#silver sword of gith

[voidwraith]

"What have been shattered”

Farlong, Ammon Jerro, Gith, Akachi, all of them in pieces of silver

[y-rhywbeth2]

Vlaakith: You are permitted to look upon me. You are invited to kneel. Lae'zel: The Deathless Queen has spoken. You will obey. Durge: Stay standing, exactly as you are. Vlaakith: I expected little of istik education, but here we kneel before our Queen.

Lady, I'm more god than you are. Bloody upjumped liches. Actually just the undead in general, thinking their hubris will in any way come close to matching mine. Ha! (Just ask Orin, she'll verify it.)

Lae'zel's mad at me right now, but in the future we'll look back on this and laugh.

[abigailbozarthart]

Aldous and the Dragon

Comission for the man who is now my boyfriend, of his character Aldous the half-gith swords bard and the silver dragon Axe-Xiao! Plus a bonus doodle of why you hug the dragon and not the other way around.

Coms closed but waitlist open.

[serain]

More adventures of my githyanki!tav. I love how all the githyanki treat you like some sort of sideshow

[hawkinshorror94]

Headcannons for a Tav who exhausted after a day of staying home with the kids

(If you guys like these I'd like to make a second one with Wyll, Karlach, Zevlor, and Rolan.)

AN- Happy Birthday to me! I am highly intoxicated while posting this so sorry if it sucks ASS.

Minthara

-”My dear, why are our children making so much noise? I cannot hear myself think.”

-Finds you in absolute shambles over two unruly toddlers, one is crying because you gave her what he asked for and the other is practically hanging from the curtains.

-”In Menzoberranzan, a mother kills children who are bad, but I have grown quite fond of them and would hate for our children to meet an untimely demise at the end of a silver sword.” 

-Though you want to chide Minthara for threatening to kill the kids as a punishment it works, but you’ll definitely have to talk about it with her later

Gale

-“Why are you crying, are you alright, is she alright?” *Gale panic*

-Finds you in bed crying because of some awful postpartum.

-”My mother has been wanting to see her, I’ll bring her over there for a bit. You rest, you bathe, I’ll bring home food. I’ve got her. I’ve got you.”

-Gale bundles her up and makes sure you have everything that you need before he goes. When he comes back, he brings too many gifts from his mother and food for you. And of course, your favorite sweet treat.

Astarion

-“Are there gremishkas loose in our home?”

-Astarion wakes from trance around sundown to find you crying over a fussy teething dhampir and an equally whiny toddler who didn’t have a nap. 

-”Do you think we should go to the night market, little one? And I think your baby brother would also appreciate the night air as well” *Astarion with a baby bundled to his chest (with a sling) so he can always have a free hand in my guilty pleasure*

-When he comes back with both kids settled, he puts you to bed to rub your feet and tell you how much he appreciates you creating two miracles after he’s had such a miserable life.

Shadowheart

-”Come on boys, you can help mummy on the farm this afternoon.”

-Shadowheart wasn’t blind to your snippy tone with her and she also wasn’t blind to the problem either. 2 over ecstatic boys who were just over the moon that school was out for the summer. 

-”Tomorrow you all can help me tend to the plants and animals all day. Does that sound fun?” 

-Shadowheart will smother you in kisses that night after you’re finally a little less overstimulated, if you ask maybe she’ll do some of those Sharran torture tactics on you after the boys are tucked in of course.

Halsin

-”They are children, my heart. They are untamed beasts.”

-Halsin will laugh and kiss your forehead as if you’re the silliest of geese, but he’ll still take out all of the adopted children, just to give you a much needed break.

-The kids come back with every rock, flower, and stick that made them think of you. Each one of them telling you of the adventures daddy Halsin had taken them on that day.

-”It is my job as your husband to care for the children as well, my heart. Just tell me if you need a break.” 

Lae’zel

-“Xan, your mother is the liberator of our people and you’re treating her like any common istik.”

- Lae’zel takes the overzealous boy out to run him through some drills. When he comes back inside he’s tired and remembers why you’re his favorite parent. 

-”I told him we don’t make women cry. Especially our mothers and then I made him do twenty sword swings.”

-Xan doesn’t like swords so he will definitely not be acting a fool like that again. 

-*I wasn’t really sure what to do with Lae’zel because I didn’t raise the egg with her. We did hot lesbian gith and bard stuff And by stuff, I mean fighting Vlaakith’s warriors. 

[deimcs]

Only Gith's children may wield swords of silver - unless a githyanki grants the right in exceptional circumstances. The illithid Grand Design nears; the True Heir is shackled. These are exceptional circumstances. I grant my allies the right to my silver.

[bull-at-the-gate]

Aftermath

More brainrot. I think Sehkmet sees a lot in Lae'zel; a fierce ally and warrior; a tactical mind; a cub whose got a lot bigger of a heart than she'll admit; above all though, she sees someone who's lost and doesn't know who she is without her kin to define her.

A buncha silly stuff under the cut. I'm by no one's opinion a good writer, but I just wanted to try and see if I could give Sehkmet a unique voice and spent a bit too much time noodling on it

*cough cough* I am a big nerd about these things, and evolutionarily speaking (based fully on my assumption that the astral plane is chilly), it would be more beneficial for Gith to have a larger air chamber to warm the air they breath for longer before it reaches their lungs. I also just like drawing them a lil' less 'human' adjacent and making them feel a bit more reptilian *cough cough*

Sehkmet is probably around her early to mid 30s and has seen a lot of conflict firsthand. She's seen friends become Oathbreakers and former foes redeem themselves time and time again.

