#the high priestess of house vandree

[faun-draws]

She was a high priestess of House Vandree. Beautiful, elegant, ruthless.

I adored her, and had been sharing her bed for some time when the order came that she must die.

I stayed with her while the poison did its work, and whispered words of comfort as she slipped away.

-Minthara Baenre, Baldurs Gate 3

She brought food and wine to her priestess. Leaving armor and weapons at home. Her love knew the wine was poisoned. Still she drank the whole glass, sadness and defeat in her eyes. She caught her before she hit the ground.

„I am so sorry.“, she whispered against her cheek, smeared with blood. Both of them shed a tear, glistening in the hundred candles that lit the temple.

Edit: I am now writing their story down. Its ‚Her Priestess‘ on ao3

[faun-draws]

If anyone is interested in an Illiamer Roleplay Blog: here it is!

There is nothing there yet except for some reblogs of my own art lol

Yathtallar [Drow; a high priestess of Lolth]

Roleplay Blog for Illiamer Vandree, a Character based on a conversation between Minthara and Karlach.

Mostly canon compliant| will probably address darker themes, 21+| read comments for rules and information

Everything beyond the banter between Minthara and Karlach is made up by me. Feel free to write your own interpretation of the high priestess of house Vandree but Illiamer is my character, thank you!

[imperator-titus]

Favorite Party Banter [Minthara Edition]

[Astarion (Ascended)] [Halsin/Jaheira] [Gale] [Karlach] [Lae'zel] [Minsc] [Minthara] [Shadowheart] [Wyll]

I often miss party banter because of party comp (and sometimes just straight up can't hear??) so here's a collection of my favorite bants while going through dialogue files. I know the wiki has the banter (most? all?) but I added the file names and dev notes.

Either Minthara is the main speaker/subject or I think Minthara's reaction is good shit.

Not in any particular order.

[PB_Minthara_Shadowheart_ROM_Act3_002]

Minthara: I cannot tell if you are more a deviant or a debutante, Shadowheart.

Minthara: I would like to test both aspects of your character when next you find yourself alone at night.

Shadowheart: I’m not quite sure I like where this is going.

[PB_Karlach_Minthara_ROM_Act3_001]

Karlach: It’s funny seeing you so smitten, Minthara. Didn’t think you were able. {Devnote: With concern}

Minthara: I took my first lover before you were a spark in your father’s eye, child.

Karlach: Go on.

Minthara: She was a high priestess of House Vandree. Beautiful, elegant, ruthless. {Devnote: friendly rather than flirtatious}

Minthara: I adored her, and had been sharing her bed for some time when the order came that she must die.

Minthara: I stayed with her while the poison did its work, and whispered words of comfort as she slipped away.

Karlach: Oh no. {Devnote: quiet, shocked, just heard a very sad story}

[PB_Gale_Minthara_ROM_Act3]

Gale: I found an empty bottle of venom in camp, Minthara. Safe to assume it was yours?

Minthara: Indeed. I have been dosing my partner while they sleep by my side.

Minthara: They refuse to take it in their food, but I must build up their immunity in case we ever visit Menzoberranzan together.

Gale: Let’s never speak of this again.

[PB_Astarion_Minthara_ROM_Act2]

Astarion: So how does Lolth feel about romance? Are you expected to bite your mate's head off afterwards?

Minthara: Be grateful I no longer follow the Spider Queen's teachings. If I did, you would be the first to fall into my web. {Devnote: Teasing Astarion with a grotesquely exaggerated version of how she would seduce him}

Astarion: I can't tell if you're joking. She is joking, right? {Devnote: first phrase to Minthara, then appealing to the party at large for support}

[PB_Laezel_Minthara_Act2_ROM_001]

Lae'zel: Our leader is a fool for love, Minthara. I'd never be compelled to conduct such a poorly-planned jailbreak.

Minthara: They did not do it for love. They did it for my prowess in combat, as well as coitus. I excel in both.

Lae'zel: As do I. Sometimes the acts are not dissimilar.

[PB_Gale_Minthara_ROM_Act2]

Gale: I'm glad to know you have a softer side, Minthara. I was beginning to think you rather heartless.

Minthara: Loving another is not soft, wizard. It is one of the hardest things a person can do.

Gale: So you admit you've found love! How delightful - I'm happy for you both.

[mintharabaenrelore]

Minthara & the High Priestess of House Vandree

A breathtaking- literally- portrayal of this relationship and its sad ending by @faun-draws.

I asked @lunastrophe about this at one point; her answer was a huge help for this!

We know about Minthara's first lover from Act 3 banter, if the player character is romancing her.

Karlach: It's funny seeing you so smitten, Minthara. Didn't think you were able.

Minthara: I took my first lover before you were a spark in your father's eye, child.

Karlach: Go on.

Minthara: She was a high priestess of House Vandree. Beautiful, elegant, ruthless.

Minthara: I adored her, and had been sharing her bed for some time when the order came that she must die.

Minthara: I stayed with her while the poison did its work, and whispered words of comfort as she slipped away.

Karlach: Oh no.

So, there's the information, but what can we infer?

As this was Minthara's first lover, it was before any of her many suitors ("I had a thousand suitors. Some were only attracted by my status, many wanted my body, and a rare few wanted all of me") and before she graduated Arach-Tinilith, part of Tier Breche.

Minthara likely joined Arach-Tinilith at age 40, being born around 1280 DR and likely adhering to that custom rather than the one of 1361 that had students enter by 25 years old. (Reminder that, either way, Minthara was very young for a drow at this time!)

Priestesses are expected to study there for 50 years.

I'm not sure when Minthara's romance with the high priestess occurred. I have two theories:

When Minthara was beginning her education there.

The Ceremony of Graduation.

