#than be with the good and well-meaning citizens of Baldur's Gate

[fangsandfeels]

I started writing a post about how Yenna is actually adorable and how it hurts to know that she tries so much to be helpful and stay cheerful despite how scared she is because this is how children who were forced to mature beyond their years behave.

I really tried imagining her dynamic with the group.

But I’m weak and infected, so I ended up diverging and thinking about how Astarion went from scoffing and sneering at the mere idea of letting the kid stay in to “Let’s just kill Gortash and get Yenna back”, which led to me sprouting a headcanon moment, one of those that might have happened in-between.

When Yenna is allowed to stay in the camp, Astarion tries to pretend she doesn't exist. If Tav absolutely has to drag in every lost mutt to their place, fine. But don't expect him to play babysitter or be nice about it.

In fact,  he is more than ready not to be nice: the sooner the kid runs away in tears, the better it will be for all of them. Little children shouldn't really be around vampires. Or githyanki. Or flammable tieflings. Or anyone who can turn into a mindflayer at any given moment. If she has to be hurt, she better get hurt somewhere else, where he can’t see it, and it’s not his problem.

He gets his chance when Yenna approaches him, asking what he’d like her to cook. Astarion jumps at the opportunity. He gives her his most evil grin as he gleefully tells her about craving delicious red blood. He uses his best malicious voice and flashes his fangs at her -- only for her to leave without as much as a whimper and then show up later, hair messy, arms scratched, and cheeks muddy as she offers him a young hare she caught and kept alive for him.

That confuses him to no end: what was this child's damage? She was supposed to run away from a vampire, not to feed him! Why is she more worried about whether he liked what she brought than what might happen to her if she stays? What in the Hells can be scarier than to be stuck with a vampire? 

He could probably act like an absolute ass and refuse her offering, chew her out for being a lousy hunter, and remind her that nothing is more quenching than the blood of a thinking young soul. He could make her terrified, make her run away sobbing.

He could hurt her.

But somehow, he doesn’t. The words just never leave his throat.

Instead, he huffs, scoffs, and accepts her meal just so she would leave him alone -- and tells her not to do it again because he prefers to pick his own supper, and it would be such a shame if he came across her during his hunts.

He is pretty sure that all the kid got from his speech was that she had been approved to stay - and that was the only thing that mattered to her, which is simply infuriating.  

[kirain]

Hi! I love your metas and I had a question if you don't mind. I love Barcus but I'm a bit confused by the Ironhand gnomes and why they were so mad at the Gondians? Did I maybe miss something?

Omg, I'm so glad someone asked me this! Thank you, anon. I broached this exact subject with my friend a few days ago, and I'd already considered writing a post about it, so this was the kick I needed! Barcus is hands down my favourite NPC (perhaps of all time) and the gnome plight is easily my favourite side quest in the entire game, so I'm excited to share what I've learned!

To preface, I'd like to mention that most gnomes, according to D&D lore, live in clans and keep to themselves. This is especially true for deep gnomes, as the Underdark is an exceedingly dangerous homeland. Their people are often enslaved by drow or duergar, or eaten by other nefarious creatures that lurk in the shadows. As such, they have become a profoundly somber and cynical race, relying only on each other for survival. They're also extremely wary of strangers, as Barcus perfectly demonstrates when we first meet him.

Now, a history lesson. The Ironhand Gnomes, who at some point left the Underdark, worked in Baldur's Gate for generations, providing the city with the best mechanomagical inventions the populace had ever seen. Though they still kept to themselves and worked in isolation, they were well respected by the citizens, and flourished enough to inspire other gnomes to seek a new life in the city as well. This may not have been their goal, but whether they meant to or not, they brought gnomish innovation to the forefront of one of the most multicultural cities in all of Faerûn.

More importantly, the Ironhand Gnomes worshipped a lesser deity called Gaerdal Ironhand, who Wulbren's ancestor, Wolverforce Bongle, allegedly conversed with. Massive however, in all of my research, I haven't been able to find any evidence that he was truly capable of such a feat, nor is he ever referred to as a "Chosen" by either himself or anyone from his clan. Therefore, it's possible this is nothing more than an unsubstantiated claim made by zealots. A book called Ironhand Gnomes: Our Grievances can be found in the gnome hideout in Act 3, verifying some of this information, but it's glaringly biased against the Gondians, with radically religious and violent undertones.

But where did this hatred come from? Well, according to the book, the Ironhand Gnomes shared some of their expertise with other clans, and some of those clans took what they learned and opened their own workshops. The Gondians, who worship Gond, did particularly well, constructing their own factories and becoming quick competition. They even built a Gondian Church in the city, and attributed their success to Gond; god of craft, smithing, and inventiveness. For whatever reason, the Ironhands didn't appreciate this and accused the Gondians of stealing their methods and designs, as well as pointing out flaws in their "shoddy" craftsmanship.

However, Gondian work was relatively flawless, as well as artifice-based, meaning it relied on science and raw materials. The Ironhands specialised in mechanomagical inventions, meaning they imbued their engines with arcane influence. This put the Gondians and Ironhands at odds with each other, as Gond espoused artifice supremacy, whereas Gaerdal Ironhand, according to Wolverforce, accused Gond of being a thief. So yes, we've reached the crux of the issue—religious turmoil. Both gods, I should mention, are good-aligned and easily misinterpreted, so of course that adds another layer of complications.

In response to the Ironhand's accusations, the Gondians started slandering the Ironhand clan, losing them favour in the city. In other words, the feud quite literally became a he said/she said situation, with both clans acting like petty children. Whether or not the Ironhand Gnomes taught the Gondians a few tricks, they weren't owed credit for their inventions. That would be like my friend showing me how to use Adobe Animate, then demanding credit for all of my artwork thereafter ... and all while criticising it. And the Gondians, though attempting to protect their reputation, had no right to spread lies about the Ironhand clan, not all of whom participated in the drama. They could've let their work speak for itself.

But this war of finger-pointing dragged on, with both sides losing and gaining support from confused Baldurians. Eventually, the Ironhands became desperate to get the upperhand, rousing Wolverforce to experiment with the thought-to-be mythical runepowder. This led to what became known as the "Unfortunate Runepowder Incident", wherein the overweening Wolverforce caused a massive explosion, killing himself and countless others in the blast. Wulbren blames this tragedy on the Gondians alone, and many Ironhands seem to feel it was the root of their exile, but there's more to it.

In reality, the Ironhand Gnomes were banished from Baldur's Gate because they aligned themselves with Sarevok Anchev, the Bhaalspawn who tried to destroy the city in the first game. For some reason, Wulbren completely glosses over this detail, likely because he can't bring himself to admit the Ironhands are responsible for their own downfall. In fact, he brushes it off, as if it's some insignificant happenstance that deserves forgiveness without merit. After all, it happened over a century ago. Then, in Act 3, he says a painfully backwards line about how he thinks the Gondians would've joined Sarevok, if given the chance. But they did have a chance, and they didn't join him. The Ironhands did. As far as I'm concerned, this highlights Wulbren's extensive denial.

Which brings me around to Barcus and why he's such an endearing character. He doesn't care about ancient feuds or gnome supremacy. He made a name for himself, despite his clan's reputation. The Gondians never saw him as an enemy, and he in turn saw the value in their work. He prefers diplomacy and open dialogue, and he abhors violence to the highest degree. With a little hard work, he proved that the Ironhand Gnomes could've redeemed themselves without resorting to such extreme and radical measures; which is why I will always argue for him to take leadership. He's the best. He's everything. He is the shining future of unity and creation.

[shadow-fell]

Ulder Ravengard

have you met Ulder and gone dude why are you so mean to your son? do you want to write some fun angst for Wyll? well then do I have some meta for you.

This is a summary of the events of Murder in Baldur's Gate, the adventure that introduced Ulder + a lot of other plot points for BG3, plus some bits from his later appearances in Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus and Rise of Tiamat. MiBG isn't widely run, but this is heavy spoilers, so reader beware!

Murder in Baldur's Gate is an adventure very few people have heard of and also one of the most critical to the plot of BG3 (aside from Descent into Avernus which it was introduced as a direct companion/sequel to). It was part of the D&D Next playtest for 5e, and was written so that it could be played in 3e, 4e, or with the playtest rules, and is thus a really weird but fun adventure to run.

The core concept is this: Grand Duke Abdel Adrian (AKA Gorion's Ward AKA Charname from BG1/BG2) is attacked by the last remaining Bhaalspawn. One of them kills the other, and the survivor is turned into the Slayer, who the party is introduced helping to take down. What no one knows is that this also led directly to the resurrection of Bhaal, who proceeds to lurk in the shadows, manipulating events.

The main structure of the module is that there are three characters vying to take control of the city in the upheaval - Duke Torlin Silvershield who wants to consolidate power for the patriars and himself, Rilsa Rael of the Guild who's trying to start a populist uprising, and Ulder Ravengard, who's vying for the open Duke spot and trying to get the Flaming Fist more control over the city.

They're also all three touched by Bhaal, slowly driven over the deep end to drive the city into chaos. There are 10 stages, each with a mission from one of the three. If things go off as written (either because the party, working for that antagonist, did as they were told, or if they failed to intervene) they gain a rank of 'Bhaal's Favor' - with the winner ascending as the Chosen of Bhaal and wreaking havoc on the city.

Who is Ulder Ravengard at the start?

"Ravengard is not a zealot or a fascist - not yet, anyway."

Blaze Ulder Ravengard is the fourth son of a lower city smith, who is intensely loyal to the Flaming Fist, believing them to be the backbone of the city. He's repeatedly described as being disciplined, focused, and utilitarion. He has "no interest in domestic matters" and his soldiers respect rather than love him.

However, unlike most of the Fist, his goals are for the good of the city. He "seethes over the eagerness of ill-doers to control others, steal the fruits of honest folk's labor, and otherwise misuse hardworking people" - what manifests mainly in a crusade against the Guild, but he's no fan of the patriars and their corruption either.

Specifically, he plans to "wage war" against the Guild - and is aware that "wars aren't won without casualties or collateral damage" - pointing out his blind spot that "he excuses all actions taken for the public good while simultaneously deploring identical deeds that others carry out for less altruistic reasons"

Ulder's main flaw is that he thinks the ends justify the means, and that he's willing to do anything to protect the "honest" citizens of the city against crime. He's fine with intense methods if they produce results. That is to say, he's a cop.

To be honest my whole meta on Ulder really can be summed down with "ACAB" but we'll keep going anyways.

Murder in Baldur's Gate

It's Uktar 1482, at the Founder's Day celebration, and Grand Duke Abdel Adriain is dead. Ulder was his right hand, and was there for the death - but unarmed, because the Flaming Fist don't have authority in the Upper City, only the City Watch, who due to poor planning were too far away to do anything to help.

Ulder is the only one of the three antagonists to meet with the players openly, and invites them to Wyrm Crossing where he offers temporary membership in the Flaming Fist. His plan is to regain order, investigate the death (he thinks the Guild is behind it) and put himself up as Adrian's replacement.

Most of the module occurs in "stages" where each antagonist has their own plan going, which the party can either help or hinder.

Ravengard shuts down two gambling dens run by the Guild in the lower city, boarding them up and bringing the owners in for questioning.

Ravengard sends extra Flaming Fist to patrol the docks to check on workers from the Outer City he believe to be behind recent vandalism and tax robberies - they proceed to enact some police brutality.

Several statues (including the Beloved Ranger) are vandalized by a group of patriar youths. Whoever the party turns them over to gains a rank of Bhaal's Favor

Ravengard begins campaigning for Duke. Traditionally, the spot has ties to the Lower City and the Flaming Fist, but the Parliament of Peers wants a patriar instead - Wyllyck Caldwell. Ravengard blackmails Caldwell to get him to step away.

Ravengard convinces the Harbormaster to raise tariffs on luxury items (in response to the stage 2 sumptuary laws Silvershield enacts)

The Court of the Fist is set up - an illegal military tribunal where the Flaming Fist begin capturing suspected Guild members and sympathizers,

Ravengard closes down the Baldur's Mouth under suspicion the Guild is using it to communicate.

Rioting in the city breaks out, the Flaming Fist cracks down violently if the players don't intervene

Ravengard declares martial law. Not complying with the Flaming Fist is grounds for execution.

