slverblood

[slverblood]

Again, I don’t intend to rewrite anything atm, but Aylin’s abilities coming from her being Selûne’s (one and only) Chosen would be interesting. Personally, I find it noteworthy that Selûne has no known Chosen. It does not strike me as something she would go for. It is a terrible burden to place on a mortal on all levels and a lot of power to put out in the world. The one who benefits most is the deity. I’m not saying anointing Chosen is evil or anything, but it’s a blessing that comes at a steep price, and it is not the deity who will pay that price. It’s just not Selûne’s style; I don’t believe she would deem the benefits worth the cost. (She also seems to value free will, and that is a dicey subject where Chosen are concerned.)

But, Aylin isn’t normal. Even among aasimar, she stands out. She is Selûne’s own daughter. Selûne has had other children, but every one we know of has met some tragic end and ultimately been lost to her. What’s interesting in the context of the BG games specifically is Selûne is connected to grief and mourning in a way she’s not in the wider lore. It is perhaps the most prominent part of her characterization in these games.

So Selûne has this daughter she loves, but unlike her other children, this one is mortal. She is not a god at any level or an empyrean or anything else except a mortal aasimar. And what if she was divine? That did not save Selûne’s other children. It’s easy to see her trying to protect Aylin as best she can within the constraints of Ao’s mandates. It’s easy to see Aylin pushing to become her mother’s sword, her Chosen, her first and only. It’s easy to see Selûne think this would be the best way to not only protect Aylin but empower Aylin to protect herself. It’s easy to see her reasoning that Aylin being her daughter would make the power of a Chosen less of a burden on her.

It’s never that simple, but it was never going to be simple with Aylin.

#OOC / HOLLY. #MOBILE. #anyway fun concepts for y’all to play with

[slverblood]

I ultimately like what I have for Aylin atm because it gives me a lot to work with. However, I’ve thought of an option for what she might be that I haven’t heard anyone discuss before. She could be Selûne’s Chosen

Think about it. She seems like an aasimar aside from: the metallic “scars”, the regenerative abilities (incl. regrowing body parts), the effective immortality (incl. the mechanics of how it works in a game), the immunity to diseases, summoning her sword + armor, and other unique but less clearly defined traits. We’ve assumed that all of this comes from her divine parentage. That’s certainly possible, but depending on the manner of her conception, it’s not a guarantee. It also doesn’t explain everything. But, Chosen have unique abilities, long lifespans, regenerative powers, etc. due to the spark of divine power their patron deity imparted to them. These abilities differ based on the deity and how much power said deity invested in them. No two Chosen, even with the same patron, are identical.

Furthermore, Selûne has no known Chosen. Which means there is no precedent for what abilities she might grant. It would also explain Aylin calling herself Selûne’s Sword/the Sword of the Moonmaiden. It’s highly probable imo that Aylin is the first and only of Selûne’s Chosen, if indeed she is one.

#OOC / HOLLY. #MOBILE. #again I don’t intend to rewrite what I have atm #but still!! it’s a thought!! #I think it’s a REALLY solid option actually #she could even be a situation similar to the Seven Sisters #Selûne’s motivations nor methods would be the same as Mystra #Mystra’s* #but Aylin could’ve been born to say an avatar of Selûne or smth #making her technically mortal but with extra oomph #and then she becomes Selûne’s Chosen which adds more spice to the mix

[slverblood]

POV: you go out to dinner with Aylin

#SHITPOST. #MOBILE. #it’s the fckn kiss before tossin it on their plate lmao

[slverblood]

Serot currently consumes 100% of my brainspace, sorry

#OOC / HOLLY. #I’ll be back on Aylin in time

[slverblood]

@slverstar // plotted starter

AYLIN HAD GONE AHEAD OF her companions. There was no practical reason for it. The other three would arrive in Reithwin before the day was out, and together, they would present themselves before the great general, Ketheric Thorm. Although they had been sent with purpose, there was little reason to think scouting the town ahead of time would be necessary. Even if there was, the resplendent Dame Aylin Silverblood would be the last choice for the job. Swords of the Lady were not known for their discretion, and it was said the dame had been born without to make more room for temerity.

