#karlach deserves better

[chthonic-mommy]

Imagine a Good Ending for Karlach

Larian hire me right now.

also my English is weak but I’m trying so please be kind I can’t REMAIN SILENT ANYMORE. it was a 3am unfiltered stream of consciousness written in language which isn’t my native.

So, the final battle. Karlach overheats. I don’t care how are they going to get rid of anything else - that’s not the topic. Then Tav (maybe with Gale’s help) uses extreme ice spell on Karlach, a few seconds before the end. This won’t let her die - but won’t let her live either. Tav just couldn’t tolerate the thought of Karlach dying. The battle ends. Everything’s over. Everyone is alive. But there is Tav - with swollen eyes, feeling like her own heart’s gonna explode instead of Karlach’s engine. And then there is The Body. Tav holds her head close to her chest, crying, but Karlach’s cold now, too cold. Gale tries to go talk with her, but both Astarion and Lae’zel ask him not to. Tav is overwhelmed and incredibly protective over The Body. She is a short and weak bard, but she will not let anyone touch Karlach, she’ll protect her like a mother lioness protects her cub.

She’ll take The Body home with her. Cold, with an ice crust on that place where soft light was coming from.

A year passed. Tav stayed in Baldurs Gate. Karlach’s dream was to help tiefling children who lost their parents. Karlach told Tav “All children should have proper housing. I didn’t have any opportunities when I was a child myself. It didn’t turn out good.”

So Tav opened a home school. She wasn’t as good with children as Karlach was, but she originated from aristocratic family, so she, as a woman of great knowledge, became a teacher for tiefling kids. They were stubborn at first and didn’t attend classes, but by time they started to listen. They began to help Tav with the garden, so they could eat stuff they grew together afterwards. Mattis remembered what Karlach told him - it’s easier to avoid battle and come out as winner out of any situation if you have a way with words. Mol was the last to stop leading her illegal lifestyle, influenced by others.

Tav taught them proper writing, counting, helped them with better clothing. She couldn’t give them everything - money won’t last forever. But she tried - tiefling kids had breakfast and dinner, they had a place to sleep, they were learning something.

Tav was numb. She stopped crying - work and children who needed her, all of that made her tougher. She was weak physically before - Karlach was always there for her to help. She remained weak, but could hardly afford that weakness now.

Three years have passed. Tav searched. Karlach’s body remained the same. There was a way to melt her heart, but she’ll die right after, Tav needed a way to melt her engine without damage, and a way to make it work. Gale told her one day “You need to move on, Tav, those children need you.” Tav answered him “She wanted to live more than any of us did. I’ll rip my own heart out, if needed. Help me or leave me alone.” She and Gale stopped talking for a year. Than he returned to her with loads of books and an apology.

Astarion didn’t like the whole idea of home school at first, but he still was coming to Tav as frequent as he could. He taught kids personal boundaries, cuz Tav didn’t want to be touched, so Astarion taught children that before a hug you need to ask first. Astarion never left Tav’s side, he supported her in her dream to bring Karlach back. He missed his barbarian friend too.

Five years have passed. Lae’zel and Shadowheart came to Tav’s place and brought their hatched gith child with them. Lae’zel also brought githyanki medicine, Shadowheart brought her prayers. Gale and Astarion came, bringing a fire artifact they’ve been searching for during the last year. Halsin and Will came, bringing their magic. Dammon was there as well. The whole group have got together again because everyone knew - if today’s stuff won’t work out, Tav will lose her life purpose. She needed their support.

It was the dark and cold night. Tav was nearly as cold as Karlach, tearless and calm. Gale started to dissolve the spell, the engine began to melt. Halsin was trying to support Karlach’s health, at least till the engine starts. And then everything went wrong. The engine started to heat like crazy, burning Karlach from inside, Dammon took his blacksmith tools and started to repair the engine right there. Tav took the fire artifact and put it into the engine. It burned through her gloves, it burned her hands heavily. Dammon took a step back.

Karlach’s body twisted in pain, she started to cough. She threw up. She coughed again, there was a black smoke, the smell of charcoal and burned flesh.

Everyone stood still, until Astarion ran for Karlach and hugged her tight.

“Damn, Fangs, I’m gonna vomit again…”

He looked nervous, his eyes twitched just like he was going to start crying, but he buried himself into that hug even more. Lae’zel came to them too, swearing, but hugged them with all her strength. Then was Halsin and his bear-like hugs. And Gale - who already started crying. Shadowheart and Will stood aside politely.

Karlach coughed uncontrollably, suffering from pain, laughed, not quite understanding what happened. For her it was just a moment - like she slept for a while. But everyone was different then she remembered. Gale had more wrinkles, Astarion never hugged her like this before, and Tav… looked like a pale imitation of herself. She stood silent, watching the hugs happening. Like she wasn’t there at all.

