#durgetash behavior

[plaidpyjamas]

thinking about that handler/guard dog trope post w/ durgetash

durge is happily and proudly gortash's attack/guard dog, to the point where they occasionally wear a muzzle and it's not just like, any muzzle, it's fancy. intricate metalwork - all gold, ofc - straps made of the softest leather

[wi1dshxpe]

durge and orin being siblings has to be the best thing that ever happened to bhaal. i just know their fighting for daddy’s approval would immediately outshine any criticism they had of him. like orin is sad she killed the girl she was seeing because it was getting too serious and goes to durge for support. durge gives a solid twenty seconds of reassurance before lying about how that has never happened to them before. orin backtracks and changes her story because it was actually awesome and poetic, really! durge calls her out. the entire thing turns into a petty verbal slap fight before they can even think about how much it sucks they can’t/aren’t allowed to maintain meaningful relationships. another time durge casually laments they never have time for hobbies. orin says she doesn’t need hobbies, murder is her entire life, durge calls art her hobby, orin calls her art worship, somehow sceleritas ends up stabbed. basically the two of them successfully pivot from a valid complaint to “look dad i love murder, dad, dad, look dad i’m better at murder than my sibling.” every time any crappy aspect of being a bhaalspawn comes up

[bewitchingbloom]

Reluctantly reactivated my Bluesky in case anyone wants to follow me there.

[basket-of-cats-and-witches]

Eternity

We were not meant to be partnered in this life.

I stand here with your blood dripping from my blade, watching the light fade from your eyes.

You reach for me.

Of course you do.

It is not Karlach you look at in your final moments, for all she wishes she had been the one to take your life.

If it were anyone else, I would have let her.

I wish you were anyone else.

You smile at me, and you think it is your last moment.

“I'm glad it was you,” you whisper, and slip away.

It is not the end.

Although there are other battles we will partake in, other paths to walk upon, mine shines clear before me.

We were not meant to be together. Not in this life.

The next, however, is unknown.

Bane cannot have you. I know what he wishes. You were sworn to him first, but you are mine.

I will chase you into the endless beyond, and make your soul eternal.

Gale has set the path, all I need do is follow.

He shall take the crown.

I shall take my father's head.

I will wrest you from Bane, and find you again, and again, and again.

We were not meant to be with each other in this time.

But I shall love you the same.

As a Grand Duke.

As a farmer boy.

As a baker.

As a mercenary.

As a teacher.

No matter the form, the gender, it was you who tangled your life so effortlessly with mine, and in doing so, became the stardust that spirals throughout my universe.

We were meant to be together.

Before there were Three, there were two.

And so we shall be again.

[gamerkitten]

Still trying to figure out who Lorelai was pre-tadpole and landing on highly charismatic and charming but cruel as all fuck under the surface. Obviously she's a killer, duh she's Bhaal's Chosen, but the way she goes about it is devious as fuck.

Looks wise, she's a beautiful high elf. Delicate, fragile even.(LOL)

So thanks to the halo effect, no one ever sees her coming. She can seduce or charm her victims into following her to some secluded place or allowing her into their homes(a favorite ploy of hers is to play the damsel in distress. " oh please help me, I was attacked and just managed to get away!") and then strike when their guard is down.

Obviously, it doesn't matter who she kills; it's all meat to Bhall, but she prefers to target the wealthy and then help herself to dresses and jewels before vanishing into the night.

Which brings me to the topic of everyone's favorite tyrant.

She meets Gortash at a party, hunting for her latest mark. He catches her notice when she sees him schmoozing his way around the room. He notices that she's been tailing him all night and that the earrings she's wearing are a pair he bought for an older lady he was trying to charm into investing in his business ventures;that is until said lady was brutally butchered in her sitting room one night.

He calls her out, more annoyed than anything else, and then tries to strike a weapons deal with her in the same conversation. She doesn't deny her crime, and agrees to meet the next day to discuss business.

They are ridiculous and awful and I love them.

[darksorcerer]

pre-amnesia during the Villain Days sloane had a basement room in gortash's estate in the upper city that she used whenever she wanted to stay in the area for a while. it looked fairly normal but as i mentioned she kept all sorts of weird bhaalist shit stashed in there. she also frequently let herself into his house without asking.

they wrote back and forth to each other a lot and it became an eternal game where she'd hide her letters in increasingly weird locations around his house. he had to use his brain to puzzle out the location of each one, often hinted at by something in the previous letter, and she had to use her rogue skills to dodge all his security so she could hide them without him finding out.

she'd also never use doors, when she needed to move around the house she'd climb, go through windows, or run around inside the walls like a weirdo

[lucien-lachance]

Fic Theft

A few days ago, it was brought to my attention that someone was downloading/scraping locked Elder Scrolls, BG3, and Dragon Age fics from AO3 and posting the AI-slop on wattpad. They've been especially scraping Durgetash+Tavtash, Tavstarion, Lucanis Dellamorte, and Lucien Lachance fics.

