#durgetash children… well….

[andrigyn]

Was contemplating the “would gortash be a good dad” question and I think the answer is no, but he would put effort in. Like those kids are going to be messed up, but they WOULD have a present father so that counts for something

[mediumsizedwildcat]

edit: minors please do not interact. i can't control what you read, if you pop up in my notifications i'll block you

well, this spiraled out of “thought” into “ficlet”

durgetash, after durge quest, endgame, genderneutral (they/them) redemption durge, death, resurrection, sad, happy ending, major spoilers (obviously)

when allying with gortash, you meet him at the brain's location and walk the last bit together. he takes the netherstones from you and tries to command the brain. it retaliates, commands him to die.

what if durge realizes this before the brain commands?

what if-

“no.” free of bhaal, they wrap their arm around gortash's neck, nuzzle their nose against the side of his head. amused by defiance, the netherbrain hesitates.

the memories will never return, but this close to their former beloved, durge's heart lets them know exactly how important gortash actually was to them. “he's mine,” they growl.

the brain sends out a vibe, almost as if it means to caress as well as edge on. do it, it challenges, though it doesn't say it, doesn't think it for them to hear.

knowledge flashes in their mind, where to stab to prolong the blood loss. no doubt they studied this to get off to their victim's deaths. to torture efficiently, let their victims believe there was a way out.

durge snarls, shows their teeth to the brain, their dagger pierces skin. they hold their breath, listen to gortash's death sounds. his gasps, the pain in his voice, the satisfaction that it was durge in the end. hope they remembered.

a tear rolls down durge's face, drops and soaks into gortash's robe. they pull out the dagger, hold gortash as he sinks into their arms. part of them wonders if he is that fragile or if he pretends. the brain is satisfied. durge realizes they couldn't win this fight of minds no matter how hard they tried, certainly not with gortash in their arms. but there is an archwizard in their ranks.

durge passes the stones to gale. “your turn,” they say. they pick up the dagger from gortash's lap, wrap their arm around his waist.

gale hesitates, “are you sure?”

durge laughs, no humor behind it. “i'm in no condition to beat an elderbrain, but you're an archwizard. you defied mystra, bested that orb, you'll get that crown, you'll return it to mystra, and she'll free you. if you cannot do this, gale of waterdeep, none of us can.”

gale steps up to the challenge. he binds the brain with every move. it doesn't matter, the brain breaks free. the emperor pulls them into the astral prism.

durge looks up, turns to halsin, to shadowheart. “someone heal him,” they plead, gortash still in their arms, barely alive.

“soldier,” karlach warns, anger radiates from her.

“he can-” meeting the fury in karlach's eyes, durge chokes on their words.

“he planned to blow up children with toys! he sold me to zariel!” karlach picks up her battleaxe. “he doesn't get a second chance.”

durge holds gortash closer, as if to shield him. “ketheric died, orin died. i was much worse than them combined,” they remind. “i raped, killed, and ate babes. i haunted children's nightmares, made them watch as their parents sacrificed themselves to keep them safe. carved their names into their parent's flesh as i killed them, ate dwarf regularly, experimented, tortured, kept the corpses to satisfy sexual urges.”

their body shivers. those are unthinkable horrors to them now, something they would never dare. they're good now. their friends shaped them.

“he did what he knew, what he grew up to do, all he ever saw. if i get a second chance, why can't he? if i-”

gortash chokes and despite the blood loss, pushes out of durge's arms. durge reaches out, places their hand on his cheek, pushes their thumb against his lip.

“we can be better,” they say quietly, “we can be good. he can help with your engine, karlach.” they meet gortash's eyes, hopeful, pleading, “we can be good.”

gortash's expression twists into one of disgust. “weak,” he chokes out. “changed.”

durge's breath catches in their throat, tears begin to sting their eyes. “but,” they trace his bottom lip, “we can be better? together? we can-”

gortash turns his head up, snarls, bares his teeth. disgust in his gaze as it wanders over his former lover's body.

the emperor rolls its eyes. “the netherbrain-”

“shut it, ghaik,” lae'zel warns.

durge pulls their hand away, takes out stillmaker from its place on their thigh. they show it to gortash, a reminder of their time together. a gift from bane's tyrant to bhaal's spawn. “karlach,” their voice shakes with heartbreak, “i need a hand.”

with durge's knowledge of anatomy, they know exactly where to place stillmaker to avoid ribs and puncture the heart. karlach places her hand on the pommel, looks at durge, and nods.

durge turns their head away, closes their eyes, lets the tears fall. they nod. karlach pushes stillmaker into gortash's chest, right where durge positioned it. they pull it out together.

gortash gasps, then his body goes limp.

the party is quiet. they follow the emperor to prince orpheus. no one mentions durge carrying gortash's body.

durge uses the pain. they pretend to let the emperor eat the prince's brain, convince it to bring down the barrier. they use magical chackles to bind the emperor to prince orpheus. they hand the orphic hammer to lae'zel and urge her to free her people's prince.

somehow, durge manages to make them all work together. they carry gortash's body out of the astral prism, they promise voss that once this is over, they will remove the chackles. they watch as the allies they've gathered, the friends they've made, question their sanity. their leadership.

finally, durge speaks up. “i cannot fight.”

silence follows. none believe them. halsin is the first who understands.

