a Drow, disowned by her family for wanting to be a bard rather than a Wizard, she makes her way to Baldurs Gate where she takes up employment in Sorcerer's Sundries as she tries to find work performing.

2.1k word count

Baldur’s Gate was everything that Jaenerys thought it would be, it was bright, bustling, and full of people, a far cry from her hometown where people where more conservative and didn’t interact further than a polite hello in the street. No, this was where Jaenerys wanted to be, where she had dreamed of being since she was a child, no longer living in the isolated home that her parents had chosen. Being a Drow woman, she was afforded many luxuries and a high station from her family, none of this is what Jaenerys wanted. She wanted to perform, to sing and entertain the masses and be adored for the joy she could bring people, not just for what she was born as below the surface.

Jaenerys was not raised in the Underdark like so many of her race, her parents attributing this as the reason why she was the way she was, kind and gentle. Her parents wanted her to be firm and powerful, to instil awe and fear into those that met her, much to their dismay no number of punishments or beatings would remove her kind nature. It was a beautiful midsummers day the day Jaenerys was disowned, a day she could remember all too vividly. Hers were a proud family that consisted of many an accomplished wizard, this was a dream they wanted for her. It was not to be so, as much as they pushed Jaenerys she was stubborn and pushed back, she was talented at magic, truly she was, however her heart was set upon music. Her fingers weaving the strings of the lute as one would channel magic in the air, her voice echoing in the air was its own type of spell, anybody that heard her was enthralled, practically drawn in as if she were a siren, though her parents would not admit that. They wanted to stick to tradition and were sure that this was a phase that would pass.

All the underlying emotion came to a head one night in the summer, it was an innocuous night of no consequence, a day that Jaenerys would look back upon and ponder on why her mother snapped that day. It had been a day like any other when Jaenerys came home and found her lute in tatters in her mother’s hand, her face distraught at the scene of such cruelty.

“It’s time you start living in the real world Jaenerys, I won’t have any more of this music nonsense in my house.” Her voice booming and seething with anger as she holds the broken lute up as a trophy, the broken neck of it sparked tears Jaenerys’ eyes, it was her one escape from the harsh world her family had created around her. “You need to do what is right Jaenerys and embrace the tradition of your house, you disrespect us with this pathetic music.” Her mothers voice laced with venom as she threw the lute down onto the floor, creating a sad echo from the broken strings as it clattered against the floor.

Her mother’s voice was curt and unforgiving, the tears spilled from Jaenerys’ eyes freely, she had always felt that she was an outsider, but this fully cemented it. Her family had never been supportive of her music, the beatings and verbal vitriol they spouted at her were nothing compared to what her mother had now done, she had destroyed the one thing that made her happy. Anger threatened to spill out, but she could not unleash it, Jaenerys would not stoop to their level and prove that she was just as bad as they were.

One deep breath is all she took, calming her inner rage at her mother.

“Fine.”

That was all that transpired between the two of them before Jaenerys turned away, she did not even bother to stay and collect her belongings, she would much rather busk and sing on the road and beg for money than be tied to her family that did not care for her at this point. Jaenerys was done with being a puppet to be used to further their station, she was not sure that her life would be better without them but it sure as hell could not be any worse, she did not care, all she wanted was freedom, the freedom to make her own choices and mistakes, of which she was sure she would make many.

With the clothes on her back and the small trinkets of jewellery that Jaenerys sold along the way she managed to make her way to Baldur’s Gate, it was a rough journey, not the comfort that she was used to but she just chalked it all up to “Character Building” and would make a note to make several songs and poems about her journeys to Baldur’s Gate and her life. True art came from pain and suffering is what she told herself and allowed her creativity to help her heal. All the music Jaenerys sung before this were hopeful and romantic, something little girls would listen and dream about, no, this new music was raw and full of passion, feeling herself mature and grow with each verse she created on the road. Though the road was rough and hard; Jaenerys had managed to sell a variety of trinkets and heirloom jewellery that she wore, she had no qualms about selling it, wanting to cut any and all ties that she had to her family. It all brought a decent amount of gold, enabling her to finance a room in a small inn in the city for a few weeks whilst she found a place to perform.