Everyone moved away, leaving Karlach sitting on the floor, still coughing but not that bad. Tav stayed on her place. She was afraid to believe it.

“Love…” Karlach started, and Tav whimpered, her heart skipped a beat. “…What’s with your hands? Did I burn you?”

Tav came closer, with tears dropping on the floor, breathing fast, looking like she’s gonna either have an anxiety attack or faint.

“Tav?” That’s was enough for her to burst out crying. She rushed into Karlach’s arms, crying like a baby, shivering.

Karlach’s started to kiss Tav’s face, trying to calm her down, caressed her hair. She worried so much and her engine was still unstable - it started heating again. Tav kissed her lips and felt them burning, like it was their first kiss.

“We need to stop, Tav, something’s wrong.”

“I’ll never stop! Karlach I missed you so fucking much! You were here, your body, cold and silent, I could touch you but there was no YOU in there! For five fucking years! I’ll rather burn myself than hold back now.”

Karlach looked at her in shock.

“Five years? How… How did you?..”

“I needed you to live. I did what I could.”

“That’s why your hands are burned?”

“That’s a small price.”

Karlach pulled her close, while her engine calmed down a little.

“And you waited for me for five years…unable to reach me… just like I waited to touch you… when we just met… it’s all crazy.”

“I was afraid I’d lose you. I’d die too.”

“Love…”

“Don’t tell me anything. It’s easy to get used to good things. When you lose them - you may never recover.”

Karlach kissed her again, kissed her burned lips, kissed her forehead, kissed the tears traces on her cheeks.

“We’ll talk about it later… I’m here, love, I’m here…”

That was the first night after the final battle which they spent happy, together. Tav was crying over and over, snuggling to Karlach and holding her hand tight, like she’ll disappear at any moment.

The next morning Karlach found out about kids. Most kids who she remembered were nearly young adults now. Mol and Mattis came early to help Tav with her house chores and ran to Karlach’s arms like they were her own kids.

“Karlach, we thought you dead!”

“Yeah, we thought mama Tav lied to us so we wouldn’t be sad about you!”

And Karlach hugged them close, but then pushed away to ask a question.

“Mama Tav?”

“Yeah, everyone calls her mom, it’s easier to explain and to remember.”

“She adopted EVERY child here?”

“Not really, but we’re still hers, I guess. She helped us all this years.”

They told Karlach about their jobs, about little ones who came when Karlach was already “away”. When little ones, those who stayed at Tav’s place, woke up, they rushed to see what’s happening and why this place is so crowded.

Mol said: “Listen here, little bastards, THAT’S Karlach we told you stories about! She finally came back!”

And then there were lots of “wow”, “she’s as tall as I thought!”, “the light from her chest is real, see?” and “are you mama Tav’s wife? she wouldn’t tell us”. Karlach was delighted.

She got to meet Lae’zel’s and Shadowheart’s baby gith, and couldn’t get enough of him.

She and Tav made use of every free minute to speak. Tav started to bloom like she used to - colors came back to her. They kissed again and again to the point when Astarion started to joke dirty about putting Karlach back to sleep.

When Karlach asked Dammon, how’s her engine, he told her he doesn’t know how long will it last. They didn’t know anything at all.

Lae’zel always asked Tav before, why does she read so much, isn’t she already one of the smartest women in Faerun?

Tav always answered that the main point of learning is that you never stop. Science has no answers, you learn and then you understand that you know nothing and then you learn again. And that’s an endless path, you’re never stagnated. Lae’zel was fascinated by that.

Tav answered Karlach’s question about her engine just as expected.

“If it breaks, we’ll find a way to heal you again. And again. That’s the never-ending path of knowledge…”

“Knew you’ll say that.”

“So why did you ask then?”

“Just wanted to hear it aloud. It’s strange to know… that now I’m finally free. What should I do, Tav?”

“You can start at helping me with our homeschooled gang. I’m slowly getting burnt out. Mal and Mattis are helpful, but I can’t trust them with everything and they don’t have to be here all the time.”

“Understood…” Karlach stopped thinking about her future after Dammon for the first time told her that her engine can’t be entirely fixed. She couldn’t imagine someone going this far to bring her back. But Tav did it.

Karlach was free. Finally free of Avernus, free of her past, nearly free of death (Tav made her believe in that). She was surrounded by children and her friends were all here to welcome her back. Tav was here - with her hands and lips burned and painful, but refusing to leave her no matter what. Sweet Tav, who seemed so little in comparison to Karlach. Her savior.

“Gods,” Karlach smiled bright. ”Love, it feels so good to be alive.”

