#underdark campaign times | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

soul-of-vengeance · 8 months

Text

Cooler, Better Drow (and Lolth)

So this is a re-write of drow culture and the Lolth cult that I've had in my head for several years, ever since I played a Lolth-sworn drow in a friend's campaign. This is the first time I've refined it enough to write down. Hopefully someone will find it as fun as I do!

(A note: this is not part of my Anchored Worlds campaign setting, as Lolth technically doesn't exist anymore in that setting.)

The drow are not a "dark perversions" of surface elves, but merely another branch of the elven family tree. They are not as numerous as the elves above, but still number in the hundreds of thousands. Their population is fairly evenly divided among seven massive city-states in the Underdark, with a small number living in the world beyond and even, in a few special cases, above their brethren. How so many elves came to live beneath the surface is lost to history, a history most drow have no inclination to uncover. Even the oldest matriarchs remember only the comforting dark and hardship of the Underdark.

The four Lolth-sworn city-states are: Menzoberranzan (the “City of Spiders,” and the largest Lolth-sworn city,) Ched Nasad (the “City of Shimmering Webs”,) Orlytlar (the “dark jewel”,) and Ust Natha (“the first.”) The three “free” drow city-states are Haundrauth, Erydndlyn, and Sshamath (the “City of Dark Weavings”.)

Drow Physiology

Drow at first glance resemble elves with their uniquely fey beauty, but with starkly different coloration. Drow skin tones range from jet black to light grey among one ethnicity, and from pale blue to pale purple in another. They typically have white or purple teeth. Their hair could be white, black, pale yellow, or occasionally coppery in color. Eyes could be various shades of red or pink, and some shades of near-white blue, lilac, or silver were not uncommon.

Drow, having been so magically altered by their surroundings, cannot thrive in light. They are extremely sensitive to sunlight, so much so that only a day on a relatively cool day can cause painful burns. Those who must go above ground have specially-made balms to protect their skin. Their magic is weaker in the sun, and drow-enchanted items tend to lose their magic if they are above ground for longer than a week or two. Being in the sun too long can also cause "sun fever," which can be fatal if not dealt with.

Lolth-sworn Drow have been magically altered. They almost always have white hair and red eyes. This is a show of magical favor from their goddess, who has a fondness for those colors. They also typically have black or grey teeth, and bright red gums, tongue, and throats. Lolth-sworn women are also taller and stronger than their men. They may also rarely have some other interesting features.

Drow Culture

Drow are, of course, elves, and like all elves they are uniquely in tune with their surroundings. The Underdark is cold, harsh, dangerous, and unforgiving, and so too are the drow. The flora and fauna do not respond as kindly to elven magicks as those aboveground, so the drow have adapted without what is typically a cornerstone of elven culture. Cruelty is not seen as such, for their very circumstances are cruel, and so it is seen as perfectly normal. Softness and kindness are weaknesses that will get you killed in the wilds of the Underdark, and are discouraged even in civilization.

When introducing themself, a drow will state first their House name, then their family name, and lastly their public name. Unlike other elves, drow do not have child and adult names, though they may change their given name if they dislike it. Drow have "public" names that are based on their true given names. Perhaps a remnant of their fey ancestry, they do not give their true given names lightly. For example, my drow character's given name is Shyam, and his public name is Sam.

Drow culture is matriarchal in nature and has a strict authority structure that begins with the family unit. Every family has a matriarch whose word is final in all matters. She may then have favored daughters who may make decisions in her stead. When she dies, her daughters will contest her position, in battles that can be physical, magical, or mental in nature. In the event that a family should ever be without a matriarch, the family name is recorded as being a "dead line," and the remaining men will petition to be adopted into another family. In the event that they are not adopted, slavery or exile to the surface are a man's only option.

Their culture is functionally caste-based, though the castes have no official names. The "castes" are, in order of authority: those of high religious standing (Houses), those of magical genius, those of artisanal prowess, those adept at combat, and those who make up the foundation. The entire family would be elevated (or lowered) to a caste depending on the skills and standing of their matriarch and her favored daughters.

Drow society is divided into Houses, which are headed by religious-caste noble families that take other non-noble families under their banner. Each House has its own distinct insignia, style, banner, and rules. Technically speaking, every drow belongs to a House even if they are born into a lower-caste family. Very rarely, a House may trade a family to another, either by choice of the House matriarch or, more commonly, by petition by the matriarch of the family. This is usually done to strengthen or elevate one's position, and requires proof that the family deserves the move.

Authority is very important to drow. They have absolute loyalty to their House matriarch first, family matriarch second, and blood mother third. Beyond that, the only other authority a drow will acknowledge is their god, if they worship one. They have no obligation to obey any other House matriarch, any other family matriarch, or even any female family member besides their mother. They will acknowledge no other law or order, even if they are in another city or country. Being in a king's country is not reason enough for a drow to follow his orders, especially an order she dislikes. A drow may play along simply to make her life easier, but she will make it clear where her loyalties lie. Even exiled drow will typically choose one individual to place their entire faith in, and will answer to no one else.

It is believed that every drow and every family has a "true place," or a "true calling," and that they are always born below their calling so that they can fight for it. In this way, the individual, and the family, become strong enough and cunning enough to survive. It is believed that eventually you will feel a sense of "divine contentment" that means you have found your place. Drow are in a constant struggle against one another to elevate themselves, and the harsh environment of the Underdark has made them harsh in turn. Violence, torture, extortion, and scheming are a drow's expected tools to advance in society.

Drow culture is, to outsiders, oxymoronic. On one hand, it is encouraged to view the drow around you as competitors to your true status in society, and it is encouraged to eliminate or humiliate them by any means necessary for your own advancement. However, there is also a strong importance placed on kin. A drow might view her sister as a bitter enemy for their mother's favor, but would still defend her from an assassin from another family. Similarly, a drow would always defend another drow from another species, but in the safety of their insular city-state, might stab her in the back in the street.

Artistry in all its forms is highly prized in drow society, and families will often strive to cultivate a favored child into an artisan worthy of elevating their family. Tangentially related to this is the hedonism that pervades drow culture. In the harsh environment of the Underdark, life and pleasure are not guaranteed, so it is said to take it wherever you can find it and enjoy it to its fullest.

Marriage is not very common, for loyalty to the family trumps other loves. Many drow may have one or even a handful of committed partners, but exchanging vows and names is extremely rare, and often seen as a betrayal of your birth family. The culture is extremely heteronormative. Due to the high mortality rate in the Underdark, having as many children as possible is encouraged, and to that end anything besides heterosexuality is frowned upon, if not punishable by religious law.

While a child will always be cared for by its mother's family, there is still good reason for the father to stay in the child and mother's good graces. A mother may pay a "child tithe" to the father of her child, which is usually based on the talent, beauty, potential, and magical ability of the child. A man who has exceptionally talented progeny may increase his family's wealth in this way. A mother will usually cultivate all of her children's talents, even her sons who cannot elevate the family. It is still a source of pride to have all your children be talented and worthy of praise.