A few weeks pass with no joy for her, no place wanted to hire a Drow, “Racists arseholes” is what she muttered under her breath every time, she knew she was good, that she was better than what people thought when they saw the colour of her skin, she just needed a chance, . Time was ticking and the money from selling her heirlooms was running out now, she would need a job before long to keep paying for her lodging, an aspect that Jaenerys was dreading. She had never had a job before and was dreading it, her parents never allowed her to work in any capacity, claiming that it was peasant work, and she would not sully the family by doing such a thing. The fact she was a Drow did not help as well, she saw the way some people had looked at her in the streets, avoiding contact with her or looking at her as if she was a Lolth worshipper, this scared her even more, what person would want to hire her if the general public were so fearful and averse?  

Jaenerys applied for many jobs, receptionists, administrators, bookkeepers an even a barmaid. The first job she heard back from was from Sharress Caress as a barmaid. Jaenerys was not aware of the reputation of the so called “Tavern” that it claimed to be, attending the interview with enthusiasm, finally hopeful that someone would take a chance on her. It was not until she entered the building that she realised what it truly was, she could have forgiven a lot of what went off in the establishment until the man interviewing her told her that the role was for a lingerie barmaid. Jaenerys could feel her eyes go wide with disbelief as they said it so casually, remarking that the popularity of “The Drow Twins” made them think a Drow lingerie barmaid would attract even more business. It was a very quick refusal as she stood up and stormed out, she was desperate for a job but would not stoop so low and disregard her dignity for one. As luck would have it, the day after she declined the Role at Sharress Caress she was offered a placement at Sorcerer’s Sundries as a saleswoman and assistant, it was now under new management and needed to overhaul the way it was run. It felt too good to be true, but she would attend the viewing, nonetheless.

Sorcerer’s Sundries was a magnificent building, towering over its surroundings, blocking out the sun as a person stood in front of it. The magic flowed within the air as Jaenerys entered the building, her back tensed slightly, magic reminded her of her family and it was not a pleasant memory, yet she could make this work, she was good with magic and was sure that with her charisma and confidence she could at least make a few sales here, even despite the general public’s reaction to her, people who came her wanted knowledge and magic, they were not bothered who you were. Approaching the main desk Jaenerys looked around for an assistant or anyone for that matter, she wanted to know who she was meeting to discuss the role. An apparition appeared before her, startling her slightly before realising it was a mirror image, the slight sparkle and hum of it giving it away. It was an interesting and beautiful visage, a tall, lean Tiefling now stood before her, his voice deep yet she found it to be comforting. She stated her business, and it directed her to the tower, where she would await its master for further consultation.

The walk up to the tower was uneventful yet reassuring, for the first time in weeks Jaenerys had not been stared at or had been subject to a disgusted look by the public, it was a nice feeling, to feel like everyone else and that she belonged finally. The door to the wizards study was just a few steps away, nervous about the whole endeavour she stood there, palms now clammy as she tried to dry them against the sides of her robes, if she had to shake the wizards hand she did not want to give a bad impression, she wanted this, more than she would admit to herself. The door was hard against her soft knuckles as she rapt them against it, hoping she was not too quiet.

“Come in” A deep voice echoed from inside the room, the same one that she heard from the mirror image in the lobby, this did not make Jaenerys feel any better, she enjoyed the mirror images form but now to see it in the flesh, she hoped that her composure would remain in tact for this encounter. Slowly she opened the door and crossed through the room, coming to stand before a desk situated in the middle of it. As she stood there she saw a deep crimson Tiefling man, crouching over a stack of books, muttering curses to himself over how they were organised, stating that it was done with no rhyme or reason.

A deep annoyed sigh left his lips as he stood up, still glaring at the books. “I hope you have some good organisation skills because this is the first thing I want you to do.” His voice came out exasperated as her rolled his eyes at the stacks of books before him, his body shifted as his eyes came to rest on Jaenerys, he raked his eyes over her curiously, he was not expecting her to be so beautiful, her beauty would not serve him though, it was inconsequential in his mind, he wanted someone who could get the job done.

