#vizeran devir

[everybodyloveshippos]

"Gromph and Vizeran Break Up'

Featuring Vizeran DeVir, his his apprentice Grin Ousstyl, and Gromph Baenre

(posting this separately from the other always sunny redraws bcus it's specifially Out of the Abyss (and i liked it best LOL))

[rukafais]

You can tell they actually cared enough to be toxic exes because they're not immediately trying to blow each other up on sight

[lawful-evil-novelist]

Really as I finish the one-shot I realize the longfic version is really gonna be me dumping Jalynfein, Gromph, and Vizeran into a wizard thunderdome and going “fight fight fight fight”

[bijouly]

just a courtesan who got tangled up in the rage of demons ten years ago and the wizard boyfriend she MIGHT JUST keep alive this time

[lesbianjfitzjames]

Cant get enough of vizeran devir. Old man drow. Lives in a revenge tower. Obsession with gromph. Gay.

[wanderingcotabussurgetank]

Vizeran DeVir by BryanSyme

[venushorned]

the vast oblivium and the eye tyrant

Deep within the Underdark, in a section famously known as the Wormwrithings, a beholder called Karazikar was fashioning itself as a god. Using its disintegration eye ray, it constructed a horrible lair and called it the Vast Oblivium: consisting of ten 30' wide, 100' deep, vertical shafts surrounding a central, 500'+ deep chasm known as "Karazikar's Maw," the Oblivium was, indeed, vast.

The Saints of the Eye were not the Saints of the Eye yet when they descended into that pit. The party was hot off their meeting with Menzoberranzan's exiled archmage who had hatched a plan to end the Rage of Demons, and this mage (Vizeran DeVir, probably Viconia's distant uncle) sent them on a hunt for a central Beholder eye. It was necessary for the ritual that would finally stop the Demon Lords.

They knew that they had to kill it. There would be no other way to take its central eye, but that begged the question of how, exactly, the party was expected to descend into a cult pit, kill their god, desecrate and steal pieces of its flesh, and then make it back out alive. It would be dishonest to say that they had a plan when they began their descent. They most certainly did not.

Now, Karazikar had discovered through a captured modron that the Maze Engine—the reality-warping machine that powers Baphomet's Labyrinth—was in the Underdark, and it was searching. It wanted to use the Engine to make itself into a God, properly, so the party was in luck. They knew where the Engine was, and so talking their way to Karazikar was as simple as a few of Gossamer's bullshit +15 persuasion checks.

There was not, at least that the Saints ever saw, a bottom to the Vast Oblivium. The battle with Karazikar occurred deep, deep within the chasm depths, but there was nothing but black void beneath them still. Karazikar floated; the party fought from rickety rope bridges and Floating Disks. It was a wonder no one died.

When Karazikar and its circle of priests fell, the other Saints harvested the eye while Gossamer devised a plan to get them out. No one could teleport, and Vizeran wasn't responding to sending requests to grab them, so it was going to have to be on foot. There would be no hiding the slaughter. They had to either stealth or lie, and they had a fully-armored paladin and cleric clanking around in their ranks.

Fortunately, delusions of godhood created a relatively elegant solution. The entire cult knew that the party had talked their way inside claiming knowledge of the Maze Engine and the Abyssal Lords, and so when they began their ascent out of the maw, the story came together easily.

Karazikar the Eye Tyrant was dead, willingly martyred by the enemies of Baphomet, so that He might ascend to lay claim to the Maze Engine. We were His Chosen, Gossamer insisted, He honored us with the glory of spilling His godly blood, His eye must remain with us as a Holy symbol on our travels into the Engine. We must plant the eye in the heart of the Engine so He can Watch everything.

These people were mostly refugees, exiled drow and lost souls from the surface. Anyone who stood a chance against Gossamer's +15 Deception died with their god.

They called her High Priestess. They called the party Saints.

[red-thorns]

Vizeran DeVir at the Council of Spiders meeting. (https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/eat-hot-chip-and-lie)

[nexis-heartstone]

When you look up "hubris" in the dictionary, there's an illustration of Archmage Vizeran DeVir, the man who thought he could make himself more appealing to follow than the fucking Demon Queen of Spiders.

The man has Nice Guy energy out the wazoo.

[ssimpatico]

[lesbianjfitzjames]

Vizeran DeVir: please get me Gromphs spellbook?? I promise i'll be so normal about it please?? (Lying)

[lawful-evil-novelist]

So @thespacelizard said they’d love to get a solid list of the Despana kids in order so I figured I’d give you a rundown of them.

The Despana kids are Malavon Despana’s children by various mothers, there are actually eleven in total by 1372 DR, but during the events of A Lesson Well Learned and A Dangerous Conjuration (1368 DR), Viconia’s youngest sibling, Vizeran, hadn’t been born yet.

All eleven of the siblings share a few common traits:

They all inherited their father’s white-blond hair, though it’s not super distinctive they are all blond-haired.

They all have either blue or red eyes.  Malavon has blue eyes himself.

Malavon named all of them after drow he hated, with a general preference for wizards and priestesses.  If he didn’t want to use or didn’t know the target’s name he usually just used one of their family members.