[gaybabeyjailbreak]

I've been experiencing baldur's gate and I have observations on either rather stupid ass fucking decisions on the writer's table when you compare some characters in the companion roster.

Gale and Karlach. Now those two are essentially almost the same, except Gale being a combination of Karlach and Shadowheart (Explosive heart + Faith(Mommy) issues.) Which really isn't that much of a problem on its own, but with how the story treats the characters, it begins to be.

To summarize, Gale's story involves finding a way to cope with his affliction, getting an ex machina solution when he basically gave up, and then wallowing in angst until he either sacrifices himself or doesn't and gets to worship Mystra's titties in self pity.

Compared to Karlach, who is hunting a Dante from DMC reject whilst trying not to think about how her condition is basically doomed, only to fall into despair after he's dead because she finally killed one of her abusers and now has fo focus on how she can't live a happy life. Because she either dies or suffers in hell. Classy

The point? Why does the masc character gets a chance on a life whilst the fem one doesn't?

Furthermore, Gale's problem stems from his own mistake, it's his fault because his pride wanted to fuck around and so he found out. But he does literally nothing proactive to solve his own issue, his godmommy literally sends an ex machina so he doesn't die, and he just continues on doing whatever he wants to. You can say yes "He can kill himself in a blaze of glory to repent" yes he CAN, he doesn't NEED to, the game gives you the option for him not to die.

Karlach on other hand, got human trafficked as a fucking teen, and then was turned into a weapon of war, until she could have escaped by being abducted with the goal of being enslaved... Take all that in, because it gets worse. She hunts down ONE of her abusers, only to not be presented with any solutions to her incredibly finite lifespan outside of hell. And you don't even get an option to try. After actively trying to find ways how to stabilise the heart you just don't get any more options, because one npc said she will die and we get no solutions. So in the end Karlach either dies, lives as a freak, or has to go back to hell to her other abuser. I'm so glad fr.

There's no other explanation for this besides the writers misogyny in making these characters. The most basic ass guy gets the issues he caused for himself solved for him, whilst the trauma survivor who deserves something happy for once gets that happiness dangled in front of her face and then denied for no good reason.

There is no good reason in game for her to not be allowed a good ending or a solution. We meet a dozen ass amount of wizards and strong ass characters that could pull literally any random solution for the Engine, but the writers decided not too.

I find this an intrinsicaly inexcusable favoritism of the wrong characters, the creators very much favour Gale over Karlach, they very much favour him over everyone else tbh. As we all know, unless you don't recruit him or make him leave at some point, killing him without reviving him will just cause you a game over, And he offers nothing to any questline beyond an automatic check pass when you talk to his cat. The only thing he has going for him is that he's a quippy posh wizard. But that fails to be fun when he runs out of stuff to talk about as he has the game revolve around him due to his condition without actually interacting with it in any feasible way.

Rant over.

[kalamitykas]

Rant about BG3

MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BG3 COMPANION STORIES

So... I finished my first playthrough and I have.... OPINIONS.

I feel that there's a pattern between the character stories of the companions depending on if they are male or female. It's subtle but I feel it's there quite strongly.

DISCLAIMER: I haven't done the evil run, so I haven't gotten to know Minthara so I won't be talking about her.

The Men

With the exception of Astarion, it feels all the male characters are in their current situation out of their free will. Gale was a dumbass and decided he wanted more tha what Mystra was offering him and messed up. Wyll might have been deceived into the pact, but he confesses that he has never regretted it. Halsin is not responsible for the curse, he only feels that way because he was there when it happened. And all the mess that happens in the grove? He left his post in the middle of a complicated situation because he was curious.

And even Astarion! True, he was turned against his will and abused by Cazador, but he still is an evil bastard. He's selfish, mean, and hates any attempt of helping others while very demanding on helping him. I know you can change him, so in this particular rant, he's kind of middle ground.

The Difference

Each female character's issues and trauma was IMPOSSED on them. Shadowheart gets kidnapped and brainwashed as a child. Lae'zel grows in an abusive regime that also brainwashes her. And Karlach is traded to hell against her will as a teenager. They didn't had any autonomy in their stories.

And then we go into the endings. I'll admit, except Karlach, you get the option to give them kinda happy endings. For Shadowheart to have a happy ending, you have to "fix her". Undo years of brainwashing, potentially sacrificing her family, her friends who she'll never see again (Nocturne is too precious for this world). Lae'zel will be put either in charge of a massive civil war that will kill thousands of her people against a living godess, or be the second in command of said war (or you can convince her to abandon her people and stay in Faerun).