My fics were included among those of a dozen or so other Ao3 authors, and I wanted to just get the word out here for others to be vigilant and take whatever action they feel best - ignore it and move on, look for your ai-mangled fics and report them, hide your fics temporarily or permanently, or maybe wipe your account etc. You do you, as they say. I'm not revealing the whistleblowers' names to protect their privacy, as one of them was a victim as well.

Sparknotes version: this plagiarist's now-deleted wattpad accounts were Jace-Attorney and Sabrina-Guilenese, but have threatened to simply make more accounts and continue their shit behavior now that they've been outed. They've been puking their trash into tags like "bad boy", "mafia", "mafiaprincess", "assassins", "hitmen" etc on wattpad. So if you're concerned, it's probably a good idea to comb those tags for their "transformed" fics like the one included below (the original Gortash fic is on the right, and the plagiarized one is one the left).

I know this bullshit is unfortunately the state of the writing/fandom world right now, but the more we let it slide, the more writers' actual hard work and care will be diminished and eventually dismissed. Look after your works. Look after your friends' works. Grit your teeth and do not give in.

[fvngus]

It is time.

Durgetash post.

Content warning for: death, murder, blood, manipulation, toxic relationships, stalking, obsessive behavior.

Disclaimer! All headcanons regarding Gortash are based off my dear friend @narcisseart 's. I can not shut up about how she fucking KNOWS that man, it is honestly scary. I'm in love with her interpretation of his character. Thank you for being an awesome friend, you know I could write books about my appreciation for you. Many kisses your way ♥

Before...

▌we go into the durgetash angst, a little explanation why Esteri's relationship life is doomed from the start.

Her first partner was a young woman who shared her passion for painting ; she kept the truth about her urges to herself for the longest time, until Esteri began to realize, she was falling for the woman. That was her first time falling in love, by the way. She is demisexual - affection has to be build first. Her girlfriend, after eventually coming clean with the truth, was supportive as could be (reassuring Esteri, being understanding despite her macabre work and the fact that she is a cult leader etc.). Her support, however, was sadly the lady's undoing. When they got intimate, Esteri experienced a biiig urge episode, mauling her girlfriend and sobering up to her love being only blood and guts.

That was a huge fucking shock for Esteri, of course it was. But instead of cursing upon her father, she swallowed it down, telling herself it was inevitable ; Urges are a gift, and everyone dying by her hand should be blessed. It hurt, nonetheless. Hurt enough to mark her forever. Esteri, from that point on, became a cold individual. Never showing emotions, never letting anyone closer than absolutely necessary. She did not build relations past the point of business partnerships. Should she happen to sleep with someone, she made sure the person was disposable - that there was no attachment. Because they would not survive anyway.

Gortash part Gortash part Gortash pa-

▌ She made very few 'friends'. The closest to her were members of the Temple of Bhaal, Sceleritas Fel, her father. When her god called to partner up with the chosen of Myrkul and Bane, Esteri expected not more than, well, just another gig. Father knows best, she works in his name among the mortals. Wow, she hated both of them. Ketheric a little less at first, because he was rather straight to the point. Gortash was annoying to her. Just a slimy wannabe noble who worked himself up in ranks. The kind she usually sacrificed on a weekend. But the Absolute plan happened regardless of her disinterest. I like to think, after many meetings about their beautiful death cult, Esteri did not realize how she warmed up slowly. That these dates didn't end with an " Okay, we will talk about the next steps on Monday " but " Okay, how was your week so far, productive? ". And dear god she did not have this in her life before. Every day, she plays the role of a leader, being surrounded by yes-sayers and church members who kneel in front of her. It's always " Your greatness, my lady, our glorious death bringer. " but now, it was also " My dear ". Gortash has a silver tongue, he knows his way around people and Esteri slowly but surely was no different. A little harder to crack, certainly. The fact that she showed a minimum amount of emotions or reactions only motivated him to work harder, spend more time unraveling her, get SOMETHING, even if it is a quirk of her lip, a raise of her brow. Anything works. For the first time, she was not the one who tried to drag an emotion out of someone, but she was the very object of interest. And that was very confusing. Their line between partnership and friendship blurred. She began to enjoy his presence, sought this feeling of mutual understanding. The clever ideas, the idle talk, just being near him. Esteri never in her life would have thought she could honestly say that someone will ever be her equal, but oops, well, here they were. Esteri is an obsessive person, sadly. I talked about the trauma that comes with developing feelings, due to her first girlfriend. She tends to work through it by isolating herself, trying to choke down these new emotions building before they get too much. Drawing the person over and over again, burning them afterward. It's a form of self-defense. What happened to her first partner is something she does not want to repeat. Murder should not come with weak regret. She had that phase with Gortash too. The guy probably didn't hear of her for several weeks because that girlfailure locked herself up in her chambers, screaming her lungs out, ripping her hair out just to blow off steam. Spoiler alert, it was ✨useless✨.