Morality among drow is an interesting subject. The ruthless competition of their society lends itself to what a surfacer would consider deeply immoral behavior: political conniving, assassination, torture, and other "unsavory" behaviors are common. On the other hand, some things are forbidden by cultural norm. Rape and sexual violence are considered a disgusting act, as is desecration or disturbance of a dead (drow) body that has been laid to rest. Impersonating another drow by name or pretending to be of another House, even for the lauded purpose of elevation, is outright illegal and punishable by death at the hands of the slighted party.

The drow body is considered a masterwork of divinity, and extreme body modification is frowned upon. Tattoos, piercings, and dying one's hair are all seen as a form of desecration to the holy, and the punishment may be severe depending on how strict one's matriarch is. Hair is especially important to a drow. For one, hairstyle is an easy way to distinguish one's House. For another, their long hair is one of the vanities drow allow themselves. To cut one's hair dramatically (trims and accounting for style are permitted) is seen as cutting oneself off from the House. A drow will never cut her hair except under two circumstances: exile or certain death. The reasons to do so when exiled are obvious, but to do so before certain death is a superstition. It is believed that cutting your hair before facing your death is to ensure that the death doesn't creep into your family via your hair.

Slavery is one of the "unsavory" pillars of drow society that those within consider completely normal, and even natural. Their caste-based thinking extends past their selves and includes other species, which drow consider themselves above. That said, even drow (of lower caste) can be slaves. Slaves are considered part of a family's wealth, and can be obtained a number of ways. It is generally understood in the Underdark that to lose a fight against a drow is to forfeit your freedom to them. Slavery to a House is also a potential punishment for crimes against them. Slavery is a lifelong sentence, and slaves are given a magical tattoo that identifies them as such to drow. The tattoos are not House-specific, because slaves change hands as easily as currency.

The Dark Seldarine

The Dark Seldarine "pantheon" is not a true pantheon, but simply a group of gods worshiped by the drow.

Eilistraee is the most widely worshiped drow goddess, who oversees beauty, song, dance, freedom, moonlight, swordwork, and hunting. While she is typically thought of as a good-aligned goddess, she seems to have no issue with drow culture, which as stated is typically seen as deeply immoral. By contrast, she deeply loves her drow worshippers, whose love of life and pleasure aligns with her domain.

Vhaeraun, the elder twin of Eilistraee, is a god of thievery and magic, and is seen as a patron of drow men. He is generally worshiped alongside his sister, though he prefers his followers to be more ambitious.

Selvetarm, also called the Son of Lolth, is a god of warriors and battle. His worship is chiefly among those who leave Lolth's cult and find sanctuary in other cities. He despises Lolth, and encourages those who leave to take up arms against her followers.

Kiaransalee has some small churches in the Underdark. A goddess of revenge and necromancy, her worship is controversial, as some of her followers will raise drow corpses, which is seen as desecration of the beloved dead.

Zinzerena is not usually openly worshiped. She is the goddess of lies and illusion, and shares patronage of assassins with Lolth, whom she despises.

Lolth

Lolth is a lesser deity associated with the Trickery and War domains. She is, by her own reckoning, a goddess of darkness, spiders, and chaos. She is the patron of weavers and assassins. Lolth is one example of a being that was raised to godhood. Originally a tanar'ri demon, she manipulated and schemed her way to such power that she was elevated to a god. This ruthless ambition and endless drive became the center of her divinity, as she demands the same qualities of her worshippers. She pulled her original fortress in the Abyss into its own divine realm known as the Demonweb Pits. She still has demons in her employ, the Yochlols, but is now chiefly concerned with spreading her worship.

Her former demonic nature is obvious in the way she approaches her followers. Though she does need them as any god needs worshippers, she views them as more like playthings, finding great amusement in all they do in her name and at her behest. Her tenets are almost similar to a demonic deal, as she offers power and protection in exchange for worship. To the educated, her priestesses are more akin to fiend-pacted warlocks than holy woman.

Lolth introduced herself to the drow (comparatively) recently, targeting priestesses at the head of powerful Houses to let her doctrine trickle down. She slotted her own worship neatly into existing drow culture, exaggerating what she liked and downplaying what she didn't. The Lolth-sworn city-states grew even more xenophobic and closed off than they already were, so much so that they do not even allow more than minimal trade with non-Lolth-sworn cities. Four of the seven drow city-states are Lolth-sworn.

Lolth is not as capricious or actively malicious to her worshippers as in D&D 5e canon, but she is by no means pleasant. She positioned herself to the drow as the ultimate matriarch, mother of the dark and chaos in which they lived. By allying themselves with her, the Lolth-sworn gain allies among other creatures living in the Underdark.

Lolth has extremely high standards and rigid rules that her worshippers must follow. She does change these rules at times, often waiting for someone to break the unknown tenet and making an example of them to spread the news. She encourages paranoia and sadism, and found the drow society structure one that fit nicely with her tastes. She amuses herself with the machinations and ambitions of her subjects.

Lolth's goal is to spread her influence as far as she can. She is currently looking to subjugate the entire Underdark, and then she plans to turn her gaze to the world above. She plans a two-pronged attack: invasion on the weaker nations above and indoctrination of the stronger.

The Cult of Lolth

The Cult of Lolth (though they call themselves a Church) is widespread, being practiced in over half of the drow city-states. Under Lolth's rule, some aspects of existing drow culture are magnified.

For instance, far past being matriarchal, Lolth has an active disdain for men due to several drow heroes who directly opposed her takeover…and were all, coincidentally, men. For this, she punishes all drow men. This bleeds through to her followers. In ordinary drow society, sons are not favored but are still cherished and allowed many of the same rights of women, but little authority. Under Lolth, however, men are close to second-hand citizens. A man is considered to be a caste below the women in his family. Men on the lowest class are essentially slaves. Though they cannot be traded as slaves can, they have little rights and are entirely at the mercy of their matriarchs.

To distinguish her drow from "the rabble," Lolth changed her earliest followers physically, and the changes slowly spread as worship did. Those in the Underdark can tell a Lolth-sworn from a mile away, and know to avoid them. Lolth is also far less strict on body modification and hair length, allowing tattoos, piercings, and even cutting one's hair. She delights in the inner conflict this causes, as the drow's cultural sensibilities clash with the freedom their goddess allows.

Another aspect she magnifies, which was the primary reason she chose the drow as her first worshippers, is the ambition. While drow culture believes everyone has a "true" place and your life's goal is to achieve it by any means, Lolth encourages her followers to always strive to go above and not settle, even if you feel what the drow refer to as "divine contentment" with your place. She delights in the sadism and chaos she sows among her followers.

While typical drow culture views violence as another art form to be perfected, Lolth favors brutality, sadism, and even desecration, pushing her followers to the brink of their sensibilities and beyond. Her followers have a reputation for treating those they kill and capture with a uniquely twisted form of sadistic torture.

Lolth is the patron of weavers, fiber crafters, and metalworkers. She placed a high importance on those particular crafts, and had a love of woven beauty. Of course, spiders and webs are a large motif that can be found in Lolth-sworn art, as well as the colors red and white. She favors these, and may even punish someone who creates a masterpiece that doesn't meet her preferences.

