#headcanons for my durge and wild magic sorcery

[steelsartcorner]

I love that bg3 gave me the perfect man to help explain why my durge Jiril is twice-cursed with both Bhaal’s urges and unpredictable wild magic sorcery, causing them to sprout vines at their feet and turn people into cats.

He knows what’s up.

[barbwillbrb]

what’s mortimer’s backstory i think i missed the post about that

To be honest I am still hammering out some of the details for him/his daughter for BG3 (straight up, this game has been my first foray into DnD stuffs, so I'm still picking up the lore/trying to make sure my character ideas can work for this world, so everything is still a bit under construction). I've been tagging my thoughts with him as tav: mortimer on my blog.

Mortimer/Lucille reference sketches and headcanons

Mortimer scar/casual wear reference and more headcanons

Possible end-game ideas for Mortimer/Lucille

Some Mortimer history and how he and Lucille would handle specific scenarios in game.

Basic facts/timeline for him is as follows:

Mortimer's human, age 42 currently, and is the only child of a messy affair/sham marriage between his father (a nobleman) and mother (his father's bodyguard/assassin). The two fought tooth and nail, and separated while he was young; he was primarily raised by servants, namely his dad's primary butler, and spent a lot of time by himself when not in their company.

He showed magical talent at a fairly young age, and from his late teens/mid twenties was formally studying magic under an apprenticeship. He was considered extremely quiet/aloof, and likely came off a bit of an obnoxious snob/know it all if you did speak to him back then (he was less interested in socializing/people and more interested in examining practical uses of magic for everyday, more layman applications. He was namely interested in maximizing the potentials of cantrips and playing around with rules/constraints for smaller level spells).

At age 25, Mortimer left his apprenticeship (for what he thought was a brief time, maybe three weeks) to accept an arranged marriage set by up his father. It was not a surprise, but something he knew was coming/proposed for a few year. Unfortunately, he was left unaware of the fact the family he was marrying into was tied to the cult of Bhaal. After leaving his apprenticeship, he disappears from public view and spends the next few years imprisoned/affiliated with the cult.

Mortimer just exists/does what he needs to do to survive, accepting his place in the cult. At 26, Lucille is born (she is a traditional Bhaalspawn, not Durge). She is a particularly violent child who starts showing signs of Wild Magic sorcery while she's a toddler, so she quite literally burns through her caretakers. She is markedly calm/soothed in Mortimer's presence, however.

At 30, Mortimer gets a chance to flee from the cult and escapes with Lucille. The following two years are fraught, spent on the run-- while he knows how to fight/kill/maim/poison from his time at the cult, he can't call on his magic successfully/spells just don't come when called and he can't cast anything beyond a fucking cantrip. So he does something very desperate and very stupid (but when you feel you've already damned your soul already, what's a little more sin?). Mortimer seeks out a creature he met during his time with the cult (and this mind you is where I am really muddling my way through shit): an alhoon (mindflayer seeking lichdom). The relationship with his patron is both parasitic and symbiotic-- he regularly kills/kidnaps people to assist in extending his patron's life, seeks out/steals information dealing in necromancy, and allows his patron to use him essentially as a test subject. Calling on higher level spells/magics physically alters him; parts of his body have become swallowed in swirling, thick shadows beneath his skin.

He was in Baldur's Gate trying to get information on the Necromancy of Thay and investigate his patron's concerns revolving renewed cult involvement when he was captured on the Nautiloid.

[ryttu3k]

Thread on the BG3 subreddit for tiny headcanons. Posting my own and my favourites here for posterity!

Mine

(In response to: "The owlbear cub brings Astarion "snacks" the same way Scratch brings gifts and sometimes they go hunting together.") Astarion is more or less adopted by the cub, who he grudgingly teaches how to hunt. Astarion gets the blood, cub gets the rest. (The cub gets named 'Bite'.)

If no one in the party gets the Volo eye from his amateur surgery, Wyll replaces the stone one with it.