New plan: She will just play it cool. Ever the indifferent one, she could play the part a little more. No biggie. Esteri recognized the feeling by now. That was more than a partnership or friendship. Of course, she yearned for closeness, but she knew closeness meant death, and she would not want to lose Gortash. 

Why they did not do the birds and the bees

▌ I yapped about her trauma, you know that by now. From Gortash's side though, sex is something very unpersonal. A means to an end, an opening for alliances, forming bonds which open opportunities. It is a tool. It's not the act that he would be looking forward to, but all that comes afterwards. At this point, I might just post a little screenshot from Doc.

That guy was treated like shit his whole fucking life. His parents were awful people, he had to withstand an abusive devil, it makes sense that something softer, more honest and careful, would undo that man more than a fuck. WHICH IS WONDERFUL IN THIS SITUATION! Esteri is scared she might hurt him if they ever get intimate, Gortash already enjoys a little stroking through his hair more than a lay. AMAZING. (they would just need to communicate that…) I'm not a durgetash-fuck-nasty-every-time-they-have-a-free-minute hater. That scenario just does not make sense with Esteri and him. They both come from a place that does not require sex, but a deeper, meaningful bond. Something careful and easy. Another Doc take which wraps it up perfectly imo, TLDR:

[animentality]

you know what hurts worse than gortash admiring durge so much only for durge to forget him? the fact that it was mutual. durge admits in the prayer for forgiveness note that they admire gortash but in that note they were trying to reassure bhaal they would stick to the plan and kill him and then themselves, but what if.. they were lying? what if their devotion to total slaughter was shaken, and they had started thinking about a life with gortash?

the chosen of bhaal is supposed to devote their entire being to bhaal’s will and then die happily upon his altar, but durge found gortash, and found an equal. someone to lie for. someone to live for.

but of course that change in their behavior, that life changing admiration that neither of them could hide or deny, would be durge’s fall from grace. orin noticed. how could she not? they were hardly subtle. and finally she had an opening, a nick in the armor she could use to usurp her sibling. they had a weakness in the shape of enver gortash.

Listen anon, the idea that the Dark Urge might've had misgivings about their role as the Chosen of Bhaal and the Scion of Bhaal HAUNTS me.

This is why durgetash appeals to me so much.

It humanizes the Dark Urge SO MUCH. It makes them a real fucking person and not just some edgelord murder hobo. It gives them fucking depth.

The idea that Orin was only able to kill them because she used their affection for Gortash against them? Fucking brilliant. It was their loyalty to Gortash that made her resentful, and it was that same loyalty that would be their downfall.

The notion that perhaps they actually LET her kill them because they knew Gortash could handle her, in the way he could never handle killing them? Also fucking brilliant. They died to save him...only to come back, and deliver the killing blow themselves.

It's fucking Shakespearan, anon!!!

The dramatic irony is so fucking brilliant that I could froth about it for days!!!

URGH.

They'll never confirm these things though. And that's fine.

I'm smarter than everyone. I know what's good.

And THAT's good.

DURGETASH. But OUR durgetash, not theirs. The durgetash we hold in our bleeding palms.

And yes.

The dramatic irony of...we didn't know two vicious creatures could find something so soft within us. We weren't made for it. We didn't know what to do with it, so we tore it apart with our teeth. And then we didn't even get to mourn the loss together.

Only one remembers. The other isn't aware that they've lost something.

And that is more heart breaking than simply losing a beautiful thing.

[alpaca-clouds]

The Depressed Gortash Arc

Okay, I was asked by a couple of people to properly post a line up of these fics as well. So... BEHOLD! The Depressed Enver Gortash storyline.

For context. This is basically the story of Enver Gortash surviving the game in a Chaotic Good Tav run, mainly because Tav has pity on him. And as the joke title that the readers have given it implies: It ends with Gortash falling into a deep bout of depression.