Lolth desires to one day have all drow under her rule, and her followers sometimes attack other drow to be brought back as slaves and indoctrinated. Drow captured in this manner are an abnormality in society. These individuals (and only them) may be freed from slavery by marrying or being adopted into a House or family, only after swearing fealty to Lolth and passing a trial of faith. These drow are especially favored by Lolth and her worshippers, who sees them as the ultimate triumph of their faith.

One interesting, and potentially tragic, quirk of drow born into Lolth's cult is that, unlike all other elves including drow, they do not see their past lives when they meditate. It is unclear whether this is because they do not reincarnate or if Lolth is somehow suppressing their connection to their past lives. Some of the opponents of Lolth's cult believe that she takes her followers' souls when they die, though for what purpose is unclear.

As stated above, Lolth frequently changes the rules of her cult. However, three rules have never changed:

Worship only Lolth, and put her first. (Worship or fealty to any other god is forbidden, and Lolth demands total obedience. She even asks her worshippers to put her above even their mother and matriarchs, a challenging concept for many drow.)

Second to Lolth is the brood. (Protect kin at all costs. House first, then family, then all drow. She also demands they protect and cultivate spiders, including a demonic breed she created for this very purpose.)

Dig deeper into the darkness. (Be ruthlessly ambitious, do whatever it takes to survive and thrive. Take every avenue of power available to you.)

Driders

Driders are created when a faithful drow fails Lolth in a very specific way (more than simply not adhering to her tenets) or fails a test set by Lolth. They are transformed into a being that is extremely Lolth-like, a drow's upper torso with a spider's body below. It is a truly ironic punishment: although they now resemble their beloved goddess, the drow consider their body to be a sacred and beautiful thing, and any permanent transformation is a perversion of it. Worse, they are cut off from their family and exiled to the Underdark alone.

Driders are simultaneously pitied and reviled by Lolth-sworn and regular drow alike.

#drow #lolth #lolth sworn drow #dark elf #dnd #dnd drow #dnd lore #homebrew #(kind of?)#kirby gets creative

140 notes · View notes

avelera · 1 year

Text

Random thoughts on the D&D movie in no particular order:

I loved the jokes. All of them. All the stupid jokes. I was their target audience and they succeeded at making me cackle at dumb shit while my partner's soul left his body

The landscape shots were breathtaking and honestly made me tear up at the beauty in places. In the theater, I remember thinking, "Yeah, FUCK yeah, these guys understood the assignment!" Nine out of ten times, I think fantasy should be animated, because if you don't pour millions into the budget, the action looks like crummy LARPers wearing silly costumes in the woods. This movie understood that if you're doing live action fantasy, you owe your audience some damn beautiful landscape shots and damn did they deliver on some beautiful landscape shots.

(cut for spoilers)

I sincerely appreciated Holga and her husband being divorced but still amicable. I'm so tired of the trope of exes being evil or awful. They just seemed like two adults who wanted to love each other but the circumstances of being together doomed them from the start. It was played for laughs but it was just a moment I genuinely enjoyed as divorcee. I also loved her ex's new wife looking exactly like her, both for the gag, and for what it said about both of them being each other's type even if it didn't work out.

I also cackled like a hyena at Holga's halfling fetish while also finding it rather sweet and enjoyed imagining all the reasons why she might have that preference lol

As a basic Drizzt Do'Urden loving bitch, I squeed when I saw Icewind Dale on the map. Then I had a moment between that and the Underdark of wondering, "Am I gonna see him? Even in the distance? Am I going to see my first love, Drizzt Do'Urden??"

And then I realized: the Paladin. The Paladin is Drizzt. Only good person who came out of a nation destroyed by evil. Too good for this world, too pure, to the point of being sanctimonious but is also a hottie. Xenk is Drizzt.

Oh, I also squeed when I saw the Underdark.

I appreciated how knowledge of D&D improved certain story beats (like the gelatinous cube or the displacer beast) but wasn't required to enjoy the plot. That's how references should be done.

The most agonizingly cringe moment for me was when Holga was dying. Just. I appreciated the beat. It couldn't go any other way. They delivered on their set up with the tablet, the only question was ever, "Who besides his wife is going to get saved with it?" And it made perfect sense who it was. I'm glad they didn't try to pull a fast one. But the scene was like... 10 seconds too long of her dying for me to not roll my eyes. We know you're going to use the tablet on her, dipshit, please keep this moving.

BUT I think the reason they did it was to land a sincere moment with the daughter, and I appreciated that. I think the scene could have been improved by Holga being like, "Don't you fucking dare use that tablet on me!" and then smacking him when he did it anyway and then he'd have to explain that he set out to save his daughter's mother, not his wife, who has passed on, etc etc. but I'm not sure that would have been much better so maybe the drawn-out opera death scene and the sincerity was better in the end idk.

I KINDA wanted to see the actors as the players playing D&D BUT I know why they didn't and it was a wise choice, it undermines the drama too much to say it doesn't matter because it's a game. Maybe if instead they'd should the characters playing D&D in universe as normal humans? Idk

I thought there'd be more Xenk? I thought he'd be in the arena with them? A little bummed but I also loved his GM NPC energy.

The combat and camera work was great! Genuinely enjoyable and well made, I appreciated the artistry that went into it.

Loved the bardic distraction scene for truly capturing the chaos of a D&D party's attempt at breaking and entering

Loved the portals bit for truly capturing the strategy and planning that can go into a functioning D&D campaign's clever heist, even if I'm sure it would have taken 5 sessions to plot out IRL

Honestly, it was just a fun, solid film! It's been a while since I've seen such a fun, solid film! I would buy it and put it on in the background to just enjoy and not angst over it! It was worth the price of admission, it was faithful to the spirit of D&D instead of sneering at it the way the early 2000s one did, and I had a good time! It wasn't the highest of art but it would have been weird if it had been! I liked it a lot!

#DND #honor among thieves

256 notes · View notes

dare-to-dm · 8 months

Text

Everyone in my gaming group is a DM as well as a player and we all take turns running campaigns.

For the last few years, there has been this trend towards each DM inventing their own special DM bucks which serve kind of the same purpose as Inspiration. They're a reward from the DM that you can cash in for in game bonuses.

For example, the guy who runs our dinosaur underdark campaign gives players a buck every whenever we complete our personal round of combat in a reasonable time frame (because it's important to him that we stay focused and keep things snappy). His bucks can then be turned in for bonuses on any d20 roll (and they add up quickly, I've got like 60 bucks, so I can pretty much always just decide to pass a check).

Anyway, I've decided to make my own reward system for my new Pathfinder campaign because sometimes peer pressure is fun. But I also like making things complicated for myself, so I'm going to be making 3 different prizes.

Might Points: Rewarded for interesting or impressive accomplishments in combat encounters.

Mystery Points: Rewarded for interesting or impressive efforts towards unraveling the mystery presented in my campaign.

Mayhem Points: Rewarded for causing general amusement at the table. (i.e. making people laugh or go whoa).