Ravengard sets up public executions. Over a hundred are killed within the first hour.

It Ends With Blood: if Ulder Ravengard is the Chosen of Bhaal, he reigns death on the city from above using the trebuchets in the Seatower of Balduran.

Event 10 occurs for the top two of Bhaal's favor, and Event 11 for the chosen - which is canonically Silvershield. So, we know events one through nine were at least ordered, even if circumvented - martial law is the only one that can't be averted.

Given that he ends up "winning" (becoming Grand Duke) I think the executions probably didn't happen (and instead Rilsa Rael staged her prison break) but it doesn't actually break canon.

Rise of Tiamat & Descent into Avernus

Sometime around or shortly before 1485, Ulder is named Grand Duke. 1485 is the year Wyll is banished for his pact with Mizora - which means he was only the Duke's son for maximum a few years.

In 1489, Ulder represents the city on the council to deal with the threat of Tiamat, where his traits are:

Ideals: Responsibility, glory ("I am trusted with protecting thousands of lives, and I will not betray that trust no matter what my personal desires.") Interaction Traits: Honest Pledged Resources: Flaming Fist warriors and expert advisers to train conscript troops

In Descent to Avernus, he's described as having been elected "backed by idealistic commoners and enemies of the other established dukes" and that his concerns are the "stability and prosperity" of the city. He's the "voice of reason and common sense" but not egalitarianism.

The central tenet of DIA is that Ulder Ravengard is an honorable man, and without him to keep the Flaming Fist in line, they exercise their power cruelly (guided along by Vanthampur as she tries to consolidate power)

In Elturel, Ulder has taken charge of the city's defense. You meet him as he has tried to recover a relic and been caught by a psychic attack from Baphomet, that is mostly grounds for him to give a lore drop.

Okay, that's a lot of information. Summary please?

Ulder Ravengard is a cop.

He's not a bad cop. He's not interested in power, wealth, or fame. He wants what's best for the city...and he believes that the Flaming Fist, with the right motivation and guidance are it.

But, like, he's still a cop. He's inflexible, and doesn't see much nuance in situations. He's Lawful Neutral, in a genuine sense, he believes in the righteousness of Order, and can't see the nuances or the downsides.

If he's a righteous man, why hasn't he put work into reforming the very corrupt Flaming Fist? Because Good Cops don't fix anything, and I don't think he actually has a problem with most of it. Sure, the punishment is extreme, but you were committing a crime - Mercy is a virtue for a judge to hold, but it isn't a right. He's more concerned with the corruption vis a vis bribes from patriars and the Guild than the police brutality angle.

He's a good man to have running your army. He's a good man to marshal your defenses as your city goes plummeting to hell. Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate? The only thing he has going for him is that everyone else is just as bad.

Of course he exiled Wyll - if you're not guilty, you have nothing to hide. There was nothing more damning than not being able to speak (which Mizora knew; she is, in fact, good at her job). Ulder's views of patriar corruption (and status as being from the lower city) also has him uniquely positioned to be very harsh - he can't be the person who lets his son's crimes slide, not and clamp down on the patriars doing the same thing.

But once he had the context, he accepted him immediately - the ends justify the means. Ulder Ravengard is a man who would make a deal with a devil to save his city...so long as he knows the price.

(now, on the 'leaving 17yo Wyll in charge...look, this gets complicated, but the only way it works is if he's put in charge of the Flaming Fist, not as 'heir to the Duke' mostly because Ravengard doesn't trust most of the Fist to not be corrupt. Even then, I think it's likely to be a bit more of Wyll's POV (I have to step up!) and less an official chain of command, but he could easily have been an official member).

There are definitely places with Wyll that you can see how he has and hasn't taken his father's ideology. He's got some naive views (Baldur's Gate, welcoming refugees??) that suit someone who was taught the theory but never actually practiced politics, but he definitely has a leaning towards some of Ulder's views about law and order and ends and means.

And as for Grand Duke Wyll Ravengard, well....

...let's just say, with the right people pushing buttons, I could see him going down the 'declare martial law' route too.

[amethysts-tavern]

#65: Horror

I found a webpage with 100 writing prompts and rolled a d100. This is #65: Horror. It’s not horror in the traditional sense, but the point in the game that still fills me with horror weeks later.

Stop reading now if you don’t want to see Act 3 spoilers!!

—————

“I don’t think I can do this any more,” you say, bowing your head and leaning into Gale’s chest. Dinner for the evening had been cleaned up and put away and you were alone with him once again.

“What are you talking about, love?” Gale says, wrapping his arms around you in a tender embrace, clearly concerned by your defeated tone.

“Having to rescue everyone, the fighting, the bloodshed, the death, trying to determine who is being genuine and who is using us for their own benefit,” you say, starting to sob into his tunic.

“It has been a lot, hasn’t it?” Gale says, speaking gently and rubbing your back. “You’ve held up so valiantly thus far, what changed?”

It had been three days since the not-Lae’zel drew a knife across Yenna’s throat, dropping the innocent child on the spot. Walking past the girl’s body reminded you that of all of the horror you’d seen in the last few months, this one took the cake by far. It disturbed you to the core. You couldn’t shake the look of pure terror in Yenna’s eyes as she begged the not-Lae’zel to let her go.

“She never even knew that it wasn’t the real Lae’zel,” you say through tears. “The last thought she had was that we had betrayed her. And I wasn’t able to keep her safe. I’m not able to keep anyone safe. Shadowheart’s gone, the real Lae’zel has been kidnapped, and now Yenna’s dead. I’m terrified that I’m going to lose each and every one of you before this is over. I can’t even pick up and go home because look at it out there!” you gesture to a window in your room at the Elfsong. “Gortash has instilled fear in the citizens of Baldur’s Gate. They are out there denying basic human rights to the refugees who are just looking for a safe place to live. Sometimes I feel like this is a losing battle.”

“Do you want to give up?” Gale says, stroking your hair, still holding you close.

“Well, if we give up and don’t get the Netherstones and don’t stop the Elder Brain by other means, Mystra is going to blow you up,” you say, holding on to him tighter, balling his tunic up in your fists as you do.

“Not my first choice of outcomes at this point either,” Gale says, trying to make light of the situation. You sigh and a corner of your mouth turns upward - he’s such a nerd, but you love him more than anything. “Let’s start small. What can we do tonight?”

You think for a moment, there is nothing more you can do tonight other than get a good sleep and be ready for whatever fresh hell tomorrow will bring. You shake your head at the wizard, clearly at a loss.

“I suggest we spend the night holding on to each other so as to create a tiny pocket of love and comfort in this gods-forsaken world. And woe betide anyone who disturbs us.”

You smile genuinely this time. He always knows the right thing to say to bring you back down.

[blackjackkent]

OK, I think the time has finally arrived: The Baldur's Gate Gate.

And hey, our first glimpse of a Steel Watcher:

Pretty intense-looking thing, even from a distance.

This area is labeled as South Span Checkpoint, and there are some refugees arguing with the Flaming Fist near the gate, trying to get in. It didn't actually occur to me (or Hector either) till this moment that there's no more reason for them to let us in than the other refugees; the Fist do not know that we are the main character.

Hm.

Well, let's go up and try our luck.

"Halt! By orders of Lord Gortash, refugees are no longer allowed in the city. Turn around."

(A/N: This was a very lucky screenshot I managed to get because this woman's textures were flickering in and out of a very freaked-out state repeatedly.)

"I have urgent business in the city," Hector says firmly. It's not really a lie, right? That business just happens to be opposing Lord Gortash with every fiber of his being.

(He can feel how tense Karlach has gotten, hearing these Fist speak his name with respect, and there is a small part of him tempted to just let her loose to clear the way. But that would cause more problems than it would solve.)

She looks him up and down, raises an eyebrow. "Well. Do you have the means to support yourself?"

It's a casual request for a bribe. This is entirely lost on Hector, of course. [MONK] "I'm here on pilgrimage," he says earnestly. "The temples will support me."

Jaheira, worldly-wise as she is, smothers a laugh into a cough.

The guard narrows her eyes at him. "I'm afraid Article 30.1.7 stipulates that religious or spiritual assertions cannot count towards one's proof of self-sufficiency. I will repeat - for the last time, may I add - do you have the means to support yourself?"

He sighs, reaches into his pack, pulls out 20 platinum to show to her. (How much, he wonders, counts as a proper qualification?) "I can take care of myself," he says, trying to sound as calm as possible.

Her eyebrows lift, and then she grins, and in a single smooth motion, reaches out and plucks the coin from his palm. He's so startled that he doesn't have time to react before she has pocketed it.

"Right," she says with a somewhat nasty smirk. "Article 30.1.5 of the Council's Decree on Extraordinary Wartime Measures. I am confiscating that. The city thanks you for your contribution." The smirk fades to a glare. "Your name?"

Hector stares at her. He's so thrown by this development that he forgets to be subtle. "My name is Hector Carlisle."

"Greetings, citizen." The Steel Watcher speaks suddenly in a loud, robotic voice that makes Hector jump. As he turns automatically to look at the huge construct, his brain twists abruptly in his head.

"Your parasite stirs. From the construct, you feel connection. Resonance."

Bewilderment and discomfort mix in his mind. Does the construct somehow have a tadpole inside it? Or has it been programmed somehow to respond to True Souls of the Absolute? If the latter... could that potentially be of use to them?

Remain silent.

He's already said too much; he waits quietly to see if this guard intends to demand anything else of them - which of course she does.

"State your business!" she snaps at him.

Hector blinks rapidly, put on the spot again, but before he can come up with a suitable answer, Jaheira has cut in.

"I'm an herbalist by trade, Saer Fist," she says, lowering her voice to a soft murmur, putting just a hint of a catch into her breath. She steps forward to Hector's side, leaning forward to put a slight hunch into her back.

It's a rather remarkable transformation; without either disguise or change in accent she has lowered the threat of her appearance completely, in spite of the blades on her back. In retrospect, Hector thinks, of course a Harper would be good at deception and disguise as well as combat, but it is the first time he has seen Jaheira take such a tack.

It works, too - the Fist's expression immediately relaxes from hostility to mild disdain. "Uh huh," she says with a shrug, and gestures at the Steel Watcher. "Eyes open, body still."

Hector narrows his eyes warily. "Why?"

She smiles casually. "The Watcher will communicate with our new intelligence directorate. They'll determine if you're a threat to the city. Upstanding citizens have no reason to fear." She leans forward a little, her eyes narrowing pointedly. "And you *are* an upstanding citizen, aren't you?"

He keeps his face completely still with the ease of practice, but inwardly his mind is racing. How much does Gortash know about them? He was gone before they even fought Ketheric; he might not recognize them by face or name. He would know them by the presence of the Prism in Hector's pack; can the automaton detect that?

Too many questions. No point in buying trouble until he knows the situation.

Do as she says. Stand still.

Narrator: Behind the Watcher's gaze, a presence awakens. You are seen. You are known.

"Whoa..." Karlach mutters. "My engine. It's almost... I don't know. Buzzing. Like it's paying attention."

Hector can't respond, can't speak. His jaw feels wired shut, his attention bound by the mechanical creature bearing down on them.

Narrator: Your party's prior transgressions are reflected in its stare, as witnessed by the cult's ever-alert scrying eyes. It has heard the howls of slaughtered goblins. It has seen the deep shadows of Grymforge, and the stone floors left bloodied. The Watcher speaks directly into your mind with a voice like poisoned honey.

"You are marked for special treatment. Not simply an enemy of the people, but an enemy of the Absolute. Come quietly, or die."

The voice feels a little like the Guardian speaking to him, or like the communications that mental bond within their little group of travelers. But it is infinitely colder, mechanical and devoid of emotion or sympathy or life. It is a fist around his throat, ready to squeeze.

He could stand and fight here - but so close to the refugee camp, it's almost a certainty that innocents would be caught in the crossfire. Better to pretend to go along, and look for an opportunity somewhere less prone to collateral damage.

Consent to arrest.

He holds completely still, centering himself, conserving his energy, ready to follow and to capitalize on whatever presents itself.

"Your peaceful surrender has been noted," the Watcher intones coldly. "You will be transferred to Wyrm's Rock Prison where you will await further sentencing."