We'll discuss the Ceremony of Graduation later.

Minthara states she was sharing her bed, so we can infer she was going to her bedroom, not the other way around. Only older priestesses and instructors have single rooms, while novices have to share with one or two others for the first several years. Considering the relationship lasted for "some time", I think this confirms that the high priestess was a fellow student, and quite a bit older- although the fact that she was a high priestess in the first place (which takes some time to do) makes that obvious.

I don't think it was one of Minthara's instructors at the school because I can't think of any who match the description- House Vandree, high priestess, etc.

There is a power imbalance in this relationship, as @lunastrophe pointed out to me. House Vandree is by no means unimportant, but House Baenre is the most powerful family in Menzoberranzan, by far- by 1480 DR, House Vandree was at their most powerful as a member of the Ruling Council, but still several spots below House Baenre. Then again, Minthara's lover was older and a high priestess.

If they were sleeping together for "some time", if Minthara "adored" her, and if House Baenre and House Vandree were allies, why was Minthara ordered to kill her?

Perhaps Minthara got too attached. Perhaps the high priestess was deemed a threat. Perhaps it was just the sadistic whim of someone in power. Maybe it was just a test- to see if Minthara had what it took to be a "soldier in Lolth's service", a paladin. A Baenre princess. Perhaps it was a test from Lolth herself.

Knowing how close Minthara was to her mother, I assume- if it was an order from the Ruling Council- it would have come directly from her.

How did Minthara kill her, is the question? I like to speculate that, since Minthara was clearly keen on granting her mercy- why bother with words of comfort if you wanted to make the death unpleasant?- the poison was in Ulaver wine, a delicacy in Menzoberranzan. Most likely, the poison was something obscure and expensive, as 1. a Baenre could afford such a thing and 2. Minthara is not the only drow to dose herself with toxins to build up immunity. I imagine it was Belbol d'Elghinn ("Gift of Death"), as it is a powerful poison drow nobles prize for assassinations, one that works remarkably swiftly.

Of course, it's possible that it was her famous poisoned kiss, but as darkly romantic as that would be, it's unlikely considering that if Minthara used such powerful poison, she could have died in the process.

The aftermath was probably... minimal. Approval from Lolth and her mother, fear and respect from her peers. The drow philosophy is basically "If we can't prove it, it never happened" and considering that Minthara says she "slipped away", not "loudly screamed and flailed and summoned all of Menzoberranzan to her aid", I think that's about it. I'm not sure how the high priestess would have been dealt with after death- most likely used as a food source for spiders, as she died in subtlety and disgrace.

A very unlikely theory that I have- wishful thinking, really- is that the High Priestess betrayed Lolth by turning to Eilistraee, and Lolth punished her by having her lover, Minthara, end her, and in those dying moments, Minthara learned the word "Alurlssrin" from her.

Remember, Minthara is praying to Lolth in the prisons of Moonrise Towers up until the PC rescues her, and then she turns her back on her goddess- abruptly, it seems, but is it really? Did this test, if it was a test, if it originated from Lolth, sow the seeds of rebellion in a young Minthara? Perhaps the abandonment in her hour of need was just the final push.

It's unusual that Minthara stayed with her lover as she died, offering comfort- risking Lolth's wrath, and defying drow culture in general. This proves she wasn't exaggerating things when she said she'd "adored" her- she did, and does, if her praise is anything to go by. In Minthara's world, it wasn't an act of cruelty to kill her; a betrayal, yes, but it was mercy for it to have been Minthara rather than someone who would have done it far more brutally and with far less remorse. If Minthara had tried to reject this order, things would have gone worse for them both.

About the Ceremony of Graduation: This high priestess having been Minthara's first lover aligns with the theory that their laison began at the infamous ceremony. Minthara's only dialogue about that is this: "Straj. This reminds me of my ceremony of graduation. *laugh* What a day that was" which I found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vYBaYJgz_c. @mogruith discovered that line triggers in Philgraves Mansion.

Anyways, the Ceremony of Graduation is a drow rite of passage for the graduates of Tier Breche as of early 14th century DR (which aligns with Minthara's timeline, if I'm not mistaken). I won't go into details about the Ceremony of Graduation, as I'm going to make a separate post about Minthara's role in said Ceremony, but it's worth noting.

Minthara appears to remember this fleeting romance vividly, which is telling. This relationship evidently, left a lasting mark on the young Minthara- from her anxieties about poison and her paranoia when it comes to lovers and people in general.

Remember, Minthara- if romanced- doses the PC with poison, to help them build an immunity. She says it's in case they visit Menzoberranzan, but I'm not so sure that's her only motive. I think she's trying to protect them from her first lover's tragic fate.

For a beautiful- and sad- portrayal of this story, I suggest "Her Priestess" by @faun-draws on AO3.

[lunastrophe]

Hello! I'm back! You know Minthara's dialogue about her ex-girlfriend, that House Vandree priestess? I have some questions, and I was hoping for your speculation. Thanks!

Why was Minthara ordered to kill her?

How did she poison her? I thought all drow are trained to NOT get poisoned.

Did a lot of people know about it?

What was their relationship like? It sounded... unusually healthy for drow. Until the murder part, of course.

And any other info you might have. Have a lovely day!

Hello and welcome back! 😊I have several theories about that Vandree priestess and about what their relationship might be like, so I will start from question number 4:

🕷️First Lover - Minthara mentions that high priestess of House Vandree, "beautiful, elegant, ruthless", was her first lover.

We know next to nothing about her, but she was obviously several (at least four, possibly even more) decades older than Minthara. She had apparently not only finished her training, but also obtained the title of high priestess - it usually takes some time for a female drow to reach this level.

