#⚔︎ [ v.01 ; farewell to fair tidings ]

[spellwound]

@estarion

"Wine is always disgusting. Do you want some liquor? Or just... anything but whatever you're putting in your mouth?"

[spellwound]

@spiderwarden

"Y'put a lot of faith into something you have no proof of," they state blandly towards the woman ( of whom they truthfully admire ). "how do you do it? I'm genuinely curious. Believing in something bigger than you, that could strike you down at any moment, and still believing in the cause you're fighting for being good... or good enough for your own mind."

[spellwound]

"no, i know what i said," the 'hero' mumbles, and yet he glances over at last. "ooh, you're an odd one. lots of gray in you." it's unclear what he means by that. still, after a moment of hesitance, he waves zynth over. "what quest do you have for me? that's what most people want."

@chosenpower.

"Gray in me? What are you seeing, I have to wonder." a curling grin that is more teeth than natural smile, though it doesn't seem malicious in the slightest. if anything, it felt, almost, amused. as if they didn't know how to interpret the words & thus found it funny that someone could STUMP them. "I have no quest," the word burns on their tongue, as they cross over to the 'hero'. "but if you'd like, I have an offer."

[spellwound]

timeline updates (to be added on the card):

[act 2 neutral-bad dark urge spoilers below]

isobel, after being *knocked unconscious by true soul marcus, was taken away, leading to the disruption of the harper's base of operation's shields against the shadow curse.

jaheira was intimidated (natural 20) into walking away before she was killed by both of them (even though farise was ITCHIN' for a good fight).

as a result, farise - the dark urge - was told that she'd have to sacrifice the person she held dear to her (astarion). in a panic, and barely managing to not attack him, she woke him up and confessed to everything that was happening to her.

astarion AND gale both know about the previous lives at this point, due to farise panicking and trying to save their relationship as friends, allies, and perhaps something more than that.

gale and zynth are still very friendly to each other, but the situation is VERY tense (three disapproval dialogues in a row). zynth does not expect gale to ever come around to continuing what they could have possibly had, knowing what they've done in the past.

[spellwound]

@stellafortunae

"Wh... you're a child." the voice is almost aggressive, but even a deaf man would be able to tell that they're not angry at the other, more than they are... concerned that no one is around. "Do you have anybody with you?" brows knit in confusion, and faux fury. "You shouldn't be alone out here. Bad people may show up." some would consider themselves and their sibling as such.

[spellwound]

[ 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 ] ― sender and receiver lay under the stars to stargaze @urgebound <3

the five senses. accepting. farise & zynth.

it had been some time since zynth and their sibling had managed to secure enough time away from the noise and the clutter of their every day lives. so few days spent just being themselves - or what they believed left of who they were. it had been some time since they allowed themselves the reprieve of knowing they could be away from the fight, away from the world, away from the pain & the bloodshed. maybe it's zynth, or maybe it's farise; trouble seemed to follow them wherever they ran.

away from the stars, zynth looks over at their sibling, and they can't help but smile. so much has changed, and yet nothing at all has. they weren't even the same people who first got kidnapped, and then there were moments like this where they could firmly state that no, no they were still themselves, still those silly little kids with big kid plans. it felt like a terrible tragedy sometimes, but other times...

"I think it looks like a fox."

"Nuh uh!"

other times, the world could just... leave them all behind.

[spellwound]

the fellow in green is haggard looking, as if the dregs of a hero were left in the bottom of a beer stein. definitely an adventurer, definitely one who'd seen better days, despite how young he looks. he can feel eyes on him, but he doesn't turn around from the polishing of his hammer.

"if you're going to attack me, you might as well do it now. i can feel the dread leeching off of you."

"You mistake dread for hostility, I'd say." the words whip back like a rubber band pulled too far, but at the same time, the sting was lacking. the elf can't help but wonder if the poor guy could even handle himself, but the last time they considered something like that, they damn near died and lost the run - though in the end it didn't matter, it seems. "You look miserable. I hear it loves company."

[spellwound]

@altaqua

"Listen, I forgot." mildly true, but still hilarious; zynth trying to outfit gale with a two handed magical glaive and forgetting that you need a hand free to cast spells is objectively (stupid &) hilarious. "Don't look at me like that."

[spellwound]

"Clean yourself up. You're getting blood all over the place."

unprompted? accepting. @xavthew0rld.

"Pity, then, that you'll have to damn stomach it." the snarl that leaves the once-angel's mouth is genuine for once, rage and fear alike burning in their eyes, as if the fight that the BOY had walked in on had pushed someone who shows no lingering aces up cut sleeves into throwing their hand in the ring finally. "Let me bleed. It's not like I can die."