And then we get to Karlach. I cried myself to sleep over Karlach's endings. They were all messed up. Turn her into something else and she stops being herself, let her die, send her back to the place she hates and abused her. Even if you and Wyll go with her (and if you do this, and you had romanced someone else, you have to leave them behind), is still sending an abuse victim right back to where she was abused.

I feel like there's a bias here, or maybe is a coincidence, or maybe I'm too angry I couldn't make all my friends have a happy ending and instead my character was left without the love of her life, never seeing Lae'zel again and escorting her best friend into hell again. Is just so.... shite.

I did research, checking other possible endings I could have gotten, and they weren't much better... It just feels that Larian wrote the female companions to be "They are hot, and have a tragic backstory and you can FIX THEM and have fun", and then just made their endings fit that.

The male companions all get to achieve what they wanted. Gale can give Mystra the crown to get healed of his own fuck up. Wyll get's to become the Blade of Avernus and hunt down the deamons that wronged him. To be a hero with his relationship with his dad restored. Halsin gets to achieve his goal and cure the curse. Astarion get's to either be free of his abusive sire and become a better person, or destroy and supplant him. And all of them can still visit and see their friends.

On the other hand? Only Shadowheart gets this. Lae'zel either abandons her people, or leaves her friends behind to engage in a terrible war. And Karlach either sacrifices herself, or leaves her city and friends behind to spend the rest of her life battling in a place she hates.

Dunno, I was loving BG3, I'm still playing it, doing new campaign as Lae'zel to get to see her story from her perspective. But this kinda put a bitter taste in my mouth. I was super invested on these characters, and it felt like a sad ending. One thing I kept thinking about was, Shadowheart gets the "Divine Favour" once per game spell.... couldn't I just use that to cure Karlach? It feels like is something that on a tabletop session would have gotten so many options to have a nicer ending, one that left all the players happy.

Maybe I'm sad I didn't get to live in a sapphic colony with my friends at the end haha.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TEdRant.

[mileenaxyz]

Why is her personality so perfect???? 😭😭😭😭

[sparrowsarus]

Boy, I sure am glad nothing bad happens to Karlach and she gets married to Wyll Ravenguard, Duke of Baldur's Gate, and lives happily ever after!

[vitanithepure]

Tagging with spoilers just to be sure, but this is just a general thought. Nothing the companions don't tell you early into our relationships.

But like do you guys ever just stop and think how totally messed up and traumatized they all are? Like the Absolute just broke into a mental institute, stole the records of all the patients and decided "yeah, we need them as True Souls, they're perfect!".

And on top of all that, they get tadpoles, witness horrors beyond everything they ever experienced, get thrown into a crazy cult's plot to obliterate the Sword Coast and they are expected to function?

Like, I sometimes struggle to get out of bed in the morning. How do they cope with all this? It's baffling!

Putting the companion details under the cut.

We have Lae'zel, indoctrinated since she hatched from an egg and started to strangle others for the glory of her lich queen.

Shadowheart, taken advantage of, with her wiped memory and sent on a "don't ask any questions" mission by her goddess and her cult.

Karlach, betrayed and forced to fight in the bloodies and most vicious war this world knows. Her heart stolen, and with it her ability to even touch other people.

Wyll, who sacrificed a part of himself to save a whole city and, in return, was estranged with his family based on a deception.

Gale, groomed and tossed aside, and all he has left from it is a death sentence.

And Astarion, an asshole, turned into a monster by another asshole, with 200 years worth of abuse?

And while some of them did slip up, the resulting trauma they were served was in no way justified. I want to strangle each person that made them miserable.

And this seems to be the crux of all their stories. They all had this one bastard that made them the way they are and are *not* dealing with it the right way because how can they with all the other shit going on?

[littlestarbigfangs]

"So Gortash is nothing more than a pile of flesh? Same as the rest of us."

[queerbrainrot]

love Baldur's Gate 3 but will never forgive Larian Studios for getting rid of Upper City and fucking over Wyll & Karlach in the worst way

[maegalkarven]

Family matters.

m!(trans)Dark Urge x Enver Gortash.

Brainworms finally got to me, I caved in and wrote a oneshot on the topic of "but what if Durge and Gortash had a child prior to all that mess"

Featuring my Dark Urge Levi, pre- and post- memory loss.

There was a living, breathing infant child in his arms; and for the first time in a long while Lord Enver Gortash was in complete loss at what to do.

“What is it?” fell rather flat down, a poor excuse of a question.

Leviathan rolled his eyes.

“A meaty flesh of some newly created life,” he huffed, visibly annoyed. “Also known as a child. I assume you’ve met their kind?”

Enver felt anger rise alongside with deeply rooted annoyance. Whatever spectacle the bhaalspawn decided to partake in, now was not the time for that. Neither it was the time for his witty itty remarks.