“Apologies. I’m Rolan, Master of Ramazith’s Tower.” His voice was like silk and almost caused Jaenerys to blush before him as he smiled and bowed politely, one hand placed over his chest as he did so. “I assume you are here for the job. If you have the patience to alphabetise this catalogue of books then it’s all yours” He waved his hand gesturing to the books that lay around him in the study. “And it isn’t just these ones either, I have a library that needs quite some looking after.”

Jaenerys saw the look on his face, it gave her the impression that many people had applied but then subsequently turned it down, seeing the workload that was laid before them. She was too stubborn for that and also need the money, not to mention she loved a good system of organisation, that was one trait her parents liked in her much to her chagrin. A bright and enthusiastic smile broke out on her face, making herself act like this was her calling in life, that all she had longed to do was organise a litany of books for the rest of her life. “When can I start, Master Rolan?”

[mithraeris]

Orin the Red and Minthara

These characters have very interesting parallels, especially since Orin is the one Minthara fears most. TW: trauma, murder etc.

Conversation after killing Orin if you've also spoken to Orin's mother

Player: You're nothing like Orin. Minthara: Oh, but I am. Given what we learned of her mother, I see how similar we truly are. We were both born of trauma, both raised by parents who protected us with one hand and tormented us with the other. What was I when you first knew me? Before you ever knew me? A madwoman, butchering prey in the name of a god who would discard me without a thought once I was no longer of use.

Bhaal, Lolth… the Absolute. They do not have followers - they only have victims, and they reward devotion with death.

It is only because of you that I did not meet the same fate as Orin. Lost to madness and blood.

======= Speak with dead on Orin's mother:

File description: Sarevok is both Orin's grandfather and father. Orin's mother was his favourite, and he wanted her to become the next Chosen. Ordering her to sacrifice Orin to Bhaal. Orin defended herself and instead killed her own mother and in turn became the Chosen.

Player: Why did you try to kill your own daughter? Orin's Mother Helena: I... wanted... to be... Bhaal's... Chosen...Sarevok... told me... she... must be... my... offering... I... was... close... my hand... around... her throat..I... failed...

======== Conversation with Minthara if you ask about her past

Minthara: I am a daughter of Menzoberranzan's most ancient and powerful House, the Baenre. I lived a life of privilege and danger. My home was at the tallest point of Qu'ellarz'orl, the Place of the Nobles, a plateau high above the city's sprawl.

I enjoyed every luxury, whether harvested in the Underdark or stolen from the surface, and I survived my first assassination attempt while I still suckled at my mother's breast. I tasted her blood that day. She covered my body with her own, and a blade bit deep into her chest, almost puncturing her heart. When I came of age, she tried to take my life herself, and I gave her fresh scars to match those she earned protecting me.

[dark-elf-writes]

The Dursleys would deserve whatever the party does.

Imagine little Harry learning music from Tav and how to use a sword from Lae’zel who finds herself healing a little from how she was taught in her childhood. Imagine Wyll, after someone figures out the prophecy because it’s Faerun and no doubt they’d run into some diviner or the such, carefully helping Harry learn to be more then just a hero like he had to learn to be more then a Duke’s son.

Jaheira smiling at the sight of Harry giggling as she thinks of her old friends. Halsin helping Harry with nature magic. Just… all of them working together to help raise this little boy.

Arabella before she leaves playing with Harry and pressing her ring into his hands.

(The Dream Visitor feels quieter now for some reason, Lily’s magic adding a layer of protection over them all. Family by blood and choice.)

They would. And their plans for the Dursleys get more and more involved as more of Harry’s previous life is found out. They are currently trying to convince Withers to keep bringing them back to life so they can keep murdering them over and over again. As time passes Withers is getting mrie and more willing to do so pro bono.

Harry with wide eyes and pure awe on his face the first time he hears Tav play the violin. Tav teaching him each night in camp, smiling as they see little fingers clumsily moving over the strings and not even wincing when the note devolves to a shriek when Harry loses proper form with the bow. (They didn’t realize how much they wanted this until they had it. Didn’t realize how much they had always wanted a child of their own that could grow happy and healthy away from the horrors of the Underdark)

Lae’zel feeling a warmth in her chest as Harry looks up at her with those wide green eyes, hanging off of her every word as she instructs him. He doesn’t cry when he is knocked down. She still makes sure to tend to any scrapes herself… just in case.