“you speak truth,” he says. “the headaches, your intestines... i remember from my examinations. you would need healing at all times. no matter, we have come this far and you have put together a good team. you will be missed during the final battle, but, oak father willing, we will make it.”

make it they did. they defeated the netherbrain, they celebrated. durge reaches for withers' arm. withers understands, but denies.

“one last act to piss off the dead three,” durge pleads.

gortash returns to life in their arms. this time, no sign of disgust. he lifts his hand, cups durge's cheek, “you carried me all the way here?”

“we can be good, enver,” durge pleads again.

gortash smiles, pained by bane's torture. “we can,” he agrees.

[animentality]

re:Durgetash childhood best friends… i think Durge would become like. a comfort item for gortash? like a child’s favorite stuffed animal or blanket. like, in his mind he had Durge, and everything was great (his childhood), then he lost them and everything went to shit (being sold to the house of hope, then escaping and being a minor crime lord in baldurs gate), then he found them again and everything started becoming good again (becoming the chosen of bane, making the steel watch, the absolute plan). then he loses them AGAIN and things start going to shit again (losing the astral prism, ketheric dying, orin fucking up her part of the plan).

it would be so easy for him to start associating durge with things in his life going right, and he becomes co-dependently attached to them, and probably them to him as well. and then they come back and hes still co-dependent and expecting them to be as well. of COURSE theyll come back to him and everything will fall into place just the way it always does, but they dont even remember him.. :(

ok but I am the world's biggest supporter of childhood friends durgetash, first off because it's plausible, but secondly, it's just got so much potential.

absolutely agree on the idea that they were glued at the hip as young children, and that whenever they were apart, Gortash would feel as if things were going horribly for him, and he'd associate them with his own happiness.

that just makes sense to me.

but then it becomes just.

horrible to consider that the dark urge doesn't feel the same way, because gortash might feel that they're associated with his own happiness.

but what happened when gortash "left" as in, was sold?

they killed their parents. they joined the cult of Bhaal. they abandoned childish things and embraced the darkness dwelling within. they'd forsake friendship and loyalty and love for anyone but bhaal.

he comes home, and he's happy to find them again, but they're cold now. they're not the same happy child he remembered. they're as haggard as he is, and they still have sparks of that innocent childhood friendship they both cherished once...but it's soured because they think he just left them one day, without saying goodbye.

once the true story comes out, they're a bit mollified, but it doesn't change the fact that when he was gone, they were vulnerable.

it happened, regardless of whether he intended for it or not. he left them alone.

and it's been too long for them to return to exactly what they were before.

but luckily, Gortash becomes involved with the cult of bane. and then they can work with him, under the guise of serving both their gods, and he thinks they're destined to rule together.

and maybe they begrudgingly try to believe him.

but then you know.

Orin kills them... while they're working with Gortash.

and whether you believe it was because of their relationship with Gortash or not, it happened while he was supposed to be there to watch their back.

and it's funny because it flips the script.

now Gortash thinks the dark urge just left HIM without a word one day, and that's when his plan unravels.

but like.

Gortash needs the dark urge for his own happiness and for his plan to work.

but the dark urge... they learned to live without him.

they might have associated Gortash leaving with the bad things in their life... but here and now, just before their triumph, when things were going well... it didn't matter whether or not Gortash was there.

they still died.

so I like the idea of Gortash believing the dark urge is his good luck charm, but the dark urge not feeling the same way.

they gave up on him long ago. they can't forgive him for "leaving." they grew, into a twisted, mangled adult while he stayed perpetually young and afraid in the house of hope, an abused child, deep down, no matter what he did.

they became something else, and that's why they were able to move on, to embrace redemption after they lost their memories. they had experience with growing and changing.

but Gortash?

he stayed behind.

and then he was left behind, permanently, when they returned to him a hero and slayer of all things evil.

[kawareo]

What line or quote matches your durgetash ship? Could be a lyric or smth you wrote (sorry if this is confusing)(also if it was a poetic ish line that’d be greatttt)

Oh boy, I hope you like Shayfer James because to me he is the Durgetash music, almost everything i listen there is a pretty good fit for the way I write them

Pre-tadpoles, their main song would be Troublemaker, although that one's more from strike's perspective, the way he sees Gortash - the line "I like your kind of desire" is especially nice

Another one for pre-tadpoles though is a whole section from Weight of the World (the whole song, really), so if you're looking for something a bit longer, here's one I can really see them dancing to: "We knew her well before this, she promised portraits of us, we cut her throat while she was waiting for the paint to dry"

And then my absolute favorite Durgetash song is Villainous thing, which to me is just what Gortash would sing if BG3 was a musical during the coronation scene. Like. The whole song. Any line.

