#The praise from Thorm though

[coreene]

A letter from Ketheric to Gortash. Seems like our goth boi was losing his mind over the prism.

[liminal-space-lesbian]

BG3 Ladies x Bard Tav headcanons

Request: For request, can you write some about a bard tav and the female companions thank you have a nice day!

Thank you so much for this request, I just wanna apologize in advance and say I’ve never played a bard and know next to nothing about them, so if this is dreadful I fully apologize 😭

Karlach:

Karlach is your number one supporter. She ADORES when you play your lute in the evenings by the fire, it lulls her into a calm sense of security. She admires how you can play something so gentle and comforting, and then at the Tiefling party you strummed an enthusiastic tune.

She definitely dances along to your music, and sometimes if you sing she’ll join in. She’s not a great singer but she makes up for it with her enthusiasm. The time she doesn’t spend boisterously laughing or dancing her breath away, she sings along happily.

She’s so protective of you, oh my word. Any time you’re in a battle, she’s more than confident you can hold your own, but also you’re so precious to her that she tries her very best to keep you out of harms way. However, sometimes she hangs back to watch you viciously mock an enemy. “Yeah, you tell ‘em soldier!” She’ll shout encouragingly as she pulls her great axe from the corpse of an enemy. She also finds it impossibly hot when you mock an enemy.

Shadowheart:

Shadowheart is such a sucker for when you play her a ballad on your lyre. She will lounge back with a glass of wine and listen contentedly as you play. You may or may not have sang her a love song once, and she was quite literally swooning.

When you play a more energetic tune, she claps along and taps her foot to the beat. She’s not much for dancing, since she’s worried she’ll embarrass herself. If you beg enough she’ll give you a little jig though. Only if you’re alone though.

Other than your musical inclinations, she’s extremely impressed with how you charm people so easily. “Well look at you, you practically have them begging at your feet already.” And she’s not wrong, a sweet smile and a bat of your lashes and you get your way. She’s susceptible to your charms as well, don’t get me wrong. She just finds it incredibly endearing to watch you get your way.

Lae’zel:

Lae’zel complains that your drumming is incredibly annoying and pointless, but you catch her nodding her head to the beat more than once. If you’re charming enough you can get her to admit your music is… bearable.

When you set a marching beat during your travels, against her better judgment she will tramp along to the tempo you’ve set. During battle she is rather impressed by your skills Though she finds your ability to befriend anyone silly, she can’t deny its effectiveness.

Oh, and when you sing to her? She’s a goner. She will pretend to ignore you, but when you stop singing she’ll turn her head to glare at you. “Chk, tired already?” She’ll taunt, only settling back down when you continue.

Dame Aylin:

Aylin adores when you play your flute for her. She could listen to you play for hours, simply watching you adoringly. Every once and a while she’ll request a specific song, and absolutely sing your praises when you deliver.

Sometimes she asks you to sing for her, so she can fall asleep. She does have trouble sleeping sometimes, since her dreams are filled with memories of being trapped in shadow fell :( but you always are there to soothe her with a song.

Aylin always keeps you out of harms way in combat, even though you can hold your own. You’re too preschools for her to risk, so she makes sure you stay swell away from combat. She does appreciate your help when you boost her and your companions abilities with a warding spell. She is rather proud of your arcane abilities.

“Darling, aren’t you just the sweetest. Whatever would I do without you?” She always showers you with kisses after a battle, making sure to show her appreciation for you <3

Isobel Thorm:

Isobel loves watching you play your violin. She thinks it’s incredible how you so gracefully sway about, your fingers forming chords smoothly as your other hand draws the bow across the strings. It’s all skill, and she can see that.

When you play something more upbeat, she’s the first to be standing and supporting you, dancing the night away and cheering you on. She’ll also encourage your companions to dance as well, she wants to share the joy she feels by your music.