“I am well aware it’s a child,” he argued back just as sullenly, the said child held loosely in his arms. In his arms. Why was there a child in his arms? They were not made for holding babies.

“I’m asking why is it a child and why is it here. The questions any sane person in my place would indulge in.”

There was something...off about the bhaalspawn.

Not only Enver hadn’t seen the man for almost the entity of a year, an assassin always claiming some task of utmost importance, but now he decided to pop out of the thin air with a live child in a tow and immediately push said child into his, Enver Gortash’s, not so open arms.

It was alarming, to say the least.

“Oh, that,” Levi waved him off like it was a casual annoyance and not a conversation two adults, so-conspirers - partners - had. Like Gortash imposed himself into his free time and personal space and not the other way around. “It’s yours.”

It’s what?

“Or at least I assume it’s yours,” Leviathan followed as Enver’s thoughts came to a rapid halt. “Since I haven’t touched anyone alive but you in a long time. And look where it led me,” the look of pure disdain was all the child was getting, it seemed. “A freshly made meaty cage for a new soul. Disgusting. You’d think Father would make this shit stop and would not allow a child of banite to be born, but I guess any bhaalspawn is a good little pawn under his merciful gaze. Anyway,” a wild, excusing gesture of a hand. “I don’t have any use for this...thing. Sceleritas suggested to bring it into the fold and let my men do all the work, but well, the bother. So you can take it instead,” a winning smile what would work wonders if not for the whole absurdity of the situation Gortash just found himself in. “Think of it as of a gift. A proof of my loyalty to our cause, hm?”

Sometimes the bastard was more annoying than he was charming and his presence took a toll on the man.

Sometimes Enver wanted nothing more than to break Levi’s pretty slender neck.

That was one of these times.

“And what am I supposed to do with it?”

“Oh, whatever you want,” another wide, generous gesture. This asshole truly thought of that...child as if of a gift to be given away, didn’t he?

Enver shouldn’t have been surprised, not really, he knew Leviathan’s stance on children.

“Taste good, not much of use when alive, it’s funny when they die first” – was as good of a take as one could expect from the leader of the Cult of Murder.

“You can throw it away or feed it to the dogs. You can raise it or give it to a hag or even sell it to the devil,” another smile that’s more malicious than anything else. “I don't really care, if I'm being honest.”

Unfortunately, killing a bhaalspawn when you were holding just another bhaalspawn would prove to be close to impossible.

It would have to wait, and Leviathan Anchev still had his uses, bratty as he was.

And his appeal, as deadly as that ordeal proved to be. Or how complicated.

A child, huh? Well, Enver supposed every ruler needed an heir.

“Bring me the wizard,” was the first order out of his mouth when bhaalspawn left. The child was safely given into the care of the first competent older servant, who looked just as bewildered as Gortash himself felt. “Tell him to scan the...the-“

“The boy, my lord.”

“Right, tell the mage to scan the boy’s heritage. Let’s find who his parents are, shall we?”

Trusting a psycho murderer was an awful idea even at the safest of times, and now were not those. Levi would lie just to fuck with Enver. Levi had to lie, because there was no way this infant boy was actually his, Enver’s, flesh and blood.

***

Leviathan Anchev did not lie.

***

Levi moved away to sprawl his body across the bed, the creature of leisure he was. He sniffed the air and then wrinkled his nose, closer to an animal than any other person Gortash has ever known. More appealing in that, in his beast-like fluid grace.

“You still have this thing around,” the man commented, frowning. “Why? Playing the dollhouse? How...quant.”

“This thing has a name,” Enver couldn’t not parry. “Noah.”

Leviathan groaned.

“Oh, spare me the details; I want nothing to do with that flesh meat. Having to carry it inside my body for almost a year was a bother enough. Almost cut it out myself on multiple occasions, but Sceleritas insisted the internal damage I’d deal would be too great to handle. Idiot.” A moment of a thoughtful pause.

“You know what my destiny is, right?”

A searching gaze, reaching hands, clawed fingers cupping Enver’s cheeks almost gently. Something changed between them some time ago, but what it was Lord Gortash could not pinpoint. 

Yet something...Shifted.

Levi searching his face for some kind of acknowledgement was a sign of this.

Leviathan Anchev Enver first met would not care less about his approval. Leviathan Anchev of now was Enver’s nearest and dearest and it was pretty much a mutual kind of thing.

“I know.”

To kill everyone in the world and then himself. In Bhaal’s name. A gruesome fate, and pointless. Dull, lacking of any grandiose his, Enver’s, path had.

If only he could break off this deadly conviction in his dear ally, if only there was a way to make him stray out of this path...

They could be good for each other. They could rule together as the gods of the new age; glorious, undefeatable, perfect.

The rulers Toriel truly deserved.