Hector takes a step forward, watching the construct warily -- but before he can be taken into custody, there's a scuffle of activity behind the gate.

"Eat this, you pile of junk!"

It's one of Wulbren's deep gnomes; she lifts one arm and hurls a small device at the Watcher with all her strength. Hector barely has time to realize what's happening and turn his eyes away before the device explodes in a blinding flash of light and lightning.

The guards stagger aside, clutching their eyes. The Watcher spasms as the electrical surge works through its circuitry. The deep gnomes vanish like shadows back into the crowd of the city.

And Hector and his companions, seeing the opening they were hoping for, barrel forward past the wall and out of sight.

[gatheryourships]

So, because @gunslingerorchid asked, here's a post about my self-insert Tav, Rosenna.

-

I’ll be honest I don’t have a whole lot about her fleshed out. And even trying to write this up for you, so much got changed and rewritten a number of times, and even this response is a complete start over from the very long and honestly confused lore bit I wrote.

Basically what I wrote for the fake BG3 intro post I reblogged on here is pretty much all I got, lmao. But I’ll try to give some more info, as much as I got nailed down right now. Maybe some more that’s not so concrete yet either.

Um, so. Rosenna is an only child, born and raised by a farmer and his wife (last name undetermined) in a little hamlet (also name undetermined) located along the Chionthar river a little ways down from Baldur’s Gate.

Right around that little nook maybe, where the red dot is. I still haven’t decided which side of the river it’s on. But around that area. So that’s it’s between the Fields of the Dead and the Woods of Sharp Teeth.

Rose (for short) lived a nice, little life with her parents. Helped her mom with house chores and what not as commoner daughters do. Also helped her dad a little with the farm - probably a bit less common for daughter to do, but eh. She likes helping and only doing house chores drove her crazy. And it’s something different so she was fine with it, despite getting a little dirty sometimes because of it. Also it was spending time with dad, so… That’s nice. xD

From a young age, Rose had been immersed with stories about heroes. Not necessarily intentionally mind you. Just parents telling their kid stories, censored versions of course. And from there, as she grew up, just got into reading stories about heroes herself.

And between having a good, kind, caring heart and just being a feisty, determined woman who only wants to do right she naturally felt an inclination towards such a life.

However… her mother had another plans for her. Not out of ill-will, just normal life plans that a commoner daughter would typically live. Help her mother until she (Rose) found someone to marry, which her parents were starting to push that onto her, except Rose didn’t have much interest in that. (Yet, anyways. Hero thing first, romance later possibly, ya know.)

What Rose did have an interest in was going to the docks and rubbing shoulders with people who came from Baldur’s Gate and even elsewhere afar, wanting to hear real stories of adventures and journeys from real people that they’ve had, especially recently.

Now it’s here where I’m unsure whether to spin it off as how she picked up some sense of handling a sword. One way is that because going to the docks and rubbing shoulders with strangers is obviously a terrible, dangerous thing to do and her father (and mother) become worried for her and so her father (who���s also maybe part of the citizen militia for the little hamlet - no standing army) decides to teach her (in secret/aka behind mom’s back) so she stops trying to go to the docks (and possibly end up kidnapped or worse one day). Fun, nice, gets interaction with her dad. But like, I just realized it’s the same as the other self-insert for another character I like/liked. So, since I’m already doing that plotline with another character, I’ll probably go with the second option then lmao.

The other one was an idea I had before but was unsure about it (then not now) where she does meet someone from the docks. Not a romantic interest, but thankfully a friendly and honorably decent person. He obviously realized that she’s young (20s, since I didn’t mention that before) and a bit starry-eyed, but she means well and was looking for more in her life, more than this little hamlet could give her. He befriended her and indulged her in giving her stories of his travels and interesting little adventures and happenings he found himself in every time he came into town (only ever stopping by, as did anyone else whoever found themselves at the docks there). Eventually, he himself buys her a sword and trains her how to use it.

From there to BG3 events however… One day it’s too much. Rose’s reckless immaturity has become too much for her mother. So Rose and her mother got in an argument. Her mother had not been oblivious to Rose and her love of heroes, but had hoped that Rose would grow out of it as she got older (she didn’t, it only grew stronger). And enough was enough. It was time to be a grown woman, look for a partner, and settle down and become not just a wife but mother herself. To say Rose was unhappy about this would be a completely understatement. After a yelling match with her mother, Rose quickly packed some things (including her stashed away secret sword) and left home. She got on the first ship to Baldur’s Gate and that was that.

For a year, Rose tried her best there. She got jobs. But they weren’t great. Didn’t pay great. By the end of it, things were… pretty bleak, mentally speaking for Rose. (In my playlist, as confused as it is with this summarization of character, I literally have The Parting Glass (Walking Dead version) followed by the instrumental version of I Want to Live from BG3. I think that says plenty.)

The next morning as she’s going about town is when the mindflayers come and she gets unfortunately (or technically speaking, quite fortunately) snatched up. (Only way to become a hero is go on a crazy adventure right? 😉)

[fictionkinfessions]

It's funny, the reason I chose the "urchin" background when semi-roleplaying as my previous self is because I grew up effectively on the streets. Sure, I had a home... Where my mother stopped feeding me at all the moment she learned I was earning on my own. At age 8 because I was only being fed once a week before that.

Yeah, the only people who would hire me were criminals- a gang of petty thieves who saw me as a perfect distraction. I mean, they were mostly petty thieves. There was this one time I was to be a distraction for a corrupt politician who was originally just going to be roughed up to show him that the poor wouldn't just lay down and be taxed to death but then he went to hit me and got knifed in the back by a protective gang member, but that really was a one-time thing.

One of them sold me my first instrument. She claimed she stole it from the house of some rich fucker who didn't even play it, just kept it around as a conversation piece. She said it wasn't worth that much, not as much as I'd saved up in a year to buy a new one, but I think she was lying. I couldn't have even gotten a cheap one, but she sold it to me for half of what I had, and it was well-made.

Of course, selling on the black market could be hit-or-miss, some things had higher value because they were stolen while others had lower value because they were stolen, but I think it was probably a tenth the thing's value or less. And I think it was inspired by that incident. I was just a kid and I'd witnessed a spontaneous murder because the guy had been about to hit me. They were fond of me, much as I saw it as pity at the time.

I hope she knew I kept that thing for the rest of my life. That I cleaned it every night if it'd come out of its case, and once a tenday when it hadn't. I patched it up time after time, lovingly if not always skillfully. It was my most prized possession, even long after I could get whatever instrument I wanted. It was my baby, my first, I barely let anyone else touch it let alone hold it.

But yeah. "Urchin" felt like the most accurate backstory selection of the ones given, even if it does mean my character is a Baldurian, unlike who I was. It does feel... Really weird to hear the Baldurians commenting on my character as though they were a good, honest citizen, meanwhile their background is basically "yeah I grew up on the streets stealing to survive", dude, if anything, the refugees are far more likely to be law-abiding citizens than they ever were, and yes, I very much know about the gang of urchins (some of whom I saved, I saved all the ones who needed saving). Also I really feel like Baldur's Gate has bigger problems than refugees. Like, you know, the little earthquakes. But what would I know, I'm just a bard.

🌫

[5mcsinatrenchcoat]

1 - 5 of the BG3 Act 1 asks for Vice?

BG3 Act 1 Asks (accepting!)

Oh-ho-ho that's a whole ass introduction, let's goooo (and thank you!)

Tell us about your Tav! Name, class and subclass, race, pronouns. Do you have a headcanon for where they're from? Their family? Are they a Dark Urge? Or did you choose an Origin Character? Was it an easy decision?

Name: Vice Class: Barbarian Subclass: Berserk Race: Asmodeus Tiefling Backstory: Urchin Pronouns: she/her

Putting this under read more 'cause trust me I couldn't make this brief even if I wanted to (yay headcanons)

Vice is Baldurian born and raised, in a somewhat more literal sense that one might think. As in, the city did indeed raise her. Her birth name is Volga Redbrook, but she doesn't really remember it. The name, that is. The surname is easier. It's on her parents' gravestones.

Her dad got murdered when she was an infant, and no one bothered to investigate a dead tiefling from a poor family (we've seen first hand how justice in this city works). Her mom hanged around longer, but got sick and also died when Vice was around 8 years old, leaving her an orphan.

If Baldur's Gate has any children protection services to speak of, then Vice never met them. For some time she skulked around the now-empty place they used to live in, but no living space stays empty for long, so she very quickly found herself on the streets. And with streets came trouble.

Stubborn by nature, constantly hungry and angry about it (the fuck do you MEAN you can't spare one damn apple you stupid asshole vendor--), she got tossed around more than once.

That's until one day, when she got in big trouble with the Fists for getting caught stealing, another urchin showed up and snatched her away. A teenage orc girl built like a fighter, with a burn scar on her face and a short boyish cut. She brought Vice to her hideout where she's been collecting similarly lost kids kind of like an older version of Mol. Their own little gang of survivors with no one to look after them but each other.

Now, Uretir, or Ur as they all called her, was about 14-15 years old herself, but to 10 years old Vice she seemed an impossibly cool adult older sister who can do everything and anything. She was strong, she dared to get into guards' faces if needed, she was larger than life. She also taught all of them to steal, to sneak, to lie, to parkour across the city's architecture if needed, and to fight.

Guess who Vice's guardian looked like.

It's in that group that Vice actually took her virtue name, Vice, 'cause it was indeed her own vices that repeatedly got her into trouble. Her stubbornness, her anger, her independence.

She used to be both impossibly angry at the world, especially those richer and more well-off than them, and ashamed of her anger, 'cause, well, it's not a good thing to have, is it? Never does her any good, certainly.

Ur used to say that they didn't need what the rich folks had. That those were stupid and complacent, not seeing shit under their own noses. Someone to be conned and robbed and tricked and laughed at, not anyone to envy. Not anyone to fear either. Ur used to say that everything they needed they already had in them. Their hands, their wits, their strength. Their crew. Ur also used to say that Vice's anger is nothing to be ashamed of. If she has it in her, then it's her tool to wield, to make herself stronger and more resilient. All she had to do was to learn how to harness it to her advantage instead of an obstacle.

Vice took the first part of advice to heart, which makes her incredibly frustrating to every character in the current plot who tries to bait her with power. She has her hands, her sword, her wits and her lies, her lockpicks and her strength. And also her friends. That's enough.

Uretir got killed in a scuffle when Vice was about sixteen. No one showed up to help, not a guard, not a citizen, no one. By the time the rest of them got there, there was no saving their sister.

So that's when Vice saw crystal clear the second part of that advice and made her rage her fuel. Let's just say that Ur's murderers didn't leave that alley alive either.

And Vice? Well, she's a 'barbarian' since. A sneaky, stealthy, lockpicky, smiley and deceiving berserk that will not hesitate to go off if you give her a reason to. The fact that she grew into her considerable height and build only helps her with that.

In the course of the next ten years their gang grew apart without Ur to hold them together. A lot of them decided to join the guild. Vice, however, was too sick of losing people, so she went the loner route, living it up while stealing and squatting, Disney Aladdin style (but without an animal sidekick).

The nautiloid actually snatched her up right in the middle of being chased after a robbery gone wrong, so? Successful getaway, I guess?

Now she has a whole squad of weirdos she'd really rather keep from dying and a girlfriend who's MUCH too close to death for comfort, which totally doesn't keep Vice painfully awake at night. Can she keep ANYONE in this godsdamn life.

(As for the question of whether it was easy to choose - I'm a sucker for custom characters, so hell yeah. Vice is a simple Tav, as you can see by the detailed backstory. I honestly never considered Dark Urge for my first playthrough, although it does look interesting if I ever manage a new character!)

Was there something about the character creator that just couldn't capture your Character? Please tell us about their hair, facial hair, tattoos, piercings, disabilities, their trans or intersex body, or anything else you're comfortable sharing.

Well, the thing is, I didn't go into the game with a pre-made character in mind. My only frame of reference was my Early Access character - and I last played EA in, like, summer of 2021, so I don't even remember what I named her. So after playing around in the character creator to see what's what I returned to my EA concept and went from there. 'Cause let me tell you, the new body type alone completely changed the whole vibe. I also decided not to go the non-canon way with the skin color.

