#Gortash: to be fair she is a warlock

[maegalkarven]

Hello!

About Empty Prayers AU, firstly - thank you for it! Now I have something to look forward to my evenings.

Secondly... this question really torments me: will there be confrontation with Raphael? Because with Gortash in party this meeting promises to be a hell of... revelations.

Aww thank you!

Oh, hell yes! There will be two confrontations with Raphael actually: one where he offers a deal to get the hammer and free Orpheus (the team refuses) and the final one when he catches them in the HoH. It requires a lot of mental energy to write because this shit will be UGLY. Gortash is not the kind of a man to react well to his wounds being forcibly open like that.

Also there will be confrontation with Korilla bc there's a headcanon she is the warlock Enver was sold to and I'm adopting it.

The team will be Enlightened. We'll also get to see a lot of Gortash at his lowest, the "spiteful ungrateful thing" he is.

[shadowmonkstone]

Camping is supposed to be restful, right? Well it’s bloody well not.

Lae’zel has built herself a Mind Flayer dummy to train on, presumably for when we all start transforming so she can lop our heads off easier. Cheeky bitch.

Obviously I haven’t said that to her face because I still quite like having my head attached to my shoulders.

Astarion thought it was hilarious that Wyll doing what was right got him transformed into a devil. I think he’s going to try and seduce him tonight from the way he was talking. A vampire humping a warlock, or the other way round. It’s the sort of tale the bards weave on ghost night in the pub. I can’t wait to tell Prim about it, three gold says she’ll blush, look down at the floor and punch my arm. Unless she’s drunk, then the naughty minx will want details.

Still, to be fair, vampire-warlock shagging is about the most normal thing that’s happened these last few days. I’ll just leave them to it while I work my magic on Karlach.

Honestly mate, the way she smiles. Blimey.

Oh! That reminds me. Kay said that this bastard in Baldur’s Gate called Gortash palmed her off to Zariel and that’s how this whole infernal engine bollocks started. You could see the anger and sadness in her eyes when she spoke. I would have offered her a hug if wouldn’t have singed my fucking skin off.

Pretty sure Gortash was the name of the bloke who was hosting the wizards’ gala bullshit you sent me over to work, wasn’t it? Now I dislike the wanker on two levels.

Anyway, finally tried to get some sleep and I won’t lie, I made sure my bedroll was just a little bit closer to Kay’s than anyone else’s. She didn’t seem to mind. In fact, I’m pretty sure hers has inched a little closer to mine.

Then Gale woke me up with another of his ‘oh, I wasn’t expecting you to notice my personal moment of self-reflection on the state of the Weave bullshit blah blah blah here’s ten words when one will do’ fake surprise moments.

Mate, you’re being loud as shit talking to yourself right by my bloody earhole with a glowing magic picture of a woman I’ve never heard of hovering above your palm. Of course I’m going to wake up.

So he offers to show me magic, I tell him to shove it up his arse because all I want to do is get some fucking sleep, and then he has the bloody nerve to get all uppity with me.

Gale, you’re a good lad and your heart’s in the right place but fuck me, know your audience yeah?

[blackjackkent]

"First you cleave my heart in twain. Now you shatter it into pieces. My son a monster, twisted almost beyond recognition. To think my blood flows through those veins. Is this my fate, to be freed from Gortash's hell only to be trapped in yours?"

"It isn't what you think! It never was!"

"You turned your back on me, on your city, to chase the she-devil and her power. She stinks up this place even now. It is *exactly* what I think."

OK, so this is not turning out to be the warm fuzzy reunion Hector and I were hoping for. :( Poor Wyll.

One of Hector's available responses here is "I'm beginning to think we should have let you drown," which is very not-Hectorish and also just generally not fair? Like this is a super rough conversation, but also I kind of sympathize with Ulder being upset.

Presumably, Wyll was barred from explaining to his father what happened with the pact, just as he was barred from telling Hector until recently, so from Ravengard's perspective his son literally just up and warlocked up for no reason without any explanation. And given Mizora's whole vibe it would not be hard to interpret it as a matter of more base temptation.

And, deeper down, this is a lashing out against himself as well. Ulder has spent many months now also in a thrall to a creature who sought to control him, and he has already wrought terrible things in its name. There is no question in Hector's mind that Ulder's anger at Wyll stems in part from fury and terror at what has been done to himself as well.

But it doesn't make it right - Wyll is not the correct target. And Hector will stand by him in that, no matter how justified Ulder's emotions.

There are a few other possible responses we can give but I think this is one of the few places where Hector actually wants to willingly use the parasite and the bond (and Exposition Expedient) that it gives them. It will be far easier for Ravengard to understand Wyll if he is shown, not just told, what his son went through.