Oh dear, let me see those smokey eyes 'Cause you're a villainous thing And we can't have you living a lie Oh dear, let's remove those pretty clothes 'Cause you're a villainous thing, oh And I don't think anyone knows, hmm

And you'll find no ever after here It's clear that isn't what you came for And I'll be your puckish puppeteer On this delightful little detour And you'll find no ever after here It's clear that isn't what you came for And I'll be your puppet-puppeteer On this, on, on this

I have a whole unfinished comic in the making for this but especially the way he says puppet-puppeteer just scratches a very good itch in my brain

Also "Hand in unlovable hand" is really nice for them, from No children

Literally anything from this? They're on my brain 24/7 so I have a lot lol

I can't help feeling pretentious if I try to pick something from what I wrote, but anything about them being equals is also fitting. A bit of a spoiler for Unsaved and UtB, but when Strike disappears, Gortash gives him a makeshift grave that says only "In All Matters Equal" so that one might be my favorite if I'd have to pick one that makes me feel like it's the most them.

[defira85]

Not All That Glitters: The Golden Reign of Gortash

Day 5: Redemption/Ruler

Higgins returned a half minute later with four men trailing after him, all in various fine and expensive outfits that just looked terribly ostentatious and far too pretentious to visit a man who still had elements of his children's breakfast on his shirt. He did not rise to greet them, and they all seemed somewhat taken aback by this as they milled about in the centre of the room.

Enver leaned back against the chaise, spreading his arms wide across the elegant carved wooden frame. "Gentlemen," he said candidly, "to what do I owe the pleasure of your interruption?"

He recognised the first to step forward — a man by the name of Erlan Miller, a merchant of the Highmoon Trading Coster. One of the most powerful merchant factions on the Sword Coast. "My dear Lord Ansuran," he began, and Enver would at least give him the time of day for using the correct title. "You are so very gracious to spare us your attentions this afternoon-"

"I shall assume that you are here at the express wishes of Maremmon, shall I Miller?" He smiled at the slight wince that the man could not hide. "It is still a Maremmon holding the reins of the coster, is it not? Last I heard it was Jareth and his sister, what was her name..."

"Judithika," Miller supplied hesitantly.

"Judithika, that's the one. Fine young woman she was, if a bit impressionable." He smiled wider, all teeth. "Are you here representing the coster, or your own interests?"

Read Day Five here, and subscribe for all seven days

A reverse warning to the last chapter - this one is just fluff. Well. It's as fluffy as post-canon Durgetash can be, I'm never entirely without angst. If you're after the grim and gritty, we'll be back to that tomorrow

[daemon-in-my-head]

So, about the Tywin Lannister parallels, hear me out. Yeah, it's a long one buckle up. Also GoT/ASOIAF Spoilers tho I'm tryna keeping it on the low.

Tywin is deeply convinced he's doing the right things, and objectively speaking, he isn't even completely wrong. He did save and elevate his family's name, and he's constantly cleaning his children's messes. Was the red wedding a rather vile move? Yes. But did it also save countless lives from a war that could drag on for months, years, if not decades? Also yes. He's incredibly manipulative, and he's not above using the perceived weakness of someone else, like their children, against them. He already rose to one of the highest positions but he's still constantly trying to increase his influence and conquer more Houses, more kingdoms. He's pretty much fighting his battles with words and threats rather than swords, but he won't shy away from picking one up or getting blood (and gore) on hus hands if the need arises. And it works. He's a scary and yet oddly charming and a beloved villain.

And that's kinda like the BG3 Tyrant. Both Tywin and Gortash are beloved villains in part because they're so human. Because they're so convinced that they are doing the right things and once again, objectively speaking, they are. They come with a motivation that is oddly understandable because both of them do what they do out of a desire to be safe and protect rather than being evil for evils sake.

The patriars of Baldurs Gate were deeply corrupt with hardly any of them not falling on the lawful evil spectrum. Gortash's massacre was a win for the regular and poorer citizens of the Gate because their main oppressors had been removed. If you objectively look at what this man did or attempted to do, while still utterly vile don't get me wrong, his actions did have "positive" goals or effects.

The Steelwatch did strengthen security. Employing the Temple of Bhaal did reign in the murders and kept them to "useful" targets that were pieces of shit anyway, using the Absolute and threatening the gods had the effect that they took action for once, see Elminster, the Chosen or former Chosen in your camp, Jergal who's just chilling with you, etc. Did he threaten you at the Coronation despite being able just to stomp you? Yes, which was very nice of him actually because he so didn't have to. Nobody there would've batted an eye if he had outright killed you. Did he supplant and remove a different underworld organisation, namely the Knights of the Shield, from the Gate and its environs entirely? Also yes. Give him a few more weeks and he would've probably gotten rid of the Zhent and some parts of the Guild as well.

Is Gortash convinced that he's a Hero? Yes. Does the common folk think of him as one? Also yes, and once again they aren't entirely wrong, they heavily profited from what Gortash did.