Wyll looking at this fated child (a future stolen before he was even born, bound by fate to sacrifice himself to end a monster — he sees the resemblance to stage even more) and deciding to teach him to spit in the face of fate. To hunt for every loophole he can. To live rather than die for the greater good.

(If Gale lingers a bit too close for those conversations Wyll doesn’t say anything. He knows he doesn’t need to.)

All of them sighing with fondness when Harry comes back with more and more wild pets (they should have expected it, really, after Tav brought back a dog and an owlbear) but the one that sticks closest to him is a beautiful snowy owl with far too intelligent eyes. If Halsin and Jaeira had t both interrogated her to make sure she wasn’t a Druid in disguise they would be more concerned.

Arabella feeling a bit of her grief ease as she plays with Harry. Feeling a bit more like herself rather than a wild thing with powers she doesn’t fully understand and untethered without her parents. It hurts more to leave, but she snakes sure to smile if only so Harry doesn’t cry.

Spoilers under the cut

God the Dream Visitor. They would have such a little hater in Harry after the end of Act Two. Particularly if Harry had been dragged into the chaos of the camp attack and saw Tav say they didn’t want it only for them to be “convinced” to take the space worm. Just a completely feral child who saw someone hurt their parent and no one seems to be doing anything about it.

(He doesn’t fully understand everything about the mindflayers and the parasites but what he does know is Tav looked scared in those last moments before they took the worm and he didn’t like it.)

Also the act three kidnapping who else could be taken other than Harry? And imagine just how feral Tav would get when their child is gone.

[anxietiefling]

essek as a child was a constant paradox. independent to a fault since he could do anything on his own, stubborn as a moorbounder, he would still climb into his mother’s lap as a toddler, whenever he felt tired enough to deem it necessary. entitled, they would say, with a sniff and a raised brow, unruly. misbehaved. but in truth, it was the knowledge that he could always come back to his mother and her arms and lap would be open for his comfort. the loss of it came later. or maybe it was only in that he told himself so often he started to believe it. deirta watches him, sees the walls pulled up high. if she is at fault then by not telling him, i do not mind what they say. let them talk and foam at the mouth. i always will be a home to you. her bright, brilliant, marvelous child, who told her and everyone in no uncertain terms who he was as soon as he could, disabusing them if any notions the gods may have had in his creation. it pains her, that her first thought had been „no yet, please let him be mine a little while longer“. it had pained her most when the time for anamnesis came and went, and he was already too far away to reach. when verin had been born, essek’s contrary nature had only increased; his hands held his brother with more care than anything, but his eyes betrayed the relief at another chance, another son to hope for, surely this time a vessel for a returning soul.

essek as a child would drive his tutors do despair, when he started reading the books they taught him from and pointed out their inaccuracies, which he would recount in great frustration leaning into his mother’s gentle hands while she brushed and braided his hair.

the way deirta loves is by keeping predators from her offspring, by baring her fangs. she has lived too many lives to not know how words, too, can be teeth and that some predators come with the finest of manners. her blood was made in the underdark. it feeds her heart, no matter which body she inherits. she will sink her fangs into that which threatens and she will tend and hold and sway what her body bears, a desire that is bone-deep and blood-old. in her darkest dreams she strangled leylas kryn with her own braids. she weeps after, holding her sister’s body close and following its fading warmth. other times, all she feels when she wakes is the deep satisfaction of a threat disposed of. but even in her mind, her son keeps his distance

[haemosexuality]

about my tav, phynn (who is kind of a self insert):

phynn is a drow that was born in the underdark and raised by a lolth sworn family. after trying several times, she successfully escaped her city when she was 76. since then, she has been moving around a lot- living in areas of the underdark that are very near the surface and dont have many drows (she doesnt mind the deep gnomes and duergar), but mainly in the outskirts of surface cities, including of course Baldur's Gate. it took her almost a decade to get used to the sun

she is a thief, and a very good one. shes had odd jobs here and there but she makes most of her outcome by straight up stealing whatever she can find and then selling it. when shes in big, rich cities like Baldur's Gate, she does a looot of burglary. breaking and entering is like her favorite hobby. she also had to get very good at fighting, both bc of the whole drow thing and bc of all the criminaling

by the start of the game, shes 183 years old, having been living in and around the surface for just over 100 years. in a human au she would be like 24