She also loves watching you fight, your nearly effortless grace in which you charm and smite enemies is something she greatly admires. “You impress me more every day, lovely.” She’ll call across the battlefield as you stand amongst a group of charmed enemies. You flash her a thumbs up in response, continuing your spell casting.

A/n

Sorry if these are kinda bad but I’m writing this in bed after working all day so 😀

[orphic-musings]

The pain we wrought from words unspoken…

Characters: Karlach x gn! reader, Wyll x gn! reader, Halsin x gn! reader, Aylin x Isobel, Bex x Danis

Genre: Angst, fluff (but not for you)

Warnings: hurt no comfort, misunderstandings, spoilers for the end of act 2, implied reference to death (character)

Summary: After an arduous battle everyone is celebrating and taking a much needed reprieve. Except you, whose heart has a hole that is home to loneliness and grief. Is there no one to comfort you?

Notes: Omg i am back and with a BALDUR’S GATE FIC!?!!??! yes i have been taken by this game too and it has me in a chokehold and forced me to write for it. im sorry it had to be angst it makes me so sad maybe i will write comfort pt. 2 if people want it! pls enjoy :-) (sobbing) lemme know if i missed any warnings also not proofread aha

Karlach:

Aylin had her arm around Isobel the whole night. You recall earlier how she had lifted Isobel into the air and spun her around, nothing but mirth and pure love in her eyes. The action had brought a genuine smile to your face. To see something so joyful and pure after so much torment and toil was a gift, an uplifting you didn’t know you needed. But it came with a bittersweet pang. Everyone was busy chatting away at camp, spirits were high as everyone had a much needed moment of reprise after the defeat of Ketheric. Though you still wore a smile, your heart faltered.

“Holding up, Soldier?” A warm and familiar voice appeared behind you, and you turned to be met with an equally warm smile. You nodded, returning the smile, a genuine one.

“I’m so glad to see everyone reunited and safe, it seemed like such an impossible reality before, but now….” You turned back to the Selûnite couple in a loving embrace as your sentence trailed off. Karlach’s eyes followed, but then she looked at you. Your eyes were faraway, and your smile seemed almost sad.

“Alright there?” She asked, concern in her voice. Ever conscious of the feelings of others, she could pick up on any hint of bitterness or longing in others. She knew it all too well.

“It’s just, seeing all this love… I should be so happy, I am! But it still hurts. It must be nice to mean that much to someone.” You didn’t face her as you spoke. Despite your calm voice and your content, peaceful face, she sensed a deep hurt behind your words. Her mouth opened, and her hand instinctively reached out to grab your shoulder, but she stopped.

You mean so much to me, I cherish every moment we spend together. I could forget myself in your smile, forget the world in your eyes. Just one look at your face can quell all my rage. I would spend every hour I could with you, I would not hesitate to defend you and protect you. I want to be with you. Is what she wants to say. But instead she turned away with a solemn silence of her own.

You didn’t react to her silence, times are hard, and love seemed like a luxury. You stood like a statue as she slipped away, mourning internally her prescence, as she ripped herself from your side unwillingly.

Fighting Zariel’s war was easier than fighting her feelings in that moment. But any moment could be her very last. For someone who would rather live and die in the present, fully and without regrets, she feels a hypocrite. But imagining the hope of being with you, the joy you might have from knowing how much she needs you and cherishes you, was too much to bear. She couldn’t stand the thought of taking that all away from you. It’s a lesser evil to keep it from you, to keep it from herself, in the first place, than to have fate cruelly crush it all. At least that’s what she told herself as she faced the wall of her tent, away from your own dejected form, with hot tears in her eyes.

»»————-　♡　-————««

Wyll:

It seemed a miracle that you managed to save all the tieflings, and the gnomes on top of that. And even more so to defeat Ketheric Thorm, and at last promise safety and rest to all in the shadowlands. But any praise or recognition went over your head as you reeled in the aftermath. It felt surreal, and almost like it happened too quick, and you were still having trouble processing it. Even as you walked around Last Light Inn to rejuvinate your mind.

