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This update got me looking at and editing some of my Head canons, so posting those here. HC for how Gortash started worshiping Bane. And other ‘young Gortash’ HC

The game gives us very little hints about how and when Gortash started worshiping Bane. (Except for that one draft of a biography that seemed to place it in his adulthood, but doesn’t mention Hell? I think that might have just been when his Bane worship got more pronounced and noticed by that author not when it really started)

So I’ve made my own headcanon as I’ve seen multiple different versions around.

For me I think he started worshiping Bane in the House of Hope. Not right off the bat. I HC that Gortash likely was enslaved down there around the age of 10. Obviously a very difficult transition for a child to start living in Hell. But I think he eventually got to a point where he was aloud to wander somewhat and read in the library to educate himself. But was also taught by the Walock that brought him there to start (In-between him getting tortured and abused because I love whump to much to not imagine that there were horendious things done to him)

During this time around age 11 I like to think that he caught the attention of an awful demon/devil that would take torturing him really far, citing how amusing it was to get Enver to cry.

I also like to HC that young Enver had really bad anxiety and fear around crying. Like when he was in baulders gate his parents would get furious and yell at him to shut up. So if he noticed he was getting close to crying he would panic, which would pretty much ensure he would cry. And it would be a fun awful spiral of self hate thoughts at himself to be quiet and stop crying making his crying worse.

Anyway, awful torture keeps happening to the kid in between him needing to work and learn. And then Enver’s warlock teacher misses his lesson, and the next one. So Enver is hiding out trying to avoid the houses inhabitants when he finally spots his Walrock teacher and approaches them. Tries to figure out when his next lesson would be. Only to get dismissed with a wave. His mentor tells him The devil that had taken an interest in him has a habit of killing and breaking prisoners and he out ranks the Warlock, so the Warlock is giving up teaching Enver since trying to argue that he should be left alone would be more trouble then it’s worth.

Outright tells an 11 year old “Yeah, maybe not today, but I bet by the time 6 months has passed he’ll have tortured you to death. So there’s not really a point in teaching you anything anymore. No matter what you or I do you’ll end up the like mindless tormented souls soon.“ seeing how terrified Enver looked he says “Best you can do is try convince a god to fish your soul out of here after that devil gets bored or reckless enough to torture you to death.”

Which uh, def fucks with Enver’s head. So he does start deep diving into the Gods and trying to figure out if he can find any he aligns with enough that they would take him. And during this search he finds books about Bane and I fee like Bane’s philosophies is something he would immediatly relate and cling too.

Bane started as a slave and became a God. Bane teaches that the world is truely an Evil place by default, and pretending it isn’t is a lie. Someone who has only seen the worst the worlds have to offer must feel so validated reading that. To me Bane teaches so much about Self Disciple and self Control that some of his books written by worshipers must go into methods of self control. I can see young Enver finding a book of Worship with mantras to repeat when feeling weak or when needing to focus and clinging to those like a life raft.

Repeating phrases like mantras over and over in real life can have mind altering properties. Add a religious one to a word with magic and maybe there is an added Boost that actually works for getting in the zone via worship.

I don’t think Bane answered or noticed Enver at first, at all. I don’t think this discouraged Enver at all, the mantras helped and he figured he needed to do more to earn his gods favor so he worked at it. The focus on his self control helped. He could endure toruture quietly more and some of his tormentors lost interest in the now more stoic boy. Learning to master himself became a thing he could control to keep himself sane in Hell through the torment.

Obviously things didn’t ever get kind in Hell. But I also imagine after a few years of contactless worship Bane does notice Enver since getting prayer pings from Hell is not the most common. I doubt he would often interveen. Enduring torture is good training for a Banite.

I do think the first time they speak is an intervension though. Gods are able to see the future when it comes to things under their portfolio and so I imagine he could see that Enver has a LOT of potential. But he notices that the potential vanishes if all is left with nothing changing which gets him to interveen.

In my head the violent devil that started all of this does decide he want’s to break Enver during a point where Raphael might have been out of the house. Bane notices looking into the future that the torture they have planned for Enver would shatter him, and while Bane approved of discipline, he knows the difference between being weak and being put through so much agony that it’s unreasonable to expect discipline to cary someone through.

So I imagine Enver getting dragged from his cell, trying to fight down panic and start praying as a devil taunts him about his up coming torutre then, vision starts getting very dark and far away as Bane reaches in and just puuuulls his soul away. Bane is able to posses his followers so in my mind he does that for Gortash and pulls him away for a private chat.