PERSONALITY AND OTHER FACTS:

her morals are contradicting and alll over the fucking place. that is because i am not good at role-playing and will just do whatever the fuck but in universe is because she was raised by very hardcore lolth worshippers and then spent the next century mostly by herself and getting by by stealing. not a lot of time for things like developing a well established and stable moral code. id say shes chaotic neutral, but with a good heart?

her journey throughout the game at first made her better, she tried to be a good person, and then made her worse because that is a lot of horrible things that happened to her and all her new friends and she is this close to snapping and having a breakdown. also shes killed more people in the last like 4 months than she has in a whole century and that will for sure change a person for the worst. shes become very apathetic and just so goddamn Tired. she didnt sign up for saving the whole world she just wanted this damn tadpole out of her head so she could continue to sell stolen jewelry!!! fucks sake!!

as part of her total off the rails mental breakdown she also became a chronic kleptomaniac. she was a thief before sure but that was just like, her job for her, now its a real compulsion. her raiding everything and everyone she sees and its starting to worry the other companions. this is inspired by me going to GREAT lengths and doing everything i can to steal literally everything i see until i realized i really didnt need to be doing that i have so many shit in my inventory and like 30 thousand gold. then i started feeling bad for these fictional npcs that are not real people and are not important to the story whatsoever because everyone here is so poor i dont need to be stealing but i truly cannot stop. normal behavior

she actually misses some aspects of the underdark. she liked how pretty (and less sunny) it was, and the food. shes not lolth sword but shes not seldarine either, she just kind of doesn't care. obviously shes not a fan of drow culture, but she still gets pretty pissed when surface ppl start talking shit

she is a rogue! she also has some levels of fighter but i just got that for gameplay reasons.

shes dating karlach in denial she doesnt know if she wants to try to convince her to go to hell so she can live, or just accept her wish to let her die. this is inspired by me crying real life tears over this fucking character. also astarion is her bestie they gossip together

not much else to say about her personality shes literally just me if i was given free will to be chaotic insane and kill people

uhm when she met astarion she didnt realize he was a vampire at ALL she assumed he was an albino drow. he ran with it until she woke up to him almost biting her while she slept (canon game event). this is inspired by a comic i saw

APPEARANCE:

eyes: because she was born to a lolth sworn mother her eyes are naturally red. i also gave her cat pupils because that looks cool to me it makes sense that drows would have pupils that can better adjust to lack of/light like that i mean they live underground!! because she is me tho she cant see shit. she used to have glasses but they got lost early in the game in a battle to which she was just blind as fuck and had to be babysat by the other companions. that lasted less than a tenday (dnd week) tho because:

her right eye got Volo'd, and the glass eye volo gives us to replace the one he plucked out is Magic, and not nearsighted! she started covering her left eye with an eyepatch since, because having one eye that can see perfectly and one that cant is awful and confusing. when she doesnt wear the eyepatch, her left eye is always squinting

the glass eye has round pupils, so her pupils are different now too!

she dyes her hair different colors. with the power of Magic and Fantasy Hair Dye. tho her natural hair color is ofc white

has vampire bite scars from astarion. they have an agreement going on where he can feed off of her every few days. people are baffled that its not sexual (astarions traumatized ass included)

she bandages her chest because i cant imagine a worst curse than having to run around and fight and climb mountains with a large chest

[bangbangay]

Decided to finally post my bg3/d&d ocs: Ruago Duskryn and Nyloth Zolorel! A few details under the cut.

Edit 7/5/24: fleshed out some (actually a lot) more details. They are, of course, below with the others.

Also, I appreciate likes/reblogs/whatever you wanna give. Thank you for even looking at it tbh.