Mostly this is an exercise into going how to actually redeem an irredeemable character like Gortash. No shipping - not really (Durgetash was canon in the past, but given this is based on a Tav-Run Durge is dead for now) - but a lot of Gen and friendship stuff.

⚠️Content Warning: There is no sexual content in theses stories. Meaning if there is a higher Age Rating this Rating is there because of explicit violence. Also several of these stories depict depression, mania, suicidal behavior and severe eating disorder. While sexual violence is not explicitly shown, it is mentioned several times, too. ⚠️

Hurt Begets Hurt | T-Rating | 3k

At Wyrm's Rock Fortress Astarion, Karlach and Shadowheart get ready to confront Gortash. But Tav has a different idea.

A Bleeding Heart | T-Rating | 6k

Enver Gortash does not see much sense in his life, now that his plan has failed.

Cheesy Noodles | T-Rating | 3.2k

Enver hates the man, who had tricked him. The man, who had let him live. The man, who ruined all their plans. Yet, the very same man seems to be very unaware of this hatred.

Lash | T-Rating | 3.5k

After the Banite cult has been shattered, there are not a lot of people left, who want to work for Enver Gortash.

No One Mourns the Wicked | M-Rating | 6k

After not leaving his bed for several days, Enver finds himself once more confronted with Avariel, who for some reason will not leave him alone.

Kindness Begets Kindness | M-Rating | 31.5k in 8 Chapters

It has been almost a year since the Netherbrain has been defeated, and even now Tav is trying to convince Gortash to be good. Astarion still thinks it is a bad idea, but after a year watching from afar, he cannot help but wonder what has become of the former tyrant.

Waking | E-Rating | 6.6k

Enver Gortash has archived everything he wanted. He finally finds himself sitting on the throne, the city of Baldur's Gate at his feet. But just as it seems he has won, a familiar face appears in the crowd. This is only the beginning of Enver's nightmare.

Questionable Regret | T-Rating | 4k

Ulder Ravengard will never believe Enver Gortash to be regretful of his past actions. Yet, now he is asked to do just that.

Lost Anger | T-Rating | 3k

Enver finds out that Avariel might have been right about something: He spent his last few years running on anger. Now that the anger is gone... Well, he is miserable.

Like Her | T-Rating | 3k

Ravengard has finally allowed Enver to leave his home, as long as he is still under supervision of Flaming Fists. Lash considers this as a good opportunity to have her boss get some exercise.

Unforgiven | T-Rating | 1k

Enver Gortash has to find that forgiveness is not always that easy to come by.

The Long Table | T-Rating | 6.5k

Lash has invited Enver to celebrate midwinter with her family. He knows it is not a good idea, and yet he indulges her. He is going to regret it rather soon, though.

Mush | T-Rating | 2.4k

Enver knows that he needs to eat. Yet, to him it is worse than just a chore to keep his body alive.

[plaidpyjamas]

ripping and tearing and chewing on gortash stabbing impaling running him through

[freesidexjunkie]

i am going insane over gortash's "bane encourages his followers to ✨reward✨ good behavior" line to durge (and maybe also tav idk I didn't pay attention) bc it does 100% line up w how i write him w maevris

like yes durgetash fucked up evil sex is good and important for the ecosystem. but service top gortash desperate to prove his usefulness and skills (like in tell me you're mine) and ~rewarding good behavior~ makes me absolutely fucking insane every time i think abt it

[shadows-aflame]

Sunday Snippet

It's been a crazy week between starting a new job and adjusting to the new schedule of existence, BUT! I've still been making time to chip away at the next chapter of Cress' fic regardless.

Thank you to @defira85 for the tag! I've also been tagged in a bunch of other things that I will need to get to, but for now, have some Durgetash.

“Y’know, I’m starting to hate it when you do that,” Cress muttered with a sullen frown, pulling herself to stand from where she’d settled on the table. When Enver arched a quizzical brow, she continued. “Telling me all these inconsequential things about myself that really don't seem to matter. Unimportant, minor parts of who I am. My old habits, all the trivial mannerisms and petty nonsense I used to do. It’s not what I was looking for when I came here last time.” Even as she spoke, doubt sank its familiar claws into her mind. Was ‘hate’ the right word? She felt a sharp discomfort every time he seemed to know her so well, but as she considered her confusion, it didn't seem like hatred, exactly. It sure as hell wasn’t fair, either. Why did he get to see right through her so easily, even when she hardly even understood herself? Cress acted on so many behaviors without even thinking, but he knew each of them so well. All the while, he was little more than a stranger to her still. Enver’s lips curled into a wry smile. “You and I are fully aware that there is nothing about you that could ever be deemed unimportant.” Gods damn him. Cress cursed the way her heart tumbled over itself when he spoke those words. Despite all his previous anger, all the wrath and frustration, he still had the gall to say things like that.