After the creche, she'd spend a lot of time checking in on Lae'zel. Just being present sometimes and occasionally offering advice or sparring with her.

She's dumb, but not naive enough to assume she knows exactly what Lae'zel's feeling, her whole people is raised from birth to build their identity on the dogma of Vlaakith for Bahamut's sake.

She's got no clue how much loss that must feel like. But she tries her best to keep Lae'zel from shutting everything out.

Anyway, I'm not good at breaking down character personalities, I'm a science aud/hd nerd with middling media literacy q-q. But here's just a silly bit of writing

Since getting a safe enough distance from the monastery to make camp, Lae’zel had been sitting at a cliff’s edge staring at the horizon. Her sword lay across her thighs, fingers tracing the designs along the cross-guard. After finishing her normal camp chores and starting the fire, Sehkmet walked over. Squatting down with some minor protest from her sore knees and joining the young Githyanki in sitting on the edge.

‘She really was young, wasn’t she?’ That particular fact had never been so clear as when she looked over at Lae’zel’s face. Clear of her warpaint and cast in soft shadows, Sehkmet could see a growing vulnerability that she’d tried to hide behind ferocity and dogmatic loyalty to a queen who'd cast her aside. Could see her brow crease and eyes squint as she fought valiantly against the tears.

The Dragonborn cleared her throat, she was pretty sure a certain cleric would be ‘subtly sneaking’ into Lae’zel’s tent again, especially following the mess back there, so she didn't want to take too much time.

“You know, I was barely 6 when I tried to apprentice in my order?”

There was no sign of acknowledgment from Lae’zel, “My clan’d been slain by Tiamat’s followers and there were survivors only because of this cranky ol’ paladin of Bahamut.” Sehkmet chuffed under her breathe at the thought of the old gal.

Lae’zel’s fingers had stopped tracing the inlays on her crossguard, her gaze was still firm on the horizon, but the slightest twitch of her ear had Sehkmet continuing her story.

“She’d shown up all silver and blue and righteous fury, tore through the cultists who’d killed my clan and the rest of the caravan.” She looked out to the mountains, following Lae’zel’s gaze to where, if there wasn’t a good chunk of forest in the way, she’d be staring right at the Rosymorn Monastery.

A wry laugh slipped from her as she remembered how the events played out, “Know what Dorna said when I threw myself in front of her and begged her to train me to join the order to avenge my clan?”

There still wasn’t any clear indication of Lae’zel hearing her, but she could hear her breathing relax the faintest bit. “She told me to fuck off and ask again when I wasn’t covered in blood ‘n didn't have baby fat left. Cried something fierce for hours.” The fighter’s eyes left the horizon, just for a moment, to flick towards her. “I didn’t get it back then.”

“I do now.” Sehkmet’s shoulders hunched as she leaned forward, feeling the beat of her once stilled heart in her chest.

“She was telling me to not pledge myself when I was still a cub trembling with the fear of pain and death, fueled by the anger of grief, grasping for an idea of power to feel safe.” Sehkmet exhaled sharply, a fine icy mist clouding in front of her. “She’d wanted me to mourn, grieve, to heal. To feel sure that I was making the decision I wanted, not because of my loss.”

“I had choice, Lae’zel. She didn’t fill my head and soul with Bahamut’s justice when I was a scared and angry cub who’d already lost everything. It had been my choice to follow Him even once I was safe, to still choose to become an instrument for His justice.”

Her voice was more serious than the Gith had heard before, "Everyone deserves it to be a choice, a true and free choice, where to lay their loyalty and devotion."

She squeezed Lae’zel’s shoulder, “You weren’t afforded choice young one. You’ve not done wrong, far as I’m concerned. And you've got allies at your back, whatever choice you make now, as long as it is truly yours, we'll support it.” Sehkmet’s words were gentle as she glanced out to the horizon one last time, the sun was setting and filling the sky with one last colorful display.

She stood slowly, ruffling Lae’zel’s hair playfully with a laugh as the Gith tried to slap her hand away. “C’mon then, let’s help with dinner, Gale’s been chopping veggies for that whole talk and I can almost smell his irritation at Astarion's daily complaint time.”

A hand grabbed her wrist as she turned to head back to camp, hearing rather than seeing Lae’zel stand up. “How is it you keep your faith, when you know the gods to be fallible?”

Sehkmet had to pause for a moment at that, humming softly as she turned it over in her head. She knew how, even if it was a contradiction. She questioned things. She didn't doubt in Bahamut, in His merciful justice, but she did question to keep her faith from growing stagnant and unyielding to change. She felt the divine call of the Wyrmking guiding her where His justice was needed, she felt His presence in every beat of the heart He'd breathed life back into. Her faith was etched into the marrow of her bones and there were no words she knew good enough to explain it.

"I dunno, really, just do? Guess s' comforting that there isn't really true perfection, even among the gods." She finally settled on with a shrug. Lae'zel's hand released her wrist and Sehkmet laughed softly hearing the Githyanki scoff at her poor answer, but started walking towards camp anyway.