It's this humanisation of villains that works and draws a fan base in. It's the reason why Durgetash works because it shows that this vile being has a very human side that is still very much capable of affection, similar to how the man that couldn't smile was known to do so for one specifc person. The patriars and common folk siding with him strengthen his image of a perceived hero because, well, he is. He thinks of himself as one and isn't wrong because people see him as one. It's kind off the Tywin and Arya ark, but make it BG3.

And the amount of people drawn to Gortash or Durgetash despite there just being crumbs is a testament to the great concept of the characters. They didn't go full out, and he doesn't need a proper arc like Ketheric for people to still flock to him. Cuz human villains who think themselves righteous are beloved. They're understandable. It allows you to emphasise with them, just like it does with Gortash or Tywin. A lot of people value their own safety and that of those they deem close or their family. Nobody wants to live being the laughing stock. They make sense in their motivations.

Bonus; if you know Tywins backstory it resembles that of Gortash quite a bit. 2 great power-hungry men who would go over corpses with the most significant parental issues you've seen in media. And both dying the most perfect but anticlimactic death possible.

[dandelion-bride]

I'm late to the party here so you may have done this and I've missed it! But: Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤️

care to taste the wine of the dandelion bride? our recommendations:

A Cup of Warm Comfort: and we let the cycles heal us as well (Teen, Gen, 1,152 words)

my first BG3 Flash Fiction fic. Halsin after the game, using some cut content that he caused Isobel's death, spending time in Autumn with the children and Oliver/Thaniel.

A Chalice of Ichor: ganymede (Mature [Gore/Angst], Gen, 1,849 words)

A gift fic for gayvillains. Gortash as a teenager in the House of Hell, scheming his escape.

A Tumbler of Umeshu: Plum Wine and Cut Sleeves (Explicit [Violence, NC] M/M(/F), 3,810 words)

Murder fluff. Gleefully deranged gay romantic Durgetash.

A Draught of Vinegar: Blind Spots (Teen, Gen with M/NB implications, 2,425 words)

Act 1, day 1, a trickster priest trying to put the pieces together and the tricky rogue who she can't quite place. A meet-chaos, if you will. Astarion is Not Nice and the Halfling is Not Just a Friendly Face.

A Demitasse of Espresso: The Experiment (Explicit [Violence, Sex, Temporary Death], M/M/NB, 3,758 words)

No one in their right mind would agree to a painful death at the hands of the Chosens of Bane and Bhaal and expect anything good to come out of it. Zefira is not in her right mind. The Dark Urge and Enver Gortash reacquaint themselves around the body of the Prismbearer's Leader.

Tagging @vestigialpersonality, @thereallonelyagain, @chocolatecatcupcakecheese, @unkledeath and you, yes YOU who sees this (I don't wanna retag anyone and I'm melting in the summer heat thank you blessings)

[darkurgetrash]

BG3 Backstory Bash by Kelandrin

Introducing Volyrr - a.k.a, my Dark Urge!

Thank you to @charmedcleric and @auspex-author for this tag!! I'm a bit late to it because I wanted to do it for my durge character Volyrr (he/they) but my computer deleted all my screenshots of him & his save file off my memory stick (laptop went for repairs) because it hates him. 😔 Now that I've healed from that annoyance and have restarted his save file... on with the tag! I tag @thisisagift-youknow, @savriea, and @thegoblinwitchqueen ~ no pressure!

AN: I have ideas to eventually write a prequel Durgetash fanfic using Volyrr. If you think that's something you might be interested in, (it won't be for a while) you might not want to read the following as there will be heavy spoilers!

Baby:

Birth/Parents:

Volyrr's father is Bhaal who, of course, poofed him into the world. He was created to be a Lolth-sworn drow to put fear into the heart of his enemies, however, before he could be found by Drow in the Underdark, he was discovered by a Myconid colony who took him in and raised him as their own.

First word / tantrum / walk / sickness:

He communicated with Myconid's through telepathy, so his technical first word wasn't actually until he was six, when he said 'thank you' in common to a travelling merchant who'd gifted him an apple from the surface.

Childhood:

Friends:

Volyrr had friendships within the Myconid colony and was wary of any outsiders. He never met another child throughout his whole childhood as Myconid's are created, not born, and children don't tend to explore the Underdark. Because of this, his main friendships outside of family came from animals of the Underdark - especially the rothe.

Siblings:

He did not have siblings in a typical manner - the whole Myconid colony were his caregivers without any distinctive roles.

Getting into trouble:

He rarely got into trouble as there wasn't much potential to; he was well disciplined by the colony and taught that peace was the ultimate way of life.

Birthday:

The concept of 'birthday' was foreign to him during his childhood. Later in life, he decided to just tell people it was the same day as Winter Solstice because it was easy to remember.

Games / Learning something new:

Because of his unique upbringing, he developed druidic powers (Circles of Spores, for obvious reasons) very early. His favourite game was to transform into a rothe and race against his animal friends. He was a very athletic kid.

Trauma:

He was a happy child, content living the Myconid way of life because he didn't know there was any other alternative. He, of course, experienced deaths within the colony - but was taught that death was a beautiful inevitability. He didn't fear it.