“You’re alright! My gods you’re alright!” You heard a voice call, and as you rounded the corner you saw two Tieflings in a tight embrace. You recognized Danis as one of the prisoners you had rescued, and pride swelled in you momentarily. As you watched the reunion in tender delight, you failed to notice a presence join you.

“A joyous sight. It makes me feel better about all the toil thus far.” Wyll’s voice spoke beside you, smooth and clear. It made you smile, even as you felt the sweet atmosphere waver, threatening to leave behind a cold emptiness.

“A shame it seems so scarce these days.” You said, watching the couple wander off into the warm inn. His face fell as he noticed the melancholy in your gaze.

“Indeed. I only hope those who have love, and hope, hold onto it dearly.” You merely stared off into the distance, unmoving and unresponding. It wrenched his heart, but he remained with you. It somehow felt like the least, and the most, that he could do. He wished you would turn to him, so he coukd see the light reflected in your eyes. But you couldn’t, for the price of love and hope was one too high for you to pay, in your mind. And despite your proximity, there was a perceptible distance between you.

»»————-　♡　-————««

Halsin:

The camp was brimming with relief, chatter sounding from every corner as parties discuss the aftermatch of the fight at Moonrise towers. Many people had joined you after the fight, since it had really only begun, and your companions had proven themselves capable of leading the cause. But you were mostly grateful for the presence of those who had helped you make it that far, namely the archdruid of Emerald Grove. Halsin was relieved, and content as well. He had fulfilled his century long quest, and the lands were now safe. And so were you.

“What now? You’ve got what you wanted, after all.” You asked, unsure if he would stay now that his task is finished.

“I have. But perhaps there is more that I want.” He replied, a smile on his face. You felt the warmth of his words, and you almost let it invade your senses, but you shook it off. Curiosity threatened to get the better of you, even if you werenmt sure you wanted to know the answer. But before you could stop it the words had left your mouth.

“What is it that you want?” He paused to glance at you, the smile never having left his face.

“Not what,” he began, his gaze shifting past you, “but who.” He let out a sigh after that, like it was good to get it off his chest. But your heart fell. You had known you shouldn’t have asked, but you needed to. Just in case of that small possibility.

“Ah.” Is all you managed in reply. After a beat of silence you turned and left abruptly, the intense beat of your heart felt like it was punching your ribs. Halsin’s smile faded as he watched you walk away. Had he said something wrong? No, he realized, he had merely misread the situation. You didn’t feel the same way, you couldn’t have. He felt silly in that moment, and laughed it off as he had done with the other rejections in his life (though they were few). But he could not shrug off the pain that wrenched his heart.

The next day the camp felt uncertain again. Comforting, yes, but uncertain. The party would be on the road again, and many things could change until they next made camp again. But the heaviest thing hanging in the air was your silence, your distance. It was to be expected, he reasoned, after the awkward encounter, but he hoped it didn’t mean you couldn’t still be friends. The very thought caused his throat to tighten.

But you couldn’t even bear to look at him. Of course such an experienced, handsome and capable man such as him wouldn’t have a soft spot for you. Thinking about it now made you ill. You couldn’t be near him, because all you thought of in his presence was how lucky someone else was to have him. And as you journeyed down the road to Baldur’s Gate, your distance grew. So much that it caused an uncomfortable wedge in the group, a palpable bitterness that soured the air.

Every night sorrow would muster in the two tents on far sides of the camp. Frustration, tears and regret proliferated there in those moments, planting seeds of woe to be reaped when the dawn broke. And the cure for sickness was only right where they dare not look.

[evillittlebirdie]

Valley of the Shadow of Death

It's too much.

Tavara came from a small village. As a cleric of Yondalla, Tavara busied herself as a midwife's assistant. She craved any excuse to cuddle and tend to sweet little babies. Before being abducted, Tavara was on the road to marrying the son of a friend of her mother's and popping out five or six of her own brood. 