She smiled as the Gith crossed out of her blind side, the longer the party had been together, the more she noticed those small habits of Lae'zel. Staying out of her blindspot unless it was to cover her; shoving magic items in Gale's hands before the wizard could protest; hunting with Astarion some nights for safety.

Sehkmet hummed as she followed Lae'zel to camp, picking up a pairing knife off Gale's "prep table" to help.

Lae'zel would make her right choice and she would find her path as this band of fools stopped a cult to save each other and the planes. Sehkmet could feel it in her gut, in each beat of her heart, and down in the very marrow of her bones.

[waterdeep-weavemoss]

Happy Holidays, Tadpole Gang

On the first of midwinter my tadpole gave to me a mindflayer living rent free on the second of midwinter my tadpole gave to me two owlbear cubs, and a mindflayer living rent free on the third of midwinter my tadpole gave to me three dead gods, two owlbear cubs, and a mindflayer living rent free

on the fourth of midwinter my tadpole gave to me four zhentarim, three dead gods, two owlbear cubs and a mindflayer living rent free

on the fifth of midwinter my tadpole gave to me fiiiiiiiiiive eldritch blaaaaaaasts four zhentarim, three dead gods, two owlbear cubs and a mindflayer living rent free

on the sixth of midwinter my tadpole gave to me six sharran clerics, fiiiiiiive eldritch blaaaaaaaasts, four zhentarim, three dead gods, two owlbear cubs and a mindflayer living rent free

on the seventh of midwinter my tadpole gave to me seven silver gith swords, six sharran clerics, fiiiiiiiive eldritch blaaaaaaaasts, four zhentarim, three dead gods, two owlbear cubs, and a mindflayer living rent free

on the eighth of midwinter my tadpole gave to me eight wizards weaving, seven silver gith swords, six sharran clerics, fiiiiiiiive eldritch blaaaaaaasts, four zhentarim, three dead gods, two owlbear cubs, and a mindflayer living rent free

on the ninth of midwinter my tadpole gave to me nine devils dealing, eight wizards weaving, seven silver gith swords, six sharran clerics, fiiiiiiive eldritch blaaaaaasts, four zhentarim, three dead gods, two owlbear cubs, and a mindflayer living rent free

on the tenth of midwinter my tadpole gave to me ten magic missiles, nine devils dealing, eight wizards weaving, seven silver gith swords, six sharran clerics, fiiiiiiive eldritch blaaaaaasts, four zhentarim, three dead gods, two owlbear cubs, and a mindflayer living rent free

on the eleventh of midwinter my tadpole gave to me eleven druids dancing, ten magic missiles, nine devils dealing, eight wizards weaving, seven silver gith swords, six sharran clerics, fiiiiiiive eldritch blaaaaaaasts, four zhentarim, three dead gods, two owlbear cubs, and a mindflayer living rent free

on the twelfth of midwinter my tadpole gave to me twelve in the party, eleven druids dancing, ten magic missiles, nine devils dealing, eight wizards weaving, seven silver gith swords, six sharran clerics, FIIIIIIIIIVE ELDRITCH BLAAAAAAAASTS, four zhentarim, three dead gods, two owlbear cubs-

AND A MIIIIIINDFLAYER LIVING REEEEEENT FREEEEEEEE

[justcallmefox89]

Gale and the Gith: Chapter Ten - Inferior

The group find the githyanki and draw closer to salvation.

“A creche must be near.  Come, our kin await.”  Lae’zel and X’aa’nath begin move towards their fellow gith, as well as the red dragon towering over the smoldering ruins of the bridge and the blackened bodies of the Flaming Fist mercenaries.

“That dragon just incinerated those soldiers- surely this isn’t safe?” Gale ventures, exchanging a cautious look with Astarion. 

“My kin will not harm you,” X’aa’nath assures him, taking the wizard’s hand and tugging him along.  “Now come, the means to purification is close at hand.”

Astarion and Gale follow the two gith warily, hanging back as they approach the dragon rider.

“Kith’rak, we must speak -”

“Rider, my time is short,” Lae’zel interrupts X’aa’nath. “Lead me to - ”

“Shh-shh-shh.  Such a familiar tone,” the elder gith murmurs.  “Were I not merciful, I would slice the skin from your meat.  Yet you are not bleeding.  For I am nothing if not merciful.  Your names, children.”

“Lae’zel.”

“Lae’zel.  Proud, regal even.  And you?”

Gale watches in trepidation as the warrior turns his attention to X’aa’nath.

“X’aa’nath,” the young sorcerer answers obediently, inclining his head towards the elder in a show of respect.

“X’aa’nath,” the warrior echoes quietly.  “Khou’zal’s experiment.”

Gale bristles at the gith’s tone and opens his mouth to interject, but Astarion elbows him sharply in the ribs.

“Do not interfere,” the vampire hisses.

Gale grits his teeth but stays silent, internally fuming as X’aa’nath nods meekly in confirmation. 

“You will call me Jhe’stil Kithrak.”

Lae’zel and X’aa’nath exchanged slightly awed looks.  “Voss, Knight Supreme.”

“The queen’s silver, the queen’s sword,” X’aa’nath whispers.