Teenager:

Rebellion / Running away:

I moved this label to the top of this section as it's important for clarifying the rest. When he started puberty (age 20) he also started developing the Dark Urges™ from papa Bhaal. It wasn't long until he was cast out of his colony as they revered peace even above family and could sense his urges through their telepathic bond. The urges became worse after leaving the colony and lead him to the surface, where he spent the majority of his time in wild form, hunting down prey to satisfy his urges.

Reckless behaviour:

Volyrr was reckless in murdering adventurers, not knowing the laws of the land. He was caught in the act many times but his druidic magic was powerful and witnesses didn't stand a chance. He only got seriously hurt a handful of times and was able to escape and heal himself with medicine proficiency.

First love:

After some decades of living mostly in wild form, Volyrr had learnt a lot about surface society by watching passing adventurers and had picked up a good amount of common - though was a selective-mute who rarely spoke. He travelled to Baldur's Gate and there met a fellow run-away - Enver Gortash, who was of the same proportional age (late-teen). Volyrr's quiet disposition and Enver's chatty, outgoing personality made for a compatible dynamic, and so they became fast friends. Volyrr quickly developed a crush on Enver; the first person to ever bother getting to know him as people were always put off by his drow birth and mutism.

Peer pressure:

Some years later, Gortash was recruited by the cult of Bane and pressured Volyrr into joining him. After doing so, Volyrr started receiving direct communication from his father in the form of Sceleritas Fel and decided to join the cult of Bhaal instead. This caused a rift in his and Enver's relationship and they fell out as a result.

Taking responsibility:

Volyrr was never forced to take responsibility for his crimes as there were never any surviving witnesses to them and he was encouraged by the cult of Bhaal to continue his murdering ways.

Adulthood:

Aging:

Again, I moved this to the top just for consistency's sake! Volyrr ages as a normal drow - reaching adolescence at age 20 and adulthood at 80. At the start of Baldur's Gate 3, he is in his mid-nineties.

Their "first time":

His first time was with Enver after they reunited over a decade after falling out, now both the chosen of their gods. It had happened spontaneously after they'd gotten drunk celebrating having stolen the Crown of Karsus.

Serious relationships:

After his first time with Enver, the two started acting more as a couple than just friends/partners in crime. The two never labelled their relationship and weren't exclusive, but Enver was his first love and first relationship.

After losing his memories during the events of Baldur's Gate 3, he entered into a serious relationship with Astarion and later Halsin as a polycule. When he re-met Enver in Baldur's Gate, he had no recollection of the relationship they once had and was convinced by Halsin to kill him rather than partner with him; ending the archduke's reign of terror.

Work:

Before BG3, he was the chosen of Bhaal and ran the cult of Bhaal. After the events of BG3, he returns to the Underdark with Astarion and the other vampire spawn, helping to source food for them.

Finding your place:

When Volyrr had woken up on the Nautiloid, the only memories he had were of his childhood before the urges began - this meant that he had advanced knowledge of the Underdark and still largely considered it his home. This is one of the reasons he chose to join Astarion in the Underdark rather than stay with Halsin on the surface - the other reason being that he knew Astarion would need him more. Halsin didn’t join the two, not able to leave nature behind, and so they departed amicably as friends.

Starting a family/ Found family:

Volyrr had travelled only with Astarion and Halsin, loving them both with his whole heart. After moving to the Underdark with Astarion, he considered the vampire spawn to be his new family, thinking it reminiscent of the Myconid colony he grew up in... also, he adopts a Bulette as his pet, names it Meatball, and uses it to ride around like a horse. 🫡

Thanks for reading this essay of a character background!😆 I hope it all makes sense and has minimal typos because I just proper smashed it out. I just love my guy so much and I hope that you do too now.🥺❤️ It'll be fun to eventually write fanfic for him. I might do another one of these posts for Tavlyn after finishing LMTTD, but I with hold off for now because spoilers. 😉 xo

[rinwellisathing]

Get to know my OCs: Sentry Ojeda: Durgetash family:

I've been over and over Sentry's equal parts toxic/codependent and deeply adoring/romantic situationship/mutual obsession with Gortash, but my partner and I have done so many AU romances where they do have a family together. Whether Sentry ultimately betrays his companions or whether it's an AU where he doesn't work with them at all, here are their children together in that scenario.

"L.G." aka Little Gary, who appears in AUs where Gortash originally loved Default Durge until he met a tragic end, we usually call default Durge Gary as kind of an in-joke. L.G. hatched from a copper dragon egg Gortash mistook for treasure during a heist in the hells with default Durge. Enver had a soft spot for the hatchling because he was also technically a prisoner there taken from his home, maybe even also sold by his family, and adopted him.

Rio Ojeda/Teela Popsprocket:

Sentry and Enver's biological daughter, nearly a perfect clone of Sentry because of his creation from Bhaal's flesh, but the influence of Bane in her blood accounts for the dark color of her left eye. In some AUs, they are able to raise her together as something of a little princess and Enver is able to teach her to be an artificer himself. In universes where Enver dies or he and Sentry are separated somehow, Teela was adopted by Gondians in Waterdeep who didn't know about Gortash's true work in Baldur's Gate and instead just viewed him as a self made genius ahead of his time, they were proud and excited to raise his daughter and teach her how brilliant her father was.