I'm thinking players can spend 1 point to give themselves a +5 on a check, which is nice enough to turn failures into successes a fair amount of the time. Spend 2 points and I'll remove the limits on the Aid Another action (normally players can only give each other +2, but with this you'd be able to add the full value of your skill check, which could make for potentially really large totals). And for 3 points, I'll let players use a mechanic their character doesn't yet have access to, but would after their next level up.

I think this sounds fun, but only time will tell if it's actually a huge pain in the ass. But I'm embracing the experimental nature of this next campaign!

#my campaigns #RPGs #Pathfinder

91 notes · View notes

thechaoticdruid · 14 days

Text

[The Time I became God of the Fish People.]

Pairing: Astarion x Named!Tav (Winnie).

Plot: While lost in the Underdark Astarion and Winnie find themselves amongst a strange tribe of fish people. (Yes this is something that actually happens in the game.)

Note: This is part of my during in game campaign oneshot series. The oneshots aren't necessarily all posted in chronological order.

Content/Warnings: OC! TAV, Tav uses She/her pronouns, Suggestive content, mentions of sex, death, violence, slight Lae'zel x Shadowheart, Astarion is a dick to Scratch, Astarion being manipulative.

For the longest time sleep had been a chore for the druid. Her mind would run wild with horrifying memories of death and torture. A red eyed drow wizard staring down at her with a sadistic grin as he brought a glowing blade to her flesh. Branding her with several scars across her body which never truly healed. Normally she'd awaken several times a night in a panic, having to struggle to calm herself down before she could even attempt to return to her slumber.

But lately she'd slept peacefully. Her sleep was either dreamless or sprinkled with visions of the beautiful elf that laid beside her.

The messy haired woman opened her eyes with a quiet yawn as she glanced over at the pale skinned beauty, hugging a blanket over her plump body. He laid next to her, eyes closed allowing her to study his pretty, long eyelashes. The two of them had slept together in his tent after a previous night of carnal indulgence. There was a decent space between their two bodies. While the young woman would often rest her head on her lover's chest. The pale skinned elf was never too eager to cuddle. There was always this distance he'd put between them after sex. A reminder of what their relationship really was.

Still the druid admired him, the way his lovely white curls framed his perfect face, how soft and kissable his lips were. How his hands dwarfed hers in sizing, actually making her feel smaller than she actually was. She couldn't help but smile softly as she stared longingly at him.

“Enjoying the view are we, pet?~” Astarion's sleepy voice piped up, ruby red eyes slowly opening. Winnie rolled her eyes at his little nickname for her. He thought it fitting considering she turned into animals and practically followed him around like a little lost puppy at times.

“Always.” Winnie hummed with a blush. Astarion sat up and stretched, a smile on his face as he glanced down at his human bedfellow. His muscular physique graced the druid's eyes as he grabbed his white undershirt and pulled it on over his head.

“It would probably be best if we readied ourselves before the others come looking.” The vampiric elf mused, pulling on his underwear and pants. Winnie let out a slight whine and buried her face into a pillow.

“I don't wanna get up. I feel so sore….” She murmured, “my ass hurts.”

“Perhaps I did get a little over excited last night. It was hard not to with such a delicious feast laid out for me.~” Astarion purred in a suggestive tone.

“You scrambled my innards…” The druid groaned.

“You weren't complaining during the act.” The vampire smirked.

“I wasn't in pain then…” Winnie whined. Astarion leaned over her with a smug look on his face. As if proud of himself.

“Well, sleep in if you wish. But I doubt you'll enjoy explaining to Lae'zel why you're so sore when she comes to fetch you.” Astarion chuckled, playfully patting Winnie’s ass. The druid let out a frustrated groan before sitting up, holding the blankets tightly to cover her nude form. Winnie grabbed her undergarments before putting them on along with her shirt and pants. The human female then pulled on her druid armor before exiting the tent after Astarion. She let out a yawn, running a hand through disheveled brown hair as she stepped into the light. A bright blue glow was emitting from the strange flora growing out of the cliffs around them. The group had set up camp outside of the abandoned Arcane Tower after stumbling around and getting lost in the Underdark.

“Silence k’chakhi!” Lae'zel hissed, snatching the map from Shadowheart’s hands. “You're the reason we've been led astray!”

“As if you've been doing anything besides ranting about that damned creché of yours!” Shadowheart retorted.

“Hey! Settle down. I won't have you two going at each other's throats again!” Winnie shouted, stepping in between the two women.

“Chk, The half-elf is incompetent. She shouldn't be trusted to navigate for us!” Lae'zel said as she turned to Winnie.

“You shouldn't be trusted at all and yet you're still here.” Shadowheart rolled her eyes.

“Fighting surely won't help the issue.” Winnie rubbed her temples. “Look, we just need to find our way back to the Myconid colony and then we'll be able to figure out how to get to the Shadow cursed lands from there.”

“If we search for the creché there will be no need to risk falling to the curse.” Lae'zel pressed.

“We've taken a vote already. The others decided that Moonrise would be our priority.” The half-elf added, causing the gith to curse under her breath.

Winnie looked around the area.

“Wyll, you and Gale go together and check that way to see if there's a path that'll lead us back the way we came. I'll take Astarion and check the opposite direction.” Winnie exclaimed before turning to the other three women. “Ladies, you three will stay here and mind the camp. Karls, make sure these two don't kill each other, please.”

“You got it, soldier!” Karlach replied and stood between Lae'zel and Shadowheart. The two of them, still giving the other the side eye.

Winnie then proceeded to grab her pack and walk off with Astarion following.

Scratch, the loveable dog companion the party had picked up on their journey, quickly ran after Winnie, sticking close to her heels as his tail wagged. They wandered away from camp, eyes scanning for the path leading back to where they came from. The day before while the party was venturing through the Underdark they had ended up being chased off course by a bullette. Shadowheart had been the one holding onto the map, hence Lae'zel’s blame, but the bullette was the real reason they had gotten lost. Luckily the beast ended up running right into a patch of torchstalk and was driven back after being burned severely, but by then the group was way off course. Winnie looked around the large area where the torchstalk had been. Most of it had been destroyed by the bullette but there were still a few just out of reach. Winnie had to be careful not to get too close to any of the deadly flora. Scratch sniffed the ground picking up a rather intriguing scent as he wandered past Winnie and Astarion.

Winnie looked down at the ground, noticing odd footprints.

“Lae'zel and Shadowheart seem to be at it again. I wonder when they'll finally release the tension.” The vampire hummed aloud.

“What are you talking about?” Winnie looked back at him with a confused look.

“Oh you know ... .The two of them sneaking off into the forest for a late night tryst.” Astarion said in a slightly flirty tone.

“Are you suggesting that they like each other?” Winnie tilted her head in confusion.

“Not exactly, but they definitely want to fuck.” Astarion said bluntly, “probably quite roughly.”

“Could you please stop putting images in my head? I'd rather not think about my friends doing that…” Winnie said, turning bright red.

“Oh, you poor pitiful innocent thing. You'd be completely boring if it wasn't for that adorable blush you have.” Astarion teased, playfully poking Winnie’s cheek. The druid rolled her eyes and swatted his hand away before suddenly hearing Scratch let out a bark before scampering over towards a large hole and repeatedly barking at it.