As for Minthara, she was probably in her twenties back then, either preparing to enroll into the Academy or starting her education there.

🕷️Power Dynamics - House Vandree was only a minor noble house and could not compare to Baenre.

Still, Minthara's lover was older and more experienced than her, and she was also a high priestess - so it is a bit hard to say who had the upper hand in this relationship and to what degree.

Also, a wild thought - maybe Minthara's lover was one of her instructors at the Academy?

Minthara says: I had been sharing her bed, not "she had been sharing my bed" - it can imply that it was Minthara who was visiting her lover's bedroom, not the other way around. Sounds a bit strange for proud Baenre - but... in Arach-Tinilith, novices share rooms with one or two others for the first several years - so inviting a lover is not really an option. Older priestesses and instructors, though, have single rooms...

Minthara apparently admired her lover and even "adored her." There might be even some affection involved from her part: I stayed with her while the poison did its work, and whispered words of comfort as she slipped away.

Was that admiration / affection / fondness (sincerely) reciprocated? Perhaps - or perhaps not...

🕷️ How many people knew? - it really depends. If Minthara's lover was also her instructor from the Academy, I suppose that they might at least try to be discreet. In other case, I doubt that they would have that many reasons to keep their liaison a secret.

🕷️ Why Was Minthara Ordered To Killed Her?

1) Maybe the priestess attracted Minthara's attention for a reason - to achieve something, to obtain information, to get closer to House Baenre, perhaps? In sourcebook, it is mentioned that House Vandree was not very successful and was seeking protection of House Baenre, but Matron Mother of House Baenre was not eager to offer them any.

Maybe Minthara was ordered to kill the priestess to send the message - "Vandree, remember that we are not that close".

2) Maybe Minthara's family - likely her mother - decided that young Minthara starts to like her lover a bit too much, and it is time to remind her how things work among drow.

Youthful adoration is one thing, but blooming affection? Any Lolth-worshipping drow mother would start to worry about her daughter's reputation at this point. And about her lover's possible ulterior motives.

3) Maybe it was simply a test, of sorts, to see how young Minthara handles assassination orders, as well as separating her personal life from her duties. And House Vandree was in no position to retaliate, considering their situation, which was a nice bonus.

🕷️ Drow Poisoned? - drow may gain resistance to some poisonous substances, especially to the more popular ones, but not to every single one of them. Some poisons are very rare or simply very expensive, and / or they are not widely used.

Also, some poison recipes are probably being kept a secret. I imagine that inventing a new poison recipe now and then is one of the most important duties of drow alchemists working for noble drow houses. Poisons designed for specific individuals may be also a thing.

[linka-from-captain-planet]

She was a high priestess of House Vandree. Beautiful, elegant, ruthless. I adored her, and I had been sharing her bed for some time when the order came that she must die.

I stayed with her while the poison did its work, and whispered words of comfort as she slipped away.

[mithraeris]

Karlach and Minthara party banter

Which almost no one will see since it's somewhat hard to have them in the party together:

If the player is in a relationship with Minthara Karlach: It's funny seeing you so smitten, Minthara. Didn't think you were able. Minthara: I took my first lover before you were a spark in your father's eye, child. She was a high priestess of House Vandree. Beautiful, elegant, ruthless. I adored her, and had been sharing her bed for some time when the order came that she must die. I stayed with her while the poison did its work, and whispered words of comfort as she slipped away. Karlach (quiet, shocked, just heard a very sad story): Oh no.

====== Karlach: Hey, so, what's romance like in the Underdark, Minthara? Minthara: In Menzoberranzan, romance is commonly a luxury enjoyed between women. Men are mostly present for propagation. Here on the surface, gender does not define one's role so strictly. There are weaklings of every sort. =====

Minthara and Karlach explore the sewers beneath Baldur's Gate Minthara: This place is foul. Drow would not tolerate rivers of waste flowing so close to their residences. Karlach: You've got slaves to manage your sanitation. Baldur's Gate doesn't. Though we do rely quite heavily on kobolds. Minthara: But surely the kobolds are slaves?

Karlach: Hell no.

Minthara (disappointed to learn ANOTHER miserable fact about Baldur's Gate - which is FAR inferior in her mind to great drow cities): Straj. Yet one more reason to despair for the fate of this city.

=====

Minthara: You allowed that smith to meddle with your heart, Karlach, simply so you can be touched? Better to shut off the carnal desires than indulge them. They are distractions.

Karlach: Yes, because every function comes with a handy switch. Next time I'm injured, don't heal, just turn me off and on again.

[uninspired--poet]

House Vandree has extended an invitation to House Baenre to attend their masquerade ball in celebration of the Founding. High Priestess Vandree has extended her own invitation to her beloved Inquisitor, Minthara. Both invitations have been accepted, and the High Priestess intends to remind Minthara of just what she has been missing in their months apart.

Minthara/High Priestess Vandree • Rating: Explicit • Words: 8,448 • Chapter: 1/2

[unreadpoppy]

Death and Resurrection (part 2)

Minthara x Galatea

Part 1

Read on AO3

The battle had been harder than expected but they were managing. Due to the amount of enemies, the party had spread out, one covering each corner. 

There were only a few enemies left when Galatea began to feel overwhelmed by them. Her spell slots were running dry, and as much as she tried to evade her attacker, flying away thanks to her sorcerer abilities, he wouldn’t stop pursuing her. 

As she misty stepped away from him, she saw the drow on the other side, downing an enemy. With nothing left to do, she screamed “Minthara!” 

Hearing her lover’s scream, Minthara turned around just in time to watch as the enemy ran the tiefling through with his sword. 

It was as if time had stopped. Minthara watched as Galatea slowly fell to the ground, blood oozing from her middle. She heard another one of her companions scream, and the little quasit - Shovel, she believed was its name -  ran to her mistresses’ side. 

