#but that abomination he became in bg3

[void-within]

[dmagedgoods]

I got inspired by anyone who did it 💕, so I wrote a little intro for Rowley in BG3 too, if he was a companion instead and the MC met him for the first time. ~ You could swear you are being watched. – Out from the dark shadows between pieces of deformed wreckage, as if someone – or something – was lurking, watching your every step. The feeling is threatening and your hand moves to your weapon. Still, it happens faster than you can react, and a dagger cuts through the smoke-thick air, directly toward your face, and misses it by merely three inches. The sudden attack and a wet sound behind you make you turn around in a swift motion, and the small creature breaks down dead. Some of the intellect devourers must have survived the crash. Your eyes search the shadows of the wreckage and near rocks and something higher up in them moves. A moment later, a man slides out of them and lands smoothly on his feet in front of you; his movements are dexterous, his body athletic and lithe like a predator’s meant to hunt in the dark. “This was a hard decision, you know? I like those little abominations, and you could turn into an obstacle rather than an asset.” An unsettling smirk plays across his mouth that seems just a touch too wide for his slim, sharp-edged face. You realize that the impression is strengthened by a wide scar from his upper lip across his right cheek. He looks at you, appears relaxed, but you are not fooled: His cold grey eyes stay attentive. Something in them reminds you of an upcoming storm. His ashen-blonde hair is short but just long enough to look unruly and wild. He wears black leather and two long shiny daggers cross on his back. His pointed ears are pierced in many places, adorned with silver jewelry, and give him away as a half-elf. “Now, but I have a choice for you …” His statement is cut short when your tadpole reaches out for his and a gasp leaves his lips. Your instincts tell you that the mind of this man is the last place you want to be, but the parasite doesn’t care for your attempt to hold it back and pictures flash up in front of your eyes. Light reflects in sharp metal, blood covers your skin. It’s not your own. You turn away in satisfaction, a short-lived sensation that’s swallowed by cold only a moment later. Your face in the shattered mirror on the wall makes you flinch, reminds you too much of what has been. There is a hole, something missing, something missing that will never return, and the abyss caused by this lack draws in all happiness that dares to emerge. You stare at the stranger who braces himself against the stony wall. He already found his grin again but the pictures you just saw expose it as a lie. “You just became a useful someone to stick with.” He steps closer and for the first time, his smile seems to reach his eyes. “The name is Rowley. What do you say? Want to buy my service for a while? – Not in coin. You'll pay me for my help by finding someone to remove those little fuckers from our heads.”

[prince-jelli-fish]

Full lore dump of my dnd npcs that I've adapted into full on bg3 characters below the cut ⬇️⬇️⬇️

First, what is a Dual Life?

A Dual Life is a magic entity that I created for a homebrew dnd campaign back in 2020. They are a person who has been magically bonded, at birth, to a specific member of the animal kingdom. From that day forward, that person will have one specific animal as their guardian and animals of the same type will naturally gravitate towards them. Upon their death, be it natural or unnatural, the animal guardian will willingly give up their life, fuse with the person, and grant them a second life. The person also takes on some of the characteristics of that animal.

Now, how did this all come about?

In the original campaign, this came about through completely random chance. I changed things up a bit to fit with BG3. A man named Bartram Graves sought after immortality. Upon doing experiments with the weave, he discovered that there was a way for him to infuse magic directly into a person lifestream that would allow them a second life after death. It is important to note: this practice is considered extremely taboo and the result of a successful Dual Life is labeled as a magical abomination, not only in the eyes of most mortals but in the eyes of the gods themselves. It took decades of extremely unethical experimentation, but he came about with his first success: an infant elf he named Nyomi.

Nyomi

Nyomi was bound to a deer who identified herself as Silfy. Nyomi was always a well spoken child who stood up to anyone. As she matured into an adult, she became more conscious of what she considered good and bad. She despises Bartram with every fiber of her being and wants nothing more than to exact justice upon him. To a stranger, Nyomi is cold and calculating, trying to determine if they live up to her standards of good and bad. To her beloved siblings, Nyomi is soft and gentle. One could say she is overly soft as she will give in to anything they ask of her. She also tends to throw her moral code out the window and make excuses for them.

As Nyomi grew, Bartram continued his project. Ten years later, he had two more successes. A drow he named Lillith, and an elf he named Braern.

Lillith

Lillith was bound to a mated pair of giant spiders named Charlie and Nora. Lillith was an extremely soft spoken and shy child who grew into a soft spoken and awkward adult. She is terrified of making anyone upset and will continually cross her own boundaries to make others feel better. She almost always ends up learning everything there is to know about someone else before she reveals even the slightest bit of information about herself.

Braern

Braern was bound to a crow that called himself Elias. As a child, Braern would isolate himself and didn't care much for friendships. As an adult, Braern only cares for those he has dubbed his family. He's fiercely protective of them and wants nothing more than to please them.

