#where my Tav and Gale finally banged

[nocanonhere]

I have been giggling all day thinking about Astarion being told he could feed from Tav, but Tav forgets and spends another night with their lover and comes back to find Astarion at their bedroll like

[sky-scribbles]

All right, BG3 gang, let me tell you about the incredible, accidental drama that happened when I went to save everyone in the iron Throne.

I messed up my first two attempts spectacularly, so when I reloaded for my third try, I was resolved. I was going to stick with the results of this run, no matter what. The countdown starts; Karlach runs off to grab the Gondians, my Tav Wildshapes and goes sprinting away to save Omeluum, and Gale Dimension Doors himself and Wyll right to Ulder.

As the boys take Ulder back up the corridor, Mizora appears with her exploding spiders. Gale drops a Globe of Invulnerability over Ulder, and runs off to save the last few Gondians while Wyll starts mopping up spiders. ‘This is great!’ I say to myself.

Then the last spiders run into the Globe of Invulnerability. They can’t hurt Ulder, but Wyll can’t hurt them, and if Ulder leaves the globe, they can explode him.

‘This is not great,’ I say, as Wyll spends several rounds shoving spiders out of the globe so he can kill them.

I finally kill the spiders. Wyll and Ulder sprint for the exit. It’s the final round, everybody else is safe, if they can just make it to the ladder –

They are ten feet of movement short. Everyone who could possibly help has already taken their turn in initiative – except for Omeluum.

Omeluum can teleport itself and one other person to the submersible.

And I realise what I’m going to have to do. Mechanically, the choice is clear: Withers can resurrect Wyll, but not Ulder. And from an in-universe perspective, the choice is even more obvious. Even in a world where, as in my game, Wyll has broken his pact. Even when he’s resigned himself to losing his father. Even when he signed Ulder’s life away in the hope of being free. There’s no question what he’d do in that moment, is there? When the choice is Wyll lives, but his father definitely dies or Wyll maybe dies, but his father definitely lives – with a second left to choose –

Wyll would shove his father to Omeluum and say, ‘Go.’

Omeluum teleports Ulder to safety. The submersible leaves, the facility comes crashing down, and Wyll is gone. To save his father.

And you know what absolutely destroyed me? Because the dev team can't possibly think of everything, especially this extremely specific and devastating scenario I've just landed myself in... there's no change in the dialogue with Ulder once I resurrect Wyll. He still tells Wyll he’s ashamed to have his blood run in his veins. He still accuses Wyll, who just traded his life to save him, of running off to chase a devil and her power.

I cannot even begin to describe how devastating that was to watch. Because it made me think – would Ulder change his tune in that scenario? I don’t know if he would. Oh, he’d be shaken, for certain, as he watches Tav and the gang sobbing, banging on the submersible hatch. As the tadpole’s grip loosens, the awful realisation would sink in – my son, my son – but how long before he tries to shield himself from that pain? How long before he says to himself – even says out loud, to Wyll’s grieving, furious friends, he was not my son, not anymore – I saw his face, and it was the face of a devil –

And even after he knows the truth, and Wyll is back, what then? Wyll still drowned in fire and iron and water to save his father’s life, and Ulder still said, he was a devil, as if that made Wyll deserve it – and he can never, ever take that back.

(In sleepless moments, Wyll wonders: would he?)

[fatale-distraction]