“I am who you say,” Voss confirms.  “A ghaik vessel has fallen from the sky, kin.  Thieves aboard have taken a weapon most precious.  It is polyhedric in shape and inscribed with the runes of our people.”

X’aa’nath twitches, a movement so small that had Gale not been staring at him so intently he never would have noticed.

“Take word to your creche,” Voss instructs Lae’zel.  “You are to join our search.”

X’aa’nath’s eyes flick towards Lae’zel and they have a brief, silent interaction.

“Speak up, child.  Affirm your mandate,” Voss demands impatiently. 

“You honor me with this duty, Kithrak,” Lae’zel answers after a final moment of hesitation.  “I shall inform my caretaker with haste.”

Voss nods, pleased with her answer.  “You serve your queen well, child.  Take your slaves and the experiment, and hunt those who escape the ghaik ship.  They must carry the weapon.  I fly now to Vlaakith, our Undying Queen.  She will see your faith rewarded in this plane and ours.” 

X’aa’nath’s body tenses at Voss’s praise of Lae’zel, and he keeps his eyes locked firmly on the ground, avoiding Gale’s worried gaze.  Astarion, Gale, Lae’zel and X’aa’nath stay quietly huddled together as Voss mounts his dragon and takes to the sky, and the other githyanki set off on their own search for the weapon. 

Once they are all out of sight, Lae’zel lightly touches X’aa’nath’s shoulder.  “You did well to intervene, vexed as I am to admit it.  The Jhe’stil Kithrak would have flayed our skin and left our carcasses to burn in the sun – all for the sake of the artefact we carry.  The creche is near, this much we know.  We follow the path forward and into the valley.  No one, not even the ignoble Jhe’stil Kithrak, will keep me from my purification.”

He nods wordlessly, shouldering his pack once again and obediently following her towards the mountain pass.  Gale reaches out as he walks past, tenderly catching his hand in both of his own. 

“A moment, X’aa’nath?” he whispers.

The gith shakes him off, continuing on his forward trajectory.  “Not now, wizard.”

“Please, X’aa’nath - ”

“He said no, Gale,” Astarion snaps, grabbing Gale’s forearm and pulling him away.

“But - ”

“Leave it, Gale.  For once, just… leave it,” Astarion snarls, tightening his grip on Gale’s arm.  “You can’t fix this for him, can’t just magic away his problems.  He needs to deal with this himself.  It’s the only way he’ll ever be free.”

Gale’s chest tightens as he recognizes the truth in Astarion’s words.  “You may be right,” he says slowly.  “But no matter what comes next… he will not be alone.”

[rosymourning]

The Pride of Creche K'liir - a Lae'zel build

"Eager for battle."

She hits. Hard. Lae'zel is a Battle Master Fighter, commanding the battlefield and striking fear into the hearts of her foes. This build is a very basic fighter, but a ridiculously strong one nonetheless.

[check out my other builds!]

Gameplay Notes

Listen, it’s pretty standard. Get the biggest sword you can find and hit people with it as often as you’re allowed. You’re not here for a never-before-seen gameplay loop, and I’m not pretending that’s what I’m writing, either. The lore section will be more fun. [to be clear, I LOVE Lae’zel, but this is not my most creative build by any stretch of the imagination]

Stats and Leveling

Final build: Level 12 Battle Master Fighter

Lae’zel’s (default) stats: STR 17 / DEX 13 / CON 15 / INT 10 / WIS 12 / CHA 8

Level 1 - Fighter Level 1

Fighting Style: Great Weapon Fighting

Level 2 - Fighter Level 2

Action Surge [my love, my light, the love of my life]

Level 3 - Fighter (Battle Master) Level 3

Manoeuvres: Disarming Attack, Menacing Attack, Riposte

Level 4 - Fighter (Battle Master) Level 4

Feat: Great Weapon Master

Level 5 - Fighter (Battle Master) Level 5

Extra Attack

Level 6 - Fighter (Battle Master) Level 6

Feat: ASI+ STR>18, CON>16

Level 7 - Fighter (Battle Master) Level 7

Manoeuvres: Pushing Attack, Trip Attack

Level 8 - Fighter (Battle Master) Level 8

Feat: Alert [remember when I said this build was obvious? I’m not reinventing the wheel here]

Level 9 - Fighter (Battle Master) Level 9

Level 10 - Fighter (Battle Master) Level 10

Manoeuvres: Goading Attack, Rally

Level 11 - Fighter (Battle Master) Level 11

Improved Extra Attack [Lae’zel will now shred enemies, which is hype]

Level 12 - Fighter (Battle Master) Level 12

ASI+ STR>20

Items

Armor - Psionic Ward Armour (2 Reithwin Town)

Melee Weapon -

Soulbreaker Greatsword (1 Creche)

Silver Sword of the Astral Plane (3 Kith’rak Voss) [obvs]

Ranged Weapon - Githyanki Crossbow (1 The Risen Road)

Amulet - Aberration Hunters' Amulet (1 Creche) [this is a great example of gear that’s kind of nonsensical to choose from a mechanics point of view, but I think Lae’zel would love that it’s Githyanki specific. also it looks dope on her]

Helmet - Circlet of Psionic Revenge (1 Creche)

Ring 1 - Ring of Protection (1 Emerald Grove) [tip: you can steal the idol after the Goblin Camp is cleared out and it will no longer start ww3]