Instead of planning a wedding, Tavara was the makeshift leader of an adventuring group. Instead of washing afterbirth off a crying newborn, Tavara healed lacerations and contusions. Instead of ushering in new life, Tavara snuffed it out. Instead of remaining plump, Tavara thinned out and sported lean muscles. Instead of a boy down the road, Tavara fell in love with a cleric of Shar. 

Tavara broke during the aftermath at Moonrise Towers.

Tavara struggled to keep her composure throughout the adventure. She had kept her anxiety, doubts, and regrets to herself. She had seen death and thought she had become desensitized to it. But she didn't realize how wrong she was. Even though Ketheric Thorm remained an active threat, Tavara could not bear to leave the Harpers in the main room. She rushed from body to body. When her healing spells failed, she used her hands. She stitched wounds. She set broken bones. But it was all too much.

To be home again. Just to be home where she abstractly knew of war but did not see it. 

Tavara didn't know she was crying until she spotted teardrops on her hands. 

They didn't have time for this. She tried to push herself, unyielding to anyone's insistence. 

But then Shadowheart, still reeling from her trauma regarding the Nightsong, pulled Tavara to the side. 

"Tavara," Shadowheart began, leading her away from the rows of wounded bodies. "You're shaking."

"I know. I missed that stitch. Can you guide me? I think I just need some guidance and I can focus more," Tavara whispered, her eyes seeing but unseeing.

"Tavara," Shadowheart firmly stated. She placed her fingers on her cheek and turned Tavara to face her, "You need to rest. You can barely stand. And you cannot face Thorm like this."

"You face him then," Tavara replied, pulling from Shadowheart's touch. "I am of more use here, healing these brave men and women. I'm not a fighter. Not like you." 

Shadowheart bent down, squatting so she could see Tavara face to face. It was in this position that she could fully see the terror reflected in her lover's eyes. 

This was more than wounded soldiers; this was more than an evil general.

"Tavara, breathe," Shadowheart ordered softly. She placed her hand on Tavara's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You're doing beautifully."

Instead of encouraging her, the praise did quite the opposite. Thoroughly humiliated, Tavara burst into tears. She pushed Shadowheart's hand away and took a few steps back. "Don't patronize me, Shadowheart. I'm doing mediocre at best. And you've got me crying now. Thanks a lot. Just go."

Shadowheart could have been wounded, but instead, she stood her ground. Tavara did not have a hateful bone in her body. She did not mean her words.

Tavara sniffled and rubbed her hands against her eyes to wipe away the tears. In that action, Shadowheart realized just how young Tavara truly was. She was barely out of adulthood. She was a midwife's assistant, not even trained to be the midwife. And yet she was thrown into a world of high-stakes decisions and death. Tavara's confidence betrayed her in the end. Everyone looked to her for leadership because she was ready to take care of everyone. Whether or not she was ready for it was irrelevant.

Shadowheart was not familiar with comforting others. She couldn't remember anyone being tender with her. Maybe it was unforgotten instinct that had her wrap her arms around Tavara and pull her into an embrace.

Tavara latched onto her instantly, burying her face in Shadowheart's shoulder. She was no longer sobbing, but instead whimpering against Shadowheart's body. Shadowheart ran her fingers down Tavara's messy hair. Shadowheart didn't know if she was doing the right thing, but it felt right to her. 

For now, they had a general to kill. Afterwards, at camp, they would need to have a nice long talk. 