BG3 Companions Social Media Headcanons Part 1

I was bored at work and couldn’t stop. 🤣 I’ll make another post with Halsin, Minthara, Jaheira, Minsc, and some NPCs!

~~~

Astarion - Pre-Tav, Astarion's social media is mostly thirst-traps for some kind of nefarious, Cazador-related money-making plot. They barely scoot past the TOS on lewd content. Very little real personal content, anything that isn't a thirst trap is heavily doctored lifestyle content to make it seem like he's living a much more luxurious life than he actually is.

After meeting Tav and getting rid of Cazador, he deletes all of his old accounts and opens up new ones. They're not exactly private, but he's much more careful about who he follows and who can follow him back. The posts become much more genuine. Still a lot of selfies, but they're sexy in the way of a guy just finally living his truth and being comfortable in his own skin. There's more shots of his daily life; waking up with his partner's obnoxious pets strewn across the bed, morning coffee and his current favorite book, new outfits that make him feel more himself. Tav features heavily in most of his posts, and there are probably as many pictures of them as there are of himself.

Karlach - chaos. No rhyme or reason. Lots of parkour and Jack-ass parodies. Constant flood of pictures of her stuffed animal collection. Stupid filters abound. There's several videos of her just flexing. Lumberjack videos. Seven hundred pictures of Tav, tons of selfies together. Videos of her literally sobbing over some cute stuffy she found or a dog she got to pet. "How many times can I say the fuck word before I get suspended." Memes. Memes everywhere.

Lae'zel - She follows three accounts and never posts anything, but somehow she's constantly scrolling through. What does she even do? Her profile picture is still the default. She doesn't have any profile information filled out. It just says "No." Her screen name is just Lae_zel. Every single item in her favorites is a cat video. She has One photo and its a gym selfie. All of her comments seem really mean at first, but they're all weirdly supportive things along the lines of "your teeth are sharp and your visage terrifying".

Shadowheart - total E-girl influencer vibe. Everything is #nofilter. She doesn't need filters. She's god's most perfect princess. You can't even be mad because it's not vanity its just how she Is. Ends everything with Prayer-hands-emoji hashtag Shar'sblessings or Selune'sblessings depending on where she is in that journey. Hairstyle and makeup tutorials and she makes it look so damn easy. "Dye my hair and cut my bangs with me." "Get ready with me" videos nearly every day. Every picture has a comment from Astarion that just says "oh fuck off" because even he can never hope to be as perfect as she is. Or at least that's what her forty-five thousand followers think.

Wyll - The official Blade of the Frontier social media account(s). Fencing videos and promos. "How to polish your horns for newbies" video that's been taken down twenty-seven times for lewd content even though it's literally for polishing actual horns. Accidental thirst traps because damn. Lots of disability advocacy, especially for visual impairments. Weekly Demon/Devil PSAs. Constantly featured in Karlach's vids and vice-versa. Buddy selfies. Once in a while a pic of him with his dad. Pics with Tav are rare, but when he does post them they're the sweetest pictures and he gushes about them for paragraphs. It's a little gross how gushy they are. Astarion comments with vomit emojis and Wyll just replies with an angry face emoji. The purest content. He's so wholesome. Not a swear to be seen. Lots of gentle hype videos. "You've got this. You can do this. I believe in you."

Gale - oh my god he has the most pretentious social media accounts. He's worse than Astarion. "Well, actually" videos with multiple parts because they're too long. Tea and bookshelves. Tara. So many pics of Tara. Tara napping on a book. Tara swatting a fly. Tara in the window. Tara on the kitchen counter. Tara laying in the sun. Tara doing nothing. He has one of those fancy cat terrarium backpacks. Magic tutorials. Mystra simp. Surprisingly few selfies but the ones he has are IMMACULATE. Pretentious book reviews. His only saving grace is that he is HILARIOUS. He's the only one with a reasonable about of pics with Tav as opposed to almost none or way too many, but the captions are always really sweet.

~~~

Part 2 here!

Part 3 here!

Part 4

[eff-plays]

I'm one of those people who nearly never use Wyll even though my last run (where I've romanced Astarion) made me realize that my Durge's story would be so perfect with Wyll. I really wish to make it a reality so I'm reaching out to you and other people reading this - please help me! Tell me, how am I supposed to properly use a warlock! Every time I try Wyll just doesn't do much damage. I play on easy, I'm not good at combat and trust me I won't get better (I over 30 lol). It's my first D&D game. Since I play on easy I can't multiclass. My Durge is a paladin.

I really want Wyll in my party, I want to hear more of his banter, I want to fight Gortash side by side with him... but I also don't want to repeat every fight six times. In my first playthrough I've finally started to use Wyll more in act 3 and it was such a delight but I was only able to do it because Lae'zel and Gale were killing everything on their own at this point and my (rogue)Tav and third companion vere basically just standing there and cheering for them. I'm not joking.

Ok that was long, thank you for reading all of it. I'll be very grateful for any suggestions. Also ppl consider signing the petition and telling Larian to finally take proper care of the Prince Charming :)

Honestly I'm not the best person to ask because my game is modded to shit so I don't really have to worry about properly building my characters anymore. You could consider modding, if you're on PC!

Also, you can bump up your difficulty to normal (or whichever lets you multiclass), multiclass, then bump it down immediately. That lets you keep your other class on easy difficulty. (Unless they patched it out? But I don't think so.) People mostly go padlock for Wyll (paladin/warlock) since that gives him a bit more survivability and good melee options as well.