“Hells below, if that dog keeps yapping I am going make him my afternoon snack.” The vampire hissed.

“No Astarion. He's found something.” Winnie said before wandering over towards the hole. The vampire let out an annoyed sigh before quickly following his companion. Winnie peaked down into the chasm, it was dark and appeared bottomless, but the druid's pink eyes could spot vines running down towards the bottom.

“Winnie, I'm not going to jump in after you if you fall to your death.” Astarion grumbled, yet grabbed hold of Winnie’s pack, yanking her back by it.

“I'm not going to fall. I just…..You smell that?” Winnie suddenly sniffed the air. A faint salty sour smell hit Winnie's senses. Fish.

“Ugh…It's disgusting.” Astarion grimaced. Scratch sniffed the air before suddenly jumping down into the hole.

“Scratch!” Winnie shouted as the dog disappeared down the tunnel.

“Stupid mutt! Now he's gone and got himself killed.” Astarion huffed.

Winnie bit her lip before suddenly hearing the faint echo of a woof.

“He's alive down there!” She said before yanking away from Astarion. “I'm coming, boy!”

“Winnie! What in the bloody hells are you doing?!” Astarion snapped at her. The human female simply ignored him and leapt down into the chasm. “Winnie!” The vampire gritted his teeth, eyes betraying a hint of concern. “You soft hearted fool! I'm not going in after you!” Astarion stood there with a frown looking down into the abyss. He turned to walk away, attempting to convince himself to leave the foolish woman to her fate.

Astarion got about five feet away before letting out a frustrated growl before quickly turning back and hopping onto the opposite side of the chasm, latching onto vines and beginning to climb downwards. Down below Winnie had landed on a ledge next to Scratch. She scanned around the tunnel but her lack of dark vision made it hard to see. Although there was the faintest sound of water coming from somewhere lower down.

“Sol Invictus!” Winnie created a blue flame from her palm, illuminating the tunnel around her. Below her she could see some large mushrooms growing down the side of the chasm. Scratch let out a bark before hopping down onto one after the other. Winnie quickly followed, using each mushroom as a stepping stone until eventually she could see light at the bottom of the tunnel.

Winnie and Scratch carefully climbed down and looked around the area. The druid put out her flame as her pink eyes scanned her surroundings. There was a waterfall to her left, pouring down from the cavern ceiling it seemed. More large mushrooms were up ahead, these ones were massive and grew up the side of a cliff. Winnie squinted her eyes, spotting a body of water in the distance and something that looked like a village maybe? Winnie didn't have too much time to think before suddenly she heard a shout and suddenly something fell on her. The human female suddenly found herself buried under something firm but slightly squishy.

“Oh gods…I thought that was the end of me…” A familiar posh voice hit Winnie’s ears.

“Arghhh….Get your ass out of my face!” Winnie snapped and pushed the elf off of her, face flushed bright red. Winnie rubbed her head a bit dizzy from nearly being flattened.

“Ah…Apologies, darling. It seems you broke my fall.” The vampire chuckled.

“You nearly crushed my skull.” The druid growled.

“Well that could've been avoided had you not acted like an idiot and decided to hop right into a chasm!” Astarion crossed his arms as Winnie got to her feet.

“I thought you weren't going to follow me?”

“I wasn't! But…then I figured Karlach would likely make me go looking for you if I went back to camp empty handed.” Astarion coughed a bit at the end as his eyes looked off to the side.

“How chivalrous.” Winnie rolled her eyes before glancing back over in the direction of the ‘village’ she had spotted. Strange sounds appeared to be coming from over there. “I think someone is living down here…” She said as she slowly began to creep closer in the direction of the noise.

“Oh well, maybe there's a friendly brothel nearby.” Astarion said sarcastically. Winnie climbed onto one of the large mushrooms, Scratch quickly following, staying low to the ground. Eventually Astarion joined the two as his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of fish people standing in front of some type of wooden altar of some kind.

“Well that explains the smell.” He hummed.

“I think I've read about these guys before.” Winnie said quietly. “They're called Kuo-Toa, fish folk that live in the Underdark.” The druid explained. “They're apparently former mind flayer slaves with the power to create their own gods or something like that…”

“Ugh, why can't we ever run into anyone normal?” Astarion complained. Winnie kept her eyes on the fish folk below. They appeared to be sacrificing one of their own. Winnie leaned closer before suddenly slipping off the edge of the shroom and tumbling down off onto the ground before with a grunt. Astarion let out a sigh, red eyes rolling in annoyance as he leapt down after her.

“You! You have interrupted our sacred ceremony!” One of the fish folk, some kind of priest by the look of it, approached Winnie.

“Oops…Sorry about that.” Winnie chuckled nervously.

“You will become the next sacrifice to our great god of murder! Bhooaal!”

“Ah….No…I don't think so….” Winnie stood up and slowly began back up. Astarion and Scratch came to Winnie’s side quickly. Her eyes flickered over towards the altar where a dead Kuo-Toa lay.

“Do not let the sacrifice escape! Bring me their head!” A deep monstrous voice called out.

Out of the shadows hopped a creature covered in red. Winnie raised an eyebrow and breathed in. The scent of the creature seemed familiar, definitely no god. Its stench was thick with the scent of death and the earthy smell of a bog. Winnie looked at the ‘god’ with a curious expression as she studied the monster, taking in his features.

“That's not a god. It's just a redcap!” Winnie exclaimed with a glare, hand stretched out as she pointed at him.

“What? How dare you, I'm a god!” The pretender shouted before suddenly the red glow covering his body faded away.

“Great Bhooaal? What is this?” The fish priest gasped in confusion.

“Oh dear, looks like the great Bhooaal isn't so great after all.” Astarion chuckled.

“You little wretch! You'll pay for this!” The redcap charged towards Winnie. Astarion quickly moved in front of her and swiped at the little fey creature with his rapier. The redcap backed up, leaping out of the way just in the nick of time.

Scratch growled and bounded forward grabbing hold of the redcap’s leg with his teeth.

“Flageo!” Winnie summoned a thorned vine whip and lassoed the redcap over towards her making him fall on his face with a grunt. Winnie then shot an ice knife at the redcap, hitting him right in the jugular. Winnie sighed in relief.

“Honestly I'd love to go one day without people trying to kill me.” She rubbed her temples before suddenly her ears were filled with clapping.

“You have slain the pretender. We knew in our hearts the god Bhooaal was false. But you, we see you. We know you by your true name, Mahkloopah!” The fish priest exclaimed.

“Praise Mahkloopah! Mahkloopah!” The fish folk chanted, kneeling down in front of Winnie.

“If they offer sacrifices, might I suggest virgins? Young and hot blooded.” Astarion piped up.

“I'm not taking any sacrifices!” Winnie turned back towards the vampire who pouted in response.

“Mahkloopah! Please allow us to serve you! We will build you a grand palace where you may rule over your subjects!”

“I uh….I don't think….” Winnie began to speak before Astarion covered suddenly her mouth.

“Now, now darling let's not be rude. Your new friends only wish to please you, why not accept their hospitality?” The elf purred, slowly removing his hand from her mouth as he rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. Winnie felt a shiver go down her spine as his blood red orbs met hers. Her cheeks flushed pink and she cleared her throat.