Desdemona (my partner's Durge)

Sentry's half sister from a distant city, a fellow Bhaalspawn sent to aid him in guiding their father's cult after Gary's death. She and Sentry have a very close, unsettlingly for most Baldurians, relationship, but Desdemona marries Gortash to cement Bhaalist stakes in the city. She and Gortash get along cordially but aren't attracted to eachother as Des is in love with a lower ranking Banite priest. She pretends to be the archduchess by day with Sentry posing as hers and Gortash's bodyguard, this also protects Sentry's identity as a trans man from scrutiny as most gossip says that Sentry is the father of Des' children instead of Gortash and that Des is Rio's mother. Of course Des' children's actual father is the Banite priest she keeps as her pet while Sentry and Gortash are actually together.

Valda Everett:

Enver Gortash's personal assistant and chamberlain. She handles his affairs and arrangements as well as spying on political rivals and enemies. She is actually a warlock pacted to Glasya, who took a personal interest in Gortash on a visit to The House of Hope years ago and assigned Valda to keep an eye on him.

Tomi Kisaragi:

Another Bhaalspawn sibling of Sentry, Tomi is in charge of making sure Sentry knows how to behave in the company of patriars. She passes herself off as a Kozakuran diplomat and is highly popular at upper city soirees. Her druidic abilities allow her to mix many poisons that Des, Gortash, and Sentry find useful for dealing with detractors.

[basket-of-cats-and-witches]

The Legacy of Vegetables

I just wanted to write tooth-rotting fluff.

Feat. Aelune, my Drow Durge, and Lament, my Tiefling Tav.

Along with over assorted characters, like Aelune's durgetash son, Enver Junior (I never said either one of those two was good at naming. Or world domination, for that matter.), and our favorite know-it-all, Gale.

Enjoy!

-

“Eat your vegetables.” Aelune leaned across the dining table towards the tiny Tiefling. Really, what had his parents been feeding him?

Lament made a face. “I hate cooked carrots. So mushy.” He poked at the offending vegetable, shoving it to the end of his plate.

Across the room, Einara covered her laugh with a cough. The child she'd raised was now having to struggle with their own.

Aelune sighed. “If you eat the carrots, you'll grow stronger and be able to crush your enemies, breaking their spirit and obliterating them.”

“What does ‘obliterate’ mean?” Lam scooted the carrots even further to the edge.

“Make permanently disappear. I see what you're doing, stop.” They reached out, putting their fork against the edge of his plate before the vegetables tumbled to the floor.

Lament pouted. “What if I don't want to obliterate them? What if I wanna make friends with my enemies? Will they eat my vegetables for me? Maybe they like carrots!”

Turning, Einara fled the room. Aelune's eye twitched at the sound of her muffled cackling.

They took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “If you eat your vegetables,” Aelune said calmly, “You may play outside for another hour afterward.”

Lament perked up, visibly brightening. “Really?”

They nodded.

Like a flash, the vegetables were gone, as was the little Tiefling. Lament’s personal maid, Sylphie, bobbed a half-curtsy. “I'll keep an eye on him, my lord.” Unlike Einara, she had the cheek to grin at them.

Aelune snorted. “Someday, Sylphie, Lament will have children of his own. I hope you're there to personally witness his suffering.”

She laughed and nodded. “Me too, my lord.”

-Many years later-

“Eleanor! My petunias!” Lament scrambled after his younger daughter, glancing back frantically at the second floor balcony. “Gale!”

A gentle cloud descended on the garden, rain falling on the burning flowers.

Relieved, he swept an arm around the giggling child, wincing as she squealed directly into his ear.

“Ellie-girl,” he said, bouncing her on his hip. “I wish you'd learned any other element besides fire.”

“But Daddy can do it!” She protested. “And auntie Sylphie! I like the pretty sparks!”

He groaned, leaning down and blowing a loud raspberry onto her cheek. She shrieked in laughter.

“And when you can control it like Daddy and Sylphie can, then you can use it. For now, why don't you play with the butterflies Uncle Enver made you?”

Eleanor made a face, and Lament wondered if this is what he'd been like when he was her age. “I wanna show them to Grandma!” She said firmly. “I won't play with them until then.”

“Well then, you're in luck, little duck.” Gale stepped out from the backdoor barefoot, two figures behind him. “Your uncle and your grandma are here.”

Eleanor wiggled frantically until Lament set her down, shooting past her father and uncle to slam into her grandma’s legs. “Grandma Aelune!”

They picked her up, inspecting her. “You've grown. Good. Are you eating your vegetables?”

“No!” She said cheerfully. “They're gross!”

[avernusreject]

I decided since I have all this OC lore written, I might as well share it. If this isn't stuff you guys are interested in, I can stick to my normally scheduled memes and durgetash trash. I've condensed a lot into one post cause no one wants my five page backstory for my characters 😂. I'll spread these out cause lets be real, I have too many Tavs.