There was some merit to that. Even now, what had sent her ahead of her friends was no more than eagerness. She did not weary as mortals did; days of travel had hardly any effect on her. She was happy, normally, to spend an evening around the fire with the others, but being so close to their destination made her blood itch. Only a few more hours. She'd become so restless, they'd all but exiled her from the camp. She might not have been weary, but they were! Thus she found herself wandering the streets of Reithwin alone, allowing the townsfolk's curious stares to wash over her.

Or she had. For the past five minutes or so, her wandering had taken on purpose. Not that she was capable of marking the time or the path her feet followed. She moves as one possessed. Like she'd been struck through by lightning that rattled still in her skeleton, jolting each limb in turn. The superstitious might have called it witchcraft. The romantic would call it what it was: love at first sight.

She'd had only one glimpse of the moon-haired woman's eyes — had not even locked gazes with her — but that had been enough. All the mercy and wisdom of the stars was in those eyes. The sight had transfixed Aylin at first, long enough for the woman to disappear down a side street. Aylin could only follow after her, pulled along by some string of fate.

Alas it was an unanticipated challenge for someone of her build and unfamiliarity to navigate these streets. It did not help she could not watch where she was going, could not move her eyes from that halo of silver hair. Finally, she called out: ❝My lady! Maid with the moon-kissed hair! With the starlight eyes! If you are merciful, I pray you stop and speak with me!❞

#VERSE / DO MERCIES. #slverstar #for comedy reason I imagine she like #walked through someone's clothesline and stepped through chicken crates [feathers flying] and almost fell into a produce cart #because she was so Transfixed:tm: on Isobel

[slverblood]

or the passage of time on the body doesn't work the same as it odes inside the shadowfell? meaning her hair doesnt grow akin to the time passing it would in faerun? like how people who go to the feywild get a time warp when going back to the mortal plane. could also have sweet angst with her imprisonment feeling like it lasted more than 100 years

🤔 Ooooo that's interesting. I can't find anything definitive about how time passes in the Shadowfell other than the gloom being disorienting. There's nothing to mark the passage of time. Since there's no hard canon on the topic afaik, that's make it free real estate. This could absolutely work. You could even say Shar perhaps fucked with time in that particular corner of the Shadowfell? Making it take longer for Aylin's wounds to heal, thus tormenting both her and the turncoat Ketheric? That would also slow the growth of her hair.

#OOC / HOLLY. #anonymous #if we go with this it's possible Aylin had a shorter haircut before being imprisoned 👀

[slverblood]

Hate that I realized Balthazar would cut Aylin's hair and use it to stitch together his zombies or perform other experiments

#OOC / HOLLY. #do we give her trauma surrounding haircuts now? #can she never catch a break?

[slverblood]

Thinking about it, Aylin should have Rapunzel-length hair when we meet her. Who's giving her haircuts in the Shadowfell? No one.

#OOC / HOLLY. #then gets a symbolic hair cutting moment when she's freed and has Silverlight back

[slverblood]

I NEVER FOUND THIS LETTER BEFORE, I’M LOSIN IT

#OOC / HOLLY. #MOBILE. #KETTLE AND BATH SALTS WERE TALKING TO LORROAKAN #albeit only briefly but fuck #The way these bastards keep haunting her life

[slverblood]

#OOC / HOLLY. #reference #obvs Bath Salts implemented a modified version of this #BUT I'M SO — #I am actually fucked up over the 'eyes of the dead' bit #'a creature that can see the sensor . . . sees a translucent image of the tormented humanoid whose soul you caged' #absolutely fucked up over Kettle using this to say spy on Moonhaven before attacking a century ago #and someone [esp Erlona or Meadowlin] seeing a vision of Aylin in torment before Dark Justiciars destroy them #GOD . . . THE NIGHTSONG MYTHOLOGIZED AS AN ILL OMEN BECAUSE OF THIS . . . #I gotta lay down

[slverblood]

[grips you by the throat] there's a spell called soul cage in Xanathar's Guide to Everything?????