Malavon crafted special hair ornaments for each of them.  The ornaments are wrought from white gold in the shape of an unsleeping eye–Malavon’s personal symbol–and the eye is inset with a stone that matches his child’s eye color.  The ornaments are enchanted to help the wearer focus when casting, and fortifies the caster’s hold over the spell.  I actually do have stats on these items they’re insanely powerful with the caveat that Malavon crafted them to only attune to the child he made it for.

All eleven were born on a full moon or new moon, often one of some significance.

Malavon experimented on his children, so all eleven have latent magic he has trained them to master.  The elder eight have all been formally trained and trained in their latent magic, meaning they’re all multiclassed.  Yasraena, his ninth, has only been trained in her latent magic.  The other two aren’t old enough to be trained.

So, in order, here are the Despana children as of 21 Eleint, 1372 DR (which, if my math is right, is roughly the date Dissolution begins):

Nym Despana

Namesake: Nym of the Frozenfar, a drow merchant Malavon worked with regularly.

Birthdate: 1 Flamerule, 1218 DR

Age: 154

Height: 5’3”

Class: Cleric (Trickery Domain)/Bard (College of Whispers)

Deity: Vhaeraun

Birthplace: Rilauven

Residence: Dallnothax

Sabanna “Anna” Despana

Namesake: Tsabanor Oblodra, Patron of House Oblodra and the only Oblodra Malabon thought he could get away with naming a child after.

Birthdate: 2 Hammer, 1236 DR

Age: 136

Height: 5’1”

Class: Cleric (Light Domain)/Sorcerer (Divine Soul)

Deity: Eilistraee

Birthplace: Rilauven

Residence: Waterdeep

Rai’gy “Rai” Despana

Namesake: Rai’gy Bondalek, who Malavon hates because honestly he hates most other mages that aren’t related to him and also Priest of Lolth.

Birthdate: 6 Marpenoth, 1281 DR

Age: 90

Height: 5’4”

Class: Sorcerer (Lunar)/Wizard (Conjuration)

Deity: Eilistraee/Vhaeraun (both, literally he worships both and pisses off both churches in kind)

Birthplace: Rilauven

Residence: Ust Natha

Bael’baste “Baela” Despana

Namesake: Baeloth Barrityl, AKA Baeloth the Entertainer, a sorcerer Malavon has a particular beef with and Baeloth doesn’t actually know what that beef is, all he knows is that Baela is his daughter now too.

Birthdate: Midwinter, 1297 DR

Age: 75

Height: 5’0”

Class: Sorcerer (Wild)/Wizard (Evocation)

Deity: Malyk

Birthplace: Rilauven

Residence: Baldur’s Gate

Zarafae “Zara” Despana

Namesake: Zaknafein Do’Urden, Malavon has beef with the Do’Urdens I haven’t actually figured out what it is.  He just has beef.

Birthdate: 10 Eleint, 1312 DR

Age: 60

Height: 5’5”

Class: Rogue (Assassin)/Wizard (Bladesinger/Necromancy)

Deity: Vhaeraun

Birthplace: Rilauven

Residence: Ust Natha

Viconia “Nia” Despana

Namesake: Viconia DeVir, probably actually an offshoot of Malavon’s beef with Vizeran DeVir and has nothing to do with Viconia herself.

Birthdate: 17 Uktar, 1318 DR

Age: 53

Height: 5’1”

Class: Sorcerer (Draconic-Deep)/Wizard (Illusion)

Deity: Vhaeraun

Birthplace: Rilauven

Residence: Menzoberranzan

Nalfein “Nal” Despana

Namesake: Nalfein Do’Urden, just more Do’Urden Beef.

Birthdate: 17 Nightal, 1345 DR

Age: 26

Height: 4’11”

Class: Sorcerer (Wild)/Wizard (Enchantment)

Deity: Vhaeraun

Birthplace: Ust Natha

Residence: Menzoberranzan

Maya Despana

Namesake: Maya Do’Urden, Do’Urden Beef part 3

Birthdate: 17 Nightal, 1345 DR

Age: 26

Height: 4’10”

Class: Rogue (Assassin)/Sorcerer (Shadow)

Deity: Vhaeraun

Birthplace: Ust Natha

Residence: Minauthkeep

Yasraena Despana

Namesake: One of Lichdrow Dyrr’s daughters because Malavon’s too chickenshit to call Dyrr out directly.

Birthdate: 27 Ches, 1357 DR

Age: 15

Height: 5’0”

Class: Sorcerer (Aberrant Mind)

Birthplace: Ust Natha

Residence: Ust Natha

Phaera Despana

Namesake: Yes, this is Pharaun, one of Malavon’s daughters is named after Pharaun. Did you think anyone was safe?

Birthdate: 22 Marpenoth, 1361 DR

Age: 10

Birthplace: Ust Natha

Residence: Ust Natha

Vizeran Despana

Namesake: Vizeran DeVir, Malavon really hates this guy, it’s surprising it took him this long to express it.

