#(this is from descent into avernus btw)

[kshaar]

sorry it has led to WHAT

[dutifullylazybread]

15. Was there anything you had to research for this fic? Do you usually do a lot of research?

Oh, I definitely have had to do research for this fic. One of my favorite parts of any writing project is the research portion, because it's just a reason to go down rabbit holes. With a lot of my fanfic writing projects, I do like to refer back to wikis, and for my original WIPs, I definitely consult a lot of books on folklore and mythology.

For Deeply and Immovably So, I've done research to learn more about Faerûn--such as food, holidays, and the magic system (what sort of spells use what material components, for example). While those are small details, I love putting them into the story. It helps me feel like the world is a little better rounded, and it's a small treat for me too. I have done some research into Avernus and the Descent, just so I can build a better idea for myself about what Rolan, Cal, and Lia might have experienced while there (Mostly the wiki page on Avernus, Elturel, and The Companion, and the 5e module Descent into Avernus). And, for one portion of the fanfic, I did run through a few D&D reddit pages to figure out how to set up one plot device (and I even used 3.5's monster manual! I'm shocked they didn't carry of this one creature that comes into play to 5e!). I'll definitely be giving credit where credit is due when I get to that point. :)

I have also used the Baldur's Gate wiki to help flesh out places like Ramazith's tower (this question is seriously helping me build my works cited!). The garden level, for example, is actually part of the tower from the first two games. And I was also doing some research into Ramazith as a character (not a fan of him, btw), and I want to use what I've learned to build out on some doubts that Rolan begins to have.

For chapter 7, I researched ways in which grief manifests for different individuals, because I didn't want to solely rely on my own experiences. It was honestly really frustrating to come up with a lot of websites that, while you could tell the writer's heart was in the right place, mostly repeated what another article would say. I'm not too sure if that's because I was looking in the wrong places for information or if it's because a lot of it is behind a paywall.

[grumblinggamer]

Party finally made it to (H)El(l)turel. I again used the great terrain and added the fire tokens I made (as described in my last post). The lighting was turned to a deep red, and I had some hellish sounds play in the background. Was anazing!

And was immediately charged by a corrupted Hell Rider who took a break from preying on the people of Elturel. I will structure Elturel based on The Alexandrian‘s „remixing Avernus“; the city has so much more options than the official campaign describes.

Due to the setup of my campaign, Elturel has been in Avernus for a much shorter time; the citizenry is mostly intact, but the cultists and hell knights, supported by some devils, have started their work of purging anyone in Elturel that can harm their plan: spellcasters of all levels are on the chopping block, and when the PCs arrive, every publicly known magic shop, library etc has been looted and burned, and most magic users are dead.

Ah, btw - I mentioned I would use a different wizard to bring the party to Avernus; I dug up an old PC of mine - an archwizard of Halruaa, who actually had to save a fellow PC from the clutches of an archdevil once. Also, I managed to include a short story about redemption in it via his wife (who, it was hinted, had a rather dark past). Redemption is a strong motive of the campaign, and I wanted to make that option clear.