[spellwound]

act i [new] tag

⚔ [ v.01 ( act i ) ; farewell to fair tidings ]

act ii tag

⚔ [ v.01 ( act ii ) ; fairer men would have died ]

act iii tag

⚔ [ v.01 ( act iii ) ; judgement pray thee fair ]

act iv tag

⚔ [ v.01 ( act iv ) ; damnation thy fairest burn ]

[spellwound]

“So, I don’t think I’m dying, or anything, and it’s probably not that serious, but… I’m kinda bleeding. A lot.”

hurt comfort starters. accepting.

"So you are." eyes close for a second, trying to recall the moment where such familiarity blindsided the warlock. ah yes, showing up in the middle of the gods forsaken underdark on grounds of having something to show them! stupid boy. "Run afoul some lingering duergar did we? Do you want a full heal, or would a potion do?" they say this as they begin to take out a greater healing potion, of which they possibly have far too many to count.

[spellwound]

❛ this fear you feel? it won’t last. ❜

darker vibes. accepting.

a scoff meets the reassurance ( or was it supposed to be something worse? ) & they shake their head, running gloved hands through their hair in frustration of what had just happened. a shock of familiar guilt runs through them, holy & burning like they were, once. "I think that happened because of me." they admit.

a flicker behind briefly closed eyes of a shrine dedicated to a god that they do not believe in for protection against the deep darkness with & without them, but they believed that deserved a whisper of dissent against what he was doing. ( damn you, shar & damn you, selune. damn your followers, and damn me for believing i could ask anything of the gods. )

"Don't tell Gale, but... well. He probably knows, ah... I tried to be courteous to that one shrine, the god there. Shar. As cold and callous as I am... even deities deserve understanding... or so I thought." voice bends, almost breaking, at the last whispered words of fear. gale almost died, and it was their fault. ( farise, she said it was fault of no one but the archer who shot the bow; they disagreed. the archer worshipped shar. it was no coincidence. )

"Every time I try to be good, something like this happens... Is this really my sister and I's fate? To be... cruel? To be heartless and wander these lands becoming the monsters we try to save others from? Tell me, Astarion- is it worth it, to be someone worse than the ones who made you this way, just so the world can no longer hurt you?"

[spellwound]

PATRON: THE STAR.

XIUE'THAL, THE HOSTESS OF SECOND CHANCES.

One of the kinder Warlock Patrons, but one harder to find than even one of the Great Old Ones proper, Xiue'thal is a being who shows "herself" to people who have suffered at the hands of a cruel and unjust universe, hiding away what's truly precious to them and giving them the power to do right by what they want - at only the cost of giving "her" complete control over their mind.

A choice that is always willing on the Warlock's part, the control that's given to Xiue'thal as a result of this pact allows "her" to grant more ability in a pinch, as "she" is reluctant to lose her pacted even under their own desire to die, allowing "her" Warlocks to cast more magic than they should be able to for their class... at a severe cost. Though the pacted will be unable to truly die until Xiue'thal wants them to, they will suffer great internal damage every time they exert themselves, not unlike the feeling of coughing up burning tar and poisoned ambrosia.

Though "her" domain is vast and unknowable, "she" is a small Great Old One - or rather, she is a young Great Old One. When none of the others will answer, "she" will turn "her" gaze towards the Warlock-to-be and consider it. You will know when Xiue'thal - and thus your gift of a second chance - turns away from you.

[spellwound]

a canon point that some people are welcome to hit that is open for anybody to hit as of the most recent update in their story:

this look is the one that they used to bear when they were in baldur's gate, save the small fact that they used to boast that their hair matched their wings. now, it is an echo of a time that only comes in the form of flashes of memories. everything about them is practically the same.

[spellwound]

i can't imagine using the "mysterious artifact" several times in a row to your advantage - & it LETTING YOU, only to continue clinging to your side in this blood war - would do your body any good, especially after it completely rewrites your body & soul. i imagine situations that the longer-lived companions having moments of 'are you sure we haven't met?' or 'did you have a brief spot in the hells before?' as well as people subconsciously wanting to be near the player even if they're "dark urge" or just not being kind. maybe because - in faye and zynth's playthrough(s) - they are more just than they are kind, and when they are kind, it's in moments where justice is not needed.

[spellwound]

"Have a seat with me." the ever youthful warlock quietly insists to @estarion. "You've stuck around this long," and to be fair, the pale elf could have left at any time. "I think you should have as many answers as you do questions, at this point. Go ahead and ask what you're curious about."