Latrella Kythenos (Wild Magic Sorcerer/Warlock)

In the city of Baldur's Gate, Latrella was born into a family of textile merchants. Her life tragically changed when, at five years old, her family home was destroyed in a catastrophic fire. Her and her twin brother, Arthen were the only two to survive the inferno. Despite having no conclusive evidence for the fire’s cause, Latrella has always believed it was her fault. Her powers must have surged and she couldn’t control it. A rather reclusive wizard of the lower city, Milthonous, came forward to "adopt" the children, claiming to be a friend of the family. Undercity rumors claimed he was an arms dealer, but nothing was ever concrete enough for the fist to investigate. Over the span of seven years, he subjected the twins to constant experimentation, trying to find ways to use their strong latent magic to imbue his weapons with powerful enchantments. Around the age of twelve, after being punished by Milthonous for destroying his equipment from an unexpected surge of her magic, a young devil girl appeared to her, Serreia. The devil promised her a way out, if she agreed to a warlock pact. Serreia stated she would help the girl control the magic. However, if she was to escape, she had to leave with her immediately. There would be no time to save her brother as well. Latrella agreed and vanished into the night. Since then, she has sworn she would find a way to help her brother escape the wizard’s grasp. She spent her teenage years groveling. Taking whatever jobs she could wrangle all while trying to avoid drawing attention to herself. Scared that Milthonous could find her again. She struggled to keep a job with her unstable magic. At the beginning of the game, Latrella has finally gotten a lead on her brother's whereabouts. Until the illithids took her that is.

Milthonous didn't turn out exactly how I pictured him, but I can see him being around like mid to late 40s. The maturity slider in character creator isn't great for creating nuance.

[animentality]

the fun thing about durgetash for me as far as definitely toxic ships go, is that gortash and durge, as individuals, are toxic. but the ship itself? not toxic at all in my take. because as horrible as they are as people, the love they have for each other is actually very genuine. everyone else in the world is dust under their boots except for each other. they truly respect each other and get along frighteningly well and listen to each other and support each other’s atrocities and so, if you ignore the screaming of their victims in the background, their relationship is actually kind of healthy.

to be fair: this is with my version of them in mind lol i know other people have spicer takes where they ARE actively toxic to each other and such, and those are fun too but ive gotten so into the version of them where they both just exude toxicity to everyone in their lives EXCEPT each other. it’s already a trope im very weak to but its especially crazy with them. its like they cancel each other out somehow lol

like i think it takes a while to get to that point of course, to build up actual trust enough to feel even slightly safe around each other, but once they open up to each other the affection-starvation just jumps out. and then despite everything they manage to actually be gentle with each other. and neither of them deserves gentleness of any sort, but they get it anyway, from each other.

so for me durgetash is “toxic” only by virtue of the individuals involved being horrible terrible people, and because they gleefully support each other’s evil plans, and not because of how they actually treat each other, which is actually the closest thing to “normal” either of them will ever experience (and it is still so, so far from “normal” lol)

but it’s still also nice to be in a ship where the discourse is so obvious we don’t even bother lol. yes gortash has a list of human rights abuses longer than he is tall. yes he’s gonna have an evil cuddle with his evil partner-in-crime in their evil bedroom after a long, hard day of being evil. and i’m gonna be thinking about it <3

Anon, you get me.

I think durgetash just works because...they are so blatantly evil.

Gortash tortured a bunch of people trying to figure out how tadpoles worked, and the evidence of his crimes is in the mindflayer colony beneath Moonrise and in the Steel Watch Foundry. His Steel Watch guards literally kill children and innocent families.

The Dark Urge mentions killing (eating?) a BABY. They have killed thousands. They eat human meat. They torture people.

They both started the entire plot by being total pieces of shit.

So what are you going to do?

Cancel them???

The game cancels them.

Gortash literally got cancelled so hard his brain popped.

The Dark Urge dies in most playthroughs. They only become redeemable by literally dying and becoming a new person. Plus their life is so fucking awful, that it almost cancels out how bad they are, because they're a vessel of Bhaal, who can either choose obedience or death.

They are both so outrageously evil, you can't even be outraged.

No one on the entire planet is defending either of them.

It almost defeats itself as an argument, like, you say Gortash is horrible, and I say yeah, man. You say, the Dark Urge is evil, and I say absolutely.

But that's kind of why...a relationship between the two of them IS so good, though.

Sure, there have always been villainous ships, but...something about these jagged creatures having a soft spot for one another...

It just works.

It's...it's taking two wretched beasts, and giving them something human to hold between their claws.

How can you support them being together, but how could you deny them this?

They're so horrible, they don't deserve love, but at the same time, seeing profoundly evil people are still capable of love, and humanity is inescapable, no matter how inhuman you are...

Hmmmm.

Yes.

The worse Dark Urge and Enver are, the better Durgetash comes.

That's the wonderful conundrum.

It's honestly such a SHIP, anon.

THE Ship.