Call on the parasite, connect with father and son. Ravengard should know the truth.

Narrator: Ravengard's tadpole clenches as your memories - and Wyll's - flow into him.

"By Tyr's wounds..." the Duke gasps out. "I'm in your mind..."

Narrator: The Grand Duke sees Mizora and her infernal sisters. He sees the agony in Wyll's face as an impossible choice is set before him.

"No..." Ravengard's face has gone slack with shock; his eyes open, wide and staring. "My son..."

But there is more to see. The connection is implacable.

Narrator: The past becomes present, and Wyll's thoughts are laid bare. Ravengard sees Wyll partnering with Mizora to defeat Tiamat's cultists before they could lay siege to Baldur's Gate. And he sees everything beyond. The nautiloid journey, the perlious path to Moonrise, the Astral Prism and the Emperor within.

"Wyll..."

Hector can hear the grief and the regret in the Duke's voice, and relaxes a little. He made the right choice in sharing this. Perhaps the Duke sees, now, the extent to which Wyll has tried to do the right thing, and been punished at every turn for it.

"Everything I did," Wyll says hoarsely, "I did for Baldur's Gate." A pause, then quieter, "I did for you."

"It's the truth, Ravengard," Hector says softly. "Wyll has always been a faithful defender of Baldur's Gate."

"My son," Ravengard whispers, and there is a new grief in the words now - grief for years wasted and lost. "You sold your soul to save Baldur's Gate - and I cast you out for it. You gave yourself to the Hells' eternal fires so I might walk free. By the gods, can you ever forgive me?"

(A/N: Slightly weird wording here. I suspect that the line about Hells' eternal fires is intended to reflect a scenario where Wyll accepted Mizora's deal, and the game hasn't adjusted this conversation to reflect the actual scenario where Wyll turned her down and Hector saved Ulder anyway. For our purposes, though, we can interpret this line to mean Wyll's original deal with Mizora, since there's certainly every chance she might have offered the same deal to Ulder himself to drive Tiamat out if Wyll had not been brave enough to agree.)

Wyll's shoulders slump. How long, Hector wonders, has he waited and wondered if he would ever hear those words of acknowledgement and apology from his father? How long has he hoped for a reconciliation that seemed impossible? "There's nothing to forgive," he says. "You wanted to protect the city. I only ever wanted the same."

Ulder looks at him for a long moment, steadily, appraisingly, and then nods. "You are a better man than most," he says firmly, "and a better son than I deserve. I'll yet make amends... but my duty is first and foremost to the city and its people." His eyes shift slightly to include Hector in the conversation. "There's something I must ask of you."

Hector tilts his head questioningly. "Go on."

----

Ravengard went on here to explain the wyrm under the city again, and the fact that Wyll has been trained in the "ways of the great champions" and is prepared to be the leader to call Ansur from its slumber.

("Courage. Insight. Strategy. Justice. I remember them well," says Wyll. "You made me recite them every morning."

"So you do. And I thought you'd abandoned them, more fool me," his father answers.)

Annoyingly, we don't have the option to tell Ravengard we already knew all this and were planning to do it anyway (and that we don't need yet another copy of the "Legend of Ansur" book that Cordula already gave us). XD But Hector told him that his faith in Wyll was absolutely well-founded and that they would see to it Ansur is roused.

"Thank you," Ravengard says. "And may the city know the truth of my only son. Pride of Ravengard. Pride of Baldur's Gate."

c: Aw. Yay!

[bruised-halo]

Fuck it

Here's more information about each of my completed Tavs/Durges so far (Besides Zephyra but I have a pretty good feel for her personality already because I'm almost to Act 2)

Nyx:

- Mephistopheles Tiefling - Folk Hero Background - Level 10 Arcane Trickster Rouge and Level 2 Fighter -

First ever Tav - She's loosely based off of my first DnD character from highschool. I say loosely because I cannot customize her to her full potential on PS5 because there are no mods just yet :(

Once I DO get the ability to do mods here in September(?) I will be remaking her to look more like she should

Lawful good for the most part

Pansexual

Romanced Spawn Astarion

I imagine that she had a rough childhood but decided to make the best of it

Would definitely sacrifice herself without any regrets if it came to that (Out of any of my current characters she is probably the most likely to willingly become a mindflayer to save her companions) - I think if I was to play her character again she absolutely would become a mindflayer to save her companions. Especially if Karlach tried to do it first (I didn't know you could bust out Orpheus at the time :( )

Scarlett:

- Zariel Teifling - Haunted One background - Level 12 Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer -

First ever Durge - was not redeemed

Chaotic Evil

Lesbian

Romanced Minthara

Very loyal to Bhaal

Scariest Bhaalspawn I have created so far. Like girl is absolutely ruthless

Definitely a narcissist and does not really give af about any of the companions except for Minthara.