Personally I tend to give Wyll the Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast invocations when those come up, and usually give him Cloud of Daggers for early game AoE. Repelling Blast lets you yeet enemies into spells or other damaging areas (off of cliffs, into fire etc). Wyll is introduced using a blade, but he's not actually tanky enough not to get blown to smithereens when in melee (at least not when I play him). I also use Arms of Hadar to make Wyll a sort of bomb when there's a lot of smaller enemies, basically have him run into the fray, set off Arms of Hadar, and watch everything die. It's risky, but that's why you do it to weaker mobs (or when he's surrounded). I mainly use Wyll for huge AoE spells that Gale or my bard can't waste big spell slots on, because warlocks get theirs back on a short rest and always cast at maximum level, so you always get a bang for your buck, and then Eldritch Blasts for when the others run out of stuff and/or some asshole just won't die.

But yeah, mostly I just spam Eldritch Blasts, as it's a cantrip and doesn't use spell slots or require rests. It's basically like a magical shotgun, and you get more charges when you level up.

Anyone else who's more of a pro at warlocks, please chime in!

[wheretheharekissesthefox]

A new beginning, a new purpose

Karlach and Wyll are out of Avernus, but with Mizora dead, the warlock has lost all his powers. He struggles to find a new purpose in life. He's not the only one who struggles.

(Trigger warning: smut, fluff, character study)

Notes:

This is a continuation of this fic.

Two other fics (Why do you make me feel this way? & Tav’s gift) are mentioned.

To avoid confusion: In one of my other fanfics Halsin and Tav had named the owlbear cup Naïlo, which means 'night breeze' in the Elven language.

I used official D&D/Forgotten Realms maps to pinpoint the locations of Gale's tower house and the Jade Jug Inn, as well as other locations. The maps can be found here, here, and here.

After three years, Tav had finally gotten her voice back, they'd found a way to fix Karlach's mechanical heart and break Wyll's contract, and gotten them out of Avernus. It would have been a time of celebration, but instead, Wyll was moping. He sat in front of the window of the little room he shared with Karlach in the Jade Jug, staring at the busy intersection of Waterdeep Way and the High Road. He felt lost.

Tav had somehow managed to convince Astarion, Gale, Halsin, and Shadowheart to be in a polyamorous relationship with her and each other. They lived in Gale's tower house which was located at Coin Alley in the Castle Ward, bordering right at the sea, overlooking Naval Harbour. From there, one could directly walk into the small park behind the buildings which bordered at Mount Waterdeep. It was the perfect location to take Scratch and Naïlo on walks and let them run around freely. Their home was too small to host two more people though, thus, Karlach and Wyll had to stay in an inn. The tiefling didn't mind and was just happy to leave Avernus behind and be able to live without the fear of overheating. She finally could touch people again, and that's what she did now. Hugging her friends and smooching their cheeks, arm wrestling with sailors in the Blue Jack tavern next door, shaking hands with inn keepers, bartenders, and merchants. Karlach had kissed Wyll too. They'd grown closer during their time in Avernus, had become lovers even. But they hadn't had sex yet. Wyll felt awkward about it. He hadn't slept with anyone in a long time and he was nervous to screw it up. Also, his mind was busy with other things; mastering the world without powers, facing his father, finding a new purpose... It was all so complicated and scary.

Tav had killed Mizora brutally and without Wyll's consent, annulling his demonic contract. He'd been furious, had yelled at the bard and had said some nasty things he regretted now. Afterwards, he'd basically ran off and barricaded himself in the tavern room. Only Karlach had followed him, had listened to his rants, and hugged him. But after a while, even the good-natured tiefling had gotten tired of his gloomy mood and had excused herself to go for a nice, cold, frothy beer.

Wyll buried his face in his hands and groaned. He was in the process of screwing everything up. The door banged open and Karlach waltzed in with two tankards of beer and a charcuterie board in her hands.

"Heads up, sunshine, I got you some food!"

She slammed the door shut with her foot and placed everything on the small, round table in the middle of the room.

"Thanks," muttered Wyll.

He turned the chair around and unenthusiastically nibbled on a piece of cheese. The tiefling sighed deeply, rolled her eyes, and stuffed some sausage slices into her mouth.