#OOC / HOLLY. #I GOTTA GO LOOK THIS UP

[slverblood]

oh . . . this Iphigenia moment . . . a bhaalspawn mood?

#OOC / HOLLY. #SO TELL ME WHAT SHOULD I DO FOR YOU TO HAVE PITY ON ME? #[...] IT'S ME IPHIGENIA. THE FIRST OF YOUR CHILDREN TO CALL YOU FATHER #wow why would my fyp do this to me #I don't even write a bhaalspawn and yet it attacks me

[slverblood]

It is interesting to me that telling Aylin she's been abandoned / forsaken wouldn't send her spiraling, even if you convinced her of it. Telling her she's being used, however, that she's only a weapon / tool, would. And in fact, it would be easier to convince her of that for most of her life.

#OOC / HOLLY. #I could link it to the way Balthazar and Ketheric used her #but I think you could get her with that even before #it wouldn't be as easy but it would be possible

[slverblood]

Totally unrelated— every time I see stuff about the stereotypical goody two shoes lawful good paladins who are the moms (gender neutral) of the party I have to laugh because Aylin is the opposite

#OOC / HOLLY. #MOBILE. #she does not wrangle the party #the party tries (and fails) to wrangle her #chaotic good with emphasis on the chaos

[slverblood]

the durge vibes of this

#OOC / HOLLY. #MOBILE.

[slverblood]

Y’know what I’m gonna commit to the NPC I was cooking on last night. There are details to be decided, but — They’re the child of a deity and a mortal. Haven’t decided which but someone allied with Selûne. Unlike Aylin who has a lot of weirdness in her situation, they’re 100% unambiguously that. Similar upbringing in the sense that they were raised in a temple to their divine parent, but while the uniqueness of Aylin’s situation has allowed her to take certain things in stride, they’ve always struggled with feeling outside and with being this object of veneration. They feel bound by it in a way Aylin never did.

Nevertheless, there was enough similarity in their situations and upbringings that they could bond closely. I’d say there were even attempts at match-making between them. Not arranged marriage style but more “you two are clearly well suited, now kiss”. They didn’t. Ultimately, they were very close friends and I think became sworn siblings.

But, they did have some issues with jealousy. Aylin never really felt like an outsider — at least not in a way that bothered her — but they very much did. Aylin made friends and had close relationships, but they struggled with that. Aylin was probably the only close relationship they had, the only person who didn’t on some level worship them. So they sometimes got jealous of Aylin’s friends and especially got jealous of Isobel. They managed their feelings. It was just . . . hard.

I think? They’re still alive. Maybe they’ve even managed to become a demigod. I think they were Away:tm: when the whole shadow curse business happened. Heard Isobel died and Aylin disappeared, and didn’t question it. Given how close they were, it seemed natural. They meet Aylin again eventually after she’s freed and feel some misplaced guilt over not knowing she was being tormented for a century.

#OOC / HOLLY. #MOBILE. #note to self #bonus points if they and Aylin quarreled in their last interaction? #and/or if the reason they left was to get some distance from the situation? #like ‘it’s not good for me to get this jealous I need to enrich my life with other goals and relationships’ #so they probably went on a tour of their parents’ temples etc no matter how obscure #and helped everyone they met along the way #which led to them amassing enough renown to become a demigod

[slverblood]

the thing about making NPCs is it’s addictive. I keep wanting to add more.

#OOC / HOLLY. #MOBILE. #dkfhdk it’s a problem #I spent all day at the park with the kids #so I have energy for little else beyond sitting in bed thinking about NPCs til sleep takes me