Probably the strongest of my characters. She was absolutely slaughtering everyone she came into contact with

Became the absolute in Bhaal's name

Definitely a doomed from the beginning antagonist

Only character of mine that has willingly become half illithid

Lyssa:

- High Elf - Haunted One background - Level 12 Oath of Vengeance Paladin -

First redeemed Dark Urge character - I absolutely loved her dynamics

Chaotic good - an actual chaotic good. Like girl is goofy

Did not break her Oath :)

Bisexual and Polyamorous

Romanced Spawn Astarion and Halsin

Pre lobotomy Lyssa was definitely a menace but not entirely evil. Very conflicted tbh

She did have on and off again flings with Gortash for sure pre lobotomy

I believe she first became a Oath of Vengeance Paladin to get vengeance on whoever robbed her of her memories. Post Orin's death I believe she kept that Oath of Vengeance to continue to vanquish evil that would hurt innocents.

Views Jaheira as a motherly figure for her and cares for her deeply

Her Dream Guardian was her adoptive mother that she killed when the urges first manifested as a child (the guilt will live with her for the rest of her days)

Lillith:

- Seldarine Drow - Haunted One background - Level 12 Berserker Barbarian -

Redeemed Dark Urge

Neutral Good - mostly heroic but did do some questionable things

Silent but friendly type once she gets comfortable with someone

Demisexual

Romanced Gale

Pre lobotomy Lillith was probably evil asf. But to be fair it was the only thing she ever knew. Girl was most likely besties with Gortash. Maybe some romance? Who knows? But most likley

Fun fact about Lillith: The eye that her tattoo is on changes from Red to White to symbolize Bhaal's grip on her being broken post resurrection from Withers

When she was first resurrected, she wished she would have stayed dead because she thought she could never repent for the heinous actions she committed while being under Bhaal's influence

Gale is the first person she has ever felt truly safe with

Willow:

- Mephistopheles Tiefling - Haunted One background - Level 12 Archfey Warlock -

Chaotic neutral/chaotic evil depending on which ending she gets - She is my only Dark Urge character that could go either way

I prefer her redeemed ending bc girl is traumatized but the evil ending also makes sense for her

Queer - she does not give af about labels tbh

Romanced Gale

Pre lobotomy Willow killed her first love Ophelia during a Dark Urge episode - safe to say her dream guardian is a dead version of Ophelia

She definitely went off the rails post Ophelia's death. I believe this event was the main trigger that led to her becoming fully devoted to Bhaal. There's nothing worse than losing everything/one you cared about after all

Romantic but also very toxic relationship with Gortash. Out of all my Durges she is definitely the most likely to have been all over that greasy man LMAO. Girl was FERAL

She is the only Durge who does reject Bhaal but also has the opportunity to become the Absolute depending on the choices she makes in game

Her and Ophelia are tragic soulmates in EVERY lifetime. One of them will always die tragically by the others hands. There is no reality where they can both live together happily ( Angsty I know LMAO )

Ophelia:

- Human - Urchin Background - Level 12 Life Domain Cleric of Selûne -

True Lawful Good

Only exists in the alternate reality where she managed to get the upper hand on Willow in self-defense. Unfortunately Willow dies due to this

Definitely my bravest tav. She will run headfirst into anything if it means saving someone in need

LESBAINNNNN

Romanced Shadowheart

Definitely the more rational one between her and Willow. She was always trying to keep Willow out of trouble. She loved it though. The chaos as definitely fun at times

Before Willow's death, Ophelia was trying to make ends meet by any means necessary. She was an Orphan and had no one to rely on but herself. Hence the Urchin background.