"You know, moping won't get you anywhere," she told him. "Life's not as grim as you make it out to be. We're out of Avernus, my engine's fixed, and you can start over. Get a new purpose and such."

"I didn't ask for a new purpose, Karlach. I was happy where I was," hissed Wyll irritated.

The tiefling looked at him.

"Were you? Really? Did you enjoy being Mizora's pet and following her orders? I don't want to spoil your mood, but I can count on both hands how many times you weren't happy with your situation – and how many times Tav tried to clean up your messes. I don't think I have to mention the entire ruckus about saving your father, do I?"

"No," Wyll grunted into his tankard.

Karlach shoved a slice of cheese into her mouth and remarked: "You should apologise to Tav. You may not like what she did, but she did what had to be done. She freed you, Wyll. Gave you your life back into your own hands. And now, you can do whatever you want. And if it's alright with you, I'll stay with you."

The addressed smiled a little.

"Thank you. I appreciate it. I'd love it if you'd stay by my side."

"That's a relief," laughed the tiefling. "I was worried that you're fed up with me and wanted to get rid of me."

"Never. You've become a solid rock in my stormy life. And you mean a lot to me," admitted Wyll with a heated face.

Karlach beamed at him.

"Aww, you're too sweet."

She leaned over the table and asked: "Can I kiss you?"

The addressed nodded, with his heart jumping in his chest. Karlach connected their lips and Wyll shuddered. Even though her infernal engine was permanently cooled down by the magic of the moon goddess Selûne, the tiefling's skin was still incredibly warm. And Wyll wanted more.

"Can we - Would you mind if - the bed?"

Before he had time to be embarrassed about his stuttering, Karlach got up and walked towards the double bed, pulling her shirt over her head. Wyll stumbled after her, fighting with his clothes. His lover snickered, lending him a hand to get rid of his trousers. Karlach flopped down on the plush mattress, grinning like the cat that got the canary, and was utterly shameless about her nudity. Wyll couldn't take his eyes of her. The red skin, scars, black-inked tattoos, the metal outlets for the heat generated by her mechanical heart, her black hair with red highlights, the pointy ears with dozens of piercings, those golden eyes, the soft lips, and the beaming smile that revealed oh-so sharp white teeth.

"Like what you see?" Karlach asked with a smirk.

"Yes," Wyll admitted without shame.

It paid off and his lover's smile got even bigger.

"Come here. I want to kiss you some more. And I want to touch you. You have no idea how much I crave touching you."

"I can imagine," said Wyll and climbed onto the bed.

The tiefling pulled him into a hug and kissed him while she ran her hands all over his body. The warlock shivered at the touch. She was so gentle even though she could crush him in no time if she wanted to. Teasingly, her sharp fingernails scratched through his happy trail and he moaned. Karlach grinned smugly and did it again.

"Come on, sunshine, let me ride you until we both see stars."

"Yes. Gods, yes," Wyll groaned, kissing her hungrily.

The tiefling pushed him down and straddled him.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this."

She laughed at her lover's equally confused and flustered face. Then, she gingerly placed her hands on his chest and started to move. Wyll's mouth fell open in a moan and he grabbed onto her powerful thighs. She felt amazing around him. Karlach threw her head back, panting, with her sharp teeth on full display. She looked beautiful and strong, and the warlock never wanted to see anyone else on top of him ever again.

"Gods, babe... you're amazing," he whispered.

Karlach gazed at him, replying cheekily: "I know."

She quickened her pace, rolling her hips and dropping her entire weight onto him, using it to her advantage to take him deeper. Wyll's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he moaned and bucked up.

"Mmh, yes," sighed Karlach. She started to draw circles on her clitoris and Wyll could feel her tighten around him. He bit his lip, but couldn't keep his orgasm at bay any longer. He came with a loud, blissful moan, spilling into his lover. Karlach threw her head back and followed him over the edge soon after. She rolled off of Wyll and pulled him into a lazy kiss.

"I'm in heaven," she sighed.

"So am I," Wyll said, and they snickered.

They lay in each other's arms, trying to catch their breath.

"I'm still unsure what I'll do next," the warlock mumbled, "but I'll travel to Baldur's Gate and talk to my father. He deserves to know that I'm back and what happened. I'd like to stay there too. I love my birthplace, and I'd love if you'd come with me."

"Of course I will," smiled Karlach. "I love Baldur's Gate too – despite the fucked up things that happened there. Once we're there, we can figure out what we want to do."