“Okay…fine.” The druid replied, looking away shyly.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

“Great Mahkloopah! We have built you a throne to sit upon!” One of the Kuo-Toa called and led Winnie up a hill. She glanced over to see a large wooden chair with cushions on the seat and strange markings carved into it. Winnie sat down on it and looked over the hill, seeing the fish folk beginning to build a structure. It felt strange to have these people worshiping her like a god. She wasn't very sure how to feel about it. Astarion approached her, strutting over to her before planting himself on her lap.

“Uh…What are you doing?” Winnie blushed a bit.

“Taking my place at your side, my dear. We are a team after all.” Astarion chuckled, “and besides you clearly could use a little help governing your new followers.”

“I'm honestly a bit weirded out by the attention.” Winnie replied, looking off to the side.

“Great Mahkloopah! We have brought blood sacrifices for your murderous bride!” Two of the fish folk exclaimed dragging along what looked like water jugs full of blood.

“Murderous bride?” Winnie blinked in confusion as Astarion quickly got to his feet and took hold of one of the jugs.

“Mmm….I could get used to this.” The vampiric elf licked his lips.

“Where did you get the blood?” Winnie asked.

“It is the blood of the least worthy to be in your presence, oh great one.” The fish person replied.

“Right….” The druid gulped nervously.

“We have also brought gifts for you, great Mahkloopah.” The fish folk then proceeded to set out a wooden tray with a decadent assortment of meat and cheese. Astarion had poured blood into a glass chalice Winnie’s subjects had brought. The elf sat back down on Winnie's lap. Winnie’s eyes widening at the sight of the cheese, mouth watering.

“See darling, why not indulge yourself a bit?” Astarion stroked her chin.

“I suppose we could hang out for a bit.” Winnie smiled slightly before taking the tray and dining out on some cheese.

“You know what? Since I'm your god and all. Build me a hot spring! And uhh.. some sweet wine would be nice!” Winnie ordered.

“Yes, great one! We shall begin right away!” Winnie and Astarion began to indulge in the perks of being worshiped. The Kuo-Toa dug out a deep pond and filled it with hot water, creating a makeshift spring and as the time went by Winnie’s companions began to worry, growing concerned as they waited back at camp.

Karlach had begun to pace a bit as Wyll and Gale returned from their search.

“We found a path leading down to an old village. We should be able to find our way back to the Myconid colony from there.” Wyll exclaimed.

“Winnie and Astarion aren't back yet.” Karlach huffed. “Something doesn't feel right…” The tall tiefling crossed her arms.

“They're probably on their way back now.” Shadowheart piped up.

“I don't know…I have a bad feeling in my gut.” Karlach’s tail swatted back and forth.

“Winnie and Astarion probably just got distracted canoodling or something like that.” Gale tried to calm her down.

“I'm going to look for them.” Karlach said before walking off, taking her battle-axe with her.

“I'm coming as well. Those two have spent enough time fornicating.” Lae'zel hissed. Shadowheart shook her head before getting up to follow them.

Back in the cove the fish folk had taken care of all of Winnie and Astarion’s wishes. The two were blissfully enjoying being pampered after weeks searching for a cure and fighting various foes. But of course all good things must come to an end. Scratch sniffed about as Winnie and her elven companion were enjoying the makeshift hot spring the fish folk had prepared for them.

The ivory furred canine detected the smell of smoke and scampered about to investigate, his nose soon leading him towards an area with several fire pits where the fish folk had seemed to be carving some kind of wooden statue that resembled Winnie. It was much taller than she was however and the Kuo-Toa were tossing more wood on the ground around it. Scratch tilted his head, brown eyes spotting one of the fish folk with ropes as the smart canine began to put the pieces together and growled before turning tail and running back to find his mistress. Winnie was drying off, sitting in her boxers and tank as she noticed the dog towards her, barking.

“Oh what does that dog want now?” Astarion huffed as he pulled his shirt back on over his head, white curls still dripping wet.

“Scratch? Is everything okay, boy?” Winnie looked at him with concern. Before anything else happened however, Scratch turned around and growled as the Kuo-Toa approached.

“Great Mahkloopah, we have prepared a ceremonial ritual to honor you and free you from these mortal chains.” The Kuo-Toa priest exclaimed.

“Uh…What?” Winnie blinked in confusion before two of the fish folk grabbed hold of her arms.

“Come great Mahkloopah, the ceremony must begin!” They led her off. Scratch growled and barked, chasing after them. Astarion rose an eyebrow as the fish people dragged Winnie off.

“I don't believe they're planning on braiding her hair. Probably best if I tagged along.” Astarion grabbed his rapier and bow before following after them.

Winnie was brought towards a gigantic wooden statue of herself.

“Hey whoa! What in the hells do you guys think you're doing?” Winnie yanked away from her followers as soon as she noticed the wood piled up around the statue.

“We must free you from your mortal flesh oh great one!” The fish priest exclaimed, “the fire will release your divine body from its mortal confines and then your reign will truly begin.”

“Fuck no, I'm not going to let you burn me alive!” Winnie growled and quickly got into a defensive stance.

“But great Mahkloopah! It is the only way your godly soul will be free!” The priest pressed, stepping towards Winnie with a determined look.

Suddenly an arrow hit the priest through the shoulder.

“I prefer my little blood bag raw, thank you.” Astarion was suddenly at Winnie’s side with his bow drawn. Scratch appeared along with him, teeth bared and snarling. The Kuo-Toa surrounded them, some of them grabbed nets as they prepared to attack.

“Do not let them escape! Our God must be freed!” The priest said clutching his arm. Winnie gritted her teeth, preparing to wildshape when suddenly something errupted from the ground. A massive bullette broke through the dirt with a roar, turning and beginning to attack the fish folk who quickly began grab their weapons and fight off the gigantic beast.

“I think that's our cue to escape.” Winnie said before grabbing hold of Scratch and Astarion and making a run for it. The trio quickly returned to the area where they'd come in and began climbing back up the vines, leaving the cove and Kuo-Toa behind. Once they reached the top however they noticed Karlach, Lae'zel and Shadowheart waiting for them.

“There you are! Where’ve you two been!?” Karlach asked. Winnie panted, pushing Scratch up to the top of the cliff.

“F-Fish…” Was all she seemed to be able to get out.

“Fish?” Lae'zel and Shadowheart looked at each other confused.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Phew, got this out just before vacation. I kinda got very stumped by the end because this little encounter really doesn't have anything that happens after becoming Mahkloopah so I was like fuck it, low-key Pirates of The Caribbean reference. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

~Druid

Taglist: @vixstarria , @paganwitchisis , @kerwin290710 , @anukulee , @gobbodoggo

22 notes · View notes

meanbossart · 5 months

Note

I've been really enjoying your fic and it got me curious about how your campaign went??? I got the important parts (your Durge denied Bhaal, Shadowheart spared nightsong I think, Astarion obviously didn't ascend) but what else happened? Will we ever see any of the other companions?