Ring 2 - Ring of Free Action (2 Moonrise Towers) [OR if you’re feeling fancy/didn’t equip it on a Rogue in your party, I really really love Risky Ring (2 Moonrise Towers) on Fighters with Great Weapon Master]

Gloves - Hr'a'cknir Bracers (2 Reithwin Town) [kinda useless for this build but the #aesthetic wins out for me… Battle Master Fighter is plenty strong already so idc]

Boots - Boots of Psionic Movement (3 Knights of the Shield Hideout)

Cloak - N/A [hot take, the cloaks are mostly good for casters, and since I don’t like the vibe of Fleshmelter in this build, I’m skipping it. and also I feel like I never see Gith with a cloak? so no cloak lmao] [but if you insist, Cloak of Protection (2 Last Light Inn) is standard for a reason]

Lore and Flavor

Part of the reason I’ve been dragging my feet about writing up this build is that it’s so… obvious. But, instead of just prioritizing the best possible armor and weapons across the board, I’ve continued my commitment to character and lore by picking Githyanki equipment as much as possible. Yes, in a good playthrough, Lae’zel turns her back on Vlaakith, but she remains deeply proud of her people. So yeah, I recognize it’s not the best armor set for an optimized run, but it’s the most fun armor set for Lae’zel!

One thing that I love so ardently about Lae’zel’s character design is the differing interactions between her independence and her loyalty — to me, the two strongest facets of her personality — in her possible endings. Lae’zel’s best ending shows her independence and her loyalty to her people shining through as her greatest strengths. However, my heart breaks every time I see the dark side of those very same qualities as she ascends to Vlaakith and… well… :(

Anyway, my main point is that most of the references for Lae’zel wearing metal armor and swinging a great sword are so surface level that they’re hard to reference directly. It’s just sort of… fundamental to her character design. There are arguments for other builds, to be sure, and I plan to write something up for both a Monk build and a Psionic Eldritch Knight build eventually, but I wanted to put this out in the world before I started getting too creative.

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

[murfeelee]

BG3 INSP: Escape the Nautiloid

Githyanki Woman: Abomination! This is your end! Narrator: Your head throbs and your skin tingles. Visions run past: a dragon's wing, a silver sword--and a flash of your face seen through the strange woman's eyes. Githyanki Woman: Ugh, my head! What is this? Tsk'va! You are no thrall? Vlaakith blesses me this day! Together, we might survive. Imps block the path forward. You will assist me in destroying them--we must reach the helm before we transform. Ryuu: Transform? What do you mean? Githyanki Woman: We carry Mind Flayer parasites! Unless we escape--unless we are cleansed--our bodies and minds will be tainted and twisted. Within days we will be ghaik: Mind Flayers! Ryuu: We are turning into Illithid? There must be something we can do! Githyanki Woman: We can do nothing until we escape--that must be our priority. Ryuu: I am Ryuu; who are you? Lae'zel: Who am I? Your only chance of survival, Lae'zel. Ryuu: Is the helm our way out of here? Lae'zel: It is where we might gain control of the gh'ath--this Nautiloid ship. Once in command, we will deal with our ghaik captors. We will address the matter of a cure for this infection once we reach the Material Plane. Ryuu: Onward then. The ship won't be able to take another dragon attack. We need to get out before it's too late.

-- Baldur's Gate 3

MY THOUGHTS (mini rant) & CC CREDITS

MY THOUGHTS

Unpopular opinion, but I LOVE Lae'zel. She's my favorite character in the whole game (EASY #2's my daughter Karlach 🥰). People say Lae'zel's hella mean, but I like her whole melting the ice queen shtick.

My biggest complaint about BG3 is that most of the companions are way too irrelevant--other than Halsin, Lae'zel's the only one closely tied to the actual frikkin plot (unless you count that annoying wench Shadowheart blabbing about Lady Shar all frikkin day. I haven't dealt with her & the Nightsong yet). I was with Lae the whole time: get these nasty AF parasites out of my frikkin body RIGHT NOW. 🤮 To the creche! (Then we got to the creche and I was like jfc. 👀💀)

And her going on & on about Queen Vlaakith was way more interesting than Shadowheart with Lady Shar & her whole amnesia excuse (plus I just don't like her, so.... XD).

The Githyanki were giving me strong Qunari vibes from Dragon Age--but that's not surprising, since Bioware made the first two Baldur's Gate games & DA likely lifted at lot from D&D. Lae's kinda like a way more intense Sten or Iron Bull? And both the Gith & the Qun have dragon-obsessed cultures; these are my people. 💪😤

CC CREDITS

- Midnight Hollow lighting mod

- Tank pose w/ 75% OMSP resizer

- Skyrim dragon by me

- Fireextinguisherfailfx is a GREAT Fog Emitter fire-breathing effect, which I realized when I had Ryuu detonate the parasite pool, and the explosion set sim!Lae'zel on frikkin fire! That orange burst when the extinguisher fails is just perfect.