"I'd like to start a family – with you," Wyll blurted out.

"Really?" She smiled. "And you wouldn't mind that half-tieflings will carry the name Ravengard?"

"Of course not! I love you and I want –"

Wyll broke off, embarrassed. Karlach frowned, probing: "You want what?"

"Kids. With you," he muttered.

She smiled softly.

"I'd like that. Little Wylls and Karlachs running around Baldur's Gate. They'll be menaces."

They burst out into laughter. The barbarian kissed the warlock's temple and told him: "You'll find a new purpose, and maybe that new purpose is making a family with me."

She winked at him suggestively and he chuckled. Karlach was right; he'd more than enough time to begin a new chapter in his life, but first, he needed to apologise to Tav and talk to his father. Afterwards, the entire world was waiting to be explored.

Halsin put down his teacup and announced: "I decided to lead the refugees of Baldur's Gate to Thaniel's Realm. The former Shadow-Cursed Lands have recovered and will serve as a new home for them. The refugees deserve a place where they belong and are welcome. Thus, I'll accompany Karlach and Wyll on their journey to Baldur's Gate."

Astarion, Gale, Shadowheart, and Tav looked at him silently, clearly dumbfounded.

"I see," Tav spoke then. "Will you guide them? Will you become their leader and archdruid?"

To her surprise, the addressed shook his head.

"No. I thought about it, but I'm not suitable to be a leader. I don't want to be one. I had to carry such a responsibility for one hundred years, and frankly, it was a burden. I'm not willing to sacrifice my newfound freedom and happiness for such a cause. Do you - do you think that's selfish?"

"No. You know your limits, that's all," Tav answered. "You're allowed to have boundaries and they should be respected."

Halsin nodded with a relieved sigh.

"Would you like my assistance?" asked Gale. "I could portal you all directly to Thaniel's Realm. There's no reason for a strenuous journey if not strictly necessary."

"I appreciate your offer, but I must do this alone," the druid explained. "I'd like to have a new purpose, now, that we found a way to free Karlach and Wyll from Avernus. I'm looking forward to see Thaniel again – and Oliver. If the people are willing to build a new life in Thaniel's Realm, I'll lead them there. A little journey never hurt anyone and it'll give the people time to assimilate to the idea of a new home. Wouldn't you agree?"

The addressed nodded and Halsin smiled at them.

"Thank you. I appreciate your support. I'll be back soon, I promise."

"Don't let us wait too long, love," Tav teased and gave him a quick but gentle kiss.

Halsin huffed a laugh.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I'll be back home soon."

"Good luck and take care."

Smiling, the bard hugged and kissed him again. Halsin had called Gale's tower house 'home' for the first time, and she knew he would hold his promise.

[dr-demi-bee]

Rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you feel like).

Ahhh thanks for tagging me @sorceresssundries <3 <3 <3 Sorry I'm so slow at this, but I've been banging my head with writers block this week. This was a good motivation to get my ass in gear TY

Finally getting back into Service and Worship, but I keep jumping around lol So here's a teaser from some Act III drama because that's where I was writing.

“Release him, brother,” she demands. “Oh, dearest.” Din'an clicks his tongue against his teeth. The elf grabs Gale by the jaw with his free hand, wrenching his face back and forth in assessment. Gale struggles against the hold, making sounds of pain as his neck is strained. “You weren't usually the type to play with your food,” he croons disapprovingly. Tav's growl grows louder still. “You will unhand him, Din'an. Now.” “No.” He answers mirthlessly. Those eyes like ice slide to her, all pretense of teasing gone. His voice is darker, harsher. “I came to talk, and I want to ensure you will listen.”

I’m not taggin' nobody lmao - I want ALL OF YOU to write and share :D

[haseleywildere]

WIP Whenever

It's 3 AM and I've been banging this out all evening. Part of the next chapter of my BG3 Tav-focused fic. I think it turned out pretty good, and it's yet to be polished. I hope you enjoy!

--------------------------------

For all the monsters and men he had hunted over the years, none proved as tauntingly elusive as the sleep Haseley desperately sought. Each time he thought that he had finally captured it and it had surrendered to him, the dreams it brought allowed it to slip from his grasp. Lurid images of illithids holding squealing tadpoles to his eyes flashed vividly across the inside of his eyelids, and as he struggled to force himself to stay asleep, he found himself in a strange twilight, one where he was conscious of his own thoughts, but not fully aware of his surroundings. Even so, he did not abandon his pursuit. Gale was right in that they would need as much of their strength as they could muster if they were to press forward in their search for a cure, and Haseley knew he would need every little bit of rest he could grab, however fleeting they may be.