Ruago is a Lolth-sworn drow fighter, specifically of the "soldier" background. He was sworn to service by his family and became known as the "Quaggoth General" for his notoriously beastly demeanor whilst in the throes of battle (as well as his abnormally large appearance compared to other male drow), reminding many of the Underdark's well-known bear-like creature. He eventually has a cape/cloak created from a Quaggoth pelt, to show pride in the name he has earned for himself. The title of General does not dictate his actual standing in any form of militia, instead referring to the instinctual obedience he brings out in fellow soldiers from their fear of bringing forth his ire.

Nyloth is a half-drow ranger, born in a small forest home. He was raised to believe all as equal, and that health of the body and mind are of topmost priority. He helps his family by tracking various beasts and harvesting what he can for food. He gets his drow blood from his mother, who ran from the Underdark when a neighboring family's militia "disbanded" her House. She met his human ranger father after breaking into his basement to seek refuge from the bright daylight, and the rest was history (aka: I haven't fully thought out the parental story besides the Drama lol).

I haven't fully fleshed everything, so here's some notes:

someone finds out that a member of House Zolorel still lives and hires someone to go up and finish her off (said "someone" being the Quaggoth General, ofc)

Ruago gets up there and depending on how angsty I wanna make it, may or may not kill Nyloth's parents while he's out foraging/hunting

non-angsty ending would be more like: Nyloth gets attacked by him, they tussle around for a bit, one of em gets knocked out - either by the other or by one of the 'rents coming into the scene and saving the day

if one knocks the other out, I think it would be funny if it was Ruago with like a rock or smth

if it was the 'rents, then it was probably mom with like, gardening gear and a big sun hat hitting Ru-Ru over the head real hard with a shovel

it would then that the nautiloid shows up, and Nyloth having a newly knocked out soldier on top of him/beside him/idk has a few moments that he can't move either bc of the 200-ish pounds of probably concussed man on his legs/chest, bc his good-naturedness makes him hesitate to leave a guy on the ground, or one of the prevs + he prioritized his mom being safe before himself

and that is how they get Wormed

After the tadpole, I ran a bit with where I would want them to be once the nautiloid crashes, and sorta decided that they should probably end up somewhere that another recruited companion is not (I myself picture them as like. NPCs so. They would eventually have to meet the Tav/Durge somewhere). Which leaves a few areas in chapter 1+2. Since these two would most likely get into another tussle immediately, it's important to me that they have another focus to distract them from immediately killing each other. So, I wanted them to be put in a markedly dangerous area in either chapter. This leaves:

hag swamp - lots of death traps, a monster hunter, a literal hag, and a fucked up frog who will cause death if you don't take care of aforementioned hag. I like this one bc I personally think a really bad experience with probably his first frog ever would make Ruago distrust frogs everywhere. And that is hilarious.

the Underdark - I think them ending up here via landing near like a secret entrance or something (the well in the village, the goblin camp, the zhent hideout I guess??) would be neat and Ru-Ru would probably appreciate some familiar grounds and maybe have like, a teaching moment for Nyloth on where his mom came from? There isn't much else to me wanting them here lol

the mountains near the Creche - there's like, a whole gang of dead things that are here and have kicked my in-game ass super hard so. There's that. The entrance to the Shadow-Cursed lands is there, too. Mr. Ranger would like the mountains, Mr. Quaggoth not so much.

As for the interaction they would have w/ Durge/Tav, there are a few things I thought of:

they're in the middle of beating the shit out of each other and Tav/Durge can choose whether or not to intervene (much like the Rolan/Zevlor interaction in the Grove, except this time there is already Violence happening)

the party meets one, then the other, which triggers an argument/fighting that requires breaking up (one accuses the other of being part of the problem like Astarion, they fight)

the party finds Nyloth with Ruago's knocked out self (either bc Nyloth Won, he got injured in the swamp/wherever, etc.) and Nyloth wants them to help cause even though he had bad experiences w/ him, surely he doesn't deserve to die? (Good-Good boy lol)

[cosmicveils]

Lore relevant to drow in Faerûn (Baldur's Gate 3 setting)

This is a writeup mostly for anyone playing BG3 that may be curious about drow, if they're unfamiliar with the Forgotten Realms/Faerun setting. I will say as a disclosure that I haven't read all of the drow-centric Forgotten Realms novels, and it's been quite a while since I read the ones I am familiar with. This is really just a basic primer lol. Anyway...