I was dying when Ryuu just STOOD there while she did all the work putting out the fires, after I told him to put out the fire FIRST! Typical; Dark Urges can't be bothered helping people, I guess. XD

Fortunately for sim!Lae, there was a nifty Restoration Station nearby where she could wash all the soot off:

- Lae outfit from Dragon Valley, boots & bracers at TSR

- Ryuu Dragon Age staff acc by @greenplumbboblover

[baldurspeen69420]

Hot Take Time: Lae'zel Addition

So I've been seeing an interesting take float around about Lae'zel's story arc. Not one I necessarily think is wrong, by the way, just one I personally disagree with somewhat.

Basically it goes along the lines of "When Lae'zel learns of the Gith prince, she just trades one blind devotion for another. She needs to be able to forge her own path and stay in Faerun."

Which I think can be a valid reading of her character and the story! It's just an interpretation I feel isn't taking into account all the context around this shift.

Lae'zel is so fucking proud of being a Githyanki. Her people are so important to her, not to mention her culture and the astral plane itself. It's a brutal world but one she's very much into. When she realizes Vlaakith's lies and tyranny over her race and discovers Orpheus, she says a line (paraphrasing heavily) about him being a leader to free the Gith and respect their skills and bodies. Autonomy, freedom for not just herself, but everything she loves.

And there's a time where Lae'zel believes she'll have to abandon her dream of holding a silver sword and riding a red dragon, that she'll never see her home plane again. It's something she's ready to leave behind but not without a lot of sadness. Something she feels Vlaakith took from her. But Orpheus gives her a chance to have this back, Voss grants her the sword she dreamed of wielding since she was a child, but for a greater cause than living and dying as Vlaakith's blade/sacrifice. She gets her chance back and I think there's something kind of beautiful about that.

In my file, Orpheus decided to become a Mindflayer and take on the ultimate sacrifice. At the end, he convinced my character of his misery in this new form and I helped him end his life. It was something he earnestly begged for, he didn't want to be condemned to a life in the shadows as the thing he hated most. I respected his wishes, and in turn, Orpheus gave Lae'zel his dragons and asked her to lead the revolution in his stead.

With this sacrifice in mind, with everything at stake, it just didn't feel right to persuade Lae'zel to stay on Faerun. I just don't see her character being content to leave that dream behind, to be able to live as a truly free person while her people suffer under Vlaakith AND hunted by Vlaakith's forces. How could Lae'zel ever be free when her people aren't?

So I guess ultimately the ending I got was kind of a best of both worlds situation. Lae'zel did get to forge her own path without just switching out figures of worship, in a way. She got to lead this incredible battle for the fate of her kind, and I just can't see her wanting it any other way. She got to rise up as a warrior and leader and I thought that was a really fitting end for her arc personally. Better than just being Orpheus' right hand or whatever would have happened had I become the Mindflayer in his place.

I just like to think she's having a blast in space right now, I dunno. She grew to love our lil patch of dirt, but it wasn't her true home. Maybe it can be someday when the fight is done, but the timing wasn't right.

[y-rhywbeth2]

At some point I think I will make a Tav who's actually just my old NWN2 PC because - and I say this often but it really is ridiculous -this game is damn near enough a sequel to/thematic repeat of that to the point where I can't stop thinking about BG's (kind-of) youngest sister game series. Sure getting depowered from level 30-40 to level 1 is a bitch, but she'll live. While complaining the whole time.

'You have been inflicted with a parasite that will destroy your soul if you don't find a way to free yourself from it as part of some plan involving a fight with the gods and also the Dead Three.' 'What, again?'

'We're being pursued by murderous githyanki hunting an artefact we carry that you cannot actually hand over without dying.' 'Again??'

We need to pass through a land consumed by the plane of shadow which sucks the life out of all who enter without protection and raises them as more shadows.' 'AGAIN???'

'The Githyanki are elite warriors and undefeatable. They killed all my allies!' 'Orrr maybe you and your allies just suck.'

'This is the worst adventure I've ever been on.' *Gets to beat the shit out of Myrkul.* 'This is the best adventure I've ever been on.'

You're being publicly slandered by an enemy you've politically inconvenienced.' 'At least I'm not on trial for mass murder this time.'

'Oooh, the Astral Plane.' 'Been there. Done that.'

Ethel trying to play silly buggers with somebody who has reasonably extensive experience with more powerful covens than her.

Raphael and Mizora try to play politics, and they're dealing with the lady who has negotiated the way out of contracts before and has her own list of enemies and complaint boxes on Baator and the Abyss.

Minsc might be happy to know that one of the worst horrors to walk Rashemen got fixed while he was away.

Lae'zel gets her silver sword and it's just 'as the bonded wielded of the original Silver Sword of Gith, mine is significantly better.'

Joining Jaheira in the 'seen it all, not remotely affected' club.

Also the romance options in this playthrough are apparently limited to Astarion, Halsin or Shadowheart because she's married and they need to be open to poly. Problem B arrives with the fact that she doesn't date elves and has a major vendetta against the undead. Possibly just going solo.

'A wood elven druid has developed one-sided feelings for you. Again.' '...I'm so tired.'

[warmhealerr]

This is a post I've been meaning to write for a while because it is constantly on my mind. Hear me out : I think Githyanki would be really into body mods. You have this culture of prowess, pain, pleasure, and silver (note : do not put actual silver in real piercings). Imagine warriors and casters wielding silver piercings alongside silver swords. Red dragon riders branded with iron heated by their companion. Gorgeous and precise artworks of scarification and tattoos from specialized artists. Spontaneous amputations. Grafts. Genital modifications would most likely be very popular too (not just piercings, I am including acts of "mutilation" in there whether removing, splitting or adding). A favorite of mine to explore in fantasy settings are stretched cheek piercings with tunnels. The teeth showing off would be insanely fucking cool considering Giths'. What about spot removal too? Ear shaping?