But you can still see the roots. The eyes, the horns, the red hair, the general face preset I'm pretty sure. (Why aren't we allowed to color our eyebrows anymore though...)

All in all I'm majorly happy with how Vice turned out. Mayhaps the only thing I'd personally do is make her boobs smaller, 'cause that my general preference for my characters whenever I can control it, but let's be honest not every game lets you do that, so I'm content with letting her breast boobily and whatever. Anything for that height and those guns.

I'll admit I chose her scars all willy-nilly in character creation and now every time I notice them I'm like.

Someone tried really hard to either slit this girl's throat or behead her. I'm yet to decide which and how the hell she survived that.

And I'm pretty sure she just got that tattoo to be edgy and finds it very ironic now that there's an actual bullshit sitting in her eye.

(The only things I find annoying are the glitches like the light colored horns - which has thankfully been fixed - and the glitchy nail color that's been going on with tieflings. Not sure if the second one is still around)

Has your Character been using their illithid powers?

Ha, no. The aforementioned part about not wanting or trusting offers of power and authority and yada yada plus her general stubborn yuck about everything connected to mind flayers made sure of it. She's girlbossing her way through encounters based on sheer ability to lie and/or intimidate. And also a bit of me savescumming. Sue me.

Although to be completely honest I did fuck up on that a bit. I completely missed the fact that the Survival Instinct ability is linked to a tadpole (kinda got used to new abilities just popping up on the panel 'cause I equipped something new and forgot or leveled up or whatever). So I used it a few times and only stopped when the goddamn Embrace Your Potential quest updated and I went "SHIT".

I usually roll with the punches like that, and so was born the headcanon of Vice using the ilithid power unconsciously a few times because she got too scared about a friend - or lover - getting hit too hard in a fight.

She did very much stomp on the very-special tadpole the Emperor gave her. He wasn't pleased, she didn't care.

Do you remember in which order you recruited your companions? Which companion introduction would have felt the most familiar / like home to your Tav / Character?

Okay, let's see. Vice rescued Shadowheart from the pod (failed the strength check miserably and had to use the actual smarts but she got it done), so they landed close by. After which she immediately attempted to steal the shiny artefact thingy from the unconscious girl and had to very convincingly pretend that she was just checking on her upon being caught. So, uh, an interesting start to the relationship. (SH did seem to believe her though)

Astarion was second and he got successfully headbutted for being a little shit (ouch the horns). I also accidentally missed the first scene in camp - or multiple??? - because the very first night we made camp he was already trying to bite Vice. Which she didn't let him do. Their relationship is the rockiest of the whole party, but we're hopefully getting there.

Then came Gale whom Vice dragged from the portal by the muscle alone. She didn't really knew what to think of him for the longest time. Wizards and their hubris are so very much beyond her expertise.

Then of course she saved Lae'zel. Or does she technically count as the first companion, considering the nautiloid? Anyway, Vice's attitude frustrated her considerably for the first half of the Act, but Vice was actually chill about her from the get go. She understands angry. She understands surviving. Doesn't understand the superiority complex, but she got very good at shutting it down, so. (They became good friends later).

Karlach actually was recruited before Wyll 'cause I got nervous I was making too many long rests (got burned in EA once) and speedran directly to her location, past the fake paladins and everything. So Wyll basically recruited himself by showing up at camp. And Vice is glad that he did, 'cause he's an awesome guy and she likes him the best out of her male friends in the group.

As far as familiar/like home part goes… Look, I'm going to be very predictable and say Karlach. Because of many things really. Apart from the fact that Vice's gay ass immediately went "Hot 😳" at the first sight. First and foremost, while all the other companions thus far had been all gloomy and/or secretive (can't call Gale gloomy by any means but he sure as heck was sketchy with his humor shield), Karlach was open and loud and generally optimistic right from the get go, which Vice, who generally survives in the same manner, was tremendously relieved to see. She was also a fellow strong and angry barbarian at that and immediately in that first fight they matched each other step for step, which was also very refreshing. She was ALSO a fellow Baldurian street kid, as it soon appeared. It just clicked. If they hadn't fallen for each other eventually, they'd be the best of friends otherwise, there's no other option.

Do you remember the first humanoid enemy your Character killed? Was it the first person they've ever killed, in your opinion? Would they have been bothered by it?

Now this is a hard one. Do imps count? Does a dying mind flayer, who's skull she stomped on upon finding him? Or are we skipping till goblins at the grove?

Either way, as mentioned, Vice first killed a person, or rather multiple, when she was sixteen. So no, by that point - and she's around 26 in the main story - any of those were hardly her first. She was more bothered by the nature of everything happening (you don't get that kind of action on the city streets okay?) than the general killing she had to do. It's just a part of survival.

Tips of her horns are permanently stained red for a reason.

[luxicorde]

Does your Tav have any escalating conflicts with one of the other companions, like Lae’zel and Shadowheart’s knife-fight?

I actually have lots of thoughts on this, Atsali's got two of them, one with Gale and one with Wyll.

The one with Gale is relatively minor. Atsali has a small collection of very nice items back in Baldur's Gate, but when he got abducted he pretty much only had his clothes, a special cane, and a hip flask that he keeps on his person at all times. The flask is enchanted, he left it out on accident and Gale ate it, not realizing it was 1. Atsali's and 2. Important. He thought it wouldn't be missed, but didn't know how much trouble he was in until Atsali stormed over accusing him of stealing it. Karlach stepped in to break it up when it escalated from accusations to threats.

Gale feels bad, and then worse when he sees Atsali going through the worst of withdrawal essentially cold turkey. The reason the flask was so special was because it linked up to a stock of VERY strong gin, brewed by an associate of Atsali's back in the Gate. With his constitution, it's very difficult for normal alcohol to affect him, and after a while it became a dependency instead of just a bad habit.

Atsali forgives him after he's had time to cool off, everyone needs to eat, arcane hunger is no exception. He DOES give him shit for it when there's an opportunity to slip it into conversation, however.

As for Wyll, this one is a bit longer. Atsali was a fairly well known criminal back in Baldur's Gate. In terms of reputation, he was a ruthless and sadistic killer, targeting members of the flaming fist in particular. However, most of his actual business was extortion and money laundering. He has quite a few tattoos, and when he's just out and about, he keeps them covered up with long sleeves and high collars. When he's taking care of business, however, he's got clothes to put them on display and a mask to hide most of his face. Wyll wouldn't be able to recognize him from voice alone, but his tattoos are VERY distinct; there's no mistaking them.

Wyll calls him out on it, Atsali doesn't deny it, in fact he fully admits it. Wyll doesn't strike me as a murderer or someone who flies off the handle and starts fights, he genuinely wants to see the good in people. While he's DEFINITELY upset with this new information, he's seen Atsali be kind and helpful, and even when he tells people that his help costs money Wyll's seen him take coppers and trinkets for jobs worth his weight in gold. The Atsali he's met doesn't seem like the killer he's heard about and he wants answers.

He finds Atsali during a long rest, Atsali invites him to sit and drink with him. Wyll does so after a bit of goading, Atsali passes him his flask, and Wyll almost spits it right back out while Atsali slaps him on the back to help him through the coughing fit. It's enough to break the ice, and eventually, Wyll asks what the deal is. He's heard horrific things about this man, and he really wants to believe that they're just lies, like with Karlach.

But Atsali says he did it because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had history with the people he killed, yes, and most of them were even worse than he was. Crooked cops, people selling other people to make up their debts to him instead of pulling from their own coffers, the worst sorts. But he didn't kill them because he wanted justice; he did it because he wanted to. One bad night, a bit too much to drink, and they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Wyll is very conflicted with this, Atsali pats his back again, tells him that everyone is the same in Ravenguard's eyes. You're either a good citizen, or a criminal, and Atsali shares the same stinking cells and rotten food as someone who stole to feed their kids, and will share the same gallows as the rapists and husbands who killed their wives in a drunken rage.

He means it as a comfort to Wyll, seeing as how his exile puts him in the same group as Atsali from his point of view, but if anything it just makes him feel like he has more questions instead of answers.

[bard-druid-multiclass]

BG3 OC Masterlist

Each of these links lead to specific posts for each character, since I have more than exceeds the image limit per post. Below is basic information about each OC.

❧ Fortunata, a Shadar-Kai Tempest Cleric of Talos and Storm Sorceress

Ancient and timeless, Fortunata has cultivated a reputation as a fearless and tempestuous warrior. Her terrifying visage is notorious even amongst other Shadar-Kai. Devout in her worship of Talos, her temper is as mercurial as a stormy sea--and her tendency to mercy is just as unreliable.

❧ Viggo, a Zariel Tiefling College of Swords Bard

Youthful and vibrant, Viggo's survival of Elturel's relocation to the Nine Hells has done little to slow him down--if anything, it's given him quite the edge. Studying the rapier and applying his bardic skills to good use, Viggo is ready for vengeance against any and all evildoers, and pursues them with gusto.

❧ Vaela, a Wood Elf Circle of the Moon Druid

Once nominated to be Archdruid of the Thicket, a small grove not too far outside Rivington, Vaela now wanders the wilds in search of a means of stopping the Chosen of the Dead Three. Wielding Silvanus's gifts and their own penchant for mercy and kindness, Vaela's impact on the wilderness, underdark, and forsaken Shadowlands has shaken the balance of Faerun, and tipped the scales in favor of cosmic justice.

❧ Duvont, a Human Oath of Devotion Paladin

A philanthropist and volunteer whilst living in Baldur's Gate, Duvont has dedicated the past few years of his life to giving aid to the displaced refugees of Elturel. His steadfast belief in doing well by others has made him a well-regarded figure in his community--and someone others can come to if they need protection.

❧ Gaius, a Mephistopheles Tiefling Archfey Warlock, Pact of the Tome

Wildly intelligent and cunning, Gaius's origins are shrouded in mystery. His only desire seems to be gaining power at any cost, and he is willing to manipulate, lie to, and take advantage of anyone to get it.

❧ [DU] Fie-of-ringing-laughter, a Changeling Assassin Rogue

They don't recall much about their past--just brief snatches of being in dark alleys with even darker people. All they know is they aren't meant for a world of kindness, a world of mercy and goodness. There is no use fighting against fate's hand. (Don't give up hope. There is always a way.)

❧ Noel, a Half-Wood Elf Champion Fighter and Barbarian

The leader of the Broken Blades, a mercenary group in Baldur's Gate, Noel's reputation often precedes him. Wherever he goes in the Gate, Noel is a known quantity by law enforcement, citizens, and interested parties in need of hired muscle. Noel's willingness to knock heads and use his strength belies his intelligence--a fact he uses to his advantage.

❧ Jokul, a Silver Dragonborn Way of the Four Elements Monk

Raised amongst a mismatched clutch of Dragonborn, Jokul followed his lifelong interest in the elements. Over time and with thorough training, he became able to channel his breath into his fists and feet, tapping into his innate elemental power and the Weave to create a synergy between his body and magic. Jokul's temperament is reliably calm even in the worst situations.

❧ Branwen, a Human Battlemaster Fighter and Great Old One Warlock, Pact of the Blade

Branwen scraped her life together on her own after being rejected by her mother and father, taking deals with ancient otherworldly entities and gaining power as she grew. Her scrappiness grew into a knack for survival that infected other lost, unfortunate souls in Baldur's Gate. Now, her gang, often referred to as a cult, runs a significant portion of the underground in Baldur's Gate--though as of late, they have been going out of their way to hunt down and kill those who attack refugees.

❧ Oneiros, a Seldarine Drow Gloomstalker Ranger and Assassin Rogue

Once a firstborn son of a Drow Matriarch, after his attempted coup on his mother failed, and his two younger brothers were slain, Oneiros went on the run, breaching the surface just in time to be abducted. Now, in a world completely unfamiliar to him, Oneiros is trying to discover who he really is before he succumbs to the tadpole.

❧ Gawain, a Gold Dragonborn Oath of Devotion Paladin

Kindness and empathy are Gawain's foremost focuses in life. Raised amongst his mismatched brothers, Gawain has always sought the togetherness his family brought him, that sense of rightness and fullness. Gawain spreads his energy and love to all around him--though his bleeding heart often sets him against bigger and bigger challenges as he places himself between the weak and those who would hurt them.