I imagine being possesed by Bane is a bit like The Sunken Place from Get out. There is a viewing window you can look out to see what you body is doing, and otherwise Bane sponsored darkness. I feel like they had a short chat, nothing huge for Bane but life altering for a kid, someone actually caring for him enough to help. I feel like Bane would make an agreement with Enver that he will make sure Enver will never have to go through anything so bad that he would not be able to overcome it, which is a huge boost of self confidence for Enver. Now anytime he’s getting tortured in the future he has the promise of ‘My God knows this won’t break me’ going off in the back of his mind.

Bane also tells Enver that he won’t step in to free Enver, Enver needs to free himself, but he will grant him power if needed so that Enver can rise up as long as Enver loyaly serves him.

And so that is how they meet and Enver becomes even more loyally tied to Bane in my HC! I also have a couple ideas I’ll toss here at the end about him escaping since I’m already rambling.

I like to think that once he was older Enver was able to escape by using the Helldusk boots since he has those in game. My though was somehow the boots magic was used almost like a magic key? So he stole those, wards noticed the boots and figured whoever had them must be aloud to be there else why would they have them, so they helped him get past some magic locks and escape.

I did see in a fic about Enver leaping through those portals that could cause insanity and just giving a ‘hey help me out’ prayer to Bane to help him survive which worked and I always liked that idea.

Last Gortash ~ Bane idea that I like is that once Gortash escaped from the House of Hope Bane gave him his approval and told him like “You’re a Watchful Brother in Bane’s church, now you’ll never be called a Slave again.” And got to skip that ‘rank’ in normal Baneite hierarchy.

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for wonderful @akilah12902 who listens to me screaming from the depths of the sewer maze (i did find my way out in the end)

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Was it lust for power, or something else…? prints | high res/wordless ver on patreon

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I have never seen this deep fake clip before, this is one of the most awkward amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life, and OG is very correct, that this gives a vibe of Orin and Gortash.

Orin and Gortash after Orin takes over as Chosen.

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Merry Christmas, you filthy animals

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"Gods, you're a sight for sore eyes."

Lord Enver Gortash in all his glory. IDC what some people say, he's kinda hot, guys. This piece was sponsored by one of my patrons. prints | high res on patreon

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Durgestarion but act 1 and messed up because Astarion is doing it because he's scared of Durge turning against him and Durge is doing it because Act 1 Astarion says and does things that ring so painfully familiar

Oh this man who is funny and flirty and mean, who approves of your cruel and fucked up acts, who doesnt seem to have empathy and tries to manipulate you with sex? It feels like home.

And then they meet Gortash and suddenly a lot of things make sense

(Strictly for act 1 astarion though, when he drops the facade it changes)

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would be tyrants

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I've seen a few 'Lathander and Gortash ties' to explain his new Mech form and the Steel Watch design. I feel like it's probably just Gortash co-opting popular imagery to boost his image... BUT I still love the theory that he did have ties to the god so have a headcanon about it. #1. I love the idea that like some children Evner when he was first born was blond and so his parents thought it was some divine sign so took him to a Lathander temple for a blessing. But then like many babies he lost his blond baby hair and got his normal dark hair as he naturally aged, and that's part of why his parents dislike him. They think Something happened and their kid got 'corrupted'.

#2. I like the idea that Durge would gift the Blood of Lathander to Gortash as a gift either after noticing or recalling all the Sun and Radiant imagery he uses.

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stupid boys! stupid boys!!!!

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What did they think was going to happen if they won?

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GRRRRRRRRR

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poor ketheric, man just wants to have one super duper evil meeting where the chosen of Bane and Bhaal don't act like lovesick teenagers. one meeting where they're planning their super evil things like mature adults. c'mon guys. you're supposed to be better than this, you're literally the chosen of the god of tyranny and a demigod of murder, stop it, your gods dont even like each other. ketheric is suffering

(reference images under the keep reading thing)

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You can't tell me this spoilled bitch has a narrow waist, I'm sorry but this bitch is hefty.

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"She had thought, once, that this world never allowed her anything. It had never allowed Gortash anything. Believing that was believing a lie. They had survived. They had found each other. They were together, now. It could only be a dream, a hope, a wish. And yet."

Scene from my Durgetash fic. I love them ur honor

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Okay, it’s me, the person with the SHOE LORE.

I’m here with NOSE LORE.

(it’s my new thing)

Enver got a nose job.

(but not on purpose)

His nose, for anyone who watches boxing, is actually a rather distinctive symptom of repetitive facial trauma; the bridge thickens, even if the nose bones never break.

I’m coming out with a part 2 about why he has ‘raccoon eyes’ (Spoiler: also facial trauma)

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PRINT (no text bubbles)

Now when I perfected super fast coloring I'm unstoppable