I could see Githzerai being into body mods too. I've a feeling they'd be more into subtle aesthetically pleasing set ups and mod longevity over quantity though, like privileging piercing stretching, fullbody cohesive tattoo and/or scarification projects, etc. Something that flows, something that tells modestly, before something that shows off (or hey, go nuts considering their older official interpretation). Shit makes me crazy man. I love body mods.

[cellphishthekaiju]

OC Ramblings: Ja'l'on & Kalach Hallowleaf - Firstborn of Omega Lae'zel and Alpha Shadowheart

Yes, this is ABO/Omegaverse nonsense and OC brainrot cause I'm neck deep in the Shad'zel brainrot. I have a WHOLE series of smut fics about Omega Lae'zel and Alpha Werewolf Shadowheart.

Anyway, onto the characters themselves

(clears throat)

Because Selune has a sense of humor and Shadowheart is her Chosen (at least in this canon), every time her and Lae'zel breed, they end up with twins. Their firstborn were no exception.

Ja'l'on, Alpha male and twin brother to Kalach. He inherits the lycanthropy of his sire though due to his mixed blood, Ja'l'on's werewolf form is not as 'elegant' as Shadowheart's werewolf form (his form is more akin to the Underworld Lycans). As all those who inherit Shadowheart's werewolf 'blessing', he has silver hair.

He is very close to his sister and holds both his mothers in high regard, especially Lae'zel. In his younger years, he strove to emulate his githyanki mother as well as uphold the tenets of the Moon Maiden. As he reached adulthood, he focused himself on becoming a paladin of Selune but has yet to swear his oaths.

Kalach, Beta female and twin sister to Ja'l'on. She is named for the late 14th Century hero that battled the the King of Shadows and was known for the shard of Gith's Silver Sword embedded in their flesh. (Some mistakenly believe she is named after Karlach, the 2nd half of the Blades of Avernus and Hero of Baldur's Gate... deeply missed friend of Shadowheart and Lae'zel)

In appearance, Kalach takes more after Shadowheart than Lae'zel yet did not inherit the lycanthropy 'blessing' like her brother, so her hair remains black with a reddish sheen that looks much like Lae'zel's hair.

She is far less 'disciplined' than her brother, adopting a more 'devil-may-care' attitude with a desire to explore Faerun and carve her own fate from the planes. Though she honors Selune, she has no desire to commit to the priesthood. She would like nothing more than to go on adventures with her brother at her side; making their mark on the planes like their mother's did during the Absolute Crisis.

Once they reached adulthood, these siblings find themselves bristling under the pressure of being restricted to living in Moonhaven. Shadowheart and Lae'zel both fear their mortal enemies; Shar and Vlaakith CVII respectively, would quickly bring harm or worse to their children, having attempted to do so ever since they were born and all subsequent children they've had since.

The twins also play a role in my Lae'stra X Omegaverse crossover, which you can read here, in all it's smutty insanity.

(Kalach is smitten with Hestra, to say the least xD)

I hope you enjoyed another installment of my OC ramblings. If you liked, I love talking with folks.

[astralprisms]

tell me abt xa’rok !!

AHHHH you're so sweet!!

Some primers:

Xa'rok's responses to the githmap

Xa'rok and the Emperor (with bonus backstory overview and future musings)

Ramblings about illithid!Xa'rok and their tumultuous future

misc headcanons, wilderness survival training

Relevant character tags: tav: xa'rok, tav: skaro

THAT SAID, meet Xa'rok (they/them) a (former) githyanki bard/ranger, who also answers to the title of the Astral Envoy.

They were born in a creche deep in the icy mountains way up north near the Spine of the World. Their creche was isolated from other githyanki on the material plane, and their remote seclusion gave rise to an interesting selection of Vlaakith's 'faithful'. At Creche Zythir, curiosity was encouraged, and open-mindedness praised. Their sa'varsh favored keen minds and a thirst for knowledge in addition to power. To inquire was always rewarded. But only, as Xa'rok would learn, up to a point.

Xa'rok's own curiosity was sharpened like any other tool in a gith's arsenal, and like their kin's, put to good use. When the kith'rakis returned triumphant from raids they would dump their spoils in the middle of the main hall and let the yanks fight over the prizes, which they could only keep on loan in return for learning everything they could about what prize they claimed, later to be divulged at length and recorded. These prizes were hardwon and viciously fought for. Through several of these bloody claiming lessons, Xa'rok began to learn about their peoples' greatest enemy, the ghaik.

But what started as the thrill of praise in the claiming room soon turned to genuine curiosity for the history, the culture, and the creatures behind it. Whatever their people thought of their old masters, the illithids were prolific in their own right and their skills could be useful if given the right direction. A circular point of fascination for young Xa'rok was the intersection between their two peoples, a history paved in servitude and blood but which ultimately led to the current state of their race, psionics and all. If the gith of the now were a byproduct of illithid tampering-- what could the gith and illithids achieve if they were to work together to further one goal? What if there could be trade between them, a way to share knowledge and skills for the betterment of both species, to compromise instead of kill on sight?

