#wonder if she's astarion's ex-girlfriend or something

[blackjackkent]

Surprisingly, none of the doors in Moonrise are locked, at least so far, which I was not expecting. I guess maybe it's assumed that by the time you've made it inside the gates you're one of The Family.

Our next exploration room is what appears to be some sort of alchemical lab with a drow lady walking between various tables and making cryptic statements about what she's working on.

Her name is Araj Oblodra, and @zenjestrr has informed me that I need to bring Astarion to talk to her; let's see if the game actually makes that clear or if I'm going to be metagaming. XD

"Araj Oblodra, trader in all things occult." She has a low, pleasant voice and looks him over with mild, academic interest. "A very great pleasure to meet you, True Soul. Should you be interested, I have a particular offer I'd like to make."

"Let's hear about this special offer of yours."

"Put plainly, I'd like your blood," she says matter-of-factly. "A vial of True Soul's blood specifically. With one drop, I can brew a rather potent potion for you. The rest, I keep for myself."

Hector blinks at her slowly a few times. Not quite what I expected. "And what exactly are you planning to do with your share?" he asks cautiously.

"Research, naturally," Araj says smoothly. "We Oblodras are simply curious by nature."

Narrator: [HISTORY] You realize why the name rings familiar - House Oblodra was purged a century ago by an alliance of rival drow houses. Among the many crimes tallied against them - their reckless experimentation with illithid breeding stock.

Ew.

"It's not True Soul blood you want," he says bluntly. "It's illithid-tainted blood."

She blinks, startled, and then her eyes narrow with acute interest. "Blessed by the Absolute but not blinded by it? Now I simply must study you. The beings you speak of have no use for gods, and yet here we stand in a church of their making. Unless they are not the makers but simply the means - wouldn't that be a secret worth knowing?"

He listens in silence, and finds himself curiously swayed by her point. If she is telling the truth - she is not here because she believes in the Absolute, but she wants to know what the mind flayers are doing either creating or supporting this cult. And that is something he wants to know, very badly.

"So let me adjust my offer," Oblodra goes on. "Your blood and your *silence* in exchange for the potions I mention - and a tidy pile of gold besides."

He is no good at these mercenary negotiations...but if he's interpreting her correctly, she could be a valuable ally. "What kind of potion can you make?" he asks.

"No idea," the alchemist says, with a sort of feigned cheeriness. "But it will be unique to you - your blood essence and the Absolute's blessing intertwined. We can learn what that means together, hm?"

He sighs. Damn, now she's caught his curiosity as well as his need for allies. He glances at the others questioningly for a moment, and then shrugs. "All right," he says, extending one arm in her direction. "Let's do it."

"Just a little prick and it's all over," she croons gently. "Close your eyes...a little pain for a lot of gold. And..."

He barely even feels the needle as it slides under his skin. Her movements are deft, incredibly practiced, and within moments she has drawn a small vial of dark blood from his vein. A few moments more and she has poured some of it into a second prepared vial held in her pocket.

"There we are. All of your very best traits in a bottle. Use it well!"

He takes the vial and is in the middle of turning away to examine it when she continues, "And, if I may, would you have a moment to discuss another more personal matter?"

He pauses, turns and looks back at her without speaking, waiting for her to go on.

"Truth be told," she says casually, "I heard tell of your coming before you arrived. Ketheric's dogs prowl far and wide round the Tower. I know you travel with a delightful night-walker in your retinue. Please - I have a proposal for him. I will reward you both handsomely."

Hector squints warily at her. So far he has found this woman fairly straightforward in her dealings, but it is not only his own safety he has to be concerned with.

"You aren't working for Cazador, are you?"

She smiles coolly. "That is not a name which has ever passed my lips. I am a friend to you. I wish to be a friend to him."

"What kind of proposal?" Hector presses.

But she shakes her head. "I will speak of it when he is here. Not before. But it will be to your advantage, I promise."

Hector purses his lips thoughtfully. "My vampiric friend?" he finally says slowly. "Sure, I can bring him here." If he's willing to come, at least...

Her eyebrows lift, and her face takes on a distinctly flustered appearance for a brief moment before she masks it. "I-- I must prepare for his arrival!" Without another word she turns and hurries away.

[davenswitcher]

Snippet Sunday double feature!

To Be Or Not To Be Chapter 3

The rehearsals went fine for the most part the last few weeks. Nobody forgot too much text or missed their cue. All in all, successful for a second rehearsal. Except for the fact that Astarion has to put up with his ex: Quinn. Quinn hadn’t been that huge fan of the arts like Astarion, but didn’t complain either when they went out to watch a play or have their second date there. But somehow they made it their mission to make Astarion’s life harder than it already is. They come too late to rehearsals, butt heads with the crew from time to time, and do their medical homework when they should be learning the script. One day was the boiling point for Astarion, when Quinn decided to exit the stage for no reason.

“What the hell are you doing?” Astarion called after him. “Why are you even here, if you don't take it seriously?”

“I'm not talking to you outside of the play.”

“Oh, very mature. You were the one who cheated on me AND broke up with me!”

“You wanna know why I cheated on you? You clung to your childish dream and still do. And you didn't satisfy my needs. I wanted it so badly and just cuddling and making out wasn't enough for me.”

Astarion stands still. Perplexed and speechless. He tries several times to begin a sentence until he finally chokes out: “Then why didn't you talk to me? You knew I didn't feel ready yet.”

“How long should I have waited then? Until we marry? Forever?”

“You're being very unfair right now. Why are you here?”

“My girlfriend Jenevelle wanted me to get a hobby and do something creative. I'm an aspiring forensic mortician for fuck sake. Not an artist. But apparently I cannot be replaced now until next season.”

“You wanted to be a doctor once. What happened?”

“Childish dreams die when you grow up. Yours should too.”

And Quinn exits the building.

Having heard the commotion Elisabeth walks over to Astarion and comforts him.

“Hey, are you alright?”

“You have perfect timing. You're awfully convenient at the right place and time. Second time in a row now, Lizzy.”

“Sorry, I didn't mean to make it look like I'm snooping. I just heard loud arguing and was wondering if you're okay.”

The Rockstar and the Groupie

The next week, Estellé was determined to find out more about Astarion’s manager: Cazador. Any interview with him or mentioning him was helpful. How did he get into the business? Who hired him before? What's his deal, exactly? Apparently he was a merchant's son with bigger dreams, he said once. Was left to run the business alone, but ultimately sold it to one of his childhood friends to pursue his dream. Or so he said, anyway. No mentions of whom he managed before, his age or where he came from. Some theorize he’s from Kozakura - Kara-Tur.

She rifled through magazines upon magazines, interviews and accounts of “colleagues” and “friends”. Even worked her way through the band member interviews, which are less in quantity than that of Astarion, of course. Nothing that she finds screams “criminal” or “shady person”. Just your average shitty manager. Until Estellé compares two pictures where Cazador stands behind Astarion and where he stands next to him. In one picture he has dark brown almost black eyes and in the other they shimmer slightly red. She inserts the cassette of the interview with Astarion and Cazador again and focuses on his eyes. It’s a tiny moment. The blink of an eye but they shimmer in a different colour for a few seconds before he puts his sunglasses on, complaining “the light is too bright, his eyes are sensitive”.

Estellé is so focused on her research that she completely forgets the time until her colleague, Ruberta, calls her. Ruberta is a feisty dwarf, who likes to threaten anybody with her great axe who dares to come too late to work. Estellé gets ready as fast as she can, not able to make any breakfast for herself. Just enough time to feed her pet “Brioche”. A cute corgi, that has the most magnificent thick coat in all Faerûn.