After Willow died, Ophelia swore to repent for what she had to do by becoming a life domain Cleric of Selûne. It definitely helped her grieve. It also gave her a purpose and led her to becoming who she is

The enemies to lovers dynamic with Shadowheart is the BESTTTTT. I highly recommend Shadowheart x Selûnite tav

The ending she gets with Shadowheart is just what she deserves. Like poor girl had it ROUGH

Zephyra:

- Githyanki - Outlander background - Currently level 7 Paladin of Vengeance -

Chaotic good for sureeee

Bisexual

Previously had a fling with Astarion but is absolutely in LOVE with Lae'zel (she pretty much so always was but she was in denial)

She's a little less rough around the edges than Lae'zel (especially in the beginning when Lae'zel still doesn't trust anyone yet)

Also far more knowledgeable about Faerun than most other Githyanki due to her outlander background. She loved to explore far and wide before the mindflayer abduction

She's definitely a romantic at heart but doesn't want to admit it just yet

She swore her Oath of Vengeance after her best friend went missing and is presumed dead. She just wants to know what happened to her (Spoiler: Vlaakith Ascension ending ����)

Her and Lae'zel are definitely mother's to the githyanki egg from the creche

Her relationship with Lae'zel is absolutely adorable. They definitely complete each other. Zephyra was the first person to ever show Lae'zel the importance and feeling of softness when it comes to love

[hamartia-grander]

I KNOW you wanna talk about Wyll. Or if someone else gives you Wyll do Karlach

No one's asked me at all so I'll do both DHHDSFFH <333 (ask game here)

How I feel about this character

Wyll and Karlach are both my faves I would give my heart and soul for them I need them both desperately I want to eat them whole eat them out etc etc I'm absolutely obsessed with them

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Wyll - Astarion

Karlach - Minthara

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Funny because my nonromantic OTP for Wyll and Karlach is each other. They are best friends they are platonic soulmates there isn't a universe in which they wouldn't find and befriend each other. Their bond is unbreakable they will love each other until the end of time and even beyond

My unpopular opinion about this character

Uhhhh I don't think I have one? My opinion on both of them is that they are perfect and can do no wrong and they are the best characters and also the hottest. If any of that's unpopular then people have bad taste

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Wyll - spoilers obviously but I'm forever killing Larian for not tying him to Ansur in any way despite it being his literal end quest. I wanted to see Wyll with a new "The Great Old One" warlock pact where the spirit of Ansur is his new patron. Or perhaps draconic sorcerer Wyll where Ansur's spirit inhabits Wyll's magic. I wanted to see dragon rider Wyll (in any sense of the word...) and at the very fucking least I wanted to see Wyll's quest actually be his own quest instead of being derailed and taken over by a certain shitty character and his centuries long dragon-divorce. They had every chance to drive home how he parallels Balduran but ultimately is what Balduran could never be. He's the heart of the fucking gate for Christ's sake. Also he should get to kill Mizora it's not fair that you can kill Cazador but not Mizora

Karlach - um I'm forever mad about how they treated her entire storyline actually. Why tf would you use a D&D setting and then deny the players any D&D mechanics that would actually save her??? They just ignore massive aspects of D&D so they can have a convenient sad narrative for her and it drives me crazy. Also, they act like her soul is bound to Zariel yet she thinks death would let her escape Zariel, so which is it. Tbh I just want to see her be able to actually be saved within the canon game, not just a sprinkle of "oh maybe we can fix her engine later". Like this is her entire questline and it's. Never resolved. She also deserves to have more lines/scenes reacting to gortash, especially when you play as the dark urge, because she's just sidelined for whatever the hell they have going on. Like I should be rolling strength or dex checks to hold her back from killing him immediately.

[infernalbarbarian]

one muse kisses the other in a moment of heightened emotion (midge)

one moment, she’s frantically spouting off every single little thought as her body & mind are both overwhelmed with emotions : anger, rage, fury, pain, fear, anguish. she’s feeling it all at once, now that she no longer has the motivation of vengeance driving her forward. gortash is dead and somehow… somehow, karlach feels worse. worse, because killing him didn’t fix her. it didn’t change her. she’s still dying. yes, one moment she’s shouting and quite literally fuming about how it isn’t fair, and then the next moment she feels gentle lips press against her own, the salty taste of the other tiefling’s tears slipping into her mouth. it’s as though the gesture is able to quell the fiery inferno blazing within karlach’s ribcage, and she feels herself give into the touch. the sobs she’s been trying to suppress simply overcome her and wrack her body as she folds two large arms around midge’s much smaller frame, and she holds her tight and close. her head is lowered to rest upon midge’s shoulder, face buried within the crook of her neck as the cries are muffled into the warlock’s collar.

karlach holds her there for what feels like an eternity, crying until she’s too tired to cry any longer ( and she was already exhausted, so it doesn’t take too long ). she’s breathing heavily, wiping the tears burning her eyes upon the warlock’s shoulder as she nuzzles her face against midge’s neck. a sniffle, before she lifts her face just enough to speak, keeping her chin rested on the other’s shoulder, “i love you so much it hurts… i — i wish i didn’t have to leave you…” her voice quivers, speaking through her constrained throat as more sobs threaten to take hold.