“Then you know I’ll have to kill this...thing,” a moment of barely noticeable hesitation. “This... Noah.”

Enver also knew he would rather see his lover bleed on the altar of his dreadful father than let it happen.

“I do.”

“I,” another uncertain pause. “I was planning to leave you for last. To kill you and myself in one final blow; a perfect tribute to Father. But,” and really, those damn pauses were starting to get on Enver’s nerves. Levi was never short of words before, so what in the nine hells had happened? “Would you rather prefer I’d do you and...Noah... together? To kill you two in one blow?”

Ah.

Enver saw it for what it was, in the uncertain, searching gaze of his unlucky lover, in the carefulness with which he produced words.

Something warm flooded out the irritation from before; something warm and soft and entirely fragile.

It was mercy, the only kind of mercy the bhaalspawn could know. Leviathan Anchev, the man fully capable of destroying everyone and everything on his wake, offered him a tiny piece of his own surrender. A confirmation of his affections, almost a confession.

In some ways he did care.

“That would be very considerate of you, yes,” he agreed, bringing bhaalspawn close. His bhaalspawn, his ally, his lover. The father of his son.

If there was a way of bringing Bhaal down without bringing Levi with him, Enver would find and utilize it. Otherwise he’d have to kill the best partner in crime he has ever had.

And that would be...unfortunate.

Levi leaned into the touch, soft and gentle in a way he has never been before; almost fragile.

Trusting.

“Does it...know about me?” came out in a whisper, almost unbidden.

“He knows you exist,” was all the response Enver could give, enveloping his assassin into his arms, holding him closely, firmly, painfully so.

The bhaalspawn squirmed for a moment before finally settling in.

“Oh,” he breathed out. “I didn’t think you would...What you would tell him I do. Exist, I mean. I’d expect you’d spin a tale of some tragically dead wife or-“

“There is no tragically dead wife,” Enver cut off, feeling rather irritated. A mystery of complications, his dear murderer. “Only a lunatic of a murderer for a father. Not what Noah knows that, he knows we’re working together and what you’re a very busy man.”

“Hmph,” Levi’s breath brushed Enver’s neck. “I guess that is true.”

“Do you want to,” and now it was his time to be a hesitant bother. “Meet him?

At that Leviathan actually laughed.

“Oh, absolutely not, keep him and that strange dollhouse of yours as far away from me as possible. I have things to do, people to kill, empires to rule. I don’t have time for meat-things, of my own creation or not.”

And just like that, it was as if nothing has changed.

***

The alarm goes off the moment Karlach finishes the last of the Hands and flies into a wall by the force of the explosive detonating right into her face.

Enver doesn’t stop to register that, or to look around at the bodies of his faithful, to mourn his perfectly constructed plans – his watch, the Iron Throne, the little fireworks shop – because the alarm in Noah’s private chambers went off and it only means one thing.

Intruders.

He skips one step at the time climbing up the steep steps to the higher, more private level.

Could that be the remaining of Orin’s assassins?

Levi said he dispatched of them all, but surely some had to survive by the sheer luck of not being in the temple at the moment. Are those Ravengard’s forces, Florrick’s?

Is it Leviathan, finally coming to sniff out the life he himself created?

He is vaguely aware of the younger Ravengard and the pale elf taking the chase after him, of Karlach joining in.

They think he is escaping.

Idiots.

Enver tries not to think what he is leading the enemies right to his son; he’ll deal with them later. Right now there’s blazing alarm shrieking what something is wrong – and indeed it is, as he discovers with the first body lying dead on the floor. Then the second. Then the third.

All of them – with their throats ripped open, Leviathan’s favorite style.

Enver turns the corner and reaches for the door handle – the door is unlocked and half open: this is bad, bad, bad-

Then he hears a laughter and pauses.

He opens the door slowly and carefully instead of throwing it open as he intended at first.

And sees...

Levi is sitting cross-legged on the floor, leaning slightly forward.

Across of him, sitting in the exact same – ridiculous – pose sits the boy not older than five. He has a dark messy hair, blazing green eyes what betray his nature, and the new game Gortash brought to him just recently. He is trying to explain the rules to the tiefling in front of him, who listens attentively, nodding here and there.

“Wow,” Leviathan Anchev comments with an air of nonchalance he didn’t have before. “I did not understand a thing. But good for you, lil one, good for you.”

“It’s really not that difficult,” Noah insists. “I can teach you! We can play together.”

Enver steps closer, somehow is still not detected neither by his son nor by his...his what?

Karlach almost crashes into the doorframe after him, but somehow manages to steady herself, takes in the view in front of her – and freezes.

So do the other two of Levi’s unruly companions. Gortash especially doesn’t like the pale one; he has a habit of sticking way closer to the bhaalspawn than it is proper.