❧ Romulus, a Black Dragonborn Oathbreaker Paladin

Brutally powerful with a strong sense of justice, Romulus broke his oath when he realized that the only way he would be able to properly protect people was to abandon the very systems which confined morality itself. Breaking his oath and turning his back on his fellow paladins, Romulus now delivers justice with no fear of loss or shame.

❧ Ripley, a Svirfneblin Great Old One Warlock and Assassin Rogue

Ripley was one of many kids in her family in Blingdenstone. She desired to cut her teeth on something more lethal than what work could be offered to her in Blingdenstone, so she headed to the surface, where her diminutive stature and natural distrust of other peoples would serve her well as a mercenary or hired killer. When she was taken aboard the nautiloid, Ripley finally felt a sense of rightness: her ruthless adventure had finally begun.

❧ Leah, a Wood Gnome Nature Cleric of Mielikki

Leah lived most of her life in a small cottage in the woods, where she met with and communicated with unicorns. It was through this contact with the celestials that Leah learned of Mielikki, and swore herself to Mielikki's service. Leah happily follows Mielikki's tenants, and lends her strength and optimism to those in need without a second thought. Leah strives to prove herself strong and useful.

❧ [DU] Cheng Huaijin, a High-Elf Assassin Rogue

Raised by his trio of parents and trained under his Baba to become a tailor, Cheng Huaijin has always struggled with a dark desire--to consume the flesh of living beings. To cope with this struggle, he has turned his ill-begotten talent for bloodletting toward those who had escaped justice; to the liars, the cheats, the rapists, the murderers, and those who hurt others.

[enbyboiwonder]

Before the game, Ysuran used to be evil and used to hate humans and want to wipe them off the face of Toril. But though we actually get character quests in this game, it doesn’t go deeply into anything outside the main storyline (though even that it doesn’t go particularly deeply into, anyway), so we get no hint at that. Everything comes from Omduil and later Zarad while doing Ysuran’s character quest—and then it’s all wrapped up with a cute little bow when you turn in the final portion: Ysuran: “Ysuran Auondril is dead. I’m just Ysuran now.” / Omduil: “Yes, so I see.” (What a waste of potential.)

But anyway. I’m gonna have to figure out ways to slip little hints in, which are seemingly innocuous and/or easily explained away, but make sense once you have all the information as being remnants of who he used to be that hadn’t been completely wiped away with his memories. Granted, we don’t know why Ysuran hated humans so, just that it was for a non-insignificant portion of his life: more than 50 years—and that’s just how long ago it was that his involvement with the Eldreth Veluuthra was discovered and he was subsequently exiled. But you’d expect at least some vestiges of it to linger, wouldn’t you? Certainly with Misao, who’s hated humans nearly all his life due to mistreatment he faced for being different in his hometown, including by his own mother, it does.

And I figured out the perfect thing.

The Hands of Glory are the new thieves’ guild in Baldur’s Gate, and their idea of disciplining and training their dogs is straight-up just abuse. (The model used for the dogs has reddish patches on its black fur which looks an awful lot blood, and, cruel as the Hands are, the most likely explanation for that is…) Misao loves animals, and his heart breaks to see the dogs treated this way. As he’s not in a position to try to get them out any other way (assuming anything could even be done for them in the first place), he gives them each as quick and painless a death as he can—but with the Hands, he’s not nearly so merciful.

He revels in killing them, in a way that most who are good-aligned simply do not—though because of the organization’s callous mistreatment of innocent animals and their apparent revelry in torturing regular citizens, he doesn’t remotely recognize it as the vestiges of his deep-seated hatred of humans. It doesn’t even cross his mind to worry at the extent of his bloodlust, the way it did with his initial callous reaction to hearing of the kidnapping victims (some of them are among the ultra-wealthy—which, of course, means that many of them are not) which he reasoned himself out of because of a combination of knowing moon elves to be a goodly race and believing himself to have been headed to Baldur’s Gate to help in the fight against Eldrith. (Really, he hadn’t yet heard of her demise and, after being driven out by Zarad, decided to become proactive again and had hoped to join her. The only thing he had left after Zarad’s memory spell took effect was a drive to reach Baldur’s Gate, and when he found out many adventurers had flocked there in order to take her down, he assumed that was true of him as well, since he had nothing inside him that went against that.)

I’ll have to find other places and ways to slip in hints, but I’m glad I have this now, at least.

[chaoticbard]

Alaara joined Gale at the window, letting her gaze fall to the city below. Even with the looming threat upon them, the citizens of Baldur's Gate carried on as if nothing was amiss. What else could they do? Cowering in fear and waiting for the end would do them no good; living life until it ceased was the only option.

"Perhaps it's part of my magic. But what's important, what is key, is that I believe what I say. Believing is doing, and doing is action, which results in, well- results." She turned her eyes to Gale, looking down at him appraisingly. "I could think to do nothing else."

She snorted and let a small grin come to her face. "I also happen to be stubborn if I haven't made that abundantly clear by now. I refuse to believe anything other than my defaults unless presented with overwhelming evidence. Even then, I defy it with my every breath, my every move. So it will be that I die this way."

She put an assuring hand upon the wizard's shoulder, giving it the smallest of pats.

"So I shall go into battle with the Netherbrain. I will get you home, Gale. Just as surely as I will get the rest of our companions back home, or to wherever they wish to go once this fight is through. On my honor." She leaned in, giving him a mean eye. "And in your case specifically, I will get you home in one piece, not thousands. I need someone to drink under the table at the Yawning Portal and to help me spin yarns about this journey when I get back to Waterdeep. You just so happen to be the number one candidate for such endeavors."

@chaoticbard asked: "i won't let anything happen to you." PROMPTS FOR FEELING SAFE AND EXPRESSING COMFORT: still accepting.

It's the eve of something great. That said, Gale knows that it's been the eve of something great for at least two seasons. Quietly, the spring had turned to summer whose fields of drenching golds have succumbed to autumn. Gale looks out onto the city, its shy dusting of flowers turned autumnal tender. He can't ascertain the day or the very last second where his fate will meet him, but their encounter with the Elder Brain is certainly approaching. Tinnily, Mystra's phantoming whisper fills his head.

It's both late and drusy, Baldur's Gate scintillating in a gauze of torchlight. In the inn, Gale watches her drag in her insomniac shuffle, and it's Alaara's quiet voice that gives him a half a fright. he turns from the window. Along his brow, its glimmer, the starlight, steeps him somber.

"You're always so sure," he greets, willing the slight thump of his heart to quell. "You could tell me that the sun rose with the stars, and I would need an embarrassing moment to really consider it." The hope that could color her dainty little promises... "If nothing else, I imagine that's a bard's magic." Is she worried? For him? How sobering a thought. "I'm quite spellbound."

[thessalian]

Thess vs Two Cakes

So the theme of today’s exploration of video games is “Like X But I Like It More”. Because my brother-from-another-mother has basically looked at the week I’ve had like, “This is burnout and unhappiness and I like my umsibling and Forever DM not to burn out please so I will throw Zen games in that direction and hope it helps”, and as well as having ... well, quasi-Zen, honestly ... it’s given me thinky-thoughts.

Kingdoms and Castles, for example. It’s kind of like what would happen if you crossed Sim City with the latest Sid Meier Civilisation game, and made it cute. Like, “Look over there! Go get those resources so you can effectively build your town and make your citizens happy! Your citizens have to be happy or they’re going to balk at your taxes. Oh, yeah, and occasionally a building is going to catch fire for no reason”. But they have a setting that means you don’t get attacked by Vikings, which is nice. So when I don’t feel like Laying Siege To Germany (it’s an in-joke; don’t ask), I have a thing that lets me do a similar thing in a kind of chill way. I do miss the Sim City ability to just go, “I don’t like this town anymore - EXTINCTION EVENT TIIIIIIIIIIIME!”

The most recent one is Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town. Which is ... well, it’s pretty much literally Stardew Valley with better graphics. I mean it. Seriously. That is exactly what it is. Though with the better graphics comes a few more bits of fun. Like, I get a pet. So I have a Scottish Fold named Muffin, who I can actually take for walks. So, like, if I don’t want to be charging through town holding an axe or a hammer or a fishing rod or whatever, I can just grab the leash and take a walk through town doing my various chores ... with Muffin on leash. It’s adorable.

Now, see, I have Stardew Valley. You’d think that I’d be all like, “I can already do this; what do I need this expensive version of it for?” But the little differences just make it, for me. I like the better graphics. I like the 3D approach. I like having a pet that I can take on walks. Honestly, I like not having to take a weapon down to the mines with me whenever I go. And I figured out the crafting a lot faster too. Which just goes to show that you can have games that do the exact same thing as games already out there because a) someone might engage better with a different presentation, and b) ... well, the “HOLY SHIT! TWO CAKES!” effect. I have so many farming sim games and now I think I’ve found the one I actually just ... like.

It’s a similar premise to the turn-based, D&D-based RPGs, at least for me. Like, I don’t know how I’d feel about Pathfinder (maybe I should throw it back on my wishlist and find out), but I do know that I did not really feel it with Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s the kind of big that requires a more flexible DM than AI will ever be, and honestly I don’t like the companions that much. I get that it’s supposed to be edgy ‘poor little meow-meows’ or whatever terminology we’re using now, but I guess I prefer a set-up where the party members ... actually ... like each other? Where I don’t feel like I’m picking sides every time I talk to a companion? DA2 did “companions at odds with each other a bit” way better, if you ask me. So if I want turn-based D&D-based RPG, I play Solasta instead, where the mechanics (and story areas, frankly) are more forgiving, and where the party kind of has to get along since it’s entirely created by the player so they can’t do “I have a specific prejudice against This Member Of The Party”. (Not that they’re entirely without personality, the Solasta characters; it just goes by the personality traits you picked out for them according to background etc.)

Right. I have an entirely free day owing to Saturday Shenanigans being called on account of scheduling issues (it’s part of the package, I guess, but also good because after the week I’ve had, a whole weekend off feels like exactly what I need), and I have video games. I just need to pick which one. Which is the hard part. But I did manage to get another level-up done for the Cupcake Coterie, two if you count my own. Which I kind of have to because this is about to get hilarious. The DM PC who’s thankfully more PC than DM most of the time? Well ... she just hit level 10 Bard in her somewhat insane dual-class. Which not only means the full complement of Expertise (ask her to lie for the party. Please. Seriously, her stats are ludicrous. And also she’s never getting snuck up on again), but Magical Secrets. Which means two spells from any class. And she’s a College of Swords Bard married to a Paladin (or a Not-Just-A-Paladin, but still).

Alisaie’s getting smites.

Heeeeeeeeeeheeheeheehee.

[another-rogue-trevelyan]

If you liked Dragon Age Masterlist

If you’re anything like me, you’re into niche market, high fantasy, single player RPGs, preferably with a historical setting and romance options. So if you’re looking for a new game, here I am with some suggestions!

Sorted by studio:

Bethesda:

Oblivion (2006)

“In the shadow of evil, a hero will rise from the ashes of a fallen empire. The gates have been opened, and the battle has begun. Only one thing can save the world from Mehrunes Dagon and the demonic hordes of Oblivion. The true heir of the Septim line must be found and restored to the Imperial throne. The fate of the world rests in the hands of one. Find him, and shut the jaws of Oblivion.”

The Elder Scrolls series were my gateway into RPGs and hold a special place in my heart. Oblivion features a wide open world, immersive combat, and the ability to customize race, class, and gender.

Skyrim (2011)

“The Empire of Tamriel is on the edge. The High King of Skyrim has been murdered. Alliances form as claims to the throne are made. In the midst of this conflict, a far more dangerous, ancient evil is awakened. Dragons, long lost to the passages of the Elder Scrolls, have returned to Tamriel. The future of Skyrim, even the Empire itself, hangs in the balance as they wait for the prophesized Dragonborn to come; a hero born with the power of The Voice, and the only one who can stand amongst the dragons.”