Minthara’s body moved before her mind could catch up with what had happened. In an instant, she was killing all of their remaining enemies, ending their miserable lives like a predator on a hunt. 

She had particularly enjoyed killing the one who had hurt Galatea, drawing out his death for a long as she could. It was only when she felt a gloved hand on her shoulder that she stopped. 

“Enough, Minthara.” She heard Shadowheart say. “She wouldn’t have wanted that.” 

She turned to look at her. “How do you know what she would have wanted?” She huffed, before brushing past her to where Karlach knelt, holding Galatea’s hand. 

The quasit was next to her, big black eyes unsure of what was happening. The creature placed a hand on Galatea’s shoulder, as if poking her.  She never understood why was Gal so attached to the demon, but she did not mind it’s existence. “Is Master gone?” It asked, and Minthara couldn’t tell if it was sadness she heard in its voice. 

“Only temporarily.” Minthara said, kneeling on the other side of Galatea. She brushed the tiefling’s blue hair to the side, and tried to wipe some of the blood from her face. Gently, she placed Galatea on her lap, holding her with both arms. 

As she looked at her dead lover’s limo body, Minthara remembered the first one she bedded. The High Priestess from house Vandree. She had held her just like this, watching as the life left her. Although they had shared several nights together, Minthara could scarcely call what they had ‘love’, and when it was time for the priestess to die, it had not felt like this.

Minthara’s heart had not hurt as it was now. Her relationship with Galatea was much different. It was not only physical, as her previous ones has been. Their bond was much deeper than any other she had had, and she was not willing to let the tiefling go so easily. Although she knew she was fated to outlive Galatea, today would not be the day the two would be separated. 

Shadowheart had offered to bring her back, but Minthara said “Let me do it.” 

With one hand on her wound, and the other holding her head, Minthara began to whisper the words of the revivify spell. It was not a spell she used often, as it was rare for her companions to die, and when they did, Withers usually took care of it. 

But Minthara wouldn’t let a skeleton, and much less a child, bring her lover back. A warm glow emanated from her hands, and the wound on Galatea’s stomach closed, the warmness coming back to her skin. 

She watched patiently as Galatea gasped and opened her eyes. The tiefling looked at Minthara and placed a hand on her cheek. “Are you crying because of me?” 

It was only then that Minthara had realized the stray tears that had fallen. She swiped one of them and said “No. I cry because you did not get to see how I marvelously killed our enemies.” Galatea chuckled at that. The drow leaned forwards and kissed her forehead, and then whispered “If you think death can separate us, I suggest changing your plans.” 

Galatea smiled and kissed Minthara’s lips briefly. “Don’t worry. I do not plan on going anywhere.” 

“Good. Because I won’t let you.” The drow smirked. 

“I know.”

[baelavelaryon]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[m-for-musings]

WIP WEDNESDAY

I know I'm not posting anything, but I swear Honey Webbing is not on hiatus. It's just… I got stuck on a very specific part, so I decided to 'skip' a bit forward. Now I have [the last posted chapter], [a void], [smut], [another void], and [current chapters I'm working on]. As soon as I put it all together, I'll update it. ;-;

"What's the story behind the lyre?" Mera asked, genuine curiosity furrowing her brow. The question caught Minthara off guard, especially given the casual tone with which Mera had started the conversation. Minthara regarded the half-drow for a moment, considering her response. "A spoil from a successful assassination." She replied with a slight shrug, her tone deliberately detached, as if the answer held no significance to her. Mera's eyes widened, a flicker of revulsion crossing her face. "Really?" she exclaimed, incredulous. "You were willing to chase me over something you took from a corpse?" Minthara's lips curled into a faint, amused smile. "And you were willing to be chased over something you took from an abandoned raft," she countered smoothly. A moment of almost comical silence followed as Mera processed the retort. Leaning back on her hands, she turned her gaze away from Minthara and toward the churning waters of the river, her shoulders slumping in quiet concession. "Touché," she finally murmured. A detail that Minthara deliberately withheld from the conversation, though, was that the corpse in question had once been her lover, the high priestess of House Vandree. The memory stirred in her a bitterness that time had never truly dulled. Rumors of treason had swirled around the high priestess, whispers that, due their association, threatened to taint the Baenre name. It didn’t matter if the rumors were backed by evidence or not; the House deemed it unfitting for a Baenre to be associated with a traitor. So, they ordered the high priestess's death, snuffing out any chance for the scandal to spread and tarnish their legacy.  Minthara had taken the lyre, perhaps out of spite, or perhaps in a futile attempt to fill the hollow ache in her heart. The instrument had once been a symbol of a piece of her past that she could never reclaim. In time, it became little more than a relic — a something practical, often used to send signals and coded commands on missions. She kept it close, not because it brought comfort, but because it was all she had left of a love that had been ripped away by her own hands. Now, Minthara mused, the lyre was in more suitable hands, its purpose revived and resignified through the disjointed melodies the girl coaxed from its strings on a daily basis.

[faun-draws]

I wrote this epilogue type of one shot for Illiamer and Minthara a while ago and now finally posted it! I hope everyone enjoys to meet them again

[spiderwarden]

HC in the meantime, Minthara when talking about her first lover being the High Priestess of House Vandree, says “I took my first lover before you were a spark in your father’s eye, child.”

But the more I think about it, the more I consider her age and look at her early access version/Cleric self, knowing she was likely newly graduated. Makes me think of the graduation ceremony she so casually mentioned. (Which if you don’t know is like a college orgie where a demon is summoned to dick down the valedictorian and the high priestesses come in and pick from the young men and women to have sex with) the more I’m starting to think, Minthara didn’t ‘take’ her first lover, she was the one picked by the High Priestess, not the other way around.