“I am not that good at these kinds of games,” Levi admits as his tail flips from side to side and nostrils flare; he has detected him. Probably smelled before sensing. “But I have a friend with a real knack for them. He is a wizard and knows a lot of fun things; I think you’d get along.”

Noah looks uncertain.

“Are you sure?” he looks down. “I don’t think...I’m not allowed outside.”

“Really? And why is that?”

“Well,” the boy fidgets with his game. “Father says people who oppose him would try to use me against him, if they knew I existed. So I am kind of...a secret? It’s for my own safety!” he immediately adds, seeing Leviathan’s face blank out. “There’s a murderer on the loose, she really doesn’t like father despite supposedly working with him. Father says she will kill me if she finds out I exist.”

“Oh,” Levi looks taken aback at that. “I don’t think you need to worry about that anymore. If you’re talking about who I think you’re talking about, then she has been dealt with already.”

“Oh!” Noah brightens. “By whom?”

“By me. But say,” the spawn looks quizzically at the child in front of him, frowning slightly. “Is it just your father and you? Where’s your mother?”

“I don’t have one,” and this is definitely the moment then Enver needs to intervene, but he is just...frozen in place, turned to stone.

Leviathan Anchev he knew hated children.

This Leviathan Anchev is talking to a child as it was his best friend.

“I have a dad though!” Noah is a sweet fool, Enver taught him much better than telling complete strangers his entire life’s story. Stop. Talking. “He is...working a lot and is too busy to visit,” the boy looks down gloomily. “But! He and father are very close; they even stole from the devil together!”

Levi blinks. Then blinks once more. Then again.

“The devil, you say?” and is it just Gortash’s imagination, but did the man’s voice just rise up an octave?

“Yes! And not just any devil, the achdevil Mephistopheles!” Noah looks so absurdly proud of that it hurts. “They snuck right into his home, stole a crown from his vault and returned here. Unspotted, unstopped. Victorious.”

“What the fuck?” Karlach lets out and both the boy and the bhaalspawn who created him turn to the door.

Noah’s face immediately brightens.

“Father!” he exclaims, hastily getting to his feet and rushing to him. Behind the boy Levi gives the man the most bewildered stare he has ever seen.

“You have a child!” young Ravengard speaks out with the accusation in his voice. Enver really isn’t sure whom the man is addressing.

Noah is unperturbed.

“Father, I met a really cool guy, his name is Levi and he must be your friend because he came here with no problem at all; and he has children at his camp, two girls named Yenna and Arabella. Arabella is a druid because she stole the idol of Sylvanus and it gave her powers, and Yenna has a cat! But the cat is anxious so I shouldn’t pet it, but I can look at it! Please, can I look at Yenna’s cat? Levi said the evil murderer is dealt with, so it’s probably safe. And Levi can guard me if needed. Also there’s a vampire spawn in his camp and-“

The pale elf coughs.

“Hello there,” he tries, pulling a not entirely convincing smile up his lips. “A vampire spawn speaking. And you would be...”

“I am Noah!” says Noah right away; and did Enver shelter him too much? Damn, he has sheltered him too much. Look at the boy, he wants to befriend a vampire spawn. “I’m the son of the Archduke! Hello.”

“Yes, hi,” the elf looks at Levi uncertainly and back. “So...”

“So,” the bhaalspawn steps forward, the bewildered look stuck to his face. He crouches down to Noah’s level and takes his hands into his calloused and clawed ones. “So Noah...Your dad is the man who helped your father to steal the crown from the devil, is that right?”

Noah nods vigorously and Enver takes his time to observe the scene; the two bhaalspawns in front of each other, Levi’s posture, his relaxed shoulders, his slightly shaking hands. The tail that seems to have a life on its own and moves agitatedly behind its owner.

Three companions of the bhaalspawn, all somewhat stuck in place, with different levels of surprise stitched up their faces. The pale elf – a step closer, almost lingering at Leviathan’s side. Annoying.

Yet somehow, no matter how hard Gortash looks at it, he doesn’t sense any danger. Doesn’t see it, even with Karlach still aflame by the doorframe.

“Yep,” Noah agrees eagerly. “I wish he’d come to meet me soon. He will come, right? Once the work is done and all,” the boy sighs. “I mean, I am his son, surely he would care to come to meet me.”

“Um,” the tiefing looks uncertain. “And what if...something happened to him? What if he, say, lost his memories?”

“How? Did something hit him in the head?”

The vampire spawn chokes on a laugh and Levi rolls his eyes at him.

“Sure,” he agrees. “Let’s call it that. So...what if he doesn’t...exactly remember having you?”