Religion and where they live: Drow usually live in the Underdark, which is incredibly vast. There are many cities spread throughout the caverns, generally with tens of thousands of drow and their slaves.

Typically, these drow revere Lolth, the Spider Queen -- an evil goddess who loves chaos above all else. Their society is incredibly matriarchal; women generally treat men like they're inferior, and only women can become clerics of Lolth. Men are usually focused on more martial pursuits. Typically, the third-born son of a House is ritually sacrificed to Lolth as an infant.

Assassination and ritual sacrifice are extremely common in Lolth-sworn drow society, even amongst family members. It is very common for Houses (families, essentially) to go to war with each other to advance their place in society. Countless houses have been completely exterminated this way.

Here is an excerpt from the beginning of the book "Homeland" by R.A. Salvatore:

Drider punishment: Remember Kar'niss from early in Act 2, the drow whose lower body is that of an enormous spider? He's a drider. Driders are drow who have been punished, typically by a high priestess of Lolth, or sometimes Lolth herself. Most driders seem to be male, but women have been turned into driders as well. The process is said to be excruciating, and it's generally a punishment for failing Lolth in some way, being disloyal, or hating Lolth and the ways of the drow.

Surface drow and Eilistraee: There are a couple of drow towns on the surface world, but they are extremely isolated and rarely seen. These "Seldarine" drow usually follow Eilistraee, another drow goddess that wants something better for her people. She embodies freedom, song, and dance. For a long time, her clergy was also female-only, but in recent times it's become welcoming to male members as well. Sometimes, these men use a ritual spell to change their sex, to better experience closeness to their goddess. While it's usually a temporary experience, some do it frequently or stay female-presenting for long periods of time. (And of course, this can be very relevant to transgender drow who wish to change their sex, or certain aspects of it.)

The Seldarine refers to the general elven pantheon of gods, all good-aligned enemies of Lolth. Long ago, Lolth betrayed Corellon, the leader of the Seldarine, and was cast out for her crimes. Eilistraee, the daughter of Lolth and Corellon, tries to steer the drow towards something better. A strong aspect of her faith is the freedom to choose. While most of her worshipers are drow, she welcomes all, and various types of outcasts can find comfort in her religion. She is considered a minor deity, however, and thus knowledge about her is quite rare outside of the drow. Both Eilistraee and her followers are little known and poorly understood.

How they're perceived by others: Drow are usually very distrusted both in the Underdark and on the surface, due to the reputation of the Lolth-sworn drow. Occasionally, they'll send raiding parties to the surface world to murder elves (especially followers of Eilistraee, if they happen to find one) and capture slaves. Drow aren't generally attacked on sight anymore by the time BG3 takes place, but they're still quite rare and tend to cause anxiety when they're not expected.

Sunlight Sensitivity: Drow born and raised in the Underdark also tend to be extremely sensitive to sunlight, as it's something they're not used to. This isn't present in Baldur's Gate 3, but it's been noted in D&D novels and materials for quite some time.

"Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of the attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight."

On the other side of this, however, they also have superior darkvision. This does show up in BG3; their darkvision distance is twice that of other races that have it, like surface elves.

As mentioned in some of the novels with drow characters, sunlight sensitivity can fade with enough time and exposure.

No sleeping necessary: You may have noticed Astarion, your character, or others sleeping in an interesting pose, like they're meditating. Drow (and other elves) in D&D don't need sleep; instead, they generally use a meditative trance. (They can sleep if they want to, but most choose not to).

"Elves don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep."

And interestingly: while in trance, elves still have their passive Perception, just at a disadvantage. Other races don't, since they're considered unconscious while asleep. (Of course, if an elf or drow is actually sleeping and not trancing for whatever reason, they'd lose that slight edge.)

Retconned stuff: They used to actually have infravision (heat vision)! This was back in the late 80s/early 90s. From my understanding, though, this was eventually swapped out for darkvision. With the infravision, they also had Drow Sign Language, which relied on seeing the heat in their hands when they used it. You can see this in the beginning of "Homeland" by R.A. Salvatore.