Their interest narrowed and their appetite for any scrap of knowledge to these ends grew. It was easy, at first, to pass off their fascination as a war general's dedication to the enemies' habits and movements, so as to better best them one day in combat. They had to know the shape and size and interior schematics of the Nautiloids-- to better navigate their corridors should they ever find themselves aboard one, of course. To know what they could of an illthid's biology-- to better find their weak spots, not because they had so many questions about the similarities between their form and that of the ghaiks, on whether the similarities ended superficially, or if their psionic power came from the same place; if the divergence of their ability to reproduce was a byproduct of shaping the earlier forms of their kin to better fit the illithid image; if they were for all intents and purposes the forerunners of a new illithid race, a project that was terminated prematurely with the gith liberation.

Their questions and curiosity grew until they were too pointed to be explained away. They began to get ideas, ideas their superiors didn't like--and worse, ideas they spoke about to others. They were an effective speaker, someone who was easy to listen to and easier still to agree with, as they made their points clearly and with passion, backed up with facts. And the gith of their creche valued knowledge above all but their silver swords. Their fascination was tolerated as a quirk when it was sought in defense of their people, but this new line of thinking was dangerously close to collusion. There was nothing to be gained from working with the illithids but another future of servitude under cruel masters and this time there was no Gith to save them.

Xa'rok lore (abridged version)

In the end, they were exiled. They had barely hit their 20th year before being given the ultimatum. They were portaled to the middle of the tundra and left with nothing but the clothes on their back and what little they carried, to starve or freeze. Their choice of exile was a mercy from a soft-hearted mentor, for they had been trained in such scenarios many times as a yank, and death was not a guarantee. Left to the mercy of the elements instead of run through with a superiors' sword, they actually had a fighting chance.

They survived the trial, though they were told by the departing gish that should they make it back alive they would no longer be welcomed in by the creche and there were standing orders to annihilate them should they return within the bounds of their former home. Their name was stricken from the rosters of the faithful, and they were branded h'shar'lak.

It was a relief to be cut free.

For a little over ten years they traveled the Sword Coast once they made it safely out of the Spine and followed their whims and passions without the threat of their superiors breathing down their neck.

(above links do a better brief job of explaining the lore from here on out, but they contact the Society of Brilliance once they learn about it and plan to meet up with a renegade illithid in their midst who is most willing to speak to them -- they get snatched by the Nautiloid before making contact, and thus the plot of BG3 unfolds.)

As I've finished their game since writing the various above threads, they do turn full illithid, but while partial illithidom suited them admirably and they took to it with aplomb, the actual transformation and re-learning themself as a new creature as a full illithid is a painful and arduous process that far exceeds the instantaneous transformation in-game. Thanks to the influence of the Astral tadpole, which unlike the others, was not part of the Absolute's brood, and which took root far more strongly than the first or third, they retained most of their former self -- to the detriment of the illithid they were becoming. Eventually they find their feet again, and travel the Astral sea and beyond--to Limbo, to the Underdark, to the myriad dark places where the likeminded share their larger goal of collaboration--and do the thankless, impossible work of trying to unite historic enemies twice over (the illithids, the githyanki, the githzerai) under one banner for the betterment of all. They establish a sister society to the society of brilliance in the astral plane and operate largely from there -- though they pop back into the material plane every few months to visit the Emperor in Baldur's Gate and renew ties with their allies and friends in cities across Faerûn.

Ironically, I wasn't aware there was an ending in which Lae'zel essentially does the same thing only without the illithid component. I somehow didn't think the githzerai would come up again at all, and Ambassador seems to be a popular choice of post-game occupation for most gith who aren't still singularly devoted to Vlaakith, but this has been Xa'rok's story since their inception in my brain and so it will remain. They were built upon two main character influences: Genly Ai of Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness, who is a human envoy on a frozen planet caught in the middle of a civil war while trying to broker political and economic ties to a larger federation that will share resources and knowledge with all parties for the betterment of all involved; and Newt Geiszler from Pacific Rim, whose fascination with the kaiju ultimately ends with him mind-melding with one. Really internalizing your passions, here. They were built to be a solo Emperor romancer, so the illithid-sympathies were a given, everything else spun out of these three concepts.

Skaro, their guardian, is a githzerai with deeper ties to the lore, but I've also turned him into a character in his own right divorced from the Emperor's reimagining of him as the guardian. I'm still working on what the AU of their life is like, where they meet as traveling companions once tadpoled and both remain gith in the end.

There is also an offshoot of Xa'rok's ending in game where they choose to give the Emperor the stones and don't turn illithid themself, and thus they part ways at the dock once the fight is over, but remain close contacts and allies.

Sometime after all is said and done, down the line, Xa'rok finds and raises a displacer beast cub who they name D'jaxia. She accompanies them on their diplomatic missions in the astral sea. In their canon ending, where they turn illithid and remain with the Emperor, the two are often apart, as the Emperor is content to remain in Baldur's Gate rebuilding his influence within the knights of the shield and Xa'rok is busy with their ambassador work elsewhere. But they return to drag the Emperor out of his work and take a break on occasion.