And what started out as ceremonial sex, turned into love very quickly, because she stayed with her for some time.

Just some thoughts, nothing cemented yet…

[yathtallar]

Your Muse as a drink

It’s not really easy to have fresh fruit from the surface down in Menzobarranzan. But on the rare occasion they stole some from the surface (they probably froze them with magic to keep them from going bad) the luxury loving high priestess of house Vandree would probably put the frozen fruit in some white wine or rosé champagne (also stolen). She wouldn’t need ice because the fruit is still frozen. When the drink is gone she would eat the alcohol induced fruits. There is no chance she would waste such a rare thing. The drink is a little tingly on her tongue because of the poison she puts in it.

Tagged by @spiderwarden

And I don’t know a lot of people here yet but I will tag some people I follow and that follow me back:)

@slverblood @infernaliscor @thishouseofhope

Link unser the cut

https://picrew.me/ja/image_maker/664785

[mintharabaenrelore]

Minthara Baenre Timeline

I made a version of this on my @mischievousseagull blog, but this one is more detailed- and neater, I hope!

Minthara: "Min" = lesser, second, "Thara" = glyph, marke, rune. This name leads me to speculate that she is a second child.

Baenre: First House of Menzoberranzan.

💜 She was young and impressionable when Viconia DeVir was cast out, which was before 1297, so she must have been born between 1270 and 1290 DR and named shortly after birth in Menzoberranzan (the tallest point of Qu'ellarz'orl, the Place of Nobles). According to Orin, 'Minthara murdered her way out of the room'- possibly chad-zak, as it is called in the drow tongue?

💜 She survived an assassination attempt on her as an infant (perhaps by a relative); her mother protected her by covering her body with her own. A blade almost punctured her heart, and she received a scar

💜 She grew up with her House training her to be a soldier in Lolth's service; Emma Gregory states she was 'brought up by her whole community' and that her upbringing was 'very brutal'. In banter with Lae'zel, Minthara says a child should be set upon mortal combat 'The moment it can hold a blade' and 'may even test its resilience against some common poisons while still in the womb.' These sound like references to her own childhood

💜 I originally thought Minthara's mother attempted to kill her around the 'Blooding' (a drow rite of passage), but I was watching Emma Gregory's interviews and she repeatedly stated this incident occurred around five years old and involved a sword. Minthara's mother received a scar to match the one received while protecting Minthara as an infant

💜 She receives a torture rack for her 13th birthday from her mother (drow...)

💜 Drow females have a social rite of passages around the 16th birthday (thank you, @lunastrophe!)

💜 After being trained in her House about the basics of Lolth worship, she likely joins school at Arach-Tinilith around age 40 (by 1361 DR, it was expected to enter by age 25, but Minthara was born in 1280, so she likely adhered to the first custom)

💜 Priestesses are expected to study there for 50 years, so we can assume she did so- I believe she got her tattoo of House Baenre's symbol during this time

💜 Her first lover, a High Priestess from House Vandree, who is 'beautiful, elegant, ruthless'; Minthara 'adored' her and shared her bed for some time. This relationship likely began at the infamous Arach-Tilinith graduation. As it is said Minthara was sharing her bed, we can assume she was going to her bedroom, not the other way around. As only older priestesses and instructors have single rooms, she must have been one of the two

💜 The order came that the High Priestess must die, so Minthara poisoned her and 'whispered words of comfort' as she slipped away

💜 She most likely swore her Oath to Lolth soon after the graduation, as she states she took up her Oath 'long ago'

💜 The drow rite of passage, the 'Blooding', in which one hunts down and kills an intelligent creature from the surface, often an elf (around age 80)

💜  Minthara was likely now a High Priestess as well as a paladin of Lolth. Her Oath was 'bloody vengeance' against Lolth's enemies, so we can assume she spent much of her time punishing supposed heretics. She says she has performed a thousand interrogations ('squeezing out the most guarded secrets held in heart, mind and soul'; this must be the period in which she did so; she sometimes left the Underdark to 'raid' and 'pillage', though not often. She states she is 'accustomed to leading, not following'; this, along with the retinue she originally left Menzoberranzan with, tells us a lot

💜 She states 'I have hosted gatherings of House Matrons and High Priestesses who wanted nothing more than to murder each other before the night was done. I have negotiated the handover of hostages and smiled politely while sensing a dagger at my back.' She has poisoned people at parties, most likely, as she states 'Parties are the perfect opportunity for a poisoning.'

💜 During her time in Menzoberranzan, she had 'a thousand suitors' and many lovers. She states some only desired her status, many just wanted her body, and a rare few wanted all of her. Emma Gregory states 'She's had partnerships before, but I don't think she's someone that- she's always used them for a purpose [...]'. She says she fears a romance will be 'another story written in scars'. She does not yet have a consort. She hasn't had a partner in a while, in fact, aside from maybe Orin, as the dryad says, 'And know that you made one whose heart was long quiet beat with love anew.' Partly from her behavior and also from Emma Gregory saying 'One of the most wonderful and delightful journeys for her is making friends and understanding what companionship is,' I think she was quite a loner- even less social than your average drow.

💜 She has read about Baldur's Gate in history books. In Menzoberranzan, she has in fact visited Braeryn or "the Stenchstreets"- likely as part of a Hunt there, a popular sport for nobles involving murder (obviously). She also says 'My mother visited, during one of her grand tours of the surface world. She claimed the streets were almost as varied and full of danger as those in Dutchloim. I had not believed her til now.'