Wresting control of his mind away from another disturbing image of a mind flayer glaring him down from across the nautiloid’s tadpole hatchery, he retreated from the grotesque illithid vessel and floated through space. Calm yourself, find a place of quiet. Somewhere safe, warm, relaxing…

Numerous locales that he had visited over the last two decades flashed before his eyes, each one tempting him with the peace he so desperately sought, and finally he found himself lingering on the image of a particular shaded pond in the Reaching Woods, not too far from Scornubel where he’d been captured. It was one he’d visited multiple times, often just before his treks into the city, a place where nature enveloped him and healed him from his toils, and gave him the strength he needed to brave the hustle and bustle of civilisation.

He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, holding it in his chest as he listened to world around him. The strong, woody smell of tree bark and foliage filled his nostrils, and the sweet sounds of chirping birds, buzzing insects, and babbling water swirled in his ears. He smiled and slowly exhaled, opening his eyes. This was a place he could forget his troubles, if only just for a few hours while his body rested, and he was not about to waste it.

The ranger stretched his arms over his head with a heavy sigh before starting to remove his clothing; first his boots, then his leather vest, tunic, britches, and finally his undergarments. Leaving them in an untidy pile on the forest floor, he slowly walked towards the edge of the pond, dipping his toes into the water. It was cold, brisk; just the way he liked it. He leaned forward, letting gravity take over his body as he fell towards the surface of the pond, tucking his head in and extending his arms at the last moment as he speared into the water.

The chill of the water sent a shock through his belly and up his spine into his head, clearing out any and all unwanted thoughts from his mind and leaving it with nothing but cool, crisp emptiness. Spinning himself onto his back, he watched the branches of the trees above him twisting and warping as the sun’s rays refracted through the rippling surface of the pond in all different directions. As the kaleidoscope of light shimmered above him, he subconsciously waited for the dull ache in his chest to alert him that he would need to resurface soon, but it never came. In his reverie, he had not realised that he had been respiring like normal, as if he weren’t fully submerged. Haseley smiled; this was the peace he had been searching for. A place where not even the requirements of his human form could limit him from experiencing the tranquility around him in whatever way he chose.

And then he turned back around.

The shallow floor of the pond had disappeared beneath him, leaving nothing but an inky black abyss that threatened to swallow him whole if he dared to gaze too long into its gaping maw. Suddenly he felt the tightness in his chest that he had expected minutes earlier, but it was not his lungs aching for breath, but rather pure fear. The fear that he had been desperately trying to keep at bay so he could rest, the fear that threatened to consume him much like the tadpole surely would soon, and the fear of the realisation that here, in this refuge that was quickly turning into a prison, he was not alone.

The undulating light from above caught something in the void below him, reflecting it back to his eye. Something’s down there…

He thought about turning tail and fleeing the pond; perhaps the surface, bathed in the light of highsun, would restore the calm that had been so quickly torn away from him. But curiosity got the better of him. As it usually does…

Angling himself downward, he tucked his hands to his chest and thrust them forward, turning his palms outward and pulling his arms in a broad arc back to his side. His body shot through the water into the darkness below, and he felt the temperature drop precipitously with each subsequent stroke of his arms. He wasn’t entirely sure he was actually getting any closer to whatever was reflecting the light from above, even as the darkness swaddled him more and more tightly in its cold, empty embrace the further he swam from the surface. 

But still he pushed deeper into the dark, and eventually an outline of a humanoid figure began to take shape. He looked upwards; the sun was nothing more than a pinprick of light against a blanket of deep nothingness, yet when he looked back down, the outline of the figure had resolved into a plainly visible figure, one he’d seen before in this very same position.

Shadowheart?!

The cleric lay motionless in the sand at the bottom of the seemingly unending chasm, exactly the same as Haseley had found her on the beach that very afternoon. Except this time, she wasn’t breathing.

No…Haseley fretted internally, shaking his head, which sent his long blonde hair into cascading swirls about his face. No no no, this isn’t happening. I’m getting you out of here!