Thanks for enjoying the story! I can say with pretty much certainty we won't be seeing any other canonical characters from the game, Jaheira, Minsc and Halsin would have stayed behind in Baldur's Gate, as well as Wyll. My Durge killed Lae'zel early in the game and Karlach also died at the end of my campaign.

Gale's character decided to go after the crown, and while he was the staple fourth member of my party the relationship had always been uh... Tense. This was before they apparently patched out how needy he was, but frankly it made for a really interesting story since i just kind of assumed his character was kind of a creep wearing a nice-guy's face. Also, to be fair, I DID fall for his "wanna see a magic trick" line but that just kindled the fire to my theory that he's actually a fairly manipulative person (and perhaps he's unaware of it). MIND YOU PLEASE that this doesn't mean i don't like his character - honestly i feel like I got a REALLY interesting side of him in my campaign and i wouldnt have it any other way - this was a party composed of the dark urge, Astarion, Shadowheart and GALE and to have us all turn down power and glory only for the goody-two-shoes wizard of the camp to turn kinda evil and power-hungry made for a really satisfying narrative.

... Sorry i ended up rambling about Gale LOL to actually answer the rest of your question, my campaign went like this:

I made a Fighter, champion sub-class, BIG hulking drow because i thought it would be funny. Because i went in blind I started off as a confused homicidal murderer who is a liiiittle weirded out about his urges but he doesnt stress TOO much about it. Is fairly standoffish and distrusting toward all of his companions which made for a weird start. Motivated by gold, killing things, getting this worm out his head and making off-color jokes. Ends up siding with the Tieflings because i also decided that, as a very hedonistic character who thinks we should be lunatics because we want to rather than because a cult is telling us to be, my durge would profoundly hate the absolute. As a male drow he also really hated Minthara so yeah, easy choice there. As mentioned above, I also killed Lae'zel when she tried to murder-suicide everybody.

I wasn't going to fuck anyone, believe it or not, so during the tiefling party i went with Gale because it SEEMED like he just wanted to show me something neat (it ended early because i failed his checks and i guess he can't get hard unless i can cast fireball). Also, at this point even though i made mostly "good" moral choices i *was* still a dick the whole time - despite this, everyone in camp wanted to fuck me BESIDES Astarion, which was so fucking funny and devastating that I decided my Durge would, from that moment on, turn on the charm and the flattery and make it his mission to bang him. So yes, they were manipulating each other. I don't have to explain why that made for a really really fun little dynamic. Also Astarion had to tell me he was a vampire through dialogue instead of biting me and i got to say "yeah duh" which was hysterical.

I finally banged him sometime during the underdark (didn't go to the creche at all) and during Act 2 I followed the same pattern of doing mostly the Good Thing while being arrogant the whole time, I fell into a kind of chaotic-neutral/true-neutral aligment and watched my little homicidal maniac cluelessly stumble his way into a hero's journey. I had also really grown to like Shadowheart at that point after having a really negative first impression of her character and she basically became my durge's best friend. Astarion also grew on me for all the reasons we know and love and he did his confession to me sometime in late act 2. I Never met Araj (though i think i mention her in the fan story only because her interaction is interesting) so I got the dialogue that isn't prompted by her encounter. I also had to "break up" with Gale at this point which boy that sure came as a surprise to me! I also didnt break the shadow curse.

Because I didnt kill isobel (Again, my guy didnt like people telling him what to do or not to do), my little butler guy made me wanna kill Astarion. I SWEAR this happened pretty late in game, maybe even in the first night in baldur's gate which i realize is unusual. Naturally I didnt and I decided that would be the turning point where my Durge decides to not just Go With The Flow of things but actively fight his urge and pursue its root cause. He tried to be more of a good person from that point on which was kind of a clumsy effort lol

He completely antagonized the emperor immediately upon him revealing his true identity, stole the orphic hammer from Raphael's house, betrayed Gortash after setting an "alliance" with him, killed Orin (she kidnapped the orphan and killed her in front of me because i failed the check :| ) stopped Astarion from ascending and helped Shadowheart kill everyone in the house of grief, i let her make her own choice regarding her parents and she decided to kill them. I also encouraged her to not immediately align with the Selunites just because of her past.

I got Astarion the thing that helps him read the necromancy book and i cannot tell you how satifyins it was that, after giving up unspeakable power by killing Cazador, that dude and his little ghoul army basically mauled Orin and her grandad for me practically by themselves while I was down on the floor with 1 health. PROUD OF YOU BUDDY.

Gale spoke to Mystra as well at some point and i swear I NEVER encouraged that guy to take the crown for himself. It was always either "do whatever you want" or "i think thats a shitty idea." At this point my Durge was super sick of him so they had a bit of a crappy relationship which may have something to do with how things turned out.

I betrayed the emperor, released Orpheus and when he asked if any of us wanted to be a mindflayer i went "Fuck No" big time and luckily the guy just did it for me. Chaos ensues, I kill the emperor and the absolute in an epic battle that took me like a whole day. I also killed Orpheus when he asked me to. Karlach died ( :c ) and Gale told me he was gonna fuck off to get the crown. In the final Astarion dialogue I told him we would find a way to get him to walk under the sun again.... AAAAAnd thats it i think? Man this game is huge lmao i swear i wasnt trying to be long-winded.

#bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #a novel experience #ask #bg3 spoilers

35 notes · View notes

elfyourmother · 3 months

Text

before I start posting more of my bg3 stuff here I really need to warn people that I approach this game not as someone new to any of this but as someone for whom the original bg trilogy (1+2+tob) is deeply meaningful, and pretty much all of my grievances w 3 stem from how larian treated most of the legacy lore and characters (poorly. as an understatement.). I realize some of that was just them building on the atrocious way wotc finally decided to canonize the old games in FR, but shit like the character assassination of sarevok anchev (one of my favorite characters of all time) is entirely on them.

it’s not only that, it’s also that I’ve been playing in the Realms sandbox as a whole for more than half my life at this point, since I was a tween in the 2E golden age. I cut my teeth worldbuilding w Abeir-Toril. even had wotc not literally lost the plot in 4e, my Realms look very different after 30 years of worldbuilding and storytelling through the various tabletop campaigns I ran for years, my fic, and 20+ years of crpg games set in FR not just from the original BG trilogy, but even earlier in the old SSI gold and silver box era of Curse of the Azure Bonds and the like.

in short, I have a very old and very deep history w FR that predates larian’s entire existence as a game studio much less this 1 game they made in it. this game is simply an opportunity to go home again and add another link on the charm bracelet.

so. in keeping with ed’s mantra, the faerûn Gisèle inhabits is uh. different. eg durge is not a thing, was never a thing, will never be a thing. (in the interest of not upsetting folks, I’ll keep my feelings on it to myself). eg. my loviatar has always resembled lady kushiel much more than the caricature of fevered neckbeard fetish dreams, even before ed set the record straight on her church. but too there are constant references to my older lore and stories from the previous crpgs, and not only baldur’s gate—she is my reincarnated CHARNAME, but she also fled to Lith My’athar and trained under my hero of Undrentide, which becomes very relevant when she sets thousands of vampire spawn free in the Underdark. She also knows the True Name of Mephistopheles because of this association, which gives her leverage when dealing with his son. And so on. Everything is deeply connected.