An additional note from bramblepatch regarding that:

if I think of anything else, I'll add it on later lol

[baelavelaryon]

Saera Silverstruck��born Saedria Vandree—was the youngest high priestess in the history of her house, achieving the role before her hundredth year. She was dedicated to her duties and favored by Lolth, and a particularly proficient assassin. Her ability to kill, or arrange a killing, and pin it on a rival house made her indispensable within her house.

Things remained much the same, though her great-grandmother died, in remarkably benign circumstances, making her mother Sabrea the Matron of House Vandree. Then fate stepped in, a surface raid brought down many slaves, and sacrifices for their goddess. Particularly, a tiefling bard, who the Lady Saedria found particularly fascinating.

She chose him to entertain her in her chambers, he would tell her tales of the surface, each night ending the story with a twist, leaving it incomplete, and she would let him live until morning. This continued for months, Saera found herself falling for him, and one night he asked for a kiss in exchange for the end of the story.

He would warm her bed after that, she kept him close, exposing more of her raw emotions than she should have, despite the whispers that circled her, that she was too enamoured with her slave. Eventually, Saera confessed something that she had never voiced, she wanted to leave the Underdark He encouraged this, and eventually the pair agreed to leave for the surface and build a life together, they imagined where they would lives, the children they would raise, free from darkness and endless webs.

Before they could go however, Sabrea learned of their plot, and had Kalen killed in front of Saera. That night, she realized that she was pregnant.

Saera shirked her duties after that, without an escape, without an end to it all, she simply couldn't bring herself to continue the act of being High Priestess. She spent weeks locked in her room, unwilling and unable to perform even the most basic of her duties.

This continued for weeks, until she felt the pains of labour, she crawled to the altar of Lolth and begging her for forgiveness. She would never be sure if it was dream or reality, but Saera has a vivid memory of Lolth appearing before her and leaning in to kiss her before spitting in her face. An hour later, she delivered a twisted drider child, dead before their first breath.

After that, Saera became almost manic, she would spend evenings at parties, had affairs with her mother's most hated rivals, and drank herself into a stupor every single night. Her sister tried to bring her out of it and when that failed, proposed a solution to both of their problems; Saera would kill their mother in public before fleeing for the surface.

Saera took her up on the offer, and the pair helped organized a gala at the Vandree compound. Sabrea was glad that her favored daughter was finally appearing to have returned to herself after her humiliating outbursts, and seemed none the wiser to her children's schemes. When the night arrived, Saera struck her mother through the heart during the middle of her speech.

The Vandree guards were quick to give chase but Saera somehow knew the weaknesses in their patrols and was able to escape them and emerge at the surface. She kept running even once she had emerged from the caves, until her feet were cut up from the foliage of the woods and her legs gave out from underneath her.

Saera wiped her face and looked up at the sky, the moon was full and beautiful and the stars looked exactly as Kalen had described them. It was then that she began to laugh. She had finally done it, she had escaped the Underdark. Kalen was gone but she could make that same life for herself without him.

Still laughing, she began to dance through the woods, revitalized by the sense of freedom and joy she now had. She then collapsed, and entered another strange dream or vision, where a giant drow woman visited her, complimenting her evensong, and kissing her over her left eye... which from then on would be a purple colour.

In the morning, Saera awoke in her clearing, to find a ruined shrine. She could tell it had once belonged to Eilistraee, but had been abandoned after her defeat by Lolth... Saera couldn't help but feel that it was her duty to restore it, to make it a home for herself and any others who escaped the Underdark.

Her shrine at Darkmaiden's Leap was small but popular, Saera would provide supplies and shelter to the runaways and the lost, and healing to the wounded, who always seemed to find their way there despite its remote nature. She grew close to the nature, finding even the smallest things on the surface fascinating, and Eilistraee blessed her with druidic powers so that she could observe the animals more closely.

For the next ten years, Saera embraced that quiet life, though isolated as she was, she couldn't help but feel that she wasn't doing as much good as she ought to, with all the blood she had spilled in Lolth's name.