💜 During her time in Menzoberranzan, she underwent many losses- friends, family, and lovers alike, taken too soon (as well as enemies)

💜 It was probably in Menzoberranzan that she started dosing herself with poison to build immunity. It is likely venom of some sort, as in a banter with Gale, he states he found an empty bottle of venom and she confirms it belongs to her and she has been using it to dose her lover (the PC) in case they visited her hometown.

💜 In Menzoberranzan, she picked off her siblings one by one. Also, she commited androcide (the systematic killing of men, boys, males in general), senicide (the killing of an elderly person), and avunculicide (the killing of one's uncle). She tells Wyll that patricide (the killing of one's father) is the first step to greatness, but as she does not list that when she describes her 'icides', I presume she has not done so... yet. She intends to commit matricide.

💜 Sometime in 1492 (most likely), a True Soul (Agent Xilvre, or True Soul 113) and 2 novices came to Menzoberranzan, sent by Ketheric Thorm, 'preaching a message of togetherness'. Minthara killed them and hung their bodies in her garden (as one does)

💜  She used a 'simple act of necromancy', presumably Speak to the Dead (but corpses don't speak to who personally killed them, so I'm uncertain how she did this) and they informed her where to strike. Moonrise Towers. Driven by curiosity and anger, she went to Moonrise with a retinue of warriors and assassins- the best House Baenre had to offer. As she referred to them as 'her men', I assume they were all male

 💜 She met Ketheric at a feast, and he proposed an alliance between Moonrise and Menzoberranzan. She was 'captivated' by him, though still wary, particularly of poison. Orin, at the foot of the table, then said her name and climbed across the table, 'a dagger in each hand'. She skipped toward her, 'slicing' the throats of her men as she passed by them. Ketheric held Minthara still with a hand on her shoulder, 'the grip tight enough to crack bone'. Orin stood before her and touched a dagger to her eye, 'drawing out a tear of blood'. She then said, 'I want this one.' Ketheric nodded his permission, and Minthara was taken 'below'.

💜 Minthara was kept for days in the mind flayer colony by Orin herself, forced to watch as her men were processed as food and thralls. Two contrasting statements are made about how Minthara was tadpoled- either Orin placed a tadpole in Minthara's eye herself, or Orin held her down in a 'cocoon of flesh' and laughed at her fear as a mind flayer forced a parasite into her brain. Whatever the case, she has 'grim' memories of the place (this memory was later messed up, as during banter with Shadowheart, Minthara notes 'I am glad my memories of the infection are not so clear')

💜 After the tadpole, Minthara viewed the Absolute as less an entity and more an idea- pure love, total power. Orin was by her side, and told her the Absolute had chosen her to be a True Soul, 'blessed and adored'; she 'worshipped' Orin.

💜 Throughout all this, Minthara and Orin may or may not have had romantic relations. But remember, Minthara was under mind control and did not willingly consent to anything the two may have done. Romantic or not, Minthara 'worshipped that woman.' It is confirmed Orin physically harmed her- 'Orin... I will dissect her for laying her blade on me again'; 'I have faced Orin before and she left scars on me that will never heal.'

💜 She was chosen as a commander by Ketheric early on- perhaps this is what caused Z'rell to dislike her and ask for the privilege of killing her early on. Anyways, Minthara's words- 'Ketheric recognized me as a soldier, and took me into his army immediately. First, I fought alongside him, and then I was given a command of my own. That is where we first met.' Minthara witnessed and was awed by his invulnerability during a battle

💜 Before the Emerald Grove, there were massacres of religious communities (mostly) who refused to convert and, according to Nere, 'reckless raids'; her title as Nightwarden suggests they were at night

💜 She was likely in the cult for several months (during which many of her memories, particularly the one of her indoctrination, were altered or absent), or perhaps longer- as she says '[...] So much has happened since I left the Underdark is like a dream of somebody else's life. I... do not know myself anymore.' It is unclear what else happened during her time in the cult, but she is disturbed by the memories that return to her, the things she did, and the things that were done to her. She committed a lot of murder; she calls herself 'the Absolute's dagger', and remembers all the blood she was forced to spill. While speaking about Orin, she says 'I was like her once, when we first met and before you ever knew me. A madwoman, butchering prey in the name of a god who would discard me without a thought once I was no longer of use.' Sadly, this seems to apply to both her time in the cult and her time in Menzoberranzan. While brainwashed, she states, she 'could choose nothing' and that the Absolute and tadpole 'worked together like a drug'. She believed she was 'ecstatic to serve'.

💜 She met Kar'niss at some point. She also saw Enver Gortash at some point, as she states- upon seeing a portrait of him- 'His smile looks more genuine rendered in paint than it does in the flesh.'

💜 Minthara left Moonrise as a commander in the Absolute's army, with direct orders to locate the prism. She was 'honored' to lead a 'pack of goblins' due to the mind control.

💜 She spent time in the goblin camp alongside Dror Ragzlin and Priestess Gut (presumably, she never found out about Klagga's crush on her). There, she was mainly referred to as "the drow". She appears to have been the one who wrote the letter on the Dissected Drow's body (found in the Emerald Grove, where Nettie is). The goblins fear her, but, based off of how they speak to her during her trial at Moonrise Towers ('You scrag!' 'Bye-bye, princess...') they seem to have some level of resentment towards her. Dror Ragzlin seems to view her as a rival ('The damned drow was right... can't let her have all the glory') and is aware of her whereabouts and actions. One the other hand, he says they work together due to the Absolute and a goblin calls her 'Ragzlin's drow friend'

💜 She planned how to slaughter the Emerald Grove and what she believes are its unbelievers, and how to locate the artifact (the Astral Prism, in Shadowheart's possession by this point in time) amongst the ashes

💜 At the exact point of the Nautiloid crash, she is standing on a balcony at the goblin camp, reading a scroll, beside Dror Ragzlin; Priestess Gut is not there, for some reason (or she's just too short to see)

This brings us to when she is first encountered in Baldur's Gate III. By this point, she is 202-222 years old, making her young in drow terms.