I have sunk so many hours into this game and still have not experienced all there is to experience. Just like Oblivion, Skyrim offers the ability to customize your character and find a play style that suits you. A huge open world offers tons of opportunity for exploration and questing. You could play this game many, many hours and not even touch the main quest if you wanted to.

BioWare:

Mass Effect Legendary Edition (2021)

Just do it. Just fucking do it I’m still sobbing I’ve never had a game wreck me in this way. I might possibly like it more than Dragon Age which feels sacrilegious to say but it was so good. You follow Commander Shepard (customizable) for three whole games and the choices have serious consequences. Also, romance. Truthfully this might be the most well written storyline I’ve ever seen in a video game. Also, same studio as Dragon Age.

CD Projekt:

The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (2015)

I’ll let the website description speak for itself, but Witcher III was good enough that I didn’t mind being forced to play as a man (those who know me know that I exclusively prefer to play women and often dislike games where I can’t do so)! The characters that make up this story are captivating and suck you into their world, leaving you with some tough choices to make. Also, bonus points for romance! (Yen is one of my all time favorite characters, Triss never stood a chance for me. Sorry Triss fans 😂)

Larian:

Divinity Original Sin 2 (2017)

“The Divine is dead. The Void approaches. And the powers lying dormant within you are soon to awaken. Choose your role in a BAFTA-winning story, and explore a world that reacts to who you are, and the choices you make. With five races to choose from, and an adventure playable solo or as a party of up to four, lay waste to an oppressive order in a world afraid of magic. Become the God the world so desperately needs.”

Full disclosure, I have not finished playing this one yet and will update when I do, but what I’ve played so far has been great! A classic, turn-based RPG that allows you a wide range of character customization. I find this game incredibly satisfying to be a rogue (my preferred class) because it lets me live my dream of throwing knives at people. Also, romance!

Baldur’s Gate III beta (2020)

“An ancient evil has returned to Baldur's Gate, intent on devouring it from the inside out. The fate of Faerûn lies in your hands. Alone, you may resist. But together, you can overcome. Gather your party.”

Fair warning, as of my most recent update to this post (March 30th, 2021) this game is still in a beta phase, which means it is NOT complete and has aspects that are missing, glitchy, or subject to change. With that being said, I’m so obsessed. It’s so, so good already and is only getting better. Another wide open world to explore with a group of companions with strong and sometimes clashing personalities, choices are abundant in this game and will affect how your party members think of you. This game so far gives me the feeling that choices are complicated and aren’t always easy to tell which is morally right, which I personally love. Also, I can be a sarcastic ass with a good heart, which is always fun. Astarion basically owns me now, but if you can resist him there are plentiful other romance choices as well! Customization is already a wider range than I’ve seen in most RPGs and they haven’t even finished the character creator yet, which has me SO excited for the finished product. Also - good hair?!??!! I love it!

Lionhead:

Fable III (2010)

“Lead a revolution to take control of Albion, fight alongside your people, and experience love and loss while preparing to defend the kingdom against a looming threat. Your choices as ruler will lead to consequences felt across the entire land.”

I’ll be honest, this one isn’t my favorite on the list, but was good enough to still make it! This game allows you to choose between playing as the prince or the princess on a quest to save your kingdom from itself, and then a greater threat as well. The game takes place in a kingdom loosely modeled after industrial England, and what did score it some major points were (SPOILER WARNING - skip the purple if you don’t want to know!) that the last act of the game lets you play as the monarch, where you are forced to make some tough decisions in order to save your kingdom. It is very easy to back yourself into a corner, pinch pennies in order to fund the army and save the kingdom, but make your citizens hate you because of it. You’re gonna have to be very, very careful, which is something I did really enjoy about this game. (I’ve heard Fable II was better, and that’s also on my list to try, will update in the future!)

Nintendo:

Fire Emblem Three Houses (2019)

“War is coming to the continent of Fódlan. Here, order is maintained by the Church of Seiros, which hosts the prestigious Officer’s Academy within its headquarters. You are invited to teach one of its three mighty houses, each comprised of students brimming with personality and represented by a royal from one of three territories. As their professor, you must lead your students in their academic lives and in turn-based, tactical RPG battles wrought with strategic, new twists to overcome. Which house, and which path, will you choose?”

Currently playing this one and I’m so addicted! This one is slightly outside of my usual taste but it has made me interested in playing more games like it. The player controls Byleth (you can rename them if you wish), who becomes a professor of combat and battle tactics despite their young age at a monastery and finds themself in charge of a house of students. Battles are tactics and strategy based and classes are highly customizable. I sunk like 30 hours into this game in the last three days. I won’t say more about the plot to avoid spoilers, but it’s been a ton of fun and also has slow burn romance

Spiders:

Greedfall (2019)

This game destroyed my soul in the best way and when I finished it I immediately started a new game to play it again. You play as Lady or Lord De Sardet, Legate of the Congregation of Merchants and effectively the right hand of your cousin, who has been appointed governor of your new colony on the island. While I enjoy the combat in this game, which allows you the choice between one handed, two handed, magic, and pistols or rifles (save that ammo for when you really need it!), this game focuses heavily on diplomacy and relations. Be careful what information you give to whom and how you treat every decision. The enemies you make early on might be people you need on your side later. I also love that choices aren’t always clearly right or wrong, and often are more complicated than they first appear. Even the best intentions can sometimes go awry.

Ubisoft:

Assassin’s Creed, Syndicate (2015)

“London, 1868. In the heart of the Industrial Revolution, lead your underworld organization and grow your influence to fight those who exploit the less privileged in the name of progress”

Another one that I’ll admit, I haven’t finished, and is definitely the odd one out on the list because it’s set in Victorian England, but I was having fun with what I had played so far before Greedfall distracted me. In this game, you alternate between controlling twins Jacob and Evie Frye as you explore and liberate London while meeting famous historical figures and running a gang on the side.

Assassin’s Creed, Origins (2017)

“Ancient Egypt, a land of majesty and intrigue, is disappearing in a ruthless fight for power. Unveil dark secrets and forgotten myths as you go back to the one founding moment: The Origins of the Assassin’s Brotherhood.”

In the spirit of honesty, I haven’t started this one yet, but I am so confident that I’m gonna love it when I do that it’s here anyway. I’ve purchased it, and will get to it soon, I swear! In the meantime, I wanted to put it here because I’m confident some of you will enjoy it. Will come back with a review once I know more.

Assassin’s Creed, Odyssey (2018)

“Write your own epic odyssey and become a legendary Spartan hero in Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey, an inspiring adventure where you must forge your destiny and define your own path in a world on the brink of tearing itself apart. Influence how history unfolds as you experience a rich and ever-changing world shaped by your decisions.”

Y’all this game owned my soul for a while. I’ve sunk so many hours into it. You have a choice to play as either Kassandra or Alexios and navigate the wonders of Ancient Greece. The world is stunning, the choices are important, and this game took a big step for the assassins creed series in becoming a true RPG. I can’t recommend this one enough, you should absolutely go for it!

Assassin’s Creed, Valhalla (2020)

“Become Eivor, a legendary Viking warrior. Explore England's Dark Ages as you raid your enemies, grow your settlement, and build your political power in the quest to earn a place among the gods in Valhalla.”

This game is brand new, hot off the press, and has already been a massive hit. I have only JUST started playing it and am about an hour in, but so far so good! It’s here on my recommendations list because of its wild popularity and because I’ve already enjoyed other games in this series, so I feel confident that some of my fellow dragon age fans will enjoy it. Will update again once I get further in.

Other games on my To Be Played list (otherwise known as things I don’t want to recommend because I know almost nothing about them but will update here after I know more)

-Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2

-Horizon Zero Dawn

-Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag

-Fable 1 and 2

-Kingdoms of Amalur

-Breath of the Wild

-Crimson Desert (not out yet but I’m intrigued)

[blightarts]

Blades of Order & Chaos

Chapter Title: 8 - Rival

Previous Chapter: Lion VS Bear

Word Count: 5239

Disclaimer: All rights belong to Pixelberry. This is my version for the upcoming sequel of Blades of Light & Shadow. I am not claiming this to be the canon story of the book. This is only written to increase the hype for the actual sequel.

MC/Pairing: Kite (Blue Elf Male MC) / Kite x Nia

Taglist: @princessstellaris​ @mechaspirit​ @brightningstar​ @cal-north​ @lxdy-starfury​ @tyrils-star​ @imturaxamara​ @kelseaaa​

In the middle of the Vishanti Kingdom market square, Kade comes face to face with the former prince of Morella, Aerin Valleros. While Threep glares along with Kade, Kite and Bella are left confused.

Kite: Kade, is this person a danger to us?

Aerin scoffs.

Aerin: I’m hurt, Kite. After a year of not seeing each other, you’ve forgotten all about me?

Kade: Kite lost his memories.

The prince raises his eyebrow.

Aerin: Oh? That’s quite unfortunate.

Bella steps up.

Bella: Hold on. Is there some romantic tension that I’m not gettin’ here?

Threep: This young man is Aerin Valleros, prince of Morella, who betrayed his people and aided the Shadow Court in their return.

Bella tenses up upon hearing the words, “Shadow Court”, but composes herself before walking up to Aerin and grabbing his collar.

Bella: So, this li’l fella is a problem to you guys then? Should we throw him off the mountain?

Aerin chuckles and sarcastically raises his hands in defeat.

Aerin: Easy, easy. I’m not even showing any hostility towards any of you… yet.

Kade: What are you doing here? How’d you even survive the Empire’s attack on Whitetower, let alone escaped your prison cell? Did they let you out and got you a spot in their ranks?

Aerin: What’s in it for me if I tell you?

Bella: We don’t let gravity decide your fate.

Aerin rolls his eyes and shrugs.

Aerin: Alright, fair enough.

Bella lets go of Aerin as he dusts himself off.

Aerin: A year ago, after you lot had your first encounter with that coward, Laundsellyn, he took me from my cell and dragged me into the Shadow Realm.

The prince then turns around for a stroll, signaling the party to follow him.

Aerin: After that, I thought I was done serving jail time, but no, they threw me into another cell for my failures in defeating you.

Kade: Well, it serves you right for joining the wrong side.

Aerin ignores Kade’s rude comment.

Aerin: I stayed in that cell for about three months and during that time, I’ve heard from one of the Shadow Guards that once served under me, mocking me and laughing about the news that Laundsellyn killed my father.

Kite notices Aerin clenching his fists in anger.

Aerin: Upon hearing my father’s name, visions began to clutter my mind, visions of the past that I cannot even recall, visions of me… and my brother, Baldur… actually getting along during our childhood…

Threep: I thought you two were at odds with each other until you plunged the Blade of Shadows unto him.

Aerin: That’s what I thought as well. For years, I believed that my brother had always been a condescending jerk who treats people who are beneath him as insects. But no, my memories proved that to be wrong as when we were young, he offered me to be his right-hand man, his closest advisor once he becomes king.

Kade: So, what you’re saying is that the Dreadlord somehow manipulated your memories, as well as Baldur’s in order to tear yourselves apart and use one of you as a puppet?

As the party nears the kingdom’s gates, Aerin stops walking.

Aerin: I don’t know. That’s what I intend to find out.

The prince moves forward once more.

Aerin: I spent my three months in solitary, recalling my memories and struggling from countless headaches, but I could not make any progress whatsoever. And then… he came along, Ignis…

Shivers run up everyone’s spines while Aerin clutches his chest.

Aerin: He visited my cell and “offered” me to join his ranks in exchange for my freedom.

Kade: Well, seeing you here right now means that you’ve obviously said yes.

Aerin turns to Kade with rage.

Aerin: I was not even able to give an answer!

Kade flinches as Kite gets between him and Aerin. Citizens begin to stare at the party.

Aerin: I was dragged out of my cell before that accursed devil casted a spell…

Aerin then tears open his shirt, revealing a Nerada Stone still etched onto its chest while small purple sparks surge through it.

Aerin: …on this damned thing, making sure that I get in line and follow the orders of the elf that killed my father, else I get electrocuted to death!

The prince then grips his hair as he starts to lose it.

Aerin: After that I was worked to the bone, slaughtering innocent people who refused to bend to the Empire and conquering peaceful lands across Morella, all while suffering from the headaches caused by those visions and the shocking pain that this stupid stone keeps bringing unto me!