[dandelion-bride]

shall we their fond pageant see?

thesemortalsbe's bg3 fanfiction list

ganymede || 1.8k || Mature [Violence/Artistic Gore] || Steel Watch Spring Exchange 2024. a day in the life of young Gortash in the House of Hope.

Plum Wine and Cut Sleeves || 3.8k || Explicit [Violence/NC] || The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash || pre-canon durgetash murder fluff. Gortash comes back from a ball with a pretty young thing. the Dark Urge investigates, and enjoys himself as well. NC is not between Dark Urge and Gortash.

Blind Spots || 2.4k || Astarion/Tav || act 1, night 1, a crooked 'magistrate' and a trickster priest get each other's measures. alternatively, our halfling Tav rolled great on Insight for Astarion, but crit-fail x2'd whatever she rolled for "hey, is this guy with red eyes and fangs a vampire?" these boys are messy.

Offering Yourself to Me Like Sacrifice || 2k || Explicit [Smut/Breathplay] || Astarion/Tav || smut in the shadow-cursed lands, with a bunch of pre-act 2 romance Feels and Angst thrown in.

A Little Wicked - Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Epilogue || 58k || Explicit [Smut/Kink/Violence/NC] || Astarion/Tav, Enver Gortash/Tav, The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash || in Act 3, a trickster priest with a rocky relationship with Astarion starts a fling with the Archduke, while a soft-spoken amnesiac sorcerer who delights in bloody murder joins the Prism-bearers. well-developed plot, hot kinky smut, great dialogue, and emotionally enrapturing. completed April 22 2024

The Experiment || 3.7k || Explicit [Smut/Edgeplay/Temporary Snuff] || The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash/Tav || set between chapters 4 and 5 of A Little Wicked. the three consider the eroticism of the gallows, and test a hypothesis, with the former pickpocket Tav the test subject.

Two Glasses of Wine 🍷🍷 || 3.3k || Mature [Heavy Angst] || The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash ~ Astarion/Tav || a scene mentioned in chapter 6 of A Little Wicked. the Dark Urge remembers the night he proposed to his fellow Chosen - the happiest, cruelest memory he has. after listening in, Astarion contemplates who he has been, and who he wants to become.

polyphemus' feast || 2.5k || Mature [Violence/Sexual Content] || Enver Gortash/Tav || an alternate scene from chapter 7 in the Foundry. what if Zefira had given Gortash her holy symbol without arguing it? hand-feeding, manipulation, and a look inside the tyrant's head.

and we let the cycles heal us as well || 1.2k || Baldur's Taint BG3 Flash Fic Challenge. Halsin, caring for the children in a building in Reithwin Town, waits for a long-due meeting.

[rinwellisathing]

Almost Human: A Modern Durgetash fic

The characters part 1: Bhaalspawn

Bhaal's family operates in this AU like a somewhat disorganized crime family/murder cult operating out of an old mansion in a graveyard outside the city, usually accessed by the family through underground tunnels which connect the sewers and catacombs. They are involved in drugs, prostitute, gambling, and extortion, which is all a smokescreen to hide the fact that murder and assassination are their real goals.

'Gary' (real name unknown) : The eldest of the siblings, a white dragonborn who looks out for the younger ones and takes care of most of the 'delivery' and 'gentle persuasion' work the family does, as well as 'labor disputes'. He's been having problems with his head for a while, but tries to hide it from his younger siblings.

Jakael 'Jackal' Silk: a strung out looking drow, wiry and lean but fairly large, the second oldest, usually tasked with making people 'disappear' as well as taking care of the gardens when Tomi is out and about.

Tomi: Appears to be a hauntingly beautiful dark haired elf with blue-black eyes and very pale skin. The third eldest, she provides high end escort services as well as publicity appearances for the family. She also grows and creates most of their 'products'. When Sentry and Orin were still children, they were also her responsibility, though Gary generally called that sexist nonsense and picked up the slack for her.

Sentry: A pale tiefling with silvery hair and gold horns. He is Gary's favorite little bro and protégé, though because Papa Sarevok is angry about Sentry's refusal to fill the role he was supposedly born for, he does everything he can to force Sentry back into that role, a fact Sentry is constantly exploiting and turning on its head. He's supposed to take whatever job is thrown at him because he's newer, but is usually able to manipulate things to turn out the way he wants.

Orin: A pale changeling, the youngest sibling and as a child, everyone's favorite baby sister. Because of her age, Gary and Tomi generally shield her from most of the jobs the cult does and leave her to her own devices. Before Sarevok manages to convince her to dislike him, she was Sentry's favorite baby sister and they did art together and played videogames. Sometimes he'd even bring home kills for her to play with.

Sceleritas Fel: The caretaker for the Bhaalist family, Gary and Sentry, being Bhaal's favorite children, are his priority, but he keeps house in general and also does book keeping and doles out bail and other financial assistance when needed from the family treasury.

Papa Sarevok: Technically in charge of the family despite Gary and Sentry being father's favorites. This is because he has been around much longer than either of them and is established in the city. Only Bhaal's word is more important than his in the household, considered the big boss by outsiders as well and usually the name that crops up in rumors about the family.