Extra

🕷️ She likes Ulaver wine 🕷️ Minthara's Speak to the Dead dialogue (from EA) suggests she was intended to be Matron Mother of House Baenre and states she has a daughter; this dialogue no longer exists, but it's interesting to speculate whether Minthara has/had a child 🕷️ 'Alurlssrin' is an Eilistraee word, so it is strange that Minthara knows it. I think she may have had access to "heretical" texts, as when you repeatedly click on her, she makes a blasphemous joke in Drow about Lolth's laughter She dislikes wizards, thinking them 'poor conversationalists' with exceedingly short lifespans; is this perhaps connected to Gromph Baenre? 🕷️ From her dialogue, she has definitely seen both Lake Donigarten and Tier Breche 🕷️ She was unusually close to her mother, who personally nursed her and taught her to 'guard her heart' and survive 'the perils of society' 🕷️ She has 'a way with mimics' and Scratch reminds her of her first displacer beast, suggesting she has had multiple displacer beasts as pets. She views them as 'noble' 🕷️ According to her statement at Raphael's House of Hope, she has always wanted to go to Hell. (What?) Upon clicking the portal to Neverwinter in the House of Hope, she says her mother likes Neverwinter, as it is 'ripe for conquering'. In a similar vein, she says she was always told Wasterdeep is 'everything Baldur's Gate is not'. And on Luskan, she says she last heard the drow mercenary Jarlaxe was stationed there. 🕷️ In dialogue with Wyll, Minthara states 'I was taught that any man who spoke out of line, or above his lowly station, should be punished. I called that justice.' She also describes herself as both victim and monster. 🕷️ Minthara's VA Emma Gregory describes her upbringing as 'very brutal' 🕷️ Since when you originally meet her in the goblin camp she is wielding two maces, I like to theorize she is ambidexterous 🕷️ Minthara is an oddity in Menzoberranzan- monogamous, believes in working off debts, close to her mother, etc. 🕷️ She has a Spider's Lyre, and as there is audio of her humming while drunk, I believe she can sing 🕷️ Minthara gardens- not only does she mention her garden, but there is an idle animation of her tending her mushrooms 🕷️ Minthara has 'elegant' handwriting 🕷️ Minthara has survived an impressive amount of assassination attempts; her life has been spent expecting a knife at her back. She states 'A night without an assassin is a dull night indeed' in conversation with Astarion 🕷️ She thinks the Society of Brilliance's peaceful endeavors are amusing 🕷️ She dislikes House DeVir, thinking them cowardly 🕷️ She has a scar on her forehead and throat 🕷️ She does not like water 🕷️ She says her mother likes competition. She also says her name belongs to her mother.

🕷️ Minthara once saw a ship docked at Moonrise Towers

🕷️ Minthara was a childhood champion of Jin-Kente- a drow game involving guts

🕷️ Minthara had a chest with a false bottom in which to hide poisons at some point

This note, "Attracting Drow Exiles", can be found in Ketheric's room and gives us more information on how Minthara was "reruited". “Sweeping up individual drow renegades is not giving us the cadre of Lolth-trained veterans I want for our staff and officer corps; we must be more ambitious. Agent Xilvre, True Soul 113, will be commanded to infiltrate Menzoberranzan itself, ideally House Baenre, ostensibly to proselytise on the behalf of the divine Absolute. I think Xilvre will be convincing in this role.

This intrusion will excite outrage among the Baenre matrons, who can be counted upon to send a warband to exterminate whoever was so rash as to promote anti-Lolth apostasy in their home. Xilvre will have left a clear trail back here to Moonrise Towers, where the warband will find, not a circle of ragtag heretics, but an army in the making. I will parley with the drow leader, but as we negotiate her warband will be ambushed, and every drow warrior we capture will be tadpoled. This accomplished, the warband leader will meet the same fate, and thus we shall acquire our cadre of hardened Underdark warriors. And all it will cost us is the life of loyal Agent Xilvre, but he is, truth be told, a tedious enthusiast and I will not miss him.”

What events did she potentially witness in Menzoberranzan? *assuming she was born in 1290 DR

•             The attack on House Do’Urden by House Hun’ett in 1337 DR •             The destruction of House Do’Urden by her own House Baenre in the Year of the Weeping Moon, 1339 DR •             The attempt to become First House of Menzoberranzan by House Oblodra in 1359 •             The march on Mithral Hall in 1358 DR •             The victory against Blingdenstone in 1371 DR •             The Silence of Lolth in 1372 DR •             An invasion on Uktar 15, 1372 DR •             The Scoured Legion’s exit on Ches 30, 1373 DR •             Quenthel Baenre killing Triel, taking her place as the leader of the House in 1383 DR

What was her home like?

The Baenre Compound:

“House Baenre occupied the highest tier, a ledge called Qu'ellarz'orl, in the main cavern of Menzoberranzan. It was made up of twenty stalagmites and thirty stalactites. A central stalagmite, called the Great Mound, housed the Baenre nobles and the house chapel. There was a balcony surrounding the Great Mound where stalagmites and stalactites met.