How the siblings were separated

Once Nyomi became an adult, Bartram decided it was finally time to make sure his success was viable. Nyomi was quietly executed, and reborn as her Dual Life self. She gained a deer's antlers and hooves. This act picked up a lot of attention, specifically from two wealthy and powerful people, Lord Kilzern Manu and Lady Ommara Fragon. Both Kilzern and Ommara were dragons in disguise and had an extremely personal rivalry.

Ommara approached Bartram first and offered him an extremely obscene amount to adopt Braern into her family. Obviously, Bartram accepted and the young elf boy (approximately 10 in human years at the time) was taken away to live with Lady Fragon. She changed his name to Raven. He became one of her own children, and went to great lengths to care for him as though he were her's by blood.

Nyomi and Lillith weren't so lucky. Kilzern approached Bartram next and demanded both Nyomi and Lillith, as well as the creation of an additional child. Bartram easily parted with the two young women (approximately 25 and 10 in human years at the time), but was hesitant to take on the challenge of yet another Dual Life child. Kilzern insisted and thus, a human he named Raphael was born.

Raphael

Raphael was bound to a tiger who called herself Pansa. Immediately after his birth, he was brought to Kilzern's home and Nyomi was put in charge of his care. Raphael grew into a very aggressive and stubborn child. He has a great difficulty distinguishing how to act during tense situations and laughs at inappropriate times to cope with discomfort. As an adult, he has become even more aggressive to anyone he doesn't trust. Biting is always an option for him.

Life living with a tyrant

Kilzern Manu, a tyrant lord and secretly a black dragon in disguise, only desired power.

Nyomi, Lillith, and Raphael were not Kilzern Manu's only children. He had two blood children, Tolrin and Sisseth

Tolrin was even more bloodthirsty than Kilzern. He had an intense drive to prey on those who were weaker than him. He took out his rage on each of his adopted siblings, but particularly delighted in torturing Raphael.

Sisseth was far more even tempered than her father and brother, but she wasn't without her flaws. She felt it in her heart to protect her adopted siblings, but only to a point. Due to her sweet and gentle nature, Lillith was the one she protected the most from Tolrin's torment. She would occasionally try to help Nyomi, but felt that since she was an adult, Nyomi needed to stand up for herself. Sisseth was genuinely frightened of Raphael due to his volatile nature, so in the back of her mind she felt he almost deserved Tolrin's punishments.

The fall of Manu

When Lillith became an adult, Manu had planned to make a spectacle of her transformation to Dual Life. He planned a lavish event and invited those nobles corrupt enough to enjoy watching Lillith executed and then transform into a magical abomination. Sisseth realized what was happening and decided now was the time to act. She smuggled her sister out of the mansion and sent her off to live in an extremely secluded temple in the woods.

Upon Sisseth's return, Tolrin reported to their father what she had done. The day of the party arrived, and Sisseth took Lillith's place on the chopping block.

At this point, Nyomi and Raphael, were in shock. Lillith was gone, Sisseth was dead, and it was only a matter of time before Raphael became an adult and Kilzern would order his execution.

Unceremoniously, Raphael and Nyomi murdered Tolrin and Kilzern while they slept, then set the mansion on fire. They escaped into the woods and ran away to Baldur's Gate, where they would hopefully live unnoticed.

Raven's life

Braern, now turned Raven, had a relatively uneventful life. Lady Ommara Fragon had one other child, Tybalt, and the two of them quickly became firm friends. Tybalt was quite a bit older than Raven, but became the most doting big brother one could ask for. Once he became an adult, Raven opted to take on his Dual Life form to better protect his mother.

Unbeknownst to anyone in either family, Tybalt and Sisseth had begun to court each other. When Tybalt found out what had happened to his beloved, he tried to take on the House of Manu by himself, and failed.

When Tybalt didn't return, it drove Raven to rage. He went with Lady Fragon to exact revenge, but to their surprise, the mansion was on fire and the Lords of the house were dead.

Raven vowed to stay by Lady Fragon's side as her bodyguard for the rest of his life.

Lillith's life

Lillith lived 20 years of her life in the secluded temple that Sisseth left her at. Her only company were her spiders, plus the priest and priestess who guarded the temple. They urged Lillith to study sorcery and devote herself to Mystra.

Unfortunately for Lillith, being a magical abomination means the goddess of magic doesn't like you very much. She spent 20 years trying to learn even the smallest bit of magic only to fail every time. No matter how hard she tried, she was unable to succeed at even the most basic principles or channel the smallest portion of the Weave.

To combat the frustration of being urged to study something she could never succeed in, Lillith took up painting. In any spare time that she was allowed, she worked at becoming an extremely talented artist.

Nyomi's life

Nyomi stayed with Raphael until he became an adult and she was certain he would be fine on his own. Once that happened, she left and went to the Underdark to seek out those considered to be evil doers and offered up justice. She did her best to find those suffering from the same kind of torment she suffered and would relieve them of their burdens. She never sought out payment or praise for what she did, and would fervently ignore criticism.