Scooping the half-elf into his arms, he aimed himself back towards the surface and pushed with all his might against the bed of the underwater abyss, firing straight up like a rocket towards the tiny mote of sunlight above him. As agonisingly slow as his descent had seemed, his escape was conversely over in a flash, and he breached the surface with a heaving gasp of air, his chest suddenly burning for oxygen as if he hadn’t drawn a breath in days. He swam furiously towards the shoreline, Shadowheart in his arms, and he clambered to his feet as he reached the grass surrounding the pond, carrying her a safe distance away from the water.

Dropping to his knees, Haseley laid the cleric in the grass, his eyes flitting up and down her motionless form. If it wasn’t for her lack of breathing, he might have thought she was merely asleep. “What do I do?” he panicked aloud. “What do I do?!”

His answer found him a moment later, as Shadowheart spontaneously began to cough and splutter, water spewing from her mouth with each wrenching hack as her body expelled as much of the fluids from her lungs as it could.

“Shadowheart!” he cried, reaching down and grabbing her hand with both of his, holding it tightly. “Thank the gods you’re alright!”

Her coughing subsided, and as she regained her senses, she slowly turned her head towards Haseley. Immediately, her pallid face drained of whatever colour was remaining, and she wrenched her hand free of Haseley’s. “Get away from me, you monster!” she hissed.

Haseley sighed and hung his head. “I don’t know why I expected a different reaction,” he said mournfully.

“Where am I?” Shadowheart quickly rose to her feet, taking a moment or two to steady herself on her legs, still glaring daggers at the rangers. “What have you done to my companions?!”

“What are you talking about, Shadowheart?” Haseley asked, glaring back at her incredulously.

“Did you already feast on their brains? Looking to make a meal out of me next?” she spat, raising her hand to the side of her head. A glowing ball of pale yellow energy appeared in her palm. “Take your best shot, I dare you!”

“Feast on their…what?!” Haseley climbed to his feet. “Shadowheart, it’s me. Haseley? The one who saved you from the nautiloid?”

“The tadpole got to you then…” Her voice had lost its furious edge, but in its place, pure terror had taken root. The ball of energy in her hand remained glowing, menacing, ready for her to cast at a moment’s notice. “You’re one of them!”

“What? No! I’m not…” He glanced down at his hands, but they were no longer his. Instead, long-taloned extremities covered in sickly purple skin rested on his wrists where his human hands once were. He frantically reached up and traced them along the sides and top of his head. Where once was flowing flaxen hair, there was only flesh. The shape of his head had become oblong, gently pointed on top, and he swore he felt a few wrinkles in the flesh along the sides. His talons clutched in front of his face. He felt long, slimy strands of skin extending from where his nose and mouth had once been.

Oh no…

He scrambled over to the edge of the pond and forced himself to look down, even though he already knew what terrible tale his reflection would tell. Staring back up at him, with beady orange eyes, full of hate and hunger, was a mind flayer.

“Shadowheart…” He whipped around, taking a few lurching steps towards the half-elf. “There must be some mistake.”

“Stay right where you are,” she warned, her voice low and trembling.

“You don’t understand, I haven’t turned yet!”

“Don’t take another step.”

“I’m still me, Shadowheart! Still Haseley! I haven’t been taken over by–”

“Get away from me!” she shrieked as Haseley stumbled towards her. His form was new, gangly and awkward, and he nearly tripped over his own gargantuan feet a few times, like a newborn foal learning to walk for the first time. He reached out with a clawed hand towards her, and she let out a scream that stopped him dead in his tracks. It was the same sort of scream he’d heard in Scornubel when the nautiloid appeared and started kidnapping merchants, traders, and other townsfolk from the marketplace. It was a scream of someone in fear for their very existence.

He collapsed to the floor of the forest, jamming his hands uselessly over where his ears used to be, but still the cleric’s shriek penetrated to the innermost recesses of his mind. The world around him began to disintegrate, trees and grass and other flora around him withering into nothing more than piles of gray ash that wisped away in a silent breeze. The sun burned out, leaving him in total darkness. His brain screamed at him as Shadowheart’s scream rattled it in the cage of his skull.

And then his eyes opened. He was back in the meeting room of the temple. The fire was still burning, though it had begun to smoulder without fresh fuel to keep it alive. The smell of pork and apples and spices and wine still hung in the air after their veritable feast of a dinner.

And the sounds of Shadowheart’s screams still echoed throughout the temple.