Astarion knows exactly who Jaheira is (and Minsc, later) and is barely resisting fanboying in excitement. She's up there with Drizzt! (Later, he and Karlach basically just jump up and down like excited kids meeting their hero.) [original post]

Relatedly, if Jaheira knew about Cazador, she would have killed him like a century ago.

Elves have expressive ears. The squad giggle a bit about it when they meet Halsin, and Astarion points out, bemusedly, that it's a normal part of elf body language. They point out that he doesn't, leading to his own realisation that Cazador stole another type of language from him. Later, he starts relearning it and it's another 'fuck you' to Cazador. [original post]

Wyll and Karlach find a music box in Avernus and spend a lot of evenings dancing and generally living their best lives. They also use the House of Hope as a base when they need a break, which now has a permanent portal between it and Devil's Fee (threats were involved), guarded by Yurgir. They use it to stock up on fresh food (both for themselves and to trade), supplies, getting news, and sending messages.

On that note, Wyll, Gale, Astarion, and Shadowheart have a book club by correspondence. He uses the portal for that, too.

Wyll, trying to find a new class after Warlock, does settle on Ranger… but he also vibes heavily with Bard, and starts learning Bardic techniques too. Multiclassing!

Gale works out over the course of the adventure and spending time with Dark Urge that he does actually have a touch of sorcery, namely the same Storm Sorcery Durge has. Mystra never let him know because she has less control over sorcery than wizardry, but now he can learn as he likes. Multiclassing, part 2!

Halsin adopts Yenna (and Grub). And the tiefling orphans. And Arabella, when she's taking a break from roaming (she's training as a wild magic sorcerer, but there's more than a hint of druid there too). And Scratch (I know what the epilogue says, I'm ignoring it) and Bite, the owlbear cub. And Myshka (Malta gets adopted by Derryth). And Us. Good kitty :)

Like in Evereska and Evermeet, Reithwin becomes linked to the Feywild. Thaniel and Oliver visit it pretty often.

Astarion goes through a period of trying a ton of different jobs to see what he most enjoys doing. As well as adventuring, they include perfumery, tailoring, bartending, and a short but memorable stint throwing knives at Circus of the Last Days (Lucretious adopts him into her House, it's a vibe). He still hasn't worked out what he wants as a career but is enjoying the freedom of being able to choose.

(He also, thanks to visiting Halsin in Reithwin a lot, learns a bit of Druidry and picks up a bat wild shape. Batstarion as a spawn! Multiclassing, part 3!)

Astarion has a really good mind for puns. Just incredibly good with wordplay, quick at it, comes out with them in response to conversation like breathing for normal people. He's constantly, crushingly disappointed in himself every single time. Just makes the funniest pun you’ve ever heard then just. Sighs in abject despair at his own words. [original post]

The first time Shadowheart really sits and meditates focusing on the full moon, she gets a furry little surprise along the lines of her first werewolf transformation. Whoops. Halsin (a werebear who sometimes still struggles with his own transformation) helps mentor her in the whole... accidentally a shapeshifter thing.

Redeemed Durge becomes Chosen of Jergal, and sets out about on a mission to stamp out any remnants of the Dead Three, once and for all. They also multiclass (part 4!) into Cleric along with Sorcerer.