[inkyembers]

callum of house agamall, bhaalspawn ; the death bard THE DARK URGE

path: trying our best - embracing the urge, but !  

content warnings: cannibalism, violence, murder, torture, blood, all the fun stuff with being the dark urge

major spoilers for the dark urge storyline.

race: high elf bhaalspawn age: unknown, somewhere in between 150-250 class: bard/fighter preferred weapon: shortsword, rapier preferred instruments: lyre, flute, drum hair: black, undercut with long hair tied into a bun eyes: elven blue, one white sclera and one black sclera ( both white if he resists the urge, both black if he accepts it )

HEAD ACHING.  blood pounding.  you tried, and you tried, and you tried to remember. splitting,  b r e a k i n g  --  laughter.  not yours.  ( orin.  kressa.  ketheric. )  fight the urge.  fight the urge.  BLOOD.  MURDER.  KILL THEM ALL.  KILL THEM ALL. KILL THEM ALL.

callum was once the leader of the cult of bhaal, the last pure bhaalspawn made from a drop of bhaal's blood.  ( not tainted, like orin. ) 

before his acceptance of his destiny, he was given to the lord and lady of house agamall as a child; they were devout followers of bhaal, with their true fate hidden from the high society of the upper city.  callum was raised as baldurian nobility and had an affinity for performing, gifted with a beautiful singing voice and a natural talent at learning instruments.  he also had innate magical abilities that were further refined in his schoolings.  his parents encouraged it;  his mother taught him to use his gift to sing the songs of their Lord.

from an age much too young, he felt the urge.  callum never knew it as wrong, though, only praised by his parents for such cravings.  behind closed doors, he learned to kill with his bare hands, with knives, with instruments of torture, all in the service of bhaal.  all to keep the urge at bay.  

they told him the truth upon his hundredth birthday: he was born of the pure blood of bhaal.  upon this knowledge, he chose the name callum as his adult name, meaning purity.  ( he does not remember what they called him before. )  after spending his youth singing the songs of His people, and with sarevok gone, his parents led him to the temple of bhaal beneath the lower city.  there he became their leader in the shadows.  callum was known to be fair and foul, a man who had great control over his urges. .  .  and he was beloved by his people.  ( except.  except.  except. ) 

as the years continued on, he served bhaal dutifully, and the murders could never be traced back to the temple.  he would be CAREFUL where his predecessors failed.  he would not be as sarevok, dead and unable to serve.  no, he had plans of grandieur for his people.  

enver gortash was a fascinating fellow with plans as big as his own.  they knew each other from the baldurian upper society.  how easily they clicked, minds filled with beautiful images of what baldur's gate could be.  with the knowledge of the existence of the crown of karsus, callum and enver devised a plan:  capture the elder brain, control it with the crown.  the chosen of bhaal and bane needed a third, and ketheric thorm was brought to them as the chosen of myrkul.  they would use the general to attack the city with the cult of the absolute, and enver would play the hero and become the archduke. . . and the two of them would rule over baldur's gate like the KINGS they should be. 

it was well thought out and executed, until orin the red challenged his claim.  she, granddaugther of sarevok, felt that callum was TOO SOFT, that he was not fit to serve as bhaal's chosen.  he had paid her no attention, not concerned with her and her ferociousness. 

he realized his mistake when she split his skull and scrambled his brains.  his incoherent body was delivered to moonrise towers, where kressa would test the tampered tadpole on him.  callum was the FIRST VICTIM, the tadpole lodged behind his eye, trying to control his mind.  kressa loved having him as her pet, subjecting him to all kinds of experiments, torturting him ruthlessly.  she broke his fractured mind down even further to his base instincts: survive, survive, SURVIVE.  eventually, he was removed from kressa's care and put onto a nautaloid ship to be used as a mindless soldier for the army of the absolute.  

with his mind gone, there was not much left to him but his name when he woke from the pod.  CALLUM.  purity.  perhaps it meant he was to do some good in this world.  upon escape, he teams up with a group of people just like him plagued with the tadpole parasite. . .