Aerin then grabs Kite by the collar. Bella grabs onto one of Aerin’s arms.

Bella: Hey! No bright ideas, royal boy!

Aerin: How do you even live while you’re suffering like this, Kite?! After everything you’ve been through, being betrayed, being separated from those you love, being beaten to a pulp, and having your memories lost! How are you still moving forward?!

Kite is speechless while Aerin keeps rambling in tears.

Aerin: I’ve thrown it all away… I’ve surrendered myself to darkness… I’ve betrayed the people who once saw me as their friend… I’ve let my own father die under the hands of the elf I now work for… I’ve killed my own brother all because a dark entity severed our bonds and manipulated our memories…

Threep leans in on Kite’s ears and whispers.

Threep: We should leave quickly. Everyone has their eyes on us.

Aerin: The nesper is right.

Aerin sniffs and wipes his tears before letting Kite go.

Aerin: This should not be settled by just words.

He turns away.

Aerin: Meet me outside of town.

Aerin then walks off while buttoning up his shirt. The crowd avert their eyes from the group as the tension dies down.

Bella: Jeez, that was one helluva ride.

Kade: We can’t let him get away.

Threep: I believe that he wants to settle things with Kite through combat.

Kite watches as Aerin disappears into the crowd.

Kite: I’ll do it.

The party look at Kite with surprise.

Kade: What?! You do know it’s a trap!

Bella: Yeah, he’s with the bad guys, whether he likes it or not.

Kite: I don’t care. I can tell from how Aerin looked at me earlier. It’s like… he’s asking someone to save him.

Kite runs ahead to chase after Aerin while the party hesitates for a second before following suit. Threep gets on Kite’s shoulder.

Threep: I hope you know what you’re doing.

Kite: I am. You guys have to trust me.

Minutes later, in the outskirts of the Vishanti Kingdom, Aerin sits on the snow, gazing at the sky. His head begins to pain as a vision flashes in his eyes.

Aerin: Tch! Not again!

In his vision, he sees his young self being bullied by three kids in the town square of Whitetower.

Bully 1: Go back to your lush life in the castle, Valleros!

Bully 2: Yeah, no one wants you here!

Bully 3: Weakling!

Suddenly, Baldur appears, pushing the bullies away, and gets in between them and Aerin while holding a stick.

Baldur: Hey! Get away from my brother! He may be not as strong as any of us here, but he is sure as heck smarter than the three of you combined!

The bullies approach Baldur, cracking their knuckles.

Bully 1: Now, you’re asking for it, Baldur.

Baldur turns to Aerin.

Past Baldur: Stand up, Aerin. We can take them on together.

Past Aerin: O-Okay…

Aerin stands up and shyly raises his hands in self-defense.

The vision fast-forwards, minutes after the two brothers faced off against the bullies. They have a few bruises scattered around them, but they were victorious in the fight. Baldur is giving Aerin a piggyback ride.

Past Baldur: Good job handling yourself out there.

Past Aerin: You did most of the work…

Past Baldur: Nonsense. It was smart of you to poke their eyes, giving me time to whoop their butts. I’m proud of you.

Baldur grins while Aerin becomes flustered.

Past Aerin: T-Thank you…

The vision ends as Aerin is snapped back to reality and his headache fades away.

Aerin: How…? Where did it all go wrong…?

The prince turns around to see Kite and his friends standing behind him.

Aerin: You’re here.

He stands up and cracks his knuckles.

Kite: I’m guessing you wanna settle this in a fight?

Aerin: Yeah. Once I defeat you, the Hero chosen to defeat the Empire, right here, I will go back to Shadow Realm and claim vengeance!

Aerin puts his hand forward, materializing a polearm surging with Shadow magic. Kade grits his teeth.

Kade: A new weapon from Ignis, I presume?

Aerin: More or less. It’s called the Blackcliff Polearm.

Kade, Bella and Threep steps back.

Kade: Is it really okay for us to let this fight happen while not worrying about an avalanche?

Bella: It’s alright. The Vishanti placed wards around the mountain to prevent avalanches from occurring, guaranteeing the safety of their kingdom.

Threep: That’s a relief.

Kite unsheathes the Mirror Claymore, piquing the interest of Aerin.

Aerin: So, that’s the Mirror Claymore of the Vishanti. Quite the Sacred Treasure.

Aerin begins the fight by charging towards Kite and performs a few swings and thrusts with the Blackcliff Polearm, but the latter uses his elven senses to avoid all of them.

Aerin: Tch! Alright, how about this?!

Aerin leaps up and attempts to plunge the polearm on Kite, but again, the latter hops back, evading the attack.

Aerin: Got you now!

Aerin lets go of the polearm while it is planted on the ground before kicking it.

The polearm spins vertically towards Kite who blocks it with the Mirror Claymore.

Kite: Damn!

As the polearm begins to slow down in spinning, Aerin suddenly lunges forward and grabs it, surprising Kite.

Kite: What the—

Aerin then uses Shadow magic, transforming himself into a purple bolt of lightning, before traveling upwards. Kite and the party look up in awe.

Kade: What the hell is that?!

Threep: He has become stronger since we last saw him!

Three duplicates of the Blackcliff polearm rain down from the sky and plant themselves around Kite. Sparks then begin to appear on their tips. Kite attempts to block the incoming attack with the Mirror Claymore, but Aerin proves to be quicker as his lightning form comes crashing down onto the duplicate polearms acting as lightning rods. Kite gets electrocuted and hurled from the point of the attack, where Aerin is seen crouching down and holding his weapon, plunged onto the ground.

Bella: Sheesh, remind me not to mess with him when he’s this worked up.

Kite gets up while still recovering from Aerin’s attack. The prince stands up and pulls out his weapon from the ground, boasting about his successful attack.

Aerin: How was that?!

Kite: Tch! Not bad.

Kite gets up and dusts off his shoulder.

Kade: Wait, why was the Mirror Claymore not able to absorb the magic attack?

Threep: I believe that Kite was expecting Aerin to strike from above, even though there were duplicates of the polearm around him. However, when Aerin dropped and struck Kite’s guard, it wasn’t a magical attack, it was instead a physical attack. So, it didn’t count to the magic absorption power of the Claymore.

Bella: Then what caused the electric surge?

Threep: Electricity ran from the tip of Aerin’s weapon towards its duplicates while avoiding the Mirror Claymore, overloading them with magical energy to the point where they would explode.

Kade: That was… actually clever.

Bella: He managed to bypass the insane power of the Mirror Claymore.

Aerin rushes towards Kite once more, but the latter stays composed.

Kite: Aerin, you’re not the only one that has grown.

Kite raises the Mirror Claymore and slams it on the ground in front of him, scattering the snow and obscuring himself from Aerin’s sights. The elf then quickly casts a spell.

Kite: Chaos Magic: Moonlight Circle – Mirror Mirage.

Aerin: You can’t hide from me!

Aerin slashes the thin snow wall between him and Kite in half. As the snow parts, the prince comes face to face with multiple duplicates of his opponent, each holding the Bow of Gal’dariel in hand.

Aerin: Wha—

Kade: He used Mirror Mirage!

Threep: An excellent strategy. This should buy the real Kite some time to strike back.

Aerin stops in his tracks.

Aerin: So, this is the spell you used to escape the clutches of the Empire.

Kite and his duplicates draw their bows and arrows while aiming at Aerin.

Aerin: I know that most of those arrows are not real, but one of them can still pierce my body.

The arrows are let loose as they fly towards their target.

Aerin: So, as long as I find the real you…

Aerin does a forward flip, avoiding all the arrows, before slamming his polearm on the ground, unleashing arcs of lightning towards Kite and his duplicates. The arcs pierce through each duplicate as, one by one, they fade from existence, however, as the last duplicate fades away, the real Kite is nowhere to be seen.

Aerin: What?! Then… where is he?!

Aerin looks around, searching for the real Kite, when suddenly, the snow beneath him begins to move. He looks down.

Aerin: Can it be…?

Kite leaps up from under the snow, equipping the Gauntlet of Pain, and sucker punches Aerin, launching him far away.

Bella: Oof, that’s gotta hurt!

Aerin gets on his feet and wipes off the blood, dripping from his lips.

Aerin: But still not enough to make me concede.

He rushes to Kite, who unsheathes the Mirror Claymore.

Aerin: I will...!

Kite swings the Claymore like a baseball bat, but Aerin leaps to avoid it, ready to plunge his polearm.

Kite: Damn!

Aerin: …surpass you!!

Kite swiftly grabs the sharp end of the polearm using the Gauntlet of Pain, stopping Aerin’s attack, before hurling it behind him. Aerin ends up plunging his weapon on the snow.

Aerin: Tch!

He flips away, giving himself some distance from Kite. The two stare down at each other, waiting to strike.

Aerin: Why don’t we both bring out everything we’ve got?

Kite deeply inhales before casting Lion’s Pride, raising his physical attributes. Meanwhile, Aerin channels his Shadow magic, causing purple electricity to surge throughout his body, increasing his speed and agility. Bella steps in front of Kade and Threep.

Bella: We gotta stay back. When their attacks clash, it could be dangerous for us.

The party steps back a few feet and as soon as they did, Kite and Aerin charge at each other. They both swing their weapons, causing a strong shockwave upon collision. The two keep clashing, trading minimal blows and parrying each other’s attacks. While Aerin has the speed to strike before Kite could defend himself, the latter has enough endurance to not flinch from the attack and strike back.

Aerin leaps up, transforming into a bolt of purple lightning once more. This time, more than three duplicates of his polearm drop from the sky and surround Kite.

Kite: Tch!

Kite hops back, trying to get out of the field of polearms, but Aerin quickly descends from the sky, releasing magical energy to the polearms, causing them to burst with electricity before Kite could escape the area of effect.

Aerin: I’m impressed that you were able to survive that.

The light from the electrical surge fades, revealing Kite shielding himself with the Mirror Claymore as it is filled with magical energy that came from Aerin’s attack. However, the elf is left with burns across his body.

Kade: Kite!

Unconcerned with his own well-being, Kite swings his weapon, unleashing a magical projectile, shaped like a crescent and filled with Shadow Magic, towards Aerin.

Bella: Again, with that recklessness. Has he always been like this?

Threep: Sadly, yes, but it’s what got him this far.

Aerin imbues his polearm with Shadow Magic and uses it to cut the crescent in half, avoiding the attack, but as the crescent parts, Kite comes up right in front of Aerin, catching him by surprise.

Aerin: When did you…?!

Aerin then notices Kite conjuring a ball of Cleansing Fire from his hand. Kite swings his hand down, attempting to slam the fireball onto Aerin’s head, but the latter leaps back, evading the attack.

Aerin: It takes a lot more than a ball of fire to knock me down, Kite.

Kite looks at Aerin with a smirk.

Kite; What makes you think that it was going for you?

Aerin: Huh?

Kite slams the fireball onto the Mirror Claymore as it absorbs the magical energy, imbuing it with flames. He then charges forward while Aerin is still in mid-air, in the midst of avoiding the fireball.

Aerin’s Thoughts: Shit! I can’t dodge it! I have to block it!

Aerin holds his polearm up to block the incoming attack, but…

CLANG!!

…Kite disarms Aerin and sends the Blackcliff Polearm flying through the air, startling the latter.

Aerin: No!

The party starts cheering.

Kade: He did it!

Threep: Kite has the advantage now!

Bella: Nice!

As Aerin lands on the snow, Kite kicks his leg, forcing him to kneel in pain.

Aerin: Aah!!

Kite: Aerin… if you let only your emotions fuel your false resolve…

The elf then pulls his weapon back, ready to swing it.

Kite: …then you do not deserve to win this fight.

Aerin stares in disbelief before slowly lowering his head in defeat, accepting his demise.

Kade: Wait… is he gonna…?

Kite grips the hilt of the Mirror Claymore tight before swinging rapidly, aiming for Aerin’s neck, as if he’s trying to behead him.

Threep: Kite!

Fortunately, Kite stops short, with the blade of the Mirror Claymore almost touching Aerin’s neck. The prince’s heart momentarily pauses as he just looks at Kite, with an expression of pity on his face.

Aerin: W… Why’d you stop…?