In all that time she spent in the Underdark, she only ever made very shallow connections with other people. One night trists or fleeting conversations were all she would allow herself. She had no desire to create meaningful relationships with others. She had a job to do.

Raphael's life

Raphael grew into a very anxious and aggressive adult. After Nyomi left, he quickly turned to a life of crime. Anything he wanted he would get, no matter the cost. He had been denied so much and was tortured for so long that he decided his adulthood would be full of everything life had to offer. His constant companion was Pansa who stood by his side as his ever watchful guardian.

As an adult, Raphael became extremely touch averse, he'd even developed slight chirophobia (fear of hands). He would never allow anyone to get close to him. Now that he was in charge of himself, it was his job to make sure he was never hurt again.

So, what was the point of all this?

Ultimately, I just really needed to write down all my lore in a place where I'd remember it. In each of their respective timelines, the end of what I wrote is what happened right up until they were kidnapped and tadpoled. If you read all the way through, I'm genuinely super honored and surprised. Thank you! <3

[littlelostmabari]

WIP Wednesday (5/29)

A couple little teases :)

"One of the Good Ones"

(DA2/DAI : Cullen/OC : in progress)

Check out the story on AO3! (Rating: M)

From Chapter 7, in which Fenris is debating what terrible thing he did in a past life to earn this particular set of friends.

Learning about Harrowings had been straightforward — the hardest part was learning that demons were not ‘fiends’, they were just ‘demons’. The behavior was similar to the fiends she knew though: forge a deal for human souls and spread evil in the waking world. Mages could summon them, although usually at a cost of blood; more often mages fell prey to demons and became some hybrid called an ‘abomination’. “I can’t,” Saoirse commented quickly after Fenris started to twitch at the end of the table the longer the concept of demons was discussed. “I can’t summon demons, fiends don’t respond to Sylvanus’ magic.”  “Foolishness,” Fenris replied, slamming his drink down onto the table with more gusto than he had meant. Fortunately for the table, the mug was empty. Unfortunately for Fenris, the mug was empty. He left quickly to remedy that. 

WIP: "A Touch of Darkness"

(BG3/Soulmates AU : Gale/OC)

He had never seen her fight so fiercely despite the absence of her storm magic. She threw herself into battle in stained scale mail, with newly looted scimitar and shield in hand. In place of the magic that used to skitter across her face and down her fingertips, only cold metal and blood covered her arms and hands. As fierce as she was… it was wrong. She had always been a sorceress of thunder and lightning, able to call the storm down on her practice targets despite the sunniest of days. He reveled in her sheer physicality as she spent evenings matching Lae’zel blow for blow as they sparred in a makeshift arena off the camp… but he missed the other sounds of her. The ting of sword-metal could not replace the striking of a perfectly tightened drumhead. He would happily replace her bow with a harp, if only to hear the plucking of a different string. His mind drifted often to why she bled instead of healing, why she stabbed instead of shocking.  It didn’t matter though. Twice more she had reached for him in the early days and twice he had found other places to be, even if it was recoiling into his own mind. He would not plague her melodies with his new resonance. He would not sully the beauty he knew lay under her surface with the blight that lay under his. The look in her eyes the three times she touched him and the three times he pulled away… he would cherish the looks of pain-that-became-venom because it meant she was unsullied.  She could hate him because it meant she was still alive.

[justanothergaymess]

So. My dear mutual @thedragonagelesbian has proven how incredibly nice it can be to take a Dragon Age OC that already has at least one preexisting brain worm and create them in BG3, so I had the impulse to follow in the example set by Cyrus Hawke. Everyone, meet High Harper Imerati "one part religious trauma, one part martyr complex, and one part survivor's guilt" Surana. She was born around 1464 DR. As a young orphan in Neverwinter, her powers as a sorceress manifested when she was 4, and she was taken in by a cult of Ao, and later brought to a small convent in proximity of Nesmé. Her first memories are from that convent, and she never knew much about the world outside except from books. The cult tought her that magic was an abomination and that the only way those who wield it could redeem themselves is in serving the faith of Ao. When the War of the Silver Marches broke out in 1484 DR, she was rescued by a Harper commander as the convent was overrun, and she quickly grew fond of the organization, joining officially but a month later. Participating in several battles around the Silver Marches, she and her closest friend found themselves surrounded during an ambush by Zhentarim mercenaries in 1486 DR. He offered to sacrifice himself so that she could escape. Throwing herself fully into the motto "help without hesitation and ask nothing in return", she quickly became a legend amongst the people of the northern Sword Coast, always being ready to take on even the most difficult tasks, no matter the risk to herself. In 1490 DR, she was inducted into the secretive ranks of the High Harpers as the inofficial commander of the Harpers of the North. In 1492 DR, she was abducted by the Mind Flayer vessel we all know well by now.