That might make it a little opaque for some, but that’s nothing new for me lol.

#I have some hefty lore posts coming #which is why I’m giving this disclaimer now #Bisho liveblogs her creative process #gisele of menzoberranzan #gisele surana

21 notes · View notes

n1ghtwarden · 5 months

Text

SIDE-QUEST: THE NIGHT WARDEN.

or, the one where claire attempts to expand upon a lacklustre arc and side quest while incorporating the current state of the underdark and drow politics into the game and minthara's storyline.

i will note that in my canon minthara can be recruited in 'good' or 'evil' runs without sacrificing the grove. after realising that minthara is being controlled by orin, the player may make two persuasion checks with the artifact to disrupt orin's influence upon her and get the opportunity to knock her out with the intent of coming back for her after slaughtering the camp. however, by the time the party returns to her base in the goblin camp, minthara has gone back to moonrise to get more support - recruitment then proceeds as normal. this is written as it might appear within the player's journal. it has no set conclusion - as that will be another post regarding her fate at the end of the campaign.

CONTINUE TO TRAVEL WITH MINTHARA.

we recruited the night warden, minthara baenre, after rescuing her from the prisons of moonrise tower where we prevented her mind from being wiped. she seemed grateful for our help, and pledged her sword to our cause in order to destroy the absolute.

while exploring rethwin town, we encountered drow scouts - assassins? they became hostile immediately after glimpsing minthara. after killing them, she offered little explanation - stating her defection from lolth would be enough to kill her on sight in addition to the loss of her entire retinue. minthara seems uncomfortable with lingering here - we should press on.

as we continued exploring the shadow cursed lands, we discovered evidence of drow parties moving through, setting minthara on edge. we eventually found correspondence indicating these lolthite cultists are attempting to infiltrate the towers, where many drow have gone missing. minthara's name and retinue was listed here as well. minthara has asked us to help her find this small corps of scouts and their location - claiming if word gets back to them or they find her, she will be hunted for the rest of her days.

>IF SCOUTS ARE FOUND (WITH MINTHARA)

we found the scouts! minthara was insistent we kill them - we tried to talk to them, but minthara's presence made them hostile at once - we had no choice but to clear the hide-out. we found more correspondence indicating that it seemed a large portion of drow 'recruits' to the absolute came from small splinter groups from a larger group of menzoberranzan refugees. we also found letters containing orders from matron mother sos'umptu baenre. when asking minthara about this, she had no knowledge of any refugees from her city - and she refuses to answer anything regarding sos'umptu baenre.

>IF SCOUTS ARE FOUND (WITHOUT MINTHARA)

we found the scouts! they quickly proved to be a less than friendly bunch - and tensions rose - they keep their information guarded. we managed to steal correspondence indicating that it seemed a large portion of drow 'recruits' to the absolute came from small splinter groups from a larger group of menzoberranzan refugees. when asking minthara about this, she had no knowledge of any refugees from her city. minthara disapproves of our meeting them without her.

> IF SCOUTS ARE NOT FOUND

the scouts came upon our camp in the night and attacked us - claiming we are travelling with a heretic and deserter. we killed them; but minthara did not allow the last man standing the mercy of a swift death. we persuaded him to tell us why the drow were in the shadow cursed lands - he revealed they were baenre scouts and assassins working on behalf of matron mother sos'umptu; hunting refugees who left menzoberranzan. without warning, minthara killed him! she said it would be better for all of us if he were dead. it seems that minthara has no knowledge of any refugee groups from menzoberranzan, and while she did not speak on sos'umptu, it seemed as though she was shocked by this.

CONTINUE TO TRAVEL WITH MINTHARA.

we killed ketheric thorm and took his netherstone. minthara was grateful for this gift of vengeance, but stated we had more to do before it was fully done. minthara also spoke in depth about what happened to her at moonrise, and what orin did to her and her men.

we continued onwards to baldur's gate with minthara. once there, it was revealed that orin has been watching us since we came to rivington! minthara is trying not to show that she is afraid, but we can see it. she asked me to promise her that she would never fall into orin's clutches again. i promised her.

after finding our way into the lower city, we began to explore to find more information on the recent string of murders and the cult of bhaal. after finding a ritual circle filled with drow in the basement of a house, we left - only to be attacked by drow assassins in the street! they were wearing the same crest minthara has on her neck, so they must be baenre assassins. as we were fighting, another drow jumped into the fray to assist us - he is an excellent fighter, but is dressed in a rather eccentric manner.

SWORD OF MENZOBERRANZAN.

minthara addressed him as uncle! they both seemed surprised to see each other in baldur's gate; and while minthara did not sheathe her weapons, she did not attack either. his name is jarlaxe baenre - given that minthara has not killed him, that seems like a good sign. jarlaxe said they've much to discuss; and that he did not expect to see her again with all the rumours of the absolute and its cult. he has asked minthara to meet him in the evening at an abandoned house at the docks, as he suspects she has questions.

we left camp at night to meet with minthara's uncle. she warned us not to trust him. upon entering the abandoned house, jarlaxe is not alone - two others are with him, a man and a woman. minthara went for her weapons, but jarlaxe stopped her! with him are minthara's aunt and other uncle - quenthel and gromph. it was a tense meeting for us all; but it seems there is much going on. jarlaxe, gromph, and quenthel explain that in the two years since minthara's disappearance, a schism erupted in menzoberranzan, stemming from a 'lie of lolth' and quenthel's disobedience. civil war broke out; 3,000 dead, another 3,000 exiled - never to return, only to be hunted down like dogs. what's more, a cousin named yvonnel has been banished to the abyss - and minthara's mother, sos'umptu, after hosting lolth's avatar and becoming one of her chosen, had become matron mother to house baenre and now sat the throne of menzoberranzan. though the drow say they know she must destroy the absolute, they would have her aid afterwards - asking if she will help them free menzoberranzan from the shackles of lolth and sos'umptu.

minthara has asked for some time to reflect on all that has happened and all that she has learnt and missed.

minthara has told us more of her childhood and mother - and wonders just how long her mother has been planning this. she wishes to pledge herself to ridding menzoberranzan of lolth with her family members and their allies - but also wishes to take the city for herself once she kills her mother and unseats her from the jewelled throne.

>IF THE PLAYER CONVINCES HER NOT TO AID HER FAMILY ( persuasion check, 30. wisdom check, 25. intimidation check, 40 ).

minthara agrees with us that there might be nothing left for her within menzoberranzan; and that her family cannot be trusted. this action will have consequences.

>IF THE PLAYER AGREES MINTHARA SHOULD AID HER FAMILY

minthara has asked us to come with her when the fight is over, and provide our own skills in freeing menzoberranzan - though she suspects it will be a long, long road before they even set foot into the caves of the underdark.

THE QUEST CONCLUDES HERE, for now.

#yes i wrote this in the style of the journal entries.#drow avengers assemble (i have never seen a single mcu movie)#HEADCANONS. grant silence upon those who would betray it.

22 notes · View notes