Kite sheathes the Mirror Claymore before turning away and rejoining his friends. Aerin grits his teeth and stands in anger.

Aerin: Hey! Don’t walk away from me, Kite! Why didn’t you kill me?!

Kite stops in his tracks.

Kite: Because I cannot kill a man who is just asking for a death wish.

Aerin: What do you mean…?

Kite turns to Aerin, who was speechless.

Kite: Defeating me or the Empire? Can you even do that? Or are you just looking for an excuse to get yourself killed to end your suffering, even though it doesn’t work that way? You weren’t even giving your all during our fight.

Aerin: I…

Aerin trembles, slowly realizing how correct Kite is.

Kite: The fact that you can’t even take it upon yourself to end your own life and instead relying on others to do it, means that there’s still a part of you that wants to live on.

Kite turns back to his friends.

Kite: Once you’ve found your real self, the Aerin before the Empire of Ash, before the Shadow Court, before all of this, then come find me.

Kite continues to walk towards his friends.

Kite: I’ll be sure to fight you again… to settle this properly.

The party gathers around Kite, making sure he’s okay, while they all walk away from Aerin.

Kade: Are you hurt?

Kite: I’m fine.

Threep: Did you really intend to kill him?

Kite: I wasn’t trying to.

Bella: Are you sure you wanna face him again?

Kite: As much as I need to until he’s saved.

As the party disappears from Aerin’s sights, he grabs his weapon, before walking the other direction and wandering to himself.

Aerin: My… real self…

As the party and Aerin part ways, Laundsellyn watches from the sky, laying down on a hovering Blade of Shadows.

Sir Laundsellyn: Hehe, that was fun.

He squints and smirks at the party.

Sir Laundsellyn: Now… where could that Priestess be?

————— END OF CHAPTER —————

[waynekelton]

Essential RPGs on Android & iOS

The best RPGs are ones that offer unique environments, well-rounded/written characters, and unusual, original plots. Some of these games are more action-oriented while others are strictly turn-based, but they all have distinct, immersive visions in which the player might find their own ego subsumed, for a time, as deeply as is desired.

Bored of RPGs? How about some board games instead?

Below is not only a collection of great games, but they're also paragons of the genre and represent ‘role-play’ at its finest whether you're playing on Android or iOS.

Community Favourites

Our readers have their own wishlists of top RPGs they'd want to celebrate. We can't we'll be able to rotate them into the main list, but that doesn't mean their voices can't be heard. If you're looking to widen your RPG net, these recommendations from other PTers might fit the bill:

7 Mages

Severed

Monster Hunter Stories

Avernum series

The Quest HD

Aurum Blade

Dungeon Chronicle

Partia 3: Knights of Partia

Demon's Rise 2, Shieldwall Chronicles & Strike Team Hydra

Battle Chasters: Nighwar (Review)

Developer: Handy Games Platform: iOS Universal, Android Price: $9.99

It took as a while to get a review of this out the door, but it was well worth the wait. This indie darling has proven very popular amongst the PC crowd, and with it's slick performance, engaging turn-based tactical mechanics and engaging narrative, it's no surprise it was a hit with us as well. It's a little on the pricier side of but well worth your money if you're looking for a fully-fleshed out RPG experience with all the trimmings.

Not much more to say about it beyond that - you can check out Brittany's review for a more comprehensive verdict but this is a pretty good RPG that's been expertly ported to mobile, and we're all the better for it.

Star Traders: Frontiers (Review)

Developer: Trese Brothers Platform: iOS Universal, Android Price: $6.99

One of 2019's best releases so far and an excellent addition to the RPG roster, STF is the culmination of nearly a decade's worth of effort making quality premium games on mobile. You customise your captains and your crew and sail amongst stars trying to eek out a living in a hostile universe. Trade, go on missions, fight pirates and aliens... this is a very diverse sandbox RPG in space, and an excellent port of the original PC version.

The only thing to keep in mind when jumping into Frontiers is that there's a lot to consider all at once, and the openness is almost intimidating. There are some tool tips and an initial main quest that will teach you some ropes, but beyond that one criticism is that its not very good at explaining itself. Still, trial and error is not the worst thing and the more you learn, the more fun you'll have as you explore all the different play-styles and gameplay options. On top of that, the developers are constantly updating the game with free content, so you'll be well served in the future.

Barbearian (Review)

Developer: Kimmo Lahtinen Platform: iOS Universal Price: $8.99

Nick sums up our thoughts perfectly on Barbearian in his review: 

Barbearian is a real-time action/RPG that features frenetic combat full of huge hits against vast hordes of enemies. The constant motion, explosive hits, and overwhelming odds of it reminds us of running around Diablo III maps looking for more things to kill. It looks great, is loaded with smashy goodness and visceral feel, and is a ton of fun to play. It offers plenty of challenge without nearing the rage-quit-and-never-look-at-the-game-again reaction some similar games seem to elicit. The ability to micromanage the difficulty and completely control the UI layout is just icing on the cake.

An easy one to recommend to RPG fans and definitely GOTY material.

Demons' Rise

Developer: Wave Light Games Platform: iOS Universal, Android Price: $7.99

This dark fantasy, turn-based RPG is a favourite amongst PT staffers, and the sequel reviewed very well when it came out. Even three years later, it still manages to draw new players with its deep approach to tactical combat, and it's D&D-style treatment of the game world. While there's an argument to be made that Demon's Rise 2 should also be on this list (either in addition to, or instead of), which one you end up picking up you're not going to regret your choice.

Fans of tactical RPGs, Dungeons & Dragons, and MMO-style combat will really take to the campaign and won't regret adding this game to their collection.

Also look out for: Wave Light have recently released another fantasy-themed tactical RPG called Shieldwall Chronicles. We quite liked it, although whether it's better than Demon's Rise is a matter for debate (we think probably not). Still, if you've already checked out DR and are looking for a new challenge, Shieldwall would be a good place to start.

Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition (Review)

Developer: Overhaul Games Platforms: iOS, Android Price: $9.99

Planescape is strange and idiosyncratic, its characters ranging from a chaotic fire-lord whose passion is simple, total consumption and destruction of the world around him to a cherub from the Brothel for Slaking Intellectual Lusts. Its take on a D&D system isn’t particularly balanced, for the stats and character builds favor wisdom above all, both in terms of raw bonus experience and the extra interactions and dialogue options. But the story is to die for. 

The multiplanar quest of an immortal, tormented, amnesiac main character to know thyself is at once alien and deeply human. Enjoying this pre-millennium classic before its enhanced edition debut last year meant overlooking a multitude of practical shortcomings; the non-scalable and at times grainy graphics, to say nothing of bugs and lost content. Now one can meet the protagonist and experience his joys and sorrows with ease, if not comfort. The game’s peccadillos are entirely the point, its strange, singular vision undimmed by age.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

Developer: Aspyr Platforms:  iOS, Android Price: $9.99

In a galaxy far, far away, in a distant time immemorial, the Sith and Jedi wore very different masks. To make something as nostalgic and cherished as Star Wars new again, BioWare and LucasArts flung their players millennia into the past and pitted them against Darth Malak in a struggle for the fate of the galaxy.

The characters remain iconic and memorable to this day (HK-47 as a murderous, seemingly punctilious droid, for example), and the now-standard paragon-neutral-renegade trifecta of alignment-based decision rubric for RPGs was a natural fit for the Star Wars mythos. Choose light or dark, good or evil: these archetypes resonate because they work, as does the class- and skill-systems which were tweaked from the paper RPG baseline.

Legend of Grimrock (Review)

Developer: Almost Human Platform: iOS Price: $4.99

What is Grimrock? Four prisoners marked for death are flung into the heart of an ancient mountain to see trial by the elements. By delving deeper as a party, defeating the enemies and unravelling the riddles, you will overturn your sentence and start afresh. The mysteries of the game’s titular dungeon, whose design indicates was intended a prison for a multitude of strange beings, mount with each level until the mother-horror is finally met on the deepest level. An old-school game with grid-based real-time combat, riddles, puzzles, traps and hand-crafted (read: non-procedural, non-roguelike) levels. Good looking and thoughtfully made, its battle pace and minimal input requirements make it a natural fit for mobile.

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (Review)

Developer: Overhaul Games Platforms: iOS Universal, Android Price: $9.99

D&D spent a long time banished to the corners of a select few lives, shining for hours at a time in small gatherings held regularly among the elect. There have been many implementations of the various settings and rule systems of the original grand-daddy of pen-and-paper RPGs, but Baldur’s Gate is perhaps the most significant and enduring of them all. (Sorry, Temple of Elemental Evil and friends, close but no cigar).

Chrono Trigger

Developer: Square Enix Platforms: iOS Universal, Android Price: $9.99 

A journey for the ages, with a motley crew visiting each era to repair the mistakes of the past and break other timelines, zig-zagging across character arcs and plot holes with aplomb. The RPG elements are just as great as the story, both of them equally...timeless. And the soundtrack is nuanced and varied, with mysterious, mournful threnodies as well as rousing boss-battle hymns. The game keeps popping up everywhere, and for good reason, for its characters, music and story both exemplify the JRPG genre and somehow transcend it. Chrono Trigger is Chrono Trigger; to play it involves learning about RPG conventions and mechanics but to experience it is so much more, a different creature altogether.

Titan Quest (Review)

Developer: THQ Nordic Platforms: iOS Univeral, Android Price: $6.99, $8.99 

A diabolic, pan-Hellenic action-RPG whose loot system and mythic references have earned its place in the pantheon. See the world, from the Aegean to Bosphorus, to the Nile, slay its beasts of prominence. At the time of its release in 2006, the game seemed redundant and derivative; now it shines in a mobile market where a premium game with fascinating, nay, compelling, rich pool of random loot, none of it locked behind premium currency or lootboxes, is something of a rara avis. Serviceable combat, shiny loot, excellent pacing and nice controls: this is good simple fun.

Transistor

Developer: Supergiant Games Platforms:  iOS Universal Price: $4.99

The world is falling apart, being destroyed from without while society crumbles and the citizens of Cloudbank panic and retreat from their formerly comfortable lives. Transistor’s pace has only one setting, relentlessly pushing the player to new areas while a narrator overdubs the scenery and battles with evocative, if florid, prose. Transistor’s techno-utopia has clearly gone wrong at some point, and the whole city is flooded with swarms of the Process, a monochrome enemy whose various forms eerily mimic lifeforms.

The modular battle system with its flexible customization options is fun and satisfying, for any program you acquire can be equipped either as a primary (active) ability, a modifier boosting another active, or as a passive. The relative small number of programs means that this mix-and-match is always interesting, never burdensome. The combat itself is real time with the special ability to ‘pause’ the game and plan out actions.

Final Fantasy IX

Developer: Square Enix Platforms: iOS Universal, Android Price: $20.99

Nick once considered this the best of all of Square's Final Fantasy ports, so now that we're officially adding JRPGs to the list (for the moment, might spin them off to their own list-ED), we thought we'd pay homage to the grand-daddy of all JRPGs with their finest mobile offering. FF9 was released at the turn of the millennium, and moved the series forward with new mechanics whilst also paying homage to the classical games.

As far as the mobile version is concerned, you couldn't ask for more. Officially it's a remaster of the original game with features such as HD movies and in-game graphics, and they added in an auto-save feature which is essential for the drop-in/drop-out nature of mobile gaming. The only downside of this and any of Square's FF ports is the pricing - at £20 full price, which is far more than what most mobile gamers are willing to pay.

Final Fantasy-like Alternatives

Once upon a time, we posted a feature of Final Fantasy alternatives. We're trying to consolidate a bit, so we're migrating that information here for your convenience. We'll expand on this section during a future update, but for the moment, here's a shortlist of Nick's recommendations if you're looking for a FF like game, but don't want to pay the price of admission:

Doom & Destiny

Doom & Destiny Advanced

Symphony of the Origin

Revenant Dogma

Dragon Quest

Dragon Fantasy

Phantasy Star II Classic

Hall of Fame

These games graced the list in a previous life, but have since past on into legend. Here's a reminder, in case we forget:

The World Ends with You

Avadon: The Black Fortress

Shadowrun Returns

What would your list of the best mobile RPGs look like? Let us know in the comments!

Essential RPGs on Android & iOS published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/