Other favourites

"- Grubb the cat is mildly clairvoyant, hence his anxiety. - Jaheira adopts Mol into her foster home. The path is long, but Mol's new family helps her to make better choices. She is highly frustrated by 'Uncle' Minsc. - Arabella's 'beardy man' is actually an avatar of Silvanus, not Elminster. Might be contradicted by epilogue now, but I'm sticking by it. - Wyll is a workout freak. He tries to get everyone to join him for early morning jogging and squats. Only Minsc ever goes. - Zevlor joins Karlach and Wyll/Tav in Avernus. They unite with the remnants of the Hellriders and become an infernal engine gang. - If both are liberated, Nessa the displacer beast and Shadow-Whiskers the displacer beast find happiness together. - Moonrise becomes a massive Selunite temple; Halsin's orphanage occupies most of the ground floor. Many previously-tadpoled absolutists who no longer have a home to go to work there. - Spawn Astarion, if unromanced and left to his own devices, eventually does become a perfumer. He markets scents to the undead and other conspicuously-scented beings, and makes quite a bit of coin. He sets up shop in Araj's abandoned apothecary, if she is dead. - Gale's mother sent Mystra a sternly-worded letter after the breakup. Delivered by Tara. it didn't help. - If rescued, Vanra is changed by her time with the hag and develops a touch of wild magic sorcery. - If Haarlep is alive and Raphael is dead, Haarlep moves into Raphael's suite in Sharress' Carress. His room is a popular attraction. - Jaheira is the best cook in camp, better than Gale. But she doesn't want anyone to know, because she doesn't want to get saddled with cooking duty. - Selunite Shadowheart eventually persuades Nocturne to leave Shar. Nocturne becomes a cleric of Lathander, god of rebirth and renewal, and helps others in her position to find rebirth without turning to the Lady of Loss." - lulufan87 (OP)

"Astarion likes cats because they've been his hunting buddies on rat capture trips." - satinsateensaltine

"- Gale has old man reading glasses, always takes them on the road along with minimum one book - Astarion actually suggested nickname "Shart" once. SH left him questioning all his life choices after. - Karlach takes short-raced Tavs over her shoulder when they can't jump a gap - Both society of Briliance and Underdark people know of Omeluum, but they aren't bothered, because it looks and is very polite. - Astarion and Shart abuse their tadpole connection to talk shit about other party members and NPCs" - notsohappynotsosad

"Wyll jokingly nicknames Astarion the Fang of Frontiers know that's he a hero and adventurer like himself." - TheCrimzenKing

"Selûnite Shadowheart gets her little rat pet. :)" - uwubewwa

"Gale becomes the most well known Wizard in the realm alongside Eliminster. But chooses to die a natural death instead of becoming effectively immortal, due to now appreciating the life he has after the campaign." - Rhinomaster22

"- Shadowheart and Nocturne have turned fully from Shar and are happily partnered. They live happily with their farm animals. - Shadowheart, Gale, Hope, and Tav have a recipe sharing circle. Tav grows night orchids and gives Shadowheart the cuttings whenever she visits. - Shadowheart and Tav swap custody of the Owlbear. - The Owlbear treats US like a sticky little sister. - Every time Tav pets the Owlbear and Scratch, she also pets US. - Spawnstarion and the Gur Monster hunters ALSO have a recipe sharing circle for scent masking and monster repellents. - Astarion is the camp tailor and mends little slogans into the team's clothing. Wyll's underwear has "Agonizing Blast" across the seat." - dirt_rat_devil_boy

"Doni is okay and survived the trip to Moonrise by finding new hiding spots. He emerges after the shadow curse is lifted and finds safety with Thaniel." - M_de_Monty

"I choose to believe that Korilla is the female singer in Raphael's Final Act" - SuspiciousWeasel15

"Halsin is a werebear that is also a Druid. He is completely unaware that he is a werebear." - aniborfy

"the reason Astarion hates flowers is because he associates them with graves and it reminds him of his own burial." - badshakes

"- Gale was a Weave Anchor same as Elminster and Volo, and that's why he survived the Orb taking him. The Orb ate what made him an anchor and it's the only reason Gale survived. Many of Mystra’s Chosen are/have been Weave anchors. - Gale was born a tempest sorcerer and that's why he was a "wizard prodigy." It explains why the game is hellbent on having him equip Witch Bolt as a spell every time he levels up. - Gale becomes Rolan’s mentor after Baldur's Gate is freed." - ariseis

"Dammon eventually joins Karlach and Wyll in Avernus because they need an infernal mechanic and he's just that nice of a guy." - CopyAngelTech