And here I will tag @slayerdurge, @illumiera, @stormyrainyday, and anyone else who wants to play along! No pressure, of course!

[quacaserous]

mission reconnect with nature failed, went to the beach today and immediately started thinking about durgetash. brother i am INSANE. anyways i think despite living in a coastal city neither of them would have actually spent that much time by the sea which is my reasoning for why neither of them can swim but!!!! they’re making up for lost time :) aka gortash makes the horrible mistake of taking cerys to the beach for maybe the first time in her life and regrets it immediately (she keeps using wildshape to turn into a seagull to confuse him) (and to snatch food from his hands) (typical cerys behavior)

pose refs under the cut vv

[wild-magic-oops]

I find the idea of Durge subverting expectations (both in looks and behavior) very interesting, and combined with the intelligence that is hinted in canon, and him inheriting Bhaal's love of money and that translating into having a thing of luxury as well, my take on a durgetash first meeting is that they met during a high society party that Durge killed and lied his way into and it was him who realized that Gortash was a banite while Gortash thought he'd just be getting his dick wet later by the flirty noble who spent the night making fun of fellow high society peers with Gortash.

Durge ofc had planned on killing Gortash near the end of the party, but he kept postponing getting him alone and doing that bc he was actually having fun talking to Gortash and now he doesn't feel like killing him anymore oops

[shewolfofvilnius]

The Parasite Within (Gortash x Female Durge)

Read on AO3 - Posted complete story! Chapters: 3 Words: 8,799 Relationship: Enver Gortash x Custom Dark Urge (Female Tiefling)

(content warnings for excessive and often comedic violence, sexual scenes and explorations of kinks, pregnancy and the forced termination of it, and did I mention the violence? This might not be new for some of y'all but it is me.) Sample:

The woman, a tiefling of Asmodean heritage a decade or so the man’s junior, wore an elaborate overcoat made of tanned white dragon – or in this case, dragonborn – leather. The insulation had been vital in the frigid hell they’d just returned from. [...]

Referring to her now-discarded coat, he noted “I must say, my dear, I am still not sure what you accomplished by turning your predecessor into that gaudy piece of fashion. If anything, it seems the provenance of your ‘sister’, as she calls herself. It is hardly your style.” The man gave the woman an affectionate kiss on the hand as he stared hungrily into her black-and-turquoise eyes.

“Simple, Enver. It’s a statement that I’ll suffer no pretenders to my birthright. To think that this fraud thought he was going to lead my father’s cult into this glorious new age? Hardly.” A malicious laugh escaped from her tightly pursed lips. “I knew what his fate was to be years ago, when I first came here. He might have thought himself a proficient killer, might have once left this city in terror, but none can match the true gifts for murder held by little old me.”

She playfully let herself be twirled in a momentary dance with the man before he paused to chastise her.

“You are neither little nor old. But you are most certainly gifted and deadly. Be careful, Tavaria, that your own hubris does not outstep your own abilities. You are most certainly known to have a blind spot or two. I do not trust Orin, not even remotely, and she is becoming more and more adamant that she be included in our discussions even despite that she would never credibly be Bhaal’s Chosen. You need to deal with her.”

“Perhaps, Lord Gortash, but tonight...tonight Enver I’d just like to show you why they call me the Lash of Bhaal.”

=========== Enver Gortash and Tavaria, the Chosen of Bhaal celebrate a successful heist upon Mephistopheles' vault and icy fortress of Mephistar the only way they know how. Gortash, in his own commanding way, gets Tavaria to explore one of her kinks - however, the experimentation backfires when she gets a surprise announcement from a cleric a few weeks later.

Undaunted, they - and Orin - proceed to Moonrise Towers to formulate their plan to conquer the world and tame the Illithid Elder Brain in the depths below. The Dark Urge even uses her condition to develop a strategy to delay ceremorphosis.

After crowning the brain, however, Orin learns the truth of her sister's recent erratic behavior.

This is a three chapter origin fic front-loaded with some Durgetash smut. We get to see exactly who my BG3 OC Tavaria was in her time as Bhaal's Chosen and yes, both how depraved Tavaria had become in her time as the queen of murder as well as how much of a role she had grown to take in Gortash' life. Plus, answers as to the origin of delayed ceremorphosis AND why Orin betrayed (this) Durge, bc I still love me some lore even when I'm being a freak.