Homestead. (werebat Cyris and astarion)
Summary: Astarion tells Cyris about the little community the spawn created in the underdark, Cyris decides to visit…
As it turns out a giant 30ft brain is really, REALLY fucking hard to find…
They needed to deal first with Orin and then Gortash, to get their crystals so the Emperor (this mindflayer who wanted to help them out) could use them to stop the elder brain.
In the meantime though…they could rest and wait…
“So the spawn and some of your siblings made a little home in the underdark?” Cyris pondered as he and Astarion shopped around for supplies…well mostly groceries for tonight, Cyris was going to make red wine & blood tomato pasta.
Just because they were not…exactly “together” anymore did not mean he’d have to stop cooking for him…or treating him to nice things.
He does love him still…
“Yes, it’s a…lovely place” Astarion smiled weakly “it’s in a little ruin, in a secluded vail were hundred of bloodcrystals grow, bloodcyrstal vail they’ve been calling it… hence the name” he said as he picked out a few fresh tomatoes.
“Hmm…Perhaps I could visit, you could show me around?”, “that sound rather nice” Astarion hummed “they’ve been learning to live off the land, they have a few Rothe they’ve domesticated, rightnow there isn’t really enough blood to go around so they mix it with Rothe milk and mushroom flower to make a grule of sorts” he grimaced “gods…I wish I could help them more but…”
“But?” Cyris pondered as he gently placed a hand on Astarion’s shoulder, “I…I feel like there is not much I can do, they’ve been talking about hunting the kuo toa who live near the lake…gods I can’t have them falling into doing that, eating such things” Astarion sighed “I feel like they are basically back to starving”.
“Well maybe I can help, I was able to find us plenty to eat down in the underdark when we were last there, take me to them and I’ll teach a few tips and tricks.”
“I also heard you got back in contact with your village, they got your letters finally!” Astarion beamed, Cyris smiled happily “yhea, they were pretty happy to hear from me…they even sent me a few care packages, just some cookies, blood vials and a blanket” he grinned.
The place was…a dump.
There were tents haphazardly set up, fires set in little alcoves, trash everywhere…
Jeez it was a mess, even the slums in waterdeep looked nicer…
“Starry you said this place was nice”, “well…it’s a bit of a fixer-upper darling” he chuckled nervously, “Greeting Cyris…Astarion” Sebastian said as he set down a barrel of dried fish “good to see you again”.
“Good to see you to Seb” Cyris smiled and shook his hand “I hear you needed a little helping hand around here, I came as soon as I could”, Sebastian cocked his head in confusion “what could you help with?”, “well for starters, food, you all need blood to really survive and there are plenty of sources besides Rothe and fish, I can help you find them. Then…I wanna help you clean this place up and set up propper houses, Astarion and I got in contact with Max and my village, they sent over some supplies, Starry can help everyone get started on that while you and me go hunting.”
Sebastion blinked “you…you got us all this?...thank you!” he hugged him, “ah it’s alright, it’s the least starry and I can do” Cyris smiled.
The creatures of the underdark were fearsome but easy to track once you learned their patterns, a coordinated group of vampires using battle tactics surprisingly managed to take them out quite well.
A few Hook-Horrors were easily outwitted and outmatched by their little hunting party, they now had gallons of blood to drink.
“This is wonderful, Cyris!” Sebastian said as he licked the blood from his lips “at this rate we should be able to feed everyone”, “we ain't done yet Seb, I’am going to teach all of you cooking and preserving techniques to make this stuff last” Cyris turned to him as he hefted a barrel of blood over his shoulder.
At their camp Cyris showed his team of spawn how to cook and preserve blood.
Blood bread with mushroom flour was one thing and cooking it into sausages was another but they could let it congeal into a block, cut it up and grill it on sticks or mix it with cave fruit into a pasty jam and turn it into a sort of blood-fruit leather.
They could also mix it with alcohol…a very simple method of preservation and a nice drink, salting the congealed blood and letting it dry into a powder that could be rehydrated was however by far the best.
“Amazing! Now it will last us weeks, MONTHS even!” Sebastian smiled “I was starting to doubt that Astarion really cared about us…I guess I was mistaken if he brought you here”, “Starry cares about you, all of you, he wants to make up for his mistakes and give you guys a second chance at things…like he now has” Cyris placed a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder.
“...I…don’t know if I can forgive him for doing this to me…but I can thank him for trying to make things right, to give us this chance at living again, even though Cazador escaped…I don’t think he will come after us, he is afraid of Astarion…of you and your friends. We have you to thank for our freedom just as much as we have Astarion to thank” Sebastian smiled.
“Wait? The bastard escaped?” Cyris worriedly looked at Sebastian, “yes sadly” he mumbled, “well…looks like I have another head to add to my hunt” Cyris growled.
“There now THAT’S much better!” Cyris beamed as he and his troop brought their haul back to the now refurbished town.
There was no more garbage, little homes were actually built, a market was even set up with an alchemy shop, tailor, salon and, Cyris laughed “you guys really built a Tavern down here?”
“You’ll never believe what happened while you were away!” Astarion excitedly hugged Cyris, “well what happened?”, “some deep gnomes came by, they saw all the bloodcrystals we had and wanted to set up a mining outpost, they offered to trade gold and other resources, mostly more Rothe blood to us in exchange for some land and the bloodcrystals” Astarion hummed “so…yes we built a tavern so everyone could enjoy a nice drink now that we have more blood. A celebration is in order, I do believe?” he grinned, “Sounds good to me” Cyris smiled.
The wine, the food, the music… was decent. The tavern was pretty small and the bard they had played the accordion…but the candle light, the hearth and the atmosphere of merriment…that made Cyris happy.
Cyris saw the deep gnomes who Astarion had talked about come in to have a drink with them, they had just gotten done mining…
Cyris could smell something…odd about them.
One of them sat down at a table next to his and Astarion’s, Cyris saw something on the gnome’s shoulder…a tattoo..
Black bat wings with a white crescent moon and a red 4 pointed star in them…
He then could smell it clearer…the familiar scent of…
The gnome looked up and sniffed the air…
They looked at one another.
“Are you?” Cyris pondered, “well bless my soul, another kindred” the gnome beamed happily, “another werebat!” Cyris smiled.
“Names Menphes, Menphes Gloombeard” the gnome proudly introduced himself, “pleasure to meet ya boy” he shook Cyris’s hand, “to you as well, the tattoo on your arm? You worship the great guardian bat as well?”
“You mean Entumbru? The spirit-ancestor of bats and the god of night? Why yes” he said “he goes by many names, that one I have not heard used before”, “Enthrumbu…” Cyris pondered…
Cyris and astarion left Bloodcrystal Vail and headed home, they settled down at Monty’s Chalice to enjoy dinner and sleep before heading out to hunt for Orin.
“Cyris…is it ok if..if we still sleep together?” Astarion softly asked him, Cyris scooted over on the bed, they…didn’t really cuddly like they did before but Cyris did keep Astarion warm. Astarion hated being cold…somehow?
“How are you cold starry?”, “well, not..not physically…” Astarion laughed “I…feel…I feel less undead when Iam warm”, Cyris rolled over and wrapped him up in his arms.
“It’s getting cold outside…I better keep you nice and snug” he smiled.
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