“You mean if he’s lost and doesn’t know he needs to come back?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, I guess I’d come looking for him. He is my other father. It’s important.”

The force of conviction behind these words hits harder than a thunderwave.

Leviathan blinks hard, clears his throat, and then-

“You...don’t have to. I don’t remember much about my life before...certain events, but it was made adamantly clear to me I was the one to break into the Mephistopheles’ vault with your father. And if your dad is who did that, then,” he stops. “Then I guess- Enver, are you really just going to stand here like a fucking statue? Tell me if this is what I think it is or not.”

“You swore!”

“No, the fuck, I did not. Enver-“

“Now you swore twice!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake-“

“So,” Gortash steps forward, a lazy smile dancing on his lips. Gods only know how much this smile costs him. “You have known your son for the entirety of twenty minutes and already taught him a swear word. Really impressive.”

“Father?”

“Oh, listen here, you poignant prick-“

This, Enver thinks, is what family feels like.

[shattered-earth]

my relationship with astarion is complicated but in the end at least i can say we got to this point

[owowyrm]

the price of iron

[thunderboltfire]

That one animation with a soft headbutt, am I right?

[csphire]

Whispers and hopes when it comes to a future BG3 DLC.

For the record, I'd love to do a playthrough romancing Karlach while playing as Dammon. One where he has got some backstory rather than making a clone of him. Another to romance him while playing as Karlach. Yet another where I could romance them both as a Tav or Durge. That's how much I adore, love and relate to both of them.

Their and our stories deserve to be told.

Some of us need more sunshine in our lives too!

Feel free to use any of these for drawing references with your player characters but please tag me because one, I can't get enough of him and Karlach, and two, I want to reblog your hard work. <3

[artschoolglasses]

If you use mods in video games that make characters look younger, remove wrinkles, smooth out skin, make them thinner… etc, etc…I hate you. 🙃

[mothrabbits]

BG3 sketchbook dump!! Warming back up into drawing as my burnout subsides.

Sorry guys, probably am going to only be drawing Baldur's Gate for a while. You know… unless I don't.

[so-no-feint]

(ACT3/ENDING/KARLACH SPOILERS BELOW; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED)

I finished the game and had some thoughts about stuff and things.

After finishing the game yesterday, I sobbed for a good 15-20 minutes about Karlach's ending. My party consisted of tav, Astarion, Shadowheart and Karlach. Astarion's waning sunlight protection was predictable, but still sad. I had romanced Shadowheart, so happy ending there.

But Karlach?

After everything she'd been through - 10 years of slavery under Zariel, her heart gone, unable to get close to anybody - and her closure is kicking the bucket anyways? Fuck, man. That was brutal.

Hours searching for the infernal iron to repair our favorite barbarian's engine-for-a-heart, gentle words, loving hugs, affirmations. I wasn't ready for her dialogue after we killed Gortash. Her anger and despair were so, so, SO excellently voiced by her actress and it absolutely fucking broke my heart to hear the ever-strong Karlach shatter like glass in front of us.

Her last request from us, the player, in camp before you venture off to fight the Absolute (assuming you progressed her enough to see the dialogue) being that she wants us to be there with her in her final moments just killed me, man.

Karlach deserved better (not really a dig on Larian - I understand she was the last character to be designed and added). She deserved her escape from Zariel's claws; she deserved the happiness we gave her in our adventures throughout the campaign; she deserved all of it and most of all she deserved to fucking live! We cool off her engine just enough to give her the first hug she's received in over a decade.

We give her that happiness, and its robbed from her anyways. All because of Gortash and Zariel. And we could be there for her, in her final moments; but never close enough to save her. Not really.

Sure, we have the choice to send her back to Avernus with Wyll; sparing her the painful, burning death she'd face if she stays with us in this plane. But did you speak with Karlach at all through the campaign? You'd know that she'd rather die than go back, even if Wyll could be with her. I, personally, couldn't rob her of that. I couldn't take away more from her than she'd already lost; that choice was hers and hers alone.

I'm glad, at least, that before our fight with the Absolute, Karlach is able to find some solace in us. The party, your avatar, whoever you so decide to attribute Karlach's contentedness to. But after Gortash, Karlach realizes that no matter what, she had been happy because of you. You, who broke her untouchability, showed her love and grace and kindness and adoration.

Our bright, bubbly and burning-hot Karlach. Fueled by her emotion and her rage and her wants and her love.

I think that, despite everything being against her, our favorite tiefling was happy. We made her happy. She expressed her love to and through us. And us being there for her as she faced the last ultimatum she would have to decide on gave her all the strength she needed.

Carry on, soldier. You did so well. Thanks, Karlach, and thank you Larian for creating one of the most unforgettable experiences I've had in a long, long time.