THE FOLLOWING IS PART OF CALLUM'S ORIGINAL PLAY- THROUGH.  ALL ASPECTS OF THIS CAN BE REWRITTEN TO FIT THREADS AND HC OF OTHER WRITERS. this is just so you get an idea of callum's characterization and the choices he made with his reasoning. reminder that callum is multiship, and i would never force a ship upon any muses.  this is all for educational purposes.  if any of this interests you: great!  if none of this interests you, also great!  let's talk what can work for our version of their story. 

callum's original main final party ( verse dependent ):  selunite shadowheart, gale who wants the crown of karsus for himself, ascended astarion, lae'zel, and minthara

callum's original main ships ( verse dependent ): enver gortash (before orin scrambles his brains); ascended astarion 

callum's original main beats ( all verse / thread dependent ): 

- after learning that kagha and the druids look down upon the tiefling refugees, callum sides with the goblin camp and minthara.  his original intention is to ask the tieflings to leave before the goblins strike.  zevlor refuses to back down.  there is slaughter.  callum is sick to his fucking stomach over it, even as the urge thrives on the offerings. - riddled with guilt, callum refuses to give into the urge to kill isobel.  he saves her and the last light. jaheira joins his party.  he also saves aylin. - callum is terrified of the urges and seeks salvation, wishing he could protect his friends from himself.  after fighting orin, he chooses to become his father's chosen once more. he is conflicted, even if he basks in the glory and power of the slayer.  he does not wish to be shackled to his father's will.  this results in jaheira leaving him, even though he begs her to understand.  his heart is broken when he must kill her and the harpers for survival. - while callum ultimately supports astarion's ascension, he refuses to become a spawn to him. he will only accept turning if it is into a full vampire with mephistopheles' gifts.  callum ultimately regrets supporting the ascension when he realizes that the astarion he loved is truly gone. if he could go back, he would convince him otherwise. - callum teams up with gortash once more, barely remembering their original partnership but finding that he could trust him. 

ultimately, callum wanted to resist the urge, but he saw it as the lesser of evils in being able to control it. he regrets most of his decisions.

[thewollfgang]

Heyho, BG Anon back in your asks again. 😎 I'm in the Spooky Place™ and I found the inn. Jaheira is such a badass. She would definitely make me cry irl but I would totally respect that ngl, she's cool like that. Dammon the blacksmith is such a sweetie and should be praised nonstop for his efforts in trying saving our best girl Karlach. If she dies I'll never recover, swear.

Ravens were cool until I got jumped by an unkindness of them while walking about in the Spooky Place™. It gave me war flashbacks of watching The Birds (1963) when I was a kid. It was like 2006, I have no idea why it was playing on tv and I have no idea why my parents let me watch it but it had made me terrified of birds for a while.

My sister asked me why I give our beloved vampire preferential treatment and it gave me the perfect chance to say: "What do you mean I'm biased and don't love all my companions? I love Astarion and all non-Astarions equally." XD

BGGGGG

I literally checked my inbox before bed just in case there was an ask from you! I love Jaheria so much I want her to adopt me. It's too bad I'm playing a chaotic neutral bard, but I think he won her over even if he didn't drink her truth serum.

The fact that Karlach cannot romance Dammon is a crime Larian needs to be held accountable for. Shy craftsman blacksmith pining for brash, beautiful solider?? It writes itself!

I thought the ravens were HILARIOUS. I mowed them all down with Spirit Guardians. They kept running into the field to get to me and insta-dying 😂 (I have not seen The Birds but I know it would scare me because I frighten easily and so I would like to continue to have not seen The Birds)

Listen, Astarion and [looks at smudged writing on hand] Shart, Lazy, and Gill are my best friends. (I am exempting Wyll from this joke because he is a beautiful boy who has done no wrong)

I'm super excited for you to move into the Thorm's areas and how sad and creepy it gets! Make sure you hit moonrise towers before pursuing Kennic though. The game makes it seem like you ought to follow him first (and like get the weapon or weakness of his or whatever) but ignore that. Go check out the tower and surrounding areas before you do the rest, it kicks off the quest line a lot better :D