The compound was roughly oval in shape, three-eighths of a mile long and a quarter mile wide, and surrounded by a magnificent and magical fence, appearing as a silvery spider's web around the general blue hues of the Baenre compound. This fence stood 20 feet high and acted as the house's main defense; anything touching the fence would become stuck fast until the Matron Mother willed it released. It was impossible to pass through the enchanted fence without the aid of the spider mask, a magical item in the possession of Gromph, the Archmage of Menzoberranzan—assuming, of course, that one was able to avoid the guards posted around the fence. The house chapel was a domed shape and featured an illusion created by Gromph that switched from spider to drow female. This statue was based on Gromph's lover, Sosdrielle Vandree, but it once took on the appearance of Liriel Baenre as sign of Lolth's favor. The matron mother's throne was formed of an enormous adamantine spider. It was magical and contained a symbol repelling any attack.” -             The Forgotten Realms wiki Menzoberranzan as a whole is too complex for me to describe here, but R.A. Salvatore’s books and the Forgotten Realms wiki are excellent sources.

Who might she have known?

She canonically knows of Drizzt Do’Urden. She may have known Liriel Baenre (who left the city in 1361 DR), Maignith Baenre, (captain of the Baenre house guard who was killed around 1373 DR), Myrineyl Baenre (Quenthel’s eldest daughter), Quenthel Baenre, Gromph Baenre, Sos’Umptu Baenre, and many others.

What was her time at Arach-Tinilith like?

•             Most new priestesses (novices) must share rooms with one or two others until the fifth year, although as Liriel Baenre was able to secure her own room, perhaps Minthara could. Novices wore black robes with red trim. •             Each day ended in the chapel- praying and praising Lolth. •             Priestesses received training in weapons combat from the elder students of Melee-Magthere. •             All female drow noblewomen go to Arach-Tinilith after being trained by their Houses in the basic worship of Lolth. They were to spend 50 years studying there. By 1361 DR, priestesses were expected to enter by age 25, but prior to that it occurred around age 40; if Minthara was born around 1280, she probably adhered to the first custom. •             It is a crime for males to enter unsummoned. •             Priestesses provided religious instruction to other students.

What was her status like?

Being a member of the first and most powerful House in Menzoberranzan, she was automatically one of the highest-ranking nobles in the city, but her status within House Baenre is less obvious. Considering she was a paladin, probably a priestess or High Priestess, and had enough power to be entrusted with drow troops and leadership, she must have ranked high in drow society. That is, of course, before the Absolute fiasco. Now, she is an “exile”, who is (probably) marked for death and would be killed on sight, or tortured, ritually killed, or changed into a drider. There it is! Please enjoy and ask whatever questions you'd like!

[lunastrophe]

Hey! I'm writing a Minthara thingy about her past; since you're the drow expert of experts, do you have a timeline of her life or a theory of who her mother is maybe? Thank you!

Heh, I am really humbled by your words, I certainly do not consider myself the drow expert of experts 😳Thank you!

I am working on a detailed post about Minthara's past and her family, with (estimated) dates and other such details. I hope that I will find some time to finish it and publish sometime during the weekend. It is already half-baked, but... ugh, I really need more time for writing 😩

In the meantime, here are some fragments:

🕷️ Age - Minthara is over 200 years old, since she remembers Viconia DeVir disgracing her house and escaping the city ("I was young enough that it left an impression on me").

She was born in Menzoberranzan, probably at least a decade before 1292 DR, and she lived in House Baenre compound on Qu'ellarz'orl plateau.

Minthara recalls that she survived her first assassination attempt while she still suckled at her mother's breast. Her mother saved her life by covering her body with her own.

🕷️️Career - like other noble drow females from Menzoberranzan, Minthara most likely enrolled into Arach-Tinilith when she was 25 (she could be also older, since around 13th century DR, females started their education at the age of 40).

She finished her eduaction after 50 years, being between 75 and 90 years old, and most likely participated in the (in)famous drow graduation ceremony.

Minthara mentions that her mother tried to kill her when she came of age, making it a test of sorts. But aside from that, Minthara surely participated also in the Blooding - a drow coming-of-age ritual, usually completed during a surface raid (a young drow must kill an intelligent or dangerous surface creature, preferably an elf). It probably took place shortly after graduation.

🕷️️Oath - unlike the majority of noble females, Minthara was trained to be not a "pure" cleric, but a soldier in the service of Lolth. At some point, probably still at the early stage of her career, she took the oath of "bloody vengeance against any who defied Lolth".

She was fulfilling her oath, hunting heretics and apostates. She was also performing interrogations. At some point, she was entrusted with leadership - she was commanding drow warriors and probably also organizing and leading night raids to the surface.

🕷️️Relationships - Minthara mentions that being a noble (and Baenre), she lived in luxury.

Her first lover, most likely met during her years in the Academy, was a high priestess of House Vandree: "Beautiful, elegant, ruthless. I adored her, and had been sharing her bed for some time when the order came that she must die. I stayed with her while the poison did its work, and whispered words of comfort as she slipped away."

Minthara says that she had "a thousand suitors" and many lovers - they mostly wanted only her status or her body, though. The more they pursued her, the less she desired them, ultimately becoming tired of them all.

Unsurprisingly, she does not have high opinion on men in general - based on her experience with Menzoberranzan males: "half the men of Menzoberranzan are pleasure-servants. Weaklings, whose beauty is their only redeeming quality."

🕷️ Mother - Minthara's mother was a noble from House Baenre. We also know that she was visiting surface cities during her "grand tours of the surface world" and at some point, she visited also Baldur's Gate. She told Minthara about it.

She was certainly a female of high station, but considering the already existing drow lore, she was probably not one of the most famous daughters of Matron Yvonnel Baenre mentioned in the novels.

My guess: Minthara's mother could be some less known daughter of Yvonnel Baenre. Matron Yvonnel Baenre had fifteen daughters or so, and all of them were high priestesses (and alive around 1297 DR) - Minthara's mother could be one of them.

That would make Minthara a niece of Quenthel Baenre and other famous children of Matron Yvonnel Baenre (Gromph, Jarlaxle, Triel, Sos'Umptu etc.).

Hope you will find this information helpful 😊