Birthdate: Midsummer, 1370 DR

Age: 2

Birthplace: Ust Natha

Residence: Ust Natha

If there’s interest I might make an updated list that notates their status as of 1492 DR but this is what it looks like as of the War of the Spider Queen.  Feel free to ask questions as well.

[rukafais]

Clearly they reformed...just like an ooze....coincidence? I think NOT

(in all seriousness i'd be inclined to think it's just a few stray people who are super attached to their surnames still, like how Vizeran and Viconia are still bopping around in OoTA/extra material despite House DeVir being very dead, but it's also really funny to think of them having Masq'il'yr as a shell house or something. Or they're like, hosing out the compound because someone else wants to move in. It's free real estate!)

I love people just going completely conspiracy theorist about THE AUTHOR OF THE DRIZZT BOOKS MAKES THOSE POOR WOTC WRITERS CONSULT HIM EVERY TIME THEY NEED TO MAKE DROW CHANGES because 1) I have never seen anything, ever, that suggests that is happening, in fact across editions the sourcebooks have usually just been Writers Doing Their Own Shit, and 2) the guy can't even get his parent company to stop spoiling plot points in his own fucking books. He can't even get them to hire him for more than three books at a time and it's not, as far as I can tell, a renewing contract, he just has to wait and see if they'll let him write a couple more drizzt books with the characters he literally made and popularized. He's not even a regular fucking employee?? Hello???

[rukafais]

are they, you know [mimes stabbing motion]

out of the abyss is a super fun read!! anon if you’re out there...know that you have great tastes in shady grandpas

[rukafais]

Would Vizeran DeVir be in the book? I never played OotA, but I have met him in Neverwinter (2013) in which I genuinely loved and trusted the guy. You get some extra dialog if you play a male drow, in which he sympathizes with your character. That alone made me bypass all red flags and think "aww, what a sweet grandpa!"

He's in Out of the Abyss so yeah he'll definitely be in there! I have to actually...read that module first though. BUT YES. THANKS WEIRD GRANDPA. SORRY ABOUT YOUR ENTIRE HOUSE DYING IN NOVELS.

[ssimpatico]

God I love the Maze Engine campaign so much.

Vizeran DeVir is the drow of all time.

Speaking purely with experience from playing Neverwinter online, the entirety of the Maze Engine campaign has endeared me to him.

Vizeran and Gromph were classmates and RIVALS at that. Absolutely hated each other's guts.

The latter got Vizeran disgraced and exiled from House DeVir, incidentally saving him since House Do'Urden nerfed his house shortly thereafter.

Skip forward a bit, Vizeran lives in a place he calls Araj Tower (literally Tower of Vengeance) and his whole obsession is upstaging Gromph... and Lolth (yeah sure buddy).

The first interaction you have with Vizeran is one where he openly complains about people (read: Drizzt, PC, and a hoard of demons) being on his lawn.

(Tangentially, I am curious how the Zhents knew that Vizeran is alive when even Jarlaxle was unaware.)

After Vizeran gives you his weird shopping list to get rid of Baphomet (very much including Gromph's diary grimoire) follows the funniest Neverwinter quest ever.

Firstly, Drizzt 'acting' injured and the PC disguising as a drow priestess. The former just has hand-cuffs and is pretending to limp along and look sad.

The moment you do reach the place Gromph's diary is held, Jarlaxle immediately see's past the disguise spell and Drizzt's acting.

This whole quote:

"Listen, I can give you Gromph Baenre's grimoire (I never really was his biggest fan), but only on one condition."

The MOMENT demons start attacking, Jarlaxle disappears. Straight up leaves. It's made even funnier by the fact that Drizzt is there, trying to ask him for help during the fight.

Also, also. There is a little sidequest in which you save a halfling character that has popped up before. And you free him, while disguised as a drow priestess, in front of a drider and several guards.

Credit where credit is due, Vizeran was pretty cunning and though the story did eventually hint at him being the villain, it was usually because of other NPCs skepticism, and not anything that Vizeran himself said.

I used to have screenshots of this, but when Vizeran asks you if you are in leagues with Menzo, there is a response only available if your PC is a drow.

Depending on the gender, he replies in two different ways. If male, he sympathizes with your dislike of Drow society ('I know how us males are treated, blah blah blah) and appreciates you for being honest. If female, Vizeran's reply is more surprised.

Oh of course, post bossfight (he doesn't parttake) he tries to kill you all and gets counterspelled. Get betrayed.

He isn't quite dead though. There is a cutscene in which Vizeran talks to the Elemental Evil cult leaders. I sometimes forget that he is a member of that cult.

There are a lot more moments that I enjoy from the adventure.

Minsc trying to get Boo and Guen to be friends, much to Drizzt's dismay.

Makos just being more of a loose canon.

The post party celebration scene. 'There isn't enough ale in the world to make Drizzt or Makos dance.'

In the first level, Drizzt and Bruenor's friendly banter.

Lans Thuliaga's whole side-quest. Doing a lot of extra exploration gets him a happy ending.

That one halfling whose name I cannot remember. Man, life was not kind to him. Family slaughtered by vampires then captured by drow. But hey, you get to help him.

I'm probably forgetting a lot, lmao. it's been a while